//------------------------------//
// 31 (FINAL): The Next Interruption 
// Story: Shining Together 
// by Bookish Delight 
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It was late morning, and both girls were back in suburban Canterlot, sitting at a booth in a small diner on the edge of town.

"So, million-dollar question," Sunset said as she and Starlight waited for their orders to be prepared. "How did you sleep?"

It was the question Starlight had been hoping Sunset would ask as soon as possible, just so they could get it out of the way. "As well as I could?" she replied. "I actually didn't dream at all, which was refreshing. Looks like no news is good news—really good news in my case."

"No kidding," Sunset said. "I'm glad to hear it."

Starlight nodded. "I'm definitely in a slightly better place than I've been over the last few days, for now. But that doesn't mean this is anywhere near over. I still want to know why my magic... hijacked me, but I'm afraid to go back to find out. Not yet. Need to... still need to vacation." She exhaled. "And a place where I don't have any magic to my name is still the best candidate."

"We'll get to the bottom of it," Sunset said. "I promise."

Starlight started to respond, to say how much she trusted Sunset's words, but it was then that the waiter—a beige-colored boy with blue spiky hair, and a white work apron hastily tied over his khakis and shirt—arrived with two dishes. "All righty, that's one deluxe fruit salad, and one pancake tower," he said. "Enjoy, Shimmer and Posse. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks, Flash," Sunset said with a sincere smile. "How's this new gig working out for you?"

"You know, I didn't think I'd like it at first, but it's actually going really great." Flash beamed. "It's part-time, meaning I don't miss out on everything with my friends, but at the same time it's nice to just have a quiet place with all grown-up customers who aren't so loud. One gets enough decibels in your diet from rockout practice, if you get my meaning." He mimed strumming a guitar with his fingers. 

"Hell, yeah. Big mood," Sunset said, holding out her fist for Flash to bump. "Oh, also, as far as the 'posse' goes: Starlight, this is Flash Sentry. Flash Sentry, Starlight Glimmer. She's from out of town."

"Oh! Hi, nice to meet you, Starlight," he said, shaking Starlight's extended hand... before raising an eyebrow towards Sunset. "Mind if I ask how far out of town?"

"Spoilers," Sunset said.

Flash chuckled, shaking his head. "Ahhh, whatever. You know the visitor I'm waiting for. Anyone else, long as you don't cause a world-endangering magical catastrophe, you're a-okay in my book. Enjoy your stay here!" he said, walking off to tend to other customers.

Starlight walked him leave, then turned to Sunset with the first question that came to mind. "Wait. That's a Flash Sentry? The 'dreamboat' from Twilight's di—I mean, that Spike's told me about once or twice and that's totally the only way I know him I swear?"

Sunset giggled. "The same, yeah."

"Huh." Starlight shrugged. "He seems so... harmless."

"Yeah," Sunset said, sighing with a spaceward stare. "Looking back on it, he probably always was." She looked back to Starlight, who was making starry eyes at the stack of flapjacks in front of her. "So, I'm the last one to judge peoples' eating preferences," she said, looking around at the modest portions of the rest of the diner's clientele.,"but since I am paying for this: Are you actually going to eat all ten of those?"

"Yeah, so, I used to live in a town where I ate not much else but sticks, bland bread and the occasional vegetable root, entirely by my mayoral decree." Starlight slathered on a bunch of maple syrup over the stack, raised her knife and fork, and dug in. "My penance is an eternal craving for double sugar and carbs at every meal. Speaking of, though: has Princess Twilight ever told you about her pancake misadventures?"

"What?" Sunset gasped, slamming her hands on the table. "They're real? She keeps pretending they're not! Like, sometimes she writes to me saying 'I had another pancake incident today, I wish  I could quit them,' and I'll be like 'tell me, I'll listen, also this sounds hilarious already', and she'll say 'it's nothing interesting', and I'm all 'filly, please, you're not fooling anypony with—'"

"Oh, they are that interesting." Starlight leaned in, her smile conspiratorial. "I promise."

Sunset pointed to Starlight's plate. "Okay. Every story gets you a free stack of those from now until your vacation is finished."

Starlight squealed. "Deal! Just know what you've gotten yourself into, though: there are a million stories. But it all starts with the very first one, where she pulled an all-nighter and then woke up with a stack perfectly balanced on her head—"

"There you are! Hey, Sunset!" a new, female voice sounded from their left, causing Starlight and Sunset to turn their heads.

The voice's owner rushed up to the booth, plopping her hands down on the table upon arrival. "I'm here like you asked: high noon on the dot, just like in all the old westerns! What's this really important cool thing you'd said I would totally love?"

Sunset smiled to the new arrival, then turned to Starlight. 

It took Starlight and the new girl—a bespectacled, green-haired ivory teenager wearing a purple blouse, black skirt with fuchsia polka dots, and carrying a green camera bag—a few seconds to recognize each other, but the moment they simultaneously did, they gasped, putting their hands to their mouths. 

The new girl stared at Starlight with shining eyes, tears already threatening at their corners. "Holy crap. Hi, Starlight," she breathed.

Starlight responded in kind. "Hi, Juniper."




The End For Now