//------------------------------// // Things are Looking Dazzling // Story: Rainbow Rocks: Unfinished Business // by Gadman85 //------------------------------// Sonata gave a yawn as she woke up the day after the three of them found their voices. She couldn’t really move too easily yet though. She gave a smile as she looked to her sides. Aria was snuggled into Sonata’s right side and Adagio was snuggled into her left side. Sonata couldn’t help but feel more loved than ever by her two favorite people. Things were looking wonderful after they found their voices last night. Aria and Adagio joined her on that stage. Sonata was far more nervous than she told them she was. She feared they would leave her hanging on that stage. She feared singing again now would be too much for them. Luckily, that was far from the case and she felt closer than ever to them. She also felt complete again. Singing had always been a part of their lives. It was again a part of their lives, even if they only sang for fun now. She felt right about that. It felt pure to her. It wasn’t too much later both Adagio and Aria finally woke up. Once they each yawned and stretched, Sonata gave a squeal of happiness and hugged both of them tightly. Aria and Adagio were caught off guard by her strong morning hug. She even sniffed back happy tears while hugging them. “What is this about?” Aria asked. Sonata sniffed happily. “You guys joined me… We’re singing again! I’m… I’m just so happy!” she said to them both. The other two sniffed back happy tears as well. “We’re both happy too. Thanks, Sonata,” Adagio said warmly as the blue haired girl buried her head in Adagio’s massive bed head. “Yeah… thanks,” Aria said blushing a little. She was supposed to be the cool one. That was hard to do when it came to mushy stuff. She didn’t exactly hate the mushy stuff either anymore. “Awwww… You two are the best!” Sonata said as she quickly nuzzled Aria’s cheek. This caused Aria to blush even more. Adagio gave a pleasant laugh at their interaction. They all three felt today would be a great day and their lives would be even better now. Once again, all three of them felt they had actually gained so much more after losing their powers. The way they felt singing last night was just further proof this was the case. Singing had never before felt so wonderful to them. {-} {-} {-} “Are you sure about this?” Sunset asked with a slight frown. She wasn’t completely opposed to Twilight’s idea, but she wasn’t happy about it. She knew she was being very selfish, but she didn’t want Twilight going through with this. Aria, Sonata, and Adagio just got their voices back and they even went out another night with the trio of girls in celebration of this. And yet… “I'm sure, Sunset. As sad as it is… there is a real possibility Equestria is in dire need due to my absence. The two worlds are actually linked equally now. Time that has passed here has also passed in an equal manner for Equestira. I really need to check up on it. I do plan and want to return here as soon as I can, but I need to actually physically check in back at Equestria,” Twilight said with a frown matching Sunset’s. “Okay… But if there is some kind of world ending threat back there. You need to handle it quickly,” Sunset said flatly. She then smiled and added, “That way you can return here as soon as possible.” Twilight giggled. The pony princess gave a beautiful smile and said, “Duly noted. I will do what I can to expedite my return.” Sunset giggled in reply. “You do that, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. Sunset mentally added, “I don’t want my pony princess disappearing and leaving me behind.” Twilight smiled brightly. “Even if I go there and find a massive stack of old editions of research books, I will make sure to not get carried away,” she said. Sunset laughed to that. “I’ll hold you to it, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if that happened and it took months before you remembered either this world or Equestira existed,” she said teasingly. Twilight gave a playful pout before the two shared a laugh and hugged each other tightly for a moment. The girls found themselves taking in the other’s scent, even if they did so unintentionally. There was a set of emotions running through Twilight as she fought the urge to go even further with this parting. She wasn’t sure what Sunset felt about her and she still didn’t grasp human relationships and all of that. Sunset also had a number of emotions running through her own self as well. She wasn’t sure how Twilight felt about her and what the deal was regarding relationships and princesses in Equestria. Princess Celestia didn’t have any romance she was aware of, but that could have been by choice. As the two broke their hug, Sunset quickly sniffed and wiped away a couple of tears before smiling at Twilight. Twilight didn’t notice the fiery haired girl’s actions because she had a similar reaction. Twilight smiled and said, “Besides… You do kind of need to check in with your school. So, think of this as an opportunity to do so and reaffirm your bonds of friendship with the others.” Sunset gave a soft smile as she said, “Leave it to the Princess of Friendship to find a friendship answer to everything.” “It is kind of my job,” Twilight said with a giggle. The two embraced each other again quickly and parted company. Twilight turned and gave Sunset another beautiful smile as she walked through the portal back to Equestria. “Even though it is hopefully for a short time, I’m really going to miss Sunset. I’m also going to miss the Dazzlings,” Twilight thought as she passed through the swirling vortex while crossing between worlds. Sunset stood in front of the portal staring into the reflective surface as more tears fell from her eyes. This time she didn’t bother to wipe them away immediately. It wasn’t just that Twilight left. It was also the fact despite having friends here in the human world, she deeply missed Equestria. She almost felt ready to fully return and even make amends with Princess Celestia, if that's what it took. Sadly, the key word was “almost”. “Now isn’t the time, Sunset…” she said to herself. The girl gave a sigh and added, “Twilight is right. I need to check in at school and visit my other friends.” {-} {-} {-} The mood for the Dazzlings was very different from their usual. Even if you worked with them, you would know something big just happened in their lives. While many had heard the trio of girls humming at different times, none of their co-workers at Johnston’s Bar and Grill heard them full on singing until recently. After discovering they could not only sing again, but sing beautifully again. The three girls had been really busy making up for lost time it seemed. Even without the magical powers, there was something deeply ingrained within the girls which caused them to love singing. They didn’t need any powers. They had each other and they had their voices again. Not much else really mattered apart from their job so they could keep living their lives. Because of this change, the trio were using every excuse to sing they could find. The fortunate people who heard them singing would agree the Dazzlings very much sang songs better than the professionals who claimed to have made the songs. They would sing songs playing on the speakers throughout the restaurant when they had free moments. The girls even sang old songs many didn’t even know existed during their breaks. Living as long as they had, you kind of knew a lot of music. Someone would think it would get boring or annoying, but that was not the case. After most of the staff got over the initial shock of hearing them sing, some wondered if they were actually trying to make it big and only worked at the bar and grill to make ends meet. The managers even allowed their singing. The girls wouldn’t sing out loud when they needed to focus on work, so they weren’t disrupting customers. There was no reason to stop them. The three girls didn’t even limit their singing to one language when they were alone. When you have literally been on Earth for thousands of years and lived through several empires, you picked up a few different languages. It also helped they were actually there when the famous Rosetta stone was first created. Few knew this, but the part discovered by humans was only part of the actual stone. “You know. We could totally be translators if we wanted to as a job,” Sonata said as the trio just finished singing a song together in Japanese after first singing a song in ancient Greek. “Maybe...” Aria started. She then smirked and said in a teasing voice, “We would first have to prove to our potential employers how good we were and think up an explanation for how a group of girls, seemingly fresh out of High school, were far more advanced in numerous languages than people with master degrees in multiple languages and a couple years of experience.” Adagio couldn’t help but laugh to that. When the others looked to her in question, she chuckled a couple more times before explaining. “Sorry. I just got a mental image of a group of stuffy looking old men wearing dumbfounded expressions after we did just that. I found it too hilarious.” Sonata giggled to the mental image. “I would like to see that, but it might actually get a little boring now that I think about it. It would come rather easily to us once we picked up on changes to the language over the years. You're also just repeating what someone else said for your job. We wouldn’t even have to struggle with getting slang and nuances across.” Aria laughed now. “So, in other words... We would be so awesome it would be boring?” she asked hiding the giggle trying to escape. Giggling was something non-tough girls did. Her two best friends still laughed loudly to that and she joined them. “Maybe we could try doing video covers of songs and posting them on the internet. It could be a fun way to make some money and I’ve actually seen some people make good careers doing just that,” Sonata said. The girls had been tossing around more ideas about potential jobs after the Bar and Grill lately. They loved working there, but they didn’t really want it to be their job for the rest of their lives. They also didn’t want to get too involved in the whole entertainment industry either. It may not be actual magical power, but making it in that world could in some ways feel really close to it. They wanted to avoid such situations. They were able to sing again. They remembered how much they loved to sing back before their powers grew and they got drunk off of them. They weren’t opposed to singing in front of others, but they wanted to avoid going too far down that path. They knew first hand how corrupting power could be and it didn’t have to be limited to just magical power. At the same time, there was a part deep inside each of their hearts that didn’t want to corrupt something as wonderful as music and singing like they did in the past. “That could be a good idea, but we would probably get in a lot of copyright trouble. After all, music copyright can be very tricky. It also boils down to, if you aren’t making too much money with covers, you’re fine. The minute you start really making money from cover songs. Then you have a problem,” Adagio said as Aria gave a sigh and nodded in agreement. “We could make our own music to sing, but then we would have to worry about recording companies pestering us and such. We could keep saying ‘no’, but eventually they might up the ante and start going after us with their influence,” Aria said. Sonata gave a nod to that. She also added her own two cents. “We could make our own label company to fight back. Again, we would come close to changing music and singing into something we don’t want to experience.” She was feeling a little troubled about the future now. Adagio stepped over and gave a comforting smile as she wrapped an arm around Sonata and gave her a hug. “We can put this to the side and think about other things. Maybe we can go around looking for opportunities again. It worked out really well when you took that approach, Sonata. You gave us hope and a way to survive after everything happened.” Aria acted like she was joining in the hug through obligation, but couldn’t hide her smile as she gave a quick laugh. “It would be tough, but we could even try to open our own restaurant somewhere. We could have a karaoke night and join in from time to time,” she said. Aria actually really liked that idea. The only problem with it was they wouldn’t be able to see Sunset and Twilight as easily if they moved somewhere else. They kind of felt they would have to move away if they chose such a path. Sonata was smiling brightly again. She then said with a small chuckle, “I’m still not opposed to the idea of being bartenders on a cruise ship.” She gave a mock scoff and held her nose up in an exaggerated manner. “I still feel offended even after she told me not to do the fire breath trick Adagio went right ahead and did it herself,” Sonata said hiding the snicker bubbling up inside her. Adagio blushed a little and looked to the side. She then frowned and turned back quickly. “I did not do that trick, Sonata!” she said in her defense as both of her best friends/sisters giggled. “The fact it took you that long to deny it, shows just how close you were to doing it,” Aria said before giggling even more as Sonata joined her. Adagio simply rolled her eyes and after a moment smiled at the other two. {-} {-} {-} “Okay. How is Equestria currently doomed without the help of my friends and me?” Twilight asked the second she exited the portal and landed rather gracefully on the other side. She was getting good at this travel between two worlds business. Princess Luna snickered in response. She then said, “While I may see the reasoning behind such a question, Friend Twilight. The truth is we are actually peaceful and not in danger.” Twilight gave an uneasy laugh as she said, “You can’t really blame me too much. It seems like I can’t even go a month on average without some world ending threat popping up and threatening not just all of pony kind but the entire planet.” Princess Luna gave an elegant laugh in response. Twilight took notes on how to do the same herself. She too was a princess after all. Elegantly laughing seemed to be a requirement for all princesses. Celestia, Luna and even Cadance all had elegant laughs. “There really isn’t anything going on?” Twilight asked in a rather leading manner. She took note Princess Luna’s smile seemed to change a little and come off more as nervous now. “While not necessarily World ending… There might be a problem or two…” Princess Luna said. She then looked to side trying to avoid eye contact. “Or five…” she quietly added. Twilight looked to her in shock and sighed. {-} {-} {-} “I really am glad you three were able to make it out tonight,” Sam said to the Dazzlings. They came to an open mic comedy night in a nearby pub. There were important people in the world of stand-up comedy attending that night and he felt more nervous than usual. There were rumors these people were scouting for a project. Seeing the trio of girls’ friendly faces helped him feel more confident in his routine for the night. “It really was very enjoyable,” Sonata said with a friendly smile. “Yes. I didn’t think you would be bad or anything, but you were much better than I thought,” Aria said smiling. Sam laughed. “Does the whole Lady Luck thing work for co-workers?” he asked causing Aria to blush a little as Sonata giggled. “I guess that depends on if things work out tonight as you were hoping they would,” Adagio said as the one to reply. “I guess I’ll be finding out soon then. Turns out those rumors were true. The owner of the Comedy Club should be getting around to making calls tomorrow. I’m not sure if its good or not I'm off,” he admitted. “Just do what you usually do on your days off and don’t get too down on yourself or too hopeful either,” Sonata said in parting advice as the trio left for the night. {-} {-} {-} “Sunset Shimmerrrrr!!!” a bright and loud voice called. A pink streak headed for the fiery haired girl. When the streak stopped, Pinkie looked up with big blue watery eyes. “You remember me, right?! Right?!” Pinkie Pie asked with worry. “Ummm… Yes. Of course, I do. You’re Pinkie Pie the Party master,” Sunset said with a smile. Pinkie Pie smiled brightly and gave Sunset an extra tight hug. Four other girls made their way over to them. “She remembers me!!!” Pinkie shouted in glee to them. “We told ya she would,” Applejack said. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been sort of keeping in touch with you all, even if just through texts… Have I been gone that long?” Sunset asked. “You have, darling. We understand of course, but Pinkie took it the way Pinkie does,” Rarity said shooting the bubble gum pink haired girl a worried look. Sunset thought for a moment. She then realized just how long she and Twilight had been busy. “I’ll admit maybe that was the case…” she said. Time with Twilight and their search for the Dazzlings had seemed to fly by now. Sunset decided being around the pony princess for so long and feeling it still wasn’t enough, was more proof of her feelings for the Twilight. “I’m still surprised you were able to work out such a deal in the first place,” Fluttershy said softly but loud enough to be heard. “Wish I could pull that off. I’d love to be able to take so much time off from school and it still counted as attending class,” Rainbow said. Sunset chuckled as she said, “I don’t think playing sports and video games all day would count as independent study.” Rainbow gave a grumble as she said, “It should… They both take dedication.” The other girls giggled to their friend. “In my further defense… There are differences between our worlds, but I do essentially have the Equestrian equivalent of a Master’s Degree. I was close to getting the same as a PhD before all of that happened. I also found Earth history really fascinating and that’s part of the reason I do so well in that class as is,” Sunset said. “Really? You found history that interesting?” Rainbow asked. Sunset blushed a little as she nodded. “Yeah… especially you know… military history,” she admitted. “Ohhhh! You mean when you were all hell bent on trying to go back and conquer Equestria?” Pinkie asked. Sunset looked to the side. “Yeah…” “Pinkie… That wasn’t nice to say,” Fluttershy said sternly to her friend. Pinkie’s eyes widened and she said, “I’m so totally sorry about that Sunset! I’m just so excited you’re back and remember me. I forgot that’s a sore subject still.” Sunset gave a wain smile as she said, “No worries…” She guessed she couldn’t really fault Pinkie, but such accidents were part of the problem she had with the others, even if they didn’t know that exactly. She was working on it. Maybe she should have asked Twilight more about how to handle that. She would when the pony princess returned. “So… What’s been going on around school while I was away? It always seems all of the cool things happen when you aren’t around. I was gone for a while, so I’m sure a lot of exciting stuff happened,” Sunset asked to move them on to better topics. “There is so much! We’ll start telling you all about it at lunch,” Rarity said with a big smile. “Oooo! We should totally throw a Sunset Shimmer Came Back to School and didn’t Forget Us party!” Pinkie said as she bounced where she stood in excitement. “You were the only one worrying about that,” Rainbow said dryly. “I think it still sounds like a good idea,” Sunset said with a smile. {-} {-} {-} “… And the negotiations still aren’t proceeding!” Rarity said in her overly dramatic voice to Twilight. This was an issue, but Rarity was kind of over playing the severity of it. Twilight was in thought on how to handle the situation though. “You didn’t think to ask Pinkie Pie to help? She could get to know the ponies. She is good at that kind of thing. You could then handle the business negotiations. You are surprisingly good at that. I know you run your own business, but even then, you are much better than some of the best ponies in the business,” Twilight said. Rarity blinked for a couple of moments. “You have a point… Knowing both parties involved very well and even on a personal level can really be key in such things, no matter how good you are at discussing business. I suppose Pinkie would be able to learn more about them than I did,” she said. Twilight smiled to that. “Great! I’ll get Pinkie and bring her here. She can help you and then you can come and help Applejack. Who can then help Rainbow Dash and she can help Fluttershy!” the Princess of Friendship said with a clap of her hooves. That would be most of the problems solved. “How long will it take for you to get Pinkie here?” Rarity asked. She could delay the talks if she knew how long Twilight would need. Twilight answered by disappearing in a bright lavender flash of light. It wasn’t much later when she returned in a similar flash of light with a bright pink pony on her back. “Ooooo! I finally got to ride the Twilight Express solo! This is amazing!” Pinkie shouted with a big grin as she hopped off Twilight. “Twilight Express?” Rarity asked. “That’s what I call it when Twilight teleports with any of us in tow,” Pinkie answered causally. “I heard you have some new ponies for me to befriend and help. Let’s get started!” “Follow me then. Which group do you want to meet with first?” Rarity asked as the two left together. Twilight sighed in relief and smiled to herself. She wished there weren’t problems in Equestria, but she was glad they weren’t world ending this time, even if there were a lot of them. She decided to tell her friends more about what she had gone to do once this was all solved. She would explain why it would be a risk for them to come with her to the human world. At the moment, she needed to get ready to make arrangements for solving the other problems her friends have been working on. They had all done a great job on their own, but each needed just a little bit of help to finish solving them. They all got a little absorbed in the problem and hadn’t thought of getting help. She understood them making that mistake, she had done so herself a number of times. It was easy to get overly absorbed in a problem. That was why it was a good idea to involve others and get a second pair of eyes on it. {-} {-} {-} It had been longer than Sunset wished for Twilight to return. She was surprised how many problems had popped up in Equestria. Sunset still really missed the place though. She wasn’t so sure she could finish high school here in the human world like Twilight suggested she do. High school was only a little bit interesting. She had done a lot of self-study and that was where most of her knowledge came from in this world. Her methods proved to be exceptionally effective in most subjects. The journal she shared with Twilight glowed and buzzed suddenly. Sunset smiled as she opened it to read the message. Dear Sunset, I will be returning soon. This time I'll bring Spike with me and meet the others. I figure I owe them that. I’m not sure if we should tell them what we did yet. I don’t know how they’d feel about the Dazzlings. I’ve explained it to Spike and he understood once I mentioned how Discord deserved a second chance, so they did as well. He was actually happy to hear about our mission and glad we helped the Dazzlings after we talked about it together. Please tell me when would be a good time for us to cross over. Love, Twilight: The best Princess of Friendship Ever! Sunset couldn’t help but giggle at the title Twilight used. She was really happy to be seeing her pony princess again soon. It would also be nice to see Spike too. He was probably the best behaved dog ever, since he was actually a baby dragon. Sunset looked over to her calendar and picked out the best day for Twilight and Spike to come over. She was happy to tell her friends this time. It was a little sad it meant she wouldn’t get to hog Twilight all to herself though. She would just have to insist Twilight stay with her again and make the best of that. {-} {-} {-} “So… The reason you don’t want us crossing over is because, not only would we be one of these human creatures… But also, because we have counterparts over there?” Rainbow asked. “That’s about it. It is a big enough risk when I cross over with Spike. It also takes a lot of getting used to being over there. You have to think how you are different from a pony and humans are the dominate species. Humans also… eat meat,” Twilight said. The others seemed uncomfortable hearing that. “It sounds disturbing and there are alternatives, but most humans still eat meat. Protein is a big part of their diets. It can be difficult being what they call vegetarian. I’m mostly able to do so, because Sunset already knows how to be one and keep healthy without worries. If you don’t do so correctly there can be some really bad health consequences,” Twilight said. “I still can’t believe there is another me. How can there be another me? I’m too awesome for anypony else to be me. Is the other me awesome?” Rainbow asked. Twilight giggled to her friend’s questions. “This is part of the reason why it isn’t a good idea. It doesn’t help matters that the mirror leads to what they call a high school where all of you attend,” she said. She then smiled and turned to Rainbow, “Yes. The other you is awesome too. She can only fly when we pony up though. That’s what we call it when we use the human version of the elements. She is on every sports team though.” “So long as other me is still awesome and knows how to keep her body moving… I suppose I can give other me a pass,” Rainbow said. Twilight laughed. “Good of you to approve of your other self,” she said. “What is other me like?” Fluttershy asked curiously. Twilight was in thought for a moment. “The other versions of you all are very similar. However… They’re a lot like you all were before we all became friends. They had known each other and were friends at one time, but then they broke up. Then they became friends again when I went over my first time,” Twilight said. She decided to leave out Sunset’s involvement in that matter. “So, Pinkie Pie wasn’t speaking nonsense when she said all that stuff about other friends just like us helping you out last time?” AJ decided to clarify. “As hard as it is to wrap your head around that idea… She wasn't,” Twilight said. Pinkie Pie grinned widely to that. “I told you all I know things!” she said. “Do you think there is another you in that world?” Rarity asked curiously. “There might be. That’s why it is a risk even for me to cross over. But if she’s anything like I was before befriending you all. Well… For better or worse... I probably don’t have to worry about ever meeting her,” Twilight said. “Yeah. I bet other you spends all of her time reading books in her room or something. When she isn’t at some kind of Mad Pony Science Lab, of course,” Rainbow said with a joking grin. Twilight snickered as she added, “Knowing myself. I wouldn’t be surprised if she converted her room into a Mad Pony Science Lab, just so she wouldn’t have to waste time getting to one.” The others joined her in laughing. That was definitely a Twilight thing to do. “It is too bad you’re going back again so soon,” Rarity said after a moment. Twilight frowned a little. “I need to go back for a little bit. I probably won’t stay as long this time around,” she said to them. They seemed a little relieved hearing that. Twilight felt a little conflicted in that regard honestly. She would love to spend more time over there with Sunset and the others, especially Sunset. She was starting to wish she hadn’t convinced Sunset to wait until she finished high school before returning to Equestria. Being the Princess of Friendship meant she had to do what was best for her friends though, even if she would have to do something she didn’t necessarily like. She still enjoyed spending this time with her friends here. As much as she loved her human friends, she couldn’t help but prefer this version of them. These were the ones she spent so much time with getting to know them better. She had grown so much with them over her time in Ponyville. “I’m glad I get to go this time,” Spike said. “I’m sorry I left you here, but I felt it was for the best. I was gone for a good while last time. I figured you would really miss Equestria,” Twilight said. “I get it. Besides, I’m going this time. No worries!” the baby dragon said cheerfully. Twilight smiled fondly at him. {-} {-} {-} “Good. You three are here,” Mr. Johnston said as the Dazzlings entered his office once they finished with closing for the night. “What is it you wanted to speak to us about?” Adagio started. The owner of the restaurant smiled to them. “We have a big catering opportunity coming up. As you know, you three are on our list for such things. It is a pretty nice venue and while there is a bar there, it will be virgin drinks only. It is for a huge party and most of the people attending won’t be old enough to drink, but they wanted something more than just punch. You’ll also get a chance to enjoy the place later on in the night. I’ve heard they have a karaoke stage even. Are you three interested?” he asked. The three smiled to each other and nodded. Things really were looking up for them. A big catering chance? Free time later? Karaoke? It sounded great, even if they would busy with the party earlier in the day. “We’re totally in!” Sonata answered for them with a big grin. “Good. Let’s discuss the details then,” Mr. Johnston said as they seated themselves. {-} {-} {-} “So excited Twilight will be visiting us again!” Pinkie squealed in delight. “Ah’m just glad she’s coming and it ain’t for some kind of Equestrian Magic thingy this time,” Applejack said with a smile. “I know right?!” Rainbow started. “We finally get a chance to hang out properly with her,” she said. Rainbow loved adventures, don’t get her wrong, but she would like to just get a chance to chill with her pony princess friend for once. Rarity’s eyes were almost glowing with happiness as she said, “And I get to make another party dress!” “That’s right! Her timing is perfect this time. She’ll get to join us for the Big Before Summer Vacation Bash!” Pinkie said. “She has such a wonderful figure. No doubt it’s because she’s a princess,” Rarity said mostly to herself. “I think her great figure has more to do with how active she usually is, than her being a princess. The things she done with friends over there as she saves Equestria on a regular basis… Her real life is probably comparable to Daring Do,” Sunset said. “What has she done? She’s never told us about cool adventures over there,” Rainbow said. She made a mental note to ask Twilight about all of that this time. Rainbow wasn’t much of a reader, but she loved Daring Do. She could only imagine how cool such a life could be. “Yeah. How do you know about them? Hmmmm?” Pinkie asked in a playfully accusing tone. Sunset gave a nervous smile as she tried to think up something quick. “It’s obvious,” Fluttershy started and saved Sunset having to explain things. “They’re always writing to each other in the journal. We’ve all done it a few times too,” the shy girl said. “Ohhh! Of course! Silly me. For a moment there I thought Sunset was having secret meetings and adventures with Twilight or something,” Pinkie said. Sunset gulped and asked, “Would that be so bad?” “No. I bet you do miss Equestria. It wouldn’t be a problem if you planned visits to the other side or personal meetings with Twilight. You should just tell us first,” Pinkie said. Sunset felt a little guilty, but shook it off and continued their conversation. “She’s bringing Spike with her again,” she said. “I love the little guy!” Rarity and Fluttershy said at the same time. They blinked to one another before smiling together. {-} {-} {-} That evening Sunset gave a mighty stretch as she finished up the last of her assignments for tomorrow. She heard her phone chime, notifying her she received a text message. She quickly looked thinking it was Pinkie. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually Sonata. She smiled and opened the message. “It seems fitting Sonata would use a lot of emojis,” she said with a giggle before reading the message. Hey Sunset! I just had to tell you the three of us have an awesome catering job coming up soon! We’ll have to all hang out again sometime afterwards in celebration! Sunset smiled as she replied. Her eyes widened in horror after she sent the text. She really hoped she was overthinking things. Canterlot was a big city. There were plenty of people who would have catering parties coming up. There were probably usually three or four going on all at once. At the minimum! “Yes… That has to be case. That has to be the case,” she told herself. She sighed. They probably should be prepared for the worst though. Sunset had a feeling Twilight’s visit wouldn’t be as simple as friends getting together from two different worlds for a fun and awesome party. She too wasn’t sure how the others would react to meeting the Dazzlings again… Even if they didn’t have magic. Sunset frowned as she scribbled down a note in the journal. Dear Twilight, We might have a complication... Getting you and Spike through the portal won’t be a problem. In fact, Pinkie Pie and the others are super excited to see you both again. There’s even a big party Pinkie had planned going on and everything! We’ll be at a really nice and fun venue and it will be a catered event. The complication might be due to the text message Sonata just sent me. Turns out things are going really well for them. They have a huge Catering job coming up even… It is possible the two are unrelated… But we probably should be ready just in case. I can't help but think they'll be the ones catering the party. Love, A very concerned Sunset Shimmer