//------------------------------// // 2. Somewhere Only He Knows // Story: Empathy for the Devil // by MarvelandPonder //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer felt bad for anyone who had to deal with her emotions. Really, she did. In the exchange, she could barely tell up from down, highs from lows, but all of it happened so fast and so intensely that she really only got a sense of the general trend—and even that was hard to tell with that many people involved.  But Flash accidentally broadcasting how Sunset felt to everyone in school meant they all had to feel every bit of shame, anger, fear, and jealousy that Sunset did, if only briefly.  Sunset had never been more mortified in her entire life.  She didn’t plan on going to school the next day. Or getting out of bed. Just her, some sweats, her most mindless video games, her gecko, her cat, and an extra large pizza (as long as the pizza delivery guy didn’t go to CHS). Easy. The only thing missing from that equation was girlfriend cuddles; Sunset didn't know if it was the magic in her girlfriend's hands, but when they held each other, Twilight had a way about finding the parts of Sunset's body that wouldn't quite admit they were ticklish. But, in theory, Sunset could sustain herself on the little texts Twilight had been sending like Are you okay??? and If you're not okay, I'm here. So really and truly, she wouldn’t have shown up for school the next day if she didn’t have a serious mystery to beat out of Flash “this is a great time to suddenly have magic” Sentry. That didn’t mean she had to like all the kids in school understanding her.  Everyone knew by now that she was an absolute mess. Someone who couldn’t even be truly happy when one of her best friends in the multiverse finally achieved what she rightly deserved. That deep down, she was still just as cruel-hearted as she’d always been. Sunset still couldn’t get over how selfish her reaction was, so what must the rest of the school think?  Apparently the answer was pity. She was that pathetic. Bulk Biceps even baked her cookies with his mom last night and gave them to her in first period art class. At that rate, Sunset didn’t expect to make it to lunch without dying of embarrassment, but then, even when she did survive until the bell rang for lunch, she still had to make it to the bandroom.  Every person Sunset passed in the halls looked at her as if she were a sick puppy. Sandalwood stepped into her path with a shivering pout and gave her a big bear hug.  Sunset slouched over and sighed. “You can let go now, Sandalwood.” She sped up, but not without hearing the pitying whispers of students at their lockers as she passed them by. Trixie looked like she was watching a dead girl walking, trading looks with Wallflower Blush. “Sunset Shimmer, is there anything you want to tell your best friend Trixie?” “Nope! Definitely not!” she called back, trying not to growl. Sunset hadn’t had this much attention just walking down the hall since she ruled the school, and remembering that really didn’t make her feel any better. Turns out I’m not all that different from then anyway… The only person Sunset even considered slowing down for scurried after her from the depths of the science lab. For an asthmatic, Twilight could keep pace surprisingly well, which Sunset appreciated, since she couldn't exactly afford to leisurely stroll down the halls hand-in-hand today. As she came up to the principal’s office, even Principal Celestia softened to see her, as if Sunset had recently lost a loved one. Had Sunset’s thoughts and emotions really been that overdramatic? The Principal stood by her open door, and gestured into it. “Sunset Shimmer, I hope you know you can always come to me for—” “Oh hard pass,” Sunset told her, not slowing down. She felt a tiny bit rude for stomping by, but dear Celestia, that was the absolute last thing she could take today: Princess Celestia’s doppelganger taking her in for a therapy session, talking about how desperately in need of guidance counselling Sunset was. Her old mentor’s voice saying aloud how self-centered Sunset still was would, in all likelihood, break her. Twilight, however, slowed down to fidget with her hands. Sunset didn’t need to turn back to know. “She... may need some time. But, um, we’re still on for my next scheduled appointment, right?” The warmth of Principal Celestia’s smile bled through into her voice. “Of course, Twilight. Every Thursday at noon and any time you need it.”           “Thank you!” she told her, before scurrying to catch up with Sunset.   It really wasn’t that Sunset had a problem with counselling. Anymore, at least. Back in her power-hungry days (or more power-hungry days…), she used to think therapy was a cheap way for hucksters to make a quick bit off the defenseless and sentimental.  But, then, it had seemed to really help Twilight, seeing their Principal once or twice a week to adjust to Canterlot High and just cope better with the towering pressure on her back as a superhero/honor student/friend extraordinaire. Sunset still wasn’t sure if therapy would ever be for her, per se, but anything that helped her girlfriend that much couldn’t be all bad.  Coming up beside her, Twilight slipped her hand into Sunset’s and kissed her on the cheek. That sort of melted the frown off Sunset's face. She finally managed to look someone in the eye and found Twilight offering a gentle smile. She tried to offer one back, but she was afraid it wasn’t all that enthusiastic.  As soon as the two came into the bandroom, the Rainbooms stood up off the concert seating as if rising for the national anthem. Even the girls looked sorry for her. Because they know I’m not half the friend I thought I was. They’re the best friends anyone could ever have, and I still don’t deserve them. Sunset huffed and almost turned the other way. “Not you, too! Can we please just not talk about it?” That seemed to take the wind out of the friendship experts' sails. Sunset almost felt bad. It kind of seemed like they’d been preparing among themselves all morning to steer her through some harsh emotional waves. Rainbow Dash dropped her arms against her sides, slapping her rainbow-streaked leggings. Pinkie looked to Rarity for a sign that things were okay, but Rarity appeared to be equally as concerned as her. Applejack raised an eyebrow, crossing her strong arms across her chest. Sunset waited for their regular chatter to fill the bandroom, livening up its pitch-perfect acoustics with talk about their classes, plans for winter break, or fun videos they saw online. After a long enough pause, she’d even take their babbled plans for Twilight’s coronation. Anything. “...Okay, Sunset.” Fluttershy was the only one with the courage to walk over. She cupped Sunset’s cheek with a soft, well-self-cared hand. “But whenever you’re ready, we’ll be right here.” Oh come on, that’s not playing fair. Sunset wanted to give in right then and there. She’d let her friends lie to her face about how it was okay that she apparently still wasn’t over the whole Princess thing, how it was somehow okay to just keep backsliding—or never make any progress at all. Maybe she wasn’t as far from the she-demon as she thought. I am over this, she tried to convince herself. I haven’t even thought about being a princess in over a year. I don’t feel like I’m owed the throne anymore. I have a life here! I’ve got friends! A girlfriend! A whole high school counting on me to fight rogue magic! And after that... She pushed that thought aside. The important part was that she had a lot going for her right now. She told herself to be grateful for that much. Sunset crossed her arms, but tried to smile for Fluttershy’s sake. “Yeah. I know. But we’ve kind of got bigger things to deal with right now, anyway. When Flash patted my shoulder yesterday, it was like my magic exploded! I know we’ve had magical surges, but this was unreal! I haven’t had that much power on my own since… uh, well, you know when. She-demon me.” She blushed again, rubbing her neck.  “Except that this magic didn’t feed off of malicious or evil intent,” Twilight corrected. “Whatever Flash did boosted what you already felt to the nth degree. Near demon-level power without the evil, demonic implications!” “So what you’re saying is,” Timber Spruce’s voice entered the room before he did, with Flash hiding behind him, “my boyfriend’s an angel. I could’ve told you that.” Twilight’s eyebrows raised and she squeaked like one of Winona’s chew toys as she said, “Timber Spruce! You’re here! Wow! Why are you here?” She spooked herself, waving her hands. “Not that that isn’t great! I’m always glad to see you! We all are! In fact, you should come around more often, and when you do, you won’t really need an explanation to be there because you’ll always be around, you know? Timber! One of the gang! But, you’re not really around a lot yet, especially in the middle of the school day and never were when we were dating, um⁠—” She shook her head and struck out her good hand to shake. “Sorry. Good to see you?” Timber’s smile held in his awkward chuckle but not very well. The hand-shake between them didn’t exactly look comfortable. “Uh, yeah, good to see you, too. Glad to see you haven’t changed.” He pointed half-hearted finger guns at her. Silence wormed its way in between them. It went on for longer than either of them expected or wanted.  It also didn’t help that Flash Sentry wouldn’t look Sunset in the eye, and Sunset wasn’t entirely sure she could do the reverse. At least, not without blackening one of them. The only person still moving about was Rarity as she took the measuring tape from around her neck and scribbled down numbers. Sunset knew for a fact Rarity already had their measurements ten times over, but she was frankly impressed Rarity wasn't triple-checking every inch for the coronation outfits (in Sunset's case, admittedly, she had stress-eaten her feelings last night, so fine, maybe that was a little fair to update). The boys were happy for the slight distraction, even if Flash eluded the measuring tape thanks to his boyfriend stepping in, but Sunset guessed Flash was more so hiding from her than the measuring tape. Twilight looked to Sunset. Her eyes begged for her girlfriend to do or say something so she wouldn't have to, so Sunset clapped a loose and (mostly) non-threatening fist against her palm and took the first step to Flash. “So… brought the boyfriend along for moral support, huh?” Coming out from behind said boyfriend as tentatively as a newborn deer, Flash rubbed the back of his head. “Is... that okay? I mean, I also asked him to come because he has some kind of magic, too, so it’s probably important to, like, figure that out while we’re at it, but… it’s not weird for you two, right?” Twilight nervously twiddled her thumbs. “What? No! Not at all!” Sunset laughed. As much as she didn’t want her girlfriend to be nervous, Sunset thought she was pretty cute when she was. But then again, she was always cute.  Sunset punched Flash on the shoulder to keep from letting her anger get the better of her. (For now.) She decided on following the instinct that she never liked being mad at Flash (he was just too defenseless; it never felt like a fair fight, especially not given their history). Instead, she resolved to beat him mercilessly in Guitar God at the arcade. Although she’d admit to throwing in a bit more force than usual. “Not weirder than whatever you did yesterday. How cool was that?! You have powers now, too! A little invasive, but hey, I can read people’s thoughts so I guess I can’t be talking there, huh?” Hearing that, Flash relaxed his shoulders. “Yeah, sorry. Did I mention I had no idea that would happen, and I still don’t really get what I did?” “If it’s any help, I don’t think it was just you, Flash,” Twilight said, settling back into her comfort zone. “I think it was you two together.” Rainbow Dash made a face. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight wheeled over the extra whiteboard the music teacher sometimes used for lesson plans; and, as if sensing that class was about to be in session, the girls all sort of found their way to taking a seat. She doodled round circles with squiggles on them, the tip of her tongue sticking out with the effort, and labelled the first one Sunset. Pinkie Pie squinted. “That’s Sunset? Ooo, abstract-y!” Twilight frowned back at them. “What? It’s not abstract. That’s clearly Sunset!”  The whole group protested in different ways since there was so much to critique. Rarity looked offended on Sunset’s behalf. “Oh dear, please do not tell me that’s how you see your girlfriend.” Twilight made a series of aggravated noises below her breath before handing Timber the marker. “Fine. Timber can provide the illustrations.”  Timber quickly sketched out some cartoonish heads of Sunset and her friends and the others made a noise of approval. Fluttershy brightened. “Yep, that’s us alright!” “Clear as day,” Applejack agreed. “Lookin’ real good for doodles!” Rainbow added, very pleased. Timber nodded, hands wedged under his armpits but the thumbs sticking up, something of a B-boy stance. “Ah! C’est magnifique! Noice.” He gave Twilight back the marker with a flourish. “General, your battle plan?” “Eh… yes?” She took back the marker, not looking too sure of herself. Sunset made a mental note to encourage her girlfriend more, if not shower her in praise. She already told Twilight she was beautiful, but there was so much more complimentary ground to cover and Twilight deserved to know it all. Humility was fine and good (and, admittedly, not always Sunset’s area of expertise), but Twilight had every right to feel confident leading their friends.  At the very least, Twilight finished her diagram without further complaints and capped the marker. “So this circle of heads represents all of us, labelled with our individual powers, and these lines connecting us are our potential magical connections. So-” Pinkie raised her hand. Twilight frowned. “Oh. Um, yes Pinkie?” “Can Doodle Pinkie have a Doodle Cupcake? She looks hungry.” “No, Pinkie. This is a chart.” Pinkie raised her hand again. Twilight raised an eyebrow in turn. “Are you hungry, Pinkie?” “Mm-hm. Can I please eat?” “Nothing’s stopping you, but alright. Sure. You have my permission. Please enjoy your cupcake.” As Pinkie happily dug in, Twilight turned back to the diagram and pointed at the line she drew between her and Sunset. “Sunset and I have been able to share our magic with each other before, and we found out that her empathy and my telekinesis magic blend together and create a new magic of our own—a healing power!” “Whoa, you have medic powers?!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up like the industrial-grade lights CHS got last year on the football field for home games and late practices. “That’s so boss! When we’re out on the battlefield, popping the bad guys in the face and maybe getting a scratch or two, we can be all, medic! Medic! And then you can come and heal us!” Flash looked more relieved than anything. “That’s amazing! So we don’t have to worry about you girls when you rush off head first into danger anymore?” “Well, yes and no? We can only really heal to a certain extent. I wouldn’t say we’re all invincible⁠—but we’re getting off track here.” Twilight tapped the board with the marker. “What I’m saying is I thought Sunset and I could share magic because of how, um, close we are now⁠—”  Timber Spruce whooped from the back of the class, the kind of woo only sitcom audiences made when a kiss happened on screen.  That really didn’t help Twilight from getting flustered. She tugged at her bowtie and cleared her throat. “⁠—but in any case, I don’t think magic-sharing is necessarily a romantic endeavour. Any of us might be able to do it! Although exactly how is still a mystery to me.” Applejack, hand to her chin, squinted at the whiteboard until something clicked and her eyes went wide. “Well, I’ll be. So, what you’re saying is, Flash and Sunset must’ve shared magic yesterday and made their own new-fangled power?” “Sounds mostly right, but... I don’t know if it was a new power,” Sunset said. She thought back to how it felt to have all those emotions rushing through her, all mingling together at once in a school-wide party where everyone’s emotional instability was invited. “It was more like my power but cranked up to eleven. Whether he meant to or not, I think Flash just… gave me a boost.” All eyes drifted over to Flash, sitting on the bleachers next to Timber. He looked shocked but not unhappy about it. Twilight smiled and drew a line from Flash to Sunset, labeling it Emotional Projection then labeling the Flash head with the power Amplification.  As Twilight stepped back, Sunset wondered if the rest of the girls were thinking the same thing she was. There were a lot of potential lines to draw, combinations left to discover. Her magically-trained mind tingled with the possibilities. But there was also one more wildcard in that deck they hadn’t quite figured out.  “Weird. Hey, Timber, have you noticed anything at all that might be your⁠—” Sunset stopped, looking around. “Wait, where’s Timber?” Timber wasn’t there anymore. She knew there had to be a reason he’d been so quiet since the woo—that boy could barely go a minute without a sassy comeback—but she didn’t understand how he’d snuck out unless… “Timber? Are you… are you invisible?” Twilight blanched. “Please don’t let Timber Spruce’s power be invisibility.” Flash tilted his head, genuinely confused. “Why? What could he use invisibility for that’s so bad?” “We’ll tell you when you’re older,” Rainbow promised, patting his head. “Oh, grow up, he wouldn’t use it for that. Timber isn’t a perv,” Twilight said, crossing her arms. “I... just don’t like the idea of him being around without me realizing it and then saying something I may or may not say if I knew he was there.” Her eyes went wide. “N-not that I have anything to hide from you if you are invisible!” The others’ gazes roamed around the empty spaces of the band room, and Fluttershy even felt up the air as if expecting to run into Timber, but he was well and truly gone. Flash Sentry looked just about as lost as the rest of them until a pop song blasted out of his vibrating pocket at full volume. The lyrics of the song were about as mushy-gushy romantic as a Hearts and Hooves Day couples’ sundae at Sugarcube Corner. Before the singer could wax poetic about all the less squeaky clean things he’d like to do to his love, Flash tore his phone from his pocket and answered while hiding his red face, “D’uh, um, hello? Timber? Where’d you go?”  There was a pause while he listened, and then Flash remembered to turn on speaker phone. “-next thing I know I’m back at camp on the roof of the counsellor’s cabin! I nearly fell off! This totally makes the top ten for Best Times I Almost Broke My Neck.” Their wide eyes snapped up from the phone, wordlessly, breathlessly coming to the same realization almost all at once. The corners of Sunset’s mouth rocketed skywards. “Timber, you can teleport?!” “Well, it’s either that or Rainbow Dash has some competition for the world’s fastest teenager.” Rainbow Dash barked a laugh. “You wish, Spruce!” Sunset groaned, but at least this time had a smile on her face as she did. “Sweet Celestia! You don’t even know how lucky you are! What I wouldn’t give to be able to teleport again.” Although, if Sunset had the power to teleport nowadays, she’d probably show up to her morning class in her pjs with her bed not far behind her.  That was the kind of magic from her old protégé days that she allowed herself to get nostalgic for. She could still remember Princess Celestia’s face when she read a teensy tiny bit ahead and learned teleportation years before her peers in magic kindergarten. Truthfully, though, at the time Sunset took to summoning spells much easier (mostly because she summoned the Princess every night for a bedtime story). These days, she’d much prefer to teleport. She wondered if she could use it to make visits to Equestria. She also wondered if she really had any home there to teleport to anymore. If Princess Celestia was retiring, what did that mean for Sunset’s old room, her old stuff? It came as a shock when she checked, but the Princess kept her room not only intact but dusted and maintained. Sunset loved Princess Twilight, but would going home feel the same if Princess Celestia wasn’t still waiting for her with a warm tea and a warmer hearth in Canterlot Castle?  And where would Celestia go? What would she do if she wasn’t the reigning monarch? The Princess Celestia Sunset had been reunited with had had a better sense of humour than the one Sunset remembered, but Sunset still couldn’t picture a Princess Celestia of any kind lounging around on a beach somewhere on the coast of the Dowhinnycan Republic. But if Sunset could teleport, that’s where she’d go. Visiting her ex-mentor in her twilight years to make sure she had all she could ever need and never felt alone. But then, Sunset had to remind herself that her ex-mentor had her sister back these days. Celestia wouldn’t need Sunset checking up on her. It would be silly to still want to rule by her side if there was no space left to fill. Sunset hoped her soured mood wasn’t clear on her face, but the others were thankfully more focused on giving Timber some pointers. “Magic ain’t too hard. For us, it’s all about feelings and music ‘n such,” Applejack said, speaking just a touch too loud as if she didn’t fully understand the concept of a call being on speaker. “Whenever I use my super strength, I focus on the job that needs doing and the magic summons the strength to do it! Focus on how you’d feel if you were somewhere you ain’t. Have ya tried not being where you are?” “Uh... sure?” “Oh hang on, hang on, give it here—” Rarity took the phone and elevated her voice to a proper volume. “Timber, dear, don’t listen to Applejack.” “Okay, step one complete.” Rarity closed her eyes, shutting out the world entirely which included Applejack and her unimpressed glare. “Now, I want you to picture a calm, blue ocean… there we are, isn’t that soothing? The waves... the beach... and, what’s this? Right next to the ocean is a sea-front spa!” Rainbow Dash frowned. “There’s always a spa!” “Mmm, yes,” Rarity agreed, in a trance, “There is always a spa…” Twilight raised a finger. “I’m not really sure this is helping.” “Has he tried meditating about being at Canterlot High?” Fluttershy piped up. “Meditation always helps me focus.” “Ooo! Pretend you’re giving one of us a big ol’ hug until you are!” Pinkie suggested. The magic student in Sunset was sad to think that was probably the closest to a helpful how-to guide for using new magic powers so far. At least, it was the most likely to actually work. The others gave various pieces of advice that even Sunset couldn’t quite comprehend —and not just because they started speaking on top of each other. “Magical capability and reciprocity involves an exponential emotional output,” Twilight explained. “If I could send just send you some graphs—” “Just, you know…” Flash made a pushing motion. “D’uh, you know?” Dash waved her hands. “No, no, no. Think upwards!” “Upwards?” Sunset brought everyone’s stammering to an abrupt halt with a single and decisive: “Girls.”  Even Flash listened. She didn’t love having a sway over the room so easily, given what everyone must’ve been thinking about her wanting the throne again, but she had to admit it was useful.  Sunset took Flash’s phone in her hand. “Timber, listen up, okay? I can only really tell you how teleportation works in Equestria. It might be different on this side of the mirror, and no one’s really going to be able to tell you how to use your power, but it’s probably the closest thing to an instruction manual you’re ever going to get for your magic. Sound good?” A shivery sigh blustered in the receiver of the phone. “I’ll take whatever you got. I… really don’t know how to get down from here otherwise.” Sunset nodded. “Perfect.” Years had gone by since Sunset first learned to teleport, but even now, she could hear the patient guidance the Princess provided her frustrated pupil playing behind her ear. The Princess’s voice may as well have underscored her own. “Everyone’s first assumption with teleportation is that it’s about escape. Leaving for somewhere better. You can blame stage magicians for that, escape artists make it look easy. You have to be above the moment.” “...And that means?” Timber sounded more confused than impatient. Foal Sunset definitely sounded impatient. Over-eager. Rushing headlong to a storybook ending she’d never end up reaching. Holding back a grimace, Sunset shifted her weight, one hand tucked into the crook of her elbow. “I’ll put it like this: there’s more to being somewhere than wishing you were there, right? If you get too caught up sensing your current surroundings, you’re stuck in the moment. You’re not going anywhere. It’s not about escaping where you currently are because all that’s going to do is make you focus on being there.” Not that Timber or anyone else would know it, but Sunset quoted her mentor word for word: “Be above the moment.”  Cryptic instructions like that drove Sunset mad growing up. Sometimes she wondered if Princess Celestia kept everything wrapped in riddles to slow her down—take time to decode the lesson first before acing another one. It wouldn’t be out of character. When she wasn’t preparing her young protege to fight Nightmare Moon and end a Solar-Lunar war before it could ever begin, the Princess forced Sunset to stop and take in the view. Have a bit of a childhood, where possible. If Celestia felt guilty for training a young filly to fight a colossal threat to the nation, Sunset always wanted to show her she didn’t have to be. She could exceed expectations. She could cope with a little extra pressure, and she could do it all in time for Nightmare Moon’s return and earn her place at Celestia’s side. At least, that’s how she thought before the progress to perfection got to her head.  Closing her eyes, Sunset brought her attention back to the boy on the other end of the call, pressing the phone into her forehead and trying not to groan. “I know that sounds like total bull, and it’s too vague to be even remotely helpful, but you’re going to have to trust me on this because you can do this. You can. All you need to know is that someone believes you can, and even if you don’t, I do. I believe in you. Shut the world out and find your way from there.” She winced, head shaking, and could barely ask, “...Does that make any sense to you?” A clatter came from the speakers and made Fluttershy flinch. Empty quiet reunited with the sound of far-off birds chirping only to themselves. “Timber?” she asked, eyebrow floating up. Sunset’s friends leaned in, and she asked again, but no answers came back. Not even one sarcastic remark.  His boyfriend’s total lack of sarcastic things to say had Flash clutching his chest. “Timber? Is he okay?” Swinging a strong arm around Sunset’s shoulders, Rainbow Dash cackled hard like she had a cold to hack through. “That absolute madman! He did it! He teleported!” Fluttershy’s eyes roved over the room. “But, um, where did he teleport to?” The others looked around and held their breath. Searching their surroundings, the instruments by the chalkboard shone under fluorescent lights, undisturbed. The overpolished green tiles and construction-paper music notes on the walls held the room together like normal. Nothing moved. Nothing gave way. Not a single area came down with a case of abrupt teenage boy. The room had about as much teenage boy as it ever did. Flash gawked at his phone with an expression so dripping with horror he could model for one of those Gooseflesh kids books. “Is he okay? He’s not dead, right? Where would he go if he didn’t come here?” Sunset shrugged and made a vague sound somewhat resembling, “I’unno.”  “Sunset!” Flash yelped. “Why did you let him try if you didn’t know he’d be alright? Bring him back!” He held out the phone as if he wanted Sunset to conjure up his boyfriend by dialing the right number. Sunset pushed the phone out of her face. “Relax, he’s not dead. I meant I don’t know where he’d go. I thought the destination part was pretty straightforward! Augh, human world magic is so needlessly complicated,” she grumbled, and then said, “I guess I should’ve taught him how to aim.” “You guess?” Twilight placed a hand on Flash’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll turn up soon. We have no reason to believe he’s not alright, wherever he is. He’s just not near his phone. We’ll all keep an eye out for him, okay?” Flash frowned at the lock-screen picture of his new boyfriend cupped in his hands, then found a small smile to give to her. As mad as Sunset was earlier about the whole amplified empathy thing, she hated to see him so worried—which was why she didn’t dare wonder out loud if Flash somehow amplified Timber’s teleportation and sent him across the country. Great, Sunset thought as her friends offered to host a lookout for his boyfriend. Two more people who have to deal with magic because of me. At least it’s really no wonder why Princess Celestia chose Twilight over me. Princess Twilight saves lives. I ruin them.  She did everything she could to put those thoughts aside and act like things were normal. Twilight was right. Timber was somewhere, and sending Flash into a panic attack wouldn’t bring Timber back any faster. She decided acting like things were normal was her best bet at being a good friend.