Some time has passed and Sunset was back at her apartment complex, lying on her bed. While she was now safe in the comforts of her home, Sunset felt anything but safe with everything going on and what she learned. Sunset let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the ceiling above her.
What a mess! Sunset thought. There was a mysterious energy wave, which is not Equestrian Magic, caused a massive blackout, military soldiers are patrolling near our school and a high-ranking officer is onto me and my friends… all because I come to this world! My day just keeps getting better and better!
With another sigh, Sunset sat up. I have to warn my friends, but first things first...
Sunset reached towards her magical journal, which was on her dresser, and picked it up. She brought the book towards her, opened it up to a new blank page, and began to write with her pen.
Twilight? Twilight are you there?
After she wrote her words, Sunset waited for her friend to respond from another world. She grew more and more anxious as the minutes passed. Just as Sunset thought her friend is not responding, new words began to magically appear beneath her own words.
I'm here Sunset? Is everything okay?
Sunset sighed in relief before she wrote her response.
I'm fine Twilight. I'm sorry to bother you, but I got some important questions I need to ask you!
No need to apologize Sunset! I'll always help a friend!
So fire away! :)
Sunset smiled at her friend’s encouraging words before getting to work.
Are there any disturbances from Equestria recently?
There was a short pause before the words magically appeared in Sunset’s journal.
No. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Sunset frowned as she wrote her follow-up question.
What about magical leaks?
Sunset didn’t have to wait long this time as Twilight’s answer immediately appeared on the paper.
No leaks. Everything on my side is sealed up.
Are there any artifacts or
Sunset paused her writing in hesitation for a moment before finishing her sentence.
creatures that have a magical surge ability?
There was an even longer pause, making Sunset worry. After about a minute, Princess Twilight finally responded.
Hmmm… can't say I've heard of them.
What's going on Sunset? Did something happen in your world?
Sunset let out a long sigh before writing her reply.
Well, it’s like this...
And so Sunset spent a lot her time writing on her journal, explaining the situation to Princess Twilight. She told her all about the mysterious wave from their sleepover last night, how it affected the whole town and most of the world. She also mentioned how the wave caught the secret government agency, G.U.N’s attention, Principal Celestia’s warning that G.U.N. was watching them even before the wave, and some top G.U.N. agent who are already most likely onto to her. Sunset kept on writing as her life depends on it, even as far as to ignore any cramps from her writing hand.
By the time she was finished, Sunset just sat there idly with a semi anxious expression, waiting for any responses from the Princess. Minutes flew by and there was still no response from her journal, making Sunset more anxious by the second. Finally, after what it felt like hours, Princess Twilight responded.
Wow… that’s a lot to take in!
The words paused briefly before more words appeared on the page.
So there’s a strange magic in your world that wasn’t from Equestria and it managed to knock out half of the country’s powerlines.
...
...
...I’m not sure if I should be worry or fascinated about this revelation.
Princess Twilight’s response nearly made Sunset chuckle in amusement. She keeps forgetting that despite being a Princess, she was also a scientist like her Twilight. This would have cheered Sunset up if she wasn’t reminded of their current situation. Her expression became serious as she wrote her response in her journal.
I know you're possibly geeking out about this, but this is still bad Twilight! And with the military running around sniffing the school grounds, Equestria is in grave danger! And what’s worse, my friends are in danger too… all because of me!
Her heart was filled with guilt as she wrote it. None of this mess would happen if she hasn’t shown up to this world all because of her own selfish reason. Sometimes she wondered if things would be better off if she never came here at all and to keep Equestrian magic contained in Equestria… all so that her friends won’t be in danger because of her.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw new words appearing in her journal.
Sunset, none of this was your fault!
Sunset huffed as she wrote her response.
Yes it is! I brought magic into this world in the first place! And time after time... my actions always came back to haunt me!
And my friends. Sunset added in thought as she sighed sadly.
There was a slight pause before Sunset received a long response from Princess Twilight.
You listen to me Sunset. While your original purpose of coming to your world was… misguided, but you're NOT a horrible
ponyperson! And despite your past, you've done more good deeds than bad. You helped stopped the sirens, you saved the human me, you encouraged everyone to embrace the magic and you pretty much helped and befriended those in need, even after they did something bad themselves. You're a good person Sunset and everyone who knows you are proud to be your friend… even me! :)
Sunset smiled warmly at the Princess words, barely noticing her tears leaking from her eyes. She sniffed as she rubbed her eyes briefly before writing down her response.
Thank you Twilight... I needed to hear that.
Princess Twilight wrote back.
Anytime Sunset! ;)
As for your ‘current’ situation, Principal Celestia was right. You and the others should keep your heads down for the time being. I'm sure they'll be gone before you know it, just in time for your High School graduation! :D
Sunset grimaced at that before writing back half-heartedly.
Yeah. Great.
She wasn’t sure why she wrote that, but at the mention of graduation, Sunset’s mood was brought down again, but only somewhat. She must have stared at her journal too long for Princess Twilight to write back to her.
Hey… is something wrong Sunset? Aren't you excited?
Sunset sighed heavily. Part of her debated to just lie to her and say the usual “everything is fine” line, but she was bothered for the past few weeks and it was getting worse as the days go by. She wanted to vent about her feelings, but only wanted to tell someone who she trusted the most. And Princess Twilight is the perfect friend who will listen to her woes. That, and the fact that Princess Twilight is in another world. And Sunset is the only one who has access to speak to her. It was not like her friends could get her to fess up so easily.
To be honest... I don't know what to feel about this. If you asked me a long time ago, I would like to rule alongside Princess Celestia and to be the best. Now… I don’t know what to do! I’m in a much happier place than I was before coming to this world. I thought my purpose was to help others and my place is with my friends, but with this upcoming graduation… everyone is going their separate ways and pursue their own careers while I…
Sunset paused her writing, couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence as if she was in fear of admitting to something. But she didn’t have to finish as Princess Twilight wrote her a response, summing up Sunset’s true feelings right in front of her eyes.
That you don’t know what your purpose is without your friends?
Sunset stared for a long time before she dares to write back.
Yeah.
She let out a long sigh before she wrote some more in her journal.
Not only that, but I’m also practically an alien from another world. I don’t know what I can do with myself under these circumstances. It's not like I can go to college and get a well-paid job without an official record of my citizenship, even with Principal Celestia’s influence. Of course, the old me
mightwill forge records easily just to survive, but… I didn't want to be that person anymore. And even if I did, what would be the point of staying if everyone I knew won't be around as much anymore. My friends are like the family I never thought I have. And when they're going away, I'll end up be al--
Sunset paused her writing when she noticed water droplets all over her page, ruining her words. That was when she realized that she was crying as she felt her wet face. She sniffed as she tried to wipe all her tears away. She managed to dry most of her face when she noticed her journal was glowing again.
Oh Sunset, I understand exactly how you feel. I was like that six moons ago when I have to move back to Canterlot to take Princess Celestia’s place as the ruler of Equestria.
I was a total wreck on that day. I couldn't handle the thought of leaving Ponyville, which I considered my home… and leave my best friends behind, who are also considered my family. And I even thought my friends didn't even care that we're separating.
But I was wrong. Turns out, my friends were also upset about going separate ways too. They were trying to put on a brave face and keep themselves distracted from their sadness. But when I told them how I felt, we all talked, cried, and hugged it out until we felt better
and we all messed up my coordination ceremony in the process. We then talked it over about how much we missed each other until we all agreed to meet up again once every moon to keep in touch and to rule together as the Council of Friendship and we still kept in touch since.My point was, you forged a very deep bond with your friends like I am. As long as your friendship is true, you could never break that bond, and your friends will always be with you, even when they're away. And if you tell them how you feel, I'm sure you will all come up with something to stay in touch.
Sunset sniffed but had a small smile on her face, but it only lasts for a second. She then wrote her response.
Maybe you’re right Twilight. We are very close, and I'm sure we can come up with ways to stay in touch. But… I'm not going to tell them just yet until this mess has passed. But even so, that still doesn't solve my issue of making a living for myself once I graduated.
There was a small pause for a moment before words appeared on her page again.
Well Sunset, if you want, you can return to Equestria and come live with me in Canterlot. I'll even offer you to be my co-ruler of Equestria.
Sunset eyes grew wide in surprise, couldn’t believe what the Princess is offering her. She even read the same line a few times to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. With shaking hands, Sunset wrote in her journal.
Really!? Are you serious? You wanted ME to be the ruler of Equestria alongside you?
In less than a second, Princess Twilight responded.
Of course I'm serious. I couldn't think of a better pony on the job than you Sunset. :)
Sunset frowned at the words, but this time in doubt. If anyone offered her to be a co-ruler years ago, she would've been all over the moon and maybe even boast about it to her old peers. But now, she wasn’t so sure about it anymore, especially after the Fall Formal incident. With a sigh, Sunset wrote her response.
Are you sure? Last time I wanted to rule I… you know. I'm... not even sure if I'm worthy to take your offer.
There was a minute of silence after she wrote that, convincing herself that maybe Princess Twilight changed her mind about offering her the job. But to her surprise, the Princess wrote back in a very lengthy response.
Sunset, you've come so far since then. You've redeemed yourself and then some since I first met you. You've become an honest, kind, cheerful, generous, loyal, and most of all, an empathic person. You helped so many others and spread more friendships in your world that not even I can't reach. You proved yourself more than once that you are more than worthy to be by my side. Trust me Sunset, you are ready! :)
Sunset’s chest felt warm after reading that. Having Princess Twilight’s approval and for her to speak highly of her meant so much to her. While she still has some doubts, she was happy that her friend has so much faith in her and trusted her enough to rule by her side.
After wiping her tear for a hundredth time today, Sunset wrote in her journal.
Twilight… you have no idea how much your words mean so much to me. I'm so touched that you think so highly of me but… this is all so sudden. I… don't know what to think.
A second later, Princess Twilight responded.
Don't worry Sunset, I understand. I know how what it's like to have an offer like this suddenly comes to you (and believe me, I know). You don't have to answer right now. All I ask is for you to think about it and know that my offer is there if you choose to accept it.
Sunset smiled in appreciation as she wrote her journal.
Thank you Twilight. I will think about it, but right now, I need to talk to my friends about this issue and wait for it to pass.
Princess Twilight wrote back.
I understand Sunset. Do what you gotta do, but be careful! And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me for help or if you just want to talk.
Remember, I'm your friend too. :)
Sunset responded.
Thank you Twilight. And I will! :)
Sunset sighed in happiness as she closed her journal. No one could understand her better than Princess Twilight. She can always count on her when she needed advice when it comes to dealing with rouge magic or to lend her ear. Not that Sunset couldn't count on her other friends to help her, but she felt a stronger connection to Twilight when it comes to pony heritage and understanding her struggles.
Sunset thoughts went back to Twilight’s advice about telling her friends how she felt about the upcoming graduation and the aftermath and the possibility of going back to Equestria. While she hasn't made a decision yet, the offer was tempting since she couldn't see herself doing anything worthwhile in this world after high school. But regardless of her decision, what would her friends think of this? Would they care about her feelings? Would they try to talk her out of leaving? Would they even… miss her?
Sunset shook her head. She shouldn't worry about trivial things right now. Her main focus is to warn her friends about Tempest, wait for this whole mess to cool off, and then looking into this mysterious energy wave as soon as it's over.
Before she could act, she heard a loud chime coming from her phone. Sunset fished her phone out of her pocket and realized that it was a text message from Twilight. Sunset shook her head in amusement that she finished having a conversation with the pony Twilight, only to start another with the human Twilight. Nevertheless, Sunset opened up her phone to read the latest text from her friend.
SciTwi0915: Sunset, r u there?
Sunset immediately typed her reply.
ShimmerCode0219: I’m here Twilight.
ShimmerCode0219: Wat’s up?
Not even a second later, her friend responded.
SciTwi0915: Can you come over to my house?
SciTwi0915: There’s something important I have to tell you and you alone!
Sunset frowned both in confusion and worry. Her text sounded like something urgent was going on and needed her to come over right away. Sunset doubted it has something to do with Twilight's cold since it was just a minor sickness. On top of that, she wondered why Twilight requested her specifically and not the rest of their friends. Whatever it was, Sunset won't leave her friend hanging and she was planning to go visit her anyway to tell her about the "current issue".
Sunset typed back.
ShimmerCode0219: Sure thing Twi!
ShimmerCode0219: On my way!
Sunset tucked her phone in her pocket and then she placed her journal into her backpack before she headed out the front door and made her trip to Twilight’s house.
Somewhere outside across from Sunset’s apartment complex, Grubber, who was sitting in his car, singing along a song which was playing from his radio. And by "singing", he was bellowing a song and badly off-key.
"It's dance magic, once you have it~ 🎵
Let your body move, step into the music!~ 🎵
It's dance magic, and it's electric~ 🎵
Let your body move to the music!~ 🎵"
"Hey, keep that racket down! You're keeping my kid up ya jerk!" Someone shouted above him from one of the apartments with an angry voice.
Grubber slumped on his steering wheel with a huff. "Sheesh! Everyone’s a critic!" he muttered.
At that moment, Grubber noticed from the corner of his eye that the apartment door opened and Sunset stepped out. He was now on full alert as he fished out his communicator, keeping an eye on the bacon-haired girl.
"Boss? Boss, are you there?" Grubber said urgently.
He waited as he watched Sunset descending from her stoop and walking down the street. He was about to speak again until he heard a loud sigh coming from his communicator.
"What is it Grubber," said Tempest in her annoyed tone. "This has better be important!"
"It's the Shimmer girl!" Grubber said quickly. "She is on the move!"
Tempest let out a disgruntled grunt. "Well then what are you waiting for? Go follow her!"
"At once boss!" Grubber replied with a salute. "Seriously, I heard the sponge cake at Sweet Shoppe is out of this world! We should totally pick one up from that place!"
-CLICK-
"...hello?"
After about ten minutes of walking, Sunset finally made it to Twilight’s house. She climbed up the porch and then rang the doorbell. After waiting for a few moments, the door opened, revealing to be Twilight. What surprised Sunset was not only her friend appeared to be crazed, but she was also still wearing her pajamas except for her t-shirt, which has an image of a few buildings including Manehatten’s Crystaller Building at the forefront and the words “Manehatten” beneath it. Either Twilight’s cold had gotten worse or there was something really bothering her friend.
“Um, hey Twilight!” Sunset greeted politely. “What can I–”
“Are you alone?” Twilight asked with urgency as she looked around behind Sunset.
Sunset blinked. “Er… yes. Yes, I’m alone. Why are you–”
Sunset let out a yelp as she was suddenly yanked into the house by Twilight before Twilight slammed the door behind them. Unbeknownst to them, a car belonging to Agent Grubber silently pulled up across from the house so he can watch them from afar.
After Twilight pulled Sunset in and shut the door, she immediately locked the door. Sunset recovered from her sudden invite, she watched in confusion as Twilight went to her front window and pulled the blinds shut, but not before she took a quick peek outside. Twilight's actions made Sunset grow even more worried for her friend.
“Twilight? What’s going on?” Sunset inquired.
“She’s been like this since this morning,” someone replied. Sunset turned to see Spike, who had just entered the room. “Hey there Sunset!” Spike greeted with a smile and wagged his tail.
“Hey there Spike,” Sunset said warmly as she bent down and petted his head. “Have you been a good boy?”
“Uh-huh! I sure am!” Spike replied cheerfully. His ears then drooped a bit. “But I’m worried about Twilight. Her latest project is stressing her out.”
“Project?” Sunset parroted in confusion.
Before Spike could speak further, he was interrupted by Twilight who was slightly calmer than she was moments ago.
“Sorry about this Sunset, sometimes you can’t be too careful!”
Sunset stood up and faced her friend. “So what brings you to ‘Twilighting’ mode this time Twi?” Sunset joked with a lopsided grin.
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. “I swear, if I get a dollar every time someone made me into a verb, I'll be rich by now!” She shook her head before she narrowed her eyes. “But this is serious Sunset! I discovered something very important which could change the world as we know it!”
“Okay, okay. Relax Twilight!” Sunset soothed, gently raising her palms. “Whatever it is, just tell me and I’ll help you. You know you can trust me.”
After calming down from Sunset’s words, Twilight let out a sigh. “Well… I think this will be easier if I... show it to you.”
With a single nod from Twilight, Spike got the message and he hurriedly scampered out the room. As they were waiting, Sunset was curious about what Twilight wanted to show her so badly enough to cause her friend so much stress and wanted to just show her specifically. They didn’t have to wait too long as Spike shortly ran into a room with something in his mouth, which was wrapped in a blue cloth. With an expression of gratitude towards her dog, Twilight took the item from Spike and then showed it to Sunset. Just as Sunset was about to ask about the item, Twilight slowly unwrapped the cloth, revealing a piece of a long blue quill.
Sunset stared at the quill in confusion. “Um… what is that?”
“This… is what appears to be a quill,” Twilight answered.
Sunset blinked. "A quill? How can you tell?"
"Well I’m no animal expert like Fluttershy, but I could tell just by its texture," said Twilight as she gently stroked the quill. "That… and I knew for a fact that it fell off from that creature I chased in the woods the other day."
"Wait, creature!?" Sunset exclaimed with widened eyes. "Back up! Did you say... 'creature'?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. Yesterday, when I was staking out in the woods… I saw… something hidden in the bushes! I tried to chase after it, but it vanished before I could even blink! And I found this thing and I've been studying it since!"
"Um… are you sure it's not just an ordinary animal Twilight? Like a bear?" Sunset queried with a look of uncertainty.
Twilight shook her head. "I know it sounds crazy coming from me, but I know what I saw! That's no animal! It was… something else entirely!"
Some time has passed since Grubber parked his car across from the Sparkle’s residence. Not wanting to cause a ruckus, as well as getting yelled at due to his singing again, Grubber didn’t turn on his radio and just simply watched the house. Unfortunately, without his music, he gets bored way too quickly. As a result, Grubber simply fell asleep, loudly snoring away to dreamland.
Unbeknownst to him, a blue blur suddenly blew past him and his car, only to come back to him a second later. Sonic cautiously peeked into the window of Grubber’s car in curiosity. He relaxed when he sees Grubber in a sleeping state. After realizing that the car is unlocked, Sonic let out a mischievous smirk before he used his super-speed to get to work. After admiring his “handiwork” for a moment, Sonic looked across from where he was and lit up when he sees the house that he was looking for.
He zoomed across the street and stood near the window to take a peek. He spotted his two favorite girls, standing in the room while having some kinda conversation. He wasn’t sure what exactly what they were talking about, but judging from their expressions, it was pretty serious. As much as he was wanted to know what that was, it was not his concern and that he must leave, even if this pained him. While he wasn’t able to find all of the girls within this town, but if seeing these two was the last thing he could see before fleeing this plant, he’ll take it.
After silently saying goodbye to the girls, Sonic let out a sad sigh before he fled towards a smaller building from within the backyard. Unbeknownst to Sonic, he alerted a certain purple dog near a window.
“So, you’ve been studying that thing this whole time?” Sunset exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me, or any of us Twilight?”
“Would you believe me if I did?” Twilight challenged. When Sunset didn’t respond, Twilight sighed. “Besides… despite what I saw yesterday, I still couldn’t believe it myself! So, I have to run some experiments with it just to be sure that I’m not crazy!”
"Even last night?" Sunset pressed, to which Twilight nodded.
"Yes… I'm very sorry that I lied about my cold. Despite that I'm pretty much exhausted from last night, I just had to figure out about this quill. Yet so far, I only ended up with only a few answers... and more questions."
Sunset shook her head with a disapproving expression. “Well that explains why you were so tired this morning, but I'd told you that you shouldn't keep doing this to yourself like that, even if it was for a good cause." Sunset then had a sudden realization. "Hey wait a minute... how did you manage to work on your experiments? This town currently has no power!”
Twilight smirked as she adjusted her glasses. “Yes, it would’ve been a problem, but luckily, I got my very own back-up power generator, which I built it out of paper clips, dishwashing detergent, and a toothpick for this occasion!"
"...you built a power generator out of paper clips, dishwashing detergent, and a toothpick?" Sunset asked in disbelief.
"I was bored one day, so sue me," Twilight defended with a huff. "Anyway, Sunset… I think this creature is the culprit of causing the blackouts!"
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. "What brought you to that conclusion?"
“While I was navigating my way through my house last night during the blackout, I noticed a glowing light coming from my lab. And mind you, it was the exact glowing blue light coming from that mysterious wave! I was worried that something happened to my lab after the wave, so I ran over to check it out. Other than no power, everything in my lab is still in tip-top shape, except that my lab was illuminated in blue light and it came from the drawer where I stored this quill for safekeeping. Sure enough, after looking into my drawer, this quill was glowing! This little thing was glowing brighter than a Christmas tree!"
Sunset stared at her friend in shock with her eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Unbelievable! So, your saying… that it was this mysterious creature, who is the owner of this quill… was responsible for this?”
“Yes! That’s exactly why I asked you to come, not just because I trust you the most, but because you know your world more than any of us Sunset! I assumed that this creature must have slipped into this world somehow, so I’m hoping if you knew what kind of creature we’re dealing with.”
“Twilight… I don’t know what creature does this. There weren’t–”
“That’s okay!” Twilight interjected. “We could also ask me… the other me about this creature so we can–”
“No Twilight!” Sunset shouted. “I mean there is no creature exists in Equestria!”
Twilight flinched in shock. “Say what?”
Sunset let out a huge sigh. “After the massive blackout last night, I sense this strange energy that wasn’t from Equestria for once!” Sunset explained. “It was something I’ve never felt before! I even spoke to Princess Twilight earlier to console about this and... she told me there weren't any creatures or artifacts that caused this from my world!”
"Are… are you sure?" Twilight question with a stunning look. "There were no creatures or anything that caused this blackout was from Equestria?"
"I'm afraid not," Sunset replied as she shook her head. "But there's more! According to Principal Celestia, this mysterious wave was coming from the baseball field from our school! Not only that, some agency from the government called G.U.N., or whatever, is investigating our school as we speak because this wave knocked out nearly half of our country's powerline! And on top of that, they were watching us this entire time since the Fall Formal and this incident was the final straw for them to come here!"
Twilight stared at Sunset with a shocked expression, processing everything Sunset had said to her.
“You’re kidding!” She exclaimed. She then shook her head with a worried frown. “This is worse than I fear! If what you say is true about what the Princess said and what’s going on at our school, then we may be in trouble for us and this planet for all I know!”
“W-what do you mean?” Sunset asked nervously.
While looking at her friend in the eyes, Twilight placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Sunset, after I’ve spent hours analyzing that thing, I discovered that this little quill contained so much power you wouldn't believe!”
Sunset swallowed. “How much power exact?”
"It's… unlimited!"
All of a sudden, they heard a loud crash coming from outside, followed by many aggressive barking from Spike.
“What was that?” Sunset cried as she and Twilight ran towards the back of the house.
They both reached the kitchen where Spike was, barking constantly towards the sliding glass door.
“What is it, Spike?” Twilight cried as she ran towards her dog. “Is there something out there boy?”
Spike growled but pointed his snout towards the door.
Taking the message, both Twilight and Sunset took a peek outside. They didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, except for a few trash cans lying around near Twilight’s lab.
“My trash cans were knocked over!” Twilight exclaimed.
"Maybe it was a raccoon?" Sunset offered. “They probably must have dug into them earlier for their early lunch.”
Twilight frowned. “I would agree with you Sunset, but Shining placed those cans near our main house, not my lab! Just what are they doing there?”
"Someone's here!" Spike growled, getting the girls’ attention. “I saw something heading towards your lab!”
Now fully alerted, Twilight turned towards her lab again, check it out much more seriously. Her face went pale when she noticed a crucial detail from her building.
“The window!” Twilight exclaimed while pointing at an opened window that wasn’t opened earlier. “Someone is breaking into my lab!”
“Oh my gosh!” Sunset cried as she fished out her phone. “We should call the police right away!”
Before Sunset began to dial her phone, Twilight quickly swiped Sunset’s phone away.
“Don’t!” Twilight cried. Before Sunset could ask, Twilight beats her to it. “Everything related to Equestria is in my lab, including my pendant! And Shining Armor doesn’t know anything about my experiments! The last thing we need is for him or everyone for that matter, find out about it! And if what you've been telling me is true, it could be those government agents trying to steal information about Equestria! They could get away with it even if we did call for help!”
Sunset was conflicted. On the one hand, it was a bad idea to go after the burglar themselves since they’re just two teenagers, which was why they need the police to come over and stop the burglary from happening. But if all of the things related to Equestria are in Twilight’s lab, they could risk exposing Equestria to the local authorities. It won’t be long before this incident will get G.U.N.’s attention as well since they’re still sniffing around in town. But on the other hand, if they do nothing, whoever was in Twilight’s lab will steal everything that was from Equestria, potentially compromised them anyway.
After weighing her options, Sunset sighed heavily as she put her phone away. “Well, even so, it is still too dangerous to go in there and confront them!”
“Don't worry, I've come prepared!” said Twilight as she went over to one of the kitchen’s cabinets and opened one.
Sunset watched in confusion as Twilight took out a small metal case from the cabinet. Her eyes widened in shock and realization after Twilight opened the case, revealing a familiar item from their sleepover last night.
“You're using Fluttershy’s tranquilizer gun!?” Sunset exclaimed. “Twilight, that thing was for bears, not a human being!”
“I'm not going to shoot em',” Twilight reassured as she was assembling the gun. “I'm using it to scare the intruder away. With any luck, the thief will fall for my bluff!”
Sunset shook her head in disbelief. “This is crazy Twilight! What if there’s more than one intruder?”
Twilight paused before giving Sunset her sheepish look. "Um… improvise?"
Sunset facepalmed and let out a low groan. "Ugh! And you said my idea of breaking into the school was unrealistic!" She shook her head as she picked up a rolling pin from the kitchen counter. "Alright, I'm coming with you!"
"And don't forget about me!" Spike added as he stood by Sunset.
Twilight gave them both her grateful smile. "Thanks you two!" She quickly loaded a dart to her gun and then faced the door with a determined look. "Now let's hurry!"
"Okay. I'm in… with minimum damage to Brainiac's property!" Sonic whispered as he entered the window and shut it behind him.
Once he was sure that he was all alone, Sonic quietly climbed down from the table and then he stood in the middle of the lab. With a deep breath, Sonic took one of the rings from his ring bag and held it to his eye level.
"Okay, here we go," he whispered as he paced back and forth. "Didn't work out on Earth, but that's okay! You're going to a safe world. A nice safe world filled with mushrooms. Mushrooms that'll be your only… friends. Agh, that sounds awful! I can't do this!" He shook his head. "You have to do this, there's no other option."
Sonic then took a deep breath to calm himself. "Alright…"
Sonic surveyed his surroundings one last time. Under better circumstances, he would've been excited to finally explore Brainiac's lab, but he knew that he was only delaying the inevitable. He has to leave this world immediately, even if he doesn't want to.
He eyed his ring again. With a deep sigh, Sonic clenched the ring and moved his arm back, ready to throw the ring and activate the portal.
Suddenly, the lab door threw open, startling the blue hedgehog, and two girls and a dog rushed in.
"Freeze buster!" Sunset shouted while waving her flashlight around to search for the intruder.
"Hands in the air and step away from my tech!" Twilight added with her gun at ready.
"And my chew toy!" Spike barked.
Sunset's flashlight eventually pointed at Sonic, stopping the girls and dog in their tracks. There was stunned silence in the room between the two groups. The girls and Spike were staring at the blue hedgehog in shock while Sonic just stood there terrified, like a deer in the headlights. Not sure what to do in this situation, Sonic could only utter one thing.
"Uh… meow?"
The girls and Spike screamed, causing Sonic to scream as well. In a panic, Twilight instantly pulled the trigger on her gun, shooting the tranquilizer dart right on Sonic's leg before he had time to react.
"Ow!" Sonic cried.
The effects of the tranquilizer dart immediately take effect as Sonic’s vision became blurry and his body started swaying. Sonic blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. The only thing Sonic could make out was the t-shirt Twilight was wearing in front of him.
"Mane...hat...tan?" Sonic slurred as he was reading Twilight’s shirt.
Sonic unknowingly dropped his ring and it rolled towards the gang before it fell to its side. The ring suddenly glowed and it grew into a large portal with an image of Manehattan in a bird’s eye view, much to the girls and Spike's shock and awe. The girls were so stunned, they unknowingly dropped their items to the floor.
Sonic walked staggeringly towards the portal in hopes to escape until he collapsed to the floor as more effects of the dart kicked in. Unfortunately, in the process, Sonic accidentally dropped his bag of rings into the portal. With his one blurry eye, Sonic watched helplessly as the bag of rings fell through the portal and it landed on top of a roof of a very tall building. It was at that moment the portal began to shrink rapidly.
"No…" Sonic moaned.
He reached out towards the portal, trying desperately to chase after the bag, but the effects of the dart became too much for the blue hedgehog as he weakly dropped his arm to the floor and passed out. At the same time, the portal disappeared, as if it was never there.
Sunset, Twilight, and Spike just stood there in shock, processing everything they just witnessed. After a moment of silence, Sunset finally spoke up, summarizing what everyone was thinking.
"...what. The. Hay?"