45 Main Street avenue
Heart of Canterlot City
November 1st, 2022
0700hrs
The sun grazed the city of Canterlot, marking the beginning of November. The sun was shining, people were waking up with headaches from too much candy, and—
“Eeeek!” A scream rang through Sparkler’s and Autumn’s apartment, waking both Sparkler and Twilight, who fell asleep cuddling on the couch, in a startle.
“Twilight?”
“Sparkler?”
“You ok?” Sparkler and Twilight both asked at the same time. They didn’t get time to think before they heard a thud. Sparkler and Twilight looked down the hall, and realized where that shriek came from. “Sunset!” They both exclaimed.
They got up off the couch and dashed down the hall. Sparkler noticed the door was open. What?! Sparkler’s mind raced as she raised her watch aimed into the room they had left Sunset in. Expecting to find an intruder to stun.
What she and Twilight found instead was Sunset cowering in a corner, and on the bed sat a familiar dragon. “Clear-Cut?!” Sparkler exclaimed in shock as Twilight pushed past her and ran over to Sunset.
“Sunset! Are you ok?” Twilight asked.
“That thing was staring at me when I woke up!” Sunset exclaimed in panic, pointed right at Clear-Cut.
Sparkler lowered her watch and groaned. “Don’t worry Sunset he’s not gonna hurt you.” She said as she walked over and picked up Clear-Cut. “I thought I told you last night to leave her be until she woke up.” She told Clear-Cut.
Clear-Cut roared at her. Sparkler shook her head. “No. I told you that you’d get to see her when she either came out, or we came in to check on her—“ She said right before they all heard knocking on the door.
“Sparkler? Autumn? You two ok in there?” Asked one of the neighbors who heard the scream.
Sparkler groaned. “I’ll get that. And you are coming with me.” She told Clear Cut.
Sunset and Twilight saw them walk out. Sunset blinked in confusion, coming to her senses a bit. “Am I dreaming or did Sparkler get a pet dragon recently?” She asked.
Twilight sighed. “She got him last night I guess.” She said.
Out in the main living area, Sparkler dropped Clear-Cut off at the table and proceeded to the door. She opened it just enough to see a middle aged lady that lived right next door to them. “Oh, good morning Mrs. Anderveld.” She said, acting like nothing was wrong.
“Good morning Sparkler.” Mrs. Anderveld responded. “Is everything ok? I heard a scream coming from your apartment.” She said.
“Yep. Yeah everything’s fine.” Sparkler said quickly. “Just uh…” Crap what do I say?! She thought.
Sadly for her, she would not get a chance to come up with a response because she heard a roar; before feeling something land on her head. For real?! She thought as Mrs. Anderveld backed up in fear.
“Sp-Sparkler…y-you have a…” Mrs Anderveld trembled.
“Mrs. Anderveld, don’t panic, I assure you he’s—“ Clear-Cut cut her off by roaring at Anderveld again. The poor woman eeped and scurried away back to her apartment in fear.
Sparkler watched her go, and groaned. “For Pete’s sake.” She said as she closed the door. She reached up and grabbed Clear-Cut in her hands, pulling him off her head and turning him so they were face to face. “Is this how you’re gonna act around EVERY new person you meet?” She asked as she set Clear-Cut down on the table.
Clear-Cut roared in response. Sparkler shook her head. “I am going to go make sure Sunset is ok. You are going to stay right here. And once Sunset’s all good. You and I are gonna have a little talk if this is going to work.” She said as she took a few steps back, keeping an eye on her new dragon pet. “And don’t think I won’t get a cat carrier to keep you in if you keep pulling this with people. Because I will.” She said as she turned and walked back to the room.
She reentered the room to find that Twilight had managed to coax Sunset out of the corner and back sitting in the bed. She sighed as she sat on the bed with them. “Sorry about that Sunset.” Sparkler said. “I think he’s still in guard dog mode.” She said.
Sunset, who had calmed down enough to come to her senses nodded. “Yeah…of all the things to come out of last night.” She commented.
“Yeah…are you doing ok Sunset? After…that?” Sparkler asked.
“Well I’m surprised I came out of that without broken bones. Just a few bruises.” Sunset responded. She sighed as she looked down, away from Sparkler and Twilight. The two that were put the most in danger because of her. “But I think I kinda deserved broken bones. And maybe worse…” She commented.
Sparkler and Twilight looked at each other, before Twilight turned back to Sunset. “Sunny, what happened last night wasn’t your—“ She started before being cut off by Sunset, who exploded.
“It IS my fault Twi. Last night was entirely my fault!” Sunset exclaimed. “Sundown was created because I was a power craving deva who didn’t listen to a pony who clearly knew better!” She said. “And she managed to come back because I treaded too close to that kind of behavior again by being jealous of you and Sparkler being together.” She admitted. “If I hadn’t been such a brat, or if I had just been honest with Sparkler from the beginning about how I felt about her, none of this would have happened!” She said as she buried her head in her arms and legs, tears forming in her eyes as all the frustration she kept bottled up came out.
Sparkler and Twilight leaned back a bit in shock at Sunset’s sudden outburst. And when they saw her curl up. Their hearts sank. Neither of them had seen Sunset like this before. She usually was the strong, calm and collected type who was confident in anything she did. To see her break down like this hurt them.
Sparkler, being the first to react, leaned in and wrapped her arms around Sunset, pulling her into a comforting hug. “It’s ok Sunset. We’re not—mmph!” She was cut off when Sunset made a move.
It happened so fast. Too fast for any of them to react. The near instant Sparkler pulled her into that hug, Sunset, completely on an impulse without thinking, raised her head up and pressed her lips against Sparkler’s. Kissing her.
Twilight blinked as she watched her best friend and probably second crush kiss her girlfriend. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a response.
Sparkler meanwhile couldn’t come up with a response at all. Her mind was too focused trying to figure out what was happening. But, while her mind may have not been available, somehow, her motor functions took over and she started kissing back! What is even happening right now?! She asked frantically. Was she for real kissing another girl IN FRONT of her girlfriend?! And the most horrifying part, was that she didn’t want it to stop. What the crap?!
After a few seconds, Sunset’s mind seemed to have caught up with her, because she pulled back, and Sparkler and Twilight saw a look of horror on her face.
Sunset’s mind raced as it dawned on her what she just did. “I…I…”
Before Sparkler and Twilight could react, Sunset, again through impulse, got off the bed and dashed out of the room. “Sunset!” Twilight called out, worried about her friend.
Crap crap crap that was stupid! Sunset exclaimed as she tried to make it out the door, before something came blocking her way. She saw the little dragon cut off her escape point and roar at her. Making her stop in her tracks. “G-get out of my way!” Sunset told him.
Before anyone could move however, Sparkler and Twilight came dashing out of the hall and into the main area. “Sunset! We can talk about this.” Twilight told her.
Sunset looked between Sparkler, Twilight, and the dragon, before breaking down crying and falling to her knees, covering her face in shame. “I-I’m sorry! I don’t know what came—“
“Sunset.” Sparkler cut her off. “Calm down.” She said as she and Twilight got on their knees beside Sunset. Trying to be as comforting as possible. “It’s ok. We know.” Sparkler told her.
“Rarity told us about your feelings last night. When we were formulating a plan with SMILE.” Twilight explained.
At the mention of SMILE, Sunset’s eyes widened and she glanced at Sparkler. Sparkler just nodded. “She knows.” She said
Sunset nodded in response. “It’s just…I enjoy the time we spend together. It started two weeks before the first date you two had. Something just…”
“Clicked inside you and you wanted the fun times to continue forever?” Twilight offered.
“Y-yeah.” Sunset responded.
“Why did you never say anything?” Sparkler asked.
“Why do you think? I was scared of rejection, scared that you might pull the secret agent card. I just…I was too cowardly to be honest to you.” Sunset said. “I kept them bottled up, until…” She trailed off, not wanting to say it.
Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I think Twilight and I can actually share some of the blame for Sundown’s return.” She said.
“We never realized that us talking about each other to you made you jealous. We’re sorry Sunset.” Twilight said.
“It’s ok. You didn’t know.” Sunset responded. “I’m sorry last night ended in disaster when you just wanted a nice first dance.” She said.
“There will be other dances.” Sparkler responded. “But we only have one Sunset, and we’ll always choose to save you.” She added, her and Twilight pulling her into a hug.
Sunset looked between Sparkler and Twilight. “Y-you two really aren’t mad?” She asked.
“We’re not.” Twilight responded. “In fact I actually have to thank you Sunset. Last night I learned who my girlfriend really is. An awesome secret agent that can hold her own against a demon.” She said.
All three girls couldn’t help but chuckle. Sunset nodded. “Yeah. She is pretty amazing.” She commented. She took a deep breath, and sighed. “Ok. You can say it Sparkler.” She said.
“Huh?” Sparkler asked.
“You can say it. The rejection. I’m ready to hear it and move on.” Sunset said. For some reason, now that she knew Sparkler knew how she felt, she was ready to finally let it go and move on. Like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “Just…I hope we can still be friends…I know I kinda messed up a few minutes ago with that kiss…” She added.
Sparkler bit her lip. On the one hand, she would have definitely had the rejection talk with Sunset before last night, but on the other hand…last night actually had her questioning her monogamy. After the dance, Sparkler was able to think on it and analyze it from many angles, consider the pros and cons, and she came to the conclusion that she might not be as monogamous as she first thought. “Yeah…about that.” She said. “Remember last night when I faked showing interest in Sundown? To get the Geode of empathy away from her?” Sparkler asked.
Sunset giggled. “Yeah. It was hilarious.” She responded.
“Wait, Sparkler did what?” Twilight asked.
“I’ll tell you later Twi.” Sparkler responded. “Well, that was inspired by what Rarity said. And…” Gosh she was nervous. She thought of what she wanted to say, but for some reason nothing felt right. After a moment, she decided on another tactic. She pulled out the geode of Empathy, which Autumn gave to her to return to Sunset, and handed it to Sunset. “I can’t really explain it. I think you should take a trip into my mind for a better explanation.” She said. “If you can, target the memories of last night after the dance.”
Sunset took the Geode, wrapped the cord around her neck, and while she hadn’t intended for it to work so soon, because Sparkler was touching her, Sunset’s eyes glowed bright white and she saw into Sparkler’s mind.
She saw Sparkler and Twilight talking about Sunset’s feelings for her, and she was shocked to learn that Twilight probably would have fallen for HER if Sparkler hadn’t come along. She saw Twilight saying that she was intrigued by the prospect of the three way relationship. Something Pinkie Pie had mentioned to her about on multiple occasions. And she saw Sparkler questioning her own monogamy, and perhaps more importantly, she felt Sparkler looking back at their friendship and trying to figure out if there was a spark between them that would tell her whether or not she herself was monogamous.
Sadly she didn’t get to see much of anything else because she suddenly felt immense feedback that gave her a splitting headache that forced her out of Sparkler’s mind. “Gah! God I have a splitting headache all of a sudden.” She said.
“What happened?” Twilight asked.
“Something forced me out of Sparkler’s mind.” Sunset said. “And gave me a splitting headache.”
Sparkler was about to ask why since she never wanted to force Sunset out, before it dawned on her that now there was another possibility. She groaned. “Clear-Cut.” She said. She glared at the tiny dragon, who roared. Sparkler grit her teeth. “Dude, I LET her into my mind.” She told him. “If you don’t knock it off we’re gonna have MAJOR problems. She is not evil. The evil is quite literally OUT of her now.” She said. She turned back to Sunset. “Sorry about that. Did you at least manage to see what I wanted you to see?” She asked.
“Some of it at least.” Sunset responded. “I saw Twilight admit that it would have been me if not for you.” She smirked slyly at Twilight, who blushed. “I saw you looking back at our friendship, and I think I saw a glimpse of an answer to that monogamy question, along with maybe a...” She trailed off.
Sparkler nodded. “Look, I’m not going to promise anything. For all I know this is just a passing thing. But after thinking and searching through myself, I can at least confidently say that I wouldn’t mind having two lovers.” She said, smiling at Sunset and Twilight. “So…if Twilight’s ok with it. No reason why we can’t do like a trial date or something. See how it goes and see if there’s enough of a spark between you and me to catch fire.” She said.
Sunset stared at Sparkler, unsure if she heard right. “You mean…” She said.
“If Twilight’s ok with it.” Sparkler said, turning to Twilight.
Twilight slowly smiled widely. “You bet I’m ok with it!” She said. “In fact, no reason why we can’t do something today! We could go to the park, maybe see a movie together. Or maybe a nice dinner at Airwave’s Airwave. I loved that place last time.” She said.
“So long as FOWL doesn’t try to ruin it again I’m down.” Sunset responded, chuckling.
“What?” Twilight asked, still in the dark about what had happened.
“Nothing you need to worry about Twi. Just a little scuffle.” Sparkler said. “And I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
Twilight admittedly was confused, but she nodded all the same. “So. We’re all good?” She asked.
Sunset nodded and hugged the both of them. “Yeah. Thanks Twi, Sparkler.” She said.
“We’ll always be here for you Sunset. No matter the state of our relationship.” Sparkler responded.
After a few moments, they all parted, and Sparkler turned to Clear-Cut. “Now that that’s out of the way. It’s time we established some ground rules.” She said as she gestured to the table, wanting Clear-Cut on it.
Clear-Cut obliged and flew over and landed on the table. With Sparkler, Sunset, and Twilight taking seats around the table. “We can also thank you for last night Sunset because it provided us with a MAJOR piece to the puzzle of why Sparkler has powers.” Twilight told Sunset.
“Yeah…I wouldn’t say no to that.” Sunset said.
“Ahem. Before we jump into speculation.” Sparkler said. With that, she started laying down the rules for Clear-Cut.
SMILE HQ
Canterlot City
November 1st, 2022
0900hrs
Derrick stood in his office, in front of a group of holograms depicting silhouettes. “This is worrisome to say the least.” One of them said.
Derrick raised an eyebrow. “Worrisome? How so?”
“Because she wasn’t supposed to discover Clear-Cut yet.” Another silhouette said. “It was too early.”
“Blame FOWL for kidnapping Sunset.” Derrick responded. “You all realize that this brings her one step closer to finding the truth about herself right?” He asked.
“What she has now is not enough for her to learn the truth.”
“So you STILL aren’t going to tell her.” Derrick surmised.
“It is not time yet.”
“Well your time is running out.” Derrick said. “With this development she took a major step in the right direction. My guess is you don’t have long before she finds out on her own. And I am not going to get in her way.” He added.
“Derrick. You agreed—“
“Yes. I know. But there is no reason to keep her in the dark. Especially since it’s now more inevitable than ever that she’ll find the truth on her own.” Derrick responded. “And I’m sure she’d rather hear it from you then have to dig for the answer.” He said.
The silhouettes said nothing. Derrick continued. “And it’s not like you have to travel to tell her. One of you is friends with her for Pete’s sake. You could literally just pull her aside at lunch or something and tell her.” He said.
“We have our orders Derrick. Our superiors were clear.”
“Well tell your superiors that now there is an official deadline. You have until she turns 18 to tell her. Because that is when I’m officially done keeping this from her. And this is of course assuming that she doesn’t find out on her own in the meantime.” Derrick said. “I suggest you talk to them and seriously consider all possible scenarios. Because there’s only one best case scenario if you want to have any chance of having a good standing with her.” He said as he pressed a button and the holograms disappeared. He sat back down at his desk and sighed. “Those people are really starting to get on my nerves.” He commented as he got back fo work.
To be continued…