After several hours of driving through unfamiliar territory, the boys pulled up to a gasoline station to refill and discuss how to best approach the two people they were looking for.
“How about I approach them first and you hang back and wait until I can get things to go smoothly? I know how people like this can get, and you can be a little - ” Flash made a hand gesture to prove his point. Comet, remembering how he butted in during Flash’s talk with Agent Shadow, agreed.
“Yeah, probably the best plan. There’s no need for both of us to go charging in.”
Another half hour further on, they arrived at the town mentioned in the article. It didn’t take them too long to find the high school there. It was closed for the week of course, but there was one group of people who seemed to be doing some kind of outside work. And luckily, they knew where the principal lived.
After another drive, they pulled up a house. Flash knocked on the door and a few moments later, it opened to reveal a light gray skinned man with a black beard. “Can I help you gentlemen?”
“Yes sir, you can. We’re looking for Starlight Glimmer.”
The principal narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What do you want with her?”
“We believe we know what happened to a friend of hers that went missing a few years back.”
The principal gained an expression of anger “Ah. I don’t think so.” He attempted to shut the door.
“Please!” Comet stopped it with his hand. “This isn’t a prank or anything! We’re being serious!” Flash grabbed his arm to make him stop.
The principal reopened the door with his expression unchanged. “Miss Glimmer has already had enough emotion trouble from this and plenty of people have gotten on her and Mr Sunburst’s case about this. They don’t need any more.” He tried to shut the door again, but Comet held it open.
“Mr Neighsay sir, we’re well aware of that. We’re just trying to help.”
Principal Neighsay was only getting more annoyed. “I know tricksters when I see them. Now leave or I will call the police.”
“On two boys coming to talk to you?” Comet snarked.
Neighsay glared “Yes.”
“Look Mr Neighsay,” Flash cut in, “If you want to call the cops on us, you can afterward. But first we need to talk to them. Please.” Comet looked to him aghast, but Flash gave him a look that made him relent.
The principal, clearly not having expected to be given permission to have them arrested, was surprised. He was silent in deep thought for a moment and then faced them again.
Another drive later, the boys found a nearby karate school. According to Principal Neighsay, this was where Starlight went in her spare time. It was her form of anger management.
They parked in front of the building and got out. “How angry and messed up can something make you that you take martial arts to vent all of it out?” Comet said as they looked at the building.
“Extremely.” Flash replied. “Wait here. I think it’s better if I do this one.” Comet agreed, and stayed at the car.
“Hello, miss.” Flash said to the woman in front inside.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, miss. I was just hoping if you could give me a minute of your time.”
After talking with the woman, Flash came back out and stood next to Comet. “She’s gonna come out and talk. Remember, try to be as easy about it as you can.”
“Right.”
A little while later, the girl they were looking for came bursting out carrying a bag over her shoulders. The second she saw them, she came storming over and gave them a glare that could melt steel. “Who are you two?” She growled.
Comet was slightly intimidated, but Flash kept his stance. “I’m Flash Sentry. This is Comet Tail. We’re from Canterlot. We need to talk to you and your friend Sunburst.”
Starlight grabbed their hands, spun them around, and pushed them against the car, causing them both some moderate pain. All in the span of half a second. “Don't try and pull one on me. I’ve seen this before. You’re here to laugh at us too, aren’t you?”
Flash frowned in sympathy despite the pain in his arm. He could only imagine what the two had been going through.
“Starlight, please. We-”
She twisted their arms further, causing them both to groan loudly in pain. “Don’t. Call me my name.”
“Look at us!” Comet pleaded “Do we look like we’re here to pull a joke on someone who’s been through something like that?
She looked into their eyes for 20 full seconds, and after seeing the genuinely serious look they both had, released them. Comet held his arm and gasped in relief.
“Fine. I’ll take you to Sunburst. But if either of you tries anything funny, you’ll both regret it.”
“No need to tell us that.” said Comet.
Starlight got in her own car and started driving, and the boys followed in Flash’s. She led them to a cabin in the nearby woods that looked decently put together.
She knocked on the door. “Sunburst, two weirdos from Canterlot are here to make fun of us.”
A voice from inside spoke “Sun-“ there was some coughing from inside and the voice came again, this time trying to sound different “Sunburst is not home.”
“Hey! We told you we believe you!” Comet said annoyed. Starlight returned his glare full measure. Flash however did not intervene right away. Hearing the word “weirdo” had stung him slightly, causing some unpleasant memories.
After a few seconds he shook off the feeling and got in between the two. Once they had backed off, he approached the door himself.
“Listen, we’re not here to laugh at you. We know what happened to your sister. We just want to talk.”
“No, no! You trespassing! I contact authorities!”
"Sunburst, you don't trust the authorities. My name is Flash Sentry. My friend and I are from Canterlot and I’ve seen a lot of crazy unusual stuff recently. It’s because of this weird energy.”
The door was suddenly flung open and Sunburst appeared. “Like paranormal activity, right?” He said in his normal voice.
"Yeah."
"Come in." Sunburst stepped aside and Flash and Comet made their way in, Starlight keeping them in her sight the whole time.
Sunburst looked awful. His hair was grown out wildly, he had massive bags under his eyes, and he clearly had not washed in quite a while. He was also under immense mental stress, if the enormous amount of papers around the cabin’s interior were any indication.
After he and Comet introduced themselves to Sunburst and heard his first hand account, Flash relayed his own story to the duo. Starlight rolled her eyes multiple times while Sunburst never took his eyes off him or spoke once until he was through.
“So this other Sunset from this alternate dimension showed up at your school at the exact same time our Sunset vanished?” asked Sunburst.
“Pretty much” replied Flash.
“There has to be a connection.”
“My thought exactly.”
“Sunburst, you can’t seriously believe this.” Starlight scoffed. “Magic? Another dimension where everyone is a talking pony? That’s crazy!”
“You have your own explanation?” Comet retorted. Starlight fumed, but relented.
“Here’s the thing though.” Flash continued. “She’s gotten a bit too close to everyone else she’s met here to just up and leave. And I have a particular- ” he briefly paused “reputation in CHS so she’s definitely not going to believe it from either of us.”
“So here’s what I’m thinking.” He gestured for the others to come closer, they leaned in, and he whispered his plan to them. Their eyes all widened, Comet’s in excitement, Starlight’s in bafflement, and Sunburst’s in curiosity.
“You can’t be serious. Why in the universe would we go anywhere with the two of you, let alone do something like THAT?”
“Because this is your only chance of getting her back.” Flash said simply.
Sunburst pulled his friend aside. “Starlight look, I know this is beyond crazy, but this is the information I’ve been trying to find for four years. We have to take this chance.”
After a few moments of silence, Starlight sighed “Fine. Let’s do it.” She then turned to Flash and Comet “You two are insane.” She deadpanned.
“Maybe we are.” replied Comet cheekily.
“Oh, Sunburst?” said Flash.
“Yeah?”
“Not trying to be rude, but you might want to get cleaned up first.”
He looked over himself and gave a sheepish expression of agreement “Sure thing.”
————————————————————————————————————————————
Back in Canterlot, the Rainbooms were practicing their music and discussing amongst each other at the park when police cars pulled up and several officers got out, Shining Armor in the lead. “Sunset Shimmer. I’m placing you under arrest.”
“Shining! You’re not arresting my best friend!”
“Don’t worry Twily, we’re taking you all in. Tag and bag them.”
The Rainbooms were hussled into the police cars and driven to the station, most of them protesting.