//------------------------------// // Among the Stars // Story: Aces High // by Lupin //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Among the Stars It was lunch time at Canterlot High, and as usual, Sunset Shimmer, scuffed plastic tray in hand, made her way down the salad bar, breathing in the scent of fruits and vegetables. Granted, they weren’t exactly what you’d call great quality, but what else could you expect from a public high school? All the more reason that she brought her own salad dressing from home. In any event, it was far preferable to the smell of frozen meat wafting from the neighboring line. Sparing a glance at the selection of meatballs, hot dogs, and chili not ten feet away, she wrinkled her nose. The glow of the overhead fluorescent lights did nothing to increase their appeal. Not that it had any to Sunset’s herbivore sensibilities. Collecting the day’s lunch, she swiped her ID at the register and headed toward one particular table, the same one she and her friends tended to use every school day. Setting her tray down, she exchanged greetings with Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. She tried to do the same with Rainbow and Applejack, but the two of them were caught up in some sort of argument. And that’s when she remembered that there was someone else at the table, because today, Twilight had finally transferred in. She turned to the bookworm in the seat next to her own. Gone was her neat reddish-purple blazer, tartan skirt, tie, and dark shoes. Instead, she’d dressed in dark blue shoes, a purple skirt fitted with pockets and decorated with a starburst, a blue and white striped blouse, and a neat magenta bow tie. The only things that had stayed the same were her thick glasses and her hastily-tied bun. Twilight hadn’t seemed to have noticed her arrival. In fact, Sunset noted that the girl also hadn’t seemed to have touched her food, too absorbed by something on her phone screen. “You going to remember to eat?” she teased, nudging the girl with her finger. Twilight flushed, then exchanged her phone for her utensils. Sunset held back a chuckle, realizing that the human Twilight, like the pony princess who shared her name, had picked up “The CSGU Work Ethic”. Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Princess Celestia’s premiere magic school, was also arguably the most prestigious school in all of Equestria. Students were expected to excel there, and most times, they did. But along with that excellence came the frequent acquisition of certain habits, known colloquially as “The CSGU Work Ethic”. Students, particularly in the upper grades, tended to ignore such trivial things like food or sleep in favor of studying or work, subsisting on diets of quick meals, junk food, coffee, nutrition bars, etc. Sunset herself had done countless all-nighters, especially when she’d had her own personal experiments to perform. When it came to the subject of food, however, the CSGU Work Ethic had never stuck. The former unicorn had been blessed, or cursed, depending on your preference, with a substantial appetite and the metabolism to match it. Her lunch tray, laden with an extra-large bowl of salad, attested to that fact. Even during her most engrossing experiments, Sunset had always remembered to eat. In fact, she tended to get irritable on an empty stomach. “What’s got you so preoccupied, darling?” asked Rarity from across the table as she delicately laid a napkin across her lap. “You’re not getting lost on the first day, are you?” added Fluttershy. “That happened to me, and on the second day.” She ducked behind her curtain of hair, “...and the fifth.” “If you’re lost, you should ask Sunny for help!” offered Pinkie, whose lunch consisted of more sugar than she honestly needed. “She’s the best at finding her way around here.” Twilight turned to regard Sunset. “Really?” The redhead shrugged nonchalantly, digging into her salad. “Well, anyway, that’s not what I was focused on,” continued Twilight. “The librarian at the Canterlot City Library asked me to do a read along this Saturday. She’s been asking me for months, and this time...” The girl smiled shyly. “I said yes.” “That’s where you read to kids, ain’t it?” asked Applejack, breaking away from an argument with Rainbow Dash. Twilight nodded. “Yes.” “That’s really sweet of you, Twi,” commented Sunset. She vaguely recalled hearing about that sort of thing in Equestria, but she’d never been to one. “You gonna read Daring Do?” asked Rainbow. “That would be awesome.” Twilight shook her head. “I have to go with what the librarian picks out.” Seeing Dash’s disappointment, she added, “for now, at least. If things go well, maybe I can convince them to let me make the selection. I have plenty of my own I’d like to share.” “So, what are you reading?’ asked Sunset, taking another bite of her salad.   “The Wonderful Wizard of Yoz,” answered Twilight. The lettuce turned sour in the redhead’s mouth. “Ugh.” “What is it, darling?” asked Rarity. “Is there something wrong with the food?” She eyed the far less robust salad in front of her with suspicion. “Nothing’s wrong,” Sunset assured, before turning back to Twilight. “You could have done better than The Wizard of Yoz.” “But it’s a classic!” protested Twilight. “I bet Sunny doesn’t think Yoz is that impressive!” suggested Pinkie. “Since she’s from magic pony land.” Applejack rubbed her chin. “Do you even have that story back in Equestria?” “We have it,” replied Sunset with increasing terseness. “And it’s a classic over there, too.” She stabbed a particularly large piece of lettuce with her fork. “I just don’t like it.” That was the way it had been ever since she was a filly. While most children were enthralled by the adventures of Dreaming Gale and her friends, Sunset had found it immensely annoying. A memory of her fillyhood surfaced. Even though CSGU was primarily a magic school, Princess Celestia ensured it covered all subjects. Thus, the school had things like drama classes, and every year, the upper and lower grades would each put on a stage play. One day, during her first year, she’d been called to the auditorium by the drama instructor, Clever Stagecraft. A mere few minutes in, the mare ambushed her with a request to play the lead in that year’s lower grade show, an adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Yoz. Sunset had vehemently refused, citing the fact that she wasn’t even in drama class. “Oh, that doesn’t matter,” the other unicorn had replied. “Any student in the lower grades can participate, if they have permission. Now, from what I’ve heard, you’re a very bright and confident little filly. You’d have to be if the princess is teaching you. So, you shouldn’t have a problem with stage fright or memorizing your lines. Plus, I think you’d make a lovely Dreaming. Your colors would be just striking with the costume.” When she’d refused again, Professor Stagecraft changed tactics, citing how Princess Celestia adored theater, and always came to the show, and how much it would please her to see her pupil in the lead. Then she’d brought out the actual costume, blue gingham dress, silver hoofshoes and all. “Just try it on. Read a few lines. I have the script right here.” Rounds of heated arguing followed, Professor Stagecraft growing more and more desperate, and Sunset more angry. In the midst of it, the costume got shoved in her face, and the next thing she knew, she’d lit the dress on fire. It had been an accident. She’d only meant to shove it away, but the anger inside her had simply…snapped. Nopony was hurt, and when Celestia had walked into the auditorium, the whole thing came out. For a moment, looking at the unhappy monarch of Equestria, Sunset had worried she’d be forced to take the part. Instead, she’d gotten a scolding on her loss of magical control, which, in all honesty, had still been pretty bad. The only other consolation was that Professor Stagecraft was chewed out as well for her overeager desire to please the princess at the cost of respect for the students. “Why?” asked Rarity curiously, snapping the former unicorn out of her memories. “I found it rather charming, myself.” Sunset found herself struggling for an answer. Why did the thing annoy her so badly? She leaned back, trying to puzzle out the visceral reaction she had for the work.    She’d always been powerful for a filly. Ridiculously so. The princess had worked with her tirelessly to get a handle on it, to make sure she wouldn’t endanger anypony. Sunset wouldn’t have been sent to school otherwise. And yet, that incident with Professor Stagecraft had marked a loss of control. The first and only real loss of control she’d ever had after Celestia took her on, the only time the princess’s training had failed. All because of The Wizard of Yoz. It had been many years since that day in the auditorium, and yet, the actual reason why she disliked the book remained elusive. Why…? A name rang out across the school yard, repeated again and again in a horrible, mocking chant. “Stop it!” shrieked...herself? It sounded off. High. Squeaking. She was so young. But that wasn’t it. There was something else wrong with her voice. Some other quality that escaped her. “Keep that up and you’ll be sorry!” She was shoved to the ground by one of her tormentors. A ten-year-old against a seven-year-old was already an unfair fight, but her attacker was large to boot, and she was not. “What are you going to do?” was the snide answer, punctuated by the haughty flick of an auburn curl. “Click your heels three times and fly off to Oz?” Sunset shook her head, clearing away the dregs of...a thought? An idea? She couldn’t remember. “I...just don’t,” she concluded sourly, then tried to grasp for something more concrete, something other than the nebulous emotion that defied explanation, and the sudden void in her brain. “The witch dying to water was pretty stupid, anyway.” “That is a fair point,” conceded Twilight. “I always found that odd, myself. Supposedly it was because she was so old that she was totally dried up, but even as a kid, I was asking myself how she could avoid needing to drink water.” “Don’t forget bathing,” Sunset chimed in with a smirk. “Maybe that’s why everybody wanted her gone,” giggled Pinkie Pie. “Her B.O.!” Everyone got a laugh out of that, and Sunset found herself mercifully pulled away from her troubled thoughts. The conversation turned from there into a debate on favorite books, which entry in the Daring Do series was the best, and the revelation that Twilight’s mother was the famed mystery author Twilight Velvet. Finally, the bell rang to announce the end of lunch. Sunset picked up her tray, depositing it with the others, when she almost literally bumped into Twilight. “H-Hey, um,” began Twilight awkwardly, holding out her class schedule. “I actually do need help finding my next class. Would you mind...?” “It’s no problem. Just let me see.” She took Twilight’s schedule, eyes moving down to the correct period. “My class is right by there. Follow me.” Together, they cut a path through the rush of students, many of whom waved at her as she passed. A few even waved at Twilight, which she returned hesitantly. As they turned a corner, Twilight drew closer. “Since you know the school so well, there is one other thing I was wondering about.” “What is it?” “Does CHS have an astronomy club?” Sunset shook her head. “Nope, sorry. There’s a science club, though.” Seeing Twilight’s crestfallen expression, she put a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Hey, if it really bothers you, you could always start one.” “It’s not that,” said Twilight. “It’s just that there’s supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, and I have no good place to observe it. I was kind of hoping an astronomy club would have some ideas.” She sighed. “Normally I could try Crystal Prep’s facilities as a backup.” The dejected look on Twilight’s face made something twist in Sunset’s gut. “I know a good stargazing spot,” she volunteered quickly. Twilight looked up in surprise. “Where?” “Meet me in front of the school tonight around nightfall and I’ll show you.” “The school? Why the—” “Get to class, you two!” snapped Mr. Cranky Doodle from the other side of the hall. “Just meet me!” Sunset repeated. “Your class is right here!” she added, pointing to the room before hastily entering her own a few doors down. As she got out her notebook and pen to begin taking notes, Sunset couldn’t help but smile. Twilight would love seeing… The pen jerked hard in her hand as sudden realization struck her brain, and she fully processed exactly what her plan would entail. “Oh, horseapples,” she groaned as her forehead smacked against her desk. The last embers of a brilliant orange sunset were burning away to twilight as the very much flesh and blood Sunset paced across the deserted front lawn of CHS, trying to reassure herself that this was a good idea. “Everything will be fine,” she repeated for the umpteenth time. “Twilight needed a place to see the meteor shower, and this is the best one. It had to be done,” she argued. It was a very sound argument, too, one she’d been making for the past hour. Unfortunately, the anxiety lodged deep in the pit of her stomach was incredibly stubborn. That was when the also very much flesh and blood Twilight arrived, jogging up lightly from the direction of the bus stop. “Hey,” she huffed. A large, heavy-looking duffel bag was slung under her shoulder. “Hey,” Sunset greeted back lowly, forcing herself to stop pacing. Twilight hadn’t seen her doing that, had she? Sweet Celestia, she hoped not. She was the one who offered. Her being visibly reluctant would be the worst way for this to start. “I brought my equipment!” Twilight chirped, seemingly oblivious to Sunset’s emotional turmoil. “You know, to observe the meteor shower.” She adjusted the strap. “So, why did you want to meet at the school? Is your stargazing spot close by?” “You could say that,” evaded the redhead. “Come on.” She went up the steps to the front doors, fishing through her backpack as she did. “W-Wait.” Twilight furtively shook her head. “We’re not going into the school, are we? It’s closed!” With a sigh, Sunset pulled on the door handle. It swung open. “Orrr…not,” corrected Twilight. From her bag, Sunset produced a pair of folding electric lanterns. She handed one to Twilight, and pulled open the other. The bulb inside switched on automatically, driving back the ever-growing shadows of the empty halls. Most people probably would have gone for simple flashlights, or used their phones. But the electric lanterns were far brighter and more effective than either, and cast their glow in a full three-hundred-sixty degrees. Besides that, Sunset came from a world of low, pre-industrial technology, and the shape of the lantern just felt more comfortable. As they passed Principal Celestia’s office, Twilight broke the silence. “Sunset, why was the door open? Is there a night janitor?” Sunset hesitated, fingers tightening around the lantern’s metal handle. “...I have a master key.” She held the item in question up in her free hand, just to prove her point. Behind her, Sunset could have sworn she heard Twilight tilt her head. “And why do you have that?” she asked. “I told you I used to be a bully,” Sunset began. “—watch it, trash can on your left,” she added, pulling Twilight to the side. The natural light was fading rapidly now as they moved further in, the last dregs of sunlight peeking out from the windows of classroom doors. “Anyway...” She licked her lips, reciting the words that she’d rehearsed earlier that day. “I pulled a lot of nasty schemes back in the day, and as part of that, I made a duplicate of the master key.” Not that it had ever been, strictly-speaking, a necessity. She could have gone without it. In addition to learning the guitar to improve her finger coordination, she’d also learned how to pick locks. Nothing in this school would be that challenging. But on the other hoof, sometimes, you just needed to get in quickly, or you didn’t want to leave any evidence of a break-in. “What kind of schemes?” Twilight asked after a pause. “And why would they require a master key?” Sunset mentally kicked herself. She hadn’t planned that far ahead. No, that wasn’t it. She simply hadn’t wanted to plan that far ahead. It wasn’t as though she wanted to completely hide her awful past. She’d admitted to it after the Friendship Games. But at the same time, delving back into it always filled her with a sense of shame. More than that, Twilight was a stranger. Someone who didn’t know anything about Sunset or what she’d done. Someone who held her in a positive light. It was one thing to know someone used to be a bully, but it was another thing to go into the specifics, to know just how bad she’d been. Ideally, Sunset would have liked to have kept Twilight from hearing those horror stories, at least for a little while. And yet, not only had Sunset charged right into a situation that required her to break into the school and open up questions about the person she’d been, but now Twilight had gone for the worst case scenario and asked what exactly she’d needed the master key for. Her gaze moved to the lockers, and fell on one in particular. In the mix of shadows and electric light, she made out a cupcake sticker. She knew what example to go with, and she hated every second of it. “Like…breaking up Blueberry Cake and Norman.” Her fingers reached out to graze the locker. “It wasn’t really a break-up, exactly, but functionally, it was about the same.” She sighed, diving deeper into the well of her past malice. “It was back when I was in eighth grade. I was working to establish myself as queen of the school, and one day, Blueberry Cake crossed me.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to bring up the faded memory. “Or…maybe I crossed her first? I probably did. It’s hard to remember now, but we exchanged words in the cafeteria. I think…maybe she took a shot at my clothing? She’s in fashion club, so that would make sense. Anyway, I was mad, and I didn’t want someone standing up to me, so I decided to, well, ‘put her in her place.’ “When I went to the library that day, I found Norman writing Blueberry a love letter.” That part, she could remember a bit better. She could still picture the young amber-eyed boy, typing away at one of the library computers, muttering quietly to himself, but not so much that Sunset hadn’t been able to overhear. “Norman had stored the letter in his locker, so when school was out for the day, I went back in with the master key, broke into his locker, and took the letter out. To make sure he couldn’t just print out another one, I stole his flash drive the next day.” She moved over a couple feet, tapping Norman’s locker, still in the same place after so many years. “It was the morning after that when I slipped the drive and the letter back into his locker, and Norman passed the letter to Blueberry. Thing was, that wasn’t all I’d done. “When I stole the letter, I’d used the copier in the teacher’s lounge to duplicate it, and I’d put those copies in the lockers of three other girls. Norman’s letter had been pretty simple, and very non-specific, so…” The timing of it all had been perfect, in a horrible way. Mere minutes after reading Norman’s letter, the trio of girls had approached the brunette about his apparent declaration of love. In a heartbeat, Sunset had watched in twisted satisfaction as the love on Blueberry’s face morphed into hate, tears of joy turned into tears of rage. “Blueberry was so distracted by Norman’s betrayal that she forgot all about me,” Sunset added regretfully. “Plus, one of the girls I gave the copies to was Aqua Blossom. She was popular, with lots of social connections I’d wanted to take advantage of, and she’d had a crush on Norman for months. “In that one day I’d delayed Norman, I’d talked to Aqua Blossom about how her crush on Norman was no good, and when she found one of the duplicate letters in her locker, she believed me. So, in the aftermath, I got her gratitude, an in with her group of friends, and a favor I could call in.” At the time, she’d considered it an artful bit of strategy, gaining revenge and improving her social standing all in one highly dramatic and scandalous school morning, all of it without any solid connection to her. She let out a humorless chuckle. “Guess that dataset of yours is a little more balanced, huh?” She waited for the inevitable gasp, the cry of condemnation at her devious behavior. Instead, there was just a quiet, “Are you sorry you did it?” Sunset blinked. She turned smoothly to face Twilight. “Yes,” she said emphatically. “I mean, Norman and Blueberry eventually got together in tenth grade, but I kept that from happening earlier, and I hurt them so badly…” “Then that’s all that matters,” said Twilight. “That’s what Cadance always told me when I did something wrong.” Cadance. Now there was another pony she’d treated badly. Her life was one big tangle of regrets, wasn’t it? Her chin dropped to her chest. This was such a bad idea. “Besides, a proper dataset needs more than a few samples, anyway.” Sunset’s mouth hung open. “Seriously?! After something like that?” Twilight flinched at her tone, but otherwise held her ground. “I take science very seriously.” She grabbed Sunset’s hand, pulling her forward. “Now, come on, I want to be able to set up before the meteor shower.” Her brain stalled, both at Twilight’s casual dismissal of her past, and the shock of skin to skin contact. Which really didn’t make sense. They held hands at the Friendship Games. Why did it feel different now? And was it her imagination, or did Twilight’s cheeks seem just a tiny bit pink when she finally let go? “S-So,” the bespectacled girl continued, “Is that why you know the school so well? Your…” “Hmm?” The redhead blinked, before realizing Twilight’s palm was no longer touching hers. “Oh, no. That’s actually for more practical reasons. When I first came out of the portal from Equestria—” “Yet another aspect I’m wrapping my head around.” Sunset rolled her eyes as the two resumed their trek down the hall. “When I came out of the portal, I was only eleven years old. I didn’t have any shelter, so for a while, I lived in the school.” “You can’t live in the school,” came the argument from behind her. “Believe me, I’ve tried.” “Bedding down in the library?” Sunset guessed as they entered a stairwell, her question echoing off the walls. “I did that sometimes, too. The thing is, you have to move around, otherwise you’ll get caught.” She unlocked a door on the second-floor landing. They could have gone up to the third floor, but she knew there was another set of stairs on this one that would get them closer to where they needed to go. “The thing about CHS is that it’s pretty old, and thanks to waves of construction over the decades, there are spaces between some of the walls, or old rooms that are mostly sealed off due to disrepair, or areas people just don’t visit too often.” That first year had been a hard one, scrounging for food and warmth, tearing through the library for every bit of information she could find, occasionally venturing out, hiding from any adults lest she be reported, dealing with the shock of both losing her magic and the complete shift in her physiology. Hard, and very, very lonely, but a loneliness that, in hindsight, was probably unavoidable, no matter her antisocial attitude. Sunset didn’t like to entertain the thought of what would have happened had she been caught at that age. Probably put in the foster care system, or a psychiatric hospital. But the year had reaped its benefits, too. By the time she’d officially enrolled, she’d already developed a mental map of the entire building so perfect she could practically navigate with her eyes closed. She was forced to a stop when a hand grabbed her wrist. With a surprising amount of force, Sunset found herself almost nose to nose with a wild-eyed Twilight. “Are you telling me this school has secret passages?!” The redhead leaned away, trying to correct the sudden loss of personal space. “Uh...kinda?” She drew a breath, and her nose met the soft scent of lavender shampoo. Sweet Celestia, that was nice. Princess Twilight had definitely never smelled like that, and...and why did she feel warm all of the sudden? “Oh. My. Stars,” gasped Twilight, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “That’s so amazing. It’s like something out of a Prancy Drew novel!” “If you say so,” offered Sunset, turning away to hide what she was sure was a red face. “Never heard of Prancy Drew.” Twilight gasped again, louder this time. Or perhaps it was just an echo. “How is that possible? They’re...oh.” She paused, coming to a realization. “Right, you haven’t been here that long.” For another minute, they continued on in silence, before Twilight asked another question. “Are we going into one of the secret passages now?” Sunset shook her head. “Not this time,” she said to a slightly deflated Twilight. “Some of them are too small for me to fit through now, anyway, let alone you.” She offered the other girl a smile. “But trust me, you’ll like where we’re going.” After another couple of minutes, Sunset unlocked the door to yet another stairwell. But this time, instead of the usual angled concrete steps, these were metal and spiraled. Keeping her lantern in front of her, she began to climb. “Sunset…” came the groan from behind her. “Are…we…almost…there yet? This bag’s getting…kind of…heavy.” “Just up these stairs.” She turned around, moving off the steps. “Do you want me to take it the rest of the way?” “Yes, please!” begged the other girl. Sunset took the bag from her friend, and let out a tiny yelp at the sudden pull of gravity. “Geez, you weren’t kidding,” she grunted, hefting the bag up onto her shoulder and laying its strap across the one for her own bag. Good thing there wasn’t far to go, or that would probably leave a mark. “What exactly did you put in here?” “Just my telescope and some camera equipment.” “Camera equipment?” “I wanted to get something to examine later,” Twilight replied, frowning. “Is it too heavy for you?” She reached to take hold of the strap. “I could take it back.” “It’s fine,” replied Sunset, gently brushing Twilight’s hand away, and trying not to focus on how the brief skin to skin contact sent a tingle up her spine. Thankfully, the weight on her shoulder made for an excellent distraction. Slowly, they made their way up, feet clanking against the thin metallic steps. “I don’t understand,” said Twilight as they made their way higher. “Where exactly are we?” The redhead smirked. “The clock tower.” “The…clock tower?” Twilight parroted. “What clock tower?” As if in answer to her question, they’d stopped at a small landing where the white glow of their lanterns glimmered on the glass of four identical clock faces. Around them, the ticking of small gearboxes clicked away like busy cicadas on a summer night. Sunset was grinning now. Practically hopping up the last few steps despite the weight she carried, she undid the latch for the door in the ceiling, and climbed through. “This clock tower.” The cool night breeze was like a slap to the face, but a welcoming one after the stuffiness of the building. Setting the bags down, Sunset stood near the edge of the wall, looking down onto the front lawn of the school. Directly below her, the library’s glass dome sat like a tranquil sea. Twilight stood beside her, gaping at the sight. “I don’t understand. How did I…I was hovering in the air during the games, how did I not notice this?!” Sunset merely shrugged as she went back to secure the door to the stairs. “I wouldn’t get too upset. From what I can tell, most people at CHS don’t remember there’s a clock tower.” “But that goes against the function of a clock tower!” Twilight sputtered indignantly. “What’s the point of a clock if you don’t bother to even see it?” She shrugged again. “I’m not complaining, and neither should you. Look.” She pointed up toward the sky. Night was setting in now, and above them; the stars were beginning to wink into view, shining brightly against the oncoming new moon sky like diamonds against black velvet. “It’s…it’s beautiful,” Twilight said breathily. “And high up enough to get away from any light pollution,” Sunset added. “It should be perfect to observe the meteor shower.” Twilight’s gaze snapped away from the sky. “Right! The meteor shower!” Quickly, she opened her duffel bag, pulling out various pieces of equipment. “Tonight’s the peak of the last Monocerotid meteor shower, at least until November. I’ll finally be able to get some good shots of it. Dad will be so jealous!” “Is he into astronomy, too?” “He should be,” scoffed Twilight, busy setting down a tripod. “He’s an astronomer. He works at the Starswirl Observatory on the other side of town.” Sunset unfolded a few blankets from her bag and sat herself down. You were supposed to bring blankets to watch meteor showers. Or at least, that’s what a quick internet search had told her. “If your dad works there, why couldn’t you just go to the observatory instead?” “The Monocerotid showers aren’t exactly a major event, so the observatory doesn’t open to the public for them,” Twilight answered, attaching a rather expensive-looking telescope to a tripod. “Plus, the head of the observatory is really strict. The last time Dad let me come with him to look at the stars, he got in real trouble.” Twilight pushed up her glasses as she got out a series of cameras, setting them at various angles. “I envy you. Our house is too close to downtown to have a really good view, but you have your own personal observatory right here…even if it is probably illegal,” she added with an awkward laugh. Her own personal observatory. “Never thought of it like that before,” Sunset replied with a smile. She rather liked the sound of it.   That was when Twilight noticed the blankets. “Oh, are you staying? Well, I suppose you would be. You’d have to lock the doors, wouldn’t you? But I never even asked if you were into astronomy, and it’s okay if you don’t want to stick around. I’ve never really had anybody stargaze with me before, other than Dad, I mean, so it’s not like I’ll be offended, and…” The redhead bit back a laugh. Sweet Celestia, the girl was awkward. “Relax. I’m staying. And since you asked, I’m not really big into astronomy. I mean, I know the constellations backwards and forwards, but the reason I came up here in the first place was because it reminded me of home.” “You mean Equestria?” “Uh-huh. Canterlot, specifically. Over there, the city’s built on a mountain. Lots of what you’d call medieval-style architecture, tall towers and everything. My room at the palace was in one of those towers. Some nights, in between experiments, I’d just watch the stars for a while, or see Princess Celestia raise the moon.” The lavender girl fumbled the camera in her hand. “Raise the—” “Different universe, different laws. Though Princess Luna is raising the moon now, from what I understand.” She wondered what it was like. She’d always liked Princess Celestia’s raising of the moon. It wasn’t as magnificent as when she raised the sun, which was a wonder no matter how many times the former unicorn saw it. But what did it look like now, with Princess Luna back in control? Was it more passionate? More natural? Did the moon glow brighter under Luna’s command? The shadowy image of the Mare in the Moon was gone, according to Princess Twilight, so that would definitely make it brighter. Strange, really, thinking about the moon missing something that had been there for a thousand years, now gone. Terra’s moon probably looked just like Earth’s now. “Right…” Finished setting up her last camera, the bespectacled girl stood back, giving her equipment one last look, before seating herself on the other blanket. “Thank you for showing me this. You and the other girls must have a lot of fun up here.” “To be honest,” admitted Sunset, “you’re the first person I’ve ever even told about this place.” “Really?” asked Twilight in surprise. “Nobody else wanted to go stargazing here?” Sunset nodded. “None of the girls are into astronomy, and besides, can you imagine trying to fit six people up here?” More than that, she just hadn’t wanted to tell anyone. The clock tower was something she’d loved keeping all to herself, for reasons both practical and personal. It was one of her hiding places, a silent refuge that brought her back to her fillyhood days in the palace, a space that no one, not Flash, not Princess Twilight, nor any of her other friends, had ever breached. Not until now. Twilight looked completely floored. “Well…thank you again.” “No problem…hey, I think it’s starting.” A light streaked across the sky, and then another and another. Sunset, who had never seen an actual meteor shower before, watched in fascination spurred by Twilight’s enthusiasm, and the two of them bounced between the blanketed floor and the telescope as Twilight went over the composition of falling stars, recent discoveries in planets, and even her father’s research. Twilight told her all about the wonders of the sky, from black holes, which Sunset had heard of, to neutron stars and the beauty of places like the Eagle Nebula and the Rose Galaxy. Sunset took it all in like a sponge, all the while feeling both swept away by Twilight’s incredible passion, and also strangely nostalgic, though she couldn’t place why. In between the bursts of meteors, they talked about other things, too, like how magic worked in Equestria, what it was like to be a pony, or how strange it was to change one’s entire species. “I do miss the sound of my hooves against the floor,” Sunset admitted during one of the lull points. “Sometimes almost as much as I miss my horn.” “Horn?” Twilight questioned, removing her face from the eyepiece of her telescope. “You’re a unicorn?” Sunset nodded. “Yup. Princess Twilight, too. Or at least, she was born one. When she became a princess, she became an alicorn, a mix between all three types of ponies.” At Twilight’s blank look, she added. “Short version: She got wings.” “Oh, I see,” said Twilight. “If I went across the mirror, I’d change species, too, right? So, would I be a unicorn or an alicorn? I did…” her expression dimmed, just a little. “I did have wings before.” “I’m not sure,” answered Sunset thoughtfully. “But considering I had wings when a ton of magic messed with my head, I’m not really sure that’s a good indicator. So, I’m gonna say you’d probably be a unicorn.” She frowned, pushing back the horrible memory of the Fall Formal. Twilight remained silent at that. Her gaze turned back to the sky for a moment, and then, to Sunset’s confusion, she started to giggle. “I don’t see how that’s funny,” grumbled Sunset, folding her arms over her chest. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean that!” Twilight assured, but still unable to quell her laughter. “It’s just…you’re a unicorn, and I’d probably be one, and…the meteor shower…” Her words broke off in another fit of giggles. “What does one have to do with the other?” “It’s a Monocerotid shower,” Twilight explained, as if that were the key to everything. Sunset just gave her a blank look. “So?”   “Meteor showers are named after the constellations they appear in,” said Twilight, still giggling. “Haven’t you noticed it?” Sunset turned back to the sky, where the barrage of meteors was still at a lull. She eyed the stars carefully, trying to figure out what her pony tribe and a meteor shower had to do with a sudden giggle fit. “There’s Gemini,” she muttered, recognizing the stars Castor and Pollux. “There’s Sirius, so those are Canis Major and Canis Minor…” She moved her attention to the spot where the meteor shower was hailing from. “So that constellation is…” Sunset froze, her brain tripping as it caught up with the star map in her head. “It’s…” “Monoceros,” supplied Twilight in triumph. “Or as it’s otherwise known—” “The unicorn,” Sunset finished dumbly. “This is a unicorn meteor shower.” Then, because she just couldn’t help it, she began to laugh, too. “Monoceros is such an overlooked constellation, to be honest,” lamented Twilight, once they had both settled down. “It doesn’t help that its stars are so dim compared to its neighbors.” Sunset hummed in agreement, vaguely recalling a moment when she’d been pleased to discover the celestial equine, and being disappointed by it for reasons she couldn’t remember. “Any cool mythology around it?” “Not really. I found a constellation lore site once that said the unicorn was sent into the sky to use its purifying horn to counter the deadly venom of the Hydra.” Twilight pointed a purple finger east of Monoceros, where the great serpentine monster rested. “But considering Monoceros wasn’t recognized until the seventeenth century, I’m pretty sure that was just a modern addition.” She let out a small humph. “Not to mention misinformation.” Sunset let out a humph of her own. “Shame on everybody else, then. We unicorns are awesome.” Twilight giggled again. Suddenly, the sky seemed to come to life as meteor after meteor raced through the unicorn constellation in rapid succession, like the starry equine was putting on a magic show just for them. “I think it heard me,” gawked the redhead.   Twilight’s gasp could have been heard for miles. “It’s an outburst! Look at it! A meteor outburst! And I’ve got it on camera! Oh. My. Stars!” Her arms wrapped themselves around Sunset’s middle. “This is the best night ever! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” “Y-You’re welcome,” she stammered, feeling her stomach flutter like she’d swallowed an entire flight of butterflies. What was that? First in the hallway, and now here. Not even Flash had gotten these sorts of reactions when he’d held…her… Oh. Oh, that was…that was pretty big, wasn’t it? Did she actually— Her incredibly profound thoughts were interrupted by the ring of Twilight’s cellphone. “Hello?” said Twilight, releasing her grip on a very stunned Sunset Shimmer. “Oh, hi, Mom. Yeah, it’s going great! I—it’s what time?” She pulled the phone away, looking at the clock. “It’s ten already?” she muttered, returning her ear to the phone. “Yeah, Mom, I see the time. I…alright, I’ll start packing up. See you soon.” Twilight hung up, turning back to her with a sheepish expression. “I actually need to head home now.” Glancing up at the sky in disappointment, she asked. “Sunset, would it be okay if I left my cameras here overnight? You said no one comes up here.” “Um…yeah,” she answered through the swirl of thoughts. “I mean, very rarely someone will come check the gearboxes, but the roof is pretty much left alone. If you want, I could collect the cameras later.” “Thank you. At least this way I’ll be able to get a record of the rest of the shower.” Carefully, Twilight re-packed her duffel bag, now significantly lighter, while Sunset re-packed her own. The two made their way down and out of the school, Sunset re-locking every door as they went. The trip back was a silent one, Twilight presumably absorbed in her data, and Sunset absorbed with, well, Twilight, and the sensations she’d provoked. Soon, Sunset was waving goodbye to Twilight at the bus stop, and walking back toward the place where she’d parked her motorcycle. “I’m going to need advice,” she thought aloud. “Probably Rarity.” Princess Twilight was definitely a no-go. That would be far, far too weird. She glanced back at the darkened school, eyes trailing upwards to the distant clock tower. “My own personal observatory…” And then, her thoughts swirled again. A house stood before her, forgotten. No, not forgotten. Avoided. A mansion capped by a single high turret with large, arched windows on all sides, like it was some kind of observatory. Old. Crumbling. But somehow alive. Something crawled inside the walls, in the beams and plaster, crawled among the insects, hidden in rot and decay. Broken walls closed around on all sides, ready to devour her, to suffocate her in their ruined, vile embrace. She’d needed an escape, but it wasn’t. She could feel the truth of what it was, feel it inside her head, inside her soul. She knew what to do. She had to…she had to…the hate, the anger, the evil. It was too much. It was just too much. She had to… Sunset staggered back, gripping her head as…what? Had she been thinking of something? Her mind was blank, but her nerves felt completely on edge, like she’d just come face to face with the Windigos. Her gaze turned to the CHS building, swallowed by the darkness of the new moon, tall and looming. A shudder swept through her body. “What’s wrong with me lately?” she wondered as she crossed the rest of the distance back to her bike. First the thing with Twilight, and now…whatever this was. Carefully, she swung her legs over the seat, and secured the helmet over her head. “I really need to get more sleep.” That night, Sunset Shimmer twisted in her bed, her dreams of Twilight and stargazing engulfed by a storm of nightmares advancing across her brain, flashing images and thoughts across her neurons like jagged bolts of lightning, immensely fast, powerful, and terrifying all at once. A climb over an ancient wall on a hot summer day. A mansion, hidden away by layers of undergrowth. A stone lion half-eaten by moss, a fallen guardian. Raving madmen. Monsters. Insects and reptiles crawling free. A figure with dark glasses and covered in cobwebs. Things in the basement. Dead eyes boring into her soul. Younger and older all at the same time. Events looping. A place she never wanted to return to. Why had they come to this place? Why had he brought her here…? As she tossed and turned, unable to find shelter from the tempest, two words escaped her lips. “Gabriel…Chase…” When Sunset woke up the next morning, she remembered nothing, but found that she was strangely queasy at the idea of eating oatmeal for breakfast.