//------------------------------//
// Sunset Shimmer 
// Story: Soulmates and Leftovers (Doubles and Singles and Nothings At All) 
// by Mockingbirb 
//------------------------------//

Soon, the pair reached Sunset's motorcycle, which was parked beside the road, just beyond the nearer end of the bridge. 

Sunset said, "I'd really like to take you out on a date. Maybe a nice dinner? But there's something I have to take care of, first."

"Um...ok?"

"Just wait right here. Please." Sunset walked rapidly into the woods.

When she was out of Wallflower's sight, Sunset turned onto a narrow path. She followed the path to a line of concrete stairs built into a steep hillside. She stepped onto the topmost stair, and started trotting downward.

"I guess every day is leg day, when you're me," she said to herself. "Gotta keep in shape...or else."

After literally dozens of flights of stairs, Sunset reached the bottom of the gorge. She pushed her way between rocks and brambles and tall weeds. "Come on," Sunset told herself. "You can do this. Even if you couldn't reach her in time, you can still try to do something for her family."

Sunset tripped, sprawling across some muddy ground. "Mother of Celestia's--" She glanced back the way she'd come. 

Sunset had tripped over a corpse.

"This is the WORST job," she said. Sunset crawled to the corpse, where she ran her hands skillfully across the clothed body. She found a wallet. 

It had some bits inside, but Sunset didn't take them. She just put the bits and wallet back. As of the last few months, Sunset was on the Equestrian government's payroll.

Sunset reached inside her own leather jacket, pulling out a small notebook. The notebook's pages were ensorcelled so that any message written within would also appear in another world.



Dear Equestrian Government, Dept. of Human World Affairs

I found another jumper. ID says Winter Breeze. When somepony comes to this world to try to end things by jumping off a tall building or a bridge, why is it so often pegasi? 

Do they think it will feel almost like flying? Because from what I've seen, it's not. I doubt there's anything else so horrible for a pegasus as trying to fly, and suddenly realizing your wings don't work anymore. Because you don't have any.




Sunset used her phone to check and double-check the location. 



Even though I couldn't reach Winter in time to save her, when I got to the bridge there was an odd coincidence. Someone else was already there, a human local who had her jacket full of rocks. I think she might have been about to jump. 

Maybe it would help Winter's family and friends feel just the tiniest bit less agony about what happened to Winter, if you tell them Winter died helping to save someone else's life. I'm not sure whether that's a huge exaggeration, or not. But I guess it's close enough to the truth.

Apologetically,
Patrolpony Sunset Shimmer



Sunset sighed. From her carryall bag she pulled out a large piece of cloth.

Sunset laid the cloth out on the ground, and wrapped the body into a bundle.

Finally, Sunset put one hand on the bundle, and whispered the words of an activating spell. In a flash of light, the bundle disappeared.

***

Sunset climbed the stairs less quickly than she'd hurried down them. By the time she reached her motorcycle, Wallflower was fidgeting.

"Hi," Sunset said. "Sorry I took so long."

Wallflower asked, "What were you doing?"

Sunset took a deep breath. "I guess there's no point in trying to keep it a secret from you." She pulled her little notebook out of her jacket's inside pocket, and handed it to Wallflower.

Wallflower opened the notebook to the first page, and read silently. "This is your after school job? Working for Equestria? Reporting ponies who...didn't want to live anymore?"

Sunset nodded. "Reporting pony deaths is part of it. Ever since Starswirl's portal spell leaked, and everypony found out how to create portals...a lot of things are different now. Ponies come to the human world to take advantage of a lot of different opportunities. To find their soulmate, someone who they believe can understand them better than anyone else ever could. To buy and sell things that are rare in one world, but common in another. There's some drug smuggling, too. And...this. Most pegasi aren't afraid of heights. For them, if somepony wants to die...I guess this seems like the least scary way to do it, for a lot of them."

"I never would have thought..." Wallflower's voice trailed off.

"I don't think most ponies thought about it, not really. Or they would have done a better job of keeping Starswirl's spell secret."

"I guess not. I'm so sorry, Sunset."

Sunset tried to smile. "Look on the good side, Wally. Someone stopped you, before it was too late. Because I can guarantee you, whatever problems you have in this world...someone would have missed you. The people who would have missed you might not be good at showing you how they feel, what you mean to them...but there's always someone, or someones. No exception."

Wallflower sniffled. "I'm a terrible person."

"Come on," Sunset said. "Put on this helmet, so I can give you a ride." She straddled her bike.

Wallflower climbed awkwardly on behind her.

"Hold on tight."

Driving very carefully, never going faster than fifteen or so miles per hour, Sunset gave Wallflower a ride back into town.