The Mares of Many Hues

by Dusk-Spark


Chapter 3: One piece of the puzzle

=Three Months Ago=

The human world. The first time Sunset had stepped out of the portal, she had a mini freakout, something she hadn't done in years. How is one supposed to react when they find themselves alone, in an entirely new world, and horribly disfigured into an ugly monster known as a human?! Of course, now, Sunset had adjusted well enough to living in the human world; all those years hiding from the law probably helped ease her into the role. As soon as Sunset's mini freakout had subsided, she finally had time to take stock of her surroundings, she was very intrigued by how equestrian society and human society eerily mirrored each other. Though, one thing she had a hard time adjusting to was human cuisine; humans also had a reliance on meat in addition to crops, something Sunset couldn't quite stomach, being an herbivore originally. Good thing the local mall she had been dragged to had at least one purely vegetarian food place.

A nice fancy outdoor food court operating out of the local mall, seemed like a bit of a juxtaposition in her opinion, but whatever, Sunset didn't have the energy to criticize the gaudy table umbrella's crap-brown and piss-yellow color scheme or how the plants hanging on the barriers between the row of tables and the pedestrian street seemed to attract its fair share of bugs, not to mention the chair she was sitting in had one leg shorter than the rest. The fanciness levels they were trying (and failing) to achieve reminded her somewhat of Canterlot restaurants. She never really liked the stuck-up attitudes those places exuded, but Celestia would take her out to them once in a while, and she got to order whatever she wanted so... win-win. This time though, it was Rarity who decided to take Sunset out to lunch, tagging along were Fluttershy and Coco Pommel, a new assistant at Carrousel Boutique.

"Sunset, are you okay?" Fluttershy's soft voice, on the other end of the table from where Sunset sat, cut through Sunset's world of silence. "You've been staring at your sandwich for a while now."

Before Sunset could wave it off as being lost in thought or something, Rarity spoke up next to Sunset, "Sunset, darling, I'm afraid that whatever you're planning to say won't work this time."

Sunset groaned. One of the downsides to having friends was that now, they knew all her tricks. Well, most of them.

Rarity put her salad fork down, then looked straight into Sunset's eyes. "I... had an ulterior motive for asking you out to lunch today."

'Of course there was a catch. But, what could she want?' She looked around to the concerned looks on the faces of her friends and Coco. A number of possibilities started swimming in her head about what kind of event this was, but the most likely seemed to be some kind of intervention... or a break up? It probably wasn't the latter for a number of reasons. "If it's about modeling for a new fashion line, I thought we agreed that was a one time thing?"

"What? N-No, that's not-- well, now that you mention it..." And just like that, Rarity was off in her own little world. Sunset thought she'd sidestepped this talk until...

"Ms. Rarity." Coco Pommel chimed in directly across from Sunset.

'Dammit.'

"What? Oh yes, thank you Coco. Sunset, I didn't ask you here to request that you model for my new line, I couldn't help but notice that you... well, dear just look at those gaudy bags under your eyes, they're a dead giveaway!"

Sunset caught her hands halfway towards her face. "Are they really that bad now?" Sunset withdrew a small mirror from her jacket pocket. When she opened it, she expected to see her usual beautiful face, instead she saw someone who looked like they were a gentle lullaby away from passing out (which wasn't an entirely inaccurate summary). "Ugh... there goes any beauty contests I would've won."

With an unconvincing, nervous smile on her face, Rarity said, "Oh, darling, it's not... that bad." Rarity lied, Sunset didn't even need to be an expert in the art of lying to know that much. "Nothing a trip to the spa won't fix."

At the mention of the spa, Sunset just rolled her eyes and groaned. 'Of course Rarity's solution would be going to the spa.' Sunset's fingers gently grazed the bags under her eyes. A small tinge of disappointment tightened around her little heart, just a bit. 'Then again, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea?'

"Um," Fluttershy started, but then stalled for several seconds before she found a wellspring of courage to complete her sentence, "Is something bothering you, Sunset?" She asked timidly.

Sunset really didn't want to talk about it, she'd never been a sharing kind of pony. Being a human didn't change that. "It's nothing to worry about-"

"I..." Coco Pommel uttered quietly, timidly at first and then there was a hint of concern in her eyes. "I've seen you sleeping in the changing rooms on more than one occasion. I never disturbed you because I thought you were just tired but... after the 4th time, I started to get concerned." She looked to Rarity, "Sorry I didn't mention it earlier."

"Um," Fluttershy raised her hand, "I also found you sleeping in the bunny enclosure two days ago."

'That would actually explain a lot.' When she came down to help out at the animal shelter, she vaguely remembered Fluttershy asking her to feed the bunnies. One minute she was holding the bag while opening the gates, everything got a little hazy after that, then she woke up covered in fluffy bunnies. It was adorable of course, even for someone with a heart as cold and uncaring as Sunset Shimmer.

"Well?" Rarity crossed her arms, adopting a bit of an older sister demeanor (or maybe a young mother scolding her child, not that Sunset would remember what that was like). "Sunset Shimmer," Rarity took hold of Sunset's hands and clasp them in her own. "We're your friends now, all that stuff from before is water under the bridge. You can talk to us if something's bothering you."

"..." Sunset really hated all this mushy, feely, girly stuff. It made her feel weird inside, and she did not like it one bit. She sighed in defeat. Like it or not, there was no way Rarity was gonna let this go. "It's nothing really, I'm just..." she subtly glanced over to Coco's direction, "a little homesick."

Rarity and Fluttershy's caring smiles softened just a bit, hopefully they understood what Sunset was getting at. From her forest green purse, Fluttershy withdrew a couple dollars and handed them over to Coco. "I, um, I'd like something else to eat. May I have some ice-cream? The owner he, um...he scares me." Fluttershy was in full Fluttershy mode at this point. Whether it was genuine or not, no one could tell.

Coco looked over to her shoulder, the ice-cream place was back inside the mall. Coco would have to get up, walk to the other end of the food court, stand in line and then wait for the ice-cream. Considering it was the middle of Summer and that particular ice-cream place recently had a very glowing review, the line was pretty long. She'd probably be there for a while and end up missing the conversation. "Oh, um..." she glanced around the table for several seconds before nodding slowly, "okay." She was obviously a little disappointed when she pocketed Fluttershy's money (though she probably would've paid for it herself), then went inside to join the line of people waiting for their ice-cream.

'That should keep her busy for a few minutes at least.' On the list of fashions that Sunset actually gave a crap about, the straight jacket look was very, very, very low on her list. Granted, the chances of Coco turning Sunset in to a crazy house was slightly below Rarity suddenly turning into a marshmallow. But, Sunset didn't avoid the law in Equestria for as long as she did by taking chances.
Sunset leaned in close, gesturing for Fluttershy and Rarity to do the same. "Alright, I'm gonna be honest: I haven't been sleeping very well because..." Sunset trailed off, a part of her didn't want to reveal it, thinking it would show weakness. She shoved that particular part of herself down, she had to tell them. Besides the fact that they weren't gonna just let it go, Sunset trusted them to an extent. She took a deep breath. "Because I've been constantly woken up by a stream of nightmares."

"Nightmares?!" Fluttershy had to stop herself from raising her voice. As expected, Fluttershy did not handle scary things well. She tried to put on a brave face, but it was clear to Sunset that Fluttershy was already beginning to regret asking. "W-What kind of nightmares?"

"Oh you know, just the ones where I'm covered in flesh eating bugs. Or where I'm walking down a hallway but there's something behind me, I don't wanna look back because I know the second I do, it will get me but I have to keep moving forward and I slowly realize that I'm losing limbs."

Or at least, that's what Sunset wanted to say. If it were nightmares like those, then she could probably get rid of it by not watching horror movies before bed or maybe changing her diet. However, the reality was much less coherent. "I don't know." She said matter-of-factly.

"Y-You don't know?" Rarity repeated slowly. "Nothing in the slightest?"

"Nothing at all."

"Have you tried keeping a dream journal? My mother once suggested that, when I would dream up designs but forget about them, back in my younger years."

"Tried that. But it's like, when I wake up, every word that I can use to describe the nightmares have decided to take an extended vacation." It was unbelievably frustrating to wake up, drenched in sweat, feel like you've run 30 miles, and have no idea what had just occurred. "If I tried recording everything in a dream journal, I'd just end up with a single page filled with one word sentences."

"One word sentences? Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't find the right details to describe the nightmares, but I remember specific sensations." Sunset closed her eyes, "the last dream, I felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt. I felt a pain in my chest as if someone had dropped it off a cliff and it shattered into a million pieces," Sunset reopened her eyes, "and yet I can't remember a single image. But," Sunset leaned in close, "one thing I know for certain: I was a pony, in the nightmares." Which meant there was a good chance that the venue for Sunset's nightmares were somewhere in Equestria.

Rarity was silent for several seconds, deep in thought. "That is... very strange. Do you know what may have brought this on?"

"A few theories, but all of them turned out to be a bust. No matter what I do, the nightmares continue." It was true, Sunset had tried several experiments: from changing her diet, to weird herbal stuff, to even trying to pray to one of the human gods. However, nothing seemed to work. She'd almost considered talking to a professional, but there were a few problems with that. Two of which were:
1. She did not need someone poking around inside her head, asking tons of questions about her past.
2. Sunset would rather go through the excruciating pain of the demon transformation again than admit that she needed help.

Rarity frowned, she bit down on her knuckle with her eyes firmly fixed on her salad, it was a subconscious gesture for certain. It meant that Rarity was deep in thought, not that that was hard to figure out; the mumbling gave it away.

Sunset sighed, she picked up her sandwich and was about to take a bite when she finally remembered Fluttershy sitting there. She'd been so quiet that Sunset had completely ignored her throughout most of the conversation with Rarity. Her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but wasn't quite sure if she should. "Is there something you want to say?" Sunset guessed.

"I..." Fluttershy trailed off, her eyes locked on to her porcelain cup of herbal tea as if the tea was going to come to life and speak for Fluttershy. "I-It's nothing."

Rarity was brought out of her own little world, and now took hold of Fluttershy's hands like she had Sunset's just a little while ago. "Fluttershy, dear, if you think you might have something that can help, by all means, do tell. You are amongst good company."

"I, that is to say," Fluttershy looked to Sunset timidly, "what if your nightmares are connected to your home? You said you were a pony in your dreams so..." Fluttershy trailed off, probably realizing how dumb her theory must've sounded.

It wasn't nearly as dumb as she thought though. 'Connected to Equestria?' The thought had occurred to Sunset early on, but she'd dismissed it as improbable. Sunset had lived in the human world all this time without incident, why now would something Equestria-related happen to her?

"Yes!" Rarity exclaimed, a little too loudly. When her brief embarrassment subsided, she said; "I believe it was you who once told me that random acts of magic mean 1 of 2 things. 95% of the time it's due to an accidental spell cast or a delayed reaction to an earlier spell, something that is a simple, if not vague, example of cause and effect. However, 5% of the time, a unicorn's magic will act on its own without any provocation from the unicorn, and some unicorns believe that it doesn't happen without a reason." Rarity must've realized how crazy this sounded. "Now, bear with me here, what if your destiny or some other force is calling you back to Equestria?"

"..." Sunset just sat there in stunned silence with a blank expression. 'Really? Destiny? I could tell her how believing in magic as some kind of living force with a will of its own that was responsible for influencing the fate of Equestria, was usually not grounded in scientific fact, but that would be rude. Not to mention, there is some evidence to support the Living Magic theory, even though I'm firmly in the logical camp.' Still, the more Sunset thought about it, the more it seemed likely that destiny or magic or some other force was calling her back to Equestria...
"!" Sunset slapped herself hard across the face, she'd almost made a very stupid decision there, caused by her severely sleep deprived mind.

"S-Sunset?" Fluttershy asked, the tone of worry in her voice was clear as day.

Sunset let out a dry, monotone chuckle. "I almost made the stupidest decision of my life."

"Whatever do you mean, Sunset? Rarity asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sunset held out her wrists and made what one could assume was a rattling-chain gesture. "I'm not exactly a beloved celebrity in Equestria. It would not be a case of the prodigal daughter returning home to a loving mother offering chocolate cake. The second I step foot through that portal, I'll be arrested, tried, and if I'm lucky: Celestia will let me off easy by sending me to the dungeon for only half of my remaining lifespan."

Rarity had a response all set up. "Oh but Sunset, you've been gone for years and I'm sure Twilight has smoothed things ov-"

"No! I know what you're gonna say, and I refuse to ask the runt for help." It was true, Sunset was thankful, (as thankful as someone like Sunset could muster up). But her thankfulness extended to accepting a vary cautious, mutual acquaintance with the magic of friendship at best, she wasn't about to go all the way to Canterlot and beg her for help over a few nightmares. "Besides, she's not my friend. You five: Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and you, I actually like."
'Tolerate, technically.'
"Her... let's just say: at best, I'm indifferent to her presence."

"Oh Sunset." Rarity started, the sad tone in her voice kind of annoyed Sunset just a bit, it was obvious that a lecture was coming. "Don't you think you should put your past differences aside? You two aren't that different. You both have a fondness for the pursuit of knowledge, you're both kind-"

Sunset scoffed.

"Even if you don't like to admit it, there is kindness in you. You both go to great lengths to help your friends, you both have an acceptable fashion sense, you're both pretty, and of course, you studied under the same mentor. You might actually make a good pair of friends if you just give it a chance. Afterall-- what on earth is going on inside?" Rarity could take no more of it! There was a small commotion that had been going on inside the food court for quite some time now. They'd been ignoring it throughout their whole conversation but it was very clear that the chaos was moving closer to them and they could not simply ignore it anymore.

"Someone catch that dog!"

"Ewww, what is that, some kind of rat?!"

"AGH! I just felt something brush against my leg!"

"Where'd it go?!"

There were a lot of voices but from what Sunset could tell, it appeared that some kind of small animal had gotten loose and was moving towards them. "Let's go before-" Too late.

A small, purple blur had jumped out from under the table and landed squarely in Rarity's lap. "Rarity!" It exclaimed in a panicked tone, "H-Hide me, quick! They're gonna take me away!"

"I-Is this...um..." It took her several seconds to remember the name as she hadn't seen the talking purple dog in quite a long time. "Spikey-wikey?!"

Sunset looked past the crowd to see two dirty looking men in tan jump suits and carrying large nets, barreling over tables and rushing straight towards them. 'Think fast Sunset.' She could try hiding him under the table, but their desperation to find Spike made it clear that they would most likely check there if they stopped at their table. Spike was small but their purses were far too small to fit him inside, where else could she- 'Got it!' Without asking for permission she yanked Spike from Rarity, placed him against her stomach, "Sit still, and shut up." She then zipped up her jacket and waited. If she was lucky they wouldn't-

"Excuse me, miss!" Of course she wouldn't be that lucky, "did a small, purple dog run this way?" The tallier, lankier one asked through short breaths.

"It... it may have... been talking!" His portly sidekick chimed in (obviously out of breath), this sudden reveal of information earned him an elbow to ribs.

"Ignore that. Look, we're short on time, so if you... could..." His eyes locked firmly on the bulge under Sunset's jacket.

"My eyes are up here, dude." Sunset said while gesturing to her face.

"Sorry it's just that... bulge is-"

"I'm pregnant." Sunset revealed without skipping a beat. "Is that a problem?"

"I-"

"Look, I'm going through A LOT right now, and I don't need this! The stress of having a baby has wrecked my sleeping habits, I can't keep my emotions under control, and look at me! LOOK AT ME! I'm hideous!" Sunset shouted, she threw her arms around Rarity, sobbing into her shoulders. 'And the Academy Award goes to me. Suck it, Canterlot theater troupe!'

"How dare you! Do you have any idea what she's going through?!" Rarity started, perhaps putting in a bit too much emotion. "The father of her child walked out on her, and her parents kicked her out! She's been ostracized in class, and all she wanted was a little peace and quiet without having some, some DEGENERATE berate her! Five minutes of peace is all she asked for!" Leave it to Rarity to go overboard.

'Geez tone it down a little, Rarity.' She couldn't see their reactions, but she could hear them stuttering. Maybe Rarity was a bit of a drama queen, but in this instance, it worked out. Her eyes drifted to Fluttershy, and she saw the stare, in full effect. Fluttershy wasn't saying anything while Rarity continued to viciously, verbally tear into the two men. Fluttershy didn't even need to say anything, the stare was more than enough. Actually, it may have been overkill.

"Why, I have half a mind to lodge a formal complaint with your employers for all the damage you've caused to this fine establishment, and the emotional distress you've caused my lovely friend here! Rest assured, that I will not rest until I have your jobs! You'll never work in this town again!"

'Wasn't that a line from a play last week?' Sunset couldn't see them, but she knew they were shaking in their boots. Now it was time for Sunset to deliver the Coup de grĂ¢ce. "N-No, no, that's okay!" Sunset sniffled, borrowing one of the napkins from Rarity's pockets. "Th-they're just doing their jobs, it's not their fault THAT I'M SUCH A USELESS BLOATED WHALE!" Sunset cried harder.

Rarity hugged Sunset tighter, gently stroking her hair with her hand. "There there, everything's okay dear." Rarity softly cooed. "Sirs, I think you owe my friend an apology!" Rarity demanded from the two men!

"We're, we're very sorry! I-If there's anything we can do-"

"DON'T YOU THINK YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH?!" Oddly enough, it was Fluttershy who was shouting, "JUST GO! Y-Y-YOU BIG, DUMB, MEANIES!"

They didn't need to be told twice, Sunset could hear them running as fast as they could, tripping over several chairs in the process.
After what felt like an eternity she pat Rarity's back, "Are they gone?"

"Yes, darling, they've gone running with their tails tucked between their legs."

Sunset finally dropped the act. "I thought they were about to wet themselves. In fact, I'm pretty sure they did. What the heck was that, Fluttershy? And I thought Rarity was overdoing it."

Fluttershy laughed nervously.

Sunset felt a tapping against her stomach. "Oh right, you're still here." She unzipped her jacket to let Spike out. "Don't. Say. Anything. Great performance aside, we've attracted too much attention. Get back in the jacket until I say it's okay to come out."

At that exact moment, Coco finally returned with Fluttershy's ice-cream. "I'm ba-" She was stunned speechless, at the sight of the mess around them. "Um... what happened here?"


"And that's when the great and powerful Trixie-- WAKE UP, YOU ABSENT-MINDED CRETIN!" An angry shout forced Sunset out of her daydream.

A rough shove nearly knocked Sunset off the bed. Under normal circumstances, Sunset would've blasted Trixie through a wall, but this was neither the time nor the place. "What?" Sunset responded, exercising considerable patience.

"How dare you ignore the great and powerful Trixie's detailed account of her journey from Equestria to the Crystal Empire and beyond!"

"Oh I'm sorry, am I supposed to feel bad about not paying attention to something I've already experienced?" Sunset sarcastically quipped, speaking very slowly so even an idiot like Trixie could understand. "Hang on lemme try that again," Sunset cleared her throat. She slapped her cheeks with her hooves, "OH MY GOODNESS! I'M SOOOOO SORRY, GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE! Clearly, my feeble, incompetent brain just couldn't handle the articulate beauty of your story. For I am just a dirty, no-name peasant not fit to lick the dirt off your hooves, and you are clearly part of some secret master race of unicorns." Sunset mocked, in a performance that even Rarity would call: overdoing it.

"As long as you understand your place, imbecile."

Sunset felt something snap in her brain. "Oh that is it!" Sunset's horn started to spark and then--

"A'right, a'right, that's enough." Kira rushed between them, then pushed them away from each other. "Ya got your shots in, now cool off, alright?"

"Yes, please don't burn down our clinic." Xira rolled her eyes. "Anyways, listen, we get the gist of things: You two met up on the road, she knew Equestria like the tip of her tail, so you joined forces because you needed a guide. But what about before that? How did you learn that Twilight was missing? More importantly, why are you searching for her? Is she a friend or something?"

'A friend?' The word stuck in her head, a friend. Twilight Sparkle was her friend? 'No, of course not. While I did meet actual 'friends,' and I say that with HUGE air quotes, due to her influence; I don't think she's one of my friends. I don't think I'm one of her friends either. Still, there's no way I'm telling them that.' Sunset adopted a smile that only someone who has spent an enormous amount of time around Pinkie Pie could pull off. "Of course! We're old friends, I wouldn't call us the best of friends, but we did have the same mentor so... we share a pretty special bond." A truth mixed in with a lie, was the best kind of story to tell. While they did indeed both mentor under Princess Celestia, they mentored separately. Sunset hadn't even been aware of Twilight's existence until way later in her studies, before it all came crashing down.
Sunset thought back to her time in the human world, that's where the story truly began. But, there was no way Sunset was about to tell them any of that. Besides the fact that they'd never believe her in a million years, it was probably a very bad idea to start talking about a whole other world of non-ponies. Lest that information might fall into the wrong hands. "Oh sorry, trying to remember. It's been months ya know." Sunset cleared her throat. She wasn't going to tell them the whole story. Like before, she was going to mix in a bit of truth with one big lie. "So, I've been living overseas for a couple years. Extended research project, I was writing an autobiography of my experiences across the seas. I was also regularly sending reports, both personal and professional, to Princess Celestia. One day, I got a letter informing me that, Twilight had gone missing, and that I should keep an eye out for her. I never sent a response, because I hopped on the first ship going to Equestria."

When Sunset looked around the room, she could clearly see that everyone was hanging on her every word. Good, they were buying it so far. "I see," Xira began, "but what happened to Twilight before you got the letter?"

And there was the big question of the hour, one that Sunset wasn't going to answer. "Let me be crystal clear: I was not around when it happened. I don't know the full story," that part was true at least, "all I know are theories based on the accounts of witnesses who were there. According to the events I managed to dig up, Twilight showed signs of obsession over a secret project. She told no one what it was, and left no evidence of what she was doing. One day, there was an explosion near the newly formed Harmony Castle. After that, Twilight took off."

"...." Twilight hadn't said anything since she was shown that picture. She just stared, unblinkingly at it. Was she even paying attention?

"All I knew, was that Twilight took off North, and that I had a lot of ground to cover. Before you ask: 'why did I go so far?' Simple. Celestia is my mentor, and it's Celestia who asked me to do this. I'm good at tracking ponies down." A memory started to surface, but she couldn't let it interfere. She couldn't afford to break the illusion of a concerned pony looking out for a fellow student of Celesia. "And honestly, I was curious."

"Don't ya know anythin' else? No offense, but your story's a little... vague." Kira said while taking cautious glances over to the mesmerized Twilight.

Sunset sighed. Of course it couldn't be easy, luckily she had a response for that as well. "Look, I've taken one too many blows to the head on my way here."

"Trixie can vouch for that."

Sunset stared daggers at Trixie for a second or two. "So forgive me if I don't remember what I had for breakfast 4 months ago. Besides, I've told you the important bits. The only pony who would know the whole story is..." Sunset's eyes fell upon Twilight Sparkle. "Her."

Kira placed her talon on the top of Twilight's head, a gentle pat to get her attention. "Well, what do ya think about all this?"

She put the photo down on a nearby table. "I..." Twilight started pacing around the room, "a princess, me?" Twilight repeated the words as if to somehow hammer that fact into her brain. It was obvious to Sunset that the logical side of Twilight's brain wanted to point out all the holes in Sunset's story, yet there was a clear internal struggle going on. Part of her wanted to believe it, she didn't have evidence to say otherwise. At the same time, the evidence didn't seem all that concrete. "No, no, it's too convenient. I don't think I believe your story."

'Of course you don't, because nothing is ever easy.' Sunset rolled her eyes. "Don't believe the photo?"

"I-It could've been forged, a fake!" She asserted.

"We have a lot more in the wagon." Sunset monotonously responded while pointing a hoof out the window.

"M-Maybe they're all fake too!" She immediately retorted, her pacing becoming quicker, more frantic.

"We've got a whole box of them, you can see for yourself." Sunset explained while never taking her eyes off Twilight.

"No!" Twilight stopped in her tracks, and pointed a hoof accusingly at Sunset! "I don't believe any of this! You just show up out of nowhere, tell me I'm a princess and that I need to go with you, and all you have are... maybe forged photos? I mean, just look at this!" She practically shoved the photo in Sunset's face. "Why are her eyes different from mine?!"

'That is a damn good question.' One that Sunset didn't have an answer for. However, it didn't matter too much, everything else checked out other than that one detail.

"...who in their right minds would believe that?!" Apparently, While Sunset had pondered about the red eyes, Twilight had been ranting about something that Sunset couldn't bother to listen to. "Furthermore, you say we used to be friends, but I don't remember you at all! When's my birthday?"

In a dry, humorless tone, Sunset responded: "December 3rd."

"What's my favorite non-fiction subject to read about?"

"Magic, History, and the History of Magic."

"How did I get my cutie mark?"

"You got it during your entrance exam to Princess Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns." Sunset held up a hoof, "and before you ask, you hatched a baby dragon from an egg, artificially increased its size, and ended up adding in a new skylight for that building. Do you want me to tell you your favorite foods as well? How about your first crush? Or maybe something about the Elements of Harmony?"

"Twilight, is any o' this true?"

"I... I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THIS, SO FOR ALL I KNOW, SHE COULD JUST BE MAKING IT UP!" Twilight was losing her cool, her rationality was failing her. Sunset couldn't help but wonder why she was she so adamant to prove that she couldn't be who Sunset believed her to be?

"I assure you I'm not." Prior to stealing the crown, and even back when Twilight was a student of Celestia, Sunset had done her fair share of research on Twilight Sparkle. It was a simple case of Know thy Enemy, though it wasn't much different from stalking. Besides, all of Canterlot knew about that dragon incident, it almost rivaled Sunset's overgrown plant incident. "Look, Trixie can go get the box-"

"Does Trixie look like a common maid?"

"For once in your life, can you not be difficult?" Sunset turned back to Twilight, "Trixie can go get the box-"

"No! I'd like you to leave." Twilight turned away from everyone, using her magic to open the door. With anger in her eyes, she pointed to the hallway, waiting for Sunset and Trixie to leave the clinic.

Xira looked to Twilight, then back to Sunset and Trixie. Sunset could see the uncertainty plastered on her face: she was unsure of who to believe. Sunset seemed to know what she was talking about, and the photo looked way too real to be forged. However, she was Twilight's friend, and Twilight demanded that they leave. "Twilight maybe they're telling the-"

"I said, I want them to leave!"

Sunset had had enough of this, Twilight was acting like a spoiled child, Trixie was being unhelpful, and Sunset could still smell that potion concoction, so she was already in a bad mood. She hopped off the bed and stomped her hooves down on the ground. "Okay look, I've been very patient so far, even for me. But if you just calm down, and listen to what I'm saying, then-"

Sunset noticed too late, Twilight's horn lit up, "I SAID LEAVE!" The second her distorted voice had finished shouting, everyone other than Twilight had been knocked off their respective limbs by an invisible force. A surge of magic caused by unstable emotions, that's what had caused the shock wave. When Twilight finally realized what she'd done, she fell to her flank and just stared at the ground mournfully. "I... I'm sorry! I don't know-"

Sunset lifted her head from the ground, she could still see the stars. "Amnesia is such a cliche character trait." Sunset began, "Trixie, are you dead?"

"...." No response from Trixie, who'd been flung over the end of the bed. Maybe she'd broken her neck?

The ends of Sunset's mouth started to rise, a feeling of joy started to grow within her as bright as-

"Trixie is fine!"

Aaaand her mood immediately deflated like someone had let all the air out of her balloon animal. 'Whatever, not important.' Sunset rose from the ground. "I knew it was weird. You just happened to have amnesia after you disappear?" Sunset brushed the dust from her amber coat. "I think you must've knocked something loose in my head." A piece of the puzzle Sunset hadn't considered was starting to make itself known. "Twilight Sparkle is not a stupid pony. She is also paranoid, and left to her own devices, will come up with the worst possible outcome."

"Stop dancing around the issue, what are you talking about?!" Twilight demanded to know, before immediately piping down, lest she cause another incident.

"Your amnesia did not naturally occur." At least, that was the theory that Sunset had just crafted. "What if, hypothetically, Twilight Sparkle locked her own memories away?"

Twilight Sparkle's eye twitched. "What? That doesn't make any sense! Why would I come all the way out here, only to erase my own memories?"

Sunset shrugged, "I don't care whether it makes sense or not. Twilight Sparkle is an accomplished magic user." As much as Sunset hated to admit that, it was true; Twilight was a magical prodigy, just like Sunset. "Let's assume for a second, that the explosion in Ponyville wasn't an accident. Let's assume, that you learned something horrible. Let's also assume that upon learning this truth, you immediately fled Equestria because you were on a time limit. Let's finally assume, for some reason, you locked your memories away. Why would you do that? Answer: Because the knowledge you had was so dangerous, that you couldn't afford to have it fall into the wrong hooves. So you thoroughly erased the evidence." It was inductive reasoning; a theory based on other theories, and a flimsy one at best. However, it was the one probably explanation, and the only one available to them at the moment.

"But I, I fell, and took a blow to the head. That's how I lost my memories!" She desperately looked to Xira and Kira, "That is how I lost my memories, right?"

They both exchanged curious looks for several seconds. "Well, that's one possibility, but..." Kira trailed off.

"But, if you're the pony she says you are, then her theory does seem likely." Xira stepped between Sunset and Twilight. "Let's say that we buy this theory, how do we go about proving it?"

"A few ways. We poke holes into the theory until all the air lets out. We wait until Twilight recovers naturally. Maybe a mixture of potions to bring her memories back. Or the simplest solution," Sunset pointed a hoof to Twilight's head. "The Mind Delve spell."

"The mind what now?"

Sunset opened her mouth to speak, but Trixie stopped her by holding a hoof over her mouth. "Let the great and powerful Trixie explain this in ways that any simpleton could understand. Imagine if you will, that we are all on different islands that represent our innermost thoughts. Imagine that these islands are separated by a good 300 miles. We can't see each other, but the Mind Delve spell gives us a pair of binoculars at the lowest level. At the stronger levels, it gives us a bridge to the other islands."

"I'm not gonna let you mess around inside my head!"

Trixie laughed mocking at Twilight's apprehension, "The Mind Delve spell is simply a means of viewing or experiencing we can no more influence your mind than we can influence the tides with our tails." That was a lie, Sunset remembered the books on Mind Delve spells in the castle archives. Though it was incredibly illegal, you could indeed mess with a pony's mind if you were skilled enough at it. That was why the book on Mind Delve spells were locked away in the restricted section of the library, protected by several enchantments cast by Canterlot archmages. Which made Sunset wonder how Trixie of all ponies knew about it?

"Yeah, great, exposition over." Sunset shoved Trixie back into the background, "Okay, I'll cut you a deal. The best way I can prove my theory is if I perform the Mind Delve spell. Then, if there's a trace of a memory tampering spell anywhere in your mind, I will know. If there is no mind altering spell present, I will leave. Not just your mind, but the clinic, and Frostglade."

"What?!" Trixie exclaimed, but a quick spell of conjuring taped Trixie's mouth shut. Sunset had wanted to do that for ages, it felt a little cathartic.

"If we don't find any trace of memory tampering: we'll leave the clinic, get in our wagon and resume the search for Twilight Sparkle elsewhere. You'll probably never have to see us again, and you can continue living here until your real memories come back." Make no mistake, there was no doubt in Sunset's mind that this was Twilight Sparkle, but an unwilling subject would make an already difficult spell even more difficult, so Sunset was lying through her teeth. "So what's it gonna be?" If this didn't work, Sunset would just have to rely on the box of photos.

Twilight looked to Kira, then Xira, then all around the room as if she could just teleport to another building to get away from all this. She sighed in defeat. "Fine." She muttered dejectedly. "J-Just get it over with."

"Gladly." Sunset stepped forward, this time it was Trixie to push Sunset aside.

"When was the last time you even performed the Mind Delve spell?"

The correct answer would be: "Years ago, back when I was on the run from the law." Sunset wasn't going to say that though. "A while ago, so what?"

"So, you're a pathetic amateur at this, and Trixie has long grown weary of this back and forth between you and Sparkle, so Trixie will take it from here." Before Sunset could protest, it was Trixie who conjured tape over her mouth. Revenge for earlier, no doubt. "You there, gryphon."

"Kira."

"Whatever, the great and powerful Trixie requires certain items to make the spell work properly. Do the honor of fetching them, will you?"

Kira seemed like the kind of gryphon one could describe as: saintly. Yet, that forced smile told Sunset that if Kira wasn't a pacifist (at least, Sunset assumed as much), she would knock Trixie upside the head. However, Kira seemed to be a gentle soul, "Of course, what do you need?"


"Imagine a door, like with conjuring, manipulate the mana into the door's shape. Give it power, feel the door's textures against your hooves."

The last time Sunset had ever mind delved was years ago. She needed information, and the victim refused to give it to her. Under normal circumstances, she'd have used her considerably effective interrogation methods to pry the information from their skull, but she couldn't afford another wild goose chase and she had all the time in the world, and gained considerable practice with the spell.

"It is very important that you keep the mental image of yourself in mind. During the transit stage, there is a very real danger of losing your sense of self, and ending up scattering into the surrounding mana that permeates the world."

She'd forgotten the out of body experience that usually accompanied the act of mind delving, much as she loathed to admit it, it was a good thing Trixie was there to guide Sunset. Otherwise, she may have messed up the spell and who knew what would've been the consequences of that.

"And now... awaken."

When her senses started to return, and she felt solid ground beneath her hooves, she opened her eyes to see the sprawling landscape around her. 'This can't be right.' A blood red sky stretching out as far as the eye could see, a bleak, empty world covered in fog. 'A mistake, there must've been a mistake, Trixie must've-' Suddenly, a great pressure weighed down on Sunset's back, threatening to either break her spine or shove her through the very ground she stood on. She couldn't speak, only struggle against the increasing weight. Sunset was confused, she didn't under-
No. She knew this feeling. She knew this presence. But from where, WHERE did she know this presence from? Within moments, she started to feel like someone had lit a furnace inside her stomach. Was she sweating, she felt like she was sweating, she could feel her little heart rapidly beating against her chest! Fear. This was fear. Sunset was afraid. Afraid of something, but what?

Whispers. Someone was whispering. Whispering dark things into her ear.


Trixie landed softly on solid ground quicker than she'd thought, upon gazing into the abyss that represented Twilight Sparkle's true self, Trixie raised a disbelieving brow. "This is Sparkle's head?" It was a lot emptier than Trixie would've imagined (though not by much). The fog around her felt so thick that she could barely see in front of her. Heck, she couldn't even see what exactly she was standing on. All she knew was that it felt solid and earthy. Sort of like she was standing on a big rock or something, that was all Trixie needed to know. "Sun butt?" Trixie called out, expecting a sharp retort, but there was nothing. Trixie groaned, Sunset had probably wandered off somewhere. "Trixie told you to do one thing, and that was not wander off!" Trixie called out once more, but again there was no response. "Sunset? Say nothing if you admit that the great and powerful Trixie is the most amazing unicorn who ever lived and you are honored to be in her presence."

"Go screw yourself with Celestia's horn, Trixie."

That would've probably been the insult Sunset had used, if she had responded to Trixie. 'Okay, now I'm concerned. Where in the name of Celestia is she?' If only the fog weren't so thick, then maybe she could-- "Oof!" Trixie's back leg caught on something sticking out, and she ended up falling face first into the ground. Trixie groaned in pain as she rubbed her tender muzzle. She turned around to see what had tripped her, but obviously she couldn't see anything. She used her foreleg to prod the thing she'd tripped over and it felt... fleshy. In fact, it moved rhythmically up and down as if it were breathing; whatever it was, it was alive. Trixie's horn glowed with a pink light, illuminating the ground ever so slightly, and she could make out Sunset Shimmer. Crouched into the fetal position and muttering incoherently to herself. "Sunset Shimmer?" Trixie had no cruel remark, no jabbing insult this time. Seeing Sunset in this state caused her heart to fall into her stomach.

Sunset didn't even acknowledge Trixie's presence, was she even aware that Trixie was standing mere inches from her?

"Sunset Shimmer?" Trixie started to grow concerned, yes Trixie liked to make Sunset the butt of her jokes, but that didn't mean Trixie wouldn't be concerned if something had happened to her. Trixie wasn't a monster after all! She leaned in closer to Sunset, trying to hear what she was muttering repeatedly.

. . . . . . . .


"What?" Did Trixie hear that right? She leaned in closer to confirm. "It's here?" That was what Sunset was repeatedly muttering to herself as if it were some kind religious chant. "What's here?" Trixie looked around but saw nothing within the fog, to the best of Trixie's knowledge they were alone. "There's nothing here! Come on, let Trixie help you up!" Trixie bent down to help a shivering Sunset back onto her haunches, she'd almost fallen again were Trixie not there to support Sunset's weight.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake. Slowly at first, but then more violently.

"What in the world?" Was the only response Trixie could muster up before she noticed how everything had turned dark. No, that's not right. This was a shadow, a big shadow being cast upon her. She could feel something breathing, it was right behind her. She very slowly, turned around to see-

"GET OUT!"