Twilight Falls, Sunset Dawns
Chapter 12
Twilight focused magic into her horn and cast the spell. A small dome of violet light grew from the centre of the kitchen floor, and she stopped when it encompassed the room. She brought forth a glass jar with the three cuprite crystals inside and set it beside the door, out of view from within the kitchen, and the field shimmered and faded. There. That should anchor the anti-magic field. There’s enough residual energy in them to last a week, at least. She looked behind her and her horn glowed again. Rosen and his pillow lifted into the air, and Twilight slowly floated them into the kitchen.
He'll be fine. There's plenty of food for him until I have someone free him. Reminding herself of that fact didn't make her feel any better. But, the drugs she gave Rosen would wear off within the hour, and Twilight needed to make sure he didn't warn anyone of her escape. The anti-magic field, coupled with the sealing spell she was now casting over the door frame, would keep Rosen contained until she had her body back. When I do, I’ll make sure he’s compensated for all this.
With the room sealed, Twilight turned to the table. Her saddlebags were filled with some of the more basic alchemical compounds she would need for her plan. The anti-magic charm, its power lost, had also been packed, along with a small bag of bits she had found in Rosen's lab. In the other bag, too big for anything else to fit, Sunset Shimmer's diary poked out of the top. Twilight had debated bringing it or not, but decided to keep it. It might still prove useful, somehow, and even if not, she felt the need to keep it with her.
"I'm packed, then." She glanced back at the kitchen. She had also considered writing Rosen a note explaining her actions and assuring him she would see him set free, but realized he either wouldn't care or wouldn't believe her. With nothing else to do, Twilight pushed open the door to the lab and descended the stairs. She emerged on the ledge overlooking the top of the waterfall and walked down it until she was as close to the end as she could get.
Okay, piece of cake. When she had realized what her escape would demand, Twilight had sat down and calculated the variables. Her long-range teleportation spell had been strong enough to transport her from Ponyville to Canterlot, though in hindsight she remembered being tired for several days after. She didn't know how high the mountain was, but of course the distance between the two cities was considerably greater than the mountain's height. Teleporting down to Canterlot would be simple.
Of course, that was when I was an alicorn. Sunset Shimmer is powerful, but I don't know how successful the spell will be with her comparatively weaker magic. She berated herself for not taking the time to check the equations to see if normal unicorns could handle the spell.
Twilight looked out at the sky, the rain now letting up to a light sprinkle, and took a breath. "Well, no other way to find out." She closed her eyes and gathered her magic. Sparks of teal light flew from her horn, and when she felt her magic at its peak, she let it loose and teleported. When she reappeared she opened her eyes. The spires of Canterlot Castle greeted her, but they were too high. Twilight looked down and screamed; she had only teleported partway down, and was now in freefall over Canterlot.
No, nonononono— Twilight shut her eyes again to block out the city rising up to meet her, and cast her normal teleport. She reappeared as far down as the standard spell could take her and fell several more feet to land on a shingled roof. She slid down it and fell into an alleyway, landing on a row of trash cans. The one she hit tipped over, and a loud metallic clang filled the alley.
"Ugh…" Twilight held her head and lifted the lid of the can over her head to block the rain. She looked at the overturned can and sighed. "At least I hit an empty one." She stood up, made sure her bags were secure, and then ran out into the streets, the lid still protecting her. Twilight looked around and got her bearings. She saw a street sign and nodded. Yearling and Farrier. Her memory traced out a mental map, and Twilight galloped down the street in the direction of the train station.
As she neared the station, she saw one of the waiting trains close its doors. Her eyes widened. No. She stopped her run and teleported, reappearing in front of the ticket seller. He recoiled and cried out in surprise at her appearance.
Twilight slammed a hoof on the counter. "One ticket to Ponyville!"
The seller shook his head. "Ah, Miss, it's just leaving!" He nodded at the train that was beginning to pull out. "It's the last train of the night, if you'd like to make arrangements for the morning—"
"Ticket, now!" Twilight shouted. She looked at the side of the counter to see the stamp and seized it in her magic, floating it in front of him. The seller nodded and took hold in his own magic. As he tore the ticket off and stamped it, Twilight pulled the bag of bits she had taken from Rosen's home out of her saddlebags. When the stamp lifted from her ticket, she snatched it without a word and threw the bag over the counter. She galloped to the end of the platform, the last train car pulling from her. Twilight teleported again and reappeared in the back of the car in mid-air. She fell to the carpet with a grunt, her legs spraying under her.
A shadow fell over her and Twilight looked up into the confused eyes of the conductor. She glanced to either side and found her ticket on the floor. She floated it up to him and lay her head back down. The conductor read the ticket and his expression softened.
"All right, Miss, welcome aboard." He punched the ticket and let it drop down in front of Twilight. She nodded and he chuckled. "You must have really needed to catch this train, hm?"
"You've no idea," Twilight replied.
"Well, no worries, you made it. Barely, but you made it." The conductor turned and walked down the car. "Just relax, we'll be at Ponyville in a few hours."
Twilight stood and moved to a window. The train curved, bringing Canterlot into view. She looked up at the waterfall and let out a breath.
Not soon enough.
A trio of earth ponies had taken the stage and were belting out some off-key folk song the crowd was stomping in time with. Somewhere, somepony had gotten a hold of a fiddle to play along, and another had one of the empty cider barrels to drum on. From the eating tables regularly came the sound of laughter. The buffet table was half-gone, the cider on the last barrel, and Rainbow Dash had warned that a storm would be flying in from Canterlot after midnight, but for the moment everypony was happy.
This is the best party I've ever had.
Sunset took a drink of her cider, the spices in it burning on their way down her throat. Celestia had thrown her birthday parties, but never like this. They were formal occasions, held in Canterlot's castle with the foals of prominent nobles attending as guests. Sunset couldn't remember any of them now, save for one snobby colt that had ended up telekinetically thrown into a fountain when he took it upon himself to slice Sunset's cake before she was ready.
This party was nothing like that.
The guests weren't forced to attend, they had chosen to. Not because she was a princess' student, but because she was their friend. If there was a fountain, she was quite sure throwing someone in it would be considered festive and fun.
I had fun with Rainbow Dash and Rarity, too. I don't remember when I last had fun before that. Her life in the other world was not fun, it was work. Work to climb the social ladder, work to stay there. And then when she fell off it, work to stay alive and fed. A waste. Pointless. It got me nothing. Even if Twilight hadn't arrived, what would I have done after graduation? Five years of my life, squandered.
"You chose to flee to the other world because you weren't happy in this one." Sunset looked up from her glass to see Twilight standing on the other side of the table. "You wanted to be a princess. You wanted to be loved, and respected."
I was already loved and respected. Just not as much as I wanted.
"Did that change in the other world?"
No. They hated and feared me. Everypony I know hates me, in either world.
"I didn't."
Sunset snorted. No. You didn't. You helped them see another way, a better way than mine, just like you promised. And then you tried to show me, too. I tried to listen. Then it got too difficult, and I stopped trying. And then I came back here and… She took another drink of cider. Now the real Twilight is at Rosen's home. I complained about what a harsh teacher he was, and now he'll treat her even worse than he ever did me. If I ever see Twilight again, she'll hate me too.
"Do you want me to hate you?" Twilight asked.
It's no less than I deserve, after what I've done to you.
"You did what you did because you hate me. Hate begets hate. The cycle has to end somewhere. Or you and I will go on hating each other forever."
I'm open to ideas.
"Stop hating. You don't need to anymore. Not me, not Celestia, not Rosen. What has hate gotten you?"
Sunset didn't answer. She didn't need to. She raised her cider to her lips and finished off the glass. When she lowered it, Twilight was gone. Sunset looked over the crowd at the cider barrel and debated another glass. She'd already had three. The third glass hadn't helped her feel better any more than the first or second. If anything she felt worse.
"Um, Twilight?" Sunset turned her head. Fluttershy was next to her chair. The rest of the table was empty. Twilight's friends had drifted off one by one to enjoy the party on their own.
Can't blame them. I've spent the night sitting here feeling sorry for myself. Why would anypony want to be with me? "Yes?"
"Well, um…" Fluttershy looked into the crowd. "I was told…"
"Say what you need to," Sunset said softly. "I won't be angry."
Fluttershy nodded. "Well, the other girls think maybe it would be time to end the party soon? Because, there's the storm coming, and you don't seem to be having much fun."
Sunset set her cider glass on the table and slid off her chair. "Where are they?" Fluttershy nodded at the crowd. Sunset looked and soon found the four mares sitting at a table together. "Call them over."
Fluttershy walked back into the crowd and Sunset descended the platform to stand in front of her. She took her time, and when she had reached the grass, Twilight's friends were around her.
"Hey, Twilight." Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to wave. "So, what do you say? Call it a night?"
"But, you're having fun," Sunset replied.
"Yeah, but you aren't!" Pinkie shook her head. "This party is yours, Twilight! And if the Pony Pokey doesn't bring a smile to that face, then I'm out of ideas for now."
My party. Even when they're having fun, they think about Twilight. Does Celestia ever think about me? No, why would she? The last time we saw each other I told her I hated her. But these five… they're not Celestia.
Sunset forced herself to smile and walked towards Pinkie. Pinkie said nothing as Sunset hugged her. When she pulled away, she spoke. "Thank you, Pinkie. This is the best party I've ever had."
Pinkie's face brightened. "You mean it?"
"Yes. And I'm sorry I'm not in a better mood to enjoy it." Sunset next walked to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and hugged them both. "Thank you for taking me flying the other day. I had a lot of fun."
"Uh, sure, no problem." Rainbow looked at Fluttershy for an explanation, but Sunset kept going down the line.
When she stood in front of Rarity, she stepped back and bowed. "The dress is gorgeous, Rarity. I promise I'll take proper care of it, for you."
"I'm glad to hear it, darling." Rarity smiled and patted a hoof on the back of her neck. Sunset turned her head towards Applejack.
"Twi, you don't need to say nothin' to me." Applejack shook her head.
"Yes, I do. Thank you for being there for me." Sunset looked back over the group. "All of you. Thank you. I…" She took a breath. "You're the best friends I've ever had." You're the only friends I've ever had. And you're not even real.
The five mares looked between themselves. It was Rainbow who spoke up. "Okay, that's enough. Twilight, what's going on? Come clean already."
Rarity nodded. "We've tried to be quiet and let you work through things, but obviously something is very wrong and not bringing it up is not helping. Tell us."
I could. I could tell them everything. Give Twilight her body back. Then she and Celestia will banish me from Equestria. Or worse. Sunset gave the group a sad smile. "I wish I could, I really do."
"Come on, Twilight, you can tell us anything!" Pinkie said.
"Not this time. But I appreciate you're all willing to help me." Sunset looked over the crowd. "Can you girls do me a favor?"
They nodded.
"Keep the party going. I'm going to head in for the night, but I don't want to bring things down. If they ask, I have a headache. When we need to disperse for the storm, okay, but until then, keep it going, okay?"
"Sure." Applejack nodded. "And when you're finally ready to talk, just let us know."
If I had real friends half as loyal as any of you, I'd be blurting it all out now to them. "I will. Thanks." Sunset turned and headed off the path to the castle.
The least I can do for them now is not be a burden. I've ruined enough lives without adding theirs to the pile.
"It's going to be a long night." Luna sipped her tea and sighed. Across the table in the sitting room, Celestia looked at the rain-spattered windows. The day court had ended and the night court would begin in an hour. It was time for Celestia's dinner, and Luna's breakfast.
"Any particular reason?" Celestia asked.
"Thunderstorms always give foals more nightmares than the norm," Luna replied. "And two in a week is ludicrous. I'll be eager for my rest come morning. At least the rain will ensure the night court is light."
"Yes, I recall the storm earlier in the week was a trial as well." Celestia finished her meal and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "You seemed rather tired when you returned from visiting Twilight."
"Quite. A long flight after a hard night of fighting nightmares certainly took its toll." Luna smiled and bit into a piece of toast.
"I can only imagine what sort of nightmares you encountered that you needed aid from Twilight to combat them."
"Beg pardon?" Luna asked, looking up from her plate. Celestia gave her an odd look.
Luna remembered, and smiled. "Oh, yes. A few foals had dreams of some sort of pop cultural figure I did not recognize. I presumed Twilight Sparkle could tell me more of them, so as to allow me to combat the nightmares in the most effective means."
"I see." Celestia took an éclair from the desert tray and set it on her plate. "These must be persistent dreams. You mentioned you may go to see her again soon."
"Nightmares can be quite persistent, yes. But I am ever vigilant against them." Luna took another sip of her tea. Celestia watched her and waited until she finished.
"On a completely unrelated topic, how is Sunset Shimmer faring?" Celestia asked.
Luna's eyes snapped up at her. She answered carefully, "I do not know. Perhaps we had best ask Rosen Cross."
"I would rather ask you." Celestia fixed her sister with a knowing look. Luna sighed and shook her head.
"Sister—"
"Luna, don't." Celestia leaned over the table. "She is my student. They are both my students. Whatever sort of deal you two have worked out, enough. If you want me kept out of the affair, at least be honest about it."
"Fine," Luna said. "Twilight Sparkle and I agreed that, given your history with Sunset Shimmer, it is best for all if we handle her without you. To ease your stress regarding her."
"I do not need you to protect me from her. If I need your aid, I will ask for it."
"No you won't," Luna replied. "You will insist on taking on the burden alone. As you always have."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Celestia asked with a glare.
"You waited a thousand years to use that spell on Twilight Sparkle and Cadance. A thousand years alone." Luna gave her sister a knowing look. "Oh, I can only imagine what a magnificent martyr you fancied yourself as in those earlier days. Such a tragic, lonely figure. By your own choice."
"I was being careful," Celestia replied.
"I can imagine, and that is the problem. It took you a thousand years to even try." Luna shook her head. "Not again, not while I am around. You are damaged enough without enduring Sunset Shimmer further."
"I am not damaged!" Celestia's voice grew into a full shout, and she pushed her hooves on the table to rise over her sister. Luna looked up at her, unintimidated. "Yes, I ruled a thousand years alone. But it was not by choice! Who was there to turn to? You? You were banished! Star Swirl? He would barely speak to me after sealing the mirror. And of course with its sealing I could not turn to the alternate King Sombra and you. So, tell me, Luna, who else would you have me turn to? Who else shall I make forfeit their lives so I can have somepony to talk to?"
"Anyone else," Luna said simply. Celestia sat down. Her face remained tight in anger and she looked away. Luna watched her. "You know, for a pony who once wielded the Elements of Harmony, you have a poor grasp of what friendship actually entails."
"Every pony I get close to ends up hating me, Luna." Celestia turned to her. "For one reason or another, I bring out the worst in them."
"Oh, please." Luna rolled her eyes. "Self-pity does not become you, Sister."
"You. Star Swirl. King Sombra, he never hated me, he loved me and look what that ended up doing to him. And Sunset Shimmer, of course." Celestia snorted. "Twilight Sparkle is the only thing I've ever done right with my relationships. And I accomplished it by keeping my distance and leaving her to her own devices."
"You presume the reason for failure or success lies with you. Speaking as one of these ponies you think you have corrupted, it is not so. Sunset Shimmer fell to darkness because of her own jealousy caused by Twilight Sparkle's presence."
"And because I did not recognize her flaws and work to curb them, the same as I was blind to your jealousy until it was too late," Celestia replied. She put a hoof to her head and closed her eyes. "You weren't there, Luna. What I said to her was in anger, but they were my words all the same. I tried to explain, to reassure her, but she wouldn't listen. And who could blame her? I built her up for years, and in one misspoken sentence I tore her down." Celestia bowed her head, breathing deep. "If I had controlled my temper, chosen my words better, she would not have left. I know it. I gave up on her, turned my back on her, and she repaid me in kind with hate and treachery. Twilight had no such errors on my part hindering her, and she has grown wonderfully."
"So Twilight Sparkle became a good student as a result of your light influence, and Sunset Shimmer failed because your influence was not strong enough? You make me dizzy, Sister."
"Do not joke, Luna. Sunset was my responsibility, and I failed her." Celestia shook her head. "Sending her to Rosen is a waste of her time as well as his, we have already proven that. I should end this ridiculous idea now."
"No!" Luna shouted and stood. Celestia looked at her. Luna shook her head. "You have only proven my point, you are in no condition to judge Sunset Shimmer's condition properly. I ask you directly now, leave her care to me and Twilight Sparkle, and do not burden yourself with thoughts of her any further."
"Well, then, what grand plans do you and Twilight have for her?" Celestia asked.
Luna sat down and made a sound in her throat. "They are yet in motion." Luna took another drink of her tea, and took a muffin from a basket. Celestia waited as she peeled off the cup from the bottom and took a bite. Luna avoided her gaze until she had finished the muffin, and then drank from her tea cup again.
Celestia stood and crossed the table to the doors. "Very well. Do not tell me. Just promise me you are acting in her best interests."
"Of course," Luna replied.
"And for Sunset's sake, I hope your methods work better than mine." Celestia let the door to the room swing shut behind her. Luna lifted her sister's forgotten éclair from her plate and floated it to her own.
"You give yourself too little credit, Sister. I am finding your methods quite effective."
Sunset turned over in bed, her eyes open in the darkness. The sounds of the party had faded hours ago, and now she heard only the patter of rain. She knew she should fall asleep soon, but couldn't. She considered the sleep magic she had looked up on Luna's advice, but decided against it.
Running from my problems just gets me surrounded by more. And now I'm against a wall and they're all glaring at me.
She climbed out of bed and approached the bookshelf.
"Hoo."
Sunset looked up at Owlowiscious, perched in his hanging cage next to the desk. He turned his head upside down and blinked at her.
"Go back to sleep."
"Hoo."
Sunset ignored him and looked up at the books. She took hold of one and pulled it down, setting it on the desk. She opened it and withdrew the spell stone from inside its hollowed-out pages. With the stone floating in front of her, she crossed to the dresser and looked in the mirror.
"You could do it, you know," Twilight said in the mirror. "You could retrieve her, switch back, and be gone from Equestria."
"Be gone. Gone to where?"
"Anywhere. The zebra tribes, the dragon clans, the griffon empire. The lands beyond those that nopony has ever laid eyes on. You could vanish, and nopony would ever find you. A single crown or tiara from the castle taken with you could get you enough bits to start a new life, or travel anywhere you'd want to go. Twilight would never notice their absence, and it'd be a small price to pay to put her back in her body. You could free yourself."
Sunset looked down at the stone, the swirls of purple and orange light pulsing gently. She looked back up at the mirror. Twilight was no longer there. In her place was another familiar pony.
"Yes, such a brilliant plan you've conjured." The red and black alicorn in the mirror snickered at her. "Flee forever and deny them justice, deny them closure. Make them live never knowing your fate, always looking over their shoulders for you, wondering if you're in the shadows waiting to strike."
Sunset shook her head. "I don't want to hurt them. I never did. I just want to live."
"You just want to live? How many chances have you had to make a new life? You always waste them." The alicorn laughed. "You know what you want, and it's the same thing you've always wanted. You want power, no matter who has to be hurt for you to get it."
"No."
"Don't lie to me. Just look at what you've done already. You didn't just take Twilight's body, you took her entire life. She will never see her home, her friends, or her family, ever again. And now you plan to tell them the truth—make them realize you took Twilight from them, and that the pony they've been showering attention on was an imposter? Yes, tell them the truth about how foolish and ignorant they are. Tell them all what a wicked little monster you are, Sunset."
"I am not a monster."
"Keep telling yourself that, maybe it'll come true. You have a good track record with denial, don't you?"
The demonic alicorn faded, and when Twilight reappeared in the mirror, she had nothing to say. Sunset lowered her head and pressed the spell stone to her forehead.
No. I can't go. I've caused too much harm. Even if I fled, they'd hunt me. She thought back to Twilight's friends at the party. I can stay. I can try to live this life as it should be lived. I can't give them Twilight back, but maybe if I try harder, I could… She stopped herself and sighed. Who am I kidding? I can never be the type of pony Twilight is. If I could, it really would be me living in this castle now…
Sunset moved back to the desk and set the spell stone back in the book. She placed the book back on the shelf, stepped away and sank to her stomach. I can't be me, and I can't be Twilight. So who am I?
She looked up at the wall over the stairs. Celestia and Twilight smiled back at her. Sunset bit her lip and looked at the bed. Her horn lit up in magic, and she pulled the sheet under the blanket off the bed. The sheet hovered in the air in a shroud of telekinesis. Sunset looked at it and began folding. The only sounds in the room were her breathing and the rustling of the sheet as she moulded it into shape. A curve here, wrap around there, press in here…
Sunset stopped. The sheet had taken on the form of a pony's head and front hooves, standing over her with her head coming up to its neck. She focused on the head and pulled on a specific point. The sheet curved out, forming a unicorn's horn. She looked at the bed and pulled the pillow cases off the pillows. They floated to either side of the sheet floating in front of her, and she repeated her moulding. First one, then two wings formed.
Sunset climbed into bed, the mattress cold under her without the sheet, and lay her head on the bare pillows. Behind her, her construct floated up beside her, and the head leaned down to lay on her neck, the wings coming forward to drape over her.
Sunset closed her eyes. Several minutes later, her breathing had evened out, and the bedding floating over her collapsed to the bed and floor.
Applejack's eyes fluttered and she snorted slightly, turning over in bed. The sound of rain on the roof threatened to lull her back to sleep promptly.
Plink.
She shifted and cracked opened her eyes. She had heard something over the rain. The house settling, maybe?
Plink.
Her eyes were wide open now and she sat up in bed, looking around. She looked towards the window and spied the source of the sound; a series of small pebbles were floating in an aura of teal magic, one of them bumping back and forth against the glass. As Applejack approached the window and her mind woke up, she realized the pebbles were in a very specific formation. They were floating in place to form four letters.
BARN.
Applejack flung open the window and looked down at the ground. She saw a dash of colour vanish into the open barn doors, the pebbles dropping to the ground as the magic over them faded. Thunder cracked the sky, and she saw the fresh hoofprints in the mud below.
"All right, y'all, Ah'm here!" Applejack strode into the barn, looking from side to side. "Whoever is out here trespassin' and wakin' me up in the middle of a storm, there better be a good reason!"
"Applejack!" She jerked her head to the right.
"Who's there?"
"It's me! Twilight!"
"Twi?" Applejack tilted her head. "What are you doin' out here in this weather?"
"Long story, not the time."
Applejack squinted and approached a stack of hay bales that it seemed Twilight's voice was coming from. "You sound a little funny. What's goin' on?"
"I'll come out and explain everything, but you have to promise you will listen to me before you jump to conclusions. Okay?"
"O' course." Applejack watched as the shadowed form of a pony emerged from the bales, stepping into the light. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the orange and red mare standing before her. "You!" She spun and broke into a gallop.
Twilight lowered her head. Her horn lit up teal and wrapped Applejack in a telekinetic aura, lifting her into the air. "Applejack! It's me, Twilight!" She came closer, Applejack struggling against her hold. "Please, you promised to let me explain!"
Applejack went still as Twilight turned her in the air to face her. "All right. Ah'm listenin'."
Twilight took a breath. "I know I look like Sunset Shimmer, but I'm really Twilight Sparkle. When I was at Canterlot she attacked me and used some sort of spell stone to switch our bodies. She's been impersonating me all this time. I need to find out how to switch us back, and I can't do it alone. You're the most reliable pony I know, and I need your help. Okay?"
"All right."
"Can I put you down now?"
"Sure thing."
Twilight peered closer. "And when I do?"
"Ah'll buck you across this barn and run to tell Twilight that you're back and talkin' crazy."
Twilight let out a frustrated groan. "Come on, Applejack! We've been friends for years, you can't be fooled this easily! Remember when I was hanging off that cliff and you told me to trust you and let go? Well now I need you to trust me!"
Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Where were we hangin' off the cliff?"
Twilight gasped. "Oh, the Everfree Forest, when we were looking for the Elements of Harmony! It was our first adventure together!" She smiled eagerly.
Applejack nodded. "Go on."
Twilight thought. "And, um, and then Celestia sent me two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, and everypony wanted the extra one and you wanted to go to sell treats to make money for the farm! And there was the time Big Mac was hurt so you had to do all the apple-bucking yourself, and Trixie came to town and tied you up in your own lasso, and we had to climb a mountain and Fluttershy stared down a dragon. Oh, oh! And then we met Zecora and we got infected by poison joke! I lost my magic, and you shrank down and Spike called you Appletini!"
Applejack's eyes bugged out. Twilight smirked. "Should I keep going?"
"Ah'd really rather ya didn't."
"I've made my point then?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Twilight lowered Applejack to the ground and withdrew her magic. Applejack looked over her and shook her head slowly. "That's… really you in there?"
Twilight smiled. "If you're not convinced, how about the time I had Big Mac pose as you to fool Trixie?"
Applejack grinned and came forward. She wrapped her hooves around Twilight's neck and hugged her tightly. Twilight collapsed into her, laughing. "It's good to be back."
Applejack stepped back. "I can't believe you brought up the poison joke."
"Well, have you told anyone else that story?"
"Hay no, and I hope you haven't either."
"Only Big Mac and Granny Smith."
"So that's how they knew!" Applejack growled. Twilight giggled in response. "The next time somethin' happens to—" Then, Applejack gasped. "Sunset Shimmer! That little… Ah don't know any words bad enough to use for her! C'mon, Twi, we gotta round up the gang and take her down!" Applejack turned and sprinted to the doors.
"No!" Twilight teleported in front of her. Applejack skidded to a halt and raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"No." Twilight shook her head. "Applejack, Sunset Shimmer is an alicorn, one of the four most powerful ponies in Equestria, and she has access to my library. If we confront her there's no telling what she could do. She could hurt us, she could hurt Spike, she could blow up Ponyville! We need to be discreet."
Applejack sat down. "So what do we do then?"
Twilight thought, lifting a hoof to her mouth. "Does she suspect anypony knows what she's done?"
"Ah've been givin' her a hard time, but everypony else has been treatin' her just like you. We knew somethin' was goin' on, with how weird she was actin', but body-swappin' wasn't what came to mind."
"Okay, good. For tonight we can't do anything, no point waking everypony up. But we will tell them. I've got a plan, and if it fails I'll need you five as my back-up."
Applejack nodded. "Sounds good. What's your plan?"
Twilight lowered her hoof from her face. "I need you to invite her to the farm tomorrow."
"What?" Applejack's jaw dropped. "What about everythin' you just said about her blowin' up Ponyville?"
"Invite her to hang out. Show off a new seedling, or a tractor, or something. Just come up with an excuse to get her out of the castle. I'll sneak in, find Spike, and one convincing speech later we can look for the stone she used to do this to us. Once we have the stone I'll find out how to use it, and you can tell the others what's going on."
"What if she doesn't have the stone anymore?"
Twilight tilted her head and made a face. "That'll be a big problem. But even if she doesn't, the castle is full of textbooks on magic from across Equestria and beyond. I know enough to look up the stone's origins, and one of my books may have a lead. Best case scenario, I find the stone, find out how to use it, and by the next day I'll be back to normal."
"And we're back-up for what, exactly?"
Twilight hesitated. "If… Applejack, Sunset is too dangerous to let her keep my body and my powers. If I can't change us back, or if something happens that she gets away, I'll need you five to make sure Celestia finds out what's going on. She and Luna will have to intervene to stop her."
Applejack frowned. "Wait a minute. Why not just tell Celestia now?"
Twilight looked away. "This is gonna sound strange, but I want to handle it without her." She saw Applejack's face twist in confusion. "I just mean, I've learned a lot about Sunset the last week or so. I don't think we should involve Celestia until we need to. Once it's put right, we'll let her know. But for now, leave it to me."
Applejack came closer. "Twi… there's somethin' yer not tellin' me."
Twilight sighed. "Yeah. Look, Applejack… like I said. I need you to trust me. I can handle this. Sunset… even if I can't find the stone, I've learned some things about her. Maybe I can talk her down, without needing to resort to violence or turning her in to Celestia. All things considered, it'll be the safest and simplest way. Calling in Celestia is a last resort.”
"And why is that?"
"Her presence will just aggravate Sunset even more than mine will. And honestly, I don't know if I trust her judgment on this."
"Are you kiddin' me?" Applejack shook her head. "Twi, it's Celestia, she always knows what to do."
"Not always…" Twilight turned back to Applejack. "If something goes wrong, Spike can get a letter to her and she'll be here in seconds. But until then, I'll take care of it."
Applejack stared at her evenly for several seconds, and finally nodded. "All right. Be careful though. Sunset… she ain't right these days. I mean, really. Somethin' in that head of hers isn't workin' straight."
Twilight nodded back. "Don't worry. I can stop her, but first things first. Tomorrow, I need to get inside the castle."