//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Rest of the Day // Story: Little Sunny // by InsertAuthorHere //------------------------------// “Curse you, Celestial Squad Alpha! I will get you and destroy Neo-Neighpon next time!” The show's credits once again began to play, accompanied by a blaring theme tune in a language Sunset Shimmer didn't understand. Now that the program was over, the exhausted child finally fell allowed herself to fall backwards. Her limbs curled into pony positions as she did so, and in a final move to burn off the excess energy burning through her veins, began rolling back and forth. The carpet was a poor substitute for grass, as her filly mind kept reminded her, but it was still soft enough to tickle. Sunset closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift as she felt herself reaching a state of nirvana... “It was that good, huh?” Sunset’s eyes flared open to find Twilight Sparkle, seemingly as tall as a mountain, standing over her. She didn't so much climb back to her feet as vault herself into a standing position, her disheveled mop of hair barely hiding the terror on her face. Twilight, on the other hand, simply wore a bemused smile. “Um...hello,” Sunset squeaked. “I just wanted to let you know I spoke with Rarity. Everyone will be coming by tonight to drop off the journal.” Twilight's grin grew increasingly smug as Sunset shuddered. “So, a 'meaningless waste of time,' huh?” “Y-You saw?” Sunset muttered. She squeezed her fingers together and looked away nervously. “I-I mean, it's still stupid. The show's plot makes no sense, the voice acting is bad, the whole thing is stupid...” Slowly, Sunset slunk back to the couch and climbed onto one of the cushions. “It's all my body's fault. There's something about that show that just...hypnotizes young minds. It's the most evil thing I've ever seen.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “If you say so,” she said in a sing-song tone. “A-And this body is so full of energy!” As if to prove her point, Sunset pounded her foot against the carpet and rubbed her hands together. “I mean, I used to need at least a cup of coffee to get out of bed! Now I'm practically bouncing! In fact, I was bouncing! Yes, bouncing! I don't bounce! I'm cool! Rational! Not crazy!” With every word that spilled out of her mouth, Sunset Shimmer's body did something to discredit her argument. By the time she was ranting about how mature and adult she was, her hair had been tangled into an unseemly mess, her face had turned bright red, and her mouth seemed to have lost its ability to remain closed for more than a fifth of a second. She only stopped when Twilight finally kneeled down and clasped a hand on her shoulder. “Sunset, you have nothing to prove.” Twilight rubbed her temple and shook her head. “Okay, watching you jump around was a little silly, but considering everything that's happened, it's just...nice to see you happy.” The child's face returned to its natural golden-yellow hue. She turned away, her little hands curled into fists by her side. “Oh. W-Well, it's nice to see you happy, too.” Then, just as suddenly, the child clapped her hands together and locked eyes with Twilight. She paused briefly to force a smile onto her face. “So...you said something about lunch earlier, right?” Sunset said, desperate to get the subject onto anything else. Her stomach complied with her brain's unspoken orders, emitting a low gurgling sound. Twilight bobbed her head back towards the kitchen. “I left some sandwiches in the other room. They should still be...” In the blink of an eye, Sunset Shimmer's form disappeared from Twilight's view, and just as quickly reappeared in the kitchen. The teenager giggled at the sight, if only because any more bemusement would likely result in her slow and painful death once Sunset Shimmer got back to normal. There were about ten minutes left in the lunch period, which was normally enough time for the students to scarf down the last of their applesauce, return their trays, and sleep off the digestion in their next period. For a certain five, however, there was a far more important mission to consider. One that involved scouring the halls of Canterlot High in search of Sunset Shimmer's locker. “...So, apparently Fluttershy was correct about Twilight's phone habits,” Rarity said, her voice clearly deflated. Fluttershy flashed a bemused smile, but then realized she had probably overstepped her bounds and scaled it back to a slight grin. “Still, perhaps this ghastly situation will teach her an important lesson about staying in contact with her friends.” “Are you sure that's what we should be focusin' on?” asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Rarity's got a good point. At least Nightmare Moon jumped more on Trixie than us.” Rarity rolled her eyes, even if she did agree with Dash's sentiment. She had long since given up pointing out how rude it was to refer to one of their principals as a mythological monster, especially after the rather sad incident involving the last night Nightmare Night candy giveaway that led to several children being scarred for life and Luna absolutely crestfallen. In any case, Sunset and Twilight had been updated with the day's events, and the girls had a job to do. Thankfully, the mockery the school had shared over Sunset's current situation had not extended to vandalism, and her locker was as pristine as any of the ones surrounding it. Looking back at her phone, Rarity read out the combination Twilight had texted while Pinkie Pie, her tongue hanging out of the side of her lip, skillfully twisted the dial on the lock. After a few failed attempts due to the residual effects of Pinkie's sugar-laced lunch causing her to misjudge a twist of her hand, the final number fell into place, and the lock released with a small and satisfying click. “Huh,” Pinkie muttered as she opened the locker. “This is a lot easier when someone tells you the combination.” Five eyebrows threatened to erupt off of their owner's bodies at Pinkie's words. “Um...beg pardon?” asked Applejack. “Oh, nothing~!” Pinkie grinned and chuckled nervously. “Just how I know so much about you, is all!” After making mental notes to have their locks changed after today, the rest of the group turned their attention to the contents of Sunset's locker. For the most part, it looked like any other student's little metal storage closet. Various textbooks were stashed on the top shelf, their spines worn from constant use and re-use. A cardboard box was set on the ground below, inside of which were stored various papers, knick-knacks, and other assorted items Sunset had acquired during her time in this world. Hanging from a hook was her leather jacket, having been left there in place of a lab coat before the accident. And in the back was a long-forgotten paper sack, the contents of which had been ignored for so long that none dared to touch it. Thankfully, Sunset's backpack was not difficult to dig out of the mess. Applejack zipped it open, quickly locating their target within. Sandwiched between a notebook and a chemistry textbook was Sunset Shimmer's journal. The little sun icon on the front made it impossible to mistake for anything else, and even without being raised around magical artifacts and trinkets, the girls could still feel a power radiating from its pages. “Okay, we got it,” Applejack said as she sat the book back into the bag. “Anything else the girls need while we're here?” “I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take this to her as well.” Rarity reached into the locker and removed her jacket. “It obviously won't fit her right now, but some garnets just have to go to their rightful owners.” Pinkie looked up, her lips covered with crumbs from the year-old wafer cookies she had rustled out of Sunset's cardboard box. “What about her bike? We can't just leave it here! Who knows what horrible, no-good party poopers might try to steal it and sell it off to finance anti-joy campaigns in the Midwest territories!” Instinctively, Applejack began feeling around the backpack, stopping only when she felt something hard and metal go ting from the pack's front flap. Zipping it open revealed a set of keys, no doubt belonging to Sunset's motorcycle. The poor vehicle had sat in the school parking lot for days now, but considering the stories around its owner, very few were willing to touch it. Applejack tossed the keys to Rainbow Dash. “You reckon you can keep it safe 'til she's normal again?” Dash stared at the gleaming bits of metal as if she had been handed a pile of doubloons. With a wicked smile, she slipped them into her skirt pocket. “No problem.” Satisfied that there was nothing else they needed to loot, Applejack sealed the bag back up and tucked it under her arm. “I just hope this is enough...” “Enough for what?” All five girls turned their heads sharply to the left. Standing just next to them, previously only inches out of their peripheral vision, was Flash Sentry. Canterlot High's former resident rocker (before the Rainbooms, at least) simply stood and stared at the group in that quiet, unassuming way of his. Were it not for the guitar case in his hand and the backpack slung around his shoulder, he would have been almost indistinguishable from any of the other students. This wouldn't have been so bad, if it wasn't for his other claim to fame. Namely, being Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend. The five's eyes narrowed instinctively. None of them really had anything against Flash personally, but after Trixie's stunt, anything was possible. “Can we help you?” asked Rarity, her accent barely breaking through the thick layer of venom in her voice. “N-Not really, I guess,” said Flash. “I was just...I mean, I saw what happened to Sunset, and...” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. “What, did you come to have a good laugh, too? Everyone else is.” Flash shook his head. “No, I just...saw you girls here and wanted to know if I could help.” “I'm...pretty sure we can handle it,” said Fluttershy. She relaxed her own death glare, even as the others kept theirs going strong. “Oh...okay.” Flash turned his head down and kicked at the ground a bit. “Well, if you need anything, just...let me know, okay? I don't know what's happening, but I don't want to see Twilight and Sunset in any more trouble.” Applejack sighed and shook her head. “We'll let them know. Just remember, this isn't your Twilight, okay?” Flash shrugged and turned away, his cheeks blushing just slightly. “Yeah, I...get that a lot. Just...let me know what happens, okay?” With a final shrug, he walked off towards his last class, leaving the girls to stand in front of Sunset's open locker in a completely non-suspicious way. “You don't suppose we weren't a little mean, were we?” asked Fluttershy. The others looked about each other, but otherwise replied with only a chorus of shrugs. Twilight leaned back in the chair, her cell phone nearly slipping from her hands. “And you're absolutely certain it'll be there? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. That's perfect!” She paused, her face drooping into a more sour expression. “I mean, thank you very much. We'll look forward to it. Thank you, dad.” Sunset looked up from the coffee table as Twilight's thumb hit the “end call” button. In front of her was a cheap notebook – the kind most often given out to primary school students – and a small pile of pencils. On the top half of the page was a list of various electrical components and materials, all of which had been listed and quantified in order of importance and the amount needed for their project. And to the left of the book were the design sketches she and Twilight had created a week prior, outlining the construction of their ill-fated magical containment device. “Everything go well?” Sunset asked, her voice less than enthused. Then again, sitting in the same spot for over an hour could have that effect on someone. Twilight shrugged and leaned forward in the chair. “I guess so. My dad knows a few people, so between them and what we could salvage from the prototype's remains, we could probably cobble together enough pieces to get the new device's internal system together.” “That sounds promising.” Sunset flipped to a blank page. “We still have to figure out how to make the thing work like we want, though. I really don't want to be blown up twice.” “That's not the only problem,” said Twilight. “We also have to look at improving the device's structural integrity so that it doesn't melt on us again, which also means figuring out how extra-dimensional energy can be stored without going crazy and regressing anyone too close to it. We were really lucky last time.” Sunset shrugged and grabbed one of the pencils. “I suppose it could have been worse, yeah.” Twilight climbed out of the chair and began pacing. Sunset winced as she saw that glint of madness in her friend's eyes, magnified several times over by the lenses of her glasses. “And all of that hinges on us even being able to control magic. I mean, every time you or I have had to deal with the stuff in this world, it's always been random and chaotic. Fiery demons with mind control powers? Crazy purple monsters ripping reality apart? Not to mention those...whatever those girls were your band dealt with.” “The Dazzlings were an entirely different problem.” Sunset erased one of the lines on the paper. Her eyes furrowed in frustration as she began scribbling once again.“Besides, the entire point of this experiment was to prevent things like that from happening again.” “But all of this shows how little we actually know! And now we're going to call on this...this other me who has no regard for how much she's destroying the universe by just being here and will probably kill us all and-” “TWILIGHT!” The girl ceased her apocalyptic rambling and turned back to Sunset. The child's eyes glared with the intensity of an enraged adult, causing Twilight's mouth to involuntarily gape. Sunset's arm continued to scrape the pencil along the paper, albeit in a more furious manner than before. “How many times do I have to tell you? You aren't going to blow up if she touches you! I want to figure this out on my own! I'd love to figure this out on my own! But we aren't just studying this world's magic right now. Princess Twilight has...access to...” That was approximately the moment where Sunset realized Twilight wasn't looking straight at her. The bespectacled youth was staring at the child's hand. “Sunset...you're holding the pencil wrong.” “What are you...?” Sunset turned her gaze down to her hand. Sure enough, she had ceased scribbling across the notebook page, which was a charitable description of what she had actually been doing. The paper was covered with lines that curled in on themselves, large blobs of pencil lead, and half-erased doodles. Her fingers were still curled around the pencil, but were gripping the shaft in a solid fist. With all of those factors, it was no wonder her attempt at art would be laughed out of a kindergarten classroom. “Oh...right,” Sunset said. She turned her head sheepishly away. “Sorry. I just thought I'd see if my motor skills were still there.” If nothing else, the brief distraction had calmed Twilight's nerves. The disheveled girl sat herself back in the chair, still nervously pulling at one of her own fingers. “So...what were you drawing?” Sunset tossed her shoulders up and shook her head. “Nothing. I just...wanted to draw something.” She threw herself back against the couch. “I'm just so bored!” “Bored?” Twilight cocked her head and raised an eyebrow simultaneously. “B-But we're making scientific progress here! This is the stuff we were doing last week, and you seemed pretty into it then.” “Last week I was on the cusp of adulthood in this world, had a school that liked me, and didn't have to fight the urge to shove this thing into my mouth to use it.” Sunset tossed the pencil away, the wooden instrument landing with a soft thud on the carpet. “But now it seems like everything drags. The last time I actually felt like myself was...was...” Sunset would not finish the sentence, so Twilight finished it for her. “When you were jumping around to some cartoon?” “Yeah...that.” Sunset slowly lowered her head until her forehead threatened to fuse with the coffee table. “Please tell me we're at least making some progress.” “Outside of the internal components, not so much.” Twilight sighed. “We have to construct a more solid case this time, plus find a way to prevent the energy buildup from causing another explosion. I know a few people and will make some calls, but finance-wise, we're not looking so good.” “Don't look to me,” Sunset mumbled. “I was broke before this happened. I can't exactly go looking for work like this.” “And the only well of funding I have is my college fund, so...we'll have to figure something out.” Twilight's face perked up. “But on the plus side, dad's picking up dinner...” The oven let out a ding that echoed throughout the entire house. The sound might as well have come from someone banging a triangle, because the entire household – save for Night Light, who was patiently waiting by the kitchen contraption itself – stampeded to the kitchen table and assumed their seats. Even Spike followed suit, if only to show his solidarity with and avoid being shunned by the rest of the pack. Sunset Shimmer followed slowly behind, climbing into her chair while looking about in confusion. Night Light opened the oven, slipped a large square of cardboard underneath the film protecting the pizza, and removed the cheese-covered pie from the oven. Already sitting on the counter was a similarly-shaped pie, only it was also covered with a generous dashing of pepperoni and mushrooms. Unfortunately, whatever coolness points Night Light's idea for dinner had gained him were squandered as he spent the next five minutes grunting and muttering obscene words at the pizza cutter, which refused to perform the one thing it had been created for. “So, did you have a good day, Shining Armor?” asked Velvet. Shining shrugged. “Pretty good, I guess. And you?” Velvet similarly shrugged as Night Light came bounding over, two plates full of pizza in his hand. “Just grinding out pages as usual,” she said as one of the plates was set in front of her. “My editor's still nagging me over that scene with the dog and the nectarines. Something about it being 'an affront to the entire human race.'” Shining chuckled and shook his head. “Can't be worse than the stuff with the peanut butter last week.” Sunset's eyes widened. A thousand images flashed through her brain, and not a single one of them spoke well of the woman's moral being. “Um...what exactly do you write, again?” “Mostly romance, and adventure, and adventure-romance.” Twilight Velvet giggled at Sunset's horrified face, as did everyone else at the table. “Relax, I'm only kidding. I wouldn't write something that absolutely heinous.” She chuckled nervously and rolled her eyes away. “That I'll ever tell you about...” “I-I'll take your word for it,” Sunset muttered. Thankfully, Night Light had finished serving out the pieces by this point, and had joined the rest of the family at the table. “So, any progress getting your friend changed back?” he asked Twilight. “Not as much as we'd hoped,” Twilight said with a shrug. “We've got a few ideas going, though.” Sunset nodded in agreement, but as much as a discussion on the intricacies of magic and its effect on the body would typically be irresistible for her, a higher power now demanded her attention: food. Sitting in front of Sunset Shimmer were two large slices of cheese pizza, plain and unblemished save for the occasional glob of grease. Twilight's plate was similarly adorned, although the girl was busy burying her slices in Parmesan cheese and garlic. The rest of the family was either chowing down or adorning their own slices with similar toppings. Sunset's belly rumbled as she stared at the two triangles. For once, her teenage and filly minds seemed to be in agreement: they were hungry, and food was in front of them. Pizza was not something unknown to Equestria, and while her younger self would have preferred more dandelion petals, plain cheese was within her comfort zone. And ever since she had come to this world, she had found pizza to be relatively cheap, easy to spread over a long period of time, and plentiful enough to share with her friends once she realized how much that meant to her. Which is why it was so odd that her hands were frozen. Sunset's eyes slowly cast themselves back to Twilight. The girl had finally finished smothering her slices in additional toppings, and now seemed prepared to eat. That would normally be beneath anyone's notice, especially someone like Sunset. Still, there was something nagging her to actually pay attention to her friend's actions. I made an idiot of myself the last three meals. I have to do this one right. I have to do this for Twilight. I have to... And then she saw Twilight stab a fork into the pizza. “So this is Twilight's place, huh?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I kinda thought it'd be bigger.” “She's living in the middle of the city,” said Applejack. She double checked the backpack before slinging it over her shoulder. “I don't think they have a lot of room for big houses here.” “I know, but she went to Crystal Prep,” said Dash. “Do you know how expensive that school is? Most of those kids' families are loaded.” “Maybe they're very humble people that don't like to flaunt their wealth for attention,” Fluttershy whispered. She looked down at her hands, which were currently clenched together in a single closed fist. “I mean, that's what I would do if I was rich.” Rarity groaned and rolled her eyes. The group had just reached the front door. “Could we please drop this 'rich' discussion? How much money Twilight's family does or does not have is of no importance to us.” She paused briefly to ring the doorbell. “Her family is probably just like any other one.” Twilight had just finished her third mouthful of pizza when she noticed Sunset's gaze. Her friend's face was twisted in a look of sheer horror, as if she were a peasant witnessing a two-headed ogre bisect a goat. “I-Is something wrong?” she stammered. “N-No,” Sunset lied. “It's just...” *DING-DONG* The shrill chime of the doorbell rang through the entire house, alarming the family and, more fortuitously, breaking Sunset's concentration away from her friend's culinary crime. Twilight's own eyes, however, widened as she realized something rather important. “Oh...right, I forgot to...” Unfortunately, Twilight Velvet did not hear the start of her daughter's mumblings. “I'll get it. This had better not be another bunch of crazies. I swear, ever since our address got onto MyStable...” As soon as Velvet's ramblings were out of earshot, Sunset turned her attention back to Twilight. “Did she say, 'another bunch of crazies?'” “Some of mom's fans get a bit...obsessed with her,” said Shining Armor. “A couple weeks ago, we found someone digging through the garbage looking for pages she threw out. Twilight was coming back from walking Spike, they scared her, and mom got...angry.” “On the plus side, I hear they're back to eating solid foods again,” said Night Light. His neutral tone and posture made it very clear that he wasn't joking. It took both Twilight and Sunset about five seconds to realize they probably should start moving... After a few moments of rustling noises, the door finally opened, revealing a middle-aged woman. “Yes? May I help you?” Rarity's jaw dropped. Her eyes sank back into her skull. Her skin went pale, although that was admittedly rather difficult to discern due to her natural skin color. The older woman groaned and muttered something rather uncouth under her breath. “A-Are you Twilight Velvet?” asked Rarity. The rage radiating from the woman's very soul burned ever hotter. All of the girls, save for Rarity, took a few steps back. “Yes,” she snarled. “And how. May. I. Help. You?” “W-Well, we were in the neighborhood, and...and...we didn't know someone as accomplished as yourself was living here, and...” Rarity's composure melted faster than her makeup during her drama moments. She trembled and shuddered as she tried to put words together, but utterly failed each time. Finally, Twilight Velvet could take no more. She grabbed the side of the door in a vice-like grip and rotated her arm into the perfect slam position. “My family is having dinner. If you've come to dig through my garbage again, please do me, yourself, and the Canterlot Police Department a favor and leave. Now if there is no further business...” Applejack, sensing that they were about to be banished forever, if not beaten into a fine paste, grabbed the door just as the woman was starting to close it. She tipped her hat and smiled, which did little to improve her opponent's mood. “Beg your pardon, but we were told this was where Twilight Sparkle lives.” The woman nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing. “Yes, she is my daughter. What about her?” “Well, we're her friends,” said Applejack. The woman didn't answer immediately – at least, not verbally. The confrontational attitude seemed to melt off instantly, allowing her eyes to return to a normal state and her two rows of teeth to detach from each other. She stared at the group, neither angrily nor quizzically, but rather as if an alien had just appeared in front of her and asked to see her leader. “Tw-Twilight's...friends?” the woman mumbled. The four that were not frozen in place looked about each other in concern. “Well, yeah, Twilight's friends,” Rainbow Dash said. “Is something wrong?” “N-No, of course not,” the woman muttered. “P-Please come inside.” Nervously, the five stepped into the small house. Rarity's movements in particular were stiff and inflexible, not unlike a wooden marionette being forced along by strings. Her eyes never once left the woman, who was now struggling to wipe her eyes clean. That was when Twilight suddenly ran into view, looking more than a little panicked over her newfound friends' fate. After seeing that they were still in one piece, she let out a sigh of relief. “Oh...mom?” she said in a rushed tone. “These are my friends from Canterlot High.” “P-Please,” said Velvet, motioning to the couch and chairs. “We were just sitting down to dinner. W-Would you like some? We're having pizza. I'm sure we can go without if...” Applejack quickly shot her hands up. “No, no, we ain't going to be long. We just came by to visit Twilight and Sunset for a few minutes. We'll be out of your hair quicker than a spooked horse in a thunderstorm.” “Yes...Twilight.” The woman choked out a sob and began moving to the kitchen. “Twilight has...friends.” The girls watched as the confused, emotionally-addled Twilight Velvet spun around and lurched towards her daughter. In a flash, she took her confused and shocked child into a bear hug. “Y-You've made me so happy,” she softly cried into her daughter's shoulder. “Um...you're welcome?” was the best response Twilight could come up with. The confusion in Twilight's words at least managed to convince Velvet to release her iron hold. “You have fun with your friends,” she said, brushing a tear from her eye as she did so. “We'll be sure to save you some pizza.” At long last, Twilight Velvet departed the scene, leaving the other Twilight to stare awkwardly at her friends. She adjusted her glasses as she looked over the five, who all greeted her with confused smiles...save for Rarity, who instead went with silently glaring at her. “Oh...hi. I...wasn't expecting you girls so soon.” “Yeah, school got out about an hour ago,” said Rainbow Dash. “Not all of us have to take a bus, you know.” “Yeah, I...forget that sometimes,” Twilight said, her cheeks blushing. She clapped her hands together, doing her best to not appear nervous. So far, she was failing worse than Applejack's tests that week she went without sleep to harvest the entire orchard by herself. “So...how are things?” Applejack shrugged and placed Sunset's backpack down on the floor. “We just came by to drop off Sunset's things.” She opened the bag and pulled out both the journal and the jacket. As she set both items on the coffee table, she looked about the room anxiously. “Speaking of which, where is she?” “We were...just sitting down for dinner.” Twilight turned back towards the dining room area. “She'll be here in a minute. Just...she's still kind of self-conscious about all of this, so I wouldn't try to...” “WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!” Everyone leaped in horror as Rarity seemed to come back to life, her soul burning with a fiery rage. This was followed by her leaping like a jackrabbit, landing right in front of Twilight, grabbing her friend by the shoulders, and shaking her like an old-timey photograph. Applejack and Rainbow Dash raced forward and pulled the fashionista off of their terrified friend, her pull challenging even their might. Pinkie just giggled along while doing her best imitation of a shaking Twilight, and Fluttershy did her usual thing and sank into the couch as best she could. “Settle down, partner,” said Applejack. “Now what's this all about now?” The act of being violently yanked from the person she was otherwise assaulting was enough to jostle Rarity's mind back into reality. She took a deep breath and let her shoulders sag, which was enough for Applejack and Rainbow Dash to silently agree to let her go. “I'm sorry. I should not have reacted in such a way. It's just that...” She grimaced and sucked down some runaway stomach acid. “Gray sweat pants? Really? Darling, they are so...ill-fitting for you.” Twilight's entire body seemed to go just a bit slack. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked at the ground in a state of deep-seated guilt. “Well, I wasn't going outside the house today...” “Oh, come on!” shouted Dash. “The girl's got nowhere to go! Who cares what she's wearing?” Rarity scoffed and stuck her nose up. “I would expect such a response from someone as droll as you, Rainbow Dash. The way someone dresses speaks volumes of their character and personality, even in a casual setting. The fact that Twilight dresses herself so down, not to mention her continued wearing of her old Crystal Prep uniform when she is no longer a student there, indicates that she has no concern for how others view her. A lady should wear clothing that expresses how she wishes others to perceive them.” Pinkie shrugged. “You gotta admit, she has a good point.” She then pulled off one of the balloon decals on her skirt, inflated it, and sent it floating to the ceiling, eliciting a small screech from Twilight and looks of bemusement and frustration from the others. “Anyway,” said Rarity, returning her attention to Twilight, “we really need to...” “We're not here about fashion, Rarity,” Applejack growled. She turned to Twilight and, in a much more pleasant voice, asked, “Where's Sunset Shimmer, anyhow?” “She's...” Twilight turned to the other room, behind the wall the girls were currently staring at. They heard a few hushed whispers, but not well enough to make out the details. Finally, Twilight turned her attention back to the others. “Okay, she's willing to see everyone, but she's still pretty self-conscious about all this. Please, don't stare or laugh at her or...do anything really mean.” Needless to say, everyone's attention turned to Rainbow Dash. She responded with a grunt of frustration and an implied serving of four-letter words. “Oh, come on! Do you really expect us not to laugh at least a little?” “I think they expect you to be a supportive friend and not a big, dumb meanie like you sometimes are,” Fluttershy said curtly. Rainbow spun her head around to her longtime friend, causing her to quickly blush and crunch up. “I-I mean, that's kind of what it sounds like.” Dash opened her mouth, no doubt ready to sass right back, but a flash of Applejack pounding her fist into her hand and locking her eyes on her nose was enough to convince her otherwise. She let out a gasp of air, which seemed to cause her to deflate slightly as she leaned back in the chair. And with the shaming session at a proper conclusion, Twilight stepped into the room and joined the others properly. All in attendance watched as a small child wearing bargain-bin clothing, with red-and-yellow hair that resembled the setting sun, and the face of their best friend stepped into view. “H-Hey,” she managed to squeak. Everyone stared at the small child as she entered the room, doing her best not to take in the size differences right now. She climbed onto the couch, leaving as much space between her and Fluttershy as possible. “So...how is everybody?” The cockiness on Rainbow Dash's face faded. Applejack struggled to maintain her country coolness. Fluttershy wiped a tear from her eye. Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped before recoiling closed like a pull-down curtain. Only Rarity, having already seen the change, did not seem fazed by her sudden dash of youthfulness. “So...you're still wearing the same clothes, I see.” “Well, I didn't have a lot of options,” Sunset said. She tried to give her response a tinge of laughter, but in the current situation it came off far more desperate and pitiful than anything else. “So...um...what exactly have y'all been doing all day?” asked Applejack. “Mostly some preliminary measurements and calculations,” said Twilight. “I mean, there's not a whole lot we can do until we have another device capable of storing magical energy. And we won't be able to build that until we can gather all the parts, so I'll probably be playing phone tag and begging for scraps from dad for a while.” “And all while you're getting ready to start at CHS next week,” Rarity said, her voice laced with a wisp of sorrow. “How ever can you juggle so much at once?” Twilight let out a small snicker. “It's not like there's a whole lot to do before class starts next week. All of the paperwork is done, I've signed up for my classes, and I'm already up to speed on where they are.” “But what about your wardrobe?” asked Rarity. “Surely you would not mind someone such as myself taking a quick little peek? I just want to make certain your time at Canterlot High starts off on the right foot.” “Well...” Twilight tapped at the side of her chin for a moment, which seemed to prompt her lips to curl into a smile. Besides, she had to prove Rarity wrong after that fit she threw about her sweat pants. “Sure, why not?” She turned to Sunset. “Would you like to come with us?” “I-I think I'll just stay down here,” said Sunset. “I mean, there's so much to talk about...” Twilight raised an eyebrow. She could tell from the small beads of sweat forming on Sunset's brow that she was probably lying. “Well, if you say you're okay,” she said, not wanting to push the point any harder than necessary. She turned back to the rest of her friends and stood. “We'll be back in just a minute.” “Oh please, it'll take us longer than that,” Rarity said as she followed Twilight up the stairs. The others watched as they slipped out of view. Once they were certain they were a safe distance away, everybody's eyes turned back to Sunset. The girl felt herself shiver under the invisible spotlight, but even in those circumstances, that tiny, steel-plated shred of her mature self continued to hold out. “So...how was your day?” The older girls looked about each other. Sunset's cheeks burned from the stress of holding her smile, which was not helped by the beads of sweat that had begun to trail down her forehead. Finally, Rainbow Dash ceased drumming her fingers along the side of the chair and leaned slightly leftwards. “It was...fine,” she grumbled. The others quickly joined in, echoing a chorus of simple and hollow statements of how “fine” their day was. Sunset Shimmer allowed her lips to relax just a little, even though the rest of her body was aching from the tension in the room. “Anything interesting happen?” Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes back. “Well, we found out Trixie is a meanie meaniepants even when she's not wearing them. Buuuuut we knew that already.” “A-And Flash Sentry asked if you were okay!” Applejack's voice was particularly rattled, so much so that her accent seemed less like that of a country girl and more like a record skipping. “We told him you were fine.” “Oh...right, Flash.” Sunset blushed and leaned forward a bit. “Yeah, I've...almost forgotten about him.” Everyone let out another sigh, and the tense silence just dragged on. The only sound breaking the monotony was the ticking of the clock. Twilight's family was still finishing up with dinner, but the uncomfortableness of the situation seemed to form an impenetrable bubble around the living room, preventing all possible distractions from breaking through and making anyone feel the slightest bit of relief. Sunset began bumping her fists together as she slouched downward. Fluttershy eyed the door in case she needed to make a hasty escape. Rainbow Dash's body seemed to melt into the chair, her limbs hanging placidly as she became one with the furniture. Applejack repeatedly adjusted her hat, occasionally letting out a barely audible half-chuckle. Even Pinkie's mood seemed to be sinking, albeit far more slowly than that of the others. After about forty seconds of this, Sunset could take no more. “Girls, you know I'm still the same person, right? You don't have to act so awkward.” “W-We know that, but...” Applejack removed her hat and diverted her eyes away. “It's just...seeing you like this is...well, it's a lot different than looking at a phone.” Sunset snorted. “So what? I'm still the same Sunset Shimmer that I always was...” She quickly caught herself. “I mean, that I always was the last couple of months.” Everyone looked about each other, each girl afraid to state the obvious. Finally, Dash broke free of the chair's comfy prison and sat rigidly at its edge, her eyes locking perfectly with Sunset's. “We get that and all, but...this is really creepy for us, okay?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Creepy for you? I'm the one living this.” “And it sucks, believe me,” said Dash, “but still...you're like a tiny...you. I'm still your friend and want to support you and all, but...how are we supposed to react to this?” A tiny, angry flame burned within Sunset's heart, and it took all of the child's waning self-control to resist smacking Rainbow Dash upside the head. She let out a heavy, labored breath and closed her eyes. “Would it help if I explained what's happening a bit more?” “I...guess so,” said Applejack. The others nodded in agreement, although with Pinkie it was more of a frantic headbanging motion. Sunset sighed and pressed her back against the couch, the leather squeaking as it tried to absorb the young one that had strayed too close. “Let's go over a few of the obvious things first. I'm apparently just a little less than eight years old. My intelligence and memories are the same as before, but my brain chemistry and maturity match my current body. My motor skills and coordination are significantly reduced. Yes, I have seen the pictures Trixie took, and I will deal with her once I'm back to my right age. And no, I am not excited about reliving my childhood or any nonsense like that. I just want to get back to normal as soon as possible.” The others looked about each other in a mixture of shock, confusion, and in the case of Pinkie, a tiny bit of crazy. Applejack finally settled on just shrugging the whole speech off, while Fluttershy positioned herself on the couch seat next to Sunset. “You poor thing,” she said. “This must be absolutely horrible for you.” Sunset couldn't help but shiver a little at Fluttershy's tone. Her friend had always been very soft-spoken, but there was something chilling about the motherly tone of her voice. “I-It's been rough, yeah,” said Sunset, “but it's not like I haven't had problems before.” She allowed herself a brief, nervous laugh. “Besides, it's not like I'll be like this for much longer.” “Exactly!” Everyone in attendance jumped at Pinkie's sudden outburst. The pink one had, in the space of three seconds, jumped to her feet and circled up next to Sunset, leaving the child trapped between a more matronly figure and a psychotic bigger sister. Still, she managed to eek out a small smile, even as she rubbed nervously at her arm. “Of course. It's just a matter of figuring out how the spell worked and reversing it.” “Um, no it's not,” Pinkie said. Everyone's head involuntarily tilted at that. “Um...what do ya mean, Pinks?” asked Rainbow Dash. Pinkie groaned and rolled her eyes. “Doesn't anybody else get it? Explosion, magic age reversal, all of this happening right now? There's only one possible solution to all of this!” A part of Sunset wanted to scream at Pinkie, tell her that she had no idea what she was talking about, and be done with it. Another part, however, was just interested in seeing where her sideways logic was steering the conversation. Unfortunately, she had to listen to the latter voice. “Okay,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What could possibly solve all of this?” “A BIRTHDAY PARTY!” And in three short words, Pinkie Pie demolished whatever good mood Sunset Shimmer once had. Her face involuntarily melted into the expression someone worn by someone experiencing the worst hangover in history, which was not far off from Princess Celestia's morning face when she didn't have her coffee. She jumped from the couch, landing on both feet with a hard thud, and locked her eyes with Pinkie's. “A what?!” Fluttershy quickly moved to grab Sunset's shoulders, if only to gently hold her back. The others climbed or jumped to their feet and surrounded the group, Applejack watching with growing apprehension and Rainbow Dash with a mixture of curiosity and dread. Pinkie, however, remained oblivious to all of this, and just continued to smile and bask in her genius. “You said that you had a terrible birthday party for your eighth birthday, one so horrible that it made you swear off celebrating your birthday altogether! So the wonders of magic zapped you and gave you a second chance to make things right! And once we throw you the biggest, most spectacular party a kid has ever known, you'll be right back to normal!” Sunset's jaw almost came unhinged from her boiling frustration. It took every ounce of strength for her rational mind to force the overly-emotional child side into obedience. Sunset took in a deep breath, exhaled, and faced Pinkie with a calm face and tone. “First off, that didn't ruin birthday parties for me. Second, I don't want a party. And third, I thought we had agreed to just a small get-together.” “That's right,” said Fluttershy. “You know, just us hanging out with some cake...” “Um, no we didn't,” said Pinkie. “We started talking about that, but we stopped before we agreed to anything. And that was before little Sunny-Funny had her accident!” The rational part of the brain was losing ground fast. In fact, it was beginning to collaborate with the enemy. The shifting signals in Sunset's brains caused her face to contort, making her look more like an angry puffer fish than anything else. “Even then, I said that I didn't want a party. This doesn't change that.” Rainbow's hand curled into a solid fist. “Pinkie...she said no.” “But that's only because she has a deep-seated trauma! Once she's experienced one of Pinkie Pie's patented birthday extttttravaganzas, she'll be so in love with them that she'll beg me to make up for all the other ones she missed!” “That is not how that works!” said Applejack. “Yes it is!” Sunset could feel a well of pressure building behind her right eye socket. She pitched her body slightly forward, her lips twisted into a cold sneer. “Listen to me, Pinkie!” she said, her voice just barely below shouting. “I. Do. Not. Want. A. Party!” Pinkie twisted her head. “Why?” she asked. “Why do you have such a big problem with birthdays? Is it because you did something horrible? Perhaps something so beyond party-pooping that you had to give up all hope of ever having a party again? Perhaps you hurt someone that you actually wanted to like you? Is all this stuff about partying reminding you of how you used to be the meanest grumpy-grump that ever lived and did horrible things to people that never deserved it? Because it could be any one of those things, but-” "SHUT YOUR MOUTH, PINKIE!” In a single fluid motion, Sunset broke free from Fluttershy's grip and flung both hands towards Pinkie's stomach. The resulting shove lacked the strength it would have had before her transformation, but it was enough to send the startled teenage girl falling backwards. Her downward trajectory sent her falling into Applejack and Rainbow Dash, her elbow impacting with the former's stomach and her hand the latter's face. The three rubbed the impacted areas of their body, groaning and mumbling in pain. The sudden shout also attracted the attention of the home's owners, sending Twilight Velvet and Night Light in to investigate. They quickly helped the girls back up. And then everyone's eyes turned to Sunset Shimmer. The blood rushed out of Sunset's face as a cold dread crept into her heart. She tried to mouth an apology, but her tongue refused to cooperate. Feelings of anger, humiliation, and self-loathing danced about in her mind. With a small cry of anguish, she grabbed the nearby journal and jacket and began running towards the stairs. Twilight and Rarity slipped out of the former's room, the latter trying desperately to shake off the horror she had witnessed. Twilight's own expression was one of exasperation, which was something she had become quite accustomed to. “Dear...you need help,” Rarity muttered. “B-But I have enough clothes for school,” said Twilight. The two stopped at the top of the stairwell, if only because Rarity planted her hand on Twilight's shoulder, dangerously close to her neck. “Twilight, dear, you and Sunset are going to the boutique tomorrow. You are going to get new clothes. You are going to accept them and wear them.” Twilight squirmed and looked about nervously. “B-But...I...We really don't need...” Her pride, however, was no match for Rarity's forceful generosity, and her will collapsed. “Okay. We needed to go out, anyway.” Rarity instantly smiled and released her attempted death grip. The two finally started back down the stairs. “You won't regret this, darling. Now, shall we...” The conversation stopped halfway down the stairs as they saw Sunset Shimmer running upwards, her jacket and journal held tightly against her body. She pushed through the two older girls without so much as a pause, spun on her heels when she reached the top, and finally disappeared back into Twilight's room, slamming the door shut behind her. Twilight and Rarity exchanged confused and terrified glances and started to turn around to follow her, but stopped when they noticed both Fluttershy and Twilight Velvet standing at the bottom. “Y-You may want to come down here,” Fluttershy whispered. Twenty minutes had passed, and Sunset could still their voices from behind the closed bedroom door. In the short time she had closed the door and finally got herself to stop crying, she had managed to pull a pen from Twilight's desk and set herself down on the ground, the journal laying open in front of her. She flipped from page to page, each of them filled out with detailed minutia of Sunset's life, dreams, and memories of Equestria. None of that mattered to her now. Not after what she had just done. Dear Princess Twilight, It's been a little while since we last spoke, and I wish I had happy news, but I need to ask for your help. After the Friendship Games, I began working with this world's Twilight Sparkle on finding ways to make magic more practical and useful in this world. We thought that we had found a way to study the way magic works here more closely, but something has gone wrong. In case my handwriting isn't coming in as sloppy as it appears here, I believe that I have accidentally created an Age Spell, and cast it upon myself. The spell shows no sign of wearing off naturally, which means the only way to reverse it would be to cast another Age Spell to return me to my normal self. The problem is that, by focusing on magic I could use to seize power, I neglected to study a spell I could not use even as a unicorn. What's worse is that I can feel a part of myself slipping backwards, as if my mind is trying to adjust to the same age as my body. I cannot make it clear how much I hate being like this, especially after what has happened tonight. I'm staying with this world's Twilight for the time being. I wish you and she could get along better. I'm fairly certain you won't blow up the universe by talking to each other, and she is full of questions about magic and Equestria. In any case, she's going to work on getting the parts we need to try and recreate the spell, but we still need to identify the intricacies of how the spell is formed. As a Princess of Equestria, you should be able to access the most secure magical archives in Equestria. I had heard that Starswirl the Bearded had experimented in the field, and you said you had some experience with time travel, so perhaps that would be a good place to start. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I know you're a busy princess, so we don't need you to drop everything and come to this world. If you could copy down the information into the journal, we would be able to work from there. Sunset paused for a moment, her pen quivering. The words were already shimmering, indicating that the transmission to Twilight's copy of the journal was in progress. However, there was one additional request she had to make. With a trembling hand, she resumed writing... Please do not tell Princess Celestia about any of this. The last sentence flashed in that usual way, and the book fell silent. Satisfied, Sunset took the book in her hands and climbed back to her feet. Her legs briefly threatened to give out from a combination of wrongness and exhaustion, but she managed to compel them to keep moving forward until she was back at the sleeping bag. She had already laid her leather jacket alongside her arrangements, and the journal soon found itself right next to it. There was no way she was letting them out of her sight again. Stifling a yawn and a sniffle, she turned off the bedroom light, opened the bag, and crawled inside. The last thing she did before zipping the portable bed up was pull her jacket inside. She held it as close to herself as possible while she drifted off to sleep. Everything had gone wrong tonight. All that she could hope for was a better day tomorrow.