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I - Introducing: Sunset Shimmer2,995 words
II - Introducing: Sunset Shimmer2,633 words
III - The Melancholy of Sunset Shimmer3,068 words
IV - A Day at Funland4,736 words
V - Game of Soccer5,043 words
VI - A Hairy Situation4,828 words
VII - Finding Work5,540 words
VIII - Terror From the Past4,322 words
IX - The Canterlot Mercenary Club8,154 words
X - Shining's Friends5,638 words
XI - FUN! FUN! FUN!3,925 words
XII - Best Friends2,824 words
XIII - A Trip to the Vet4,544 words
XIV - Hallowe'en4,365 words
XV - The Right Gift4,040 words
XVI - The Origins of Friendship5,243 words
XVII - A Whole New World7,122 words
XVIII - A Blast From the Past4,115 words
XIX - Call of Sunset12,921 words
XX - The New Teacher4,424 words
XXI - One Small Favour4,716 words
XXII - The School Play6,929 words
XXIII - Sunset Shimmer's Birthday Suprise!5,927 words
XXIV - The Daring Deal5,729 words
XXV - The Heist3,816 words
XXVI - The Rescue6,157 words
XXVII - Epilogue 11,631 words
XXVIII - Epilogue 21,290 words

XXVI - The Rescue

Sunset sat out in the hospital's waiting room whilst she waited for the doctor to return. Twenty minutes after Twilight was taken to the examination room, Shining Armor arrived, accompanied by Cadance.

Twilight's parents were away, and the doctors were unable to reach their phones. Shining Armor assured that he would contact them as soon as he could.

When he asked her what had happened, Sunset simply shook her head and told him that she had suddenly collapsed. Thirty minutes passed in a silence that felt like hours, when the doctor finally returned with a solemn look on his face.

He explained to them that Twilight's condition was stable, but that her life was still in danger. There were trace amount of a complex toxin in her system, and they had called a specialist to come to the hospital and properly examine it.

"Is she awake?" Shining Armor asked.

"We've put her under anaesthetic for now. We don't want to put her under any stress until we are sure that her life isn't in any further danger."

Shining Armor clenched his hand into a fist and cursed under his breath. If anything had happened to Twilight, he would never be able to forgive himself. "Twilie, I'm supposed to protect you, but I can't even do anything!"

"How did the toxin enter her system?" Cadance asked. "Was it something she ate? Or was it airborne? We might need to investigate the area she was in when she collapsed."

"As far as we can tell, it was something that she ingested," the doctor explained, "But until Dr. Zaius arrives, we cannot- Oh! Speak of the devil!" The doctor waved to a man who had just entered the hospital. A grumpy-looking man in a long trenchcoat. "Please help us, Dr. Zaius!"

Sunset tried to think back to the exact moment that Twilight collapsed. "Was it a fast-acting toxin?"

"Well, we-"

"Don't know, do you?" Dr. Zaius interrupted. "Which is why you called me all the way here at this hour, isn't that right? Well, don't just stand there with your mouth open! Show me the patient."

The doctor nodded. "This way. I'll have to ask you all to wait here a little longer."

As the two doctors left, Shining Armor sat back down and buried his head into his hands. Cadance offered to get the three of them some coffee from a nearby machine, and Sunset took out her phone and opened up a browser window.

'When Twilight collapsed, she had just taken a sip of my drink. But I'm fine. Was something added to it when I wasn't looking? But the only person who came close to it at that time was… Ms. Glimmer.' Sunset opened up the academy's website and checked the staff directory. "I'm going to make a call," Sunset said. "Let my folks know I'm okay."

Shining Armor simply waved his hand. He may not have even heard her. She left the room and shivered as the outside wind buffeted against her. She dialled the number of Mrs. Harshwhinny and waited for her to pick up…

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Harshwhinny. It's Sunset Shimmer."

"It's unusual for a student to call one of their teachers outside of school. Quite unorthodox."

"Yeah, well, it's kind of an emergency. See, I found something that belongs to Ms. Glimmer and I want to return it to her. I think she might want it back right away, so I was wondering if I could give it to you to return to her?"

"I am rather busy right now, Miss Shimmer. This is a busy time of year and I am barely meeting deadlines as it is."

"Then, maybe you could let me know where she lives and I can deliver it myself?2

"That would be a blatant breach in confidentiality. If you need her address, you would need to contact her yourself."

"The thing I found was her phone, so I can't really do that."

"I see… Well, I cannot give you her address, but I can give you her home number and you can contact her that way."

Sunset Shimmer grinned. "That'll work. Thanks." She wrote down the number that was given to her and then ended her call. Upon entering, she felt bad for suspecting her teacher the way that she was. She waited for a further forty minutes with Shining Armor and Cadance, when the two doctors returned.

"Well, thankfully it was a very minute dose. If it was any larger it'd need a powerful antidote that I don't have right now," Dr. Zaius told them. "As it is, she'll hang in there. I'll drive over to the university and grab some of the antidote, just in case, but she should make it so long she avoids stress.

"As for your question earlier," he directed to Sunset Shimmer, "The toxin is a fast-acting one. It was also ingested, meaning that she ate or drank something moments before she fell."

Shining Armor would have questioned Sunset on what exactly that was, had his mind not been clouded by thoughts of seeing Twilight to confirm that she was safe with his own eyes. The doctors allowed him, Sunset and Cadance to see her, on the condition that they be quiet.

Upon arriving, relief washed over their faces. Though for Sunset, it was overridden by thoughts of anger and revenge. 'There's no mistake, then. The only thing that Twilight ingested was… and that would mean that…' As Sunset crumpled the piece of paper in her pocket, her eyes flared.

The following morning, Sunset left her house early, after failing to get much sleep the previous night, and made her way to Starlight Glimmer's house. Mrs. Harshwhinny had unwittingly given Sunset all that she needed to locate the teacher's home… No, the suspect's home.

When she got there, Starlight's car was still there, but there was no sign of life inside. She didn't want to believe that her teacher could have done something so horrible, but it was the only thing that made sense… She had to be sure, so she knocked on the door several times to see if anybody was home.

After she was certain that it was safe, Sunset looked around herself, confirming that the street was empty, and ran around to the back of the house. There were no open windows, so she would need to make one…

Picking up the nearest rock, Sunset threw it with all of her might and smashed one of the windows near the ground. She climbed into the house, minding the sharp shards of glass, and found herself in a small kitchen. There were empty boxes and packets everywhere. Instant foods and takeaway meals, covering everything, even the stove, and the radio that was tucked away in the corner.

Not your typical household radio for listening to the latest hits of your current generation. No, this was a kind of radio that Sunset had seen before, back when Shining Armor was a policeman and had allowed her and Twilight to ride in his patrol car.

"Well, what an odd thing for a teacher to have…" Sunset ventured further into the house, where she found a hallway with no furniture, no pictures, nothing that would suggest that a person lived there. All that she found was a pistol on a small table. She was tempted to reach out for it, but she ignored the feeling. That last thing she needed was her fingerprints on that thing. She was already committing one crime.

She entered the next room, and gasped. Just as the kitchen had been littered with empty boxes and packets, this room was also littered… with photographs of Twilight Sparkle.

Sunset gritted her teeth and marched into the room. The photographs had writing on them. There were photographs of Twilight studying and taking her exams, photographs of Twilight eating and sleeping, of her bathing and walking with her family, shopping and walking her dog…

On the large table at the end of the room, there were photographs of Twilight and Sunset Shimmer together. A bottle of pills was on the table, and Sunset's face had been crossed out in each of the photos. Next to the pills was a folded piece of paper, which Sunset opened to reveal a map of Canterlot and the surrounding areas.

"What the hell is all this?" Sunset found a circled location on the map, but wasn't sure what it meant. Whatever it was, though, Sunset had all that she needed, and didn't want to stay any longer trying to figure this whole mess out.

After unlocking the door from the inside, Sunset left the house and called Shining Armor, looking around cautiously to make sure that Starlight Glimmer wasn't going to suddenly return home.

"Shining, I've got to tell you something!"

"I know," Shining Armor replied, surprising Sunset.

"Y-You do?" Had he investigated in his own time?

"Yeah… Twilie's gone missing…"

Sunset's eyes widened. "What?!" Sunset shook her head. "Damnit, she got there first! What the hell were you doing?!"

There was a moment of silence, and Sunset was certain she had heard a soft sobbing on the other end.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean- … Listen, come pick me up right now. I know who's behind all this."

Upon his arrival, Sunset Shimmer explained the situation to Shining Armor and his team that had come with him. They entered the house and investigated the room that Sunset had found. To say that he was angry would be an understatement. His face had lost all of its paleness, being consumed by a burning rage and veins that threatened to pop.

"Leave things to us from here, Sunset," he said after he had collected his thoughts. "We'll head to the location marked on this map and get to the bottom of this."

"What?! But if Twilight's in danger, I want to help!"

"You've already helped enough," Shining Armor insisted. "And besides, I can't put you in any danger."

"But-"

"No!" Sunset backed away, startled by Shining's sudden anger towards her. "I'm not asking you, Sunset, I'm telling you! Go home, and leave it to us! This teacher of yours is dangerous! This isn't some game, do you understand?!"

Sunset Shimmer simply nodded, tears welling in her eyes. She nodded, despite wanting to scream her objections. Shining Armor simply sighed and apologised, before leaving with his team. Sunset could only watch them leave in silence… and then fall to her knees as they rounded the first corner.

"… How could I just go home when Twilight's in trouble?" Clutching her skirt, Sunset grinded her teeth together and clenched her eyes shut. "Damn! Twilight's missing and I can't do a thing to help her!"

Sunset punched the ground, panting as she stared vacantly forwards for several seconds. "Twilight… Just hang on. I'm coming!" Rising to her feet, Sunset ran over to Starlight's car and smashed the window with a nearby garden ornament.

Hotwiring the car was easier than Sunset thought it would be. She had researched it previously – out of curiosity, of course – but she had always thought that it would have been a lot harder than it looked.

Driving, however, proved to be a challenge on its own. Especially when Starlight's car was a manual transmission. Several stalls later, along with a few near miss incidents and some confusion at Canterlot's only roundabout, and Sunset found herself pursued by the police on her way out of the city.

Sunset pulled over, knowing that she would not escape, and panicked as the cop approached. She just wanted to help Twilight, but now, she was just going to make things worse!

Gulping, Sunset turned to the window, where the policeman raised an eyebrow and tapped on the glass. She lowered it, and he asked, "A little young for a joyride, aren't you?"

"Please, officer, I-"

Sunset was cut off by the sounds of new sirens approaching, and both her and the officer turned their heads to find a blue Porsche approaching, its sirens fading as it stopped. The door opened, and out stepped a woman in a black suit with long, green hair.

"Thank you, Officer," Chrysalis said as she approached the two, pulling out her badge and displaying it to the confused cop. "I'll take it from here."

"FBI? Do they normally come out for a simple case of juvenile delinquency?"

"I'm terribly sorry. You'll have to forgive my sister," Chrysalis said. "She's just acting out because our parents are going through a divorce. It's all been rather difficult for her." Chrysalis put her badge away and closed the distance between herself and the officer, taking his hand and regarding him a sultry gaze and a wink. "You can let it slide, can't you?"

The officer blushed, pulling his hand away and clearing his throat as he adjusted hit cap. "W-Well, if you make sure she doesn't do it again… I'll have to impound the car, though."

"No need. I've already placed a call and a team will be here shortly."

"… World must be pretty peaceful. At this rate, you guys are gonna take all the work away from us."

Chrysalis giggled. "Don't worry. You're doing a fine job out there, keeping our lovely city safe."

The officer left with a simple salute, and as he entered his car, a truck arrived at the scene, parking itself in front of Starlight's car.

Sunset entered Chrysalis' car and cast her eyes down. She said, "I suppose you'll be taking me home now, right?"

Chrysalis closed her door and asked, "What makes you think that?"

Sunset regarded the older woman with a confused look. "T-That's what Shining Armor wants, right?" Suddenly, a thought came to Susnet's mind, and she gulped. "You're not… gonna take me in, are you?"

"It's the death penalty for you, I'm afraid." Chrysalis peeked to her side and saw Sunset's face pale as she froze. Chuckling, she said, "I'm kidding. I'm not going to take you in, nor am I taking you home… unless, of course, you want me too."

Sunset tilted her head. "I… don't get it. I thought you wanted to keep me out of it. I'm a civillian!"

"Hmmm… Well, it is a against protocol, just a little, but then, if you had found your own way there, and I simply went in after you, then surely Shining Armor can't be too mad, right? At me, that is."

"… Why would you do that? What's in it for you?"

Chrysalis stepped down onto her gas pedal, and the car started moving. "To be honest, I've had a feeling about you since we first met. You remind me of myself, in two ways. The first being that you seem like natural FBI material. I want to see it for myself, whether or not I'm right."

"… and the second similarity?"

Chrysalis smiled. "That you can't abandon a loved one."

The car pulled to a stop to the side of a long country road. Chrysalis turned off the engine and reached into the backseat. "We're here."

Sunset looked around confusedly. "We are? I don't see anything."

"We'll walk the rest of the way. We don't want them to know we're coming. You can bet Shining Armor parked some distance away, too."

Sunset turned to Chrysalis, raising an eyebrow. "What are you looking for?"

Chrysalis responded by pulling a magnum from the backseat, along with two flash grenades. Sunset trembled at the sight. "Last chance to bail, now," she said. "I'll protect you as best I can, but I can't make any promises once we're in there."

"… If Twilight's in trouble, then I want to help her," Sunset said, though her shaking voice contradicted her strong words.

Chrysalis passed her a flashlight, and then attached a second one to her gun. "Then let's go, and keep your voice down. You ever use a gun before?"

"No…"

"Then here," she said, giving Sunset a Taser. "You'll be less dangerous with this, and it won't kill, so you won't have to hold back."

The two walked for roughly a mile until they reached a large a hilltop, overlooking a large, abandoned lumberyard, surrounded by new-looking fences topped with barbed wire.

"Well, isn't that suspicious?" Chrysalis mused, pulling up a pair of binoculars to her head and surveying the yard. "No signs of movement, besides Shining's group sneaking in around the back. Looks like there's a weak point in the fence we can exploit."

"Can you see Twilight?" Sunset asked, shifting about on-the-spot as she looked ahead.

"She's likely inside. Wait, there's an armed man outside one of the of the buildings… a guard, perhaps? He doesn't seem to be patrolling the site."

"And?" Sunset asked through gritted teeth. "Let's go already!"

"Twilight's likely in that building, Sunset, and we now know that it is guarded. We'll proceed slowly." She lowered her binoculars and turned to the antsy girl to her side. "They went through the effort of taking her, they won't kill her so quickly."

Sunset wanted to argue, but she knew that Chrysalis was right. Admitting it was still too hard, though, so she simply waited for Chrysalis to lead and then followed on. The two soon arrived at the fence, where Chrysalis asked Sunset to stand guard whilst she cut a hole through it.

Looking around, Sunset couldn't help but notice the dark corners inside the mill, the sharp, rusted instruments, the broken glass lying scattered on the floor… She hoped that Twilight was okay.

A guard caught her attention, and she slowly stepped towards Chrysalis, keeping her eyes on the man as he lit a cigarette in the distance. "There's someone there," she whispered.

Chrysalis turned around and aimed her gun, but she didn't fire. She lowered the weapon and motioned for Sunset to follow quietly. As the two took cover behind a bush, another guard came out and started to yell at the first.

The two men argued for a few minutes, before finally, the fight seemed to end. The first guard left the area, but the second started to make his way towards a small shack located near the fence. He opened it and rummaged about for just under a minute, before returning with a red, metallic toolbox. He slammed the door and walked back into the mill.

"Nice job catching that guard," Chrysalis said.

"Well, all I did was pay attention to my surroundings…"

"And for that, we survived the first obstacle," Chrysalis grinned. "Now let's see if we can make it to Twilight!"

Chrysalis finished creating her hole in the fence, and the two rushed through, hugging walls as they crept slowly through the lumberyard.

"There's a door over there with only one guard," she said. "I'll make a distraction so that you can get inside, then I'll take him out once you're safe."

"Will you be okay?" Sunset asked.

"Against one guard? Yeah, I should be fine." Chrysalis cracked her knuckles and gave a confident smile. "Get ready to run as soon as the guard moves."

Sunset nodded, and Chrysalis rushed from their hiding spot and towards the guard. Before he could even raise his gun, Chrysalis had kicked it out of his hands and threw a series of punches that he could only block.

Sunset watched as Chrysalis slowly stepped back and went on the defensive, prompting the guard to attack with all of his might, unwittingly moving away from the door. She followed Chrysalis' orders and ran to the door, stopping for a moment to watch the fight ensue. As she did so, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind the door and gasped.

She drew her Taser and hid inside a nearby bush, watching as the door opened and a single man stepped outside. He noticed the fight and pulled up his gun, trying to aim for Chrysalis but struggling with his friend in the way.

Sunset fired, shocking the guard and forcing him to fall to the floor. She turned back over to Chrysalis, who had what had transpired and then opted to finish her opponent. She grabbed the man's arm and slung him over her shoulder, sending him crashing onto the ground and knocking him out in an instant.

As she approached Sunset Shimmer, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Sunset could only nod as she dropped the Taser. "H-He came out of nowhere…"

"That happens on the field, but you handled it well. Honestly, when I heard him coming, I was getting ready to pull out my gun, but then I saw you hide and draw your weapon…"

"You heard him? From so far away?"

Chrysalis laughed and put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "You heard him, too. Even if you were closer than me, you picked out such a soft sound in the midst of this crisis. It seems my instincts were right about you…"

Sunset wasn't sure whether to smile or be concerned, but when she remembered why she was there to begin with, she shook off the feeling and turned to the open door. Chrysalis led the way once more.

Inside was a scene that neither of them were expecting. A large window, behind which was Twilight Sparkle, strapped to a chair with her mouth gag and her eyes forced open, tears streaming from each one. She was being forced to watch something projected onto the wall before her, but what it was, they could not tell.

Two men in white coats stared at the girls for a few seconds, before jumping from their seats. They raised their hands as Chrysalis drew her gun. "Don't move! I want your hands where I can see them!"

"P-Please don't shoot!" one shouted as he slowly leaned back.

"She said stop!" Sunset shouted, halting the man. "We don't wanna shoot you, but if you force us to…"

Chrysalis slowly approached the two, stopping once she closed the distance halfway. "Slowly, move over to that wall," she said, motioning to her right with her head.

As they moved, Sunset charged towards the desk, which housed several computers and was littered with papers, and reached for a chair. "Hold on, Twilight!" she shouted, throwing the chair at the glass, only for it to bounce off helplessly.

"It's likely reinforced, in case the prisoner escapes," Chrysalis said, keeping her eyes on the men. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and motioned for them to turn around and to place their hands behind their backs.

"Damnit, what are you doing to her?!" Sunset looked down at the papers, shuffling through them curiously. There were several pictures of various people in there, with names associated with each one. "Midnight Glitter… Dusk Shine and Nightfall Shine… Moonlight Glammer… Evening Blaze, Sundown Twinkle…"

"All people you've kidnapped?" Chrysalis asked. "Why?!"

"This is…" Sunset gasped as she read through the documents and studied the computers. "This is a brainwashing program! You're playing these clips to make Twilight, and all these other people, become your slaves!"

"No!" one of the men shouted. "Not our 'slaves'! Our equals!"

"That's right!" the other man added. "Starlight Glimmer showed us that all people are born equal! She showed us that none are better or worse than others, and we're sharing this gift with those we rescue!"

"Some kind of 'equalists' cult?" Chrysalis asked as she finished cuffing the two men. She had them sit down and then turned to Sunset Shimmer. "There should be a way to turn that off."

"Found it," Sunset said, initiating the program to shut the recording down. "I know how to use computers," she said with a hint of pride.

Chrysalis smiled, and then turned to Twilight. As though their interference was a signal, Shining Armor burst into the room with two of his men, his shotgun pointed at Twilight in the centre. He gasped and immediately lowered his weapon, rushing to free his sister from her bondage.

"Well, looks like she's safe now," Chrysalis said as she folded her arms. "Guess I'll let him know about these two, and then we can go-"

"That's as far as you go, Shining Armor." The two girls gasped as the familiar voice sounded from the other side of the glass. Shining had just finished releasing his sister, and raised his shotgun to Starlight Glimmer, only to slowly lower it and raise his hands as she walked forwards, her gun aimed at Twilight's head.

Twilight had passed out in the chair, and was unaware that she was even in danger. Even if he could pull her away in time, he could not hope to escape with a limp body in his arms. Shining's comrades had trained their guns on Starlight, but made no sudden movements.

"I'm surprised that you managed to find this place, but thankfully, I still prepared for it. Put your sister back and walk against that wall, or else…"

Shining Armor gritted his teeth. "What d'you need my sister for, anyway?! She's done nothing wrong, so whatever you're after, leave her out of this!"

"Your sister is a genius," Starlight stated, surprising the man. "And geniuses are exactly what we need. I'm going to show your sister that we are all the same, that we are all equal, and then, using her talents, along with so many others like her, we will spread our message far-and-wide, until soon, we are a force that can compete against those who would have you believe that we are all different! That we are all unique, and that some, will always be different to others."

Chrysalis pointed her gun at the glass and shouted, "Get back, and cover your ears!"

Sunset stumbled for a second, before quickly running to the side of the room and placing her hands over her ears. Chrysalis fired, a few shots, shattering the glass and startling everybody in the other room. Her final shot knocked the gun out of Starlight's hand, and Starlight turned to glare at the newcomer.

"Give it up, Starlight Glimmer!" Chrysalis shouted. "You're surrounded. There's nowhere to run."

"… Oh no. Whatever shall I do?" Starlight asked with a grin, before turning around to face the blank screen behind herself. "Tell me, did you think I hadn't noticed that the film I prepared just for Twilight had been turned off?"

"…" Chrysalis heard a click behind herself, and slowly lowered her gun as she felt something cold against the back of her head. "Damn."

"I'll leave it to you, Night Glider." Starlight leaned down and picked up her gun before Shining Armor could react. "Now, where was I?"

Sunset jumped out from the shadows, startling Night Glider as she tackled into the taller woman. As they fell to the floor, a shot rang through the air, hitting the ceiling as prompting Starlight to turn back around.

Chrysalis raised her gun once more, and Shining Armor grabbed Twilight and ran to the side.

As Starlight looked around the room, finding her options very limited, she released the gun in her hand and glared daggers into Sunset's eyes as the teenager rose. "Damnit. If only you didn't exist."

As Starlight's gun hit the floor, a bright light filled the room, catching everybody off guard. Chrysalis turned and pinned Night Glider to the ground, whilst Shining Armor clutched his sister to ensure that she could not be grabbed.

As the light faded, Starlight Glimmer was gone. Shining Armor ordered a complete search of the area, but his comrades were only able to confirm that she was nowhere to be found, and that one of the cars that was parked in the lumberyard earlier was missing, too.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes, groaning as the morning sunlight filling the room caused her to blink a few times. She felt something heavy to her side and pushed herself upright, turning to see Sunset Shimmer sitting beside her bed, asleep and using her arm as a pillow.

Confused, Twilight reached forward and nudged Sunset, earning a few grunts from her friend before she finally began to awaken.

"Twilight?" Sunset asked, before gasping and lunging suddenly forward, hugging her friend tightly. "You're awake!"

"Ow! Y-Yeah, I am! W-What's going on? Why are you in my room?"

"Your room?" Sunset asked as she leaned back. "Twi, you're in the hospital right now."

"I am?" Twilight asked, lowering her head and humming her thought. She gasped. "That's right! I was taken away by those strange men, and I think Ms. Glimmer was there, too! Wait, Ms. Glimmer, she… Why did she… Oh god. Sunset, what happened?"

Sunset wasn't sure what to say. Twilight was clearly in a lot pain, and telling her the truth of what happened might upset her, but lying to her would have been just as awful…

"You were drugged and kidnapped," Shining Armor answered, alerting them both to his presence as he approached them from the door. "However, you were unharmed, and those guys have all been apprehended. You're safe now, Twilie."

Twilight didn't seem too sure. "W-What about Ms. Glimmer?"

"… She was saved, too, from those men."

Twilight tilted her head. "But… I'm sure she…"

"You should rest, Twi," Sunset said, gently lowering Twilight onto her back. "You've been through a lot. I'm sure your mind's a total mess right now."

Twilight frowned. "My mind's always clear! A lot more than yours, Miss Scatterbrain!"

Sunset simply laughed. "Well, this 'scatterbrain' just sacrificed her whole weekend to keep you company, so show some thanks by getting some rest."

"Your whole weekend?" Now Twilight felt bad. She frowned, and said, "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, though, and that's all I need."

"She wouldn't move, even to use the bathroom. That's why we had to ask for an extra bedpan," Shining Armor said with a laugh.

Sunset's face exploded into a sea of red, whilst Twilight simply inched away and asked, "R-Really?"

"HE'S LYING!" Sunset shouted, turning around and punching Shining's arm.

"OW! H-Hey, it was just a joke, okay? She's used the bathroom like a normal person, but getting her to eat was a bit of a challenge…"

Twilight giggled as she saw Sunset pout, her face slowly turning back to its normal colour. "Okay, I get it. I'll get some rest, and… thanks, Sunset."

"… Well, you would've done the same for me," Sunset said.

"Uh, maybe?" Twilight ventured, and then flinched at Sunset's sudden glare. "I mean, definitely! Absolutely!"

Shining Armor cleared his throat. "By the way, I've asked the hospital not to inform our parents. Since we managed to recover your just fine, I felt it unnecessary to disturb their vacation with this. They'll see the hospital bill, though, so we're gonna tell them it was a simple case of food poisoning.

"The director of this hospital is somebody I know. He'll go along with the story for now." The two girls nodded, and Shining turned to Sunset and motioned his head towards the door. "Now that Twilight's awake, I think you should get some air. It'll be easier for her to rest if she's left alone for a bit."

Sunset felt uneasy about leaving, but since Twilight was was awake, she simply nodded her head and got up, following Shining Armor outside. She stopped to look one final time at Twilight, and then left the room, closing the door behind herself.

"Starlight Glimmer got away," Shining Armor said quietly as soon as the door had closed.

"What?" Sunset asked, struggling not to raise her voice. "But how? You guys were right on her."

"She managed to lose us through a tunnel. She must have prepared an escape route. Our intelligence found that she had boarded an aeroplane to England last night, and we're currently requesting permission to open an investigation there, but it doesn't look like we'll get it. Not enough direct evidence for them to give the okay…"

"What about the stuff in her house?! In that lumberyard?!"

"None of it could be traced to her. Turns out the house was never truly sold, and we could find no prints or DNA to link the evidence to her. Any files that may have been about her were under aliases, with no photographs and no other means of identification."

"So basically, she gets away with kidnapping my friend? Your sister?"

"Even if the FBI cannot follow her, we're putting some requests through Interpol to be on the lookout for her. But at the very least, she won't be coming back for Twilie anytime soon. Regardless, I'm gonna take some time off from work. Stay close to her and make sure everything's clear, y'know?"

Sunset Shimmer sighed and frowned. "Well, I guess that's all you can do."

"… By the way, I didn't really say it earlier. Thanks for your help earlier. You did pretty good… though I'm still pretty mad that you came along after I told you not to."

"Well, I wanted to help, and… honestly, it felt nice, helping somebody in trouble." Sunset pulled out her phone and checked the time. "I'd better go get something to eat. I'll check in on Twilight later."

"You should probably go home soon."

Sunset shook her head. "I've already called home. They're cool with me having a sleepover."

"At a hospital?" Shining asked as he walked alongside Sunset down the hallway.

"What they don't know won't hurt 'em." She smiled, and added, "Besides, I need to keep an eye on her. Clearly you alone can't handle it."

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