Synchrony

by Fangren

Chapter 8 - The Clock Strikes Twelve

High noon rang out over Canterlot, heralded most loudly by its clocktower and echoed in silence by clocks across the city. The day was half over; its stories not quite. Those continued to be made and told as they always had, uncaring of the time of day or the heat of the sun high above. And as they always had those stories would cross paths and intertwine, changing and being changed and all none the wiser.

All lives remain connected, for better or for worse.

The truth-seekers on a new quest...

The young girls in search of adventure...

The lovers in search of peace...

The hero standing against her rival...

The sisters and their reunion...

The delinquents seeking safety of two vastly different kinds...

The kind heart in crisis...

All of them headed forward blindly, unaware of what the day had yet to bring.

Pinkie groaned. She was currently slumped over on the Pie family's kitchen table, arms splayed and hair drooping. Before her were two dozen well-baked cupcakes decorated to look like rocks, and her arms and face were speckled with bits of frosting and the occasional sprinkle, yet she was staring past them in boredom.

“I'm bored,” she whined. “It feels like we haven't done anything in forever...”

Limestone, who was walking past carrying a chair, stopped and gave her an odd look. “What, does all the stuff we've been doing all morning not count or something? The cupcakes, the cleaning, the last-minute reordering of the rock garden?”

“It's not that it doesn't...,” Pinkie sighed, raising an arm and rolling a hand. “It's just that that stuff was all job-well-done sorta anything. It's fun, but kinda mundane.” She paused. “Does that make it fundane?” she asked, suddenly lifting her head and giving her older sister a questioning look.

“How should I know, it's your made-up word,” Limestone told her with a scowl.

Pinkie shrugged. “Meh. Either way, what I really want is something extra-super-funtacular fun. Like something someone would write a story about, y'know?”

“No?” Limestone replied, looking at her oddly again. Then Pinkie sighed mournfully, prompting Limestone to groan and shake her head. “Look, we're gonna go pick up Maud soon so stop moping.”

“That's right!” Pinkie said, perking up in body, face, and hair. “Once Maud is here, extra-super-funtacular fun is sure to follow! What are we waiting for,” she got up and made to start running for the home's front door, “let's go get her!”

She was stopped and pulled back by a single hand on her shoulder courtesy of Limestone. “Not yet. We're getting her after lunch, remember?”

“Oh yeah...,” Pinkie said, her smile fading. Only to reappear a moment later when she gleefully announced “Lunchtime!”

Limestone could only groan.

In a cluttered bedroom in a purple house in a well-off part of the city, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer planned and debated their next course of action down to the finest minutiae. It had been nearly two hours since their encounter with the mysterious Amethyst Shine, and ever since then she'd been at the forefront of their thoughts. The bus ride back to Twilight's home had been filled with whispered discussion of how Amethyst had made her escape, if and how she might know the human world's Sunset Shimmer, and what she was going to do next; and once they were back at their makeshift lab they set aside the parts they'd purchased for their original project to focus on the current discussion even more.

Both Spike and Twilight's parents had noticed the girls' change in mood, but only the former got any answers – Night Light and Twilight Velvet had just been assured that nothing was wrong before the girls headed upstairs.

Conversation since then had centered around the drafting of a group text to their five friends, informing them of the situation.

“Alright,” Twilight said, eyes on the notebook in her lap, setting a mechanical pencil against the open page. “This draft should be both concise and informative. The language is specific enough to prevent misunderstandings, and our intentions are explicit. It's ready for your assessment,” she finished with a nod, looking up at Sunset with a smile on her face. She handed her the notebook.

Sunset grabbed it with one hand, diverting her attention away from the sketchpad in her own lap to read it. Her eyes scanned the page quickly, and she soon smiled back at the girl sitting across from her on the bed. “Looks good. And I'm almost done with the final draft of the sketch. Hopefully we didn't forget any big details about what Amethyst looked like.”

Twilight accepted the notebook when it was returned, placing it in her lap then adjusting her glasses. “Right. Image memory is surprisingly unreliable, and even after coming to a consensus as to what she looked like it's still possible we overlooked something or were mistaken. I'd hate to have our friends bother a stranger thinking she's Amethyst.”

“Yeah, I know what you're saying,” Sunset said as she resumed drawing. “But at the same time, we can't let this opportunity slip away. And at least with the sketch they're more likely to find the right person.” She made the finishing touches to her drawing, and handed the book to Twilight.

It only took a few seconds for her to smile. “This might be the misinformation effect at work, but I'd say this is the most accurate depiction of her yet.”

“You think it's good enough to send to the others?” Sunset asked, looking uncertain.

Twilight paused for a moment before nodding. “Yes. I'm satisfied with both it and the draft text. Are you?” She passed the sketchbook back across the bed.

Sunset stared at it for a moment before letting out her breath. “As I'll ever be. You want me to take the picture of it?” she asked, pulling out her smartphone.

“Actually, I have a better idea,” Twilight countered, smiling mysteriously as she took Sunset's sketchbook back from her. She cleanly and carefully tore then latest sketch of Amethyst Shine out of it, then wordlessly took it over to her computer.

“What are you-?” Sunset began to ask, getting her answer when Twilight opened the top of a machine she realized was a scanner and placed the image inside. She closed the top and pressed a button and the machine whirred to life. Seconds later Twilight was opening the new file on her computer and doing something else to it; seconds after that her phone beeped.

She checked it, and smiled. “Perfect.” Noticing Sunset's questioning look, she turned the phone towards her – on the screen was the scanned image of Sunset's drawing. “The image quality will be much higher this way. All we need to do now is write the text, attach the image, and send it to everyone.”

Sunset looked at her for a moment before smiling. “Awesome.”

Across town, Rarity and Applejack strolled hand-in-hand through Queen's Park towards a café the fashionista claimed had a “view to absolutely die for” from it's veranda. With nobody around to recognize them and thus blow the cover off their not-quite-covert first date they had allowed themselves to relax and enjoy each other, stealing glances that led to smiles and closeness as they walked.

“Ya know, a girl could get used to this,” Applejack said.

“Oh?” Rarity asked with a coy look. “Get used to what, may I ask?”

Applejack squeezed her hand and grinned. “Why, bein' with the most beautiful girl in the whole world, 'a course!”

That earned a blush and giggle from Rarity. “Oh, you,” she said, giving her girlfriend a playful swat on the arm before clutching it tighter. “Though I agree, of course. I could get used to being with the most beautiful girl in the whole world.” She gave Applejack a flirtatious wink as she said that, eliciting a blush.

She recovered quickly, however, and cracked a smirk. “I shoulda figured, given how long ya like to spend in front 'a the mirror and all.” Which earned another, harder swat that made Applejack chuckle.

“I'm serious, Applejack,” Rarity pouted.

“Oh really?” Applejack replied with a tone of hearty skepticism as she raised an eyebrow. “You think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world. Even though most 'a the time I'm soaked with sweat and dirt from workin' the orchards all day?”

Rarity let go of her, taking a few long steps forward with her back turned and her hands clasped behind her back. “I'll admit you aren't exactly a traditional beauty,” she said before spinning around on her heel, forcing Applejack to stop in her tracks. “But you are still beautiful. Just a more...,” she gave her an appraising look and smile, “earthy sort of beautiful. And, as I said, you are the most beautiful girl in the world.”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack countered, crossing her arms. “And where exactly does that leave you?”

Rarity crossed her arms as well, even closing her eyes and tilting her head up defiantly. “Also the most beautiful girl in the world. You said so yourself, did you not?”

Applejack stared at her for a moment, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “Rarity, there can't be two most beautiful girls in the world.”

“And why not?” Rarity asked, doubling down on her defiance. “Our beauties are different, after all. Why can't they both be utterly perfect in every way?”

“I don't even know where to begin with that...,” Applejack muttered.

Before she or Rarity could say anything more, however, both girls were interrupted by their phones going off within seconds of each other. They shared a confused look for a moment before simultaneously reaching into pocket and purse and withdrawing their devices.

“It's from Twilight,” Applejack said, brow furrowed.

“Mine too,” Rarity replied, frowning as she began to read.

The pair took a few moments to read in silence, only looking up once to silently share their surprise with each other. “So, what do ya wanna tell 'em?” Applejack asked.

Rarity chewed on her lip a little before replying. “Well, we can hardly tell them that we're already out and about in the city. I'd rather not risk them asking questions we're not prepared to answer truthfully or piecing things together on their own. Twilight and Sunset are quite clever, after all...”

“Ya got that right...,” Applejack murmured, tilting her hat as she looked at the screen of her phone. “Course, we gotta tell 'em somethin' in case we run into this Amethyst person.”

“You aren't suggesting we interrupt our plans in order to search for her, are you?” Rarity asked with a troubled expression.

Applejack took one look and gave her a soft smile. “Naw, of course not! I'm just sayin' we gotta be prepared in case we run into her while we're enjoyin' ourselves. It ain't likely ta happen, I know, but if it does I am gonna try to talk to her like Twilight asked.”

Rarity pouted a bit, then placed a finger on her lips in thought. “Well... fair enough, I suppose. I'll admit I wouldn't mind learning more about this supposed 'other Sunset' either, especially if it's to help our Sunset. And we do have some wiggle room in today's schedule of events. It's just that it'll be tricky explaining to our friends why we happened to be searching together.”

“Exactly,” Applejack said. “You goin' out alone is one thing since ya had the house to yourself. But with Big Mac and our sisters havin' the truck all day, by all rights I'd have no way of leavin' the farm!”

“Hmm...,” Rarity murmured, one hand tapping her chin in thought while the other arm supported it. It didn't take long for her to brighten up and snap her fingers, declaring “Ah ha! I have the perfect idea.”

“What is it?” her girlfriend asked. “I don't reckon we got a lotta time before Twilight wonders why we're not replyin'.”

“Simple,” Rarity answered with a proud smirk. “You simply tell her that you can't leave the farm right now, and I'll let her know that I've got the day free to search as much as she'd like. With the right wording and a little luck, she'll ask if I can pick you up. I'll say yes, of course,” she said, giving Applejack a coy smile, “and voila!” She clapped her hands. “We'll have our cover story.”

“Hrmm... I suppose that'll work,” Applejack murmured, frowning at her. She looked down at her phone, adding “I just gotta think of a way to word it that I'm comfortable with. How about, uh, 'I'd love to help ya, Twi, but I can't really roam around the city right now. Big Mac's got the truck for the day on account of my sister and her friends wantin' to go on some sorta adventure.' That's all technically true, at least. I just ain't fond 'a technical truths. They don't feel real enough.”

Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder. “It'll have to do. You can always apologize to them about it later.”

“I guess,” Applejack said halfheartedly, flicking her hat. She stared at the message for a while longer, then finally sighed and sent it off.

Moments later, Rarity sent hers off as well. “Hopefully it won't take her long,” she commented as she and Applejack resumed their walk towards their lunch destination.

“Eeyup,” Applejack said for lack of better words. After a few moments she smiled at her girlfriend and took her hand, but they were forced to drop them again when their phones went off shortly after one another.

The corners of Rarity's mouth bent downwards as she read it. “Hrmm... nothing more than a simple 'Thanks', I'm afraid.”

“She's at least asked me if I'd be willin' to tag along with someone else,” Applejack said, staring at her phone. “Guess I'll say yes...” She sent off the reply before Rarity could say anything.

“I hope you worded that right,” she said, looking worried. “I'd hate for her to suggest getting a ride with one of the others...”

The telltale tone alerted them to another text for Applejack, who quickly looked at it and smiled. “Looks like it turned out just fine. She says you might be able to pick me up if I like. That's what we want, right?”

Her answer came in the form of her girlfriend's lips curling upward into a bright smile. “Perfect! Tell her you'll ask me, and we'll have the perfect excuse if we're seen together.”

Applejack chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Well, if ya say so...,” she said, sending off one last text message.

Downtown, Rainbow Dash had wisely alighted upon a rooftop when she got the text. She read it quickly, and squinted to get a better look at the attached image under the glint of the midday sun. Then she groaned.

“What, they expect me to look for this girl now?” she griped. “I'm having trouble keeping up with Mare-Do-Well already, I don't need some other girl to track down too!”

Dash looked out over the city, then sighed and looked back at the message. “Then again, this does sound pretty important. And I guess it couldn't hurt too much to keep an eye out for this 'Amethyst Shine' person.” She let the hand holding her phone drop to her side, the other shielding her eyes as she looked up at the nearly cloudless sky.

“Screw it,” she said suddenly, turning attention back to her phone and hammering out a response. “I'll do it. No reason not to, right? Heck, she'll probably be easy to find. I don't care if she disappeared mysteriously or whatever, she's no-”

And just as suddenly she stopped, thumb hovering over the key that would send her reply and eyes wide with shocking revelation. “-Mare-Do-Well...” The name passed her lips as barely more than a whisper, and as soon as it was spoken a wide and energetic grin formed.

“Aww yeah!” she excitedly declared, sending her response text off without a second thought. “Time to take out two birds with one stone!”

She shoved her phone into her bag and flew off.

---

---

Hidden away in one of the more downtrodden sections of the city, in an abandoned warehouse filled with broken furniture and long-forgotten garbage, the door to the second floor was locked. At one time it had been left open by drifters and criminals who'd taken everything the floor had to offer and claimed the space as their own; now it was barred to the outside world and completely unmovable no matter how many tried to force it open. The fire escape had been similarly blockaded.

Only the windows were left as broken and grimy portals to the outside world, but only a fool would attempt to enter through them. Why bother risking your health for the second floor of an abandoned warehouse? Nobody was ever around it, so it had probably been blocked off by sheer chance.

Had anyone taken the risk, they would have been rewarded with the discovery of a well-dusted den stuffed with crates and enough amenities to last a person through the night. A police scanner was sat on top an old card table, and a nearby dry-erase board looked to have been wiped clean recently. All the windows in the room but one were barred, and the door was locked.

The warm, still air was broken by the sudden arrival of a young woman clad in purple, appearing in the middle of the room as if from nowhere. She landed softly in a crouch on the bare wooden floor, and as she stood her long cape unfurled around her. She strode with purpose to a pile of crates that had been covered in a large white sheet and given pillows to form a makeshift couch, but rather than throw herself down on it she simply took off her wide-brimmed hat and casually tossed it onto the seat. Then she knelt and lifted the corner of the sheet to reveal a crate that looked exactly as ordinary as all the others in the room; she felt around the edges of the front panel for a moment before pulling it off entirely.

Inside was a safe. She swiftly looked left and right and over her shoulder before spinning the dial and entering the combination; the door swung open shortly after and she looked around the room again. Only then did she reach carefully into a hidden pocket of her full-body suit and pull out a thick roll of cash. With nearly a hundred dollars in it it was her largest score by far; the product of skill, planning, and a little bit of luck, and it made her proud.

She tossed it casually inside the safe, and paused for a moment to admire her full stash: Gems of varying types and cuts and sizes. Jewelry and watches that had caught her envious eye. And bundles of cash, mostly small bills. All of it had been pilfered, bit by bit, from the scenes of robberies she'd thwarted in payment for her services, starting small but earning more and more each time. How she longed to make use of it, for what was the meaning of wealth – of power – if you didn't flaunt it? Unfortunately for her, a part of her was too scared of getting caught using stolen money or selling stolen goods.

It was the same irritating little part of her that even now was swelling up with guilt as she viewed the contents of the safe. The same irritating little part that struck her with an urge to gather up all of it and spirit it away to the nearest police station and leave it for them; it was the right thing to do, they'd never have to know it was me!

The urge was strong enough and unexpected enough that she fell backwards trying to fight it off. She writhed on the floor for a good few seconds before she managed to kick the safe closed, and that was enough to banish the urge to the unimportant corner of her mind it had come from. She got back to her feet and dusted off her cape and costume, then replaced the crate panel and covering sheet. Only then did she take a seat on top of it, and allowed herself to relax.

She really did need to deal with that irritating little part of her, though. As useful as it was, it was growing to become a nuisance. Didn't it understand that she was only doing what she deserved? Had it really gotten cold feet this far along the path to greatness she so desperately craved? It was disappointing. She had the power she had long envied, and now it was unwilling to use it.

At this rate, she'd have to either find a way to silence that irritating little part of her forever, or find something better...

And at the O'Patty's on Queen's Avenue (between 5^th and 6^th Streets), an old pickup truck pulled into one of the last available parking spots. Three teenage girls and one older boy got out of it, the younger trio taking the lead and chatting excitedly amongst themselves as they headed inside a thoroughly average franchise of the Republic's leading burger chain.

“I still say we should've gotten lunch at the Poultry Barn,” Scootaloo remarked, arms folded behind her head. “Their chicken wings are amazing.”

“And expensive,” Sweetie Belle countered. “O'Patty's has a better value menu. It has stuff for everybody!”

“More like you have a coupon for a free shake that expires tomorrow,” Scootaloo countered back out of the corner of her mouth.

“So?!” Sweetie all but gasped. “That doesn't mean I'm wrong. Back me up, Apple Bloom!” she said, turning a pleading look to their gang's third member. Scootaloo followed suit.

Apple Bloom just shrugged. “Don't matter much to me. The only reason we picked this place is cause it was the closest. Ain't that right, Big Mac?” she turned and asked her brother.

“Eeyup,” he said faithfully.

They reached the door and the argument ended, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo declaring a silent truce on the matter in the face of their present location. It nearly ended when Sweetie stuck her tongue out as she passed her friend by to get in line; but while Scootaloo fumed she elected not to cause a scene.

The girls placed their orders one by one, with Big Mac following behind and making it clear to the cashiers that he'd be paying for all four of them. And as each received their greasy, salty, delicious order in turn, they headed to one of the many empty tables inside the restaurant.

“So, what's next on the to-do list?” Scootaloo asked through a mouth full of fries once all four had been seated.

“Hrmm, good question,” Apple Bloom replied, setting down the burger she was just about to bite into and fishing the somewhat crumpled list of errands from her pocket. “Let's see... we got the food for Winona... refilled Granny's prescriptions... picked up all that mail that never got delivered...”

“That was a weird experience,” Scootaloo said to Sweetie Belle, who nodded emphatically.

“Looks like the next thing we gotta do is return some library books for her,” Apple Bloom finished, folding up the list and stowing it back in her pocket.

Scootaloo sighed. “So another boring thing, huh?”

Sweetie Belle took a good, long sip of her shake before saying “Maybe there'll be someone we can help find a book or something?”

“Still boring...,” Scootaloo replied. “Are you sure we can't go do something more exciting?” she asked Big Mac.

“Nnnnope,” he replied without hesitation.

She sighed and hung her head. “That's what I thought.”

It was then that the sound of an approaching motorcycle caught their attention, and the four turned their heads towards the nearest window to see it pull into the parking lot. The driver was a young woman based on the figure, wearing a battered leather jacket and old jeans.

She took off her helmet, and the Crusaders gasped. Even Big Mac's jaw dropped, a bit of lettuce falling out of it.

“Is that...?” Apple Bloom asked as she watched the amber-skinned young woman stow away her helmet and walk towards the door.

“It can't be...,” Scootaloo replied, eyes glued to the girl.

“It is!” Sweetie countered as she finally entered.

With her red-and-gold hair cut short, a scar across her left eye, and a no-nonsense scowl on her face, she looked quite different from the girl they knew. But that face was undeniable.

“It's Sunset Shimmer!”

Only a few blocks away, though unbeknownst to her 'riding partner' or indeed anyone else of consequence, Starlight Glimmer poked her head out of an alleyway. Her eyes were wide and her breathing heavy as she looked frantically from one side to the other. A man in a business suit who happened to be walking past gave her a strange look; she gave him an awkwardly wide smile and wave that only seemed to unnerve him more. He hurried away, and Starlight breathed a sigh of relief.

It didn't last long before she hustled out into the open and power-walked away. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath, trying to control the panic in her voice while keeping her eyes from darting around. “Completely and totally ridiculous.”

She saw another person walking towards her down the sidewalk ahead of her, gasped, and ducked into the nearest alley while they were looking away. Once she felt she was sufficiently hidden from public view, she rested against a wall and clutched at her chest. She desperately willed herself to calm down, telling herself that she wasn't really being followed. She was letting her paranoia from years of being on the run and avoiding the authorities like the plague get the better of her again; there was no way she was actually being tailed by some kind of cult. She must have misheard or misunderstood those girls from earlier when they mentioned magic.

But as much as she kept telling herself that, she kept remembering how they'd somehow known about Sunset Shimmer, and how they wanted to track Starlight down, fake name or not. And that was bad no matter their reasons behind it – people looking for her would undoubtedly ask unwanted questions, and that would lead to trouble.

So for now, Starlight needed to lay low. Which meant finding somewhere to lay low at, especially now that the library was out of the question after she'd expressed interest in it to that Twilight girl. Going there now was just asking to be cornered.

But without a familiarity with the city, Starlight was left with only one place left to go. She hoped that if anyone was after her, they hadn't found it yet.

And in the Canterlot Rescue Center...

Mr. Discord blinked, his mouth opening and closing as the three police officers stared him down. “Ah, c-come again?” he said, putting on a smile. “I'm not certain I heard you right. You'd like to question me about a... about a bank robbery?”

The blue-skinned officer scowled. “Several eyewitnesses place you at the scene, Mr. Discord. We're not accusing you of being behind it, but there are some lingering questions we'd like you to clear up.”

“W-well,” Mr. Discord replied, quickly reaching an indignant stride, “I see no reason why I can't answer them here! I did nothing!”

The officer sighed and shook his head. “You should know we can't just do that in your case. Especially because we'd rather not disturb the Rescue Center's operations any more than we already have,” he said, looking around the hall – including at Dr. Rescue, who was now standing in an open doorway.

She snorted. “Just take him away. If there's any chance of him going back to his old ways, I don't want him around.”

Mr. Discord huffed and gave her a look of sheer offense. “That's hardly a professional way to treat one of your volunteers, Doctor.”

Dr. Rescue didn't flinch. “Maybe I'd have more professionalism to spare if you hadn't spent the last week chipping away at it. You've been on thin ice with me for awhile now, and you've got nobody to blame but yourself.”

“Umm...”

The two stared at one another as though daring the other to speak until the blue-skinned officer stepped between them, arms outstretched. “Okay, that's enough. Mr. Discord,” he said, causing the elderly man to turn his stare his way, “it's pretty clear that it would be best for everyone if you just came down to the station with us.”

Mr. Discord harrumphed. “Very well. But only because it's obvious this farce of an accusation won't be cleared up otherwise. I expect full apologies from everyone,” he drew himself up to his full height and sent a narrow-eyed glance back at Dr. Rescue, “once it becomes clear that I have done absolutely nothing wrong.”

He paused to think for a moment, then added “This time.”

One of the other two officers, a pink-skinned man, snorted and muttered “Yeah right...” He was immediately given a sharp look by the blue-skinned officer, and stiffened under it. “With all due respect, sir,” he explained, “nobody believes this guy is innocent. Not with his history.”

“Umm... I do...”

“Well if that's the attitude the police are taking at the start of an investigation, then it seems justice isn't all it's cracked up to be,” Mr. Discord said coldly. “But no matter.” He adjusted his overalls, then held out his arms. “I don't care if you don't believe me. Just take me away and-”

“I believe you, Mr. Discord,” Fluttershy said, finally loud enough for the others to take notice. She shrunk under the combined weight of the sudden attention on her.

“You do?” Mr. Discord asked, mildly startled. Then his lips curled upward into a cunning smile, and he sighed in delight. “Ahh, Fluttershy, I knew I could count on you,” he said, walking beside her and putting his hands on her shoulder. Then he turned and faced the cops. “A good judge of character, this one,” he told them, giving Fluttershy a light shake. “You three could learn a thing or two from her. In fact, I'd say the very existence of someone standing up for me should prove I've turned over a new leaf!”

The adults shifted uncomfortably, and even Fluttershy squirmed a little under the pressure of his hand pinning her in place. “That doesn't really... make a difference,” the blue-skinned officer said after a moment. “We still have to take you down to the station for questioning.”

And just like that, Mr. Discord's smile fell away. “Darn. Well then,” he stepped forward and offered his hands with head held high, “let's get this over with.”

Nobody moved for nearly a minute before the blue-skinned officer looked at his comrades and shrugged. They shrugged back, the pink-skinned one took out his handcuffs, and both stepped forward. They grabbed Mr. Discord's wrists and cuffed them behind his back, and led him through the hall to the entrance.

Fluttershy was expecting the four men to stop at the doorway, for Mr. Discord to look back and offer some thanks or words of encouragement, but the moment never came. They simply left without another word, leaving Fluttershy standing there at the door to the backroom in silence. She felt herself clutch the geode around her neck, though she wasn't sure why.

She looked to Dr. Rescue for a smile, a nod, anything comforting, but only saw her shake her head and walk back inside her office. And so, with her lofty goals of redeeming Mr. Discord seemingly a hair's breadth away from crashing down with nothing she could do to stop it, Fluttershy turned on her heel and walked back into the kennel room.

With her phone set to silent as it usually was during her working hours, she didn't notice the text she'd gotten.

Pinkie groaned again, leaning back in her chair and patting her full belly. “I had too much lunch...”

Marble, who had been walking past carrying her and her mother's plates, stopped to look at her twin. “Mmhmm,” she said with a quiet yet surprisingly impish smile before moving on.

“I have long told you to practice temperance, Pinkamena,” Cloudy Quartz said idly, sitting nearby and knitting.

“I know,” Pinkie replied halfheartedly. “I was just in a hurry to finish so we could go pick up Maud!”

Limestone, sitting at the table with her, just stared. “Then why did you eat so much?”

“Halfway through I realized that eating fast won't make Maud's plane land any sooner,” Pinkie moped. “But it was just so good that I kept going!”

The eldest Pie sibling face-palmed. “You better not make us late because of this.”

“I won't,” Pinkie said, holding up a weak thumb's up. “I'm good to go whenever.” She stifled a belch.

“Good,” Limestone told her. She paused, then added “You're not gonna make us wander around everywhere looking for that girl your friend told you about, are you?”

Pinkie tapped her chin in thought. “Nah,” she decided. “I'll keep an eye out for her and let the girls know, but I wanna make today about us.”

“Good, cause it's just about time to go,” Limestone said, looking at her phone.

“Woohoo!” Pinkie cheered, raising her arms as she bolted upright with her full stomach forgotten. “Time for the best! Day! Ever!”

Limestone couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes as she and Pinkie moved towards the front door, and Marble chimed in with a happy “Mmhmm!” as she followed after them.

Author's Note:

CMC Logo by AtomicGreymon

Well! This marks the start of Synchrony's 'Afternoon Arc', so I hope it got you excited for all the developments that are to come. And also the Pie Sisters! Because they didn't really do anything in the first arc.

We'll be returning the focus to Twilight and Sunset next chapter, though I can't say for sure when it'll be published.

Until then, enjoy yourselves!

Comments

[Flufux]

Now things are getting interesting...

Twilight and Sunset on the hunt for Starlight, Applejack and Rarity just trying to enjoy themselves away from all the others' drama, Rainbow Dash getting closer to the mystery of Mare-Do-Well, CMCs seeing human Sunset, Starlight getting paranoid (which is very in character by the way), Discord being assumed guilty until proven innocent with Fluttershy the only one willing to give him a chance, and finally Pinkie and her sisters are doing...stuff. Yeah, I haven't really gotten a true grasp on what their arc is about just yet.

All I got to say thus far is that I'm really looking forward to seeing how these plots will continue to unfold in later chapters.

[AlexTFish]

Yay, there was more here than I was expecting! I'd thought this would just be a little interlude, but there's all sorts of interesting things going on. It almost makes me wonder whether later chapters might do well to include POV flips at a more frequent pace.

I was a little disappointed to not see any hint of romantic tension between Sunlight, but I guess they're both too excited about investigating their mysteries :) (Edit: Oh, and I hadn't realized that the next chapter is about them anyway so I don't have long to wait.)

I had been just starting to wonder what was the point in the CMCs being here at all when oh, look who they bumped into! It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out!