Chapter 1 - The Clock Strikes Eight

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The clock face set in the tower that had once been the tallest building in Canterlot struck 8 o'clock, and all across the city its tiny modern cousins mimicked its call in near-perfect synchrony. It was an average Saturday morning a couple weeks after the solstice, the summer sun already bright and warm and threatening to get brighter and warmer as the day crept on. As many stories as there were people would be written and told that day, and few of Canterlot's citizens would ever fully realize the roles they would play in all the stories not their own.

Such is the nature of life. Ever-moving, ever-changing, ever-concerned with the present and rarely the world beyond. And yet, for all their ignorance, all lives remain connected.

For better, or for worse.

On near-opposite sides of town, two girls had been awake for nearly an hour thanks to the anxiety their plans for the day had brought them. On the second floor of a house in one of the nicer neighborhoods Twilight Sparkle paced her room, breakfast growing cold on her desk as she reviewed her schedule for the umpteenth time that morning.

“Okay. Assuming the buses don't experience a more significant delay than usual, and of course that any number of other disastrous occurrences don't occur, Sunset should be getting here at approximately 9:03. That will leave us with eleven minutes to exchange greetings-”

“-and introduce her to your parents,” her dog Spike interjected with a knowing smirk.

“Yes, and that,” Twilight continued with a faint blush. “Then we have to confirm both our objectives for today and our schedule before we head out to catch the next bus so we can get to the hardware store by 9:30.”

“Is there any reason you have to be there by then?” Spike asked.

“W-well, it's right after the store opens, so there shouldn't be too many people there,” Twilight explained. “We'll be able to get what we need more efficiently.”

Spike shrugged. “Makes sense to me,” he said before turning his attention to a chew toy.

“Right,” Twilight said, taking a breath before resuming her pacing. “So. I figure that we can use the trip to and from the hardware store to fill each other in on any relevant preliminary information we haven't shared yet. You know,” she clarified for her inattentive pet, “a summary of what Sunset already knows about this world's magic, how my device works, that sort of thing.”

“Uh-huh,” Spike said between gnaws of a particularly large rawhide bone.

“We should be done obtaining the supplies I'll need to rebuild the detector in time to catch the 10:01 bus,” Twilight continued, paying as much attention to Spike as he was to her. “Though of course actually doing the rebuilding will take far longer. I estimate that if we stay on task and don't encounter any significant issues, we'll be done in time for a late lunch. And, we can give the device a test run afterward!” she finished with a smile.

“Sounds good!” Spike told her with a smile of his own. “Just like all the other times you've run it by me.”

“Great, because it's too late for any significant changes to it,” Twilight said. “Part two of today's schedule, on the other hand...”

And in what she felt was almost certainly the cheapest (and therefore lowest-quality) apartment in the worst-off part of town, Sunset Shimmer was doing much the same in her kitchen-slash-living area. She had no written schedule to go over, nor anyone to go over it with, but she did have several pages of notes to review from the last time she'd tried to research her friends' magic. Too much of it had been little more than question marks and frustrated scrawls, but with a clearer mind she had managed to summarize her conclusions over the day-and-a-half since she'd last met with Twilight.

She'd also printed out what little information she'd been able to track down about her human counterpart, but that was an entirely separate matter.

“I can't believe she's been missing for five years,” Sunset said to herself, looking over a copy of an old missing person notice depicting a fourteen-year-old girl that looked exactly like she'd imagined a younger version of her human body would. The scowling face, the wavy two-toned hair, even the way she dressed resembled what Sunset could see herself wearing at that age. She shoveled another spoonful of dry store-brand cereal into her mouth, and looked at another page detailing the other Sunset's life. Apparently she'd been an orphan, much like Sunset herself, but instead of having her talents recognized at a young age and getting whisked away to the most prestigious school of magic – and eventually personal tutelage under Princess Celestia herself – the other Sunset...hadn't. She'd just been stuck in a children's home on the other side of Canterlot, going to a normal school like any other kid.

At least, as far as Sunset could piece together from the missing person notice and a few newspaper articles about her. The other Sunset seemed to have been a 'troubled' child, which didn't surprise her. She knew how much she had hated living in the orphanage, how much she hated being pitied and looked down on, and how much it had only driven her desire to prove herself to the world by whatever means necessary...

Sunset could understand why the other her would have left, but... “Where are you?” she wondered aloud, feeling a pit of dread forming in her stomach.

While their friends took breakfast, the son and daughters of Sweet Apple Acres on the outskirts of the city went about their morning chores. All four Apples had been awake since dawn, tending the orchards and feeding the animals and processing the apples and more. The two youngest worked in haste, Applejack and Apple Bloom each wanting to finish their assignments so they could go about preparations for what they really wanted to do that day.

For Apple Bloom, that was a day out on the town with her two best friends full of adventure and do-goodery. They were to be chaperoned by Big McIntosh, who was mostly operating under the assumption that it wouldn't take long before the three girls grew bored and decided to return to the farm, and in the meantime it would give him the chance to stock up on a few things he needed.

Applejack, on the other hand, had a date. A date she had sworn to keep secret lest the truth ruin her relationship with her friends, but a date nonetheless. It had been a struggle to keep it under wraps so far, considering how much she had been looking forward to it for months, but Applejack felt confident that she'd managed to keep her promise to the girl that had captured her heart.

“And once everythin' turns out better than she coulda ever dreamed of,” Applejack said to herself with a light chuckle as she tended to the fruitlets on the last of the trees in the southern orchard, “Rarity will finally realize there's no point in hidin'. Not from our friends, anyway.”

Her work in the orchard done for the time being, Applejack picked up her massive crate of tools and headed back in to the farmhouse – nominally to take care of her last few chores in the family garden, but in actuality to keep track of her siblings' whereabouts. Their plan for the day had given Applejack exactly the opportunity she'd been looking for to fulfill another promise she'd made to Rarity, and all she had to do was wait for them to leave...and then ask Granny Smith for permission to use the kitchen.

Well, it wasn't a perfect plan for stealth, but Applejack wanted to do things right. And you just didn't take over a kitchen for two hours without asking first.

And so, once the garden had been watered and weeded and she was looking for something else to do to stall for time, Applejack finally caught sight of Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh getting in the big truck and driving off. She couldn't help but smile, and wiped the sweat from her brow and put away the tools and went inside to wash up. There she found Granny Smith in the kitchen, scrubbing out empty preserve jars.

“Oh, there ya are Applejack,” she said, looking up as her granddaughter entered the room with a sheepish smile. “Go an' fetch another crate a' jars from the barn, will ya?”

“Uhh, sure Granny,” Applejack answered, hesitant but obedient. “But, uhh, I was wonderin' if...” She paused, just long enough for Granny Smith to narrow her eyes and raise an eyebrow. “If ya minded me makin' a small batch of fritters right now.”

“Fritters?” Granny Smith questioned, holding her gaze for a few seconds before brightening rather abruptly and answering “Why a' course! Heck, I'll even help ya,” she added, setting aside the jar she'd been washing and drying her hands on a towel. “More fun than washin' jars. Whadaya need the fritters for, anyway?”

“Uh...well...y'see...” Applejack stammered, her body becoming stiff as she found herself trapped between a promise to her girlfriend and an ingrained inability to lie to her grandmother. “The thing is...,” she gulped, “I, uh, I wanna share 'em with one of my friends. That's all.”

Immediately, Granny Smith's eyes narrowed again. She put her hands on her hips and leaned in close enough that Applejack began to sweat under her scrutinizing gaze. “One a' yer friends, eh?”

“That's what I said,” Applejack answered, forcing herself to stand up straighter.

“Just the one?” Granny asked, her gaze relaxing but her words coming faster. “As in single? Less than two, but more than zero?”

“Yeah!” Applejack replied, annoyance quickly breaking through her nerves and flinging her arms up. “Just me and her and nobody else!”

Granny Smith cracked a smile and laughed, and even more so once her granddaughter began to realize just what she'd said. “Well why didn't ya say so! Sure must be a special friend if yer goin' to all the trouble of bakin' some fritters just fer the two of ya!” She gave Applejack a light punch in the arm, then bent down and pulled a mixing bowl and spoons from one of the cupboards.

“C-c'mon, Granny, I didn't-” Applejack tried to say, rubbing her arm at first then following her grandmother to the pantry.

“Hah!” Granny laughed, turning back around and thrusting a bag of flour and a bag of sugar into her granddaughter's arms. “If it weren't true, you wouldn't'a been so wishy-washy askin' me. Don't know why you thought yer old Granny Smith wouldn't see right through ya, though.”

Applejack sighed, putting the ingredients on the counter as Granny Smith moved on to the refrigerator. “Sorry, Granny. It's just that, well, she doesn't want me tellin' anybody about us just yet.”

“Ohh, so it's one of those deals, is it?” Granny replied with a knowing nod as she set a carton of eggs on the counter. “Well, you can count on me not t'spill the beans, then.”

“Thanks, Granny,” Applejack said, putting on a smile as she began to crack the eggs into a smaller bowl. “I promise it won't stay a secret for very long. A few more weeks at most, I reckon.”

“Good, good,” Granny told her. “Don't wanna put it off fer too long, or else ya won't have nobody to invite to yer weddin'!” She laughed, and Applejack blushed.

“Granny!”

And far away, her lover was anxiously awaiting her own family's departure. “So, ah, when, pray tell, will they be arriving here?” Rarity asked her sister, sitting with her on the sofa in the front room of their house, sipping a hot cup of tea.

“I told you,” Sweetie Belle replied without looking up from her phone, “they only just left the farm. Plus they're gonna pick up Scootaloo on the way here. It's still gonna be a while.”

“I see...,” Rarity said, frowning slightly and looking at her own phone. “Well then, I suppose I'd best hop in the shower and start getting ready as well. Be a dear and give me a holler when you're about to leave, will you?” she asked, standing up and walking past her sister.

“Umm, okay,” Sweetie replied, giving her a rather confused look. “What are you getting ready for, anyway? I thought you were just gonna spend the whole morning watching soap operas in your bathrobe.”

Rarity stopped in mid-step, eyes wide open in surprise. She looked at the steaming cup of tea in her hand, to the plush white robe she was wearing, then turned around with a wide and forced grin on her face. “But of course! I simply...,” she paused, “wanted to freshen up first! I can hardly stand to watch anything while I'm dirty, Sweetie Belle.”

Sweetie's eyes narrowed as she regarded her sister with suspicion. “Sure...”

“Well then, as I said, let me know when you're leaving,” Rarity said with as much nonchalance as she could muster, which wasn't nearly enough to divert her sister's suspicions. Rarity left nonetheless, taking one last drink of tea before dropping the cup off in the kitchen and heading upstairs. She dithered in the hallway, however, caught between a desire to choose and set out the outfit for her date with Applejack, and taking the shower as she'd told Sweetie Belle.

In the end, she fell on the side of caution and took her shower. Sweetie was clearly suspicious, she reasoned, and would only become moreso if Rarity didn't keep up her act. There was also the possibility of her deciding to go snooping in her big sister's room, and while Rarity didn't think that was likely she also didn't want to risk leaving out some of her best clothes where her sister could see and question them.

Fortunately, by the time she'd gotten out of the shower again it didn't seem like Sweetie had decided to do any impromptu and untoward investigations of Rarity's room. Nor did it seem like she'd left the house yet, either. However, this only caused Rarity to realize that she would have to delay getting herself dressed once again – she could still at least dry and style her hair, of course, as well as surreptitiously call the restaurant she'd booked to double-check the reservations for that night, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to get dressed, put on make-up, get herself absolutely perfect for when her darling Applejack first laid eyes on her this morning. Not being able to do that without risking her sister taking notice and asking all sorts of awkward questions was eating away at Rarity, all that tension and longing and frustration forming a tight little ball in the pit of her stomach that threatened to do all sorts of nefarious things if left unchecked, and it just kept growing and growing until Rarity thought she was going to burst...

The doorbell rang, and before it even ended Rarity heard the door being flung open and excited words exchanged. The sound of rapid footsteps, and Sweetie Belle's voice echoed through the house. “I'm leaving, Rarity!” More footsteps, and the door slammed.

Rarity let out her breath. “Finally!” she moaned, immediately rushing back into her room and throwing open the doors of her wardrobe.

While the lovers prepared for their date, another family in another house in another part of town were preparing for something else entirely.

“Ooh! Ooh! How about streamers! Is it too late to get streamers?” Pinkie asked excitedly, waving around the mixing spoon she was holding and flinging bits of batter onto her mother and twin sister.

“For the last time, Pinkie,” said Limestone as she walked past carrying a vacuum cleaner, “no streamers!” Pinkie drew herself up in preparation for another suggestion, but Limestone cut her off immediately. “And no balloons, either!”

Pinkie deflated, and her mother put a hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry yourself, Pinkamena,” said Cloudy Quartz, offering a rare smile. “We shall put your talents to use in a splendid celebration when Maudalina formally receives her doctorate in a fortnight's time.”

“Mm-hm!” Marble added with a happy smile, wiping the batter from her cheek.

Pinkie sighed and resumed her mixing. “Okay... I just wanted to make today even more extra special than it's already gonna be. I want Maud to be super, duper excited when she gets here and realizes just how excited we all are for her to be back!”

“I...I'm sure she already will,” Marble offered.

“Indeed,” Cloudy Quartz chimed in. “For are you not planning an outing to the city proper as sisters?” she asked. “I am certain she will have a great appreciation for the gesture.”

“I know,” Pinkie told them, her sadness fading but her cheer not quite returned. “But I just can't help but feel like today needs a little something more, you know?” She looked up in thought, and tapped the messy spoon against her chin. “The cupcakes are gonna be amazing, and walking around the city is gonna be super fun too. I just can't shake the feeling that we need something, I don't know,” she waved the end of the spoon around in a circle, “even more exciting.” It was then that she noticed the cupcake batter she'd gotten on her nose and cheek, and licked it up with a happy giggle.

Her mother frowned. “Now, Pinkamena, do not wish for excitement lest wicked forces deign to grant it.”

“Yeah, Pinkie,” Limestone added with an almost mocking tone as she walked by again, “you don't wanna jinx it, do you?”

Pinkie gasped dramatically. “No! I don't wanna jinx it!”

Limestone laughed. “Well then,” she paused when she noticed the stern look her mother was leveling her way, and became nervous. “Uh...well, don't worry about it,” she said gruffly. “The day's gonna be great as-is, it doesn't need anything else. Got it?”

“Mmm...,” Pinkie murmured, scrunching her face up in thought. “Got it!” she decided, perking up considerably. Limestone saw her mother's look recede, and let out a small breath of relief. “Just think,” Pinkie continued as she resumed stirring again, then began to pour the batter into an empty tray. “In just a few short hours, Maud's plane is gonna land! And we're gonna be there to pick her up! And theee~ennn,” she added with a growing grin, suddenly reaching out and pulling both her startled sisters into one big side-hug, “it'll be time for the best! Day! Ever!”

“Mm-hmm!” Marble said with a happy smile that was soon reflected on the face of their elder sister and mother.

“Hah! I already found her? Best day ever!” said Rainbow Dash, perched atop a downtown highrise in her armored Pony-Up form, looking down at the streets below through a pair of binoculars. She quickly shoved them into the messenger bag she was carrying and jumped off the roof, flying on crystalline wings at the figure she'd seen. She left a rainbow-colored trail in her wake.

Her target was the costumed vigilante known only as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, a woman with fantastical abilities whom most had been quick to label a superhero. But Rainbow Dash could only see her as suspicious, both for the obviously magical nature of her powers and for always running away when confronted. After all, Rainbow Dash reasoned, what sort of hero wouldn't want to talk to another hero? And Rainbow Dash was as heroic as they came, as far as she was concerned at least. For nearly a week she'd been pursuing the mystery woman in the long cape and broad-rimmed fedora, but hadn't managed to so much as touch her even once.

Not that it had dissuaded her. “Come back here!” she yelled, ignorant of the gawkers watching her from below as she flew toward the alley she'd just seen Mare-Do-Well sweep into. “I've got you this time,” she said with confidence as she entered the narrow passage, navigating it with a speed and deftness born from painful trial and error towards a dead-end she knew was there.

She turned the final corner, and saw nothing but scattered garbage. “What?!” she said, eyes wide with shock and growing panic. She shot up above the rooftops and frantically looked around for any trace of her quarry, but found none.

“Grr....not again!” she growled, stamping the air with her foot out of frustration and flying off.

And yet elsewhere in the city, another girl was also fast approaching disappointment. After only three days of being forced to work alongside the Canterlot Rescue Center's newest 'volunteer', Fluttershy's nearly heart-stopping fear had been replaced by irritation, which had in turn peaked quite quickly. She wasn't about to abandon the Center and all her cute little animal friends, of course, so in search of some of the peace she'd once known there she had decided to come in early on Friday morning. Dr. Rescue, who ran the Center, had been surprised but understanding, and for an hour they'd shared a quiet respite before the subject of their mutual vexation arrived for his court-mandated community service.

Fluttershy had decided to do the same thing on Saturday, waking up extra early so she could get to the Center by 8:30. Taking the bus at such an unfamiliar hour was still a little bit intimidating, but the driver and other passengers had seemed nice enough. And without the prospect of running into Mr. Discord on the walk from the bus stop to the Center, Fluttershy was practically overjoyed. She even started humming to herself as she walked down the sidewalk, and stopped to greet all the city-dwelling animals that she met along the way.

“Oh, yes, that's really quite a shame,” she told a sparrow that had landed on her finger and sang to her its problems. “But I know you'll be able to build an even better nest if you just try. I can even try to help you if I have the time later!” The sparrow sang happily, then flew away.

She resumed humming to herself all the way up to the steps of the Rescue Center, twirling around happily on one foot before opening the door...

...and seeing Mr. Discord smirking at her from behind the front counter. She froze in place, gaping in shock.

“Why hello, Fluttershy!” he greeted. “I was just wondering when you were going to come in...” He stood up and briefly disappeared behind the wall, only to open the door separating the reception area from the rest of the center moments later. He was wearing the same outfit he had every day he'd been there save the first: a set of old denim overalls stained with paint and other things, a long-sleeved white undershirt, and boots that looked sturdier than they probably were. He also carried his cane and tattered top hat, the only remnants of the gentlemanly image he seemed to prefer.

“U-umm...wh-what are you doing here so early, Mr. Discord?” Fluttershy asked, following him inside while keeping one hand on the pink crystal geode tucked inside a hidden pocket Rarity had sewn into her skirt.

“Oh, just thought I'd follow your example,” the old conman-turned-convict answered with a sly and irreverent grin. “I thought young people today had no gumption or work ethic, but it seems I was pleasantly mistaken.”

As they walked down the hall towards one of the pet play areas, Fluttershy looked to the side and met the eyes of Dr. Rescue as she examined a dog in another room. They were tired for far more reasons than just the early hour, and a wave of sympathy passed between the two women.

Fluttershy turned a narrow-eyed look back to Mr. Discord. “You only came early so you could spend more time bothering me and Dr. Rescue, didn't you?”

Mr. Discord turned around, affecting an exaggerated look of affront. “Me?” he asked, putting a hand to his heart. “Why Fluttershy, I am simply aghast at your accusation! I merely thought that the more hours I put in to this place each day, the sooner I will be finished with my community service. Surely you'd like that, wouldn't you?” he asked, looming over her slightly.

Fluttershy sighed. “I guess so...” she said as she trudged past Mr. Discord and into the next room.

For each of them, their story that day began with hope; and none could foresee anything but their well-laid plans in what was yet to come. But all lives are connected, and while Canterlot's seven largely-unsung heroines began their days so too did countless others – including those with far less benign intentions.

About two blocks down from where Sunset Shimmer was catching the bus that would take her to the home of her best friend, research partner, and so much more, another Sunset Shimmer was exiting her room at the cheapest and most ramshackle motel in the city. She was accompanied, briefly, by her 'riding partner' Starlight Glimmer, but the two runaways parted ways almost immediately to go about their respective business.

For Starlight, this was mostly just a tour of the city to determine or verify the locations of restaurants, libraries, museums, and anything else that caught her interest. She also intended on trying to learn why the Sunset she knew and loathed had been acting so strangely about the city, but as their plan was to stay in the city for several days she had decided that there would be time enough for that later. It was smarter to treat this stop like any other, and familiarize herself with the layout of the city in case the police decided to show some interest in the pair.

But Sunset Shimmer, the human Sunset Shimmer, had grown up in the city. True, she'd abandoned the city five years ago once she'd realized it had nothing to offer her, but the street map hadn't exactly changed much since then. A few new buildings, and many new businesses, but she still recognized it as her old stomping grounds. Suffice to say she didn't need to take a tour of the city – not that she'd told Starlight as such, of course. The last thing she wanted was her 'partner' interfering in her day again.

Sunset grinned as she sped through the city on her motorcycle, headed nowhere in particular. All she'd ever wanted was power and the recognition that it brought, and everything she'd ever done had been in its pursuit. She didn't care how or where she got it, only that she got as much as she could as fast as she could. And that was why she'd decided to finally return to Canterlot despite all the memories it dredged up in her.

“Nothing to lose, everything to gain,” she whispered to herself as she stopped at an intersection and searched the skyline for the so-called 'superheroes' that she'd heard about.

Chapter 2 - Social Consequences of Bus-Schedule Adherence

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Sunset took a deep breath and walked up the driveway of the large, old-looking house that her best friend called home. It was thoroughly magenta in just about every detail, which surprised her, and was in the more well-off neighborhoods of Canterlot, which did not. Well-manicured lawns and picturesque gardens stretched as far as she could see, and the sun glinted off the several expensive-looking cars that hadn't been parked under shade trees.

She sighed. It was intimidating in its perfection, a reminder of this world's standards and her growing awareness of how poorly she fit them. This was her first time visiting Twilight Sparkle at her home, and thus the first time meeting her parents, and she wanted nothing more than to make a good impression. But every second she spent in the neighborhood only increased her self-doubt, and strengthened the little voice inside her that said she was only deluding herself that Twilight's family would like her after everything she is and has done. Just like she was only deluding herself that she and Twilight would ever be more than just friends...

“It'll be fine,” she told herself under her breath, stopping on the porch. “There's no way Twilight would tell them about how I used to be, so there's no point worrying about it. They'll like me, so just...get it over with!” Another deep breath, a quick check of her bag to make sure everything was still there, and then she finally rang the doorbell.

The door swung open before the tone had a chance to finish, revealing Twilight Sparkle standing behind it with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Without word or warning she grabbed Sunset by the shoulders and pulled her into the foyer, enveloping her in a warm and enthusiastic hug. “Sunset! Good morning! I'm so glad you were able to come!” she said, breaking the hug and taking a step back.

“Me too,” Sunset answered after her blush faded. She took a quick look at what Twilight was wearing – a light and ruffled magenta blouse with the top button left open, a matching skirt of a darker shade, her crystal geode on a string around her neck, and a pin in her hair in the familiar starburst shape she seemed to favor. “You look nice today,” she added. “New clothes?”

“Oh, no, just part of my usual rotation!” she explained with a blush. “Just...not part that I wear that often.”

That just made Sunset even more self-conscious, and for just a moment she looked down at the clothes she had chosen – yet another variant on her standard outfit, light blue blouse with jeans and leather jacket. “Right, right, I should've known,” she said, laughing it off.

“Don't worry about it,” Twilight told her with a light hand-wave, oblivious to her friend's insecurity. “You look great too! So, umm,” she continued before Sunset had a chance to respond, “did you bring everything?”

“Pretty much,” Sunset replied, swinging her bag off her shoulder and opening it up. “I've got all my original notes and data as well as summaries of both,” she explained as she rifled through the notebooks and files full of paper she had brought, pulling them out one by one. “Just so you understand exactly how little I've been able to make sense of all of it,” she added as she handed the first set of papers to Twilight. “Plus I brought what little information I was able to find about our current 'person of interest'.” She pulled out another file folder, and handed it to Twilight who was looking at the whole unopened stack with growing curiosity. “So, what did you wanna go over first?”

That snapped Twilight's attention away from the treasure trove of data just as she was about to open the first folder. “Oh! Well, actually-”

She was interrupted by the sound of a sliding door from a few rooms away, followed by a fast-paced scramble across both carpeted and hardwood floors. She wasn't surprised to see Spike turn the corner seconds later, and scamper down the hall towards them. “Hey Sunset! How ya been?” he asked the moment he stopped at their feet, tail wagging excitedly.

“Same as always,” Sunset answered with a smile. She as about to say something else, but stopped when she saw two people walking up from what she assumed was the same place Spike had been. A gray-skinned woman with purple-and-white striped hair and a blue-skinned, blue-haired man, the two looked plenty old enough to be Twilight's parents – so Sunset assumed they were.

“Why hello! You must be Sunset Shimmer,” the man greeted with a broad smile and an outstretched hand that Sunset promptly shook. “The name's Night Light, I'm Twily's father,” he said, putting a hand on his suddenly-nervous daughter's shoulder.

“And I'm Twilight Velvet,” the woman greeted in a similar fashion, opening her arms for a hug that Sunset accepted with only a moment of awkwardness. “We've heard so much about you! It's so great to finally meet one of Twilight's new friends.”

“Thanks,” Sunset replied. “Though it's a little surprising you haven't met any of us before now considering how long we've been friends.”

Twilight interrupted with an awkward laugh. “Yes, well, there's never really been a reason for them to meet you before today,” she explained. “I...don't exactly have people over very often.”

“Same with me, to be honest,” Sunset shrugged, not bothering to elaborate. “Can't judge you for that.”

“Which is why this is such a big occasion!” Night Light said, still brimming with enthusiasm.

“And we really must thank you for helping her come out of her shell,” Twilight Velvet added, now taking Sunset's hands.

“And for defending her from the bullies at her old school!” Night Light beamed at his daughter and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“Uhh...thanks?” Sunset told them, brow raised in confusion. She sent a questioning look at Twilight, but she seemed to have frozen in a nervous grin.

“We were so surprised when she suddenly wanted to transfer to CHS,” Velvet continued, looking at her daughter but seemingly ignorant of her mood. “But we can't argue with the results! Six new friends, a boyfriend, and all without sacrificing her future career.” She sighed happily, but this only seemed to make Twilight's smile more grimace-like. Not that her parents noticed.

“It's also nice to know she has someone working with her on her science projects!” Night Light continued on. “Maybe that'll help her remember not to skip meals,” he said with a fatherly chuckle and wink.

“D-Dad!” Twilight stammered, cheeks lightened by embarrassment. “I haven't missed a meal in thirty-seven days!”

Night Light just chuckled again. “I know, Twily, I know. So, what is it you girls are gonna be researching today?” he asked with a look of genuine interest.

“Oh, it's nothing,” Sunset answered. “We're just gonna try to-”

She was cut off by Twilight suddenly thrusting the stack of notes and data into her arms. “Sorry! Top secret! Gotta go!” she said rapidly, moving behind her bewildered friend and pushing her away from her parents all the way up to the next floor of the house.

“What was that about?” Sunset asked while Twilight looked around the hall as though someone would step out of a room at any moment.

“They don't know about magic!” Twilight whispered through her teeth, leaning in close even while her eyes continued to dart around.

“Wait, seriously? You haven't told them yet?” Sunset asked, more confused than ever. Twilight gave her a pleading look, and so she continued at a whisper. “But how did you explain the fact that Spike can talk?!”

“I panicked and said there was an accident with an untested biological nano-agent at the Friendship Games that made him smarter!”

“And they believed that?!”

“Apparently!”

“What about Cadance?”

“I told her not to tell them! Same with Spike!”

Sunset groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know you're gonna have to tell them eventually, right?”

“I know!” Twilight replied, her shoulders sagging as she looked down at her feet. “I know...it's just...I'm not ready yet. I mean,” she looked back up at Sunset, “what if they freak out about it? Or, or, or if they start thinking I'm a freak?”

“Relax,” Sunset said, smiling a putting a hand on her shoulder. “They seem pretty cool, all things considered. If they're fine with a talking dog I'm sure they'll be fine with a magical daughter too. And even if they aren't, you know you can always count on me and the girls to help you through it.”

Twilight let out her breath and smiled, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks once again. “Right... You're right. Thanks. I really mean it.”

“No problem,” Sunset said, pulling back her hand. “Tell them when you're ready.”

“I will,” Twilight nodded. “I'll tell them everything...” Her expression became solemn for a moment, but she quickly put a smile back on. “So, let me show you my lab!”

Her 'lab' was, in fact, her bedroom. To say it was a complete mess would be a lie; it was a mess that had been hastily contained to the closet and desktop so that the bed could be made and the floor walked upon. The fact that the desk took up about one-and-a-half walls and the remainder was taken up primarily by bookshelves only stood as a testament to Twilight Sparkle's efficient use of space, or so Sunset imagined her friend would say if pressed.

“Sorry if it's a little cramped,” Twilight said with a sheepish smile as she led her friend inside, Sunset casting curious looks around. There were stacks upon stacks of papers, texts, and notebooks piled as tall as could be managed in just about every nook and cranny she could see; the only places left bare were undoubtedly because they were too close to the various detectors and analyzers and other machines that had been set up. “I lost most of my storage space when I left Crystal Prep.”

“That's what I figured,” Sunset idly said as she looked more closely at a grouping of equipment that looked like it belonged in a chemistry lab. “So, as I was saying, what did you wanna go over first?” she asked, looking back and Twilight and holding up the stacks of papers in her arms.

“Actually, I was thinking we could wait to go over the details until later,” Twilight replied. Sunset raised a brow. “I'd like to go over this morning's schedule first,” she explained, pulling a checklist out of some unseen pocket and getting an amused smirk from her friend. “It's important,” she said, her expression pointed and insistent. “How else will we make sure we do everything we need to today?”

“It's true,” said Spike, walking casually into the room. “Last time Twilight tried going without a schedule she got so caught-up in an experiment she forgot to sleep for a day and a half!”

Sunset's smirk widened into a smile as a blush crept onto Twilight's cheeks. “Okay, I get it, I get it,” she said. “I prefer working on the fly, but I'll restrain myself for you, Twilight.”

Twilight's cheeks turned a slightly different shade. “R-right! Thanks!”

“So, what's first up on the list?” Sunset asked, setting her stack on the bed then stepping around to look at the checklist over Twilight's shoulder..

“Oh, that's easy,” Twilight smiled. “We just have to walk to the bus stop! We leave in...,” she paused to look at her phone, and her eyes promptly widened with panic. “Thirty-nine seconds ago! We're late!”

She bolted for the door, grabbing Sunset's hand on the way and dragging her along behind her.

Despite Twilight's fear to the contrary, the two girls made it to the bus stop on foot with time to spare.

“What's the big rush, anyway?” Sunset asked while they caught their breath. “The store isn't going anywhere, y'know.”

“True,” Twilight admitted, “but I'd prefer that we get there before the lunch rush. Fewer customers besides us plus more items in stock equals an easier time purchasing what I need to finish the magic detector.”

“If you say so,” Sunset said with a small shrug.

The bus pulled up a few moments later, and the two girls boarded to find it nearly empty. “Another benefit of leaving this early is that we avoid this route's second morning rush,” Twilight explained as they took their seats next to each other, Twilight by the window and Sunset by the aisle. “This way we can share our preliminary information in relative privacy.”

Sunset smiled. “You really think of everything, don't you?”

“W-well, not everything,” Twilight answered with a blush, looking away to hide it under the pretense of adjusting her glasses. “I usually only consider events that have at least a 5% chance of occurring,” she explained. “Otherwise I tend not to get anything done.”

Sunset laughed. “I can imagine. So, I don't think you ever told me how your talk with Cadance went.”

Twilight's blush spread rapidly, and she stiffened in her seat. “R-right. That. A-about Timber!”

“Yeah, about Timber,” Sunset repeated, looking at her warily. “You did talk to her, right?”

“Yes!” Twilight replied, affronted. “Of course I did! It's just...just...” She looked away again, rubbing her arm.

“Just what?”

Twilight sighed. “Just...nothing,” she said with a vague hand gesture. “She said it was okay if my crush was over, it just meant that me and Timber weren't meant to be together. She also said that I should just take some time to think over why I was crushing on him in the first place and why it's no longer the case, and then just...explain it to him when I get the chance. She said that if he's really as great a guy as I've been saying, then he should understand.”

“Hey, sounds like a good idea to me,” Sunset said with another shrug. “Any idea what changed that made you lose your spark?”

And just like that, Twilight froze up again. “W-well, it's not that I haven't thought about it,” she said quickly, mashing her fingers together, “although obviously my viewpoint is inherently biased and therefore not entirely trustworthy, but then again introspection is meant to be entirely personal, so...”

“I'll take that as a no,” Sunset deadpanned.

“That's probably a good idea,” Twilight sighed. Her cheer returned moments later, though her smile was slightly awkward. “So! How about we change subjects?”

“Sure, I guess I can summarize some things for you,” Sunset said. “What do you wanna know first?”

Both girls went silent as Twilight quickly looked around, verifying that they weren't being listened in on. “I'd like to know the findings from your previous experiments first,” she said at a whisper. “They're more relevant to our current overall goal, after all.”

“Right,” Sunset nodded, leaning back in her seat. “Well, like I told you before, all I was able to figure out is that the magic of this world doesn't obey any known law of Equestrian magic. To be honest, I'm not sure it obeys any laws at all! Even back then, I wasn't able to figure out any consistencies between the girls besides the fact that playing their instruments was the only way they could pony up. But now even that's changed, and I can't even begin to imagine how our geodes factor into everything – much less how to quantify any of it.”

“Hmm, I can see why you'd want help,” Twilight said, hand to her mouth in thought. “There clearly has to be something consistent about the magical energy we put out, otherwise I never would have been able to build a detector for it in the first place. But it sounds like we're going to have to figure out everything from the ground up...” Something occurred to her just then, and a wide grin soon formed on her lips. “Ooh, we get to be the pioneers of an entirely new field! This is so exciting!”

Sunset couldn't help but laugh. “Hey, I'm glad you found a bright side to all of this. Asking you for help with this was the best decision I've made in a while.”

“I'll say!” Twilight said eagerly, blushing in embarrassment once she realized her faux pas. “I mean, not that you don't usually make good decisions, of course, just that this one was clearly in the top percentile of decisions you've made recently!”

“Haha, I know, Twilight. I know.”

The two spent the rest of the bus ride talking about their study with newfound excitement tempered only by their caution about discussing magic so openly. Observations were discussed, hypotheses proposed and debated, and the first simple tests were planned out. But before they realized it they were forced to put their conversation on hold, as the bus had arrived at Twilight's predetermined stop. With the final leg of their journey to the hardware store passing through more crowded sidewalks, they kept to smalltalk and vague plans for the summer outside of their research projects.

“Here we are!” Twilight said with a happy little smile when she and Sunset had finally reached the front door to Canterlot Hardware. “Though I suppose it's unnecessary to point that out, isn't it,” Twilight added with a hint of embarrassment just a few moments after.

“Just a little,” Sunset told her, looking amused as she pushed open the door bearing the store's name in big block letters.

A bell rang, alerting the single cashier standing at the counter to their left – an old man with white hair and pale green skin, who put down the newspaper he'd been reading. “Ahh, good morning Miss Sparkle,” he greeted. “Another project, I assume?”

“That's right!” Twilight beamed.

“Good, good, I'll trust you to find what you need, then,” he said, resuming his reading.

Twilight took the lead as they headed through the store, grabbing a basket and making a beeline for the electronics section with Sunset right behind her. “So, what is it you're looking for exactly?” Sunset asked, idly looking at the wares for sale on the aisles they were passing through.

“Oh, nothing much,” Twilight answered. “A few pieces of casing, some LEDs for the display, microchips, that sort of thing. I still have most of the materials I used for the previous model and its prototypes, but there are a few critical components that I'll have to scavenge from other devices since the ones I used were broken in the,” she paused for a moment as a sheepish look passed over her face, “ahem, 'incident'...”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Sunset said, just as sheepish as Twilight was. “Throwing your detector on the ground seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“It's okay!” Twilight quickly told her. “It's not like it was completely obliterated by the impact and resulting explosion!” She held her now-forced smile for only a few moments before sagging her shoulders and saying “Only mostly obliterated...”

Sunset winced, then after a moment of hesitation gave Twilight a pat on the shoulder. “At...least it'll be easy to build the second time around?” she offered with a smile that wasn't entirely reassuring.

“Easier, actually,” Twilight said, turning the bulk of her attention to perusing the shelves of electronic parts and devices. “Since it's not like I have to worry about building a specialized capacitor or contracting lead poisoning from the interior lining of the device. In fact,” she thought aloud, tapping a finger against her chin, “I don't even have to worry about getting everything to fit into a clam-shell design at all! That'll give me 50% more room to work with!” Grinning excitedly, she swiped several items off the shelves in quick succession. “There's so many upgrades I can make if I don't have to worry about containment! Why didn't I realize this before?!”

“Better late than never,” Sunset said with a smile. She watched Twilight grab more and more components, then pointed a thumb back towards the front of the store. “I'll just go get another basket for you...”

Both baskets were filled past the brim by the time Twilight was finally ready to check out. “Uggh, I thought you said you weren't looking for much?” Sunset groaned under the weight of the basket she was carrying.

“I wasn't!” Twilight said, similarly struggling with her burden of electronics. “But I couldn't help myself!”

“You know we have to carry all this back to your house, right?”

“I know! I'm sorry! But I really do need all of it! And we'll be on the bus most of the way!”

Sunset sighed, setting down her basket on the checkout counter once they'd reached it. “Fine, fine, I get it. Things like what we're gonna be doing require a lot of equipment.”

“Certainly is a lot of it, though,“ the old cashier remarked as he scanned item after item. “Not that I'm complaining of course, Miss Sparkle,” he added with a light chuckle.

“Not to be nosy or anything, but how exactly are you paying for all this?” Sunset asked after watching a few expensive-looking items get scanned.

Twilight responded with a brief look of surprise and confusion. “Huh? Oh, well, I've been saving up my allowance for a few months now for a project like this. It's really not that big a deal.”

“...if you say so,” Sunset said, casting her friend an uncertain glance as she pulled out a card and paid for their haul with a smile.

With a satisfied sigh, Twilight stowed her card and looked at the time on her phone. “Okay, if we hurry we should be able to catch the next bus,” she told her partner.

“Let's get going, then,” Sunset replied, picking up half of their double-bagged purchase. Twilight picked up the other half, and the girls made a beeline for the exit.

They paused when they saw another group opening the door, and more importantly saw who that group consisted of.

“Oh, hey Sunset! Hey Twilight!”

“What're you two doing here?”

“Buying hardware, obviously.”

“Well duh. But what're they buying it for?”

“They do got a lot of it...”

“Eeeyup.”

“Hey girls,” Sunset greeted the Crusaders with a smile, stepping to the side to let them and their escort enter the store. “Hey Big Mac.”

“Yes, hi,” Twilight added. “All this is actually just materials for a research project I'm helping Sunset with,” she explained. “We actually have a bus to catch, though, so maybe we could talk-”

“Ooh, what kind of research project?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly, peeking into their bags. “Anything we could help with?”

“I don't know,” Sweetie Belle said, casting an apprehensive gaze at the electronics in one of Sunset's bags. “This stuff looks a little too advanced for us...”

“Pfft, we can handle it,” Scootaloo scoffed, waving her hand dismissively as she joined Apple Bloom in rooting through Twilight's bags despite their owner's visible discomfort. “We can do anything if we put our minds to it!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chorused.

“Good point,” Sweetie said, her smile growing as she looked more intently at what was in the bags. “Hey, maybe we should try being Crusaders for Science again after we're done being Crusaders for Justice?”

“That's a great idea!” Scootaloo said.

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chorused, again.

“Uhh...I'm sorry?” Twilight asked, giving the girls a confused look. “Did I hear you right? You're Crusaders for Justice?”

“Sure are!” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah, today we're going around fighting bad guys and helping people, just like Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said, striking a karate stance.

“Well, more like Mare-Do-Well,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “I don't think Rainbow Dash has been all that active as a superhero yet.”

“Hey!” Scootaloo protested despite her lack of counterargument.

“Well, regardless, we're gonna be tryin' our own hands at the hero business,” Apple Bloom said. Then Big Mac crossed his arms and caught her eye with a stern look, prompting her to sheepishly add “Uhh, at least as far as we can do so, err, responsibly. Y'know, helpin' old ladies cross the street and the like.”

Her brother nodded approvingly, but Scootaloo crossed her arms and sputtered. “So just the boring stuff...”

“Yes, well, we'll just leave you to it then,” Twilight said, putting on a forced and frantic smile as she hooked her arm around Sunset's. “But we really must be going now, so....goodbye!”

She immediately started pulling Sunset towards the exit and out the door. “Later, guys!” Sunset called out behind her, the other four waving her off. “You keep an eye on them, Big Mac!” She stopped just outside the doorway, adding “And if you see Rainbow Dash, tell her not to be so aggres-SIVE!” before Twilight finally yanked her away.

Big Mac watched them leave with stoic silence, then nodded and said “Eeyup.”

“We're gonna be late, we're gonna be late!” Twilight said to herself in a panic, running as fast as she could down the sidewalk with Sunset just a step behind her. They turned the final corner only to see the bus at the bus stop, a blue-skinned man in a business suit stepping onto it. “Wait for us!” Twilight called out, stretching out a hand towards it, but it was in vain – the bus drove off before the girls reached the stop. “We...we were late...!” Twilight moaned, nearly doubled over as she tried to catch her breath.

“I'm so sorry, Twilight,” Sunset said, putting a hand on her back. “This is all my fault. I shouldn't have kept talking to the others.”

Twilight sighed, still slouched over. “No...it's alright...,” she said halfheartedly. “It won't be too long before the next bus comes...”

Sunset frowned. “Maybe, but I know how important punctuality is to you. Let me...make it up to you,” she said, quickly looking around for something.

“Can you turn back time with magic so we can catch the bus?” Twilight asked quickly and excitedly, catching Sunset off guard.

“Uhh, no?” Sunset answered, evoking a frown from her friend. “I was thinking something more along the lines of buying you something to eat while we wait,” she said, pointing to a corner store not too far away.

“Something to eat? Now?” Twilight asked, stunned. “B-but it's not time for lunch yet! And it's too soon after breakfast! Not to mention the fact that they don't allow eating on the bus, and-”

Sunset cut her off with a smile and a light laugh. “Relax! Just...think of it as a light brunch,” she said. “Just a little snack to take your mind off being late. You can eat a little now, and save the rest for later!”

“Well...if you really think it'll help me feel better...,” Twilight said, still looking uncertain as she sat down on the bench next to the bus stop.

“Cool,” Sunset smiled, setting her half of the bags down next to Twilight. “Anything in particular that you'd like?”

“Suzy Starshine's Chocolate-Raspberry Constellation Cakes,” she answered without hesitation. “I-I mean,” she quickly backpedaled, “obviously any flavor is fine, it's not like I have a-a chart ranking all of them according to my personal taste preferences or anything...” She put on an awkward smile with matching laugh.

Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes. “Chocolate-raspberry it is,” she said, turning towards the shop. “I'll be right back,” she added, looking back at Twilight and winking.

“R-right,” Twilight replied, left alone clutching her bags with a blush once more on her face. For a few minutes she simply sat there, drumming her fingers and humming tunelessly as she waited, until one of the passersby stopped at the bus schedule that was posted at the stop. She looked to be around Twilight's age, with light pink-purple skin and short, straight purple hair streaked with aquamarine. She was dressed for casual comfort, a pair of slightly-torn old jeans with a slightly frilly blouse a few shades darker than her skin.

“Hmm...,” she murmured as she looked over the schedule, tapping her chin as she thought. After a few more seconds she sighed irritably, then turned around to face Twilight. “Excuse me,” she opened with a less-than-genuine smile. “I'm new in town, and I could use some help getting around. Do you know if I can take this bus to the library?”

“The library?” Twilight repeated, standing up and moving closer. “Oh no, at least not directly. You'll have to take this bus to 4^th street, then catch the 45,” she explained as she pointed out the stop on the route map attached to the schedule. “That'll take you to the library.”

“Rrriiiight...,” the other girl said, eyes fixed on the map as she took the instructions in. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Twilight smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. “It's not every day I meet someone who's trying to find the library.”

“Well...you know what they say, knowledge is power!” the other girl said with an awkward smile, the corner of her eye twitching under Twilight's eager gaze.

And she seemed just plain startled when Twilight held out her hand. “I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm too busy today to show you around the entire city, but I'll be glad to answer any questions you have while we're on the bus!”

The other girl's eyes darted from her hand to her face a few times before she hesitantly shook it – but only for a few moments, dropping it like something slimy. “Thanks...,” she said. “I'm, uhh, Amethyst Shine.”

“Nice to meet you, Amethyst!” Twilight said, beaming obliviously.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too...” Amethyst replied, halfhearted and without quite making eye contact.

It was then that Sunset finally made her return, attention on the two packages of snack cakes she was holding. “Sorry, Twilight, they were out of the chocolate-raspberry kind so I just got you a chocolate and a raspberry. I hope that's okay.”

“It is,” Twilight answered. “Thank you, Sunset.”

Sunset finally looked up, and noticed the new girl staring at her in utter disbelief. “Uhh, who's your new friend?”

“Oh, this is Amethyst Shine,” Twilight said, still smiling brightly. “She wanted to know how to get to the library and I helped her! Isn't that great?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sunset replied, taken aback by Amethyst's continued gawking.

A split-second of silence passed before something occurred to Twilight. “Oh! Right! Sorry, Amethyst,” she told the new girl with a laugh, “where are my manners? This is-”

“Sunset?!” Amethyst blurted out, immediately realizing what she'd said and slapping both hands over her mouth.

Sunset and Twilight shared a confused look. “Uh...do I...know you?” the former asked.

Amethyst slowly removed her hands to reveal an awkwardly forced smile. “N-no! Of course not, we've never met before in our lives!” she answered with a laugh. “I just...thought you were someone else! Sorry,” she added quickly, putting her hands behind her back and taking a slinking step backwards. “IjustrememberedIhavesomewhereelsetobe, bye!”

She turned and ran the way she'd come from without a second thought.

“Well...that was odd,” Twilight said after a moment of staring.

“I'll say,” Sunset added. “Have you ever seen her before, cause I know for a fact that she doesn't go to CHS.”

“Well I don't remember her from Crystal Prep, though I did spend most of the time there in my lab,” Twilight admitted.

“She recognized me, though,” Sunset said with a thoughtful frown, “so I don't think she goes there either. And she knew my name, too...” And then, all at once, both girls' eyes widened in realization.

“You don't think...” Twilight asked, trailing off hesitantly.

“That she knows the other me?” Sunset finished. “I'm not sure, but I intend to find out.” With new-found determination she narrowed her eyes, thrust the snack cakes into her friend's hands, and took off running after Amethyst.

Now beginning to panic, Twilight dithered in place for a few moments as she looked from Sunset to the bags of parts on the bus stop bench. With a grimace she darted over and stuffed her snack cakes into one of them, then lifted all four despite their weight and started chasing after. “Sunset, wait for me!”

Sunset barely heard her, too focused on keeping track of the girl in front while dodging and weaving through the morning foot-traffic. At first it seemed like fortune was favoring her, as Amethyst seemed to have slowed her pace to a fast walk. That changed, however, when she cast a nervous glance over her shoulder and saw her pursuer. Letting out a startled cry she resumed running, leaving a trail of irate pedestrians in her wake as she barged past them to flee from Sunset.

Eventually Amethyst ducked into an alleyway between a pizzeria and a book store, and Sunset smiled. While she may not be familiar with every alley in the city, she did know that they weren't usually easy places to navigate. Whether they were ponies or humans, it was surprising just how much a person could cram into a small place.

She turned into the alley fully expecting to see Amethyst tripped over a garbage can, or tangled up with some hapless person using the alley for something else, or even just cornered at a dead-end.

Instead, she just saw the dead-end. No Amethyst Shine, or anybody else. No ladders to have climbed, doors to have entered, or even so much as a bag to hide behind. Just an empty alleyway. “What?! Where'd she go?!” Sunset exclaimed, eyes wide as she dashed into the alley and looked frantically for any nook or cranny she might have missed.

She spent minutes on her fruitless search before Twilight Sparkle finally arrived, almost entirely out of breath. “What,” she panted, “happened?”

“I don't know!” Sunset replied, eyes wild as she paced the narrow space. “I swear she came down here, but then it's like she just...disappeared!”

“Disappeared? Do you think,” she quickly looked around, then lowered her voice, “do you think maybe she used magic?”

Sunset was silent for a moment, gripping her hair as she thought. “I don't know, maybe?” she finally said. “I mean, I didn't feel any magic being used, but what else could it be?”

“I...wish I had the answer to that,” Twilight said with a frown.

Sunset sighed, leaning against a wall. “Well, however she escaped, Amethyst Shine is pretty suspicious. We need to keep an eye out for her from now on.”

“Do you think we should tell the others about her?” Twilight asked. “If nothing else, they should be able to approach her without scaring her off. I don't think she'll want to talk to us if we see her again.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Sunset said after a moment, her mind racing. “But not right now, I'd prefer it if we didn't miss the bus again.”

Silence passed between the two girls for a moment before they stiffened with horror and looked at each other. “The bus!” they exclaimed, immediately dashing out of the alley at top speed to make a break for the bus stop, Sunset taking half the bags from Twilight as they went.

Chapter 3 - The Apple and the Jewel

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The oven timer dinged, and a few seconds later Applejack pulled the fresh batch of apple fritters from inside. She took in a deep breath, savoring their smell, and with a satisfied smile put the tray down on the stove.

“Mm-mm, they sure do smell like a fine batch 'a fritters!” Granny Smith remarked, leaning past her granddaughter to get a whiff for herself.

“Thanks, Granny,” Applejack said, getting ready to move the fritters to a proper cooling rack.

“I bet that girlfriend a'yers'll like 'em too!”

Applejack flushed. “Granny!”

Granny Smith just laughed. “C'mon, Applejack, it's what y'all are, ain't it? Ain't no one else around, so why ya still tryin' to hide it?”

“I know,” Applejack sighed as she begun the transfer from tray to rack. “I'm just tryin' to be careful is all. Rarity's dead-set on keepin' us a secret for some reason, and even though I don't agree with her I promised I'd go along with it. I don't wanna ruin things between us when they've barely had a chance to start.”

Granny Smith nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I getcha. Secret love, eh? Kinda reminds me of...” She trailed off there, looking like she'd become lost in a well of sad thoughts.

“Reminds you of what?” Applejack asked, snapping her grandmother out of her trance.

“Oh, uh, er, never you mind that now, Applejack,” she said quickly. “Why don't ya go keep look-out for yer girlfriend while I finish packin' the fritters?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “But the fritters won't be cool enough to pack for a little while longer,” she said.

“Good! More time for you to think about yer girl, then,” Granny said, now pushing Applejack out of the kitchen. “What did you say her name was again?”

“Rarity, but-”

“Rarity?” Granny Smith repeated, blinking in confusion as she and Applejack stopped in the front hall. She put a finger across her chin, and furrowed her brow in thought. “Rarity...ain't she the one with the fancy clothes and that high-falutin' accent?”

“It...it ain't high-falutin',” Applejack stammered, “it's just how she is! I know she's practically from a different world than we are and probably never got her hands dirty in her life, but that don't mean she doesn't work just as hard as we do. She's a generous and thoughtful person, and I'm proud to call her my girlfriend.”

Granny Smith gave her a good, long look before saying “You've been holdin' that in for awhile now, ain'tcha?”

“...yup,” Applejack admitted, slumping her shoulders. “I know I'm gonna get a lotta questions about what I see in her and the like once we finally come out about our relationship, so I've been thinkin' about what to say in advance.”

Granny Smith laughed. “Didn't expect that from ya, but I guess yer just full 'a surprises now.”

“I guess I am,” Applejack replied, hands on her hips and looking sternly at Granny Smith.

She just laughed again, then turned back towards the kitchen. “Well, I'll just leave ya to her then. If I were you, I'd take a shower. Don't wanna be smellin' like the pigs on yer date, do ya?”

Applejack froze, then cautiously sniffed her armpit. “Good point,” she said, turning towards the stairs.

“I'll just pack up the fritters when they're cool, then,” Granny told her.

“Thanks,” came the reply. Then, a few seconds later, she added “And don't think I forgot about you said earlier just because you changed the subject!”

Granny Smith froze in place, and shot an anxious look backwards as her granddaughter disappeared up the stairs.

The morning was warm and sunny, but with a pleasant breeze that managed to stir up just enough dust to make Rarity nervous. She didn't want to risk dirtying her outfit, of course; both her hat and her sundress were luxuriously white with exquisite lavender trim and tie, and it was all far too important to be damaged before her date actually began. Once she and her paramour had gotten into the proverbial swing of things, perhaps, but not now.

It was almost enough to make her consider closing the roof on her convertible. Not quite enough, as Rarity wanted to have a certain windswept look when she showed up on her darling Applejack's front doorstep, but almost. And she was practically at Sweet Apple Acres already, so there was little point in putting the roof up now.

Instead, she simply contented herself to sighing blissfully and thinking of all the wonderful things she had planned for that day. Again. First, they'd take a nice boat out on the lake at Queen's Park, followed by a lovely lunch at a nearby café with an absolutely splendid view from its veranda. Then a gentle stroll through the nicer parts of downtown Canterlot before they caught a movie at the theatre – Applejack's choice, of course. Then they'd play it by ear afterward and just enjoy themselves in the moment before their 7 o'clock reservation at the Savoury Select. It wasn't the highest-class restaurant in the city, true, but it was still an excellent choice for a first date. And it wasn't like they would be dressed up enough for the highest-class anyways, not after spending the day together.

And then, after dinner...she shivered in delight just thinking about it.

All in all, Rarity knew it was going to be a perfect day. Some girls might think it was a little too much for one date, but Rarity was of the firm belief that first dates should be memorable. And besides, her and Applejack led busy lives, so she felt she had to get as many dates in at one time as she could. Who knew when they'd be able to go out again without fear of being seen?

Rarity sighed again, though a little less blissfully. Now wasn't the time to think of such things, she decided. She didn't want to sour her mood, and Sweet Apple Acres was now in sight.

She marveled at the rows and rows of trees she was driving past; she'd seen them all before, of course, and the fruits weren't exactly showy yet, but the orchard took on a whole new context in the light of her love. This was Applejack's home, her life; why, she may very well have been working with these very trees only hours ago! She could just imagine her, walking down the rows of trees in her work duds, carrying everything she needed with her magical and marvelous super strength, wiping the sweat from her brow, admiring her handiwork...it was enough to make Rarity's insides flutter.

And then she was there. She'd almost missed it, lost in her daydream as she was, but she managed to slow down in time and turn into the driveway. She laughed nervously upon realizing the disaster she'd just barely averted. But she parked her car and took a deep breath to calm herself, even allowing herself a moment to admire the Apple family farmhouse before tending to the much more important duty of double-checking her appearance down to the last detail, including the magical geode hanging around her neck like a mundane (though gorgeous) necklace.

It was all absolutely perfect, and she gave her mirror a wink and a kiss before folding the compact and tucking it in her purse. One last adjustment of her hat and dress, and she was walking up to the front door.

She knocked on it thrice. “Hellooo, Applejack, I'm here~!” she called out in a light, singsong voice. The door opened immediately.

“Howdy,” Applejack greeted, tipping her hat as she leaned against the open door and smiled. Gone were her work duds, replaced by the same apple-print top and belt Rarity had made for her at Camp Everfree paired with longer and plainer denim shorts than what the outfit had originally included. Much like Rarity's, her brilliant orange geode hung around her neck. She winked, and redness threatened to take over the entirety of Rarity's alabaster skin. Applejack chuckled. “You're lookin' mighty fine this morning, Rarity. Why don't ya come on in and sit a spell?”

She offered her hand, and Rarity took it in a daze. “I-I'd love to, Applejack,” she said, stepping inside at Applejack's lead. “And I must say you look quite fetching yourself,” she added, recovering just enough of her composure to admire her lover once more.

Applejack chuckled again. “Yeah, I gathered as much. So, everythin' still good on your end for today? No problems with that plan 'a yours?”

“Oh no, everything is quite in order,” Rarity answered promptly and with pride. “I have done everything in my power to ensure that today it absolutely perfect. I trust you have as well?”

“Sure have, sugarcube,” Applejack replied, leading her towards the kitchen. “All I gotta do is grab the fritters and we'll be good to go.”

“Hold yer horses, I got yer fritters here all wrapped up and ready to go,” came the voice of Granny Smith, the woman herself standing up from the table she'd been washing mason jars at and handing Applejack a plastic container.

“Oh! Granny Smith!” Rarity said, suddenly nervous. “I didn't realize you were...around!”

Granny snorted. “Where else would I be? It's my farm! And I ain't dead yet!”

“O-of course,” Rarity stammered, “I...simply meant that I wasn't expecting you to be...here! In the kitchen!”

She put on a wide smile under Granny Smith's piercing gaze. “Hrmm...can't say I understand what mah granddaughter sees in you, but I ain't gonna interfere neither. You two have a good day, y'hear?”

Now Applejack became nervous, though Rarity was too focused on the elder Apple to notice. “I...I don't think I quite catch your meaning, Granny Smith. Applejack and I are simply....two good friends, who are going out on a spa date-ah, spa day, together, and nothing more!”

Granny raised a brow and snorted. “Yeah, and them fritters Applejack made specially fer the two of you are just spa food.”

“But of course!” Rarity answered quickly, oblivious to her love's frantic but silent attempts to get her grandmother to stop talking. “What else would they be for?”

“Treats fer the secret date the two of ya are goin' on,” Granny Smith answered without hesitation.

Rarity's forced smile dropped into a heavy frown, and she turned her head towards her girlfriend. “Applejack,” she said sweetly enough to make the girl flinch, “you didn't happen to tell your grandmother our secret, did you?”

“I-I didn't mean to!” Applejack said quickly. “She just wrangled it outta me, I swear!”

“I believe you,” Rarity said to Applejack's momentary relief, “but I'm still mad. Why did you let this happen? You know how much it means to me that we keep this secret. If you can't keep it from your grandmother, how do I know you'll be able to keep it from the others? Especially Pinkie Pie?”

Applejack sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I know, Rarity. This is part 'a why I didn't wanna keep it from folks to begin with. I just ain't good at hidin' this sort 'a thing! We're lucky nobody figured it out before today!”

“I'll say,” Rarity huffed.

“Now hold on just a minute,” Granny interrupted, fixing a scowl on – and wagging a finger at – Rarity. “I get that you don't wanna make yerselves public yet fer whatever reason. But I ain't gonna let ya get mad at Applejack just fer havin' a granny that knows her well! It ain't proper.”

She and Rarity glared at one another for a moment before the younger woman relented. “Yes, I understand.” She sighed. “Please forgive me, Applejack, I've simply been too stressed out about the possibility of things ending badly for us if word gets out. But I don't want to sour our first real date by making this particular incident into a bigger deal than it really is.”

“Aww, don't worry darlin',” Applejack told her with a soft smile, taking Rarity's hand in her own. “And I promise I'll do better to keep our secret, especially from Pinkie Pie.”

“Thank you, Applejack,” Rarity replied, returning the smile. She soon swelled with excitement, however, and said “Well then, let's get going! We have a big day ahead, and we don't want to be late for any of it.”

Applejack chuckled. “Sure thing, darlin'.”

The two left hand-in-hand shortly after, leaving Granny Smith to smile and shake her head as she resumed her jar-cleaning.

“So...,” Applejack began, holding her hat to her head as she and Rarity drove away from Sweet Apple Acres. “We really goin' to the spa? I mean, not that I mind or nothin', its just that we did that before we were datin' too.”

“Oh, haha, oh my no,” Rarity laughed. “That was just a story I told your dear grandmother. You know how much I enjoy our trips to the spa, but they're a bit too mundane to be first date material. I want this day to be memorable.”

Applejack chuckled at the sudden, wild intensity in her girlfriend's eyes. “Well, that suits me just fine. Though to be honest, after how much we've been lookin' forward to today, I reckon that it bein' our first date is memorable enough, no matter what happens.”

“Hmm,” Rarity said, lips pursed in thought, “perhaps. But that hardly means we should just settle for any old thing.” Her mouth curled into a sly little smile. “And believe you me, what I have planned is hardly any old thing!”

Applejack raised a brow, smile matching smile. “So you gonna tell me what this plan 'a yours is, or are ya just gonna leave it a surprise?”

Rarity's smile widened. “Oh, you'll just have to wait and find out!” She pressed down on the gas, and the two girls whooped and laughed as they sped down the road without a care in the world.

Soon enough they were driving through the city proper, passing by residential districts and heading towards downtown. “Let's see, it's too early in the mornin' for lunch,” Applejack guessed, looking around at the buildings they were passing. “And shoppin' ain't exactly romantic, so we're obviously not doin' that either. You don't got anythin' planned for us at your place, do ya?”

“Of course not!” Rarity answered, a blush forming on her cheeks. “As though I'd expect to get any romance out of my parent's house. Besides, it's far too early in our relationship for me to be bringing you home...”

The implication in her voice was enough to make Applejack flush as well. “Aheheh, yeah, I guess it is,” she said bashfully.

They came to a stop at a red light, and to their surprise they began to hear the din of barking dogs. Turning their heads to the right, they saw a pack approaching down the sidewalk – at least ten of them in all manner of size and breed, all harnessed and leashed. They were being walked by, or at least dragging along behind them, a tall gray-skinned old man dressed so oddly it made Rarity cringe just to look at him. Stained overalls, heavy boots, a white undershirt (long-sleeved despite the heat), and a tattered old top hat and cane. He seemed to be utterly delighted by the chaotic mass he was being pulled along by, the dogs playing with each other and investigating everything in their path, forcing other pedestrians to give them a wide berth lest they get swallowed up by the eager canine horde as one or two already had.

As they stepped into the crosswalk several of the dogs broke rank and barked or sniffed at Rarity's convertible, and her eyes were drawn to the old man. He looked back, and gave the girls a crooked smile and a short wave. “Don't mind us, ladies,” he said in an oddly dignified voice. “Dogs will be dogs, you know, and who am I to stop them?” He shrugged as a retriever raised a hing leg and marked Rarity's front bumper to the girl's horror. ”You two just enjoy your day,” the old man said, letting out a hooting laugh. He gave his tangle of leashes a sharp tug, and the mass of dogs continued along to the next interesting object in their path.

“...well, I guess they got all sorts in the city,” Applejack commented, watching the man walk away.

“Hmph,” Rarity sniffed, pressing down on the gas as the light turned green. “And he's the sort I'd do well never to see again, thank you very much. His demeanor was almost as bad as his fashion sense.”

Applejack stared a bit more at the departing man, then frowned and looked at Rarity. “Yeah, I think I know what ya mean. He seemed friendly enough on the outside, but...”

“...he clearly seems to revel in making people uncomfortable,” Rarity finished.

“Yeah, pretty much. Hopefully the city's big enough that we won't be runnin' into him again anytime soon. Seems like it'd be nothin' but trouble.”

“Quite.”

They continued on through downtown Canterlot, but their relative peace was short-lived. It was only a few minutes after they'd passed the old dog-walker when they heard a familiar-sounding “HEY!” that caused Rarity to brake out of panic alone, barely but thankfully avoiding an accident in the process.

“Oh no!” Rarity said, becoming rigid as she resumed driving. “Act natural!” she commanded through a forced smile.

“Uhh, I don't think that's gonna be necessary, strictly speakin',” Applejack told her, having turned around enough to look behind them. She watched as Rainbow Dash, fully powered-up, swooped down through the air above the building to their right, then looked ahead to see the woman her friend was chasing. As she expected it was a woman in a purple bodysuit jumping from rooftop to rooftop, her face covered by a mask and shadowed by her wide-brimmed fedora that somehow managed to stay tight on her head despite the speed with which she was moving. “I don't think Rainbow Dash has noticed us...”

“Yes, I suppose she hasn't,” Rarity said, her relief drowned out by her surprise as she, too, looked away from the road for a moment to watch their chase.

Then, to the shocked gasps of them and all the other ground-bound onlookers, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well jumped from the roof of a bagel shop into the air above the street itself. And as she did so she did a pirouette in mid-air, wrapping herself in her voluminous midnight blue cape and getting smaller and smaller as she spun faster and faster, disappearing into thin air before she'd even passed over three lanes.

“AAGH! Darn it, not again!” The lovers' attention was drawn once again to their friend, who'd stopped in mid-flight over the bagel shop and gripped her hair in frustration. “GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME!” she shouted, taking off like a shot to the left. Before traffic resumed a number of people scrambled across the road to follow her, snapping pictures as they went, and a motorcyclist in a black leather jacket tore past as well, swerving between cars and turning down the same road the photographers had taken.

Rarity and Applejack sighed at the same time, finally in motion again. “Honestly,” Rarity frowned, “it seems like every day more and more people are chasing after her. It's a miracle that nobody's been hurt!”

“Yeah,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. “I swear, that girl's more obsessed than a hog on the scent 'a slop. I get that it's important to keep an eye on that Mare-Do-Well character, but why's Rainbow gotta be so obvious about it?”

“She never has been one for subtlety,” Rarity said. “Although to be honest, the fact that she hasn't noticed her own personal paparazzi is surprising.”

Applejack's face fell even more. “And a blessin'. Last thing we need is Rainbow Dash realizin' she's a local celebrity.”

Rarity laughed into her hand as they came to another red light. “Quite. She'd never get anything done again!”

“Yeah,” Applejack chuckled, “either that or she'd start showboatin' to prove how much of a 'hero' she really is.”

“Still,” Rarity frowned as the light turned green, “I do feel bad that none of us are helping her.”

“Hey, I'll be glad to help once that Mare-Do-Well starts doin' somethin' more suspicious than runnin' away from folks,” Applejack said, stretching her arms out behind her head, then adjusting the string of her geode necklace. “But fer now, I don't see much point in startin' trouble with the one other magic-user besides us that's actually doin' somethin' good in the world.”

“Hmm...point. But let's forget about that for now,” she said, cracking a wide smile. “We're here!”

'Here' was none other than Queen's Park, the largest park in the city. It was an expanse of green too vast to take in all at once; too many gardens, lawns, and ponds to count all divided up by even more numerous pathways, plazas, and statues. There were people everywhere that lazy Saturday morning, jogging or playing or visiting one of the park's many attractions. Rarity parked her car as close to it as she could, rolling up the windows and putting up the roof to protect her precious convertible while they were away.

“Heheh, shoulda guessed it'd be here,” Applejack chuckled as she unbuckled. “You want me to bring the fritters?” she asked, holding up the box.

Rarity tapped her chin in thought a bit before answering “No. I'd rather save those for this afternoon, unless you think they'll spoil if we leave them in the car.”

“Naw, they'll be fine,” Applejack said, leaning backwards to tuck the box under the back seat as best she could. Only then did she leave the car, her girlfriend joining her on the sidewalk in moments. “Y'know, I've lived near this city all my life, and I don't think I've seen half 'a Queen's Park,” she said as they began to walk the block or so distance to the park entrance.

“Oh, me neither,” Rarity said. “My parents took Sweetie and I here often when we were younger, of course, but we never really explored it.”

“So ya thought today would be a good chance to finally do so?” Applejack asked, cracking a smile.

“Perhaps,” Rarity replied with a coy look, the two stepping into the final crosswalk before the park. “Don't get me wrong though, I do have a few specific things in mind for our little outing this morning.”

“Ya don't say?” The farmer lifted her hat, looking at her lover out of the corner of her eye. “Let me guess, they're holdin' some kinda fashion show today or somethin'.”

Rarity gave her a scalding pout. “Oh honestly, Applejack,” she said, giving the girl a light shove as she began to laugh. “You know I care for more than just fashion. Besides,” she turned her nose up aloofly and crossed her arms, eyes only just cracking open to show her amusement, “if it were up to you I'm sure we'd only come here to attend some kind of...of harvest festival or some such thing.”

“A harvest festival,” Applejack repeated, the corners of her lips twitching. “In Queen's Park.”

“That's what I said!” Rarity answered defiantly, the couple now standing at the park's threshold.

Applejack just laughed and shook her head. “Well, I ain't gonna lie, I'd probably go if there was one. Just like you'd go to a fashion show.”

“True...,” Rarity reluctantly conceded, not meeting her girlfriend's eyes.

“But none of that's the sorta thing I picture as first date material,” Applejack continued. “And I reckon you feel the same way, don'tcha?”

“Of course!” Rarity replied, whipping her head back around. “Third or fourth date material, at the earliest.”

Applejack chuckled, then offered her arm. “Then how 'bout you show me exactly what you got in mind for first date material?”

Rarity beamed at her. “I'd love to,” she answered, taking Applejack's arm and finally walking with her into the park.

The lovers spent a good half an hour simply strolling arm-in-arm down the park's main thoroughfare, enjoying the weather and each other. To their good fortune they did not come across anyone they knew or recognized from school, allowing both to relax and forget about their secret being blown. And eventually, they came upon their first destination within the park.

“The lake, huh? Can't say it's what I expected,” Applejack said.

“Well,” Rarity told her, moving her hand down to take Applejack's, “it is a tad more private than simply strolling. Just the two of us, on a boat, in the middle of the lake...” She leaned against her partner, and sighed dreamily.

Applejack smiled. “Yeah, it sounds nice.” The couple turned towards the boat rental shop sitting prominently on the shore, and as they approached they looked at the selection of vessels tied to the docks. “So, what kinda boat do you wanna get?” Applejack asked.

Rarity folded her arms and pursed her lips in thought. “Hmm...something we can sit next to each other, I think. Or at least have the option to do so.”

“Soooo...no to the canoes, then,” Applejack said, scratching her head. “That leaves us with the row boats, and...”

The gaze of both girls fell upon several large swan-shaped boats lined up in their own special section of the dock. “They do seat two,” Applejack said, looking at Rarity.

She gave an indignant gasp. “But...they're so...so...,” she said, waving her free hand vaguely in the boats' direction as she tried to find the right word. “Garish,” she decided on. “Besides, we'd have to pedal, and let me tell you these are not pedaling shoes.” She thrust a hand down at her heels.

Applejack shrugged. “Still easier than rowin' I expect.” She noticed Rarity's pout, and her face fell. “You wanted me to do all the rowin', didn't ya?”

“Ha! Pft...w-well,” Rarity sputtered, “you are the stronger of the two of us after all. And I do so enjoy watching you partake in, ah, physical activities,” she added, letting go of Applejack's hand to lovingly stroke her muscular arm. “Plus...it would be gentlemanly...,” she said, coyly looking away for a moment before fluttering her eyelashes at her love.

“Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm a lady, not a gentleman,” Applejack countered with her hands on her hips.

“W-well obviously. I simply, ah...”

Applejack raised a brow.

“I simply...,” she repeated, not meeting her girlfriend's gaze as she quickly thought. “Oh! Yes!” She raised a finger in realization. “I simply thought that such behavior would suit you,” she said at last with a satisfied nod.

Applejack crossed her arms.

A wide, sheepish smile spread on Rarity's face. “Sorry,” she said at barely more than a whisper.

Her girlfriend sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, had it come to it yeah, I woulda done the rowin'. But I don't like you just expectin' me to do that sorta thing cause I'm more boyish than you or somethin'.”

Rarity sighed and hung her head. “I do apologize for that, dear. But still,” she met her girlfriend's gaze again, “rowing aside, it still stands that the swan boats are simply too...-” she looked back at the vessels in question- “noticeable for my tastes.”

“Rarity, you once wore a dress covered in flashin' lights to school for a week cause you were scared that folks were ignorin' you.”

“That was different!” Rarity hissed, blushing furiously. “We were freshmen, and I most certainly wasn't in a secret relationship with one of my closest friends!”

It was then that a passing jogger swerved around them, the lavender-skinned man glaring at the girls stopped in the middle of the path. Rarity and Applejack just gave him bashful smiles in return, and hurried off to the side.

Rarity sighed, taking Applejack's hands in her own. “Look, darling, why don't you tell me why you want to take the swan boat?”

“Well, aside from just not feelin' like rowin' after a mornin's worth of chores,” the farmgirl answered, “I figure that even if the boat's easy to spot the two of us sittin' inside it won't be. It's got those nice high wings on the sides, plus a canopy. Whereas if we just go out on a regular ol' row boat, we'll be completely out in the open!”

Rarity stared blankly at her for a moment before bringing a finger to her chin. “Hmm...I didn't think of that...”

“Plus,” Applejack added with a playful smile, “they do say that swan boats are s'pposed to be mighty romantic!”

“They do say that, don't they...” She looked back over at the swan boats, then back at Applejack who smiled expectantly. “Ohhhh, fine, why not,” she said, cracking a smile of her own. “Let's do it!”

“Sure thing, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled, and the two walked hand-in-hand to the rental counter.

“Alright, on the counta three,” Applejack said, her Rarity now in their seats. “One! Two!”

“W-wait, Applejack, hold on,” Rarity protested frantically, looking from her love to her feet which were very much not in pedaling position.

“Three! Go!” Applejack continued unabated, even cracking a grin as she began to pedal furiously.

“Aah! Aah! Wait!” Rarity wailed, trying with all her might to keep up the pace and failing quite handily. Her efforts were only enough to get their boat clear of the dock by a few feet before it veered hard to starboard and kept going. “Applejack, slow down!” she whined, grabbing her girlfriend by the arm.

Applejack started laughing, but took her feet off the pedals just the same. “Sorry, sugarcube,” she said, still grinning as Rarity's continued frantic pedaling steered the swan back towards the middle of the lake. “Just thought I'd have a bit of fun with you, I couldn't help myself!”

“Hmph,” Rarity sniffed, crossing her arms looking away with a pout. She had stopped pedaling as well. “Honestly, Applejack, you'd think I was dating a child!”

“Heheheh. C'mon now, Rarity,” Applejack said as she resumed pedaling at a much calmer pace, “I thought we were s'pposed to have fun together!”

“I'm sorry, but my definition of 'fun' does not include nearly crashing into a dock!” she replied, still determinedly not looking at her girlfriend but pedaling all the same.

Applejack's face fell. “Aww, shoot, I didn't mean it like that, Rarity,” she said, putting a hand on Rarity's shoulder. “I'm sorry.”

Instantly, Rarity whipped her head around to give Applejack a wide, devious grin. “I'm glad to hear that, dear,” she said before her hand darted forward and pulled her girlfriend's hat down hard over her eyes. Then, cackling madly, she began to pedal backwards as fast as she could so that the swan boat began to spin.

“Wha-what the-” Applejack blurted out, fumbling with her hat for a moment before seeing the dizzying view in front of her. “Oh, is that how it's gonna be?” she said, giving her love a side-eyed glance as her smirk returned. “Well then, two can play at that game!” And with that she redoubled her own pedaling in the forward direction, so that their boat began to spin even faster. The two girls laughed and laughed as they made their swan spiral clockwise across the surface of the lake, attracting no small amount of attention from the people passing by in the park.

Eventually, Rarity slowed. “Ohh, oh, oh my,” she said through her laughter, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her forehead. “We should stop before one of us loses our breakfast...”

Applejack stopped pedaling entirely, and the pair's laughter began to slow as their swan spun down to a gentle twirl. They ended their mirth with contented sighs, and slumped against one another. They were silent for a moment as their dizziness faded, then looked at each other and kissed.

Many enjoyable minutes later, the girls resumed paddling at a leisurely – and coordinated – pace. Hand in hand they looked out over the lake and took in its splendor – the sun reflecting off its surface; the schools of brightly-colored goldfish darting to and fro just below it; the way each gust of wind sent ripples across it; and how it seemed to draw all sorts of people and animals to its shores. For several minutes they didn't even speak; they didn't need to. They simply enjoyed each other's company.

Eventually, Applejack stretched her arms and sighed. “Sure was a fine idea to come out here,” she told her girlfriend.

“But of course!” Rarity replied, puffing herself up with pride. “I know romance, my dear. It's one of my many passions in life.” She gave her hair a flip, then batted her eyelashes.

Applejack chuckled. “Sure is, darlin',” she said. “Sure is...” She trailed off after that, her smile fading as her eyes wandered back ahead of them and promptly drifted off.

“Is something the matter, Applejack?” Rarity asked with a frown, leaning forward to get a better look at her lover's face.

“I'm just thinkin', is all,” she answered.

“About what, may I ask?”

Applejack was silent for a good long moment before she finally said, “About what's gonna happen to us.” She turned her head and looked at Rarity. “When folks find out, I mean.”

Rarity's face fell. “Oh.” She leaned back in her seat, and after a few seconds she looked back at her girlfriend. “What happened to your confidence that everything would work out fine, and that our friends would accept our relationship without issue?”

“I still got it, but...” Applejack sighed, and put her hands behind her head as she looked up through the cloth canopy. “I don't know.” She shook her head. “I guess ever since this mornin' it's been naggin' at the back of my mind more. And now that we're finally enjoyin' ourselves on a date, I realize that I really don't wanna screw this up. I mean,” she raised a hand, “how are we even gonna tell 'em?”

“Well, you told your grandmother just fine, didn't you?” Rarity asked, concern in her voice as she turned her body back towards Applejack.

The farmer shook her head again. “Nah, like I tried to tell ya before, she figured it out on her own. But we still got the rest of our friends and family to tell, and I ain't sure anymore that just bein' straight with 'em is gonna be enough.”

“Mm,” Rarity murmured, taking Applejack's arm and leaning against her. “Now you understand how I've been feeling about all this...”

Applejack smiled softly, leaning her head against Rarity's. “Well, like I said I still think the others'll be just fine with us bein' together. What I'm more worried about is the fuss they'll make when they find out.”

Rarity quickly raised her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle-snort. “True,” she said, cracking a smile. “I doubt Pinkie Pie or even Rainbow Dash will be able to avoid making a scene, much less keep quiet about it.”

“Yeah,” Applejack chuckled. “Heck, even Twilight might get startled enough by it to blurt somethin' out to the whole world if we aren't careful.”

“Which is why we'll need to tell them all privately,” Rarity said. “Though of course I do still wish to take things slowly with telling them. There's no need to rush,” she closed her eyes and made a sweeping gesture with her hand, “we'll simply...enjoy our little secret for a little while longer, perhaps a handful more of these clandestine dates, and then...,” another sweeping gesture, “play it by ear when we're comfortable.”

“Play it by ear, eh?” Applejack said, looking at her with a smile on her face. “Well, can't really argue with that I suppose.” It was then that her stomach chose to rumble, surprising both girls. “Speakin' of playin' it by ear,” she said. “You got anythin' in that plan 'a yours about lunch?”

Rarity's lips curled upwards in growing excitement. “Why, as a matter of fact I do!”

Chapter 4 - The Awesome Adventures of Rainbow Dash #1: The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well

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“Aargh! This doesn't make any sense!”

Rainbow Dash was nearly at her limit, gripping her hair so hard she threatened to tear it out entirely. She was sitting cross-legged on the barren roof of some building in downtown Canterlot; she didn't know which one and at the moment she didn't particularly care. Only minutes ago she had lost her quarry yet again, this time in a dead-end alleyway from which there should have been no escape.

“I'm like the fastest person ever,” she told herself, “and I'm a super-good flyer. Even with that teleportation trick she does, she shouldn't be getting away from me every time!” She threw her arms up in frustration, then groaned and flopped backward onto the warm, hard roof. “Daring Do wouldn't have this much trouble cornering a bad guy...”

She sighed and sat up, hand reaching into the messenger bag of essentials she was carrying – phone, binoculars, water bottle, snacks. She took out the bottle and squirted a bit into her mouth, then stowed it away again. “What would she do in this situation...” Rainbow wondered, staring out at the city. “Probably do a bunch of boring research,” she said glumly, “then come up with an awesome foolproof plan. How am I supposed to do any of that?”

She took a deep breath then stood up. “Okay,” she said as she began to pace, “maybe I should- no, that'll never work. But what if! No, I already tried that!” She growled in frustration, tugging at her hair again. “Ah, screw it! I can't think like this anyway!” She jumped into the air without a second thought, her crystalline wings humming with magic as she flew off like a shot.

Rainbow Dash had always felt her best while she was moving. Sitting still was just too distracting, too constricting, too boring. She couldn't concentrate unless she was doing something, whether it was running or playing soccer or rocking out on her guitar. And, recently, it had come to include flying as well. She didn't know if it was her pony magic or just how she was as a person, but it felt right in some way she didn't know how – or want – to describe. It had also been surprisingly challenging to get a hang of; her comic books never said she'd have to pay attention to the wind or where all the warm and cold air was. Or, for that matter, that it would be so tiring. Who knew that flexing muscles she only had thanks to magic would be such a workout?

But, eventually, she'd gotten the hang of it. And ever since she'd started looking for the Mare-Do-Well, she could swear she was getting a lot better at noticing stuff around her. Like the car she was flying over that had just run a red light. Or the people coming to their windows as she flew by. Or the group of people taking pictures of her. Sure, none of it was the Mare-Do-Well so she didn't pay that much attention to it, but she still felt proud that her eyes had gotten so sharp.

“Hmm...okay...” she murmured as she flew over the city streets. “Mare-Do-Well usually turns up a couple times a day, or more when there's a crime.” She turned left. “But she doesn't stop all of them, so that means she probably doesn't know about all of them...” She turned right. “She used to hang out on tall buildings but stopped doing that once I started tracking her down. But if she really does wanna fight crime, then she's gotta be able to find them somehow, right?”

Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-air, hovering above an intersection as she looked around the city. “So where's she staked out?” She crossed her arms and frowned. “Hmm...well, where do I go when I'm looking for a crime to stop?”

She came to a sudden stop in mid-air, the blush of an embarrassing realization creeping onto her face while the people following her below catching up to her and crowding the sidewalk as they vied for photos. “Okay,” she admitted, “I should probably start trying to do that if I'm really gonna be a superhero. But maybe if I figure out where I'd go, I can figure out where she goes...”

A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash was perched like a gargoyle on the roof of the tallest skyscraper in the city. She took a drink of water, then stowed the bottle. “Okay,” she said to herself, “this probably looks super cool from the right angle and all, but...” She looked down at the city streets below through her binoculars, adjusting the dials and frowning. “I can barely see anything from up here, much less hear! Maybe I need to get a little lower...”

Another few minutes passed before she was standing flush to the wall on a narrow ledge around the outside of the clocktower. “Pass,” she said, taking flight once more before the clock hand's struck 9:15.

“Better,” she said from the roof of the 40^th precinct of the Canterlot Police Department. “But I can still barely see past the block!” She looked up and down the street again, but while she was able to see people okay – and see people seeing her okay as well – she couldn't actually see many buildings. She couldn't hear much, either, even with the light morning traffic whizzing past.

“Miss Dash!” The fact that she could actually make out the voice was enough to get Rainbow's attention, and after a moment of looking around she turned her gaze downward. There, standing just outside the precinct, was a woman with pale white skin and dark hair. She was wearing a suit, and had her hands cupped around her mouth.

“What?” Rainbow shouted back, trying to remember where she'd seen the woman before or at least why she knew her name.

“Please get down from there immediately!” the woman replied. “Unauthorized personnel are not allowed rooftop access!”

“What?” Rainbow repeated, more in confusion than anything else.

“You are not allowed up there!” the woman clarified, unfazed and emotionless.

Rainbow flinched. She knew she was on top of a police station, after all, and the last thing she wanted was to get in trouble with the law. “Sorry!” she called down to the woman. “I'll leave!”

She flew off immediately, leaving the woman to stare and her paparazzi to tiredly give chase.

“Okay, so, I think I can pretty much rule out tall buildings entirely,” Rainbow said to herself as she turned left over another street. “So that means I gotta figure out some other way to track down criminals.”

She spent the next couple minutes just looking around again, but when she caught sight of a parked cop car she stopped. “Hold on,” she said to herself, her expression brightening, “cops find criminals all the time! I can just follow one of them!” Excitedly, she landed on another rooftop and began to watch the car she'd spotted.

“Well, this is boring,” she said nearly half an hour later, her excitement having completely drained away. “All this guy's been doing is hand out pointless tickets, and even that he's doing so slowly I could do a lap around the city before he finishes each one!”

Rainbow Dash flopped backwards onto the roof she'd been sitting at the edge of, covered her eyes, and groaned in frustration. “So that means the cops are a bust too. At this point the only way I'm ever gonna be able to track down crimes is if I know where they're gonna happen before they happen!”

She went silent for a moment, then suddenly sat upright with a look of stunned realization on her face. “Hey, maybe that's how the Mare-Do-Well does it!” she said. “Either her magic lets her see into the future or something, or she's in league with the criminals already-” her eyes widened- “and they just tell her where they're gonna rob so she can go and stop them!” She inhaled sharply and bolted to her feet. “That devious little...!” She growled and rocketed back into the air, only coming to a sudden stop after she'd already flown a block.

“Crap,” she muttered, palming her face. “I still have no idea where to find her! All that thinking, and I'm right back where I started – flying around blindly hoping to see her.” Rainbow Dash let out a long and resigned sigh, then dove back down to fly closer to street-level.

It was time. She could sense it. She'd been tracking the group of would-be robbers for nearly two days now, had watched them plan their heist in what they thought had been the utmost secrecy. But little did they know that the shadows were her greatest ally...

That and luck, but she had long believed that the truly powerful made their own luck. And she herself was proof enough that the belief was well-founded.

She smiled behind her mask as she watched the three men pile into their ugly, nondescript getaway car. Soon, another game of cat and mouse would be over and won.

With a wave and a flourish she circled her cape around herself, and disappeared.

Rainbow Dash had done another complete fly-through of the city before she decided to stop for another rest. “Seriously,” she muttered after taking a swig of water, “there has to be a better way to do this. Something I'm missing. Why couldn't the girls have backed me up on this, I'm starting to think I can't do this alone. I mean,” she put the cap back on her bottle, “spending half my day standing around random rooftops talking to myself? How uncool is that!”

She paused and looked around as though expecting a response, and her face fell when she didn't even get a gust of wind.

“Freaking Mare-Do-Well, making me look bad,” she muttered as she took out her binoculars and started scanning the streets below. “I better get lucky...”

She did.

“Yes! Finally found ya!” Rainbow Dash cheered to herself, tracking her rival as she raced through what she knew to be a long alleyway behind a row of buildings. Quickly she shoved her binoculars back into her bag, and in a mere fraction of a second she was jetting through the air on what she was sure was the perfect course for interception.

She flew into the last side-alley before the end of the block and came out at the end of the main alley, Mare-Do-Well headed right for her. “Gotcha!” she said in triumph as she locked eyes with the rogue, who quickly scrambled into another side-alley on her left. Rainbow Dash flew after her, even when she suddenly leaped directly upward. The rogue leaped from ledge to sill to whatever other purchase she could find with an otherworldly quickness, and soon her efforts landed her on the roof of a small boarding house. She didn't rest for even a second before she took off at top speed along the rooftops, not sparing a glance behind her when Rainbow Dash shot up into the open air.

“HEY!” Dash shouted before swooping back downward to give chase, uncaring of the small commotion her cry had caused – and largely ignorant of the presence of the two friends she'd caused it to. Her heart pounded faster and faster and her grin grew wide as she began to close in on her rival, the Mare-Do-Well approaching the end of the block fast but not fast enough.

And then, to Rainbow's shock, she turned and jumped into the street. Or, rather, the air above the street – she never landed, instead pirouetting in mid-air and disappearing into her cape.

“AAGH! Darn it, not again!” Rainbow cried in frustration, pulling at her hair for a moment before shooting off in the direction the Mare-Do-Well had turned. “GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME!”

She crouched down in the shadow of a dumpster, willing herself to go unseen. She knew it would only be a few minutes before her pursuer would move on from the area, none the wiser that she hadn't gone far. Were it any other day she'd have no qualms with leading that hot-headed simpleton on another chase and have her fun tricking her, but right now she had more important things to do. And the last thing she wanted was that obnoxious flying brick barging into things, getting in her way and stealing some or all of the glory for herself.

She had come up with the plan, and she was going to reap its benefits. Nobody else. Only her.

Once she sensed the coast was clear, she crept silently out into the alley and started darting from one patch of darkness to the next. She made her way to a small alcove behind a drugstore that, she decided, had been created when a previous store had expanded into an adjacent building and had built a small corridor to connect the two. It afforded her a perfect vantage point of a small branch of the Republic Bank located just across the street.

She smiled to herself under her mask. All she had to do was wait for her prey to arrive and commence their robbery, then she would swoop in and stop them just as she'd planned. The only thing that could interfere was if that rainbow-colored pest showed up again, who might require more drastic measures to divert again.

But she wasn't worried. The truly powerful made their own luck, after all.

“Yup,” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she flew over a street three blocks away from where she'd last seen her rival, “shoulda known. No way I'd ever get a lucky break or anything. Guess it's back to the same old flyin' around...”

She sighed, and turned down a side street on impulse. As she looked to her left and right at all the dark alleys and gaps between buildings, an idea struck. “Come to think of it, she's been using the alleys a lot recently,” she thought aloud. “Maybe instead of looking at them from up here, I should be flying through them down there. I won't be able to see as much of the city,” she reasoned, putting a hand on her chin, “but I probably wasn't gonna see her for a little while anyway. So what the heck?” she finished with a shrug, banking to the left and swooping into an alley she had picked at random.

Not too long afterward, a motorcyclist in a black leather jacket pulled up in front of the alley, paused for a moment to look into it, then continued onward.

For a solid five minutes Rainbow Dash weaved her way through the back-alleys of downtown Canterlot, startling more than a few stray cats as well as one unfortunate busboy just trying to take out the trash. She only scraped the walls a mere seven times, a fact she was proud of. “Heheh, best flier ever,” she bragged before deftly turning a corner.

A bit of dark purple caught her eye, and she froze in mid-air.

The Mare-Do-Well looked at her, frozen in shock. She looked back. Seconds ticked on like ages as they simply stared at one another, dumbfounded, until all at once they made their moves.

Rainbow dashed forward. The Mare-Do-Well scampered out of the alcove. The two missed each other by less than an inch, Rainbow Dash halting herself on a dime and turning to swipe at her target – but it was too late. The Mare-Do-Well had made a break for the nearest exit, and Rainbow saw her turn out onto the street. She growled to herself in frustration and shot forward in chase, shooting out into the open with so much speed she couldn't turn sharply enough. By the time she'd brought herself around the Mare-Do-Well had just about disappeared down another alley, only the fluttering of her cape behind her giving her away.

“Not this time,” Rainbow said through gritted teeth, shooting towards the new alley. With her speed under control again she raced after every glimpse of the Mare-Do-Well she saw, her smile growing darker as she drew closer and closer.

The Mare-Do-Well darted left onto a side street mere seconds ahead of Rainbow Dash, who pumped a fist in triumph. She followed suit, turned as sharply as she could, and crashed into someone.

“H-hey! Watch where you're going, Rainbow Crash,” the girl said, on her butt and rubbing her head. Pale blue skin, bright white hair, and an air of general superiority about her even in such a humiliating position, Trixie Lulamoon gave Rainbow Dash a look of utter derision.

Rainbow just rolled her eyes and offered her classmate a hand up. “Sorry, Trixie,” she said, starting to look around impatiently. “Did you see where Mare-Do-Well went?”

For a fleeting moment Trixie seemed anxious and fearful, but then she crossed her arms and sniffed defiantly, turning her head to the side. “Hmph. Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie did see the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well pass through here just before she was rudely-” she turned a sharp look back at Dash- “run into by a certain wannabe hero. But Trixie does not see why she should tell you anything about our city's greatest protector.”

“Uggh...,” Rainbow groaned, palming her face. “Come on, Trixie, this is important! That Mare-Do-Well character could totally be up to something evil right now!” Now hovering a foot above the pavement, she thrust her hands into the air.

Once more fear flashed in Trixie's eyes, but it soon disappeared as a sly smile formed on her lips. “Oh, is that so? Well Trixie thinks that Mare-Do-Well is up to something heroic, like always. So Trixie would rather help her than let some obnoxious loudmouth like you interfere.” She shrugged in feigned helplessness. “Oh well. If it's any consolation, Rainbow Crash, Mare-Do-Well is probably miles away by now. I bet she teleported the moment you lost sight of her.”

Rainbow froze, stunned by the realization, then clenched her teeth in anger and flew off. Trixie let out a short laugh. “See you later!” she called out tauntingly, flipping her hair and walking off.

Half a minute later a motorcycle drove past her, its leather-clad rider and Trixie looking at one another for just a split-second before the biker sped off. Trixie scratched her head out of puzzlement, then shrugged and continued on.

Inside, she was laughing. Not once but twice had that armored idiot been misled into thinking she was somewhere else, when in reality she'd simply doubled back to her hiding spot again. Of course, she had made sure to secretly watch the girl fly off before doing so. She was simply brilliant in that way, minimizing the risk of another chance encounter like she had.

And, naturally, she'd gotten back into position with more than enough time to watch her targets pull up. There weren't any other cars parked in front of the bank or even much traffic, which she knew was a trend that had caused the would-be crooks to target this branch in the first place, so they'd at least pulled off their arrival without attracting any attention. They thought they would have a simple in-and-out job, no hassle, no delays, and no risks that desperate men like them were unwilling to take.

They were wrong, of course. Her hidden smile grew as she watched two of the men get out of the car with their masks already on, walk up to the big double-doors side by side, pull out their guns, and charge in.

She would enjoy the looks on their faces when they saw her waiting for them.

An alarm went off, and she took that as her cue to leap dramatically from her hiding spot and charge the getaway car. The driver didn't see her until she was right next to him.

“Great job, Dashie, you blew it again,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself as she flew away from Trixie, quickly gaining altitude so she could better look out over the city. Once she was satisfied she stopped and hovered in place, taking a swig of water while she looked around. “Where to next?”

After a few seconds she just shrugged and flew off in the direction the wind was blowing just because it was easiest, and a couple minutes after that she landed on an office building to rest a little. She took a power bar from her bag and tore into it, shielding the sun from her eyes as she sat and watched for any sign of suspicious movement.

Then an alarm bell rang through the air, nearly startling her off the ledge she'd been sitting on. “What the?” She floated into the air a bit as she looked around for the source of the noise, her eyes soon going wide. “Hold on, doesn't that mean there's a robbery?” She grinned in triumph. “Well whaddaya know, I finally get a chance to be a hero!”

She flew off towards the source of the alarm, but quickly paused as she recalled her father's disapproval earlier in the week when she'd suggested she could fight crime. She frowned, but after a moment she clenched her fists and resumed her flight. “Sorry, dad,” she whispered. “But I gotta do the right thing...”

It took her only seconds to locate the source of the alarm. The first surprise she got as she swooped down to save the day was that it was a small bank right near where she'd last found the Mare-Do-Well.

Her second surprise was that the Mare-Do-Well was there too, pulling what – as far as Rainbow Dash could tell – looked like some innocent motorist out of a car parked out in front. She gasped in shock at the perceived heinous act, then narrowed her eyes and charged toward the pair without a word or cry.

And then, for the first time since she'd started her pursuit earlier that week, Rainbow Dash touch the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. She slammed her shoulder right into the costumed woman's side and sent her flying, the dazed motorist pulled along with her. All three landed on the pavement in one big heap, and Dash was the first to her feet – pulling the Made-Do-Well up by her collar moments later.

“What's the big idea, huh?” she demanded angrily, the mysterywoman looking at her with wide, stunned eyes. “What, did you think you were gonna steal a car too, on top of robbing that bank?”

She motioned at the building behind her with one hand, and the Mare-Do-Well immediately used the opportunity to shove her to the side and cast a gloved hand out towards the motorist – who had gotten to his feet and was now scrambling back to his car.

“Oh no you don't!” Dash growled, zipping forward and grabbing the Mare-Do-Well's long cape, yanking her backwards just as a lasso shot out of her glove. The sudden jerk caused the magical rope to miss its target by an inch, and the motorist reached the broken driver's-side window and frantically stuck an arm through to grab the handle.

Meanwhile, the Mare-Do-Well had used the momentum of the pull to whip around and backhand Dash across the jaw. As Dash staggered back the magical lasso retracted into the Mare-Do-Well's glove, allowing her to throw a right hook that was easily ducked under. Rainbow Dash countered swiftly, darting forward and grabbing her foe's collar again and lifting her into the air, but the Mare-Do-Well swiftly grabbed her cape with her left hand and swung it around the both of them.

“What the-?” Dash yelped in surprise as the cape fell over her, cocooning both young women in darkness. It shrunk rapidly into nothingness despite Dash's struggling inside, and moments later they reappeared several feet away – Dash landing on her head, the Mare-Do-Well on her feet. She bolted back towards the getaway car and stopped the door before it was closed, then pulled the panicked driver from it once more.

“Please, no!” the driver pleaded before the Mare-Do-Well punched him in the gut, then let him fall to the ground. She stood over him imperiously, cast out her lasso, and with a flick of the wrist it tied itself around him.

By now a crowd had begun to form around the area, drawn by the sound of the alarm, and the sight of the two superheroines. The motorcyclist in the black leather jacket had shown up as well, but turned around and left after less than a minute.

“Urggh...” Rainbow Dash groaned as she propped herself up on one arm, immediately reaching back and feeling where she'd landed. No blood, but just touching it was enough to make her wince. “That was a dirty trick,” she growled as she forced herself back to her feet, then looked around for her attacker. She saw her perched atop the getaway car, its door still open and its unconscious driver tied up next to it. With a scowl she stumbled forward a step before regaining her stride, her focus entirely on the Mare-Do-Well.

Then she stopped.

Two men wearing ski masks had just run out of the bank with guns in their hands and sacks over their shoulders. They came to a quick stop on the bank's top step when they saw the Mare-Do-Well waiting for them, swore, and opened fire. The costumed woman wasted no time in leaping upward out of the way, however, and just as quickly vanished into her cape when the robbers turned their fire.

“Okay,” Dash said, wide-eyed and sitting flush against the front of the getaway car, “this is so not what I expected.” She hesitantly turned and looked over the hood of the car, but flinching when she heard another gunshot. “I guess I was wrong about what she was doing here,” she said nervously as she watched the Mare-Do-Well kick one of the men in the chest, then quickly dart away to the side when his partner caught him. That man quickly shot into her path, forcing her to quickly stop and change directions.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said to herself as she retreated behind the car again, “I can handle this. It's just two thugs with guns, and I'm super fast. No sweat.” She took another deep breath, then flew out of hiding in a long arcing backflip towards the bank. She rolled onto her belly and grinned as she easily swerved out of the way of a bullet, then circled around to launch her attack.

Distracted by the new heroine on the scene, the two bank robbers left themselves open to another pair of flying kicks to the back courtesy of the Mare-Do-Well. They stumbled towards Rainbow Dash, who stuck out her arms and clotheslined the pair as she flew between them. She swooped upward and gave the fallen men a cocky grin, only to scowl again when the Mare-Do-Well shoved her to the side.

“Hey!” she protested to no effect, her rival focused entirely on tying up the fallen men with two more magic lassos. Dash crossed her arms and huffed, not bothering to look at the Mare-Do-Well as she reluctantly said “Well...good work, I guess...”

The Mare-Do-Well gave her a sharp look, then crouched down and inspected the bags of loot that the two robbers had dropped. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at that and started to fly closer, but the wail of distant sirens and the barking of nearby dogs made her pause. The Mare-Do-Well did as well, and all at once the two young women became fully aware of the crowd that had gathered around them.

A sudden yelp arose from one section of the crowd, and the source quickly became apparent as a large and scruffy-looking terrier suddenly darted out through their legs, dragging an unmanned leash behind it. The dog made a beeline for Rainbow Dash and the Mare-Do-Well, the latter recoiling slightly as it began to sniff the ground around her. It only stopped, and lifted its head and ears, when it heard a series of further yelps and cries of annoyance from the crowd. The source of that commotion was made apparent as well when the crowd was forced to part by a horde of eager, sniffing, barking dogs, their leashes all in the hands of a single tall old man.

“Pardon me, ladies,” the old man greeted with a tip of his battered top hat, a single eye glancing nervously around the scene as his dogs fanned out to investigate. “I'll just, ah, collect my little friend,” the man said with a sheepish point towards the terrier that was now sniffing the fallen bags of loot, “and be on my way.”

Both of the costumed young women glared at him, but it was Dash who reached down and picked up the loosed leash before the terrier could react. She handed it over to the old man just as quickly, earning an astonished look and a one-eyed blink. For a moment his astonishment faded into an unnervingly joyful smile, but that too was swept away quickly by the blare of sirens. The gray-skinned man paled, and with a quick whistle and an urgent tug he got his horde of dogs and started leading them back through the crowd – away from the police cars and ambulance that had just pulled up.

“It's about time,” Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance, lowering herself back down to the ground for the first time since leaving her hiding spot. “Though I guess we did do pretty good today,” she added with a growing smile, puffing herself up proudly as several bystanders began to take pictures of her. “Sorry for being on your case so much,” she said with a half-second glance towards the Mare-Do-Well. “Maybe I mis-” she looked again and saw her costumed rival leaping away from the scene- “judged you...” Dash's face fell again, and she sighed in annoyance.

Police swarmed the scene moments later, taking statements from Rainbow Dash and those who had witnessed the showdown between her, the Mare-Do-Well, and the three would-be bank robbers. Eventually the men were arrested and the paramedics tended to a few people inside the bank who had been injured, and most of the crowd dispersed. Soon all that were left were Rainbow Dash, some of the paparazzi that had been following her around, and the last couple police officers making sure everything was in order.

“Can I go now?” Dash asked in an impatient whine, still ponied-up on the front steps of the bank. “I have stuff to do.”

“Not yet, Miss Dash, we still have a few more questions for you,” one of the officers said.

Rainbow Dash groaned and the officer rolled his eyes, though both looked over at the bank entrance when another man with pale orange skin and darker hair rushed out of it, obviously flustered. He quickly spotted another officer near the door, and hurried over to talk to her in frantic though hushed tones. “Stay right there, Miss Dash,” the officer Dash had been talking to said, walking over to join the conversation.

A few foot-tappingly bored minutes passed as Rainbow Dash watched the three converse, which ended shortly after looks of muted, thoughtful shock from the officers. The one who'd been speaking to Dash gave her a brief look of suspicion, and Dash's initial confusion turned to wariness when he walked over to her with a glower on her face.

“Excuse me, Miss,” he asked, his voice stern and serious, “you didn't happen to have handled either of the bags those robbers were carrying, did you?”

“Uhh, no, I never touched them,” Rainbow Dash replied, leaning away slightly on instinct. “Why?”

“Hmm,” the man said, his mouth drawn thin. “I see. Well, the bank's manager has reported a discrepancy between the amount stolen and the amount recovered, and as you are one of the few people who got close to the bags I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come down to the station with me for more questioning.”

“But I told you, I never touched the things!” Dash protested. “Here, check my bag if you want to,” she said, thrusting her bag at him before motioning to what she was wearing. “And it's not like I have any pockets in this armor to hide stuff in.”

The officer raised a brow and looked her over, then accepted the bag and started rifling through it. “Well, this checks out,” he said after a few minutes of fruitless searching. He gave her back the bag, then asked “You didn't happen to see anyone else handle the bags, did you?”

Dash let out another annoyed sigh as she slung her bag back over her shoulder. “The only ones I saw get close to the loot were that weird guy's dog and-” She stopped suddenly, her eyes going wide with realization. “The Mare-Do-Well! Of course!” she exclaimed, pounding her fist into her open hand. “I knew she was up to no good...”

She shot into the air without warning or thought, eyes narrowed as they once again began to search the shadows and alleyways of the city around her. The officers and the bank manager were left to gape in shock on the steps of the bank, though their attention was soon drawn to a fourth man, brown-skinned and yellow-haired, running up to the two officers.

She wasn't entirely certain whether to call it a success or not. She had certainly foiled the robbery, true, but not before that rainbow-colored brute had somehow managed to interfere again. And between her and that strange man with the dogs distracting her, she'd ended up leaving the scene far too late. She wanted to tantalize her fans and cultivate an air of mystery, after all. Not stick around for an extended photo op.

There'd be time for those later, once everyone had come to adore her. Once she no longer had to worry about flying idiots barging in by fluke and stealing half her well-deserved glory.

But whether or not it was a success, she did know she'd at least gotten something out of it. As she raced through the shadows of Canterlot she allowed her hand to brush against one of her suit's hidden pockets and feel the weight she'd oh-so-recently added to it when nobody was looking. For a split-second it caused a well of guilt to spring out of some deep corner of her mind, but she suppressed it with ruthless and well-practiced efficiency.

After all, wasn't it only right that she be compensated for her efforts?

Chapter 5 - Lovely! Bold! Adventurous! The Crusaders+1 Enter the Scene

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“I'm leaving, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle called up the stairs to her sister, making sure her voice was good and loud in case she was still in the shower. Sweetie didn't bother waiting for a reply, instead running back to the front door to join up with her friends. She slammed the door shut behind her out of sheer enthusiasm, and didn't spare a thought towards locking it.

“What, your sister's not even gonna say goodbye?” Scootaloo asked, brow raised and hands on her hips.

Sweetie shrugged, the three walking as one down the walk towards their ride. “I'm pretty sure she's in the middle of something important.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom asked. “What?”

“Beats me,” Sweetie answered with another shrug. “Rarity's been acting weird all morning.”

“She always acts weird, though,” Scootaloo pointed out.

The other two giggled. “True,” Sweetie said with a broad smile. “But she's being extra weird today. I'm pretty sure she's hiding something.”

“Oh, maybe she's got a boyfriend!” Applebloom suggested as they reached the old pickup, her own smile excited.

Sweetie pursed her lips and hummed uncertainly. “I don't know...usually when she's crushing on a guy she's pretty obvious about it. Last time, she was swooning so much that Mom had to take her to see the doctor.”

Applebloom and Scootaloo shared a stunned look. “Well, I sure am glad Applejack's not like that.”

“Has she ever had a crush on someone?” Scootaloo asked.

“I don't think so,” was the answer. “You ever notice anythin' like that, Big Mac?” Applebloom asked her brother, sitting patiently in the pickup's driver seat with the window rolled down.

Big Mac tapped his chin in thought for a moment, then said “Nnnope.”

“Guess she just ain't interested,” Apple Bloom decided with a helpless shrug. “But enough about that.” She smiled and looked at her two best friends, both already doing the same. “You girls ready for today?”

“We sure are!” answered Sweetie, sticking her hand into the middle of their group.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo chimed in, placing her hand on top of Sweetie's.

“Alright then,” Apple Bloom said, adding her own hand.

“CRUSADERS FOR JUSTICE FOREVER!” the three shouted as one, loud enough to make Big Mac flinch and more than one dog in the neighborhood start to howl. The trio descended into a giggle-fit of boundless energy, eagerly rushing around the truck to get into their seats – Apple Bloom in the shotgun position next to her brother, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo crammed into the less-than-roomy back seat.

Soon even Big McIntosh had been swept up by their enthusiasm, chuckling along with them as he backed the truck out of the driveway.

“So, where to first?” Sweetie asked as they reached the edge of her neighborhood, Big Mac waiting for a chance to turn out onto the main road.

“The hardware store,” Big Mac answered with a happy smile.

“The hardware store?” Scootaloo repeated, her face scrunched up with distaste. “Why there?”

“Big Mac needs to get a few things,” Apple Bloom explained, turning around to look at her friends so they could see how sorry she was. “Plus Granny Smith gave us a list of some other stuff to pick up too,” she added, holding up the list in question. It was long.

Scootaloo groaned, throwing herself back in her seat. “I thought we were going to be doing hero stuff today, not running a bunch of errands.”

“Well, just think of it as our first good deed of the day,” Sweetie said, staying positive. “We're helping an old lady with her shopping!”

“Yeah, exactly!” Apple Bloom chimed in brightly.

Scootaloo just crossed her arms, her grumbling unabated. “I'm still worn out on shopping since we tried being Crusaders for Savings...”

“I still think that was one of our more useful ideas,” Sweetie told her. “Plus finding all the right coupons was pretty fun too.”

“Whatever,” Scootaloo said. “Let's just get this over with...”

Although the journey to the hardware store should have been a fairly short one, Big McIntosh soon realized that the girls he was chaperoning weren't about to keep it that way. Only five minutes in they forced him to stop so they could get out and help an old man cross a busy intersection; another three minutes after that Sweetie Belle had expressed concern for a cat that was walking down the street without an owner in sight and he'd been forced to stop again. He watched them chase off after it with unbridled enthusiasm for a couple seconds before driving off to find a place to park, and wasn't at all surprised to see them return fifteen minutes later, catless.

“It wasn't lost or a runaway,” Apple Bloom had explained to him as she and her friends piled back into the truck. “It was just an outdoor cat. Had a collar and everything.”

“I'm glad it was healthy and not in trouble or anything,” Sweetie said as she buckled up. “Though I get the feeling it didn't really like us.”

“I'll say,” Scootaloo chimed in as she nursed a few shallow scratches on her arms. Apple Bloom took a small first aid kit out of the glove compartment and passed it back to her, and she and Sweetie Belle quickly got to work tending their minor wounds.

Eventually, after a few more stops that mostly turned out to be false alarms, the four reached Canterlot Hardware. A couple minutes after that, Big Mac had found a parking spot and they all filed out of the truck.

“Hey, you think anyone's gonna need our help inside?” Scootaloo asked.

“Maybe,” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

“Let's go see!” Apple Bloom finished enthusiastically, leading her friends on an eager charge to the front door. Big Mac followed at a calmer pace, smiling and shaking his head.

It was Apple Bloom who opened the door, but she – and her friends – stopped the moment they recognized who was on the other side of it.

“Oh, hey Sunset! Hey Twilight!” Apple Bloom began with a smile at the two older girls, both of whom were carrying heavy-looking bags.

“What're you two doing here?” Sweetie Belle asked, squeezing into the store past Apple Bloom.

“Buying hardware, obviously,” Scootaloo told her, on Apple Bloom's other side.

“Well duh,” Sweetie Belle shot back. “But what're they buying it for?”

“They do got a lot of it...,” Apple Bloom said, a finger on her lip as she cast an uncertain look at the bags Twilight and Sunset were carrying.

“Eeeyup,” Big Mac chimed in, appearing behind the three.

“Hey girls,” Sunset greeted, stepping aside to let the group enter. “Hey Big Mac.”

“Yes, hi,” Twilight said with a hint of impatience as she, too, moved to the side. “All this is actually just materials for a research project I'm helping Sunset with. We actually have a bus to catch, though, so maybe we could talk-”

She never finished her sentence, the interest of the three Crusaders now piqued. “Ooh, what kind of research project?” Apple Bloom asked as she peeked into Twilight's bags. “Anything we could help with?”

Scootaloo moved to join her, but Sweetie Belle hung back with an uncertain frown on her face. “I don't know. This stuff looks a little too advanced for us...”

“Pfft, we can handle it,” Scootaloo scoffed, waving her hand before delving more fully into the bags. Twilight squirmed in discomfort, but neither Scootaloo nor Apple Bloom noticed. “We can do anything if we put our minds to it!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chorused.

Sweetie studied the bags and their contents more closely, until her smile suddenly grew. “Good point. Hey, maybe we should try being Crusaders for Science again after we're done being Crusaders for Justice?”

“That's a great idea!” Scootaloo said, bursting with enthusiasm.

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chorused, again.

Twilight's body lurched back a little as she gave the girls a puzzled look. “Uhh...I'm sorry? Did I hear you right? You're Crusaders for Justice?”

Apple Bloom looked up at her and beamed. “Sure are!”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Today we're going around fighting bad guys and helping people, just like Rainbow Dash!” She struck a karate pose as if to emphasize her point.

“Well,” Sweetie Belle corrected without hesitation, “more like Mare-Do-Well. I don't think Rainbow Dash has been all that active as a superhero yet.”

Scootaloo gaped and puffed herself up in outrage and protest, but all she could manage to say was “Hey!”

Apple Bloom gave the older girls an apologetic smile, saying “Well, regardless, we're gonna be tryin' our own hands at the hero business.” She stiffened at a sound from behind her, and looked back to see Big Mac crossing his arms and giving her a stern and protective look. “Uhh, at least as far as we can do so, err, responsibly,” she added, quickly and sheepishly. “Y'know, helpin' old ladies cross the street and the like.” She looked back at her brother, who nodded his approval.

Scootaloo, on the other hand, let her distaste be known with a sputter. “So just the boring stuff...,” she said as if to clarify her friend's explanation.

An odd smile suddenly appeared on Twilight's face, and she hooked her arm around Sunset's. “Yes, well, we'll just leave you to it, then,” she said. “But we really must be going now, so...goodbye!”

She made for the exit with enough force to drag Sunset along with her, who said “Later, guys! You keep an eye on them, Big Mac!” as the four waved her off. Once she was out the doorway she forced herself to stop, quickly adding “And if you see Rainbow Dash, tell her not to be so aggres-SIVE!” finishing just as Twilight yanked her away.

The four watched them leave in silence, the girls looking mildly bewildered but Big Mac looking unperturbed. He nodded, and said “Eeyup.”

“Wow, Twilight sure was in a hurry to get outta here,” Apple Bloom observed.

“You don't think she doesn't like us, do you?” Sweetie asked, a frown forming on her lips.

“Nah, she loves us,” Scootaloo said with a dismissive hand wave. “Everyone does! She just had a bus to catch, remember?”

“Oh yeah!” Sweetie said, brightening up.

Scootaloo nodded, then punched her open palm. “Alright girls, let's find somebody to help!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle chorused, and the three raced into the store. Big Mac just smiled and shook his head, then started walking towards the nails.

They were the only people in the store, aside from the elderly green-skinned clerk. And he was quite insistent that he didn't need any help.

“Aww man, what's the point of crusading for justice when there's no justice to deal out?” Scootaloo complained, throwing up her hands in frustration.

“It's okay,” Sweetie told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I'm sure there'll be someone we can help in the next place we stop at.”

“I guess,” Scootaloo said, slumping. “But what are we supposed to do until then?”

“It does look like my brother's gonna be a while,” Apple Bloom said, a finger to her lip as she watched Big Mac compare two boxes of nails at the other end of the aisle. “I guess we just look around for now” She shrugged. “Who knows, maybe somethin'll catch our interest?”

Scootaloo rubbed a finger across her chin in thought. “Hmm...well, I could always use more spare parts for my scooter...”

“Couldn't go wrong with pickin' up some supplies of our own for the clubhouse, neither!” Apple Bloom added brightly.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo said. “Especially once we turn it into our secret hero base!”

“Yeah!”

“And I bet I have coupons for just about everything we could need!” Sweetie added enthusiastically, pulling a thick coupon book out of a pocket.

Her friends turned blank stares her way. “What?” she shrugged. “I told you, I liked couponing!”

They kept staring.

“Electric screwdriver?” Scootaloo asked, holding up a cordless model with an eager grin.

“Nope,” Sweetie said almost immediately, her eyes glued to her coupon book.

“Already got one anyway,” Apple Bloom said offhandedly as she perused the shelves of power tools.

“Ooh, how about this cool power saw?” Scootaloo said next, putting the electric screwdriver on the nearest shelf and grabbing a saw instead. It was red.

“You kiddin'?” Apple Bloom answered, looking over just so she could raise a brow. “Granny barely even lets me use the regular saw. Besides-” she turned back to the wall of tools - “I don't know if we're gonna need to be doin' any cuttin'. A new drill might be good though,” she said with a smile, picking up a shiny black drill while Scootaloo put the power saw back on what was blatantly the wrong hook.

“Ooh! How about a jackhammer?” Sweetie Belle suggested, staring at a particular coupon with wide-eyed delight.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared a look. “A jackhammer?” the latter asked with enough skepticism to power the entire aisle's worth of tools.

Sweetie looked between them in confusion, then held up her book and pointed at the coupon she'd found. “What? We can get one for 10% off!”

“Would we ever even need one of those?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo.

Scootaloo paused to think for a moment, then said “Better remember it, just in case.”

“Good idea,” Apple Bloom said. “Though even with the 10% off I reckon a jackhammer's a little more than we can afford right now.”

“True,” Sweetie admitted with an uncertain frown as she continued to leaf through her book.

“Let's just stick with the drill for now,” Apple Bloom said, tucking her choice under her arm. “Unless you got another good coupon in there for us.”

Sweetie quickly flipped a few pages. “Uhh, does a two-for-one on garden hoses count?”

“How long'a hoses are we talkin' about?” Apple Bloom asked immediately.

“Uhh,” Sweetie quickly squinted at the coupon, “fifty feet.”

“Plastic or rubber?” Apple Bloom added without missing a beat.

“Does that even matter?” Scootaloo questioned.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “I dunno, maybe.”

“Well, the coupon doesn't specify either way,” Sweetie told them.

The three looked at each other, and shrugged. “Let's just put it in the 'just in case' pile with the jackhammer,” Apple Bloom said as she led her friends to another aisle.

A few more minutes later – and a few more entries for the 'just in case' pile – the three had regrouped with Big McIntosh to check out. Then they put the vacuum cleaner and the industrial-strength adhesive they'd picked out back on the shelves after a receiving a stern 'No', and went to meet him at the checkout counter.

“Are you sure you wanna pay separately?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo as she paid for her drill and Sweetie Belle's half-off waffle iron.

“It's fine,” Scootaloo told her with an armful of spare scooter parts. “You two are buying stuff for the group, I'm just buying stuff for me.”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Well, you girls certainly are buying a lot,” the old clerk said as he handed Apple Bloom her bag. “Of course,” he laughed, “not nearly as much as Miss Sparkle and her friend purchased, but still. Is there something going on that I'm not aware of? Should I be expecting more young people coming in today and buying supplies?”

The three girls looked at one another. “I don't think so,” Apple Bloom answered.

“Yeah, we're just buying this stuff because it's convenient,” Sweetie added.

“He's the one who wanted to come here,” Scootaloo finished, pointing at Big Mac who was admiring the single box of nails he'd purchased.

The clerk chuckled, beginning to scan Scootaloo's items. “Well, that's fair enough I suppose. You were all able to find everything you needed alright, at least?” he asked the four.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac answered, his sister and her friends soon following with their agreement.

“Even if we didn't get to buy all of it...,” Scootaloo muttered under her breath a second later.

“Well young lady, your total is $37.36,” the clerk told her. She paid quickly with plastic and coupon, and as she took her bags he smiled. “Have a nice day, and come again!”

“Thanks!” Scootaloo answered, waving along with her friends as they all moved towards the exit.

“We will!” Apple Bloom added.

“You too!” Sweetie chimed in.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac finished.

“So, where to next?” Sweetie Belle asked, all four back in the truck and headed out onto the main road. The clock on the dashboard read a little past 10:30.

“The pet store,” Big Mac answered plainly, not taking his eyes off the road.

“The pet store?” Scootaloo questioned, once more raising an eyebrow.

“We gotta pick up some food for Winona,” Apple Bloom explained, once more apologetic.

Scootaloo huffed and crossed her arms. “When are we gonna go somewhere we wanna go?” she asked.

Apple Bloom gave her brother a questioning, almost pleading look, but he simply raised a brow and shook his head. “Sorry, but we gotta finish Granny's list first,” she told her friends.

“That's okay,” Sweetie said despite Scootaloo's audible disagreement. “We understand.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

Plushie's Pet Supplies was, while not the largest or flashiest pet shop in the city, the most respected by more established pet owners. It had always ensured that the supplies it sold were of the highest quality available and that any animals they housed were ethically obtained and treated, and that had earned them more than enough business to compete with the larger franchises. This business had included the Apple Family for two generations – for while Plushie's didn't supply anything for livestock, the Apples always had a dog or two around that needed care.

A bell rang when they opened the door, alerting the handful of employees working the register and floor. However, as the Crusaders rushed in seeking people to help and Big Mac quietly tread the familiar path to the dog food, they all decided to let them be.

As with the hardware store, the girls found the shop distressingly free of people in distress. All the customers present either had no problem getting what they were looking for or were already being helped by an actual employee, and the employees themselves were getting on without trouble. And so, with heavy sighs and great reluctance, the three Crusaders for Justice regrouped with their chaperone who didn't even need their helping in carrying the giant sack of dog food he'd picked out. The girls had entirely chalked it up as another uneventful stop as they waited at the checkout, only to have their attention caught by the entrance bell ringing.

It was Fluttershy. She was dressed in the same light, flowing, pastel garments they knew her for, accessorized with just a hint of pet hair, but she looked much more distracted than usual. The Crusaders looked at one another, shrugged, and walked over to her.

“Hey Fluttershy, what's up?” Apple Bloom greeted, catching the older girl by surprise – she let out a faint squeak, and her hands darted to the stone that hung around her neck.

“Is something wrong?” Scootaloo asked.

“Cause it seems like something's wrong,” Sweetie added.

“Oh, hi girls,” Fluttershy answered, her voice soft and her hands slowly dropping. “Umm, I don't know if I'd say that something's wrong, exactly,” she said, now wringing her hands and looking away, “but, well... I suppose today hasn't been going like I expected it to, either...”

“Is it anything we can help with?” Sweetie asked, her friends leaning forward with eager smiles.

Taken aback by their enthusiasm, it was a moment before Fluttershy put a finger to her lip and began to think. “Umm, well, I guess so, if you really want to that is...”

“We want to!” Apple Bloom told her. “Trust me!”

“Yeah, we've been looking for people to help all morning!” Scootaloo added.

“Oh, well, in that case, I'd be glad to give you someone to help,” Fluttershy told them with a small smile. She paused to think again, finally saying “Umm, well, I guess the main thing is that I'm not sure how to handle this person that I work with at the animal shelter. He's a bit of a handful, not at all the type of person I'm comfortable being around. But I can't not be around him either, and I've been given some, well, conflicting advice on how to deal with him.”

“Hmm,” Apple Bloom said, rubbing her chin. “Sounds like quite the pickle.”

“Yeah, you should probably start by telling us exactly what he's been doing,” Scootaloo added.

Sweetie Belle held an arm out in front of them. “Wait,” she said, looking from them to Fluttershy. “Before that, this isn't one of those things where we assume you're talking about a human but you're really talking about like a dog or something, is it?” She ignored the strange looks her friends were giving her.

Fluttershy blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Oh no, I'm talking about a human. All the dogs at the shelter love me, and I love them.”

“Okay, just checking,” Sweetie said, returning the smile.

“So, uh, yeah,” Apple Bloom said, still giving Sweetie an odd look. “What's this guy been doin' exactly?”

This prompted a long-suffering sigh from Fluttershy. “A lot of little things, mostly. He'll pretend he doesn't know how to do things we've demonstrated several times so we have to do it all over again. He'll misinterpret requests on purpose and either get us the wrong thing or bring the right thing to us way later than we wanted. He'll play mean pranks on the animals when we aren't looking. And the worst part is, he's not even consistent about it! Sometimes he'll be mean and make things harder, but other times he'll just do what he's supposed to! And whenever someone calls him out on what he's doing, he'll act like we're just picking on him because he's an old man with a bad history!”

By this point Fluttershy had gotten so wrapped up in recounting her woes that she'd stopped paying attention to the Crusaders entirely. The three girls, for their part, were sharing a variety of uneasy expressions between each other.

“He's very good at seeming kind and thoughtful,” Fluttershy continued, “so much so that I keep having second thoughts about him, but he's also very good at making me doubt myself and what I'm doing.” She finally looked back at the girls who'd offered their help to her, the distress in her eyes strong enough to make them flinch.

“Wow, uh, that sure is...something...,” Scootaloo said after a moment, putting on a nervous smile.

“I'll say,” Sweetie Belle added. “I'm not sure we know how to help with something like that.”

Fluttershy's whole body seemed to droop at that comment. “Oh...,” she said softly, “I understand. I'm sorry I bothered you with it...”

“Don't be!” Apple Bloom interjected with forced brightness, darting forward to put an arm around Fluttershy's back. “Even if it don't seem like somethin' we can fix, we're still gonna try. Right girls?” She looked to her friends for reassurance, and they gave it – after a moment. “So,” she asked Fluttershy, “you mentioned you were getting' conflictin' advice, right?”

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy nodded, smiling softly again. “Dr. Rescue says that we should just treat him like, well, who he is, and not let him get to us. He'll only be volunteering at the animal shelter for a few months, after all.”

“Well, that sounds reasonable,” Scootaloo said. “If he's a jerk, then just ignore or avoid him as best you can.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodded, but Fluttershy just sighed. “Yes, and I was going to do just that, but then this morning Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna dropped by, and, well...” She sighed. “Long story short, they gave me some tips for dealing with him better. But they also said that the reason why he's such a jerk to begin with is because he's never had anyone really care about him before, and has never had anyone to care about.”

The Crusaders shared a much more uncertain look. “That is pretty sad to think about...,” Apple Bloom said.

“Oh, I know!” Fluttershy replied. “And it just made me think about how Sunset and Twilight used to be before they became our friends. And even though I know he's a lot older than they are and so probably can't change as easily, I still can't help but thinking that he can if only someone would give him a chance.”

“And...you wanna be that someone?” Scootaloo asked, skepticism heavy in her voice.

Fluttershy looked at her, then down at her fiddling hands. “Umm...well, I guess so... I mean, nobody else thinks it might be a good idea to try. And I am supposed to have the Element of Kindness, I think, so why shouldn't I extend that kindness to him?”

The Crusaders shared another look. “That's also a pretty good point,” Scootaloo admitted.

“So...do you wanna show him kindness and try to be his friend?” Sweetie asked, looking Fluttershy in the eye.

A moment passed as Fluttershy thought before a determined look appeared in her eyes and she nodded. “I do. I just don't know if I can succeed, especially when everybody else seems to think it's impossible.”

“Well, I don't think it's impossible,” Sweetie told her. “Not for you, anyway. And besides, just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing. I mean, look at us!” She motioned to her two friends. “We've been trying for years to figure out what we're really good at, and we still haven't succeeded!”

“Hey, yeah!” Apple Bloom said as a bright smile formed on her face. “Crusadin's been some of the hardest stuff I've ever done, but I'm never gonna give up until we figure it out!”

“Yeah, me neither!” Scootaloo chimed in, also smiling now. “You know what, forget all that stuff about him being a jerk. He's not gonna stop being a jerk on his own, and if you think being nice to him will help then that's what you should do.”

“No matter how tough it might be,” Sweetie added with a nod, her partners following suit a moment after.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded as well. “You're right. I don't care how hard it is, I'm still going to do the right thing,” she declared, fists clenched as she looked up past the pet store ceiling to the metaphorical heavens. “Thank you for helping me,” she added, snapping her head back down to look at the younger girls. “I think all I really needed was someone to talk to and give me a confidence boost.”

“Glad we could help!” Scootaloo told her, hands behind her head.

It was then that the four heard a throat being cleared and they turned to see Big Mac standing behind Sweetie and Scootaloo, his brow raised and his sack of kibble over his shoulder.

“Well, uh, let us know how it turns out,” Apple Bloom said, stepping away from Fluttershy as her brother slowly began to lead his charges to the exit.

“Good luck!” Sweetie added with a parting wave.

“Thanks,” Fluttershy said, returning the gesture as she stepped aside to let them pass. “Good luck finding yourselves!”

“We will! Goodbye!” Scootaloo answered with one final, parting wave.

“'We will'?” Sweetie repeated with an air of disbelief as she and her friends piled back into Big Mac's truck.

“What?” Scootaloo shrugged. “It's all I could think of! And it's totally true, too!”

“I guess...,” Sweetie said, still looking profoundly uncertain as she and Scootaloo buckled up.

“Either way,” Apple Bloom said, “we finally really helped someone! Sure, it wasn't exactly the way we were expectin' to do it, but I got a really good feelin' that it's a sign of things to come!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah!” they said, and the three girls stuck their hands together.

“CRUSADERS FOR JUSTICE FOREVER!”

Their shout startled Big McIntosh, who had only just slid into the driver's seat. But it faded in just a moment, and he chuckled. A minute later he was driving the truck back onto the streets, the dog food secure in the back with the rest of their purchases.

Chapter 6 - Searching

View Online

Starlight Glimmer was, for the first time in a good while, looking forward to the day. Sure, she was flat broke in an unfamiliar city and her 'riding partner' was being just as stubbornly foul-tempered as always, but none of that really mattered. Not when she had a mystery to solve. And a real, tangible, surmountable one, too – not just 'why does nobody agree with me' or 'how has nobody thought of these things before'.

Oh no. This mystery wasn't like that. Sure, it didn't feel like it'd be easy to solve, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try. Come hell or high water, Starlight was determined to uncover the truth of her 'riding partner' Sunset Shimmer before they left Canterlot.

She sighed happily as she walked down the sidewalk through the worst neighborhood of the city. A passerby looked perturbed by her cheer but she didn't care; she had something to do that wasn't just the same old depressing same old. Granted, she'd still have to do the same old things first – she wasn't going to get far without money and the lay of the land – but that was another thing she didn't mind. She was a great multitasker.

As she walked, she made notes of the city around her on the pocket-sized notepad she carried. The occasional fast food joint or corner store selling cheap food; rarer establishments liked used book or antique stores that struck her interest; even dumpsters and public trash cans she could dig through for returnables; any place that looked useful to her she jotted down. Even – or perhaps especially – a sleazy-looking pawn shop she figured would buy just about anything with no questions asked.

She'd be visiting that establishment a lot, she suspected.

All in all, it was slow going. Granted, that was entirely by choice – she could have breezed through the city on her motorcycle if she so chose, but that wasn't her style. Too loud and flashy when she wanted to stay in the background; too fast when she wanted to take both time and notes. No, she'd leave the roaring around town for Sunset. Starlight was content just leaving her bike locked and covered in the back of their motel and going it by foot.

A crosswalk light turned green as she approached it, and she smiled at her luck. She readjusted the bag she always carried on her shoulder, tied tight and durable to dissuade thieves, and carried on through the intersection. A light breeze tussled her hair, and all she could think about was how promising the day was.

She sorely wished that Sunset Shimmer was not having nearly as good a time.

As it happened, Sunset Shimmer was enjoying herself. Or at least, she was enjoying herself as well as she could in the city that she'd grown up in, the city which she'd turned her back on all those years ago. There was a certain sense of familiarity in the scenery around her and the wind whipping across her as she sped through the city streets; it almost felt as though she'd finally come home.

But she quickly dissuaded herself of that notion. She didn't have a home, she never had. Not at the orphanage, not on the streets, not even on the open road. Even the schools, where she'd been so eager to prove herself and grow better in some intangible way during her early years had only brought her frustration and disappointment in the end. But she didn't need a home.

What she needed was power. Power enough to do what she wanted, power enough to never be afraid. Power enough to stand up to the world and prove, once and for all, that she and she alone deserved to stand at the top of it. Power was what she craved, and power was what she lacked. She prided herself on her intelligence, her cunning, her strength, her skill, her agility, her charisma. But as great as she knew she was, it had never been enough. She wasn't yet as great as she could be. And that is what had brought her back to Canterlot.

Well, that and logistics. But the logistics weren't important. The logistics hadn't made her want to come back to the one place where someone might remember who she had once been.

That honor belonged to a series of peculiar rumors that had been floating around since last fall. Tales of supernatural occurrences, of unexplained explosions and lights. Tales of magic, and girls who wielded it. Sunset had been content to dismiss the claims as the hoaxes they obviously were; at best an elaborate prank or some kind of publicity stunt for a movie or something. She had fully expected the truth to come out in due time, by force or by volition.

But it didn't. Nobody credible came forward to take credit, and no hypotheses about the initial incidents were ever proven. They weren't ever even more than a blip on the media coming out of the city. The rumor mill churned and spun its wheels, fueled by a third incident in the spring and another just at the start of summer, but still was unable to produce anything meaningful.

Until the dam broke about a week ago, when photos and videos started flooding in featuring a pair of costumed 'superheroines' that had appeared in the city. It quickly reached the level that even the tabloids began to cover it, and as loathe as she was to admit it that's when Sunset began to take the rumors seriously too.

It was ludicrous, the idea of magic. Attractive, certainly, but ludicrous. The world simply didn't work that way. She'd seen the math. But at the same time, what risk was there in investigating it for herself? It was happening in a fairly convenient location, geographically speaking. And she was completely confident that she wouldn't be caught, 'missing person' or not. And the reward, fantastical though it was, would be out of this world.

After all, if two people had gotten hold of some kind of superpowers, then why couldn't a third? All she'd have to do is track them down and find out where they'd gotten the powers from, and replicate whatever it was they'd done. Not exactly the easiest task in the world, true, but Sunset knew she was up to it.

And if it really was all just a hoax like she suspected, well, then at least she'd get the pleasure of busting it herself and gloating about it online. Not the worst consolation prize, she decided.

She stopped at an intersection, but rather than searching the skyline for the superheroes she was tracking Sunset found her gaze drifting to the right. There, to her surprise, was the familiar facade of White Pine Elementary School where she'd spent much of her youth.

“Crap, why'd I have to come to this part of town,” she muttered through clenched teeth, stubbornly glaring up at the traffic light and willing it to turn green. But try as she might to ignore the school, she found her eyes drifting back towards it – they'd gotten a new playground installed, she noted. And as soon as she thought that, something else bubbled up from the depths of her memory.

“Bacon-head! Bacon-head! Nerdy little bacon-head!”

The chant came from a trio of jeering boys who had cornered her next to the big climber and pushed her down.

She grit her teeth, growled, and clenched fistfuls of gravel. “Sh-shut up!” she shouted, weakly throwing one hand's worth of pebbles at them. Most missed, but a few bounced harmlessly off their bellies or legs.

They laughed. “Oh yeah?” the leader challenged. “Why don't you go cry about it to your mommy?”

She gave him the most hateful look her nine-year-old body could manage, knowing what was coming next but powerless to stop it.

“Oh wait!” the leader said as though suddenly remembering something, mocking grins already on the faces of his buddies. “You don't have one!” All three boys broke out into raucous laughter again.

“I...I said SHUT UP!” she screamed, pushing herself back to her feet and throwing her other hand of gravel right into the lead boy's face – open mouth and unprotected eyes included. He yelped in pain, and she took the chance to push her way past him and his stunned buddies. They yelled angry threats after her, but she didn't care. Tears and snot streaming down her face as she ran, Sunset's thought were consumed by hatred – for her tormentors, for the world, and for her own weakness.

A stream of angry honking snapped her back to the present, and a quick glance at the green light above her was all she needed to get her back going again.

The bullying hadn't stopped until she had gotten strong enough to make it stop. By then she'd realized just how cruel the world was, and just how little it wanted to take her side. If she wanted to keep herself from being beaten down, then she needed to be the one doing the beating down. All the people around her that wanted her to just bare it and be a nice little girl, the teachers and the caretakers at the orphanage and all the other weakling students, they were just holding her back.

Beating her down, or holding her back. That's all anybody had ever tried to do for her. No matter how strong she got, that never seemed to change.

Which was why, as nice a consolation prize as being right would be, she wanted those powers so much more.

Starlight Glimmer was, as expected, completely lost. Not lost in the sense that she didn't know where she was or where she'd been, of course; that was basically impossible with her brilliant mind. No, she was lost in the sense that she had no idea how to get to where she wanted to go. She'd managed to document enough of the area around her motel that she was ready to move on to more interesting venues, she just hadn't yet figured out where those venues were.

And after nearly an hour straight of walking, she was ready for a bit of rest. She could keep going, of course, if she wanted to; she just didn't. It didn't make sense to exhaust herself on foot when she never knew when she'd have to run for it.

Plus she'd lucked into finding a few small bills or coins that had been dropped on the ground, and was eager to see what Canterlot's bus system was like. She'd heard good things about it online.

Of course, thinking practically, she wanted to make sure that nothing interesting was in the immediate area first. The last thing she wanted was to waste money on a one-block bus trip, after all. It would also help if she found a local to ask for directions – preferably someone naïve enough to not question why Starlight couldn't just look it up online via the smartphones that people her age were automatically assumed to have. And if she failed to find someone like that, well, she had plenty of invented excuses and fake backstory to fall back on, along with plenty of experience in lying.

She smiled to herself and stifled a giggle, thinking about how she'd do it. She'd start off by scoping out someone waiting for a bus stop; if she thought they looked easy she'd make her approach. She'd act like she was studying the route information that was posted by each one, and after a little bit she'd ask her mark if that bus would take her where she wanted to go. Probably the library; those were always good places to rest and promised easy internet access so she could get access to better maps of the city.

Her mark would probably just give her a simple answer, but if they asked questions Starlight would deflect them with practiced ease. Then she'd simply thank them for their help, and act on the directions she'd been told. It was a simple and straightforward plan, with minimal risk of anything bad happening.

She simply had to find a target.

And lucky her, she found one on her second trip around the block. It was a purple-skinned girl about her age, probably a tad younger, sitting all alone on the bus stop bench. Her thick glasses, long ponytail, and multiple heavy bags of what looked like electronics outed her as a major geek despite her feminine attire; the clothes themselves screamed upper-middle class at bare minimum. She had an air of general cluelessness about her that made Starlight smile.

She approached casually, looking at the girl only just long enough to confirm that she wasn't paying her any mind. Then Starlight began to enact her genius plan – she spent a few seconds hemming and hawwing over the bus schedule, tapping her chin in as she went over it in her head. Then, once she'd had enough of that, she let out an irritated sigh and turned around.

“Excuse me,” she opened, catching the girl's attention with a friendly smile. “I'm new in town, and I could use some help getting around.” She pointed at the schedule. “Do you know if I can take this bus to the library?”

“The library?” the girl repeated, clearly taken off-guard by the question as she stood up and moved for a closer look at the schedule. She adjusted her glasses and said “Oh no, at least not directly. You'll have to take this bus to 4^th street,” she pointed out the relevant stop on the schedule and map, “then catch the 45. That'll take you to the library.”

“Rrriiiight...,” Starlight said slowly, committing the instructions to memory. That step had gone smoothly, so she decided it was time for her to move on to the next step of her brilliant master plan: awkwardly waiting for the bus in silence with a stranger. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” the other girl said cheerily, clasping her hands behind her back before doing the one thing Starlight didn't want her to: Continue the conversation. “It's not every day I meet someone who's trying to find the library.”

“Well...,” Starlight said, dearly wishing the girl would take the hint to leave her alone, “you know what they say, knowledge is power!”

She did not take the hint. “I'm Twilight Sparkle,” she said, holding out her hand. “I'm too busy today to show you around the entire city, but I'll be happy to answer any questions you have while we're on the bus!”

Starlight swore, though fortunately only inside her own head. After far too much deliberation she decided to shake Twilight Sparkle's hand, though no longer than she felt was necessary. “Thanks...,” she said, stalling as she frantically remembered the fake name she'd decided to use in Canterlot. “I'm, uhh, Amethyst Shine.”

“Nice to meet you, Amethyst!” Twilight replied, apparently completely oblivious.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too...” Starlight said without even a tenth of the enthusiasm, much less the ability to maintain eye contact.

It was then that she heard a voice of such impossible familiarity that Starlight felt she had to be mistaken. “Sorry, Twilight, they were out of the chocolate-raspberry kind so I just got you a chocolate and a raspberry. I hope that's okay.” Starlight finally deigned to look at the newcomer, and her jaw dropped from the sheer weight of her shock and disbelief.

Standing before her, holding two packages of some kind of snack cake, was Sunset Shimmer.

'No,' Starlight thought. 'It can't be.'

“It is,” Twilight answered the new girl. “Thank you, Sunset.”

Sunset.

Sunset.

The name rang in Starlight's thoughts like a church bell, drowning out everything else for what felt like an eternity. The first thing to pierce through it was a resounding 'What?', followed by an utterly stupefied 'How?'

That was enough to unplug the rest of Starlight thoughts, and soon they were racing through her mind. 'Sunset is here and she knows this girl and she hasn't said anything and what on Earth am I supposed to do about any of this?!'

After doing several laps around that mental circuit her thoughts raced off to her mouth, and before she could stop herself she'd blurted out “Sunset?!” She realized her mistake instantly and snapped her hands over her mouth lest she say anything else that was potentially incriminating, but she could tell the damage had already been done.

Twilight and the other Sunset shared a confused look. “Uh...do I...know you?” the doppelganger asked.

Then, all at once, Starlight noticed all the little details she'd missed in her shock – the different outfit and completely different style from what Sunset preferred; the long hair; the way she carried herself; the absence of a scar over her left eye; the fact that she seemed genuinely confused; the fact that she hadn't so much as glared at Starlight yet...

Starlight swore inside again. 'This isn't her!'

“N-no!” Starlight forced herself to say, lowering her hands and laughing awkwardly. “Of course not, we've never met before in our lives!”

'Abort! Abort! Abort!'

“I just...thought you were someone else!” Which was the truth, and Starlight was thankful for its refuge. “Sorry,” she added quickly, putting her hands behind her back and taking a slinking step backwards. “IjustrememberedIhavesomewhereelsetobe, bye!”

She turned and bolted away at top speed, all other goals forgotten in the name of escaping whatever blunder she'd just made.

'Twins!' Starlight rapidly concluded as she ran, uncaring of the pedestrians she was barging through. 'Identical twins. That has to be it, why else would they look the same?' Her mind briefly stumbled over their shared name, but Starlight quickly overcame it. 'It's unusual, but not entirely unheard of in some larger families. That other Sunset must be Sunset Radiance, or Sunset Horizon, or something like that! Though it is pretty strange that they'd both go by the family name instead of their second name...'

In the presence of something new to puzzle out and the absence of any sign that she was currently being pursued, Starlight's instincts allowed her body to slow down to a brisk walking pace. 'And come to think of it, I could've sworn that Sunset Shimmer was an orphan. Maybe they were separated at birth?'

Then a new idea bubbled up into her thoughts, one that made Starlight smile as other details began to click together. 'Or maybe I was taking her talk about not having any family too literally? Maybe she really just...ran away from them, like I did? That would explain why she didn't wanna come back here.' Her smile widened at her next thought. 'Oh, I can just imagine her getting overshadowed by her twin sister when they were growing up, it totally explains why she's so touchy about being the best.'

And then came another thought that wiped away her smile. 'She is not gonna be happy if she finds out I ran into her twin sister...' Starlight cast a nervous glance behind her to double-check that she wasn't being followed.

To her horror, she was – and by the other Sunset, no less. A startled cry accompanied her fight-or-flight response kicking back into full flight, and once more she took off at top speed down the sidewalk.

She didn't think as she barreled through whole groups of people walking together; she didn't have the time. All Starlight could do was look for an escape route, which was no easy task on a busy and unfamiliar street – she ended up taking a risk on a random alley between some pizza place and one of the book stores she'd found earlier. She didn't have the foggiest idea what it would lead to, but she didn't care.

She actually smiled when she saw it led to a dead end. 'Perfect,' she thought as she calculated the speed and distance she'd need and forced her body to adjust. And exactly when she needed to she launched herself at the wall at the end of the alley, and gripped it with her foot in just the right way to get herself moving upward. With a jump she easily managed to grab the top of the wall and scrambled the rest of the way up in seconds, flinging herself over the lip and onto the flat roof beyond.

With the sound of hurried footsteps entering the alley just moments later Starlight willed herself to be silent, inwardly thanking all that time she'd spent with that group of freerunners.

“What?! Where'd she go?!” she heard the other Sunset exclaim, and it was enough to make her smile.

Laying flat on her back while she caught her breath, Starlight pumped a fist in triumph. Then came a heavier set of footsteps, and for a moment Starlight tensed up in preparation to flee again.

She didn't have to. “What...happened?” came the voice of Twilight Sparkle, who sounded like she'd never run before in her life.

“I don't know!” the other Sunset said, and Starlight could only imagine how frantic she looked. “I swear she came down here, but then it's like she just...disappeared!”

“Disappeared? Do you think...” Though she heard Twilight start to reply, despite her best straining efforts Starlight couldn't make out what she said next. And for a few seconds she thought that would be it.

Then the other Sunset replied. “I don't know, maybe? I mean, I didn't feel any magic being used, but what else could it be?”

“What?” Starlight mouthed to herself in sheer disbelief over what she just heard. She gave her head a shake and cleared out a speck of wax, then craned her head in as close as she felt safe to hear more.

“...however she escaped, Amethyst Shine is pretty suspicious. We need to keep an eye out for her from now on,” she heard the other Sunset say, and Starlight had to slap her hands over her mouth to keep her cover.

“Do you think we should tell the others about her? If nothing else, they should be able to approach her without scaring her off. I don't think she'll want to talk to us if we see her again.”

Her hands still covering her mouth, Starlight's eyes widened. 'Not good!'

In her panic, she nearly didn't register the other Sunset's reply. “But not right now, I'd prefer it if we didn't miss the bus again.”

A beat, followed by a joint exclamation, followed by the sound of two teenage girls racing out of the alleyway.

It was minutes before Starlight had calmed down enough to remove her hands and sit up. “What the heck did I just get myself into?!” she asked, still clutching her heart. “Did I seriously hear them assume I used magic to escape?! What are they, in some kind of cult or something?!”

A realization struck her hard enough that she bolted to her feet, her eyes somehow finding the room to widen even more. “They said they were gonna tell their friends to keep an eye out for me,” she said, her voice barely more than a stunned whisper. Her eye twitched. “Sunset's twin sister is part of some crazy cult that believes in magic, and now they're after me.” Another twitch, and she let out a pathetic little laugh. “It hasn't even been a day yet.”

She fell back into a sitting position, too shocked to care. “I think I'm starting to understand why Sunset didn't wanna come back here. I gotta lay low.”

Sunset was about ready to take a break. Between the traffic, the irritatingly familiar sights and the memories that came with them, and the general uneventfulness of her search she was getting tired of being on the road and had shifted her focus to looking for a good spot to pull over and rest.

There was also the fact that running her bike wasn't free. If she kept wandering the city for the rest of the day she'd have to buy gas again, and her wallet wasn't exactly overflowing right now – not after the refill yesterday and paying for the motel room. And she hadn't even taken into account food yet, either...

She found a cheap burger joint and pulled into the parking lot it shared with three other businesses, but no sooner did she turn off her engine than her plans were forced to change. It was heralded by a chorus of gasps and car brakes that was just enough to turn Sunset's head; but rather than the crash she expected she caught a glimpse of something bluish fly past over the street.

It being much larger than any bird was brow-raising enough; the distinct rainbow it left in its wake may as well have been a glowing signboard reading 'FOLLOW ME' in big, blinking lights.

Sunset quickly turned her bike back on, letting it idle as she pulled a day-old tabloid clipping from the pocket of her jacket. She unfolded it to see the black-and-white pictures of her two targets, and an unearthly smile formed on her lips as she confirmed that she'd just seen one of them.

Without hesitation she stuffed the clipping back into her pocket, turned her bike around, and roared back onto the street.

Even on her motorcycle it was hard for Sunset to keep up with the superhero girl, who she decided must have some level of super-speed in addition to the flying. She did take consolation in the fact that the rainbow trail made her easier to track, though, as well as the fact that other people were on her trail as well. She had noticed the various groups of nerdy-looking paparazzi roaming the city when she'd still been searching, but now that she was actively chasing as well she could better see what they had been doing.

From what she could tell, the packs had spread out enough to see hero-girl no matter where she flew. And they were communicating with each other, so that when one pack was on the trail they'd tell the other groups so that they could converge.

And once she realized that, Sunset was baffled by the level of coordination they had. It was effective, yes, but she would have expected them to be more cutthroat and competitive in their bids to break such a fantastical story. She wasn't complaining, since it made her life easier – follow the photogs to find the hero-girl – but it made her suspicious.

She could figure it out later, she decided. No time to waste puzzling over other people's motives when she should be paying attention to the road and the skies.

But even with her full focus on tracking the girl down, Sunset was having trouble keeping up. Sometimes she would spot the rainbow trail and speed off to follow it, only to spot the roving paparazzi headed in the direction she'd come from after only a few turns. Other times the trail would go cold entirely, even the packs of nerds looking lost as to where their target was. Sunset took solace in the fact that while they seemed to devolve into frustration during those brief cold period, she welcomed the challenge.

'She can fly, you idiots,' she thought to herself as she waited at a stoplight, watching one of the packs argue over where they should go next. 'Of course she's gonna be hard to follow!'

It was at the end of one such cold period that she got her next lead – an angry shout from a couple blocks ahead, followed by the squeal of tires and honking of horns that implied a barely-avoided accident. Sunset quickly spotted the familiar rainbow trail over a row of buildings on her right and sped off in pursuit, no longer bothering to follow the rules of the road.

And as she drew closer she saw another figure, this one dressed in purples with a long and billowing cape, leap into the intersection she was approaching. But by the time Sunset recognized her from the picture in her pocket, the other superhero had somehow disappeared – spinning in mid-air one moment, gone the next. It shocked Sunset enough that she nearly lost control of her bike; had incoming traffic not been stopped at a red light, she would've been in trouble.

“AAGH! Darn it, not again!” she heard the rainbow-trail-girl shout from the rooftop of the bagel shop that purple-cape had leaped from. “GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME!” she added before taking off like a shot.

Sunset's smile, dark and excited, was hidden by the gleam from her helmet as she sped up and took off through the busy street. She quickly passed the gaggle of rubberneckers and photographers that had picked up the chase as well.

Surprisingly, Sunset had little trouble keeping the flying one in sight after that. For whatever reason the girl had decided to stick mostly to flying above the streets, and the area she'd flown into was a more run-down and thus less-traveled part of the city. Without traffic to slow her down, Sunset was able to keep a good pace behind the rainbow flier. Even a sudden left turn hadn't been enough to shake her.

Though when she unexpectedly dove into an alleyway seemingly at random, Sunset was forced to pause and think for a moment. 'Where exactly is this girl going, anyway? If she has some hideout in there, that'll be a problem. The last thing I want is to leave my bike out in the open...'

Fortunately for her, the memory of hero-girl's earlier cry came back to her and she smirked. 'So she's chasing that other one, huh? Interesting...' An unspoken decision made, Sunset sped off again to get around the block before she lost track of her target.

She had underestimated the difficulty of tailing something that was flying through the alleys from the confines of her bike. Sure, every now and then she got a glimpse of that strange rainbow trail the hero-girl left in her wake, but Sunset had to struggle just to get even those. The only thing that saved her temper was the fact that her target seemed to be searching each block systematically; so long as Sunset could figure out which block she'd look through next, she figured she was fine.

Her diligence paid off when she turned a corner expecting to see a rainbow cutting across the road, only to see the girl flying off into the sky. And from the looks of it, she was flying away from someone else – another teenage girl by the looks of it, with pale blue skin and bright white hair. For a moment Sunset considered stopping to question the girl about what she'd seen and what she knew, but just as quickly she decided against it. After all, who knew what that girl's relationship to her target was? And she might not get anything useful without intimidation, and Sunset wanted to keep her profile on the low side right now.

That didn't stop Sunset from sparing her a glance as she passed by to memorize her face in case the trail went cold. And as she did, for a split second time seemed to slow to a crawl around her. What little air she could feel between her helmet and gloves and jacket felt strange, and she swore the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. But just as soon as she noticed the moment had passed, and she was speeding off after hero-girl again.

'Strange...,' Sunset thought as she struggled to keep one eye on the road and the other on the fading rainbow trail. 'I'm definitely gonna have to look into that girl too.'

It took Sunset a little longer than she liked to find the rainbow-girl again, but she did manage to track her to a prominent office building nearby. For a scant few moments she let her hopes rise that she'd finally found the super-powered girl's hideout; she had stopped on top of it after all. But even from as far away as Sunset was she could still tell the heroine was simply sitting on a ledge, and once she realized that it occurred to her that this was probably just some kind of break.

'Would you hurry up and go back to your hideout already?' Sunset thought, her mind stewing in anger as she idled in a parking space. 'The sooner I find it, the sooner I can case it for clues on how to get my own powers.'

The rainbow superhero made her move not long after, but not for the reasons Sunset had expected – a piercing siren rang through the air, and the do-gooder took off shortly after hearing it. Sunset did not.

Instead she swore, her blood running cold as she continued to idle on the side of the street. She recognized the siren and what it meant, for while she'd never been desperate or stupid enough to try robbing a bank herself she'd been unlucky enough to be nearby when one happened before. More importantly she knew that the alarm would inevitably bring a swarm of cops, and the last thing she wanted was to be around law enforcement at the scene of the crime.

'But I don't wanna lose track of her, either,' she argued as she put her bike in gear. 'And I wanna see what she can do in a fight...'

She stewed over it for a little while longer until her patience finally wore out and her temper flared. “You know what? Screw it,” she said to herself. “I'm not afraid of being around some cops. Not after I've made it this far, and not when I have so much to gain from checking it out. I'm Sunset freaking Shimmer, I can do anything!”

Now pumped-up with confidence, Sunset revved her bike and tore back onto the road.

A couple minutes later Sunset arrived at the bank the alarm was coming, and grimaced at what she saw – a crowd. Most of them looked to be simple passersby attracted by the commotion rather than the roaming hordes of hero-chasers, but that made little difference. She couldn't see through them either way, and that was a problem she'd have to solve quickly.

And solve it quickly she did. She turned her bike around and doubled-back a little ways until she found a secluded alleyway that was wide enough to park her bike in. Taking the tarp she always kept in the trunk out she covered it as best she could so it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention, and once she convinced herself it was safe she made her way back towards the robbery-in-progress. But rather than join the crowd, she opted to scale a shorter building and get a bird's-eye view from its roof.

She got into position just in time to see the rainbow-colored heroine fly out from behind a car at a pair of masked men who were already trying to fight the purple hero with the cape. A gunshot, a few kicks, and a flying clothesline later, and the purple hero shoved the other one aside so she could tie up the bad guys with some kind of magic rope.

“Hmph,” Sunset snorted, crouched down at the edge of the roof. “That's it? Don't tell me I missed everything...”

Shortly after deciding that she must have, Sunset's blood ran cold as a new sound rang through the air – that of police sirens on the approach. She began to move away from the scene, but a strange shape moving through the crowd of gawkers gave her pause. She allowed herself a glance back at it and realized it was someone walking a number of dogs that bordered on absurd. Stubborn curiosity alone caused her to linger long enough to see the man and his pack approach the two heroines to collect a dog that had gotten loose, and then leave when the police finally turned up.

Sunset watched him leave for just a little too long, long enough that he seemed to notice her watching. Though she ducked back down the moment he turned his head she didn't think she had been quick enough, but by the time she looked back he had already moved on. Movement from the crime scene then caught her attention and Sunset looked back to see the caped heroine leaping away. With the rainbow-colored girl staying put and police swarming the area, Sunset took that as her cue to leave.

As quickly as she could she crawled back along the roof to the alleyway, dropping down once she'd confirmed that the coast was clear. A bit more stealth and caution got her back to her bike. The sight of it being just the way she'd left it settled her nerves a bit, and it was with confidence that she stowed the tarp and maneuvered her way back to a road. She left the bike for another brief moment, just long enough to stick her head out and see what was around; seeing nothing, Sunset scurried back to her baby and drove back into the open.

A minute later, once she was free and clear and lost in the crowd of city traffic, she allowed herself to smile. “Easy,” she said to herself as she came to a stop, her voice unheard amongst the idling engines.

Her smile soon faded, though. “Though now I gotta find one of those stupid superheroes again,” she muttered. She thought back to the caped one's departure from the scene, remembering which direction she had gone and comparing it to her mental map of Canterlot. “Guess that's my next lead,” she said starting to plan out the route she'd have to take to get back on the trail.

Then her stomach rumbled in protest of a skipped breakfast, and she groaned. “Or, maybe I can go scrounge up some lunch money. Great.” A new goal in mind, Sunset adjusted her route and sped off at the first opportunity.

Chapter 7 - The Limits of Kindness

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Fluttershy was not having a very nice morning. Granted, she hadn't had many lately to begin with, but this one in particular had not at all turned out like she wanted. Her plan to squeeze an extra hour of tranquility out of her time at the Rescue Center had been foiled by the early arrival of the very man she was trying to avoid, and things had only gone downhill from there.

Part of her was even beginning to sour on sticking around, and that horrified her. She loved animals, and loved helping them. The sheer fact that anything could make her want to avoid the Rescue Center was nearly enough to bring her to tears.

She was putting out a fresh batch of pamphlets in the front area when a crash of metal and an angry hiss came from the backroom at a volume loud enough to make her flinch. And immediately afterward, she tensed up in anticipation of what would surely come next.

The door to the back opened a crack, and Mr. Discord leaned out of it with a few light scratches on his otherwise smiling face. He looked around theatrically with his one good eye before finally pretending to notice Fluttershy standing right in front of him. “Oh, Fluttershy, there you are!” he said, voice oily and smirk bright.

“What is it this time, Mr. Discord?” Fluttershy asked, utterly resigned.

“Oh, it isn't much,” he replied, waving his hand dismissively. “It's just that I'm having difficulty trimming Mr. Piddles' claws. It seems he doesn't like it for some reason!” He slapped a hand lightly against his cheek as though he were genuinely shocked. “Be a dear and help an old man with the proper procedure. Pretty please?” he asked, fluttering his eyelashes in an almost disgusting manner.

Fluttershy sighed. “Okay, Mr. Discord, if you really still need the help...” She took a step towards the door, then paused suddenly. She blinked, and Mr. Discord's grin widened as her brow furrowed. “Hey,” she said in an accusing tone, turning her gaze towards him. “Mr. Discord, you know Mr. Piddles had his claws trimmed yesterday! He won't need another trim for two weeks!”

Mr. Discord's mouth went round with feigned shock, and once more he gave his cheek a light slap. “Why, I do believe you're right Fluttershy! Oh, silly me for forgetting so soon. What am I going to do with myself?” He grinned under Fluttershy's stern look. “Well, I suppose that explains why Mr. Piddles was so reluctant,” he reasoned, idly stroking his goatee. “Though I'm not entirely to blame, all the little kitty-cats just blend together after awhile, am I right?”

He looked to Fluttershy for confirmation, but received only a stern frown. “No,” Fluttershy told him. “Not if you take the time to get to know each one, anyway.” She began to walk to the doorway, and when she opened it wide and added “Which you haven't,” Discord stepped aside without a word.

It only took a second for the smirk to reappear on his face. “Oh, you have me there, Fluttershy,” he said in his usual half-mocking tone. “But you will be happy to note that I have at least restocked all the supply cabinets and organized all the clutter.” He finished with a satisfied nod.

Fluttershy immediately turned a suspicious look towards him. “Really?”

“Scout's honor,” he replied just as quickly, grabbing one strap of his overalls and making the Scout's sign with his other hand.

Fluttershy had expected the cabinets and drawers to be in near-disarray, organized only according to some cryptic schema that existed solely in Mr. Discord's imagination. What she found was genuine order, from the supply room to the treatment rooms. Everything was exactly where it should be.

“Well?” Mr. Discord asked, leaning over her with an almost angelic smile on his face as he tried to look at hers. “Do you like it? Oh, please tell me you like it, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy stared at the non-mess for a good minute before her uncertainty manifested as a distinct “Umm...” It took a little bit more before she added “Yes. Thank you, Mr. Discord.”

He stepped around in front of her, now looking nearly concerned. “I'm sensing a 'but', Fluttershy,” he said. He raised a brow and added, in a goading tone, “Come now, if there's something you'd like to say, then say it! I may be old, but I can handle a little criticism.”

He was answered by a raised eyebrow and pursed lips, skepticism radiating from the entirety of Fluttershy. He grinned and fluttered his lashes, and so she sighed.

“But,” she said, pausing and waving her hand vaguely, “it's just... unexpected. That's all. Umm, no offense Mr. Discord, but you don't seem like, umm, the tidiest person.”

By the way he sharply gasped and clutched at his chest, one who didn't know the man would be convinced Mr. Discord had just had a heart attack. And with how he let himself begin to fall backwards, Fluttershy was nearly convinced herself. But soon enough he took a step back to save himself, moved the back of his free hand to his forehead, and wailed in melodramatic agony.

“You wound me, Fluttershy!” he said, leaning back as far as his body would allow.

Fluttershy let out another light sigh, and began to move past him towards the door to the animal cages.

“I'll have you know that simply because I happen to have idiosyncratic tastes in organization,” Mr. Discord explained as he followed after her, “it does not mean I am unable to make use of more traditional methods. Not only that, but you ought to be grateful to me for suppressing my natural inclinations and organizing things to suit your needs!”

Fluttershy stopped at the door, one hand on the knob, and sighed again. “Sorry, Mr. Discord,” she said, unable to stop her eyes from rolling.

He didn't seem to care. “Apology accepted, my dear,” he said, bending down and smiling.

It was then that the pair heard Dr. Rescue's voice call from a couple rooms away. “Fluttershy! You have visitors!”

She blinked in confusion. “Visitors?” she repeated, automatically pulling her phone from her pocket to check for missed messages – and finding none. “Who would come to visit me?”

“Well, I suppose you'd better go find out then, shouldn't you!” Mr. Discord said with an expression of pure delight, scooting her forward and taking her place by the door. As she turned to look back at him, he grabbed the knob. “And don't worry about me,” he said. “I'll simply be preparing to give all the precious little doggies their morning-” he deliberately opened the door and leaned into the room beyond with an impish grin- “walkies!”

He hooted with laughter at the chorus of excited barks that rose up in response.

Fluttershy sighed in resignation. “Okay, Mr. Discord. Just... be careful with them.”

“Don't worry, Fluttershy,” he told her, “I won't do a thing that you wouldn't. I promise.” He made the Scout's sign again.

He got a skeptical look from Fluttershy, but another call from Dr. Rescue got her to sigh again and finally leave the room.

When she got back to the front room, Fluttershy let out a small gasp of surprise when she saw who was waiting for her. “Principal Celestia? Vice-Principal Luna? What are you two doing here?”

“Unfortunately, it is for neither business nor pleasure,” Luna answered, arms crossed and tone severe. The two sisters were standing in the Center's lobby with Dr. Rescue, and neither of the three women looked particularly pleased about it. Even Principal Celestia looked uneasy, though she put on a smile when she noticed Fluttershy looking at her.

“I wish I could say that we're simply here to adopt a pet,” she said as she walked towards Fluttershy, “but I'm afraid my sister is right. An old friend of ours told us about who recently started volunteering here-” Fluttershy's brow shot up at that- “and we decided it would be best if we stopped by and gave you some advice for dealing with him.”

“You... you two know Mr. Discord?” Fluttershy asked, looking between the sisters in shock.

Dr. Rescue laughed. “Know 'em? Fluttershy, these two are the ones that got him thrown in jail.”

“Well, it's not like we did all by ourselves,” Celestia said with a bashful chuckle.

“Though we were the ones that delayed his escape long enough for the police to arrest him,” Luna said. “And we did provide crucial evidence that led to his conviction.”

“True,” the elder sister admitted. “But that's beside the point.” She looked back at Fluttershy. “Which is that Vice-Principal Luna and I know quite a lot about Mr. Discord, and can help you work with him more easily.”

“Oh, I'd greatly appreciate that,” Fluttershy said, enthusiasm filling her with every nod she gave. “I mean, if you're sure you can spare the time. I wouldn't want to pull you away from anything important just to help me.”

“Trust us,” Luna said. “There is little we'd like to do more today than prevent Mr. Discord from harming one of our students.”

“Harm?” The word alarmed Fluttershy, causing her to stand up straighter and shoot a quick and fearful glance at the door to the back rooms. “He,” she continued at a whisper as she looked back at the sisters with wide eyes, “he's not going to... to hurt me, is he?”

“Not in the way you're imagining, no.” Dr. Rescue was the first to answer, but her snort of contempt did nothing to alleviate Fluttershy's mood and so she quickly looked to Celestia and Luna again. They shared a look, and after words unspoken Celestia turned her smile to Fluttershy once more.

“He never was one to get physical,” Luna chimed in, her eyes drifting downward as they were lost in memory. “Even at the height of his anger, the most he ever did was shove us out of the way so he could escape. However-” she turned her gaze, now sharp, back at her student- “there are more ways to harm someone than simply injuring them. Mr. Discord delights in turning people against each other, whether they were business partners, friends, or even family.”

For a moment Luna's eyes darted away again, and Fluttershy swore she saw something like shame in them. But just like that she was drawn back to the Vice-Principal's fierce gaze, and she said nothing.

“Or even themselves,” Celestia added, eying her sister. But she, too, soon turned her focus back to Fluttershy, and even leaned forward to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Which is why it's important not to keep your feelings to yourself, and instead communicate them to those around you. If Mr. Discord ever makes you feel bad about yourself, talk about it with those you love.”

“And if he ever tries to tell you something about those you love,” Luna added, “whether it is bad or even good, make sure to ask them about it before jumping to conclusions. Never be afraid to speak to those you care for about your feelings, no matter what they are. Do you understand?”

Fluttershy looked into her eyes for what felt to the girl like forever, before finally nodding. “I understand, Vice-Principal Luna.”

The sisters smiled. “It is good to hear that, Fluttershy,” Luna said. “And-”

Whatever she was about to say was lost in a sea of delighted barks and pants as a veritable horde of dogs burst through the door to the back, controlled only questionably by Mr. Discord. He himself entered the room with a broad grin on his face and his eyes closed, and in a pleased tone of voice he said “Pardon me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything but I simply must take care of these dogs.”

Then he opened his eyes and saw Celestia and Luna glaring at him. Instantly, his grin dropped away and a scowl took its place. He planted his heels on the linoleum floor, stopping the dogs in their tracks despite their insistence on moving forward.

“Well. Well. Well,” he said, voice dripping with loathing. “If it isn't the teenaged wonder-detectives, all grown up.”

“Yes. It is,” Luna said shortly. She and Celestia continued to glare at him.

Mr. Discord returned it with equal intensity.

Dr. Rescue, not caring that she wasn't the focus of Mr. Discord's ire, glared at him as well.

Fluttershy, torn between her anxiety in the face of a confrontation and genuine curiosity about the adults in her life, shrunk back slightly but still managed to quickly shift her wary gaze between the others.

And the dogs, too distracted by two strangers and a good number of friends all in close quarters to pick up on the humans' moods, simply sniffed and licked and played to their happy hearts' content.

“Here to meddle in affairs that aren't your own, I take it?” Mr. Discord asked after a tense moment.

“We're here to check in with a student of ours,” Celestia replied, not taking her eyes off him.

“Ahh yyyeeeeesssss...,” he said with a slow, deliberate deviousness that curled the edges of his mouth. “I'd heard that the two of you took the plunge into the vast and fulfilling world of high school education. Not exactly the path I would have pursued, of course, given your heritage.” He looked at Celestia as he said this, then gave his nails a bored glance and sighed lightly. “But, you do you!” He finished with a smile that failed to amuse.

He turned his attention to Luna next. “By the way, Luna,” he told her with a sinister and knowing look in his eyes, “did you ever manage to get out from your dear sister's shadow?” He was answered only by her continued glare, which only made him smile more. “No? Well, I'm sure you'll do so eventually.”

“Now if you'll excuse me,” he said, giving the mass of leashes a tug that brought the curious crowd of canines back to attention, “I have a walk to take. Later, ladies!” He tugged the leashes again, and departed with a quick over-the-head wave.

It wasn't until after the door swung shut and the sound of the dogs faded that someone finally spoke again.

“Wow. I get the feeling that he really doesn't like the two of you,” Fluttershy said, all of them still watching the door.

Luna snorted. “I cannot imagine he ever wouldn't.”

“Not after the way you two destroyed the life he'd built for himself,” Dr. Rescue said. Then she snorted too. “Though I'm sure he'd have carried a grudge against you even if he'd gotten away. He doesn't strike me as being the most forgiving person.”

“He isn't,” Luna said, gaze far off and voice once more filled with the certainty brought by experience. “All that Mr. Discord cares about are his own selfish desires, and he will do everything he can to crush those who get in the way of them.”

Fluttershy frowned, looking down at the floor in thought. “He really doesn't care about anyone but himself?” she wondered aloud, not noticing the three adults turning their heads. “I don't understand how someone could get that way.”

“I believe it's simply a case of him having never had anyone to care about,” Celestia answered, “or that cared about him. I delved into his personal history back when my sister and I were investigating him, and what I discovered painted a picture of a man who had been forced since a young age to rely entirely on himself to survive. He has no family, and as far as I can tell he's never had any true friends either. Anyone he's ever pretended to get close to he's either betrayed, or been betrayed by.”

It was a good minute before Fluttershy replied, not even bothering to look up as she murmured “Wow...”

She said no more, but didn't need to. Seeing her thoughtful frown, Celestia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled when she looked up. “Your kindness is admirable, Fluttershy. But you mustn't forget that while Mr. Discord's past explains the person he is today, it does not excuse his actions. His choices were his own-” her smile became more grim and her eyes more distant and sad- “and the consequences his to suffer.”

“I understand,” Fluttershy answered after a moment, dully and meekly.

“Good,” Luna said, voice crisp and gaze pointed. “Now, if you have the time, my sister and I have several more pieces of advice that we'd like to give you for dealing with Mr. Discord.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said, lifting her head in surprise and immediately looking to Dr. Rescue.

“Go ahead,” she nodded in reply to the unspoken question. “I can handle things myself for a little while. I'll even let you three take your discussion to the back.”

“Thank you, Dr. Rescue,” Celestia told her, hand still on Fluttershy's shoulder. “Mr. Discord may not be as much of a menace as he was decades ago, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't stick together.”

The other two adults responded, but their words were lost to Fluttershy. As she was gently guided to the back rooms, all she could think about were how lonely and friendless Mr. Discord had been, and how Sunset and Twilight had once been the same, and what could have – would have – happened to them without the influence of her and her friends.

Mr. Discord was most definitely and certainly not angry right now. Irked, perhaps, even peeved. But not angry. That would be undignified! And besides, what did he even have to be angry about? It was a perfectly pleasant day as far as the weather was concerned, and even with all the un-fun restrictions the Five-O had slapped him with he was still enjoying his well-earned freedom. So what if those two meddlers who had put him in jail all those years again had shown their faces for the sole purpose of making his life more difficult? It was hardly anything to get angry about.

Of course, to the common man in all his irreparable ignorance it would no doubt appear that Mr. Discord was angry. What with the scowl, the furrowed brow, the muttering under the breath, and the one good eye fixated on some far-off source of ire and all. Then again, the common man likely wouldn't stay in front of Mr. Discord long enough to notice and the fools that tried would in short order be distracted by the tight pack of canines trying to subsume them.

The dogs, Mr. Discord decided as they led him on their collective walk around the city, were another good thing about the day. He'd never had a pet back during his glory days spreading chaos around the Republic; he had no need for companionship nor desire to lug around another mouth to feed. But caring for what amounted to other people's pets this past week had been a delight. The dogs especially; they were energetic, playful, and oh so trusting. In other words, a veritable wellspring of untapped chaotic potential.

Safe to say, he had plans for the dogs. Particularly once he got the hang of the more advanced training techniques.

But for now, taking a score of rambunctious canines for walkies around Canterlot was providing more than enough entertainment to make up for the earlier bit of sourness at the Center. Not that he was dwelling on that or anything. Because he wasn't.

Watching hapless pedestrians get assaulted by his pack while he pretended to be oblivious just never got old. Neither did 'accidentally' trodding on the fallen schmucks as he, too, moved past. He always made a show of stopping to help them up, of course. Didn't want people getting the wrong idea, after all. He wasn't acting maliciously, as he repeatedly swore, he was simply a doddering old coot! Perfectly harmless. Aside from the dogs which he could barely control of course, he said as he stealthily commanded them to proceed onward and thus drag him off in demonstration of his point. It worked every time.

“Honestly, for all the talk of progress and a more well-informed populace,” he allowed himself to whisper aloud when he was away from prying ears, “the people of this city are just as gullible as they were the last time I was roaming around freely.” The corners of his mouth curled upwards, and he used the pretext of checking the cheap watch he wore to glance behind him.

Just as expected, someone was following a fair distance behind him. Oh, certainly, the man was trying to seem like he was simply minding his own business, but Mr. Discord knew better. Even from a quick glimpse he could tell the brown-skinned, yellow-haired man's body language was all wrong for the average pedestrian just wanting to get to wherever they needed to be, and all right for someone who didn't want to be noticed. The fact that he'd stopped when Mr. Discord had, and resumed walking shortly after Mr. Discord as well, was all the proof that was needed.

It made Mr. Discord smile. “If that's the level of tail the cops are putting on me,” he muttered to himself, “either they've gone soft or they truly understand that I only want a peaceful life right now. Relatively speaking, at least.”

Questions of police competency aside, however, the fact that he was being watched at all gave Mr. Discord an obligation to toe the line. He didn't want to give the coppers a pretense to throw him back into Tartarus State Penitentiary, after all. Fortunately for him (and, of course, the general populace) he knew the law of the land like the back of his own fake eye; he sincerely doubted that even with his dog-walking mischief that the world would be robbed of his genius self once again. At the very least nobody was bearing down on him at the moment.

And so things continued for Mr. Discord. He kept walking, the dogs kept mowing down everything in their path in the name of playful curiosity, and the tail kept tailing. And it never truly got old.

He lucked upon a crosswalk that had just gotten the right-of-way, and let his pack steer itself into the street. As he'd hoped a contingent of them veered off to investigate the closest idling car, a convertible ridden by two fair-skinned girls, and Mr. Discord reveled in the driver's horrified reaction. Her eyes met his, and in his barely-contained mirth he smiled and waved.

“Don't mind us,” he said. “Dogs will be dogs, you know, and who am I to stop them?”

As though reading his mind, a retriever took the opportunity just then to relieve himself on the convertible's front bumper. The purple-haired driver's horror was more than doubled, of course, but Mr. Discord showed none of his glee. Instead, he simply pieced together an idea of who these two were and what they were doing – both dressed nearly to the nines and in completely different styles; faces too dissimilar to be close relatives; each wearing a simple necklace consisting of a single colored crystal of some sort. Driving through this part of town on a Saturday morning when, to Mr. Discord's knowledge, there were no major social events at the time, meant they likely had somewhere special they were going to.

Whether as friends or even lovers he didn't know, but that didn't stop him from offering a hearty “You two just enjoy your day!” before laughing and moving along. Sadly, with the stoplights threatening to change colors any second, he was unable to give the dogs time to investigate anything else before they reached the safety of the sidewalk.

Still, he was in a good enough mood to spare a few thoughts towards the Rescue Center situation. No doubt those two do-gooders were inoculating Fluttershy against some of his tactics, which was going to make his volunteer work a little less fun. Oh, he'd do his best to get under her skin regardless; even with outside assistance the girl was practically a doormat after all. And he'd succeed, of course, given enough time, but he'd have to proceed cautiously. One wrong move would undoubtedly land him back in prison.

He'd have to start looking for other places to get the sort of fun he wanted out of life.

The Principal and Vice-Principal had left about fifteen minutes ago, leaving Fluttershy to stew in their stories and advice. Dr. Rescue had kindly offered her a reprieve for the rest of the morning, but she'd declined – the unexpected visit had put her behind schedule as it was, and she didn't want to leave Dr. Rescue to run the entire Center by herself.

“Besides,” she reasoned, “several of the dog cages need cleaning and now's the perfect time to do so!”

Dr. Rescue relented, and so it was that Fluttershy now found herself clambering about on her hands and knees scrubbing out the insides of cages. She soon began to hum as she cleaned, her heart filled with a peaceful sort of happiness that had been in short supply that week. Fluttershy was in her element, and she wasn't going to let anyone disturb her from it.

Which naturally caused her thoughts to drift back to Mr. Discord and what she'd learned about him. She just didn't know what to make of him; he'd done so many terrible things but at the same time knowing how lonely he must have felt throughout his entire long life tugged at Fluttershy's heartstrings.

She sighed, and pulled herself out of the cage she'd just scrubbed spotless. “It's no use thinking about him when I have work to do,” she told herself. Standing up, she inspected the other cages and wiped away a few spots she'd missed. None of the cages with animals still in them were due for cleaning, so after a couple light minutes of smalltalk with the furry friends inside she disposed of her gloves in a hidden wastebasket and washed up at the room's small sink.

“Now let's see...,” she thought aloud, looking around the room. “The cleaning is done, and everything's organized. There's still some time before lunch, so...”

Fluttershy wanted that to mean play time, the very best part of working with animals. Sure, most of them were there because they were sick or injured, but that didn't mean they couldn't play a little. She just had to make sure they did so gently.

However, she had the feeling she'd forgotten something important and didn't want to start playing until she knew what it was.

“Hmm...,” she murmured, tapping her chin as she thought. She started walking around the room in silence, looking for anything that would jog her memory. The charts for the animals showed nothing out of place, the drawers and cabinets were just as organized as Mr. Discord had left them, there were no signs that anything had been broken, the food-

The food. Fluttershy blinked, then turned back to the food cabinet she'd just closed. She swung the doors back open, and sure enough every type of food was accounted for. But something was still nibbling at her subconscious, so she systematically began to check all of them just the same.

“A-ha!” she declared in triumph, grabbing a bag of kibble that was deceptively close to being empty. Sure, with the current load of animals in the Center's care it would hold out for another day or two easily, but Fluttershy wasn't about to risk some poor doggie with strict dietary needs being checked into their care only to not have food immediately available. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and she intended on averting it.

Especially because, upon further checks, she discovered three other types of food they were running low on.

It was time for a trip to the pet store.

Dr. Rescue had readily agreed to let Fluttershy handle the shopping, and had even given her some cash to buy the food with; Fluttershy guarded it dearly all the way to the bus stop for fear of accidentally dropping it. The bus ride itself was nothing out of the ordinary, and she kept the bag she'd brought to carry the food in on her lap even though the bus wasn't crowded.

As she waited for her stop to approach, Fluttershy let her mind wander back to Mr. Discord once again. He was a jerk, and what's more she knew he was a jerk. She hadn’t been so certain at first, even after their disastrous first meeting, as he had done a good job of seeming nice – or at least pleasant – for some time after that. But that, as she now knew all too well, had only been a way to get her to lower her guard towards him. Then he started the meanness, the 'pranks', the coy 'I honestly don't know what you're talking about' deflections where he really did know what she was talking about. She wasn't born yesterday, she knew when people were picking on her.

Then he'd go back to being relatively nice, to the point where she began doubting whether he was really that malicious after all. Only for him to get her again, and again, and again. And as much as she wanted to see the best in everyone, he made it so hard to do that Fluttershy had just about written him off as a lost cause. Dr. Rescue had told her to treat Mr. Discord like nothing more than an unrepentant conman, and Fluttershy had been doing just that.

And then the Principal and Vice-Principal had come in and changed everything, without intending or even realizing it. How could she possibly turn her back on somebody who had always been alone? Somebody who had never the chance to learn about friendship? It didn't sit right with her, not when she'd become such good friends with Twilight Sparkle and even Sunset Shimmer, who even just a year ago had relentlessly bullied her too. Sure, her friends were much younger than Mr. Discord, and had never truly been alone in their lives. But both girls had been friendless when Fluttershy met them, and both girls no longer were. If it could happen to them, why couldn't it happen to Mr. Discord?

Fluttershy knew it was a longshot at best, the past week had made that clear enough. But she still thought that everyone deserved a second chance, and when else was Mr. Discord going to get one but now? Especially since he seemed to genuinely fear being sent back to prison.

But still, Fluttershy had her doubts. Everyone, the Principals included, seemed set on Mr. Discord's irredeemability. How could Fluttershy possibly make a difference, then? It's not like she was Princess Twilight, or even Sunset. She was just...little old Fluttershy, barely able to stand up for herself.

She got off the bus at the correct stop, but depressed. She hung her head and sighed as she began the final leg to Plushie's Pet Supplies, hoping that she'd be able to take her mind off Mr. Discord again once she was inside.

She wasn't able to. Not at first, anyway; her mind just kept going through the same patterns it had on the bus. And before she could get beyond lingering inside the store entrance, someone called out to her.

“Hey Fluttershy, what's up?”

The suddenness of it startled her into squeaking, and with her anxious nerves already worked up over Mr. Discord her hands went to the geode around her neck out of instinct alone.

“Is something wrong?” said another young girl.

“Cause it seems like something's wrong,” added a third. It was then that Fluttershy realized she was talking to her friends' little sisters (though only in spirit for one of the three).

“Oh, hi girls,” Fluttershy finally replied, allowing herself to relax a little as she quickly processed what they'd asked. “Umm, I don't know if I'd say something's wrong, exactly,” she decided to tell them with a fair amount of nervousness, unsure whether it was a lie or not. “But, well... I suppose today hasn't gone like I expected it to, either...” That, at least, she knew was an understatement.

“Is it anything we can help with?” Sweetie Belle asked, her and her friends leaning forward with such wide smiles that Fluttershy couldn't help but feel more anxious.

She really didn't want to get them involved in her troubles; they were young and nice and didn't deserve to be bothered by her mixed feelings about Mr. Discord. But at the same time, their eagerness tugged at her heartstrings, and they did seem like they really wanted to help her...

“Umm, well, I guess so, if you really want to that is...”

“We want to!” Apple Bloom said, ending with a decisive nod. “Trust me!”

“Yeah, we've been looking for people to help all morning!” Scootaloo added.

Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, well, in that case, I'd be glad to give you someone to help...”

The problem, she decided, was figuring out exactly what to tell them. She didn't think they'd know who Mr. Discord even was, and she didn't want to cause them unnecessary worry by telling them she was working with a convicted felon. Not only that, but she also felt that doing so would only make it harder for him to truly reform – if she ever decided to help him do so, that is.

“Umm, well,” she finally said, “I guess the main thing is that I'm not sure how to handle this person that I work with at the animal shelter. He's a bit of a handful, not at all the type of person I'm comfortable being around. But I can't not be around him either, and I've been given some, well, conflicting advice on how to deal with him.”

Apple Bloom began to rub her chin in thought. “Hmm, sounds like quite the pickle.”

“Yeah, you should probably start by telling us exactly what he's been doing,” Scootaloo added.

Fluttershy was going to do just that when Sweetie Belle suddenly stuck an arm out in front of her friends. “Wait,” she said before giving Fluttershy a confusing look. “Before that, this isn't one of those things where we assume you're talking about a human but you're really talking about like a dog or something, is it?”

It took Fluttershy a little bit to process the question, unexpected as it was. She had a vague sort of feeling why it had been asked, though, so she didn't take offense. Instead, she smiled. “Oh no, I'm talking about a human. All the dogs at the shelter love me, and I love them.”

Sweetie Belle smiled back. “Okay, just checking.”

“So, uh, yeah,” Apple Bloom said to Fluttershy even while she gave Sweetie Belle a strange look of her own. “What's this guy been doin' exactly?”

A desire to unload all the gripes and complaints she'd accumulated over the past few days hit Fluttershy like a truck, every little thing fighting to be said first. They ended up all coming out as one big suffering sigh before her mind imposed enough order to express them.

“A lot of little things, mostly. He'll pretend he doesn't know how to do things we've demonstrated several times so we have to do it all over again. He'll misinterpret requests on purpose and either get us the wrong thing or bring the right thing to us way later than we wanted. He'll play mean pranks on the animals when we aren't looking. And the worst part is, he's not even consistent about it! Sometimes he'll be mean and make things harder, but other times he'll just do what he's supposed to! And whenever someone calls him out on what he's doing, he'll act like we're just picking on him because he's an old man with a bad history! He's very good at seeming kind and thoughtful, so much so that I keep having second thoughts about him, but he's also very good at making me doubt myself and what I'm doing.”

Her stream of consciousness dry for the moment, she took a breath and looked at the girls. For some reason she didn't really want to think about, they all flinched.

Scootaloo was the first to speak, though Fluttershy could tell she was nervous. “Wow, uh, that sure is... something...”

“I'll say,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “I'm not sure we know how to help with something like that.”

Fluttershy felt her shoulders sag as she heard that. She should have known – the three girls in front of her were always eager to do things, but that didn't mean they were any good at them. And they were still so young, so of course they wouldn't know how to deal with someone like Mr. Discord – when would they have ever learned?

“Oh...,” she told them, looking down and feeling shamed. “I understand. I'm sorry I bothered you with it...” That was that, she knew then. She'd have to solve her own problem while feeling bad about having tried to force it on someone else, who probably liked her even less now.

Only, Apple Bloom put an arm around Fluttershy's back and even smiled. “Don't be! Even if it don't seem like somethin' we can fix, we're still gonna try. Right girls?”

Fluttershy could tell how little they agreed by how long it took for them to nod.

“So,” Apple Bloom asked her, “you mentioned you were getting' conflictin' advice, right?”

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy replied, just happy that they were still willing to at least try to help her. “Dr. Rescue says that we should just treat him like, well, who he is, and not let him get to us. He'll only be volunteering at the animal shelter for a few months, after all.”

“Well, that sounds reasonable,” Scootaloo said. “If he's a jerk, then just ignore or avoid him as best you can.”

If only it were that simple. It wasn't, and so Fluttershy sighed. “Yes, and I was going to do just that, but then this morning Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna dropped by, and, well...” She sighed again. It was, she had decided, a very sigh-worthy topic. “Long story short, they gave me some tips for dealing with him better. But they also said that the reason why he's such a jerk to begin with is because he's never had anyone really care about him before, and has never had anyone to care about.”

The younger girls shared a much more uncertain look before Apple Bloom said “That is pretty sad to think about...”

Now that was what Fluttershy wanted to hear. None of the three women she'd talked to about Mr. Discord had much sympathy for him, so hearing it from her young friends – even if they didn't know exactly who they were talking about – was reassuring. The mere knowledge that other people were even inclined to feel the same sympathy as Fluttershy made it feel as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Oh, I know!” she told them. “And it just made me think about how Sunset and Twilight used to be before they became our friends. And even though I know he's a lot older than they are and so probably can't change as easily, I still can't help but thinking that he can if only someone would give him a chance.”

“And... you wanna be that someone?” Scootaloo asked, blatantly skeptical.

Fluttershy hesitated, not because she didn't know the answer but because she didn't know if she wanted to say it outright. The notion of her trying to reform a man like Mr. Discord still seemed off, even to her, and what would other people think once they found out more about him? But she didn't want to lie about it, either, not when it seemed like the girls had already come to the conclusion themselves.

She felt herself look down at her fidgeting hands, but forced herself to voice her true opinion anyway. “Umm... well, I guess so... I mean, nobody else thinks it might be a good idea to try. And I am supposed to have the Element of Kindness, I think, so why shouldn't I extend that kindness to him?”

She couldn't bare to look as they went silent, obviously deliberating their response amongst themselves. Thus she was surprised when Scootaloo soon said “That's also a pretty good point.”

“So... do you wanna show him kindness and try to be his friend?” Sweetie asked, and Fluttershy felt herself drawn to her eyes.

“I do,” she answered, her determination only taking but a moment to flare to life inside her. “I just don't know if I can succeed, especially when everybody else seems to think it's impossible.”

“Well, I don't think it's impossible,” Sweetie Belle said, and Fluttershy felt the fire in her heart increase. “Not for you, anyway. And besides, just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing. I mean, look at us!” She motioned to her two friends. “We've been trying for years to figure out what we're really good at, and we still haven't succeeded!”

“Hey, yeah!” Apple Bloom chimed in, her smile giving even more warmth to Fluttershy. “Crusadin's been some of the hardest stuff I've ever done, but I'm never gonna give up until we figure it out!”

“Yeah, me neither!” Scootaloo chimed in, her previous skepticism drowned out by raw enthusiasm. “You know what, forget all that stuff about him being a jerk. He's not gonna stop being a jerk on his own, and if you think being nice to him will help then that's what you should do.”

Fluttershy practically beamed, overjoyed that somebody finally understood how she felt. “You're right. I don't care how hard it is, I'm still going to do the right thing.” She clenched her fists and looked upward, declaring to the heavens – well, the heavens on the other side of the ceiling at least – that she was absolutely determined to see this through no matter what.

She snapped her head back down to the girls. “Thank you for helping me,” she told them. “I think all I really needed was someone to talk to and give me a confidence boost.”

“Glad we could help!” Scootaloo replied for the group, putting her hands behind her head and striking a cocky grin.

A throat was suddenly cleared nearby, which almost startled Fluttershy clear out of her good mood. Then she looked over and saw it was only just Applejack's brother holding a sack of kibble nearly the size of her on his shoulder so she let herself breath a sigh of relief. He soon began to walk towards the exit, however, and the girls took that as their cue to wrap up the conversation.

“Well, uh, let us know how it turns out,” Apple Bloom said first as she stepped away.

“Good luck!” Sweetie added with a parting wave.

Fluttershy waved back, feeling gracious. “Thanks. Good luck finding yourselves!”

“We will!” Scootaloo answered with one final wave before the door closed behind them.

“...'we will'?” Fluttershy repeated after a moment, face screwed up in confusion. “That was an odd thing to say. Did she mishear me or something?”

And then, all at once, the realization that she'd just spent several minutes talking to friends instead of getting pet food hit her. She gasped in horror, spun around, and raced into the store at the fastest walk she could manage without getting too embarrassed.

An hour and a half after beginning his walk around the city, Mr. Discord's arms were getting tired. As deceptively well-trained as the dogs were there were still quite a lot of them, and Mr. Discord hadn't been young in decades. The only thing that had kept him walking for so long had been a general disinterest in returning to the Center before he had to. There'd be some sort of tedious confrontation, no doubt, and afterwards they'd probably make him do actual work. And he doubted he'd be able to use his genuine (this time) tiredness to get out of it. They might even make him take a late lunch.

But he knew he'd have to go back eventually, and had already begun steering his pack back on route to their temporary home. And not long after that, he heard something that elicited both excitement and panic in his old bones: the sound of a bank alarm going off.

“Oh, somebody's been naughty,” he said to himself, fully aware that his dogs were leading him in the alarm's direction and uncertain as to whether he wanted them to or not.

“Hmph,” he said after a few more feet. “I suppose it couldn't hurt to go see what all the hubbub is about. I've been tailed all morning, the police would be fools to think I have anything to do with it.” He snorted. “I suppose that's not as reassuring as I'd like; the police have always been fools. But nevertheless, my alibi is rock solid and I won't do more than rubberneck to begin with. Just a bit of excitement for a curious old man, nothing wrong with that.”

And so, fueled more by stubborn defiance than anything else, Mr. Discord continued on towards the bank that was no-doubt being robbed. It didn't take him too long to find it, either; if the approaching sirens hadn't clued him in then the gathered crowd would have made it obvious. He felt it immediately strange, however, that the crowd should arrive before the police. But he couldn’t yet determine the cause of the paradox, as even at his great height Mr. Discord could not see past the throng in front of him.

He was about to just call off the endeavor entirely when one of the other onlookers, startled by his exuberant dogs and their incessant desire to sniff anything and everything around them, stumbled and bumped into Mr. Discord. That caused him to lax his hold on the leashes just long enough for a terrier at the front of the pack to sense freedom and seize it.

Seeing the dog disappear between the legs of the crowd was enough to make Mr. Discord's already-gray skin turn white. He managed to regain control of the rest of the dogs, but while his natural inclination was to give the runaway up as temporarily lost the rest of the pack had other ideas.

Of course, a man like Mr. Discord never gets dragged anywhere against his will. So he was the pinnacle of composure and confidence as he strode through the crowd, letting the dogs do most of the work as always and doling out apologies where need be. The dread he felt inside reached its peak with merciful swiftness, and even abated somewhat when he breached the crowd and saw the stray dog waiting in the clearing they'd encircled. Also present were a slightly-battered old car, several criminal types tied up with rope, and two very eccentrically-dressed young women who were looking at him with surprise.

“Pardon me, ladies.” he said, making sure to tip his hat while his dogs fanned out in a thoroughly unwanted manner. “I'll just, ah, collect my little friend,” he motioned to the terrier who was now sniffing some sort of sack, “and be on my way.”

He received only glares in reply at first, but to his surprise one of the strange young women – blue-skinned, armored, and baring a shock of rainbow hair – suddenly appeared in front of him at the end of a rainbow-colored blur, holding the terrier's leash.

It took Mr. Discord's mind an embarrassingly high number of split-seconds to process what had happened, but before he could realize anything beyond that he'd just witnessed something very interesting the sound of sirens snapped him out of his daze. Innocent or not he didn't want to be caught on top of a crime scene, so he grabbed the leash, whistled out a command, and tugged the pack into action. They left opposite the way they'd come in from, as quickly as Mr. Discord could get the pack to go.

And as he left, his heightened nerves alerted him that he was being watched. Expecting it to be his current tail he turned his head, but saw to his surprise a figure wearing a motorcycle helmet duck down below the lip of a roof across from the crime scene. Not quite knowing what to make of it but well aware of the haste he needed, Mr. Discord looked away and continued forward.

“Either my eye deceived me,” he murmured to himself once he felt he was safely away from the scene, “or the rumors of this town having bona fide superheroes is truer than I imagined. How grand!” His lips curled up into a mirthful smile, and he let loose a childlike giggle. “It's like something out of a comic book. I wonder what sort of smoke-and-mirrors they use to foil the bad guys? If only I'd stumbled upon them sooner so I could watch the showdown for myself.”

He sighed. “Oh well. Another bit of fun for another day, I suppose. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if that helmeted sneak I spotted was in on the con. Either that or a rather determined secret admirer of theirs.”

He said nothing aloud after that, content to walk back to the Center in relative silence. A few times he glanced back to check on his tail, but failed to spot the yellow-haired man at all. Chalking it up to either coincidence or good luck, Mr. Discord continued on in peace.

Fluttershy had been quite happy to see that even with her longer-than-expected shopping trip Mr. Discord hadn't returned before her. She'd resolved herself to showing him kindness in hopes of truly reforming him, yes, but she wanted to prepare herself and do it on her own terms. That meant giving herself the chance to calmly plan out her approach in a familiar environment.

Whether by good fortune or ill, no sooner had she finished feeding the animals in current residence than did she hear the din of barking dogs in the front rooms. Taking a breath to steel herself, Fluttershy put on a pleasant smile and opened the door to the boarding room.

She was quickly assailed by several of the dogs, who pinned her to the wall and greeted her with happy tongues. “It's nice to see you all again too!” she giggled, rubbing each of their heads in turn and taking the time to remove their leashes.

“Ah! My humblest apologies, dear Fluttershy,” Mr. Discord said, looming over her with a neutral expression. “I truly wasn't expecting you to be on the other side of the door. You understand, don't you?”

“It's okay, Mr. Discord, I understand,” she answered without reluctance, still smiling even as she looked up at him. “How was your walk? I hope the doggies weren't too difficult to handle.”

Mr. Discord, momentarily taken aback by her pleasantness, could only blink. “Oh! Well, they were hardly a problem, I assure you,” he finally answered, adopting a proud affect as he stood up straight and rested a hand on his chest. “In fact, I'd say I've bonded quite well with all of the little ankle-biters!” He bent down and stroked the back of a spaniel in demonstration, and it panted happily.

“We saw quite the sights as well,” he added as an aside.

“Really?” Fluttershy asked, attention on the next leash she was removing. “I'd like to here about it, if you don't mind telling that is.”

That caused Mr. Discord to stand up straight and blink again, but his surprise soon turned to suspicion as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Is that so? How peculiar, I didn't think you'd be interested.”

“What's wrong with being interested in a coworker's life?” she replied, looking up at him again. Then she giggled, adding “Well, more like co-volunteer. But still...”

This only made Mr. Discord even more suspicious. “I don't know what your angle is, but fine, I'll bite. Towards the tail end of my little jaunt about town, I happened upon a crime scene.” Fluttershy's brow shot up in genuine surprise, and Mr. Discord replied with a haughty little laugh. “Yes, that's right. It was a bank robbery, to be specific.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, eyes wide and leash-removal duty momentarily forgotten. “That sounds frightening! You weren't hurt, were you?”

“Silly girl, of course not!” he answered, giving her a look of sharp disdain. “The heist had already been thwarted by the time I got there, and a crowd had gathered. One of the dogs got loose and ran off into the masses so I bravely chased after it, and there in the middle I saw the most peculiar pair of young ladies about your age.”

“Pe-peculiar?” Fluttershy stammered, standing stiff and putting her hands on her geode necklace. “H-how so?”

Mr. Discord raised a brow at the gesture, but said nothing of it. “The pair of them were dressed like costumed heroines straight out the comics. One mysterious and purple, the other wearing armor and having a vague sort of rainbow theme to her.”

“R-Rainbow?” Fluttershy squeaked, eyes wide and breathing getting heavier. One hand still on her geode, she leaned again the wall and used her other hand to brace herself.

Mr. Discord stared at her for a good long while before his lips suddenly curled into a dastardly smile. “Ah, I see! Fluttershy, you wouldn't happen to know that pair of caped crusaders, would you? I couldn't help but notice the similarities between your necklace and the one around the neck of your rainbow-haired friend.”

Fluttershy squeaked again, drawing it out as she slid down the wall. Several concerned dogs licked her, but she was unresponsive.

But before either of them could say another word, movement out of the corner of his eye caught Mr. Discord's attention. The door to the boarding room was still wide open, as was the door to the back hallway, giving him a fairly direct line-of-sight to the lobby and entrance with which to see the trio of uniformed men enter the Rescue Center.

The blue-skinned man at the front of the group made eye contact with him immediately. In a strong, clear voice he said “Mr. Discord! Just who we wanted to see.” The man didn't smile.

Mr. Discord gulped, his former deviousness draining away at record pace. “H-h-hello, officers!” he greeted with false cheer, tugging at his collar and taking an instinctive step back as the three policemen began walking towards him. “What, ah, what happens to be the problem?”

“I think you know perfectly well why we're here, Mr. Discord,” the blue-skinned officer said. “We'd like you to come down to the station with us for some questioning about a bank robbery earlier this morning.”

Author's Notes:

Here it is, at long last! Sorry for the delay, but it is what it is. Admittedly I feel it's a bit too tell-y with the bits about Fluttershy thinking about her experiences with Mr. Discord, but the plot must go on and I regrettably didn't have time to develop them beforehand. Perhaps in the future I'll write a story with them set between Rather Fetching and Synchrony.

That aside... well, things aren't looking too good for Mr. Discord at the end, do they? I figured that was the perfect place to end the 'Morning' arc of the story. Next week will be another check-in with the full cast, and then the 'Afternoon' arc will begin in earnest. I hope you're all looking forward to it!

One last note: the events that led Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna to show up in this chapter are detailed in the oneshot No Other Choice, if you haven't already read that.

Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all next time!

Chapter 8 - The Clock Strikes Twelve

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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.

Chapter 9 - On the Importance of Flexibility in Scheduling and Time Management

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“Okay, looks like that's settled then,” Sunset said, leaning back on her hands. She was still sitting on Twilight's bed, its owner facing her from the chair at her desk. “Four pairs of eyes might not find her right away, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of them spots her within the next few days.”

Twilight smiled, giggled, and adjusted her glasses. “Well, the exact probability of one of us seeing her even in the next several days is probably pretty small,” she said with a thoughtful look, placing a single finger on her chin and tilting her head up. “But it's still plausible at least.” She tilted her head down, curling her finger and frowning. She abruptly spun around to face her computer, and started muttering things like 'population density' and 'demographics' under her breath as she began to type.

“Uh, is now really the time to be figuring that out?” Sunset asked, raising a brow. “I don't want us to fall behind even more than we already are.”

That gave Twilight pause, and she spun back around to face Sunset with a bashful smile. “Good point. The exact probability of success isn't important since knowing it won't actually effect anything. And we still have so much other work to do!” she said, motioning to the parts and papers they'd gathered for their projects.

Her stomach growled, and Twilight blushed. “Also lunch. We should have lunch, too.”

“I thought you scheduled us for a late lunch?” Sunset asked.

“That was before we got sidetracked by Amethyst Shine,” Twilight told her with a knowing nod. “So, instead of pushing to finish the detector before lunch, we'll wait to start it after lunch when we'll have more energy.”

“Fine with me,” said Sunset as she sat up and stretched her arms. “So, what do you wanna do for lunch?”

Twilight just sort of stared at her for a moment, then blinked and stammered out “Oh, well, I was just-”

She was cut off by a yawn, and both girls looked down at the small dog bed by the door to see Spike stretching his paws. He blinked blearily a couple times, then looked up at them. “Somebody mention lunch? Cause I'm totally game for some lunch right now.”

The girls giggled. “Like I was saying,” Twilight said to Sunset, “I was just planning on having lunch here like I usually do. We have plenty of food in the kitchen.” Then something occurred to her that made her suddenly more nervous. “U-unless you'd rather go out to eat? I'm sorry for just assuming you wouldn't mind having lunch here, I'm sure it's a little strange since it's your first time and all...”

“Actually, I don't mind eating here at all,” Sunset told her, smiling. “Better than the same old fast food or instant noodles, right?”

The frown that briefly passed across Twilight's face was more than enough reason for Sunset to regret her candidness, but she brushed it off with her continued smile as she stood up. “Come on,” she told Twilight. “The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get back to work.”

“Exactly!” Spike chimed in, more eager at the prospect of food than anything else.

“Right,” Twilight said after a moment, standing up and smiling back. “I'd still like to finish the detector this afternoon so we can start our initial data-gathering before you go home.”

“Hey, I'm fine staying longer,” Sunset said as the three headed for the door. “It's not like I have anywhere else to be right now.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, her face filled with the uncertainty she was expecting from her friend. “I-I don't want you to feel like you have to stay and help me if you'd rather go look for the other you...”

The two stopped when Sunset placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. “Twilight, it's fine. Seriously. I know I made a big deal about looking for Amethyst, but right now I'd much rather spend my time here with you than spend the rest of the day wandering around the city for either a girl who doesn't want me to find her, or a girl that might not even be around anymore. Besides, figuring out this world's magic is something I'm interested in too, remember?”

Twilight smiled and blushed, though more out of embarrassment than anything else. “Right.”

The three soon arrived in the kitchen to find Twilight's parents having their own lunch at the table, putting a damper on the girl's own plan to eat away from their workspace. Questions of how the girls were doing with their project were deflected or answered with vague assurances that things were going well, and they quickly set to busying themselves in meal preparation.

Spike was first, requesting something wet and bacon-flavored that Twilight happily obliged him with. Then the girls started on their own meal; after several minutes of scouring fridge and pantry for options and debating each one (to the amusement of Twilight's parents), they settled on a fresh salad. Just about every kind of vegetable in the home's clean and well-stocked fridge was used in it, and they chose their dressings separately – Sunset ranch, Twilight vinaigrette.

But despite the insistent invitations from Night Light and Twilight Velvet, both girls were apprehensive about joining them for the meal. They had already reached an unspoken agreement that they'd go over Twilight's ideas for the new magic detector as they ate to save time, but with her parents still in the dark regarding magic they wouldn't have the liberty to do so. And so, with great reluctance, Twilight assented to using her room to eat – on the condition that they confine the activity to the floor.

“Fine with me,” Sunset shrugged as they re-entered the bedroom with salad bowls in hand. She took a seat on the small rug next to the bed and leaned against the bed itself with her legs sticking out into the room, and motioned for Twilight to sit next to her.

Twilight did so only after an awkward giggle and a blush she hoped Sunset hadn't noticed, sitting alongside her best friend so close their shoulders were practically touching. More than a few of the following moments were spent in silence, neither girl acknowledging the contact or even one another in the eye. In the legs, yes, but not the eyes.

“So, have you decided how you're gonna improve the design yet?” Sunset finally said, unwittingly just as Twilight stabbed a bite of salad with her fork.

“Well, I'd like to find a way to control for our own magic first, as well as the inherent magic of the portal,” she said with a thoughtful expression. She laughed, adding “The last thing we need is a detector that only detects its user.”

Sunset laughed as well once she swallowed her bite. “Yeah. I can't see that getting us anywhere very quickly.”

Once she was able to, Twilight continued. “Once that's complete, I'll expand the interface to include more than just a dowsing feature. Displaying the distance to the target will be my top priority, of course, and with enough processing power we might even be able to track multiple sources against a map of the city!”

“You really think something like that will be necessary?” Sunset questioned.

Twilight shrugged happily. “I'm keeping our options open. But implementing multi-target tracking depends heavily on how much magical signals vary between sources, so first I'll have to add a waveform display to the interface. But that'll be trivial,” she finished with a wave of her hand.

“If you say so,” Sunset said, smiling at her in amusement.

Then she got a text, and that amusement was consumed by utter shock as she read it. She even let her salad bowl slip out of her hand, and it spilled onto her legs upon hitting her lap.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, her surprise morphing into concern as she looked at Sunset's wide-eyed, slack-jawed expression. “What's wrong?”

“It's from Applejack,” Sunset answered in a strangely level tone, slowly turning her head towards Twilight. “Her sister found the other me.”

“What?! Seriously?!” Twilight squeaked, her own meal abandoned without thought as she leaned over to get a better look at Sunset's phone. The other girl obliged by tilting it towards her friend, and after Twilight's eyes made short work of the message they slowly looked up into Sunset's. Then both girls looked back at the message.

Finally, after several seconds that ticked by like ages, Twilight spoke again. “What are you going to do?”

Sunset flopped back against the bed and stared at the opposite wall, eyes moving as she thought. “I don't know, this is all so sudden.”

Then, in one quick movement, she brushed her spilled salad aside, folded her legs under her, and set to work typing out a reply as fast as her thumbs could move. “I have to know what she's like.”

She sent it off in seconds, and turned to see that Twilight was now facing her – though distracted by picking up stray bits of lettuce and cucumber off her bedroom floor. She smiled sheepishly when she noticed Sunset's gaze.

Sunset returned it with an awkward laugh. “Yeah, I guess I made a bit of a mess, didn't I?” she said, helping her friend deposit the stray greens and things back into the bowl they'd come from. “Sorry.”

“No no, don't worry,” Twilight said quickly, waving her hands from side to side. “It's no big deal. I mean, you just got a lead on your alternate self and I know from experience how shocking just learning they exist can be. N-not that this is the same as what I went through or anything,” she said, looking away slightly as she began to ramble leaving her unaware of the beep from Sunset's phone. “Cause I mean, obviously our situations are pretty different, and-”

“She's some kinda cool-looking biker chick, apparently,” Sunset answered, transfixed by her phone again.

Twilight blinked. “Biker chick?” she repeated uncertainly.

“Yup,” Sunset nodded before screwing up her face a little. “Also a jerk, maybe? AJ isn't being very clear, but I guess that's what happens when you try to get information from a secondhand source.”

“Even so, this is a big deal, isn't it?” Twilight asked. “You've finally found the other you! Well,” she reasoned as she leaned back slightly, “assuming you leave as soon as possible to go meet her in person, of course.”

She noticed Sunset frowning while she texted, and felt her mouth do the same. “Are you going to meet her in person?”

Sunset sent off the text, then leaned back and sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. “That's the thing, now that the opportunity is in front of me I don't know what I actually wanna do about it. There's so much I'd like to ask her, but at the same time I don't know if I wanna just...,” she waved her hand vaguely, “drop myself into her life like that. What if she freaks out? What if something goes horribly wrong?”

“But what if this is your only chance?” Twilight countered, worry in her eyes. “What if you never find her again?”

“Y'know,” Sunset chuckled lightly and looked back at her, “I never expected you to be the one to talk me into something.”

“I just didn't want you to do something you might regret later...,” Twilight admitted, looking down at her fidgeting hands. Then she laughed and added “Which is ironic considering that statement usually implies a desire to prevent action instead of encourage it.”

“Yeah,” Sunset said, and the two shared a quiet look that lasted just long enough for them to be aware of how long they'd been staring, blush, and turn away from each other. “S-so, I asked Applejack to try and get more information from her sister. I know I'm risking never seeing the other me again, but I'd like to be careful with this and find out as much as possible before I make a move. Even just a picture of her would be good.”

She paused, then looked back at Twilight and asked “That's not creepy, is it?”

Twilight shrugged. “Seems fine to me. I know I would've liked more information... and warning... before I met my alternate-dimension counterpart.”

That got another laugh from Sunset. “Yeah, that just kinda... happened, didn't it?”

“Yup,” Twilight chuckled. “One minute we're having a picnic in front of the statue, the next minute my Equestrian counterpart stumbles through it apologizing for being late!” She paused, and her smile faded. “It wasn't the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me, but it was still pretty weird.”

“Hey, at least it all turned out well in the end,” Sunset told her, voice warm and a hand on Twilight's shoulder.

“True,” Twilight admitted, hunching a little and shooting bashful glances at her friend. “Hopefully it'll work out well for-”

Twilight phone went off, startling both of the girls. “-you too,” Twilight finished, more out of impetus than anything else as she pulled out her phone. Her brow quickly furrowed.

“Who is it?” Sunset asked, worry creeping into her voice. “Is something wrong?”

Twilight shook her head. “It's just Fluttershy's reply to the group text about Amethyst Shine. She says she's sorry about not getting back to me sooner, and that she's too busy right now to actively go searching for anyone. But she says if she sees anyone matching Amethyst's description, she'll let us know.”

Sunset frowned, leaning back once more. “That's...” she began to say, searching for the rest of the words.

“...kind of disappointing?” Twilight suggested.

She nodded. “Yeah. But in a weird way, y'know? Since we have another lead on the other me now I'm not sure how important finding Amethyst Shine even is anymore. Do you think we should tell the girls what happened and call off the search?”

Twilight leaned back and tapped her chin in thought for a few seconds, then shook her head. “I don't think we should call off the search just yet. It's entirely plausible that we, or rather Applejack's sister,will lose track of your counterpart leaving us with no immediate leads on her whereabouts,” she said in a scholarly tone, closing her eyes and holding up a single finger. “In that event, having an additional person we can track down for information will significantly increase our chances of relocating your counterpart.”

She looked back at Sunset. “But we should probably tell the others what Applejack's sister found, yes.”

“Right,” Sunset told her, briefly glancing at Twilight's phone. “You text Fluttershy back first, I'll send the others a group text.” Her phone went off in her hand, momentarily startling her. “After I find out what Applejack's learned,” she finished, opening up the latest message.

Once more, a frown crept on to Sunset's lips. “She says Apple Bloom isn't texting her back,” she told Twilight without looking away from the screen of her phone. “And Rarity isn't getting a response from Sweetie Belle either?” she added, raising a brow.

“I guess they must've already met up,” Twilight said, leaning over to look at the message before looking at Sunset herself. Sunset didn't look back.

“I guess so,” she said. “But still, something must've happened if their sisters aren't keeping in touch. I'm gonna ask what happened.” Her thumbs moved in a flurry, and once the message had been sent off she shook her head and sighed. “This is so surreal. I thought for sure we'd be focused entirely on figuring out magic today, but we've barely had any time for it.” She looked over at Twilight, and added “Sorry for taking us off-track with all this. I know how much you were looking forward to our research project.”

Twilight put on a smile and shook her head. “It's fine. This is important too, isn't it?”

“You're really okay with getting so behind schedule?” Sunset asked, the healthy amount of skepticism in her voice causing Twilight to look down at her hands briefly.

“Well...,” she began, still not quite meeting Sunset's eyes. “I am a little uncomfortable with not following the schedule, but I understand that these things happen.” She finally looked back at Sunset, and smiled. “I'd rather take things as they come than force you to follow a schedule when there are other things going on.”

“Thanks,” Sunset said softly, smiling back. “But I-”

Whatever she was about to say was cut off by the sound of yet another text, and her frown soon returned as she saw what it said. “Apparently, Apple Bloom and her friends wanted to follow the other me or something, but Big Macintosh said no so she asked AJ if it was okay?” Sunset read, brow furrowing more and more with each phrase. “And AJ told her to just stay put because she wanted to hear what I wanted to do about it first, but when she asked the girls for more information they never replied...”

“Okay, okay,” Twilight said, nodding along. “What happened then?”

“Then Big Macintosh called her and said the girls just... ran off!” Sunset answered, waving a hand in disbelief.

“They just ran off?” Twilight repeated incredulously.

“Apparently!” Sunset replied, eyes wide as she shrugged.

Twilight frowned. “I hope they're okay...”

Sunset looked at her phone again, touched her forehead, and sighed. “Applejack thinks they probably turned their phones off so they could sneak around better, or something.”

“Still, I hope they're alright,” Twilight said, shifting onto her knees and leaning slightly towards her friend.

“Me too. The last thing I want is my friends' little sisters getting into trouble because of me.” Sunset sighed, and started working on the next text. “I'm gonna tell her and Rarity to call off the other searches and just focus on finding their sisters before something bad happens. Probably ask Pinkie and Rainbow Dash to do the same thing...”

“Don't you think that might be overdoing it a little?” Twilight asked. “I'm worried about Apple Bloom and her friends too, but our friends can handle themselves, can't they? You can just... tell them to be careful and stay in touch.”

Sunset scrunched her face up uncertainly. “I mean, I guess, but I still kinda feel like maybe this was a bad idea.”

Twilight put a hand on her shoulder. “It isn't,” she said, immediately – and awkwardly – adding “I mean, at least I don't think it is. But my perspective is different, and-” she shook her head quickly- “that doesn't matter. My point is, you shouldn't call trying to find your counterpart a bad idea just because something none of us could have predicted happened, especially when we don't have control over it and we don't even know if anything bad actually happened! That's just... just...”

“'Dumber than a hog tying itself'?” Sunset answered, looking at her phone.

Twilight stared at her for a moment before saying “Well, I wasn't gonna put it like that... I'm not even sure what that means!”

“It's what Applejack said,” Sunset answered, looking at her friend. “She's pretty against calling off the search, and says Rarity is too.” She let out a single, pathetic laugh. “They're not even worried. Or if they are, they aren't telling me.”

“I guess it's because they don't want you to worry, right?” Twilight told her. “They want you to trust them to be able to take care of themselves, and their sisters too.”

Sunset sighed, looking back at the far wall. “I know, I know. It's just this is all so sudden and unexpected, and I don't want anybody getting hurt because of me again.”

Then, to Sunset's surprise – and after no small moment of uncertainty – Twilight shifted her entire body and linked arms with her. “I know I wasn't there back then, but after everything I've heard about you, I'm confident that this situation is completely different. This isn't you going around making other people miserable, this is just you worrying about something bad happening to people who want to help you. Right?”

Another short laugh, and Sunset closed her eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I guess.” She leaned her head back, then opened one eye and looked at Twilight. “When did you get to be so good at talking to people?”

Twilight smiled, and blushed a little. “What can I say? I learned from the best. And if I've learned one thing from being around you and the others, it's that friends look out for each other no matter what. That includes when they're having sudden doubts about letting their friends do something for them, right?”

“Right,” Sunset laughed, more genuine this time though she still closed her eyes and shook her head.

When she opened them again she looked straight into Twilight's, and for a moment both girls found themselves suddenly lost in one another, wanting just a little bit more...

But then the moment passed, insecurities caught up, and Sunset and Twilight alike turned away to hide their blushes and clear away the thoughts they each were sure were unrequited.

“S-so...,” Twilight stammered in an attempt to fill the resulting awkward silence. After a few seconds pause to think about what she actually wanted to say, she added “If you'd like to go out into the city yourself and look for your counterpart personally, I'd understand.”

“No no,” Sunset said quickly, “I'd rather stay here with you. Because... I...” She, too, paused for a good while to figure out what to say. “I'm... still not sure I even want to meet her right now. It'd probably just be, I don't know, weird, right?” she said, looking away and rubbing the back of her head. “I mean, I do wanna know more about her, but I think I need to plan any potential meeting between us pretty carefully since she'll probably be pretty freaked out no matter what I do. That makes sense, right?” She looked at Twilight with her anxious uncertainty plain on her face.

“I... guess so?” Twilight answered, even her lips uncertain as she shrugged her shoulders.

It relieved Sunset nonetheless. “Plus I do still want to help you out with everything,” she said, motioning to the parts and plans scattered around the room. “I'm not really the type of person to ask for help on a project and then bail when it's time to get to work.”

“Oh, I don't mind,” Twilight told her a little too quickly, which she herself soon realized. “Not that I don't want you around or anything,” she tried to explain, “in fact I really enjoy having you around! B-because you're my friend! It's just that I'm totally fine doing projects on my own, and I don't really need any help building the new magic detector! N-not that I don't think you'd be able to help, just that I'm not sure what I'd even need you to do, and-”

“Twilight, Twilight, relax, I get it!” Sunset said, smiling as she motioned for her friend to calm down.

Twilight let her breath out as a small sigh. “Good. Because I was starting to get worried that I didn't.”

“But still,” Sunset admitted after a brief glance at the loose fists her hands had balled themselves into, “I'd rather just... stay with you for now. Maybe if something more happens with the other me or the girls need help we can go check it out, but for now I'd rather just stay here and try to relax a little.”

The girls looked at one another for a few moments, then Twilight nodded. “Okay. Let's finish up with our lunches and get to work.”

Sunset looked down at her lap and legs, seeing the bits of lettuce and dressing and such that still speckled them and laughing awkwardly. “Yeah, I should probably clean up a bit, shouldn't I?”

“Probably,” Twilight told her with a small smile.

It didn't take very long at all for the girls to get the remains of their lunches cleaned up, even with Sunset insisting on doing most of the work. A few paper towels and a good rinse for the bowls later, Sunset returned to Twilight's room with Spike in tow. Together they carved a safe work area out of the cluttered room, and began the first steps of Twilight's construction plan.

What followed was over an hour and a half of them 'helping' Twilight build a device that Sunset barely understood the mechanics of. Mostly she just watched her friend work, passing the occasional tool and asking questions when she became curious about whatever Twilight was doing in the moment. But with the answers outpacing Twilight's ability to build, those moments were far between.

“You really weren't kidding about not needing help for this,” Sunset quipped, now sitting ready on the floor playing a light game of tug-of-war with Spike.

Twilight hummed a little as she inspected her work, glanced over at Sunset. “Well, yes. I'm not exactly treading new ground with this. At least,” she turned a thoughtful look upward as she spun back around, “not yet.” She turned her attention back to the casing, picked up her soldering iron, and got back to work.

Sunset watched her for a moment, then absentmindedly started scratching Spike between the ears while checking her phone again.

“Mmm... that's good...,” the dog said, tail thumping against the ground and thick, knotted rope he'd been playing with forgotten for the moment at his paws. Sunset slowed her scratching just long enough for him to take notice, and when he did he looked up at her and frowned. “Is something wrong? You've been looking at that thing like every five minutes since I came back up here.”

“I'm just waiting for another text from Applejack,” Sunset answered over the sound of Twilight's soldering iron. “I haven't heard a word from her since she let me know that Big Macintosh lost their sister. I'm getting worried.”

Twilight paused her work again to lift her mask and shoot Sunset an incredulous look. “'Getting'?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Okay, I'm getting more worried. Even with Applejack and Rarity assuring me they'll track them down and make sure they're okay.”

“I'm still fine with you leaving to check on things,” Twilight said in an almost singsong voice, shifting into a happy hum as she resumed her work.

“I know, I know,” Sunset sighed, leaning back to rest on her hands. “Call me stubborn, but I'd still rather just stay here with you in case you need me.”

“Well, if you're sure,” Twilight said after a moment, not turning her head or raising her mask this time.

Silence fell back on them for a good while more as Twilight worked and her two closest friends played. Sunset kept on checking her phone to no avail, and even her requests for an update from Applejack and Rarity were met with nothing but apologies. A dropped screwdriver caused her to eagerly spring to action to return it to Twilight, but all that resulted in was bumped heads when Twilight bent down to pick it up as well.

“Sorry...,” Sunset said, rubbing her head with one hand and handing the screwdriver up to Twilight with the other.

“It's fine,” Twilight said, her mask up and smile patient as she accepted the tool. “You know, if you'd really like something to do right now that doesn't involve tracking down your counterpart, you could always tell me more about how magic works in Equestria.”

“Don't you need to focus on building the detector?” Sunset questioned, sitting back on her knees.

“Yes,” Twilight admitted without hesitation, “but I can still spare some brainpower to asking you questions that'll help guide our research.”

Sunset looked away, her face blank as she thought. But in mere moments she was looking back, and giving Twilight a shallow nod. “Yeah, okay. Might as well do something productive.”

“Hey, scratching me is productive!” Spike protested, standing his front paws on Sunset's lap.

She laughed. “Sure, sure,” she told him, resuming the physical affection. She then turned to Twilight, and asked “So what do you want to know first?”

Twilight tapped her chin a few times before answering. “Well, what is magic exactly? I get that it emits energy and has all these crazy effects, but what actually is it? A particle? A wave? Something else?”

“Beats me,” Sunset answered, shrugging. “That kind of thing is pretty far ahead of Equestrian science, at least as far as I know. But if I had to guess, probably a particle? Ambient magic is a pretty big thing, and I can't imagine that being only a wave of energy or whatever. But then again,” she said, bringing a finger across her chin as she frowned thoughtfully, “does that explain how it's produced by ponies and other magical creatures?”

“Produced?” Twilight asked, the bulk of her focus still on her work.

“Yeah. The magic in our cutie marks, and the magic that lets unicorns cast spells and pegasi manipulate the weather and gives earth ponies a knack for growing things, is something that comes from within us,” Sunset explained, looking at the sunny sky through the room's sole window and placing her hands over her heart.

Twilight paused her work to look at Sunset. “Is it possible that your bodies are converting that 'ambient magic' you mentioned into what I assume is a more useable form?”

Sunset shook her head. “If it is, then it's never been proven. Not in normal situations, anyway.”

“Normal?”

“Like, everyday stuff. Some big spells do end up taking in ambient magic as fuel, but most spellwork ends up raising the ambient levels a little bit depending on how skilled the unicorn is.”

“So... it's a matter of efficiency, I assume? The more skilled a unicorn is, the better they are at using their own magic without it being lost as ambient magic?”

“Exactly,” Sunset nodded. “Anyway, if pony bodies really were converting ambient magic into a more usable form, that raises the question of why the AIE is even a thing.”

“AIE?”

“Ambient interference effect, sorry. It describes how ambient magic interferes with a unicorn's ability to cast spells. Generally speaking, the more ambient magic in the area the harder it is to cast.”

Twilight looked at her ceiling, lost in thought. “I suppose it could be a matter of the conversion rate between ambient magic and pony magic...”

“Could be,” Sunset shrugged, eyes drifting down to Spike who was laying half on her lap, watching them with confused silence. Sunset began to pet his back, causing him to close his eyes and wag his tail. “It's true that high enough levels of ambient magic can have catalyzing effects, but the turnover points are... well, there's a bunch of them depending on how old the ambient magic is, what its original source was, what spell is being attempted, and a whole bunch of other factors, but for the most part they're high enough to make the ambient catalyzing effect extremely rare.”

“Hmm...,” Twilight murmured, tapping her chin. Her work on the detector had, for the moment, been forgotten. “So time is a factor, and I take it there are distinct types of magic, then? Sounds a little like radiation if you ask me, which is consistent with the hypothesis that magic is, at least in some form, a particle.”

“If you say so,” Sunset replied, shaking her head a little in her uncertainty. “I used to have all the equations and laws that described it memorized, but it's been so long since I had to actually use any of it that I'm getting rusty. Sorry.”

“Don't worry, I understand,” Twilight told her, eyes on her part of the project once more as she recalled what she'd been doing. “And at the very least, it's given me a better idea of what it is I originally detected, assuming this world's magic is similar in that respect anyway.”

“That's the thing, though, I don't know if it really is,” Sunset said. “Before I stole the Element of Magic and brought it here, this world's ambient magic was so low I almost thought it was nonexistent. But I don't know if that's because there's no native magical creatures to produce it, or-”

“-if there aren't any magical creatures in the first place because there's no ambient magic to sustain them?” Twilight finished.

“Pretty much,” Sunset said. “Though I'm leaning towards the former, because how else do you explain our magic? Even before we got our geodes,” she looked down at her chest and clutched at a necklace that wasn't there, “we still had enough magic to let us pony-up when we were showing the truest parts of ourselves. That has to mean the magic we have comes from inside us!”

“I suppose...,” Twilight answered, her pursed lips showing her skepticism when her words didn't.

Sunset didn't notice it, too wrapped up in her own thoughts as she was. “But if the magic is coming from inside of us like it does on Equestria, then why don't its actual effects follow the rules they're supposed to?”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, setting her work down once again and shifting her entire body to devote her attention to Sunset.

“Well for one thing, how come we got our powers before we actually made contact with the geodes they come from?” Sunset asked, her petting of Spike halted as she began to gesticulate. “Why don't we ever seem to get tired while we're ponied up, even though we know from experience that our magic can become depleted? Why did Spike permanently gain the ability to talk when he went through a portal to Equestria for all of five seconds?”

“Beats me,” Spike said, raising his head from her lap just enough to look at her better.

“And what the heck was with those results I got from my initial experiments?” Sunset continued, growing more heated as she motioned to the notes she brought that were still on Twilight's bed. “I mean, I get that the equipment I used wasn't built to handle magic, but still. That was just weird.”

Twilight laughed a little. “Yeah, you mentioned that on the bus. I still think we're going to have to repeat those experiments if we want to figure out what happened in them, though.”

“Yeah, I think I see your point about that now,” Sunset replied. “Though part of me still thinks it's a better idea to establish what we can and can't do now, with our current powers.”

“Well, I suppose we can wait to decide which we focus on once the detector is finished,” Twilight said, turning herself back to her work.

Sunset chuckled. “Yeah. I feel bad for distracting you from it again.”

“So much for my ability to multitask, again,” Twilight said, giggling a little as well.

Just as she began attaching a wire between two components, though, her phone went off and startled her into dropping it. “Who could that be?” she wondered aloud, pulling off her insulated gloves to reach into her pocket and pull out her phone.

“Rainbow or Pinkie, maybe?” Sunset answered, becoming concerned as Twilight suddenly gaped.

“It's Rainbow Dash alright,” Twilight said, eyes widening in shock as another text came in. “She's found Amethyst Shine!”

“Wait, seriously?!” Sunset exclaimed, bolting to her feet and grabbing Twilight's phone. Sure enough there was a text from Rainbow Dash proclaiming mission accomplished, followed by a selfie of her – still fully powered-up – with her arm around an incredibly terrified-looking Amethyst Shine. “Holy crap, she did!” she said, her disbelief so strong she nearly dropped Twilight's phone.

“What do we do?!” Twilight asked, her panic rising rapidly. “This possibility was so unlikely, I didn't even think to prepare for it! I expected a few awkward questions and where she lives at best, and only after days of searching! I didn't think Rainbow Dash would capture her!”

“Me neither!” Sunset exclaimed, running fingers through her hair as she stared at Twilight's phone in hopeless desperation. Another text arrived from Rainbow Dash, eliciting a groan. “And now she wants to know if we wanna help interrogate her!”

Twilight let out a strangled squeak.

“I know!” Sunset looked back at the string of messages, and groaned. “We seriously messed up the wording on the first text if this is how Rainbow Dash interpreted it.”

“What do we do?” Twilight moaned, sagging in her seat as words finally returned to her. “Ohh, Shining Armor's going to be so mad when he finds out!”

“I- wait, your brother?” Sunset asked, suddenly screwing her face up in confusion. “What's he got to do with- never mind, it doesn't matter.” Forcing herself back on track before Twilight could launch into an explanation, Sunset gave her head a shake and began replying to Rainbow Dash. “I got us into this, so it's up to me to get us out of it.”

“By telling Rainbow Dash to let her go and hope she doesn't call the cops?” Twilight asked through a wide and nervous grin.

“No, by going over there and explaining to Amethyst exactly what's going on,” Sunset answered, tossing Twilight's phone back to her and making for the door.

“I-i-isn't that risky?” she asked, clutching the phone in both hands. “Won't it just make things worse if Rainbow Dash keeps detaining an innocent person?”

“Yeah, but it'll get worse anyway if that innocent person goes running to the police over a misunderstanding,” Sunset stopped and told her, one hand on the doorknob. “At least this way we can all get some answers without making things more complicated than they already are.”

Twilight looked at her phone, not really taking in the words on the darkened screen while she thought. Then she took a breath, looked at Sunset, and stood. “Alright. I'll come with you.”

“No,” Sunset replied, shaking her head. “I appreciate the offer, Twilight, I really do, but I've distracted you enough today as it is. I think it'll be for the better if you stay here and keep working on the detector while I go take care of this mess. Since I wasn't able to help you much, this'll be more efficient, right?”

She offered Twilight a smile, though it did little to reassure. “Don't worry. I'll stay in touch and tell you if I need you for anything, alright?”

Twilight was quiet for a good long while before nodding, and murmuring “Alright...”

Sunset returned the nod, and left.

She only gave Twilight's parents a quick excuse of something having come up as she passed them before racing out into the afternoon, and the sun beat down on her as if in anger as she ran all the way to the bus stop.

She knew going out was probably a bad idea, she really did. But Sunset had promised herself she'd get involved if anything else happened after her friends' sisters went missing just a few hours ago, and if now wasn't the time to do that she didn't know what was. She owed it to Rainbow Dash to try and personally get her out of any trouble caused by Sunset's desire to find her counterpart, right?

That's what she told herself on the bus, at least. And it was true, though not the full truth. But she couldn't quite admit to Twilight that she really, really wanted to ask Amethyst about the other Sunset herself. Even if Twilight would probably understand.

She was worried about what she'd do when she got there, worried about whether she'd do or say anything that was a little closer to how she'd been a year ago than she really wanted. That wasn't a side she wanted Twilight to see of her. Rainbow Dash was one thing; Rainbow Dash had already seen that side and the way she was acting would probably want those old tactics. But Twilight?

No, she couldn't risk Twilight seeing that.

She pulled the cord to signal her stop, and got off in front of the building she lived in.

CPU. The standard gauge and waveform projector from the beta model predating her disastrous clam-shell design. And, of course, the all-important receiver she'd invented that was sensitive to the peculiar form of energy she now knew as magic. Twilight worked in silence connecting those components, knowing that she'd have to ensure they were fully operational before she could even attempt to proceed with her new designs. Sunset was counting on her to produce a functional model so they could test their hypotheses regarding the magic.

Sunset was also acting strangely, right? More nervous than usual. Something was on her mind – just her counterpart, right? And yet, Twilight wasn't so sure. Why had Sunset been so insistent on staying with her when she didn't need the help and had already made a point to be understanding about Sunset's desire to leave? Again, Twilight wasn't sure. She wasn't about to complain about it, but...

But she was getting mentally off track. She needed to focus.

Boot up her computer, hook up the skeletal device to it and turn it on. The needle moves, the waveform goes wild. As expected. Run diagnostics; everything is working as it's designed to.

Detach the device, remove the older display modules. Connect the new display modules one at a time, and test the device between each one.

After spending so much of the day in Twilight's home, Sunset couldn't help feeling that her apartment was nothing but a disappointment. Just a single room filled with whatever furniture, appliances, and knickknacks she'd been able to scrounge up over the years from bargain stores, junkyards, and suburban yard sales. It was distinctly hers, and she did love it, but...

...she couldn't help feel embarrassed by it when she thought about one day bringing Twilight over. Especially if it was as more than friends, as she'd long imagined. At one point she had thought Twilight might find it as cool and quirky as Sunset herself was, but that had been before seeing what sort of place Twilight was used to.

But now wasn't the time for those thoughts, and Sunset gave her head a good shake to force them away. She dashed up to her loft as quickly as she could, retrieved her geode from the bedside drawer it was in, then slid back down the ladder and raced out the door. She needed to catch the next bus to where Rainbow Dash was before her friend did something she'd regret.

Both girls raced to complete their tasks in the hopes it would lead them to the knowledge they were seeking; and both girls tried hard to focus on them by shutting out thoughts of each other. And even after all the messages they'd sent out and received over the course of the afternoon, neither could have been prepared for the one that struck their phones simultaneously.

It was from Pinkie.

Her sister had been robbed.

Chapter 10 - What in the World?! The Mystery of the Two Sunsets

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“That's really her, right? My eyes aren't playin' tricks on me?” Apple Bloom whispered to her friends, the three of them – and Big McIntosh – sitting at a table in the O'Patty's on Queen's Avenue gaping at the young woman who had just walked in.

“If yours are, mine must be too cause I'm seeing the same thing,” Scootaloo whispered right back her eyes wide.

“I wonder what happened that caused such a drastic makeover?” Sweetie Belle wondered aloud. “She looked perfectly normal just a little while ago at the hardware store.”

“Well, whatever it was we're gonna have to wait to find out,” Apple Bloom answered, still transfixed by Sunset's short hair and leather jacket. She had gotten in line straight away, and was tapping her foot impatiently as she waited to get to the front of it. “For some reason she hasn't noticed us yet.”

“Maybe she's busy?” Sweetie suggested after a sip of her milkshake.

A thoughtful frown appeared on Apple Bloom's lips. “Hmm... maybe...”

“Mm... well...,” Scootaloo said between mouthfuls of the chicken nuggets and fries she was scarfing down. “I plan on getting the scoop the moment she walks over here.”

“But what if she leaves and doesn't sit down?” Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo forced herself to swallow, even pounding on her chest a few times to get everything down. Only then did she say, with a considerable amount of incredulity, “On her bike? How's she gonna carry her food like that, it'll blow away!”

“Or at least get cold really quickly,” Sweetie observed. The others stared at her until she shrugged and said, “What? It's true!”

“Still,” Apple Bloom said as the four turned their gazes once more to Sunset, who was still standing with her back to them. “We gotta get to the bottom of this. Somethin' might be wrong.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac commented for the first time in minutes.

“Well, I for one would be happy to give her whatever help she needs,” Scootaloo said. “Or even just ask her where she got her bike,” she added with an eagerness that made her friends shake their heads.

The four continued their meal in relative silence until Sunset finally turned around with her meal on a tray. She noticed them looking at her almost immediately, and to their surprise stopped in her tracks and gave them an aggressive yet bewildered look.

“Heya, Sunset!” Apple Bloom ventured, offering her a friendly smile and wave.

For some reason, that only made things worse – the emotions on her face shifted quickly from shock, to dread, to anger, to an eerie blankness that unsettled three of the four.

“Where'd you get the cool bike?” Scootaloo added obliviously a half-second later, too enamored with the motorcycle parked out front to pay much attention elsewhere. “You didn't have that earlier when you... were...”

She trailed off as she noticed Sunset approaching, a dark and ugly scowl forming rapidly on her face. “How do you know that name?” she hissed through clenched teeth, looking straight at Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom shared a confused and somewhat scared look with her friends, then looked back at Sunset and said, “What do you mean? Why wouldn't we know who ya are?”

“Did something happen?” Sweetie Belle blurted out. “We only saw you and Twilight a little while ago, and you didn't look at all like you do now!” She gestured towards Sunset's jacket, then looked up and focused on her hair and scar.

Though Sunset's eyes remained narrowed, for a few moments they seemed to be far more thoughtful than cold. But then the coldness returned, and she lifted her head and cast an imperious stare down at them. “I don't know what, or who, you're talking about,” she said at a low and dangerous whisper. “So if you brats know what's good for you, you'll stop staring at me like I'm an old friend or something and mind your own business.”

Then she spun on her heel, stuffed the burger she'd ordered into her mouth, and devoured it as she walked to the door. She paused for a length of time that quickly became awkward to down her soda and scarf her fries, then tossed her tray and trash aside and charged out the door.

The Crusaders watched her all the way back to her bike, only looking away when she noticed them through the glass, glared, and made a rude gesture with her finger.

Naturally, they began to talk about her the moment she put her helmet on. “So, what, was she like Sunset's long-lost twin or something?” Scootaloo asked first, scratching her head.

“Either that or she has a seriously weird case of amnesia,” Sweetie replied.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, nodding sagely.

“I don't know, I think the twin thing is more likely,” Scootaloo said.

“True,” Sweetie admitted. “I guess my amnesia idea doesn't really account for her suddenly having a scar. Unless Sunset had it all along and has been hiding it under make-up this whole time.”

“Who'd hide such a cool scar?” Scootaloo asked. “If it were me, I'd show it off every chance I could get.”

“Yeah, but that's you,” Sweetie countered. “Obviously Sunset cared more about her appearance. At least before the amnesia, anyway.”

“She didn't get amnesia, though,” Scootaloo countered right back. “That was obviously just her long-lost evil twin.”

“She totally could have gotten amnesia,” Sweetie said, crossing her arms defiantly.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked at Apple Bloom, who was looking down thoughtfully. “Back me up here, Apple Bloom. That was Sunset's twin, right?”

“Hrmm... maybe...,” Apple Bloom answered without looking up. “But I don't know...”

“See?” Sweetie told Scootaloo almost triumphantly. “I'm not the only one who thinks it could be amnesia!”

“No, that don't sound right either...,” Apple Bloom said before Scootaloo could respond. Her friends and brother looked her way when she finally looked back up. “Remember how there's two Twilight Sparkles? The one that transferred from Crystal Prep and the one that saved us from all that magic stuff last fall?”

The others shared a look, and Scootaloo said, “Yeah? What's that got to do with anything?”

“Well, the one from last fall was some kinda magical Princess from another dimension or somethin', right?” Apple Bloom said.

“Are you saying the Sunset we just saw was from another dimension too?” Sweetie asked, brow raised skeptically.

“Maybe,” Apple Bloom shrugged. “I mean, Sunset has been involved with all that magic stuff from the start. Call me crazy, but I think that might be a possibility here.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shared a look. “I don't know, that sounds a little farfetched if you ask me,” the former said.

“Maybe, but I'm gonna ask Applejack about it and see what she says,” Apple Bloom replied, already typing out the message.

“You really think she's gonna have any better idea about this than we do?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well yeah,” Apple Bloom said, eyes glued to her phone as she waited for the reply. “She does know Sunset better than us, after all. And if nothin' else she can ask Sunset herself.”

As if on cue, her phone went off. “'Really',” Apple Bloom read off it, deadpan. She looked up at her friends. “Really?”

“What did you tell her that she's saying 'really' to?” Sweetie asked.

“I just asked if there might be another Sunset running around like with Twilight, on account of us havin' run into a girl who looks just like here!” Apple Bloom explained.

Once again, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shared a look. “I don't think she believes you,” Sweetie said.

Apple Bloom groaned. “Well she better believe me after I tell her how all of us saw her,” she said, angrily typing out her next text.

To the group's collective surprise, the response came almost immediately. “Now she wants to know what the other Sunset was like,” Apple Bloom explained at her friends' questioning looks.

“Cool-looking,” Scootaloo said immediately. “Like, biker cool.”

“And mean,” Sweetie Belle added. “Like, as mean as the Sunset we know used to be. Maybe even meaner.”

Apple Bloom just stared at them. “I know what she was like,” she said. “I was there, remember?”

“Just making sure you get down everything,” was Scootaloo's smiling reply.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, then moved them back to her phone. “I'm gonna tell Applejack how the other Sunset didn't recognize us, too,” she said before sending off the message.

Once again, it didn't take long at all for the response to come – and it took even less time for Apple Bloom to grin triumphantly upon reading it. “'Thanks',” she read from her phone. “'You're right that the Twilight from last fall was from elsewhere, and Sunset – the Sunset we know – is from the same place. I reckon the one y'all saw was from around here.'”

“Around here?” Scootaloo repeated, sharing a questioning look with the others. “Then how come we've never seen her before now?”

“Maybe she only just moved here?” Sweetie Belle suggested.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared a look. “Sounds reasonable to me,” Apple Bloom said, shrugging.

“Guess so,” Scootaloo said, mirroring the gesture. “Question is, what do we do about it?”

“Well she also says that the Sunset we know will be happy to hear we've found the other her,” Apple Bloom continued. “So I reckon we oughta try and find out even more about her.”

“How?” Sweetie Belle asked, the girls oblivious to the look of alarm that was growing on Big Mac's face. “She's gotta be long gone by now!”

“Yeah, but how many motorcycles do you see in this city?” Scootaloo replied. “It shouldn't be too hard to track down, especially since I got a good look at it.”

“You really think we can track down Sunset's doppelganger just like that?” Sweetie said, still skeptical.

Scootaloo grinned. “Sure!”

“We can just ask folks if they saw her, there's tons of people walkin' around this mornin'!” Apple Bloom said, growing excited. “A bunch of 'em even have cameras and stuff!”

Sweetie put a finger to her lip in thought. “...huh. Yeah, in that case it does seem doable... Especially since we have the truck...”

Big Mac coughed into a fist, immediately getting the girls' attention. “Got somethin' to say, big brother?” Apple Bloom asked, hope shining in her eyes.

“I think y'all are gettin' ahead of yourselves with this,” he said with a blunt sort of eloquence that took his sister off-guard. “Wantin' to help Applejack's friend is all well and good, but I'm not about to go drivin' us all over who-knows-where on some wild goose chase when we still got chores to do. Especially when that other girl made it clear she didn't wanna be found, and even threatened all four of us to leave her alone!”

“But Big McIntosh!” Apple Bloom whined in protest. “We're the only ones that can track her down! Sunset might never find her long-lost clone sister from outta town if we don't get movin' like right now!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo echoed.

“I don't care!” Big Mac replied, looking sternly at his sister. “If Sunset wants to look for that girl, then fine. But I'm not gonna risk the three of you gettin' hurt over this. And that's final.”

Apple Bloom hummed in displeasure and looked away defiantly, her friends doing the same. But while Big Mac thought that was the end of it and returned to polishing off his meal, the Crusaders had another plan: they stealthily caught each other's eye, and gave their patented Crusaders Signal #2.

Three phones were whipped out and turned to silent without their chaperone's notice, and the text deliberations began.

Apple Bloom had already gotten a request for more information about the other Sunset, and that made their conclusion quick and simple: Ask Applejack to overrule Big Mac's ruling, so that they could do just that. And, while they resumed eating to divert Big Mac's suspicion, the reply came in, the gist of which was that Applejack wanted to consult Sunset before deciding.

And, they soon decided in the course of their silent discussion, since Sunset was obviously going to want them to go after the other Sunset, the proper course of action was to go after her before they were asked to do so. Granted, Big Mac wouldn't be happy about it, but with Applejack on their side Apple Bloom was sure her brother would cave.

Though she wasn't confident enough about it to meet her brother's increasingly suspicious gaze for long.

But the trio was decided, and they soon found their chance – all four had finished their lunches and after a stern but silent look from Big Mac were following him back out to the truck. The Crusaders had already come to the conclusion that they wouldn't be able to use the truck for their pursuit, and as such had opted for a different course of action.

One that started with them trailing behind the older boy more and more with each passing step without him realizing it, and ended with them breaking out into a sprint away from the scene when it seemed he was least expecting it.

Of course, it didn't take him all that long for him to realize they were running away, or for him to yell for them to stop and come back. Hastily getting into his truck so he could chase them was a little different, as it involved him banging his head on the roof and quite a few swears before he could slam the door and start the engine. Once he finally pulled out of the O'Patty's parking lot, he quickly realized that he couldn't see any of the girls anymore.

He swore again.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this was not as good an idea as I thought it was,” Apple Bloom muttered frantically to herself, forced down into hiding behind an alleyway dumpster by two firm hands on her shoulders. “He's gonna be so mad at me, and he's gonna tell Granny, and she's gonna be mad too, and—”

“Ssh! Quiet!” Sweetie Belle hissed into a single raised finger in front of her mouth. “Everything will work out once we find the other Sunset!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo echoed. She was crouched furthest from the wall, and as such was leaning out just far enough to get a peek at the street at the end of the alley. She spotted what looked like Big Mac's truck passing by, gasped, and got back into hiding.

“What? What is it?” Sweetie Belle quickly asked.

“It's my brother, isn't it?” Apple Bloom moaned.

Scootaloo shushed them both, and the three waited with bated breath for what felt like ages. Until, eventually, Scootaloo whispered, “Okay, I think we're in the clear.” She slowly leaned back out from the dumpster...

There was nobody there.

“Yup, we're in the clear,” Scootaloo repeated after breathing a sigh of relief. She stood up, Sweetie Belle followed, and after a moment they pulled Apple Bloom back up as well. “Come on, Apple Bloom. You came up with this plan, and we all agreed to it. There's no going back now,” Scootaloo told her.

“Yeah there is!” Apple Bloom countered, reaching into her pocket. “We just gotta call Big Mac and apologize, and it'll be like nothin' happened!” She pulled out her phone, but Sweetie Belle grabbed her wrist before she could use it.

“No, Apple Bloom,” she said with a stern look. “You said it yourself, Applejack's practically guaranteed to be fine with us looking for the other Sunset. As long as we stay out of trouble, we have nothing to worry about!”

“But we're already in trouble, that's the thing!” Apple Bloom protested. “Just tryin' to hide from Big Mac made me realize that Applejack ain't gonna be happy that we ran off without him before she even said it was okay to go look! This is exactly the sort of thing that always gets us into trouble!”

“You're only realizing this now?” Scootaloo asked, hands on the back of her head and brow raised in disbelief.

Apple Bloom looked at her, dumbfounded. “Are you tellin' me you knew this was gonna get us into trouble no matter what, and you didn't try to stop it?”

Scootaloo grinned. “Are you kidding? This is exactly the sort of cool stuff I've been wanting to do all day! Who cares if we get grief for it later?”

“Like you got anything ta worry about,” Apple Bloom muttered, face falling into a flat stare. “I'm sure Rainbow Dash will just give you a high five when she finds out!”

Scootaloo chuckled and rubbed her nose. “Yeah, she totally will...”

That earned a groan from Apple Bloom, who shook her head and looked at her other BFF. “You understand me, don'tcha Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie responded with a shrug. “Actually, I'm fine with all of this.”

Apple Bloom stared at her, gaping and dumbfounded. “You can't be serious! Yer sister and parents are gonna be furious!”

“True,” Sweetie conceded, “but since we're gonna be sophomores in a couple months, I figured it was high time to try my hand at teenage rebellion.”

Apple Bloom could only face-palm at that, and even Scootaloo did too.

Then Scootaloo shook her head, sighed, and went back to smiling confidently. “Well, at a vote of two to one, it looks like we're gonna keep going!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie cheered.

Apple Bloom groaned. “Me and my dumb ideas...”

An approximate consensus reached, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo cautiously shepherded their friend back out into the open. And once they grew confident that Big Mac wasn't just about to show up and bust them, they began the next phase of their operation.

“Pardon me,” Sweetie asked of a businessman with pale blue skin as he was walking past, “but have you seen a woman on a motorcycle come through here? Wearing a black leather jacket and black helmet?”

The man paused, clearly taken off-guard by the sudden query. But the girls' pleading faces made him think, and after a moment he shook his head and said, “No, sorry.”

He went on his way without another word, leaving the three girls to stand around disappointed.

But only for a moment. “Come on,” Scootaloo said, waving for her friends to follow as she headed down the sidewalk. “We gotta keep trying. Maybe find somebody who's been walking around out here for a few minutes.”

Sweetie Belle followed quickly after her, but then stopped and went back to drag Apple Bloom along with them.

Another businessperson, an old lady, a cyclist, and a pair of hippies later, and the Crusaders were no closer to finding the other Sunset than they had been when they started.

Then they spotted a greasy-looking man operating a hot dog stand, and shared a look. “He's probably been out here awhile, right?” Scootaloo suggested before the three approached him.

“What'll it be, kids?” he asked with a pleasant smile when they reached the stand.

“Actually we were wondering if you'd seen any motorcycles come by recently,” Sweetie asked.

“Motorcycles?” the man replied, raising a brow in confusion. “What're you lookin' for motorcycles for?”

The girls shared another look. “It's... a friend of ours, kind of,” Sweetie eventually said. “She's been acting weird lately, and we're worried she might be doing something she shouldn't.”

The man narrowed his eyes and hummed in thought, prompting Scootaloo to lean forward in a very sly manner, at least as far as she was concerned. “There's something in it for you if you tell us what we wanna know...” she said, waggling her eyebrows as she slid a few small bills from her pocket across the counter of the cart.

That only got the man to raise an eyebrow. “Uhh, okay then. I did see a motorcycle turn east onto the Parkway a few minutes ago,” he answered, pocketing the cash and pointing a finger to the east. “Haven't seen any others this morning, so that's probably your friend.”

“Thanks, mister!” Scootaloo beamed at him, leading her friends off down the street moments later.

The man watched them go for as long as he could, then looked down at his cart and sighed. “Wouldn't have minded if you'd actually bought a hot dog,” he muttered to himself.

It was only a few blocks after the hot dog stand that the Crusaders encountered something peculiar – a group of people, mostly young men, carrying cameras that were milling about on a street corner. Most looked to be preoccupied by their phones.

“Err, excuse me,” Apple Bloom said with no small amount of hesitance. “Have any a' y'all seen—”

“No,” said the gray-skinned young man closest to her with a sharp glare to match his tongue. “Now scram!”

Apple Bloom recoiled a bit, but before she could say anything another man put a hand on the first one's shoulder. “Dude, chill,” he said. “They're just a couple of kids. Let 'em ask questions.”

“Uh, dude,” the first man mimicked, sounding supremely annoyed, “I don't care if they're kids! We already gotta compete with all these other guys for the scoop of the century,” he motioned to the rest of the group, who were starting to turn and shoot curious or annoyed looks at him, “I don't wanna add three random little brats too!”

“Hey, we're not brats!” Apple Bloom protested, puffing up in anger. “We're just lookin' for someone!”

“Yeah, well join the club,” the first man said bitterly before turning away with a huff.

The second man gave an awkward sort of laugh, then looked at the girls. “Well, if it's those superheroes that have been turning up around here lately, I'm afraid we've lost track of them too. But we're expecting word from some of the other hero trackers soon, so if you like you can wait around with us.”

The Crusaders shared a confused look. “Superheroes?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“They probably mean Rainbow Dash and that Mare-Do-Well character,” Scootaloo answered, unaware of the attention she'd suddenly attracted – even from the prickly first man.

“Well, we aren't lookin' for those two,” Apple Bloom said, addressing the second man. “We're lookin' for a girl on a motorcycle wearin' a black leather jacket. You seen someone like that come through recently?”

“Motorcycle?” the second man repeated, the word echoed by several other members of the group as they turned to each other. “We've seen someone on a motorcycle... a couple times, right?”

“Yeah, and it was always the same person,” said a third man.

“Wasn't she doing the same thing we are?” asked a fourth. “That's what it seemed like, anyway...”

“H-hold on,” the first spoke up, stepping forward and holding out a hand for the others to stop. “What was that you said? Rainbow Dash?” A round of murmurs rose up among the men again. “Knowing Mare-Do-Well's name is one thing, but you said that other name like it was obviously the Armored Rainbow's name...”

“Well yeah, that's cause it i—” Apple Bloom began to say, cut off only by Scootaloo – who was grinning deviously as she covered her friend's mouth.

“So... you guys wanna know more about Canterlot's latest and greatest superhero, don't you?” she asked.

Someone in the back of the group immediately said, “She's not a superhero if she doesn't do anything but fly around!” And just as quickly he received dirty looks from several others, Scootaloo included.

“For the last time, Press, that's not the point!” the first man said before sullenly looking back at the girls. “But yeah, we're looking for them,” he admitted with a vague gesture to the others around him. Then he muttered, not quite under his breath, “Though who isn't these days?”

Scootaloo grinned. “Thought so! Well, tell ya what: you tell us what we wanna know, and I'll tell you a bit about Rainbow Dash.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom pulled Scootaloo off to the side and into a huddle. “Are you sure you should be saying that?” Sweetie hissed.

“Yeah, this is the sorta thing you'd think Rainbow Dash and them would wanna keep secret,” Apple Bloom added.

“Relax!” Scootaloo told them, her grin wide. “If Rainbow Dash didn't want people to know, she woulda put a mask on or something before flying around where everyone can see her. And it's not like we have to tell those guys about anyone else!”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared an uncertain sort of look. “Well...” Sweetie began.

“...I guess,” Apple Bloom finished. “And the longer we spend searchin' the more trouble it'll be to find her, so we might as well get this over with...”

“Awesome, I knew you'd see it my way!” Scootaloo beamed. She broke the huddle and walked back towards the group of men, asking, “So do we have a deal, or what?”

“Fine, fine,” the first man said impatiently. “You wanna know about that biker chick or whatever, right?”

“That's right!” Scootaloo answered. “Specifically, how long ago did you see her last and which direction did she head in.”

“Tell us what you know about the Armored Rainbow first,” the man countered.

“Hey, that's no fair!” Apple Bloom protested, both her friends riled up too. “We're barely askin' for anything and you want us to tell ya so much more!”

“Like I care!” the man said. “Either spill the beans or stop wasting our time!”

The second man smacked him upside the back of the head. “Dude, stop,” he said when the first man looked at him, gaping in outrage. “If you don't wanna tell them anything, then fine. I will.” He turned back to the girls. “So the Armored Rainbow's real name is Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes...,” Scootaloo answered after a moment, looking at him suspiciously.

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded. “Okay then. That's all we really need to know. That biker chick you're looking for rode by a few minutes before you three turned up. We thought she might be on the case of that, uh, friend of yours so we followed her a bit before we got word that she was nowhere near the Armored Rainbow. Best I can figure is that she was headed somewhere southeast, though obviously I don't know where.”

And, as one, the Crusaders began to grin. “Thanks, mister!” Apple Bloom told him.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo chimed in before turning to her friends. “Alright, let's get moving!”

“Crusaders for Justice Forever!” the three cheered – loudly – raising their hands together. They ran off bearing south moments later, leaving the group of men wincing a little and staring a lot.

After a moment, the second man smirked and pulled out his phone. “And now to dredge up everything we can about this 'Rainbow Dash' character...”

Big Mac was getting worried. It had been over an hour since he'd last seen his sister and her friends, and neither he nor Applejack had been able to get through to Apple Bloom's phone. He knew the big city was, well, big, and that his sister and her friends had a knack for getting into trouble without anyone knowing, but not being able to find them after driving around looking for so long just felt ridiculous.

He couldn't help but worry that something bad had happened to them. Like one of them had been hurt, or all of them had been hurt, or they'd been kidnapped by creeps, or...

He quickly shook those thoughts away as he came to a stop at a red light. It wouldn't do for him to lose focus while driving and cause an accident. The last thing he need was for poor Granny Smith to have to hear that two of her grandkids had been hurt today...

Granny Smith... She wasn't going to be happy, Big Mac knew that for a fact. The best he could hope for was a scolding when he came back with Apple Bloom for having let her run off to begin with. And if something were to actually happen to her... Well, knowing her, she wouldn't blame him. Not out loud.

But he could just imagine the expression that would be on her face when she thought he wasn't looking. It made his lip tremble just thinking about it...

A loud honk came from behind him, startling Big Mac back into reality. He pressed down on the gas, and continued on in search of his missing sister. He wasn't about to let anything happen to her, not if he could help it.

“Are you sure we're going the right way?” Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle as they and Apple Bloom jogged down the sidewalk. “Cause it doesn't feel like you know where you're going.”

Sweetie Belle looked over her shoulder and gave Scootaloo a Look. “Well, seeing how nobody we've talked to for the past twenty minutes has been able to give us a solid lead, I'd have to say duh. Obviously we don't know where we're going right now.”

“Yeah, Scoots, we're just runnin' around hopin' we catch sight a' her,” Apple Bloom added with a frown. “I thought you realized that by now!”

“Oh, sorry,” Scootaloo told them with a dopey sort of grin. “I guess I just sorta zoned out once we started running.”

Her friends continued their stares until she laughed and said, “Jeez, I said I was sorry! I'll pay attention from now on!”

Sweetie sighed, then turned her attention back forward. “You'd better. I don't wanna have to keep explaining what we're doing when you should already know.”

“Right, totally, don't worry about it,” Scootaloo reassured her. Then, a moment later, she added “So, uh...”

Sweetie Belle skidded to a stop and wheeled around on Scootaloo, forcing her – and Apple Bloom a split second later – to stop as well. “Everyone that we've talked to who's seen that other Sunset lately has either said she's been driving around following Rainbow Dash, or was heading southwest. And since Rainbow Dash isn't around here, obviously we need to check out what's southwest first to see where she might have gone.”

“Isn't that, like, a lot of ground to cover?” Scootaloo questioned.

“We're hopin' we find her before too long,” Apple Bloom said.

“Well if she's still looking for Rainbow Dash, I guess I could always just call her and let her know what's up,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe we could try and trap her or something?”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shared a look, then looked at Scootaloo. “That's actually a pretty good idea,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah,” Sweetie echoed.

Scootaloo gave them a sour look. “Well why are you saying it like that?” she asked them. “Like I've never had a good idea before.”

“Well you have been zonin' out for a while now,” Apple Bloom said, deadpan. “Ya can't really blame us all that much for thinkin' your head isn't in the game.”

“Well,” Scootaloo said, crossing her arms defiantly, “my head's in the game now. So let's just do my idea and call Rainbow Dash.”

“But what if the other Sunset isn't looking for her anymore?” Sweetie said. “I mean, it's not like she was actively looking for her when we met her back at O'Patty's.”

“Well where else is she gonna be right now?” Scootaloo asked. “It's not like she's still looking for something to eat, either!”

“She's gotta be at her home, right?” Apple Bloom said. “Or apartment, or hotel room, or wherever else she's stayin'.”

Scootaloo looked around at their surrounding with a thoroughly skeptical expression. They were currently in one of the visibly poorer sections of Canterlot, the buildings around them old and worn around the edges. More than one window was broken or boarded up, and graffiti peered out from the walls of several alleyways. “Why would she live around here?” Scootaloo asked.

“Cause it's cheap and she can't afford to stay anywhere else?” Sweetie answered.

“She could also just be passin' through to somewhere else,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “We won't rightly know until we find her.”

“Well, I'm guessing she was just passing through,” Scootaloo said with something like a knowing look. “No way would someone as cool as her live in a place like this.”

Her friends shared a look. “I don't think that's really how it works, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo crossed her arms and sniffed. “Well, whatever. Let's just keep moving, the sooner we find her the better.”

Sweetie Belle sighed. “We know, we know,” she said as the trio resumed walking towards the end of the block. Their walking pace quickly escalated into a jog, all three eager to find either their target or someone with information thereof as quickly as possible.

What they found was something else entirely.

“A-Apple Bloom?!”

“Sweetie Belle!”

“Rarity!”

“A-Applejack!”

“Well, this was pretty unexpected,” Scootaloo remarked as her friends stared slack-jawed at their sisters – the expression returned in full by the two older girls idling in the convertible at the intersection they'd come to. “I thought for sure it would be Big McIntosh that found us first.”

Chapter 11 - Distress of the Lovers

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“Let's see,” Rarity said as she made a show of looking over her menu one last time. “I shall have the... house salad, with the red wine vinaigrette if you please, my good sir,” she told the waiter, handing him the menu and smiling politely. “And an iced tea, of course,” she added as though an afterthought.

The tall, slick-haired man took it without comment and tucked it under his arm. “But of course, miss,” he told Rarity, his voice as stiffly formal as his all-black uniform. He glanced down at Applejack through lazily narrowed eyes, and asked, “And what will you be having, miss?”

Applejack, slightly startled by the sudden address, looked up from her menu. “Uhh, hold on, just one more second,” she said quickly, eyes darting back to the menu and then to Rarity. “You certain the food here is all sized regular?” she asked her date. “Cause the last time I went to a restaurant as fancy as this the meals came out lookin' like they could fit all in a single spoon.”

Rarity flushed, her wide-eyed gaze moving quickly towards the waiter – he was still looking at them with a rather bored expression. She coughed lightly into her fist, then answered, “Ah, yes, I assure you the portions here will be more than adequate to satisfy your appetite.”

“Alright,” Applejack said, satisfied even if she was still reading the menu. “Well in that case,” she said to the waiter, “I guess I'll just have yer fancy Phoenix Burger, with none of the extra fixin's.” She paused a moment, then added, “And, uh, just a plain water I guess.”

“Understood, miss,” the waiter said with a nod. “Will that be all, or can I interest you in our appetizers?”

The girls shared a brief look. “Hrmm... the avocado toast did look good...,” Rarity mused, prompting Applejack to raise a brow. “But,” Rarity primly countered herself, “we already agreed to keep things light. So no thank you.”

The waiter returned her nod, spun on his heel, and walked back inside the Phoenix Rising. The café was a fairly small building, surprising for a place that Rarity had long heard talk of as one of the go-to establishments of Queen's Park, but perhaps not too surprising. Real estate in the park was expensive, or so she'd heard, and the hill the café had been built on was only so large. And honestly the small size worked out in their favor, she decided as she waited for their order on the mostly-deserted veranda. Less seating space meant fewer people, which meant lower risk of her and Applejack being outed before they were ready.

And, of course, the view of the park was to die for. She and Applejack had spent a good few minutes just standing around taking in the scenic panorama before they'd even gone inside to make themselves known. Acres upon acres of green grass and blue lakes, crisscrossed by the paths they themselves had walked not too long before and dotted with buildings and people. So many people. It was like something out of a painting, and she'd remarked as such to Applejack who'd laughed and agreed wholeheartedly.

It was still quite an excellent view from their seats, well-shaded by the canvas awning and with a nice cross-breeze blowing past them.

“So...,” Applejack began awkwardly after a few moments of silence, but quickly trailed off. She and Rarity had spoken quite a bit just on the way here, and Applejack feared that she'd already run out of things to talk about. But after seeing a similarly awkward look in her girlfriend's eyes, her gaze drifted a bit and she ended up letting loose the first question that came to her.

“Uh, I like your outfit. You get it just for the date?” she asked, still mostly looking at Rarity's ensemble – snow white sundress with lavender trim, and a matching wide-brimmed hat. Her clothes were a tad dusted what with all the walking and such, but they still looked fittingly elegant to Applejack.

Rarity glanced down at her clothes for just a moment, saying, “Oh, these? Well, I didn't buy them solely for today's occasion, but this is the first time I've worn them. I'm glad you like them,” she said with a smile. “And I'm also glad you kept that top in such good condition since camp,” she said with a nod towards Applejack's own outfit.

Applejack chuckled. “Well, I figured I oughta have some good clothes lying around for days like this. Though I hope you'll forgive me fer wearin' different shorts with it.”

“Oh, darling, it's not a problem at all!” Rarity replied with a dismissive hand-wave. “A girl must be willing to mix-and-match her outfits, after all.”

“I guess so,” Applejack said with another round of chuckling.

Rarity nodded emphatically. “If you'd like, I'd be more than willing to create more garments for you to expand your wardrobe a tad.”

Applejack flushed. “Uh, thanks for the offer and all, but I don't want you to go to so much trouble. Ya already set up the date, and I don't want you spendin' more money on me when ya should be focusin' on that business of yours.”

“Come now,” Rarity frowned, “I'd be happy to create something nice for you! Money isn't an issue at all.” She shook her head in stubborn defiance.

Applejack sighed, but before she could retort she was distracted by a loud buzz from her pocket. “Whoops,” she told her date, awkwardly chuckling as she reached into her pocket. “I'll just turn this off so we can enjoy the rest of our date in peace.”

“Well, fine,” Rarity replied, frowning slightly as she leaned forward in obvious interest. “But at least read it first. It might be Twilight with an update on that mystery girl she saw!”

“Yeah yeah, I got it,” Applejack told her before finally opening the text message. Her brow creased with alarming rapidity as she read it.

“What's wrong?” Rarity asked.

Applejack stared at her phone, dumbfounded, for several more seconds before answering. “Apparently, my sister ran into someone who looks an awful lot like Sunset,” she explained, leading Rarity to furrow her brow in thought. “And Apple Bloom wants to know if there could be two Sunsets runnin' around. Y'know, on account of that basic'ly bein' the truth for Twilight.”

“I see...,” Rarity said curtly. “Well, it's obviously possible, but I don't think we should act on this until we're certain of what they saw. You know how imaginative our sisters are. Who's to say she didn't simply see the Sunset Shimmer she already knows?”

“Yeah, that's what I thought,” Applejack said with a nod, already composing a quick reply text. She sent it off, then looked up at Rarity. “But still. If this is for real, I reckon Sunset's gonna be more excited than a hog at dinnertime when she hears it!”

Rarity smiled softly. “I couldn't agree more, darling.”

Another text came. “Welp, Apple Bloom seems pretty sure about this,” Applejack said, already typing out her reply. "Seems Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and even Big McIntosh saw her as well! I'm askin' her for more information now.”

Rarity perked up immediately. “Ooh, this is so exciting!” she squealed, shaking her fists in delight. “I never expected something like this to happen on our first date in a million years!”

Applejack couldn't help but laugh. “Yeah. Might just make it even more memorable than it already is!”

The next text arrived. “Huh. Apparently this other Sunset's some kinda biker? A mean one, too. She also says she didn't recognize them.”

Rarity let out a delighted gasp. “Then it simply must be this world's Sunset! ”

“Yup, I can't see who else it would be,” Applejack nodded, soon turning her attention to her next message. “Just gimme a minute to tell Apple Bloom some things, and I'll give Sunset – er, our Sunset – the good news.”

“I was just about to say,” Rarity said, one hand in her purse. “Are you sure you don't want me to do it?”

Applejack shook her head. “It's fine. Apple Bloom was the one who told us, so it's only right that I be the one to pass it along to Sunset.” She sent off her longest reply yet to her sister, then took a breath and began the next – to Sunset, kept short and sweet.

She and Rarity waited with bated breath, and neither were surprised to hear the response come in shortly after. “What does it say?” Rarity asked, leaning over with great interest to try for a better view. “She's shocked, isn't she? Disbelieving?”

“She wants to know what she's like, actually,” Applejack answered with blunt surprise. “The other her, I mean. Didn't even ask for proof she's real.” She shrugged, and set out to pass along Apple Bloom's description of her.

“Does she know something we don't?” Rarity wondered aloud, shifting back into her seat. “Or does she not need it? I suppose with you being you, there's no reason to doubt the message. But still... perhaps she's simply eager enough to take every claim at face value?”

Applejack shrugged again. “I reckon she just doesn't need the proof.” She set her phone down on the table. “We all know I don't lie. Keep secrets, maybe...,” she said, averting her gaze for a split-second, “but Sunset knows I'd never tell her somethin' like this if I wasn't sure about it bein' true.”

Rarity sighed. “Yes, I suppose you're right. I don't know what I was thinking... I suppose I was simply surprised by her immediate response. Usually she's more incredulous.”

“I think I get what yer sayin',” Applejack said, leaning back slightly and staring up at the awning above them. “But in this case I figure she was already expectin' the other her to be out there,” she added with a vague, wrist-rolling hand gesture.

“Mm,” was all Rarity could say before the conversation petered out. She perked up shortly after, however, upon sighting the waiter return carrying their drinks – just as Applejack's phone went off again.

“Ah, thank you very much, my good sir,” she told him as he set down her iced tea and her date's water, the other girl still preoccupied with the message she'd gotten.

“You're welcome,” the waiter replied. “Your meals shall be a few more minutes.”

With that he bowed to Rarity, glanced at Applejack – who gave a hurried “Yeah, thanks!” when she realized what was up – and left them to themselves.

“So what is it, darling?” Rarity asked, interest renewed.

“Not much,” Applejack answered with a light frown. “She just wants me to get more information from Apple Bloom.” She sighed, sent off a quick reply, then started work on a text to her sister. “Wish I'd known how much time on my first date I'd be spendin' talkin' to folks other than my date, though,” she muttered.

She groaned when yet another text interrupted her while she was still typing. “Dang it,” she said.

“I'm starting to understand your complaint,” Rarity said with a wry smile.

Applejack sighed in annoyance. “Now Apple Bloom's askin' if she and her friends can go off searchin' for this mystery Sunset they saw.”

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a problem? The girls are with your brother, are they not? If they're willing to help with this little matter, I'm fine with letting them.”

Applejack shook her head. “Big Mac's got a big long list of errands to run for Granny,” she explained. “And if I know him, he's not gonna wanna ignore 'em to go off huntin' for some girl that, from the sound of it, wants nothin' to do with 'em. Sure as shoot I bet our sisters are tryin' to go after her alone.”

“And? I hardly see the harm in it,” Rarity said after a moment. “I'll admit it's hard thinking of Sweetie Belle as anything besides my adorable baby sister, but the fact is she isn't that much younger than us. Our little friend group went on adventures when we were their age; I hardly find it fair to deny them the same liberty even if I do have my misgivings.”

It was Applejack's turn to quirk an eyebrow. “Rarity, our 'adventures' back then were us meetin' at the mall and then leavin' to go somewhere else in secret. We never tried to roam through half the city lookin' for some kinda alternate dimensional whatever of a family friend! Or of anyone!”

“So?” Rarity replied, sitting up primly as she crossed her arms in defiance. “Their goal may be different, but the principle is the same.”

Applejack sighed deeply, resting her forehead on her hand. “That's not... Look, I ain't sayin' I don't see your point. I just don't like it.”

“Think of it this way,” Rarity said quickly, shifting her weight forward. “Do you honestly believe our sisters will stay put if you tell them to?”

Another sigh, followed by a reluctant “No...”

Rarity nodded. “Exactly. So would you rather they work with us, or in secret?”

“With us...”

“Then—”

“But I ain't givin' in that easily,” she said, looking up at her girlfriend with renewed determination, or something of the sort. “Maybe it's just me bein' stubborn, but I'm at least gonna have 'em wait 'til we know what our Sunset wants from 'em.”

“Hmm... very well, if you must,” Rarity murmured in reply, already noticing her girlfriend hammering out a quick text.

“And I'm gonna get more information from them before I ask Sunset anything at all,” Applejack replied after a moment's pause from completing the latest text. She quickly started the next one.

Rarity could only smile to herself and shake her head lightly.

The message sent, the couple began to share their ideas about their world's Sunset's story: where she'd been and why she was only now showing her face in Canterlot, what the Sunset they knew and loved would do, and how likely their sisters were to actually find anything of use.

It was several minutes before they realized that Applejack hadn't yet gotten a reply to her request for more information.

“That's odd. Did she not get my message?” she asked, scratching her head as she looked through her text log. “Better ask again,” she added, repeating her previous two messages.

“Hrmm...,” Rarity murmured, having also taken out her own phone. “Perhaps I should ask Sweetie Belle as well,” she said, starting on her own text. “You know, in case your sister's phone is dead or something like that.”

“Good call. It ain't like Apple Bloom to just ignore me like that. Not unless she's gettin' herself into trouble, that is.”

The two fell silent as a wave of realization hit them. They shared a wide-eyed look, and Applejack picked up her phone again. “Maybe I'll just get in touch with Big Mac and see what he has to say.”

“Good idea,” Rarity told her, biting her bottom lip as she fought the urge to send another message to her sister. It wasn't long before she caved.

Before Applejack could make her call, however, someone else called first. She checked the name, and sighed in relief. “Looks like family thinks alike,” she commented before answering it. “Hello? Uh-huh? They what?! Ya don't say...”

Rarity, having already sent her sister yet another text and received no reply, watched intently as her girlfriend's visage fell into an unsurprised frown.

“Ya don't gotta apologize, Big Mac,” Applejack said next. “I was the one who wanted to know more about that girl y'all saw.” She winced a little as an angry shout came from the other end of the call. “Well it ain't like I told her to go runnin' off! I just said I wanted to wait ta hear what our Sunset had to say on the matter.” She paused, waiting, then said, “Well I haven't had the chance yet, I've been too busy tryin' to get in touch with Apple Bloom again. No, she ain't texted me back. Yeah, that sounds right.”

She went silent for a moment, then said, “It'll be alright, Big Mac. Those three might be troublemakers, but they're smart enough to know when they're in over their heads. Sooner or later they'll turn up, either with some kinda info or just bored and tired. I'm sure of it.” Another pause, and a sad sigh. “Yeah, well, just keep lookin' for 'em. Can't do much else than that. Let me know if ya find 'em, and I'll let ya know if Apple Bloom gets in touch. Talk to ya later.”

Applejack hung up after that, and sighed. “They ran off,” she said to her girlfriend's inquisitive look. “All three of 'em, right after they left the O'Patty's they were at. Big Mac's driving around lookin' for 'em and is gettin' all worked up and outta sorts cause he can't find 'em.”

Rarity frowned. “Well... that is about what we expected from the girls, is it not?”

“The runnin' off unsupervised part, yeah,” Applejack said. “But if they aren't textin' us back, who knows what could've happened to 'em!”

“Hopefully they simply set their phones to silent and forgot to check them in the excitement of their escape,” Rarity said, sighing and shaking her head. “I'd like to think that anything worse than that would have been seen by your brother.”

“Me too,” Applejack murmured, unable to keep doubt from creeping into her voice. Then she sighed. “Well, guess I might as well tell Sunset what's happenin' before she freaks out too about someone not gettin' back to her.”

“Hrmm, I suppose so,” Rarity said, finger on her lip and doubt on her visage. “Do break it gently to her, will you? I just know she'll get all out of sorts when she really shouldn't, particularly because there's nothing she can do in this situation.”

Applejack nodded, picking up her phone. “Right, I'll keep that in mind,” she said, thumbs hammering away.

And as she did, the waiter finally arrived with their meals. Rarity eyed her salad with sudden delight, smiling and taking a quick bite the moment it was set in front of her. “Oh, this is absolutely perfect,” she gushed. “Exactly what I wanted. Give my compliments to whomever created it, would you?” she asked of the waiter.

“But of course,” he answered with a short bow. He eyed Applejack, who was in turn now eyeing her burger, and asked, “Is there anything else I can do for the two of you?”

The girls shared a look. “I believe we're good, thanks,” Rarity answered.

“Eeyup,” Applejack said plainly, looking over her burger again.

The waiter bowed. “Then enjoy your meals,” he said before walking away.

Once he was out of sight, Rarity turned her attention back to Applejack. “Is there a problem?” she asked. “You don't look too certain about what you've ordered...”

“Huh?” Applejack grunted, looking up at her girlfriend and then back down at her burger. “Oh, sorry, I was just makin' sure it was exactly what I ordered. And I gotta say, it looks better than what I expected.”

She looked up again to see Rarity pouting. “Honestly, Applejack, why would I take you out somewhere if I didn't think you'd like their food?”

All Applejack could do was chuckle awkwardly. “Yeah, sorry,” she said. “Guess I still just ain't used to places like this yet. Heck, I've spent more time lookin' at my food than eatin' it!”

Rarity sighed, putting an elbow on the table and propping her head up in one hand. “Are you going to eat it?”

“I am, don't worry," she said. With a hopeful smile on her face Applejack picked up her Phoenix Burger and opened wide...

And her phone went off, and her face fell into a scowl. “Fate hates me, doesn't it?” she asked, wiping her fingers on her napkin and picking up her phone.

“I doubt it,” Rarity answered impishly between bites of her salad. “I mean, I'm in your life, after all.”

“I'd smile,” Applejack said as she read her latest text, “but, uh, now Sunset's gettin' all worked up over what happened with our sisters. Says we should call off the search for the other her and that Amethyst person and just focus on them.”

Rarity frowned, raising her head and folding her arms. “Poppycock! We can do all of that at the same time! What, does she expect us to not contact her if we see someone of interest?”

“Heck if I know,” Applejack answered, composing a reply with one thumb. “But it's dumb no matter how ya slice it. I appreciate the sentiment, but there's no need to have everybody drop everything when Apple Bloom and the others haven't even been gone half an hour yet!”

“Agreed,” Rarity said with a small nod. “There's no need for anyone to worry quite yet, least of all Sunset. She's welcome to look for them if she likes, of course, but you must make it clear that it isn't required.”

“Don't worry, I did,” Applejack said, finishing up her text. She set her phone down on the table, and sighed. “Some first date this is turnin' out to be...”

Applejack was surprised to hear Rarity laugh, though less so to feel her hand gingerly rest upon her own. “Oh, honestly, this is nothing!” Rarity said when Applejack looked up at her. “A few minor interruptions and rebellious little sisters? P-shaw,” she waved her hand dismissively, “there are far worse things that could happen on our first date.”

And then, with a deadpan expression and an eerily quiet voice, she added, “Trust me, darling, I've spent many a long night worrying over such things into the wee hours of the morning.” And then, abruptly, she smiled again and gave Applejack's hand a sharp pat. “Now, you'd better start eating your burger before it gets cold!”

Her smile brought out Applejack's smile, and soon she found herself chuckling. “Well okay then, if you insist,” she said, finally picking up her burger and taking a bite.

Lunch proceeded without issue, although the tension caused by their missing sisters never disappeared for long. Despite both girls making an effort to enjoy themselves, each other, the meal, and the day, neither could help occasionally checking their phones to see if they'd missed a message or to send another one out. Applejack struggled with this especially, as she had both her brother and Sunset trying to keep in touch as well.

“Still, it was a pretty good lunch,” Applejack said, giving her belly a satisfied pat as she leaned back a little and readjusted herself in her seat. “I could see myself comin' here again.”

Rarity beamed at her. “Oh, it's so good to hear that. I'll keep it in mind for future outings.”

Between the intensity of her girlfriend's gaze and the notion of another prospective date in the future, it was all Applejack could do to blush and chuckle. “Well okay then,” she eventually said. “What, uh, what's next on that schedule of yours?”

“Hmm...,” Rarity murmured, crossing one arm under the other and tapping her chin in thought. “Well, I was— ah, it'll have to wait, dearest, the check's arrived.”

Sure enough, their waiter walked up to them and dropped off their bill with a nod. “I trust you two enjoyed your meal?”

“But of course!” Rarity answered with a smile, setting her purse on the table after the waiter cleared away her plate.

“Excellent,” he said. “I shall return in just a moment.”

He left them again, and the pair's eyes soon drifted towards their bill – as did their hands, prompting a round of “Oops!” and “Sorry!” from each when they inadvertently touched.

“Sorry, dear, but I need to know how large of a tip to give our waiter,” Rarity said, still smiling apologetically as she picked up the bill.

“That's fine,” Applejack replied, arms falling to the table. “Just tell me how much it is so I can pay for my share of it.”

“Don't be silly, Applejack, I'll pay for the whole thing,” Rarity told her, eyes still on the check.

Applejack frowned. “Now you're the one bein' silly, Rarity. What makes ya think I'd be okay with you payin' for everything?”

“Ah—” Rarity began to answer, lowering the check just enough to show her date her flushed cheeks. “W-well, I mean, I am the one who set everything up, after all, isn't it natural? This is my treat!”

She was met with a deadpan stare. “I get that yer generous and all, but I can pay for my half of things at least. Heck, with how much I've been savin' up I can probably pay for even more!”

Rarity's words floundered for several seconds before she steeled herself. “I never said that you couldn't, Applejack,” she said with absolute firmness. “I merely meant that you shouldn't have to.” Her gaze softened, and she reached out to take Applejack's hands in her own. “This date is my gift to you, Applejack. Let me give it to you.”

Applejack looked from her, to their hands, and back again. And then she frowned. “No,” she said. “Our first date shouldn't be about gifts and the like. It should be about spendin' time with each other and enjoyin' one another's company without havin' to worry about who owes what!”

“But it is about that,” Rarity said, now frowning as well. “I never intended it to be about owing anything, I simply wanted to cover the expenses!”

“Well you don't gotta, and I don't want ya to,” Applejack replied, folding her arms and giving her girlfriend a stern look.

She sighed in defeat, her shoulders sagging as she slumped into her seat. “Very well. I'll curtail my generosity for now.”

A smile formed on Applejack's lips, but Rarity quieted her with a sound before she could say anything. “For now,” Rarity repeated, her gaze resolute.

The two held gazes for several seconds before breaking it in favor of light laughter. “Fine, fine,” Applejack said. “Now tell me how much my meal cost so I can pay for it,” she said, motioning for the check with one hand and reaching into her pocket with the other.

Once they'd worked out their shares of the bill and tip and paid accordingly, the two left the Phoenix Rising hand in hand. It didn't take long for conversation to start up again.

“So, uh, ya never did say what was next on your schedule,” Applejack began as they walked down the path away from the café.

Rarity blinked. “Hmm... I didn't, did I?” she murmured, putting a thoughtful finger to her lip. “Well, no matter. I had intended on us simply taking a relaxing stroll through downtown and then catching a movie, but I suppose we ought to focus on finding our sisters instead.”

Applejack sighed, adjusting her hat. “That's what I figured. It's a shame, too. Another walk sounds mighty fine to me,” she said, cracking a smile as she looked at her girlfriend who returned it with a faint blush. Applejack looked away, back at the downhill path they were on. “But with any luck we'll find out where they are pretty soon, and that they aren't in any trouble. Then we can go back to enjoying ourselves.”

“Agreed,” Rarity said, leaning closer to Applejack and frowning. “I can't say I'm confident, though. The city's awfully large, and we barely have any idea where they were when your brother lost them. Who knows where they could have gone by now!”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said, squeezing her hand. “We don't even know for sure where they were headed, aside from lookin' for that other Sunset.”

“We may have to simply ask around to see if anyone's seen them,” Rarity continued. “Perhaps get Rainbow Dash involved if we run across her again.”

“We could just text her,” Applejack suggested.

Rarity paused, forcing her partner to stop as well. “We could,” she eventually conceded. “Although that feels wrong somehow since you already told Sunset we didn't want her help.”

“This is different, though,” Applejack told her, although she still looked hesitant herself. “Or, kinda anyway. Dash and Scootaloo see each other as practically sisters, it's only right for her to know what's goin' on. Plus, with her speed and flyin', she can cover way more ground than the two of us ever could!”

“True...,” Rarity conceded once more, dipping her head slightly.

“Look, if you don't wanna tell her than I will,” Applejack said, reaching for her phone.

“No no,” came the reply with a quick shake of her head, “I'll do it. You're already our liaison with your brother and Sunset; I won't allow you to burden yourself with any more communication duties.”

Applejack could only smile and chuckle a little as Rarity pulled her phone out of her purse. After a moment of hemming and hawing she chose to call Rainbow Dash rather than instigate yet another text conversation, and the line was answered quickly.

“Hello Rainbow Dash, my sincerest apologies if I'm interrupting—” Rarity began, hastily leaning away from her phone as her friend's reply blasted through the receiver. “Y-yes,” she continued once she found the chance, “again, my sincerest apologies, I should have been far more considerate of your patrol and what you might be doing at the moment, but I felt that what I had to say should be said directly rather than through text.” With a brief nod at Applejack, the pair resumed walking.

She paused a few moments as she was answered, then smiled and said, “Well, to wit, have you seen Scootaloo and company recently? Say, in the last hour or so?” Another short pause, and Rarity's smile became wry. “It seems the three of them ditched Big McIntosh while they were out running errands to find, get this, this world's Sunset Shimmer.” Another pause, and her lips widened into a breathless grin. “I know! But don't you worry, our Sunset has already been informed.

“Ah, no, that's not why I called, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity continued after a reply, her expression now falling into mild annoyance. “I called because I'd like your help in locating our sisters. Sweetie Belle hasn't been answering my texts, you see, which is quite unlike her and I'm getting a little worried.

“Yes, I know they can handle themselves,” she said, now heading towards full-blown exasperation. “Goodness knows how many predicaments they've gotten themselves into and out of, mostly without our assistance. But the point remains that I'd like to at least know that they're safe while they're wandering around the city doing who knows what.” As she listened to Dash's reply, her grin returned. “You will? Oh, thank you darling! Ah, and no need to tell Applejack, she already knows.”

“Who do ya think told Rarity to begin with?” Applejack interrupted, leaning over her partner's shoulder to yell towards her phone.

It caused Rarity to stiffen. She heard the reply, and Rarity turned a forced smile to Applejack and said, “Rainbow Dash says hello, darling,” through clenched teeth.

Applejack gulped, though confusion never fully left her eyes. Rarity took a breath, and they resumed walking again. Her eyes widened briefly at something Dash said, and she forced a laugh. “Oh, well, we decided to work together to help Twilight,” she said quickly. “You know how it is. Talk to you later Rainbow Dash, and let us know if you find the girls!”

She ended the call then and there, giving Applejack the distinct impression that Rainbow Dash hadn't been finished talking. But before she could say anything regarding that, Rarity turned a harsh look her way.

“Applejack, why exactly did you take it upon yourself to let Rainbow Dash know that you were with me when you know I would prefer to keep our date a secret and in fact you already agreed to do just that?” she asked.

Applejack frowned as the realization hit her. “Sorry, Rarity, guess I forgot. Besides, Twilight at least already knows we're 'together' even if she thinks it's just cause we're trying to find that Amethyst character. What's the big deal if Rainbow Dash knows too?”

Rarity sighed. “The 'big deal' is that I'd rather not draw attention to that fact if we can at all help it. What if she'd asked more questions and I didn't know how to answer them?”

“Well she sure ain't gonna have questions now that ya hung up on like that,” Applejack replied, deadpan.

Rarity flushed. “Y-yes, I suppose that was a tad hasty on my part.” She sighed, and hung her head. “What am I going to do with myself?”

Applejack responded by pulling her closer and patting her on the back a few times as they walked. “It'll be fine. If Rainbow Dash asks us anythin', we'll think of somethin' to tell her when the time comes. But for now, I reckon she's more focused on other things and we should be too.”

“You're right,” Rarity said with a faint sniff. “I apologize for getting short with you, I simply panicked.”

“I know, sugarcube. I know.”

The pair took a far shorter path through Queen's Park than the meandering route they'd taken to lunch, and soon enough were back on the sidewalk heading towards where Rarity had parked her convertible. After confirming that Applejack's fritters were still fine and some deliberation regarding exactly where to start their search, they buckled up and hit the streets.

What followed was far too long a period of tedium as they drove all around the city, going down every side street and circling every block in their search. It was a fruitless effort, as they never caught wind of their sisters; even stopping to ask pedestrians – including the oddly common paparazzi that seemed to be out that day – resulted in no leads. They kept up communication with Big Mac and Sunset, but with each text explaining they had found nothing and heard no word, their moods worsened.

At one point they spotted Fluttershy walking a scruffy-looking terrier down the opposite side of the street from them and considered asking her for help, but decided against it.

“She looks like she's got something on her mind already,” Rarity reasoned as she watched her frowning friend from a three-way intersection. “I don't want to bother her with our problems as well.”

They continued onward after that, but it wasn't for some time that their luck changed for the better.

“Okay, lemme see now,” Applejack said as she surveyed a map of Canterlot on her phone. “We checked all around Queen's Park, and mosta downtown except west of the mall...”

“Well, we have better places to search than Restaurant Row, I'm afraid,” Rarity said as she turned the car down 10^th Street.

Applejack nodded idly. “Crescent Pines, Gold Street, and all the other uppity-up neighborhoods around there were clear too. The Dell, Fountain Square, Crystal Prep...,” she listed off, swiping past each locale on her map.

“All we really have left are the suburbs,” Rarity noted grimly, “and the bad sides of town.”

“C'mon, Rarity, they ain't that bad,” Applejack told her, her tone scolding and her frown unamused.

“The ones where people live, perhaps,” Rarity countered. “But there's more abandoned buildings and abandoned garbage there than the rest of the city combined. Not to mention the establishments that only the worst of the worst would ever frequent. I shudder at the thought of dear Sweetie Belle roaming around such an area.”

“Well, chances are we're gonna have to at least pass through some of those places,” Applejack reasoned, looking back at her map. “Especially if our sisters are all that hot on the trail of the other Sunset.”

Rarity let out an indignant, scandalized gasp. “Are you implying that Sunset Shimmer's doppelganger is some sort of... of criminal?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “No, although based on how Apple Bloom described her I wouldn't be too surprised. More importantly, if this is the first we're seein' of her then I reckon there's a good chance she's in from outta town, which means she might be stayin' at some kinda hotel.”

“And if the girls are following her back to where she's staying...” Rarity murmured through a thoughtful frown.

“Then we might end up followin' them followin' her to one of the 'bad sides' of town,” Applejack finished. She adjusted her hat and looked up at the stoplight they were approaching. “Course, I could be completely wrong about that. She mighta just moved in somewhere in the suburbs, or maybe she was just passin' through on a trip somewhere else. Heck, chances are pretty good the girls lost her entirely and are just wanderin' around blindly and we missed 'em somewhere else!”

She'd thrown her arms up in the fervor of making her point, but when finished she let out a heavy sigh and let them flop back down. “Well, I tried. But I can't shake the feelin' that we're lookin' for three needles in the world's largest haystack here.”

“Hrmm,” Rarity murmured, “I do think you were onto something, at least. I think I'll broaden our search just a smidge.” She put on her left turn signal and changed lanes.

With no small amount of reluctance she began meandering their way southwest, and it didn't take long for the scenery to change. Traffic thinned as the rows of buildings faded from cramped and well-lived-in to merely cramped; windows boarded up, store signs faded or missing letters, long-forgotten litter nestled into nooks and back-alleys. Pedestrians were fewer too, and most of them looked to be of the same ilk of aimless paparazzi that they'd seen around all morning.

They asked several if they'd seen anyone like their sisters wandering around, and to their surprise one group had.

“Uhh, yeah,” one of the men said, “I think I saw three teenage girls walking around not too long ago. Don't know where they went, but they couldn't have gotten far.”

“Thank you for your help,” Rarity told him, handing him a few bills before peeling away with confidence swelling in her heart.

“You really think that guy was talkin' about our sisters?” Applejack asked after one last look at the man and his associates walking in the opposite direction. “He was awful vague, and the girls might not be the only group wanderin' around out here.”

“We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure,” was Rarity's reply, eyes facing forward and burning with determination.

To their surprise, 'soon enough' happened to be when they stopped at the next intersection.

“A-Apple Bloom?!” Applejack said first, doing a double-take upon seeing her sister and her friends approaching the corner from her right.

That exclamation provoked a wide-eyed “Sweetie Belle!” from Rarity.

“Rarity!”

“A-Applejack!”

The younger girls voiced their own surprise, stopping cold in their tracks. Their mouths were wide open in shock, and so were their sisters'.

Scootaloo looked from one pair to the other, and said, “Well, this was pretty unexpected. I thought for sure it would be Big McIntosh that found us first.”

Once the shock wore off, the words began to flow – and liberally. “Where have you been?” Rarity demanded of the trio. “We've been looking all over town for the three of you!”

“We've been following the other Sunset!” Sweetie quickly replied. “We're only helping our Sunset, so why are you acting like we're doing something horrible?!”

“We aren't,” Rarity countered, “we're just upset about how you've gone about it!”

“Yeah!” Applejack chimed in. “Ya just ran off without a word, leavin' poor Big McIntosh to fret!”

“But we had to,” Scootaloo said. “We didn't have time to get everyone's permission!”

“Yeah! We had to follow the other Sunset and she was on her bike!” Apple Bloom finally said.

“Oh?” Rarity said, raising a doubtful brow. “And tell me, just where is this other Sunset we've heard so much about? Have you tracked her down?”

The younger girls immediately broke eye contact and toed the ground shiftlessly, none of them managing more than a murmur in response.

“That's what I thought,” Rarity told them, her voice sharp.

The self-styled Crusaders hung their heads as one, and Applejack sighed. “Look. I ain't gonna say I don't wanna know more about this other Sunset y'all saw. But you should know better than to run off tryin' to track her down when you were s'pposed to be helpin' Big McIntosh! All ya managed to accomplish was gettin' everyone worked up when Big Mac told us what happened and ya never answered our texts!”

“...Texts?” Sweetie replied, and the three as one pulled out their phones and checked them. And paled. And gulped.

“Oops,” Sweetie finally elected to say for her friends.

“Guess we... forgot to check 'em in all the excitement?” Apple Bloom offered, looking up at her sister with doe-like eyes and a guilty smile.

“Eeyup,” Applejack said, unmoved.

“Hey sweet, I got a text from Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo announced with a bright smile that quickly fell when she noticed the annoyed looks the other four were giving her. “What?”

Applejack sighed. “Look. The three of you just get in, and we'll take you back to Big Mac.”

The younger trio tensed for just a moment before launching into a string of protestations, each one trying to speak over the other two.

“Awww, but Applejack! Do we have to? We can just turn our phones back on and keep in touch!”

“But we haven't even found the other Sunset yet! We know she's around here somewhere; what if this is our last chance before we lose her forever?”

“Why should we go back just because you say so? We don't wanna waste our time helping Big McIntosh with his dumb list!”

“Look,” Applejack said, cutting through their arguments. “I get that y'all wanna do this, but sometimes ya just gotta learn to let things go. I mean seriously, how the heck did ya expect to keep up with a motorcycle on foot?”

“We've been askin' around to see if anyone's seen her,” Apple Bloom answered. “We figured that since you don't see too many motorcycles around people would remember the ones they did see.”

“And have they?” Rarity asked pointedly. “Because I seem to recall that the three of you haven't been able to track her down.”

“We just need a little more time!” Sweetie protested.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo chimed in. “We got a hot tip that someone on a motorcycle was around here not too long ago! It's only a matter of time before we pick up the trail again!”

“Yeah!” her friends echoed, enthusiasm rising again.

“And what if you don't?” Applejack asked, and the trio's mood dropped just as quickly. “Or what if someone dishonest sends ya in the wrong direction, or somewhere dangerous? And exactly how long were ya plannin' on runnin' around on this wild goose chase ya put yourselves on? All afternoon? All day? Or until ya finally realized that we were worried about ya?”

Scootaloo mumbled out a reply that neither Applejack nor Rarity could quite hear, but it was obvious her heart wasn't in it.

Applejack sighed. “So why don't y'all just call it quits and we'll take ya back to Big Mac. The four of you can decide what to do next after ya finish Granny's list.”

“Okay...,” the girls said, defeated. Sullenly, they made their way to the side of Rarity's convertible, but before they could climb in the driver gasped.

“The fritters!” Rarity exclaimed under her breath, and in a panicked rush she and Applejack whipped around to check on the homemade treats Applejack had brought. They were still only half-hidden under the back seat, but the Crusaders fortunately hadn't crushed them by accident.

Still, they didn't avoid being noticed. “What the?” Apple Bloom said, picking up the box as she moved to the leftmost seat. “Applejack, did you make these?” Her sister could only tense up and share a look with her secret and equally-frozen lover.

“Are these for us?” Scootaloo asked, taking the middle seat and looking at the fritters with interest.

“Why would they be for us?” Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo shrugged. “I don't know. But why else would they have them?”

“Actually, how come the two of you are looking for us together in the first place?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Uhhh...,” the two in question began to say, before a new text arrived on both their phones simultaneously.

They read it, and shared a look of concern. "What is it?" Sweetie asked. "What's going on?"

"Trouble," Rarity answered, stepping on the gas.

Chapter 12 - The Awesome Adventures of Rainbow Dash #2: The Mare-Do-Well Mix-Up

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“Let's see...,” Rainbow Dash murmured to herself, checking the image she'd been texted for the eleventh time since receiving it. She was currently standing on the roof of an apartment building on Canterlot's west side, scanning the streets and sidewalks with her binoculars for any sign of the mysterious girl named Amethyst Shine. She'd been alerted by Twilight of her existence not too long ago, and given her sudden and mysterious disappearance after her friends had allegedly cornered her in an alleyway, Rainbow Dash was practically convinced that Amethyst was the true identity of her own costumed rival.

“No sign of Mare-Do-Well since the bank robbery, and no sign of this 'Amethyst' character either,” she said. “Coincidence? I think not. How clever of her to be able to blend into a crowd, like she's not the most suspicious person ever. Well, she can't fool me!” she declared to the city, standing up and thrusting a finger towards the sunny sky.

No reply came, and she drooped. “I seriously need to stop giving big, dramatic speeches where nobody can hear me.”

Sighing, she stowed her binoculars back in her bag, took a sip of water and grimaced at its warmth, then took off into the air.

What to do, what to do?

She'd been sitting in her base for some time now, mulling over how much she wanted to do. Her police scanner was on at a low volume, and she hadn't strayed far from it, but nothing of interest had come over it since her arrival. Not that anything interesting ever came over it in the first place; all she truly cared about were the situations that she could stand to gain something from.

She had so much power, and so little to use it on. It was irritating, really. The adoration of the city was becoming less and less satisfying with each act she took, and even tricking simpletons like the flying brick or those paparazzi scurrying around lately had lost some of its charm. Not that she could ever give them up, of course, she still loved the attention. But it wasn't enough anymore, and neither was taking her well-earned cut from doing her part in taking out the city's trash.

She wasn't about to start simply stealing things either, oh no. The PR disaster that would occur if she got caught, supremely unlikely though it was, would be an absolute nightmare.

But... perhaps she could try a few changes to how she went about her business? There was nobody better at getting in and out of anywhere than her, and surely there had to be some hidden secrets in the city? Nothing she would steal, of course, oh certainly not. But the right information in the right hands – her hands – could certainly make her life easier.

Power was power, regardless of its source. And the truly powerful made their own luck, that she had always known.

All she had to do was take her time, scope out places of interest in the dead of night, and soon enough she'd find exactly what she needed to position herself at the top of the city. And nobody would be able to—

And suddenly her body was frozen, unable to do so much as twitch. She could feel that irritating little part of her welling up inside her mind, objecting, protesting, denying her rightful place in the world. She cursed herself for thinking she'd managed to quell that part earlier; obviously it had only been biding its time.

Unsurprising, in a sense – its strength had made her what she was, after all. And now it was lashing out, fighting for control. She bolted upright unexpectedly, her breaths becoming faster and heavier as she fought to keep her hands away from her own neck. Half-steps forward or to the side, one at a time, with no aim beyond keeping her body's balance while the irritating weakness inside of her swelled up in a veritable civil war.

Heart racing faster and faster, barely able to watch her hands, fingers twitching, inch closer to her neck every second. It was unbelievable, unthinkable, impossible, but she was losing, not again, not like this! She was so close! So close to winning, once and for all! She couldn't let it end like this!

Her eyes glowed white and her cape billowed in an invisible gale as her magic surged, but it only halted her hands for but a moment.

Her hands reached her neck, found purchase, pulled...

And the mask tore away painfully, like a bandage from a wound, the magic in it crackling and clinging like static electricity. And when the purple thing was finally off, she threw it against the wall she was facing with all the force she could muster.

The magic dissipated, and the girl – blue-skinned and white-haired; eyes wide and mouth agape and entire body trembling in terror – fell backwards onto her hands and butt.

Rainbow Dash groaned. She didn't know what was more annoying, the fact that she was still searching for a needle in a haystack, or the fact that she'd made herself hungry doing it.

“Might as well break for lunch,” she said to herself, switching the focus of her search to the nearby diners and fast food joints. She quickly located a place called 'Pappy's', and since it was open and normal-looking people were going in, she decided it would be good enough.

“Now, where to land...,” she muttered next, still ignorant of the roving packs of superhero-seekers attempting to follow her every move. All the same she still ended up touching down in an alleyway, garnering only the barest of attention of people not inclined to do anything about what and who they'd just seen. She released her powered-up form seconds after touching pavement, then headed around to the front entrance.

The air was filled with the sizzle of grease and a bouquet of smells, all of them delicious, as she entered. Pappy's was about halfway filled with patrons; the stool-lined counter was situated right in front of her and the booth seating along the front window-wall extended several yards to her right.

After dithering at the entrance for as many seconds as her patience could last, Rainbow Dash approached the counter and took a seat. Immediately, the big, hairy, yellow-skinned man in the apron that was working the front gave her a nod and a look. “What'll it be, kid?” he asked in a gruff yet amicable voice.

Rainbow Dash smirked. “That depends, what do you got?”

The man smirked right back at her.

The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon, unparalleled entertainer and master of all magical arts, was quite certain she had set a world record for the fastest outfit change ever.

She was also in the greatest pickle ever. How many magicians could truthfully claim they'd escaped from the clutches of an evil costume? None but her. But said evil costume was still in the vague sort of heap it had landed in after she'd thrown it away. And it seriously creeped her out.

Safe to say, she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

“Okay,” she said to herself, curled against the far wall with her eyes locked on the horrible costume that looked like it could come to life at any second, “Trixie is a beautiful and intelligent woman. She can figure. This. Out.”

She took a breath. “Number one: Trixie is not putting on the Mare-Do-Well costume again. Ever.” She couldn't help but tremble in the unspoken fear that she would lose herself completely if she did so.

“Number two: Trixie is not letting anyone else put on the Mare-Do-Well costume.” That was too dangerous. What if the next person who wore it was less powerful and intelligent than she was and ended up going on some sort of magical rampage? More importantly, what if the suit remembered her and wanted revenge for being abandoned?

That was almost as terrifying as the thought of being taken over by it again.

“And number three: Trixie cannot let anyone know that she was ever the Mare-Do-Well.” She looked towards her hidden stash as she said this, wracked with guilt over what she had stolen. She wanted to return it, she really did, just hand it over to the police and let them sort it all out, but... How could she possibly do that without drawing suspicion to herself? If the police investigated and found out that she had, technically, been the one who stole everything, they'd arrest her for sure! Her life would be ruined!

She took another deep breath, reminding herself that she needed to keep calm if she wanted to get through this. Panic would only result in something horrible.

“Okay. Trixie should make sure she can even do anything with the costume first.” Looking around the room she spotted a yardstick propped up against the dry-erase board; memories of plotting out schemes and drawing floorplans flashed through her mind. She shook them away and forced herself to her feet, and started creeping towards the stick – one eye on the costume at all times, just in case.

Once the yardstick was firmly in her grasp, Trixie began inching towards the costume. Slowly, slowly, hands trembling, beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow, extending the yardstick, reaching out to give the spandex thing a poke—

It moved, she shrieked. Falling backwards onto her hands, she scrambled away as quickly as she could.

Pappy's Potato Burger had rapidly climbed the list of Rainbow Dash's favorite meals. The beef was juicy and cooked to perfection, the cheese creamy, the sauce had the perfect amount of zing to it, and the signature potatoes...

She grunted in pleasure. “Oh man,” she said through a nearly-full mouth, “who woulda guessed putting waffle fries on a hamburger would be so delicious?” She swallowed and immediately took another bite, savoring the crunch and crispness and all the wonderful flavors.

The man working the counter laughed. “Hey, it ain't our specialty for nothin', kid.”

Trixie spent ten of the tensest minutes in her life staring at the costume from the opposite wall, and not once had it moved. “It was... just a coincidence,” she told herself. “Things fall all the time! It just wasn't... balanced, or whatever. Trixie's footsteps must have just shaken something loose, that's all.”

Back sliding against the wall, Trixie forced herself back to her feet. “She'll just... decide what to do about it before trying to touch it,” she said, taking a few cautious steps forward before crouching down to pick up the yardstick she'd dropped in her panic. “That's all. A simple change in plan. Trixie is a genius at adapting plans on the fly!” A crooked smile appearing on her lips as her self-confidence tried to reassert itself, in one fluid motion she stood up straight and brandished the yardstick at her spandex 'foe' like a weapon.

Then she took a deep, calming breath and sat down on the nearest crate to think.

Patting her full stomach in satisfaction, Rainbow Dash sighed happily and reached into her pocket for her wallet. She forked over the cash for her meal – plus a substantial tip – and left with a promise to return in the future.

She stretched her arms a bit and began walking down the sidewalk with her hands resting on the back of her head. “Let's see now... if I were running around trying to hide my secret identity... I'd probably just stay home. So that doesn't really help narrow it down. Where did Twilight say they saw her again?”

Rainbow Dash took out her phone and opened up the messages she'd gotten earlier, scrolling through them to find what she was looking for. “A bus stop, right... Didn't know the routes, huh? Interesting.” She narrowed her eyes in deep suspicion. “Very interesting. She's been around for a couple weeks at least, but obviously hasn't used the buses at all. Which means she had to have moved here recently!”

Grinning at her realization, Rainbow Dash grabbed the geode around her neck and transformed – unaware of the attention she was drawing to herself, even as she flew into the sky again. “Alright, now all I have to do is find everyone who fits the description that recently moved to Canterlot. Should be a piece of cake!” She flew off filled with confidence.

About a minute later, her phone rang. Focused as she was on scanning the buildings and streets, the sudden sound startled her into a short yelp. Stopping in mid-air, she pulled out her phone and answered the call with an angry “What is it?”

It was Rarity, sounding apologetic.

“You're darn right you're interrupting something! I'm in the middle of patrolling! I'm literally in the air right now!” she shouted into her smartphone.

She allowed Rarity to reply and apologize, her face falling into a duller scowl. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now what do you want, exactly?” She raised a brow at the response she got. “Nope. Why, they up to something?”

Then her brow furrowed, but only for a moment before her eyes widened with shock. “No. Way. Seriously?!”

And then the shock dissipated in an instant, replaced by a frown as Rainbow Dash straightened out and sent a few looks around the city below her. “Let me guess, you want me to look for her, right? I mean, I can do that, but I am in the middle of looking for someone else that kinda takes priority.”

She listened to the answer, raising her brow again. “Oh. So? Those three run off without telling us all the time. They can handle themselves.” Another reply, and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I get it. Don't worry,” she grinned, “I'll keep an eye out for 'em and let you and AJ know if I see them.”

Her brow furrowed again in confusion upon hearing what was distinctly Applejack's voice after Rarity's reply. “Uh, hey, Applejack...” She waited for Rarity to finish speaking, then added “What are you two doing together?”

Rarity's reply was swift and confusing, and took the call with it when it ended. “Well that was weird,” Rainbow Dash said, staring at her phone. “She didn't even tell me where Scootaloo and the others were!”

She contemplated calling Rarity back, or even texting her, but soon dismissed the notion with a shrug. The Crusaders were missing, she reasoned, so obviously they weren't going to be anywhere near where they were last seen.

With a sigh and three more people to find, Rainbow Dash took off flying once again.

It had all seemed like such a great idea at first.

She had been woken up one night a couple weeks ago by a mysterious light outside her bedroom window. Irritated, she'd gotten out of bed to close her blinds, only to realize there seemed to be some kind of shooting star flying across the sky. Only it wasn't a real shooting star, because didn't those make noise as they approached? So then she considered it being some kind of alien something-or-other, and it was flying towards her home and that meant she would find it first and it would make her special.

Well, more special anyway.

She'd hurried down to the storefront that made up most of the ground floor of her family's home as quietly as she could, and saw the ball of light just sort of... pass through the back door and then the hardwood floor. Her family ran a Magic Shoppe that also sold Halloween things when seasonally appropriate, and stored their leftover unsold inventory in the basement until it could be dealt with. But Trixie hadn't thought there was anything of value down there, and was confused as to why – and how – the alien whatever-it-was was landing there of all places. Not that she was complaining about the convenience, of course.

It was around the time she had been tiptoeing down the second flight of stairs that her mind, finally fully roused from slumber, considered the possibility that the ball of light had been magical in nature. And not her own sort of magic, either, Great and Powerful though it was. No, she remembered the Fall Formal. And the Friendship Games. And what happened at Camp Everfree. And also, vaguely, the Battle of the Bands, though mostly just that she and her former bandmates had been robbed of their rightful victory.

The point is, she was fairly certain she recognized that weird pony magic when she saw it. What it was doing at her home of all places she had no idea, but she had every intention of finding out.

Past the racks of witch's costumes, through the stacks of poorly-written books of tricks, over the piles of merchandise from that weird skeleton fad last March, Trixie searched for where the orb of magic had landed. Or she would have, had one of the many boxes not been glowing like a lantern in the fog. She could feel the hair stand up on the back of her neck, and also her head somewhat, but that only spurred her on further. It only proved that whatever had fallen was real magic, of a sort the Great and Powerful Trixie didn't already possess.

She opened the box and for a good few seconds she had to shield her dark-adjusted eyes from the unexpected intensity of the light inside it. But the brightness soon faded enough for her to make out the single object inside – a purple superhero costume with a wide-brimmed hat and a few horse-themed accessories. She didn't have a clue what character it was supposed to be, if any, but couldn't bring herself to care. After all, it wasn't like she followed that sort of nerd stuff.

In hindsight, she probably should have looked into it a little more. Not being able to find records of the character, or even the costume, would have surely raised a red flag.

But instead, she picked it up with an eager grin on her face. Little had she known what a mistake that had been.

She could feel the magic in it immediately; it rushed through her leaving her more energized than even the greatest sugar high. 'This will give Trixie everything she has ever wanted,' she heard herself think. 'Power. Fame. Adoration. And far beyond the likes of anyone else.'

It hadn't been her voice, not really. She knew that now. But she hadn't been able to resist the temptation of the super-suit. She put in on then and there, not caring where she was. And once she had the cowl and hat snug and comfortable, she suddenly felt more alive – more real – than she ever had before. She felt like she could do anything.

And so she did, and without even realizing it at first.

One moment she was twirling in place, reveling in the feel of the suit and the feel of herself, and the next her cape was unfurling itself from around her and she was on the building's flat roof. It startled her, and she stumbled and fell. But her head hadn't felt hurt even after hitting it, so she got back up and cautiously tested a few things out.

Well, the caution hadn't lasted, long all things considered. A veritable joyride under the cover of night may or may not have been had, during which she discovered and tested all of her new superpowers. Before she knew it she had come up with an entire superhero persona for herself, and resolved to start making a name for herself in the coming days and weeks.

She could still remember with crystal clarity appearing back in her bedroom just before dawn, and how difficult it had been to get herself to take off her Mare-Do-Well costume. That should have been another warning sign, but it was another one that she had missed.

It had all gone downhill from there, even if for the most part she was convinced her life was getting better.

But now she realized, truly realized, what she had been doing – what it was making her do, wanted her to do, against her better nature.

She still hadn't figured out what to do about everything, however, and all the thinking was making her hungry.

“Trixie wishes she'd put a mini-fridge in here,” she said to herself, pouting.

“Okay seriously, what is she doing?” Rainbow Dash asked herself, staring at her phone – specifically, at the text she'd sent Scootaloo nearly half an hour ago that hadn't gotten a reply yet. “She always texts me back, like, right away.” She sighed. “Hopefully the squirt just has her phone on silent and this isn't anything major.”

Stowing her phone back into the safety of her bag, Rainbow Dash took off from the roof of the building she'd alighted on and resumed her search. Having three additional girls to look for hadn't changed the needle-in-a-haystack effort she was faced with so much as simply adding more needles to it, but she knew that if she wanted to actually accomplish anything she'd have to buckle down and do it.

At least she had the knowledge that Scootaloo and her friends would inevitably cause some kind of trouble, either purposely or not. That's just how those three operated, and it always (usually) brought a grin to her face to think of the fun they were having. Or had inadvertently caused. Or had brought upon themselves, mostly without actually wanting it. Or some combination of the above.

The point was, she was confident the Crusaders would show themselves sooner or later. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was a different story, but thinking again about how she'd completely failed to ever truly catch the costumed “crime fighter” was boring so she put it out of her mind.

She decided to get a bit of altitude, hoping to get more of a bird's-eye view of where she was searching. Canterlot was pretty densely packed in some places, with too many side streets and back-alleys to count. That meant a lot of places to hide, but since it was pretty rare to actually see someone back there, the little movement that happened stood out if you could see it.

Of course even then there was no guarantee you'd find anybody you were looking for, which she rediscovered when she swooped down on some homeless man searching through a dumpster. She froze once she realized her mistake, and the two just sort of stared at each other – her awkwardly; him in astonishment that quickly turned into embarrassment.

“I... I'm just looking for returnables!” he stammered at her.

“Uhh... good luck then!” she replied, hurrying away.

Seconds later, she was back in a comfortable bird's-eye view of the city. And then she stopped to get her bearings. “I should probably invest in a map of the city if I'm gonna keep patrolling like this,” she said to herself. Then a thought occurred to her, and she rubbed her chin. “I wonder how they come up with all that quadrant, sector stuff in sci-fi. Maybe that would help?”

She let that thought hang for a few moments as she flew, then broke out laughing. “As if! I'd rather just memorize the existing neighborhoods. No reason to give everything another name. Nah, I just gotta buckle down and pay attention.”

That was when a hint of purple caught hers. She came to a quick stop in mid-air and spun around, eyes searching for what she thought she'd seen and homing in on an alley between an apartment complex and a department store. She winged it over to the apartment complex's roof and pulled out her binoculars, then leaned over and relocated her presumed target. It was a girl about her age, with pink-purple skin, purple hair, and purple blouse.

Rainbow Dash didn't need much more confirmation than that that she was looking at her primary target. “Gotcha, Mare-Do-Well,” she said softly, smirking in victory.

She watched as the girl skulked through the alley at a fairly brisk pace, stopping every now and then to look behind her or to duck behind whatever cover presented itself – mostly just dumpsters and other trash. Upon reaching a three-way intersection to she stopped in her tracks and went flush with the wall closest to the new path, then sidled over to the corner. She cautiously peered out from hiding, saw that it was a dead-end – and empty to boot – then resumed her quick pace in the direction she'd been going.

After a moment of thought Rainbow Dash arrived at what could technically be called a plan, and immediately set about implementing it. Speeding along the rooftop towards the end of the alleyway, she leaped off without fear. A quick realization caused her to reorient herself into a dive simply to ensure she got where she needed to be in time, and once she felt she was close enough she declared, “Stop right there!”

As she expected, Amethyst Shine immediately stopped in her tracks and looked up – eyes comically wide, mouth agape – as she swooped down in front of her. “What the heck?!” she exclaimed, but before Rainbow Dash could deliver her witty retort the girl turned and fled.

Still, Rainbow Dash smiled to herself and shook her head. “They always run,” she said, despite having never had a criminal run from her, or indeed never having encountered a criminal at all until that day.

She was in front of Amethyst again in a rainbow flash. “Crap,” the other girl muttered, and it was then that Rainbow Dash knew she had her.

Chest puffed out heroically, hands on her hips, smirk with an entirely justifiable level of cockiness on her lips. “You won't escape, Mare-Do-Well!” Dash was proud of herself for being able to pull it all off with having barely even practiced.

She was briefly surprised to see the shock and horror abruptly fade from Amethyst's face, replaced entirely by incredulous confusion. “Mare-Do-Well?” she repeated. “Who the heck are you talking about?”

Rainbow Dash barked out a laugh. “Don't act like you don't know! I have friends who told me you disappeared mysteriously earlier. And there's only one girl in town capable of something like that!” Smirking again at her successful build up, she thrust a finger at Amethyst and said “The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!”

'Gotcha,' she thought as she watched the horror return to Amethyst's face.

“Y-y-y-y-you've got the wrong girl, I swear!” she stammered, waving her hands and backing away. “I don't know anything about that Mare-Do-Well character!”

“Oh really?” Rainbow replied, raising an eyebrow as she advanced towards the girl.

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Th-th-the disappearance was all a, a misunderstanding,” she said. “I just... climbed up the wall and onto the roof!”

“A likely story,” Rainbow told her, unimpressed. “Now come here, so I can give them proof that I caught you!”

She screamed and tried to run away, but Rainbow was still too fast. It took her less than a second to grab Amethyst by the arm, and from there she pulled her in and put an arm tightly around her shoulder. “Now smile for the camera!” she added, pulling out her phone and snapping a quick selfie with the girl she'd subdued.

“Please,” Amethyst said as she struggled against Dash's hold, “you've got this all wrong! I'm really not who you think I am!”

Rainbow Dash snorted, already composing a message letting Twilight know of her accomplishment. “Still don't believe you. Why would I after how suspicious you've been acting?”

“S-suspicious?” Amethyst stammered, her fear and anxiety having clearly reached a whole new level. “I, I don't know what you're talking about!”

That earned a growl. “Really,” she said, anger rising. “So you call running away from my friends for no good reason, mysteriously disappearing from a dead-end alley, and skulking around back here,” she made a vague motion around them with the hand her phone was in, “not suspicious?”

She gave Amethyst a deadpan stare, and watched the other girl's emotions move from horror to anger of her own. “I was running away because your friends decided to chase me,” she spat derisively. “And I've been 'skulking around' as you put it for the same reason! I have been freaking the heck out all morning wondering who could possibly want to be chasing me, and seeing how someone like you got involved, I'd say that was a pretty reasonable decision on my end. And for the last time, I didn't 'mysteriously disappear', I just climbed!”

Another snort as Rainbow Dash focused more on sending another text to Twilight – as proud as she was to have achieved one of her goals, she had a duty to her friends to get them involved with a major lead to Sunset's counterpart. And she was pretty confident that if Twilight knew what happened, Sunset would learn of it pretty quick too. And Sunset's magic seemed like it would be extremely helpful in getting the truth from what was turning out to be a pretty tight-lipped perp.

“Yeah, well, we'll find out the truth soon enough,” she said with confidence despite not getting a reply yet. A car passing by the alley's ending caught her attention, and it occurred to her that allowing Amethyst the potential escape route was a bad idea no matter how impossible it would be to get away at the moment. “Come on,” she grunted, yanking on the girl's arm to follow her back deeper into the alley.

“Wha... what are you gonna do to me?” Amethyst asked, voice now trembling as she followed reluctantly.

“Who knows?” Dash replied just as she got a new text. She read it quickly – a request from Sunset to stay put as she was coming ASAP – and smirked. “We'll have to wait for my friends to get here to find out.” A thought occurred to her, and she glanced back at Amethyst out of the corner of her eye. “But, uh, if you stop lying and tell me the truth, the less they'll have to do.”

“B-but I have been telling the truth, the whole time!” Amethyst said, voice filling with desperation. “I really don't know anything about that Mare-Do-Well person or whoever it is you think I am! I'm innocent, I swear!”

Rainbow Dash fought the urge to pump her fist and smile, so excited was she to have gotten the opportunity to say something she'd always dreamed of. “That's what they all say!”

She led Amethyst into the side-alley with the dead end.

Trixie had come up with a plan, and like all her ideas – with one exception – it was brilliant. She couldn't afford to let someone else find the Mare-Do-Well suit, so she had to dispose of it. Of course, as far as she knew cutting it up or lighting it on fire wouldn't work, so outright destruction was off the table.

But there was a dumpster nearby, and she knew from experience that it was collected on what was probably a regular schedule. At the very least the trash was picked up in this low-use section of the city on a monthly basis, she was confident of that much. So all she had to do was stuff the costume into a bag, tie the bag up, sneak it to the dumpster without being seen, and toss it in. Easy! And flawless, as far as Trixie was concerned.

After that, she'd be free to return her ill-gotten gains as she pleased. First, though, she needed to do the actual disposal step.

“Okay, Trixie, you can do this,” she said to herself, taking a cautious step towards the pile of costume – still unmoving. She had a dusty old garbage bag in one hand, empty save for some discarded snack bags and such, and had decided to keep the other hand free. “Just remember: you're not putting it back on, no matter what.”

She took a deep breath, crouched down slightly, and took one last step towards the suit. “No matter what,” she repeated at barely more than a whisper, reaching out with her hand.

And then she tried to sweep it into the bag in one swift motion, but the moment she touched the fabric a bolt of something passed through her – starting as an electric sensation in her arm, and ending as a major headache.

I knew you'd be back.

Trixie gasped at the sound of a voice – her own voice, but at the same time not quite hers – echoing in her thoughts. On instinct she tried to stumble back, let go, get away, but found herself holding tight to the costume's cape even as she fell onto her rear end.

The voice laughed, a cruel mockery of her and her own. Shocked? Don't be. I am power. Your power.

“T-Trixie... does not understand, but she doesn't need to,” she said. Unable to keep her nervous shaking at bay, she nevertheless managed to raise her garbage bag enough that it fell open. “Just like she doesn't need to play superhero any longer.”

Oh? Giving up so easily? Pathetic. Although hardly surprising. You've always been pathetic, haven't you?

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does n-not know what you are talking about,” Trixie told it. Or was it herself? Wasn't she just talking to herself? Trixie wasn't certain, and that frightened her.

'Great and Powerful'? Hah! More like 'Weak and Inadequate'. Face it, you were nothing but a joke before me, and you'll be nothing but a joke if you give me up.

“Y-you take that back!” Trixie stammered, unable to come up with a wittier retort or indeed to keep her cheeks from flushing. To her horror the suit began to squirm in her grasp, though try as she might she was unable to simply drop it. “Trixie doesn't need you! And Trixie doesn't want you, either!”

What did Trixie ever accomplish before meeting me? Nothing! No fame, no adoring fans, no power. Just a footnote in the yearbooks, and two-digit audiences on a good day.

And now Trixie was getting angry, and along with her anger she felt the familiar, welcome feeling of unadulterated spite welling up inside her. She let it fuel her, and gripped both costume and garbage bag tighter. “Oh yeah? Well let's see who's powerful when you're in a dumpster!”

With a surge of willpower Trixie finally thrust the enchanted – or was it possessed? - costume into the bag. And even with it somehow moving on its own, with several fierce grunts and yells and blows from her fists and knees she managed to break her own grasp on it and force it inside.

NO!

The single word resonated in her mind, but it was cut short when she let the costume go. And for a moment Trixie was relieved, wiping the sweat from her brow and sighing victoriously.

Then the suit began to thrash inside its black plastic prison with enough force to cause Trixie to flinch and let go of the bag. And to her surprise the movement didn't stop there, but rather seemed to become even more furious. It only took seconds for the first puncture to be made, and seconds more for enough of the bag to be shredded for the costume to worm its way out.

And, to Trixie's horror, the costume stood up. It inflated almost like a balloon, filling out with the shape of her own body despite remaining so obviously hollow. Its entire false body glowed a sinister violet save for the eyes, which were as white as moonlight.

“Wha... what are you?” Trixie asked it, falling back onto her now-empty hands and pushing herself away from the thing that was looming over her.

I'm you, but better. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Without weakness.

Even without touching it she heard its voice still, echoing in her head. The parts of her that weren't scared witless forced her left hand to creep towards a hidden pocket, and find something within she always kept on her in case of emergencies.

And I no longer have need of you...

It advanced on her, and Trixie screamed as she scrambled back to her feet and turned and fled.

You won't escape!

It thrust forward a hand and a magical lasso sprang forth from it, shooting towards Trixie like an arrow. But Trixie was too fast for it – her hand left her pocket, and in one fluid motion she stopped in front of the locked exit to the lair, spun on a heel, and threw Trixie's Patented Magician's Exit at the ground. It went off with a cloud of smoke, and suddenly she was on the other side of the door.

A good magician never reveals her tricks, not even to herself.

Valuing her immediate personal safety over the plan she'd concocted to cover up her mistakes, Trixie fled down through the building as fast as she could – using a second Magician's Exit to bypass the barricade at the top of the stairs. She took care neither to scream nor to look back, lest she court unwanted attention. And even when she finally made it back outside to the street, she did her best to remain completely nonchalant. Especially when some girl on a motorcycle passed by her.

Well. That had not gone to plan. She had wanted to simply overpower and intimidate the weakling into putting her back on so she could finish her takeover. Evidently she had underestimated the thing in some regard.

Which, all in all, wasn't good. She was losing strength rapidly, having used most of it simply by moving. It wouldn't be long before she couldn't do that any more, and she'd be trapped in the lair.

She needed to find a new host. A stronger host, in body at least. One that wouldn't want to give her up. One who truly understood the power she had. One she could take over, and finally do as she pleased.

But she couldn't stay inside. Inside was impossible to get to by others. Inside meant no hosts.

The window was open. It always was – too hot, too stuffy with it closed. It was her only shot at freedom. She took it – using the last of the magic she could afford to lose, she moved just close enough to jump. She let the air carry her from there, and she drifted just enough to land on the windowsill. Halfway outside.

Not good enough. Only had enough magic left to wiggle. But the truly powerful made their own luck, so she summoned up a lucky breeze to pass by. It caught her. She was in the air, falling, and then she wasn't.

The alleyway. Always an alleyway. Shadows and secrets, always her territory.

Time passed. She didn't know how much. But then she felt it. A host. A new host. Coming towards her. With a dog.

The dog stopped. Growled. But the host didn't. Spoke. Unimportant. Approached. Touched.

A scream, and she was reborn anew.

Chapter 13 - What Goes Up, Must Come Pie

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“Are we there yet?”

“No.”

“Are we there yet?”

“No!”

“Are we there... yet?”

“For the last time, no!” Limestone growled, sending a glare over her shoulder. “Now stop asking that before I miss our exit,” she added at a lower grumble, putting her eyes back on the road.

Pinkie had been tragically exiled to the middle row of the family minivan because her eldest sister didn't want her messing with the radio, which was completely ridiculous because all Pinkie would want to do is find a good station to get them even more excited for their Pie Sisters Get-Together than they already all were, which would be super easy because she knew for a fact that there was a 'Geology of the World' program on CPXT in like five minutes, and what could remind them more of Maud than rocks?

But Limestone didn't want the radio on right now because it distracted her, and since she was driving it was her choice and Pinkie accepted that. Even if she did think they were missing a big opportunity. And it left her without much to do on the twenty minute trip to Canterlot International Airport. She'd already imagined a dozen different ways their reunion could go, all of them perfect, but while that was fun it wasn't really an 'I can do this all the way up to the moment what I'm imagining actually happens' sort of fun. Yet all the road trip games she knew couldn't distract her from the anticipation of it all.

Anticipation: it was a blessing and a curse. But she couldn't let it get her down, because nobody needed a mopey sister on the way to picking up their other sister. So she let out a big puff of air straight upwards so that it made her hair wobble, then shifted towards the driver's side window and pulled out her phone. It only took a few seconds to get back to the text she'd gotten from Twilight, and the really good picture of that girl they met that knew about the Sunset Shimmer from the human world. Aka their world.

“Let's see, Amethyst Shine...” Pinkie said to herself, putting on her best Detective face as she peered out of the van window and into the windows of the other cars on the freeway. “Where are you?”

“Do you honestly think you're gonna find her out here?” Limestone asked, looking back at her in the rearview mirror.

“Who knows?” Pinkie replied, shrugging. “Gotta check somewhere, right?” Having found nothing conclusive off the driver's side, Pinkie shifted as far as she could to the right to check the cars outside the passenger side. “Nope,” she said, seeing only a wall. “No Amethyst Shine here!”

Limestone made that half-grumble, half-sigh sound she made whenever she thought something was a waste of time, while Marble just covered her mouth and giggled. Pinkie shifted back to look out of the driver's side again.

She caught a flash of purple skin behind the driver's wheel of the sedan speeding up next to them, and perked up. “Ooh, is that her?” she asked excitedly before catching a better glimpse of the woman. Her face fell a little. “Nope. Unless Twilight was wrong and she's actually super old!”

“You're not gonna find her out here,” Limestone repeated.

“I won't know unless I try!” Pinkie sang with a wide smile, turning around to look out the back of the van even though there was another row of seats and the trunk between her and it, and it could honestly use a cleaning. There was definitely a car behind them, though! But even squinting she couldn't really tell who was inside it.

She could tell that they were at a bend in the road, though. Immediately getting her hopes up, Pinkie grinned and spun around in her seat to confirm that they were, in fact, on the off-ramp.

“Yes! We're almost there!” she squealed, shaking in delight. Even more so once she realized that even Limestone was smiling along with her! “Oooh, get ready Maud, cause here we come!”

Marble nodded, Limestone's grin became sharper, and the three drove on with the airport now in sight.

Ten minutes spent mostly trying to find a parking space later, the three Pie sisters found themselves rushing to the terminal their beloved fourth member was scheduled to land at.

“Marble! Find the schedule, see how much time we have!” Limestone barked as they made haste through the surprisingly crowded space. “Pinkie, scout out refreshments and restrooms! You know how Maud gets after long flights! I'll be waiting at the gate!”

“Mmhmm!” Marble nodded before splitting off for the nearest electronic display.

“On it!” Pinkie chorused, even snapping off a salute before dashing off in the opposite direction. She slipped through the crowd of businesspeople, tourists, and families like a ninja, only without all the dark colors. It was pretty easy to find all the things she was looking for – signs were great! - although she didn't have time for a full inspection of every facility with Maud potentially landing right that very moment.

She gasped when that thought occurred to her, and dashed out of the ladies room right as a nice-looking woman in a flowery shirt was about to come in. “Sorry! I might possibly be late to meet my sister right as she gets off her flight!” Pinkie offered as explanation before dashing away from the bewildered woman.

Hurrying back to the gates she located her sisters – only two of them, thankfully – waiting semi-patiently by, but not on, a bench. She approached them at a skid, then snapped a salute to Limestone that made her big sister face-palm. “All facilities accounted for!” she reported with military precision.

“Good,” Limestone said. “Maud's flight already landed, so she should be getting off it soon.”

“Yes!” Pinkie cheered, not especially concerned with the looks she received by the other people milling around for doing so.

'Soon' ended up being nearly fifteen minutes later, and at the end of a long and steady stream of other passengers. Pinkie had had to keep Limestone busy by asking her all sorts of questions about her plans for the quarry even though she already knew all of them (what kind of a sister would she be if she didn't?) just to keep Limestone from storming back to where the passengers were getting off just to see what was taking Maud!

Pinkie already knew that it was a one-way exit, and the last thing she wanted was to have her or any of her sisters cause trouble right before Maud arrived. Fortunately, she had Marble there to help.

“Umm... I think... that's her?” she said in her quiet, thoughtful voice, pointing towards the short hallway they'd been watching. Immediately Pinkie and Limestone stopped what they were doing and looked in that direction, and quickly spotted the unmistakeable grays and purples of their sister. She was pulling a pair of wheeled suitcases behind her, and Pinkie thought she looked tired, yet happy.

“It is!” Pinkie exclaimed, her grin growing wide enough that other people might think it was painful. “Good job, Marble!” she told her favorite twin, sharing a Marble High Five (which was like a regular high five but with less oomph behind it).

She turned and looked at Maud again, and saw her stopped at the edge of the waiting area, looking around. Pinkie did the natural thing in that situation, which was jumping up and down excitedly and waving her arms. “Maud! Over here! Maud! Hey! Yoohoo!”

Maud noticed her right away, and with a firm grip on the handles of her luggage made a beeline for the other Pie sisters. They met her halfway, Pinkie charging forward with the greatest enthusiasm but Limestone and Marble following closely and comfortably behind.

“Maud! You're here!” Pinkie greeted formally, arms held wide and soon wrapping around her dear sister.

“Yes,” Maud said as she was hugged. "I am."

“So, how were the Caprine Mountains?” Limestone asked.

“They were good,” Maud said, still being hugged. “I learned a lot about the orogenic forces that cause the exposure of porphyritic intrusive formations.”

“Cool,” Limestone said, actually smiling. “You can tell us all about it on the ride home.” With a brief glance at Pinkie, the second-youngest finally released her hug.

“Okay,” Maud said, readjusting her grip on her luggage handles. But before she could take a step forward, moved to either side of her.

“...we'll take these...,” Marble said with a soft smile.

“Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in, bending down to grab the suitcase on Maud's right. Except that when she tried to pull it along with her, she found it was a lot heavier than expected and had to really yank it to get the wheels rolling again. “Yeesh, what's in this, a bunch of rocks?” she half-joked once she'd caught up to her sisters in a few quick steps.

“Yes,” Maud answered.

“Oh,” Pinkie said, face going blank for a moment. Then she smacked her forehead. “Duh. Of course it's full of rocks!” She laughed, though none of her sisters joined in. That was okay, though.

“...what kind of rocks?” Marble asked softly on Maud's left.

Maud paused for a few moments, then said “I'll tell you on the ride home.” Then she stopped in her tracks and looked around, forcing the others to stop as well. “But first, I'd like to freshen up.”

Limestone looked at Pinkie, and Pinkie stepped forward with a grin. “Right this way!” she said, gleefully taking the lead with her sisters and at least one suitcase filled with heavy rocks trailing behind her.

Once Maud was suitably refreshed the quartet left the terminal of Canterlot International for the parking structure, and immediately got lost.

“Why can't they make signs that actually make sense?” Limestone griped as they stopped to get their bearings and failed. “How am I supposed to remember whether I parked in Section 3F76-167G, or 3F67-176G?”

“I'm preeeetty sure it was the first one,” Pinkie said. “Three eff seven six, one-six-seven gee~eee!” she sang, proving her point.

“Okay but where is the freaking place?” Limestone immediately retorted, never one to let a good stewing irritation go to waste. “Everywhere looks exactly the same in this whole stupid structure!”

Marble echoed the sentiment with a particularly worried “Mm-hmm.”

Pinkie put on her thinking face, and even crossed her arms for extra power. “Hmm, let's see. We went up, then down, then took a couple lefts, then went up again, took a right, doubled back and went straight, then took a right to get inside, right?” The arms-crossing hadn't lasted long as she began to gesticulate the directions, but Pinkie could tell she was right.

“So that means we should go... left, then straight, then down, a couple rights, up, and then down again, to find the van again!” Pinkie added, flawlessly reversing her gesticulations without getting her arms tangled up even once.

“...have we been doing that?” Limestone asked.

Pinkie shrugged. “Beats me! I thought you knew where you were going!”

Limestone face-palmed, and Marble gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“I'm pretty sure you parked on the third floor, section G, row seventy-six, column one hundred and sixty-seven,” Maud said without warning. “But I might be wrong. I'm not familiar with airport parking structure labeling conventions.” She pointed at the nearest sign which read '4F02-42S', and then another further down the line which read '4F02-50S'. “The signs have a regular order, so we should be able to follow them.”

The other three shared a look. “Fine, we'll follow them,” Limestone grumbled, trudging off through a gap in the parked cars.

As it turned out, Maud had been completely right about the signs. It only took them a few more minutes to find the van, and most of that was just taking a detour to go down a level. Her bags were loaded into the trunk – and Pinkie learned that only one of them had any rocks in it – and the four piled in afterward, with Maud getting the place of honor in the front passenger seat. They were back on the road soon after.

“...so that's how I obtained my third sample of andesite,” Maud said as they drove down the freeway. “It's a common rock in the Caprine Mountains, but this one had an interesting quartz content in it so I decided to take a sample.”

“Ooh, sounds fun!” Pinkie gushed, now sitting behind Maud. “How did Boulder handle you taking so many samples?”

“He was fine with it,” Maud answered after a moment. “He's not really the jealous type.”

“Cool, cool,” Limestone said in a way that kinda suggested she wasn't that interested, her eyes firmly on the road. “So, uh, what kinda mining practices they got out there? Anything new or exciting?”

Once again, it took Maud a bit of time to answer. “Not really,” she said. “I didn't notice them doing anything different from standard mining procedures. If anything, their techniques and equipment are a few years out of date.”

Limestone barked out a laugh. “Knew it! Nobody is better than the Pies at digging up rocks!”

“Yeah!” Pinkie cheered; even if her sister was exaggerating a little bit, there was nothing wrong with taking pride in the family business. Especially when her family loved it! But she herself was excited for way more reasons than simply family pride. “Soooo,” she said slowly, leaning around the seat in front of her with a smile on her face, “now that you're back in Canterlot, what do you wanna do first Maud?”

“Go home,” Maud answered without missing more than one or two beats. “And then unpack.”

“Awesome!” Pinkie smiled. “You heard her Limey, to home we go!”

“I was already heading that way,” Limestone grumbled as she changed lanes.

“Still awesome!” said Pinkie, unperturbed. “Once we're back home—”

“—and unpacked,” Maud interjected.

“And unpacked,” Pinkie repeated with a nod, “then we can finally get the super-awesome spectacular fun started!”

“Welcome home, Maudalina,” said Cloudy Quartz, who had greeted her daughters at the front door. “It pleases me to see you well.”

She stepped aside to let Maud enter, Limestone and Pinkie right behind with the luggage and Marble trailing in at the end. Maud looked around at the Pie family homestead – quaint and gray and sparsely decorated aside from a few paintings of mountains or stern-looking ancestors. “I'm glad to be home,” Maud finally said.

She was promptly hugged from behind by Pinkie, who drew her mother and other sisters into the hug as well.

“Pinkie!” Limestone growled through gritted teeth, but to no immediate avail.

“I'm just... so excited that the whole family is back together!” Pinkie said, squeezing them all one last time before finally letting go. “I mean, aside from Dad,” she added with a bit of a giggle. “But he's only at the quarry, so it's no big deal.”

Limestone grumbled under her breath. “We're gonna get another family hug at dinner, aren't we?”

“Yes indeedily!” Pinkie replied with great enthusiasm.

“We appreciate your enthusiasm as always, Pinkamena,” said Cloudy Quartz, fixing her spectacles which had been made askew by the hug. “But I ask now that you and Limestone carry Maudalina's belongings to her room, so that she may come share her account of her travels with me in the kitchen.”

“You got it!” Pinkie happily answered, grabbing the nearest bag which by total complete coincidence just so happened to be the one with the rocks in it. She hauled it towards and up the stairway, leaving her older sister to carry the much lighter bag and grumble way less than if she'd been stuck with the rocks.

The two made relatively short work of carrying the two suitcases up to the second floor of the refurbished farmhouse, dropping them off in the bedroom they'd known since childhood as Maud's. Aside from regular dustings it was just as it had always been: drab-colored and filled with rocks, rock paraphernalia, and keepsakes from her family members.

“Ooooh,” Pinkie said, looking around the room in awe with the heavy luggage firmly in her hands. “Where do you think we should put these?”

“By her bed, where else?” Limestone replied gruffly, dropping her own load next to Maud's immaculately-made bed. “It's not that tough a choice, Pinkie.”

“Maybe to you,” Pinkie countered with a bit of defiance in her voice and stature, “but what if Maud wants to unpack in a specific spot and we end up putting her bags far away from the spot so she has to drag them over herself?”

“You're overthinking things,” was all Limestone gave as answer, turning and leaving the room.

Pinkie looked from her, to the bag she was carrying, to the bag Limestone had set down, to the bag she was carrying again, and rubbed her chin in thought. Then she looked around the room, from Maud's bed, to Maud's desk, to the complete lack of other places she could reasonably expect her sister to sit and unpack. Aside from the floor itself, but that struck Pinkie as silly because Maud wasn't the type to sit on the floor to unpack.

So with a shrug she left the suitcase of rocks next to Maud's desk, and skipped out of the room.

She found her sisters and mother sitting around their kitchen table, just like she thought she would. Also like she thought they would, they were still talking about everything Maud had seen and done on her trip to the Caprine Mountains. And even though Pinkie had already heard most of it, she still enjoyed listening to it a second time.

Especially because she could finally eat some of the cupcakes they'd baked this morning!

And about eight cupcakes later – four for Pinkie, one each for everyone else – Maud was finally wrapping up her tale.

“I'll tell you the rest later,” she said to her mother. She gave Pinkie a quick glance before adding “We've really been looking forward to this outing, and I think we'd all prefer it to be done during the day.”

Cloudy Quartz nodded. “I understand, Maudalina. I hope you all have a most enjoyable afternoon together.”

“We will!” Pinkie practically squealed, reeling her sisters in for another group hug.

“So where exactly are we going first?” Limestone asked as she pulled the van out of the driveway, windows down and the four sisters in the places they'd taken on the ride home.

“Ooh, how 'bout the mall?” Pinkie suggested, not even noticing Limestone's glance in the rearview mirror. “There's loads of things to do at the mall!”

“We always go to the mall,” Limestone countered. “How about something different for a change?”

“We could go to the beach,” Maud suggested. “I always like watching erosion in action.”

Limestone screwed up her face and made a sort of apathetic growl. “That's too far, and we don't have our swimsuits.”

“It's not that far,” Pinkie said. “And swimsuits so aren't a problem, we can totally just turn around and run inside and get them!” To prove her point she pointed out her window at the Pie family homestead, which was still well within view.

In response, Limestone slumped her shoulders, her cheeks turning a distinct shade of red. “We're not going to the beach, okay?” she said through gritted teeth. “I don't like feeling so exposed.”

“Aww, we understand Limey!” Pinkie cooed, reaching over to give her sister a pat on the shoulder. “We don't have to go to the beach if you're not comfortable.” She finished with a decisive nod.

Limestone somehow sank further into her seat and shoulders, grumbling all the way.

“How about the Canterlot Museum of Fine Art?” Maud said next.

“The art museum?” Limestone replied with a skeptical scowl, straightening up in her seat. “Why there?”

“It has several statues that I'd like to see up close,” Maud told her.

“Oo~ooh!” Pinkie squealed, grinning in delight. “That sounds super fantastic!”

Limestone shot her an annoyed look and grumbled. “Marble!” she barked, startling the youngest. “What do you think?”

“Oh, umm,” Marble murmured, looking around as she thought until finally, bashfully, she offered “I... like it?”

The eldest Pie promptly fell into a silent scowl that lasted nearly half a minute. “Fine,” she relented. “We'll go to the art museum. But I pick where we're going next, got it?”

“Got it,” echoed her sisters at various paces and volumes.

The minivan's tires squealed to a sudden halt, Limestone following it with a u-turn through sparse – yet annoyed – traffic.

The Pie sisters pulled up to the Canterlot Museum of Fine Art to find the associated parking lot closed off to the public by orange-striped barricades. The lot itself had its pavement torn up; several backhoes and bulldozers and such gave the impression of a reconstruction effort that was currently on hold. A handful of people in hard hats and orange vests were loitering around looking like they were on break.

“Uh-oh, looks like they're closed!” Limestone said with the most blatantly insincere disappointment that any of them had heard in years. “I guess we better find something else to do.”

“No they're not!” Pinkie said quickly, perking up and thrusting a finger out her window at a particular sign next to the barricade. “It says 'Museum Still Open! Parking Down the Street at Concordia and Manehattan'!”

“She's right,” Maud said, looking out her own window.

Limestone grumbled and growled, the van idling in front of the inaccessible Museum lot, before she finally relented. “Fine! I'll park down the street!”

Concordia and Manehattan, as they quickly realized, was three full blocks away from the Museum. But neither Maud, nor Pinkie, nor even Marble were dissuaded by the walk, so once again Limestone relented to her sisters' collective will.

“So, what made you think of the Art Museum, Maudie?” Pinkie asked as she skipped alongside her sister at the front of their little pack.

“Nothing in particular,” Maud answered. “I've been meaning to visit it for a few months now. I haven't been there since I was a tour guide at the History Museum.”

Pinkie sighed dreamily. “Those were the days... half-price tickets to see dinosaur bones and priceless artifacts wheneeeever we wanted...” She splayed her hands in front of her, then giggled and twirled into her next skipping step.

“Yeah,” Maud said. “It was fun.”

“You think your old employee discount will still be good?” Pinkie asked, hands clasped behind her back as she turned her whole body to face Maud while still walking backward.

“Why would it?” Limestone asked, still walking behind them with Marble. “We're going to the Art Museum, not the History Museum!”

“The discount applied to all museums within the greater Canterlot area,” Maud said. Then, after a moment, she added “But I don't think we can use it. I'm not an employee anymore.”

“Mmm...,” Pinkie murmured, looking up at the sky with a hand on her chin, and spinning back to face forwards. “Makes sense to me!” she said happily.

“Mm-hmm,” Marble echoed with a smile of her own.

Limestone just grumbled.

“Twenty bucks?!” Limestone growled at the admissions clerk, a boy that Pinkie and Marble recognized from school as the aptly-named Admission Fee. “For a single ticket?” She slammed her hand on the counter. “What kinda rip-off is this?”

“I assure you it isn't one,” said Admission Fee in a squeaky voice fitting of his lanky, slightly greasy appearance. Unperturbed by Limestone's aggression, he repeated “That'll be twenty dollars for an adult ticket.” Then he looked at Pinkie and Marble, adding “Or ten dollars for students with valid identification.”

Marble shrunk from the attention, but Pinkie put one arm around her shoulder and approached the counter anyway. “Here ya go, FeeFee!” she said cheerily after rooting around in her hair and withdrawing a wallet, and from that withdrawing both her student ID card and an extremely crumpled twenty.

“Please don't call me that,” Admission Fee replied, deadpan but still squeaking, as he took the cash and card. “And I still need ID for your sister,” he said, sliding Pinkie's ticket, card, and even her change across the counter.

Pinkie looked at Marble, who squeaked in her own way and turned around. Blushing furiously, she rooted around in her purse for a few moments before pulling out her own ID card. She turned around and meekly held it out in both hands, whispering “Here...”

Admission Fee took it without remark along with the unclaimed change, and soon passed Marble her card and ticket. Then he turned his gaze to Maud and Limestone, who were still standing by. “Twenty dollars for an adult ticket,” he repeated.

Maud handed him ten dollars and her own ID card. “I'm also a student,” she explained.

Admission Fee took it with an eyebrow raised, examining the front and back of it. “Central State University. I see. Can I interest you in the Canterlot Museum Association's membership program?”

Maud paused long enough to blink before answering. “I'll think about it.”

“Okay then,” said Admission Fee, processing her ticket. Once it was handed over, he looked expectantly at Limestone.

She groaned, shoved a fist into her pants pocket, and slammed a wad of smaller bills on the counter.

Tickets in hand, along with an audio guide they'd rented to enhance their experience, the Pie sisters began to wander the halls of the Canterlot Museum of Fine Art. Maud took point, leading them from one sculpture or statue to the next, mostly ignoring the information provided by their handheld tour in favor of describing to her sisters the full details of each work's mineral composition.

“Most people consider the degradation of its original paint to be a great loss,” she said as the sisters looked at a statue of a man throwing a discus, “but I disagree. The lack of pigment allows for a much better appreciation of the underlying marble.”

“Oh yeah, I'll say,” Limestone said with a genuine smile as she leaned in for a closer inspection. “Look at this purity, not a speck of swirling! Not even any signs of foliation!”

Maud nodded. “I suspect this was originally part of a larger dolomite protolith that was recrystallized as a result of volcanic activity along the Piscine-Marana faultline.”

“Yeah, probably,” Limestone said, nodding along. “Loads of marble in that area.”

Maud nodded. “And the majority of the bedrock outside the volcanic zone is composed of dolomite.” She blinked. “That's why I suspect the rock this statue is made of was originally dolomite.”

“Hold on, did you say the Piscine-Marana faultline?” Pinkie asked, pausing the audio guide that she and Marble were huddled close and listening to. “Is that around where, like, Mount Aris is?”

“That's right,” Maud said. “Mount Aris is near the Piscine-Marana faultline, as is the entire Hippotene archipelago.”

“Ooo~ooh!” Pinkie squealed, looking back at the audio guide. “I think you're on to something, Maud! The recording says this statue was totally made by the ancient Hippotenians!”

Maud and Limestone looked back at the statue. “Interesting,” Maud said.

Leaving that statue behind, the Pie sisters soon found themselves meandering about without real purpose. In fact, they'd begun to drift away from each other – Maud attracted back to the various stonework exhibits like a magnet to iron; Limestone hung up being vocally critical of several of the more abstract paintings; and Pinkie escorting Marble as she focused on listening to what the audio guide had to say about each and every piece.

And even that wasn't entirely coherent. As she skipped along a foot or so behind her younger twin, humming a proto-song inspired by the audio tour's narration of DuPalette's 'A Lonely Night', Pinkie's eyes were caught by a large pair of maroon doors. They were closed.

Stopping in place as she landed her skip, Pinkie scratched her head and gave the doors a puzzled look. The framework was ornate in a way that didn't match with the surrounding exhibits – primarily the greatest hits of the 16^th century – so Pinkie guessed it was the doors to another wing, but she couldn't quite place the aesthetic. Spying brass plates on either side of the doors, as well as a sign hanging from the knobs, she shrugged and skipped over.

“Hmmm...,” she murmured, squinting in a fun yet unnecessary manner as she read the brass plate. Her brow shot up as she finished processing it, and a smile formed as she craned her neck to look up at the tall doors. “Ooh, the Hall of the Phoenix Queen! Neat!”

She immediately tried the closest knob, but it didn't budge. Only then did she read the hanging sign, and her smile melted away. “Aww, closed for renovations? But I wanted to see her! In all her...,” she paused her a moment, gripping the air as she struggled with the words, “her all!”

Hanging her head and sighing, Pinkie turned her back on the closed door and began to trudge away. “Sorry, Marble, looks like it's closed!” she began to say as she looked up, realizing too late that her sister was no longer nearby. “Marble?” she repeated, looking around with growing concern. She screamed the next “Marble!” and was glowered at by a passing couple for it.

“Oops! Sorry,” she sheepishly told them, waving her fingers before zipping off in search of her shyest sister.

With the relatively open floor of the Museum and general lack of crowds thanks to the construction work outside, it didn't take long for Pinkie's keen sister-related senses to hone in on her lost twin. And to her surprise, she wasn't alone.

A boy around their age was standing next to her, looking up at the same portrait of some stuffy old duke. A boy that Marble hadn't seemed to notice, so enraptured was she by looking at the art and, Pinkie presumed, listening to the audio tour she still held. A wide grin slowly formed on Pinkie's face, and she resolved to sneak up to them as quiet as a mouse no matter how it made her look to the other patrons.

Getting Marble to actually hold a conversation with someone who wasn't a blood relative had been a personal goal of Pinkie's ever since she'd realized that Marble actually had trouble doing so. It still surprised her to think about how shy her twin was considering how friendly and outgoing the rest of her family was, but she knew in hindsight that Marble had been that way for years.

Of course, her efforts so far had yielded results she had decided to call 'inconclusive'. An average of 1.16 minutes of awkward silence and stubbornly averted gazes before the other party invariably gave up. She expected her friends would do better at drawing Marble out of her shell – no, she knew they would – but she simply had never found the time to actually introduce them. Not even at lunch! Though that was because Marble didn't really like being in the cafeteria, and Pinkie wasn't going to force her to eat with her and her friends even if it would be super convenient.

Just the fact that Marble was standing next to someone without trying to move away was practically a breakthrough! Especially someone that Pinkie hadn't introduced her to! Pinkie was not going to let the opportunity slip away.

As she crept closer, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Limestone glowering at her. “What are you doing this time, Pinkie?” she hissed.

Eyes wide, Pinkie simply motioned for Limestone to stay silent and pointed in Marble's direction. It didn't take long for the elder Pie to catch her drift, and her brow shot up in surprise upon seeing what the youngest sister was doing.

Both of them nearly gasped when they saw Marble walk off without acknowledging the boy, only for the boy to follow her moments later. Pinkie and Limestone shared a look, nodded, and crept off in pursuit.

“Does she have a boyfriend we don't know about?” Limestone whispered as they ducked to hide behind a glass-enclosed display of several rare vases.

“If she did, how would I know?” Pinkie replied in turn. “I'm just hoping she actually knows he's there, and hasn't just been walking around obliviously this whole time!” Seeing her chance, she darted out from cover once more.

Limestone rejoined her at an information kiosk, crouched out of sight from the opposite side. “And if she is completely oblivious, that means the guy that's following her is some kinda stalker!” she said, voice rising with her anger. It quickly reached a boiling point that caused her to stand up despite Pinkie frantically pulling on her arm.

She turned, and found herself facing the attendant at the information desk. “Can I... help you?” the teenage girl asked, raising a brow.

“No!” Limestone answered through clenched teeth, and it was only then that Pinkie succeeded in pulling her back into cover.

“We have to stay hidden until we know what's going on!” Pinkie told her. “Otherwise we could totally mess with Marble's groove!”

Limestone stared at her, flabberghasted. “Her... her what?”

“Her groove!” Pinkie repeated, throwing up her hands while still crouched. “Her mojo! Her swing! For all we know she's trying to work up the courage to talk to him about art or something, and us just running up to them like a couple of guard dogs or avalanches or something could ruin the moment!”

“...okay, I get your point,” Limestone reluctantly conceded after a moment of staring. “Kinda. I don't get the whole 'guard dog' thing, but...” She shook her head. “Whatever. We'll do things your way.”

“What are we doing?”

Pinkie and Limestone paused, then looked to the side to see that Maud was now crouching down next to them.

“Oh. Hi Maud!” Pinkie greeted with a simple wave. “We're keeping an eye on Marble from a distance 'cause she may or may not be interacting with a stranger.” She pointed up over the counter in the direction of her twin, then paused, blinked, and scrunched up her face. “Wow, that sounded weird out loud.”

“Oh. Okay,” Maud said. Then she stood up and looked in the direction Pinkie had pointed in. Then, after a moment, she crouched back down. “Where is Marble?”

Pinkie blinked, shared a look with Limestone, and as one the three sisters stood and looked at where Marble had last been seen. She wasn't there, and neither was the boy that had been following her.

The information desk attendant glared at them. “Seriously, can I help you?” she asked, crossing her arms.

Pinkie answered with a wide grin and an awkward giggle, stepping away and dragging her sisters with her.

They found her in another wing of the museum entirely, and to their shock the same boy was with her.

Except now a second girl had joined them. Whereas the boy looked the picture of a prep, all button-down shirt and dress pants even in the summer heat, the girl looked decidedly gothic. Black hair, skin so pale it was impossible to tell what color it had originally been, and an elaborate black dress – once again in defiance of the heat.

She was standing on Marble's opposite side, so that the youngest Pie was sandwiched between what her sisters presumed to be two strangers. The three shared a look – Pinkie and Limestone did most of the work – and came to one unspoken conclusion: watch and see what happened when Marble finally noticed the other people.

“Who are they, Pinkie?” Limestone asked at a low hiss, the three sisters ducking behind what scant cover a mass of twisted metal beams could offer.

“I don't know!” Pinkie replied in whisper. “I'm pretty sure I recognize them from the Friendship Games, but all that means is they go to Crystal Prep!”

Limestone grit her teeth. “Some kinda rich kids, huh? They better not think they can take advantage of Marble!”

She was stopped by a hand on either of her shoulders before she could leave cover, courtesy of both her sisters. “We still don't know what any of them are thinking right now,” Maud told her. “We should let this play out.”

Once again, Limestone allowed herself to be restrained by her sisters. Though not without protestation. “I'm tired of just sitting and waiting. I don't want Marble to freak out because other people are standing next to her. I want her to enjoy this stupid outing.”

And now Pinkie sent an uncertain look towards Maud, who responded with an equal amount of concern on the inside. “I don't want her to have a bad time either,” Pinkie said, “but I also want to give her the chance to talk to people on her own. What should we do?”

“I don't think we have much choice in the matter,” Maud answered, staring dead at Marble and the other two. Limestone and Pinkie followed her gaze, just in time to see Marble apparently finish listening to whatever the audio tour had to say about the painting she'd been looking at and move on.

She promptly bumped into the goth girl, recoiled in horror, and ended up stumbling backwards into the boy. She whipped around to face him, and to the Pie sisters watching from afar he seemed to say something to her but it only caused her to retreat behind her hair and try to back away. Then the goth girl said something that caused Marble to whip around again, and suddenly she was whipping back and forth from one to the next, trying to back away but only hitting the wall.

“That's it, she's getting overwhelmed!” Limestone growled, standing up from behind the sculpture. “I'm gonna go bail her out.” She marched out of hiding with purpose in her stride and a scowl on her face. Maud wordlessly followed after her, and after a moment of worried dithering Pinkie scrambled out as well.

The moment Marble caught sight of them coming towards her, she gasped so hard she fumbled the audio guide. She failed utterly to catch it, and it hit the tiled museum floor with a clatter.

“Whoa, what's wrong now?” said the boy, the other Pies now close enough to hear him as he turned around and faced them.

The goth girl, meanwhile, simply bent down and picked up the audio guide. “Here. You dropped this,” she said to Marble in a husky, bored voice. She handed the device over, and Marble took it with a surprisingly swift motion considering how distracted she was – her gaze shifting constantly between the people around her.

“What's wrong,” Limestone said to the boy once she was finally close enough, “is that you two are bothering my little sister!”

“What?!” the boy replied, so taken aback he had to physically step back. “You're crazy! All I did was ask her what was wrong!”

“Same here,” said the goth girl.

“Yeah, well, Marble doesn't need a bunch of weirdos following her around when she's trying to enjoy the museum!” Limestone countered, thrusting a finger towards the boy and adding “Especially you!”

“H-hey!” the boy replied, flustered. “I... I just...” He gulped and clenched his fists, straightening his back and puffing himself up before Limestone's display. “It's a free country, isn't it?”

“Yeah, free to leave my sister alone!” Limestone countered, brandishing a fist.

“Whoa, whoa! Hold on now!” said Pinkie, squeezing herself between the two and forcing them apart as she stretched out her arms. “There's no reason to get so angry face about this! Right?”

“Yes,” Maud added. “If this escalates we might get kicked out of the museum. Which would be bad.”

“Exactly!” Pinkie said, looking between Limestone and the boy.

“I didn't want to cause any trouble,” said the goth girl. “I just wanted to talk to other art appreciators, and also listen to the audio tour. But I'll go now.” She turned to Marble. “Sorry for startling you. Have a nice day.” And then, without further comment or gesture, she turned and walked away.

All eyes but Marble's turned to the boy, who looked back with stubborn defiance. “What? I'm not gonna apologize for trying to talk to someone. But if you three are gonna be so overprotective that you don't let your sister do anything on her own, then I'm outta here.”

He left as well, in the opposite direction from the goth girl. The sisters watched him leave for a moment, then Limestone snorted. “Good riddance.”

She turned her gaze to Marble, who was looking down at the audio guide she was holding, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey,” she said gruffly, causing Marble to look up. “You alright?”

Marble bit her lip and looked back down at the audio guide. Then to her left, spotting the goth girl staring at a painting several yards down the line. Then to her right, spotting the boy still walking away with his hands in his pockets. Then finally, not quite meeting the eyes of Limestone or indeed any of her sisters, Marble said “Mm...”

The elder Pies were quiet for a moment. Pinkie was the first to respond, screwing up her face and saying “Are you sure? 'Cause—"

She was stopped from finishing the thought courtesy of Maud's hand over her mouth. “It's fine,” she told Pinkie before looking back at Marble. “But right now I think we should let Marble decide what to do next.”

That got Limestone and Pinkie looking back at the youngest Pie, who was once again looking down at the audio guide. She stared at it thoughtfully for what felt like ages but was really just a few seconds, before looking back up at Maud with a shy smile on her face. “I... wanna keep going with the tour. Together.”

“Okay,” was all Maud said, and the two turned to move on to the next painting in line. Pinkie and Limestone watched them with surprise in their eyes for a few moments before following after.

The rest of their self-guided tour of the museum proceeded without incident; for better or for worse none of the Pie sisters were so much as looked at by the preppy boy or gothic girl again. In fact, aside from the staff and a few meaningless passing glances from the other patrons, nobody interacted much with them at all.

They decided to wrap things up at five minutes to three, the four sisters having visited every rock-based or rock-themed work in the museum and their fill of the rest of it. They returned their audio guide to the kiosk they'd rented it from, and after briefly noting that Admission Fee was no longer working the front desk when Maud approached it to join the Association's membership program, they left the Canterlot Museum of Fine Art once and for all.

Though not before Pinkie declared, rather loudly, that she would return one day to scope out the Hall of the Phoenix Queen once it had reopened. That had given the other three Pies just a hint of hurried embarrassment as they pulled the pink sheep of the family out the door.

“Sssoooooo,” Pinkie said as they began the long walk back to where they'd parked, rolling her head dramatically and grinning. “Where to next?”

“We have time to catch a movie,” Maud said, looking at the time on her phone.

Limestone grimaced. “Is anything good even playing? I don't wanna waste money on something stupid.”

“Ooh! I know!” Pinkie said, smile becoming brighter. “We could watch the new Space Heroes movie!”

“That whole franchise is overrated,” Limestone scoffed. “It's just a bunch of staged explosions and crummy sets!”

“But the choreography!” Pinkie retorted in a singsong manner, leaning towards her surly sister. Limestone just grumbled and crossed her arms.

“What about Last Stop?” Maud suggested. “I know it's a horror movie, but it's gotten good reviews on my geology forum.”

And then Pinkie stopped in her tracks, as she was overtaken by a full-body shudder so strong it lifted her off her feet for a few seconds. Once it passed, she wiped her brow with the back of her arms. “Phew! Whatever that was, it was a doozy!”

“Wow,” Maud said. “I didn't realize my suggestion was that bad.”

“It wasn't that,” Pinkie told her, “it was my Pinkie sense!”

The shift in her sisters' posture was immediate. Limestone straightened her back and squared her shoulders; Marble retreated behind her hair, one visible eye darting back and forth in a surge of nervousness; and even Maud's brow shot up a millimeter.

“What does it mean?” Limestone asked. “I don't remember you shuddering like that before.”

“Me neither!” Pinkie said, eyes wide and face frowning. She looked around briefly, then motioned for her sisters to keep on moving down the sidewalk. “I don't think it's ever happened before!”

“Okay, but what does it mean?” Limestone repeated with a hint of anger as the four resumed their journey in a closer-knit group than before.

“I have no idea!” Pinkie told her, arms shooting up. “The best I can guess is that something completely unexpected is gonna happen, like something none of us would ever be able to guess in a million years!”

“That doesn't narrow down a lot of possibilities,” Maud said.

“Tell me about it,” Limestone growled. Then she grunted. “Whatever. Let's just get back to the van as quick as possible and hope it didn't blow up or something. And keep your senses open, all of you.”

She looked back over her shoulder as she said that, meeting her sisters' eyes. “You got it!” Pinkie replied, snapping off a quick salute. Marble nodded her agreement; Maud blinked hers.

With Limestone taking the lead the sisters hurried down the street at the fastest they could walk and still stay together. The two youngest stuck to the middle, with Marble protectively kept on the building side of things, and Maud brought up the rear. For two blocks they traveled without difficulty or interruption, aside from a pair of older men with cameras that gave them strange looks until Limestone forced them to move out of their way.

Then came the third block. Limestone stopped on the corner of it and looked back at Pinkie as though to ask if she was feeling anything, but Pinkie only gave her a helpless shrug. So, with a bitter eye on the numerous potential threats between them and the parking lot – cars, doors, other people – Limestone led them onward.

Whether it was because every previous one had been empty or simply a quirk of fate, all four Pie sisters overlooked the alleyway nestled between a bakery and a laundromat. In the shadow of the building they were briefly blinded by a single powerful light that turned on just as they stepped into the alley's view.

Paralyzed by the light as they were, they were unable to react to the sound of a revving engine in time. Their eyes adjusted enough to make out the form of a motorcycle and a helmeted rider just before it charged them; they screamed and tried to scatter, but Marble was too slow.

The rider – black leather gloves hiding their skin color – reached out and grabbed the youngest Pie's purse, knocking her down from the force of the drive-by theft. The bike sped away in the direction they'd come from before any of them could get a good look at its plates or its rider.

The sisters were struck speechless out of shock, though even in it they still found themselves acting. Limestone and Maud watched the bike go, the former's face twisting with hatred and anger while the latter's gaze simply grew harsher despite superficially remaining the same. Her gaze also drifted to the side, towards yet past the Museum of Fine Art. Pinkie, meanwhile, simply darted forward and helped her twin off the pavement as Marble began to tear up.

“I... guess that was the doozy, huh?” Pinkie said, trying to crack a smile. Marble looked up at her, sniffled, and tried to do the same.

Limestone swore. “Maud!” she barked, clenching her fists. “Where'd that piece of trash drive off to?”

Maud said nothing, merely extending an arm and pointing a single finger in the same direction as her stare.

The eldest grinned a dark grin. “Good. Marble,” she looked back at the youngest, now back on her feet, “you good to go after that punk or do you wanna stay here?”

Marble, with Pinkie still at her side giving her a concerned look, bit her lip and stared down at her wringing hands. Then, after a moment, she came to a decision and nodded to herself. Looking back up at Limestone, she quietly said “Let's go.”

Limestone's grin reasserted itself, and even Pinkie smiled before puffing herself up and putting her balled-up hands on her hips. “Alright ladies, let's show this punk why you don't mess with the Pie family!” Hollering a battlecry, she and Limestone and Marble ran off – in pursuit of Maud, who had taken off like a shot several seconds before.

Chapter 14 - Panic

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Sunset Shimmer walked into the O'Patty's on Queen's Avenue with a single desire: have a quick and quiet lunch. Burger, fries, and a soda – the staple meal of the girl on the go, especially when the girl didn't have a steady flow of cash.

She could have done without waiting in line, though. All it did was eat up her valuable time and force her to listen to the idiots in front of her dither over which minor variation of a chicken sandwich they wanted or whatever. Tapping a foot impatiently, she considered whether or not superpowers could help her force random nobodies like Mr. Space Heroes T-shirt at the counter to actually be decisive for once in their worthless lives.

Probably not, she decided. That would be too convenient. And also not really worth it if she was limited in the scope and number of powers she could obtain.

Then again, would she even have a choice? Could she afford to be picky? Once again, probably not. But it would suck to be stuck with something stupid like the ability to talk to animals or turn into a puddle or something without a more potent power to back it up. Though of course she knew she'd be able to make the best out of any superpower she ended up with, without exception.

She was also getting ahead of herself a little bit – she hadn't gotten her powers yet. For all she knew, she wouldn't even be able to get them that day!

Also the woman in front of her had just finished her order, so it was time for Sunset to focus again. She put on her most natural, and therefore best, scowl, and stepped up to the counter.

“Yeah, I'll have the number one,” she said in a tone that would brook no delay, cutting off whatever schmuck was taking orders from their corporate-mandated greeting.

“...right away, ma'am,” the kid replied, all semblance of a smile wiped away. Clearly not happy with Sunset's attitude, but since when had she cared about the feelings of nobodies like him?

He relayed the order down the line, then looked back at her and gave her the total. She set a carefully pre-counted wad of cash and coins down on the counter as payment, souring his mood even more, but she gave him a Look and so he rang her up.

She stepped aside to wait for her order to be handed to her, which it was in due time, and then went to get her seat.

And then stopped because four people in a booth were staring at her. She recognized exactly none of them – three teenage girls younger than her, one guy a little older. Local unimportant nobodies, clearly, but they were staring at her as though they knew her.

“Heya, Sunset!” said the girl with the stupid-looking bow in her hair.

How Sunset kept herself from swearing she didn't know; every alarm in her mind had gone from zero to Red Alert in the span of a nanosecond. But her mental gears shifted with an ease born of years of being on the run, and with a carefully blank face she made a beeline for the party of four.

The orange girl asked something about her motorcycle with the same bizarre cordiality as ribbon-girl, but aside from a small note that they might be able to recognize her bike Sunset pushed it from her mind.

Once she was close enough her anger boiled over, and through teeth clenched tight by a scowl she asked “How do you know that name?”

She knew she should have expected it, but the confusion the four expressed was bewildering. “What do you mean?” the ribbon-girl asked in an irritatingly cutesy country accent. “Why wouldn't we know who ya are?”

“Did something happen?” said the third girl, white-skinned and curly-haired. “We only saw you and Twilight a little while ago, and you didn't look at all like you do now!” She motioned to Sunset's face and clothes, looking at them as though collectively they were some kind of second head.

Sunset's first thought was 'The hell is wrong with the way I look?' Her second, 'Who the #@&% is Twilight?'

Her third, once all the right details and inferences had been processed, consisted of two words: 'Mistaken identity.'

Obviously, she decided, there was some other girl running around the city who looked like her, and was also named Sunset. Whether it was some kind of ridiculous coincidence or a long-lost identical twin that had no doubt been separated at birth Sunset didn't know, but she intended to find out.

Eventually, anyway. Priority #1 was, as always, to lay relatively low and stay safe lest the cops track her down. Fortunately for her, the four she was glaring at seemed easily intimidated. She could work with that. Just make it clear to them that she wasn't who they thought she was, and that getting involved with her would only spell trouble for them, and she would be golden.

“I don't know what, or who, you're talking about,” she told them, crossing her arms and putting on her best glare – the one that had left a rookie cop quaking in his boots one time. “So if you brats know what's good for you, you'll stop staring at me like I'm an old friend or something and mind your own business.”

Her point made, she left as soon as possible lest her temper get the better of her and she cause a scene. Devouring her meal in record time, she marched out the door with her mind ablaze and gave the party of four – still staring at her out of the window – a parting bird before mounting her bike and driving away.

Her stomach full, if not entirely happy about the circumstances, her priorities shifted. If four random nobodies had recognized her, even if it was a case of mistaken identity, she had a problem in need of solving. Until she could manipulate the situation to her advantage, the chance of other people calling attention to her under the false presumption she was a 'friend' or something could only lead to trouble.

Depending on how things ended up with this potential other 'Sunset', she'd have to bail on Canterlot ahead of schedule. In fact, she should probably do so anyway just to be safe. But for now, she just needed to disappear.

Starlight Glimmer was lost. For real this time. She couldn't deny it; despite her unparalleled brilliance, she was no longer certain of where she was in Canterlot.

She blamed, as she had for some time now, that pair of weirdos who had freaked her out. They had completely derailed her flawless plan to go to the library and do some research, through a combination of being Sunset Shimmer's long-lost identical twin and possibly being in some kinda wizard cult that was now after her. And she had responded completely rationally by doing the rational thing and trying to lay low! But in her panicked escape, she had somehow lost track of where she was and where she had gone.

At least she was fairly certain of the compass directions, thanks to the position of the sun, current time, and the latitude. So she had some confidence that, given sufficient time, she would be able to navigate to just about anywhere in the city.

Her current goal, of course, was to get back to the motel. Then she could lock herself in, wait for Sunset – her Sunset – to return, grill her about her twin sister, and go from there. The plan was basic, but reliable.

The only caveat was that she genuinely didn't know how far the reach of those who were looking for her actually extended, both in terms of people and resources. For all she knew, they already knew where she was staying. Heck, for all she knew the people who ran the motel were part of them!

Though she did kind of doubt that. As internet-savvy as she was, Starlight felt confident she knew of all the noteworthy weirdo secret societies in the country. And there were only like two or three of them in Canterlot, surprisingly enough, and none of them believed in real, actual magic.

Anyway, whether or not she had to deal with a possible cultist ambush at the crummy motel she was staying at wasn't the problem right now. She was crouched behind yet another dumpster, trying to work up the will to return to the open streets in a manner that was both casual and cautious. And also quick.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, and regretted it immediately. “Seriously, do they not pick up trash around here?” she said through her coughs. Groaning into her arm as she placed it over her nose and mouth, she closed her eyes and forced herself to dash back out into the open.

And promptly stumbled off the curb, falling flat onto the street itself. Eyes popping open in instant terror, she pushed herself back to her feet and got to scrambling.

Straight across the street, earning a few angry honks from motorists who'd had to quickly brake.

“Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap,” Starlight repeated under her breath, heart pounding in her chest. Her attempts at lying low had backfired and brought even more attention onto her, even if it was only temporary. People had taken notice of her, and that meant they might remember her, which meant that they might allow other people to find her...

“My life is a mess,” she moaned, darting into another alleyway and coming to rest against the wall. “Why did I have to overreact at the stupid bus stop?” She slumped down until she was sitting, head in her hands.

Sunset didn't consider herself lucky that nobody had apparently noticed her on her (rather circuitous) way back to the motel; she considered it skill. And good choice in riding wear, of course. A good helmet went a long way towards being stealthy.

The fact that she hadn't seen any sign of her two super-powered targets was mildly irritating, but a big part of her was somewhat grateful she didn't have the added distraction. She needed to focus on the task at hand, the first step of which was rapidly approaching.

She pulled into the motel parking lot as casually as she could, and left her bike right next to Starlight's. Heading inside was mostly just for show, though she did take the opportunity to rest up a little and solidify her plan in her head.

Those four at the O'Patty's knew what she and her bike looked like. Which meant anything she did could potentially be traced back to her through them. And should they, or anyone else, try to find her due to what happened at lunch or something else, there was now a solid description of her.

Or rather, the current her. It wasn't like she only had one set of clothes even traveling light. This wasn't the first time she'd needed an emergency outfit change.

She took off her helmet and jacket, and grabbed the dark red spare jacket from where she'd stashed her belongings. It wasn't as nice as her black leather one, more tattered and torn and just generally not as cool a color, but it would do nicely. As for her helmet... well, it didn't take long for her to determine that Starlight had stupidly left hers practically out in the open, and they were the same size. It was just a matter of pulling it out from under Starlight's bed.

But she needed one last thing before her swap could be complete. “Now, where is it?” she muttered to herself as she ruffled through her bag, momentarily angry at herself for not investing in a key ring. Or stealing one, anyway. But she knew why she'd done it; a loose key was less likely to be noticed than an extra key she shouldn't have that was always on her.

“Ah-ha!” she said triumphantly, pulling out the small brass key she'd had copied on the sly about a year ago. She hadn't had occasion to use it before now, but she had never regretted spending the five bucks it cost.

Sunset put on the spare jacket and helmet and took a few moments to get adjusted, as well as peek outside the window shades to check that nobody was milling around outside. Once she'd checked the door's peephole as well and was thoroughly satisfied, she left the room and locked the door behind her.

She strode over to Starlight's bike as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and put the key in the ignition. Turned it. Smirked behind her helmet as the engine came to life. Sure, it wasn't nearly as different from her own bike as Sunset would have liked – a byproduct of Starlight's ridiculous need to blend in and conform at all times – but the plates were different, and that meant a lot. If those four at the O'Patty's had made a note of her license plate before she'd left, the most they'd be able to find was the motel. Which meant, at bare minimum, Sunset would have several hours off the radar.

The fact that any crimes she were to commit while on the bike would get traced back to Starlight rather than straight to her was just icing on the cake. And also a possible lead-in to her ditching the hanger-on for good if things went incredibly south.

But for now, confident that the first part of her plan had gone off without a hitch, Sunset sped back onto the roads to begin phase two.

Starlight had, eventually, regained her composure enough to get her bearings in the city. Her notepad was a lifesaver in this regard, as she'd written down several street names when she was taking notes several hours ago. Not enough to form a map of the city, unfortunately, but enough for her to recognize the name of the next street she started following. And thanks to its orientation, it was trivial to follow it south until she came to a building she'd made note of earlier. From there, she decided to trace her steps back to the motel.

“Okay, should just be a couple more blocks,” she told herself under her breath, head down and hands in her pockets as she walked down the sidewalk. Even though she was hardly in the best corner of the city, there were still plenty of people walking about that afternoon. Normally she would have welcomed the crowd, even sought out a denser one to blend in and lose herself for a little while, but right now all she could feel was anxious. More than just the cops were after her now, she was sure of it, and she couldn't know who.

It was a bad feeling. Unnatural. Like she was well and truly alone again, something she hadn't felt since...

She shook her head. Now was not the time to lose herself in her past; she'd long since moved on from it and gotten stronger. She wasn't going to let the fear of being singled out sway her from her course. If some kind of cult were after her, then let them come! The worst that would happen is another crafty escape on her part.

In fact, she realized, if she played her cards right she might even be able to come out on top! A cult would be a fantastic way to start the rise of her vision of equality!

Head held high, Starlight increased her pace and proceeded with confidence. A confidence that steadily eroded over the course of the last few blocks as nothing notable happened and she realized that staying puffed up and prideful was way more trouble than it was worth. All it did was make her a little more tired and cause people to look at her, neither of which she really wanted right then.

When she finally had the motel in sight, crummy as it was, she felt nothing but relief. It didn't look like anyone was around, which meant she'd be able to rest her tired legs in peace. Have a few glasses of probably-safe-to-drink tap water to stay hydrated, maybe see if she could wrangle a snack from the vending machine outside... She wasn't certain if television was included in the room, or if the ancient thing sitting in it actually worked, but if it was and did then checking the local news wouldn't be a bad idea.

A smile on her lips, Starlight entered the motel parking lot and found her eyes drifting to where she'd parked her bike.

She stopped – something seemed off. The parking lot was filled with potholes and weeds so it made it difficult to tell where the actual spaces were meant to be, but even then she got the feeling she'd parked her bike a little bit to the right of where she was seeing it now.

She jogged forward to investigate, and her heart dropped when her worst suspicions were confirmed: the bike wasn't hers, it was Sunset's.

Half-formed panic on her lips, she turned around and around trying to spot her bike in the mostly-empty parking lot. “Wh... where is it? Where did it go?” she finally voiced, unable to control herself. She sprinted to the side of the building and checked around the corner to see if it had been moved to the back for some reason, but found nothing.

Even in her panic she knew she couldn't just alert the motel management lest she risk the police getting involved, which left her with one recourse. Sprinting back around to the front, and then to the door to her room, it was all she could do to stop herself from pounding on it. Forcing herself to take a breath, she gave the door three knocks in a specific rhythm and hissed “Sunset! It's me! Open up, it's an emergency!”

She spent approximately half a second tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for her riding partner to respond before pressing her eye against the peephole. She saw nothing, and groaned. “Of all the times to use the bathroom...” Then she repeated the special knock, and more loudly said “Sunset, hurry up! It's Starlight! I'm alone! Seriously, it's an emergency!”

No response, not even after she gave it a few seconds. Growling in frustration, she reached for her copy of the room key in her bag. “Alright, I'm letting myself in!” she announced, fitting the key into the lock. “You better not have locked it from the inside!”

She turned the knob and opened the door, and stepped into a deserted room. “...Sunset?” she called, confusion rising as she shut the door behind her. “Are you here?” she asked, making a beeline for the bathroom.

The door was open, the light off. It was as empty as the rest of the room. “Sunset?” she repeated, walking back towards the beds. “Seriously, if this is some stupid prank or something, knock it off, my bike's been stolen.” She knew instinctively that the chances of this being a prank were slim to none, but she needed to clear away the possibility nonetheless.

And when she bent down to look under the beds, and saw that her bike helmet was missing, it all came together.

She stood up and swore, her previous fear and confusion getting rapidly swallowed by her all-consuming anger. “She stole my bike! The nerve of that woman, how dare she!”

Clenching her fists hard enough her nails left indents in her palms, she let out a scream of frustration. “Great! Just great!” she ranted, beginning to pace the room. “Sunset's out there with my bike and my helmet, doing who knows what! What, was she out of gas and didn't feel like paying for a full tank herself or something? I keep telling her not to ride around when she doesn't need to, but does she ever listen? No! Sunset Shimmer is too good to be frugal with our money! And yet she has the nerve to get mad at me for buying things that are useful!”

Another scream, though she had the sense of mind to at least attempt to stifle it. “And now she's out there,” she motioned vaguely in the direction of the city, “probably framing me for something...” Starlight stopped to catch her breath, and ended up sitting down on her bed.

“How did she even get it started?” She groaned, falling backwards with her face in her hands. “I'm gonna have to pay to get it fixed, aren't I? That's gonna set me back even more!”

Starlight let out a long, bedraggled sigh, letting her arms flop out to her sides. “What am I gonna do now?” she moaned. “Trapped in Canterlot. Weirdos looking for me. Sunset probably trying to frame me. Is this really where it ends for me?”

She went silent after that, until an ember of anger was stoked inside her heart. “No,” she said, clenching her fists. “No, I'm not giving up.” She sat up on the bed. “Not like this, not today.” She stood, and resumed pacing. “Think, Starlight, think! Sunset's screwing you over, so she's probably gonna lead the cops right back here and then ditch you. You gotta find somewhere to hide.”

"Sunset's bike is useless to me, so I'll have to go on foot," Starlight said to herself before she remembered something important: where Sunset had stashed her things. Her lips curling into a devious grin, adding "But I can at least get some revenge before I go." Walking over and crouching down, she quickly found Sunset's helmet and tossed it aside to get at the real prize: her bag of personal belongings.

The first thing she found in that was Sunset's black leather jacket, which momentarily confused her. “What, did she need a full costume change or something?” she wondered aloud, holding up the jacket and inspecting it for damage – there was nothing new that she noticed. “Huh,” she said, checking its pockets and tossing it aside. Starlight momentarily considered whether or not the same people who were after her were after Sunset as well, then snorted and smiled when she realized how little she cared if that were the case. “Good riddance! Maybe I will try to join up with them after all and sell your butt out.”

Tossing the jacket aside, she rifled through the rest of Sunset's things and took out anything vaguely of value. Which wasn't much – a few articles of clothing that only had one or two holes in them, a couple pennies, and two open boxes of powerbars. She stuffed it all, as well as the rest of her own belongings, into her own bag, got it adjusted on her shoulder, and took a deep breath.

“Okay, Starlight, you can do this. You've planned on ditching Sunset for years. This is just a little... different than how you envisioned it. That's all. Just... go out there, and try to figure out what the deal is with those girls from the bus stop. And if they are a cult, see if you can join them! Easy as pie.”

Sufficiently reassured, she finally stepped up to the door. Out of habit she looked out the peephole to see if the coast was clear, then left the room for good and locked the door behind her.

Though she did keep her copy of the key, just in case. She could always return it later.

Phase two of Sunset Shimmer's current grand plan was, in essence, the same as what her plan for the day had originally been: track down those superheroes to try and get some powers of her own, and snag some easy cash if she saw the opportunity. She was back to traipsing the city incognito, and it felt liberating. Sure, Starlight would be mad if she found out Sunset had taken her bike, but that was a pretty big if, and she knew she could cow the weaker girl pretty easily should it come to that.

For now, though, she'd had to suffer a string of poor luck. She'd tried following those hero-chasing paparazzi again, but hadn't caught sight of the rainbow-girl or the one in the purple cape quite yet. There were plenty of places to stage a mugging, but doing so in broad daylight was difficult to pull off. Picking pockets or running scams would require her to remove her helmet, which wasn't something she was willing to do quite yet. Which left her with dumpster-diving or combing abandoned buildings for metal if she wanted to make some spending money.

As she idled at an intersection, she thought back to what she'd seen earlier that morning. She'd followed the rainbow-girl throughout what felt like most of the city, and then there'd been that robbery the two heroes had foiled... She was annoyed there wasn't an obvious pattern, but wasn't about to let it stop her. The rainbow-girl wasn't wearing any mask that Sunset could see, so unless there was some serious color-changing elements in her costume, she probably wasn't too interested with keeping her civilian identity a secret.

But the other one, who as far as Sunset knew covered up every inch of her skin... That girl didn't want people to know who she really was. And since she was, according to what information Sunset had dug up in the past few days and weeks, the only one actually doing any real hero business, Sunset guessed she probably had some sort of hideout. Somewhere she could rest, and train, and maybe eavesdrop on police radio like they did on TV.

And, of course, somewhere she could switch between her identities.

Granted, Sunset knew she was assuming quite a lot about her quarry. But she also felt confident that she was on to something, that a superhero like that would want somewhere they could hide out away from prying eyes.

At the next intersection Sunset made a quick turn westward, towards the old industrial districts.

Starlight was beginning to tire of walking around. She'd checked the bus stop where she'd seen the other Sunset and her friend but to no avail, and had decided against following the directions she'd been given to the library. The possibility of walking into a trap just wasn't high enough, and now that she actually wanted to be kidnapped by a cult she had decided that walking around in the open gave her better chances.

“Honestly, the life I lead...,” she said to herself as she continued along. “Who would've guessed this is what I'd be doing today?”

After walking another block unmolested, Starlight stopped on a corner and thought about her approach. If anybody did want to kidnap her, they weren't likely to do so while she was walking the streets in broad daylight. And in the very real circumstance that there wasn't some kind of non-police group trying to find her, staying to the shadows would probably be her best bet to stay safe while whatever was going on blew over and she could make her escape to...

Well, she wasn't sure yet, but if the day didn't pan out how she hoped then an escape was going to be in her future.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she said, ducking into the next alley she came across. Out of habit more than anything else she kept her movements quick, but quiet. Ducking behind dumpsters and into doorways; cautiously checking every corner she came across; if her heart hadn't been starting to pound with the tension of it all she might have found it nearly fun.

She reached the end of her current alley, stuck her head out streetwise, and hurried across once she decided there wasn't much traffic.

Her gaze drifted upwards, and she realized she was heading into the space between and behind an apartment complex and a department store – a prime place to go dumpster diving, she noted.

“No reason I can't scrounge up some spare change while I wait,” she said to herself with a pleased smile.

But before she could do that, she wanted to get the lay of the land as it were. So she proceeded more-or-less as she had, keeping to cover but noting the dumpsters, checking a side alley and being relieved that it was a dead-end, before proceeding towards where it seemed to open onto a wider side street.

She heard the sound of a falling body far too late.

“Stop right there!” a voice shouted at her from above, and the suddenness and force behind it startled Starlight into doing just that.

What appeared – no, floated down – before her defied all logical explanation. Dimly, she recognized the figure from the tabloid piece Sunset had been fixating on recently, but actually seeing what amounted to a comic book character in the flesh was mind-boggling.

A teenage girl, about a year or so younger than her at best. Blue skin, weirdly high and pointed ears, rainbow hair tied back into a ponytail. Every last piece of her outfit covered in glitter – blue leggings, maroon vest and skirt, orange sneakers with little wings on them. Even the strange translucent yellow bits attached to her skirt that looked kinda like lightning bolts glittered in the sun.

The yellow crystal armory bits on her hips and wrists and shoulders didn't glitter, though. Neither did the incredibly sharp and inflexible-looking crystalline wings, though those did seem to be vibrating slightly.

All of this flashed through Starlight's genius brain in mere nanoseconds, leading her to the most logical of responses: “What the heck?!”

That was all she said before her fight-or-flight responses went full throttle on flight, and she about-faced and sprinted away.

She got maybe a yard before the flying rainbow-girl was in front of her again. “Crap,” she muttered as she skid to a halt, mind racing through the possibilities. Had she seriously miscalculated what was going on in Canterlot? Had those two girls sicked some superhero on her? Was this the magic they had been talking about? Was the superhero part of the cult? Or had there never been a cult to begin with, and Starlight had just jumped to conclusions?

“You won't escape, Mare-Do-Well!” the rainbow-girl declared, looking cocky.

Starlight's thought process ground to a halt. “Mare-Do-Well?” she repeated. “Who the heck are you talking about?”

'Don't tell me this is some kind of mistaken identity thing,' she thought to herself.

It was worse.

The rainbow-girl laughed. “Don't act like you don't know!” she said. “I have friends who told me you disappeared mysteriously earlier. And there's only one person in town capable of something like that!” With a haughty smirk, she pointed at Starlight and said “The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!”

In dawning horror, it came to Starlight: the girl in front of her was, in fact, friends with the two from the bus stop, had been sent by them to look for her, and was under the mistaken impression that she, Starlight, was also some kind of superhero.

Starlight immediately began trying to back away, both from the rainbow-girl and the situation in general. “Y-y-y-y-you've got the wrong girl, I swear!” she tried to explain despite her horror and panic. “I don't know anything about that Mare-Do-Well character!”

“Oh really?” the girl replied, and it was obvious to Starlight that she wasn't even entertaining the notion of having gotten the wrong person.

“Yes!” Starlight stammered, desperate for any chance at escape no matter how slim. “Th-th-the disappearance was all a, a misunderstanding,” she said, mind racing to come up with a something she could say to get herself out of this. “I just... climbed up the wall and onto the roof!”

Her would-be foe remained skeptical. “A likely story. Now come here, so I can give them proof that I caught you!”

Starlight's mind immediately jumping to the worst possibility, her flight response kicked it back into overdrive and sent her running back towards the street. It didn't matter; the rainbow-girl quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a mockery of a friendly side-hug.

And to make matters worse, she proceeded to take a selfie. “Now smile for the camera!”

Starlight couldn't have smiled if she'd tried. “Please,” she said as she desperately struggled against her captor, “you've got this all wrong! I'm really not who you think I am!”

She only got a snort of disdain in reply, the rainbow-girl diverting her attention to texting someone – whoever had sent her, Starlight guessed, or perhaps whoever she reported to in whatever chain of command she was a part of. “Still don't believe you,” she said offhandedly. “Why would I after how suspicious you've been acting?”

Again, Starlight's mind raced. She considered just decking the girl or stomping on her foot or something and then running; her captor didn't seem to have a firm grasp of the art, or her, and it wasn't like Starlight had never been in a similar situation. But she could already see how fleeing would work out: she'd get maybe a yard before the rainbow-girl flew in front of her again.

She could also attempt to just knock the other girl out. And were it a normal person she was dealing with, Starlight likely would have done so. But assaulting an actual, real-life superhero with powers and everything seemed like a terrible idea. For all she knew the girl holding onto her was invulnerable, and attacking her would only make her mad.

And even if Starlight did knock her out, she'd wake up eventually and had seen Starlight's face. The last thing she wanted was to wind up getting named a supervillain when she was trying to stay hidden.

As she was thinking this, her mouth went on autopilot. “S-suspicious? I, I don't know what you're talking about!”

A sharp growl pierced Starlight's runaway thoughts, forcing her attention back to the present. “Really,” the hero girl said, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. “So you call running away from my friends for no good reason, mysteriously disappearing from a dead-end alley, and skulking around back here,” she made a vague motion around them, “not suspicious?”

That, of all things, seemed to cause a snap somewhere in Starlight's psyche. “I was running away because your friends decided to chase me,” she said, feeling her anger rise up and clenching her teeth to contain it. “And I've been 'skulking around' as you put it for the same reason! I have been freaking the heck out all morning wondering who could possibly want to be chasing me, and seeing how someone like you got involved, I'd say that was a pretty reasonable decision on my end.

“And for the last time, I didn't 'mysteriously disappear',” she allowed herself the gratification of air quotes and an eyeroll, “I just climbed!”

It didn't seem to faze the rainbow-girl, who just snorted and continued to text. For a brief moment, Starlight felt she felt sympathy towards the older generations and their complaints about her generation's alleged phone obsession. It didn't last, though; her hatred and disgust for the systems of the world and the people propping them up squashed those feelings quite handily.

“Yeah, well, we'll find out the truth soon enough,” the rainbow-girl said with an annoyingly cocky smirk.

A car passing by the nearest alley ending drew the rainbow-girl's attention away for a moment, and once again Starlight contemplated trying to make her escape. But before she could even strike that notion down the same way as before, she felt the grip on her arm tighten.

“Come on,” she was told, the so-called 'hero' dragging Starlight deeper into the alley.

Her fear began to reassert itself. “Wha... what are you gonna do to me?”

“Who knows?” The mocking reply came alongside a new text message, which was quickly read and smirked at. She resumed pulling Starlight along, saying “We'll have to wait for my friends to get here to find out.” She paused, then added “But, uh, if you stop lying and tell me the truth, the less they'll have to do.”

Desperate, Starlight tried once more to plead with her captor. “B-but I have been telling the truth, the whole time! I really don't know anything about that Mare-Do-Well person or whoever it is you think I am! I'm innocent, I swear!”

It wasn't her best argument of all time, even considering her level of panic, but it was all she really had without fully coming clean about all her intentions that day. And something told her that telling a superhero how she had been hoping to get abducted by a cult and join them as a way of protecting herself both from the law and the machinations of her riding partner who looked identical to the superhero's friend was.... not a great idea.

For some bewildering reason the rainbow-girl, despite being pleased with her response, replied with “That's what they all say!”

It provided Starlight with the last bit of evidence she needed to convince herself she had been captured by an idiot.

Sunset was not at all bothered by the fact that she'd abandoned heading towards the nearest collection of abandoned industrial buildings the moment she'd noticed activity amongst the roving packs of hero-chasers. After all, she reasoned, secret bases didn't typically move that often. She needed to be decisive and opportunistic, always chasing the leads that presented themselves.

She wasn't even bothered by the fact that they, and by extension she, had lost track of the rainbow-girl before Sunset had seen her. That morning's long and meandering chase had imparted upon her the need for patience in her hero-tracking.

No, what bothered Sunset was the needle on her bike's fuel gauge, and how it was reading far lower than she wanted it to.

“Uggh! Starlight, you idiot, when's the last time you put gas in this thing?” she muttered angrily as she slowed down and turned into the deserted parking lot of a seedy-looking old 24-hour corner store. “Fat lot of good stealing this stupid thing did me if it runs out of gas.”

She let out a frustrated sigh, and weighed her options. One, she could drive back to the motel and return Starlight's bike in exchange for her own. That would risk putting attention back on herself, so no. Two, she could just abandon the bike and go about it on foot. Also a bad idea for what she felt were self-evident reasons.

Three, she could finally get around to scrounging up some money. Paying for what was effectively Starlight's gas left a bitter taste in her mouth, but it was still the most palatable option. She pulled back onto the street immediately, in search of somewhere to work.

It didn't take her much driving to find a place she liked, one of the slightly nicer districts in town where money flowed and goods flowed along with it. She pulled down a minor side street, slowed to a rolling stop that ended on the sidewalk, turned off the bike and walked it into an alley. The building to the right of her was a bakery, offering the possibility of some free food on top of money, and when she saw the immediate alley deserted she pumped a fist.

She parked her bike just inside so that she could make a quick exit to the street if need be, and started investigating the dumpsters. The first was a disgusting mess, a bunch of old shampoo bottles that had leaked everywhere and produced a smell that made Sunset want to throw up. Still, she managed to close the lid gingerly enough to not attract attention, and after getting a breath of fresher air moved on.

The second dumpster was a little ways away, and it quickly became clear that it, at least, was used by the bakery. “Score,” she whispered, smiling at the bounty of individually-wrapped bread loaves that lay before her.

A few minutes later she'd extracted the two best-looking loaves of the bunch, as well as a pair of battered old cake pans covered in scorch marks, and even a single corkscrew.

“Not bad,” she mused, slipping the corkscrew into her pocket and closing the dumpster. Picking up the pans and bread, she walked back to her bike and opened the trunk with the stolen key.

“Figures,” she snorted, seeing the first aid and motorcycle repair kits sitting inside under the tarp. “Starlight wouldn't keep anything valuable in here, would she?” Stuff her spoils inside as best she could, Sunset closed and relocked the trunk before swing a leg over the bike.

“Where to next...,” she thought aloud, feeling the engine start up beneath her. “Maybe there's a hardware store around here, or a Big-o-Mart...”

Even with her helmet and the gentle hum of the idling engine, Sunset's ears – honed by her years on the wrong side of the law – still picked up the sound of feet on pavement. Many feet. Smelling an opportunity, she moved her hand to headlight switch.

And the moment she saw four girls step into view, she turned it on. The effect was immediate; the girls froze, and Sunset's eyes honed in on the most natural target: a long-haired girl on the alley side of the sidewalk with a purse on her shoulder.

A rev of the engine, a burst of speed, and a deft and gloved hand; before she knew it she was speeding away with the girl's purse in her clutches. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping through her veins bringing a wild smile to her unseen face.

All remnants of her previous plan were lost in the rush; her focus was now directed solely towards getting as far away from the crime scene as fast as possible. Knowledge born of experience told her that anybody who'd been around almost certainly wouldn't call the cops, thanks to the suddenness of her crime and the good old bystander effect. Even the girls themselves likely hadn't seen enough of her to give the cops a solid description, though Sunset knew she'd likely have to be careful about her bike and jacket for the time being.

Following traffic laws would help keep eyes off her, so despite her haste she made sure to stop when the lights and signs told her to. But the moment she got back into a more decrepit part of Canterlot, she sped off onto emptier streets in search of somewhere away from prying eyes so she could loot her ill-gotten purse.

Sunset turned onto another street she felt was sure to have somewhere she could hide out in for a couple minutes, only to be taken off-guard by someone actually walking briskly down the sidewalk. She cursed under her breath, then looked took another glance at the girl as she passed her by.

“Wait a minute... I've seen her before,” she said to herself, slowing down and turning into a deserted parking garage even as she racked her brain for answers.

It hit her as she came to a stop. “Before the bank robbery! After I lost the rainbow-haired girl!” She pulled off her helmet, and sent a vicious smile in the direction she'd seen her new white-haired target. “Interesting. What was a girl like her doing in a place like this?”

Chapter 15 - Hope for the Hopeless

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Fluttershy had been silent for a good fifteen minutes. She had set herself up on a pedestal of redemption for Mr. Discord, no matter how long and frustrating it would be, and it had been kicked out from under her by the police. It was all very upsetting, and in a peculiar way – she both did and did not want to cry. Normally it was firmly one or the other with her; she knew for sure that if it had been someone like, say, Rainbow Dash who had gotten taken away for questioning by the cops she'd be practically sobbing by now. But this...

She suspected it was because Mr. Discord wasn't exactly a nice person, but then she felt bad because didn't everyone deserve someone to cry for their sake in times like this? At least, that's what she'd always believed.

Then again, she'd never met someone quite like Mr. Discord before in her life.

But it wasn't like she wasn't certain she wanted to redeem him, or that he was innocent in that bank robbery the police had mentioned. She absolutely, positively, definitely was!

She just... didn't know what to do about it all on her own, with nobody supporting her. Fluttershy had never been very good in those types of situations.

A whimper got her attention, and made her realize that she'd been standing in place staring at the floor since she'd retreated to the kennel room. The dogs that Mr. Discord had taken for a walk had mostly not returned to their cages, and several were looking at her with concern. “It's alright, little ones,” she said, crouching down and giving the closest pair a good scratch under the chin. “Just because Mr. Discord got taken away by the police, doesn't mean he's done anything wrong.”

She stood up, her body going through the usual motions of animal care while her mind drifted back towards worry. “Oh, but they did seem to be convinced he'd done something wrong,” she murmured, grabbing a box of treats and handing one out to each dog – many took them happily, some only gave them a cursory sniff before looking back up at Fluttershy. “I suppose he might not have been telling me the whole truth about what happened earlier,” she continued, distracted, putting the treats away. She turned around, facing the dogs but not looking at them. “But what if he was? Then he might get put in jail for something he didn't do!”

Oblivious to a few whines, she began leading the dogs back to their cages – even picking up the smaller ones to facilitate things a bit. “Ohh, I wish I could help him, but how? It's not like I was there!”

Another whimper, loud enough that it nearly became a howl. A few dogs licked her legs and got under foot as well, and halfway through stepping over them she finally took notice. “Oh! But I suppose you all were there, weren't you?” she asked the dogs, receiving several happy tail wags and a couple of barks in reply.

Fluttershy put a hand on her pendant, and willed its magic to activate. “So, what did happen on your walk exactly?”

She was bombarded with a salvo of long, rambling, enthusiastic descriptions of the walk and what each dog had smelled and done and even seen.

“O-okay now, I get that you all had fun,” Fluttershy said, laughing even as their eagerness threatened to overwhelm her. “But I was really thinking more about what happened near the end. Umm, you didn't happen to see my friend Rainbow Dash, did you?”

The dogs paused and conferred amongst themselves for a few moments, before deciding that they had, in fact, encountered Rainbow Dash within a crowd of interesting and mostly unfamiliar smells. A single scruffy tan terrier pushed its way closer to the center of the group and barked at Fluttershy.

“Hmm? What's that, Bravo? You know what happened?” she asked, growing concerned.

Bravo the terrier barked again, then launched into a growling, whining, butt-waggling tale of bravery and adventure.

“Uh-huh. Uh-huh,” Fluttershy said, nodding along with great interest. “And then what happened?”

Bravo barked.

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my! So Mr. Discord didn't do anything, but somebody did take something from the bags that were on the ground?”

Another bark, another gasp. “The other girl that was there took it? That...” She frowned, bringing a crooked finger to her lip. “Why, that must've been the Mare-Do-Well, right? If I remember what Mr. Discord said, that is.”

She bit her lip and stood up straight, sending a far-off look in the direction of the Center's front door where she'd seen Mr. Discord leave not too long ago. She spent several quiet moments just staring, enough that Bravo and the other dogs whimpered and took anxious steps towards her.

“I need to tell them,” Fluttershy decided. “If I know the truth, then I ought to share it. Ohh, I just hope they believe me...”

Bravo barked, a sentiment that was echoed by the other dogs. Fluttershy looked at them, resolve bolstered, and nodded. “You're right. I should be more confident in myself. Especially because I'm bringing an eyewitness to help me.”

This temporarily confused the dogs, but they came to the quick consensus that it meant another round of walkies for them and acted accordingly.

“N-no! I-I just meant...” Fluttershy tried to say as she was assaulted by the horde of wet noses, slobbery licks, and warm furry bodies of a bunch of overeager dogs.

It took nearly half an hour for Fluttershy to get the dogs calmed down, explain to them that she'd only be taking Bravo with her, get the other dogs calmed down again, and then get them all back in their cages.

And once she'd finally gotten Bravo re-leashed, she took a deep breath to steel herself before heading over to Dr. Rescue's office. She found the door open, as she thought she should have expected, and had to pause earlier than she had wanted to in order to rebuild her confidence one more time.

It was Bravo who pulled her into the open, pulling the good doctor's attention away from the paperwork she'd been doing.

“Fluttershy, what are you doing?” she asked, brow furrowed with concern. “Bravo just had a walk.”

“Umm... yes... but...” Fluttershy said, trying once more to work up her fleeting courage now that the confrontation was happening. “I... I talked with Bravo and the other doggies about what happened, and they said that Mr. Discord was innocent, umm, maybe not in those words exactly, but...”

Her explanation growing quieter and more rambling by the second, Dr. Rescue was left to give her no response except a stern, brow-raised look.

Fluttershy cleared her throat and tried again. “I think I can clear Mr. Discord's name with Bravo's help. I know you don't, umm, like him, but it's the right thing to do. So...”

A sigh from Dr. Rescue cut her off. “You've got a kind heart, Fluttershy. Probably kinder than most people's. But sometimes I think you're too kind for your own good. That man isn't worth sticking your neck out for; all it'll lead to is him trying to take advantage of you. If he's innocent, fine. But it's not our job to figure that out. The police can handle it on their own.”

Under the weight of disapproval, it was all Fluttershy could do to just stand her ground. Gaze averted, she clutched the end of Bravo's leash and took a few trembling breaths. As she tried to find the strength to keep going and assert herself, she saw the terrier looking up at her.

He wanted her to keep going. So did the other dogs. She remembered her talk with the Crusaders earlier that morning, and she knew all her other friends would encourage her as well.

“Umm... I know Mr. Discord might not be grateful for it,” she finally said, “but I'm still going to do it. The sooner this gets cleared up, the better it'll be for everyone.”

Finally working up the courage to look Dr. Rescue in the eyes again, Fluttershy was momentarily taken aback by the stare she was being fixed with. But after what felt like forever, Dr. Rescue relented. “Fine. I'll allow it, so long as you bring Bravo back the moment you're done. You're only a volunteer, so ultimately I am the one responsible for his health and well-being. The less time he spends in high-stress environments, the better.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I understand. We'll go down to the station, clear things up, and then come right back here.”

The matter sorted, Dr. Rescue gave Fluttershy directions to the nearest police station – it wasn't the only one in Canterlot, not by far, but it was the one Dr. Rescue expected that Mr. Discord had been taken to. The route wasn't exactly one that Fluttershy was pleased to take, as it skirted a few of the scarier parts of town, but as the bus didn't allow non-helper animals and Dr. Rescue couldn't leave the Center, she was forced to go it on foot.

She quickly found herself torn between psyching herself up as she walked, or trying to just relax and enjoy the pleasant afternoon. Bravo, for his part, just seemed to be content to go on another walk and more than once ended up pulling Fluttershy along.

A few people she knew from school or animal friends from around town greeted her as they passed by; each one drew her focus little by little away from her purpose, allowing her to relax even for a moment. But each intersection they came upon, each person who asked how she was or if she was headed anywhere in particular, just caused her thoughts to drift back to Mr. Discord. She replayed the scene of him getting taken away from the cops, trying to imagine what he must have been thinking and feeling as it happened. She didn't get very far.

She also tried to imagine what she could have done to prevent it, if only she'd thought to ask the dogs at that time, but even then she failed every time.

It was enough to make her sigh. And then a car honked, and she realized she was still in the middle of the street. Giving the driver a very meek “Sorry!” she hustled out of the way.

A little while after that, she finally thought to check her phone to see how long she'd been gone, and saw that she'd gotten a text some time ago. “Oh my,” she said to herself, stopping immediately to read it.

She repeated the sentiment when she saw what it had to say. At a quizzical look from Bravo, she explained. “Umm, my friends saw someone suspicious and they want my help finding her. But, umm, I really can't right now, so...”

Bravo tilted his head, and Fluttershy took that as a cue to stop talking. She quickly tapped out an apologetic response and promised to let them know if she saw the girl they were looking for, then resumed walking.

The reply came a few minutes later as a simple “Thanks”, and Fluttershy wasn't entirely certain what to make of it. But Bravo whined impatiently, and she decided that it was probably nothing. Or at least, Twilight was probably too busy doing other things to say more.

“I wonder if they found her?” Fluttershy mused, resuming the walk once more. “That would be nice. Although in that case, Twilight might not have appreciated my text! Ohh, I hope I wasn't too late sending it...”

Bravo barked.

“You're probably right,” Fluttershy told him with a small smile, thankful that nobody was around to see her talking to a dog. “She must've just been too busy, like I thought. I can't imagine it's easy to find a single person in the big city.”

She turned a corner shortly after, and so did not see the purple-skinned girl her friends were seeking scamper out from an alley she'd passed and head in the opposite direction.

Eventually, Fluttershy found herself standing outside the Canterlot Police Department. Or at least the 40^th Precinct of it, anyway. Stone lions flanked either side of the stairs up, and though the building was only three stories tall it was an imposing edifice of reflective glass and cold concrete.

Safe to say that Fluttershy was feeling mighty intimidated. Enough that she didn't even notice most of the people coming and going from the building, mostly cops but a few well-dressed civilians as well. Many of them gave her odd looks that were noticed only by Bravo, who out of nothing but canine curiosity darted this way and that at any person that so much as looked his way.

Until, inevitably, he reached the end of his leash. Unaware of how much it had gotten wrapped around Fluttershy's legs the dog simply kept pulling in vain; this in turn caught Fluttershy's notice. She took one look at the terrier's leash, and failed to realize the significance before she tried to take a step to the side.

She failed miserably, and fell to the pavement with a shriek. Bravo turned a concerned look her way, and quickly scampered over to lick her and whine as helpfully as he could.

“Oh jeez, are you alright?” asked a male voice, and Fluttershy forced herself to look up and see who it was – a blue-skinned police officer, who was offering her a hand up.

“Umm... thanks...,” she murmured, accepting it only enough to get herself into a crouching position. “Sorry... I guess Bravo got a little too excited and I didn't realize it...,” she explained, eyes and hands preoccupied with disentangling herself while the dog in question contented itself to stay seated, occasionally trying to snatch any part of the leash that was absentmindedly passed in front of him.

“That's fine, that's fine,” the officer laughed. Fluttershy gave Bravo a scratch on the head and stood up, prompting the officer to put a hand to his chin. “Huh, so it really is you.”

Momentarily confused, Fluttershy looked more closely at him and gasped. “Oh my! You're the one who took away Mr. Discord!”

Which earned an awkward laugh. “Yup, guilty as charged. I'm Detective Deputy Sleuth,” he said, offering his hand again for a shake. “I... take it you're not here just by coincidence?”

Faced with the prospect of having to explain herself with a level of preparation she now realized was incredibly inadequate, Fluttershy's body went into overdrive. Blood rushed to her cheeks as her heart began pounding, and countless competing thoughts and impulses competed for control of her hands, feet, eyes, and mouth.

“Nn-n-n-no! N-not at all! I mean, um, err, I am! Just, uh, taking a walk, and, I mean, umm...”

Detective Sleuth raised a brow. “Oooo...kay, if you say so I guess. If you need help with anything, we're right inside.”

He turned and started walking back up the steps, leaving Fluttershy to stare dumbfounded and Bravo to look between the two and whine. All at once Fluttershy was hit with the realization that she may have just let her best and least-stressful opportunity to explain herself slip through her fingers, and felt a resurgence of panic.

This time, at least, it was productive. “Wait!” she called, hurrying after Detective Sleuth with Bravo eagerly following suit.

Detective Sleuth stopped just as he was reaching out for a door handle, and looked back over his shoulder with a small smile. “I take it you've changed your mind?” he asked as Fluttershy ran up, then stopped to catch her breath.

“Umm... yes...,” she said, flushing in embarrassment but forcing herself to smile anyways. It didn't last long. “Sorry. It's just... I know Mr. Discord has done a lot of bad things in his life,” she explained to the man's shoes, “but I think I can prove that he didn't do anything wrong today, and even if nobody believes me I still think I should tell somebody because that's the right thing to do, and—”

“Hold on,” Detective Sleuth interrupted, looking at her critically, “you said you can prove Mr. Discord did nothing wrong? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh! Umm, well,” Fluttershy said, briefly looking up at the detective before averting her gaze to the terrier at the end of her leash. He was currently sniffing a dried-up wad of gum that was on one of the steps. “You see, umm, Bravo here was on the walk with Mr. Discord, in fact he was the dog that broke away and ran into the crowd, and he says that Mr. Discord didn't take anything from the crime scene, so—”

“Wait, wait, hold on,” the detective said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You said Bravo saw what happened?” He pointed at the terrier in question, who looked their way and cocked an ear.

“Uh-huh,” Fluttershy nodded.

“The dog.”

Fluttershy paused. She had known she'd hit this snag sooner or later, but she had a plan. “I can talk to him?” she explained, putting on her most convincing smile.

It didn't seem to work.

Detective Sleuth sighed. “Look, Miss...”

“Fluttershy,” she helpfully supplied.

“Miss Fluttershy,” he repeated. “I'm not doubting your claim that the dog was at the scene of the crime. Maybe he even technically saw what happened. But I can't accept testimony from a dog just because you claim you can talk to him.”

“But, uhh, I can prove it!” Fluttershy said quickly, one hand automatically reaching for her necklace. “Ask me anything about what he might have seen, and I'll get his answer for you.”

He face-palmed. “I still can't accept that. For all I know, you could just be repeating what someone else told you.”

“Oh...,” Fluttershy said, hanging her head and trying not to let the disappointment get to her too much. Another thought occurred to her, though, and she clung to it as though it were the only thing keeping her from plummeting to the ground below. “Well... what if I prove it some other way?”

Detective Sleuth sighed. “What other way?”

“Well...,” she began, taking a moment to compose her thoughts again. “What if... you told Bravo something without me knowing, and then Bravo told me? That would prove I can understand him, right?”

The two stared at each other for some time, and eventually Fluttershy's puppy-dog eyes won out. “Fine,” the detective said after another, longer sigh. “Guess I don't exactly have anything to lose by doing this... Can your dog read?” he asked, rifling around in the pockets of his pants.

“I... don't think so,” Fluttershy said uncertainly, before adding, “Oh, but he can recognize shapes and images! And he's very good with smells!”

Detective Sleuth stared at her for another moment, then muttered, “I should've figured.” Removing his left hand from his pants, he pointed towards one of the stone lions. “Go behind the statue, close your eyes and cover your ears. And your nose too, for that matter. Tell me when you've done so, and I'll show something to your dog. Then I'll put it away and come get you. That okay with you?”

“Umm...” Fluttershy said, looking hard between the end of the leash she was holding and the statue – she wouldn't be able to hold onto it while she was hiding, and she didn't like the thought of Bravo being out of sight and out of reach while she was responsible for him. But, she decided, she could probably trust a police officer not to let him get hurt, right? So, with great reluctance, she handed over the leash.

“You be good now, Bravo,” she told her furry friend, giving him a pat on the head. He barked happily, and she walked away – slowly, looking back every few steps as though he'd disappear if she didn't.

But eventually she got behind the lion statue, closed her eyes, and after a bit of awkwardness managed to get her nose and ears covered at the same time by crossing her arms. Then she shouted out a muffled “Ready!” through her arms.

She wasn't sure how much time passed as she sat curled up with her back to the statue, left with only the echo chamber of her own worried mind. She felt like she must have gone over every thing that had happened that day a hundred times in her head by the time she finally heard Detective Sleuth call for her. The unexpected but welcome sensation of a wet tongue on her bare arm sealed the deal, and she released her self-imposed deprivation with a giggle.

Fluttershy looked up to see the detective standing over her, leash in his outstretched hand and an amused smile on his face. She briefly flushed again, standing up like a bolt and swiping the lead back into the safety of her grasp, then dawdled for a moment before she recalled what she needed to do next. Immediately crouching back down to Bravo's level, she patted his head with one hand while touching her geode with the other.

“Good boy, Bravo. Now, what did the nice man show you?”

Bravo tilted his head for a moment as if thinking, then barked. Fluttershy frowned. “Really? Are you sure?

He barked again.

“So? What did he say?” Detective Sleuth asked, still cracking an amused smile.

“Umm, well, he says that your hand was empty,” Fluttershy said, too focused on Bravo to notice the detective's smile disappear. “But that seems strange, because you said you were going to show him something.”

Another bark.

“Oh!” Fluttershy said, finally looking back up at Detective Sleuth. “He also says that you had a pastrami sandwich with extra mustard for lunch. Was that right at least?”

Detective Sleuth looked almost miserable as he stared off into the distance. “...yeah,” he finally admitted. “All of it was.”

The 40^th Precinct was intimidating in how busy it seemed to Fluttershy; there were people everywhere, taking calls and doing paperwork and milling around and even a few that were escorting criminals! She stayed close to Detective Sleuth as he led her through the building, Bravo squirming in her arms the whole time.

They had gotten more than a few odd looks since coming in, and Detective Sleuth had already been stopped several times and questioned about why there was a teenage girl and, more importantly, a dog in the building.

“I know, I know,” he said, trying to wave it off to yet another indirect superior. “She and the dog have some kind of statement to give regarding the bank robbery, I just need to question them and they'll be out of here.”

Each time it happened Fluttershy felt certain that it was going to be the end of the line for them, and she'd have to leave without explaining what Bravo had seen. And yet each time they were allowed to pass, and once or twice Detective Sleuth even requested that someone or another be present for her questioning. She didn't recognize any of the names, not that she felt she had reason to, but she got the feeling that at least some of them were important.

Eventually, she found herself sequestered into a small room that looked exactly like something out of a TV show – dark walls, bare floors, furnished with two chairs and a table and lit only by a single hanging lightbulb. If she hadn't had Bravo there with her, Fluttershy felt she would have dissolved into an anxious mess.

Detective Sleuth sighed and closed the door. “Sorry about all this. Proper procedures, and... yeah. With any luck, it won't take long to convince the Captain that you're telling the truth and this'll all go smoothly.”

Fluttershy didn't know what to say to that, so she just looked back down at Bravo and scratched him behind the ears. He seemed calm, at least, which Fluttershy took comfort in.

A bit more time passed in awkward silence, Detective Sleuth standing by the door and occasionally glancing over his shoulder at it. “They, uh, they should just be a minute.”

Not long after that was there a cursory knock on the door, which was opened before Detective Sleuth had even the time to respond. To Fluttershy's surprise, three officers stepped inside. The first was a white-skinned man with blue hair; he gave Fluttershy an odd look, but said nothing and quickly stepped to the side. In contrast, the next two people were talking as they entered – or rather, one of them was.

“But Captain Stone,” said the man, brown-skinned with a tangle of mess yellow hair, “we know he was there. We know he had the opportunity. Why not just arrest him and get this over with!”

The other was an older and severe-looking woman, dull bronze skin, steel gray hair kept in a short, tight ponytail. Hands clasped behind her back, she gave the man a stern glare. “Because, Shoes, we are thorough. We do not jump to conclusions, no matter how obvious they may seem.”

With Officer Shoes successfully silenced, she cast a stony glance at Fluttershy and Bravo before turning to Detective Sleuth. “Detective Sleuth, why, pray tell, did you call Sergeant Armor and I in here to supervise a routine witness interview?”

The detective, who had stiffened and saluted upon Captain Stone's entrance, finally relaxed. “My full apologies, sir,” he told her, “but I felt the unusual circumstances demanded your immediate attention. And yours as well, Sergeant Armor,” he added, nodding at the white-skinned man who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Unusual circumstances?” Captain Stone asked, brow raised and tone firm.

“It's, uh, the dog, sir,” said Detective Sleuth, his eyes darting towards Bravo. “It's the witness. It was at the crime scene.”

Captain Stone's brow remain raised as she turned her look to Bravo, who cocked his head and looked back. Then she turned fully around to face Officer Shoes, who was still lurking in the open doorway. “Shoes, you were there. Do you recognize this terrier?”

Startled by the sudden attention, Officer Shoes nevertheless shuffled forward and leaned in to get a better look at Bravo. Bravo stared back. After half a minute of hemming and hawwing, Officer Shoes turned back to Captain Stone. “I believe so, sir. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, this might just be the dog that helped him!”

That made all three of the other officers in the room become tense, which in turn caused Fluttershy to clutch Bravo more closely to herself. “I see,” said Captain Stone, stepping forward to take the seat across from Fluttershy. “Well then, young lady, I believe introductions are in order. I am Captain Phantasmagorica Stone.”

Fluttershy gulped, despite herself. She was beginning to seriously question her decision to come inside. “I'm, umm, Fluttershy,” she managed to say. “And this is Bravo. He's, umm, one of the dogs in the care of the Canterlot Rescue Center where I volunteer. Umm, Mr. Discord volunteers there too.”

“I see,” said Captain Stone, expression suiting her name. “Tell me, Fluttershy. How exactly is...,” she glanced down at Bravo, “Bravo a witness to this particular incident?”

“Oh, well,” Fluttershy replied, glancing briefly at Officer Shoes but reflexively shrinking under his scrutinizing gaze. She forced herself to recover quickly, and continued. “Mr. Discord took him and several other of the Center's dogs for a walk this morning and ended up coming across the, um, bank robbery. Or, umm, more like the crowd that had gathered after it was stopped?”

She gulped, knowing what was coming next and fighting a losing battle inside herself against her anxiety at having to explain such a ridiculous-sounding situation to someone with such an unforgiving expression. “Anyway... Bravo smelled, umm, one of my friends and managed to pull himself free of Mr. Discord's hold so he could go say hi. And he says—”

“Mr. Discord says?” Captain Stone interrupted.

Fluttershy gulped again and shook her head. “No, sir. Bravo said that—”

“The dog said,” Captain Stone repeated, her otherwise neutral tone and stern expression edging just slightly into disbelief.

“Yes, sir,” Fluttershy told her.

But before she could explain more, Captain Stone's head whipped around towards Detective Sleuth. “Is this what you meant when you said the dog was the witness?” she asked, her tone making it clear she did not approve.

Fluttershy wished she could be as composed as Detective Sleuth when he replied. “I know it sounds absurd, sir, but I've already tested the claim and it does seem like Fluttershy can communicate with Bravo. I don't think we have anything to lose from hearing her out.”

“I disagree, Detective Sleuth,” said Captain Stone, her voice taking on even more of an edge. “Any testimony gained through such methods will be highly suspect, and I will not have this investigation proceed by relying on what is tantamount to a supernatural explanation. Do I make myself clear?”

The detective looked frazzled; a beseeching look towards Sergeant Armor was met with quiet neutrality, and Fluttershy felt that Sleuth was going to cave. But then he gulped and she saw him clench his fists, and he gave his reply. “But sir, with all due respect, given the circumstances of the investigation I believe this approach is entirely warranted!”

Captain Stone stood. “The answer is still—”

“Oh, let him do it, Phanny!”

The new voice took all four officers off-guard, leaving Fluttershy to wonder how they'd missed the elderly woman in a wheelchair appearing in the doorway. Her skin a wrinkled brown and her dark green hair streaked with gray, even the Captain silently stepped aside to allow her to be pushed into the increasingly-cramped room by a younger woman with pale white skin and black hair. Their crisp suits marked them as civilians, but the older was smiling mischievously as she surveyed the room, while the younger had simply turned an unnervingly emotionless gaze onto Fluttershy.

“Ah. Judge Oathmaker. I wasn't aware you were here,” said Captain Stone, her face carefully neutral despite greeting the old woman through clenched teeth.

The judge barked out a laugh, but it was the younger woman who answered. “I informed Judge Oathmaker as soon as I became aware that Mr. Discord had been brought in for questioning,” she explained in a voice as emotionless as her face. “She insisted on coming down here as soon as possible in order to meet with him.”

“I see,” said Captain Stone, locking eyes with the older woman. “Well then, Judge? If you wish to meet with Mr. Discord, I doubt anyone will stop you. And yet, I cannot help but notice that you've intruded on the questioning of a potential witness.”

“Oh, well, I happened to catch word of it as my daughter and I were passing by,” Judge Oathmaker said with a twinkle in her eye, “and I thought I'd stop by to see what all the hubbub was about.”

Fluttershy got the impression that Captain Stone wasn't at all pleased as she stepped aside to give the old judge access to the table, but it was hard to focus on her. Leaning forward with her elbows on the table and her fingers laced together, Judge Oathmaker's stare was long and piercing yet Fluttershy couldn't find the strength to look away from it.

“So. Fluttershy, was it?” she asked suddenly, her voice every bit as hard as Captain Stone's. “Incoming senior at CHS?”

“Y-yes ma'am,” Fluttershy answered, and after a moment she realized she had clutched Bravo a little too tightly in the process.

“And you say you can talk to that dog of yours?”

“Y-yes ma'am,” Fluttershy repeated. Then she gulped, and added, “And, umm, other animals too. I... I can show you, if it'd help.”

Judge Oathmaker only stared deep into her eyes for a good minute, before finally cracking a smile. “No need for that.” She sat up in her chair and wheeled around to face Captain Stone. “Alright, Stone, I’m vouching for this young lady. You let the detectives on this case hear her out, got it? No matter what kind of truth her testimony leads to.”

Fluttershy couldn't begin to guess what sort of meaning laid behind the old woman's words. As far as she was concerned, they were being way more dramatic than they needed to be considering all she was going to do was prove Mr. Discord innocent. In fact, the mere thought of their inevitable disappointment when they finally listened to what she had to say was making her anxious again.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the old judge and her daughter leaving. It was the feeling of four pairs of eyes on her that finally got her attention.

“Well, Fluttershy?” asked Detective Sleuth, now sitting in the seat across from her, voice calm and patient. “What did Bravo see?”

In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to disappear and call the whole thing off. But the hard wooden back of the chair and the two people between her and the only exit forced her to accept that she was trapped. She tried to clear her throat, but only gulped nervously. She glanced down at the terrier in her arms, who looked up at her with clear support in his eyes.

“U-umm... Well... he said there were some bags on the ground in the middle of the crowd. He sniffed them, but thought they weren't interesting so he left them alone.” She gulped again, squeezing her eyes shut as she forced herself to proceed with the main point. “And, umm, he said Mr. Discord never really got near them, at least not enough to touch them.”

When she finally opened them again she quickly noticed the looks of shock on the three men's faces, which were milder than she was expecting. Only Officer Shoes' mouth was really open at all, and Sergeant Armor only barely had his brow raised.

Captain Stone had crossed her arms and was staring at Fluttershy, looking distinctly skeptical and probably mad, too, so Fluttershy didn't look at her for too long.

After a moment, Detective Sleuth seemed to find his words again. “Ah, sorry. Are you absolutely sure of this?”

Fluttershy looked him in the eyes, and nodded.

Detective Sleuth just stared for another moment before taking a long, deep breath. “Well, okay then.” He looked to Captain Stone, but she was already walking towards the exit past a gaping Officer Shoes. He looked back at Fluttershy. “I don't suppose you happen to know anything else, do you?”

“Oh! Yes! I do!” Fluttershy said after taking a moment to recall what she'd heard from Bravo earlier. The officers perked up with interest, and out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw even Captain Stone pause just outside the door. “Umm,” she looked down at Bravo, “I'm pretty sure he said something about the girl he didn't recognize that was in the center of the crowd taking something from the bags? I think that must have been that Mare-Do-Well person.”

And just as they were starting to recover from her first announcement, suddenly all the cops were on edge again – Detective Sleuth even halfway standing up out of his chair. “Are you sure of this?” he asked, hands firmly on the table.

“I-I think so?” Fluttershy stuttered, flinching at the force in his voice. She gulped, then looked down at Bravo and touched her geode. “Umm, Bravo? You remember the person who took something from the bag, right?”

Bravo cocked his head and just looked at her for a moment, then barked.

“Good boy!” She tried to smile. “Umm... Can you describe her for me? Umm, what she looked like, I mean.”

Again Bravo cocked his head, but this time he held the pose for much longer. Eventually, he answered with a series of whimpers, growls, and barks.

Fluttershy looked up into the expectant eyes of Detective Sleuth. “Umm... he didn't really pay much attention to what she looked like, I'm afraid. All he remembers is that she looked really weird and he almost wasn't sure she was human at first. But since he knows Rainbow Dash, that means it was the Mare-Do-Well, right? Or was there some other girl there that Mr. Discord didn't tell me about?”

Detective Sleuth, who had sat back in his seat, now had a small frown on his face. “Err, no,” he eventually answered. He straightened his posture and leaned forward, asking, “Exactly what did Mr. Discord tell you about what happened?”

“Umm... not much, I don't think,” Fluttershy answered, blinking and thinking. “Let's see,” she said, putting a finger on her lip, “he was out walking the dogs... came upon the bank robbery, but it was already over and there was a crowd. Bravo got loose and ran into the crowd, and he followed him and saw two teenage girls standing in the center. He didn't know who either of them was, but I recognized Rainbow Dash based on his description and since he said the other one was mysterious and purple, I just assumed he meant the Mare-Do-Well. Was I wrong? I'm so sorry if I was wrong, I don't want you to get the wrong idea because of me.”

The detective sat back, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. “No, it was the Mare-Do-Well,” he told her. Then he sighed. “Well, if you and Bravo are telling the truth, and I believe you are, then this case just got a whole lot simpler, but at the same time a whole lot more difficult.”

“Oh my, did I do something wrong?” Fluttershy asked. She didn't think she had, but the mood in the room had soured just enough to make her worried.

“No, you've been a lot of help,” Detective Sleuth said, shaking his head. “Would you be willing to give us your contact information? We may need to get in touch with you for further assistance once we end up bringing the Mare-Do-Well to justice.”

“Umm... I guess I could do that,” Fluttershy answered. In truth she dearly hoped she wouldn't have to actually do anything; the idea of her having to go up on stand to testify on Bravo's behalf in front of an entire court room was practically terrifying, no matter what sort of cause it was for. But at the same time she knew she couldn't turn them down either, not if she wanted to do the right thing.

“Thank you,” Detective Sleuth said with a smile, taking a pen and pad of sticky notes out of his pocket and passing them across the table to her.

As she wrote down her contact information – name, address, home and cell numbers, and after a moment of thought the address and phone number of the Rescue Center as well – the detective kept talking. “Once you're done, you'll be free to leave. I expect we'll be done speaking with Mr. Discord shortly after as well, but I can't guarantee it.”

Fluttershy nodded and finished up, but paused as she stood up from her seat. “Umm, sorry if this is asking too much, but I was wondering if it would be alright if I talked to Mr. Discord before I leave?”

Detective Sleuth looked surprised by the question, and ended up looking back over his shoulder at Sergeant Armor. And to Fluttershy's surprise, it was the Sergeant who answered. “Sorry, but I can't allow it,” he said, shaking his head. “You're welcome to wait in the lobby or outside until we've finished questioning him, though.”

It sounded reasonable on the surface, but the fact that that elderly woman had been allowed to talk to him but she wasn't didn't make Fluttershy very happy. She guessed it was because the elderly woman had been a judge while she was just a teenage nobody, but that wasn't enough to wipe the small frown from her face.

“Umm... okay then,” she said softly, finally standing up all the way. “I suppose I'll wait in the lobby for now.”

“Again, thank you for coming forward, Fluttershy,” said Detective Sleuth, already moving for the door. “The 40^th Precinct thanks you. Now if you'll come with me, I'll escort you back to the front of the building.”

Fluttershy nodded and was about to wordlessly follow his lead when Sergeant Armor cleared his throat, giving both pause. “Actually, Detective, why don't you go check on Mr. Discord? I'll escort Miss Fluttershy here back to the lobby.”

“Uhh, okay, sir, if you insist,” said Detective Sleuth, sounding hesitant. He then left the room without another word, joining up with Officer Shoes just outside and walking off together further into the building. Fluttershy lingered just at the exit of the questioning room, only stepping out at Sergeant Armor's prompting.

They walked back through the precinct in silence, Fluttershy uncertain what, if anything she could say and thus choosing to focus on keeping Bravo from squirming too much after the extended stay in her arms. It wasn't until they were in sight of the station's waiting area that Sergeant Armor finally spoke.

“Sorry for prying, but you wouldn't happen to be friends with a girl named Twilight Sparkle, would you?” he asked.

Fluttershy stopped in her tracks, brow furrowing as her mind raced through countless possibilities of what the Sergeant could possibly want – most of them not good. “Umm, yes. Why, is she in trouble?”

Sergeant Armor smiled and shook his head. “Oh no, nothing like that. I suppose I should introduce myself,” he said, extending a hand. “I'm Shining Armor, Twily's older brother.”

Fluttershy blinked, recoiling slightly in sheer surprise. “Her...? I didn't know Twilight had an older brother!”

She realized the faux pas immediately, and flushed. “I mean, not to say that she's never mentioned you or anything, in fact I bet she has several times, I probably just wasn't there or wasn't listening, so...”

To her surprise yet relief, Sergeant Armor laughed it off. “It's fine, it's fine. I know how my little sis can get sometimes, trust me. To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first when I heard she wanted to transfer out of Crystal Prep. But,” he turned a smile back towards her, “after hearing that she has such a close group of friends now, I think she made the right decision.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “It's been a joy getting to know her. She really fit right in to our little group!”

And then, abruptly, Sergeant Armor turned his head towards the distance entrance of the station and his smile faded. “I... don't suppose this 'Rainbow Dash' that I've been hearing about is part of your group too, is she?”

“Well, yes,” Fluttershy said, frowning as she felt her body tense. “I suppose she can be a bit... difficult at times, but she really is a wonderful person.”

He let out a small breath. “I'm sure she is...”

“Then why do you sound like you don't like that Twilight is friends with her?” Fluttershy asked before she realized what she was saying; once she did, she flushed and held Bravo tighter. “Umm, if you don't mind me asking, that is...”

The sergeant was quiet for a moment before sighing. “Honestly, it isn't that. It's just... hard to know how to feel about my sister being friends with the girl that's been flying around the city all this week like some kind of comic book hero.”

In that moment, Fluttershy was keenly aware of the weight that was hanging from her neck. Her mind raced, wondering if Twilight had told her family about her magic, and why or why not, and how Fluttershy herself hadn't exactly told her parents or brother or really anyone aside from the police just now of course, not that she really needed to tell everyone after everything that had happened at school and camp and all, and it wasn't like anyone had ever come up and asked if she had magic or anything, at least not in general...

Eventually she realized she'd let her mind wander far away from where it should be, and thankfully hadn't been asked anything by Sergeant Armor. “Umm, well, I suppose it is a little unusual, but I don't think it's that big a deal,” she said, hoping she hadn't missed the timing for a reply. “I mean, umm, everybody needs friends, right?”

For quite a few moments Fluttershy was worried that her reply had been too strange, or that the sergeant had already moved on. But once more her luck was good, and he smiled – though not at anything in particular. “You're probably right. Though I do hope she stays safe.” Visions of magical demons and world-threatening attacks swarmed Fluttershy's thoughts, to the point that she nearly didn't notice Sergeant Armor look her way and add, “That goes for you and the rest of your friends too.”

It was all Fluttershy could do to laugh it off, and she wasn't very sure it was successful. “Umm, yes, of course! Safety is... what we do!”

She was pretty sure her wide smile at the end was convincing, though.

“...I'll take your word for it,” Sergeant Armor told her. “And, uh, before you go,” he added just as her feet were about to carry her far, far away, “I just want you to understand that Mr. Discord... might not be as grateful as you expect. From what I've heard from the Captain and Judge Oathmaker, helping him out like this isn't likely to get him to warm up to you. That's just not the kind of person he is.”

Frowning, Fluttershy looked down at the terrier in her arms who quietly looked back up at her. “I know,” she told the Sergeant. “Or at least, I've heard a lot to that effect today. But... I think I can handle his reaction, no matter what it is.”

Sergeant Armor gave her a good, long look. “Well, if you're sure...”

“I am,” she nodded. Bravo licked her cheek, and she giggled.

“Well, alright then,” he said with a shake of his head. “He should be out fairly soon. Have a nice day, Fluttershy.”

“You too,” she echoed, and the two parted ways. Fluttershy found a seat in the precinct's waiting area, which was thankfully empty of all but a single token guard, and finally let Bravo out of her arms. He promptly stretched and shook his whole body, then started sniffing around the room to Fluttershy's amusement.

The ensuing wait was long and mostly uneventful. A few times people came in off the street, some civilian and some police, and nearly all of them asked her if she was allowed to have Bravo indoors. Or at least gave him and her questioning and/or irritated looks. She grew tired of explaining that yes, she had permission, after the second time.

But, eventually, after what felt like an age with little to do but watch Bravo and check her phone (no updates from Twilight about that Amethyst girl), Mr. Discord finally appeared at the threshold of the waiting area. And, to Fluttershy's surprise, he was being escorted by the pair of women who had intruded on her questioning earlier.

Not that Fluttershy paid them much mind once she saw the dark look Mr. Discord was casting her. Telling herself that she knew he wouldn't be grateful, she stayed strong and stood up. “Hello, Mr. Discord,” she greeted him. “I hope you're feeling alright after everything.”

He let loose what she could only describe as a harrumph, his glare unrelenting. “What's your angle, girl?” he asked, storming forward at a steady stride until he was towering over her. It was all Fluttershy could do to keep her knees from knocking. “I don't recall asking for your assistance.”

Fluttershy gulped, but did not look away. “No,” she said, “you didn't. But that doesn't matter. It was the right thing to do.”

Mr. Discord laughed a single dry, bitter laugh. “Oh? So you believe I'm just a feeble old man who can't handle his own problems, do you? Hah!” Hands on his hips, he drew himself up even taller and tilted his head so that his fake eye seemed to take on a menacing glow. “Well I'll tell you what, little girl, I am T. Z. Discord, and I can get out of anything. In fact,” his entire posture shifted, eyes closed and head turned and chest puffed out with pride, “I was but a hair's breadth away from clearing up the matter entirely before you" — and just as abruptly the darkness returned as he leaned towards her and thrust an accusatory finger her way— “decided to come flouncing in here and start up a pity party.”

Bravo began to growl at him, and Fluttershy suddenly found her resolve wavering – not an unfamiliar feeling, but she felt she'd been handling him well up until then. She simply hadn't expected the level of hostility he was displaying; his usual sarcasm and passive-aggressive jibes were one thing, but he seemed legitimately angry at her.

She didn't know what to do or how to respond, but luckily she was saved from having to.

“Hah! Don't lie to the girl, you old windbag,” said Judge Oathmaker, slapping her hand on the arm of her wheelchair. “When I came in you were almost as desperate as when I booked you decades ago! Practically begged me to believe you had nothing to do with what happened.”

Mr. Discord promptly wheeled around on her, and for a moment Fluttershy almost thought she saw a bit of color on his gray cheeks. “Now see here, you old biddy, that was a ruse and you know it! As though a man of my caliber would ever beg; the very thought is laughable! Had it been directed at anyone other than you,” he crossed his arms and looked away, and Fluttershy wondered if she should inch around to get a better look, “it would have worked.”

“Unlikely,” said the woman behind the judge, her voice just as emotionless as it had been earlier. “The prevailing opinion of you amongst the precinct's officers, as well as the Canterlot Police Department in general, is overwhelmingly negative. Based on my understanding of the views and motivations of the officers assigned to your case, there is a 0% chance that any of them would have been inclined to believe your story on your word alone. Therefore, the intervention of Miss Fluttershy was the deciding factor in preventing your detention as a suspect.” She blinked slowly. “As I have already explained, of course.”

Mr. Discord scowled at her. “Of course.”

“Would it kill you to show some gratitude for once in your life?” asked Judge Oathmaker.

“Quite possibly, yes,” Mr. Discord answered, crossing his arms again and putting on defiant airs. “And you know very well that I have no intention of dying anytime soon. Not in prison, and certainly not because I let my guard down and allowed myself to become indebted to a child.”

She snorted. “'Indebted'? Hah! You've never repaid so much as a cent anyone's ever given you. Don't act like you intend on repaying the girl for saving your hide from being sent back to Tartarus.”

“Hmph,” Mr. Discord replied, arms out at his sides and his nose in the air. “If that's how you think I work then I have nothing more to say to you. I would say good day, but I wouldn't mean it.” Chest puffed up, his spun around on his heel and marched right out the door.

“Umm...” Fluttershy said, trying to extend a hand to call him back, but it was already too late. She sighed.

“Well, that went about as well as I expected,” Judge Oathmaker said, her voice dry as she was wheeled over to Fluttershy.

“...not as well as I did...” Fluttershy murmured a second later, staring at the door as it finally swung closed.

“Don't take it personally. That's just how he is.”

“He didn't even tell me where he was going...”

“Should he have? It's not like you're responsible for him or anything.”

Fluttershy said nothing to this, knowing the old judge was right. She felt foolish for expecting Mr. Discord to have at least told her he was going back to the Rescue Center.

“Besides, I expect he's having trouble just figuring out what to say to you,” Judge Oathmaker continued. “People don't just help him out of the goodness of their hearts; they only do it if they think they can get something from him or if he's manipulated them into doing so. But that hasn't happened since...”

She trailed off, and shook her head. “Doesn't matter. Point is, Mr. Discord is probably going to be pretty uncomfortable around you for the foreseeable future. He thinks you've outplayed him, and he doesn't like it.”

“Oh,” was all Fluttershy could think of to say for a good long while. “Well,” she finally added, “even if he's mad at me for helping him, I don't regret doing it.” She'd said it without even fully thinking it through, but decided she meant it.

Judge Oathmaker sighed. “Yes, I suppose you shouldn't. As much as I'd like to see the man back behind bars, getting him for a minor crime he didn't even commit wouldn't be justice. Not really.”

There was a weight to the woman's voice that Fluttershy didn't understand, and after a bit of thinking she decided it had probably been there during their first meeting as well. And, after even more thought, she realized it reminded her of when Dr. Rescue and Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had been talking about Mr. Discord.

“He's really hurt a lot of people, hasn't he?” Fluttershy asked, finally turning around to face the other women.

The Judge let out another long sigh. “Yes, he has. And I'd prefer it if he never hurt another person ever again. I do hope you've already talked to Celestia and Luna about this.”

“...Celestia and Luna?” Fluttershy repeated, confusion rising even after she recognized the names without their familiar titles. “I... I mean yes, they came to the Rescue Center this morning to talk to me, but how do you know about it?”

She smiled. “Well, those two and I go way back. The name's Oathmaker, by the way,” she said, extending her hand. Fluttershy took it after passing the end of Bravo's leash to her other. “I'm a judge now, but back in the day I was practically the Queen of Canterlot PD.” A far-off look and nostalgic smile appeared on her face as she spoke, hand withdrawing to her lap after the shake. “Made a name for myself cleaning up the city. And, more importantly, I'm the one who arrested Mr. Discord all those years ago.”

“Oh! Oh my,” Fluttershy said, eyes widening.

Oathmaker chuckled. “Yeah, as you saw earlier he's still a little sore about it. But that's beside the point; right now I expect he's got a lot of frustration and wounded pride building up, and you're the most likely target for him to vent it out on. I won't pretend I know what he's like working at the Center with you, but you should be prepared for him to get a lot worse. It isn't fair, and you don't deserve it, but unfortunately that's how this world can be sometimes.”

Fluttershy was quiet for some time, trying to imagine how bad Mr. Discord could really get. But that train of thought quickly headed down several frightening paths, even ones she knew were unlikely considering her talk with the Principal and Vice-Principal, and so she decided to stop.

“Well... I guess I'll just have to find some way to deal with it, then,” she said, looking at the floor and getting the distinct feeling that she'd said or thought the same thing several times that day.

“Good luck, then,” Oathmaker said. She reached into the pocket of her pants and produced a small business card, and handed it to Fluttershy. “Here, call me if you need some help keeping him in line. Or just threaten to in front of him, that'll probably work just as well.”

“Oh, thank you,” Fluttershy replied, looking the card over: in addition to her contact information, it bore an image of two hands, one black and one white, clasped together in oath.

“And this is my daughter, Cold Reason, by the way,” Oathmaker said, motioning to the woman behind her.

“I apologize for not formally introducing myself,” said Cold with a slight bow. “I never saw an opportunity to do so. As my mother said, my name is Cold Reason; I am a prosecuting attorney for the City of Canterlot, though I do not expect that information to be of considerable use to you.”

“That's alright,” Fluttershy smiled. “It was still nice meeting you.”

Cold nodded. “It was nice to meet you as well.”

“Same here,” said Oathmaker, an amused smile on her face. “Now, I expect you and your little dog have places to be, so we won't keep you any longer.”

Fluttershy stared blankly for a moment, then checked the time on her phone and gasped. “Oh my! I hadn't realized it was already past three! I have to get Bravo back to the Center.”

She turned and hurried towards the building's front door, Bravo barking happily at her heels. “Goodbye!” she called to the old judge and the room in general, before finally leaving the 40^th Precinct.

All things considered, Fluttershy thought she was making good time on her trip back to the Rescue Center. She had managed to maintain a brisk walking pace for several blocks now, partially helped by Bravo eagerly pulling her along to check up on all the smells outside, partially hindered by Bravo's reluctance to leave any smell left unsmelled.

Reversing the route she had taken to get there wasn't as easy as she would have liked, especially since she hadn't been comfortable with the route in the first place. More than once Fluttershy found herself unsure of where she was, and had to stop to review the written directions she'd gotten from Dr. Rescue in order to find the right path again.

For a little while, anyway.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy groaned, stopping at a corner in a deserted old business district. “Did we take another wrong turn? I don't recognize any of these streets.” She looked all around her, and even in her worry noticed something odd. “Come to think of it, I don't even see any street signs! Let's go back, Bravo.”

She turned around and made for the way she'd come, but only got a few feet before noticing a distinct resistance on her leash. She turned around, expecting to see that the little terrier had found another piece of trash to play with, but instead saw him sniffing the ground.

“Is something wrong, Bravo?” she asked out of habit, her magic inactive. Bravo replied by whining and pulling at his leash, and Fluttershy frowned. “I hope this isn't another poor little rat you're trying to get to,” she said, allowing the dog to lead her forward. And once he realized his leash was slack he quickened his pace to bounding, Fluttershy barely able to keep up all down the street.

He stopped at the entrance of an alleyway, and as Fluttershy looked down it she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

But there was nobody around, so Fluttershy assumed that she had just seen something in the shadows that wasn't there. The alley was, she quickly decided, fairly creepy and not at all a place that she wanted to be in. Yet Bravo pulled her onwards, so Fluttershy took a quick and nervous glance along the pavement to see what he could possibly be so interested in.

She soon spotted something purple piled on the ground, something that looked almost like it could be somebody's clothes. It sparked a single thought that was quickly dismissed as unlikely, and yet didn't go away. Almost unconsciously Fluttershy felt her hand reach up to her geode, and activate its magic.

Bravo stopped a few feet away from the pile, which she could now see were definitely clothes of some sort, and growled. His meaning was crystal clear to Fluttershy's ears.

“Her.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, eyes wide. “It couldn't possibly be... could it?”

Her mind raced, her body left paralyzed with indecision. On one hand, if she and Bravo had indeed found the Mare-Do-Well's costume, then she needed to let someone know. The police, or Judge Oathmaker since Fluttershy really wasn't sure what number she should call to report a tip since she didn't think this was really an emergency and so didn't want to call 911 and risk tying up a line someone else needed more.

She should also let Rainbow Dash know, she realized seconds later.

But on the other hand, the strange feeling she was getting hadn't gone away. Plus there was always the chance that whoever owned the costume would come back for it, and see Fluttershy and Bravo, and do something drastic to keep them from talking.

She swallowed despite her mouth suddenly feeling rather dry.

Fluttershy was scared. But she didn't want to be.

Fluttershy had been told, repeatedly throughout the day, to stay safe. And she wanted to.

Fluttershy also wanted to do the right thing. Just like she had done with Mr. Discord.

And the right thing seemed so easy. Just pick up the costume to see if that's what it really was, then make a phone call. That was all. That was safe. Right?

“You can do this,” she told herself, softly. Fists clenched, she took a deep breath and looked around again. Still nobody but her and Bravo. She began to inch forward.

“Nothing bad will happen.” Step.

“It's just a costume.” By step.

“It's not the real Mare-Do-Well.” Bravo stood in place, torn between watching dear friend and possible enemy.

“So, there's nothing to be afraid of!” A forced smile as she stopped right next to the piled-up costume.

The air felt strangely cool but her geode felt strangely warm. She didn't know what to make of it, so she ignored it.

She crouched down. Reached out. Grabbed the costume by what she could now tell was its wide-brimmed hat.

A jolt passed through her, and to her shock and horror the costume lifted its head and looked up at her with glowing white eyes.

She screamed and stood and tried to fling it away, but its arms – its empty, flattened, gloved arms – had already wrapped around hers. She couldn't break free. She couldn't look away from its eyes.

Bravo barked and growled, and Fluttershy dropped the end of his leash and tried to yell at him to run, but could not find her voice.

The costume's cape, billowing outward in the horrid stillness of the alley, twisted around her and knocked Bravo back as he made a valiant charge.

It wrapped around Fluttershy like a cocoon, and her world went dark.