After helping out her other self, Sunset returns to the home she once knew. She wants to fix things with the family and teacher she left behind. Of course, explaining what happened to them should be easy, right? Well, at least she can make some new friends on the way.
Sunset tested out having hooves again. Even though she’d spent so long as a Human, it didn’t take long for instinct to kick in. The one thing she was glad for was having her horn all the time now. Her bag hadn't come with her, but she didn't worry too much. They were probably in hammerspace, until she needed them. Instead, she looked at her back.
After Pinkie had mentioned some sort of ‘phantom wings’, Sunset had begun to wonder if she’d somehow ascended to an Alicorn. There were no wings, just lingering scars from where her Demon Form’s wings had torn through. She wasn’t too bothered by it, though no longer in the ‘if I had them I wouldn’t deserve it’ way. Still, she kept seeing orange and red out of the corner of her eye.
“Spike’s meeting them at the train station,” Twilight said, breaking her out of her thoughts. “He said there’s a surprise in the Map room though.”
“Lead the way,” Sunset agreed, following her out the room. “Is Starlight here?”
“Not sure,” she answered. “When I left I had Rainbow and Applejack helping her move what little she had into the castle, so they should’ve been done Saturday afternoon. I’m pretty sure Pinkie kept her occupied yesterday. Tour of the town and all that.”
“As only Pinkie can,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Sunset tried to follow where they moved, though the twists and turns of Twilight’s castle were hard to keep track of. Oddly enough, she wasn’t exactly lost. Though she’d never been in the castle, she could tell which turn Twilight was going to take before she took it.
Eventually, they reached the ‘Map Room’. In the center, was the Cutie Map that she’d been told about, surrounded by several thrones with very familiar marks in them. High above was a chandelier made of tree roots, the gemstones hanging off of it casting colored lights and a warm glow around the room.
As breathtaking as it was, Sunset only focused on one thing. A very familiar bird sat on the arm of Twilight’s throne.
“Mena!” Sunset exclaimed, rushing to the bird.
The bird barely responded, acting aloof and ruffling her red and orange feathers.
“Come on, girl,” Sunset smiled softly. “I’m sorry I left. You know me, rushing into things. I couldn’t come back for you. Besides, you really would’ve been miserable over there.”
The bird let out a small squawk, tilting her head.
“Seriously, there wasn’t any usable magic until this fall,” she said. “Who knows how that would’ve effected a Phoenix like you. Hm, it transformed me into a Human, maybe you would’ve made a nice canary.”
The Phoenix squawked in annoyance.
“See what I mean?” she laughed. “I’ll get you those treats you liked.”
The Phoenix gave her a playful nip on the ear before hopping into the air. She picked up a scroll in her beak before dropping it in front of her. Sunset caught the scroll in her magic as the Phoenix settled onto her back. Inspecting the scroll, she saw a golden wax seal with the image of the Sun.
“This is Celestia’s seal?” Sunset said, looking up to Twilight. “Did you tell her I was coming?”
“Not exactly,” Twilight admitted. “I might’ve asked on the technicalities of, legally, if you were banished or not. Wouldn’t want to break any laws by bringing you home.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that,” she frowned. “I did sort of do some crazy stuff. Since I’m here I’d assume it’s fine, but how?”
“Well, you weren’t exactly ‘banished’ in the first place,” she explained. “You just ran away. And while using dark magic, turning into a demon, and hypnotizing a school full of students and staff is illegal here, there aren’t any laws on it in the other World, which is ‘out of our jurisdiction’. The only crime we could have a trial for is the theft of the Element of Magic, but since it legally belongs to me, I dropped the charges.”
“Huh,” she said. “Do you want to read this or should I?”
Twilight motioned for her to read it. Sunset nodded and tore of the seal.
“Dear Sunset Shimmer,” she read. “From Twilight’s questions, and the fact that I can check when certain Guards take vacation time, I can assume you are coming back to Equestria. I know we have much to talk about, but I do not know if you want to see me yet, and I realize that I should not drop in suddenly. But should you like to talk, I’m only a letter away.
“In the meantime, I feel I should return your Familiar. Philomena has been well taken care of these past few years, although you did miss her Rebirth last year. While I’m sure she will act annoyed with you, I’m happy to tell you that she flew circles around the room when I told her you would be returning.”
“Aw, Mena!” Sunset teased the Phoenix. “You do care!”
Philomena playfully nipped at her ear again.
“So she’s yours?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah,” Sunset said. “I left her behind when I jumped through the portal. Honestly, I was a bit worried something’d happen to her. Should’ve known Princess Celestia kept her. I guess she was hoping I’d come back.”
“How do you even get a pet Phoenix?” she wondered, much to Philomena’s annoyance.
“She’s not a pet, she’s a Familiar,” she corrected.
“A Familiar?” she asked, avoiding Philomena’s glare.
“Yeah?” she replied. “A Magical Companion, to help you through your studies. One you bond with. Usually they’re normal magical creatures, but they can be a sapient being, as long as they have strong magical abilities. Princess Celestia said that all her students got one. How’d you not know about it?”
“Because I didn’t get one?” she answered, nervously ruffling her wings.
“Wait, then what’s Spike?” she asked. “You said he became part of the family when you became Princess Celestia’s student?”
“That’s a funny story,” she said.
“Well, we’ve got time,” she shrugged.
She decided to sit next to the throne, using it as a backrest. Twilight rolled her eyes and sat in her throne. Sunset then switched so that she was facing her and leaning against another one.
“So, you know how some ponies steal Dragon eggs and Hatchlings, right?” Twilight began. “And how Celestia had Rescue Teams who go and get them back to their families?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I remember when Fire Trail joined them.”
“Well, they rescued Spike’s egg and brought it to Canterlot,” she said. “And, well, you know how one of the tests to get into the School for Gifted Unicorns is to hatch a Fire Salamander, right?”
“Tell me they didn’t!” she laughed, despite groaning at the idea.
“They somehow switched Spike’s egg with that,” she laughed. “And then I hatched him. One of the Rescue Team said that since I hatched him, he recognized my Magic as ‘Family’, so Mom and Dad adopted him.”
“Huh,” she said, shifting to lead against the Map Table. “Unconventional, but that does meet Familiar qualifications. A Magical Companion with a Magical Bond to you which helps you through your studies.”
“Uh, Sunset,” she frowned, staring at the Map Table.
Sunset turned, looking over the top of the table. It seemed to be glitching, places switching around and Cutie Marks appearing everywhere. Sunset swore as she scrambled up to stare at it.
“It doesn’t do that, right?” Sunset asked.
“No,” Twilight answered. “Usually it would just have our Cutie Marks hovering over a place. I’ve never seen- wait, what the hell was that?!”
“What the hell was what?” she wondered, scanning the Map.
“I thought I saw another Cutie Mark,” she answered. “There it is again!”
As they tried to get a good look at the other Cutie Mark, Philomena began squawking at them, and tapping Sunset’s head with her wing. She turned to look at her, only for the Phoenix to use her wing to point her in another direction.
“Twilight, your throne!” Sunset exclaimed.
Twilight turned in her seat, looking up at the chair back. Usually, her Cutie Mark sat at the top of her throne, just above her head. Now, the image flickered back and forth rapidly. One image was still Twilight’s Cutie Mark of a magenta Star. The other, was Sunset’s red and yellow Sun.
“Oh, that explains it,” Twilight said.
“Should I be concerned that you can somehow make sense out of this?” Sunset asked.
“The Map, well the whole Castle really, is connected to the Elements of Harmony,” she explained. “It’s why my friends got thrones with their Cutie Marks, and why the Map picks us. But you’ve used the Element of Magic. Once incorrectly, at the Fall Formal, and twice at full power with the Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games. I-I think the Map’s confused because there’s two Elements of Magic?”
“That makes some sense,” she agreed, preparing a shield in case it exploded. “But haven’t Princesses Celestia and Luna been in here? They’ve used the Elements before too, so why didn’t it work for them?”
“It might be because of what Starlight did,” she said. “She used the Map as a part of her Time Travel Spell. I think it might’ve overloaded it a bit with the alternate Timelines. See! Right there on the map looks to be Nightmare Moon’s castle! I think it’s a combination of you being Magic, and the alternate Timelines. I mean, there has to be at least one alternate Time when you became Princess of Friendship instead of me.”
“Weird,” she shuddered. “So, how are we going to fix this? Usually I’d suggest a full system reset, but considering how one-of-a-kind this is, that sounds like a bad idea.”
“Yeah,” she frowned. “We’d need to stabilize the Time it’s connected to. For now, we can’t really do much about it. I’d need to go over Starlight’s spell with her to see what all happened.”
“Any way to stop it from doing that?” she wondered.
“It does turn off,” she said. “It’s more of a ‘sleep mode’ but it won’t be projecting the map unless we’re Called somewhere. Which hopefully it won’t do until we fix it, because I can’t really solve a Friendship Problem in the Sombra Timeline.”
She lit her horn, her magenta Magic wrapping around the Map. Soon it flickered out. The throne’s mark stabilized a bit as well, only blinking to the Sun every once in a while.
Before Sunset could suggest anything, she heard voices in the hall leading to them. Remembering that Sunset was here for a purpose, and not just a vacation, they got up. Twilight headed to the doors to welcome them, while Sunset hid behind the throne.
Thankfully, it was only three new voices that entered the room. She recognized Spike’s voice easy, and she remembered Shining Armor’s pretty well. Of course, that didn’t matter to her. She heard his voice as well.
A part of her wanted to run again. She knew she could easily teleport herself back to the Portal Room and jump through. The other part of her was yelling at her. It said ‘if you could turn into a literal demon, face Canterlot High the next day, and then go on to face villains as bad as you to save the world, you can handle this.’ Philomena seemed to share the sentiment, smacking her wing against Sunset’s cheek.
Sunset peeked her head out from behind the throne. He didn’t notice her at first, so she took a chance to look at him properly. She’d guessed what he’d look like, from her own memories and from seeing his Counterpart, but it didn’t prepare her.
They were the same height now, which is to say ‘tall for a Unicorn’. He was a pale yellow, lighter than Fluttershy even. His mane was styled similarly to her own, but in various oranges with a streak of silver curling around his ear. She couldn’t see his Cutie Mark from where she stood, but she knew it was a pair of crossed lances. She took in the differences too, though she’d expected them from his Counterpart. He had a pair of pink and blue earrings. Across his cheek was a scar that hadn’t been there when she left.
He looked up, freezing when he saw her. She stared back at him, staring into eyes just like her own.
“Hey, Lance,” Sunset said, giving a nervous smile. “I’m back?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” she gave a nervous smile as she stepped out from her hiding place.
Sunset waited, staring at him. The only thing that reminded her of reality was Philomena purposely heating up to get her attention. She barely registered Twilight and her brothers watching on.
Suddenly there was movement. Lance surged forward, almost knocking her over with a hug. She could feel him crying, tears seeping into her coat. Then again, she was pretty sure she was crying too.
“Stars, I thought I‘d never see you again!” Lance choked out.
“I didn’t either,” she managed to say.
After a few minutes, Twilight managed to drag them into a dining room. She sent Spike off to the kitchen to make something to eat, while she and Shining sat across from them.
“Stars, where’ve you been?” Lance asked, still smiling.
“That’s a long story,” Sunset answered. “Tell me how everyone’s been! What’s happned?”
“Most things are the same,” he said. “Mom’s still writing. I have a box of the best ones saved in case you ever came back.”
“And by best you mean worst,” she smiled.
“Did you expect anything less?” he laughed. “I’d tell you about what Dad’s doing at work, but honestly all that technical jargon just flies over my head. They’re doing good, but they’re still worried about you.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ll visit them soon.”
“Speaking of family,” he said. “When you left, Mom and Dad had been trying to get us a little sister. If I had known why I was coming here, I would’ve brought her. Her name’s Flare and I’m sure you’ll love her!”
“I’m sure I will, and I can’t wait to meet her,” she smiled. “Is she with Mom and Dad or what?”
“Oh, well, no,” he said. “She lives with me in the Crystal Empire now. So does Sunburst. He’s babysitting right now.”
“That reminds me,” she said. “Apparently Twilight here has made friends with one of Sunburst’s old friends. Do you remember Starlight Glimmer? Purple-ish pink, purple mane with a blue streak? She was at his twelfth birthday party?”
“I remember her,” he nodded. “I especially remember her knocking me over in the soaped up bouncy castle. That filly was ruthless.”
“Whose bright idea was a soaped up bouncy castle?” Shining interrupted.
“Lance!” Sunset said, guiltily pointing a hoof at him.
“Sunset!” Lance said, just as guilty pointing back.
They paused, sheared a glance, and then broke into giggles. Every time one of them tried to stop, they’d look at one another and laugh again. Twilight and Shining rolled their eyes in response, but both were smiling as well.
“Okay, but what about you?” Sunset asked once they managed to stop laughing.
“What about me?” Lance answered with a question.
“Well, from what I remember of your love life at the time, it doesn’t look like it worked out,” she said, with a pointed look at Shining Armor.
“Well, I uh,” he stammered, his face quickly turning the color of Sunset’s mane as he looked for a way out. “I did get transferred to the Crystal Empire! Partly because apparently we’re descended from the Crystal Ponies who escaped before it disappeared. We’ve been helping them catch up, so to speak. And I’ve heard that once Stormfall retires I might be the new captain.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” Shining said, smiling with false innocence.
“Congratulations and good luck,” Sunset said.
“Enough about us,” Lance said. “Where’ve you been? What’s happened?”
“Well, that’s uh, quite a story?” she said, nervously glancing at Twilight.
Twilight gave a gentle smile in response. Shining, who she was sure knew most of the story from Twilight, gave as much of a reassuring look as he could. Taking a deep breath, she decided to start at the beginning.
“You remember how I was back then?” Sunset asked. “Angry, fighting, all of that. Mostly because I felt somehow ‘not enough’ and ‘more than enough’.”
“Trust me, I remember,” he said. “Sorry I couldn’t help more.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said. “But so, what I kept trying to do was impress Princess Celestia, to be enough for her, and that meant becoming powerful enough to become a princess myself. After months of nothing working, I might’ve gotten desperate enough to break into the restricted section of the library and try out the Dark Magic section?”
“Sunny,” he sighed.
“It gets worse,” she chuckled nervously. “Because Princess Celestia found me there. At that point we fought, I demanded she make me a princess, and when she refused I chucked a book at her and ran off.
“Specifically,” she continued, not giving him a chance to speak, “I ran into an alternate Dimension where everyone has a counterpart that’s them but not them. I then continued to be a massive bitch to nearly everyone I met there. Of course, then there’s the whole Fall Formal incident a few months ago.”
“Well, the portal was open again. So I came back, stole the Element of Magic, fled to the other Dimension and attempted to use it, but was taken over by dark magic and turned into a literal demon, hypnotized a school full of students and staff into being my zombie army, tried to kill Twilight, and got a rainbow blast of Friendship to the face, ending up in a newly formed crater?”
Lance just stared in open-mouthed disbelief. Sunset only stayed quiet for a few seconds, wanting to push away the awkwardness.
“Obviously I’m fine now,” she smiled nervously. “I mean, I’m here, with Twilight, and obviously not arrested!”
Lance just stared, looking between all three of them. His expression was almost asking ‘are you serious?’. Twilight and Shining kept a straight face, telling him it wasn’t a joke.
“She’s the reason we had the Crystal Guard retrained on how patrols work,” Shining shrugged.
“She has been doing better since then,” Twilight said. “Sunset’s made a good hoofful of friends, and has used the Element of Magic properly alongside myself, and more recently in my place.”
“I feel like the most surprising fact in all that is that I have friends now,” Sunset smirked.
“Sunset, you are my sister and I love you, but what the fuck?” Lance asked.
“The real question is how do we tell mom and dad?” she replied.
“Good luck?” he answered.
“Well, I can stay for a few days,” she shrugged. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Are you sure you can be away from the other world that long?” Twilight asked. “Legally speaking, you are supposed to go to school.”
“They still make you go to school in this Alternate Dimension?” Lance asked.
“Weird cultural differences,” Sunset shrugged. “Besides, other than yesterday, I have perfect attendance and my grades are always up. And all of my classes have at least one of our friends in them, so they can send any homework assignments through the portal. “
“You can stay here,” Twilight offered. “When you’re not with your family, I mean. You could make friends with your friends!”
“Fair enough,” she laughed.
Sunset was about to say more when they heard a scream of shock. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the door that she could’ve sworn led back to the throne room. However, a smaller door inside the door seemed to open into a steaming bathroom instead. Standing in the doorway was a pinkish Unicorn, her body and mane wrapped in towels.
“What- I just-I don’t,” the mare stammered. “I didn’t even go downstairs!”
“Oh, that’s what I forgot to tell you,” Spike said, leaning out of the kitchen. “The castle’s malfunctioning.”
“I can see that,” Twilight retorted, gesturing to the mare. “By the way, now you’ve met Starlight.”
“It didn’t malfunction for us earlier,” Sunset frowned. “Really, everything was where I expected. Oh, and hello.”
“Hi?” Starlight replied. “So, have any ideas on why it’s happening?”
“I think the castle’s mad at you?” Twilight said.
Everyone except Sunset gave her a look. Starlight finished drying her mane and used her magic to send the towels somewhere.
“Your Time Spells,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “The Map is the centerpoint of the castle, and is made through the magic of the Elements of Harmony. You used it to anchor your Time Spells, and hop through worlds that had it not existing.”
“Hey, I’m the one that overloaded it,” Sunset said.
“How did you manage to do that?” Starlight asked.
“Long story?” she answered. “Anyway. Hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer.”
“Starlight Glimmer,” she replied. “And I feel like I’m probably interrupting something here.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault the castle decided to dump you here,” she shrugged.
“Technically-“ Spike began before getting a quick glare from Twilight.
The other three snickered at that. Twilight just gave an innocent-yet-apologetic smile while Spike glared back at her.
“Anyway,” Lance said as their laughter trailed off. “Kinda wish I took more time off, knowing why I got dragged down here.”
“Told you,” Shining smirked.
Lance just stuck his tongue out at him. Sunset wiggled her eyebrows at the both of them. Twilight and Spike snickered at the exchange, but Starlight looked a little lost at the whole display.
“As I was saying,” Lance sighed. “Another reason I couldn’t take more time off is because I already took time off Wednesday and Thursday for Flare’s birthday. Usually I couldn’t take more off on short notice but-“
“But when mister Prince says go you go?” Sunset smiled.
“Listen, he practically dragged me here,” he said.
“Now that’s not true,” Shining smiled. “Technically speaking, I wanted to take a surprise visit to my sister and just so happened to pick you as my personal Guard while I’m away. It was totally a coincidence that your runaway sister just so happened to be visiting.”
“That’s bull and you know it,” he retorted. “You just showed up, told me to toss my armor back in storage, and literally dragged me on the train. In front of everyone. Do you realize how long it’ll take me to live that down?”
“Exactly,” he shrugged. “I might not technically be a Guard anymore, but I’m still allowed in on the Guard pranks.”
“True,” Lance nodded. “But you’re forgetting the retaliation clause. Now, how do you think the ponies of Equestria would react if they find out that their Prince of the Crystal Empire not only suddenly told a Guard to take off his armor and dragged off to some secret mission, but it happened to be one of the transfers you personally picked and have known for so many years? I wonder if Valor still has the pictures from that Nightmare Night party?”
“You wouldn’t,” his face dropped immediately.
“No, I’d never send reporters after you,” he laughed. “However, some of the Crystal Ponies don’t quite get how rabid reporters of this time can be. And Valor is ruthless.”
“You know,” Sunset mused. “It’s things like that that make me glad my goal of being a princess went down in literal flames.”
“Tell me about it,” Twilight sighed. “I managed to completely derail Rarity’s business just by wearing a dress.”
“As I was saying,” Lance said, ignoring the terror on Shining’s face. “I was taking Wednesday and Thursday off anyway because it’s Flare’s birthday. We’re heading back to see mom and dad in Canterlot and have her party there. I think ‘a new big sister’ would be a great birthday present, don’t you think?”
“I wouldn’t want to take mom and dad’s attention from her,” Sunset said.
“Well, either show up later in the day or just shoot for Thursday,” he shrugged. “They still live in the same place, so you should be able to find your way back.”
“And a day or two gives you time to meet everyone here in Ponyville!” Twilight chirped.
Sunset watched with mild amusement as Starlight jumped about a foot in the air, backing away from the fridge.
“No,” Starlight answered once she had calmed herself. “Same for you?”
“Yep,” Sunset shrugged, moving to the still-open fridge. “So, why are you awake? Are you up purposely, for sleep issues, or for nightmares?”
“I-I’m not sure,” she said. “Maybe a bit of everything. Why are you up so late?”
“Regular issues,” she answered, levitating sandwich ingredients. “I sometimes have trouble getting to sleep, something about my brain still going while my body screams at me to rest. Though, now I think it’s because I’m used to having someone or something with me when I sleep. Even if I’m not at a sleepover, I have a dog who likes to sleep on my bed, so I’m used to Rhea. Mena could work for the warmth factor, but Phoenixes aren’t really ‘cuddly’.”
“That… makes sense,” she frowned.
Both paused to take their snacks to the counter.
“You know, this is a little déjà vu like,” Sunset said. “A while back, Twilight and I were both going through problems and couldn’t sleep, so we met up in the kitchen during a slumber party and talked it out a bit. Though now I have an actual sandwich instead of nothing but whipped cream.”
“Don’t think my problems can go away with just talking,” Starlight sighed.
“Probably not just from one late-night kitchen talk,” she agreed. “But hey, you get to have a lot of time to work it out.”
“It’s just…” she let out a sigh. “How well do you know Twilight and her friends?”
“That’s complicated,” she shrugged. “I know Twilight pretty well, but the versions of her friends I know best are on the other side of the Mirror. From what Twilight tells me, they’re pretty similar other than cultural differences. I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert on the ones here, but I can guess how they’ll react to things. Speaking of, I’m guessing that you’re asking me because you’re worried about how they’ll react to something?”
“In a sense,” she admitted. “It’s just… how do they do it? They’re just giving me a second chance, even though I was terrible to them, tried to take their talents, and sort of destroyed the world several times because of time travel. I’m glad they’re doing it, I just don’t get why?”
“Side effect of Friendship,” she answered. “You see the best in ponies, even if they haven’t always been nice. You know ponies can change for the better, if they want to. You want to change for the better, so they’re going to believe in you.”
“Just-just blindly believe in me?” she almost scoffed.
“Well, no, not really,” she said. “It’s not a blind belief. They’re not idiots. They know you can change, but if you’re not changing, they’ll figure something else out. Not to say you have to be perfect. You can screw up as long as you’re trying, you know? They’re not perfect either. After all, they are ponies who have emotions and can feel leftover anger or lack of trust, so they’ll have to get over that.”
“Great,” she sighed. “Any tips for that?”
“Time,” she shrugged. “Some more than others.”
“So, if they’re enough like the ones in the other dimension…” she wondered.
“Well, you already have Twilight on your side,” she said. “Pinkie and Fluttershy are going to be easy. Flutters is too sweet to stay mad if you’re genuinely trying to fix things, and Pinkie’s almost more into ‘friendship’ than Twilight. Rarity will be mad longer, but being Generosity includes giving second chances. Aj and Rainbow will be toughest.”
“I kinda expected that,” she said. “They were… a bit passive-aggressive when helping me move.”
“Better than aggressive-aggressive,” she swallowed. “But here’s the difference between them. Aj’s thing is more out of stubbornness. Best way to get through to her is talk directly, apologize for what you did on a personal level, then ask what you can do to help fix things.”
“And Rainbow?” she asked. “Isn’t that stubbornness?”
“A different kind of stubbornness,” she nodded. “She’s not upset because you hurt her, she’s upset because you hurt her friends. While talking directly can help, she’ll want you to prove yourself somehow.”
“So she’ll test me?” she almost laughed.
“She probably won’t set up a test,” she said. “But trust me, if even half the stories Twilight’s told me about Ponyville are true, she won’t have to. Hopefully your ‘test’ will be a minor problem and not, like, another major villain.”
“Are you sure it’ll work?” she asked.
“No,” she answered. “After all, I’m only guessing at the versions of them here. Even then, they could always surprise me. But I believe that as long as you try for it, it’ll work out.”
The answer wasn’t exactly what Starlight had been looking for. Sunset finished off the rest of her sandwich before letting out a sigh.
“Listen,” Sunset said. “I know that it’s less of a problem in believing them than it is you believing in yourself. You’re asking ‘why me of all ponies? Why do I deserve a second chance? What do I even have to offer the good side anymore?’. And it’ll be a while for you to believe the answers.
“You don’t have to have anything to offer to the good side,” she said. “Because it’s not about what you can ‘offer’. You deserve a second chance because everyone does. And you are getting one because you want to change. Trust me, if Twilight didn’t think you could be a better pony, she wouldn’t have hesitated to do whatever it took to take you down.”
“Are you sure about that?” Starlight asked. “She told you about our Time Battle. I fought her off every time and managed to change the timeline again and again.”
“No offense, but she was holding back,” she said.
“She had everything to lose, why would she hold back?” she asked.
“Because she thought she could help you,” she said. “Seriously, Twilight is one of the most magically gifted Unicorns ever. Her older brother was Captian of the Solar Guard and taught her spells the Guard use to protect Royalty. Her father is one of the Royal Mages and has been teaching her high-level spells since she could handle magic. Then she was taught spells by Princess Celestia herself. As another pony who knows those Spells, let me tell you, they are Ancient and Powerful, and far beyond what even most of the CSFGU students learn. And who knows what she’s learned from Princess Luna or even Discord? Sure, she couldn’t properly battle Tirek with all the magic he sucked up, but a time traveling Unicorn could easily be blasted if she went in horn blazing. ”
“I think it’s just hitting me how bad of an idea that all was,” she swallowed.
“Trust me, I know the feeling,” she laughed.
“I don’t know,” she said. “You didn’t accidently run a cult and then try to destroy the Timeline out of spite and confusion over what is ‘right’.”
“True,” she nodded. “But I did break into the Dark Magic section of the restricted library, have a verbal fight with Princess Celestia, fled to another dimension, and manipulated a school full of students into hating each other for the purpose of tearing apart one specific friend group. And that was before I stole the Element of Magic and went nuts with Dark Magic that literally transformed me into a Demon.”
She laughed at Starlight’s shocked expression.
“Not the same circumstances,” Sunset said. “But we still have our similarities. Of course, I’m still figuring out things too.”
“Really?” Starlight asked once she found her voice.
“Yeah,” she laughed. “I’m still not good at thinking things through properly. Rash decisions and quick anger and all that.”
“So, you’ve been through ‘proving yourself’ before?” she asked.
“As I said, Pinkie and Flutters were on board immediately” she said. “Though I did still apologize my butt off for everything. I was apologizing, being nice, helping out with things and all that for a few days before Rarity gave in. I talked for a while with AJ about everything in general, and she came through because she could see I was trying. By the time I saw Twilight again, the others vouched for me. Of course after that we had to deal with Sirens using petty things to turn everyone against one another, but other than that we were good.”
“So what was Rainbow’s ‘test’ for you?” she wondered.
Sunset stopped and swallowed. She’d tried to block out that incident. With a shudder, she decided to trust her.
“After everything, a lot of people said things,” Sunset said. “It took a week and a half before someone tried to get physical, but that’s because it was the first time I was alone. The guy he… he dragged me into another hall and slammed me against the wall. He wanted me to go somewhere that he could have ‘alone time’ to do whatever he wanted for revenge.
“Fuck,” Starlight whispered.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I forget what it was that set me off, but I screamed and started fighting back. That drew attention. Eventually Rainbow dragged me off him and took me somewhere else. At first she was mad at me. After all, I’d been viciously attacking one of her teammates. But the face she made when I told her… That’s a rage I never want directed at me.”
“Damn,” she said. “Sorry I asked. I mean, sorry I made you relive that.”
“Not your fault,” she nodded. “But back to Rainbow, hopefully you don’t have to go through something major like… like that. But she’ll come around.”
“I bet,” she said. “So, just wait for her test. Great.”
“Any other advice for the night?” she asked.
Starlight paused, thinking for a moment. Sunset waited, not caring if she got an answer or not. Eventually she got up to put her dishes in the sink.
“How do you make it up to those you hurt?” Starlight asked.
“I’m still figuring that out,” Sunset sighed. “It takes a while, depending on how many you hurt and how. And not all of them will forgive you. I’ve made up with a good amount of people in the other world, but some of them still hate me and think I’m faking it. This whole trip is part of that. You probably caught on to Lance being my brother and my plans to go home earlier. I’m coming back to apologize for leaving six years ago. I don’t know if I’m ready to face everyone I hurt, especially Princess Celestia. She respects if I can’t, but would like to. Which is so weird to me. But hopefully I’ll figure it out as it comes, right?”
“I guess that’s all we can do,” she nodded.
“Hey, it’ll be alright,” she said. “Just keep trying, and take it at your own pace. Okay, maybe give in a little if Twi pushes you to make a step forward, but if you truly think it’s too much, talk to her and she’ll understand.”
“Shouldn’t she know best as ‘Princess of Friendship’?” she asked.
“Yes and no,” she said. “Friendship is a constant learning process, because every friend is different. What works for one won’t work for another. I mean, if being the friendliest pony and having as many as possible was what made one ‘Princess of Friendship’, then we’d have Princess Pinkie Pie, and I really do not want to know what she could accomplish as an Alicorn.”
“Oh stars that’s terrifying,” she almost laughed.
“But Twi’s the one who became Princess,” she said. “It’s kind of like the difference between your usual Spellcasting Unicorn and those of us that have gone to some sort of higher magic schooling. Any Unicorn can levitate or use hammerspace, but only those who’ve taken the time to look into it understand the spell matrix and can create new ones. Pinkie makes friends naturally, but Twilight takes the time to understand why and how it happened.”
“That makes too much sense,” she said. “Still, kind of hard to go back and apologize. How do I even do that? They probably think I’m some sort of evil dictator or something. How do I say ‘I was terrible but thought I was doing the right thing at the time’ without it sounding like an excuse?”
“No clue,” she said. “Did you really think you were doing good?”
“Part of me thought it was somehow wrong, even if I ignored it,” she admitted. “But for the most part I thought I was doing the right thing. I was trying to help them, the only way I knew how.”
“It might sound like an excuse, but it’s a leg up on me,” she said. “I knew I was being terrible, but I thought the ends justify the means. I guess Twilight was right about our differences.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Sunset could’ve kicked herself for that. Realizing she couldn’t backpedal, she decided to tell the truth.
“We kinda joked around about how similar you and I are,” Sunset said. “You know, powerful Unicorn goes to the darkside because of various issues, gets a second chance because the Power of Friendship.”
“You’ve got a point,” she gave an amused eyeroll. “Differences included.”
“Even our reasons were similar but different,” she said. “You went down that path because you lost a friend, I did it because I couldn’t gain the friend I wanted.”
“What friend?” she asked.
“Celestia herself,” she huffed. “I wanted her as a friend, but she stayed distant and played the perfect princess. I thought if I could become a Princess myself then she’d treat me as an equal, as a friend. But as time went on and I didn’t get that, I forgot why I wanted it in the first place.”
“Well, maybe you can get a second chance,” she said.
“Maybe,” she sighed. “Thanks, for listening.”
“Hey, I was the one freaking out,” she said. “Just returning the favor then.”
Both smiled, put their dishes in the sink, and went back upstairs to get as many hours of sleep as they could.
“So, what are your plans for the day?” Twilight asked, her face still in the morning paper.
“Not much,” Sunset answered, shoving a bagel in her mouth. “I’ll check out the town, hopefully run into the girls’ Counterparts here. Well, other than Pinkie, apparently. But honestly? I think my first stop is wherever the local spa is.”
“Didn’t take you for a spa pony,” she replied.
“I only went a few times before I left, but blame Rarity for getting me into it,” she said. “This time, it’s more about the differences. Like, you would not believe how dexterous hands are. Massages over there are incredible. But they don’t have anything that soothes your Magic. So after a trip my body will feel better but-“
“But your Magic’s just as worn out,” she finished. “Fair enough. One question though, how are you doing on money?”
“I think I’ll be fine,” she held back a grimace. “I grabbed a few of my larger bits and gems before we left, so I think I’ll have money for a few days. It won’t get me as much as it did in the other world, but prices are still the same so I should be good.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “But tell me if you need more.”
“You don’t have to-“ she began.
“You always pay for me in that Dimension, so it's only fair,” she rolled her eyes. “Besides, I literally have several sources of income. Technically I’m still the town’s librarian, and I am a Princess with a Royal Budget to use as I see fit, including calling what you do a job. Not to mention your Element Salary.”
“A job?” she parroted. “Element Salary?”
Twilight looked up from her reading, as if only just now processing what she’d said. Giving an expression that seemed like mental chastising, she set the newspaper on the table.
“Well, I could call what you do a job, in a way,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “While you weren’t officially my student before, I could call you my Teaching Assistant, as you are taking on your own students and seem to be helping mine.”
“You were up late reading again last night, weren’t you?” Sunset frowned.
“It wasn’t that late,” she pouted. “Besides, it’d be hypocritical for you to call me out on it. If you don’t want to be a TA, we could call you a Researcher. You know the most about the other Dimension, and you’ve been reporting to me through the Journal.”
“Guess I’d really follow in dad’s hoofsteps and be a Royal Mage,” she rolled her eyes. “What was the ‘Element Salary’ thing?”
“Not many know about it,” she said a bit sheepishly. “But officially, those who wield the Elements of Harmony are considered part of the Guard. Similar to the Wonderbolts, it counts as an Elite Taskforce of sorts. And accordingly, they get paid. You’ve used the Element of Magic, so you qualify.”
Huh,” she said. “Never thought you could get paid for saving the world.”
“No one ever does,” she said. “But again, if you need more money…”
“Yeah yeah,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ll come back if I need it. See you later.”
With that, Sunset slipped out of the kitchen and down the hall. She frowned as she walked through the halls. Starlight had complained about how she couldn’t find her way through the castle yet, and even Twilight and Spike admitted it was difficult to get around for the first few weeks. And that was without factoring in the shifting rooms.
Yet Sunset was already at the front door. She didn’t even know how she knew it was the front door. This was her first time in this castle, and no one had even mentioned which turns to take. Yet, somehow, she felt it. This door led outside to a staircase down to the ground. She knew which turns to take back up to her room or to the kitchen or even the library.
It was even stranger when she went out the door. As soon as she stepped onto the dirt, something shifted. It was as if the crystal structure was radiating Magic. Putting her hoof on the bottom crystal stair, she could feel it like a spark of electricity.
The strangest part came next. She felt the Magic shift. Somehow, her mind translated that shift as a hallway changing, probably to mess with Starlight again.
It had been like that in the Crystal Empire too. Not the shifting halls, but having a map of the castle. She hadn’t noticed it because of how long it had been since she was in Equestria, but it had that same feeling. She hadn’t even questioned how she knew her way around back when she stole Twilight’s crown, but it made some sense now.
Perhaps she was tapping into that Magic to see the structure somehow? She’d have to remember to tell Twilight and Starlight about that. Maybe it could help them get a better handle on the map of the place. Once it settles down, of course.
Speaking of maps, perhaps she should have asked for one of Ponyville. She’d only been to Ponyville once before, several years ago when she’d been the Princess’s student, but even then she’d spent most of the day in a library while the Princess had done whatever it had been that she needed to do. The trip had been so uneventful for Sunset that she hadn’t even remembered it until Twilight had mentioned the Library Tree.
Not having any real knowledge of where to go, she wandered a little. If she’d thought the Uncanney Valley effect of going to the Human World had been weird, it hadn’t prepared her for meeting everyone here. A lot of the town were Counterparts to the students at Canterlot High.
Pretty much everyone waved as she went by, and she smiled back at them. More than a few looked nervously to the sky as they did. After the fifth she decided to stop and ask.
“Hi there,” Sunset greeted, stopping herself before she used the mare’s name, as she technically shouldn’t know it.
“Hello,” the mare smiled back. “Welcome to Ponyville. I’m Roseluck. You need help finding your way around?”
“Yes and no,” she answered honestly. “I don’t know where anything is, but I’m happy wandering until I find something. But, uh, can I ask one other question?”
“Sure,” Roseluck nodded.
“Why does everypony keep looking to the sky when I walk by?” she asked.
“Oh, uh,” she chuckled nervously. “Somepony is usually very, er, enthusiastic about welcome parties. She tends to kind of appear out of nowhere. Actually, it’s kind of weird that you’re this far in town and she hasn’t shown up yet.”
“Who would-?” she stopped and brought her hoof to her face. “Right, Pinkie. She’s temporarily occupied.”
“You’ve already met her?” she wondered.
“You could say that,” she nodded. “She’s a good friend. Thanks for the help though.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “If you have time later, you could stop by my flower shop. I’m sure you’ll find it!”
Saying goodbye, Sunset headed through town once more. Apparently news travels fast in a town this small, as no one looked to the sky anymore.
She noticed the differences a lot more. The differences between Worlds. There were no cars, and therefore everything was quieter and smelled so different. Shops didn’t have glowing signs or tvs in the window. Even the items being sold were different, as very few shops would have clothing and none would have dvds.
This was one of those times where it really hit her that it was another world. And it really hit her that she was back, she was in Equestria and surrounded by Magic. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not giggle like an idiot, so she settled for staring in wonder as she trotted through down.
There were many shops, but she did have her mind set on a spa trip. It didn’t take her long to find it. Most shops were near the center of town, while homes were closer to the edges. Despite the architectural differences between worlds, the buildings did have similarities.
As expected, one of the twins was at the front desk. It was the pink one this time, Aloe. Sunset greeted her before looking over the list of treatments they offered. She gave a small smile at a few of them, knowing they were exactly what she was looking for.
She paid no mind to the sound of the door opening and closing. It was the voice that made her snap to attention. So familiar, as was the mare it belonged to. Her white coat practically glowed, and both purple mane and tail were perfectly curled. Sapphire eyes alight with happiness.
Sunset would later admit to herself that she’d stared perhaps a bit too long. She would currently admit that while she had expected her to be just as beautiful, it didn’t quite prepare her for meeting her again.
“Thank you dear,” Rarity laughed. “Though that is something odd to say to someone you’ve just met.”
“What is it with me saying dumb things out loud,” Sunset mumbled. “Sorry, you’re right, we haven’t exactly met. But I think Twilight’s probably mentioned me? I’m Sunset Shimmer.”
“Well, that explains it,” she replied after a moment of surprise. “Twilight has told me quite a bit about you. So tell me, how do I compare to the other me?”
“That’s not a question I want to answer,” she backpedaled. “It’s like asking a twin which is prettier.”
“She’s right on that one,” Aloe spoke up. “Lotus and I learned early on that if you tell one twin she’s prettier, the other demands what the difference is. The answer is always ‘I like you more so you’re prettier’. That only flies if it’s a partner. It’s still better than saying ‘well you’re twins so you look the same’. Though, I don’t remember you having a twin Miss Rarity?”
“Well, I don’t…” Rarity said, looking to Sunset for an explanation.
“Would you believe Interdimentional Counterpart?” Sunset offered, figuring the truth would be best here.
Aloe looked at her for a moment. She then groaned and let her head fall to the desk. Both Unicorns gave one another a confused look before turning back to her.
“Are you with the Alicorn?” Aloe asked.
“Which Alicorn?” Sunset asked.
“There are quite a few now,” Rarity said.
“I don’t know,” Aloe sighed. “Yesterday afternoon an Alicorn popped into the shop. At first I thought Princess Twilight had been dropped in flour, but she was just a white and pink Alicorn.”
“What does that have to do with Interdimentional Counterparts?” Sunset wondered.
“She said she travels Dimensions,” she answered.
“Actually she said she was a Time Traveler!” Lotus’s voice rang out from the back. “She asked me what day it was!”
“She said she was both!” she shouted back. “Anyway, you with her or what?”
“Nope,” Sunset frowned. “Only white Alicorn I know of is Princess Celestia.”
“Not sure if that’s better or worse,” she sighed. “That mare was the third strangest customer I’ve ever had.”
“Can I guess who the stranger ones were?” Rarity laughed.
Aloe shuddered a little before putting her smile back in place. Sunset was a little concerned over the fact that a Time and Dimension traveling Alicorn was only the ‘third strangest customer’, and even more concerned that both the mysterious Alicorn and her confession of Alternate Dimensions were only in the ‘weird’ category instead of the ‘this gives me a new perspective on my existence’ category. Even for Equestria, that stuff should be taken with a bit more shock and perhaps horror. What kind of town was Ponyville anyway?
“On that note,” Rarity began, her attention back on Sunset. “Would you like to join us? Oh, by 'us' I mean Fluttershy and I.”
“While I was planning on finding you two, I don’t want to intrude,” Sunset said.
“Don’t worry about that,” she said. “While it’s a weekly thing with Fluttershy, we’ve both brought guests before. Now, do you know which treatments you want, or would you like to look over the list a bit more?”
Rarity was good at helping with her selection, and giving a review of first-hand experience. After a few moments, Sunset heard the door open again. Looking over, she found another familiar face in a yellow Pegasus. However, when she greeted her, the mare looked very confused, backing up warily with her wings ready to take off.
“Did I say something weird again?” Sunset asked, looking to Rarity this time.
“Not exactly, ”Rarity smiled. “Just a little too familiar. You said ‘hey Flutters’.”
“Oh, sorry,” she said sheepishly.
“Uh, what?” Fluttershy asked, not quite out of the ‘flight’ of ‘fight or flight’.
“Fluttershy,” Rarity addressed. “This is Sunset Shimmer. Remember, Twilight’s friend?”
“Oh,” she said, wings relaxing a bit. “So, uh, that explains a bit.”
“Again, sorry,” Sunset said. “I wasn’t thinking for a moment. Forgot that greeting you like I would your Counterpart might be confusing. But on that note, hi?”
“Hi,” she replied automatically. “I’m, uh, I am glad to meet you though. Twilight’s said a lot of good things about you so….”
“Glad to hear,” she said. “I’m back in this world for a bit, so I kinda wanted to meet you all too. Didn’t think I’d run into you here though.”
“I guess it’s just a lucky coincidence….” She trailed off, her eyes going wide.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Dear, what is it?” Rarity wondered, leaning closer in concern.
“Nothing,” Fluttershy answered, switching to an exasperated sigh. “I just realized why he was very insistent on joining us this week.”
“Who?” Sunset asked.
“Oh no,” Rarity sighed.
“Oh no what?” she asked again.
“Well really, I have no idea!” Another voice answered. “After all, I’m not that bad, am I?”
While Rarity jumped, Sunset was a little too used to that voice appearing over her shoulder. Looking behind her and a little above, she saw a vaguely familiar…. Creature. Even if she couldn’t already guess, the Dramatic Aura of Extra that poured off of him was enough of a hint.
“Hello, Discord,” Sunset said.
“Hm, not quite the reaction I expected,” Discord mused. “I assumed you’d be a bit jumpier.”
“I’ve spent enough time around your Counterpart,” she shrugged. “Maybe you’re getting predictable.”
“Never,” he gasped, dramatically offended by the thought. “I only underestimated your unpredictability.”
“You agreed not to go overboard,” Fluttershy warned.
“Yes, yes,” he pouted. “But I do have my reputation to uphold.”
“You do?” Rarity asked without thinking.
“Well, my reputation of no reputation,” he shrugged. “Now, what to do…”
“Be on your best behavior?” Fluttershy reminded. “You still owe Lotus half a shelf of lotions.”
“I promise nothing destructive and/or permanent,” he rolled his eyes. “However….”
As his voice trailed off, he snapped a talon. All of a sudden, Sunset found herself dropped into water. From the shallowness and the sudden aromas, she guessed it was one of the group baths inside the spa.
“If you could refrain from splashing me,” Lotus said with an annoyed sigh.
“Sorry,” Fluttershy said.
“Now then,” Discord said, pulling the group together with his tail. “While I’ve been temporarily banned from my usual shenanigans, nothing is keeping me from having a relaxing spa day, asking you about the latest gossip from another world, and interfering with your love life. So, who’s taking who to prom?”
“Figured you know already,” Sunset replied. “Since you apparently do some Interdimensional eavesdropping. Be glad Twilight’s momentarily forgotten.”
“I don’t eavesdrop on everything,” he shrugged, the motion somehow upending a bottle of lavender into the tub. “Only when Ponies I know happen to be talking about me. Now, speaking of me, there is another me in your world, correct?”
There was a sound of clattering. Looking over her shoulder, Sunset could see that Lotus had dropped a few bottles in surprise and slight fear.
“Now there’s a terrifying thought,” Rarity said, handling it much better. “You already get into enough trouble, especially with Pinkie and Rainbow being a little too encouraging in your prank war.”
“There’s definitely some similarities,” Sunset said. “Though, he’s not a… is there a technical word for what you are or can I just say ‘some sort of Chimera’?”
“Draconequus,” Fluttershy answered.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Your Counterpart is just Human, and doesn’t have any Magic either. Mind you, he can still cause trouble. The first thing he did was get into a passive-aggressive prank war with that world’s Celestia and Luna, which nearly destroyed the gym.”
“This may sound rude,” Rarity began, sinking lower in the spa bath. “But does he look strange for a Human? After all, a Draconequus looks far different from a Pony.”
“Not too weird,” she answered. “I mean, his eyes are a little weird, but still more normal than this Discord’s. Like instead of red with yellow sclera they’re heterochromic so one iris is red and the other is yellow. Other than that, he’s probably the tallest Human I’ve met. Taller than the Princess’s Counterpart.”
“Naturally,” Discord answered. “I am taller than her here, after all.”
“Your height is relative,” Fluttershy reminded.
“Don’t tell Tia that,” he said.
“Does she usually reply with ‘yeah, but I’m older’?” Sunset wondered.
Discord didn’t answer. Instead he sulked lower into the water and pouted.
“That said,” Sunset continued, ignoring the sulk-fest. “What he lacks in physical strangeness he makes up for in outfit choice. And seeing you, makes his outfit choice somehow make more sense and less sense. I have no idea how he’s doing it, but his outfits copy your different animal parts.”
“Oh stars,” Rarity groaned. “I don’t even want to imagine the fashion disaster that must be. How has the other me not killed him yet?”
“She did faint,” she said. “But to be fair, he’s also Canterlot High’s Theatre Teacher, so people kind of see that weirdness with an exasperated sigh.”
“That fits,” Fluttershy nodded before seeing Discord pout more. “You are the teensiest bit dramatic.”
“I’m not that dramatic,” Discord said.
“Twilight called you a drama queen the other day,” Sunset deadpanned. “You responded by sending a letter through dimensions.”
He didn’t have a response for that one. Instead, he sank lower and lower into the bath until only his horns were above the water. Sunset was vaguely sure he wouldn’t drown. Actually, she was more concerned as to how all of him fit underwater in this size bath.
“So, my earlier question aside,” Rarity began. “What are our Counterparts like?”
“Similar yet different,” Sunset answered. “I can’t get specific, since I don’t know you two as well as I know them, and I haven’t even met Rainbow and AJ in this world. But so far, there’s just little differences. I think it’s just because of the world and culture they grew up in.”
“Hm,” she mused. “It might be interesting to meet the other me. And see what fashion looks like in her world. I would be completely out of my depth if I tried to make something there!”
“It’d be interesting,” Fluttershy admitted. “Though, I don’t know if Counterparts meeting could, you know, implode the Universe?”
“It won’t,” Sunset assured. “Mostly because if it did, it should’ve happened four times in the last few days alone.”
“Who met who?” Rarity wondered.
“Right, Twilight hasn’t had a chance to tell you yet,” she said, sitting p a little straighter. “Your Counterparts and I kind of ran into Twilight’s Counterpart. It was a hell of an adventure, and I’m not quite sure if Twilight wants to tell you that one herself. I was the one who was there, but it is her Counterpart so maybe it's more personal?”
“I guess we’ll wait until we have both of you,” Fluttershy said.
“That works,” she nodded. “But after that, we kind of went on a trip to find my Counterpart. And let me tell you, no matter how prepared you are it’s still weird. And now we… oh.”
“Not again,” Rarity sighed.
“So…” she began, “I just realized that there are now two Pinkies and two Lyras running amok in the other Dimension.”
There was an even louder crash as Lotus dropped more items from hearing that comment.
“Why would…” Rarity stopped herself with a sigh. “You know what? I’m not going to ask.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine?” Fluttershy said.
“I don’t think the world will implode,” Sunset said carefully. “But it will confuse everyone else. Though, it somehow seems like they figured out some of a system. Pinkie said something about calling the Unicorn Lyra ‘Heartstrings’.”
“That’s good at least,” Rarity said. “Hm. I guess we would have to think of nicknames if we were to go around with two of us.”
“No offence, but I’m not going to imagine that headache right now,” she said. “How about you two tell me about here? Twilight’s told me a good amount, but I bet she probably left out a few adventures. Or embarrassing moments she didn’t realize you might tell me.”
“Now that, I can provide plenty of!” Discord announced, popping back out of the water.
“How could you hear me from down there?” she wondered. “Wait, dumb question.”
Soon enough, they moved through various other spa treatments. Scrubs and wraps, and even massages. Sunset regretted mentioning how good hands were at that, as Discord was all too ready to snap his talon and turn Aloe and Lotus into something that would have hands. Fortunately, Fluttershy reminded him that transfiguration without asking is, frankly, quite rude.
“A Want It Need It Spell?” Sunset repeated in disbelief. “On the whole town?”
“It was quite the ordeal,” Rarity said, leading the troupe back to the spa’s lobby area.
“But why?” she wondered.
“Uh, for her assignment?” Fluttershy answered.
“What kind of assignment…” she muttered.
“Well, back then, Twilight was sending weekly letters to Princess Celestia,” Rarity explained. “It was essentially a report studying various aspects of Friendship and how it works. But that was the first week where she hadn’t run into a problem that Friendship solved, so…”
“So she kind of went nuts and created her own,” Fluttershy finished.
“Wish I could’ve seen that,” Discord mused.
“Breakdown Twilight is not something you want to see,” she corrected. "Not only because it's rude to want to see someone in a breakdown, but she's very, very terrifying in that state."
“Obviously,” he nodded. “But the wild frenzy would have been decently entertaining.”
Rarity and Sunset rolled their eyes, heading to the counter. Both already had horns lit, reaching for hammerspace wallets. However, Rarity was a little quicker.
“So,” Rarity began, smiling at Aloe. “How much would this come to after adding Sunset’s bill to mine?”
“Woah, wait,” Sunset cut her off. “You don’t have to pay for me.”
“You were my plus one,” she pointed out.
“I was coming to the spa anyway,” she retorted.
“True,” she nodded. “But I invited you to my group. Would you have gone through all of those activities if you were on your own?”
“Well, maybe,” she said. “I could’ve said no, or gotten less expensive options.”
“But I-“ she began.
“Ladies!” Aloe cut them off. “While I’m sure you’d both like to pay, all four of your bills have been paid in advance.”
Both Unicorns furrowed their brows before looking to Fluttershy. She was just as confused as them, but quickly backed up under their gaze, wings ready to take flight.
“I-I didn’t,” Fluttershy stammered. “I have- I have no idea who-“
“Really,” Discord sighed. “Is it so hard to believe I can be nice for once?”
“Nice, I can believe,” Rarity frowned up at him. “But where do you get money? Do you even have a job?”
“Technically,” he grinned. “But I’m saving that reveal for Twilight.”
“Wait,” Sunset held up a hoof to stop him. “Is this one of those things where she’ll go all wide-eyed and stammering while trying to figure out how it works?”
“Absolutely,” he said, grin growing somehow wider.
“Okay, promise not to tell her whatever it is until I’m around,” she insisted.
“Why?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Well, uh, that is…” she looked for an actual response.
“Told you I’d interfere with your love life,” Discord snickered. “Though speaking of confusing Twilight, I do believe I’m a bit late on the schedule for that. See you another time, then!”
With that, his entire body flattened and then rolled up like a projector screen before disappearing. While Sunset was still staring, Rarity turned back to Aloe.
“You trusted him enough to pay?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No,” Aloe answered. “I trusted that if the money he gave me grew legs and walked away in the middle of the night, I could track down either your two or Princess Twilight to get real payment.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Fluttershy said, not quite that confident.
“Well, in that case,” Rarity smiled, turning back to Sunset with a grin she knew all too well. “What was that Discord said about your love life?”
“Ugh,” Sunset sighed, burying her face in her hooves. “Not what I want to discuss right now.”
“Hm,” she hummed. “Well, if you’d like to discuss it another time, I’m sure you can find my shop in town. I already have a few dress designs in mind, if you’d like one.”
“I might stop by,” she said. “Not sure if I’ll get a dress though. I have no idea what would happen to it through the portal, and I don’t think I’ll need one here.”
“Well, you’re always welcome,” she said.
“Uh, you-you’re welcome to find me too,” Fluttershy spoke up. “I’m in a cottage by the forest, I’m sure someone could point you in the right direction if you get lost but, er, well, I don’t know why you’d come other than to say hello.”
“Isn’t saying hello enough?” she smiled. "Though, you'd know where to get pet supplies. You wouldn't happen to have spicy bird treats, would you?"
“I do, actually,” she nodded.
“Good,” she said. “I already promised Mena I’d get her those. You wouldn’t think birds like spicy things, but a Phoenix? As soon as she could fly she stole a pepper from the garden.”
“Phoenix?” she tilted her head. “Wait, do you mean Philomena?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I kind of left her behind when I ran away, but now that I’m here she’s been hanging around and pretending she didn’t miss me. I guess you ran into her at some point?”
“Oh, there’s another story to tell,” Rarity laughed as Fluttershy gave an exasperated sigh.