> Should I Stay (or Should I Go?) > by moonlit scribe > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Before the Games > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The snow had melted over the past three months. Sunset couldn't help but grin as the sun rose over the suburbs that surrounded Canterlot. She was more of an autumn person, but even she couldn't help but grin at the bushes filled with flowers that surrounded the sidewalk of her street. Stretching, she gazed around her apartment. "Okay," she thought, getting out of her loft bed and walking down the stairs to the floor, "I got up a lot earlier than usual today, so I should have plenty of time to get ready for school... "And to do the laundry...," she added to her list, glancing at the heavy laundry bag hanging from her bathroom door. After getting ready for the day, she slipped into a relatively new outfit, a light blue button-up with cut-off sleeves and a dark pair of jeans. Collecting her pajamas, she threw them into the washing machine along with the rest of her laundry. "Okay, so that's done... and I still have an hour... whats next?" she questioned herself. She looked around the apartment again, her eyes landing on her computer. Smirking, she thought, "I have been meaning to defeat Eris on The Traveller's Maze..." Sunset's warlock, Priori, dodged Eris's longlegs again. As they hissed at her, waiting for her to complete her turn, she cast Magna Nimis. The longlegs fell to the ground, covering their ears. It was Priori's turn again. She cast Consummationem and watched as the longlegs were burned to ash. Suddenly, the screen whited out and the checkpoint window appeared. Sunset looked through the list of possible powerups for her next round. "Hmmm... I could use a range booster...," she thought, picking Maior Semoto and watching fifty pies be subtracted from her stash "And an extra shield would be nice...," she added, paying thirty more for Scutum Pristinam. "Will I need anything else? Maybe... Sanitatem Celer?" she decided, moving her mouse to pay forty-five pies. Sunset looked at her well-stocked armory of potions, wands, and staffs. She smiled, stretching her fingers. "Okay, Eris, you're goin-" she said to herself right as her phone buzzed. She reached for it, frowning, and opened Messages. It was unlike the others to start texting this early. The Rainbooms!!! Monday, February 3rd, 7:27 AM DashOfAwesomeness: Guys! Get to school rn! It's an emergency! Rarest_Gem: Darling are you alright? Appletastic: almost there BunnyLover_10112: Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay? Cake-a-Holic: imma comin Dashie! Sunset dropped her phone immediately, saving her game and shutting her computer down. She pulled on her jacket and grabbed her bag and guitar case. She tried texting as she raced for the door. SunnyD: I m comiimh toiej fbufn, Rainvei SunnyD: asdfghjkl SunnyD: Im cing. SunnyD: Ugh Sunset gave up on texting, rushing past and locking her door. She leaped down the stairs of her apartment building, and out the front door, taking the shortcuts she knew very well from all the times she had almost been late. She slipped into the alley behind her building and jumped the fence into a neatly kept backyard. The resident guard dog, a poodle, barked loudly as she ran to the other side and jumped the fence again, into another alley. She darted down the alley, coming up to the same main road as her school. She turned right, speeding up at the sight of the iconic Wondercolt statue in front of Canterlot High. Before long, she had come up to where Rainbow Dash and Applejack were sitting on the steps. Applejack was scowling at Rainbow, her arms crossed. Rainbow, on her part, was grinning sheepishly as she held her guitar. "Dammit. This isn't a real emergency, is it?" Sunset thought. Still, she decided to give Rainbow the benefit of doubt. "Dash? What's going on? What's the emergency?" she asked, stopping in front of her friends. "Did something happen with the portal?" Rarity's voice floated over. Sunset glanced back to see Rarity getting down from Fluttershy's car, followed by Fluttershy herself "Or some other magical bad guy?" Fluttershy added. "Ooooh, like a giant cake monster!" Pinkie said, popping, as usual, out of nowhere. "Oh, oh, or a... huuuuuuuuuuuuge loop- mhmn mmmmmm!" Pinkie was interrupted by Applejack shoving an apple into her mouth. "Well, Ah tried tellin' Dash that a broken guitar string isn't an emergency, but as usual, she didn't listen," Applejack said pointedly. "It totally is!" Dash sniped back, turning to face AJ, "How am I supposed to pony up if I can't play my guitar?" "You know, Dash, I was just about to deal with Eris in Traveller's Maze before you called us here," Sunset said, reaching into the front pocket of her case to grab an extra A string. "Yeah, and I was just about to have pancakes!" Pinkie said as Sunset handed the string to Dash, "You interrupted pancakes! PAAAANNNCAAAAKES!" Sunset looked around at her friends, all of whom wore slightly disgruntled looks on their faces, before looking back at Dash. "Sorry, guys...," Dash said, "But hey! We can get an early practice in, can't we?" Sunset rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine, but you guys go ahead without me. I promised Twilight I'd write her today, and I should probably get it done sooner than later," she said. "No problem, Sunny," AJ said, "Do you want us to take your guitar to the practice room?" "If you don't mind?" Sunset answered, rummaging in her bag for a pen after pulling out her book. "'Course not! I'll see you in a bit," Applejack called out, grabbing the case and walking away with the others. Sunset found a pen and looked back to wave to her friends, before turning back to the page in front of her. Dear Princess Twilight, I know we agreed to talk tomorrow, but I kind of need to say something. It's been eating at me for a while now, but I wasn't really able to articulate it and now I think I understand a little better. Ever since the Anon-a-Mess, I've been... worried. I think that might be an understatement, but it's the best word I can think of to describe it. I've been worried that my friends don't trust me. That they won't ever trust me. These thoughts have been making me feel uncomfortable around them, to say the least. And I know, intellectually, that they trust me. They've proven it, time and again, since the incident. But I've been burned by them. And I'm so scared of being burned again. Because of that, I can't help but wonder, is this really the place for me? A world where my head is constantly on a swivel for any signs of distrust? Equestria was never like that. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. It's... home, in a way that Equestria wasn't. But I still miss knowing that I can just about trust any pony I meet, even though I refused to when I still lived there. It's not just the trust issues I have that are making me so existential today. It's also the magic here. It's so different from the magic back home. There were rules that magic followed there. There were tools to study it. You could actually use logic on it. Here, it doesn't follow any of the rules. There aren't any actual tools you could study it with. And don't even get me started on the logic behind it. I've been able to, at the very least, put something together to identify magical bursts. However, I can't track it or it's source. I can't even figure out whether it's active or passive magic! I just know that there are, occasionally, magic bursts. It's so frustrating! It's simpler in Equestria. I can't help but wonder if there's more for me back there. I'm so sorry for dumping all of this on you, but I didn't know who else to turn to. Yours, Sunset Shimmer Sunset sighed, rereading the letter. She looked up, at the portal. "Maybe..." She shook her head at the thought. "No. You've bothered Twilight enough. You are not going to bother her more by popping out of the portal for no reason," Sunset told herself harshly, shoving her book and pen into her bag. Still, she couldn't help but look at the portal again. To her shock, a figure in a light blue hoodie and black gloves was standing right by the portal with a device that seemed to be right out of Ghostbusters. "Hey! What are you doing?" she called out, struggling lightly with her backpack as it seemed to have swallowed her hand. The figure turned around, obviously startled by Sunset, before taking off running. Sunset finally shook her bag off her hand, but by the time she reached the statue, the figure was crossing the road and going to the bus stand down the street. They looked at the buses waiting for passengers and leaped onto one. Thinking quickly, Sunset took a picture of the bus number on her phone as the bus passed Canterlot High. She looked at the number, 27. Looks like she had some research to do. She ran back to the steps of the school, where numerous students now sat with their friends. Waving to a couple of her acquaintances, she reached her bag. Her lightly glowing, vibrating bag. Excitedly, she opened it and pulled out her message book, flipping to the latest page. Dear Sunset, It's absolutely no problem! In fact, I'm glad you wrote because it seems like you've got a lot on your mind. It's completely understandable that you're so cautious around the girls. Their assumption got you bullied and hurt within the walls of a place where you should have felt safe. That wasn't a very friendly thing that they did, and I'm proud of you for trying your best to make amends with them. I also understand your frustration with the magic over in the human world. If magic worked like that here, I wouldn't know what to do. Actually, I feel like this might be easier to talk about in pony person. How about I come over today? Yours, Twilight Sparkle Sunset smiled, "It would be nice to see her again..." Dear Twilight, That sounds like a great idea! There's also something else I need to discuss with you, though. Just minutes ago, I saw a figure messing about around the portal. I startled them and they ran away, but if this happens again, we might have to close the portal temporarily. The first bell rang from inside the school. Sunset looked up from her writing, startled that forty-five minutes had passed so quickly. I have to go now, Twilight. The first bell just rang, and I don't want to be tardy. How does lunch at Sugarcube Corner sound? Yours, Sunset Shimmer Sunset nodded at the message, gathering her things just as the book glowed. TARDY? Go, go, go! Don't be tardy! Ps. Lunch at Sugarcube Corner sounds great! Can't wait! Sunset grinned at the minor freakout from the other side of the mirror. Then, she looked at her phone, which was bursting with "Where the hell are you?" types of texts. "Oh, shit," she said, grabbing her phone and opening up the group chat. SunnyD: Girls, I'm sorry I missed practice, but we need to talk. SunnyD: Library before lunch? > Chapter 2: Desires > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight pulled her hood back, gasping for breath. She wasn't athletic by any means and the run from the statue to the bus stop had winded her. She leaned against the bus seat, contemplating the reason her exploration was cut short. "That girl... why was she so mad about the statue? Does she know something about the energy that's coming from there?"she wondered. She grabbed her tracker from her pocket and pulled up the previous readings. As usual, the readings showed a strange type of EM wave. The frequency was extremely low, but the wavelength was half that of a typical gamma ray. This meant that the wave was much slower than any other EM wave. Yet, the wave followed all the other rules of electromagnetic radiation. It could travel through empty space and it had a consistent wavelength. "The statue did have an effect on the tracker, though. At around the time I touched it, the frequency increased. That means that the energy source...,"she thought. "... must be touch-activated!" she said, jumping up. The driver and the few other people on the bus looked incredulously at her. Immediately, she sunk back down into her seat, trying to make herself as small as possible. "Sorry," she mumbled. Twilight slammed the door of her lab open and marched to her seat. On the way, she shed her hoodie and pulled her lab coat on. "Spike? Spike? Where are you?" she yelled, pulling the tracker open. Spike ran out from his little corner and leaped onto Twilight's lap. Twilight giggled, petting him, "There you are, Spike. My experiment with the tracker got more results than I expected! Canterlot High was a gold mine!" Spike growled at the rival school's name. "Oh, come on, Spike, I wasn't gone for that long. Besides, I think I found the energy source and, even better, how to activate it! It's touch, Spike! I have to touch the source to activate it. I wasn't able to figure out why the source exists, but one step at a time, Spike. One step at a time," continued Twilight, pulling a microchip out of the silver device. "Besides, I should be able to figure it out during the Friendship Games!" she added. Spike whimpered, pawing at Twilight's arm as she pulled out a circular purple box whose frame was lined with LEDs. Sighing in frustration, she put him on the ground before turning back to her work. She pulled a small screwdriver out, undoing the hinge and pulling the lid off. Using the screwdriver again, she undid the concave bottom of the lid and lay it aside. In the very middle of the top part was a small motherboard. Twilight inserted the microchip into a microchip slot, before soldering twenty-four wires from the motherboard to the LEDs around the rim and two wires into a small cavity near the hinge where one of two batteries would be placed. Then, she screwed the bottom of the lid back on. She sat back for a minute, smiling proudly at her work. Then, she turned her attention to the actual container. Twilight pulled a small but powerful magnet and a flat piece of steel of the same size as the magnet from a drawer on her desk. Carefully, she welded the steel into the aluminum bottom of the container. Taking off her welding mask and wiping her forehead, she smiled. She grabbed the magnet and lowered it directly onto the steel piece. Then, she pulled out a premade antenna with a miniature satellite dish attached to it. Twilight soldered a pair of wires to it, before placing them in another battery cavity. Then, she screwed the mini-satellite dish onto the bottom of the lid. After that, she added two CR2477 batteries to the two battery cavities, securing them with electrical tape. Finally, she put everything back together. Smiling, she pressed the button at the top. The LEDs began to glow. "It's done, Spike! I made it!" she cried. Spike barked back, clearly wanting to join in on the excitement. He leaped on her, knocking her to the ground. "Ugh, if even Spike can knock me down, maybe I do need to go to the gym," she thought to herself. All of a sudden, while Twilight was laying on the ground with her dog licking her face, the door opened. "Oh, boy. This is going to be just great," she deadpanned. "Twilight?" Dean Cadence asked, "What are you doing on the floor?" She reached down to help Twilight up. Twilight grabbed her hand, dragging herself to a standing position. "Thanks. Spike and I just got a little... excited about some of the results of my experiment," Twilight blushed. "Spike?" Dean Cadence looked around the room, before spotting the pup, "Twilight, you know you're not allowed to bring pets to school." "Oh, but Spike isn't a pet, Dean Cadence! He's part of another experiment!" Twilight rambled nervously, grabbing Spike, "Human-Canine Cohabitation: Effects and Implications!" The dean gave Twilight a look, clearly seeing through her lie. Twilight squeezed Spike a little tighter, afraid that Cadence would try and take him away. Instead, she just shook her head, smiling lightly. "Well, Principal Cinch is highly allergic, so you might want to change your shirt," she said, picking a piece of fur from Twilight's shoulder. "What? Why?" Twilight asked, crouching to put Spike back down. "She wants to see you right away, Twilight." "Oh, really?" Twilight asked, excited, "Maybe she has news about my application to the Everton Independent Study Program! Oh, this is wonderful!" She bounced on her toes, imagining the lab equipment and the peaceful atmosphere. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Cadence interrupted her daydream, "Everton seems like a really great program, but it doesn't really have any focus on collaboration or working with others." "Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed, stars in her eyes, "I don't have to worry about making friends or anything of the sort! I can do what I want to do and learn whatever I want to learn at my own pace! It's perfect!" "I don't know Twilight... Maybe having friends could be a benefit instead of a drawback," Cadence suggested. "Maybe so, maybe not so. But the Everton Independent Study Program has some of the best funding in the world! Imagine what I could do there!" Twilight shot back. "Well, if you're sure..." the dean said, backing out of the doorway, "See you in Cinch's office in a few minutes?" "Of course!" Twilight answered, rummaging through the chest of drawers for the spare shirts she kept in the lab. Cadence shut the door behind her as she left. "Honestly, Spike, I don't know why she's so worried," Twilight said, finally pulling out her shirt, "Besides, it's not like there's anything really keeping me here at Crystal Prep." Sunset sighed, "I couldn't tell you much about them. They were wearing a hoodie, so I wasn't able to get much in the way of body type, and they were wearing gloves and the hood was up, so I couldn't tell what the color of their skin was. I just know that they got on bus twenty-seven and that they were pretty quick on their feet. Oh, and the Ghostbusters device, of course." She looked around the library, trying to think of anything else. "I take that bus sometimes, darling," Rarity said, "The only stops it goes to after this are in the city." "So, you're saying that this person is super athletic, smart enough to use or even make a Ghostbusters device, took a bus to the city, and was messing with the statue?" Dash asked, swinging around the bookshelf. "Basically, yeah," Sunset said, leaning back against the table. "Then I'll bet they go to Crystal Prep," Dash muttered, rolling her eyes. "Crystal Prep? I know that they're pretty competitive and that they love rubbing it in our faces, but shouldn't we be more worried about this? After all, the last couple of times someone got too interested in this school and that statue, people got mind-controlled," Sunset asked. "Good point. Somehow, I don't think we need any more magical so-and-sos messin' our school up to get to Equestria," Applejack mentioned, leaning back in her chair with her legs thrown over a table "That's true, but what Dashie said could also be true, couldn't it?" Fluttershy asked, brushing Angel's fur. "Indeed. I certainly wouldn't put it below them to try and humiliate us before the games even begin," Rarity added, touching up her mascara. "Yeah! Those Crystal Preppers are absolute party-poopers!" Pinkie said, hanging upside down from the ladder that was used to reach higher shelves. "I guess... Sunset said, looking away. Then, she spotted the time. "Shit, I gotta go. And I can't let the girls know that I'm meeting Twilight. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I need an excuse," she thought. "Okay, I gotta go, girls. I... promised I'd help... Flash with some math homework," she said, gathering her stuff up. Twilight stepped out of her lab in a fresh shirt, looking around at the empty halls. She took a deep breath, walking as she sang. "I've walked through all these halls before..." She stopped at the door of a classroom and peered in through a window. "I've been in and out of every door... oh whoa-oh" One of the seniors, Fleur, got up and pulled the shutters down. Twilight turned her attention to the trophy case near the door. "There's nothing in this school that I don't know" She placed her hand on the trophy case, looking at the numerous ones that had her name on them. "In every class, my grade's the best. The highest score on every test." She turned away, continuing on her path. "I think that means it's... time for me to go..." She walked into the main foyer of the school. "I know there's more that's out there... And I just haven't found it yet..." She walked to the stairs in the corner of the room. "I know there's more that's out there, Another me I haven't met..." "Everyone here likes who I am..." Sunset sang, waving to Tornado and Whiz Kid as they walked past. "Despite their words at a click's command... oh whoa-oh." She walked to the front doors of the school. Pushing the doors open, she smiled at the sunny day and all the students hanging out on the grounds. "They say they're past the things I've done before." Her smile turned into a frown as her doubts and insecurities flooded her mind. "But should I really take that bet? When I barely have a safety net?" She walked from the doors to the statue, head hanging. "This world's great, sure, but can I trust it anymore?" She stared at the clouds in the sky, hoping they would provide her with answers. Twilight stared at the clouds through the window at the landing. "It's not that I'm ungrateful or trying to succeed" she sang, gripping the windowsill. "But there's something left still missing, something that I need!" "I know there's more that's out there, Maybe folks that need my help..." Sunset marched to the sidewalk, fiddling with the collar of her new jacket. It wasn't the one she had gotten when she first came through the mirror. It was a black denim one with orange chevrons that reached about halfway to her hips. Sunset preferred the first one, though it was too torn after the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands to be usable anymore. Sunset had sadly retired it, and her other usual clothes over the winter. Over the Anon-a-Mess. "I know there's more that's out there, And I've seen it for myself..." She looked at the empty sidewalks around her. "Is there really more that this town can offer? Don’t know if that’s true anymore... But there’s gotta be more that’s out there, Maybe a place where trust is sure." "Beyond these rooms, beyond these walls!" Twilight sang, spinning around in the dome that served as the waiting room for Principal Cinch's office. "So much to learn, I can't see it all..." "This town is home, this school is safe..." Sunset gazed at the familiar shops and residences of the area as she walked by. "But how can I be home, and still feel out of place?" Sunset winced, as her doubts and fears were thrown into the song. "And I know there's more that's out there Another world to explore...," Twilight smiled in anticipation. "And I know there's more that's out there... Am I wrong for wanting more?" Sunset chewed her lip, worrying. "And I can't wait for it to happen! But what it is, I cannot say... I just know it's really out there, And it's calling out my name..." Twilight sang, marching towards the door. "And I'm searching for the answer... 'Cause I feel I've lost my way..." Sunset took a deep breath, walking across the road to Sugarcube corner. "I may not know what's really out there But I'll find out someday!" Sunset pushed the doors open. "Sunset?" a familiar voice called. Sunset smiled. "I'll find out someday..." Twilight finished, straightening her posture and opening the door. She walked into the dimly lit room, smiling at Cadence as she passed her. She sat on the stool, turning when the door creaked shut. "Shining Armor?" she questioned, shocked, "What is my brother doing here?" "As an alumnus, Principal Cinch thought that Shining Armor would be able to provide some... perspective," Cadence answered. "Perspective?" Twilight wondered, "On what?" "WHy, the Friendship Games, of course," came a sharp, cold voice from behind Twilight. Twilight spun around so fast she nearly got whiplash. Principal Cinch sat at her desk, steepling her fingers like every cheesy villain in Hollywood. Her eyes were locked on something behind Twilight, "You participated in the Friendship Games, did you not, Shining Armor?" "Yes," Shining answered, his smugness nearly tangible. "Do you remember who won?" Principal Cinch continued. Somehow, Shining Armor managed to get even more pompous, "Crystal Prep did. We always win." Twilight rolled her eyes at her brother's self-satisfied smirk. "We always win," Cinch reiterated. A chill ran up Twilight's spine. There was something foreboding about this situation. "Why did you ask to see me?" Twilight asked, shrinking into herself a little. The principal stood up, walking to her trophy shelf. Carefully, she lifted the pièce de résistance, the Friendship Games trophy, and began polishing it. "Twilight, I'll be honest with you," she said, "It doesn't matter whether Crystal Prep wins or loses." "Where exactly is this going?" wondered Twilight. "What matters is that Crystal Prep is expected to win because Crystal Prep has a reputation," Principal Cinch put the trophy back on the shelf. She marched back towards Twilight. Instinctively, Twilight leaned slightly away. "And it is that reputation, my reputation, that is responsible for everything we have here. For everything you've done here!" Cinch continued, her voice increasing with every word. "And you've done quite a lot haven't you?" she said, her voice suddenly as sweet as honey, as she sat back down at her desk, rolling a pencil around. "I... I don't know... I guess?" Twilight stuttered. "Oh, don't be modest! You're the best student at this school!" Cinch said, almost cheerily, before becoming more passive-aggressive, "What I can't understand is, why my best student wouldn't want to compete?" "I-in the Friendship Games?" Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose. "Look, Twiley," came her brother's voice, "I know it's not really your thing, but representing the school is... kinda a big deal. Plus, they could really use your help." "It seems that Canterlot High is going through something of a... Renaissance," Cinch elaborated, pulling out a piece of paper and some reading glasses, "Test scores are up, as well as grades. Even athletics are on the rise. You see, they are developing somewhat of a reputation." She put the paper down, and took off the glasses, fixing her gaze on Twilight. "This cannot happen," she hissed. Twilight shook her head, "Principal Cinch, I can't possibly participate in the Games. My work here is very im-" "Ah, yes," Cinch interrupted, "Your work." The principal looked at her dean, leaning down to rest her elbows on the desk. "Cadence," she asked, "could you and Shining Armor find my contact sheet for the Everton Independent Study Program?" "Of course," Cadence answered, as Shining Armor opened the door and followed her out. The door shut behind them. "I understand you've applied," Cinch said, pulling a file from underneath her desk, "You see, one of the advantages of having a reputation is that you have a certain amount of... influence in such things. So, let me offer you a deal." Steepling her fingers again, she smiled, pushing the file toward Twilight, "In return for contributing your agile mind to these games, I will see to it that your application is approved." Twilight reached for the file. "Of course," Cinch said, pulling the file away, "I could also have it... denied." Twilight gasped. "She wouldn't... would she?" Twilight wondered. "What do you think I should do?" Cinch asked, nearly smirking. "Okay, she would. She definitely would," Twilight thought to herself, "Would it really be that bad to participate in the Games? No, it wouldn't. Especially if it means I get to go to Everton..." Outwardly, Twilight nodded, "I'll participate in the Friendship Games." The look on Cinch's face could only be described as glee. > Chapter 3: The Things We Hide > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You girls go ahead to the cafeteria. I need to grab my lunch money," Applejack called out as she walked out of the library. The others nodded, saying their goodbyes. Waving back, she grabbed her bag and headed in the opposite direction. She walked down the familiar hallways, saying hi to the people she knew and nodding at those she didn't know. A pair of athletes snickered at her, and she swore one of them had whispered "Piggly-Wiggly" as she walked by. Applejack scowled to herself. "Hmmm... that's Lightning Dust and Gilda, ain't it?" The two girls had been suspended for two weeks after the Anon-a-Mess because they had threatened to beat up Sunset during the incident. Lightning Dust had, eventually, apologized to Sunset, but Gilda was still just as convinced that Sunset was still somehow to blame. Applejack was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that she had bumped into someone until she found herself on the ground. "Applejack?" asked Flash Sentry, "Are you alright?" Applejack's brow furrowed, "Didn't Sunset say she was tutoring him today? I guess they got done earlier than I thought." Shaking the thoughts off, she asked, "Heya, Flash! How's the tutoring going?" Flash cocked his head questioningly, "What do you mean, AJ?" "Ain't Sunset tutoring you in Algebra? She left the library early 'cause of that." "I was busy practicing with The Shields before lunch. I haven't seen Sunset at all today," Flash answered, an equally confused look on his face. Applejack's mind was going a mile a minute, going over Sunset's behavior at the library. She frowned, "Now, what's that girl up to? Why would she lie to us? Is she- No. AJ, you're jumping to conclusions again. Don't forget what happened during the winter. Just talk it over with her in private." Resolutely, Applejack nodded to herself. She looked back at Flash, a small smile on her face, "Ok, thanks, Flash. I'm sure she's fine, and that she'll be back by fifth period." "If you say so, AJ. I'll keep an eye out for her, though," he answered. "You do that. I gotta go before the girls send a search party out for me," she nodded her goodbye, heading back to her locker. "Sunset?" a familiar voice called. Sunset smiled. "Hey, Twilight," she said, walking to a booth at the end of the cozy cafe. Twilight had already ordered a tea for herself and a mug of black coffee for Sunset. She sat down, glancing at the steaming drink. "Thanks, by the way," she nodded to the coffee, "How'd you guess I liked my coffee black?" "You implied it during one of our conversations. I believe it was something along the lines of 'I'm never letting Pinkie drink my coffee again, especially with how dark I take it'?" Twilight let out a little laugh. "Ooh, right," Sunset shivered, "The Night of the Endless Rubber Duckies." "I'm sorry, what?" Twilight exclaimed. Sunset chuckled, "I'll tell you that story someday, Twi. I promise. But I don't want to be late getting back to school, so I think it's probably best if we... you know... talk. Before I have to leave." "Of course," Twilight answered, tilting her head to the side and gesturing for Sunset to take the lead. Sunset couldn't bear the openness in Twilight's face. It just made her feel even more guilty for not being willing to get over the incident before winter break. Sunset shook herself. This was not the time to be worrying about this. She had limited time and she needed to make the most of it. "I...," Sunset stopped herself, staring at the coffee cup in her hands. "Is this a good idea?" asked a little voice in the back of her mind, "Do you really want to let Twilight down?" Sunset opened her mouth again, only to close it. She sighed to herself, shaking her head. A pair of lavender hands gently rested on Sunset's. Sunset looked up to see the Princess looking right at her. "What's wrong, Sunset?" Twilight asked, hands still covering Sunset's. Sunset ducked her head again, struggling against all the thoughts that raced through her head at the contact. "I... Do you remember the... the Anon-a-Miss incident from this winter?" Sunset finally answered. "Yeah," Twilight said softly. "I love the girls. I... I really do. And I know that they trust me now. I know that they won't turn away from me when things get rough," Sunset sighed, turning her head away from the coffee mug and out the window, "but still. What if... this is all a ruse? What if they..." "What if they what?" Twilight prompted softly. "What if they leave me again?" Sunset's eyes filled with tears, "Back home, everything is so clear. Once you have somepony on your side, that's the beginning and the end of it. There're no take backs, no 'I can't trust you anymore's." "I wish that was true," Twilight said, finally pulling her hands away. "What does that mean?" Sunset wondered. Instead of asking, however, she kept quiet, waiting for Twilight to continue. "My brother got married a while ago. And... it wasn't a very fun wedding. I mean... no, it was. It was. But before the wedding? It was kind of terrible. You see, I'd known the bride from when I was a little filly, and she was acting very different. She was... she was cruel, dishonest, picky..." Twilight sighed sadly. Sunset reached across the table to slide her hands under Twilight's. "The Cadance I knew was absolutely nothing like that. Then, I saw her casting some sort of spell on Shining. I just... I figured she was evil. So I tried to tell everyone... though I'll admit, bursting into the rehearsal dinner was more than a little stupid," Twilight fiddled with Sunset's hands as they lay beneath hers on the table. Sunset couldn't help but laugh, "Wait. You actually ran into a rehearsal dinner to accuse the bride of being evil?" Twilight blushed, "Yeah... that wasn't my best moment. But at the end... I was half-right. The pony that Shining Armor was going to marry really was evil. But she wasn't Cadance. She'd been replaced by a changeling." "Whoa, really?" Sunset asked, squeezing Twilight's hands and pulling away. At Twilight's nod, she added, "You get all the cool adventures!" Twilight smiled lightly and shook her head, "That's not the point, genius. The point is... well... you know the first thing we did after things cooled down? We all got together and talked. We acknowledged what we did wrong and promised we'd be better in the future." Sunset shook her head, "We never really got a chance to do that... I guess. I mean, the girls apologized and everything, but we never actually... talked, I guess. Not about Anon-a-Miss." "Maybe that's something you should consider doing. It might help. Still, if you feel that coming back to Equestria is best, then the portal is always open," Twilight smiled encouragingly. Sunset took a sip of her lukewarm coffee, "That's something else I wanted to talk to you about. The portal... it seems to have attracted some attention." Twilight turned serious again, "Yeah, I know. But... what could we do? On one hoof, I... I don't think I'd feel comfortable closing the portal for good... not when you're still here, at least. On the other... we have no idea who's looking for this. It could be someone looking to harm Equestria, and as Princess, I have to put them first." "What if you moved the mirror? Kept it somewhere more secure? Or what if you kept it closed most of the time, except when one of us needs to come over to the other world?" Sunset suggested, taking another sip of her lifeblood. "Hmm...," Twilight hummed, "that might not be a bad idea. It'd mean I could protect Equestria without completely cutting you off from Eqqus." "Toldja," Sunset smirked teasingly. "Oh, ha, ha, genius," Twilight snarked back, a playful grin on her face. They continued their banter for a little bit before they fell into a comfortable silence. Sunset stirred the remains of her coffee while Twilight took in the sights and sounds of the world around them. Sunset became lost in the swirling liquid, her reflection bending and breaking with the movement. She looked back up, capturing the Princess's gaze. "This is nice," she stated, smiling softly. "Yeah. It really is," Twilight answered, smiling back at Sunset. After lunch, Applejack only had one class with Sunset. Unfortunately, it was woodshop and Mr. Oak had assigned them different partners after they had chosen to work together on every project before that. Applejack was distracted throughout the class, glancing at Sunset to see if she was acting any different than usual. Sadly, Sunset was still as focused as ever on the birdhouse project that the class was working on. "Applejack?" asked Mr. Oak, when she accidentally hammered a nail in hard enough to split the wood, "You okay? You look less focused than a hungry pig right 'fore feedin' time." "I promise I'm fine, Mr. Oak," Applejack blushed, "I was just... thinkin'." Mr. Oak raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. Applejack tried to ignore the guilt that raced through her at lying to her father's old friend. "Well then, you'd better get your head back on straight. Get back to it, AJ," he finally said, walking away. "You sure you're okay?" asked her partner, Roseluck. Applejack rolled her eyes, "I'm fine, Rose. Really." "Ok, then," Rose turned back to the project, grabbing a different piece of wood to cut into shape. Applejack spared one more glance at Sunset, who was looking right back at her, worried. "You okay?" Sunset mouthed. Applejack nodded and sent a thumbs up her way, before turning back to her work. The bell rang, and students flooded out into hallways from their sixth period classes. Sunset wove her way through the crowd to her locker, pulling out her calculus book for seventh. She shut her locker, leaving her French work behind. Slipping down the hallway, Sunset waved to a few friends and avoided the gazes of more hostile students. "Sunset, darling, there you are!" came Rarity's familiar voice. Sunset turned around, smiling at Rarity. "Hey, Rares. What's up?" she asked. "Oh, nothing much. As much as I love theatre and design, they were both terribly boring today. Due to some... less than appropriate behavior from Snips and Snails, Mr. Magnet insisted on giving us a lecture on backstage etiquette. And in design? Ms. Saddles taught us about flannel and how to work it into our designs! Can you imagine? Of all things, flannel being in style?" Rarity lamented as she walked toward class with Sunset. "I don't know, flannel is pretty comfortable...," Sunset said, shrugging as they reached Mr. Doodle's class. Sunset pulled the door open for Rarity. "Oooh, such a gentlewoman," Rarity teased. "Yeah, yeah," Sunset rolled her eyes, walking in behind her. They went to their seats, which were conveniently right next to each other. Mr. Doodle walked in right as the bell rang again, signaling the start of the final period of the day. He sighed, "Today, we have an assembly, so sadly, we won't be able to study integrals today. Principal Celestia will make an announcement when we need to go to the gym." Sunset turned to Rarity, grinning, "Got any new designs?" "Oh, yes!" Rarity answered, pulling her sketchbook out of her bag and flipping to the latest page, "It's a bit of a bad-girl look, I suppose, but I couldn't help it! The muse struck, and this came out!" "Whoa, Rarity! This is amazing!" Sunset exclaimed. Sunset gazed at the beautiful design in awe. It was a long dress cinched at the waist by a thick spiked belt. The left arm and shoulder of the model were bare, while the right arm and shoulder were completely covered, with short spikes studded along the top. The bottom of the dress flowed elegantly down, cutting off slightly below the ankles. "Oh, thank you! By the way, I was hoping for your input on color schemes. I was hoping for black leather for the sleeve and shoulder, but I simply cannot think of a good color for the dress itself...," Rarity sighed. Sunset pulled out a set of color pencils and a notebook from her bag, intent on testing out color schemes. But before she even managed to open up the notebook, the PA system shrieked. "Will all classes please dismiss their students to the gym for an assembly?" Vice-Principal Luna asked. "Come on, now," Mr. Doodle grumbled, "Single file, everyone." Sunset frowned, putting her stuff back in her messenger bag before slinging it over her shoulder. Beside her, Rarity did the same with her sketchbook. "No worries, Sunset," Rarity said positively, "We can certainly finish our discussion tomorrow. You will be at lunch, won't you?" "Of course I will, Rares," said Sunset, walking out of the classroom and to the gym beside her. Thankfully, their class was fairly close to the gym and they were able to snag a few seats for themselves and their friends in the bleachers. Soon, the rest of the school filed in, and everyone in their little group, except Rainbow Dash, was sitting beside them. "Where's Dash?" asked Sunset. The other girls looked at each other and shrugged. None of them had seen the athlete since lunch. "That's weird," said Sunset. "Yes, indeedily," said Pinkie, wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat all of a sudden, "I smelllll a mystery!" "Maybe she's just in the crowd and lookin' for us," Applejack suggested, looking around the gym. Nodding at this, Pinkie leaped onto the bleacher, pulling a megaphone out of her hair. "RAINBOW DASH! ARE YOU IN HERE?" she yelled. The entire gym stopped and turned to stare at Pinkie as the echoes faded. It was so quiet, they could've heard a pin drop. Principal Celestia coughed to get the school's attention. From behind her, Luna glowered at the crowd. Everyone turned back to the front, dismissing the megaphone incident as Pinkie being Pinkie. "Now," said Principal Celestia into the microphone, " as many of you are aware, we will be meeting our competitors from Crystal Prep tomorrow." Grumbles passed through the crowd. "I'm sure you all are wondering what happens during this quadrennial event!" announced Principal Celestia, oblivious to the discontent. "You mean other than us losing?" yelled Flash from the far end of the gym. "Shut up, Brad!" someone from one of the sports teams yelled back. Celestia cleared her throat, glaring at the two interrupters. "Yes, I am also sure that everyone is aware of CHS's losing streak. Due to this, I've invited Rainbow Dash up here in order to give everyone some... perspective," she finished, as Rainbow walked onto the stage. Nodding to Dash, Celestia and Luna moved off the stage. Dash grabbed the mic off its stand, shoving it to the edge of the stage. "Okay, so I know a lot of you think that we could never beat a fancy school like Crystal Prep at anything," she said, marching back across the stage to the middle. "Unless it's a Losing-to-Crystal-Prep Competition, 'cuz we're reeeeally good at that!" Pinkie yelled from next to Sunset. Rainbow sighed, irritated, before turning back to the mic, "And I know that we've never won to Crystal Prep, ever." "I hope this speech isn't meant to be motivational," Rarity whispered to Sunset. Sunset giggled. All of a sudden, a brass and percussion section blared out at the students. "Crystal Prep's student are super motivated, smart, and athletic," Rainbow continued over the music, "But you know what they aren't? They aren't Wondercolts!" The curtain behind Rainbow opened, revealing the CHS marching band. "We've fought magic more than once, And come out on top," sang Rainbow as the band boomed out a beat. "There's other schools, but none can make those claims," Rainbow continued, leaning toward the crowd. "Together we are Canterlot! Come and cheer our name. This will be our year to win these games!" Rainbow sang, pumping her fist in the air. Jumping down from the stage, Rainbow and the band leaped into the chorus. "We'll always be Wondercolts forever! And now our time has finally arrived, 'Cause we believe in the magic of friendship. And you know, at the end of the day, it is we who survive!" The song redoubled as Vinyl plugged her portable sound system into the speakers. The band placed their instruments on some of the bleachers, grabbing large boards and shifting into two square-ish formations around Dash. The boards, when put together, showed the CHS symbol. "We're not the school we were before" Rainbow belted out, tipping the band hat on her head as the band chorused behind her. "Yeah, we're different now," Dash sang, with the band following up with a "Hey, hey!" "We overcame the obstacles we faced!" she sang, as the band flipped the cards around to reveal pictures of Sundrown Shimmer and the Sirens. "We're Canterlot united! We'll never bow, So get ready to see us in first place!" she sang, throwing her hat into the air, just as the drum major, Steady Beat, tossed her baton. "We'll always be Wondercolts forever And now our time has finally arrived," most of the school sang, as the band tossed out Wondercolt ears and tails. "'Cause we believe in the magic of friendship And you know, at the end of the day, It is we who survive At the end of the day, It is we who survive," most of the school were up on their feet, dancing along to the beat. "Na, na, na-na-na-na, Wondercolts united together! Na, na, na-na-na-na, Wondercolts united forever!" the school began clapping along with the song. "We'll always be Wondercolts forever! And now our time has finally arrived! 'Cause we believe in the magic of friendship," Dash sang with the band, covered by a familiar light blue aura. "And you know, At the end of the day, It is we who survive. At the end of the day, It is we who survive!" Dash finished, fully ponied up and hovering mid-air. The school let out a cheer, and Dash flew back to the ground, her wings, ears, and tail disappearing. Sunset hoisted herself up the stage, before turning around and reaching down with Applejack to help Fluttershy and Rarity up. "Thanks, darlings," said Rarity, and then turned around to find Rainbow. Sunset's thoughts were racing as the glanced around the stage. As amazing as the rally had been, she couldn't help but question some of its events. "Why was Rainbow able to pony up like that? She wasn't playing her guitar, and so far only our instruments have been able to channel the magic in the thaumic field around us. Is our magic changing? Or is magic seeping into this world from Equestria? I'll have to ask Twilight about this...," she thought to herself. Dash was waving to Steady as she walked away from backstage. She turned around, grinning even wider at the sight of her friends. "Hey, guys! Did you see that? I was amazing!" she exclaimed. "Yeah, you were! It was so great!" Pinkie squeed. "Indeed! My school pride is higher than its ever been!" Rarity added. "Even I feel like we can win!" Fluttershy said softly. AJ, however, frowned. "It was a nice display 'n all, but is anyone else wondering how Dash ponied up without her guitar?" she asked imitating playing a guitar. Sunset nodded. Rainbow smirked cockily, "It's probably because I'm so awesome!" "I don't know about that, Rainbow," Sunset said unthinkingly. "Gee, thanks, Sunny," Rainbow answered. "What? No!" Sunset hastened to correct, "I mean, you are awesome, but even so, you shouldn't have been able to channel a thaumic field without an instrument to channel it through! It... it doesn't make sense!" "Oh," said Rainbow, confusedly glancing the others. Sunset looked back up at them, "Oh, sorry." "No problem, darling, it's just... we don't exactly understand what you're on about," Rarity said. "It's complicated, but according to the rules of magic, Rainbow shouldn't have been able to use the magic. She should have needed something to focus the magic through. In Equestria, unicorns are able to channel magic through their horns, pegasi through their wings, and earth ponies through their hooves. But Dash wasn't channeling the magic through anything! She shouldn't have ponied up!" Sunset ranted, voice rising with every word. "I don't know, Sunny," said Pinkie, "Maybe you're just reading too much into it. Or maybe magic works differently here than it does there?" "Yeah," Sunset murmured, only half-listening, "I think I'm gonna have to tell Twilight about this, though." She walked away, lost in her thoughts, leaving her friends staring worriedly after her. Dear Twilight, There's something weird going on here. I knew that magic didn't work in the same way in both worlds, but what happened today really took the cake: Rainbow somehow ponied up without playing her guitar. So far, even though the magic seemed weird here, it at least followed one of the main principles: Magic cannot work without an instrument to channel it through. Now? Even that theory is being challenged. The girls seemed pretty excited about it, but I couldn't help wondering if this was an effect of the Equestrian magic from the portal clashing with the natural laws of this universe. If that happened, it could have disatrous consequences for this universe. It's also yet another reason for me to leave. If I'm not here, then, there's no reason to not allow the portal to retain its natural 30-moon cycle. If the portal's closed, then Equestrian magic won't be able to seep in even further. But I'm still not sure. I don't know if this is true or if I actually do want to leave. I could really use your help, Twilight. Yours, Sunset Sunset sighed, clicking her pen. There was little to do now, except wait for Twilight's reply. Sunset glanced over the page again, leaning against the lockers in the darkened hallway. "You could do a little research about the mystery person while you wait...," she thought. Nodding to herself, Sunset stuffed her book and pen into her messenger bag and stood up, heading toward the library. She had quite a bit of work ahead of her. Sunset leaned on the table, surrounded by more books than Miss Cheerilee on a busy day. "Hey, can we talk?" asked Applejack's familiar voice from behind her. Sunset turned away from her phone to look up at Applejack. "Sure AJ, what's up?" asked Sunset. Applejack had been unusually distracted during woodshop, but since they didn't share any classes after, Sunset wasn't able to find out why. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Applejack asked, her gaze captured by Sunset's phone. "Oh, I was... well, I was looking at all the stops that bus twenty-seven makes. I know that they could have taken another bus after they got off, but... one of the stops is at Crystal Prep. And... and that could just be a coincidence. But what if it isn't? What if some genius from there discovered that magic exists in this world and wants to... I don't know... run experiments on me?" Sunset groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Oh, sugarcube...," Applejack sighed, "I promise, that ain't gonna happen." "Yeah?" Sunset scoffed, "How do you know that?" "'Cause if someone does, every one of us here at CHS will stop 'em from getting to you," Applejack smiled reassuringly. She pulled out the chair next to Sunset's, grabbing and squeezing her hand. "Just like you did this winter, huh?" Sunset thought bitterly. Pushing away the thought, Sunset said, "Sure... but if I... nevermind." Sunset cut herself off before she suggested leaving to Equestria. She leaned back in her chair, curling in on herself. "Applejack doesn't deserve that burden." "If you what, Sunset?" Applejack asked, pulling her hand back to adjust her hat. "It's nothing, AJ. Really," Sunset insisted, avoiding Applejack's prying eyes. "Sunset, friends don't lie to each other," Applejack frowned lightly. "I... I know. I just... it's kinda hard to explain," Sunset sighed. Applejack tilted her head, waiting for Sunset to continue. "I've been thinking a little. As long as I'm here, as long as the portal's here, there's a chance that people will find out about magic," Sunset explained. Applejack's brows furrowed as she started putting two and two together. "But," Sunset continued, "if I'm not here, and if the portal's not here, then both worlds will be safe! Equestria won't be invaded by humans and this world won't have to deal with any more magical problems!" "Sunset... you... ya want to... leave?" AJ whispered shocked. Sunset shook her head sadly, "Think about it, AJ. Equestria has... magic that I understand, that I can control. Me being there won't put anyone in danger like me being here does." "And, besides," Sunset quieted down a little, "how can I even know that anyone here will stand up for me?" "What?" Applejack asked, startled. "Don't you remember this winter?" Sunset retorted. Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, nodding. "I... I do love it here, Applejack, and I don't even know if I really want to leave. But there are so many reasons to go and only five for me to stay." "Oh," Applejack finally said, looking down at the table, hands fidgeting with one of the sheets of paper that surrounded Sunset. The silence put Sunset on edge, and she started fiddling with her jacket's lapel, hit once more by longing for her old leather one. "Say something, you idiot! Or don't, considering that you saying something is what got you here in the first place," screamed the voice in her head. "Can you do me a favor?" asked Sunset, glancing at Applejack. "Depends," Applejack frowned, looking back up at Sunset. "Don't tell the others?" she requested. Applejack's frown deepened. "Even if I do go, I probably won't leave till after the Friendship Games. I just don't want to ruin everyone's enjoyment of the Games for something that may not even happen," Sunset added. Applejack sighed, "Okay. I won't tell anyone else. But the moment the Games are over, you're telling them, understood?" "Understood. Thank you." Applejack simply grunted. "I just want to know one thing," Applejack added, "Where were you during lunch?" "Oh, that!" Sunset brushed off, smiling nervously, "Flash and I went off campus for our tutoring session. We ended up taking longer than I expected." Applejack sighed, "I know you weren't with Flash during lunch, Sunset." "Oh, shit," Sunset thought, "Should I lie? No. Friends don't lie. Just tell her. It's probably for the best." "I... I was with Twilight," Sunset finally admitted, deflating a little. "You were in Equestria?" Applejack burst out, halfway to standing up. "No! No. She came over here," Sunset shook her head, "I've been feeling a little... out of place here for a while now, and it's starting to affect my mood and actions, so I was writing to her about it a little this morning. She offered to come over because she suspected I had a little more on my mind. And because of the figure at the portal." "Okay," Applejack said, slightly calmer, "but why didn't ya tell us?" "I didn't want you guys to ask why I was meeting her or ask to join us. I didn't want to lie to you or her," Sunset sighed. "But ya ended up lying to us anyway," Applejack said, scratching the side of her head. Sunset tipped her head back against the back of her chair, staring up at the library's ceiling. "I know."