> Two Days Before We Graduate
>  by LateToTheParty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Two Days Before We Graduate!!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“DON’T YOU DARE, RAINBOW DASH! PUT THAT BOTTLE DOWN THIS INSTANT!”
Rarity’s shrill voice pierces the steadily warming atmosphere around them. Applejack was next to her, clutching her stomach, loud, hearty guffaws seizing her abdomen with spasms of unconfined mirth. Their eyes train on the unfolding spectacle despite the fact that they all knew how it would play out. Rainbow Dash was already swaying, her eyes were already glossy, and her face was already flushed. Her movements elicit a careful “oh my” from Fluttershy, strategically positioning herself just behind the swaying teen, just in case Rainbow fell, as she was prone to do in this state. Her movements and intentions go unnoticed as her self-appointed charge keeps the dwindling vestiges of her focus on Pinkie Pie. Little more than a pink blur now, there was enough white for Rainbow to know she was still sporting a wide, presumably more sober, smile.
The scene was simple. Seven girls sitting around each other, a crate of Sweet Apple Acres’s best cider between them, sharing a moment of camaraderie, enjoying the presence of one another. It wasn’t new for anyone present. Even the newest member was veteran enough to continue her tentative sips from her water cup.
She shakes her head, still finding it in herself to draw amusement and her eyes drift to the only other occupant distant from the proceedings. She curiously cocks her head at the sight.
Sunset Shimmer was amused as well. Twilight could tell by the slight raise of her brow, one side of her lip tugged upward. She kept her arm resting on her knee, a study in relaxation, but tinted with a contemplative edge. Something in her teal eyes were telling Twilight that they weren’t seeing the exact same scene. The pupils lazily trail the amusing antics, looking—no, more like absorbing—each movement, processing the sight in a way far more complex than even the greatest student to attend Crystal Prep could fathom.
She turns to look at Twilight, meeting their eyes. Her smile broadens.
Twilight keeps her head steady. She smiles back and the moments pass. One second. Two seconds. Three…
And they break, looking back to their friends.
Twilight swears that something profoundly sad flickered through Sunset’s eyes, making her heart swell with pain, disappearing as quickly as it had slipped through.
Twilight catches Rarity snap her head, turning her glare onto the laughing farm-girl, immediately quelling her amusement.
She sighs. “Alright” Her voice grows into a passable imitation of stern. “Ah think it’s pretty clear that Pinkie wins. Again.”
“Thatsh not fair! She-she’s,” Rainbow hiccups, “cheatiiing.”
“Nuh-uh!” Pinkie whines, frowning.
“Yeaaaaah. Don’t see how she coulda done that, seein’ as we were all watchin’.”
Grin returning at full force, Pinkie winks and tosses up another swig from her bottle. “You’re just a lightweight, Dashie.”
Rainbow opens her mouth but stops, her eyes squinting and losing their focus. She sways and topples right into Fluttershy’s waiting arms.
“And that’s a rap.” Applejack drops her facade, smirking in Rarity’s direction. “All ya had to do was wait a while. Girl knocks herself out every time.”
Rarity rolls her eyes. “And I’ve still never approved of such antics, Jacklyn.”
Applejack shrugs. “Well, it’s done. Dash is asleep and ‘bout time we all head off to sleep too. Granny’s expectin’ me back pretty early tomorrow.”
The group nods, except, of course, for Rainbow Dash, her snoozing form being dragged and tucked into her sleeping bag.
The group exchange their chorus of goodbyes, little bits of chatter finding their way between the silence, before the last murmured word falls into a soft snore.
Twilight notices all the voices except one. The husky timbre of Sunset’s is absent.
Maybe she went to sleep early. Twilight thinks, but she has her doubts.
She waits, following the moon’s trajectory up the midnight backdrop, charting the stars in her mind, identifying the constellations. The room’s temperature steadily drops. Rhythmic breathing and two tempos of snores make the soundtrack on her late night vigil. She doesn’t need to fight sleep. She already knew that it wouldn’t come to her, so she finds no need to remove her glasses. Everything is clear, from the contours of the boxes, pushed to the corners of the room, to the cracks in the plaster, extending past the walls to diverge and converge on the edges of the ceiling.
Only when the moon had reached its zenith did she hear a change in the late night song, an interlude of rustling sheets as someone rises from the covers. The figure drifts across the room, collecting boots and a leather jacket along the way, her feet padding to the door.
Twilight waits for it to click twice—once to open, another to close—and waits a few moments more before rising up and following after. She makes a beeline down the stairwell and into the chilly air.
Sunset turns to look at her, a freshly lit cigarette in her hands. “Hey, Twi. You’re up late.”
Twilight hardly notices the greeting in her surprise. “You smoke?” She asks.
Sunset smiles down at the tubular shape in her hand. “Not anymore. Not really. It’s the first time I’ve picked one up since before the Friendship Games.” Sunset scrunches up her face in thought. She entertains the idea of putting it out, but after more consideration, presses it between her lips and inhales the chemicals. She releases and saturates the air in the smell of tobacco. “And this will mark the last one.”
Ignoring the pungent scent, concern propels Twilight forward, placing a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”
Sunset’s chest puffs up slightly in a silent sigh. “It’s nothing. Just…” She trails off. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” Twilight’s voice grows insistent, trying to catch Sunset’s eyes. “You’re smoking at God knows what hour and you’ve been acting strange the whole night. No, wait. It’s been this whole week, hasn’t it? The girls have all noticed it, you know.”
Sheepishly, Sunset finally looks at her. “Can’t we all just write it off as graduation day jitters?” She asks.
Twilight’s frown deepens.
“Right. Of course not.”
“Just tell me what’s wrong, Sunset.” Her voice softens. “Please? I just want to help you.”
They stand together in silence, the cold slowly and steadily seeping into their limbs, fingers and toes having gone numb some time ago. Sunset’s eyebrows knit, that same sadness unveiling itself fully, allowing Twilight to analyze it properly. Phantom pain seizes her heart. The measured beats increase until it pounds against her ears. She searches Sunset’s face trying to find a clue, somewhere in the tight line of her lips, the slight crinkle of her nose, the crease in her brows, the depths of her eyes.
Her eyes.
Twilight finds herself delving too deep into the teal pools, drowning with the way her chest tightens, her blood rushing to her head, making everything feel weightless.
Sunset chuckles, her husky voice accompanied by a deep rumble. “You’re sweet, Twilight.”
Twilight gulps, panting, knees shaking, but back on solid ground.
Sunset flicks the cigarette on the floor, and steps on it before turning to face Twilight’s quaking form. “I guess there is something I’ve wanted to tell you.”
Twilight looks downward focusing on her pigeon toed stance, afraid that if she kept her gaze toward Sunset, she was in danger of passing out.
“I’ve been in love with you for a long time now.”
Passing out be damned, Twilight’s neck springs upward like a coil.
Sunset smiles, cheeks pink as a fresh strawberry. “I’ve been too afraid to say it, because if I did, I didn’t want to lose you as a friend. I didn’t want these feelings to strain our relationship. I didn’t want the good thing we had to change.”
Twilight’s eyes were wide and unblinking.
Sunset brings a hand at her cheek, the cold of her fingers pleasant against the heat of her face. “I hope this doesn’t disqualify me as your best friend. I just wanted to say it before we graduated.”
Twilight rolls the words in her head, mainly the phrase “I’ve been in love with you for a long time now.” Mind on repeat, she didn’t catch the other parts of Sunset’s thoughts.
Love? In…love? With me? A light of 1,000 lumens shines in her eyes.
Sunset’s nervousness morphs to worry. “Twilight, are you al—.”
Her words are silenced by purple lips, clumsy with the way that they mash into her. Their warmth amplifies the red in her cheeks.
Twilight tastes cigarettes mingled with toothpaste mint. The motion is quick, though not without it’s own passion.
Twilight draws back while Sunset keeps her eyes closed, savoring the lingering sensations.
They flutter open. “Wow,” she mumbles breathlessly. “I guess you feel the same then.”
Twilight nods, fiddling with her fingers. “I’ve wanted to say the same thing to you for a long time too.”
They stand together in silence again, a gentle smile on Sunset’s blissful face to Twilight’s uncontrolled grin. The cold doesn’t bother them this time around.
“Would you like to go see a movie together?” Twilight asks.
That same something flickers, but Sunset knows better than to reveal it again. She pushes it down. “We should focus on graduation first.”
“Yes! Yeah. Of course. Can’t forget about the big day.” Twilight giggles nervously.
Sunset takes her hand, ignoring how sweaty they’d gotten and leads her toward the door they’d exited.
“Let’s head back to the others. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be a busy day.”
Twilight’s breath hitches.
They travel up the stairwell, hand in hand, back into the warm room, covered by their friend’s still sleeping forms. Twilight walks a step behind, her eyes fixed on the swaying locks of red and yellow that flow across Sunset’s shoulders and back.
She doesn’t notice the sadness that’s amplified in the deep pools of teal eyes.
> One Day Before We Graduate!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight woke up three people short of when she’d gone to sleep. Applejack, Sunset, and Pinkie’s things have been put away, large sections of floor vacant from where they’d lain.
She hears Rainbow groaning from beside her, Fluttershy close with a cup of water and two gel tablets.
“Ughhhhhhhh. My head.” She moans.
“I would hope that it teaches you a lesson in moderation, however, seeing as this isn’t even the fifth time, I’ll assume it won’t be the last.” Rarity tuts.
Rainbow Dash dismisses her with a hand. “Shhhh…Rarity. Not so loud. Please.”
The fashionista narrows her eyes, opens her mouth and closes it with a sigh.
“But Rarity’s right, Rainbow.” Fluttershy counters, a heavy frown weighing down the edges of her lips. “I just hate seeing you this hurt but you still keep doing it to yourself.”
Rainbow squints under the flap of her sleeping bag, holding out her hand for the gel tablets. “Alright.” Her voice sounding akin to a frog’s croak. “I won’t drink so much next time.”
“Right. Not like you’ve said that before or anything” Twilight mutters under her breath.
Rainbow ignores her, zipping herself back into the dark, quiet confines of her cloth sanctuary. Fluttershy locates a lump that feels like a head and begins to caress with gentle hands. “Sunset should be back soon with food from Sugarcube. I’m sure that you’ll feel much better when you get something in your stomach.”
Rarity crosses her arms, briefly halting her motions of putting her things in a neat bundle. “I should hope so. We still have fittings for the graduation party and Applejack expects you at the farm later this afternoon.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine by then. Won’t you, Dashie?”
A pitiful groan mixed with a sob answers her.
“And this is why Sunset hates alcohol at our sleep overs.”
Twilight allows a giggle to slip through her. “True, she usually blocks Dash at the door until she can make sure she’s patted down.” Events from the night prior flood through Twilight’s memories, from the surprising impromptu invitation, the hilarity that always came with a Rainbooom gathering, and then the midnight conversation. Warmth crawls upward from her neck, wrapping around her face from ear to ear and she can’t help but relish in it.
“Speaking of which, what is keeping her? It’s been a while since she’s left for a food run.”
Twilight’s ears perk up. “Has it?”
Rarity glances at her sparkly, gold encrusted wrist watch. “Well past an hour now.”
“It’s not like her to disappear for so long.”
“A longer line than usual, possibly?” Fluttershy offers.
Twilight frowns, memories still flowing but tinted with a different light. The distinct feel of Sunset’s lips causes a slight laps into a daydream but she fights to keep her head clear.
	Just tell me what’s wrong
You’re sweet, Twilight.
I guess there is something I’ve wanted to tell you.
I’ve been in love with you for a long time now.
She recalls Sunset’s easy smile. Even through the blush she remembered how she’s spoken, how cool she sounded. Too cool. The words flowed like turning a faucet. It kind of felt like…A sick twist in her gut causes Twilight’s jaw to clench. Was she…just saying those things to get me to stop questioning her? 
Twilight shakes her head. No. Sunset’s not like that… She remembers the way Sunset’s breath had hitched, the tentative slowness in the way she’d opened her eyes. There was no act there. Not an outright lie at least, but still a diversion. Though traces of that same disruptive bitterness lay in her belly, Twilight feels it lessen to a slightly more manageable degree. 
“Twilight, darling, are you alright? You’re looking a bit…peaky.” Rarity had drifted close, looking her over as she thought, that deep frown still on her face. She keeps her gaze on Twilight curiously. 
Twilight blushes at the proximity. “I’m fine,” she says. “But Sunset’s been strange lately, right? It’s not just me?” 
Rarity exchanges a glance toward Fluttershy. The yellow teen’s bright cyan eyes radiate concern and apprehension. 
Fluttershy contemplates the question. “Well, she did volunteer to work at the animal shelter with me last Tuesday, but she was really standoffish. It was really strange. It was almost like she didn’t want to be there even if she was the one who asked.”
Rarity nods her head. “I know what you mean. She offered to be a model the beginning of this week but there was obviously something else on her mind.” 
Enticed by the conversation Rainbow Dash pokes a blood-shot, squinty eye to join into the discussion. “Do you think it’s another person who’s gone crazy with magic? We haven’t had one of those in a while,” she says.
“Did you spend some time with Sunset this week, Dashie?” Fluttershy asks.
Rainbow nods. “Helped me with my runtimes and I know for a fact that she helped AJ and Pinkie this week too. I really hope it’s someone we can blast. It feels like it’s been forever.”
“Oh, pish-posh, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity furtively backhands the air around her. “Sunset has never hidden magical happenings from us before. It has to be something else.” She gasps, her eyes lighting up. “Unless it’s magic that has something to do with us!”Her eyes light up with a familiar excitement Twilight had long ago dubbed the Shadow Spade State. She stands on her feet to pace around the room. “There’s a mystery afoot, ladies,” her voice pitches downward, “and it’s a big one. I can feel it.”
“Ugh. You’re gonna make this a huge deal aren’t you?” Rainbow asks. Her expression is flat and unamused as she watches Rarity travers a path only Rarity could see.
The fashionista turns to look at the other three in the room, her night dress flaring around her as she pivots. “This concerns our dear friend! I shall make a ‘huge deal’ about it, as you say, because it is a huge deal!”
“We could just ask her,” Fluttershy offers.
“Ask me what?”
The three jump, variations of the sound “Ahhh!” making Rainbow groan as she places her hand on her head.
Sunset hops backward, the reaction surprising her, reflex almost flinging the brown paper bag and coaster tray across the room. “What’s going on?”
Three of the four girls exchange glances before resting their sights on Twilight, message clearer than IV fluid. Ask her.
	Twilight attempts to relay her own message but the impatience in Sunset’s stern stare causes her to sigh in resignation. “We were just wondering about…well…we talked about it yesterday…”
The glare on Sunset’s face redirects itself to an innocent plant on her window sill. “I told you. It’s nothing,” she responds.
Twilight summons her own glare, rivaling Sunset’s own. “And I told you. It’s not nothing. Just because you…,” she pauses and recollects. “Just because you distracted me yesterday, doesn’t mean the issue disappeared.”
Rarity raises a brow but holds her tongue. Sunset takes a furtive glance at the other three in the room, watching them with bated breath, Rainbow fighting her raging hangover from her place beside Fluttershy.
She turns back to Twilight tightly, speaking through her teeth in something that could have been covert if all the attention wasn’t already on her. “So you think that I said and did all that just to trick you.”
Twilight takes a moment to examine Sunset’s face, being careful not to look too hard into her eyes. After a moment she responds, “yes.” There wasn’t a single trace of hesitation in her voice.
“Time out. What are you guys talking about?” Rainbow asks.
Twilight blushes, looking down at her lap
“I confessed to Twilight yesterday.” Sunset’s voice rings proudly, in that too cool, easy way that made Twilight’s gut clench. Her heart races for a completely different reason and she bites down on her lip.
Rarity and Fluttershy gasp.
“God,” Rainbow says. “Save some air for the rest of us.”
Her words go ignored as the two rush toward Sunset.
“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy squees, taking Sunset’s arm.
“Congratulations!” Rarity takes Sunset’s other. “You will not believe how long we’ve waited for you two to get together.”
“You were waiting for us?” Sunset asks, her brow raising as she smirks.
Twilight remains silent, crossing her arms. Sunset is the only one that notices, her shoulders tensing uneasily.
“Darlings, you are hardly the most secretive of flirts.” Rarity throws Sunset a wink as Fluttershy giggles.
Rainbow grumbles, reaching out her hands and grabbing at the air in Sunset’s direction, “give me food or give me death.”
Rarity rolls her eyes, Fluttershy drifting back to her perch next to Rainbow’s side. Sunset just chuckles, being careful not to look in Twilight’s direction despite the two holes that were steadily burning through her skull from Twilight’s stern glare.
The teen makes a silent vow to herself as she watches the wavy locks of red and yellow swaying with Sunset’s subtle movements. Even with Sunset’s uncanny talent, she swears that she wouldn’t be derailed. Not again. She was going to figure out what was going on, even if it came to prying Sunset's mouth open.
> There's Still Much To Do.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At least, that was the plan. As it were, destiny saw fit to conspire against her.
She reaches forward, intent to nudge Sunset with a flying book from her spot on the couch. Sunset looks at her curiously. The finger directed at her has a strangely menacing quality that she couldn’t explain and she preemptively closes her eyes for something to happen. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, turn to face Twilight. Seconds pass in silence. Confusion slowly seeps through Twilight’s eyes and she looks down.
Her neck is empty.
“MY GEODE!” She exclaims.
Sunset opens her eyes panicked. Instinctively, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash glance downward, finding the same empty space between their collar bones.
“Shit!” Rainbow’s voice raises to a volume that would have aggravated her hangover if she hadn’t been completely distracted.
Rarity paws at her body with a small hope that it had gotten lost between the folds of her pajamas.
Fluttershy clasps her hands together worriedly as she stares at Sunset. “Our geodes have been stolen!”
Sunset holds up her hand and places the other on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “No one panic,” Sunset says. Her face holds a deep frown but her voice is commanding as she steps in the middle of her friends. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“Considering everyone’s geodes disappeared at the same time, I think we can all safely jump to that conclusions,” Twilight counters with more bite than she intended.
Sunset flinches but concedes. “Okay. Good point,” she schools herself back into the mask of a military general, “and with graduation tomorrow, I think that you should all let me take care of this.”
“What?!” Four voices harmonize in outrage.
“Think about it.” Sunset begins pointing at the various girls in the room, panning around from her left to her right. “Rarity, you still have a few dresses you need to tailor and size. Fluttershy, you told Pinkie you would help her later after you made sure Rainbow was okay. Rainbow, Applejack is still waiting for you and she doesn’t care if you gave yourself a hangover.” She finally faces Twilight, her eyes flashing with a hint of guilt. “And you need to rehearse your valedictorian speech.”
The group thinks on the logic, briefly dwelling on how calm the redhead was being before biting their lips with resignation.
From the back of the room, Twilight hums and raises her hand. “Wait, what valedictorian speech?”
Confusion crosses Sunset’s face, as well as the rest of the girls, though Sunset’s facial change seems much more evident.
Sunset gapes for a moment and it’s Rarity that speaks. “Well darling, you are the smartest student in our grade. That means you’re tasked with delivering the valedictory for our class, correct?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Ordinarily, yes, but because I was only a student for part of a year, Principal Celestia gave it to someone else.”
“So that means you can help Sunset find our stuff, right?” Rainbow asks, excited for the first time that morning.
Twilight nods. “Of course.”
Sunset had gotten pale through the course of the short conversation but pulls together a passable smile when everyone else turns to look at her. “Awesome,” she says. “I’ll pick you up after you’re done with your dress-fitting at Rarity’s.” She turns to the fashionista. “That’ll be like…half an hour or so?”
Rarity nods. “About, yes.”
A bit of tension eases out of Sunset’s body. “Good. Well, we better get to it. We still have a lot of things to do before graduation.”
They all spring into action, throwing on clothes and brushing hair with as much efficiency as they could muster. They shoulder their packs with only the necessities. They leave the scattered sleeping bags and discarded clothes on the floor.
Naturally, Rainbow is the first and stands by the wooden frame, urging the rest onward with agitation. “Come on!”
“Coming.” Fluttershy responds, springing forward, followed shortly by Rarity.
Twilight stands up as well but looks between the door and Sunset.
“Twilight! Stop gawking at your girlfriend. You’ll see her later.”
The girl doesn’t seem to notice as she churns through her thoughts. Sunset tilts her head and is surprised by Twilight’s sudden lunge.
Before Sunset could blink, her vision is engulfed in purple. Her head jerks forward to meet soft lips as Twilight yanks on the collar of her shirt. Thoughts of the night before prepare her and she’s determined to make the kiss last. Her eyes drift close and she pushes herself forward. Something wet and warm presses between her lips and she gasps when she realizes that it’s a silent request for her to open her mouth. Twilight’s tongue begins a sloppy, inexperienced perusal of her mouth, making her shiver.
Delighted cheering breaks the two apart. Fluttershy and Rarity are holding each other as they scream, wide grins on their faces. Rainbow Dash is throwing a mild glare at them for causing such a reaction a mere foot from her ear.
She sighs and crosses her arms. “Can we go now, or can we go now?”
Twilight blushes and runs forward, leaving a blissful Sunset on cloud nine.
They quickly pile into Rarity’s car with Rainbow Dash hopping into the backseat with Twilight. Fluttershy spares a look back but says nothing as she takes the front.
Twilight straps the seat belt across her lap as she frowns.
“Hey,” Rainbow says, leaning so that only Twilight could hear. “Why did you take Sunset’s notebook?”
Twilight flinches but doesn’t bother hiding the yellow, wire-bound book that she’d swiped during their kiss.
“She’s hiding something, Rainbow,” she responds.
“That’s not a very good reason to pry. If it was important, don’t you think she’d tell us?”
Twilight’s grip tightens on the notebook, bending it in her hand. “If it’s important, she’ll tell only who she thinks needs to be told.”
Rainbow doesn’t know how to respond so she nods as she leans on the car door. She watches Twilight from the corner of her eyes and notices how her fingers tremble all the way to Rarity's home, poised to open the notebook but never so much as cracking it.






> The Last Few Hours
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between Rarity’s previous measurements and Twilight’s stagnant body size, her fitting lasted a quick 20 minutes. A tightening around the waistline and upper arms later, Twilight found herself back downstairs making a beeline for the yellow notebook, a pacing Rainbow Dash watching her all the while.

She picks it up in a tight, white knuckled hold. Despite her original reservations, Rainbow can’t help rolling her eyes at the sight. “Come on, Twilight. You already took the trouble of getting it,” she states before darting out a hand to grab the notebook. “Might as well go all the way.”

Twilight blinks, her brain taking a moment to notice the emptiness in her hand. “Hey! Give that back!” She yells.

Rainbow turns her back to her protesting friend. She flicks between pages, the gears in her head jamming until she can practically feel smoke coming from her ears. “The heck is this?” She asks. “Is Sunset studying pyramid pictures or something?”

“You’re talking about hieroglyphics and of course she’s not.” Twilight places her hands on Dash’s shoulders, leveraging her position to look over the athletes taller form. She raises a brow at the confusing markings that litter across the surface, tempted to retract her previous statement, before narrowing her eyes in concentration. “Hold on. I could have sworn Sunset told me about,” she points to a section in the bottom portion of the picture, “that.”

“Well, what does it mean?”

“It…means nothing.”

Rainbow frowns. “That makes no sense. Why would Sunset draw a circle that means nothing?”

Twilight takes Rainbow’s confusion as an opportunity to take back the notebook and traces the other familiar patterns on the circle. “It doesn’t mean nothing. It means nothing.”

“I’m confused.”

“Look at this?”

Rainbow complies as the notebook is shoved in her face. As she suspects, she finds nothing that enlightens her amid the squiggles. It figured that Twilight would understand arcane writings from another dimension but baffles at common emojis.

She levels the nerd with a blank look and Twilight sighs.

“Simply put, it’s a very complicated spell matrix, much more complicated than anything Sunset’s ever shown me before.”

Rainbow nods. “Okay.”

“This bottom part right here, assuming it follows the rules for spell configuration that she’s briefly taught me, denotes the primary function of the matrix. This symbol denotes nothing, as in a void.”

Rainbow blinked.

“Essentially, it seems to function as some kind of giant vacuum to create a space of nothing.”

“So you’re saying that Sunsets making some spell to make like...a black hole?”

Twilight shakes her head. “That’s highly improbable, not to mention inefficient. The magic required for that doesn’t exist in Equestria, much less here. She’s probably drawn some kind of limiter or perimeter to restrict its effect. I just can’t understand because I have no clue how to read this.” She pauses in her ramblings. “Oh wow, saying that made me light headed.”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow begins to flick through the rest of the notebook as Twilight holds it. “Chill out, Twilight. It’s not like that’s the only thing she’s written. Maybe she’s actually got something in English.”

As if Rainbow had summoned it, Twilight looks back at the note in time to notice a page written like a journal entry and reaches down to stop Dash from turning the pages.

“Wait.” She examines the page and the delicate script within. “This was written almost a month ago.” Clearing her throat, she reads the passage aloud. “‘Princess Twilight has reviewed the matrices that I’ve sent her. She believes the Ut Redi Domus might be our best option, however it’s still incomplete and none of the workarounds have been effective. With the “how does magic in this world work” answered in the most tenuous fashion, maybe it’s time to change the question. It being based on the Elements of Harmony and friendship magic, maybe the better question should be, how do friendships work?’”

Rainbow’s brow quirks. “Okaaaaaay…so, I have no clue what I’m suppose to do with that information.”

Twilight ignores her, flipping forward closer to the newer entries.

Rainbow sighs as she draws back, bored with the notebook. She still felt groggy from the drinks that flowed through her system but being properly hydrated and medicated did wonders for the pain. She still wasn’t looking forward to the manual labor but at least she still had a few minutes before Applejack came looking for her.

Speaking of minutes…

She swivels her head to gaze at a hanging clock. “I wonder where Sunset is. She should be here by now.” She turns her gaze back at the snooping bookworm to find her normally purple pallor leaning towards the paler spectrum. “Woah, Twilight. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s going on?”

Twilight didn’t seem to hear her as she looks up. “I…” Blinking, she shoots to her feet, shoving Sunset’s notebook into Rainbow’s chest. “I need to borrow Rarity’s car! I’ll be back!”

Rainbow folds her arms over the notebook and hesitates, not quite sure if she should stop the frantic girl’s quick movements from the hanging key rack to the homestead’s doorway.

Rainbow barely has the wherewithal to contemplate the blazing inferno that engulfs Twilight’s eyes before the front door slams to a close.

Her eyes linger on the ornate, wooden carvings of the purple doorway before looking at the book in her hands. Twilight hadn’t closed it from the most recent entry. It was a simple picture of the memory stone before it had broken into a million tiny pieces, an accompanying equation etched into the margin.

“Memories of pleasant encounters create affectionate bonds.” Rainbow reads before scratching at her head. “I really don’t understand.”
> Are You Ready...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight manages to pull into the roundabout in front of Canterlot High, startling just the girl she was looking for, shaving both the life expectancy of said girl and Rarity’s tires in the process.

The screech of the breaks are horrible and Twilight cringes as she climbs out of the car.

“What the…,” Sunset begins, but cuts herself off as Twilight’s unreadable face comes into view. Her strides are purposeful and certain as she advances forward.

“I thought you were going to pick me up,” she demands, crossing her arms.

“Yeah…I…umm…,” Sunset mumbles, wide eyes panicked and for the first time, Twilight can tell that it’s not faked. She waits for a moment as Sunset slowly deflates like a balloon held half open. She fumbles for words, opening her mouth and shutting it several times before finally voicing a thought. “How much do you know?”

“How much is there to know?”

Like she’s lost control of her face, Sunset gapes again and Twilight feels a bit of relief at the genuine show of emotion.

A moment passes between them while the wind ruffles the grassy field and swipes across the cold surface of the plinth of the destroyed statue. Sunset bites her lip and faces away from Twilight, sitting down and facing the portal to Equestria.

“Can you sit with me?” Sunset asks.

Twilight nibbles on her lip but takes the open space next to her.

“I should have known you’d figure it out,” she says. “I should have known I fucked up when I didn’t even check if everyone was asleep, especially since I know your brain never really turns off.” Twilight begins to open her mouth in question but Sunset smirks in her direction. “The coke bottles on your face.” She flicks Twilight’s thick frames, the nail of her finger clicking against the plastic. “You only take them off when you’re sure you’re going to sleep. The moonlight that reflected off of them almost blinded me when I was heading out.”

“Heading out to where you went this morning?”

“Yeah. I had to get the geodes to the Princesses so that they could start…well, you know.”

“Ut Redi Domus…To Return Home…”

“Yeah. I guess were a little behind schedule.”

Twilight recoils sucking in a gasp, horrified at the flippant attitude. “How can you even say that? You’re talking about stealing magic from us, leaving us, leaving…” She cuts herself off, shaking her head. “What are you even doing any of this for?”

Sunset tucks herself into a ball, resting her chin on her knees as she hugs them tightly. “Do you know how many people have stumbled on Equestrian magic since its started randomly giving them away to people?

Twilight thinks, taking a moment to count in her head. “4?”

Sunset breaths something that could have been a laugh or a sob but it was too quiet to distinguish. “There have been 27, minus you guys. You wouldn’t know about the others because I took care of them myself. There was no way I was going to involve anyone else again after Vignette unknowingly almost murdered an entire crowd of people.”

Twilight tries to speak but her vast wellspring of words fail her, leaving her to sputter random sounds of surprise.

“I don’t know what it is about this rogue magic, but it takes the most pronounced desire of a person and warps it into something messed up.”

“Well, what about the girls? I may have messed up but the girls have never once fallen under that kind of thing.”

“Princess Twilight has a theory about that too.” Sunset sighs, rubbing at her tired eyes. “You once mentioned that geodes were connecting us but that’s not true. Five of them were already connected through the Princess, the only other creature equipped to handle raw magic. Then, I became friends with everyone. Another magical creature. An Equestrian.”

Twilight swallows thickly, nodding her head in understanding, not that Sunset pays it any mind.

“I guess the short answer to why I’m doing any of this is that Equestrian magic needs to go back to Equestria where it belongs.

“…Including you?”

Sunset turns towards Twilight with a raised brow and a blank expression. “I’m a unicorn,” she deadpans. “I need to go back.”

“And nothing we say on this subject matters?”

“You took my notebook. You know what’s going to happen. You tell me. In the end, does it matter?”

“OF COURSE IT MATTERs!”

“Even if—.”

“YES! EVEN IF…” Twilight’s throat constricts, cutting off her tirade as she averts her teary eyes. “Even if…” In an uncharacteristic fit of anger and frustration, she turns to Sunset and shoves her into the ground. It hadn’t hurt, considering they were already seated but enough force was behind it to startle the other girl. “This isn’t right! We should have a say! If the girls were here, do you think they’d be happy about any of this?! They would be heartbroken.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Twilight. I wanted to spare you from this the most.”

“SHUT UP! SHUT! UP! YOU DUMB PONY ALIEN! SHUT UP! YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING.”

Sunset pushes herself up slowly. Her brows knit together, sadly gathering Twilight’s crying form into her chest and holding her close. Twilight struggles and weakly attempts to hit at any part of Sunset that she could reach, her angry rambles devolving into nothing more than hysteric sobs.

“I’m so sorry, Twilight. I’m so sorry.”

“Did you at least mean it when you said you loved me?”

“Every word. I wish we could have at least gone on one date.”

“Then don’t go. Just stay. Please.”

Sunset doesn’t respond for a long moment, opting to tighten her arms around Twilight, memorizing the way their bodies mold together and how the scent tickles her nose.

Leaning forward, Sunset whispers a quiet plea into Twilights ear. “Can I kiss you without it being a distraction for either of us? Just once?”

A hint of a laugh escapes her voice and Twilight can’t help but sob.

“I have snot on my face.” Twilight looks up at Sunset and sees her flash a brilliant smile. 

“Gross,” Sunset says and leans in.

It was salty and bitter from Twilight’s tears, but Sunset pours ever shred of emotion into the kiss. Every word that she couldn’t say. Every sentiment that she should have said. Wishes that she’d prayed for. Dreams that would never be fulfilled. Anguish about the unfairness. Gratitude that it happened. She apologized to Twilight a million times over in that kiss, and thanked her in the same breath.

And when Twilight opened her eyes, she couldn’t help questioning the pleasant tingle on her lips, or the aching pit in her chest.

What…happened? She asks. Was I talking to someone?

She shifts her head around, spotting no one and admonishes herself for the strange action. Of course not. Gosh. I guess graduation preparations are getting to me.

She starts walking towards Rarity’s car.

…Why did I even take this? What is going on?

She hops in the car, her mind hazy and sluggish. As she tries to remember the events that prompted her to take her friends car and drive to the school.

In the rear view, she looks at the Canterlot High’s main building shrinking in the distance.

I guess I’m going to miss Canterlot High more than I thought I would.

Twilight sighs, pushing away the strange emotions in her chest and turns on the radio.

Maybe Rainbow Dash and Applejack could use some help today.