> Sunset over the Horizon
>  by Lunaria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> One Rainy Afternoon at a Café...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset let out a sigh and cradled her coffee. She still wasn't entirely sure if she should have showed up at all. Sure, the café was nice and on the outskirts of the city so it suited her just fine for something like this... but it still gave off some bad vibes. Especially considering what happened last time she tried to look into this matter.

She didn't even know if her mysterious correspondent would show up at all, so far they were a no-show. But they had promise answers, answers that Sunset desperately wanted, so here she was.

"You're still here? Thank the stars," a heavily laboured voice spoke as a woman approached and slumped down in the seat opposite to hers.

They wore a long coat in white which matched fairly well with their purple and cyan hair. Clearly they were out of breath, the reasonable conclusion being that they had rushed here once they realised they were late.

Looking the woman over Sunset came to a realisation that she looked quite a bit like Rarity, especially the hairstyle, deciding to go with a wild guess she spoke. "So, you're quite a Rarity fan I take it?"

The woman chuckled. "Close, but not quite. This coat is her design though, she was kind enough to make it for the occasion."

Sunset hummed. "So what's your name? I assume you're the one I have been chatting with online."

The woman nodded. "That's correct. You can call me Midnight if you wish, at least for now."

Sunset frowned, that did match their online handled. "I thought the point of meeting up in real life was to ditch online personas?"

Midnight stifled a giggle, something which made Sunset raise her eye.

"Sorry, it's just... No, I shouldn't laugh. But your demeanour and inquisitive nature is exactly what I expected."

Sunset didn't know how to make head or tails of Midnight. They'd found each other online after Sunset started investigating a few mysterious incidents. Midnight seemed to be of similar mind and was willing to share what she knew, except... she'd only be willing to share the details in real life.

Considering that Sunset herself had eventually hit a figurative dead end, and her more scholarly inclined friend wasn't much help either, she'd decided to take the stranger up on the offer. So they decided to meet up at a neutral place to talk things over, at least that was the idea.

"So, I'm here, you're here; let's get right down to it."

Midnight smiled. "Not one to beat around the bush? I can understand that."

Midnight fished up a notepad out of her backpack, which Sunset just now noticed the girl had dumped on the floor. She opened it and started flipping through the pages before eventually stopping on one and nodding to herself.

"So, what do you know?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I figured it would be best to start with what you do know so I don't cover the same ground."

Sunset nodded, that did make some degree of sense, though it was hard to find the words considering the subject matter.

"Something is up in the next town over, and, well it sounds crazy to say out loud I'm sure, but it feels supernatural in nature."

Midnight nodded. "I can see why you'd come to that conclusion, I'm more of a woman of science myself."

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah I have a friend like that."

Midnight hummed. "Still, I don't think you're wrong in thinking it's supernatural, but personally I think it's just that no one's had the chance to properly study and research this stuff."

Sunset took a sip out of her long since cold coffee. "You sound like you already know what's going on though."

The other woman flashed a smile. "Yes, to a certain extent I do. I wouldn't call myself an expert though, far from it."

Sunset leaned back in her seat and sighed. She considered for just a moment what she'd even tell Midnight. She'd been careful online of what she'd say, some of the things she and her friends knew where not things that should be shared freely.

"Well, something is going on in that city, and it's not anything that'd be considered... natural."

Midnight gave her a nod to show she was listening.

Sunset licked her lips. "There seem to be something going on that the entire town is willingly or unwillingly covering up. Most of it seems to be centred around a few specific girls."

"It does make one wonder why it's always young girls or teens, right?" Midnight interjected with a smile.

Sunset frowned. "What do you mean?"

Midnight awkwardly chuckled. "You know, like it is in all those umm... TV shows?"

I took her a moment to draw the connection to what Midnight was talking about. "Oh, I don't watch stuff like that." She did have a friend that was really into it and kept raving about it though.

Midnight pouted. "Really?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Let's get back on track, please."

"Fine."

Sunset took a moment to reflect on what she knew before she continued. "I don't know exactly how much of what I've seen is real, how much is embellished, nor what is just rumours."

"I guess that makes sense..." Midnight tapped a pen against her cheek. "But you did know about Rarity, you said?"

Sunset nodded. The young fashion icon was already making waves despite how young she was, and despite how her oppositions continuous insistence that she was inexperienced. Yet there was just something about her fashion ideas that were 'out of this world', at least according to critics; Sunset wasn't really much of a fashion inclined person herself.

"Yeah, she stops by in that town every once in a while. I figured if anyone would have the inside scope about what's going on, it'd be her..."

Did Midnight know Rarity? If so, that changed a lot of things.

Midnight nodded. "I've meet her myself, and you're probably not wrong."

"You said she made you the coat? I would have assumed you knew each other considering..."

Midnight chuckled. "She still does custom design work for customers if she happens to be in one of her shops. I've gotten the impression that she is in the industry for the passion more so than anything else."

Sunset shrugged. "I suppose, but I can't imagine the money isn't helping."

The tell tale sign of a phone signal went off and Midnight quickly hurried to fish up her phone, mouthing a sorry to Sunset before answering.

Sunset shrugged and leaned back in her seat. She sipped on her coffee again before scowling, she really should have just gotten another one or asked for a re-heat.

"Yes?" Midnight spoke into her phone. "I told you, I'm out of town... No it's not a research trip, I just needed to meet with someone." A blush quickly spread across Midnight's cheeks. "No it's not a date!"

Sunset chuckled, she could imagine herself getting similar assertions made about her from her own friends.

"No, look, it's not like that, I just needed to meet with..." Midnight eyed Sunset. "This friend of mine."

Sunset got up and walked over to the counter to order another coffee. Really, she shouldn't try to eavesdrop someone else's phone call, but what could she say? Bad habits died hard.

Midnight was still at it when Sunset got back and slid down into her seat again.

"Look, it's important, I'll tell the rest of you girls all about it the next time we meet up, okay?"

Sunset fished up her own phone and checked, as expected she had several unread messages sitting and waiting for her. She'd told her friends she'd be meeting up with someone to look into the strange happenings, but she'd been smart enough to put her phone on silent.

"Okay, yes I will stop by for a bite to eat when I get back, bye."

Midnight let out a deep sigh after finally managing to end the phone call.

"Though crowd?" Sunset asked.

Midnight shook her head as she pocketed her phone. "Nothing like that, they're just worried about me. This girl in particular has a habit of talking too much."

"Sounds like a bother."

"It can be, but I wouldn't have it any other way," Midnight smiled.

Sunset sipped her new, and much warmer, beverage.

"Right, shall we get back into it?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Let's see... I think I can start filling you in but... there is one more question."

"Oh?"

"Well... have you ever considered about... you know, yourself?"

Sunset froze, she should have expected this question to come up, especially from someone else who'd looked into things. She knew how to steel her emotions though, at least outwardly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, one of the girls look remarkably a lot like you, I'd imagine that's why you started looking into things in the first place," Midnight wore a grin that if Sunset didn't know better she'd call predatory.

There wasn't really much too it, if Midnight already knew then she knew. "Yeah, kind of. It's a bit weird seeing someone else running around with my face and name."

Of course, it hardly surprised Sunset that she had what looked like a twin, no, the surprising part was all the unnatural crap surrounding them. It wasn't as if Sunset's own life was particular normal either, but things had slowed down and settled after graduation; or so she thought anyway.

Midnight hummed. "Yeah I can imagine it being quite unsettling, personally I find it fascinating." Midnight flipped over to a later page in her notebook. "So what's stopping you from just heading over and confronting your body clone anyway?"

She'd thought about it before, but never really put it into words. "I guess... I'm a bit afraid of what I'd find. Did she mess up her life the same way I did mine? Or is she just the picture perfect woman she seem to be? ...Outside of the weird stuff I mean," she quickly amended.

Sunset's gaze turned out the window and towards the light rain dripping down. Just a few houses over was the edge of town, a large expanse of grass followed. In the far distance she could see the few skyscrapers that made up the center of the neighbouring town.

"I think she'd be happy to meet you, you know?"

Sunset snapped her attention back to midnight, eyeing her wearily.

"I haven't been completely honest, I suppose," Midnight continued.

Sunset's eyes widened. "You know her."

Midnight nodded. "I'm quite close to her, and you'd probably know who I was too if it wasn't for the hair styling and make-up Rarity helped me with."

A frown worked it's way onto Sunset as she could feel her anger growing. She'd restrain it, she was far beyond flying off the handle, but being deceived was never an enjoyable experience.

"You're one of them then?"

Midnight nodded.

"Do they know about me?"

Midnight frowned and shook her head. "No, I found you online on my own when I was trying to find an old friend and... well you grabbed my interest."

Sunset swore under her breath. She hadn't planned on making contact today, she wanted more information, to better know what she was dealing with first. 

"Will you be telling your friends of me?"

Midnight stared at her for a minute before sighing. "Not if you don't want me to... But Sunset, I think Sunset, my Sunset that is, would love to meet you."

"Maybe one day, but not now," Sunset quickly answered. She was quite curious about her body double, but concern outweigh any desire to learn more.

"Is it true?" She asked as she stared Midnight down.

Midnight just stared back at her questioningly.

"The stuff you do, I mean. The things that there are videos on the net of you seven doing."

Midnight nodded. "All of that happened, yes. I don't know exactly what you've seen, but we've been involve in some pretty extraordinary things."

Sunset swore as she got up and picked up her coffee, quickly making her way towards the exit. She wasn't fully sure exactly what kind of crazy she was dealing with yet, were these girls even human, or something else entirely?

"Wait don't go!" She could make out Midnight exclaiming after her.

She was already on her bike and ready to pull the key when Midnight caught up to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset or scare you," the woman wore a pleading face.

"Just," Sunset sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I need some time, okay?" She needed more than time, if she was honest; she needed a battle plan. She had no idea who or what her body double was, but she was absolutely certain that she didn't have a twin sister that could grow animal ears.

Midnight stared at her before eventually taking a few steps back. "Okay, I'll message you later."

Sunset nodded and started her bike.

"My name's Twilight, by the way... Twilight Sparkle."

"Got it."

Sunset didn't let her get off another word before she hit the gas. It was a good ten minutes down the road before she'd gotten her thoughts in order again. At a red light she called a familiar number, her wireless headphones serving well.

"Yeah?" A feminine voice answered.

"Moondancer, do I got a fucking story for you. Meet up at the usual place?"
> A Ponygirl Walks Into a Bar...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight felt a bit nervous, being in a bar was a bit out of her element, of course, but it was also the matter that she'd decided to wear her stage outfit. Thankfully none of the patrons of the bar seemed to recognize her. It was late in the evening so it was likely because they were either passed out or drunk... as she glanced around the room she amended that both was also a distinct possibility.

As she got up next to the bar she waved over the bartender, an older woman with yellow skin and pink hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Hmm, can't say I expected to see one of the Rainbooms here," she said in a gruff voice.

Twilight froze. "Oh, um," she rubbed the back of her head. "I didn't expect anyone to recognize me."

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "Kinda hard not to with that kind of get-up. Speaking of which, if you're here looking for a job then our stage will gladly take your group."

"Ah, no, sorry. I'm just here to see a friend, long fiery hair?"

The bartender nodded and gestured towards one of the booths in the back. A look of realisation passed over her features.

"That was Sunset Shimmer, wasn't it, your rhythm guitarist?"

Twilight chuckled awkwardly. "Something like that," she quickly said as she hurriedly headed off to where Sunset's booth was.

She let out a sigh as she sat down in the seat opposite to Sunset. The other woman was once again wearing a biker's leather jacket, this time idly wiggling a glass filled with some liquor.

"I'm surprised you wanted to meet again, especially so soon."

Sunset gave a curt nod. "Same, if I'm being honest. My friend convinced me get in touch sooner rather than later."

Twilight smiled. "Friends have a tendency to do that."

Sunset returned her smile before taking a sip of her drink.

"...So?" Twilight asked.

"So," Sunset began as she placed her glass on the table and leaned back in her seat, her arms resting on the back of the couch. Twilight could feel her eyes sizing her up.

Sunset idly pointed with her hand towards Twilight. "So that's just a thing, huh?"

"Huh?"

It took a moment before Twilight caught on that she was talking about her pony ears. "Oh, no, it's just a stage prop."

Sunset hummed. "I thought you said all the fancy stuff was real."

Twilight nodded. "It is, but after we blew up a bit on social media Rarity thought it good to make some actual stage props, things we could wear before or after a show. You know, to not raise suspicion?"

Sunset just stared at her for a few moment before sighing. "I suppose that makes sense."

"I uh..." Twilight gulped. "The bartender probably thinks you're my Sunset now," she admitted.

Sunset just rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I wasn't planning on coming back here again anyway," her eyes travelling to the other tables. "Not really my type of bar," Sunset took another swipe of her drink.

It was at this point that Twilight realised that she'd completely forgotten to order a drink in her haste to avoid an awkward conversation. She wasn't much of a drinker, but it felt a bit like bad manners to not have anything when your company was drinking; even if you didn't opt for anything with alcohol yourself.

As Twilight glanced towards the bar again she could hear Sunset chuckle.

"Don't worry about it, you're not the only company I keep that isn't much of a drinker."

Twilight turned her gaze back towards Sunset as she shrunk down in her seat.

"No, seriously," Sunset put her glass back on the table and leaned forwards, meeting Twilight's eyes. "Don't worry about it."

Twilight nodded slowly.

Sunset flashed her a small smile and leaned back in her seat. "You really are quite similar..."

Twilight blinked. "Similar...? To who?"

Sunset just chuckled, her smile growing slightly wider. "Don't worry about that, besides, didn't you have a few questions about me?"

She frowned, now she was really curious as to who Sunset was comparing her too. She was right though, there were a lot of questions she wanted to ask that she never got the opportunity to do last time; she'd even said as much online after the fact.

"Well... I guess the big thing is: Why did it take you so long to look into us? My Sunset hasn't exactly kept a low profile."

Sunset expression slowly morphed into a frown as she turned her eyes to the window. For a moment Twilight was worried she might not get an answer.

"I've known about... her, for five or so years now."

Twilight's eyes widened. "That long?"

Sunset sighed. "Yeah... To be honest I wasn't sure I even wanted to know the full story but," Sunset turned back to face Twilight, flashing her a smile. "Your band hardly keeps a low profile, and I've been getting questions."

Twilight smile sheepishly. "Sorry."

Sunset shrugged lightly. "Don't worry about it, I just say she's my twin sister and most leave me alone," Sunset lifted her glass and took a sip.

She ran the numbers through her head, if they had known about her Sunset for five years or longer then... that meant they'd known about her for longer than Twilight herself did, though not by too much.

"I can see the question burning, so I'll go ahead and answer," Sunset smirked and leaned back. "I was trainhopping to Canterlot, I had scouted the place out in advance. I was looking for a place to settle down, and Canterlot seemed to hit most of the sweet spots. I also knew from research that CHS's principal was a bleeding heart, something which would help with enrolling."

Sunset sighed. "It all seemed like such a good plan in my head. But then I get there and..."

"And you meet an alternate version of yourself," Twilight finished.

Sunset chuckled. "Something like that, but we're getting ahead of ourselves," she downed the rest of her drink. "See, just after getting into town I noticed a lot of kids around my age started giving me looks. I'm used to just blending in and not sticking out, so it was already weird that everyone was eyeing me up."

"Why would they-"

"See, that's the thing, the other me had something of a reputation," Sunset chuckled. "I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

It took Twilight a moment to figure out what Sunset meant, after all, she'd never meet her Sunset until after she'd turned over a new leaf. Everything about her past was just hear-say, and was frankly hard to believe at times.

"But anyway, I made my way to CHS and just barged in. Getting to and into the principal's office was cake. What followed wasn't, I pleaded my case and asked to enrol... only for her to give me a stink eye and tell me that she didn't have time for whatever it was I was up to."

Twilight gasped, usually Celestia was really good about hearing students out, no matter the issue.

Sunset sighed. "After that I staked out the town for a few days trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't long till I saw her. The way she carried herself was hardly surprising, never been an angel myself, but it was incredibly destructive, even to herself."

"So what did you do?" Twilight asked, she could feel a shiver up her spine.

Sunset shrugged. "I ditched town on the next train I could catch. Everything about seeing her deeply unnerved me, which hardly made me want to stick around. But it was for practical reasons too, her being here would make it very hard for me to establish myself."

There was something missing though, Twilight figured. Sunset's story made sense except...

"What about your parents?"

Sunset smirked. "Never had any, been on my own ever since the orphanage kicked me out."

Twilight let out a gasp, Sunset was an orphan? Wait, was her Sunset also one? She'd never really considered it; Sunset being from another reality easily explained why she had no relatives around. Though now when she thought about it, it was a bit weird how she never went home for any of the holidays.

"I'm surprised you're telling her that much," a new voice chimed in. "Took you years before you told me that tidbit."

Twilight turned her gaze to the new arrival: A tan girl with red and purple hair. Their eyes sporting glasses that were similarly large compared to her own.

"Moondancer?" She blurted out, recognizing the girl from photos she'd looked up online.

The new arrival smirked lightly as she took her seat, Sunset scooting over to give more room. "Got it in one, I'm a bit surprised you remember me."

Twilight could feel her cheeks flush. Truth be told, she hadn't remembered Moondancer, not until very recently. It'd come up in a discussion if Twilight had any other friends, and well, she did, a long time ago. So she'd asked her parents about it and gotten a few names.

It was actually looking up her old friends online that led her to finding out Sunset's human counterpart was just one town over. The notion of finding out her best friend had a alternate version of herself was hardly surprising, but it absolutely got the gears turning and she had to look into it.

"Here," Moondancer said as she slid one of the three bottles she'd brought over the table.

Her nerves started to pick up before she lifted the bottle and noticed it was just soda. Sure, it was some cheap brand, but it wasn't alcohol.

"Thanks," she flashed a smile.

Sunset chuckled. "It was quite a surprise, you know? Learning from one of my best friends that you and her apparently used to know one and another."

"Life is funny like that sometimes..."

"It is," Moondancer said before taking a drink out of her own soda bottle.

"Lightweights," Sunset smirked, lifting her own bottle that was decidedly not soda. From the looks of it it was probably beer, at least that was Twilight's guess.

"It's nice seeing you again Twilight," Moondancer smiled, a relaxed expression resting on her face.

Twilight nodded. "Likewise... I know I probably wasn't the best friend to you back all those years ago... but I'd like to be one now, if you'll have me?"

Moondancer hummed. "Yeah, it was quite heartbreaking back then for me, you were the only one who really understood me... at least that's what I thought. And then you just kind of stopped showing up or even answering my calls."

Twilight flinched.

"Don't worry about it, I'm not upset about it anymore Twilight. It lead to me meeting some better friends anyway. The other girls you and me used to hang around with weren't really there for me either. My new friends?" She leaned over and nudged Sunset. "They stick by me and stick up for me, no matter what."

If Twilight didn't know better she could have sworn Sunset was blushing. "I'm glad things worked out for you."

Moondancer laughed lightly. "Same for you Twilight, it seems we both went and picked up a Sunset."

She hadn't even considered that parallel until this moment, granted, she hadn't known Moondancer and Sunset were friends until the former walked in on them now; Just that they went to the same school before graduating. All she could do was chuckle lightly at the realisation.

Moondancer leaned out over the table. "But hey, I think the sun on the horizon goes really well with all the stargazing the two of us used to do."

She even had the audacity to wink at Twilight while saying it.