I Don't Need Magic

by Undome Tinwe

Rating: teen
Tags: Sex, Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Sunset Shimmer, Drama, Romance, Equestria Girls
Length: 111581

Fifteen years into the future, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer reunite to stop a thief from bringing magic back into the world.

Professor Twilight Sparkle has spent her adult life trying to forget the follies of her youth, and the fiery sorceress whose betrayal shattered her heart.

Sunset Shimmer has built an empire of steel and science in memory of the otherworldly power she once wielded, and of the soft-spoken scientist she once called "friend."

Now, fifteen years after the disaster which tore their bonds asunder, a new threat will force these two former friends to reunite in order to save both worlds. And as the past collides with the present, Sunset and Twilight will learn that even in a world without magic, friendship and love still have the power to do the impossible.

Set after Legend of Everfree. Later Equestria Girls stories aren't necessarily canon to this timeline.

Pre-read by ChudoJogurt.

Cover art by Kare Valgon.

(2018-25-04) Featured on Equestria Daily!

Story has been written and will update weekly until completion.

Published 2018-03-06 20:30:05 UTC
Last updated 2018-06-22 18:29:13 UTC

Chapter 2: The More Things Change...

All things considered, Sunset reflected, things could have gone better.

When Twilight's grad student had welcomed her with open and nearly buzzing arms, Sunset had hoped that her reunion with Twilight could actually be pleasant. At the very least, Sunset had thought that they might be able to work with each other like professionals.

Then Twilight had walked in, and it was like falling through another portal, except this one took her on a trip through time, not space. Memories of all the times they'd shared together had overwhelmed her, and before she could stop herself, she'd tried to greet Twilight as a friend almost on instinct.

And when Twilight had replied in that ice cold tone of hers, Sunset had been keenly reminded that those memories were just that. Memories. Those times were over, and they weren't ever coming back.

In response, Sunset had lashed out, allowing herself to get sucked into the same argument that had ruined everything all those years ago, and making about as much progress as they did back then to boot. At least Sunset knew Twilight was innocent, even if Twilight hadn't liked Sunset using her empathy powers on her.

As for the woman in question, Twilight had walked over to her desk and plopped herself down on her chair, and was now rubbing her forehead with her hands. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Twilight turned to face Sunset, her large, purple-tinted eyes still glaring at her from behind her glasses. "You think I stole the journal?"

"There's kind of a limited number of magic users around here thanks to us. You're one of the only people I know with the knowledge and power to pull off this kind of thing."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "I swore I would never touch magic again after what happened, and I've upheld that vow for fifteen years."

It seemed Twilight was just as stubborn as she used to be. That would make things harder. "Are you saying you haven't used magic in over a decade? Not even a little? Don't you feel it calling to you?"

"Of course I do!" Twilight snapped, her composure breaking for a moment and revealing the turmoil and pain inside. She quickly recovered, though, and once again that angry mask covered her feelings, but not before Sunset saw her weakness. "But I know how dangerous and addictive it can be, so I've stayed far away from any possible triggers. I won't be responsible for unleashing magic on this world again." Like you and our friends did, Sunset knew Twilight wanted to say.

"Stubborn as ever, I see. You could do so much good if you just embraced the magic, you know."

"Like you have with Equinox Labs?" There was a hint of accusation in Twilight's tone. "I assume that you didn't revolutionize multiple industries from the sheer force of your genius."

"Yes, like I have," Sunset said with unabashed pride. "Even without actual magic, I've managed to do so much with Equestrian know-how."

Sunset pointed at the open window and the clear skies beyond it. "I knew what the weather was going to be like today a week ago, instead of having to hope that the weather forecasters got it right."

Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a metal tower in the distance. "When's the last time you remember losing cell signal in the city? You think human technology could've designed such a perfect antenna in less than a decade?"

Sunset raised her hands in a sweeping gesture, turning back to face Twilight. "Imagine what we could do if we actually had magic to supplement the discoveries. A whole new era of progress could be ours."

Twilight rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Right, like continue to screw over all the people who were swindled out of their land by companies using your new dowsing technology, or make the weather corporations even richer at the expense of the people. Is that the kind of new era you're talking about?"

A shrug. "Yeah, shit happens sometimes, but that's the cost of progress. You're a scientist; you know that sometimes we make a few mistakes when we make new discoveries, but it's still worth it in the end." Sunset found herself surprised and hurt by the vehemence in Twilight's voice and her deliberate blindness to all the good she'd done. Why couldn't she see that Sunset was right?

"Look, we're never going to be able to agree on this, and I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to." Twilight sounded tired, her eyes downcast and lines of exhaustion dancing across her face. "I'm not in the mood to repeat Ethics in Science 101, so please, just leave and go chase after your magic thief. I'm sure it'll be a great adventure for you, and I can stay here and try to pretend this conversation never happened."

"Sorry, Twilight, but I can't do that. I need your help." Twilight's eyes snapped up at Sunset, surprise and curiosity warring for dominance on her face. "This isn't Equestria. I can't just cast a divination spell to figure out where it is. I need to use human science, and you know more about tracking magical energy without using magic than anyone else here or even in Equestria."

"I told you I was done with magic," Twilight said firmly. "I'm not going to let myself get sucked into that world again."

Her tone brooked no argument, but Sunset had already expected this response. "Whoever took the journal didn't just steal it because they wanted to talk to the Princesses," she said, keeping her expression serious as she held Twilight's gaze. "The journal doesn't even work anymore now that the portal's gone. It's really only useful because it's got a link to Equestria that you could use to siphon magic from there or open a portal."

"Isn't that what you want? To bring magic back into the world?"

Sunset resisted the urge to sigh at Twilight's petulance. "Not like this, and you know it. Whoever stole it either has no idea what they're doing, which could be really dangerous for everyone, or they know exactly what they're doing, in which case they'd be even more dangerous. You understand the danger of having that journal in the wrong hands better than anyone."

Silence filled the room as Twilight considered Sunset's words. While Twilight was thinking, Sunset took the opportunity to take a closer look at her old friend.

Twilight had filled out nicely over the past decade and a half, with a lush, curvy body, a full bosom, and flawless lavender skin. Her pink-striped purple hair was tied up in a bun, which emphasized the soft roundness of her face. Her violet eyes sparkled with intelligence as she gazed thoughtfully at Sunset.

Finally, Twilight spoke. "Fine, I'll help you. But only because I want to make sure that magic stays off this world."

Sunset nodded. "Understood. I'll arrange for a hotel room for you in Canterlot. How long until you can come over?"

"What?" Twilight glanced up at her in surprise. "Why would I stay in Canterlot? My lab and my life are here."

"First of all, you won't be able to use your lab for magic research without people asking a lot of questions we don't want to answer. I've got a secret state-of-the-art lab you can use, and I can get you any piece of equipment you need. Second, the journal was stolen in Canterlot, and the old portal was in Canterlot High, so Canterlot is probably going to be the center of whatever's going on." Sunset was beginning to get a little annoyed at Twilight's pointless stubbornness.

"I can't just leave everything behind. In case you didn't notice, I have a job. An important one too, and the dean isn't going to be happy with my disappearing for who knows how long."

Sunset shrugged. "Just tell them that you're going to be taking a consulting gig from Equinox Labs that's very time-sensitive. I'll pay you twice your normal consulting fee and give an endowment to the school. There's no way they'll say no to that."

"No," Twilight replied. "I won't take your money. Whatever consulting fee you were going to pay me, just add it to the endowment. I'll find my own place to stay too."

"Fine." Sunset wasn't about to get into another argument with Twilight. "I'll talk to the dean and head back to Canterlot. When will you be coming?"

"I'll need a day to settle everything. I can be there Friday afternoon."

"Alright." Sunset turned to walk out of the office. "And thanks for the help, Twilight."

"I'm not doing it for you, Sunset," Twilight replied softly.

"Maybe not, but I still appreciate it." With that, Sunset left Twilight to her affairs, a faint smile on her lips. Sure, things hadn't gone quite as well as she'd hoped, but she'd gotten Twilight's help. And more than that, she'd seen the spark of curiosity and longing in her eyes as when she talked about magic.

Twilight Sparkle might have said that she was done with magic, but Sunset knew the truth: once you embraced the magic, it became a part of your soul, and no one could deny it forever.

"Arriving at Canterlot Palace."

Switching off her GPS display, Twilight turned into the parking lot next to a grandiose, elegant apartment complex. A security guard at the entrance checked her ID and then informed her that Sunset was expecting her, waving a valet over to park her car. All in all, a much more pleasant experience than her usual morning fight for a spot in the university parking lot.

As Sunset had anticipated, taking time off from work had been much easier than Twilight had expected. The dean had practically shoved her out of the campus, recognizing what a huge opportunity a connection with Equinox Labs would be.

The endowment had also helped grease a lot of wheels. Twilight wasn't sure how much Sunset had donated, but she was pretty sure that a lecture hall was going to end up being named after her.

Her course notes had been left with Dinky, who'd been happy to take over her classes until she got back and all her other meetings had been rescheduled as video conferences. The only real disturbance in Twilight's work was her experiments, which had to be put on hold.

Twilight had spent most of yesterday second-guessing her decision to help Sunset. She kept trying to tell herself that everything would resolve itself without her assistance. Sunset was the magic expert; she would figure out a way to stop the thief and everything would go back to normal. There was no need for Twilight to expose herself to the temptations of magic.

But the alternative, letting Sunset handle this on her own, was a lot more dangerous. If the thief had managed to use the journal's connection to open a portal to the pony world, someone would have to be there to make sure it was closed, and she definitely couldn't trust Sunset to do it after what happened last time. Twilight knew how far she would go to bring back magic, and she knew she had to be there to ensure that magic stayed out of her world.

With grim determination settling into her bones, Twilight walked up to the apartment complex. This was purely a business visit; she was here to stop magic from returning and that was it. She wasn't here to renew her friendship with Sunset or anything like that.

Sunset was waiting for her at the elevator. Today, she had opted to wear a pale blue blouse which complemented her skin tone quite nicely.

"Hey, Twilight," she said with a smile. "Glad you finally made it. I was worried you weren't going to show up."

"I ran into some traffic on the way here," Twilight replied stiffly. "So, should we get started? I'd like to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible."

Sunset's smile faded. "You know, this would be a lot less painful for both of us if we at least tried to get along."

"We're separated by fundamental differences in ideology as well as a history of betrayal. Forgive me if it's difficult for me to get all warm and fuzzy around you."

Sunset sighed. "Fine. Let's go to the basement."

"The basement? Why?"

"That's where my lab is. I bought out a large chunk of the storage area there and had it renovated." Sunset wore that damnable smirk of hers as she spoke. "It's not the best place, but I can't exactly have a lab all the way up here, and I don't want anyone to get suspicious if they see me leaving all the time to visit some random warehouse or something."

Twilight followed behind Sunset as they headed back towards the elevator. Sunset keyed in the code to the basement and down they went, all while sharing in an awkward silence. The tension was so thick that Twilight thought she might drown in it.

"So, what kind of lab do you have in the basement?" Twilight said is a desperate attempt to avoid suffocating in their shared silence.

"The lab here is mostly for studying magic. All the stuff that's just based on scientific discoveries from Equestria I can work on at Equinox, but here's where I keep all the magical artifacts I have to analyze and see if I can recreate their effects with non-magical components."

"And have you ever succeeded in that?" It was something Twilight had always been curious about every time she read about Equinox's revolutionary discoveries.

"A few times," Sunset replied. "Our antenna designs are based on the communications spellforms that link the journal with its counterpart. Oh, and I managed to recreate some textiles that I nabbed from Equestria back in the day. Rarity's been having a field day with them, lemme tell you."

"How's Rarity doing, anyways? I don't follow the fashion world very closely, but I've heard her name mentioned several times in the context of haute couture."

"Pretty good. She's the top dog in the fashion industry right now, and Carousel basically decides what the trends are gonna be every season. Carousel also spearheads most of the charity events here in Canterlot, and Rarity even talked Dash into performing at a charity exhibition with the rest of the Wonderbolts in a couple weeks."

"And how are the others doing?" Twilight asked, the mention of Dash piquing her curiosity. Giving up magic had meant giving up her friends as well, and while she didn't regret the former, the latter had always saddened her.

"Well, Dash is in the Wonderbolts now," Sunset said. "She's not here much because of all the touring, but we make the most of our time together."

"The Wonderbolts?" That was a surprise. "I didn't take her for the military type. Wasn't she going to be a soccer player or something?"

"People change," Sunset replied simply. "Sometimes the things that seemed so important turn out not to be, and we find other things that are more important in our lives." She gave a soft laugh that did nothing to hide her bitterness. "Some of us, anyways. Sometimes we're just too stubborn to let go of what we lost."

From the pointed look she was giving her, Twilight suspected that the statement wasn't directed only at Sunset herself.

"What about Pinkie and Fluttershy and Applejack?" she asked, rather than respond to Sunset's unspoken accusations.

"AJ stayed on the farm with her family. Fluttershy got her veterinary degree and practiced for a few years before she ended up running an animal shelter. Rarity does most of the fundraising for the shelter since Fluttershy isn't really the social type, but she seems happy having the chance to help animals.

"Pinkie started Party Pony Productions." Sunset raised a hand before Twilight could respond. "No, I don't know why she picked that name when she's not a pony. She's basically the go-to event planner in Canterlot, and she's even helping Rarity arrange the Wonderbolt charity exhibition. And no, she still doesn't have much respect for things like logic or physics, even after she lost her magic."

Twilight could hear the pride and joy in Sunset's voice as she spoke of her friends' accomplishments. There was no jealousy or envy, just happiness that her friends had found success and were using that success to help others.

The elevator stopped, and a second later the doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit hallway lined with concrete. Sunset stepped through the doors and beckoned to Twilight to follow her. The swinging lights above her cast a kaleidoscope of dancing shadows along the uneven walls and floors, giving the whole place a surreal, almost ethereal atmosphere.

At the end of the hall was a heavy metal door with an array of sensors and screens next to it. Sunset walked up to the door and placed her right hand on one of the scanners and her left eye in front of another. "Scan complete," an artificial voice stated a few moments later. "Please state your name and code phrase."

"Name: Sunset Shimmer. Code phrase: friendship is magic."

"Identity confirmed. Welcome back, Sunset Shimmer."

The metal door slowly swung open, and Sunset gestured towards it.

"So, Twilight, ready to return to the world of magic?"

Twilight sighed. "No, but it has to be done. Lead the way."

Chapter 3: Third Law

Sunset took great pleasure in watching Twilight's eyes widen as she stepped into her lab.

"This is... eclectic," Twilight said after a few seconds of wordless gazing. "It looks like a tornado went through campus, picked up a few things from each department, then dumped it all in this room. Is that a forge in the corner over there?" Twilight pointed at a large metal box with several large metal pipes sticking out of it.

"Yeah, I was trying to recreate some Equestrian alloys with it. I managed to make something like adamantium – but without the magical bonding that makes it really strong, so it's sorta useless – and I think I've got mythril almost figured out, even though without magic I won't be able to up its capacitance as high as I could back in Equestria. I still haven't figured out how to make cloudcrete, but I think that one might just be impossible without magic. Here, let me show you the rest of the lab."

For the next few minutes, Sunset gave Twilight a whirlwind tour of the facility. She started on the left side, where she did her experiments with inorganic chemistry and metallurgy. Admittedly, it was the least impressive part of the lab, since humans were way more advanced than ponies in that regard. Still, she'd managed to leverage some Equestrian knowledge of alchemy to pull off a few neat feats of transmutation.

She continued on to the biochemical part of the lab, showing Twilight the various compounds she'd synthesized. Next to that was a small climate lab where she experimented with very small-scale weather control; scaling the methods up was a job she left to her researchers. Scattered around the room were also various sensors and detectors she was developing.

As the tour continued, she saw Twilight visibly struggle to hold back her curiosity. It was actually pretty funny how Twilight tried to feign disinterest while her eyes kept cutting over to the plethora of advanced equipment she had on hand, like a child in a candy store trying to pretend she wasn't drooling.

Finally, she reached the right end of the room, where she did her research on magic itself. She watched Twilight's eyes light up she showed her the equipment she used to unravel the secrets of how magic functioned in this world.

"Is that a TI XK Ninety-Three Spectrograph?" Twilight asked, pointing at the marvel of metal and glass sitting on the table.

"Ninety-Four, actually." Sunset placed a hand lovingly on the object in question. "Two-hundred-and-fifty-six bits of precision at four terahertz with a sensitivity of fifteen angstroms." She slipped her hand from the spectrograph and softly stroked the device next to it. "It pairs really well with the TI OS Mac Swell Oscilloscope."

Twilight's jaw dropped. "That's not supposed to come out for another six months!"

Sunset smirked. "Equinox helped provide some of the technology the new model uses, so I managed to snatch up one of these babies from R&D."

Twilight slowly approached the device, her hand hovering reverently over it. Then she noticed Sunset's smirk and backed away sheepishly, adopting a stoic mask. "I notice a distinct lack of actual magical objects in here."

"I keep them in the safe," Sunset replied. She walked over to the corner of the room where the hefty metal box lay. Keying in the combination to unlock it, she swung the door open, revealing its arcane contents. "And there you have it, the last of the magic in this world."

Twilight stared at the opened safe in silence, a thousand memories crashing against her mind.

Each object sitting so innocently on those shelves told a story she had worked hard to forget. On the top shelf of the safe were a collection of red crystal shards, the last remnants of the power of the Sirens. The destruction of the original gems had brought Twilight to CHS and the world of magic. They were completely inert now, with not even an iota of power within them, but it seemed like Sunset wasn't taking any chances.

Next to them sat a necklace with a ruby pendant framed by a silvery metal forged in the shape of a unicorn's head: the Alicorn Amulet – an artifact from Equestria that had managed to find its way to the human world via a rift between worlds and had fallen into the wrong hands. Trixie had used it during the school talent show, turning the evening into a terrifying fight against a crazed tyrant bent on world domination that had very nearly been lost.

On the shelf below it lay a set of six small pendants, each bearing a different symbol: a butterfly, a lightning bolt, an apple, a diamond, a balloon, and a stylized sun. The seventh pendant in this collection was currently sitting in Twilight's hotel room, evidence of her victory against the corrupting influence of magic. Twilight didn't want to have to use it, but she also knew that sometimes, you had to fight fire with fire.

Finally, at the bottom of the safe was a small, circular disk, the object that had started it all. The device had been designed to measure magical energy, but it had also allowed Twilight to trap nearby magic within its collection lattice. Without it, she would never have gone to Canterlot High, never stolen magic from her friends, never absorbed its power and nearly destroyed the world.

This device had set in motion the events that had led to the day when Twilight had thrown it at Sunset, telling her to get out of her life.

And creating fifteen years of loneliness for herself.

Twilight took an involuntary step back from the safe, as if physically distancing herself from those objects would also allow her to distance herself from her memories. She wasn't sure which ones were worse: the horrible ones of fighting for her life and risking the end of the world, or the wonderful ones about experiencing the wonders of magic with her friends. Both hurt in different ways, and Twilight was tired of all the pain.

"You okay, Twilight?" Sunset asked.

"I'm fine," Twilight replied, not looking at her old friend. "Just didn't expect to see any of these things ever again. So I'm guessing that the journal was also kept here?" Yes, focus on the matter at hand. That was a good way to keep the past in the past.

"Yeah." Sunset pointed at an empty spot next to the magic collector. "Right there. It was here on Monday night, and the next morning it was gone."

"And you're sure the theft was magical in nature?" Twilight hadn't seen anything that indicated that the theft might have been something other than mundane. In fact, there didn't seem to be any sign of a break-in at all. Could Sunset have simply misplaced the journal?

"I'm sure." Sunset pulled out her phone. "The security guards have no memory of letting someone into the building, even though the cameras clearly show someone coming in the middle of the night and being escorted to the elevator."

"And you're sure it wasn't coercion rather than magic?"

"Not completely," Sunset admitted, "but I also found this on the door and the safe." She passed her phone over to Twilight. Twilight looked at the image on the phone. It showed the same door she had just walked through half an hour ago, but with minor alterations.

Namely, the shimmering circular pattern inscribed on its surface in some multicolored paint. Twilight recognized the sequence of lines and symbols as ones she had studied long ago in another lifetime.

"Okay, that's definitely a spell. I recognize the symbol for temporal manipulation with a stasis modifier, and the rest looks familiar, but it's been way too long since I've worked with this stuff. What is it, a time lock spell?"

"Impressive," Sunset said with an approving nod. "Yeah, it's a ghosting spell. Or a 'Temporal Displacement Enchantment', if you're being anal like the profs at CSGU were. Basically, it lets you phase something out of time for a little bit, so that you can, say, walk right through it. It's a pretty advanced spell, and not many unicorns back in Equestria could pull it off, but there's enough that blocking it is part of the standard counterspell package in every building in Equestria. I didn't bother because, well, you know."

Twilight shook off that old, familiar feeling of surreality that happened whenever Sunset talked about violating the fundamental laws of the universe like it was something that happened every day. Now, it just served as a reminder of how truly other Sunset and her pony world was, and how dangerous they could be.

"Alright, so it's a complex but not unheard of spell. Should we be looking for someone from Equestria then?" She knew Sunset wasn't the only Equestrian living in this world – the Sirens were still around somewhere, for example – but unless they had only recently arrived, it seemed odd that they would try to keep a low profile and then steal the journal with magic fifteen years later.

And if they had arrived recently, then that raised the question of whether there was another breach between worlds. Either way, not something Twilight wanted to think about.

"Not quite," Sunset said to Twilight's relief. "This is a really crude way to construct the spell. A proper version wouldn't use an arcane circle at all; a starburst would be a lot better at channeling the static part of the spell. There's a few other weird things about it, but the short version is, no one in any respected magic school would be caught dead casting something like this."

Sunset took her phone back from Twilight, peering at the image displayed on it. "This is like a kid trying to cast the spell from scratch for the first time; I wouldn't be surprised if this was what Star Swirl's first try actually looked like. That's why I suspected you at first; this seems more like something that someone trying to piece together magical theory on their own might come up with."

"So we're probably dealing with someone from this world who's been studying magic for a while." Twilight tried to summarize Sunset's technical explanation as best she could, her brain kicking into full academic mode.

"Pretty much, yeah," Sunset replied. "That still leaves a bunch of people we know, and maybe more we don't. I don't think everyone who was exposed to magic went insane and tried to take over the world. Some people probably handled it just fine and they're just staying under the radar using magic to make their lives better." The pointed look Sunset was giving Twilight made it clear what message she was trying to send.

"Fine, so there might be a bunch of perfectly happy magic people who could pull this off," Twilight said flatly. "That still doesn't leave us with much to go on."

"No, it doesn't. Which is why I wanted your help. Traditional detective work hasn't gotten us anywhere, so I'm hoping that we can track either the journal or the magic used in the theft. I know some forensic spells that could do it, but they won't work here because of how magic interacts with the atmosphere here."

"Right, magical emissions get transformed into other kinds of energy in this world, instead of permeating through the... aether, I think you called it?" At Sunset's nod, Twilight continued speaking. "I was working on some models to determine how magic breaks down after emission before, well..." Twilight trailed off, not wanting to bring up the same debate again. She was still angry at Sunset, but now wasn't the time for emotion. "Anyways, I never finished that work, but I have some preliminary models that might be useful."

"That's a good place to start," Sunset replied. "I'll show you the security footage from the theft to see if you can get anything from it too."

The elevator ride up to Sunset's apartment was silent save for the sound of footsteps and the whisper of clothing brushing against itself. Twilight tried to hide her feelings behind a stoic mask, but Sunset remembered enough of the teenager she used to be that she could still read her. Twilight was overwhelmed and taking the time to collect her thoughts, and Sunset decided to give her some space to sort out her own head.

To be honest, given how she had acted towards magic and Sunset, it was surprising how collected she was at the moment. Sunset had half-expected Twilight to try and destroy the magical artifacts on the spot or tell Sunset to get rid of them. It gave Sunset hope that maybe Twilight hadn't moved on as much as she'd claimed she had.

They reached the penthouse floor once again, and Sunset unlocked the door to her apartment. "Make yourself at home," she said, motioning for Twilight to enter.

"Nice place," Twilight commented as she entered the main foyer of her home. "You've done really well for yourself in the past fifteen years. Don't you think this is all a little much, though?"

"I spent most of my life living in a palace, Twilight," Sunset replied dryly. "Compared to that, this is practically modest."

Twilight shook her head. "Whatever. So, where's the security footage?"

"Over here," Sunset led Twilight to her home office, where she powered up her computer and brought up the video from the night of the theft. She skipped forward to the relevant timestamp and hit the play button. "This is the footage from the front desk."

On screen, a hooded figure walked up to the front desk and spoke to the receptionist for a few minutes. Halfway through the conversation, the receptionist's eyes glazed over and her movements became mechanical. The receptionist stood up, walked robotically over towards the elevator, and opened it for the thief, a blank expression on her face the whole time. A few seconds after the elevator doors closed, her expression became puzzled and she returned to the desk.

Sunset fast-forwarded through the next half hour of video before slowing down as the thief returned. The receptionist seemed surprised by her appearance, but her expression quickly blanked out again as she spoke to the thief, and she allowed the thief to exit without question.

Twilight wore a look of disgust on her face as she watched the video. "I see why you assumed mind control over coercion. That poor receptionist. How is she doing?"

"She and the guards have no memory of what happened," Sunset said. "Boy, was it annoying coming up with a cover story for that."

"Whoever did this knew where all the cameras were made sure their faces were obscured from them the whole time," Twilight said, looking at the screen. "Are there any other cameras that caught the thief?"

"Not that I could find. I did set up some security cameras in the lab, but, well, let me show you." Sunset pulled up another video and fast-forwarded to the appropriate time period. "This is when I suspect the lab door was hacked open."

The camera feed showed an image of the lab as it was on Monday night. It was a pretty boring sight until a few lines a static appeared on the screen for a few seconds before fading. "Wait," Twilight said, staring at the screen. "Was that static colored?"

"Yup," Sunset replied. "All the colors of the rainbow. I counted."

"But this feed comes from a black-and-white camera."

"Keep watching," Sunset said, starting the video again. The image of the empty lab continued playing, with only the occasional multicolored flicker indicating that something was off. Then, about a minute later, the image on screen was replaced by a swirling pattern of random colors.

"What in the world?" Twilight's jaw dropped as she watched the video. "This shouldn't be possible unless they replaced the recording."

Sunset pointed at a few of the less "swirly" parts of the screen. "You can still see the lab behind the interference, as well as what looks like someone moving around. I've already sent the video to someone to try and retrieve the original, uncorrupted signal. But yeah, it's obvious that someone used magic to obfuscate themselves."

Sunset waited for the corruption to fade before turning off the video. "So, that's what I've got so far. I haven't been able to find any solid leads on who might have done this, where they might have taken the journal, or what they plan to do with it."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Well, you've certainly been productive in the past couple weeks."

"I still have a company to run," Sunset replied. "It took me a while to set things up so that I could take an extended vacation to deal with this. So, what do you think about all this?"

Twilight's brows furrowed in concentration. "It's a lot to take in, honestly. I'm still getting my thoughts together, but I have some preliminary ideas."

"I'm all ears." Sunset was eager to hear Twilight's take on the theft. Sunset had wracked her brain for a way to track down the journal, but at the end of the day, her knowledge of physics was nothing compared to Twilight's.

"Well, first of all..." Twilight was interrupted by a low growling sound coming from her stomach.

Sunset looked at the time on the screen. "When did you have lunch?"

"I didn't," Twilight replied. "I was already running late getting here because of traffic."

"Well, why don't we discuss our game plan over dinner? My treat."

"I told you I didn't want anything from you."

"C'mon Twilight, it's just dinner. I dragged you all the way to Canterlot, I might as well do something to say thanks for coming." Sunset desperately hoped that Twilight would accept the figurative olive branch she was extending..

"Fine," Twilight sighed to Sunset's immense relief. "Let's go."

Chapter 4: A Chance Encounter

"This is way too much," Twilight grumbled as Sunset stepped out of the car. "I'm not letting you buy me dinner here."

The drive to the restaurant had passed by calmly enough. Twilight had decided to focus on the task at hand and not her past with Sunset, and as a result they'd enjoyed a pleasant, productive conversation about what to do next.

Twilight had told Sunset about her intentions to revive the work she'd done on modeling magical decay. If they were lucky, she'd be able to develop some method of detecting the physical effects of the magic either coming from the journal or from whatever magic source was used to facilitate the theft.

Sunset, meanwhile, had already pieced together a general idea of how the spell to disable the camera had functioned, and had theorized that the colorful pattern on the screen might be connected to the signature of the magic used to cast it. A few back-of-the-envelope calculations with Twilight's help seemed to agree with that assessment, though a more precise analysis would be necessary to confirm.

As they drove through the city, Twilight found herself becoming lost in the conversation, in the exchange of ideas and theories and equations. It was just like when they were in high school, working together to figure out the solution to some magical problem or other.

For a few minutes, she allowed herself to return to a simpler time, when the world was still filled with wonders just waiting for her to explore. A time where Twilight had spent her days engaged in similar conversations on magical theory with Sunset, reveling in the merging of their intellects. A time before the difficult moral and ethical choices had reared their ugly heads.

Before Sunset had betrayed her.

The sound of Sunset turning off the car had brought Twilight back into the present, and when she'd looked out the window, her jaw had nearly dropped.

De Savoir was the magnum opus of Savoir Fare, created when the world-famous chef had decided to settle down in Canterlot. Back when Twilight still lived here, it was considered to be the best restaurant in the city. It was also the most expensive, and as such Twilight had never stepped foot inside. She suddenly felt very underdressed in her simple cardigan and pants.

Sunset, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease walking into De Savoir with only a casual blouse, a pair of jeans, and a leather jacket, even if it was a very nice and likely very expensive jacket. "Don't worry about it, Twilight. It's not a big deal."

"De Savoir isn't a big deal?" Twilight echoed, her voice rising in pitch at the end.

Sunset shrugged. "I can afford it. C'mon, let's go. I'm getting hungry."

Twilight considered arguing the point, but in the end, this was Sunset's way of trying to mend fences between them. Twilight wasn't ready to forgive her yet, but she recognized the need to be able to work amicably with her for the greater good. Gritting her teeth, she allowed Sunset to lead her into the restaurant.

Inside, she was greeted by an immaculately dressed hostess. Her eyes lingered over Twilight judgmentally before cutting to Sunset and widening in recognition. A wide smile graced her face. "Miss Shimmer, so good to see you again. Welcome to De Savoir. Will you be dining with us today?"

"Yes, Silver," Sunset replied. "Table for two, please."

"Of course. Right this way, if you please." Silver led them through the beautifully decorated halls of the restaurant towards a secluded table in the corner of the main dining room.

For the next minute or so, neither of them spoke, focusing on the menu. For Twilight's part, she tried not to think about the fact that none of the items had prices next to them.

Twilight's decision process was interrupted by the arrival of an older, impeccably-dressed man. "Bonsoir, mademoiselle Shimmer. It is always a pleasure to have you here." He turned towards Twilight. "And who is your friend here?"

"Hey, Savoir," Sunset said. "This is Twilight Sparkle. She's an old friend from high school that I lost touch with."

"Ah, it is always good to reconnect with old friends, n'est-ce pas?" Savoir replied.

"Yeah, it is." Sunset nodded while shooting a quick glance at Twilight. "So, what do you have for us today?"

"Our vegetarian special today is a three-course treatise on mushrooms. The first course is a medley of wild mushrooms lightly seared and served with..." Twilight listened as Savoir listed off the daily specials, eventually deciding on the non-vegetarian three-course meal. Sunset had gone with the vegetarian option, of course; Twilight had never figured out if it was due to actual biological issues with consuming meat, or simply a psychological holdover from her previous life as an herbivorous pony.

After Savoir had taken their orders and left, Twilight turned back to face Sunset. "So, you seem quite friendly with Savoir. Do you come here often?"

"I like to have lunch meetings here," Sunset replied. "It's the best restaurant in town, after all."

"It also probably costs more than I spend on food in a fortnight," Twilight pointed out, still uncomfortable at the thought of eating at a place she wouldn't be able to justify putting on the university credit card.

"Then I pity your taste buds," Sunset said with a smirk before her expression turned serious again. "Anyways, about the whole theft thing, I think I can piece together the general spellform used on the camera, but without a strong magical residue it'll only be a high-level reconstruction."

Twilight thought about Sunset's words for a moment. "I'm not sure if that'll be enough, but I'll need to get a better idea about how important spellform details are in determining emission patterns first."

"Sunset! I didn't know you were eating here today!"

Twilight froze as a familiar voice called out from across the room. Heart pounding in her chest, she slowly turned around and beheld a very pink woman in a puffy, frilly blue dress with a huge grin on her face waving from across the room. Next to her was an embarrassed white-skinned woman who was nervously brushing her flowing purple hair with her hands.

"Pinkie Pie! We are in a cultured establishment. Loud outbursts are most uncouth and..." the other woman trailed off as she stared at Twilight, who was staring right back at her in borderline panic.

How could she have been so stupid? She should have known that returning to Canterlot would come with the risk of running into one of her own friends. It was a stupid slip of the mind, and now she wasn't ready to face the ones she had once called her closest friends.

"Twilight? Is that you?" Rarity was the first to speak, breaking the stunned silence in the room as her shocked expression turned to one of hopeful disbelief.

"Hi, Rarity," Twilight said weakly, giving her a half-hearted wave. She tried to say something else, but suddenly found herself being wrapped up in a very tight, very pink hug.

"Twilight! It's so good to see you again! Where have you been all these years? And what are you doing here with Sunset? Do the other girls know you're here? If not, we definitely need to tell them. Oh, did you and Sunset make up? Are you here to visit or are you moving back to Canterlot?"

Twilight stared blankly as Pinkie's stream of questions overwhelmed her brain. She had forgotten how exuberant the party planner could be. "Pinkie!" she managed to shout as she carefully extricated herself from her friend's grasp. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, normally I'd be having dinner in Sugarcube Corner with the Cakes like I do every Saturday but Rarity wanted to talk about Dash's Wonderbolt exhibition so we decided to make it a dinner meeting and Rarity wanted to eat at Savoir's so here we are!" Twilight took a few seconds to process Pinkie's words. While she did that, Sunset waved Rarity over.

"Why don't you two join us? I'm sure they won't mind us switching to a table of four."

"That would be most delightful," Rarity turned to speak to the hostess standing a polite distance away and ask her for a larger table. The hostess obliged, and soon Twilight found herself sitting with Rarity and Pinkie as well.

"So, Twilight," Rarity said as she picked up her menu. "I must admit, while I am glad to see you here in Canterlot, I'm also curious as to what brought you back."

Twilight glanced at Sunset. It was obvious that Rarity and Pinkie didn't know about the theft, and Twilight wasn't sure if she should tell them. Perhaps Sunset had withheld the information for a reason?

It occurred to her that she didn't really know Rarity or Pinkie Pie that well anymore, what with fifteen years separating them. It would probably be best to let Sunset decide how to handle it.

Luckily, Sunset stepped into the conversation. "She's helping me with a research project. I need Twilight's expertise in physics for some of the experiments I'm doing."

"Oh?" Rarity looked at Sunset with narrowed eyes before turning back to grace Twilight with a cool stare. "It must be quite the important project to bring you back to Canterlot."

"It has some very far-reaching consequences," Twilight said, trying to sound detached, "and I'm not one to let personal problems get in the way of science."

"I see." Rarity nodded, her expression unchanged. "Twilight, dear, after all these years you are still terrible at lying. An admirable trait, and one Applejack would surely approve of, but it does mean that I can tell quite clearly when you're hiding something from us."

Twilight bit back a retort about Sunset being the better liar. "Sorry, Rarity, but we're trying to keep the nature of our project under wraps. It's safer that way."

"Twilight, I assure you I can keep a secret," Rarity replied. "That hasn't changed in the past fifteen years."

Twilight winced slightly at the implication of what she had shared with Rarity a lifetime ago; given Sunset's behaviour, she assumed that Rarity had never divulged her confidences, which she supposed was a point in favor of her.

Deciding to trust that Rarity hadn't changed too much in the past fifteen years, she went with the truth. "Someone stole the journal Sunset used to use to communicate with Equestria. We think that they want to establish a connection to Equestria with it, and probably not for a good reason. Sunset asked me to help track down the journal since I'm the most qualified person on the planet to study the effects of magic on the physical world."

Pinkie's eyes widened at the explanation. "Ohh, that's so cool! You're like two heroes who use their brains to stop dangerous villains. That would make a really cool cop show." Her voice deepened comically. "One's a scientist. The other's a magician. Together, they fight crime." Her voice returned to normal as she asked, "are you going on any big adventures that end with giant rainbow friendship lasers like we used to do?"

"I sure hope not," Sunset replied. "We're trying to resolve this all quietly and without too much excitement."

"Well, this all sounds quite serious," Rarity said, reaching for the wine glass before realizing it was empty and withdrawing her hand. "While I was hoping to have put my adventuring days behind me after high school, know that I am always willing to help in whatever way I can. Although, I don't know how much I could do without magic."

"I'm sure we won't need the help," Sunset replied smoothly. "But thanks for the support."

"Anytime, darling. So, how long do you plan on staying in Canterlot?" Rarity looked at Twilight, and Twilight for the life of her couldn't read Rarity's emotions behind her eyes.

"I'm only here to help Sunset catch the thief," Twilight replied. "I'll probably return home in a few weeks."

"Oh, that means you'll be here for Dash's Welcome Back Party!" Pinkie Pie was practically bouncing in her seat. "Should we make that a Welcome Back Dash and Twilight Party or should I throw another Twilight's Back Party?"

"I'd rather not have any parties dedicated to me," Twilight replied.

Pinkie deflated, her hair losing its bounce and her eyes growing sad and wide, like that of a kicked puppy. It tore at Twilight's heart, and she soon found her resolve crumbling to dust. "Fine. You can throw a joint party for me and Rainbow Dash if Dash is okay with it."

"Yay!" Pinkie's return to cheerfulness was explosive. "It'll be so great to have everyone together again! Like a class reunion, but smaller. Oh, I'll need to add another cake then! And change the theme from Rainbows to Rainbows and Stars. So that means different colored frosting on the cupcakes."

"Yes, I'm sure there's a lot of work to be done," Rarity cut in, breaking off Pinkie's increasingly fast-paced rambling. "But that can wait another day, no?"

"Yeah, I guess." Pinkie took a deep breath. "So, Twilight, what've you been doing for the past fifteen years? We tried writing to you, but you never wrote back."

"I'm currently a professor of physics at Hayvard University," Twilight said, trying to ignore the guilt gnawing at her from Pinkie's last statement. "My research deals mostly with the synthesis and testing of metamaterials. Before that, I was a postdoc at..." Twilight gave a brief summary of her academic life, pausing to allow Rarity and Pinkie to order.

After she told her story, Rarity and Pinkie shared their own. She'd heard the abridged version from Sunset already, but this time she was able to get a more complete picture of how Rarity had started her own boutique in Canterlot that had eventually grown it into the world-renowned brand it was today. She also came away with more questions than answers about how Pinkie was somehow able to run a successful business of her own despite her complete lack of business sense.

By the time their appetizers arrived, they had moved on to reminiscing about their shared past. They laughed at Rarity's attempt to throw a fashion show in the middle of the woods, and Rarity retaliated by bringing up Twilight's crush on Timber Spruce. Sunset shared the story of how she found Doctor Tirek's brother and convinced him to help distract the mad doctor long enough for the girls to strike him down with their magic. Pinkie talked about all the preparations that had gone into making Prom Night a success.

The topic of their graduation was carefully avoided.

The main course was occupied by more immediate topics. Rarity and Pinkie had come here to discuss business, after all, and that business affected Sunset as well. Twilight stayed mostly silent, opting instead to simply listen to her friends iron out the details of the exhibition show Dash was taking part in.

They worked surprisingly well together, the three of them, sharing ideas and criticism of said ideas freely to create inventive solutions to problems. Seeing how close the trio had grown was just another reminder of how much Twilight had missed in her time away, and she found herself longing for days long past as the night went on.

Finally, it was time to leave. Rarity and Sunset argued about who would foot the bill, with Rarity eventually winning out and Sunset promising to get the next one. They split off at the parking lot, and Rarity and Pinkie told her once again how glad they were to see her and how they would see her again at the party. Twilight bid them goodbye as well before following Sunset to her car.

"It's getting late," Sunset said. "I'll drive you back to your car?"

"Sure, thanks."

The journey passed by in almost complete silence. The evening had been mentally and emotionally draining to Twilight, and it'd also given her a lot to think about.

Seeing Pinkie and Rarity again, as unplanned as it had been, had brought back those feelings of longing that she was sure she'd gotten over years ago. And yet, in the restaurant, as the four of them talked, Twilight had been transported back into the past, back when she had called these girls her best friends and they had shared some of the greatest moments of her life together. She felt a deep melancholy settle in her heart at the thought of all those days that were gone forever, never to return again.

Sunset drove into the parking lot of her apartment and stopped next to Twilight's car. "Is this the one?" she asked softly, breaking the silence.

"Yes. Thank you." Twilight unbuckled her seatbelt and placed her hand on the car door to open it, but Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Twilight." Sunset turned her gaze on Twilight, her eyes piercing into her heart. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Twilight said, putting on a plastic smile.

"They missed you, you know. We all did. It wasn't the same without you."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, trying to ignore the warmth of Sunset's hand on her shoulder. "I had to break all ties though. I couldn't let them drag me back in. A clean break."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty about it," Sunset said. "I just wanted to let you know that it's okay to be hurt. It was a rough time for all of us, and being reminded of the good times we lost can suck too."

"I've made my peace with the past," Twilight said. "I moved on when you didn't." She exited the heated confines of the car without another word.

Sunset sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then?" she asked, calling out from her window.

Twilight nodded and Sunset drove off, leaving her standing alone by the curb.

She had moved on, hadn't she?

Sunset was the one stuck in the past, chasing a dangerous dream that risked the fate of the world. Twilight had made her own way in life, finding success and happiness doing something she loved.

Then why was it, as she had watched her old friends converse with a closeness she had never seen from them before, that it felt like she was the one trapped in the past while the others planned a future together?

Chapter 5: Theory and Practice

"Hey, Twilight," Sunset said with a yawn as she opened the door. "Didn't expect you here so early."

"I was having trouble sleeping, so I figured we could just start early." Twilight was dressed in a crisp, formal blouse and a long, slightly wrinkled skirt. Sunset noted the signs of strain around her eyes and the haphazard way that her hair wrapped into a bun. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I just got up a little while ago," Sunset replied, letting her in. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I grabbed something on the way here. So, are you ready to start?" Twilight tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for an answer from Sunset.

Sunset shrugged. "Yeah. I figure the first thing to do would be to try and figure out how well we can predict the emissions from magic. I've done some work on reconstructing the spellform, but figuring out how much detail we need should be a priority."

"Sounds about right. Should we go to your lab now?"

"Sure. Let me just get changed."

A few minutes later, they stepped into the lab once again. "So, how do you want to do this?" Sunset asked.

"I dug out all my old notes on magic," Twilight said, placing her briefcase down on one of the tables and opening it up to reveal a neat stack of papers. "It's been a while, though, so I'll need some time to refresh my knowledge. I figure we should go over it together to see if you have any insights."

"Sure." Sunset pulled up a couple chairs for them to sit on, as well as some notebooks and pens for taking notes. "Care to tell me how it all works?"

"Well, let's start with the electromagnetic spectrum," Twilight said, her tone going into lecture mode. "It's the easiest to measure and, according to you, the production of EM radiation from magic back in Equestria was well-studied."

Sunset nodded, casting her mind back to that particular conversation. "I gave you the model that we use for EM phenomena back in Equestria. Mac Swell's six equations."

"And in this world, there are only four equations. The other two govern the production of EM waves as a result of the aether. By folding those two equations into the other four, I was able to determine the general form of the equations governing the production of EM waves in the absence of the aether." Twilight pulled a few sheets of paper from the stack and showed them to Sunset. It was filled with equations and symbols, showing an elegant rederivation of Mac Swell's equations with the constraints of the aether removed.

Sunset read through the paper, looking for any mistakes and not finding any. "This looks right. Reintroducing the aether gives you back the original equations, and it passes all the standard sanity checks."

"Solving the equations should be easy," Twilight said. "But we'll need reasonable initial or boundary conditions as well as an expression for the excitation function, which is why I need some details on the spellform used to cast the spell."

"What aspects of the spell do you need?" Sunset asked, looking at the final equations once again.

"I'm not sure. I don't know what aspects of the spell contribute to the excitation function, and I don't know what aspects of the excitation function contribute to the solution of the equations." Twilight glanced at Sunset. "That's where I'll need your help."

"Sure. I think I have some ideas about how to do this. For the excitation function, have you considered looking in..." Sunset spent the next few minutes going over some principles of advanced thaumaturgy as well as her own ideas about how to apply them to the problem as Twilight listened intently, taking notes and asking questions to clarify points as needed.

For the rest of the morning, they worked on a consistent framework for the generation of EM waves from magic. Unfortunately, preliminary analysis showed that tracking magic by measuring EM waves only worked with very short distances or very large expenditures of magic, neither of which allowed for making a proactive tracker.

In other words, the only way to pinpoint a source of magic using this method would be if they were in the same room as it, in which case they could just see the light the magic source was emitting, or if it was producing enough energy to light up the sky, like during the fight with the Sirens, in which case it would probably be too late to stop whatever was happening. Still, they'd managed to leverage the equations to produce a method for determining magical signatures given EM emissions.

As they settled back into that familiar rhythm that she'd once had with Twilight, Sunset couldn't help but be reminded of how she and Twilight used to work together. Memories of staying up late in Twilight's room washed over Sunset as she worked, images of the two of them poring over whiteboards filled with equations, half-eaten boxes of pizza stacked neatly in a corner, and endless reams of readouts everywhere rising back up to the forefront of her brain.

From the occasional distance in Twilight's eyes, Sunset suspected that she wasn't the only one trapped in limbo between now and then. Twilight's earlier hostility and sadness had all but faded, with the scientist having submerged herself completely into her research.

Sunset kept finding herself glancing at her reluctant partner, and noting the intensity in her expression. She really was beautiful like that, when she threw her heart and soul into something. It made her look alive and radiant, and reminded Sunset of the Twilight she had once known, the pretty, curious teenager so filled with wonder and a desire to make sense of the world.

As noon rolled around, Sunset found another base desire attacking her concentration. "I think it's a good time for lunch."

Twilight paused in the middle of drawing a diagram of the different modes of propagation of thaumo-magnetic waves. "Is it?" She looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. "I guess I'm a bit hungry. What time is it?"

"A little after twelve."

"Alright, I suppose this is a good a time as any to stop."

"So, what do you want to eat?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know what's around here anymore, so you decide. Just, not another restaurant where the prices are so high that they don't show up on the menu. That'd be nice."

Sunset pouted. "I don't know what you have against good food." Her earlier thoughts came back to her and an idea sparked in her mind. "Hey, how about we order in from Deep Dishes?"

A small smile tugged at Twilight's lips. "They're still around?"

"Yup. And they're still making great pizza. Should I ask them to deliver?"

The lure of Twilight's former favorite pizza place was too much to resist, it seemed, as she eagerly gave her reply. "Yes, please."

Eating cheap, greasy pizza in a penthouse suite on a table that probably cost more than one of her grad students made in a year was a novel experience for Twilight Sparkle.

On the one hand, the pizza was delicious; Deep Dishes' pizzas had the perfect balance of crust, cheese, tomato sauce, toppings, and grease, making each artery-clogging bite a hearty, satisfying slice of heaven.

On the other hand, the contrast between the food she was eating and the place she was eating it in only served to highlight just how opulent Sunset's home was. The dining table and chairs were beautifully carved from very expensive-looking mahogany, and the silverware she was using seemed to be made of actual silver. The walls were lined with old Renaissance paintings that Twilight suspected were originals. Curtains that looked like they were woven with golden threads framed a large window on one side of the room that gave a breathtaking view of the city and the skies.

And yet, despite the extravagance, it didn't look tacky or gaudy. The decor tied together very well to create an elegant look; in fact, if there was one word Twilight would use to describe the penthouse, it would be "regal." She felt like she was sitting in the dining room of a queen.

"You've gone awfully silent all of a sudden." Sunset's voice dragged Twilight from her thoughts. "Something on your mind?"

Twilight looked up at Sunset, who was wolfing down a slice of mushroom pizza like a starving lion, her cheeks stained with tomato sauce, a stark contrast to how composed and refined she had acted in the past couple days. "I was just admiring the decor in this place. You have a beautiful home."

"Thanks," Sunset replied. "I tried my best to make it as much of a home for me as I could. Cost a fortune, but I think it's worth it."

"I can imagine," Twilight said, taking another look at the room. "Or actually, I probably can't. The amount of money that would be needed to get a place like this is a little beyond my experience. You've done well for yourself."

"I guess." Sunset's eyes looked like they were weighted down as she stared at her plate with a frown. "It was never about the money though. Not exactly."

"What was it about, then?"

"It doesn't matter now." Sunset waved the question away with a flick of her wrist. "Let's just finish eating." The next few seconds were spent in silence as they finished up the last few bites of the pizza.

"ready to get back to the lab?" Sunset asked as she collected the dishes and placed them in the sink.

"Yes," Twilight replied, mentally berating herself for nearly jumping out of her seat in her excitement. Trying to work out the equations governing magic in this world was a unique challenge: one part regular physics, one part learning new types of math, and one part falling down rabbit holes. The entire morning had been a wonderful experience despite, or because of, Sunset's presence, and now she couldn't wait to get back to work.

It wasn't surprising, of course; Twilight remembered just how excited she was to study magic all those years ago, and how well she and Sunset had worked together. She'd known how easy it would be for her to be sucked back into the wondrous and dangerous would of magic again, and she'd known herself well enough to understand the temptations working with Sunset would expose her to.

She just had to continually remind herself of everything Sunset had done to her and what would come of getting too close to the former mage.

"Alright, let's go." Sunset headed towards the door, Twilight following close behind. "So, what do you plan to do with the method for converting spell structures to excitation functions?"

"Well, since the primary purpose of this analysis is to measure magical signatures, we'll need to code up something to solve the modified EM equations to extract the signatures. Then we'll need to test it on some actual magic, like an artifact from the vault. Once we have that system working and once you figure out the necessary components of the spellform used on the camera, we can tune our system to it and check it against all known sources of magic we have to see if we can get any clues. A partial signature match, perhaps."

"And if that doesn't work? I mean, what're the chances that we happen to have something from the same source of magic they used on hand?"

"That's when we start looking at other emissions," Twilight replied. "Lower frequency EM waves don't attenuate as much, so we might be able to use a radio receiver to look for magic. I also haven't shown you my other work yet on pressure waves and thermal energy. Of course, the main issue is that unless a spell is being actively cast, we still won't be able to track it that well, since ambient magical energy attenuates very quickly."

"We can check those out later, I guess." At this point, they had reached the lab, Sunset and Twilight returning to face the whiteboard and continue where they'd left off. "So, about the substructure expression. I think you might be missing an additive constant here..."

Within the next hour, they had finished a crude model that they'd agreed would work for what they needed. The next step was implementation, which was something Twilight could do on her own, so Sunset decided to continue working on deciphering the spell used on the camera.

As a result, the next few hours passed by in relative silence, save for the occasional question from Twilight about some nuance of magical theory or other. Otherwise, they each worked on their own thing, though Twilight couldn't help but glance up at Sunset a few times as she drew a mind-numbingly complex arcane circle on the whiteboard filled with symbols Twilight had never seen before.

Despite her attempts to focus on the board, her eyes found themselves constantly cutting to Sunset's figure, riveted by the way the movements of her body across the board accentuated her curves. Twilight suppressed a flare of jealousy at her; it wasn't her fault that she happened to be beautiful on top of rich and successful. Still, it was almost hypnotic, her graceful movements back and forth along the white background.

"Twilight, you okay? You look like you zoned out there for a second."

Twilight started as she noticed Sunset looking at her from over her shoulder, a concerned frown on her face. "O-oh, yeah, sorry," she stammered. "Got lost in my thoughts a bit. You know how it is."

Sunset nodded and went back to her work, and Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief. She spent the rest of the afternoon focused on her work, not allowing herself to give in to the temptation to stare at Sunset again.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Twilight spoke up once more to Sunset. "I'm done programming the numerical solver for the signature extraction. The simulation results appear to match the model predictions."

"That's great," Sunset said, smiling as she finished up another rune before she turned to face Twilight. "Do you want to test it on an actual spell now?"

"That would be the next logical step." Twilight tried to contain a flash of panic as she spoke. With how caught up she had been in the theory, it had slipped her mind that they'd have to actually cast a spell to test her system.

Twilight felt her heart begin to race as Sunset walked over to the safe and opened it up. "I don't have your necklace here, so I'll use mine and you can measure me casting a spell."

"That'll be fine." Relief flooding her veins, Twilight walked over to the safe where Sunset was putting on her necklace.

"Alright, how do you want to set this up?" Sunset looked at Twilight expectantly, seemingly not noticing her earlier discomfort.

"Hmm... let's get the Spectrum Analyzer set up first. Can you walk me through how it works? I haven't used this model before." Twilight's heart slowed back to its normal pace as she studied the complex marvel of technology in front of her.

"Sure." For the next few minutes, Sunset taught Twilight how to use the state-of-the-art machine, and after they'd set it up and done initial calibrations, it was time for the real test.

"Okay," Twilight said as she sat in front of the computer interface, watching the output of the analyzer. "Place your hand in the box and cast an illumination spell."

Sunset did as she was told, inserting her hand into a lead-shielded box filled with optical sensors. Her pendant and arm began glowing, and a moment later her screen began filling up with data. Twilight scanned through the output of the Spectrum Analyzer as well as her own real-time analysis of the output data, looking to see how accurate it was.

Meanwhile, she felt a chill creeping up her spine as she watched Sunset casting magic just a few feet away from her. Fighting back memories of the last few times she had seen Sunset cast magic, she returned her focus to the display, watching as a waveform of some sort slowly began to form on one screen. On another, the numerical solver was attempting to produce a rendering of the magical signature using Equestrian Swirl notation, a series of spiral runes appearing amidst a backdrop of code.

A minute later, she called out to Sunset. "Okay, you can stop now." The glow around Sunset faded as she withdrew her hand from the sensor box, and Twilight felt herself release a breath she didn't she'd been holding.

"So, did you get anything?"

Twilight shook her head, turning her screen so that Sunset could see it. "Not unless the magical signature looks like this."

"Hmm... that's definitely not right," Sunset said. "Not even close. Although, it looks like it's at least forming partitions around where they should be."

"I'll need to go over the code again to see if there were any mistakes." Twilight could already feel the headache coming on at the thought of having to debug code. Where were her grad students when she needed them?

"Should I cast more spells to give you more data to work with?" Sunset offered helpfully.

"Sure, why not? More data is always useful." Twilight saved the data to her computer and prepped the system for another round of data collection.

They only ran two more tests with two different spells, as Sunset was worried about using up all the power in the pendant. She also performed one trial with the Alicorn Amulet, but very quickly took it off afterwards when she claimed to be hearing voices in her head.

Twilight stifled a yawn as she glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. I'm going to head back to the hotel and see if I can find the error in the code."

"Do you want to grab dinner together first?" Sunset asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"No, I'll just get something quick on my way back," Twilight replied, packing up her things. "It'll be more efficient that way." She also needed some time away from Sunset to collect her thoughts.

"I'll send you back up then." Twilight followed Sunset out of the lab and back to the elevator.

As the elevator doors opened up back on the first floor, Twilight stepped out, turning around to face Sunset. "Bye, Sunset, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Twilight. Have a safe trip back to the hotel."

The doors slowly closed, and soon Twilight found herself alone in the elevator room. She walked back out to the parking lot and drove back to the hotel room, preparing for a long, unpleasant night of debugging.

"Why the hell won't it work?" Twilight's frustrated scream echoed through the lab.

Sunset turned to look at Twilight over her shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked, trying to decide whether it was worth redirecting the scientist's ire to try and help. Twilight had been mostly silent all day since she'd come into the lab in the morning and told her that she hadn't made any progress. The only sounds out of her since then were the occasional grunts of annoyance as whatever she was working on failed once again.

"Nothing works!" Twilight rubbed her temples with both hands. "I've gone through every single line of code and none of it is working incorrectly. I've verified that every function is implementing the correct equation, and the simulation results still give me the correct values! And I just checked that the noise filtering is working as intended. But I'm still getting nonsense results for the substructures. It doesn't make any sense!"

Sunset recognized the increasing hysteria in Twilight's tone. "Twilight, calm down. You're losing focus. Why don't you take a short break?"

"No, I'm so close to a breakthrough," Twilight muttered as she continued to scan through her code. "I can feel it."

Sunset placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You know as well as I do that it's just your brain being fixated on the problem. You can't deny the benefits that a break to clear your thoughts will have." This wasn't the first time she'd seen Twilight like this, and the best way to deal with her was to use cold hard facts, of course.

Twilight sighed. "You're right."

Sunset smiled. "Of course I am. Now, c'mon, let's go." She tugged playfully at Twilight until the disgruntled woman stood up. Sunset grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the lab's exit.

"Where are we going?" Twilight asked grumpily as she wore the most adorable pout on her face.

"Somewhere fun," Sunset replied, wracking her brain for an appropriate place to de-stress. Normally she'd hit up Rarity for a spa date, but given Twilight's behavior at De Savoir, Sunset was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to relax around their old friends. That knocked out visiting Fluttershy at the shelter as well. She supposed they could go to the museum, but that wasn't necessarily the best way to get Twilight's mind off academic questions.

It would be good to get her outside, though. Fresh air was good for clearing the mind. Canterlot Park? Nah, too boring, and Twilight wasn't much of a botanist. There had to be something else outdoors they could do...

Sunset smiled as the perfect idea hit her.

Chapter 6: A Day at the Fair

"Look at the way the bottom set of bottles are wobbling less than the ones on top - the bottom ones are obviously weighted." Twilight delivered her analysis on the booth in front of her with smug satisfaction.

Sunset smiled as she came to the same conclusion. "Yeah, it makes it harder, but you should be able to make up for some of the disadvantage by throwing the ball at a lower point to account for the new center of gravity."

"Yes, and it should be possible to determine the extra weight by looking at the difference in how much the bottles displace, which would allow for a decent estimate of the new center of gravity."

"Too bad we can't actually test it, though," Sunset mused, "unless you've developed some amazing upper body strength that I haven't noticed."

"Turns out the life of an academic isn't exactly conducive to developing exemplary physical fitness," Twilight replied dryly. "Who knew? I keep in shape, sort of, but that's about it. No way do I have the strength or dexterity knock those over. Should we move on?"

"Sure. Oh look, a Test Your Strength machine!" Sunset and Twilight approached the next booth overflowing with stuffed animals and false promises, where the operator was goading a young man with his date hanging from his arm into proving his physical prowess.

The man puffed out his chest and grabbed the mallet, slamming it down onto the rubber pad that connected the machine to the bell at the top. The puck encased in the glass tube barely made it halfway to the top before plummeting back to the ground, leaving the would-be strongman looking disappointed.

"Hmm... I wonder, is the pad rigged, or is it just designed to have a really high success threshold?" Sunset mused.

"Could be either," Twilight replied, staring at the tower. "You'd have to sit here and observe multiple trials and then normalize them based on estimated measures of upper body strength."

"That sounds like a lot of work. Maybe we should skip this one?"

"Sure." As they set off once again on their quest to reveal the truths behind the carnival, Twilight turned to speak to Sunset. "This has been a surprisingly enjoyable experience. I didn't think I'd be able to enjoy a carnival at my age."

"I had a hunch you might like it," Sunset replied, hiding a grin. "That's why I suggested this place."

"Well, you were right, even if you were wrong about why. I've never had much of an interest in playing these rigged games, but trying to figure out how they're rigged has been a lot of fun." Twilight's eyes narrowed as Sunset fought to keep the smirk off her face. "Wait a minute, that's why you brought me here, isn't it? You knew I'd focus on deconstructing the games instead of trying to figure out why my code isn't working."

Sunset finally let the sides of her lips curve upwards a little. "Maybe I just wanted to go on the roller coasters. It's the closest thing you can get to riding in the Royal Chariot while the pegasi guards pulling it do tricks in the air, after all."

"Really," Twilight deadpanned.

"And Pinkie usually brings us all here every year, but she's busy with the Exhibition so I thought it'd be fun if we came here ourselves and played some games."

"Uh huh. And you deliberately picked the Ring Toss – the most well-known rigged carnival game – first?"

"Maybe I thought the frustration of losing would keep your mind off things?"

Twilight rolled her eyes.

Sunset finally decided to stop the charade. "Well it worked, didn't it? You've been enjoying the fresh air and not thinking about your code, right?"

Twilight sighed. "I guess I can't fault you for your success. So, where do you want to go next?"

Sunset pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. "Actually, it's getting late. We should probably start heading back." Looking up, she could already see the first signs of stars in the sky.

"Alright. The exit should be that way."

As they walked towards the parking lot, Sunset stopped in front of one of the booths. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked as Sunset walked up to the counter where they were simply selling large plushies instead of using them as bait to attract people to their games.

"You can't go to a carnival without getting a giant stuffed animal," Sunset replied matter-of-factly. "It's tradition."

"It's stupid. Stuffed animals are for children or adults who want a symbol of their physical or mental abilities or that of their date to make themselves feel better about being ripped off. We fall into neither of those two groups."

"But they're so cute!" Sunset randomly grabbed a stuffed kitten and hugged it, holding it up to Twilight's face. "Come on, Twilight, there has to be at least one stuffed toy you like."

"Fine," Twilight huffed. "Let's see what they have." She glanced around at the shelves filled with colorful fabrics molded into a plethora of cute shapes before a playful smirk graced her lips. "Let's get that one."

Sunset looked at where Twilight was pointing. "Really," she asked, deadpan.

Twilight walked over to the shelf and grabbed the large stuffed pink alicorn. "What's wrong, Sunset?" she asked in a syrupy-sweet voice. "A giant pony plushie is practically the quintessence of carnival fair prizes, right?"

Sunset glared at the inanimate pony in front of her. With her pink coloration and the wings and horn, it looked far too much like a pretty preppy pink pony princess she had once found insufferable. "True, but most prizes don't look like my former mortal enemy."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Your mortal enemy was a bright pink pony?"

"Well, sort of. I'm not actually sure if she knew I hated her." Sunset wondered how Princess Cadenza was doing. She hadn't thought of the Princess of Love in years, but the sight of the eerily similar toy stirred up some old recollections in her brain.

Shaking her head, Sunset tamped down the spectre of the past haunting her mind. "It doesn't matter. Let's get the princess plushie."

"You know, this was pretty fun," Twilight said as they headed towards the fair's exit a short while later, the pony plush clutched tightly in her arms. "Even if I didn't figure out what's wrong with the algorithm, it's nice to know I can still enjoy myself like this."

"See, that's the spirit!" Sunset laughed at the adorable sight of Twilight hugging a pony. "Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and figure out how to look on the bright side of things."

"Yeah, yeah, silver linings and all..." Twilight's eyes widened as she suddenly stared off into the distance. "That's it! Ugh, I can't believe I missed that!"

"What is it, Twilight?" Sunset asked, surprised at Twilight's sudden change in demeanor.

"I think I know why my algorithm is failing." Twilight smacked her own forehead with her palm. "It's so obvious in hindsight. Quick, we need to get back to the lab."

Twilight quickly rushed out to the parking lot, leaving Sunset to follow behind. As soon as they got into the car, Twilight pulled out her notebook and pen and began scribbling furiously.

"So..." Sunset ventured a question a few minutes into their journey back to the lab, after Twilight's writing seemed to have slowed down. "What did you figure out?"

"It's all about the filtering step," Twilight replied distractedly. "In the absence of the aether, all spells create some sort of additional secondary illumination as the magical energy disperses. I've been filtering out those EM waves in my analysis in order to extract the underlying emissions. Except, the illumination is a part of the spell, which means that I can't simply model it as an independent noise source. I need to figure out the correlation between its spectrum and that of the underlying magical signal."

"That makes sense," Sunset replied. "If you apply Mac Swell's Equations to both at the same time instead of separately, you should end up with a cross-term."

"Exactly, and I think I know what that cross-term should look like." Twilight turned away from Sunset to focus on her notebook. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I need to focus on correcting this expression before I lose my train of thought."

The rest of the trip passed by in silence, Twilight never taking her eyes off her notebook even as they left the car to head back to the lab. Sunset grabbed the stuffed alicorn on her way out, carrying it under her arm and enjoying the discreet stares from the security guards.

If only they knew how close this was to her true form.

Twilight had no patience for stopping by Sunset's apartment to drop off the pony, so it ended up sitting on top of the safe, surveying the lab with its wide, permanently opened eyes.

A couple hours of frantic math and coding later, Twilight called out excitedly to Sunset. "I think I've got it!"

"You have the system working?" Sunset asked, turning to face Twilight from where she was still trying to decipher the thief's spell.

"I think so. Come take a look."

Sunset stared at the image of a spell signature slowly forming on the screen of Twilight's computer. "It's crude, but I can definitely make out the signature of the spell, and my own magical signature too. I think the signature of the magical source is right, but I haven't studied it enough to be able to be sure. We could definitely use it to compare different spells, though. Congratulations, Twilight." Sunset smiled. "You did it. The first ever identification of magical signatures without using a divination spell."

"Yes!" Twilight stood up, and Sunset suddenly found herself enveloped in a hug. "And I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Surprised at the sudden affection, Sunset reciprocated the hug, trying not to get too caught up in how good Twilight's body felt pressed up against hers, her soft curves molding against Sunset's chest. A few seconds later, Sunset gently patted Twilight on the back. "Uhh... Twilight?"

Twilight started and quickly pulled away from Sunset, leaving her feeling oddly empty. "Sorry," she said, a blush forming on her cheeks despite the otherwise stoic expression on her face. "That was unprofessional of me."

"It's fine, Twilight," Sunset replied. "Besides, this isn't a normal work environment anyways."

"Right," Twilight absently smoothed her skirt, her eyes darting away from Sunset's. "So, now that we have a working model, I can try to decipher the thief's signature. Do you have a decent approximation of the spellform yet?"

"I do." Sunset grabbed one of her derivations and handed it over to Twilight. "Will this work?"

"Hmm, these look kinda… odd." Twilight said as she studied the symbols.

Sunset shrugged. "I had to use a bunch of archaic constructs because it turns out a spell like this is really crude. Like, I had to use some of Star Swirl's original works to reconstruct the effects."

Twilight jotted down some calculations in her notebook. "Well, you'll have to help me decipher some of this stuff then, but this should be fine. Let's try plugging it into the simulations."

It took about half an hour for them to convert the spellform into something the computer could read, but when they finally finished, they had an algorithm that could analyze the patterns from the camera output to determine an approximation of the caster's magical signature.

"Alright, let's see what kind of magic our thief uses." Twilight started the simulation and the two researchers watched as an image slowly formed on the screen. It was much less detailed than the other simulations, and there were a few things that looked off, but it was clearly a valid magical signature.

"Hmm... I don't recognize the caster's signature, but the source signature is definitely familiar," Sunset said as she studied the image intently. "Can you bring up the results from the last simulations?"

"Sure," Twilight entered in a few commands into the system, and a moment later another signature appeared on the screen.

"There," Sunset said, pointing to the source signature. "You can see similar essence runes in the source structure, which means that there's definitely a connection between the source of the spell used on the camera and the magic in the pendants."

"Could it just be an underlying signature of Equestrian magic?" Twilight asked.

"I don't think so, but we can easily verify that. What does the signature for the Alicorn Amulet look like?"

Twilight flipped to another window. "You're right, the similarities aren't present here. It seems likely that the connection is specifically with the pendant. Should we test the others to see?"

"It's tough using the other pendants since they weren't meant for me, but I can pull off a few simple spells. Let's give it a shot and see." Sunset walked over to the plushie-guarded safe, unlocking it and grabbing a random pendant. It turned out to be Rarity's, a diamond symbol inscribed in its center.

She put on the pendant and suppressed a wince as a sense of wrongness passed through her body. The pendants had chosen each bearer specifically and didn't take lightly to another trying to wield their power. Gloriosa Daisy had learned that the hard way.

Still, Sunset had more experience with magic than the camp counselor and was able to focus her will on the well of magic within the pendant, taking a small portion of its power for herself. The magic fought against her, wanting to express itself in its natural state, but she kept a tight grip on it.

Next to the nearby table, Twilight had already set up the measurement apparatus and motioned for her to place her hand in the sensor box again. Sunset did so, and on Twilight's cue, allowed the magic to escape as a simple light spell. It wanted to manifest itself differently, but Sunset focused on keeping the spell as an illumination spell.

"Okay, that should be enough. You can stop now." At Twilight's signal, Sunset doused the light, withdrawing her hand and gratefully pulling off the necklace.

"Sorry," she whispered to it as she returned it to the safe. Sunset felt guilty for taking the magic for her own, even for a simple experiment. Residual feelings from the last time she tried to seize a magical artifact that wasn't her own, she supposed.

"Alright, I've got the signature here," Twilight announced as Sunset resealed the safe.

Sunset walked over to Twilight's computer and glanced at the newly-generated symbols. "Yup, there's the same runes. There's definitely a connection between the pendants and the magic used on the camera."

"Well, that raises the obvious question: has anyone else had access to the pendants lately?"

"No," Sunset replied with certainty. "I left them in the safe the whole time except for when I was using mine."

"And does anyone else have access to the lab?" Twilight asked.

"Only Starlight – she's the president of Equinox – does, but the logs didn't show her accessing the lab recently without me." Sunset made a note to double-check those logs, but she trusted Starlight not to have betrayed her. "I think we're going about this the wrong way; the source signatures between the pendants and the spell aren't anywhere near identical, they just have a lot of similarities."

"Good point," Twilight conceded. "We should be thinking about what common source the pendants could share with our mystery thief's."

"Well, besides being formed from Equestrian magic, the pendants do have a common point of origin," Sunset pointed out.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Is there still any magic left in Camp Everfree?"

"I didn't see any signs of it last time I visited," Sunset said as she continued studying the signatures, "and Gloriosa didn't say anything about magic either, but that was a few months ago. I guess there could've been a resurgence of dormant magic or something in the meantime, but Gloriosa would have told me about it."

"Unless she's the one behind this," Twilight said. "How well do you still know her?"

"We keep in touch, and I usually go camping at Camp Everfree at least once a year, but we're not exactly best friends or anything," Sunset replied. Gloriosa didn't seem like the type to steal a magical journal for nefarious reasons, but then again, she hadn't seemed like the type to try to imprison all the camp-goers with magic either. "It might be a good idea to make a quick trip down there. There's probably still some residual magic floating around in that cave that you could use to determine the exact relationships between the signatures."

"We'll need some field equipment then," Twilight said. "Something to detect magical emissions nearby as well as something to analyze any sources we might find. I'm guessing you don't want the spectrum analyzer to leave this lab."

Sunset shuddered at the mental image of her precious XK Ninety-Four sitting outside on the ground, exposed to the elements. "No, definitely not. I have some older models I don't mind bringing, and as for tracking magic, we do have something designed to detect abnormal EM radiation." Sunset returned to the safe and opened it, pulling out a larger necklace with a circular centerpiece.

Twilight paled at the sight of it. "That does track the EM waves created by magic..." she said weakly.

Sunset frowned. "What's wrong, Twilight?" she asked, concerned. Twilight had backed away instinctively when Sunset had turned to face her and looked like she was about to throw up.

"It's nothing," Twilight said, shaking her head, "just memories of the last time you used that thing."

"Oh, right." Sunset felt a rush of guilt as she looked down at the magic collector. "Sorry. I've managed to replicate the tracking functionality of your detector into a more general thing. I can grab one of the prototypes of those instead."

"Sure," Twilight replied, still not looking at Sunset. "That's fine."

Silence filled the room as Sunset put the detector back in the safe, neither party knowing how to restore the easy rhythms of their past they'd fallen into now that it had been crushed by this reminder of their present situation.

"It's getting late," Twilight finally said, "I have a video conference with Dinky tonight that I don't want to miss. Hopefully, she hasn't burned down my lab in my absence." She gave Sunset an awkward smile with the quip, and Sunset did her best to return it.

"I'll see you out then. Should we plan on going to Camp Everfree tomorrow? I can test out the equipment tonight and make sure everything's working fine."

"Tomorrow's good." Twilight walked over to the lab's exit. "What time do you want to head out?"

"I've got a meeting with Starlight at seven, so maybe around eight?" Sunset followed behind Twilight, entering the code to open the lab doors.

"Eight works for me."

After escorting Twilight out, Sunset returned to the lab and dug through her boxes of old equipment, pulling out her old spectrum analyzer. She placed it on the table next to the new one and prepared for a long night of verification testing.

Staying up late for work wouldn't normally wouldn't have bothered her, but the lab felt strangely empty without Twilight, as if she'd always been meant to occupy this space.

Shaking her head to clear it of such silly thoughts, she turned on the analyzer and started her lonely night of work.

Chapter 8: Ethics Committee

"She's hiding something."

Twilight looked up from the uneven ground to glance at Sunset. "Who? Gloriosa?"

"Yeah." They were following a short distance behind as the woman in question led them through the thick forest towards the cave where they had first found the pendants.

"How do you know?" Twilight brushed away a low-hanging branch that nearly smacked Sunset in the face as it swung back.

Blocking her would-be assailant with an arm, she took a moment to check the readings on her magic detector. "Still nothing. And I've always been good at reading people. Timber and Gloriosa have been nervous since they met us, and Gloriosa is obviously being helpful to hide how much she doesn't want us here. Also, have you noticed something about the route we're taking?"

"Honestly, navigation isn't really a skill I have. Why? Is she not leading us to the cave?" Twilight looked up at the sun. "We seem to be heading in its general direction."

"Well, I'm not that into navigation either, but I'm pretty sure that it took us around an hour to get from the entrance to the cave last time. We've been hiking for almost two hours now."

"Hmm... that is odd," Twilight said. "You think she's trying to delay us?" Ahead of them, Gloriosa slowed down her pace as they hit a patch of dense undergrowth. Twilight and Sunset kept their silence until they were far enough apart again.

"Maybe," Sunset said as she ducked under another branch. "I don't know why, but I do have a way of finding out." She reached into her pocket, pulling out her pendant.

Twilight glanced towards her and tripped over a root, her arms flailing as she fell. Sunset barely managed to catch her, pulling the other woman towards hers.

"You can't use that!" Twilight exclaimed in a harsh whisper, pulling away from Sunset.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Are we going to do this again? She's obviously hiding something, and we need to know what it is."

"What if her secret has nothing to do with magic?" Twilight argued. "What if it's something completely unrelated that isn't any of our business? You're talking about a gross invasion of privacy here, all because you think she might be hiding something."

"I know she's hiding something," Sunset said. "And you know how important our mission is. We need to use all the resources we have to figure this out."

"Mind-reading magic is crossing the line," Twilight replied.

"That's what this is really about, isn't it?" Sunset countered. "You don't want me using magic. It'd be fine if we were rifling through her office looking for evidence, but as soon as the magic comes out, you don't want anyone using it."

"It's not about magic," Twilight replied. "It just so happens that the only way to violate someone's mind is with magic, and that's what I'm opposed to."

"Really? So you'd be okay if we used magic for other things?" Sunset pressed. "I saw how you reacted when I was casting spells in the lab. Admit it, you just don't want me casting spells at all, period."

"So what if I don't?" Twilight replied, eyes narrowing. "Magic is dangerous, and you're just throwing it around without thinking about the consequences. Did you even consider what might have happened all those years ago before you picked up that detector?"

Sunset clenched her fists in frustration. "Ugh, when are you going to let that go? Why can't you see that magic can be used to do good as well?"

"Because you keep using it for evil!" Twilight clamped her hand over her mouth as she realized she had raised her voice. Reducing her volume, she spoke again. "You keep telling me about all the good you've been doing with magic, but all I see is you using it to invade people's minds and nearly kill people. You want to show me that magic isn't evil? Then don't do this. Don't prove me right."

"Are you two okay? I thought I heard shouting." Ahead of them, Gloriosa came back into view. "What are you doing all the way back here?"

"Sorry," Sunset said calmly, keeping her earlier vehemence from her tone, "Twilight tripped over a branch."

"Oh dear. Are you alright, Twilight?" Gloriosa asked, eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine," Twilight replied.

"So how long until we reach the caves?" Sunset asked. "It feels like we've been hiking for a long time."

"Oh, you city folks," Gloriosa said with a smile. "You think a couple hours of hiking is 'a long while.' The area around the caves hasn't been visited much, so it's gotten a bit... wild. This is the fastest route there now. We're almost there, anyways. See?" She pointed towards a rocky cliff that rose up above the trees a few hundred meters away.

"That's good," Sunset said. "I was starting to get a little tired. So you're sure you haven't seen anything odd? Weird lights or plants and animals not behaving like they should be?" She reached back into her pocket, feeling the familiar pulse of magic from the small pendant engulf her hand. She didn't actually have to wear the necklace for it to work – physical contact was sufficient for her to be able to channel its power.

"I'm sure I haven't seen anything since that day," Gloriosa replied. "Maybe your lead was wrong?"

"Maybe." All she had to do was reach out and touch her to trigger the empathic link. "If that's the case, then we're sorry for wasting your time."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Gloriosa said, waving off the apology. "It's always nice to see you again."

Sunset raised her hand, intending to brush it against Gloriosa's. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Twilight's gaze staring disapprovingly at her, like a judge prepared to render her verdict. She paused for a moment. If she did this, it was likely that Twilight wouldn't talk to her again for a long time, if ever. The thought of never seeing her again was painful, and Sunset almost stopped just out of desire not to lose the chance to see her smile again.

On the other hand, Twilight was wrong about magic. The foolish girl couldn't see past her own prejudice and past to see the good magic could do.

And yet, if there was something Sunset had learned in the years since her defeat at Canterlot High, it was that friendship required compromise sometimes. Maybe if she didn't do this, she could convince Twilight to rethink her position on magic.

"It's good to see you again too, Gloriosa," Sunset said, removing her hand from her pocket. "By the way, how's the construction on the new dock extension going? I remember it was just getting started last time I was here."

"It's almost done," Gloriosa replied. "Thanks to your donation, we should have it ready for everyone to use sometime next week."

"That's great," Sunset stopped as the trees gave way to a sheer rock wall.

"Well, here we are," Gloriosa said, pointing towards an opening in the cliff side. "The cave where I first found the geodes. Do you want to take some readings?"

"Yeah." Sunset walked up to the cave, pulling out the detector from her bag and turning it on again. The display showed slightly above-average levels of anomalous radiation, but nothing outside the significance bounds. There were likely still trace amounts of magic hanging around causing the slight fluctuations.

Walking into the cave, Sunset kept an eye on the detector while also taking the chance to look around. She hadn't been in this cave for fifteen years, but it still looked the same as it had the last time she was here. Even without magic, there was an ethereal beauty to it; drops of water trickled down from the stalactites, forming small pools that glistened in the sunlight. Crystal blooms scattered around the walls and stone pillars of the cave reflected what little light came in, glowing as if enchanted. It wasn't hard to imagine this as a place that once held a powerful magic.

But those days were long gone. As Sunset walked deeper into the cave, the readings of the detector never went above the minimum threshold of significance, even when she was standing next to the makeshift pedestal where the geodes had first appeared. Going deeper into the cave simply weakened the signal.

"I'm not getting anything," Sunset called out to Twilight, who was standing on the other side of the cave with her own detector. "You?"

"There's some concentration around where the stones first appeared, but it falls below the noise floor so that's definitely not it."

"Alright, let's get out of here then." The two of them headed back to the entrance of the cave.

"Lotta memories here," Sunset commented as they walked. "Most of them about magic."

"Yes," Twilight replied dryly. "Like the time Gloriosa took the geodes and trapped us here with her plant magic."

"Yeah, that sucked," Sunset admitted. "But what about the time we all used our magic to throw a party in less than a day and save this camp?"

"What about it?" Twilight said. "It was a good thing we did, and yeah, we couldn't do it without magic, but that doesn't change the fact that magic had almost gotten us all killed hours prior."

"That's just it," Sunset said. They had stopped walking now and were standing in the middle of the cave, softly glowing crystals surrounding them. "Magic can be corrupted, sure, but it can be used to do so much good."

"Assuming you don't try to destroy the world first," Twilight glanced over towards the entrance, where a pile of rocks lay that had once blocked the entrance to the cave.

"You fought the corruption and won," Sunset said.

"I almost didn't," Twilight said softly. "We should get going. Don't want to keep Gloriosa waiting too long." They walked out of the cave, where Gloriosa was examining some nearby plants.

"So, did you find any magic?" she asked, looking up at them while holding a fern leaf.

"Nope," Sunset replied. "I guess this was a bust, then."

"That's too bad," Gloriosa said. "Should we head back to the entrance then?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to sweep a bit of the forest," Sunset said. "Just in case we missed something else."

"Of course. Why don't we circle around down to the river? I can show you the dock on the way back and you can check out the east side of the forest."

"Sounds like a plan," Gloriosa began walking towards the east and Sunset followed behind, with Twilight walking closely next to her.

"Well, so much for that," Sunset said as they waded through the trees once more. "I guess Gloriosa wasn't hiding something after all. At least, not about magic."

"I'm not so sure about that," Twilight said. "Do you remember what you said about the path we're taking?"

"Yeah," Sunset replied, "we weren't taking the most direct path to the cave. Gloriosa said it was because the old, straight path was overgrown. You think there might be more to it?"

"Maybe." Twilight reached into her pocket and pulled out a map of the area. "From what I can tell from a few landmarks, we travelled partially along a circular arc to get here, starting from the entrance in the south and curving towards the west before returning back to the straight-line path." She traced out a semi-circular pattern on the map that straightened out at the end.

"Now, look at where the river is. If we follow it back, we end up taking a mirrored route back." She traced out a straight line that abruptly curved as it hit the river, forming another arc that reflected the one they had taken to get to the cave. Joining the two paths, Sunset instantly saw the point that Twilight was trying to illustrate.

"She's trying to get us to walk around this area," Sunset said, pointing to the part of the map that the two arcs surrounded. "Why?"

"Well, she did mention that the area had gotten a bit wild," Twilight noted, putting the map back in her pocket. "It's possible that she simply was following the most convenient course. But..." Twilight trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face.

"But?" Sunset echoed.

"But you said that Gloriosa was hiding something, and that it had to do with magic. How sure are you about that?" Twilight held Sunset's eyes with her own in a piercing stare, and Sunset knew that Twilight was putting her trust in her answer.

"I can't be entirely sure, but she only really started acting odd after we mentioned magic," Sunset said. "I think there's a good chance it's related."

"Then we need to see what's in that area," Twilight said. "Should we ask Gloriosa to change the route?"

"Yeah," Sunset replied. "Let's see how she responds." The two of them picked up the pace until they had caught up with her again.

"Hey, Gloriosa," Sunset said as she walked up beside her. "Twilight and I were running some calculations, and we're wondering if we could make a quick detour along the old path we took to the cave. It'll give us a better search region to triangulate any anomalies."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Gloriosa said. "Like I was saying, the plant life's gotten really dense there, and we've seen an uptick in predatory wildlife in the area too. I wouldn't go there without some preparation first. Maybe another day?"

"Are you sure we can't take a quick look?" Sunset asked. "It could be magic causing the changes."

"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous," Gloriosa said. "If you give me a couple days, I could maybe organize something, but not now."

Sunset could see the obvious signs of strain on Gloriosa, and for a moment she was sorely tempted to use her empathic link to discover what she was hiding, but there was no way she was going to let Twilight win this little debate of theirs.

Well, she had other skills besides magic. Like bluffing. "That's fine. We'll just take whatever measurements we can today and we'll see about later." Sunset stuck her hand into her other pocket, pulling out her phone. "Hold on, I just got a text." She made a show of waking up her phone and bringing up her messages. "Hmm... interesting. Do you mind giving me and Twilight a moment?"

Gloriosa nodded, looking a bit confused. Sunset walked over to Twilight. "Take a look at this." She handed her phone over to Twilight, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "Just play along."

Twilight looked at Sunset with suspicion, but eventually took the phone. She stared at the screen for a few seconds. "Hmm..."

"Yeah. Starlight finally got the satellite tracking to work. Do you see the highlighted areas?" Sunset silently willed Twilight to give the right response.

"Above average measures of anomalous emissions," Twilight said, sounding thoughtful, and Sunset nearly breathed a sigh of relief. "A good indication of magical activity."

"Exactly," Sunset pointed at a random point on the screen. "And the central point of it is pretty obvious."

"I wonder where that is," Twilight squinted at the screen.

"Well, here's the cave we were at, and there's the front entrance, so I'd say it's about a couple miles south of us. Can I see your map?"

Twilight pulled out the object in question, handing it over to Sunset. "Here you go."

Sunset pored over the map, looking for the section that they had discussed previously. "Ah, there it is," she said, pointing to the spot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a worried look flash across Gloriosa's face.

With a smile, she walked over to the other woman. "Our satellites just detected an anomaly over here," she said, pointing to the part of the map that Gloriosa was trying to lead them away from. "Right where you don't want us to go."

"Like I said," Gloriosa said with a nervous smile, "it's dangerous."

"If the danger is from magic, we can deal with it," Sunset said.

"It's just some wild animals." A slight twitch in Gloriosa's eye appeared as she kept smiling at them. Sunset, sensing that she was about to hit a tipping point, continued her impromptu interrogation.

"Are you sure? Magic can have all sorts of strange effects on nature."

"I'm sure I would have noticed if something magical was happening."

"I suppose you would have."

"Are you implying something?"

"Just that magic of this magnitude is pretty hard to miss."

"I told you I haven't seen anything."

"I can come back with the proper equipment and safeguards."

"Not if I don't let you back in the camp."

"Why would you do that if there isn't any magic to be found?" As the tension between them came to a fever pitch, Sunset and Gloriosa locked eyes in a battle of wills, neither willing to concede. Finally, Sunset spoke. "Gloriosa, this is serious. The magic we're investigating could have major worldwide consequences if we can't stop it. If you know something, please tell us." She softened her voice, hoping to convince Gloriosa to side with them.

The fire in the camp director's eyes dimmed, and a look of resignation crossed her face. "Fine, I'll show you," she said, monotone. She set off in a different direction from where they were walking and Sunset and Twilight followed close behind.

There was an uncomfortable silence for the next hour as they waded through the increasingly thick forest. At some point, they were so focused on not tripping of running into anything that speech would have been next to impossible anyways.

Finally, just when Sunset began to suspect another misdirection, Gloriosa stopped, pointing to a veil of trees just ahead of them that completely obscured their vision. "It's on the other side of that thicket." All the life seemed to be drained from Gloriosa's voice as she spoke.

Sunset walked towards the trees, pushing various branches out of the way and stumbling through the near-total darkness as the canopy of leaves above her obscured the sunlight. As she continued wading through the sea of dark green, she began to see light ahead, until she made it through the final layer of foliage...

...And emerged in a land of fantasy.

Chapter 9: Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Wonder.

There was no other word to describe what Twilight felt as she took in the sight before her with wide eyes. Her lips parted in shock as she temporarily forgot how to breathe.

After stumbling through the darkness until she'd made it into the light on the other side, Twilight now found herself standing at the edge of a small meadow surrounded by thick trees whose towering branches obscured most of the sunlight, leaving only small rays to peek through from above. The lack of sunlight didn't matter though, as the meadow was already illuminated.

All around her, the trees glowed with a faint haunting lustre from the patches of luminescent growths of every color that covered them. A few of these growths were actively emitting a pollen-like substance into the air that floated about in the air like fairy dust, sparkling with an otherworldly light.

And on the ground, in the center of the meadow and surrounded by beautiful blooming flowers that spanned all the colors of the rainbow – sometimes all at once – was a large, faintly glowing blossom the size of Twilight's head that pulsed with an ethereal blue light.

From the corner of her eye, Twilight could see Sunset standing stock still in similar awe, gazing at the magnificent tapestry of flora with an open mouth. "It's beautiful," she heard her whisper, the words a soft benediction to whatever powers had touched this place.

The sound of Sunset's voice broke the spell that had captivated Twilight, and panic surged through her when she realized just how much magic must be present here. The twisted, glittering blooms suddenly looked a lot more sinister, and Twilight's instincts began screaming at her to run away.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced herself to slowly breathe in and out.

It was okay, the magic wasn't hurting her. It was just causing the plants to glow, nothing else. No need to panic. This isn't like the last time.

With shaking hands, she pulled out her detector, taking comfort in the familiar lights and sounds of the machine. "The sensors indicate that there's a large amount of abnormal radiation present," she said. "According to the readings, there's probably magic here."

"Yeah, kinda noticed that," Sunset said dryly. "I guess we figured out where the thief found the magic to pull off the heist."

There was a rustling sound coming from behind Twilight. She turned around and saw Gloriosa emerge from the trees, a crushing finality haunting her eyes.

"Well, this is it," she said dully. "The magical anomaly you were looking for."

"Where did this even come from?" Sunset asked, the wonder still present in her voice.

"It started around five years ago," Gloriosa placed a hand on one of the trees, staring distantly at one of its glowing branches. "I was doing a routine sweep of the area when I first saw it." She pointed to the center of the meadow where the glowing blue flower was swaying in an invisible breeze.

"At first, I thought I'd found some new species of bioluminescent plant, but there's nothing in nature that glows that color. And when I touched it, I felt magic from it, just like from the caves."

Gloriosa smiled wryly. "The first thing I did was run away. You remember the last time I tried to use magic; I really didn't want to go all Gaia Everfree on everyone again. But the next day, I just had to go back and check on the flower; I don't know why, but it was like it was calling to me. It took me a few days to build up the courage to touch it.

"As soon as I did, I felt this rush of magic flow through me. It was... like the last time, but with a lot less power. And it didn't try to overwhelm me or take me over. It just felt... right. Like the flower was giving me power instead of me taking it."

Gloriosa walked over to one of the few trees that wasn't giving off any light. "After a few weeks, I sort of figured out how to use the magic with a lot of trial and error." She touched one of the branches and her hand began to glow. A moment later, a patch of the same glowing substance spread out from her hand to cover a small part of the tree.

"Eventually Timber got suspicious and found out about what I was doing. He freaked out, of course, but once I showed him I wasn't going crazy this time he agreed to help me keep this secret."

Gloriosa spread her arms out towards the meadow. "This is the product of five years of work." She said, pride in her voice. "Five years of trying to get magic to work, stumbling around blindly until I found a spell that let me do what I wanted." A wry smile. "I guess I should've known it would attract attention."

Her hand trembled as she brushed against the large blue flower. "Last year, a second flower started to grow next to the first one. I'm not sure if it was a seed from the original flower or if they both came from the same place, but soon this little bud grew big and strong like the other one."

"If this isn't the original, then where is it?" The look Sunset shot Twilight said that she already knew the answer.

Gloriosa sighed. "It disappeared about a month ago. I'm guessing that's what caused whatever magical anomaly you're looking for."

Sunset walked over to the center of the meadow. "May I?" she asked, gesturing towards the glowing flower.

"Go ahead," Gloriosa said with a sigh.

Sunset bent over and brushed her fingers against the petals of the flower. "Yup, that's what I thought."

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"It's a cloverbloom," Sunset said, leaning over to sniff it. "Named after Clover The Clever, who was the first to study it in detail. They only grow in places that have concentrated amounts of magic. The roots and leaves have special channels that resemble spell matrices, which let it absorb magic and use it to sustain itself. In theory, a cloverbloom can survive forever without sunlight, nutrients, or water, as long as it has enough magic stored inside of it."

Sunset lifted a petal to one of the rays of light to examine it better. "They don't normally release their magic though, except in very special circumstance. I know Mage Meadowbrook outlined a method for extracting magic from the stem a few years after Clover wrote her own treatise, but it requires a lot of specialized techniques to pull it off."

She rubbed the petal between her fingers. "I'm not getting any magic out of this thing just by holding it." Releasing the flower, Sunset turned to face Gloriosa. "You must have some kind of special ability or connection that allows for the transfer. An affinity with nature, maybe?"

"I don't know," Gloriosa said. "I'm not some fancy magician or anything. I just touch the flower and the magic flows into me."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Sunset asked. "Why did you try to hide it from us?"

"There isn't enough magic to keep this place going anymore." Gloriosa walked up next to Sunset and softly stroked the petals of the cloverbloom, like a mother comforting a child. "Without the other one, this little flower can only try its best, but it's just not strong enough. Look around you – this garden is dying and I don't know how to save it."

Twilight did as instructed, carefully studying the otherworldly plants around her. With this new revelation, she began to notice the grim details of what Gloriosa had said. The patches of luminescent fungus lost their lustre as they got further away from the center of the meadow, until they gave off only a dull glow. The colorful flowers scattered about seemed slightly wilted. And the cloverbloom, which Twilight had first thought was pulsating with magic, seemed to be losing its light intermittently, like a flickering bulb moments before it blew out.

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Gloriosa clutching the petals of the cloverbloom. "When you came here asking about magic I got scared. I – I don't know what's going to happen to this place, if it's just going to shrink until it's not using that much magic anymore, or if it's going to die while I watch and can't do anything about it.

"And then you two show up, looking for some kind of anomaly. I wasn't sure what to think. I still don't, actually." Gloriosa's eyes narrowed. "Your company studies magic, doesn't it, Sunset?"

When Sunset didn't respond, Gloriosa kept speaking. "You would have wanted to study it, to send in a team of researchers to conduct experiments and try to replicate whatever this is. Probably just buy the whole forest from under us first chance you got."

"Of course," Sunset said, looking confused. "This is the most magic I've seen in this world since we closed the portal. It's probably a resurgence of dormant magic from what happened fifteen years ago. Who knows how much power is still sitting here? We could do so much with it."

"I don't care," Gloriosa said. "The last time I tried to do something big with magic, I almost destroyed everything and everyone I loved. I'm done with using magic to change things. All I want now is a quiet and peaceful life here in this forest. "

"Then why use magic at all?" Twilight found herself asking. She had been silent during the discussion between Sunset and Gloriosa, but it was bothering her how freely Gloriosa was using magic. If Gloriosa wanted to get away from her past like Twilight did, why did she continue to dabble in things better left to rest? "Why didn't you just leave things be?"

"I wanted to, at first," Gloriosa replied. "But the magic, it... called to me. It was like a part of me was missing, and when I was using magic, I was whole again. Using it to grow plants and tame animals just felt right."

Gloriosa looked upwards at the dense canopy of leaves towering above them, fire burning in her eyes as she spoke. "Look at this place. Without magic, I could never create something so beautiful, and using my powers to do something good like this makes me feel complete. I don't want to go back to how I was before."

"Someone stole the other flower and we need to find them before they do something very bad with it," Sunset said patiently. "We need to study the other flower to try and find a way to stop them."

"And after that? Are you just going to give the flower back?"

For a moment, Sunset didn't respond. Then: "I promise, I'll give you back your magic and more after we figure out where this magic came from. This can't be the only deposit of magic left, after all."

"No."

Two eyes locked onto her in surprise. "Twilight?" Sunset asked, clearly having forgotten her presence.

"I'm not going to let you take away something she loves." Twilight turned to address Gloriosa. "We're just going to take a few measurements for calibration, and if you don't mind, we'd like to take some samples of the plants around here. We won't tell anyone about this place. And if we find the other cloverbloom, we'll bring it back."

A hopeful smile tugged at Gloriosa's lips as Sunset glared at her. "Twilight," Sunset said evenly, "I'm trying to find a solution that helps everyone here."

"You want to sell Gloriosa a false hope," Twilight replied, not allowing herself to look away from Sunset's furious eyes, "just so that you can take the other cloverbloom and study it."

"It's not a false hope. It's a better future."

Twilight scoffed. "Save the buzzwords for the sales pitch. You're just in this for yourself, and I'm not going to let you ruin her life."

Her words elicited a roll of the eyes from Sunset. "You can't stop progress, you know. No matter how hard you try. I'm going to study the other cloverbloom once we recover it, no matter what happens here."

"No, I can't," Twilight said, feeling her resolve settle within her heart, "but I don't have to work with you either. It's obvious the thief isn't here and you still don't know how to scan a large area for magic. You need me to figure out this theft, and I won't work with you unless you agree to back off and to return the other cloverbloom when we find it."

For several seconds, Twilight and Sunset silently glared at each other, neither willing to back down. The tension was so thick Twilight could have sworn she was choking on it. She barely even noticed Gloriosa standing silently to the side, her eyes darting wildly back and forth between the pair.

Finally, just when Twilight thought that Sunset was going to tell her just where she could shove her ultimatum, the other woman turned away with a sigh. "Fine. I've got some stuff here to collect samples with. Let's get this over with." She slung off her backpack and opened it up. As Sunset rummaged through her pack, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been certain if that would work, but she couldn't have let Sunset take away something so precious to Gloriosa.

Sunset pulled out a set of gloves and a small plastic bag. With Gloriosa's permission, she plucked a few nearby flowers and scraped away some of the luminescent growths on the trees, placing the glowing flora into the bag with her gloved hands and sealing it shut to prevent contamination. Meanwhile, Gloriosa shot Twilight a grateful smile, mouthing a silent "thank you" to her. Twilight accepted the thanks with a small nod.

"Alright, this should be enough," Sunset said as she slipped the flowers into her pack. "Twilight, do you want to make sure we have what we need? After all, without the cloverbloom, it's going to be a lot harder to isolate the magical signature." The anger was clear in her voice as she delivered the request, but Twilight refused to be deterred.

"If the blooms are the source of the magic, then we shouldn't need anything else," Twilight said. "And if there's nothing else to do, we should head back to the lab to analyze the samples."

Sunset nodded, and the three of them left the meadow. Twilight spared one final glance at the enchanted grove on her way out, her heart skipping a beat at the wondrous sight. The thought of how much magic went into creating the place sent chills down her spine, but she couldn't deny the beauty of this creation either. And not for the first time, Twilight felt a familiar call that she'd feared would return when she'd agreed to help Sunset, the urge to embrace the magic once again reaching out to her.

Steeling her resolve, she turned away from the temptation and ran to catch up with the others.

"So, do you remember anything unusual happening around the time the cloverbloom disappeared?"

"Last month was our Summer Music Festival, so we had a ton of people here and the normal amount of weirdos that come with that. But not anyone who looked like an actual magician. I'll ask Timber if he's seen anything just to be safe, though."

"Thanks. How about sales records? I know you probably aren't comfortable sharing them with us, but we could give you a name of suspects to check."

"I can look, but if your suspects are smart enough to steal magic, they're probably smart enough not to use their real names either."

Sunset gritted her teeth as she listened to Twilight and Gloriosa chatting ahead of her. After their confrontation in the glade, Gloriosa seemed to think Twilight was some kind of Knight in Shining Armor who had rescued her flower from Big Bad Sunset, and the two of them had suddenly become fast friends. Without a big secret to hide, Gloriosa was more than willing to tell Twilight everything she knew. During the majority of their trip back, Sunset had been forced to listen to Twilight and Gloriosa try to determine any clues as to the identity of the thief.

Meanwhile, Sunset seethed as she thought about all the discoveries she would never make thanks to the deal she had been forced to strike with those two. Not for the first time since they began heading back to the entrance, she considered telling Twilight to go back to Hayvard and leave her to study the magic in the grove, but in the end, she'd realized that she needed the physicist to help her. After all, Twilight was right; they still had no idea how to scan a region for magic and Sunset wasn't making any progress on her own.

Still, that didn't make her any happier. She'd known that Twilight wouldn't want her to study the magic – that idiot still couldn't get past her prejudice – but for the most part, Twilight hadn't tried to stop Sunset from researching magic, even when she knew what Sunset was going to do as soon as they caught the thief.

This was the first time Twilight had directly interfered with her research, and by capitulating to her demands, Sunset knew she was setting a dangerous precedent. If Twilight continued to try and stop Sunset from studying magic, she was going to have to do something about it, consequences be damned.

They arrived at the camp entrance and entered the main cabin through the back door. Timber Spruce was at the front desk, filling out some paperwork, and as they entered he turned around and faced them with a smile. "So, did you find any magic?" he asked, clearly trying to hide his nervousness behind that easy grin.

"We did," Twilight said. "Gloriosa showed us the glade."

"She did?" Timber glanced at Gloriosa, who nodded her head.

"It's okay," she said. "They aren't going to tell anyone else about it."

"Oh," Timber replied. "Well, thanks. That glade really means a lot to Gloriosa." A sheepish grin. "Sorry for lying to you guys about it."

"We understand," Twilight said, "and neither of us plan on disturbing the glade. Right, Sunset?" Twilight shot her a pointed stare.

"Right," Sunset muttered. "Don't worry, we'll keep your secret safe."

Timber visibly relaxed at those words. "So, are you two heading out now?"

"Yeah. We need to get back to the lab and test the samples we collected. By the way, you didn't see anything strange last month when Gloriosa's magic flower was stolen, did you?"

"Hmm... can't say I remember anything weird, unless you count really terrible singing by people who think they're actually good." Timber replied. "Sorry, but it was kinda hectic."

"That's okay. I told Gloriosa I'd send her a list of suspects. Would you mind looking over it too?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks." Twilight reached over and gave him a hug.

"So, is this it then?" Timber asked, the smile on his face fading a little. "You going to disappear for another fifteen years?"

"I..." Twilight paused, looking a bit guilty. "I'll keep in touch." She pulled out her phone. "Give me your number, and I'll send you my contact info." Timber rattled off his phone number, and Twilight entered it into her phone. "I'll text you later tonight. We should be heading off now."

"Alright," Timber said. "Good luck with your investigation. And with the other thing."

"What other thing?" Sunset asked despite her annoyance.

"It's nothing," Twilight said as she shot a glare at Timber. "Nothing important."

Sunset would have pressed for more, but right now she didn't really care about what Twilight and her ex-boyfriend were talking about.

They exchanged another round of goodbyes before returning to the parking lot. Neither of them said a word as they loaded into the car and sped away from the camp.

As they approached the edge of the forest, Twilight finally spoke. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't want to confront you with an ultimatum like that."

"Whatever," Sunset muttered, still annoyed at Twilight. "I should've known you'd try to pull something like that, seeing as you hate magic so much. I'm surprised you didn't try to destroy the whole glade, what with your 'all Equestrian magic must be destroyed' philosophy."

"I couldn't do that," Twilight said. "Not to Gloriosa. Creating that meadow gave her so much joy, and she wasn't hurting anyone with her powers. Taking that away from her would've been cruel."

"And taking magic away from me wasn't?" Sunset snapped, anger flaring up once again at Twilight's hypocrisy.

"That was different," Twilight said. "The magic was dangerous, and it had to be sealed away for everyone's safety. Your actions afterwards proved it."

"I was desperate," Sunset said. "I needed to have my magic back."

"You managed well enough without it," Twilight retorted, "if your fancy penthouse suite and your wildly successful company is any indication."

Sunset didn't reply to Twilight, instead choosing to focus on her driving. They spent the rest of the trip in terse silence, neither willing to break the conversational stalemate they now found themselves in.

As they entered the Canterlot city limits, Sunset glanced at the clock on her dashboard. "It's getting late. I'll drop you off in the parking lot so that you can grab your car. We can figure out our next step tomorrow."

"Fine," Twilight replied quietly.

Sunset drove into the Canterlot Palace parking lot and stopped next to Twilight's car. Without speaking a word, Twilight stepped out and grabbed her bags from the trunk. Sunset drove away as Twilight walked over to her own car.

Before heading back to her suite, Sunset went over to the lab first, going straight to the safe that was still being guarded by that damned pink alicorn. She glared at the stuffed toy for a second before opening the safe. "I bet you never had to deal with this kind of crap," she muttered to the stand-in for her former enemy.

Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out two bags containing the specimens she had plucked previously. They still glowed with that ethereal blue light, and would continue to do so until the of the magic infusing them ran out. Sunset placed one bag in the safe before closing it again. She slid the other into her pocket and returned to the elevator.

Twilight had made her promise not to return to the glade, but she hadn't said anything about taking additional samples. The other woman was too blind to see what Sunset saw, but she'd show her. One day, she would bring magic back into the world on her terms, and Twilight would see the error of her ways.

As she entered her home, she dropped off her bags at the entrance and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for the other side to pick up. "Hey," she said to the person on the other end, "I've got something for you that you might find interesting..."

Chapter 10: One Step Back

Twilight walked up to the front of Sunset's apartment, pausing outside with her hand hovering in front of the door. After their strained ride back to Canterlot, they hadn't actually set a time to meet up again, so Twilight had decided to simply show up at the same time as yesterday and hope Sunset would let her in.

She did feel a little sorry about what she'd done at Camp Everfree. The fact that such a large source of magic still existed in this world was a huge coup for Sunset, and as a scientist, she understood the pain of not being able to study the subject of one's research. Still, she didn't regret what she'd done; Gloriosa's gratitude had shown her that it was the right decision.

It was a little surprising how little it bothered her to allow the magic in the forest to continue existing. Sunset had been right; it would be so easy to destroy the source of the magic and remove the largest known deposit of it in this world. It would have been the right thing to do, too, given the destruction Gloriosa was capable of.

Maybe studying magic with Sunset was making her soft. She would have to remember that her purpose here was to prevent the spread of magic, lest Sunset manage to seduce her... with promises of studying magic, of course. Nothing else.

Twilight knocked on the door. "Coming!" she heard Sunset call out. Well, at least she wasn't completely shutting her out, though Twilight doubted their working partnership would be as amicable after what had happened yesterday.

The door opened to reveal Sunset dressed in her usual dress and leather jacket combination. She frowned at Twilight. "I didn't expect you this early," she said.

"Sorry," Twilight said, "I didn't know what time to show up."

"It's fine," Sunset replied. "Come in. I'm just finishing up my meeting with Starlight."

As Twilight stepped into the foyer, she saw Starlight resting on one of the chairs in the sitting room. The President of Equinox Labs shot her a quick glare before schooling her features to that of a calm, collected businesswoman. "Good morning, Dr. Sparkle," she said coolly.

"Miss Glimmer," Twilight acknowledged her greeting with a nod. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm doing well, Dr. Sparkle," Starlight Glimmer replied. "A little overworked, but that's to be expected with our CEO taking an extended leave of absence. Not that I'm complaining, of course – I understand the importance of the work that's being done here. But I'll definitely be happy when this is all over and Sunset can return to her rightful place at the head of the company. It'll be good to resume our research too; who knows what life-changing discoveries we're missing out on while chasing after this thief?"

Well, it seemed Starlight Glimmer wasn't one for subtlety. "I'm hoping to finish this as soon as possible." Twilight kept her tone polite despite Starlight's attitude. "Then we can all get back to our lives."

"Inconvenience aside, we also need to find the thief as soon as possible to stop them from pulling off whatever evil plan they have," Sunset said. "Anyways, I'll be ready to go in a few minutes. Starlight and I just have to finalize some details on a contract for..." She trailed off as a buzzing sound emanated from somewhere in the room.

Sunset grabbed the vibrating phone from the nearby table. "It's Pinkie. I should probably take this." She shot the pair a concerned look before heading out to the hallway, leaving Twilight and Starlight alone in the sitting room.

Twilight took a seat across from Starlight, the silence between them broken only by the distant sounds of Sunset talking to Pinkie.

Starlight was the first to speak, her words echoing through the tension hovering between them. "So, Dr. Sparkle, I hear you and Sunset had a fruitful trip to Camp Everfree."

"Yes," Twilight replied, her muscles still coiled as if ready to bolt at any time, "we've come into possession of some new knowledge that will be very helpful in our search."

Starlight snorted. "Please, Sunset already told me about Gloriosa's magic. There's no need to lie to me."

Twilight frowned. "She promised not to tell anyone."

"I'm almost single-handedly holding this company together for Sunset so that she can go on her magical adventure with you. I think I have the right to know how your investigation is going. Besides, I've proven to Sunset that I can keep a secret, and she doesn't have to answer to you."

Twilight shrugged. "In that case, yes, we found a large deposit of magic manifesting itself in botanical form. We've collected some samples and plan on analyzing them today."

"But you don't have anything from the actual source of the magic."

So this was how the conversation was going to go. "It wasn't possible to take a sample from the source without damaging it."

"That works out quite nicely for you, doesn't it?" The ice in Starlight's tone melted as she snarled at Twilight. "The perfect excuse to hinder our research as much as you can." Twilight could see the fury burning in her eyes as she spoke. "After all these years, you're still trying to destroy Sunset's life."

"I'm not trying to destroy Sunset's life," Twilight replied, her own anger flaring up at the accusation. "I'm trying to stop her from destroying the lives of others with her research. Magic is dangerous, and she doesn't seem to understand the damage it can do." She scoffed as she glanced pointedly around at the very expensive furnishing of the room they were sitting in. "Besides, I don't exactly think she's suffering here."

Starlight rolled her eyes. "You must've been a worse friend to her than I thought if you don't get it. You think she isn't suffering? You think this nice apartment makes up for everything she's lost? You have no idea how much magic means to her, and how much you hurt her by taking it away." Starlight's face reddened as she spoke. "Then again, how could you know? After all, you ran away after you sealed away the magic and left your friends behind to pick up the pieces."

"I left to get away from the woman who betrayed me and tried to kill me!" Twilight snapped back, unable to hold back her emotions anymore. Who was Starlight to question her decisions? "What, was I supposed to stay behind and help her endanger the world again?"

"You should have stayed behind to fix the mess you made!" Starlight nearly shouted before lowering her volume back to normal. "You should have been there in the early days to see what you did to Sunset. It took her years to recover, and even then, she still hurts. Because of you. And now that you're back, it's going to happen all over again."

Starlight leaned forward, her next words coming out in a hiss. "Ask her about how we first met. Then maybe you'll start to understand."

Before Twilight had the chance to respond, she heard Sunset's voice grow louder as she got closer. "If Rarity says it's okay, then it's okay with me too… Alright, bye Pinkie. See you at the party." As Sunset came into view, she ended the call and placed the phone back on the table. "Sorry about that. Pinkie just wanted to pass along the details for her Welcome Back Party. Also, Mulia's Mousses just called to say that they couldn't handle the order for the Exhibition Show, so she's getting Applejack to fill in for the desserts catering."

Starlight smiled, all traces of her earlier hostility gone. "Wonderful. I'd prefer Sweet Apple Acres' pastries over Mulia's Mousses any day. Though, didn't Pinkie mention that Applejack's prices were too high the last time we talked?"

"Rarity already talked to Pinkie and offered to have Carousel cover the additional cost, but I just told Pinkie we'd split it."

"I swear, that woman is too generous for her own good sometimes. It's a miracle that she's managed to be successful in the world of fashion," Starlight said, shaking her head. "Well, I'll make a note to check that the proper chain of command gets followed for approving the extra expense."

"Pinkie said she'd have the revised estimate sent over to our people by the end of today," Sunset replied. "Anyways, what's next on our agenda?"

"Actually, I think we've covered all the important things that've happened since yesterday," Starlight said, standing up. "I can handle the rest of the logistics myself, and I'm sure you and Dr. Sparkle want to get started as soon as possible. After all, we can't have someone unleashing magic back into this world, can we?" With a pointed look at Twilight, the President of Equinox Labs grabbed her purse and started walking out of the room. "Should I call you tonight with an update?"

"Sure," Sunset said, "that'll work. I'll see you tonight then."

"Until tonight," Starlight said before turning to face Twilight. "A pleasure meeting you, Dr. Sparkle." The veiled sarcasm could not have been clearer.

"Likewise, Miss Glimmer," Twilight replied just as coolly.

Sunset led Starlight out of the apartment before addressing Twilight again. "Are you ready to go to the lab?"

Twilight suppressed a wince as the terseness of Sunset's tone. It seemed she still hadn't gotten over what happened yesterday. "Yeah, let's go."

They left in silence, neither of them wanting to speak. Sunset was clearly still annoyed at Twilight, and Twilight wasn't feeling particularly friendly either. Yesterday had been a stark reminder of the differences in their beliefs, and of Sunset's ability to place her own needs over that of others.

Finally, as the elevator descended into the basement, Twilight spoke. "So, what do we do next?" she asked. She wanted to ask Sunset about what Starlight had told her, but now wasn't the time for it. They needed to focus on the task at hand.

"We should probably analyze the samples we collected from Camp Everfree to make sure that the magical signatures match," Sunset replied. The elevator doors slid open, and Sunset stepped out, leaving Twilight to follow behind her.

Once inside the lab, Sunset walked over to the safe, which Twilight noted still had that ridiculous pink pony plushie sitting on top of it. Was it only two days ago that they'd been laughing and bantering like old friends over the stuffed toy? Twilight so wanted to go back to that, but she knew it wasn't going to happen.

While Sunset was fussing around by the safe, Twilight went over to the spectroscope and began the process of calibrating it. "What kind of spellform does the cloverbloom's magic produce? I need to figure out how to set the cross-terms."

Sunset walked over with a glowing flower in her hand. "Hmm... it's a platonic flower, so the spellform should be the theoretical local minima of the thaumic potential in the natural domain." She placed the flower on the table and walked over to the whiteboard. "Something like this," she said, tracing out a crude set of runes.

"It's a bit vague, but I should be able to isolate the signature with it." Twilight fired up her laptop and began coding the necessary adjustments. A few minutes later, she was done with the modifications. "Alright, put the luminescent lichen in the box."

Sunset did so, and Twilight ran the analysis on the sample. A few minutes later, a familiar symbol appeared on the screen. "Got it. It's definitely the same source as our thief's."

Sunset walked over and glanced at the screen. "Yup. So, we can confirm that the thief stole the other cloverbloom from Camp Everfree and used it to power the spells used in the theft. Too bad that doesn't actually help us track down or identify the thief since Gloriosa didn't see anyone suspicious. Nice to know that trip was a complete waste."

Twilight wanted to ignore the implication that came with the pointed look that Sunset was giving her, but she couldn't resist responding. "Well, we gave Gloriosa some peace of mind, so it wasn't a complete wash."

Sunset glared at Twilight. "Whatever. So, now what do we do? You talked about some long-range tracking methods before, right?"

"I have a few ideas," Twilight said. "The first is to stay in the electromagnetic spectrum. Satellites and other long-range sensors can detect weak emissions from significant distances. Visible light and higher frequencies of EM radiation reflect and attenuate too much to be detectable, but lower frequencies pass through solid matter just fine."

"The problem with that is the intensity of the frequencies below the visible spectrum decreases exponentially with distance from the Young Peak," Sunset replied. "By the time you hit millimeter-wave or larger wavelengths the relative power is around a hundred decibels less than the peak. For passive power, you'd be way below the limit of background radiation. Active power isn't so bad, but I figure you'd rather catch them before they cast whatever spell they stole the book for. Wouldn't want magic to seep back into the world now, would we?"

Twilight shot Sunset a disapproving look. "You know very well why we have to stop the thief," she said before sighing. "But it may be a good idea to start looking into lower frequencies, since we can track those with satellites. If we can't figure out how to locate the journal when it's dormant we can at least have a stopgap measure in case the thief enacts their plan."

"I guess that's fine," Sunset said. "So, you have any other ideas about how to find the journal?"

"Well, the other two kinds of emissions I've looked at are thermal and sonic," Twilight said. "I haven't done as much work modelling those phenomena, but I have some preliminary results."

"Alright," Sunset replied, "let's hear them."

Twilight picked up a marker and walked over to the whiteboard. With a final, wistful thought about how much more pleasant this would have been without Sunset's hostility, she began writing out a complex equation on the board, preparing to explain her work to her reluctant research partner. It was going to be long day.

Chapter 11: Paradigm Shift

By the time Sunset and Twilight finalized the specifications for the low-frequency magical-signature identification system, all Sunset wanted to do was retreat back to her bedroom and curl up with a good book.

As it turned out, trying to hold onto righteous anger against someone while also engaging in rigorous scientific investigation with said person really took a lot out of someone. She'd already dropped the snide remarks a few hours ago, and she'd even stopped trying to keep her distance in favor of getting the write-up done by the end of the day.

"Alright, this looks fine to me," she said after her last pass through the document. "I'll send it to Velvet Sky. She should have the tracking system uploaded to the satellite by tomorrow afternoon."

"That quickly?" Twilight said, looking up at her in surprise, her own eyes looking as strained as Sunset felt.

"Velvet's one of the best coders in the world," Sunset explained as she pulled up her email and began typing, "and I let her hand-pick her team. They'll have it done by tomorrow."

"If you say so," Twilight said. "Should we return to the main problem? Now that we've got a detection system to alert us when someone's casting magic, we can go back to trying to find them before they actually cast the spell."

"We already tried everything we could think of. Passive magic just doesn't emit enough energy to be tracked from a distance." Sunset ran her hand through her hair, tugging roughly at it. "Ugh, if only this were Equestria; a foal could track a magical signature as strong as the cloverbloom's with the right spells. Well, I could've done it as a foal, anyways."

"Well, this isn't Equestria," Twilight snapped. "There isn't some magic spell that can solve all our problems."

"And who's fault is that?" Sunset replied almost automatically in response to Twilight's tone, resulting in yet another round of mutual glaring. Tartarus, but she wished they could just stop.

Eventually, Twilight turned away with a sigh. "Look, neither of us are in the right mind to work together on this. We haven't made much progress all day and we probably aren't going to get anything else done. Why don't we just deal with our own stuff and try again tomorrow?"

"Fine," Sunset replied. The sooner she could get away from Twilight, the better. "Let's head back up to the lobby."

Twilight stood up and looked around the room. "Actually, I think I left my jacket in your apartment," she said. "Can we go back up to get it?"

"Sure."

They took a minute to collect their things before leaving the lab. As they walked over to the elevator, neither of them spoke, and in the silence, Sunset found her energy – and her anger – returning. Calculation ran through her head, her brain crunching the numbers on the cloverbloom they'd found at Camp Everfree.

With the scant amounts of arcane power she had at her disposal in her lab, she had already revolutionized multiple fields; with the cloverbloom, she could've remade the world.

But Twilight had stepped in with her short-sighted ideals and blackmailed Sunset into agreeing to give up that magic. All the great advancements she could've achieved, washed away because Sunset needed Twilight to help her track down the book thief. And Twilight wasn't even being helpful; they'd gotten no closer to finding the thief than they had at the beginning of the day, which meant that Sunset had essentially given up her hopes and dreams for nothing.

She felt a hopeless rage filling her as the silence continued. Tired of bottling in her feelings, she was about to tell Twilight exactly how she felt when the other woman spoke. "How did you and Starlight Glimmer meet?"

"What?" Sunset nearly forgot her anger at Twilight's sudden question.

"Starlight told me to ask you how you two met," Twilight explained patiently. "It got me curious. So, how did you meet?"

For a while, Sunset didn't speak, the whirring of the elevator rising upwards echoing loudly between them. Finally, she sighed. "Well, I guess there isn't any harm in telling you, especially if Starlight said it's okay.

"The first time we met was in a cell in the Crystal City Correctional Center."

"You met each other in prison?" Twilight glanced sharply at Sunset, and Sunset took a moment to enjoy her slack-jawed stare.

"Yup. Starlight Glimmer had quite the colorful past before she became President of Equinox Labs," Sunset said with a smirk.

"What were you two in jail for?"

"Starlight got involved with some pretty extremist political groups," Sunset explained. "Things got out of control, and they tried to blow up the Crystal City Stock Exchange building."

Twilight's eyes widened even further at that. "She did what?"

"Relax, they got caught before they could go through with it. Starlight's fellow freedom fighters all snitched on each other as soon as they could, but Starlight didn't say a word. They ended up putting her in a holding cell while waiting to see what to do with her next."

"And you? What did you do to land yourself in a cell?"

Sunset's temporary joy at Twilight's surprise vanished. "I got caught trying to buy illegal drugs," she said, turning away from Twilight.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Drugs? Really? You were trying to get high?"

"It was a little more than that," Sunset replied. "The drug was called 'Unicorn Powder,' and the people who took it said that it made them see symbols and cast magic spells. They said they could move things with their minds and create light."

"And were they telling the truth?" Twilight sounded skeptical as they stepped out of the elevator.

"No," Sunset replied. "I found out later that it was just hallucinations caused by the chemicals. The 'magic tricks' they were doing were all in their head. I didn't know that at the time though."

"And you actually believed that those drugs would give you magical powers?" There was a note of derision in Twilight's tone now.

"Well, it's not like there isn't a precedent for magical drugs. Considering what happened with Sombra, it wasn't completely out there." Sunset paused for a moment as she considered how much to reveal. "I was desperate at the time." What the hell, there was no point hiding it. "After you left, I spent the next three years trying to find another source of magic in this world.

"It was obvious that Princess Twilight couldn't figure out a way to re-establish the portal, which wasn't surprising – it's a lot harder to build a portal from a high-magic world to a low-magic one than the other way around – so I knew that I was the only one who could help me.

"I went to the east to talk to the monks that lived in the mountains. I travelled south to chase rumors about the shamans in the jungle. I even consulted mystics in the caves in the north. I searched all around the world for real magic, but everyone was either a fraud or their abilities came from mundane training.

"And then, after three years, I ended up in Crystal City, looking for any other leads that would get me to magic. When I heard about Unicorn Powder, I figured I'd give it a shot too. I mean, I already tried everything else; what was another shot at doing something impossible?"

Twilight was silent as Sunset unlocked the door to the apartment. As the two of them stepped in, something seemed to occur to her. "Isn't possession a misdemeanor in Crystal City? How'd you end up in the same jail cell as a terrorist?"

"Possession is a misdemeanor, yes, but if you have enough it becomes possession with intent to sell, which is a felony."

"Wait, why would you have enough to bump it up to a felony? That requires a lot more than a single dose."

"I told you, I had tried everything else. I had searched the whole world over and found nothing. This was my last lead, and I was determined to make sure it'd work." Sunset smiled without humor. "And if it didn't, well, then there wasn't any reason not to take all of it at once and see if it was just a question of quantity."

Horror etched itself onto Twilight's face. "You were going to overdose on purpose?"

"I figured if it wasn't going to work, then there wasn't really any point in continuing on with a hopeless search," Sunset said flippantly with a casual shrug. She tried to keep her tone light, to keep the pain of those memories away. "Either way, my quest was going to be over that day."

"So you were going to kill yourself?" Twilight's voice rose until she was nearly shouting at Sunset. "Why would you do something so stupid?"

"Because I didn't want to live in a world without magic!" Sunset found herself shouting right back, her repressed anger coming back to the surface. She took a moment to calm herself before she continued speaking. "Magic was everything to me. In Equestria, everypony receives a symbol on their flanks when they come of age. It's called a cutie mark, and it only appears when that pony has an epiphany about their calling in life. The cutie mark is a symbol of a pony's destiny, their true self, and their special talent."

Sunset walked over to her office, where a portrait depicting a stylized sun hung on the walls. "That was my cutie mark," she said, pointing to the image. "It symbolizes leadership and magic. The first part didn't turn out so well, so all I was left with magic. It's literally my reason for existence. When I lost it, I lost my identity, my calling, and my reason to live. I figured dying in the pursuit of magic was an appropriate way to go."

"So what happened after you got arrested?" Twilight asked, her voice shaky.

"Well, like I said, I ended up sharing a cell with Starlight." Sunset continued with her story, letting herself get caught up in her memories. "I asked her what she was in for, and you can imagine how surprised I was when she said domestic terrorism – she really didn't look the part.

"Anyways, she told me her story about how all her fellow compatriots abandoned her and their grand cause. With her movement dead, she thought she didn't have anything else to live for and she was pretty much just ready to go to jail for the rest of her life."

Sunset recalled the sense of determination she had felt at hearing Starlight's plight. "There was something about her. When I was listening to her talk about her ideals and how she'd been screwed over by the people she trusted, I know couldn't just let her throw her life away.

"I told her that she still had so much to live for, that she could use her intelligence and drive to make the world a better place and to do other things." She smiled wryly. "I think at some point I was talking less to her and more to myself.

"Eventually, Starlight realized that it wasn't just her I was talking to, and I ended up telling her my own story. She thought I was crazy at first with all my talk about magic, but she didn't want to see me end it all either.

"We both decided that if fate and other people were going to try and knock us down, we weren't just going to take it lying down. An hour later, I called Rarity and asked her to bail us out, then hired some very expensive lawyers to get Starlight and me acquitted. They managed to negotiate me down to just simple possession, and they painted a convincing enough picture of Starlight as the kind-hearted, innocent victim who didn't know what terrible things her organization was doing that the prosecutor ended up agreeing to a very generous plea deal."

Sunset glanced at the picture of her and Starlight in their first lab. "After all that, I showed Starlight that magic existed, and we realized that even without a ton of magic, the knowledge I had from living in Equestria could still make the world a better place. And that's how Equinox Labs was founded."

Twilight had been silent for a while now, staring at Sunset with an unreadable expression while she'd spoken. When Sunset finished telling her story, she had a haunted look in her eyes. "I… I never realized how much magic meant to you. I knew you held it in great regard, but not to that extent."

"Yeah, well, you knew me when I had friends too. But then you left, and I lost that and my magic, so there went both halves of my destiny."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," Twilight said. She paused for a moment before speaking again. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry that I hurt you yesterday."

"Well, it seems fair that you hurt me, considering what I did to you all those years ago," Sunset said. It wasn't lost on her that Twilight's apology mirrored Sunset's in their lack of apologizing for the action, only the consequences, but at this point, she'd take what she could get. Staying angry at Twilight was just too exhausting, and she missed having her friend back.

"You hurt me, I hurt you, maybe we should just call it even. Start with a clean slate." Twilight looked up hopefully at Sunset. "What do you say to that?"

Sunset shook her head. "No, not a clean slate." As Twilight's face fell, Sunset quickly added, "that implies starting over. I want to be friends with you again." She held out her hand towards Twilight. "Will you accept my friendship?"

Twilight face broke out into a beautiful smile, the first one she'd seen from her all day. "Yes. Yes, I will." She grasped Sunset's hand with her own, and for a few moments, Sunset enjoyed the simple pleasure of physical contact with her friend.

"So, now that we aren't mad at each other anymore, do you still need to leave?" Sunset asked as Twilight walked over to the sitting room to grab her jacket.

Twilight shrugged. "I guess not. Why, do you want to do something together?"

"I was thinking we could grab dinner, if you're free. Eating with a friend is a lot better than eating alone, don't you think?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've had dinner with a friend. What were you thinking?"

"I dunno. Why don't you pick this time? Most of the same places we used to go to are still around."

A thoughtful look crossed Twilight's face before she smiled. "I think I know the perfect place."

"Man, I haven't been here in years," Sunset said as they sat down on opposite sides of a worn plastic table. They had just placed their order at the counter and were waiting for it to arrive.

"Really?" Twilight asked as she picked up a menu. "You used to be almost addicted to Donut Joe's donuts. I'm sure I put on at least five pounds just from working on homework with you here all the time."

"Well, I tried coming back after you left, but there were a few too many memories here," Sunset said delicately. "And eventually this place sorta slipped my mind."

"Oh," Twilight said faintly, the earlier feeling of guilt resurfacing. Learning the depths that Sunset had been driven to had shocked her, of course, and while she knew intellectually that Sunset had ultimately brought it on herself, she couldn't help but feel someone responsible as the one who had suggested the sealing spell in the first place. And while this newfound understanding of Sunset didn't excuse her of what she did to Twilight afterwards, it did go a long way towards explaining why she did what she did.

Add to that the guilt over her more recent actions against Sunset, and Twilight was left with the horrible feeling of knowing that she was hurting Sunset deeply, but being unable to do anything about it. After all, keeping magic away from everyone was necessary to the greater good, and Sunset's feelings on the matter didn't change that, right?

Twilight forced her thoughts away from the topic of ethics. Right now, they had a chance to start over with their friendship, with Sunset accepting the metaphorical olive branch that Twilight had offered.

They could put the past behind them, and if another conflict arose, well, then they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. Right now, Twilight just wanted to enjoy some time with a friend.

A friend who was staring curiously at her with those brilliant cyan eyes of hers. "You got quiet all of a sudden," she said. "What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing," Twilight replied. "Just bad memories."

"Ah," Sunset said, nodding in understanding. "Yeah, we went through some crap, but it wasn't all bad, right? We had some really good times too. A few of them right here, actually. Remember when we brainstormed our science fair project for senior year?"

"I remember," Twilight said, smiling. "You didn't want to compete. I had to beg you for days to get you to be my partner."

Sunset shrugged. "It wouldn't have been a fair fight. You were a genius who'd discovered an entirely new branch of science, and I was the personal student of a Princess with several doctorates worth of knowledge in math and science. It wasn't even a question of winning the fair; I was just trying to figure out the easiest and quickest thing we could do to get first place."

"I thought the flame tornado was interesting and visually appealing," Twilight grumbled before something occurred to her. "Wait, why were you even in high school if you had a postdoctoral level of education?" She hadn't really thought much about it when she was a teenager, but in hindsight, it didn't make sense for Sunset to go to a high school of all places.

"There were a few reasons," Sunset replied. "I wanted to stay close to the portal, which would've been tough if I wasn't a student. There's also the fact that I was stuck in another world. Even if was a genius at math and science, I knew nothing about, history, geography, cultural mores, or anything else about how your society worked. High school gave me a chance to learn about all of that while also staying under the radar."

Sunset paused before she continued speaking, her voice lowering. "It also gave me a chance to practice manipulating more impressionable people in a controlled setting. I thought of it like a trial run for when I eventually ruled over Equestria as its rightful Princess." She sighed, her eyes downcast. "I was such an idiot back then."

"Hey," Twilight said, reaching out to awkwardly pat Sunset's arm, "happy memories, remember? We're focusing on the good things in our past, not the bad stuff we've done." Though she had dreamed of seeing Sunset remorseful after all this time, it killed her to see her friend suffering like this.

Sunset smiled at Twilight. "You're right," she said, some strength returning to her voice, "good things. Anyways, I also needed to figure out how much of the sciences was the same in this world and how much was different, and pick up whatever advances you humans discovered that we ponies hadn't yet. Did you know that probability theory in Equestria is over a hundred years behind this world? When I left, we'd just figured out what you call the Central Limit Theorem and we were still arguing about what conditions needed to hold for it."

"Really?" Twilight asked. "I mean, given the difference in tech levels I'd expect us to be ahead in number theory or finite element analysis, but probability theory has been useful since the idea of uncertainty existed, and from what you told me, Equestria has had the foundational mathematics knowledge to develop the field for a long time."

"We do." Sunset took a moment to take a sip from her glass of water before she continued speaking. "But we didn't really have a good reason to develop it as much as in this world. For the longest time, there wasn't anything probability theory could do that divination spells couldn't. Like, why calculate the probability of something happening when you can just divine what's going to happen?

"Divination spells also handle complex systems much better, and other than a few niche cases, probability was just a theoretical thing that some mathematicians would play around with when they were bored. Then the first casino opened up."

Sunset paused to take another sip of water. "Turns out, problems involving gambling don't have the intrinsic anima that divination spells need, so there was a bit of a rush to develop more mathematical ways of calculating expected returns and stuff. Which was good, since the first insurance company popped up really soon after that."

"Well, with a strong calculus base, Equestria should be able to catch up to us really quickly. I assume you have calculus over there, right?"

"Yup, and you guys are really behind in a bunch of places," Sunset said with a smirk. "Like, we proved that integer linear combos of pi and e were transcendental ages ago."

"I assume you had a similar incentive to develop that field more than we did, similar to the differences in probability theory," Twilight replied.

"Yup. Trying to model magic gets you working with a ton of group theory stuff pretty early on."

Before Twilight could comment on Sunset's statement, the waiter arrived with their orders. "One original-glaze bacon sandwich and one cheese donut veggie sandwich," he said, setting down a steaming plate in front of Twilight.

"Thank you," Twilight said as he set down the dishes. She picked up the extremely unhealthy combination of sugar and fat and bit down on it, savoring the decadent mixture of salty and sweet. Across the table, she saw Sunset doing the same thing with her own sandwich.

"Mmm…" Sunset's eyes were closed in bliss as she ate. "I'd forgotten how great this place was. I don't even care how unhealthy this is. Come to think of it, we've been eating a lot of junk food in the past few days."

"I swear I'm normally a lot healthier than this," Twilight said, feeling the urge to defend her dietary choices. "I try to maintain a balanced diet and a reasonable fitness schedule to keep myself in okay shape."

"Well, it definitely shows." Sunset gave Twilight an approving look that made Twilight's cheeks warm slightly. She was abruptly reminded of the events that had transpired yesterday at the gas station, and felt that urge to press her lips against Sunset's returning like a chronic illness flaring up again.

Twilight forced herself not to think about how soft Sunset's lips looked – now was really not the time for that. Their friendship was still too newly-mended, and Twilight's feelings towards Sunset were complicated at best. Despite how well they worked together and how attracted she was to her, there were some serious rifts keeping them apart.

Trying to keep her thoughts away from relationships, she decided to ask a question that she'd always meant to pose to Sunset. "I notice that you're still a vegetarian. Is that a physical necessity due to pony biology or a psychological thing?"

"It's purely a psychological thing, from what I can tell," Sunset replied. "I did some experiments once and I can digest meat, but as a being who spent her formative years as a pony, the idea of eating animal flesh still makes my stomach churn. Good thing I grew up with the palace and we had diplomats over all the time who ate meat. The average pony might have freaked out over someone eat a burger, but after seeing a griffon scarf down a mouse in one bite, it doesn't seem so bad."

"I see." Twilight wondered if she'd ever get used to Sunset casually name-dropping things right out of a mythology book, as if having dinner with a half-eagle, half-lion monster that no one believed even existed was a thing that just happened. To Twilight, it only emphasized how different Sunset's world was to hers, and how different her perspective on many subjects must be, including magic.

Wanting to know more about that difference in perspective, Twilight returned her thoughts to the current conversation. "So, does the portal alter psychology in addition to biology? The fact that you aren't omnivorous would suggest against that, but then again, lots of humans find meat-eating abhorrent, so that isn't really a definitive indicator."

Wracking her brain to remember what she could about biology, Twilight spoke on. "There would need to be some rewiring of the nervous system to be able to handle manipulating an entirely different set of muscles, but that's relatively low-level neurology, I think. I'm not exactly an expert on how the brain works."

"I'm not sure either," Sunset replied. "It's kinda difficult to reason about your own psychology. My sense of taste definitely changed; I've tried eating flowers, and most of them taste like crap." Sunset sighed wistfully. "I miss being able to enjoy a good dandelion and daffodil sandwich."

"That doesn't say anything about higher reasoning, though," Twilight said.

"Fair enough," Sunset replied with a shrug. "Sexual orientation would be an easy metric, but mine's a bit complicated."

"Didn't you date that guy in high school? Flash Sentry?" Twilight recalled Sunset mentioning that they were formerly an item before he had fallen for the other Twilight. She still cringed a bit every time she recalled the awkwardness that had permeated her interactions with him due to her resemblance to his crush.

"Yeah, he was pretty cute," Sunset said.

"Well, then that settles it, right? You're definitely attracted to human males." Twilight suppressed the urge to ask if she was attracted to human females as well.

"Sure, but I can't say for sure if that's because of the portal." Sunset paused, looking uncomfortable. "See, back in Equestria, I had a bit of a reputation as a… let's just say that the technical term for it was xenophilia."

"Xenophilia?" Twilight took a moment to parse the word in her head for this context. "So you had a sexual fixation with those outside your kind?"

"Pretty much," Sunset replied. "I had a thing for other species. Dragons, griffons, minotaurs… I liked 'em exotic. Not that I had any time for that kind of stuff – I was too busy studying and trying to gain power to care about relationships. But a girl can always look, right?"

"Hmm… I guess that means we can't really tell if the portal made you attracted to humans or if you already would've been attracted to them." Twilight chuckled softly. "A fetish for humans – never thought I'd be able to use that phrase in real life. If nothing else, your background definitely makes for some interesting moments."

"Yeah, too bad none of those moments are useful for what we actually need to do," Sunset said with a wry smile, though her voice was tinged with frustration. "Thinking about home just makes me realize how easy it would be to track the journal if we were in Equestria."

Twilight was about to repeat the line about this world not being Equestria anymore, but a sudden thought stopped her. "Why don't you walk me through what you'd do back home? I know it wouldn't work here, but maybe we could gain some insight from your Equestrian perspective."

Sunset looked up from her nearly-finished sandwich in surprise. "Huh. Sure, why not?" There was a moment of silence as Sunset appeared to be collecting her thoughts. "Okay, so the most effective way of tracking a linked object like the journal would be to find the other journal and cast a Piggyback spell on the connection with either a Beacon or a Where-Am-I spell embedded in the spellform, like we did when human Sombra stole the journal."

"By the way, have you investigated him yet? He knows about the journal, and he got pretty good at magic before we stopped him. I feel like he'd be the perfect suspect." Twilight really, really didn't want to go up against the crime lord again, but he seemed the obvious choice.

"I checked – he's still in jail." Sunset waved her hand dismissively. "His crime empire fell apart after he got arrested, and according to my contacts all he does is talk about songwriting with his fangirls, of all things."

"Huh. Well, unless we manage to open a portal to Equestria, that isn't going to happen. Are there any other methods?"

"Without access to that connection, it's a lot harder. I guess you could try to search the magical plane for the connection if you knew enough about the metaphysical location of the two journals, but you'd need a team of researchers and years to translate the effects of the magical plane on this world, and even then, tracking this kind of connection is iffy at best. You'd be better off trying to trace its magical signature directly."

"And how would you do that?" Twilight asked, an idea forming in her mind.

"Personally, I'd use an Echo spell. Basically, you send a pulse of magic out that's specifically attuned to the magical source with some kind of trigger spellform inside it. When the pulse hits the source you're looking for, the spellform activates and the source sends back an echoing pulse back that you can track."

"Wait, magic can remotely trigger the casting of a spell from an external source?"

"It's tough, but yeah, it's possible."

"Can other things trigger a magical reaction?" Twilight asked.

Sunset's eyes widened in response. "Yeah," she replied, the excitement in her tone mirroring that of Twilight's, "there's a few non-magical ways to cause unintended spellcasting. Like touching someone's horn while it's 'hot'. There's other things too that can do it." Twilight could see the fires of her intellect burning behind her brilliant cyan eyes, and assumed she had the same look on her own face.

"If we can figure out a way to activate the magic in the journal, we could trace its location." Twilight reached into her pocket and brought out her notebook and a pencil, intending to write down her ideas.

"Actually, it'd be easier to track the magic from the cloverbloom," Sunset replied as Twilight scribbled furiously into her notebook. "It's got stronger magic and a more malleable form, so it should be easier to trigger."

"Right, of course," Twilight said. "So, what kind of non-magical triggers are you thinking of?"

"Hmm… I'll have to think about it for a bit. I think I remember reading some military books on how earth ponies and pegasi used shockwaves to disrupt unicorn spellcasting. I wanna double-check some of my notes on magic at home before I say anything more, though. Can you wait 'til tomorrow?"

"Sure. I need to catch up with work anyways. I've got a grant application deadline coming up and I need to finalize my proposal for it. Same time tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. I think I'll head out – I want to get started on this right now." Sunset stood up, with Twilight quickly following suit.

"Well, this was a fun and productive evening," Twilight said as they walked out of the donut shop.

"Yeah, it's a shame it took us fifteen years to be able to do something like this again," Sunset replied. She looked Twilight right in the eyes before speaking again. "Think it'll take another fifteen before the next time?"

"I-" Twilight tried to look away from Sunset, but her gaze held her mesmerized in place. Her original plan was to help Sunset track down the journal and then return to Hayvard, never to think about this week ever again.

But even with her limited knowledge of friendship, she knew it would be wrong to abandon a friend so soon after rekindling a friendship. And she really did enjoy Sunset's company – she was witty, intelligent, funny, and they clicked together so well. Twilight didn't want to lose that.

"I'll keep in touch after all this is done," she found herself saying, and as Sunset smiled in response, Twilight knew her life was going to change forever once again.

Chapter 12: Echoes of the Past

Sunset was going over her notes one last time when she heard a knock at her door.

"Coming!" She closed her notebook and walked over to the foyer, opening the door to see Twilight standing there with a smile, her bag clutched in one hand.

"Good morning, Sunset," Twilight said cheerfully.

"Morning, Twilight," Sunset replied. "Just gimme a sec to grab my notes before we get started."

Sunset went to grab her things with a lightness in her step that she hadn't felt in a long time. After the success of yesterday's dinner, she had actually found herself looking forward to seeing her new old friend again. It was so nice being able to talk to her as a friend, and Sunset had found herself smiling all through last night as she tried to recall and put to paper everything she knew about disrupting spellcasting without the use of magic.

"Alright, let's go." Together, they headed towards the elevator, Sunset chatting amicably along the way. "So I spent the night trying to remember everything I learned about nonmagical magic suppression, which, turns out, wasn't much – I didn't pay as much attention to those books as I should've. Never thought I'd need to manipulate magic with having magic of my own."

"Well, then it'll be a learning experience for both of us," Twilight replied. "So, what do you remember?"

"Well, the earth pony and pegasus techniques for stopping spellcasting mostly seem to involve making some kind of pressure wave to resonate with the unicorn's horn. It lines up with the fact that hitting the horn can affect spellcasting. I think it's basically just causing destructive interference with the magic, but constructive versus destructive interference is just about phase."

"Hmm, so all we need to do is build a sonar system set to the right frequency to produce a measurable magical response?"

"That's right."

"I do have some research on sound waves generated by spells," Twilight said as the elevator slid down to the basement. "That should make for a good starting place to determine the resonance frequencies we need."

The two of them entered the lab while going over preliminary technical details. Once there, Twilight set up in her usual spot next to the spectroscope, pulling out her laptop and notebook.

It was hard to believe that they'd only started working together a week ago; Twilight looked so natural sitting in Sunset's lab, as if she'd always belonged there.

For a moment, Sunset allowed herself to imagine a future where Twilight continued to work in her lab after all this was over. Every day could be like the past week: the two of them putting their minds together to unravel the secrets of the universe, sharing ideas and exchanging notes. And every night…

Well, it wasn't really a secret how Twilight felt about her. She was a pretty open book, and it was kinda hard to forget what'd happened on the ride to Camp Everfree. Sunset couldn't say she didn't find Twilight attractive too, both physically and otherwise, and it would definitely be nice to share more than a lab with her.

Of course, there was still the whole differing ideologies problem that was keeping them apart, but the more Sunset spent time with Twilight, the more she was sure it wasn't actually as big of a deal than she'd thought at first. After all, Twilight seemed to be fine working with magic now, and as much as what she had done in Camp Everfree had hurt, it had also shown her that Twilight was beginning to accept that magic might not be all bad.

Maybe one day, they could have harmony between them, and then, who knew what the future might hold?

But that was something to think about later. Sunset had secured a promise from Twilight last night to keep in touch, and for now, that would be enough. Besides, they still had to find the journal first and stop whomever was behind the theft before they accidentally tore a hole in the fabric of reality, or else it might all become moot in the near future anyways.

"So, where do you want to start?" Sunset asked as Twilight continued to set up.

"I think we should go over our notes and focus on unifying the physics side of things with the magic side. Then we can figure out what kind of setup we need to extract the key parameters to feed into a larger-scale system."

"Sounds like a plan. I should probably go first then, since I have the notes on magical theory." Twilight nodded and Sunset began her explanation, outlining the theory behind spell disruption. Twilight chimed in with the occasional question or observation, and afterwards went over her own notes on sonic emissions with Sunset. By the time they decided to break for lunch, they had a few general ideas about how to test the way sound affected magic.

As the day wore on and morning turned to afternoon, Sunset decided that she definitely wasn't going to let Twilight go back to Hayvard. Friendship – and maybe more – aside, they worked way too well together to let this opportunity go to waste. Twilight was worth an entire department, and Sunset was willing to give her one to get her to work at Equinox.

"Okay, so it looks like these frequencies resonate best with magic in general," Twilight said, pointing at the expression she had just derived on the whiteboard. "It shouldn't be too difficult to compute them numerically and sweep the spectrums."

Sunset stared at the derivation, quickly going over Twilight's work in her head. "Looks fine. Should I get the samples?"

"Sure. It shouldn't take long to code up. Do you have a good set of speakers we could use?"

"I've got a set somewhere around here. Let me check." Sunset went over to one of the many boxes of electrical equipment in the lab. If she recalled correctly, she had a set of speakers stored there from her last sonic experiments. "Yup, here it is."

Half an hour later, and they had the experiment set up, with Twilight's laptop connected to the speaker on one side and a complex metal-and-crystal lattice on the other that glowed with the same blue light as the luminescent growth sitting in its center.

Sunset suppressed a flash of irritation at being forced to use a magic-infused sample instead of the cloverbloom itself. What's done was done, and their friendship would only thrive if they could forgive one another. Besides, Twilight would come around in time.

"I can't believe it still works," the woman in question commented as she gazed transfixed at the construct the sample sat in. "Fifteen years of wear-and-tear and it still functions as well as the day we made it."

"Well, I did fix it up a bit once in a while," Sunset replied as she finished checking the calibration on the device to make sure none of the stored magic would leak accidentally, "but we built this thing out of stainless steel and quartz. It's basically never gonna corrode or wear or anything like that. The closest it's ever been to breaking was the first time we used it." She smirked at Twilight, who glared back at her.

"Hey, that wasn't my fault!" she grumbled while continuing to type on her laptop. "Someone forgot to tell me that the magical adhesive needed time to cement the bonds."

"I didn't think you were going to blast it with a million Thaums of magic five minutes after we finished sealing the last joint," Sunset said with a small smile as she continued to tweak the magic flow to close potential gaps. Even this sample was putting off more raw magic than she'd worked with in years, and standing next to it was… invigorating.

"Well, on the bright side, it saved us from having to stress-test it later. Which worked out because Rarity would've had a fit if we'd shown up even later to the dress fitting."

"If I'm remembering right, she was still pretty angry. I'm not completely sure that our prom dresses weren't revenge for showing up half-an-hour late." Sunset stepped away regretfully from the lattice. "Also, I made some final adjustments on this thing. The magic should be completely contained but still exposed to external factors."

"Great. I'm almost done on my end too. Just need to verify that everything is connected properly. Also, our prom dresses weren't that bad."

"You had a literal star chart stitched into your dress," Sunset replied flatly. "There is no universe where that's fashionable." She had still looked cute in that dress, though.

"I liked it," Twilight said with a pout, "and I thought the volcano theme looked good on you."

"Of all the images that a dress could evoke, a mountain isn't exactly the most flattering one, even if it is erupting in fire and molten rock."

"I suppose. To be honest, I wasn't paying much attention to the dresses, on account of being busy with the whole shapeshifting thing and trying to verify everyone's identities."

"Oh right, that was during prom. I remember you dragging me around and asking me to read everyone." Sunset shook her head. "Shapeshifter at the prom. Like our lives hadn't been enough of a teenage superhero show already."

As soon as she finished speaking, a loud screech ripped through the room and into Sunset's eardrums. Flinching, Sunset pressed her hands against her ears on instinct. "What the hell was that?" she shouted as the sound abruptly cut off, though her ears continued to sting for a few more seconds.

"Sorry!" Twilight said, frantically typing away. "Fed the wrong inputs into the script. Ok, this should do it."

Sunset heard a low humming sound in the background, somewhat reminiscent of the thrum of magic being cast. She turned to look at the magic stored in the containment lattice and saw no change in it.

"It doesn't look like it's working," Sunset called out to Twilight.

"Hmm, let me try sweeping the frequencies." The humming started growing more high-pitched before abruptly dropping down to a low rumble.

"Still nothing," Sunset said. "Maybe it's an amplitude problem?"

"I'll try increasing the power," Twilight replied. "You may want to cover your ears."

Sunset plugged her fingers into her ears just as she was blasted by a wave of sound. Glancing at the lattice, she saw that waves of light were now pulsing out from the joints where steel met crystal.

"Okay, now it's working!" She shouted, her head feeling like it was about to explode from the sound. "Can you turn it off, please?" A blessed silence filled the room as Twilight shut down the system.

"Well, that's one theory confirmed," Twilight said, rubbing her own temples, "but there's no way we can use these frequencies and amplitudes for the scanner, not without breaking every noise ordinance the city has. We'll have to use frequencies outside the human auditory range. Infrasonic, of course, since ultrasonic reflects too much."

"Sounds good," Sunset replied, "just let me grab some earmuffs first so we don't go deaf if we hit the audible range again."

"Ok, sweeping the frequencies closest to point-oh-one Hertz," Twilight announced from where she was sitting beside Sunset a few minutes later. "Let's try forty decibels to start."

Once again, Sunset saw the glow of the lattice become brighter, making it a little uncomfortable to stare at the center of the device. She couldn't see any other effects, though.

"Going up to fifty decibels," Twilight said. This time, Sunset could see faint pulses of light at the joints of the structure, like someone had attached a few flickering lightbulbs to a network of fluorescent tubes.

"Sixty." The pulsing lights grew brighter, as did the overall structure. Sunset found herself having to block out the incandescent center with her arm.

"Sixty-five." Sunset had completely turned away from the containment lattice now, and even then she found the walls around her glowing with enough reflected light to make her want to close her eyes.

"Alright, I think that's enough." The light faded, and Sunset turned to see the lattice looking completely mundane once again.

"Well, that looks like a good frequency," Sunset said, "should we try the other ones?"

"We should," Twilight replied, "just in case another frequency ends up being more effective. Let's try point-oh-oh-seven Hertz."

The next hour-and-a-half passed by uneventfully outside of a few minor cases of ocular overload. Sunset found the process of staring at the lightshow in front of her while taking notes incredibly relaxing, and sitting next to Twilight the whole time made the experience even better. She hadn't noticed before, but Twilight still smelled faintly of paper and ink, just like she had back when they were students at Canterlot High.

Also, she looked as cute as a button in those earmuffs that perfectly framed her round face. Sunset made a note to get her a pair for Hearth's Warming.

"So it looks like these are the best frequencies," Twilight said, pointing at the fourth dataset they had collected.

"Yup, now it's time for the hard part. You got the waveforms ready?"

"Yes. I'm going to try the echo waveform, since it's the simplest. I'll set the return pulse to five hundred Hertz." A low whine emanated from the lattice.

"Looks like it's working," Sunset said, enjoying the sweet sound of success.

"Oh, good," Twilight replied, "I wasn't quite sure if I had the domain transformations correct. I'll run a few tests with varying frequencies and amplitudes."

"Sounds good." As the lattice started to beep in various tones and volumes like a malfunctioning telephone, Sunset turned to face Twilight. "So, have you thought any more about what you're going to do after all this is done?"

Twilight kept her eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of her. "I'm going to head back to Hayvard, of course. There's a lot of stuff I need to do when I get back. Dinky's almost finished her paper on the new metamaterial we developed with negative refractive indices in the visible spectrum, and I'll need to review it.

"I'll also need to start working on the midterm for the introductory quantum physics course I'm teaching – Dinky's got a handle on the lectures for now, but she's not ready to write an examination paper all by herself. I've also got million grant applications to fill out, as usual."

"I've read some of your lab's papers on metamaterials. Equinox is working on some with abnormal refractive indices too," Sunset said casually, deliberately leaving out the fact that the development had begun with her analysis of illusion spells. "Your student's got some really interesting topologies. By the way, is Dinky doing anything next semester? I think we could learn a lot from each other if we compared notes, and I'd love to pick her brains for our next project."

Twilight looked up sharply at Sunset, eyes widening. "You've never let anyone into your company with the intent of letting them leave," she said suspiciously.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Way to make me sound like a supervillain," she muttered. "I just offer my employees very generous compensation packages and the chance to work on developing cutting-edge technologies that will change the world. It's not like I'm holding their families hostage or blackmailing them into working for me. Just because our turnovers are the lowest in the industry doesn't mean I'm some kinda mob boss."

"Fine," Twilight replied, frowning, "but still, Equinox Labs is notorious for being very secretive. No partnerships, no collaborations, and no interns."

Sunset shrugged. "Maybe it's time for a change. It's not like anyone else other than Starlight knows about the magic stuff anyways, so it's not like being more open is gonna be more risky. I think there's a lot of good that we can do if we work with other brilliant minds." Sunset shot a pointed look at Twilight. No point beating around the bush anymore. They both knew what she was after.

Twilight returned Sunset's determined gaze with her own uncertain one. They didn't speak for several seconds, and as the silence stretched between them, Sunset saw a plethora of emotions cross Twilight's face as she considered Sunset's offers, both spoken and otherwise. "I… I'll talk to Dinky," she finally said. "Let her decide."

"That's fine," Sunset said, trying not to smile too widely. "Let her know that it's a standing offer and that she can take her time to check out other options." Of course, she knew what Dinky would pick – no one in their right mind would pass up the chance to work at Equinox Labs.

Twilight knew that too, which meant that she was basically agreeing to let Dinky work there. It was a good first step, and Sunset was optimistic about being able to set up a partnership between her company and Twilight's lab one day, a first step that could one day turn into more.

"Alright, that's the first set of trials done," Twilight said, breaking Sunset out of her reverie. "I'm going to move on to electromagnetic return pulses. I'll start with five hundred and fifty nanometers, which should yield green light."

A few seconds later, Sunset realized something was wrong as soon as the lattice began glowing an angry red color instead of the expected green. "Shut it down," she ordered, "shut it down right now."

"I already did," Twilight replied tersely. "There's nothing coming out of the speaker." The lattice still sustained its rust-colored luminescence.

Sunset stood up and cautiously approached the quartz-steel construct. As she got nearer, she felt a turbulence within the contained magic, one she had sensed many times before. "Looks like we screwed up the waveform. The magic is stuck in a suspended state; it was supposed to be used to cast a spell, but since the spell didn't trigger, it's still in a volatile stasis, looking for a spellform to complete it." Sunset took another step closer, reaching out towards the magic with her arcane senses.

"Be careful!" Twilight called out, her voice shaking a little. "If it's in that kind of state, you could trigger it by accident!"

"Relax, Twilight," Sunset replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I saw this stuff happen all the time back at CSGU. Defusing this kind of situation was one of the first things they taught us, since it was gonna happen when you're trying to learn how to cast advanced spells." Sunset reached out to the magic. "All I need to do is establish a connection and gently guide it–"

The moment her hand made contact with the edge of the lattice, Sunset saw the magic leap out to surround her hand, and a moment later her vision was awash with a reddish tint. At the same time, she felt the roiling chaos of the magic trying to invade her mind, crashing against her psyche like a tidal wave.

Gritting her teeth, Sunset focused on the waves of energy invading her brain. She could sense that it wanted to be unleashed, to be freed from its current metaphysical state, and that it would use any conduit to achieve that goal. She reached out with her mind into the swirling maelstrom, subtly diverting its path and lessening the pressure on her soul. With renewed clarity of thought, she channeled the magic into her hands and pointed it outwards, intent on completing the spell and allowing the magic to dissipate.

"Sunset!" Unfortunately, Twilight had chosen that exact moment to call out to her, and Sunset turned instinctively to face her. A beam of pure light shot out of her hand and struck Twilight square in the chest.

Twilight screamed as bright green light engulfed her completely, the intensity nearly blinding Sunset.

A second later, she toppled over, the room plunging into darkness as the light fled her.

Sunset rushed over to Twilight, who was curled in on herself on the floor, her breathing rapid and shallow. "Calm down, Twilight," Sunset said, keeping her own voice as steady as she could, "take a deep breath. Everything's okay."

"Get away from me!" Twilight shouted, pushing Sunset's outstretched hand away. "What the hell did you do to me?" The panic and anger in Twilight's voice cut deep into Sunset's heart as the terrified scientist hugged herself even tighter.

"Nothing!" Sunset replied, her words rushing out in an effort to placate Twilight. "It was just a light spell! The echoing pulse was supposed to be a burst of green light, so that's what I made the magic manifest as. It's completely harmless."

Slowly, Twilight's breathing returned to normal, and the angry light in her eye dimmed, though she still eyed Sunset warily. "I– I see," she said, a slight tremor in her voice. "That makes sense. The waveform must have initiated the spell but not completed it, resulting in the buildup of magic. Are you sure that spell didn't do anything to me?"

"It's just light," Sunset assured her. "Nothing else." She reached out a hand to Twilight again to help her stand up, but Twilight pushed herself backwards until she thumped against the wall of the lab.

"I can get up by myself," Twilight replied tersely.

Sunset kept her distance as Twilight pushed herself to her feet. "I'm sorry I scared you, but it wasn't going to hurt you no matter what. Even if I didn't try to dissipate it, all it would've done is make a bright light before disappearing. Magic isn't some volatile chemical that randomly explodes if you touch it wrong."

"I know that, intellectually," Twilight replied as she stood up, her eyes still turned away from Sunset. "It's just that the situation reminded me of that night fifteen years ago. You have to admit it was a pretty similar setup."

Sunset winced. "Yeah, I can see how that might trigger some bad memories. I don't suppose it would help if I said I was sorry again?"

Twilight shook her head. "We already decided on a clean slate. I'm trying to move on from what you did to me, but that doesn't mean I forgot how much it sucked." She put an obviously false smile on her face. "Let's just keep going. We should try and figure out what went wrong with that experiment."

"Sure," Sunset smiled back with equal falsehood. "Let's go over the code again and make sure it's implementing the equations correctly."

The rest of the afternoon passed by without incident, but the mood in the lab was very different from the cautious hope that had pervaded the morning. The magical mishap had been a blunt reminder of that despite having decided to start over, they still shared a past filled with pain and betrayal, and despite the excuses that Sunset had made, a lot of it was her fault.

The bug in the code was quickly identified and resolved, and by the end of the day they'd managed to get the magic to echo back a pulse in multiple frequencies. Throughout the day, Sunset noticed that Twilight never once touched the containment lattice, leaving Sunset to make adjustments to it. She also gave the device a wide berth whenever she had to walk past it.

"Well, I think we've reached a good stopping point," Twilight said as they finished sweeping the last of the frequencies. "It's getting late and I have a committee meeting in an hour. We have a functioning framework for controlling the echoing spell, and I can't really help much with the spell design. You can figure it out without me, right? After all, it's not like you wanted me for my magical abilities." Twilight's attempts at dry humor were somewhat ruined by the awkwardness in her tone.

"Yeah, I can deal with this myself," Sunset said in the same painfully polite tone they'd been using all afternoon. By this point, she was starting to hate the sound of her own voice. "Go do your committee stuff – wouldn't want you getting into trouble for missing a meeting, right?"

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow at the same time, then?"

"Yup. Oh, Pinkie's party is tomorrow evening, so we'll have to finish up early. You want to head out together from here?"

"Okay," Twilight packed the last of her things before Sunset walked her out of the lab in silence. Sunset dropped her off on the first floor with a quick and formal goodbye before taking the elevator up to her room and heading for her office.

After taking a moment to gaze wistfully at a framed picture on her desk of her, Twilight, and the rest of their friends at Camp Everfree, she called up Starlight Glimmer on her computer. Whatever personal issues she might be going through, she still had a company to run, even if she was on extended leave.

"Good evening, Sunset," her President said as the image of her sitting in her own office appeared on screen. "How are you doing?"

"Okay," Sunset replied. "We're developing an active scanning method that might help us track down the magic used for the theft. Hopefully, we'll have something working by tomorrow."

"That's great!" Starlight said, smiling widely. "We're all looking forward to having you back. It's just not the same without you."

"That's good to hear," Sunset said with her own smile. "By the way, I've invited someone to join us on the metamaterials team. I think she'll be a valuable addition with a lot of unique insights."

"Oh?" Starlight's head tilted slightly in confusion. "I didn't realize you were recruiting. Who's the new hire?"

"Dinky Doo, one of Twilight's students. I extended an offer for her to join us in the spring for a semester."

"We've never hired an intern before." Starlight's tone instantly chilled.

"That doesn't mean we can't start," Sunset countered, "and I think Miss Doo is the perfect candidate for our first intern. Her work has already started revolutionizing the field, and I'm sure that there's a lot we could do with her working for us."

"And the fact that she's a student of Professor Sparkle has nothing to do with this?" Starlight shot Sunset a pointed look as she spoke.

"Well, her lab's one of the only ones that could train someone in the field, so I can't say she had nothing to do with it," Sunset said flippantly.

Starlight was not amused. "You know what I mean. Is this one of her conditions for working with you? Let her student work at Equinox so she can keep an eye on us or she won't help you track the journal?"

"No, it was my idea," Sunset replied. "I'm the one who asked Dinky to join."

Starlight sighed. "I was afraid of that. After all these years, you still can't let go of the past."

This time, it was Sunset's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Twilight Sparkle." Starlight said the name with a disgusted grunt. "You've always let her control your life, even though she broke off all contact with you fifteen years ago. Every major decision you've made in over a decade has been influenced by her."

"It's complicated," Sunset protested weakly.

Starlight scoffed. "It doesn't seem that complicated to me. It was her fault that you ended up sharing that cell with me in Crystal City. She ruined your life, took away your home, and drove you to the brink of despair. And the moment you found out that someone had stolen that journal, you were ready to welcome her back with open arms and let her set up shop right in the middle of your secret lab. You even let her steal away your chance at studying magic. What happened to the woman who was ready to take on the whole world for the greater good?"

"That's enough, Starlight," Sunset said firmly. "There's a lot of context that you aren't aware of. I said a lot of crap about Twilight because I was angry, and I didn't give you the whole picture. Twilight's got good reason to hate me, and I can't blame her for that."

Sunset bowed her head, shame welling up inside her heart. "I never told you this, but I hurt her bad. Twice. I broke her trust and then nearly killed her, all because of magic. Twilight has every right to be scared of magic, as misguided as we might think she is. She's a good person, and I can't stand by and let you verbally attack her."

Starlight was silent for a moment, staring intensely at Sunset. Finally, she spoke, a resigned tone in her voice. "Fine, I'll let HR know to expect someone next spring. But Sunset?" The founder of Equinox labs looked up at the determined gaze of her President. "I don't care about Twilight Sparkle. You're my friend, and I want you to be happy. If I think she isn't good for you, I won't hold my tongue." She tempered her next words with a smile. "After all, you didn't hire me to agree with you all the time."

"Thanks, Starlight," Sunset replied, her heart filled with warmth. "You're a good friend, and better than I deserve."

"Says the woman who saved me from throwing my life away. But enough sappy friendship talk – we have a company to run, and I need to know what you want to do regarding the licensing of the Evershine fabric for uses outside the fashion industry."

"We don't have an exclusivity contract with Fancy Pants, so there's no issue with licensing it to other companies. The terms we set with Fancy Pants seem fair enough, and makes for a good baseline for our negotiations. As for which companies to target…" Putting aside thoughts relationships and past betrayals from her mind, Sunset focused her attention on running Equinox. Whatever problems she might be dealing with, there were a lot of people depending on her, and she couldn't let them down.

Chapter 13: On The Shoulders Of Giants

Two hours into their attempts to develop an effective scanning waveform, Twilight was ready to pull her hair out in frustration.

It wasn't because of the work; they were making very good progress, having already solved most of the problems related to scaling up the tracking system. Twilight was cautiously optimistic about finishing before they had to leave for the party.

No, the source of her frustrations was her research partner.

All morning, Sunset had been distant with her. She hadn't been rude – in fact, it felt like she was going out of her way to be pleasant and positive when talking to her, but every time Twilight tried to engage her in casual conversation, she would only give a brief reply before steering the conversation back to work.

Sunset was also literally keeping her distance from Twilight, choosing to work on the other side of the lab except where collaboration was strictly necessary. It was a lot like yesterday afternoon, and Twilight despised it.

She knew why Sunset was acting like this, of course. Twilight's reaction to the magical mishap yesterday, while justified, had definitely poured a proverbial bucket of cold water over the cozy warmth she'd been enjoying with Sunset. Still, Twilight had agreed to move on with Sunset, and as such, she'd been determined not to let that incident color her interactions with Sunset.

Sunset, it seemed, didn't felt the same way. Twilight had tried to give her some space yesterday to deal with her guilt, but in her absence, she'd forgotten about Sunset's habit of self-flagellation in situations where she truly believed herself to be at fault.

Well, Twilight was done interacting with Sunset from across a metaphorical chasm. It was time for some direct intervention.

"Sunset?" Twilight called out to her research partner on the other side of the lab.

"Yeah?" Sunset turned to face Twilight, one hand tightly clutching the marker she was using to write on the whiteboard next to her. "Did you figure out how to scale the waveforms for the high-power regime?"

"Not yet," Twilight replied. "I still need to figure out how to suppress the higher harmonics. I was just wondering, who else is going to be at the party tonight? I don't remember Pinkie Pie telling me."

"It's going to be the two of us, Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack," Sunset replied. "Scootaloo's probably going to be there as well, which means Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are too. And I think that's it."

"Oh, it'll be nice to see the Crusaders again. How have they been doing?"

"They're fine," Sunset said. "So, can't you just filter out the harmonics?"

"Okay, I'm getting tired of this." Twilight stood up and walked over towards Sunset, who looked taken aback at her sudden movement, like a cornered mouse. "What's wrong with you today?"

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked as she backed away slightly from Twilight.

Twilight continued advancing towards Sunset. "I'm talking about how you've been avoiding me all morning."

Sunset's confused look remained. "Err, Twilight?" she said, waving her hands in front of Twilight. "I'm right here. I've been here all morning."

"You've been positioned on the opposite side of the room all morning," Twilight said bluntly. "You won't talk to me except when absolutely necessary for our work, and you keep deflecting my questions. I know the normal social convention is not to call you out on it and do some ridiculous social dance where I try to figure out why you're acting that way while pretending that nothing is wrong, but I've never been one for inefficient social conventions."

Twilight's tone softened as she continued speaking. "Please, Sunset, I'm your friend again, and as a friend, I want to help you."

Sunset sighed. "I – I just didn't want to lose you again. Things were going so well. After fifteen years, we're finally talking to each other again, and we're even friends now! And then I got cocky and tried to diffuse the lattice without thinking about the difference between magic in this world and Equestria."

A bitter laugh escaped from Sunset. "That just keeps happening to me, doesn't it? Every time things start going well, I let my ego get the better of me and ruin it. This friendship we have, it's like glass. Broken glass that we've kinda glued together and hope won't fall apart when we touch it. I'm so scared I'm going to knock it over a break it into a million pieces."

The raw emotion in Sunset's words struck Twilight right in the heart, sympathetic pain assailing her as she finally understood Sunset's overreaction. Despite Twilight's frustration at Sunset's actions, a pleasant warmth was already spreading through her mind at the knowledge that Sunset cared so much about their friendship.

Still, it was time to set things straight. "I appreciate your efforts, but it's not necessary. Yes, I freaked out yesterday over the whole magic thing, but I meant what I said about wanting to move on, and I want to get past my issues." Unlike yesterday, the smile she wore was truly genuine. "So while I'd prefer if you didn't zap me with magic again, please don't try and distance yourself from me. Besides, it's hard to be friends with someone who keeps trying to keep you at arm's length."

"I guess you're right," Sunset said. "I knew it was stupid, but I really didn't know what to do, and I didn't want you freaking out again."

"It's something I need to work on," Twilight admitted. "You've probably noticed by now that the presence of magic makes me uncomfortable, and while I have good reason for my reaction, it's not exactly productive. I need to get past this, and you don't need to hold yourself back from talking about it."

"If that's what you want." Sunset and Twilight stood awkwardly a few feet from each other. "So, uh, what now?"

Twilight shrugged. "Well, we've been working for a while now; maybe we should take a break?"

"Sure. What do you want to do?"

Twilight looked around. "Well, maybe you could give me a tour of your lab? We've mostly been cooped up in this little corner of it, and I wasn't really in the right mindset to appreciate it last week when you showed me around the rest of the place."

"Do you really want to know?" Sunset asked. "There's a reason I haven't offered to give you a more in-depth tour."

Twilight took a moment to ponder that question. It was true that she'd been avoiding thinking about Sunset's work at Equinox Labs ever since she arrived. In her mind, she'd been unable to decouple the idea of magic with Sunset's work.

And yet, the developments themselves were completely mundane – none of the new technologies Equinox had "discovered" relied on magic to function, for obvious reasons. Even despite her distaste for magic, she had to admit that said developments had led to massively positive benefits, both for society and for the advancement of science. And now she had the chance to see the place where these cutting-edge technologies were being developed.

Twilight could feel the magic-averse, cautious part of her slowly losing ground to the scientist at that prospect. "I'd love to know more about what you're doing here."

"Alright, let me give you the VIP tour, then." Sunset bowed grandiosely, a smirk on her face as she rose back up. "Let's start in the chemistry section."

Twilight followed Sunset to the far corner of the room, where a series of differently-shaped containers sat on a series of shelves next to a fancy-looking refrigerator. Liquids and solids of various colors and textures sat in those containers, each neatly labelled. Some of those labels were easily recognizable, like water or hydrochloric acid, while others had long chemical names, only a few of which Twilight vaguely recalled from her undergraduate chemistry classes. On a nearby table, a plethora of various pieces of equipment that Twilight assumed were related to chemistry sat, ready for use.

"This part of the lab is where I do work on developing new chemical processes," Sunset said. "For most large-scale industrial processes, you guys are way ahead of us. But there's a lot of things you've missed out on because of how you think about everything in terms of atoms. There's so many reactions you haven't found yet because you're analyzing them purely in terms of bonds between atoms, which we didn't start doing until pretty recently."

"How else would you look at chemistry?" Twilight asked.

"With the alchemical paradigm, of course," Sunset replied. "Humans had alchemy for a while, but you guys abandoned it a few hundred years ago."

"I wouldn't say it was abandoned. We simply developed a better understanding of matter actually worked and the field evolved into chemistry. Alchemy was a combination of actual chemical insights and supernatural nonsense; chemistry distilled it into actual science."

"That makes sense for your world, since there isn't any magic here. But in Equestria, alchemy's a legit field, and we don't really think of it as being different from what you would call modern chemistry. Chemistry can tell you all about the various bonds that can form between atoms and molecules, but alchemy looks at the magical essence of things, to see connections that can form in the astral plane. When you see that, you can synthesize compounds that you wouldn't be able to otherwise."

Sunset picked up a bottle of blue liquid from the shelf. "In the beginning, I was just 'inventing' non-magical processes that had been around in Equestria for a long time. Stuff like Nicked Flannel's Transmutation or New Tone's Precipitous Botany."

Peering into the bottle, Twilight saw a silvery crystal growing out from its base, with many branches sprouting from the center and suspended in the liquid like a tree. "Eventually, I ran out of stuff I could pull from my classes that didn't need magic so I got creative. I started trying to recreate some of the magical alchemical techniques without magic."

Sunset walked over to the table and placed her hand on a complex series of tubes connected to an open flame. "A few months ago, I finally figured out how to pull off a lesser version of Brown Cell's Acceleration with just a heat source and a lot of selective mixing. We sold the patent to a perfume-making company, and the first batch of their special scents should be hitting the market in a couple weeks."

Sunset's attention turned towards a cylindrical metal container with various wires sticking out of it and a complicated interface attached to its front. It looked like a centrifuge, but when Sunset popped open the lid, Twilight realized it was more than that.

In addition to the holes lining the edges of the circular disc within where one would insert the samples to separate, the center of the centrifuge contained a crystal surrounded by an arcane symbol. Twilight recognized a few of the symbols in the circle as alchemical symbols from this world.

"This is one of my current projects," Sunset explained. "I'm trying to create a non-magical version of Somnambula's Sleeping Spray, which I'm hoping is gonna become the next big anaesthetic." She gingerly plucked out a vial of purple liquid. "It's made from a blend of different flowers, though I'm working on extracting just the active ingredients, and at the right concentrations one whiff of this will knock you out for the whole night without any side effects."

She returned the vial to its arcane machine. "I can substitute a lot of the magic with some careful centrifuging, but it turns out there's still a core spark that I can't provide without magic, which is why I need the crystal. I'm hoping I can move past that one day."

Not for the first time since she'd returned to Canterlot, Twilight found herself assailed by an uncanny sense of déjà vu. The arcane centrifuge would've been right at home with the things she'd designed as a teenager, and she felt a slew of memories brimming to the surface at the sight of the marvel of science and magic.

She remembered the long nights alone in her lab, basking in the wonder of discovery, and allowed herself to touch the centrifuge in her reverie. As she slid her hand across its smooth metal surface, she understood what had driven Sunset to create this lab.

When she looked back up, Sunset had already moved on to the next part of the lab, where rocks of various sizes were strewn about, interspersed with even more scientific equipment.

"This is the geology section of the lab," Sunset said as she walked through the jagged field. "To be honest, I haven't been able to do much here since most of the development in the field came from Earth Pony magic, and I only took enough courses in it at CSGU to hit the minimum requirements.

"Most of my work here is just trying to figure out what different dowsing spells actually fixate on and seeing if I can do what those spells do with technology. I haven't had any luck so far, though; the closest I've come is figuring out that the dowsing spells for gemstones seem to cause a resonance with crystalline structures, which causes the magic to be reflected back like in the magic tracking spell."

"If it behaves similarly, have you considered trying to map the dowsing spell into sound waves like we're doing?" Twilight asked.

Sunset pressed her hand against her forehead. "I can't believe I didn't make that connection." Twilight could see the gears turning in her mind as she spoke. "Yeah, if we can map the Echo spell into a sonic form, we should be able to do the same with the Gem-Finding spell." Sunset smiled at Twilight. "Thanks for the advice."

"Don't mention it," Twilight replied, her gut churning as she suddenly felt a bit sick. She hadn't really been thinking when she'd thrown out that suggestion, her mind still running on scientific analysis mode, but now that the rest of her brain had caught up with her she realized the implications of what she'd done.

Ever since she had arrived here to help Sunset, all of her contributions had been towards finding and catching whoever had stolen Sunset's journal, and despite her abhorrence of magic, Twilight had justified her work with it as a necessary evil.

But the advice she'd just given Sunset had nothing to do with their search. Did that make Twilight an accomplice is Sunset's work? She still didn't agree with Sunset's use of magic; it was reckless and dangerous and Twilight still hoped that it would all go away, even if she knew that wasn't going to happen. And when she'd asked for a tour, she'd rationalized it as being an observer, someone who wanted to know more about Sunset's work but still didn't approve of it.

Now, she couldn't even claim that flimsy excuse anymore, and her conscience was quick to remind her that aiding in the spread of magic would only lead to pain.

And yet, was that what she was doing? Sure, her insights were magical in nature, but Sunset's ultimate goal was to achieve the same effects without magic. Surely, that was a worthy goal? After all, Twilight had already admitted that magic wasn't all bad, and there was no reason some good couldn't come out of it. Maybe what Sunset was doing was for the best, using her magical abilities to find mundane ways of helping people. She couldn't be faulted for that.

"Twilight, you okay?" Twilight looked across the room and saw Sunset staring worriedly at her. "You kinda zoned out there for a moment."

"I'm fine," Twilight said, filing away her thought for later. Right now, she wanted to learn as much about Sunset's work as possible, ethics be damned. "So, what else are you doing here?"

"Not much here," Sunset replied. "But you might find the climate science part of the lab interesting. Come on, I'll show you."

As they continued with the rest of the tour, Twilight became increasingly less certain in her resolve to oppose Sunset's work. Seeing marvel after marvel, all created through mundane methods with only magic as a guide, made her truly realize the scope of what Sunset was doing. This woman was single-handedly changing the world, mostly for the better, and Twilight couldn't find it in her to try and stop Sunset.

As they returned to the part of the lab dedicated to physics and Sunset showed her the Dragonflame Antenna she had designed, Twilight resolved to pass on the offer Sunset had made to Dinky. Twilight was certain that she would learn much at Equinox, and Equinox could use her help too.

"…And that brings us back here," Sunset said as they returned to the containment lattice.

"Thanks for the tour, Sunset." Twilight smiled at Sunset. "It was very enlightening."

"I'm glad. I always wanted to show it to you." Sunset looked away from Twilight as she said that, a small blush on her cheeks.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. You were one of my best friends, and the only one who really understood what I was doing back then. I wanted to show you how much I'd managed to achieve since then." Sunset still refused to look at Twilight.

"If you wanted to impress me, then you've succeeded," Twilight said sincerely. "You've done a lot here to make the world a better place." And all without having to bring magic into the world, she wanted to add, but now was not the time for that discussion, not when they were trying to rekindle their friendship.

"Thanks," Sunset replied. "So, ready to get back to work? We've still got a magic thief to find, and we'll lose some time tonight because of the party."

"Good point. I'd like to get something working before we have to leave." As Twilight returned to her computer, she couldn't help but smile. She had her friend back again, and this time she wasn't going to let her go.

Chapter 14: The Prodigal Daughters

Twilight politely kept quiet as Sunset finished up her call. They were currently sitting in Sunset's car, the windows rolled up to prevent the outside noise from disturbing the conversation Sunset was having.

"Good. Let me know when it's up and running. Nope, that's all for now. Bye." Sunset tapped the screen on the dashboard before addressing Twilight. "Velvet says she'll have the scanner done by tomorrow morning."

"That's impressive," Twilight remarked she cracked open the window an inch to let some fresh air in. "The specifications we gave her are pretty complicated, and the algorithm description isn't very implementation-friendly."

"Like I said, she's one of the best in the world. If she says she can get it done by tomorrow, then it'll be done by tomorrow." Sunset spoke with pride as she continued driving. "She also said that it should take a few hours to scan the whole city, so we should have some data to crunch by noon. Which is good, because I'm not planning on waking up before that."

"Pinkie's parties are as wild as ever, huh?" Twilight asked, bemused at the determination in Sunset's tone.

"Yup, they're pretty much the same as before, except this time we don't have to hide the alcohol. Hay, she's still hosting it at Sugarcube Corner, even though she stopped working there a long time ago." Sunset turned the corner, and Twilight saw the familiar colorful bakery come into view. The sign had been changed to a more modern design, and the building had definitely been repainted, but underneath all the changes was the same bakery she had spent so much of her time in all those years ago.

They parked next to a beat-up old truck and a van with "Kind Heart Veterinary Hospital" printed on its side. "Looks like the others are here already," Sunset said as she stepped out of the car and scanned the parking lot, "except for Dash. We probably shouldn't keep them waiting – you're one of the guests of honor, after all."

Twilight's steps grew heavier as she approached the bakery. Her old friends were inside there – most of them, anyways. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity – how would they react to seeing her again? She'd already spoken with Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and they seemed to have accepted her return well enough, but then again, Pinkie Pie never got angry, and Rarity was tactful enough to hide her true feelings if necessary.

Twilight doubted she would get the same treatment from Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, passing through the entrance of Sugarcube Corner seemed much more daunting, and Twilight found herself slowing down and eventually stopping right in front of the doors.

Sunset nudged her forwards. "Let's go. I'm sure they'll be excited to see you."

Twilight nodded mutely and forced herself to step forward, taking strength in her friend standing beside her. Sunset would be there for her if she needed it. She pushed open the door to the bakery and stepped into Sugarcube Corner.

The first thing she noticed was the giant banner strung over the counter that proclaimed in bright, colorful letters "Welcome Back Twilight and Rainbow!" Judging from the sheer amount of glitter on the banner, either Pinkie hadn't changed in her lack of subtlety, or she had decided to make this party a nostalgia trip.

The many streamers and balloons strewn about the room did not clarify matters, nor did the stereo somewhere in the room blaring some ridiculously catchy pop song. It was like walking into a child's birthday party, which was par for the course for a Pinkie Pie Parties. At least, it was back when they were in high school.

And amidst the field of childish whimsy, standing around a large buffet table, were seven familiar faces, all looking up at her with expressions of surprise.

"Well I'll be: it really is you. I could hardly believe my ears when Pinkie told me you'd be here." A blonde-haired woman wearing a plaid blouse and faded blue jeans walked over towards Twilight. Her Stetson was tilted downwards, covering part of her face, but Twilight could still see her emerald-green eyes staring at her with a slick sheen of tears in them. "It's good to see you again, Twi."

"It's good to see you too, Applejack." Twilight let herself be drawn into a strong hug by the farmer, the faint smell of dirt and apples drifting from her old friend.

As soon as Applejack released her, Twilight was nearly tacked to the ground by a much more energetic hug. "Hi, Twilight!" the bubbly pink embodiment of sugar exclaimed as she wobbled with Twilight, who was trying to keep her balance under the cheerful assault. "I'm so glad you could make it! I wasn't sure if you were gonna show up until like an hour ago when my right ear twitched and I got an itch on my left leg and that's how my Pinkie Sense tells me that a long lost friend is going to be showing up at my party! Oh, and hi Sunset!" Pinkie waved at Sunset, who waved back with a smile.

"Hey, Pinkie. Nice party you've got going here." Sunset walked up to Pinkie, who released Twilight to give her a quick hug as well.

"Thanks! I had to change the theme since we're celebrating Twilight coming too but it wasn't too hard. I just had to change the banner and bake a few more cupcakes. Oh, Twilight, you should try my new Sriracha Surprise Special! I just invented it a few weeks ago and I think it'll be a blast."

Twilight eyed the buffet table warily. "Thanks… I'll keep that in mind."

Pinkie grinned at Twilight before turning her attention back to Sunset. "Oh, Sunset, Applejack brought some samples of the food she's gonna serve at the Exhibition. Wanna try some and lemme know what you think? I always say that the guests of honor should get to pick the food."

Sunset shot a hesitant look at Twilight, and Twilight could hear the silent question in her concerned eyes: would she be okay on her own? Twilight smiled and nodded at Sunset, her heart warming at Sunset's willingness to be there for her but also knowing that she wouldn't need her. She could do this on her own.

Sunset returned Twilight's smile with her own. "Alright, Pinkie. Let's see what AJ's cooking." The two of them walked over behind the counter, Applejack following behind them to provide her own insights.

That left Twilight alone to drift over towards the buffet table, where another pair of familiar faces were waiting for her by the cupcakes. "It's wonderful to see you again, Twilight," Rarity said as Twilight approached.

"Yes, we really missed you," Fluttershy said with a gentle smile, her voice barely audible above the music. She stood demurely next to Rarity in a withdrawn pose that Twilight had seen many times before.

"Hi Rarity, hi Fluttershy," Twilight greeted the last two of her high school friends in the room. "It's good to see you again too."

"I hope you don't mind, but I told Fluttershy about your reasons for returning to Canterlot." Rarity shot Twilight an apologetic smile. "I thought she deserved to know, since she may become involved in this unfortunate business too. Sunset agreed with me as well."

Fluttershy nodded. "I'd hoped that my adventuring days were over, but if you need help, I'll be there by your side."

"Thanks, Fluttershy, but I think we should be able to resolve this ourselves."

"What do you plan on doing once you've tracked down this thief?" Rarity asked. "I doubt you can retrieve it by simply asking nicely. And I don't believe you have access to your magic."

"I'm sure Sunset has a plan for that," Twilight assured them, making a mental note to herself to find out what that plan was. In her rush to determine a method of tracking the journal, she had neglected to consider how they would actually neutralize the one who was in possession of it.

"It's nice to see you two working together again," Fluttershy said softly. "Sunset had a hard time after… everything that happened, and she hasn't been the same without you."

"Yeah, she told me about that," Twilight said, looking away from Fluttershy. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for her back then to help her through that."

"Well, no matter," Rarity said, cutting in. "You're here for her now. And just in time for the Exhibition as well. Which reminds me," Rarity turned to address Fluttershy. "I have your dress for the event ready for you to try on."

"Oh, thank you so much, Rarity!" Fluttershy replied, smiling brightly at Rarity. "When do you want me to come by to try it?"

"Hmm… how does tomorrow morning sound?" Rarity said. "I should be able to pencil you in then."

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rarity clasped her hands together. "Wonderful! And if I may add, I'm so grateful you're doing this – it's been far too long since I've had the chance to design a dress for you." Rarity eyed her friend appreciatively. "It's such a shame you decided not to pursue a career in modelling. The fashion world lost a beautiful muse the day you quit."

"Err, weren't you the one who wanted her to stop modelling?" Twilight asked, brows furrowing. "We had a whole heart-to-heart conversation about being honest with each other and not hiding our feelings over that."

"Oh, pish-posh." Rarity waved her hand dismissively. "That was years ago. I've long since gotten over my ridiculous jealousy with respect to Fluttershy's fame. Though, I will admit to harboring some minor envy about your figure. You've only grown more beautiful since your days as a model."

"Umm… thank you?" Fluttershy blushed slightly and looked away from Rarity, staring awkwardly at the ground. Twilight had to admit that Rarity had a point; Fluttershy had filled out nicely in the past decade-and-a-half, with a full bosom and wide hips that gave her a knockout hourglass figure that even her thick green dress couldn't completely hide.

"You're very welcome, dear," Rarity said warmly, "and how about you, Twilight? Will you be joining us at the Exhibition?"

"I don't have a ticket," Twilight replied. "I didn't even know I was going to be in Canterlot on that day."

"Nonsense, darling. As the sponsors of the event, Sunset and I have what amounts to a carte blanche to invite whomever we wish. I could easily procure for you a seat at the VIP table with the rest of us."

"Thanks for the offer, Rarity, but I wouldn't want to impose." Also, Twilight wasn't even sure if she'd still be in Canterlot when that day came about.

It was very possible that they would track down the journal and resolve the theft in a couple days, and then she'd return home to catch up on all the work she'd been neglecting. It wouldn't be a goodbye forever as she'd first intended, but she still wouldn't be able to attend the Exhibition.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, dear," Rarity pressed. "We would love to have your company for the Exhibition. After all, you must admit it's not every day a long-lost friend returns to us."

"If you insist," Twilight said weakly, bowing to Rarity's guilt trip. She supposed, after abandoning her friends for fifteen years, the least she could do was attend the Exhibition. And the idea of spending a few more days in Canterlot with Sunset and the rest of her friends didn't seem quite as scary as it had when she'd first arrived.

"Wonderful!" Rarity eyed Twilight in a way that nearly made Twilight take an instinctual step back. "And I don't suppose you have something to wear to the event, do you?" The smile she gave Twilight was almost predatory.

"I've got some formal clothes back at home, but I didn't bring any of it here. I can probably make a quick trip back to pick it up between now and the Exhibition." Twilight already knew what Rarity was going to say in response, but she figured she'd at least make an effort to pretend that she wasn't going to end up wearing a Rarity original.

"There's no need to make such a long journey back. I'd be happy to make you a dress for the Exhibition." Rarity raised a hand to forestall any argument from Twilight. "And before you try to turn down my offer, I am already making a dress for everyone else at the table. This event is being sponsored by Carousel, which means that the VIP table is a venue for me to advertise our brand to the crème de la crème of Canterlot and beyond."

Rarity shot her a coyly pleading look. "You wouldn't deprive me of a business opportunity now, would you?"

Twilight sighed. She'd forgotten how skilled Rarity was at talking her into things. It was the Spring Fashion Show all over again. "Fine," she said. "Thank you for the offer and I'd be honored to have you design me a dress."

Rarity clapped her hands together with a gleeful smile. "Oh, marvelous! I have so many ideas for you. With your complexion and skin tone, you could really pull off a black satin dress. Or perhaps a tighter fitting fabric to accentuate your curves? No, that's not 'you.'" Rarity started pacing slowly around Twilight, looking her over in a way that made her feel like a math problem to be solved.

"How about a traditional powder-blue dress with a gold-trimmed flare? Or maybe silver? Hmm… idea!" Rarity looked up excitedly from her examination of Twilight's figure. "If you'll excuse me, I need to fetch my pencil and sketchbook from my car. I have the perfect dress for you!" With that, she quickly strode away from a bemused Twilight and towards the store's exit.

"She's been waiting for a while to design a dress for you," Fluttershy said as Twilight watched Rarity leave the store.

"I see." Twilight shrugged. "She's still the same old Rarity after all these years, I guess. Nice to see she hasn't changed."

"I think we've all changed in our own ways," Fluttershy replied. "Even if we're still the same at our core, we're all very different people from when we were teenagers."

"I suppose that's true. I mean, look at you, running your own shelter; fifteen years ago, I could never see you doing something like that," Twilight said. "No offense," she quickly added, realizing how that last sentence might have sounded.

"I guess it is pretty unexpected," Fluttershy said in her usual gentle tone, a soft smile gracing her features. "I wouldn't have believed it myself. It certainly wasn't what I wanted at the time; I wanted to work directly with the animals, instead of overseeing the running of the shelter and managing the fundraising while others cared for them."

Fluttershy's smile faltered for a moment as a wistful tone entered her voice. "It's been so long since I had the chance to spend a whole day with my critters. Lately, I spend most of my time behind a desk. But this is the best way for me to help them, and I'm happy that they're being cared for by loving people."

"Well, I guess that's the part that hasn't changed," Twilight said. "You always did look out for your animal friends first. And the others all seem to have done well for themselves too."

"We've all dealt with hardship, and I like to think we became stronger for it." Fluttershy said. "But we also carry the scars from those hardships too. Just, umm, remember that when you talk to the others, please." Her more confident demeanor faltered at the last sentence.

Before Twilight could inquire further, the front door opened to reveal Rarity holding a pencil and sketchbook in one hand and a measuring tape in another. She walked determinedly up to Twilight and opened up her sketchbook.

"Ah, now I can create properly," she said with satisfaction as she began drawing. Twilight and Fluttershy watched in silence as Rarity's hand slid gracefully about the page, her eyes only looking up for quick glances at Twilight. A few minutes later, she turned the book around to show Twilight. "What do you think of this design?"

"It's… nice?" Twilight said as she puzzled over the mass of lines on the page. She could clearly see that it was a dress, but she was at a loss to interpret all the marks and other details the fashionista had set on paper.

"Well, I suppose it is a rather crude drawing." Rarity closed the book and tucked it under her arm. "But I assure you, it will look quite fabulous on you when it's completed."

"I'm sure I'll love it," Twilight replied sincerely. She had never doubted Rarity's dressmaking skills before, and she wasn't about to start doing so.

"Now, I just need to take a couple measurements," Rarity advanced with the measuring tape held high.

"I'll, ah, just leave you two to do that," Fluttershy said, backing away. "I think I see Applejack calling me." She walked over towards the trio engaged in party planning, leaving Twilight alone with Rarity.

"Let's start with your waistline, shall we?" Rarity unrolled her tape measure and began wrapping it around Twilight. As she finished circling her with the tape, she gently pulled until it was just barely taut.

"So, it's been over a week since you've returned to Canterlot," Rarity said as she wrote something down in her sketchbook. "How are you and Sunset doing?"

"Pretty good. We've just sent out the specifications for a modified sonar detection system that should be able to determine the location of the magic used to facilitate the theft."

"Not that," Rarity said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, the relationship between you and Sunset. After all, the two of you have had quite the complicated past."

"Oh, that's been going well too. We had a rough start and a few bumps along the way, but we're friends again. It's not the same as it was before, but it's a lot better than it was when we first started working together."

"I see. And that's it?" Rarity wrapped the tape measure around Twilight's chest as she questioned her. "You're just friends?"

"Umm… yes? Why, should we not be friends?" Twilight asked, confused.

"Of course not, darling," Rarity quickly replied. "I'm very happy to see that you two have patched things up. But, the two of you used to be very close, the best of friends, and I still remember what you told me the week before we graduated from Canterlot High."

"Oh, that," Twilight said faintly. Of course Rarity would fixate on that.

"Yes, that. It was quite exciting when you came to me and confided your feelings for Sunset, and I had hoped that you would act on those feelings, but then that dreadful business with the portal happened and ruined it all." Rarity pulled away from Twilight and jotted down a few more measurements in her book. "Still, it's been fifteen years since that unfortunate incident, and you've been spending plenty of time together. Are you telling me that those feelings have been completely extinguished?"

"It's not that simple," Twilight said, knowing that lying to Rarity would be pointless. She doubted that the socialite had lost any of her skills at reading people. "Sunset and I have a lot of issues to work through. We're still in disagreement about a lot of fundamental things, and that's before you throw in all the crap we've been through and done to each other. You don't just get over that in a few days."

"Yes, Sunset's had it rather rough, especially at first," Rarity had moved on and was now measuring her height, stretching the tape measure over her entire length.

"She's shared some of her story with me." Twilight felt a little uncomfortable at how close Rarity was getting, but forced herself to ignore it, focusing on the conversation at hand. "I guess I should thank you for bailing her out of Crystal City."

"She told you about that?" Rarity looked up from her reading in surprise.

"About you bailing her and Starlight out of jail? Yeah, she told me all about it. I never realized how hard losing magic hit her until I found out." Twilight felt the familiar guilt gnawing at her, but it wasn't as bad his time. She and Sunset were determined to start over, and that's what she was going to do.

"She's never told another soul," Rarity said quietly. "Sunset asked me to keep my silence regarding the whole incident at the jail and I agreed to her request. Everyone knows she became obsessed with finding magic for a few years, but Sunset didn't want any of our friends to know just how close to the edge she was." A sad smile. "A woman has her pride, after all."

"I see. Well, I guess I'll keep her secret too. I'm surprised she told me so easily." If this was such a big secret, why had Sunset been so willing to reveal it to her? Had she wanted to garner sympathy from Twilight? No, Sunset wasn't the type to desire pity. It had to be something else. A guilt trip maybe? She had been angry at Twilight at the time.

"I think it's quite clear why Sunset shared that secret with you," Rarity said, piercing Twilight with a knowing gaze. "She wanted you to know her, to truly know about whom she was and how she became the woman she is today. And there are very few reasons I can think of as to why she would desire that, wouldn't you say?"

Twilight scoffed. "If you're trying to hint at romance, I can tell you I've already considered it. Multiple times. And I'm reasonably sure that Sunset is, at the very least, not opposed to the notion as well."

The memory of their near-kiss during the trip to Camp Everfree sent a warm, pleasant tingle down her spine which Twilight ignored as she spoke. "But there's too much going on right now. We have to catch this thief before the journal is used to do something really bad, and we can’t afford to get distracted. Besides, Sunset and I have trust issues that we still haven’t truly resolved, and a relationship that lacks trust is doomed to fail."

Rarity responded to Twilight with a dramatic sigh. "Well, it's clear you've thought this through quite thoroughly, and I know better than to try and talk you out of a decision you've committed to. Now, let me finish this last measurement and we can return to your party. It wouldn't do for one of the guests of honor to be absent for such a long time. Oh, and do watch out for the Crusaders – Scootaloo never quite got over the effects our actions had."

"Noted. Thanks, Rarity." As the fashionista stuffed her tape measure back in her purse, Twilight allowed her muscles to relax a little, no longer concerned with maintaining her posture. She cut a quick glance across the room to where the trio in question were huddled together.

Sure enough, the purple-haired woman had a sour expression on her face, while the other two seemed to be trying to cheer her up. Perhaps it would be best to avoid them – she had never been close to the Crusaders, and she really didn’t want to have to deal with Scootaloo's issues now.

After Rarity finished putting her things away, she and Twilight headed over to the other gathering in the room, where Pinkie, Sunset, Applejack, and Fluttershy were engaged in their own discussion. As they approached, Sunset looked up and waved at them. "Hey, Twilight, Rarity. Finally done playing dress-up?"

Rarity gasped, an indignant look on her face. "Playing dress-up? I'll have you know I was generously offering my services as a creator of haute couture to Twilight."

"You mean you were guilting her into letting you stuff her in one of your dresses," Applejack said with a smirk.

"Am I so wrong for wanting to ensure that our table at the exhibition does not become the laughingstock of high society?" Rarity huffed.

"I'm just messing with ya," Applejack said with a laugh, "and thanks for making me a dress for the exhibition too, even if I ain't gonna be sitting in your fancy VIP table."

"To be fair, that's more of a favor to myself than to you," Rarity said. "One shudders to think what might happen if you chose your own attire for the event."

"Hardy har har," Applejack replied, deadpan. "I'll have you know I got a great fashion sense. Best in the whole Apple Family."

"Applejack, are you familiar with the phrase 'damning with faint praise?'" Rarity asked.

"Are they always like this?" Twilight whispered to Sunset as Applejack and Rarity continued to bicker. She had found herself moving closer and closer to her research partner during the course of the conversation, taking comfort in the familiarity of being with someone whose company she'd become accustomed to in the past week.

"Pretty much," Sunset replied, suppressed laughter in her tone. "It's basically tradition at this point to start a party with the two of them taking potshots at each other. You should've seen the time Dash suggested that we open up with a game of Truth or Dare just to see how far those two would go. I think Rarity still has nightmares about mud to this day."

"I guess I missed a lot in the past fifteen years," Twilight said sadly.

"Well, now you have the chance to make up for lost time," Sunset said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I guess so," Twilight said, smiling at that thought. She had so much to learn about her friends, so many memories to discover. This was a research project worth pursuing, and she would devote her full attention to it once they finished this mess with the journal.

Before Twilight could say anything further, a tinkling chime rang out through the store, signalling the opening of the front door.

"Hello, Ladies!" A blue-skinned woman with cropped rainbow hair announced in a raspy voice as she stepped into Sugarcube Corner. She was clad in a brown flight jacket with a symbol of a lightning bolt pinned above her right breast. "Your guest of honor has arrived!"

"Dashie!" Pinkie Pie rushed over to the newest addition to the party, pulling her into a tight hug. "You were gone for so long! I was worried you would forget about us!"

Dash chuckled as she reciprocated the hug. "Heh, as if anyone could forget about you, Pinkie." She shot a glance at Twilight, her eyes widening slightly in recognition. "Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I just forgot about my friends?"

Twilight winced slightly at what was obviously a barb directed at her. So, it seemed that not all of her friends had forgiven her for abandoning them. Not that she could blame Rainbow – in fact, she was more surprised that the others didn't seem to hold any ill will towards her.

As Pinkie released Dash, she was mobbed by the three younger members of their party, who migrated over from their corner of the room. "Heya Dash!" Scootaloo said, her sour expression replaced with gleeful excitement.

"'Sup, Squirt," Dash replied. "You girls enjoying the party?"

"It's been quite pleasant so far," Sweetie Belle replied, her purple-and-pink curls bouncing lightly as she turned to stare pointedly at Scootaloo, who was too busy gazing up at Dash to notice.

"Well, try not to burn anything down this time," Dash teased, smirking at them.

"We only did that once!" Apple Bloom said, glaring at her. "Are ya ever gonna let us live that one down?"

"Not until it stops being funny," Dash replied, "so never."

By some unspoken agreement, the rest of the party had started moving towards Dash while she spoke with the Crusaders. "Hello Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, smoothly cutting into the conversation. "It has been far too long. How was your cross-country tour?"

"It was pretty awesome. We got to perform in a bunch of smaller cities that we wouldn't normally go to, and I got to meet a bunch of fans who couldn't make it to the big shows. I'm glad to be back in Canterlot though – going on tour for so long's got me totally beat, and I missed you guys."

"We missed you too, sugarcube," Applejack said, stepping forward. "Ain't the same without your ego filling up all the empty space in the room."

"It's only ego if you can't back it up!" Dash replied proudly. "Speaking of, I still want a rematch for the arm-wrestling match we had before I left. You totally distracted me at the end."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. Just like the last five times I beat ya. Why don’t you just admit I'm stronger than you and save us the trouble?"

"Because I'm totally stronger than you," Dash replied. "I'll show you later tonight, if you aren't too scared to face me."

"I'm not the one who should be scared," Applejack said, "but sure, I'll school ya again if you want."

"We'll see about that." Dash turned away from Applejack to face the party's other guest of honor. Her eyes narrowed. "So, you're really here huh, Twilight? Didn't think you'd ever come back to Canterlot." There was a forced edge to Rainbow's casual tone, and Twilight could sense that she was trying to hold herself back.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting to come back either," Twilight replied, "but Sunset came to me with a project that was too important to ignore." She could sense the tension surrounding her. Everyone was watching her interaction with Dash, waiting to see how it would play out,

"Well, it's good to have you back, Twi." Dash clasped Twilight over the shoulder. "Try not to leave us all for so long next time, okay?" Dash smiled as she spoke, and the tension vanished as everyone realized that she wasn't going to make a scene.

"Of course," Twilight replied. "I'll make sure to keep in touch this time."

"Great! Now, where's the food? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast and I'm starving." With that, the party split back up into smaller groups, with Dash and Fluttershy heading over towards the buffet.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Sunset commented as Applejack left with Pinkie and Rarity to discuss something involving cooking.

"Yeah, I'm guessing Dash isn't very happy with me?" Twilight asked, keeping an eye on the woman in question to make sure she was out of earshot.

"She took the whole incident pretty hard," Sunset said. "She was angry at both of us for a while. Me for betraying everyone and then disappearing for two years, and you for cutting off all contact with everyone. It took us almost ten years to mend fences, and even then, we don't talk much."

"Well, I guess I'll have to live with that," Twilight said. "After all, it's not like I have any room to judge." It was far too easy to see things from Dash's point of view. After all, hadn't she held a grudge against Sunset for fifteen years? And even after they'd become friends again, Twilight couldn't help but hold a certain wariness around her.

Twilight's earlier conversation with Rarity echoed in her head. Looking at Sunset, she couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, how intelligent and witty she could be, and how well they worked together. It would be perfectly natural for her to develop romantic feelings towards her, but without trust, it could never work out.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually," Sunset said, and when she placed a hand on her shoulder, Twilight tried not to think about how much she was enjoying her concern. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't had a chance to grab any food yet."

With those parting words, Sunset headed over to the buffet table to grab a plate. Twilight wasn't left alone for long, however, as the woman they had just been discussing approached her, one hand holding a plate filled with pastries.

"Damn, these are good," Dash said as she stuffed a fritter into her mouth. There were a few moments of silence as she ate. "You know, we hit twenty different cities on our tour, and none of them had a bakery anywhere near as good as Sugarcube Corner. The Wonderbolts nutritionist keeps telling me I have to cut down on how much of Pinkie's stuff I eat, but screw him. I work out way more than enough to burn it off."

"I've missed her baking too," Twilight replied cautiously, trying to gauge Dash's mood without success.

"Heh, I can just imagine how much you're craving one of Pinkie's cupcakes after fifteen years." Dash grabbed a small tart from her plate and took a bite. "So, how long are you gonna be staying here in Canterlot?" Yep, there was definitely an edge to her tone.

"Until the Exhibition, at least. I also need to finish up my project with Sunset, but that should hopefully be done by tomorrow."

"You're going to be at the Exhibition?" Dash asked, sounding surprised. "I thought all the tickets sold out ages ago."

"Rarity just invited me as a special guest," Twilight explained. "I'll be sitting at the same table as her."

"Damn. Those VIP tickets aren't easy to get, y'know. Rarity must really be warming up to you." Her tone made it clear that she didn't approve of the development.

"They all are," Twilight said. "It's honestly really surprising. They're much better friends than I deserve."

"Yup. I wouldn't trade them for anything." Dash shot a pointed look at Twilight.

Twilight sighed. "Abandoning all of you was a mistake. I don't really have an excuse for that, other than that it was easier to forget about everything at once rather than try to dance around the issue of Sunset. Still, I shouldn't have just cut you all off, and for that, I apologize."

Silence reigned as Twilight waited for a response, both of them feigning casualness without much success. "Look how happy Pinkie is," Dash finally said, gesturing towards the grinning party planner by the buffet table. "You should've heard her when she called me and said you were back in Canterlot. Like, I know she's normally, well, Pinkie Pie, but this was something else.

"And I saw Rarity with her rulers and stuff just now. She's gonna make you a dress, right?" Rainbow waited for Twilight to respond with a nod before continuing. "Anyways, my point is that everyone's really happy to have you back, and I'm not gonna take that away from them by being a bitch to you." Her eyes narrowed. "Even if we really needed you when everything went to shit fifteen years ago."

"I know it's far too late for it to matter, but for what it's worth, I truly am sorry about leaving you girls behind. They haven't really told much about what happened after Sunset… did what she did, but I know it must've been hard for all of you."

"No kidding. Rarity and AJ wouldn't talk to each other, Pinkie stopped throwing parties, and Fluttershy cried herself to sleep every night for a long while. It sucked." Dash lowered her head, her hands picking at the food on her plate as she continued to speak. "But I get why you left too. I'm not proud of the stuff I did after everything went down, and I wasn't there for everyone like I should've been."

A wan smile played on her lips as she glanced up at Twilight. "Just be glad you're talking to me after getting in the Bolts, or else this probably would've ended the same way as when Sunset and I met again after she bailed on us."

"Oh, what happened?" Twilight asked.

"I punched her in the face. Twice."

"I see." Once again, Twilight had to resist the urge to step away from her former, very physically fit friend.

"Yeah, like I said, I'm not too proud of the stuff I did back then." The chuckle faded as a sudden gravity entered Rainbow Dash's voice. "And at least you're actually sorry about what you did. You know, Sunset never really apologized for going behind our backs? She said she was sorry for ditching us after, but for actually screwing us all over in the first place."

"I know," Twilight replied. It was another complication between her and Sunset she was trying very hard not to think about.

"So yeah, it shouldn't be that hard to play nice with you if I can do it with Sunset. Just, promise me you won't leave us hanging again? Because if you make Fluttershy cry this time I'll have to kick your ass." Twilight couldn't tell if that last threat was a joke or not.

"I promise. No more running away." By some miracle, she had her friends back, and she wasn't going to give them up that easily this time, no matter what happened between her and Sunset.

"That's a start, I guess," Dash said with a shrug. "So, what kind of research project are you working with Sunset on? I know she's been 'revolutionizing multiple fields of science' or whatever, but that was never enough to get you to come back. I figure this thing must be really big."

Twilight hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell her the truth. After all, most of her friends already knew, so there really wasn't much of a point in keeping it secret. She quickly explained the theft to Rainbow Dash and the reasons why Sunset brought her in as a research partner. Dash listened intently to the explanation, her eyes lighting up in excitement as Twilight spoke.

"So, how close are you guys to finding this book stealer?" she asked at the end.

"We pushed out a tracker this afternoon, so we'll hopefully have a location by tomorrow, assuming everything goes well."

"Well, let me know when you figure it out and I'll help you kick his ass," Dash said before finishing the last cupcake on her plate.

"Really? Just like that?" Twilight looked askance at the other woman. "Weren't we just talking about how you hadn't really forgiven me yet?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you and Sunset face down some magical psycho who wants to take over the world or whatever you do with a magic portal," Dash replied, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, do either of you even know how the first thing about combat? I'm the only one out of all of us with actual military training, and if you think I'm going to abandon you just because I'm mad, you obviously don't know me very well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go grab more food."

With that, Dash walked off to refill her plate, leaving Twilight standing alone with a slightly bewildered smile on her face. It seemed that after all this time, Dash was still as loyal as ever, and Twilight couldn't help but smile at how, after all this time, her friends had managed to hold on to what made them good people.

From across the room, Sunset waved at Twilight, and Twilight went over to her friends, eager to make up for lost time.

Chapter 15: Heaven in a Wild Flower

Sunset woke to the feeling of someone hammering a nail into her brain.

Rhythmic pounding sent waves of pain through her skull, blocking out all other sensations. For a few eons, she simply lay on her back, her eyes closed, silently begging for the sweet release of death and hating everything about the world she currently resided in.

Eventually, once the pain had lessened to the point where she could reason logically again, she decided to squint one eye open. As it turned out, this was a terrible idea since the sun had decided to park itself in front of her face. Wincing at the bright needles stabbing into her skull, Sunset closed her eyes again and welcomed the darkness into her mind.

Some time later, she became aware of the fact that the pounding inside of her brain had an external source. Namely, that there was, in fact, a thumping sound somewhere around her.

"Sunset! Sunset, are you there?"

Each word bounced around inside her head, amplifying the pain she already felt. With a groan that strained her aching throat, Sunset slowly rolled out of bed and fell to the floor. A few moments later, she managed to pull herself to her feet, her hand still gripping one of the bedposts. Opening her eyes, she found herself able to see for short amounts of time before being overwhelmed by the fiery light coming from the windows.

With a trajectory that approximated true randomness, Sunset managed to stumble out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Somehow, she managed to make it to the door, despite the fact that moving towards the knocking sounds increased the volume of the echoing thuds in her brain. With a mighty effort, she grabbed the doorknob of her front door and twisted it, nearly toppling over as the door swung open.

"Finally." A purple blur stood in front of her. "I've been waiting here for minutes. Does it really take that long to… wow, you look terrible."

"G'mornin'Twi," Sunset slurred, identifying the blob in front of her as Twilight. She abruptly lost her balance as she spoke, tipping over and leaning against the nearest wall.

"Right, hangover," the voice boomed within her head.

"Quiet, please," Sunset whispered. "No shouting."

"Fine." A slightly softer voice, one that didn't cause her as much pain. "Let's get you something to drink."

Sunset felt a pair of arms lift her up and prop her over a shoulder. She smiled as she trailed along while draped over Twilight. Even in her current state, she could appreciate how nice Twilight smelled and how good it felt to be in close contact with her.

They finally reached the kitchen, where Twilight gently set her down on a chair. "Fridge," Sunset mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Inside the fridge. Leftmost shelf. Blue vial labelled 'hangover cure.'"

Sunset watched as Twilight opened the fridge and grabbed the specified item. "What is this?" She asked, peering suspiciously at the liquid inside.

"Hangover cure," Sunset said simply, trying to focus on the conversation rather than the pounding headache. "Gimme."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Twilight said. "Things that are meant to be ingested generally aren't this color."

"Just gimme," Sunset reached out her hand, and a moment later she felt her fingers wrap around cool glass. She brought the vial up to her lips, spilling a little in the process but managing to down most of the foul-tasting concoction. Slowly, she felt the pain recede and her mind start to clear. Her eyes also quickly adjusted to the light levels in the room, allowing her to open them without complaint. "Ah, much better," she said, sighing with relief.

"Wait, that's it?" Twilight stared at her incredulously. "One drink, and all your symptoms are gone?"

"Well, there's some lingering nausea, and my head still feels a little fuzzy, but otherwise, yeah." Sunset shrugged. "It took me years to figure out how to reproduce the anima distillation process without magic, but it was totally worth it. What kind of primitive society doesn't invent a hangover cure before anything else?"

"The same kind of society that develops things like spaceships, and computers, and the internal combustion engine first," Twilight replied. "But seriously, why haven't you released this on the market yet? I can't even imagine the amount of money it'd be worth."

"Well, right now, it costs way too much to manufacture and we can't figure out how to scale the process for mass production. Also, there's the problem of running clinical trials to prove that it's safe and effective and stuff. I've got people working on it, though, so one day hangovers will be a thing of the past. For now, I'm just going to enjoy my exclusive access to the potion." As the clarity of her mind increased to somewhat normal levels, Sunset glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Crap. It's already past noon?"

"Yeah. After the party I figured you'd want some time to sleep off the alcohol," Twilight explained.

"I guess we should get to work then." Sunset went over to her office, Twilight in tow. Firing up her computer, she saw a message from Velvet. "Looks like the tracking system's already online. We should start analyzing the satellite data. Give me a few minutes to freshen up and change and we can get going."

Sunset quickly went through her morning routine, grabbed what she needed to bring to the lab, and met Twilight at the front door. They took the elevator down to the lab and set up in their usual place next to the spectroscope.

Sunset smiled as she realized that she had started thinking of that spot as "theirs." They'd spent so much of the past week here, gone through so many emotional moments, and ultimately reconnected as friends right beside this piece of wondrously advanced technology.

Her smile faded as she realized that this might be the last day she had to work with Twilight. If their data yielded the results they needed, then Twilight's role in this little investigation of theirs would be done, and she'd be returning to Hayvard. Well, after the Exhibition, at least – Sunset had been surprised to learn that Twilight had agreed to attend, which would require her to stay here for a few more days.

Not that she was complaining – Sunset was really looking forward to spending time with Twilight without the spectre of the theft looming over them. Maybe then she could spend some time thinking about the relationship they had together.

For now, though, she had to focus on what was important. "So, here's the live feed from the satellite," she said, pointing to her screen, where a colorful heat map of the city pulsed and undulated over time. "Right now, it's sweeping the frequencies from the entire spectrum we specified. I can focus it down to just the frequencies we need." A few keystrokes, and most of the color vanished, leaving only a few bright spots on the map.

"That's promising," Twilight said, leaning over to peer at the screen. "Still too many false positives though. We'll need to refine the model to try and capture the harmonics too."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Sunset replied. "We already started the derivation for that somewhere."

As predicted, isolating the patterns for the harmonics took less than an hour. After that, it was just a simple matter of programming.

Before they finished, however, Sunset and Twilight decided to take a quick lunch break. As they sat in the lab eating pizza and drinking what tasted like liquefied sugar, Sunset decided to question Twilight about the events of the previous night. "So, what happened after I ended up in that drinking contest? I don't remember too much except that Pinkie Pie won. Again."

"Well, Rainbow Dash and Applejack decided to have their arm-wrestling rematch, which went about as well as could be expected given how drunk they were. The Crusaders had to leave early, and then we tried to play board games for an hour before we realized that half of us weren't in a state of mind to be able to do that, so we just talked about stuff for the rest of the night."

Twilight smirked. "All in all, not that different from some of our parties as teenagers, except Rarity got some valet service to drive us home instead of waiting for our parents or taking a taxi. Also, all our friends pledged their total support in helping us retrieve the journal."

"Of course they did," Sunset replied with a smile. "They'd never leave us hanging, even if it means facing down some evil mage without magic."

"They're really far better friends than I deserve," Twilight said, looking downcast. "I abandoned them all for fifteen years, and as soon as I return, they welcome me back with open arms. Even Dash managed to stay civil all night, which is a lot coming from her."

Sunset placed a comforting arm over her shoulder. "I wouldn't mope about it. I mean, they forgave me too. At some point, you just need to realize that friendship isn't about worrying over what you deserve, it's about celebrating all the great people you have around you."

"Still going on with those friendship lessons, huh?" Twilight asked, a smile threatening to form on her lips.

"Always," Sunset replied. "Friendship's the kind of thing where there's always more to learn, and every lesson helps you grow as a person. I know I wouldn't have made it through the first few years without the support of my friends."

"I'm sorry about that," Twilight turned away from Sunset, her smile fading.

"Hey, enough of that," Sunset said sternly. "I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty. I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to go it alone anymore. You have six friends who are willing to stand by you." There was a moment of heartfelt silence as Sunset gazed into Twilight's eyes, and she had to hold back the urge to lean forward and capture Twilight's lips with her own.

"Well, I was going to say I didn't deserve all of you again, but instead I'll just say thank you," Twilight eventually said. She smiled back at Sunset with a new lightness in her eyes. "And now that we've finished our inevitable heart-to-heart conversation, we should probably get back to work. Let's see if we can get the harmonics filtering working before the end of the day."

"Sure." Sunset got up and headed over towards the sink to wash up. As she did, however, she happened to glance at the live feed on her computer. She froze in place, her eyes glued to the screen and her mind going over all the implications of the image before her. "I don't think we'll need the filter," she said softly.

"What?"

"Look at this." Sunset heard Twilight moving to stand next to her. She turned towards her and saw her eyes widen in shock.

"Well, unless someone just happens to be testing a new communications device using those exact frequencies, I think we've found our thief's location." Twilight pointed at the bright red spot centered around the industrial district of Canterlot. Glancing at the readings, Sunset confirmed that they were several orders of magnitude stronger than anything else in the city.

"Not just that, but that signal strength implies that they're using a lot of magic right now," Sunset said, running the numbers quickly in her head. "Given the nonlinear scaling, I think that's enough magic to level a building."

"Is it enough to open a portal to Equestria?"

"No, not even close," Sunset replied. "But it's enough to be very dangerous. I need to stop whatever it is they're doing now." She shut the laptop and quickly stuffed it into her bag.

"Wait, we're going after them alone?" Twilight followed behind Sunset as she walked over towards the safe.

"No, I'm going after them alone. I don't have time to organize something more and this isn't your fight." Not to mention, she didn't want Twilight to be anywhere near the journal. "Your job is to help me track down the thief, and you did that. Wait here, and if you don't hear from me in a few hours, call Starlight. I'll let her know where I'm going and she'll have a contingency plan ready." Sunset reached over to open the safe, but Twilight's hand grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you go after a dangerous magic user alone," Twilight said firmly, determination burning in her eyes.

"I don't want to see you get hurt," Sunset responded, meeting Twilight's gaze with her own. "I'll handle this myself."

"I don't want to see you get hurt either, and the best way to ensure both our safeties is to stick together. Besides, we're friends, and friends stand by each other, right?"

"Fine," Sunset said with a sigh. "But stay with me. We have no idea how dangerous this thief might be."

"I will," Twilight promised. "So, how exactly are we going to defeat a magician without any magic of our own?"

"By levelling the playing field." Sunset opened up the safe and grabbed an item from the bottom shelf.

Twilight instantly backed away when she saw what it was. "I see," she muttered, her voice trembling slightly. "That would be effective, I suppose."

Sunset slipped Twilight's old magical detector into her bag. "I'm sorry. I was hoping you wouldn't have to see me use it. But it's the only thing I know that can neutralize magic."

"Technically, it absorbs it rather than neutralizing it," Twilight replied, "and we never figured out how to reliably reproduce that phenomenon." Her tone was matter-of-fact, but there was still a hint of discomfort beneath it.

"Actually, I figured out the triggering mechanism a few years ago. Turns out, it works over a crude psychic link between the device and the wielder." Sunset turned to face Twilight, trying to sound as serious as possible. "You don't have to come with me. I can handle this on my own. I don't want to bring back any of your old pain."

"Screw that. Didn't we already have a big talk about how I'm trying to get over my past trauma and learn to overcome my fears? I'm not going to stay behind just because that thing brings back bad memories. Besides, I really don't want to deal with the guilt if anything does happen to you. I've got enough regrets for a lifetime without piling on another."

Sunset felt her heart warm at Twilight's declaration. "Alright, fine. Let's get going."

The trip to the car was made in somber silence. This was it, they both knew. After all their time in the lab playing with equations and models, they had finally tracked down the journal, and now it was time to finish their quest. There was a certain finality in the atmosphere as they walked out into the parking lot.

"So, who do you think the thief is?" Twilight asked as Sunset drove them out onto the busy streets of Canterlot. She checked the GPS system and confirmed that their destination was a warehouse deep in the industrial area of town. "We've been working so hard to track them down, but we haven't really talked about whom it might actually be."

"I don't know," Sunset replied. "I have no idea how people here even know how to use magic. We made some enemies during our days as magical crime-fighters, and someone we've never even met before could've found out about the journal and stole it. For all I know, it could even be someone else from Equestria who got stuck here. Although, if that's true then they probably aren't a unicorn; those spell circles in the lab were really crude, and no self-respecting mage would be caught dead using something like that."

"Well, that's comforting, at least. We have no idea whom we're about to face, but at least they probably aren't that good at magic."

When they reached the industrial area, Sunset pulled into a deserted parking lot a block away from their final destination. Tall, monolithic buildings surrounded them, large blocks of metal and concrete that were washed with greyish tones except for the occasional splash of graffiti or rust catching in the sunlight. Faded signs proclaimed the names of the storage companies that owned these buildings and advertised available rentals.

"I remember there used to be a lot more people here," Twilight remarked, looking around. Even though it was the middle of the day, they were the only two people on the street. Frankly, It was pretty creepy.

"There was a shift in the economy starting around a decade ago," Sunset said. "Things changed, and this area didn't come out of it so well. A lot of these warehouses are abandoned now, which makes it the perfect place to hide magic, I guess."

They walked along the crumbling sidewalk until they reached the warehouse where the satellite had said the magic came from. It looked the same as all the other buildings, but Sunset could sense something emanating from the walls. A familiar tingling sensation flowed through her body. "Do you feel that?" She asked Twilight.

"Feel what?" Twilight looked blankly at her.

"Magic," Sunset replied. "We're definitely in the right place." They walked up to the cracked wooden door affixed to the front of the warehouse by a pair of rusted hinges. Sunset grabbed the door handle and opened it, finding the entrance unlocked. Reaching into her purse, she retrieved the magical detector-slash-absorber, watching as the readings from the device spiked. Cautiously, she stepped into the warehouse, keeping an eye on her surroundings, Twilight following closely behind her.

The first room was a simple reception area, which had been stripped of all furniture and other removable items, leaving only a counter on one end of the table and a few different doors scattered around the walls of the room. Looking down, Sunset saw that the floors were covered with dust save for a well-trod path leading to the door behind the counter, which was labelled "Employees Only."

Signalling to Twilight to stay close, Sunset walked over and pushed open the door, which swung back with a soft creak. Oppressive darkness greeted her, and Sunset could see nothing save for the small area near the door, which was dusty and littered with office furniture.

Sunset fished out the flashlight from her bag and turn it on, peering into the dusty office room that was revealed under the more intense light. Looking down, she saw the continuation of the multiple sets of footprints that led deeper into the black void ahead.

Sunset and Twilight stepped into the room, and Sunset took a moment to check the detector, observing the increasing intensity of the readings. They journeyed further into the office, leaving behind the comforting light of the reception area. Sunset swept the darkness ahead with her thin beam of light, her senses on high alert for anything unusual. Behind her, she heard Twilight's breathing grow faster, and could feel the tension exuding from the other woman, a tension she shared.

"So is it just me, or is this starting to feel like the setup for a horror movie?" Twilight whispered from behind her.

"Kinda, yeah. But the difference between us and some stupid teenagers is that we're actually prepared. If some scary monster tries to attack us, I'll go all Ghostbusters on their ass."

"My hero." Sunset could practically hear the eye roll in Twilight's tone. Before she could reply, however, she saw the trail of dusty footprints end in front of another door. Her long-dormant sixth sense screeched in warning, a warning backed up by the detector. "There's a lot of magic coming out of this door. I think someone put an enchantment on it."

"Should we try to find a different path then?" Twilight asked.

Sunset shook her head. "No need. I got this."

Sunset held up the detector to the door and concentrated on it. Her magical senses latched onto the core of the mechanism within the device, forging a link similar to a telekinetic bond. She focused the link outwards, towards the door, and a moment later a stream of clear blue light flowed from the door into the detector.

"There we go." Sunset carefully pushed open the door, alert for any signs of attack. Inside, she found an empty corridor with a staircase at the end and a clear path through the dust to it. She stepped inside and waited for Twilight to the same before closing the door, noting the arcane circle inscribed on it's back.

"It's an Alert Enchantment," Sunset explained to Twilight. "It's pretty archaic too, like the one on the lab door. Let's keep going."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. "It's obvious that whoever is here has already planned for the contingency of unexpected visitors."

Sunset took a moment to think it over. "No, we need to stop them before they finish whatever plan they have in store for the journal. Besides, they don't know that we have something that can absorb magic. We still have the upper hand here." Sunset set off towards the staircase at the end of the corridor, with Twilight following behind with a reluctant expression on her face.

At the top of the staircase, they found another enchanted door, which Sunset made short work of. Her whole body buzzed with a familiar thrill that she hadn't experienced in over a decade as more magic flowed into the collector.

This was just like old times, chasing down a bad guy and stopping an evil spell with Twilight by her side, and Sunset would be lying if she said she didn't miss it a little – she'd always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. She practically ran through the next corridor until Twilight pulled her back.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. "You can't just go running off like that."

"Sorry," Sunset said, chastised. "Got a little carried away there."

"Let's just keep going. Slowly." They set off again through the twisting path laid out by the footprints in the dust. Sunset tried to keep her excitement bottled in despite her eagerness to finally face down the thief and retrieve the journal. She could feel the magic getting stronger and stronger as they continued on, and it was getting difficult to contain herself.

Finally, as they reached the fourth door, Sunset sensed a much larger magical buildup behind the enchanted frame. "This is it," she said, disabling its enchantment. She pushed the door open triumphantly and strode in, ready to reclaim her magic.

Inside, she saw what appeared to be a lab. Several beakers, test tubes, Bunsen burners, and other chemical paraphernalia were scattered around various tables, as well as some larger barrels with chemical warning signs plastered on them that sat on the floor.

None of that mattered to Sunset, however; she was focused on the glowing cloverbloom sitting in the center of the room, surrounded by an arcane circle of some sort. She walked over towards the magical source, ignoring Twilight's pleas for caution. She was vaguely aware of the other woman following behind her, but her mind was focused on the prize in front of her.

Sunset stepped into the circle and reached out for the flower…

Twilight felt the spell being triggered before she saw its effects.

She'd tried calling out to Sunset, recognizing that something was wrong with her behaviour, but Sunset had ignored her. In fact, she'd seemed more and more fixated on finding the journal, slowly throwing all semblance of caution to the wind.

Twilight had suspected that something was up, but it wasn't until Sunset ran up to the cloverbloom in the center of the room that it became obvious something was affecting her mind. Twilight knew Sunset was a reasonable woman, and even if she was excited to retrieve the journal, she wouldn't have gone running off like that.

None of this information helped her though, since she was unable to stop Sunset from activating whatever spell was locked inside the circle she had stepped in without even seeming to notice. A wave of magic washed over Twilight, and she knew something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Her fears were confirmed when a sickly purple glow surrounded Sunset, flinging her onto the ground. She let out an anguished cry as the detector her hand was knocked away from her, the device clattering to the ground a few feet from Twilight.

"Sunset!" Twilight rushed forward to help her friend, but a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I put a pretty nasty surprise in that circle for anyone stupid enough to walk into it."

From behind one of the walls, a tall, orange-haired woman stepped forwards. Twilight's first thought was that she was middle-aged, with slight wrinkles on her otherwise pristine and hauntingly beautiful features. But within her eyes, which seemed to glow red in the dim light, she saw something ancient, and very, very dangerous.

"Adagio." Sunset hissed out the name, and the pieces clicked.

Adagio Dazzle. The leader of the Sirens, whose defeat had drawn Twilight into the world of magic. A master of mind-altering magic, who had nearly taken over the entire world with her compatriots. Twilight Sparkle suddenly felt herself feeling very small and very outmatched.

"Hello, Sunset." Adagio sauntered over to the edge of the circle, on the opposite side from Twilight. "Long time no see. How've you been these last sixteen years?"

"You stole the journal." It wasn't a question.

"And you're still no fun, I see." Adagio tsked as she raised her hand, making it glow with the same purple light as the now-active circle. "You know, I always wondered how you managed to get Princess Twilight over from Equestria to help you out during the Battle of the Bands.

"Of course, Sombra was more than happy to tell me all about it when I sent him that letter." Adagio let out a wistful sigh. "He was so much like his pony counterpart, which made it so easy to wrap him around my fingers. He even had that same love for music and codes."

While Adagio talked, Twilight began inching over to the detector lying on the ground. The siren seemed to have completely forgotten her presence, so focused as she was on her gloating. Sunset seemed to realize this, as she continued to engage Adagio in conversation. "And the cloverbloom?"

"I was lucky enough to read some of Clover's original notes. Stuff she never published, since we stole them from her. One paper was on recognizing signs of cloverbloom activities in a region that never made it into the original treatise. Imagine my surprise when I saw those signs at Camp Everfree of all places?" Adagio held up her glowing hand. "And before you ask, the time spell I used on the door was something I nicked from Star Swirl during one of our many, many fights."

At this point, Twilight was standing right next to the detector. Her heart beat wildly against her chest as she slowly bent down to pick the device up, but just as she began to lower herself, it was engulfed in magical light and flew off towards Adagio's outstretched hand.

"Don't think I've forgotten you too, Miss Sparkle." Twilight looked up to see Adagio mocking gaze directed at her. "I guess since Sunset couldn't get the Princess to help her, she went for the budget version instead." Adagio let out a short chuckle as Twilight glared at her. "Sombra told me all about you, and I can see from the look in your eyes that you know who I am too."

"What do you want with the journal?" Sunset asked as she pulled herself to her feet. Twilight felt her heartbeat calm a fraction as she watched the woman she had once admired stand tall against Adagio, no trace of fear in her voice.

Adagio waggled a finger at her. "That's for me to know and you to… well, I doubt you'll be in any state to figure it out after I'm done with you."

"Funny, that's probably what you thought the first time we did this. I wonder how that turned out for you?" As Sunset casually fired her retort back at Adagio, Twilight studied the circle her friend was trapped within, searching for a way to free her. A familiar panic lurked at the edge of her mind, ready to transform her back into the scared the little teenager she'd once been, but Sunset's bravery filled her with hope, and Twilight knew she had to remain focused for her sake.

Meanwhile, Adagio snarled at Sunset before covering her features with a smirk. "Big talk from someone who didn't even realize that the alarm spells were just there to hide the signature from the compulsion spell that lead you right to me. I'm actually a bit disappointed at how easy it was to trap you here.

"And you even brought me a little gift." Adagio held up the detector in her hand. "I'm going to have fun figuring out what this does after I'm done with you two." She brought up her other hand and began to wave it around, tracing a complex pattern in the air.

"I guess a friendship speech isn't going to get you to let us go, huh?" Sunset said as a dark mist began to emanate from the circle. Her calm demeanor was the only thing keeping Twilight's fight-or-flight instinct from making her fly very, very far away as dread crept up her spine.

This time, Adagio couldn't hold back her anger. "Do you really think there's anything you could say that would make up for destroying my magic?" The last words were practically screeched before Adagio composed herself again. Her next words came out in a near-hiss. "You should know better than anyone that there's no forgiving something like that."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Twilight could've sworn that Sunset's head tilted a fraction of an inch towards her as she spoke. "You might be surprised at what people can move past."

Adagio scoffed. "Whatever. If you're done stalling, I think it's time we got to the main event." Symbols carved into the floor around Sunset began to light up, bathing the room in a sickly lustre. "You know, I've had a lot of time to think about what I'd do to you and your friends if we ever met again, Sunset."

More dark mist swirled around Sunset, blocking Twilight from seeing Adagio. Still, the Siren's voice echoed through the storage room, loud and menacing. "In the end, I figured I'd start with something a little old-fashioned that I learned from Sombra's pony doppelganger."

Twilight instinctively backed away from the dark magic building up within the circle, trembling as she wracked her brain for a way to save Sunset. "What are you doing to her?" she asked, desperate for any information from the very talkative villain that might help.

"I'm going to make her suffer." The whole circle was lit up in arcane brilliance that was shrouded by the veil of darkness. "This spell will force her to relive her worst memory. And then make her do it again. And again. And again. Until she goes completely crazy. I even snuck a time dilation spell in it so that I won't have to wait that long to see her mind break. She'll relive years of pain in an hour. Won't that be fun?"

With that extra bit of knowledge, everything slotted into place. Twilight could see how each part of the circle flowed into the next, drawing power from a central source – the cloverbloom, she assumed – and channeling it into a series of spellforms that maintained the circle's integrity, enforced its boundaries – violently, if she was reading the symbols right – and acted as a base and modifier for the memory spell Adagio was casting.

"Now, what should we do with you, Miss Sparkle?" Adagio said as the circle was completely obscured by the dark mist. "I have to say, I wasn't really planning on doing anything to you, but since you're here and your doppelganger isn't, it might be fun to practice some of the things I'm going to do to Princess Twilight once I have my power back."

Twilight could hear footsteps from behind the circle. "Now, the question is: are you going to try to make a break for it and save your own skin, or do you think you can fight me to save your friend?" A malicious chuckle. "I'm good either way. Better think fast, though; Sunset doesn't have that much time left?"

"Don't be stupid, Twilight." Sunset's voice called out to Twilight from the shadowed circle. "Get out of here and wait for help to come. Don't try to pull some dumb sacrifice for me. Think about it rationally…" her voice trailed off as the dark cloud thickened further.

"And now the spell's finally started." The footsteps were getting closer now. "So, what'll it be, Miss Sparkle? Will you sacrifice yourself in the name of friendship? Or will you do the smart thing and leave your friend to my tender mercies?"

Twilight glanced backwards towards the door. She could make it; Adagio couldn't even see her at the moment. She might even be able to retrace her steps back to the entrance, assuming Adagio hadn't placed any more traps. There was a chance, and the sane part of her mind screamed at her to run as fast she could, to get away from the magic.

But if she did that, there was no telling how Sunset would fare. The sight of the darkness that had consumed her made Twilight nauseous, and the idea of leaving her friend in there for hours was repugnant to her. Even if Adagio didn't kill Sunset at some point, Twilight had no doubts that she would be able to break her.

"Clock's ticking, Miss Sparkle. Remember, the spell slows down subjective time for those trapped inside. Who knows how long she's suffered already?"

No, there was no way she was going to let this monster get away with doing this to Sunset. Of course, fighting Adagio wasn't an option either; Twilight had exactly zero weapons at her disposal. She wracked her brain one last time, searching for another solution.

If she had access to the magic of friendship, she had no doubts that Adagio would fall quickly as she had before. Unfortunately, her other friends weren't here, and Sunset was trapped in that spell. It seemed this time, friendship wouldn't save her.

The footsteps were coming from just around the edge of the circle.

What about the circle itself? If what Sunset had told her about destructive interference was true, then by activating the memory spell, Adagio had also cancelled the spell keeping her out of the circle. Twilight could jump into the cloud of dark magic if she wanted. And then promptly get swallowed up in the same spell that was wreaking havoc on Sunset's mind. There was no way to break the spell without magic, and the magic in the circle was locked in the spell.

Unless…

As Adagio appeared before her, blazing with arcane power, Twilight leapt into the darkness.

And plunged into her worst nightmare.

Author's Note

Next chapter will be released in a few hours, because cliffhangers are fun, but I dislike making them last a whole week.

Chapter 16: And Eternity in an Hour

Author's Note

Chapter 15 was published earlier today. It is highly recommended that it be read first, on account of the linear nature of stories.

Chapter 16: And Eternity in an Hour

"Sunset? Earth to Sunset? Hello?"

A blue hand appeared in front of Sunset, waving back and forth in front of her eyes. Sunset started at the sudden intrusion, her eyes cutting over to the equally blue teenager standing in front of her looking mildly concerned.

"Wha- what happened?" She asked as she tried to recall how she got here. Her brain was currently drawing a blank as she tried to access her memories. Looking around, she saw that Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were all also present and staring at her with the same concern.

"You sorta zoned-out there for a second," Rainbow Dash said. "Just stood there looking like you'd seen a ghost or something."

"I'm fine, I just got distracted by… something," Sunset explained lamely. Her mind still felt fuzzy, like she was missing something important. "Where are we going?"

"To see Twilight, duh. Remember, she texted us and said she had something to show us outside the statue she destroyed during the Friendship Games?" Dash's concerned look intensified. "You sure you're okay? Maybe your mind magic zapped your brain or something."

"No, I'm fine, really," Sunset said as her memories started to return to her. "I was just thinking about graduation. It didn't really hit me until now that it's tomorrow." She quickly pulled the excuse out of her thoughts, picking something that would sound plausible. It was true; they were graduating from high school tomorrow and had been at Rarity's getting one final fitting when Twilight's text had arrived, telling them to come back to the school and meet her by the statue.

And now, they were less than a block away from the building. All her memories had come back, and the fuzziness had mostly gone, though there was still this nagging sense that she had forgotten something that niggled at her.

Oh well, it would come back to her eventually. "C'mon, we shouldn't keep Twilight waiting." Dash looked like she might argue, but simply shrugged instead, and the six teenagers set off towards the school.

They found Twilight at the entrance, standing to the side of the pedestal where Canterlot High's mascot had once stood. Principal Celestia had gotten someone to repair the damage to the base, and now it was simply a plain stone slab sitting at the entrance, though you could still see cracks where Midnight Sparkle had blown chunks from the rock.

It was weird to see Twilight here; Sunset knew she didn't like the constant reminder of the time she nearly destroyed the world. Sunset had noticed her subconscious attempts to give the pedestal a wide berth when she walked, and the guilty glances she would sometimes aim at it when she thought nobody else as looking. Idly, Sunset wondered why Twilight would want to meet here of all places.

The magical detector in her hand and the other scientific equipment laying on the floor around her was a big clue. Twilight was also wearing her magical necklace and was concentrating so hard on the pedestal that she didn't seem to notice the others approaching.

Sunset waved. "What's up, Twilight?"

"Huh?" Twilight glanced up at the incoming group, looking startled. "Oh. Hi, Sunset." Twilight awkwardly waved back at Sunset. It was starting to get just a little annoying how obvious Twilight's crush on Sunset was.

Sunset had been waiting for a while now for Twilight to mare up and do something about it, but it looked like the shy budding scientist was still worried about how Sunset would react. Twilight was still pretty cute, though, and Sunset liked her, so if Twilight still didn't say anything she was planning on confronting her in a couple days and settling things. The anticipation of making Twilight her girlfriend had left her in particularly high spirits the past few days.

First things first, though. "So, why are we here? Did you find out something interesting about the statue?"

"I have," Twilight said, going into that lecturing mode that Sunset had grown to love. "You're all familiar with my theory that the Equestrian magic leaking into this world has a single geographic origin point somewhere in Canterlot, right?"

"Sure," Sunset said, recalling the mass of equations and charts Twilight had inundated them with a few days ago. "You used a regression model on the observed incidents of magic and concluded that it was generated from a single cluster."

"Yeah, what Sunset said," Rainbow added, deadpan. "You figured out where all the magic's coming from?"

"Yes," Twilight replied, pointing at the statue. "In hindsight, it should have been obvious. After all, this is the physical location of the portal and the epicenter of the Midnight Sparkle incident." Sunset caught the slight flinch in Twilight's voice as she said that last part. "My readings confirm that the magic is, in fact, leaking from the pedestal."

"Cool." Sunset walked over and slung an arm around Twilight, enjoying the feel of Twilight squirming against her as the poor girl tried to figure out whether to fight it or not. "Good job, Twilight, you did it again. Another mystery solved with your big brain. So, what's next? Should we go somewhere to celebrate? Sugarcube Corner maybe?"

"Well, the next step is to determine how to seal the leakage, of course," Twilight said.

Sunset immediately separated herself from Twilight. "What do you mean, seal the leakage?"

Twilight gave Sunset a look that made it clear Sunset was missing something obvious. "Well, we can't just let magic flow freely into this world. It's already dangerous enough; imagine if enough magic leaked over to cause large-scale changes."

"That would be awesome." Suddenly, the world looked brighter, an infinite horizon of possibilities flashing before Sunset's eyes. "Everyone could finally have magic."

"It would be the most dangerous threat our world has ever known," Twilight shot back. "We've seen how magic corrupts people in this world. Imagine if that corruption occurred on a global scale? The very fabric of our reality could be torn to shreds before we could do anything about it."

"Well, Equestria managed to thrive as a nation where everypony wields magic," Sunset countered, feeling her elation dampened by Twilight's attitude. "We've built marvels that you couldn't even begin to imagine."

"And what makes you think that the same will happen here? We know that magic behaves differently in this world, and from what I've seen, it does more harm than good. Allowing the leak to continue would be like giving a nuclear bomb to every person on the planet."

"Look, I know there's going to be some growing pains while people adapt to magic, but ultimately, the world will be better off with it."

"You don't know that." They were leaning so close to each other at this point that Sunset could feel Twilight's breath on her face. Still, Twilight stood resolute, staring Sunset down with a determination that Sunset shared. "You've seen first-hand what magic does to people. Trixie, Chrysalis, Sombra–"

"–and Midnight?" Sunset replied, standing her ground against her friend. "That's what this is about, isn't it? You're just scared of the unknown. Face it, Twilight, you can't deal with something that you can't control."

"And you think that you can recklessly barrel forwards and everything will work itself out in the end. You don't want to give up your power, so you're trying to rationalize selfishly holding onto it. Or do you think I'm the only here who's been corrupted my magic before?"

"I've changed," Sunset hissed, her hands balling into fists. "Don't use who I was to cover up your own cowardice." For a few moments, they simply stood there, each one trying to exert their will on the other. The tension was so thick that Sunset was surprised she wasn't choking on it.

"Girls, stop it." Fluttershy's stern voice cut through the space between, drawing both their attentions to the normally demure girl. Fluttershy stepped between them, forcing them both to focus on her. "I understand that you both feel very passionate about this, but you're both good friends. Surely you can work things out without attacking each other."

Fluttershy's calm words helped to defuse the situation. Sunset glanced at Twilight and felt a twinge of guilt gnaw at her heart. "You're right, Fluttershy – things got a bit heated there." Sunset held out a hand to Twilight. "Sorry if I said some things that were over the line."

Twilight clasped Sunset's hand with her own. "It's fine. We both got a little too into it there."

"Perhaps we should discuss this at a later date?" Rarity piped in, putting on a comforting smile. "It's clear that this is an important decision and should not be made in the heat of the moment. This leakage has been here for over a year – I doubt waiting a few more days will result in any more catastrophes than we normally encounter." Sunset appreciated Rarity's attempt at levity at the end, but she really wasn't in the mood for it.

Still, she had a point. Maybe if they waited a few days, she'd be able to convince Twilight of all the wonders of magic and why this leak was a good thing.

"Sure, Rarity, let's table it for now. We can talk about it later." Sunset smiled and faced the group. "I don't know about you, but I'm kinda enjoying not being cooped up in that fitting area. How about we grab something to eat at Sugarcube Corner before we go back to being Rarity's mannequins?"

With a chorus of agreements and a flustered Rarity, Sunset felt the mood return to normal. As they set out for the bakery, her mind filled with dreams of a better tomorrow, one where magic and technology combined to create new wonders and propel the world to its next stage of progress. All she had to do was make Twilight see her point of view.

Yes, everything was going to be fine. If only that nagging feeling at the back of her head that she was missing something and the sense of dread creeping down her spine would go away.

Sunset watched from across the street as Principal Celestia got into her car in the Canterlot High parking lot and drove off, leaving it devoid of any vehicles. From her previous observations, Sunset knew that there was no one left in the school, all the staff having finished their work for the day.

Once the principal's car was out of sight, Sunset walked across the street to the school's entrance. After glancing around to ensure that she was alone, she reached into her bag and pulled out several items while trying to quash the feeling of guilt that was growing inside her. After all, she was only doing what was necessary to prevent Twilight from making the biggest mistake of her life.

It had been nearly a week of debate – which had completely overshadowed the graduation celebrations – and Twilight and Sunset were no closer to coming to an agreement than they'd been at the start. Twilight was being her usual stubborn self and refusing to consider the possibility that magic might do more harm than good, and Sunset had told her upfront that she wouldn't help her develop a spell to seal the hole that the magic was entering through.

Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to contact Princess Twilight to help her argue her case; the doppelgänger hadn't answered a single one of the messages she'd left in the journal since telling her about her student's visit to some festival.

As the week had progressed, Twilight had dug in deeper and deeper on her stance towards magic, demanding that Sunset help her build a seal around the portal, one that would block off all magic flowing in and prevent anyone from travelling through it except during the normal cycle of the portal when it was scheduled to open up again – essentially, restoring its original functionality.

Until then, the only magic in this world would be what was already here. And while Twilight claimed that they'd be able to bring some magical artifacts through the portal when it opened again, her increasingly-hostile attitude towards magic had Sunset seriously considering if "some" would end up being "none" by that time.

Sunset hadn't been able to talk Twilight out of this idiocy, and to make matters worse, her other friends seemed to be on Twilight's side. Rarity and Applejack were backing up Twilight, and it looked like Fluttershy and Pinkie would soon follow suit. Only Rainbow wanted them to keep their powers, but Sunset wasn't sure if the counterpart of the Element of Loyalty would hold her ground if it meant going against all her other friends.

She was sure that if she could get Twilight to agree to work with her to approach the subject from a logical and scientific angle, then the data would eventually prove her right and Twilight would accept that. But she couldn't do that if all her friends decided to seal the portal, which they could probably do without her help given Twilight's rapidly-developing knowledge of magic.

With the clock rapidly ticking towards a catastrophe of their own making, Sunset had decided to buy herself some time. She'd spent the past week secretly developing a spell that would prevent them from making that terrible mistake, and now it was time for her to use it, no matter what her guilty conscience was telling her. Having to deceive her friends like this had left her miserable and irritable, and it didn't help that she felt like she was slowly losing her mind.

The vague sense of loss and dread had transitioned to intermittent flashes of half-remembered nightmares and random bits of knowledge that seemed to just appear in her head. Somehow, when waiting for a response from Princess Twilight, she'd known that none would come in time. When arguing with Twilight, she had the distinct feeling that she had said the same words to her already, and that the argument was running to an inevitable conclusion that she had seen before.

And when she had sat down and designed a spell to prevent the leak from being sealed off, a sense of impending doom had sat in her soul, echoing phantom pains sounding in her heart. It was all really weird, and as much as Sunset wanted to dismiss it as the stress of possibly being cut off from her home, she knew she was missing something important.

Still, she could worry about that later. Right now, it was time to finish the spell. If all went according to plan, Sunset would decouple the leak's ethereal location from its physical one, essentially freeing it from the statue and letting it exist without being forced into any one place, which would make it nigh-impossible for Twilight to track down and close off unless she was skilled enough at traversing the ethereal place, which was something even the highest-level mages had trouble doing.

Grabbing the necklace that granted her most of her magical powers in this world, Sunset slipped the familiar piece of jewelry around her neck, feeling the comforting warmth of its magic embrace her. How Twilight could so easily give this up Sunset would never know, but she going to do everything she could to stop her from throwing away the greatest gift that'd been given to her after her friends.

Reaching out with her mind, she established a psychic connection between herself and the necklace, taking control of its power. She sent that power into the pedestal, and a blue light wrapped around the stone, forcing the portal open. As she stared into the swirling mass of lights and colors that stretched before her, the feeling of déjà vu that had plagued her the past week returned in full force. Something bad was going to happen – she could feel it. From the edges of her mind, a memory tugged at her, something about the spell going wrong.

She didn’t have time dwell on those feelings, however, as a torrent of magic began rushing out of the newly-created opening, originating from a buildup of Equestrian magic that had collected within the portal. Reacting quickly, she raised the second object she had taken out of her bag; a circular device a little bigger than her hand covered with glowing indicator lights.

It was the same device that Twilight had used to absorb their magic during the Friendship Games. After the incident with Midnight Sparkle, Twilight hadn't wanted to have anything to do with the thing, so Sunset had taken it for herself.

Sunset pointed the device at the portal and cracked it open a couple inches. From what she'd seen before, it would absorb magic from the strongest nearby source until it reached an equilibrium, and she hoped that behaviour would remain consistent today.

Fortunately, it looked like she was right, and she felt the magic from the portal begin to wane, allowing her to see beyond the raw magic and into the connection between worlds with her magical senses. And next to that connection was a tear in the fabric between worlds. That was the source of the leak, and what Sunset was looking for.

Very carefully, Sunset wrapped her magic around that tear and began weaving her spell. This was definitely the most complex magical task she'd had to perform since she'd arrived in this world, and she hoped her skills hadn't dulled in her time here. Back in Equestria, she likely wouldn't have had much of a problem, but for the last few years, she'd only cast simple and moderately difficult spells, and now she was regretting not practicing some advanced spellcasting in her spare time.

Sunset was so focused on casting her decoupling spell that she didn't realize she wasn't alone until a familiar voice called out to her. "Sunset? What are you doing here?"

Panic seized Sunset's heart, and she nearly collapsed the spellform as her concentration broke. Hastily, she barely managed to hold onto her magic and set the spell into a stasis position so that she could talk to Twilight. She decided to counter her accusation with her own. "What are you doing here?" Not the most inspired comeback, but she needed to focus on maintaining the spell in its current state.

"I came here to update my readings on the leak," Twilight replied. Her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing to the portal?"

Sunset considered lying, but Twilight was going to figure it out eventually. "I'm doing the right thing," she said instead.

"Is that why you snuck onto school grounds without telling any of us?" Twilight asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"You wouldn't understand," Sunset replied through clenched teeth. "I'm preventing you from making the biggest mistake of your life."

"What spell are you casting on the portal?" Twilight shot Sunset a penetrating glare, suspicion and anger dancing in her eyes.

"I'm decoupling the leak from its physical location," Sunset stated plainly, her own glare a challenge to Twilight's. "That should prevent it from ever being sealed."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Do you know how dangerous that is? You're going to create a source that spews magic randomly all over the world. It would be a complete catastrophe."

"No, the catastrophe would be letting you close the leak off forever." Sunset reversed the stasis spell and went back to weaving the decoupling. She was nearly finished forming the final part of the decoupling spell, a severing subspell that would separate the leak from the portal, allowing her to perform the decoupling on one but not the other. After all, she needed the portal to stay here so that they could still travel to Equestria.

"Stop!" Twilight shouted at her. From the corner of her eye, Sunset saw her purple necklace begin to glow. "Reverse the spell before I have to stop you."

"It's too late," Sunset said as she set the final piece into place. "The decoupling's finished." She released the spell and watched as the leak began to fade away, destined to float about in the aether for all eternity.

"No!" Twilight's hands stretched out, and a blast of magic struck the portal, a purple glow surrounding the pedestal.

Sunset recognized the linking spell that Twilight was trying to cast in order to bind the tear back into the portal. Reacting quickly, she sent her own magic into the pedestal, trying to block Twilight's spell. Cyan and purple light clashed within the statue, each trying to overwhelm the other.

"This needs to be done," Sunset argued as she pushed against Twilight's magic. Not for the first time, she wished she was back in Equestria and still had her natural unicorn reserves. As it was, she was depending on the necklace and what little magic she had absorbed in the past year, which was about the same amount as what Twilight had available to her. "Magic is too precious to throw away."

"You betrayed us," Twilight replied with a hiss. "We agreed that we wouldn't take action until we reached a consensus, and you went behind all our backs and tried to undermine everything we've discussed for the past week. Some friend you are." Cyan slowly lost ground to purple as Twilight intensified her attack.

"You'll thank me for this one day." Sunset poured more energy into her spell, and her magic regained its lost ground and then some. A sense of wrongness suddenly washed over her, a dire warning from nowhere that something very bad was about to happen.

"No, I won't." Without warning, Twilight's necklace flashed even brighter, and Sunset found her own magic being overwhelmed without warning, the cyan glow around winking out and being replaced by an onslaught of purple as a bright shockwave of magic pulsed out from Twilight.

The energy from the shockwave sent Sunset sprawling onto the ground, her back landing painfully against the pavement. As she fell, she heard a loud boom, like someone had struck a very solid object with a very large hammer. Scrambling to her feet, she saw a cloud of dust where the pedestal used to be. Next to it, Twilight was staring in shock, the glow of her magic having completely disappeared.

For a moment, Sunset couldn't fully process what had happened in her mind. When the dust cleared to reveal a pile of rubble, she simply stared blankly, refusing to accept that the pedestal had been destroyed.

When the shock finally faded, she rushed up to the remains of the portal, desperately reaching for the connection between worlds with her magic. She found nothing but air, and the analytical part of her mind ran the calculations and told the rest of her brain that destroying the pedestal had closed off both the portal and the leak, not giving either a place to connect to in this world.

For a moment, her mind went numb, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what happened. Eventually, the numbness faded, replaced by a hole in her heart. The portal was gone, forever, and she was trapped in this world. She would never return to Equestria, and one day all the magic in this world would fade away, leaving her without a home and without a destiny.

Sunset felt tears welling in her eyes, but whether those were tears of sadness or rage she couldn't tell. She'd just lost everything that gave her life meaning in that single moment, and she wanted to cry out at the injustice of it all, to rage against the heavens as she once had so many years ago.

She turned to face Twilight, who was staring back at her with a guilty expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," Twilight said solemnly. "I didn't realize how much power I put into the spell."

Anger won out over sorrow as Sunset lashed out. "You ruined everything!" she shouted, allowing her temper to take over. "I was trying to do the right things, to stop you from making a stupid decision, and you ruined it!" There was still something missing, something that was tugging at her memories, but right now, she didn't give a damn.

"Don't try to defend your actions," Twilight replied coldly. "You deliberately went behind our backs and tried to undermine our agreement to decide what to do together. You betrayed us, and I had to stop you from risking our world."

"And you took everything that mattered to me away in the process." Sunset pointed an accusing finger at Twilight. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? To destroy the portal and get rid of magic forever. You were so scared of magic that you let it cloud your judgement. Admit it, it wasn't just an accident that the portal was destroyed."

"My judgement is clouded? You're so obsessed with the power magic gives you that you're blinding yourself to its risks." Twilight shook her head. "It doesn't matter, anyways. What's done is done. The leak is closed, and without the portal, it won't be possible to open another out."

Sunset barely heard Twilight's words, as her magical senses had detected something in the wreckage she was standing in. Sending out a careful probe, she identified its familiar magical properties. "It's still here," she whispered, hope blooming in her heart. "Twilight, the connection between worlds is still here. It's fading fast without an anchor, but it can be repaired. I don't have enough power to do it myself, but together, we can do it. I just need your magic."

"And what do you intend to do with the magic?" Twilight asked. "Because right now, the connection isn't tethered to any location. If you reopen the portal, the leak also opens, and we won't ever be able to close it again."

"And if you allow the connection to fade, we'll be cut off from Equestria forever." Sunset knew, somehow, exactly what Twilight was going to say, but she still had to try. "Please, don't take away my home from me."

Twilight quashed those hopes quite soundly. "I'm sorry, Sunset, but I can't help you. There's much more at stake here than just you and me. I have to think about the greater good here."

"Coward," Sunset hissed. "You're letting your fear of what happened before control you. You just can't move on from the past, can you?"

"And you've moved on too well, I think. Or did you already forget the time you turned into a demon and tried to take over the world?"

"I didn't forget, but that was a long time ago. I've changed since then, become a better person and started thinking about others instead of just myself." Unlike you, Sunset refrained from adding, knowing that there was no need to say it out loud.

"Have you really changed?" There was nothing but contempt in Twilight's tone. "It was lust for power that caused your original transformation, and it's that same lust driving you now. Or do you really only care about giving magic to the world?"

"I do care about giving magic to the world," Sunset replied hotly, "I want to give everyone the power to make their lives better."

"Admit it, you only care about keeping magic for yourself. The only reason you want me to open the portal is so that you can regain your power. I won't help you become a monster again."

"I'll show you a monster." From the corner to Sunset's eye, she spotted a familiar purple object on the ground lying between two small slabs of stone. Despite the voice in her head screaming at her to turn away from her current course of action, she reached down and picked it up, determination, desperation, and anger driving her forwards. She stepped towards Twilight, her hands clasping the magic detector.

Twilight eyed her warily. "What are you doing?" she asked as she took a step back.

"What has to be done." Sunset gave in to her darker urges and opened up the device in her hands. Instinctually, she reached out to the magic inside of it and forged a psychic connection with the device, allowing her to aim its absorption capabilities at a specific target.

A thin stream of purple light flowed out of Twilight's necklace, snaking towards Sunset. Power flooded Sunset's senses, and for a moment, she lost herself in a haze of euphoria despite Twilight's magic fighting Sunset's control.

Twilight gasped, her hand moving to cover her chest. "Sunset, stop," she said, panic in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm only taking enough to open the portal." Sunset focused a little harder, and the stream thickened, building up power within her body. The haze clouding her mind grew as time passed, and soon, all Sunset could think of was the power inside of her.

"No, no, no, please, not this, not again," Sunset vaguely noted that Twilight was muttering under her breath as the magic drained from her.

Sunset ignored her and focused on mixing Twilight's magic with her own. She wrapped the fading connection in the combined magicks and began the process of strengthening it.

"Please, Sunset, d-don't do this." Sunset blocked out Twilight's pleas, weaving layer upon layer of magic into the connection. "N-Not again. P-P-Please..."

A thud coupled with a sudden decrease in the magic flow broke through Sunset's concentration, and she glanced up to see Twilight lying unconscious on the ground. Panic seized her as she let go of the connection and rushed over towards her, shouting her name and leaning over to check her pulse.

As a shallow, fluttering heartbeat thrummed against her fingers, Sunset's memories finally returned to her. She broke down and wept, her tears splashing against the ruins of everything she held precious in her life.

Twilight was going to wake up any second now. Sunset knew this because it had already happened once before, fifteen years ago.

As she'd sat there next to Twilight's nearly-lifeless body, Sunset had finally remembered the truth of where she was, and she'd recalled the events of the past fifteen years in an endless torrent that'd battered her shocked brain.

She remembered how she had lost her friends because of her actions. The depths of despair and desperation she had reached seeking out another source of magic. The slow climb back up from rock-bottom with Starlight. Reconnecting with her friends and founding Equinox. Finding Twilight and working alongside her the past week.

Walking into Adagio's trap like an idiot and being trapped in her worst memory.

Even knowing where she was, Sunset had played along, calling an ambulance and then her friends. She'd followed her script, because she didn't know what else to do. She was trapped, and until Twilight and the others figured out a way to save her, this was her reality.

It wasn't like she could say she didn't deserve it. This world might be fake, but the memories were real – Sunset actually had betrayed her friend and nearly killed Twilight, and now, as she waited outside her hospital room for the second time in her life, all the justifications in the world rang hollow even to herself.

She'd broken everyone's trust, plain and simple, and they deserved to hate her right now. One day, she knew she'd somehow gain their forgiveness, but that day wasn't today, and as she found herself sitting across from her friends – none of whom would look her in the eye – Sunset felt true regret for what she had done for the first time.

Without the immediate panic and anguish over the loss of her home, Sunset was able to see how much pain she'd brought to everyone through her actions, and how her friends' hearts had broken at her betrayal. No matter what her justifications had been, she shouldn't have done what she'd done.

She'd have to apologize to the real Twilight once she saved her.

But for now, she was being punished in the most poetic way possible, and she would have to endure it until she could kick Adagio's ass for making her go through this.

A nurse stepped out into the hallway. "Sunset Shimmer?" Sunset stood up as she heard her name called. "Miss Sparkle is awake and would like to speak with you."

This was different. Last time, Twilight had asked for all her friends except Sunset. Was the spell screwing with her and giving memory-Twilight an extra chance to chew her out? Or had her actions since getting her memories back changed things somehow?

Well, only one way to find out. Sunset ignored the glares and protestations she was getting from her friends as the nurse stopped them from following Sunset. She was lead towards one of the rooms, where Twilight's brother was standing outside. He fixed Sunset with a suspicious look.

Sunset and her friends had hidden most of the details of what had happened out of fear of looking like they were crazy. Shining Armor knew that magic was involved somehow, but nobody had clued him in on the details yet. That would happen later.

Sunset pushed open the door and prepared to face the music. Even with this little snag, the end result was going to be the same, and Sunset braced herself to feel the full force of Twilight's anger.

Except, when she stepped inside, she found her friend sitting upright in a hospital gown with a troubled expression on her face, like she was trying to think something through. A series of emotions flashed across Twilight's face when she looked up at Sunset before settling on a determined gaze that Sunset had seen many times when she was trying to avoid thinking about something painful.

Before she could say anything, Sunset spoke first, the words pouring out of her in a torrent at the sight of her injured friend. "I'm so sorry, Twilight. I shouldn't have gone behind your back, behind all our friends' backs, and I'm sorry I betrayed your trust. And I'm sorry for lashing out at you afterwards too. I know you hate me right now, but I need you to know how much I wish I could take it all back."

Twilight's eyes widened, and her lips parted as if she was about to say something. Instead, she tried to climb out of the bed, but only managed to roll out of it and collapse onto the floor with a pained grunt.

Sunset instantly rushed over to her. She bent down and cradled her into an upright position. "Twilight! What are you doing?"

"Saving us," Twilight replied with a serene smile. "I forgive you, Sunset." Without warning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Sunset's.

The shock of that touch was so jarring that Sunset simply froze for a few seconds, her brain short-circuiting under as she was suddenly very aware of how she was holding Twilight's body close to her, and how wonderful her lips felt against Sunset's.

When she realized that Twilight hadn't pulled away yet, Sunset returned the kiss, pushing back against Twilight and pressing themselves closer together. A faint glow began to surround them, and Sunset saw the color return to Twilight's previously-pale complexion.

Sunset's tongue reached out and teased open Twilight's lips, allowing her to deepen the kiss. Fifteen years of pent-up desire coursed through her as Twilight's tongue met her own and their eyes locked together, the fires of passion dancing within them. The glowing light changed from cyan and purple to a blinding white, and Sunset was forced to close her eyes despite wanting to see Twilight's face as she kissed her.

Still, the light burned her eyes behind her eyelids, a searing brightness that, oddly, didn't hurt. Instead, Sunset felt a sense of warmth and comfort, another kind of magic building inside of her. She focused on the feel of Twilight's body pressed against hers and the dance of passion that their tongues were engaged in.

Finally, the light dimmed and Sunset was able to open her eyes again. She found a much older Twilight standing in front of her, and behind her, a cloud of shadows looming menacingly around them. Regretfully, she pulled away from the warm embrace that she'd waited for so long to experience, and took a moment to take in Twilight's appearance.

The scientist looked much the same as she had before they had been trapped in the spell, but there was a cyan light surrounding her, one that matched the color of Sunset's magical aura. Instantly, she recognized it for what it was. "The magic of love," she breathed, awestruck. "I never thought I'd ever get to see it."

"Neither did I," Twilight said, reaching out to take Sunset's hand. Looking down, Sunset saw that she herself was emitting a purple glow, one that of course matched Twilight's aura. She felt a thrill of pleasure as they held hands, savoring the touch of Twilight's smooth skin against her own. "Now then, shall we teach Adagio a lesson in magic?" Twilight flashed her a brilliant smile, and Sunset couldn't help but return it with her own.

"Ready when you are." Sunset felt Twilight's magic flow into her once more, but this time, it was different. Instead of fighting her, it chose to embrace her, and Sunset found it as easy to wield as her own power. She combined the two sources, and sent out a destabilizing pulse of magic outwards, clearing the dark clouds around her and breaking the spell circle they were trapped in.

As light returned to the room, Sunset saw Adagio standing at the edge of the circle, shock and anger clouding her face. "What? How did you escape? I'm the only one who can end the memory spell!"

"You've got a lot to learn about love and friendship." With the raw power flowing through Sunset, Adagio was just an inconvenience, and she wasn't afraid to tease her a little.

Snarling, the Siren raised her right hand, a cloud of magic enveloping it. "I should've known you'd find a way to weasel out of my trap. It doesn't matter. I'll just take the direct approach to getting rid of you."

A bolt of pure magic flew out from Adagio's fingertips, and Sunset barely managed to conjure up a shield to block it before returning fire with her own magic. Adagio's shield shattered like glass as she was sent sprawling across the room, the detector flying from her hand to land on the floor once again.

"You can't win, Adagio!" Sunset said, still riding the high of being able to freely cast spells. "Just give us back the journal and we can talk things out."

Adagio smiled. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Sunset." Arcane energy coalesced around her hand, and Sunset reflexively threw up another shield. "I've already won. Enjoy your little victory; it'll be the last one you ever have."

With a blinding flash of light, Adagio vanished, leaving Sunset and Twilight alone in the warehouse.

Chapter 17: Aftermath

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 18: Origin Stories

Sunset couldn't remember the last time the future had looked so bright to her.

As she stepped into the entrance of the restaurant with Twilight by her side, she had to resist the urge to prance about in joy – which would've been incredibly awkward given her current form. Happiness and hope bubbled up inside of her, and for the first time in years, she felt a small sense of contentment, as if a hole in her heart had finally been filled.

Despite their harrowing encounter with Adagio, the past few hours after that had been some of the happiest of her life. After their little make-out session, they'd spent the rest of the afternoon in the lab, trying to figure out what it was that Adagio had done with the cloverbloom's magic.

From the designs of the spare medallions, it looked like she was catalyzing a spell to tear a hole in the Veil Between Worlds, which, duh, of course she was. Sunset would need some time to puzzle out the exact nature of the spell that this artifact was meant to catalyze, and she was looking forward to doing so with Twilight by her side.

It was fascinating and wonderful how much and how little things had changed after Twilight had agreed to be her girlfriend. They still worked amazingly well together, bouncing ideas off each other to come up with novel theories neither would've thought of alone. Twilight was her usual brilliant self too, taking to this type of magic like a duck to water, and quickly reaching a level where she could make meaningful – if rudimentary – contributions to the discussion with her newfound magical knowledge and her advanced training in the sciences.

This wasn't surprising to Sunset, of course; the past week had already shown her that they were a near-perfect match intellectually. What was different, though, was how they acted outside of the technical stuff.

Sunset found herself standing closer to Twilight, allowing her eyes to dwell on the lush curves of her body and the beautiful lines of her face a little more than she had before. Twilight seemed to notice the attention, and Sunset knew she had returned the favor several times when she was focusing on something else.

And the smiles and looks they shared were a little warmer, even if they were a little more nervous too, and the old tension of unresolved feelings that had hung in the room was replaced by a newer blanket of tentative hope and a desire to indulge in their newly-transformed relationship, tempered with fear of overstepping their bounds.

For now, they kept it at coy looks and the occasional hand-holding, but Sunset wanted to experience more, and she was pretty sure that Twilight felt the same way. Still, there wasn't any need to rush things, and the two of them had spent a very fun afternoon in the lab, even if they hadn't been as physically close as Sunset would have liked.

At around six, Sunset had decided to take a break from the analysis and had asked Twilight if she wanted to grab dinner with her. While the word "date" hadn't been mentioned by either of them, it was obvious that their first dinner together as a couple was going to be a pretty big deal. Sunset knew this was going to be more than just dinner, and had picked the perfect place for it: a nice little bistro located near the outskirts of Canterlot, surrounded by a thin copse of trees.

As they drove towards the restaurant, they had continued their conversation on Adagio's plans, though without the reference sketches on hand, it was hard to make any more progress. Still, that wasn't enough to dampen her enthusiasm as they stepped into the restaurant and allowed the hostess to lead them to their seats, located in a nice, cozy corner by the windows that provided a beautiful view of the forest to the east of them.

"I don't remember this place being a restaurant the last time I was in Canterlot," Twilight remarked as she perused the menu.

"It wasn't" Sunset explained, setting down her own menu. "It used to be an outdoor gear store. The owner bought this place when it went out of business a couple years after you left and decided to turn it into this cozy little bistro in the woods that's still close enough to the city to be convenient. I was actually at the grand opening of this place; Rarity and I celebrated my getting out of jail and turning over a new leaf by coming here."

Sunset smiled at the memory. "We liked the symbolism – going to the grand opening of a place that failed and got reborn as something new and different. Since then, I've been here a few more times: the day Starlight and I founded Equinox Labs, our first patent deal, the opening of our first corporate lab. It's sort of turned into a place to celebrate new beginnings for me." Sunset felt a hint of trepidation as she spoke those last words – she hoped Twilight wouldn't find it too sentimental.

Of course, she didn't have to worry. Twilight returned Sunset's smile with one of her own. "Well, I can certainly see why you brought me here, and I'm honored you think that starting a relationship with me is such a major thing. Let's hope that it turns out as well as your previous endeavours."

"I'm willing to work just as hard to make sure that happens," Sunset said. "I'm not going to let you go again."

"I'm not running anywhere this time either," Twilight replied softly. "I made a mistake last time, and I won't do that again."

Before Sunset could comment, the waiter arrived to take their orders. Sunset and Twilight paused their conversation to make their decisions and as soon as the waiter left, Twilight turned to face Sunset, speaking quickly before Sunset could resume their previous topic. "So, I've always wondered about the history of Equinox labs." Her words were spoken hastily, coming out rushed and almost babbling.

Still, Twilight continued. "I know you told me what inspired you to found it, but there's a big difference between wanting to found a research lab and becoming CEO of one of the leaders in scientific and technological advancements. How did you two start?"

Recognizing that Twilight didn't want to dwell on her abandonment, Sunset allowed the conversation to shift without comment. "It definitely wasn't easy, even with all advantages I got. I had a few ideas on how to turn some of Equestria's science into inventions that could work in this world, but I needed a place to develop and test my ideas. Not to mention all the legal, financial, and other stuff you need for starting a company and dealing with stuff like patents and contracts.

"Oh, and most of my money went to my little two-year world trip, and without magic, I couldn't transmute anymore lead into gold or gems for a quick buck." Sunset smiled ruefully as she remembered the moment she had realized that her past foolishness might have ended her hopes of starting a new life before they had even begun.

"I thought that was going to be the end of my dreams until I got back on my feet and found some kind of job that would give me the chance to save up." Her smile turned more genuine as she recalled what had happened next. "I should've remembered what good friends I had.

"When I told Rarity about my money problems, she said she'd bankroll me on the spot. She'd founded Carousel right after we graduated and somehow managed to get it in a pretty good place while also taking night classes, so she had some money to spare. She was going to use it to open up a second store, but when I told her what I wanted to do, she gave the money to me instead."

"Really? Just like that?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know she's generous, but that seems a bit over the top, even for her."

"She got some equity in the company in return, so it was more like an investment than just charity. Still, considering how much we needed that money, she could have asked for a much bigger share in Equinox, and she even let us buy her stake in the company back a few years later even though our company was still growing. So yeah, she got her initial capital back and more, but she could've made a lot more money from us."

Sunset paused to take a sip of water before speaking again. "I really don't know what I would've done without her. And it's more than just the money, although that definitely helped a lot. Rarity was the one who was always there for me. Even after everything I did, she welcomed me back with open arms and helped me patch things up with the rest of the girls. And when things got tough, she was always there with an encouraging word or a relaxing spa date."

At this point, the sommelier arrived with a bottle and two wine glasses, expertly uncorking the bottle and pouring its contents into the glasses. Sunset swirled the clear, yellow-gold liquid around the rim of the glass and breathed deeply, taking in the smell of the subtle floral accents blended fluidly into the wine, before thanking the sommelier. As he left the table, Sunset raised the glass for a proper sip, but Twilight interrupted her.

"Are you sure both of us should be drinking?" she asked, one hand hovering around her own glass. "One of us needs to drive us home."

"Don't worry about it," Sunset said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'll call Gear Shift and tell him to drive us back, and I'll get someone to pick up the car in the morning."

"Gear Shift?"

"My personal driver," Sunset replied.

"You have a personal driver?" Twilight asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course," Sunset replied, a little confused herself. "Why wouldn't I have one?"

"Right." Twilight pressed a hand to her forehead. "I forgot about you being one of the richest women in Canterlot and all that for a moment. The past week's just felt like a little slice of the past, back when we were teenagers."

"It has, hasn't it?" Sunset took a sip of her wine, taking a moment to savor its sweetness. "It's like living in a little bubble. I haven't even driven that car in years. Usually, I just get Gear Shift to drive me around, but I wanted to keep things quiet for now. And if I do want to go out on my own, I'll just take the motorcycle."

"You still have that motorcycle?" Sunset resisted the urge to chuckle at the disapproval dripping from Twilight's voice.

"Not the same one that I had in high school; I upgraded after it started having engine problems." Sunset smirked slightly, unable to hold back her amusement. "I was going to offer to drive us around on that, but I figured you probably hadn't changed since the last time you rode with me, and I didn't really want to deal with you screaming your lungs out every time we had to go somewhere."

"Well excuse me for having some sense of self-preservation," Twilight replied with a huff. "I'm sure you're aware of the traffic statistics involving fatal accidents with motorcycles."

Sunset shrugged. "I've read the studies, but sometimes you just want to feel the wind on your face while you weave through traffic. Besides, after I gave up smoking, I decided I was going to keep at least one dangerous lifestyle choice to keep things interesting."

Twilight had raised her glass to her lips and was just about to drink, but as soon as Sunset said her last sentence she set down the glass with a little too much force, the intoxicating liquid sloshing about slightly from the sudden motion. "Wait, when did you take up smoking? And why?"

"It was before I met you, back when I first arrived in this world. I thought it looked cool, and I was going for the whole 'bad girl' persona, so I figured 'why not?' Besides, I was planning on ascending and becoming an alicorn, so I didn't really care about health risks since, y'know, I thought I was going to be immortal." Sunset barked out a harsh laugh, her earlier good humor fading. "I was such an idiot back then."

"If it makes you feel any better, most teenagers go through a phase where they think they're immortal and invincible." Twilight's eyes twinkled with mirth. "You just took it a little further."

By the heavens, Twilight was amazing sometimes. Sunset felt the weight on her heart fade at her words. "Good thing I had friends to knock some sense into me. You know, at first I was pissed that the portal sent me back as a high schooler, but if it weren't for that, I would never have met the girls, and I'd probably still be an evil bitch. And of course, if I hadn't gone to Canterlot High, I wouldn't have met you."

"Yes, that was very fortunate for the both of us," Twilight said. "There are days when I wonder if destiny exists and if it brought us together. I know most scientists don't subscribe to such concepts, but then again, they also don't believe in magic either, and the chances of the two of us finding each other given that we come from different universes are beyond astronomical."

"Fate and destiny are things philosophers have argued over since the first divination spells were invented," Sunset said. "Ley Place and Immanent Canter both wrote a bunch of treatises on it, trying to reconcile the existence of prophecy with free will, and the only thing they managed was to come up with a body of work to torture students with in Intro to Philosophy courses."

She shrugged. "Personally, I never cared about that debate. Maybe things happen because it's fate, maybe things happen because of the choices we make; either way, there's nothing I'd change about how I act, so why does it matter? Besides, Ley Place's books on demon summoning were a lot more interesting."

Twilight grinned. "I can see how the prospect of learning to summon demons would attract you more than debating philosophy. I guess you're right, though: it doesn't matter in the end if fate exists or not, since we'd still do the same thing anyways."

As Twilight finished speaking, the first course of their meal arrived. Twilight and Sunset had both opted for a salad to start with, and Sunset felt her earlier hunger returning as she took in the faintly acidic scent of the vinaigrette used to season the delicate greens on her plate. Their conversation paused for a few moments as they both dug in, silence resting comfortably between them save for the clanking of metal against porcelain.

After the first few bites, Twilight spoke up again, asking Sunset to continue her story about the history of Equinox Labs. Sunset obliged, telling Twilight about the ups and downs of building a company from the ground up.

It was a story she'd told a thousand times in various forms; after all, as a woman who'd gone from being nobody to being the owner of a company worth over a billion dollars, there were many people who were interested in how she'd done it.

Time and time again, she'd shared the tales of her successes and failures with fellow entrepreneurs during social events, discussed the process of developing her ideas into ground-breaking new technologies with researchers and academics, and even given inspirational speeches about the hard work and perseverance she had put into the Equinox as part of many a keynote addresses.

This was nothing like all those events.

In all her other tellings, she'd always had to hide the source of her inspiration, claiming some lucky epiphany or astute observational and deductive skills instead of telling the truth: that many of her novel insights came from a combination of her magical knowledge and advancements made by Equestrians that she had learned about in her studies.

Not that she hadn't been tempted just to see the responses, but she knew better than to give in to those urges. With Twilight, though, she could finally tell the true story of how she built up Equinox Labs to where it was today.

When she told her old friend about her first invention – the biaxial astrolabe, a navigational device that had now become a standard tool used in all major naval vessels – she didn't have to recite the story she'd made up about walking through the forests at night and seeing the alignment of one set of trees with the stars and how that led her to the geometric breakthroughs needed to rederive the coordinate system; she could just say that she'd learned how to build one as part of the first-year curriculum at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.

Likewise, she didn't need to pretend that the delay in releasing her company's discovery of a cure for a rare autoimmune disease was due to ethical concerns rather than the fact that she'd jumped the gun and hadn't figured out how to synthesize the active ingredient without magic.

Granted, there were a few other people with whom she could share her secrets – the five very special women who had saved her from her own darkness, for example. But none of them had the technical knowledge or interest that Twilight possessed, and most of them would've probably fallen asleep by now if she'd talked to them like this.

Not Twilight. The scientist listened to her story in rapt attention, only interrupting to ask her to expand on some technical detail or other. There was no chance she was getting bored or just humoring Sunset; Twilight's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she listened intently to Sunset, a beautiful shine that lit up her whole face. Sunset felt a warmth blossom in her heart as she shared her secrets with her girlfriend.

As Sunset spoke, however, she also felt an odd sense of trepidation build up within herself. So much of the genius that others had credited her with had come from the deception that her inventions were her own, and not lifted from memories of her classes. Without the lies to protect her, Sunset felt naked and vulnerable sitting in front of Twilight.

How would she react to the fact that her company was built on knowledge taken from others without permission? Obviously, Twilight already knew the source of her creations, but it was one thing to know that fact and another to have a detailed description of where she stole all her research from. After all, she was a scientist, and plagiarism was anathema to those types.

"…and after we got the contract with Jet Set Enterprises to replace the engines on their planes, we had enough cash to buy the whole building our office was in," Sunset said, wrapping up her story. "That's when things stabilized for us and our growth really took off, until Equinox became the company you see today." She gazed into Twilight's eyes, looking for signs of disapproval or disappointment, her whole body tensed up in dread of how she would respond.

"That’s one hell of a story," Twilight said softly, returning Sunset's gaze with one of wonder and awe. "It's incredible what you've managed to achieve with your life. You must be so proud of yourself."

Sunset shrugged, feeling some of the tension wash away. "I definitely have my moments. It does feel good to look back and see how far I've come since I got here sometimes, but other times I feel like a fraud standing up there taking all the credit for my 'genius.' All I did was copy some ideas from Equestria and make a few changes to them."

Twilight snorted. "You were able to transform technologies between different laws of reality, across multiple fields of study. If that doesn't make you a genius, then I don't know what does. Yes, you didn't come up with the original ideas, but what is research if not innovating from past achievements of others? Believe me, your intellect is a peer of mine, which definitely means you're brilliant."

"But not necessarily humble, it seems," Sunset teased, taking one final bite of her salad and savouring the lingering aroma of the greens mixed with the heady scent of the wine.

Across the table, Twilight took a sip of her own wine, her first course long since finished. "I've found that false modesty is dishonest and a disservice to both oneself and others. As long as you aren't being arrogant about it, I think you should take pride in all you've accomplished."

"Don't worry, I know when to indulge in my pride," Sunset replied. "A girl's got to have her vices, after all, and there's no way I was ever going to give that one up. Good to see that you're more confident in yourself, though; I remember how shy you used to be in high school."

"I wasn't actually that bad." Twilight looked a bit sheepish as she spoke. "Sure, I was socially awkward, but I knew I was smart and I wasn't afraid to show it. My behaviour was just different when I was around you. We spent most of our time together working on magic, where you were the domain expert and I didn’t know anything, so it was natural that I would defer to you. Not to mention, I was still dealing with my crush. In hindsight, I do wish I could have acted more naturally around you."

"In the grand scheme of things, that's probably a minor thing to regret."

"Yeah." Twilight chuckled softly at Sunset's words, a warm sound that lit up the space between them. "Heh, I guess we've lived some pretty interesting lives, haven't we?"

"We sure have." Sunset raised up her glass. "I can't say I wouldn't have it any other way, but all things considered, I'm pretty happy with where I am right now." As she spoke the words, Sunset realized with surprise that she truly believed them. Despite all she had lost, she had also gained so much.

Though it was a means to an end, she loved her job, being a leader and playing politics with others to build up her company. Using her power to help people gave her a sense of satisfaction she'd never had when she'd pursued ascension. And now, she had Twilight, a gorgeous woman with a brilliant mind and an admirable strength of heart whom she could see as an equal.

Twelve years ago, she would never have thought that this would've been possible, and she gave thanks once again for having friends to pull her from the darkness.

Twilight raised her glass towards Sunset with a bright smile. "A toast then, to interesting and happy lives."

Sunset raised her own glass in kind, the last remnants of the crimson liquid within sloshing about as their glasses tapped lightly against one another with a quiet tinkling. "To interesting and happy lives, now and forever."

She downed the last of the wine before setting her glass down and grabbing the bottle on the table. She poured out a stream of the amber liquid to refill her glass. "So, we've spent a lot of time talking about me. How about you, Professor Sparkle? What kind of interesting life have you led?" Sunset leaned forward slightly, eager to hear more about her girlfriend's past.

Twilight shrugged. "My story isn't anything as remarkable as yours. After high school, I went to Hayvard for my undergraduate education. I published my first paper that summer on boundary conditions for the wave equation in infinite-dimensional space waveguides under the supervision of Professor Clear and spent my sophomore year in her lab refining the experimental setup for the detection of group delays in heterogeneous lattices, which led to my second paper on minimum-phase configurations. After that, I spent most of my time looking into the electromagnetic properties of–"

"–I don't need to hear you read out your CV," Sunset interjected with a shake of her head. "I've already read all of your publications; I want to know more about you, not just your research."

"Well, I – wait, you've read all of my publications?" Twilight's annoyed expression at being interrupted quickly shifted to surprise, and Sunset realized that she'd slipped up. "A lot of them aren't even relevant to your work."

"I mean, you're one of the top physicists in the world and the work you've done is revolutionary. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything important." Sunset felt a sense of guilt pressing against her conscience at the half-truth.

Deciding that she didn't want to deceive her girlfriend on their first date, she kept talking. "And I really wanted to know what you'd been up to. Ever since I got Equinox off the ground and in a good place, I've kind of been keeping tabs on you. Not in a creepy way or anything!" Sunset spoke hastily, not wanting Twilight to get the wrong impression. "But I was curious as to how your life turned out, and I guess some part of me always hoped that I'd get to talk to you again one day."

"Oh," Twilight looked slightly uncomfortable. "I, ah, spent most of my time trying to avoid anything to do with Equinox. I guess I wasn't ready to see you again." She smiled wanly. "Good thing you took matters out of my hands, huh?"

"I definitely don't regret coming to you." Sunset looked straight into Twilight's uncertain eyes. For a moment, they just sat there, basking in the mutual affection that permeated the silence.

And then the moment passed, and Sunset spoke again, the former casualness returning to her tone. "So, tell me, how were things at Hayvard? I've heard some pretty wild stories about stuff the students got into."

Twilight rolled her eyes at Sunset. "Yes, I was a total party girl who was attending dorm-wide orgies every weekend," she said, a deadpan expression on her face and in her voice.

"Hey, you never know, right?" Sunset asked as she grinned at Twilight's response. "And besides, we got up to some pretty crazy stuff back in Canterlot High."

"And most of the time, that was due to either magic, Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie," Twilight replied as she finished her own glass of wine. "And you, on occasion," she added with a disapproving stare. "Don't think I haven't forgotten about you taking up motorcycle racing over spring break."

"Dash was egging me on!" Sunset protested. "Besides, we had magical safety measures in place so it wasn't that dangerous. But seriously, you didn't get up to any antics in college?"

"I did not." Twilight's voice turned somber as she spoke. "College wasn't a very good time for me. Are you sure you want to hear my story? It's not a very pleasant one."

"Neither was mine," Sunset pointed out, "and I want to know all about your life, the good times and the bad. I want to know what made you the amazing woman you are today."

"Fine." Twilight picked up her fork and began absentmindedly poking at the last remnants of her salad. "After what happened, I withdrew from the world as you might expect. I cut off all contact with the girls and wouldn't answer any of their calls. I didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want to be reminded of you or magic. I threw myself into my studies, spending the summer before my freshman year reading through all the textbooks for the courses I'd be taking in the fall. When classes started, I aced all of them, despite taking on a heavier course load.

"It shouldn't have been surprising, of course. Studying was literally all I did. All day, every day. I didn't hang out, didn't talk to anyone, didn't make any new friends." Twilight smiled ruefully. "I spent more time talking to the professors than with my fellow students. I was just so scared of making new friends, of the possibility that things could become catastrophic once again. It was easier to bury myself in my studies, in the books that couldn't hurt me.

"When Professor Clear offered me the summer research position, I jumped on it, devoting my entire life to it just as I had done for my studies. I was a prodigy, and she recognized that, pushing me further and further and driving me to new heights. By the time I graduated a year early, I had achieved an academic record that rivaled some doctoral students."

A storm of emotion raged in Twilight's eyes as she stared at Sunset with an unreadable expression gracing her face. "At the time, I told myself I was happy devoting my life to my studies. And I don't think that's entirely a lie; I loved science, and I still do. The thrill of learning, of making new discoveries, of designing that perfect experiment or figuring out a difficult proof, there's nothing quite like it."

"But you were alone," Sunset said softly, knowing where Twilight was going with her story. "You didn’t have anyone there for you."

"Being alone was never a problem for me," Twilight replied, setting down her fork. "Before I went to Canterlot High I never interacted with others much. I had my books to read, and I didn't think that I could need other people to make my life complete. I didn't even have a friend until I met you girls, and even then, I still liked spending some time alone. So it's not like I was stranger to being by myself.

"But this time, it was different. Turns out, there a difference between having the option of being alone and existing in a state of what is essentially self-imposed exile. And there's a difference between being alone and not knowing how great it is having friends, and being alone while burdened with that knowledge. For the first time in my life, I was lonely, and that sucked."

Twilight lips turned up in a sad smirk. "Of course, being the wonderfully well-adjusted and emotionally-mature student I was, I decided that the solution to the problem was to get even deeper into my studies. I spent basically every waking hour reading or doing work in the lab, and my academic performance skyrocketed as a result. Work made the pain of loss bearable, and the accolades I received served as a poor but passable substitute for the support of friends.

"It wasn't until I started my graduate studies that things got better. Unlike you, there wasn't one big moment where I realized what was wrong with my life and made a commitment to change it; over time, I slowly got better at distancing myself from the past. After all, most teenagers go through some rough phases in high school and mature out of it. I just had a little more baggage than average.

"It helped that I was surrounded by other academics who were more than happy to talk about science and nothing else. I started talking to other people again, getting involved in collaborative projects and the like, and life went back to normal. Or at least, as normal as it could get for an introverted prodigy."

"Did you ever make any new friends?" Sunset asked.

"Not really," Twilight replied. "I had acquaintances and colleagues and research partners, and I did talk about things other than research with them, but our relationships were nowhere near what you'd call friendships, and definitely nothing like what we had in high school. The closest thing I had to a friend was probably Moondancer, but that's only because we can both talk endlessly about our work and our offices are side-by-side."

"The two of you have done some really great work in exploring the properties of nanoscale metamaterials," Sunset said, recalling some of the papers she had read on the subject. "Every survey in the field basically starts and ends with your names."

"Yeah, we've done a lot of good work together. Moondancer was actually asking me to help her expand her quantum tunneling paper to the microscale regime before you showed up in my office."

"Really?" Sunset leaned forward, her voice rising slightly in excitement. "That'd be huge! If you could obtain the same results at that scale, you'd revolutionize the field and probably pick up a Noble Prize in the process."

"I turned her down," Twilight said flatly. "Told her to go talk to Minuette instead."

"Why?" Sunset asked, surprised. "Her field is mostly statistical physics, right? That's useful, but not as much as the stuff you know about metamaterials."

"Because we solved the problem fifteen years ago," Twilight replied, "and I didn't want to dwell on those memories any more than I had to."

"We did?" Sunset paused to think for a moment, sifting through her memories. "Oh, right. The teleportation lattice." Then the rest of Twilight's sentence hit her. "You really turned it down because of me?"

"I may have matured, but I still hadn't gotten over what had happened all those years ago," Twilight said simply. "I tried my best to avoid anything that would make me think about us."

"I'd say I was sorry again, but at this point I think you know how much I wish I could change things," Sunset said, doing her best to quash her guilt. She didn't want to start a relationship feeling beholden to Twilight for her past wrongdoings – that wouldn't end well for either of them.

"It's fine," Twilight waved her hand dismissively. "I already forgave you, remember? I wasn't telling you all this to make you feel bad – I did it because you asked me to."

"And I'm glad you did," Sunset said sincerely. "Now we both know each others' stories, and we can move on." Neither of them had lived an easy life, and both of them had been hurt by their past, but they had moved on and become stronger people from it, and all that mattered to Sunset was the courageous, intelligent, and beautiful woman sitting in front of her now.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yes, we can. Our past is done, and now for the first time I can really look forward to the future."

"Same here." Sunset and Twilight allowed the conversation to pause as the busboy took their plates away. "So, speaking of the teleportation lattice, I wonder how much of its functionality we could copy from it without using magic?"

"Hmm… the biggest problem would be the non-locality of the spellforms." Sunset took a moment to appreciate the thoughtful look on Twilight's face. It was the look of a brilliant mind trying to unravel the secret of the universe, and Sunset could stare at it for hours. "I don't think you could recreate the necessary forcing functions with any kind of wave phenomenon, which is a problem. On the other hand, there are other options like…"

As Twilight spoke, Sunset did her best to focus on the conversation, brainstorming new ideas with her while they waited for the second course to arrive. By the time it did, they had already ironed out a few different design ideas that Sunset was eager to try out in the lab, preferably with Twilight.

Idly, the thought of spending the rest of her days working side-by-side with the scientist resurfaced in her mind, and she felt a warm fuzzy feeling spread through her body at the thought.

The rest of the dinner passed by in a blur of science and stories, the couple alternating between sharing tales of their past exploits and discussing the cutting-edge research being done in their respective fields. It was the most fun that Sunset could remember having in years, and when the time came for them to leave, Sunset found herself wishing she could cast a Time Stop spell to prevent the date from ending.

"One of these days, you're going to have to let me pay for dinner," Twilight said as they stood by the curb, waiting for their ride.

"It's no big deal," Sunset said with a shrug. "I've got more money than I know what to do with, to be honest." A sleek black car pulled up in front of them, and Sunset greeted Gear Shift before opening the door and beckoning for Twilight to enter.

"Still, next time I'm paying," Twilight grumbled as she climbed into the car.

"Fine." Sunset climbed in on the other side and fastened her seatbelt before giving Gear Shift the signal to go. She then shut off the intercom, leaving the two of them to talk in private. "I have to say, this has got to be the best date I've ever been on."

"I agree, but then again, this is also my first date, so my statement doesn't exactly hold much weight," Twilight replied.

"Really, you've never been on a date before?" Sunset asked.

"Are you surprised?" Twilight let out a sharp chuckle. "I told you I was a shut-in who didn’t have any friends and didn't interact with anyone outside of research. How exactly was I supposed to find a date?"

"You're hot and you're brilliant to the point of being a prodigy with a very impressive list of achievements. I'm surprised you didn't have guys and girls lined up to ask you out," Sunset replied simply. "Not that most of them would have a chance with you, but I can't imagine that no one ever tried." Celestia above, she actually found herself getting slightly offended on Twilight's behalf. As glad she was that Twilight had been single and thus eligible to date her, Sunset felt a twinge of annoyance that no one else seemed to have realized how amazing she was.

"Flattery aside, I did have a couple people ask me out," Twilight admitted. "But I was still dealing with some emotional issues and withdrawing from the world, and I honestly couldn't see myself having a long-term relationship with them, so I turned them down. There was never really anyone who clicked with me like you did. Even though we were just teenagers, I remembered what it was like to have that kind of connection with someone, and I couldn't settle for less."

Twilight's eyes flashed with humor. "I guess you ruined me for other potential dates." The look in her eyes grew inquisitive as she redirected her question back at Sunset. "So, how about you? Your mention of this being the best date implies other romantic dalliances. What's your love life been like since graduation?"

"Eh, not that much better than yours, to be honest. I mean, there were always people who were interested in my shares in Equinox, if nothing else, but I'm good enough at reading people to avoid those relationships. Rarity tried to set me up on a few dates, and they were nice enough, but it was always tough. Most of them were kinda intimidated by the whole 'founder of a billion-dollar company' thing, and even if they weren't, there was always the secrets about my origins and magic that meant that I basically had to lie through most of my first dates."

Sunset glanced out the window, watching the darkened streets pass by in a blur. "Like you said, there was never anyone who clicked with me like you did. Maybe it was because I wasn't opening myself up to others enough, but the end result was still the same. I never made it past the third date with anyone."

"That's unfortunate, but I'm glad you held out for me," Twilight replied. "And I'm glad I waited for you too."

The car pulled up to the entrance of Twilight's hotel. Silently, the two of them climbed out of the car, Sunset circling around to stand beside Twilight in front of the doors.

Twilight turned to face Sunset. "Well, I don't know about you, but I have to say, this has been one hell of a day."

"What, you mean you don't spend most of your days fighting evil mages with the power of love and then going out on a dinner date with your teenage crush?" Sunset asked with feigned surprised.

"You know, in another universe, that might not be too farfetched to imagine," Twilight said dryly. "But seriously, outside of that whole encounter with Adagio, I had a lot of fun with you today, especially on our date."

"Me too," Sunset replied. It was funny how little difference there had been between their date and their other meals shared together before hooking up. They'd simply spent the night as good friends, exchanging stories and talking research, but this time without hiding their feelings for one another. And Sunset wouldn't have had it any other way. "So, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Rarity's booked a fitting for me in the morning for the dress she's making me wear at the Exhibition. You're welcome to tag along if you want."

"We just had our first date, and you're inviting me to see you naked?" Sunset asked in a teasing voice. "My, my, I didn't realize how forward you were, Professor Sparkle."

Twilight's cheeks turned a delightful shade of red ad she gently slapped Sunset's arm. "Behave, or you're never going to see me naked."

"No, no, anything but that!" Sunset laughed as she spoke with false panic. "But seriously, Rarity booked me for the afternoon, so I might see if we can move around the time and get it all done at once. Then I can go visit Sonata and Aria in the afternoon."

"You know where they are?"

"Yeah, they wandered around a bit before settling back near Canterlot. They've been reformed for years, but they still might know something about where Adagio is."

"I'll come with you. Unless you have any objections." Twilight's tone sent an unspoken challenge to Sunset, daring her to say no.

"No, that's fine," Sunset replied. "It'll be good to have a second set of eyes there. You might catch something I miss."

"It's a date, then," Twilight said. The two of them stood in silence for a few moments, the cool autumn wind whispering between them. Their eyes met, and Sunset saw a fire that she knew was mirrored in her own gaze.

Not wanting to ruin the moment with words, Sunset leaned in, capturing Twilight's mouth with her own. The kiss was short and sweet, nothing like the passionate embrace they had shared before the date, but it was wonderful all the same.

Regretfully, they eventually pulled apart, taking a few more seconds to gaze longingly into each others' eyes. "Do you maybe want to come up with me for a bit?" Twilight asked shakily.

"Umm, I know I've been teasing you a bit here and there," Sunset said, trying to remain tactful, "but I think it’s still a little early for that. I wouldn't want to move too fast and mess things up."

"What?" Twilight's eyes widened in shock as her blush returned. "No, nothing like that! I meant that we could go to my room and talk! Only talking, nothing else! Well, maybe a little something else if we want, but not what you're talking about." Twilight's voice lowered as she regained control of her embarrassment. "I was just having too good of a time with you and didn't want it to end."

"I don't want it to end either, but I've got to update Starlight on our progress and work out what that thing that Adagio made actually does. I need to talk to Rarity about rescheduling too. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Sunset was about to lean over for another kiss, but Twilight spoke first. "Wait, I don't have a car. I left it at your place, remember?"

"I'll pick you up," Sunset replied. "How does nine o'clock sound?"

"Sounds good. I'll be waiting for you then. Good night, Sunset." Twilight leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Sunset's lips.

"Good night, Twilight," Sunset said, feeling slightly off-kilter at the sudden intimacy. Now that she thought about it, this was the first kiss Twilight had initiated since they'd been trapped in the memory spell.

Twilight grinned and walked off towards the hotel. Sunset stayed until her purple form disappeared behind the doors before returning to the car and telling Gear Shift to drive her home. The whole ride back, she wore a goofy grin on her face.

It had been way too long since she'd enjoyed herself with someone like that, and she couldn't wait to experience it all again tomorrow with her new girlfriend. And the day after that. And the day after that. A whole future had opened up in her mind's eye, and the endless possibilities of joy and love made her heart soar.

It wouldn't be easy, of course. Sunset still remembered all the challenges separating them. They would need to talk about their differing beliefs one day and come to an agreement, but that was a problem for another day. And who knew, maybe one day she really would bring Twilight over to her way of thinking – the curious scientist had spent most of the evening discussing the finer points of recreating magic with science, after all. Maybe things would work out for the better.

The car stopped in front her apartment complex, and she thanked her driver before returning to her suite. Once there, she called Rarity and confirmed that it would be okay to move her fitting to the morning with Twilight. Rarity took the change in stride, not asking any questions, and Sunset didn't volunteer any details. She would need to talk to Twilight about how best to reveal their relationship to everyone.

That done, she fired up her computer and sent out a video call to Starlight. A few seconds later, her face appeared on her screen. "There you are," she said, sounding annoyed. "I've worried sick about you all day. First I get a message saying that you've found the source of the magic and are going to investigate, and then a few hours later you tell me that you've run into an ancient monster and that I should leverage out contacts at the CPD to keep an eye out for her.

"I did what you said, by the way," Starlight added, returning to a more businesslike tone. "The CPD thinks that Adagio is a mentally unstable woman who needs help before she hurts herself or someone else with her delusions."

"That's as good a story as any," Sunset said. "Thanks, Starlight."

"Back to the matter at hand." Starlight's voice raised as she turned her glare back on Sunset. "You disappeared for a few hours after letting me know that you had defeated Adagio, and now you call me out of nowhere and act like nothing happened. Where were you all evening? I was worried that another complication had arisen."

"Sorry," Sunset said, appropriately chastised. "I didn't realize how that might have looked to you. Things have just been a little crazy."

"I can imagine," Starlight said with sympathy. "So, what happened? How did you end up fighting Adagio?"

Sunset gave Starlight a more detailed summary of how they'd found the warehouse, the confrontation with Adagio there, and the aftermath when she'd vanished. Again, she left out the part about love magic, only mentioning that Twilight managed to break the spell and redirect the magical energies away from the circle. That moment where they had tapped into the power of their feelings for another had been so intimate that Sunset wanted to keep it private from everyone, even her co-founder.

"…And after we grabbed everything that looked important, Twilight and I went to get dinner. Sorry about keeping you in the dark again." Sunset met the intense gaze of the woman on the other side of the screen.

"I see," Starlight said curtly. "So will Professor Sparkle be returning to Hayvard now that her part in this endeavor has been played?"

Sunset chose to ignore the hopeful note in her voice. "Not yet. I'm still hoping to leverage her expertise to help me puzzle out whatever Adagio has planned, and she's staying here until the Exhibition anyways."

"She's attending the Exhibition?" Starlight tried to keep her voice indifferent and professional, but Sunset could sense the strain beneath it.

"Yeah. Rarity invited her at the welcome party last night, and she said yes."

"She seems to have integrated back into your circle of friends quite quickly," Starlight noted with disapproval. "You've been spending an awful lot of time with her outside of tracking down the journal's thief."

"Is that a problem?" Sunset asked bluntly.

"That depends," Starlight replied. "Do you still remember why you founded Equinox Labs? What this company really stands for?"

Sunset glared at Starlight. "Of course I remember," she said hotly, "I've spent fifteen years fighting to bring magic back into this world. I'm not going to give up on it."

"Really? Then why are you hanging out with someone who is diametrically opposed to our ultimate goal?" The accusation was plain in Starlight's equally heated words. "Someone who ruined your chance of reaching your dream fifteen years ago and nearly took it away from you forever?"

"I told you, it's complicated. We were just teenagers and we acted out of emotion. It's different now."

"Oh? So does that mean Professor Sparkle is on board with our plans?" Starlight raised an eyebrow as she waited for Sunset's answer.

"Well, no," Sunset admitted before quickly adding, "but I'm working on it! Twilight's brilliant; she'll come around. She's already gotten over a lot of her prejudices against magic – just today, we made a major breakthrough in developing a teleportation lattice. Can you imagine everything we could do with her on our side? All the advances we could make in developing magical technologies for both worlds? I just need to convince her to see things our way."

"And you're sure you can do this?" Starlight asked sceptically. "What if the opposite happens? What if she poisons your mind with her own beliefs?"

"That won't happen," Sunset said firmly. "Like I said, she's already starting to come around. Just give it time."

"And if there isn't enough time?" Starlight pressed. "What happens if she comes into direct opposition with our plans? Will you act against her?" Sunset hesitated for just a moment before answering, but that was all the shrewd negotiator needed. "See? She's a danger to all of us. You know how important our work is; we can't afford to let your feelings destroy everything we've built."

Sunset regained her composure and gazed coolly at her second-in-command. "Equinox Labs is my company, and I will stand by it." She put every ounce of authority she had into her voice. "My loyalty to our cause is beyond question. I'll get Twilight on our side, and if she doesn't see the light in time, then she'll be left behind in the shadows as we move forward."

"Fine," Starlight grumbled. "I'm not happy about it, but I can see you're dead set on this. Just don't let all your friendship crap get in the way of doing what's right. The fate of the world is worth more than a few burned bridges."

"Noted," Sunset said, still maintaining her air of command. "Now, is there anything else we need to discuss."

"Nothing urgent," Starlight replied. "I've sent a summary of the day's event to your email already to peruse at your leisure."

"Thanks. I'm going to go to the lab and see if I can get some more progress done on figuring out Adagio's plans. Call me if any crisis pops up."

"Of course. Good night, Sunset."

"Good night, Starlight." Sunset turned her webcam off and allowed her head to slump against the back of her chair with a light thump. She suddenly felt exhausted, the adrenaline and ecstasy of the day finally wearing off and leaving her aware of just how drained she was. The reminder of the great ideological gulf between her and Twilight didn't help matters.

They would have to talk about it one day, and likely soon, with them closing in on Adagio. But hopefully she'd be able to sway Twilight more to her side before that happened – as she had said to Starlight, Twilight would be an invaluable ally in the fight to bring magic back into this world.

The idea of spending her days side-by-side with the beautiful scientist sent a jolt of happiness through her brain, and Sunset stood up with a renewed sense of vigor. She grabbed her notebook and pen and headed towards the door to the elevator, intent on stopping Adagio, convincing Twilight to join her cause, and bringing magic into the world.

After fifteen years to hardship and pain, she was finally going to have her happy ending. And nobody was going to stop her.

Author's Note

Finally finished all the edits/rewrites for this fic, so I'm going to switch to a semi-weekly updated schedule since I don't need a backlog anymore.

Chapter 19: Perspectives

"So, what are we going to tell Rarity? About us, I mean."

Sunset's question broke the comfortable silence that she and Twilight had been enjoying. The two of them were currently sitting in Sunset's car as she drove them to the original Carousel Boutique, where the seamstress in question was waiting for them for their fitting.

The morning had started pleasantly enough, with the couple exchanging a thorough kiss that had left Twilight feeling faint the whole walk to the car. The discussion afterwards about the results of Sunset's analysis of the spell circle and spare medallions she had extracted from the warehouse was likewise invigorating.

According to Sunset, Adagio intended to use the enchanted medallion in conjunction with the journal to drain some of Equestria's magic and transfer it to herself. Twilight had looked at some of the sketches Sunset had made of the effective spellform, and it was actually quite ingenious, assuming it was correct.

Since the power required to open a portal between worlds was far beyond what the cloverbloom could provide, Adagio was simply exposing a section of their world's fabric to Equestria, creating a vacuum that would draw power from the magical gradient across the divide and channel it into a collection matrix in the medallion. From there, she could use the magic in the same way that any other Equestrian could, and from what she'd seen from Adagio, that would be very bad for all of them.

The good news was that the talisman required an astronomical trigger to activate it and serve as calibrating factor. Specifically, the channeling spell could only be cast during the same alignment of the sun and moon that signalled the opening of the original portal in Canterlot High.

The next alignment was this Sunday, which gave them three days to come up with a way to find Adagio and stop her.

In theory, as the alignment approached, the enchanted medallion would begin to resonate with it, which meant that it might be possible to track its signature right before it was used, but it was hard to tell how much forewarning they'd have with that system, so for now, their search continued for some other insight to aid them.

After agreeing that further discussion would have to wait until Sunset had more time to further analyze the design, their conversation had slowly petered out as both of them took the opportunity to enjoy each other's company in peaceful silence. Twilight took the time to collect her thoughts about all that had happened since the beginning of yesterday.

After their terrifying encounter with Adagio and their somewhat awkward declarations of affections for one another that had led to their pledge to begin a romantic relationship together, Twilight had been very much on edge as their first date had begun, adrenaline coursing through her body and making her equal parts nervous and excited. That edge had quickly melted away as she found herself being drawn deep into conversation with Sunset

As they shared their stories, it had quickly become apparent that becoming a couple wasn't going to change their relationship dynamic too greatly, to Twilight's immense relief; she never wanted to lose that easy camaraderie she shared with Sunset, one that was unique and precious.

In fact, their budding romance only served to heighten the connection between them. Without having to hide her feelings, Twilight found herself much more relaxed, able to speak her mind freely without fear of saying the wrong thing and making things awkward. She had learned so much about Sunset, and shared so much about herself, which only strengthened their bond. And the occasional flirtatious asides were quite pleasant as well, especially the more physical expressions of affection that those asides had sometimes led to.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. Several times during the date Twilight had been reminded of dark past that had driven them apart in the first place, and as she relayed her own story to Sunset, she had become very aware that the road ahead for them would not be easy. She had forgiven Sunset, yes, and they'd renewed their relationship with each other, but the shadow of betrayal still hung over them like a dark cloud, and it would take time before Twilight would be able to give herself fully to Sunset.

And of course, the question of what to do once they had caught up with Adagio still plagued her. She didn't know what exactly Sunset's stance on magic in this world was, but she was definitely still a champion for bringing the dangerous force over, and Twilight would have to confront her on it one day.

On the other hand, they had spent much of their first date talking about how to substitute technology for magic, coming up with a number of potentially world-changing developments if they ever panned out. Sunset had spent the better part of a decade-and-a-half figuring out how to replicate advances from her world with modern technology, and had learned to adapt to a world without magic.

With each conversation, Twilight felt like she was closer to showing Sunset that magic – and its dangers – wasn't necessary to make the world a better place. Perhaps the former mage was closer to that realization than she thought.

With that hopeful thought cheering her up, Twilight turned to face Sunset as she answered her question. "I'm pretty sure Rarity will somehow be able to tell the moment we walk through the door no matter what we say. She's known about my crush on you since high school, and she's been rather direct about wanting me to hook up with you."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Sunset replied dryly. "She always liked playing matchmaker with me. Still, are you okay with her knowing?"

"Of course I am. It's not like I'm ashamed to be with you or anything." A dark thought crossed Twilight's mind and she felt a chill course down her spine. "Wait, are you ashamed to be dating me?"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Sunset hastily replied. "I'm honored that you picked me of all people and I want to shout it from the mountaintops or whatever people who are proud of who they're with do. But I'm not exactly nobody either. There's a lot of politics involved in running a billion-dollar company, and I'm kinda in the middle of it all. If we go public with our relationship, you're going to get sucked into that."

"I'm no stranger to politics," Twilight replied with a wave of her hand to show her disdain. "I'm the youngest tenured professor at Hayvard, and while I'm not the most social person, I've had to learn how to navigate the world of academic politics. It's not something I enjoy doing, but I can do it."

"That's good to know. I was a little worried that it might be a deal breaker." As Sunset spoke, Twilight looked ahead and saw an elegant-looking building up ahead on her right side. It was circular in shape, with colorful but tasteful patterns adorning its sides that gave the Carousel Boutique its namesake appearance. Twilight recalled seeing sketches on the building's design in Rarity's notebook back when they were students, and she felt a swelling surge of pride at seeing a physical symbol of her friend's dream becoming reality.

They turned into the small parking lot beside the shop and Sunset and Twilight climbed out into the morning sun. On a whim, Twilight reached out and grabbed Sunset's hand with her own, savoring the sensation of having a physical connection with her girlfriend. They shared a playful smile before pushing open the front door and stepping into seamstress' lair, a soft chiming of silver bells accompanying their entrance.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique!" Rarity's cultured tones floated towards the pair as they beheld her shapely form standing next to a rack of dresses of all sizes and colors, her eyes focused on some elusive detail on a dress hidden from Twilight's view. "How may I help – oh!" Bright blue eyes snapped towards them as their friend noticed who had stepped into her shop. "Twilight, Sunset, it's so wonderful to see you again! How have you been since..."

Twilight suddenly felt very self-conscious as Rarity's gaze shifted downwards to where her hand was intertwined with Sunset's and her voice turned sly and knowing. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Do you two have anything you wish to tell me?"

"Hey, Rarity," Sunset said casually. "Twilight and I are dating now."

"I see." A warm smile graced Rarity's lips as she addressed Twilight. "I must say, given our earlier conversation about your feelings, I wasn't expecting your romance to blossom so quickly. Still, this is a most marvelous surprise. Now, come in and have a seat." Twilight felt a frisson of nervousness at the hungry look in her old friend's eyes. "I'll make some tea, and afterwards I want to hear the whole story of how you two got together."

With little choice but to comply, the couple soon found themselves seated on a pair of luxuriously padded recliners, sipping a delightful black tea and recounting the events of yesterday to Rarity, who was resting on her own couch and listening with rapt attention. They started with a quick overview of how they had tracked down the cloverblooms before describing the confrontation with Adagio and the date that followed.

To Twilight's surprise, Sunset quickly took control of the conversation when it came time to talk about the memory spell, and deliberately avoided mentioning the love magic they had conjured up, simply stating that they'd managed to escape by turning Adagio's magic on herself. Upon further reflection, however, she found herself quite happy with that decision. The experience they had shared in that awful spell was something intensely personal, private, and intimate, and it was something she would never speak of to anyone but Sunset.

"Oh my, that's quite the tale you've told," Rarity said as they finished speaking, sounding suitably riveted. "Rainbow Dash is going to be quite cross at you for not inviting her to help storm the castle, as it were."

"Yeah, we didn't really have time to wait," Sunset said. "Not with the information we had. I'm sure Dash will get over it. Eventually."

"Well, I can't say that I'm sorry to have missed out on seeing that horrid woman again." Rarity grimaced into her tea before taking another sip. "I don't fancy the thought of having to face her again, but if you can spare the time before your next encounter, please inform us. I wouldn't have you fighting her alone."

"Will do." Twilight nodded in agreement with Sunset's words as they finished their tea.

"Excellent." Rarity set down her cup before rising gracefully to her feet. "Now, down to business. I've completed both of your dresses according to your measurements, and they should be in wearable condition right now. However, I will need to see you actually wearing them to determine if there are any final alterations that need to be made. So, who wants to go first?"

Twilight shrugged as she stood up. "Me, I guess, since I'm the first one on the schedule."

Sunset nodded. "Sure. I can't wait to see how great you look in your dress."

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few more days for that, dear. Now that you and Twilight are an item, we can't have either of you seeing the other's dress before the big day."

"Uhh, isn't that for weddings?" Sunset asked, head tilting in confusion.

"Oh, this has nothing to do with bad luck or tradition. I simply want to wait for the right moment for you two to see each other. A dress fitting two days before the main event in no place to be spellbound into silence."

Rarity's eyes lit up with stars as she grinned broadly. "Oh, I can just see it now. Twilight, waiting on the steps of her front porch, seated in such a way as not to sully her attire, of course. A jet black limousine pulls up in front of her, the doors opening to reveal her lover, come to sweep her off her feet and take her to the Exhibition. And then, at that moment when your eyes meet, you two should behold my creations for the first time."

The dressmaker let out a dramatic sigh, brushing aside her violet curls with her hand and gently collapsing back onto the couch.

"You okay there, Rarity?" Sunset asked with a mixture of amusement and concern as Twilight stood by awkwardly.

"I've just been looking forward to this day for so long," Rarity replied as she stood back up. "The designs for your dresses have been haunting my sketchbooks for over a decade, ever since Twilight first confessed her feelings to me. I had hoped to use them for prom, but alas, it was not meant to be. And now, I have the chance to finally give you the complementary dresses I've perfected."

"Wait, I thought you said that you weren't expecting us to get together?" Twilight asked, eyes narrowing. "Why did you design dresses specifically for us to complement each other?"

"A girl can dream, no?" Rarity smiled, mischief dancing in her eyes. "And even if those dreams didn't come to pass, I had hopes that seeing how well you looked together would give you cause to rethink your decision."

"Ever the matchmaker, huh?" Sunset commented. "Well, I'll leave you two to do whatever you need to do. See you in half an hour?"

"That will be fine. I shall be ready for you then."

Once goodbyes were exchanged and Sunset stole one last kiss from Twilight (to Rarity's ecstatic delight), she left the shop, leaving Twilight at the mercy of the scheming seamstress.

"Now then, let me just nip over to my studio and bring you your dress." Rarity walked gracefully over to the back of the shop before disappearing behind one of the doors, leaving Twilight to wait patiently and observe her surroundings.

So much of the interior of Carousel Boutique looked familiar to her. She remembered seeing the plans and layout for this store in Rarity's notes, and she amused herself during her wait by seeing how many details she could recall from those memories.

About a minute later, as Twilight recalled how she had helped in designing the central changing area, she heard the sound of the back door opening and turned to see Rarity delicately clutching a bundle of opaque wrapping.

"Shall we?" Rarity asked as she gestured towards the corner of her shop where a pedestal and a series of mirrors were set up. Twilight nodded and walked over to the center of the fitting area, waiting for Rarity to pull down the screen before stripping down to her intimates as instructed.

"Now, close your eyes," Rarity instructed as she walked up to Twilight. "I want you to see the dress in all its glory, and for that, it must be worn by the one it was created for."

Deciding to humor Rarity after all she had done for her, Twilight complied, shutting off her visual senses and relying on sound to keep herself aware of her surroundings.

"Thank you, darling." Twilight heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down, followed by the sound of rustling cloth. A rush of air surrounded her as she felt something being pulled above her, and a moment later the smooth, gentle caress of silk slid down her head as the dress was slipped onto her body, the cloth resting against her hips as she felt its comfortable embrace surrounding her.

There was a bit of shuffling as she heard the zipper on her back being pulled back up and felt the tightening of the fabric around her body, followed by some random tugging in various places as the dress was adjusted. Finally, Rarity guided her hand through a pair of straps that had come to rest on her shoulder, providing extra structural support.

"There. Perfect." Rarity's voice filtered through the darkness. "You may open your eyes now, dear." Twilight did so, and her jaw dropped at the breathtakingly beautiful sight before her.

The dress began as a pair of light blue straps that hung around the shoulders, complementing the purple tones of her skin. The blue slowly transitioned to a bright cyan and then a deeper blue in a soft gradient that flowed down the small ruffles that made up the layers of the dress. Right below the neckline, swirls of very familiar red and yellow danced around the middle of the dress like a warm flame. As the colors spread down to the skirt of the dress, the red and yellow grew more dominant before abruptly transitioning to a dusky violet at the fringes of the dress.

Various gemstones were scattered precisely throughout the dress, from the clear gems at the top in small clusters to the what appeared to be rubies and citrines around the center and finally the onyx crystals lining the edges. The dress painted a perfect picture of the transition from day to night, the setting of the sun that was her girlfriend's namesake, and the colors blended perfectly with her own in a medley of symbolic elegance.

As Twilight stood transfixed, her gaze locked on the vision in the mirror, she distantly heard Rarity's smug voice beside her. "It's been a while since I've rendered a client speechless. I'd forgotten how intoxicatingly pleasant the feeling could be. I take it you approve of the dress?"

Twilight nodded fervently in agreement, her mind struggling to come up with words. Finally, she managed to speak. "It's perfect, Rarity. More than I could ever have imagined."

"Thank you for the praise." In the mirror, Twilight saw Rarity approach her from behind. "However, it's not quite perfect yet. I still need to make a few minor adjustments. Hold still, if you please."

For the next minute or so, Rarity worked in silence, poking and prodding and taking various measurements with her tape measure before jotting them down in her notebook. Twilight took the time to observe herself in the mirror. The dressmaker really had outdone herself, making Twilight look better than she ever had and making her truly believe she was beautiful rather than just having a vague idea that she wasn't unattractive.

She couldn't wait to see Sunset's reaction to it. The idea of dazzling her girlfriend with her beauty sent little spikes of youthful joy through her brain. And of course, she was looking forward to seeing Sunset in her own dress as well. If Rarity could make someone like Twilight look this good, she couldn't even begin to visualize what Sunset would look like.

"So, it seems that you've disregarded your own advice on the matter of romance." Twilight's musings were interrupted by Rarity's words.

"Huh? Oh, yes, that." Twilight did her best not to fidget in embarrassment. "I suppose it's one thing to try to apply logic to determine a proper course of action in a highly emotional situation, and another to actually go through with that course. Us getting together was very much a heat of the moment thing. Although, now that I've at least had half-a-day to think on it, I believe we can make it work."

"Really?" Rarity adjusted the straps on Twilight's shoulders, pulling them back and forth slightly as she continued to take notes. "Does this mean you've resolved the original tiff that led to your parting?"

Rarity made a spinning gestured with her hand and Twilight turned until her back faced the mirror before replying. "Sort of? I've forgiven Sunset for what she's done, at least. And as for our argument over how to treat magic in this world, well, I think I'm making progress. It won't be easy, but I went into this relationship knowing that it'd be hard to change Sunset's mind, and I'm going to stick with it until she sees the light, as it were." Determination filled her voice as Twilight made her declaration, feeling like a princess standing atop her dais.

Rarity bent down and fiddled with a few of the crystals on the hem of her dress, her eyes focused on the jeweled pattern before her. "Not to out myself as the world's largest hypocrite after pushing for you two to get together," she said hesitantly and somewhat distractedly, "but are you sure this is a good idea? I've met many couples in my line of work, and most all of the ones that began with one half trying to change the other failed miserably in the end."

"I'm familiar with the popular consensus, yes," Twilight said, her voice cooling as she felt her hackles rise a little in response, "but it's a risk I'll have to take. In some ways, this is far more important than just the two of us – we're talking about the potential fate of the world here. I'm not even sure if the normal dating rules apply to us."

"Normal is not a word I'd ever think to apply to either of you." Rarity stood back up and brushed herself off primly. "You are both extremely remarkable women in your own ways, and I have no doubt you'll persevere just as you always have.

"That said, if I may offer some advice: no matter how grand the stakes may be, remember that at the end of the day, you are both human – for the moment, at least – with human emotions and failings. If you treat each other as ideals to fight against and don't take the time to listen and understand each others' sides of the argument, then that's a sign of a lack of respect that is so vital to any successful relationship. After all, you can't know for certain if Sunset's philosophy is without merit, no?"

"I guess you have a point there," Twilight conceded. "You know, I don't think I ever asked you where you stood on the whole magic thing. Would you have sided with Sunset or me in the end if things hadn't gone the way they had?"

Rarity was silent for a moment, her hands busy putting away the tools of her trade. Finally, she answered in a subdued tone. "Wielding Equestrian magic was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. As an artist, the ability to bring forth the creations of my mind into the world with just a thought is… well, there's nothing quite like it. Even if my constructs were temporary, there was so much potential in what I could achieve. I have always been an adherent of the spectacle, after all."

Twilight stared into Rarity's conflicted gaze as the other woman turned to face her. "I don't approve of what Sunset did, of course, but I can understand it. I can still feel the call of magic sometimes, that urge to create things that no mortal ever could. Surely you can understand that, no?"

Twilight smiled sadly. "I think we all loved our powers. Some of us maybe a little too much."

"Perhaps. I'm loathe to pass judgement myself, but then again, these debates about morality and progress are far beyond my forte, so I suppose I have the luxury of being able to recuse myself from the discussion for that reason. I just hope you can work things out with Sunset to the satisfaction of both of you. And the world at large, I suppose."

Twilight smiled, more genuinely this time. "I think everything will be just fine. I mean, assuming we can stop Adagio, of course. It'd be kind of a moot point if she managed to pull off her evil plan."

"Well, in that endeavor, I have no doubts as to your chances of success," Rarity said with her own smile. "Now then, let's get that dress off you and retire to the lounge to wait for Sunset, shall we? We haven't truly had a chance to talk alone since your return, and I am so very curious about how you've been."

"Sure." Twilight allowed Rarity to undo the straps of her dress, eager to sit down and talk to her old friend. A small part of her mind couldn't help but dwell on Rarity's words, however.

Despite all that had happened, Twilight and her friends had shared a number of good experiences with their magic. After she'd left Canterlot High, Twilight had spent so much of her life trying to resist its temptation before Sunset had come along and ruined all of her efforts. In the past couple weeks, she had been reminded both of how wonderful and terrible magic could be.

None of that changed her belief that magic was too dangerous to bring into this world, of course, but Twilight would be lying if she said that she didn't wish she could indulge herself a little, even knowing the dangers of being seduced by power. For a moment, she envied Gloriosa, who could use magic to her heart's content without fear of being caught up in a larger conflict and endangering the world.

Suppressing a wistful sigh, Twilight followed Rarity to the lounge area, banishing pointless thoughts of what could never be from her mind and focusing on the joy of having her old friend back to talk to. She was so close to her happy ending, and after what she had gone through, she was going to enjoy it as much as she could.

After Sunset had returned and had her fitting while Twilight stepped out and got some work done at a nearby coffee shop, the two of them stayed for a little while longer to chat before bidding Rarity farewell and heading out to their next destination: the home of Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze.

"How much do you know about what happened to Sonata and Aria after you defeated them?" Twilight asked as they passed the Canterlot City Limits and drove out into the countryside.

"Not too much, actually," Sunset replied. "After the Battle of the Bands, they ran off, and we didn't really chase after them. Without their powers, we didn't think they'd be much of a threat, and it's not like a bunch of teenagers would've been able to convince the cops that three other teenagers were actually monsters from another world who tried to use magic to mind-control everyone at our school.

"And after graduation, I had too much crap going on in my life to keep tabs on them, and it really didn't seem that important to do. Honestly, if they hadn't come to see me a couple years after I started Equinox, I probably would've forgotten all about them."

"They came to see you?"

"Yeah, I didn't see it coming either." Twilight listened to Sunset's story while staring out at the passing landscaping, watching as mall complexes and suburbs faded into farms and forests. "Apparently, they'd heard about Equinox and figured out pretty quickly where I was getting my inspiration from.

"It turns out Aria has a knack for magic and did a bit of research into sonic magic while she was on this side of the mirror. They came to me to make a deal to turn some of their ideas into something we could sell for a profit, since the money they'd saved up was starting to run out.

"Obviously, I was suspicious, but everything seemed on the level, and Aria's amplifier design was light-years ahead of what everyone else was working on, so we struck up a contract and starting marketing their ideas. Equinox makes a good chunk of money off of it, and we send them royalty checks to whatever address they give me. We're heading over to the current address I've got listed for them right now."

"And you trust that they don't have anything to do with Adagio?" Twilight saw a brownish-colored horse nuzzling a pile of rocks next to a creek, and for a moment she wondered if that was what Sunset really looked like. She felt a sudden surreal calm pass through her as she realized that everyone they were talking about came from a different world than this one, and that they were casually talking about business dealings with them.

"I can't be one-hundred percent sure, but over the years I've seen Aria and Sonata change. They used to be a lot like who they were in Canterlot High, but every time I see them again to renew our contracts or discuss other ideas they might have, I've noticed that they're nicer and kinder people.

"I mean, Aria is always going to be pretty abrasive, and Sonata can still be a little mean at times, but I can sense that they're really trying to be better, and I think I'm pretty good at reading people. But just in case, I've got a little surprise in my purse if they try anything."

"Alright," Twilight said, "I trust you."

As she spoke, they drove past a small theatre with a large sign advertising the movies they were showing. "Hey, the new Daring Do movie is coming out next week."

"Another one?" Sunset glanced over at the sign. "Didn't they just make one last year?"

"Yep. Ever since they hit it big with the reboot, they've been trying to squeeze out as much money as they can from the franchise." Twilight watched as the empty parking lot passed them by and was replaced with a small strip mall. "Did you know that I almost got us permission to visit the set where they filmed the original version of the movie?"

"Oh, really? That would've been cool."

"Yes, it turns out the director, Canter Zoom, went to Camp Everfree, and stayed friends with the counselors at the time – Timber Spruce's parents. Timber offered to get us exclusive access to the set, but then we broke up and it was a little too awkward for me to bring up." Twilight wondered what Timber would think of her dating Sunset now – it seemed like everyone had seen that they would end up together, even her ex-boyfriend.

"Maybe it's better we didn't go anyways," Sunset pointed out. "I remember reading about a bunch of bad stuff happening on the set, and then the lead actress quit on them halfway through filming."

"They ended up getting the director's niece to fill in for Daring." Twilight grimaced as she recalled the unpleasant experience of watching the movie. "Juniper Montage almost single-handedly ruined all hopes of a movie franchise."

"Honestly, there were a lot of other problems with the movie too. Like, they completely screwed up Stalwart Stallion's reveal. And some of those props..."

"Don't remind me," Twilight said with a shudder. "Alright, maybe it's better we weren't there to witness that train wreck. At least the new movies are pretty good, even if they deviate a little too far from canon for my tastes."

"I thought they did a good job staying true to the books, at least as much as you can with movies. I didn't see any huge things missing or changed, anyways."

"What about Ahuizotl? Don't you remember how they completely botched his personality? For example, in Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, he clearly intends to trap Daring in the temple, but in the movie, it paints the trap as an accident, which completely undermines the purpose of the quicksand scene. And furthermore..."

As Twilight found herself getting caught up in a heated debate over Daring Do canon, she allowed herself to forget about the Sirens and Adagio's evil plans and focus on enjoying her time with Sunset, even if her beautiful, kind, and normally intelligent girlfriend was dead wrong about the movies.

Eventually, they crossed a wooden bridge that marked the end of the farmland and small towns they'd been passing through and the beginning of White Tail Woods. Twilight watched as the trees surrounding them grew denser and denser, until they formed two solid walls that pressed in on them from either side as they continued to traverse the winding road deeper into the forest. Up ahead, the covering from the trees also become thicker, blocking out more and more sunlight until only a few beams filtered down from the canopy.

Finally, just as it seemed like the forest was going to swallow them up completely, they burst through the foliage and back into the light of day, entering what appeared to be a small town. Quaint wooden houses lined the roads, each with a different design that gave them their unique charms. Further down the road, an old two-story building advertised cheap lodgings for the night, and next to it was a convenience store with flickering neon lighting.

They passed through a good chunk of the town until Sunset pulled into a tiny, one-lane road that was barely more than a walking path winding up a hill, guided only by the car's GPS system. To Twilight's surprise, a large mansion stood at the end of the road, overlooking the town from its perch at the top of the hill.

Looking at the colorful yet faded exterior and the large garden surrounding the house filled with all manner of statues and plants, Twilight could easily imagine some lord or lady from olden times living there while ruling over the town, like in one of those romance novels Rarity used to read when they were teenagers.

"This is... grandiose," Twilight commented as Sunset stopped in the parking area and they stepped out onto the slightly overgrown lawn. "I suppose it's appropriate for someone named after the mythical Sirens. Come to think of it, I wonder if the actual Sirens from ancient mythology were inspired by something magical."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure Aria, Sonata, and Adagio are the actual Sirens from those myths," Sunset said casually as she stood in front of the imposing wooden door and rang the doorbell. "Star Swirl the Bearded sent them through the portal thousands of years ago. The chances of the Siren legends popping up at around the same time would be a huge coincidence, so I figure they have to be the ones who started them."

"They're thousands of year old?" Twilight barely remembered to keep herself from shouting as they waited for a response.

"I thought you knew?" Sunset looked confused, like she had stated something completely obvious. "I did mention that they knew Star Swirl the Bearded."

"First of all, I don't have your knowledge of pony history," Twilight hissed, "and second, with all the magic being thrown around, I just assumed that there was some time mismatch between realms. You're telling me that Sonata and Aria are old enough to have seen the rise and fall of most of the major civilizations in human history?" Twilight's mind reeled at the implications of those words.

They were about to confront the two oldest beings in the universe to ask about stopping the third oldest, one who had literally thousands of years of experience to her name. The two people they were here to see were literal myths, creatures from ancient times long forgotten. Twilight felt a slight panic at the thought of the sheer time scales they were dealing with, but before she could get too worked up, however, they heard the sound of a latch being undone and saw the door creaking open.

"What do you want?" Twilight's mind froze as a familiar voice sounded out impatiently from behind the door. It was older and more worn than she remembered, but even after fifteen years she recognized that regal tone dripping with disdain.

"Chrysalis?" It seemed Sunset had recovered from the shock first, though her surprise was still evident in her tone.

A pair of bright green eyes peeked out at them, and a moment later, the door swung open, revealing a tall, slender woman with skin as black as night and hair the color of dark moss. She was wearing a pale green dress that wrapped around her graceful form, and her face held a frown that skirted on the edge of hostility.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle." Her voice was cold and mocking, with a hint of bitterness, just as it had been all those years ago. "What brings you to our little corner of the world? I didn't think that you would come all this way just to see little old me."

"We're looking for Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk, actually," Sunset said equally as coldly. "Is this the right address?"

Chrysalis didn't answer Sunset, instead turning her head and shouting back into the house, "Aria, Sonata! Sunset Shimmer is here, and she's brought Twilight Sparkle too!"

For a few seconds, the three of them stood at the doorway awkwardly glaring at one another. It seemed that both parties hadn't expected to see each other ever again, and weren't entirely happy about this new development. Twilight still remembered the emotional pain the former heiress had wrought on them when she had gained access to Equestrian magic that granted her the ability to alter her physical form at will, turning her into a changeling like in the stories.

Chrysalis had proceeded to use her abilities to try and tear apart the relationships between the students of Canterlot High as retribution for losing her social standing within the school after she misplayed the rumor game. Teenagers could be so petty at times.

She'd impersonated various students and broken up friendships and romances, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts and bad blood in her wake that had taken weeks to patch up even after they'd finally depowered her. As such, Twilight wasn't exactly feeling friendly towards the woman standing in front of her who seemed to have retained her haughty arrogance.

Just when Twilight was about to say something, anything, to break the awkward silence, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from inside the house, growing louder and louder until two women eventually appeared in their sights. Both looked to be in their mid-thirties: one with pale, almost ice-blue skin and a long light-blue ponytail with dark blue stripes and the other with pale pink skin and dark purple streaked with brilliant aquamarine that was bound into two tresses. Both were dressed in plain, casual clothes that looked more comfortable than fashionable.

The pink-skinned one frowned. "Sunset, we weren't expecting to see you here," she said coolly, her voice rough but polite. Her purple eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of Twilight standing in front of her. "And you brought the pony princess too."

"Actually, I'm the Twilight Sparkle from this world, not the one from Equestria." Twilight felt a mild sense of déjà vu as she recalled all the times she had to explain that to the students of Canterlot High. It had been one of the more surreal experiences of her life, having to specify repeatedly which universe she came from, even considering how much time she had spent doing magic.

"Oh? Then we haven't met before, but I guess you know who we are, huh?" This time, the woman's gaze was more curious than cold.

"The Sirens," Twilight replied. "Creatures from myth who possessed the ability to hypnotize mortals with their singing. Their songs were said to be sweet enough to lead sailors to their death." Reciting her textbook knowledge helped her gain a handle on how vulnerable she felt being scrutinized by an immortal magic-user.

The pink woman snorted in reply. "Not anymore, thanks to your friends. I'm Aria Blaze, and this is Sonata Dusk." She gestured at the blue woman as she spoke. "Now, why are you two here? It's not about business, or else Twilight wouldn't be here."

"I need to talk to you two about Adagio," Sunset said plainly. "Have you seen her lately?"

"I haven't talked to her in years," she replied. "What did she do?"

"She stole something from me." Twilight noted that Sunset seemed to be speaking in deliberately vague terms. "I'm trying to find her and get it back."

"We didn't have anything to do with that," Aria immediately snapped back, "and we don't know where she is now."

"You don't know anything about where she might be hiding out?" Sunset pressed, stepping forward a little in response to Aria beginning to close the door on them.

"I said we don't know anything!" Aria moved to slam the door closed on them, but Sonata reached out and gently grabbed her by the arm.

"Maybe we can help them?" The other Sirens voice was a bit higher pitched and more cheerful than that of her partner, with a youthfulness to it that Aria's did not possess. "Like, we don't where Adagio is, but we spent a lot of time with her."

Aria glanced at Sonata, their gazes meeting for a moment before she sighed. "Fine," she said, opening wide the door. "Come in and let's see what we can do." Her tone clearly indicated her scepticism about the potential productivity of their meeting.

"Thanks." Sunset and Twilight followed Sonata, Aria, and Chrysalis into the house, their nerves tense as they took in the interior. Just as with the outside, the main foyer was large, open, and beautifully decorated if somewhat neglected.

The quintet walked beneath a beautiful but eerie chandelier composed of many uniquely-shaped crystal globules that hung from the ceiling like some kind of pupated insect and illuminated the room with a dull light that revealed the cobwebs attached to its base. Turning to the right, they entered a small sitting room decorated with plush velvet couches.

Aria and Sonata took one couch while Twilight and Sunset sat down in the other, leaving Chrysalis to rest herself on an ornate chaise lounge. As they all manoeuvred themselves into more comfortable positions, Twilight took a moment to admire the old oil paintings that lined the walls of the room, idly wondering if the Sirens had actually known the original artists. Dwelling on the immortal nature of their hosts was better than acknowledging the tension in the room.

Only Sonata seemed to have any sort of positivity left in her, a hopeful eagerness dancing in her eyes coupled with a small smile that lit up her rounded face. Aria looked defeated, a tired, resigned expression gracing her visage, while Chrysalis simply glared at Twilight and Sunset. Twilight felt nervous and vulnerable, having stepped into the Sirens' lair of sorts, and she could feel a similar emotional discomfort from Sunset even as she seemed to sink gracefully into the soft cushioning.

Finally, Sonata spoke up. "So, umm, what did Adagio steal from you two?" she asked, a little hesitation in her normally bubbly voice.

Sunset shot a quick glance at each of the three people living in the house before sharing a look for Twilight. Twilight could see the indecision on Sunset's face and nodded subtly, trying to give her a small encouraging smile. She could tell that Sunset wanted to share more information, but wasn't sure how much she could trust the Sirens and Chrysalis. To Twilight, however, it didn't matter; either they had something to do with the theft, in which case they already knew, or they were being honest, in which case their help could be invaluable.

"There's an artifact I used to communicate with Equestria," Sunset finally said. "It hasn't worked since the rift between worlds was closed, but it still has a connection to Equestria through an Entanglement enchantment."

"So she stole your little walkie-talkie or whatever. You think she's gonna try to go back to Equestria with it?" Aria still had her devil-may-care attitude, but Twilight could hear genuine interest in her voice as well.

"She doesn't have enough magic for that," Sunset said. "We think she wants to use the artifact to draw magic into herself, but we're having trouble figuring out the spell she's planning on casting."

"She's using an osmotic sieve to create a fixed source with the artifact as a targeting focus, right?" Everyone turned to look at Sonata in surprise as the Siren who had been described as "ditzy" to Twilight by Sunset and her other friends spoke up, a confident tone in her voice.

"Yeah." Sunset turned her head slightly towards Sonata. "That's what we think. How did you know?" Suspicion tinged her voice.

"It's something I helped out Adagio with," Sonata replied in her usual tone. "This was like, a hundred years ago, when Adagio was totally obsessed with trying to power up our gems with something besides human strife since, y'know, the power we got from that was kinda icky."

Sonata stuck her tongue out, disgust clear in her grimace. "So she thought that if we could, like, access the veil between worlds or whatever, we could get real Equestrian magic to feed off of instead. We worked on a spell for creating the vacuum, but we couldn't figure out how to point it at Equestria, so I kinda forgot about it.

"But if you have something with a connection... Boom! Equestrian magic, and oodles of it. She would be a lot more powerful than she ever was in this world." Sonata frowned. "That would be really bad for us. Adagio was always a meanie, and now she doesn't need us, so it would really suck if she had magic and we didn't."

"So, can you help us stop her?" Sunset asked. "We know she needs a lunar alignment to cast the spell, but I'm not sure if there's anything else that might help us nail down her location."

A thoughtful look graced Sonata's face. "Uhh, I guess you could make a counterspell to resonate with the targeting matrix and mirror the vacuum to destroy the spell focus."

Sunset reached into her purse and pulled out a few photographs of the medallions and spell circle. "Could you design a spell to counter this?"

Sonata took the drawings and studied them for a few seconds. "I guess," she said uncertainly. "It's been like, forever, since I did magic though. I might be a teensy bit rusty."

"I can help, if you want," Sunset offered.

Sonata beamed. "Sure! I think if we all work together we can do this for sure. Let's go to the study. It's kinda hard working in here."

"Well, I'm not going to be any help here," Chrysalis said as she suddenly stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my chambers while you engage in your little friendship project." The disdain was clear in her voice as she briskly walked out of the room.

"Don't worry about her," Sonata said dismissively after a few seconds. "She can be a real grumpy-pants sometimes. The study is in the East Wing. Do you want to grab a drink before we start?"

Sunset and Twilight politely declined, and without further ado, they headed to the study to continue their work. Sunset and Sonata walked ahead, discussing something incredibly technical that was beyond Twilight, while Twilight herself walked with Aria. The scientist took a moment to study her companion; Aria Blaze was a Siren who had once tried to take over the world with powerful mind magic, yet right now she seemed like a normal, if somewhat standoffish, woman. It made her wonder about her, what her story was and how she came to be where she was now.

Curiosity overcoming her, Twilight turned to face Aria. "So, is it true that you're actually thousands of years old? And that the three of you are responsible for the myth of the Sirens?"

"Yeah." Aria looked ahead as she spoke. A smirk graced her features. "We did a lot of crap back in the day. Never got any sailors to jump off their ships, though – can't feed off suicide, after all. We just made them fight until there weren't enough people left to pilot the ships, and I guess when people found the empty ships or the ones with just a few survivors, the story got mangled a bit."

A tinge of sadness entered her eyes she continued to speak. "And that was just the start. You wouldn't believe how many wars or battles were started so that we could feed. Not that people needed much help from us; you humans really like to fight over literally anything. We hated feeding off of human emotions, but damn was it everywhere. Like a crappy, cheap buffet. It wasn't hard to just see humans as food when they acted like animals." There was a mix of bitterness and distaste in her voice.

"And now?" Twilight asked, trying very hard to reserve judgement until after she had heard the whole story. Admittedly, that wasn't too difficult. The scope of what Aria was talking about was so big that her mind was having trouble grasping the true extent of the evils she had perpetrated. "Do you still think we're livestock?"

Aria was quiet for a moment. When her voice returned, it was much softer and more subdued. "After the Battle of the Bands, when your friends and your counterpart destroyed our necklaces, we got to experience mortality for the first time. We realized just how hard it is not to have magic, to be weak and powerless and have a clock counting down the days we had left.

"And then Adagio left us, and we realized that we weren't any better than anyone else when it came to fighting, either. We only stuck together because of our powers and because we thought we could help each other go home. Once she realized that we weren't going to be of any use to her, Adagio bailed and left us to fend for ourselves."

Aria sighed. "I guess going through all of that crap and not having Adagio around to fill our heads with thoughts of power or how much better we were compared to the mortals gave us a chance to develop empathy or something like that. Don't get me wrong," she added hastily. "we're not about to join in on your friendship singing circle or whatever it is you girls do when you're not fighting evil, but we won't be trying to take over the world, either. It just doesn't seem worth it anymore."

"Well, I'm glad to see you've changed," Twilight said encouragingly, trying to not sound patronizing. "It's good to find someone else who's found life after magic."

Aria snorted, startling Twilight. "You call this a life? Sitting around in the middle of nowhere, wasting away the last years of our very long lives? No, all we managed to do was find peace in our deaths, so that we can meet the Ferryman comfortably and slowly instead of being pissed off and doing something stupid like Adagio.

"Maybe us losing our powers was good for humanity, but it was the worst thing that could have happened to us. If I had a soul, I think it'd be like losing that. Sonata and I decided that we weren't going to go back to what we were to get our magic back, but we'd still give up a lot for it."

"Then why are you helping us stop Adagio?" Twilight asked, suspicion and unease growing. This had not been the response she'd expected.

"Because Adagio having magic would really suck for all of us," Aria replied as they finally reached a room filled with old bookshelves and a single large desk in the center, "and because helping the two of you understand the spell will help us bring magic back into this world."

A genuine, earnest smile appeared on her face for the first time since they'd entered the house. "I'm not normally this sappy, but you and Sunset have given us hope for the first time in over a decade, and I can't thank you enough for that. Now, let's figure out how to kick Adagio's ass get our magic back."

Twilight was stunned into silence as they sat down around the large table, Sunset laying out the drawings on its wooden surface. She couldn't bring herself to dash Aria's hopes, not after seeing how happy and excited the former Siren was. Her mind roiling with turmoil, she watched in silence as Sunset explained what she could of the medallion's design.

A couple hours later, as the sun finished cresting and was nearly halfway through its descent, Twilight's mind was spinning with ideas and conversations far beyond her expertise. She might have been able to call herself the leading human expert on magic, but compared to the actual Equestrians she felt like a child learning about electricity for the first time while the adults talked about wave propagation and electroweak forces.

Sunset and Sonata were absolute geniuses in the field, and Aria managed to at least follow the conversation and occasionally give out some insight or other. Meanwhile, Twilight found herself struggling just to keep up with the terminology and concepts they were casually throwing around.

The last time she'd managed to contribute something had been near the beginning, when she'd figured out that the energy required to cast Adagio's spell would require her to cast it at a point where the dimensional membrane was already weakened, say, by being the former site of a tear in the veil between worlds. Knowing that Adagio would have to be at Canterlot High to cast the spell at least gave them a lot more options in creating stationary counterspells.

Other than that insight, though, she'd basically been completely lost.

"Why don't we target this inversion matrix with a Repeat-After-Me spell?" Sunset said, pointing to a collection of lines on the page that looked to be very deliberately placed. "That should be enough to nullify the vacuum pressure."

"Nuh uh." Sonata shook her head emphatically. "The alignment you need for that is too perfect. If it's even a teensy bit off then you'll amplify the gradient instead, and I have no idea what happens then. Probably something bad."

"Still, the inversion matrix might be the weak point of the spell," Aria pointed out, "since it's the keystone of the medallion."

"I think I'll take you out on that offer of a drink." Twilight blurted out her first words in nearly half an hour as she finally couldn't take the suffocating fog that was clouding her mind from the advanced topics being discussed.

The others looked up at her in surprise. "Sure," Sonata said. "The kitchen's on your right, at the end of the hall. Grab whatever you want from the fridge."

"Thanks," Twilight muttered as she left the room, her mind starting to clear as the sounds of discussion faded away with distance.

She found the kitchen right where Sonata said it would be. For an old house that looked like it came out of a black-and-white movie, the kitchen was surprisingly modern. Twilight walked up to the stainless steel fridge and opened it, grabbing a soda before closing the door. Opening the can, she took a small sip of the sweet liquid inside, leaning against the marble counter as she enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Said peace was ruthlessly cut down by a familiar condescending voice from the kitchen entrance. "Finished with your saving-the-world brainstorming session yet?"

"No, they're still going," Twilight said coolly. "I just needed a drink to refresh myself."

"I see. Just can't help playing the hero, can you?" Chrysalis sneered. "Even after all these years."

"I never wanted to be a hero," Twilight replied. "But someone needs to clean up all the messes that magic keeps leaving behind."

"And that someone isn't you," Chrysalis scoffed. "Oh please, I can hear your ramblings from my chambers. It's not hard to notice the lack of one particular voice in the discussion. And now you're here, sulking all by your lonesome."

"Are you here for a reason?" Twilight demanded, what little of her patience that remained rapidly fading.

"This is my home, if you'll recall," Chrysalis replied. "I don't have to answer your question. But, since I'm feeling generous, I came down for the same reason as you: food and drink." She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a jug of milk, pouring it into a glass sitting by the sink. She took a long drink from her glass, and Twilight took a moment to admire the contrast between the white glow of the milk and the dark, almost black, gray of her companion's skin.

"Being able to pick apart your insecurities was just a fortuitous coincidence," Chrysalis added after finishing her drink.

"I can see that the passage of time hasn't done much to improve your disposition." Twilight mentally debated whether or not it was worth returning to the discussion she knew nothing of rather than stay with her former enemy. "I assume you picked up another group of sycophants as soon as you left Canterlot High?"

Chrysalis flinched. "I didn't think you were the type to go for the throat like that," she said, her composure cracking. "I supposed I deserve it, though."

"What?" Twilight stared at Chrysalis in confusion. She'd definitely hit a nerve, but the other woman seemed to think it was deliberate.

"You don't know? Did you decide to live under a rock after graduating?"

"Okay, now I definitely don't know what you're talking about. And I was a little busy with my studies to pay much attention to the news in Canterlot."

"Well, after your friends stripped me of my powers, I had nothing left in my life, and I sought to find meaning in any way possible. I'll spare you the sordid details, but after making the front page of the local newspapers one too many times, my family decided that it would be best to sequester me far away from where I could do any damage to their reputation." The heiress met Twilight's gaze, her eyes searching for her reaction.

"Oh." Twilight wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. Telling her that she deserved it seemed a bit harsh, especially given how far she had fallen. On the other hand, Twilight was still having a little trouble sympathizing with her former tormentor. Eventually, she settled on sating her curiosity. "So how did Aria and Sonata end up living here?"

"Pure serendipity. We met at a concert of the Baltimare Philharmonic Orchestra. Music was one of the few pleasures I partook in, and I was enjoying a rousing performance of Shoe Burr's Erlkönig when I was surprised by the sight of the Sirens in attendance.

"I was content to leave things be and continue being ships passing in the night, but it occurred to me that those two might still have access to magic. Thus, I resolved to establish a rapport with them in hopes of restoring some of my power."

Chrysalis downed the rest of her drink before continuing to speak. "Since then, I've allowed them to live with me here. Even without magic, the money they've brought in have been a wonderful supplement to the stipend my family gives me, a stipend which they have not increased to account for inflation." The last words were accompanied by an annoyed pout before being replaced by a warm smile. "And I suppose we've grown used to having each other around. Misery loves company, as they say."

"I see," Twilight said neutrally. "Well, good to see that things have worked out for you."

"And how about you, Miss Sparkle? Given the company you keep, I can only assume that you finally managed to confess your feelings to the real Sunset Shimmer. Unless you've been suffering from unrequited love for fifteen years. That would be quite the tragedy." Twilight's sympathy was quickly evaporating in the face of the small smirk that Chrysalis wore. "Come to think of it, it is curious that Miss Shimmer wound up as the founder of Equinox Labs, yet you were never by her side until now."

Twilight answered the unspoken question in Chrysalis' words. "If you must know, we only recently became a couple after an extended separation."

"That was around the time that the magic flowing into this world disappeared, yes? I guess Miss Shimmer didn't have the same allure without her powers."

"The opposite, actually," Twilight said, bristling at the implication that she only wanted Sunset for her magic. "We disagreed on the handling of magic in this world, which led to me leaving Canterlot."

"So that's what happened. There was talk after you left, but I could never glean anything more than rumors. And yet, I notice you standing here today, with Miss Shimmer by your side. The call of magic was just too powerful resist, hmm?"

"Hardly," Twilight retorted. "I'm just here to stop Adagio, and then I can go back to a life with minimal magical interference." The words felt oddly hollow even to herself, and the perspective socialite picked up on that.

"You think you can be with a powerful mage from another world and live a normal life?" Chrysalis let out a mocking chuckle. "Let me give you some advice from someone who's spent the better part of a decade living with two former immortals: even if everyone fails to bring magic back into this world, you'll never to free of its grasp.

"However bad the call of magic is for us humans, it's a thousand times worse for those who have magic in their lifeblood. They'll constantly be reminded of what they once had, and in turn, will remind you as well. You'll never find happiness down this path, Miss Sparkle."

"We'll see about that." Twilight wished she had a stronger comeback, but her mind was still stuck on the other woman's words. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back and help save the world. It was nice seeing you again, Chrysalis." She didn't even care about sounding insincere – she just wanted to be away from the former shapeshifter's poisonous words.

"Ignore my warning at your own peril," Chrysalis said as she moved to leave the kitchen. "I'll be waiting to get my powers back with bated breath."

Twilight waited a few seconds until she was sure Chrysalis was gone, and then she took a deep, calming breath before returning to the discussion between the magic experts. As the discussion progressed, Twilight found herself unable to focus on the technical details of the spells they were designing, her mind replaying the conversation she had just had with Chrysalis.

Sunset herself had said that magic was a fundamental aspect of her soul, her destiny or true calling or whatever. She'd spent fifteen years working towards bringing magic back into this world.

Could she be happy giving up that dream? After all, it wasn't the only thing she had in her life. She ran a successful business that had revolutionized the world and had all the fame and fortune a woman could ask for. Her work was challenging and rewarding, and she had a good life even outside of Equinox, with great, supportive friends and now a girlfriend. Surely that should be enough for anyone.

And yet, Twilight herself understood the call of magic, the desire to unravel its mysteries and feel the rush of arcane might flow through her veins once again. And as she listened to the three mages around her talk, she realized that what she had experienced was only the tip of the iceberg of what magic had to offer. She was sitting with two women who had seen the rise and fall of civilizations, lived countless lives, and likely influenced the course of history in ways she couldn't even comprehend.

How could she understand what magic meant to them?

There were no easy answers to the dilemmas she faced, but Twilight had known that would be the case when she had agreed to date Sunset. Looking at her girlfriend's eyes light up with joy and excitement, she resolved to never let that light die. She would find some other way to give Sunset's life purpose.

Nothing was going to stand in the way of their happy ending, not even Sunset.

Chapter 20: Primum Mobile

Fate sure loved irony when it came to her life, Sunset mused as she stepped out of her car and onto the pavement.

Princess Twilight had saved her in her darkest moment, and she, in turn, had saved Twilight's human counterpart. The magic she'd sought to replace friendship with had only been granted to her once she'd embraced the concept she'd once rejected.

And now, fifteen years after her disastrous attempts to stop Twilight from sealing magic off from this world, she was returning to the site of her downfall to stop Adagio from bringing it back.

"I see they finally got that South Wing they wanted," Twilight commented as she stared at the school building. Canterlot High had changed quite a lot over the years. There was the new wing, of course, and most of the exterior had been renovated extensively a few years ago, giving it a fresh new look with a new coat of paint and more modern-looking adornments of metal and glass on the roof instead of the old tower-like structure.

Most of the changes had been funded by donations from Sunset, but she didn't see the need to mention that fact. Instead, she simply nodded in agreement. "Yup. There was a whole opening ceremony for it where all the alumni were invited."

"That's nice." Twilight continued to stand there, awkwardly shuffling her feet. It was actually pretty adorable, and Sunset resisted the urge to lean over and steal a quick kiss from her girlfriend, instead opting to place a comforting arm on her shoulder.

"We should get going before anyone sees us and starts asking awkward questions." Sunset started moving forwards, trying to pull Twilight along with her.

"Right." Twilight shook her head a couple times and then began walking alongside Sunset. "It's just, this is the first time I've been here since, well, you know."

"Yeah. My first time back wasn't great either," Sunset said with sympathy. "I'll be with you every step of the way, though."

Twilight smiled. "Thanks. Don't worry too much; it's been long enough for me to put some emotional distance from the physical location where the event happened. I just need a couple seconds to collect myself." Sunset waited while Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."

The two of them walked around the back of the school, Twilight wearing a determined look on her face. As they rounded the corner, they saw the small garden that had replaced the statue that had once stood proudly in front of the school entrance.

After everything that had happened, the administration had decided to do away with anything that could be turned into a portal to another world, and now a small collection of generic orange and purple flowers greeted students as they began their day.

Sunset and Twilight walked up to the center of the garden, stepping onto the loamy soil and carefully navigating around the plants. Sunset reached into her purse and pulled out a thin metal disc with a mesmerizing pattern of lines and shapes etched onto its surface.

"So, all we have to do is bury this here and it'll stop Adagio, right?" Twilight asked as Sunset squatted down and pulled out a pair of gloves from her purse as well.

"Yeah." Sunset began clawing at the dirt, feeling the soft, rich soil crumble apart until there was a small hole in the ground. "You saw the spellform we came up with yesterday with Aria and Sonata. Adagio has to cast the spell here because of the weakened dimensional membrane from when the portal used to be here, and when she does, the resonance with this spell circle will create a cascading effect that should cancel the spell and knock her out from the magical overload too."

There was also the minor modification she'd made to the spellform, but Twilight didn't need to know about that yet. There'd be time enough for that later. For now, Sunset just kept digging as she continued her explanation.

"All we'll have to do is sit back and wait for the satellites to pick up a surge of arcane power, then we can come pick her up." Once she saw that the hole was deep enough, Sunset carefully set the disk inside before covering it back up and smoothing out the dirt until there was no sign of any tampering.

"It's just a little hard to accept that this is it," Twilight said as Sunset took off her gloves and placed them back in her purse. "After everything we've been through, it seems almost too easy."

Sunset snorted. "I think we have very different ideas about what something being 'too easy' means. There's a reason it took me half a day to fabricate and enchant the damn thing. Making a cancellation spell that's completely magically inert to avoid detection is the type of thing that'd get you published instantly back in Equestria."

"Still, it's basically over now, isn't it?" Twilight frowned as a complicated expression crossed her face. "We've set the trap, and if all goes well, then in a couple days we'll have the journal back."

"Well, I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but pretty much, yeah. At least, we don't have to do anything about this for the next two days." They were walking back to the car now, and Sunset felt a hundred pounds lighter as she spoke those words, some of her worries floating away at the declaration.

"I guess so," Twilight said, still sounding lost in thought. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I was hoping we could have another date and grab dinner together, but the disk fab took a lot longer than I expected." Sunset looked up at the evening sky, the final rays of the sun disappearing behind the horizon.

"I enjoyed our time together anyways." There was something off about her tone when she said those words, a distance that Sunset had noticed more than once. Since they'd returned from the Sirens' house, Twilight had been acting a little more reserved than usual, a troubled look on her face appearing from time to time before vanishing without a trace whenever Twilight caught Sunset staring at her.

Sunset suspected that the scientist was feeling a little unhelpful because of her lack of expertise in advanced magical theory and resolved to cheer her up. As the first stars peeked out from the suffocating sunlight, inspiration struck her like a bolt of lightning. "Well, the night is still young. And I have the perfect idea for a second date."

"Oh? What is it?"

"You'll see," Sunset said cryptically as they finally reached the car. "If you're up for it, that is."

"I was hoping we could go on a date tonight, so I made sure to clear up my schedule," Twilight replied. "Let's go."

The fifteen-minute drive through the evening traffic was done in silence, as Twilight was no doubt trying to puzzle out Sunset's plan, while Sunset herself was trying to make sure all the logistics would work out.

Finally, as they approached their destination, Twilight cracked. "Can you at least give me a clue to work with?" She asked, impatience clear in her tone.

"We're going stargazing," Sunset said simply. "I remember that you used to like doing that."

"I did," Twilight replied. "And I still do it from time to time when I have the chance to go out of town, but how are we supposed to do it here in Canterlot? The light pollution is awful, though I suppose you probably have access to the best light-filtering attachments in the world."

"I'm not sure if we've looked into that, actually," Sunset said. "Some of Ray Lay's work on illusion spells might be relevant there. But no, I've got something else in mind."

They pulled up in front of a large office building. At the entrance, she rolled down the window to talk to the security guard. "Hey, Night Stick, how's it going?"

"Miss Shimmer!" Night Stick smiled as his eyes lit up in recognition. "It's been good. Quiet, just like we want it. Are you back from your vacation already?"

"Not yet, I'm still taking at least a few days off next week. But I wanted to show my friend Twilight here around."

"I'll just need to check your badge then." Sunset handed over her ID badge for the guard to scan, and a moment later the barrier preventing entrance to the parking lot opened up. "Have a great evening, Miss Shimmer." They passed through the gate and Sunset drove up to the front of the building, parking in her designated spot underneath the sign that proclaimed the site to be that of Equinox Labs.

"You're taking me to your office?" Twilight looked adorably befuddled as her head tilted slightly in confusion.

"Not quite." Sunset swiped her key card through the reader and the glass doors at the entrance slid open. "I mean, I can show you my office if you want, but it's really nothing special, just a normal office."

Once inside, Sunset took a moment to say hello to the guard at the desk and grab a Visitor ID badge for Twilight. She led her down the halls of the steel-and-glass building until they reached the elevator, stopping a few times along the way to catch up with whoever was walking by and thank them for staying late.

"They really like you, don't they?" Twilight asked once they were in the privacy of the elevator cart.

"What was that?" Sunset turned to face her girlfriend, noting a strange glimmer in her eyes.

"Your employees." There was a sense of wonder and pride in Twilight's voice as she spoke. "They all respect and like you. You stop to talk to all of them and they seem to care about how you're doing, just like you sound like you care about each and every one of them."

"I do care," Sunset said firmly, "and I make sure they know it. I've already tried the whole 'ruling by fear' thing and I never want to go back to it. I want people to follow me because they want to, not because they feel they have to."

"It shows," Twilight remarked. "I can see how comfortable they are with you. And I can see why your destiny is to be a leader."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset felt a hitch in her throat as emotion welled up within her, and to cover up her feelings she leaned in and kissed Twilight, wrapping her arms around the scientist as their lips locked together.

Twilight stiffened in surprise at first, but quickly melted into the kiss, giving as good as she got. Her own arms pulled Sunset towards her and Sunset felt a thrill of excitement as Twilight ran her hands up and down her back. She pressed herself closer to Twilight, until she could feel their bodies melding softly against one another.

A dinging from the elevator's bell forced them to break apart, both parties quickly smoothing out their clothes. "That was unexpected," Twilight said, taking a moment to look at one of the mirrors on the sides of the cart to check her appearance, "but definitely not unpleasant."

"I just wanted to remind you how I felt about you." Sunset gave Twilight an easy smile. "After all, that's the point of a date, isn't it?"

"One of the points, yes," Twilight said. The doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit white corridor. "And on that note, I assume we're getting close?"

"We're almost there." Sunset took a quick look at the directory on the wall, looking up the exact location of their destination. She found the relevant bronzed plaque and read off the room number before heading down the corridor with Twilight in tow. "Seven one three... seven one four... ah! Seven one five!" Sunset scanned her card once again and waited for the beep before turning the handle of the door in front of her and stepping inside. "This should be it."

Inside, they found a large room filled with an assortment of metallic parts and electronic equipment. Large steel structures shaped like pipes and plates sat in piles next to bunches to wires and circuitry. On one side of the room, a man around the same age as Sunset with light blue hair and beige skin sat in front of a small computer, typing away furiously and completely oblivious to the world at large.

"Hey, Bright," Sunset called out after a few seconds of silence.

Bright Idea jumped a bit at the intrusion and whirled around suddenly, eyes wide. "M-Miss Shimmer!" he stammered. "I didn't see you there! Sorry!"

"Relax," Sunset said with a gentle roll of her eyes, "I know how you can get. I just wanted to know if the demo for the Skysphere was ready yet."

"It's in the final testing stages," Bright Idea said, "we've got the functionality done and the true live feed being processed. Right now it's just a matter of finding edge-case bugs or race conditions that haven't appeared yet."

"Good." Sunset gestured towards her girlfriend. "I wanted to show the demo to my friend Twilight. Can you fire it up for us, please?"

"No need. We're already running overnight tests on it."

"Perfect. Why don't you take the rest of the night off, then? You've all been working really hard on this." Sunset kept her smile and warm tone, but also infused enough authority in her voice to let Bright know that her words weren't a suggestion.

"Uhh, sure, Miss Shimmer. Thanks." Bright Idea turned away from Sunset's gaze and hastily grabbed his things in that nervous fashion that he always did. "Have a good evening, Miss Shimmer," he said as he bumped his shoulder against the wall before managing to make it out the door.

"Take care, Bright." Sunset waited until the door was closed completely before walking over towards the steel panel that served as a door leading from the lab to Bright's project.

"Close your eyes," Sunset instructed as she pushed open the door to reveal a dark corridor with a faint light at the end. The smell of metal and sawdust lingered next to that of solder and plastic, only adding to the industrial atmosphere of the place. "I want this to be a surprise."

"How very dramatic of you," Twilight replied dryly. She closed her eyes while wearing an indulgent smile, and Sunset stepped behind her and placed an arm around her shoulders to guide her down into the darkness.

When they emerged at their destination, Sunset gave Twilight a gentle pat. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Twilight let out an awestruck gasp as she beheld the location of their date, much to Sunset's delight.

They were standing in a medium-sized dome, which was pitch black except for the thousands of points of lights of various sizes that rested within the inner surface, twinkling about irregularly. The floor they were standing on was made of transparent glass, and when she looked down Sunset saw Twilight jaw drop as she was rendered completely speechless.

Beneath them sat another vast expanse of lights on a black canvas, wrapping around the sides until they met up with the walls to form a perfect sphere. Not that you'd know that, since the only thing you could see were the lights, arranged in complex patterns of clusters, lines, and shapes that defied all attempts to determine the distances between themselves and the sides of the sphere.

Sunset knew what Twilight was seeing: an endless field of stars stretching out in every direction.

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction when I saw this for the first time," Sunset said smugly as she watched her girlfriend's beautiful face light up in an expression of pure wonder in the dim illumination of the room.

"W-What is this?" Twilight asked softly as she finally seemed to regain her speech. Her voice trembled with awe and appreciation.

"A little project we've been working on at Equinox Labs, one of the ones that has nothing to do with Equestria or magic. It was mostly Bright Idea who came up with this design." Sunset raised her arms outwards, gesturing towards the starry walls of the dome.

"We've sent dozens of telescopes into space to observe the cosmos over the last few decades. The Skysphere collects all of the data being transmitted by these telescopes in real time, cross-references it with itself as well as known astronomical data, and then stitches it together with the help of some inference algorithms and estimations about frequency-shifted observations to make a live aggregate visual feed projected onto the surface of the sphere."

Sunset leaned in closer and spoke the next words softly into Twilight's left ear. "In other words, you're looking at what the sky would look like from every angle if our planet didn't exist and the Sun wasn't drowning out the light."

"That's incredible," Twilight breathed. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Yeah, we're planning on installing it at the Planetarium. To be honest, it's not very useful from a research perspective, since a lot of these images are inferred from very sparse and delayed data." Sunset took a moment to admire the tapestry of lights around her before adding, "but it makes for one hay of an exhibit, and we're hoping to use it get more people into astronomy.

"Also, it's definitely not the most beautiful thing I've seen in my life." Sunset leaned in even closer, until her lips were practically pressed against Twilight's cheek. "That would be you."

She felt more than saw the blushing smile that comment elicited from her girlfriend. Twilight turned her head to face Sunset, and a moment later their lips were pressed together in a passionate kiss, the faint light of the stars around them bathing them in an ethereal glow. When they pulled apart for air, Sunset noted that Twilight looked absolutely radiant, her purple skin giving off a faint luminescence that only amplified her attractiveness.

"I suppose I could be convinced to feel the same about you," Twilight said, panting lightly, "though this really is a beautiful exhibit you've created."

"Technically, I just coughed up the money for it, or at least I agreed to have Equinox fund the R and D. It was Bright and his team that built this. But yeah, it's great, and I'm really happy I could share it with you."

"I'm happy about that too." Twilight's gaze focused on something behind Sunset. "Is that Orion?"

Sunset turned around and saw a trio of bright stars at waist level. "Looks like it," she said, unconsciously reaching out towards the light. "Yup, there's Taurus right next to it."

"Amazing." Twilight looked downwards. "Wait, if this is a completely spherical scan of the night sky, that means... yep, there it is. The Southern Cross. I've never seen it before except in pictures." Twilight pointed at a grouping of four stars beneath her feet. She squinted a bit as she squatted down to stare at the pattern. "You can even make out the binary star system on Acrux. Oh, and look! I think that's Hydrus!"

The next few minutes passed by in an excited frenzy as Twilight did her best Pinkie Pie imitation, pointing out various stars and constellations in a random sequence of gasps and wild gesticulations that were downright adorable.

Eventually, she calmed down a little after exhausting the stars she knew from memory. "That one looks really familiar." Twilight pointed towards yet another cluster of stars, less animatedly this time. "I can't seem to place it though."

"That's Aries," Sunset said, looking up at the small arc of lights on her right. She gave a small shudder as several unpleasant memories washed over her. "I don't think I'll ever forget what that one looks like."

"Oh?" Twilight looked at her curiously. "It sounds like there's an interesting story behind that statement."

"Not that interesting," Sunset grumbled. "Just me being an idiot. It was during that time when I was convinced that Princess Celestia was waiting for me to prove myself to her before she would let me advance in my studies and ascend to my 'rightful' place as an Alicorn Princess by her side. I wasn't completely wrong about that. Celestia knew that I wasn't ready and she was holding me back, but it was because of my personality, not my skills.

"Of course, I didn't know that, so I figured if I did something really impressive then Celestia would finally see that I was meant to rule. The princess had me researching some old legends, and I decided I was going to retrieve the Golden Fleece. I think you humans have stories about it too."

"Yes, it's supposed to be a symbol of authority and the right to rule in our myths."

"Well, by some quirk of the multiverse we had the same stories, and it seemed like an appropriate quest to go on to earn my ascension. Since the Fleece was supposed to have a mystical connection to Aries, I cast Comet's Constellation Query on it to determine where the secret treasure was."

Sunset smiled wryly. "I probably should have read the spell description better. Turns out that certain constellations spawn star beasts when you try to Query them. Lucky for me, it was a small one, but I still wasn't expecting to fight a twenty-hoof tall Astral Aries that day. I won, of course, but I wrecked my tower and Celestia was not happy about that."

"Did you at least find out where the Fleece was?"

"Yup," Sunset said with dry cheer. "It was sitting in the palace vaults, a dozen floors under where I was casting the spell. Turns out Princess Celestia had already found it a few centuries ago and forgot to tell everyone."

"Heh." Twilight gave a small, appreciative chuckle. "Do you realize how utterly insane that sounds? Fighting constellations in order to track down the mythical Golden Fleece only to discover that your immortal teacher already has it sitting in her basement? And you just talk about it like it's as mundane as having your basement flooded or a tree fall over and cut off the power to your house. It's beyond human comprehension."

"Good thing I'm not human then, huh?" Sunset responded cheekily.

"You aren't, are you?" Twilight's expression shifted suddenly, a troubled look in her eyes. "It's so easy to forget since you've learned our customs and you have a human body, but this isn't your true form. You're actually a unicorn." She turned away sharply from Sunset, a slightly hysterical bark of laughter escaping from her curvy frame. "My girlfriend is a unicorn."

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Sunset asked as a few of the stars went dark for a few seconds before returning to twinkle in their spheres. Twilight was looking at her like she'd never seen her before, and Sunset felt a cold dread flow down her spine in response.

"I'm just wrestling with the realization that I'm dating a horse from a parallel universe," Twilight said faintly. "I think standing at the center of a visual representation of the vastness of space is giving me an unfortunate sense of perspective."

"We could get out of here if you want," Sunset offered, worried about Twilight's mental state.

"No, it's fine." Twilight held out her palm to keep Sunset away as she took a deep breath. "I just need a few seconds to process this." As Sunset waited for Twilight to collect herself, she found herself considering Twilight's words.

The fact that they were technically two different species hadn't occurred to Sunset before, mostly because of her current form, but even in Equestria interspecies romances had their challenges, mostly due to large differences in culture in addition to biological differences that could be quite taxing on a relationship. Sunset had assimilated well enough into this realm's culture, barring a few socially-accepted quirks like her refusal to eat meat, and the Mirror had preemptively dealt with the biological problems.

And yet, there was still a vast gulf between them, the same gulf that kept Twilight from understanding how much magic meant to her, truly understanding the way it was a part of her very soul. Any Equestrian wouldn't even have questioned the connection, but her beautiful, brilliant scientist hadn't grown up in Equestria. Would she even be able to understand Sunset? And could Sunset do the same for her?

Eventually, Twilight spoke again, breaking the tense silence between them. "Sorry about that," she said, her voice sounding oddly calm and collected, instilled with a certain peace that Sunset could only describe as acceptance. She gave Sunset a serene yet wry smile before speaking again. "I guess I always knew my life wasn't going to be normal, although it would have been a lot easier if you were just a normal incredibly attractive billionaire CEO tech genius."

"Honestly, between the Mirror doing some weird stuff with my brain during the transformation and the fifteen years I've spent here, I feel more like a human than a pony most of the time," Sunset admitted, clenching her fists unconsciously in an attempt to recall what it felt like to have hooves. "But no matter what, a big part of me is always going to be a unicorn pony."

"I... it's going to be a struggle for me to come to terms with that. It was hard enough yesterday at the Sirens' house to keep it together when I was in the room with a bunch of mages from another world, and there's always going to be this difference in understanding between us, and it's going to get us into a lot of fights. Part of me just wants to run away, to cut my losses with you before the next big fight happens and breaks both our hearts."

Sunset's own heart stopped at those words, but she allowed Twilight to keep talking, finding herself unable to speak, spellbound by her girlfriend's words. "Another part of me wants to slap that part of me, because the thought of leaving you is painful, like having my heart torn out, as cliché as that might sound. I've already had to learn to accept being alone twice – I don't think I could do it a third time.

"But more than that, more than the fear of losing you, is the fact that I really, really like you." Even in the dim light of the Skysphere, Sunset could see a cute blush brighten Twilight's cheeks. "I think you're funny, brilliant, and despite our ideological differences, I do think that you truly want to help others. You're also breathtakingly beautiful, to the point where I could stare at you for hours on end, although I don't know how much that compliment means to you given that this isn't really what you look like."

"I've had this body for long enough for my vanity to transfer over," Sunset noted, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she went through a rollercoaster of emotion from Twilight's speech.

"I'd be vain about it too if I had a body like that," Twilight commented dryly before returning to her prior seriousness. "Anyways, you're amazing, and I'm sure I'm not the first to tell you that.

"But more than that, I love being with you. I love how well we work together in the lab, and how much more I enjoy research with you by my side. I love the intellectual connection we have, the way we can bounce ideas off one another to come up with stuff we never would have individually. I love spending time with you in general, whether we're working together, having dinner, or just talking. You're my best friend, and so much more."

Twilight's gaze became uncertain, her words starting to trip over themselves. "I... I know we haven't been dating very long. But we were friends for over a year, and even when I was crushing on you as a teenager, it was a crush that came from knowing you, and knowing who you really were, and not just from observing you at a distance. I've seen you at your best and at your worst, and I've seen who you are now. We're already gone through some pretty big fights and gotten through it, eventually.

"Also, there was the whole thing where we used our feelings for one another to break Adagio's memory spell.

"Therefore, I think it's reasonable for me to tell you that I love you."

Sunset's breathing stopped at those last words. Twilight was the perfect picture of contrast right now, a fierce determination burning in her eyes and a conviction in her tone that was at odds with the uncertainty and vulnerability of her facial expression and body language. There was no doubt as to the sincerity of the words, and out of respect for the scientist, Sunset took a moment to evaluate her own feelings critically.

Did she love Twilight? She cared for her, certainly, and many of the things Twilight said about her held true in the other direction. Despite their differences, she felt within Twilight a kindred spirit, one whom she could easily imagine spending the rest of her days with.

The image came easily to her mind. The two of them inside their lab during the day, creating wonders the likes of which no one, human or pony, had ever seen. Twilight by her side in the evening as they danced at the ball and proclaimed their union for all to see. And at night, they could explore their mutual passion to their heart's content.

Of course, life wasn't always going to be easy. They would fight, and hurt each other and be hurt in kind; that was the way these things went. Would it be worth it in the end? Would they be able to make it through the trials and tribulations of love?

There was only one answer to that question, and with a certainty that brought calm to her trembling body, Sunset gave her response. "Only you would come up with an entire reasoned justification for proclaiming your love for me, Twilight," she said in her trademark, laid-back, almost teasing voice before turning as serious as her girlfriend had. "But I agree with all your points, and I can see myself spending the rest of my life with you, no matter how things go.

"And saying we're in love isn't the end of the story, it's a promise. A promise that we'll fight for our love, that we'll work through our problems together and be there when the other needs it."

Sunset closed the distance between them, what had once seemed like a vast chasm disappearing like the scant few feet it actually was. She reached out to cup Twilight's cheek with her hand, caressing it softly as she savored the smooth, silky feel of skin-against-skin. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you too, and that I want to see where we can go with this relationship."

The kiss that came after the declaration was the most natural thing in the world. Sunset didn't feel like it was a conscious decision to lean over and press their lips together; her body simply wouldn't allow for any other action. For a few precious moments, they basked in the light of their love, a light that, though metaphorical this time and not magical, still managed to outshine the stars of the night sky.

When they pulled apart, Sunset found herself gazing into eyes brimming with emotion, and in that moment, she understood why writers had a habit of comparing those orbs to pools of water. In those calm seas she saw the depths of what Twilight felt for her.

"I love you." Sunset heard the tone of wonder in Twilight's voice, and her heart warmed at the words. "I can say that any time now, as often as I want. It feels like some mental block has just been broken."

"Well, if you use it too many times semantic satiation might become a problem," Sunset joked, a warm and fuzzy cheer infecting her own voice. "But I get what you mean. I love you too." The words tasted so sweet on her tongue, and Sunset couldn't help but say them again. "I love you."

"I love you," Twilight said dreamily before giggling. "Okay, maybe we should stop this before our conversation loses all semblance of intelligence."

"Fine." Sunset wrapped her arms around Twilight. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Why don't you tell me about your home?" Twilight suggested. "I know we used to spend a lot of time talking about magic and monsters and stories back when we were teenagers, but you never really told me much about you. I never got to find out what Sunset Shimmer the unicorn pony was like."

"I was dealing with some guilt and self-loathing issues back then," Sunset said, finding great comfort in stroking Twilight's silky hair. "I didn't really want to talk about my past back then. But after fifteen years, I think I've matured enough to be able to remember those times without feeling bad about it."

"So, any good stories you can tell me now?" Twilight asked as she pulled away from Sunset and took up a more comfortable long-term position of standing beside her instead of embracing. They still held each others' hands though, neither wanting to sever the physical connection between them.

"Hmm, did I ever tell you about your sister-in-law's counterpart?" Sunset asked.

"Cadance?" Twilight responded in surprise. "You knew your world's Cadance?"

"Everypony knew Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Sunset watched Twilight carefully, waiting for her to process what she had just said. The surprised expression on her face was priceless, and Sunset would cherish the memory of it forever.

"Princess?" Twilight choked out. "Cadance is a Princess in Equestria?"

"Yup. And I hated her for it. After all, I'd worked so hard for the title and one day she just waltzes into the palace with her horn and wings." Sunset recalled the shocked rage she had felt when she had first beheld the Princess of Love, and even now she couldn't help but feel a little envious of her position, even if she had eventually come to understand that Cadance had earned the title.

"That pony plushie in the lab," Twilight's eyes lit up in realization. "You said it looked like your nemesis. Your worst enemy was my sister-in-law?"

"Yeah, although I'm pretty sure she didn't even know it. She was the nicest, most cheerful pony I knew, and even though she was a princess she was still really humble about it, never using her position as a Princess for herself, which I didn't get at all. Princess Celestia actually made us work together on a research project on mind magic. I think she was hoping I'd learn something from her.

"Boy, was she wrong. Funny thing is, even after I set her mane on fire I think she still thought I liked her. Or maybe she was just that positive."

"You did what?" Curiosity warred with disapproval in Twilight's eyes, as she gazed imperiously at Sunset, silently demanding that she finish the tale.

"Technically, it was an accident. See, we were testing out Ether's External Ego on ourselves..." Sunset told her story to Twilight, and when she finished, Twilight asked for another. As the pair of lovers stood in the center of the night sky, Sunset spoke endlessly of another world, one so different from this one that creatures of myth and legend walked the land as citizens, and yet so similar that they shared the same constellations that slowly spun around them.

Twilight listened intently, asking question after question, that inquisitive mind Sunset so adored working overtime to comprehend everything she spoke of.

It was a moment of pure perfection for the pair, and for the rest of the night, nothing existed except for two women madly in love with one another, and the stars that bore witness to their promise of an eternity together.

Chapter 21: Paradise Lost

For the umpteenth time that afternoon, Twilight wished she had Cadance with her to help as she tried to put on her make-up, or that she'd brought her own streamlined set of beauty products instead of the absurdly large collection of samples Rarity had gifted her with. Her former babysitter had helped her out with this kind of stuff when she was a teenager, and afterwards she hadn't needed that level of expertise anymore.

Twilight had never cared to do more than make herself look professionally presentable, but tonight she wanted to look as good as she possibly could for Sunset. She had absolutely no doubts that Sunset would stun her into speechlessness when she arrived to pick her up, and she wanted to make sure she could at least stand beside the CEO of Equinox Labs without feeling self-conscious, which, given how ridiculously attractive her girlfriend was, would be quite the tall order.

Scanning through the multitude of guides she had opened on her computer, Twilight eventually decided that she had done the best she could and that any further attempts to beautify herself would likely have adverse consequences on her appearance.

With one final exasperated glance at the mirror in the hotel bathroom, Twilight returned to the main area of the suite to resume working on finalizing the test her students would be taking next week. Dinky and Moondancer had done a wonderful job taking over for her, but she still needed to check to make sure everything was going according to plan. If all went well, she'd be back in time to supervise the examination herself.

That last thought gave her pause. Her time here in Canterlot had been a wonderful vacation – threats of world domination aside – and her budding romance with Sunset a fairy tale right out of a storybook, but soon reality would come crashing down, and they'd be separated once again as Twilight was forced to return to her life. Sunset, too, had responsibilities as the head of Equinox that couldn't be ignored.

Whether their relationship would survive outside of this little timeless bubble they'd constructed remained to be seen.

A loud knocking sounded from the door. Twilight shut down her computer, made one last attempt to smooth everything out, took a deep breath, and then opened the door, her jaw dropping as expected as her visitor was revealed.

If Rarity had designed Twilight's dress with Sunset in mind, then the masterpiece of a dress that Sunset was wearing was a perfect mirror of hers, created to evoke Twilight's own appearance. Purple and pink danced along the layers of the dress, creating shifting aurorae in the frills around the legs and torso. The colors lightened into a soft lavender as they flowed up along her breasts before narrowing into a tight collar of fabric around her throat, the shape displaying the graceful curves of her shoulders.

And of course, Sunset herself was a total knockout, having put on a light coating of makeup to enhance her already alluring features and tying her hair up in a loose ponytail. Under the light of the afternoon Sun, she looked absolutely radiant, an otherworldly spirit made flesh, which Twilight supposed wasn't too far from the truth.

"Wow." Sunset was wearing her usual casual smile, the one that brightened up her face more than any lipstick or eyeshadow could. "You look great. Rarity really outdid herself this time."

Twilight managed to regain enough of her senses to reply with a vague "Thanks." Taking a moment to compose herself, she provided a more articulate response. "You're looking quite magnificent as well."

Sunset shrugged. "Glad you approve." She held out an arm to Twilight. "Ready to go?"

Twilight snaked her arm around Sunset's, feeling a bit giddy at the idea of finally fulfilling her teenage fantasies. "After you, m'lady."

"You're in a good mood tonight," Sunset commented as they walked down the corridor towards the entrance of the hotel.

"I'm still riding the endorphin high from last night," Twilight replied, snuggling closer to Sunset. "I also appear to be feeling unusually affectionate, likely due to your absence from my life for the past sixteen hours or so."

"Mhm. I missed you too, Twilight." Pushing out the entrance doors, Sunset revealed a sleek, expensive-looking limousine, large enough to house a dozen occupants. A well-dressed man stood next to the vehicle, holding the door open.

After climbing into the car, Twilight allowed herself to sink into the soft leather seat across from Sunset. "I could get used to this," she said with a contented sigh, sipping from one of the Champagne flutes that had been waiting for them on a small tray.

"Go ahead," Sunset said as she draped her lithe form over her own seat. "What's the point of having all this money if I can't use it to pamper the girl I love?"

"You make me sound like a trophy girlfriend," Twilight said with a roll of her eyes even as she felt her heart warming at Sunset's words.

"You could be, if you wanted." Sunset placed a hand on Twilight's thigh as she spoke, her voice low and husky. "Spending your days being pampered or hanging off my arm, not having to worry your pretty little head about anything. And at night..." The hand slid upwards, slowly tracing a line towards the hem of the dress until Twilight slapped it away.

"Very funny, Sunset." Twilight smoothed out her dress as she met Sunset's playful smirk with a small smile of her own.

"Can't blame a girl for trying, can you?" Sunset shrugged. "I just want to have you by my side forever. Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes," Twilight replied flatly. "I do have my own life to live, if you recall, even if I'm putting it on hold to carouse around in Canterlot with you."

"I guess I can't convince you to move here, huh?" Sunset brought her own flute to her lips, sipping at the clear liquid sloshing around inside.

"Despite how far our relationship has gone, we've still only been dating for a few days," Twilight pointed out as she settled back into her seat. "I'm not about to give up everything I've built in the last fifteen years to jump into your arms. Besides, it's not like we won't be able to see each other at all – it's only a few hours' drive between Hayvard and Canterlot."

"It's even faster by helicopter." Sunset pulled out her cell phone and began typing on it. "I'll have to remember to get another one – Starlight'll probably get pissed if I'm taking it over all the time. We'll have to work out something in the long-term, though." She returned the phone to her purse before shifting her gaze to Twilight, a thoughtful look on her face. "Hmm, Equinox is due for an expansion, and opening an office right next to Hayvard would be a great business move."

"I'm sure your Board of Directors would love you making decisions about a billion-dollar company based on geographic proximity to your girlfriend."

"Eh, I have a controlling stake in Equinox. And it is a good decision, in terms of connections and networking." She picked up her drink and sipped lightly at it, the muscles of her throat flexing hypnotically. "Speaking of networking, we're gonna need a cover story for the Exhibition today. Can't exactly tell everyone that we got together while chasing down a Siren that stole a magic journal from me."

"We can just use the same one from before, about me helping you out with a secret research project," Twilight said. "It's not even a lie, and I'm sure you'll be able to get some new breakthroughs out of the work we're doing to market soon. Maybe the dowsing thing?"

"Yeah, that could work." The car began to slow down, and Sunset downed the last of her drink, with Twilight following suit. "Well, here we go. You ready for our first event as a couple?"

"Sure." Twilight felt the limo grind to a halt. Despite the soundproofing, she could hear the murmuring of the crowd outside their metal enclosure. "Are you ready to tell the world that you're dating a lowly professor?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Weren't you the youngest tenured professor at Hayvard for a while? Not to mention everyone seems to think it's just a matter of time before you get a Nobel prize. Not exactly what I'd consider 'lowly.' Besides, I already said I would shout your name from the top of a mountain to let everyone know we're dating. I can't wait to show you off and make them jealous."

"How sweet." The sound of a latch being unlocked preceded the opening of the door, revealing a small crowd of reporters with cameras and what appeared to be audio recording devices. "That's a lot of people." Twilight shrank back a bit at the sudden onslaught of noise. "I didn't realize you were such a celebrity."

"The Exhibition is bringing in the crème de la crème of Canterlot, and a bunch of other places too," Sunset said as she climbed out of the car and into the light of day. "You going to be okay?"

"Of course," Twilight took Sunset's proffered arm, pulling herself into a standing position next to her girlfriend, "this isn't my first rodeo. I was just a little surprised." There wasn't time to say anything more as they stepped out into the crowd.

As Sunset had said, it seemed that they were more interested in other prey, and Sunset and Twilight managed to get into the entrance of the hotel with little more than a few photos taken of them. Twilight idly wondered as to who would even want those pictures before they made it into a beautiful and mostly-empty foyer.

The receptionist recognized Sunset, and after confirming that Twilight was on the guest list, had one of the hotel staff lead them to the elevators, where they climbed up to the top floor. Twilight mostly stayed silent, letting Sunset's incredible charisma win over everyone she talked to.

Twilight knew how to play politics when necessary, but seeing Sunset in action was something else, her loving, caring girlfriend pouring sincerity into each of her words as she built a genuine rapport with the staff of the hotel. It had been a while since she'd seen so many smiles on the normally straight-faced employees.

When the elevator opened, they found themselves looking out at a beautiful rooftop terrace, dressed up to the nines with neatly trimmed flowers and hedges sporting decorations of satin, velvet, and streamers. The latter made Twilight do a double-take before she remembered that Pinkie was the one organizing the event. In that context, it was actually incredible how classy and refined the place looked.

From an initial perusal, about half the guests had already arrived, milling about the numerous large dining tables in elegant formal attire and mingling with one another. Before they could seek out their own table, however, a familiar-looking couple approached them. "Ah, Miss Shimmer, it's good to see you again," A blue-haired man with skin as white as Rarity's said as he shook Sunset's hand. "It has been dreadfully dull attending these events in the past weeks without your presence. I trust you enjoyed your vacation?"

"Hey, Fancy Pants," Sunset replied. "Yeah, my vacation was pretty great. It was nice getting away from all of this for a bit."

"Understandable. The rigors of industry can be rather taxing at times." Fancy Pants' gaze shifted towards Twilight, a calculating look in his eyes. "And I see you've brought a friend to this little soirée of yours."

"Yup." Sunset wrapped an arm around Twilight's shoulders. "Fancy, Fleur, I'd like to introduce you to Doctor Twilight Sparkle. She's a professor of physics at Hayvard University and she's been a valuable research partner in a recent joint venture with Equinox."

"A little more than research partners, I should think," Fleur said with a small titter, "or do my eyes deceive me?"

"Perceptive as always, Fleur," Sunset replied. "Twilight, this is Fleur Dis Lee and Fancy Pants, from Pants Enterprises."

"Enchantée, professeure." Fleur reached out her hand for a handshake. "You have chosen a remarkable woman to share your heart with."

"Indeed," Fancy Pants chimed in. "I've never met an entrepreneur who blends smart business sense with a genuine desire to make the world a better place quite like Miss Shimmer."

"As if you aren't one of the biggest contributors to tonight's show," Sunset replied, that easy smile brightening up her face again. "Face it, you've got that same generous streak in you, as much as you like to drive a hard bargain."

"I'll take the compliment, as long as you don't think it means I'll go easy on you." Fancy turned her attention back to Twilight. "Doctor Sparkle, I believe I've heard your name before from some of my more academically inclined associates. They say you've done some extraordinary things in the science of materials. Would that have anything to do with the work you've done with Equinox?"

"I'm afraid we're still not at the stage where we're ready to reveal our discoveries yet," Twilight said coolly.

"I don't suppose I could tempt you into an early reveal?" Fancy was speaking to Sunset now, though he kept his body language open to both of them.

"Sorry, not this time," Sunset replied with a chuckle. "You'll just have to wait for it like everyone else."

"Very well, I'll be ready to negotiate a price with you as soon as you release your next miracle." Fancy's eyes darted past the couple, focusing on something behind them. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe I see the Riches over in the back. Filthy still owes me some money from a bet, and I intend to collect. It was capital seeing you again, Miss Shimmer. And welcome to Canterlot, Doctor Sparkle – I look forward to speaking with you again."

As the couple took their leave, Twilight and Sunset continued their journey through the terrace, stopping every so often to chat with the other guests. Once again, Twilight let Sunset speak for the most part, mostly because she wasn't familiar with anyone here – this Exhibition had attracted a different set of guests than the events she normally attended. As such, she was content to hang back and watch Sunset mingle with the crowd, accepting the customary felicitations on her new relationship status.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Twilight asked as they finally reached the designated VIP table.

"Huh?" Sunset sat down next to Twilight, staring at her with a raised eyebrow while she took a long drink of water. "Ah, that feels so much better," she said with a contented sigh. "Anyways, what were you saying about me enjoying something?"

"All of this." Twilight made a large sweeping gesture with her arms. "The mingling, the politics, making deals and connections. I've talked to a lot of people from industry before, and none of them were that good at making people eat out of their hand. When you said your talent was leadership, you weren't kidding."

Sunset turned away from Twilight, and Twilight could have sworn the other woman was blushing. Still, when she spoke, her tone was still casual and easy. "Yeah, there's a reason my cutie mark has that whole duality thing going on in it. I'm not the kind of person who can spend all day in the lab."

"It'd be a huge waste if you did that," Twilight commented. "I think you made more of an impact in the past ten minutes of deal-making than most scientists will manage in a year of research. Being able to develop technologies to change the world doesn't matter much when you can't get people to adopt them. It's way too easy to forget that when you're inside the lab."

"Well, I'm glad I'm here to pull you back into reality." Sunset leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss against Twilight's cheek.

"I see I've come at a bad time."

Sunset jerked away from Twilight as if burned, and both of them turned to face the unexpected intruder. "Hey, Starlight." Despite her casual tone, Twilight noticed a tightening of Sunset's shoulders as her entire body stiffened. "How's it going?"

"Oh, the usual." Starlight mirrored Sunset's cool tone, and a chill spread up Twilight's spine as an undercurrent of something she didn't understand passed between them. "Everyone's mixing business and pleasure and gossiping between negotiations – by the way, Prim Hemline wants access to Evershine once the exclusivity contract with Rarity runs out."

"That's fine," Sunset replied. "Anything else?"

"Golden Wish wants you to sell the rights to an autobiography again, but I told her no, as usual. Also, apparently there's a rumor going around that you and Dr. Sparkle are a couple now. Like, in the dating sense, not just research partners." Starlight glanced between Twilight and Sunset, a look of disapproval on her face. "I guess that rumor was true."

Sunset looked like a kid caught with her hand in a cookie jar. "Sorry, I was going to tell you, but it slipped my mind."

"I see." Starlight voice grew even colder, and Twilight felt a weight settle in her chest at her impassive stare. "I suppose congratulations are in order. May your days be filled with wonder and magic."

Twilight didn't miss the odd emphasis on the last word, but she decided to ignore it. "Thanks," she said sincerely, "I hope to get to know you better in the future."

"I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the days to come." Starlight inclined her head slightly before turning to look at something in the distance. "Now if you'll excuse me, Jet Set wanted to talk about the latest advances from our aeronautics department."

As Starlight strode away into the crowd, Twilight felt her breathing return to normal. "Well, I guess not everyone's happy about us being together."

"Sorry about that. Starlight's just worried for me." Sunset smiled sheepishly. "She can be a little protective sometimes."

"It's fine." Twilight pulled away slightly from Sunset. "I get it. She doesn't want to see you get hurt by me again."

"Hey now." Sunset reached over and placed a hand over Twilight's. "It's going to be different this time. We're not the kids we used to be."

"I still worry about that a bit," Twilight admitted, her eyes downcast. "The past few days have been, well, magical, but the long-term will present a whole other set of issues."

"And like we promised yesterday, we'll meet each one of those issues head-on." For a few seconds, Twilight and Sunset simply sat in silence, losing themselves in the warm love they shared.

"Oh darling, aren't they just the most precious couple?"

This time, the interruption came in the form of a much friendlier voice. "Rarity, Fluttershy!" Twilight waved at the incoming pair, a wide smile on her face. "It's great to see you again! How has the Exhibition been going for you so far?"

"Oh, it's been absolutely marvelous, dear." As Rarity approached, Sunset and Twilight both stood up to give her a hug. "The rumor mill has been positively churning all afternoon." A playful twinkle danced in her blue eyes. "Your blasé announcement of your romance has set all the guests atwitter, and they've been dying to know more about how the great Sunset Shimmer's heart was stolen away."

"I'm glad you're having fun," Sunset said as she disentangled herself from Rarity. She turned to face the other newcomer. "How about you, Fluttershy? Still hiding behind Rarity?" There was no mockery in her tone, only curiosity.

"It's... nice, being with Rarity," Fluttershy said in her usual demure fashion. "I've gotten better with the mingling, but I still don't like it, and Rarity's done such a great job promoting our cause."

"I understand," Twilight said to Fluttershy as the two claimed the seats next to her. "I don't like it either, but sometimes you just don't have a choice."

"Mhm." Fluttershy carefully unfolded the napkin set out in front of her and placed it on her lap. "I just think about all the animals who need help – it helps to keep me going."

"It's the same for me," Twilight said. "We need the funding to keep doing what we do, so we put up with it."

Once Rarity and Fluttershy had both settled into the VIP table, Rarity leaned over to speak to Sunset and Twilight. "And how goes your quest to save the world? Are you any closer to finding Adagio?"

"It's going great," Sunset replied. "We should have everything wrapped up in a couple days without needing any help."

"Well, Rainbow Dash will be devastated," Rarity said with a grimace, "but I for one will be glad to have this ordeal over and done with. Even if I'm not contributing to your efforts, the knowledge that all I hold dear might be destroyed is quite the sword to have hanging above one's head."

Any further conversation about Adagio was stymied by the arrival of the other guests who had seats at the VIP table. Fancy and Fleur were the first to arrive and, after exchanging greetings, they proceeded to enmesh themselves in a complex discussion about the fashion industry with Rarity that Twilight was unable to follow. Jet Set and Upper Crust were next, settling next to Sunset and taking up her attention with their own negotiations, leaving Twilight and Fluttershy to sit quietly together, as they preferred.

The sound of a microphone being tapped echoed through the speakers and silenced the crowd. Looking towards the small stage at the edge of the terrace, Twilight saw Starlight tapping the microphone in her hand. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," she said, her authoritative voice sounding out crystal clear through the speakers. "On behalf of Equinox and Carousel, I would like to welcome you to the first ever Wings of Kindness Exhibition Show!"

Starlight paused for the polite applause that followed. "We are very grateful for your generosity today. Your donations will help provide homes for countless animals in need, and even more importantly..." The speech was pretty standard, with Starlight thanking all the patrons for their donations, explaining a little about Carousel and Equinox's commitment to responsible business dealings, and then hyping up the Wonderbolts show.

Twilight mostly tuned it out as she thought about how to adapt some of the things she'd worked on with Sunset into research projects. The cover story they'd constructed on the ride to the exhibition had reminded her of her own duties as a professor, and she'd need to have something to show for her time in Canterlot.

"...And now, without further ado, let's get this show on the road! Or in the air, as the case may be." Twilight looked back up towards Starlight as the final words of the speech were spoken, filing away thoughts of science for another time.

After another round of applause, Starlight returned to her seat, and soon afterwards a loud, swelling fanfare began playing from the speakers. At the same time, in the distance, a triangle of dots soared through the sky towards their position.

Twilight had seen the Wonderbolts perform numerous times on television, and had even had the opportunity to see part of a show from her office once when they came to perform in Cambridle. She had always been amazed at the feats of aeronautic prowess they managed to pull off, at the way they were able to push the technology of flight to its limits.

Nothing could compare to seeing this performance. As the sponsors for this show, the guests on the terrace had the perfect view of the aerial dance as the half-dozen planes that made up this squadron circled about the building, weaving an intricate pattern of loops, dives, and other manoeuvres that Twilight couldn't name. Twilight had to force herself to remember to breathe as she took in the awe-inspiring sight of one death-defying stunt after another.

A few minutes into the show, one of the planes detached from formation in a corkscrew dive, pulling up just in time to fly far too close to the crowd. A deafening roar rang out through Twilight's ears, followed immediately by a rush of wind powerful enough to blow her napkin onto the floor. As she watched the metal blur pass by in temporary silence, she swore she saw a rainbow insignia painted on the side of the plane.

Looking around, she saw the crowd in various states of shock and awe, most of them bending down to pick up something or other that had been blown over. Beside her, she saw Sunset watching the departing plane with a wry smile. "Every single time," she said, Twilight barely making out the words as sound began to return to the world.

"That was Dash, right?" she asked a little too loudly, still trying to get her ears to work properly again.

"Yeah." Sunset stared off at the plane as it circled back to rejoin the main formation. "She's always had a reputation for being a daredevil, even among the Wonderbolts, and she's always the one pulling off the most dangerous stunts. It helps that she's also the best pilot in the squad, probably in the world."

"It was very impressive," Twilight said, giving her own head a few shakes as the world returned to normal. "Being able to see this in person is really something else."

"Heh, you should've seen the shows the Wonderbolts put on back in Equestria," Sunset said, her voice lowering so that the others wouldn't hear.

"They have a counterpart too?" Twilight paused for a moment to think. "I guess that makes sense, though I'm still trying to figure out what a magic-powered plane would look like."

Sunset shook her head. "Not planes, pegasi. We're ponies, remember?"

"Oh right." Even despite yesterday's conversation, it was far too easy to forget just how alien the other world was.

"Yeah. I mean, planes are impressive, but it's nothing compared to seeing a squadron of pegasi flying in tight formation. Ponies are also a lot more manoeuvrable than giant metal vehicles, and they can do things like dance a waltz in the skies or shape clouds into set pieces for their shows." Sunset's eyes were wide, clouding over a little with emotion. "You haven't seen an air show until you've seen an Icaranian Sun Salutation."

"I can't even begin to imagine." There was that slightly surreal sensation again, as if she were floating on air. Seeing the wonder in Sunset's eyes made her heart flutter in ways she'd never felt before. "I'd love to see it one day." The words came out before she even had time to think about them.

Sunset's head turned sharply towards Twilight. "I'd love to show it to you one day," she said, a wide smile on her face.

With nothing more to say, they returned to watching the show, Sunset wrapping an arm around Twilight and pulling her close. Twilight didn't mind the gesture, enjoying the feel of her girlfriend's body against hers. As the dazzling display continued in the sky, Twilight couldn't help but think about the future.

She'd meant the words she'd said, she realized. One day, she wanted to travel to Equestria, to see the world that Sunset called home. However, it would take time before she could convince Sunset not to bring magic back with her, and until then, that dream couldn't be realized.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Starlight staring at her, hostility clear on her face. She turned away when Twilight met that stare, and Twilight sighed to herself as she realized she still had a long road ahead of her, with so many complications to deal with.

All too soon, the show was over, the winged performers returning to their base in perfect formation. As the buffet tables were set out, the mingling commenced anew, with everyone getting up to stretch their legs and make new connections.

Twilight mostly stayed with Sunset as before, letting her do the talking and occasionally breaking off to chat with Rarity and Fluttershy. A few times they were joined by Pinkie and Applejack, who had popped out from the kitchens and wherever it was Pinkie was organizing the event from, respectively.

It was just like during the welcoming party a few days ago, with them catching up with the past and making plans for the future. By the time Rainbow Dash arrived in a stylish dress uniform, Twilight had already promised to visit Fluttershy's sanctuary and Sweet Apple Acres the next time she came to visit Canterlot.

The daring Wonderbolt had taken the initial fanfare of her arrival with her usual cocky grace before moving over to where Twilight was sitting with Sunset, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity.

"Wow, looks like the gang's all here, huh?" Rainbow Dash said as she swaggered into the conversation. "So how'd you like the show?"

"It was marvelous as always," Rarity replied before pouting. "But did you have to pull off that stunt of yours? My coiffure is still traumatized from your little flyover." To emphasize her point, she gently patted her voluminous hair a few times.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Eh, it still looks good. Besides, you gotta make sacrifices for awesome, right?"

"Quite." Rarity glowered at Rainbow Dash, who ignored her in favor of studying Sunset and Twilight.

Her eyes narrowed as they saw the pair holding hands. "So Rarity's text about you two hooking up wasn't a joke, huh?"

"Nope." Sunset released Twilight's hand and instead lopped an arm around her, pulling them together. "It wasn't a joke."

"Then the part about you fighting Adagio happened too?" Rainbow Dash was clearly unamused.

"Yeah, sorry about that. There wasn't any time to call you, and we really didn't expect to be getting into a fight."

"Well, next time, lemme know, okay?" She looked to both Sunset and Twilight, meeting their gazes with an unexpectedly serious expression. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Well, we're hoping to catch Adagio tomorrow, actually," Sunset said. "We set a trap for her outside Canterlot High and we're expecting her to fall for it in the morning. I can give you more details later if you want to be there."

"Yeah, definitely. I'm gonna be there for you guys this time." Twilight barely caught the faint tinge of regret in the words. Abruptly, Dash's expression shifted back into a casual smirk. "So, Twilight, how'd you like the show? You haven't seen a live Wonderbolts performance before, right?"

"I haven't, and now I find myself really regretting that." Twilight clasped her hands together. "You were amazing. I've never seen someone with that level of control over an aircraft. I always thought you would end up in sports, but I can see that you've definitely made the right career choice instead."

"Heh, I used to think I'd end up playing soccer or baseball or something too," Dash replied, "but after actually being able to fly for a bit, I realized that was what I wanted to do with my life. The ground just wasn't for me. There's a quote I really like, you'll probably like it too since it's by some old science-y guy. Lemme see if I can remember it." Dash pressed her hand against her forehead, frowning.

"Oh, right!" A look of intense concentration graced Dash's features. "'When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.' Yeah, that's it." She looked ridiculously proud of her recitation. "That guy must've been one hell of a pilot."

"That was Golden Ratio," Twilight said dryly. "He died a couple hundred years before the first plane was invented."

"Huh." Dash shrugged. "Well, for a guy who never flew he really nailed the feeling. I mean, being in a plane is nothing compared to having wings, but it's still pretty awesome. Anyways, I'll be there tomorrow, and if we gotta use magic against Adagio, I could always stretch my wings again."

"I don't think that will be necessary, but I guess we'll see." Twilight wasn't looking forward to dealing with a second person who seemed to be in love with magic, but she couldn't deny that she was a bit relieved to have someone with actual combat training with them in case things turned out like the warehouse again.

Before Dash could respond, a new voice joined the conversation. "So sorry to interrupt this little reunion, but it's about time for the speeches." Twilight turned around and saw Starlight standing a short distance away, her arms crossed and her foot tapping against the ground impatiently.

Sunset walked over towards her, looking like a chastised child. "Sorry about that. I lost track of time."

"Oh, right, speeches." Pinkie grabbed Sunset's arm and pulled her away. "I gotta go make sure that all my little helpers have the schedule right. Bye girls!"

With that farewell, everyone began to disperse. Applejack had to return to the kitchens to ensure that the catering was going as planned, and Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy had to go and mingle with the crowd. That left Twilight and Starlight standing awkwardly next to each other.

As Starlight began to walk away, Twilight called out to her. "Wait, Miss Glimmer!"

The other woman turned around. "Yes, Doctor Sparkle?"

Twilight stared the frowning woman in the eye, holding her own under her withering gaze. "I just wanted to say thank you," she said, trying to put every ounce of sincerity she could into the words. "I can't begin to imagine how bad it must have been for Sunset after she lost her magic. Thank you for being with her and helping her get to where she is today."

"I don't want your thanks." Venom dripped from her tone. "Unless you're willing to back off from Sunset, that is."

"You – you don't have feelings for her too, do you?" A sinking feeling settled in Twilight's gut at the thought of having to fight Sunset's best friend for her affections.

Starlight let out a startled laugh. "Of course not. This isn't some dumb high school movie, as much as your lives seem to revolve around your teenage years. I just don't want to see you ruining Sunset's destiny again."

"I won't," Twilight promised. "Not this time."

"Hmph, that's what Sunset said too. I suppose we'll see if history repeats itself. Have a good evening, Doctor Sparkle." With that, Starlight walked away, her poise cool as ice.

Well, it seemed that reconciling with Starlight wouldn't be as easy as she'd thought, Twilight mused as she watched Sunset step onto the stage. Still, she had all the time in the world to settle things with Sunset's President and prove her wrong. She could ask Sunset for help later if it came to that.

History would not repeat itself, if she had anything to say about it.

"Good evening, everyone." Twilight looked up to see Sunset standing on stage, looking radiant framed by her namesake. "I hope you're all enjoying yourselves, and if not, now's the perfect time to sneak out while we get through all the boring speeches." A small rumble echoed from the crowd as the guests chuckled politely.

"When I first founded Equinox, it was with a purpose. I had all these ideas that I wanted to share with the world, ideas that I thought would make it a better place. And over the years, I've been joined by a wonderful team of people, each with their own great ideas, and I like to think we've really helped make a difference in the world."

Sunset shifted a little to the right as she spoke, so that from Twilight's angle the sun was positioned right behind her, its blocked light surrounding her in a brilliant corona. "But that's not to say that we should rest on our laurels. There's always more to be done, and during my vacation, I realized that Equinox has been too insular for far too long. We've held events to raise money, and we have many initiatives that give back to the community, but we've never stopped to see what kind of great ideas others might have."

With the sunlight being shielded, Twilight could see the faintest twinkle of stars in the sky as the day turned to night and Sunset continued to speak. "It's time we looked outward, to work with others to come up with solutions to make this world a better place. Equinox has already revolutionized all our lives – imagine how much more we can do together.

"A bright future awaits us. A future of wonder and magic that I promise will transform our world. And in that vein, I propose a toast. To new beginnings!"

It was only then that Twilight noticed that Sunset was still holding a wine glass. She raised it into the air, and the crowd responded by doing the same. "To the future of Equinox and beyond!"

There was a louder applause as Sunset took a long sip from her glass. "Thank you, everyone, for your support and your generosity, and please enjoy the rest of the night." With that, Sunset stepped off the stage, handing the microphone over to Rarity so that she could thank everyone on behalf of Carousel.

Twilight didn't pay much attention to Rarity, however, as there was something much more interesting happening to the side. Next to the stage, Twilight saw Sunset step down, only to be approached by Starlight Glimmer, who looked absolutely livid even from a distance. She grabbed Sunset's arm and leaned over to whisper into her ear. Sunset wore a look of confusion as she followed Starlight towards a nearby stairwell.

It wasn't anything worth worrying about, Twilight thought to herself as the two of them disappeared behind a door. Starlight probably just got some bad news about something happening in Equinox and needed an emergency conference with Sunset. That kind of stuff probably happened all the time in the corporate world. It'd sort itself out.

And yet, something about the whole situation seemed off. Sunset and Starlight's words both came back to her.

"A future of wonder and magic that I promise will transform our world..."

"I suppose we'll see if history repeats itself..."

It was probably nothing. But if it was something, then Twilight was going to make sure that the cycle was broken. Starlight was a bit too similar to the person Sunset was before for her tastes, and she didn't want her going down that same dark path.

Resolved, Twilight followed after them. She descended the stairs in silence, the sounds of the partying crowd growing fainter with each step she took.

When she reached a door that was still ajar, she went through it and found herself standing in a kitchen, with a surprised Applejack facing her. "What're you doing here, sugarcube?"

"I was looking for Sunset and Starlight," Twilight explained simply, not wanting to sound too clingy.

"She went down thataways," Applejack pointed towards one of the doors before looking at Twilight with concern. "Is everything alright between you and your gal? Starlight seemed mighty steamed 'bout something when they came through."

"It's probably nothing, but I want to be there just in case I'm wrong."

"Well, good luck to ya, then." Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight before returning to whatever she was doing in the kitchen.

Twilight continued her search for Sunset, going through the door and reaching a twisting series of corridors lined with metal and naked wood. As she walked down the corridor, she heard what sounded like shouting coming from one of the open doors.

"You're reading way too much into this, Starlight." Sunset's voice, annoyed and impatient.

"Am I?" Starlight's snide response, her voice rising as she spoke. "Between you hiding your tryst with Dr. Sparkle from me and going off script to talk about new beginnings and changing how we do things – which you didn't discuss with me beforehand, I might add – I'm not exactly sure what kind of message you're even trying to send me."

Twilight took a few more steps forward as Sunset's petulant retort echoed off the uninsulated walls. "I already told you I was going to expand our outreach programs to work more with people from outside Equinox."

"And I'm sure that decision had nothing to do with your new lover. You can't possibly think that you aren't being influenced by her." Twilight quickened her pace, ready to defend her girlfriend from Starlight's accusations.

"You've got it the other way around. I've already talked her into going to Equestria with me – it won't be long until she's completely on-board with us. Like I said, she's going to be our most valuable asset once she's on our side." Twilight stopped a few feet from the door, suddenly frozen in place as she waited for the conversation to play out.

"Long-term goals are great, but as you'll recall we'll have the greatest opportunity to bring magic back into the world within the next few days. How exactly are you going to convince Doctor Sparkle not to destroy the medallion, the journal, and our best chance at achieving our goals?" Twilight found herself very interested in Sunset's response to Starlight's question.

"I've already modified the neutralizing matrix so that our disc will transfer the spell into itself while it destroys Adagio's focus. I'll grab the disc later and keep in somewhere safe. Twilight won't even know about the swap, and it'll buy me more time to talk some sense into her. After I do that, I'll tell her the truth." Sunset spoke with her usual confidence, but this time the sound was grating to Twilight.

"And when will that be?" Starlight asked.

"Yes, Sunset, when were you going to tell me about your deception?"

As Twilight made her dramatic entrance, she saw Sunset turn to face her, mouth hanging open in shock. Beside her, Starlight looked surprised as well, though she was hiding it much better.

"Twilight?" Sunset asked, panic flashing in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you leaving with Starlight and I followed you," Twilight said evenly. "Starlight's behaviour worried me, and I wanted to check up on you. Guess I should've been more worried about myself than you." Fire stirred inside her as anger and betrayal burned her heart. "Is this the part where you tell me that it's all a misunderstanding?"

"Depends on how much you heard," Sunset replied, recovering swiftly.

"You modified the design of the neutralizing matrix to steal Adagio's spell instead of destroy it," Twilight said. "I assume you've done this because you want to cast Adagio's spell or some version of it yourself at a later date." She glared at Sunset, waiting for her response.

Sunset deflated a little, her shoulders drooping slightly. "Then no, you heard it right the first time. But I swear I was going to wait until we could figure out how to modify it together. Me and you, together, just like we've been doing in the lab."

"And what if I never agree with you?" Twilight demanded, stepping forward. "What if I'm never okay with casting that spell? What then?"

"I'm also interested in the answer to your question." Starlight's voice had a dangerous edge to it, like a tiger getting ready to pounce.

"It wouldn't have come to that," Sunset said. "You already said you wanted to visit Equestria one day with me, remember?"

"Yes, visit," Twilight said. "But not to bring magic back with us. So the question stands: would you still cast the spell if I never agree with you?"

"No." Sunset stared Twilight straight in the eyes as she spoke. "I would wait until I had your agreement. All I wanted to do this time was buy some time to convince you, time I didn't think I had last time. That's all."

"I see." Starlight responded before Twilight had the chance to, her words coming out with a chilling calm. "In that case, I'll have my letter of resignation on your desk Monday morning." With that, she walked away from Sunset and Twilight, her movements looking stiff and mechanical, as if controlled by a puppeteer.

"Wait, Starlight!"

The woman in question turned around at Sunset's words. "Don't bother," she spat, the ice in her voice finally thawing into burning anger. "You've made your lack of conviction clear. I still remember the promise we made, though, and I'll make sure we achieve our vision, even if I have to do it myself."

Neither Sunset nor Twilight spoke as Starlight walked away once again, disappearing around the corner until the only evidence of her presence was the rapidly fading sound of her footsteps against the concrete floor.

When the steps finally grew silent, Sunset turned her attention back to Twilight. "Well, that could've gone better," she said, the humor in her voice sounding hollow to Twilight's ears. "You believe me though, right?"

"I – I don't know." Twilight turned away from Sunset. "You lied to me. Again. I want to trust you – I was starting to, but now..."

"Did you really want to trust me?" Sunset's piercing question was delivered like an arrow to Twilight's heart. "Because I haven't seen anything to prove that. You've insisted on following me around, making sure I didn't try anything again. The first time we ran into magic in the wild, you pulled a damn ultimatum on me."

"I followed you because I care about you!" Twilight shot back, anger erupting again.

"Really? Is that why you were sneaking around after me and Starlight?" When Twilight didn't answer, a grim smile graced Sunset's features. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You haven't even bothered to listen to any of my arguments. You've been stubbornly holding on to your own beliefs, just like you always have. Face it, you don't want to trust me, you just want to be right, just like you always were. I've tried to change, but you won't see it."

"Have you changed?" Twilight asked, her voice sharp as a blade. "I still see a power-hungry woman who's so convinced she's right about everything that she won't trust anyone either. Don't think I haven't noticed that you haven't been listening to my arguments either. I've tried to make concessions, but you haven't budged."

"And there you go again, trying to take the moral high ground," Sunset said with a roll of her eyes. "You're still the self-righteous coward you were all those years ago."

Twilight flinched. "And you're still the same selfish brat!"

A tense silence filled the room as both parties glared at one another. Finally, Twilight sighed. "I guess we're right back to where we started. We always knew this wasn't going to work." She turned around, her heart burning with an empty pain. "I can't stop you from bringing magic back to this world, but I don't have to stand by you either. Goodbye, Sunset."

Something snapped in Twilight's soul, and the agony was so great that she couldn't think of anything else except getting away from Sunset's presence.

As she began to move towards the door, Sunset's voice called out to here. "If you walk away now, then things really won't have changed. You'll still be the girl who ran away from all her problems rather than face them."

Twilight paused. "Then so be it," she said softly. "I can't go through this again."

With that, she left the room, just in time for the first tears to fall.

Author's Note

Now that we're in the final stretch, I'm going to post chapters daily until the story completes. Expect Chapter 22 tomorrow.

Chapter 22: A Time to Rend, A Time to Sew

Sunset wasn't sure how long she stood in that dusty storeroom. Her anger had cooled as the last of the ire in her heart burned out, leaving only a dull ache in its absence. Distantly, she heard the sound of footsteps drowned out slightly by the sound of her own heart beating, blood rumbling in her ears.

"You okay there, Sunset?" Applejack's voice, strong and stable. Sunset latched onto it and used it as an anchor to bring herself back to reality.

"I screwed up," Sunset said, "again." She sighed. "Me and Twilight were never going to work out, were we?"

"I wouldn't say that, but y'all sure did have a bigger hill to climb, what with what happened when we were younger." Applejack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "So what happened, sugarcube? Dash and I came to check on y'all and we saw Twilight crying her eyes out in that quiet way she used to do. Dash is with her now."

Sunset took some comfort in the fact that Twilight wasn't alone. Despite her… confused emotions regarding her, it hurt to think of her hurting, "History's repeating itself is what happened," Sunset replied, a bitter smile playing on her lips. "Turns out we aren't that different from when we were teenagers." Sunset briefly gave Applejack a summary of her perfidy and the conversation she just had with Twilight, too tired to properly filter out what she might not want her friend to know.

"And then she walked out on me. Again." Sunset gazed warily at Applejack as she finished her story, waiting for the other woman's judgement.

"Woo-whee." Applejack gave out a low whistle. "Ain't never a dull moment around you and Twi, huh? I'd forgotten what it's like when you two get together."

"You aren't mad with me?" Sunset's blinked a few times in response to Applejack's words.

The mirth faded from her expression, though something light still danced in her eyes. "Oh, I'm plum disappointed in you for lying to your girlfriend, but I can't say I'm surprised. You always were the type to do whatever you thought was right, and damn what everyone else thought. It worked out for you most of the time, until it didn't."

Her voice softened. "I can see you're hurting now from Twilight walking out on you, so I ain't gonna pour salt on your wounds. Might be you'll learn something from this, might be you won't – either way, there ain't much I can do about it. It's all up to you now if you wanna fight for your gal."

"You're right." Resolve built up in Sunset's heart, the embers of loss flaring up into determination to win back her love. "I have to go find Twilight and apologize." She tried to run after her beloved, but Applejack's strong grip kept her in place.

"Now hold your horses there, partner." Sunset found herself pulled back and forced to meet Applejack's intense stare. "I didn't say that you should go fight for her. I know you think you love her, but you've only been together what, three days? That ain't even a drop in the bucket compared to your whole lives. Ain't too late to duck out now before it's too late.

"This is just your first fight, and it ain't gonna be the last or even the worst. Just because you two love each other don't mean that y'all gonna be able to weather all the storms that come. You're both stubborn as mules, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. You gotta decide if your love is really worth fighting for, now and for the rest of your lives."

"When'd you get so wise, Applejack?" Sunset asked as she processed the other woman's words. She was right, of course; Sunset and Twilight had promised to fight for their love, and not twenty-four hours later, they'd already proven they didn't have a damn clue about what that really meant. This wasn't a problem that would go away anytime soon, and Sunset had been an idiot in thinking she could change Twilight's mind in just a few weeks.

"Aww shucks," Applejack said with a smile. "Ain't nothing to it 'sides not being in the thick of things. Too easy to lose sight of the forest when you've got your head stuck in a tree."

"Either way, thanks. I needed to hear that." Sunset found a small smile tugging at her own lips. "You're a better friend than I deserve."

"Friends aren't things you deserve, sugarcube." Applejack gave Sunset a light pat on the back. "So, what're you gonna do now?"

"Well, considering the President of my company just resigned, I should probably go back up to the party and make sure Equinox still has a presence there." Sunset tried to push thoughts of Twilight out of her mind, and managed to at least succeed in being able to think about something else, even if the pain of losing her lover still stung like an open wound. "After that, I guess I'll have to take a good, long look at my life and see what I want to do."

"Just remember that you always have your friends by your side," Applejack said as she finally released Sunset. "You don't have to face any of this alone."

"I know." Sunset walked out of the storeroom and headed back towards the stairwell, schooling her features into casual neutrality. Twilight or not, she was still the CEO of Equinox Labs, and she had a duty to her people to do her best at running the company.

As the weight of responsibility pressed down on her harder than she'd ever felt it press before, Sunset prepared herself for a long night of recreation and reflection.

"Twilight! Wait up!"

Twilight finally turned around, unable to ignore the presence she'd heard running behind her for the past few seconds. "If you'll excuse me, Rainbow Dash," she said, still not looking at Dash so that the other woman wouldn't see her tears, "I'd rather be alone right now." Her voice cracked a little at the end as she choked back another sob.

"Last time you said that, we didn't see you again for fifteen years," Dash said flatly. "So, are you gonna talk to me, or are you going to run away again?"

The words stopped Twilight in her tracks, echoing within her mind in sync with the same words Sunset had spoken. "What do you want?" She barked out, nearly snarling at Dash.

"I wanna know what happened between you and Sunset," Dash replied. "AJ said that you went to check up on her and Starlight, and the next thing she knows Starlight's storming through the kitchen looking like she's gonna murder someone. And then you run past looking like Sunset just broke your heart. Can't exactly blame a girl for being curious after seeing all that. So, what happened between you three? Was it some kinda love triangle thing?"

Twilight snorted. "No, of course not." It would have been so much easier if that had been the case. "It turns out that Sunset and I haven't really changed as much as we thought since we were teenagers."

"What did you two do this time?" Dash sounded more exasperated than concerned.

Twilight gave a detached summary of her fight with Sunset, trying to shield herself from the pain of the memories by stating the details with as few comments as possible. It didn't stop the tears from flowing or the sobs from cutting off the story on occasion.

"She did what?" Dash shouted as Twilight reached the revelation of Sunset's deception. "I can't believe she did it again!" A strong grip dragged Twilight back towards the hotel. "C'mon, let's go back there and give her a piece of your mind."

"Why bother?" Twilight dug her heels in, tipping over as she underestimated Dash's strength. "I already got one apology from Sunset, and it turns out that doesn't mean much. Even if I get another one, we've proven that nothing's going to change. We're just going to get into another fight again because we can't trust each other."

"So?" Dash released Twilight in order to help steady her. "Does that mean that you're just going to give up?"

"This is just going to keep happening again and again," Twilight said. "I feel like we're just going to be repeating this pattern forever or until something breaks."

"You two are pretty smart," Dash said, "you'll learn eventually."

"I don't know if I can keep doing that," Twilight admitted.

"But you love her, right?" Dash asked. "You want to spend the rest of your life with her doing mushy stuff and science stuff?"

"I... yeah, I do. But I don't know if that's in the cards for me."

Dash snorted. "Well, if you're just going to give up this easy, then it definitely won't be. I don't know much about love, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to have to work hard for it, just like with everything else worthwhile in life. I didn't become a Wonderbolt by giving up as soon as the going got tough, and I don't think you ended up becoming some bigshot scientist by giving up either. Sunset definitely didn't give up easy.

"Love is like, the biggest promise you can make, and if you make it, you gotta stick to it. You just gotta ask yourself if it's worth it, and if it is, you gotta stay by each other no matter what."

"That's... surprisingly good advice," Twilight said slowly. "I can certainly say that I didn't expect the conversation to go in this direction."

Dash shrugged. "I contain multiples and stuff."

"I think you meant 'I contain multitudes.'"

"Yeah, that." Dash's casual expression hardened. "Look, your thing with Sunset is gonna play out however you decide you want it to. But whatever happens, if the two of you leave us behind again, I'm not gonna forgive you this time."

Twilight nodded solemnly. "I understand. This time is going to be different in that way, if nothing else."

"Great. Now then, I gotta get back to the hobnobbing. Contractual obligations and stuff. You coming?"

"No." Twilight shook her head. "As enlightening as this talk has been, I don't think I'm quite up to pretending that everything is okay with Sunset. And you've given me a lot to think about. I'll see you around, Rainbow." She held Rainbow's gaze for a few seconds so that the other woman could see the sincerity in her eyes.

"I'll keep you to that." With that, Rainbow turned around and headed back into the Exhibition, leaving Twilight to return to her hotel room and contemplate what she wanted her future to be.

Sunset wasn't entirely sure why she was in her lab instead of her much more comfortable penthouse suite a couple dozen floors up.

On the one hand, this place, with its eclectic collection of scientific equipment, had come to be inextricably intertwined with Twilight Sparkle in her mind, and the last thing she wanted to do was to feel the emptiness of the room pulse in sync with the emptiness of her heart, amplifying the dull ache in her soul.

On the other hand, seeing examples of all the memories of her time with Twilight gave her a small measure of comfort as she took solace in their shared past.

The rest of the night had gone about as well as she could've hoped. She'd made some excuse about business-related issues requiring Twilight and Starlight to leave early, and everyone seemed to have bought it well enough. Only the former magic users knew what had actually happened, resulting in a tense evening with her friends.

Rainbow Dash had obviously avoided her the entire time, only acknowledging her existence to shoot a disappointed glare in her direction every so often. Her other friends were a combination of pity and polite disappointment, though none of them spoke of her sins directly.

Fortunately, because the event had started early, it had also ended early, and Sunset had been free to escape into her sanctum and stare at the remnants of her joint work with Twilight.

All around her were sheets of paper strewn about, covered in readouts or equations tracing back the long hours they'd spent working out the details of their theories. A small pile of journal papers and textbooks sat in a corner, the pages crinkled from when they'd read through them side-by-side, huddled together to get a better look at the ideas presented.

On the wall, the faded outline of a heart still survived on the whiteboard, the eraser having been insufficient to clear it after Twilight had drawn it playfully during a discussion on optimal spellform symbols. Working together with Twilight had been the most wonderful experience of Sunset's life, and she wanted nothing more than to have the strong, smart scientist by her side again, calibrating the spectrum analyzer that sat idle on the table.

As her heart burned to call Twilight up and apologize, her gaze fell on the pink princess pony plush sitting atop the safe. No matter how hard she'd tried to make a life here, there was no denying that she was a unicorn at heart. And it was becoming clear that Twilight might never be able to truly understand that, no matter how hard she tried. Even if they made up this time, there would be another fight when the time came to decide what to do with Adagio's spell, and Sunset didn't know if they could survive that one too.

Mind tormented by arguments on all sides, Sunset threw up her hands in frustration before walking over towards the computer terminal and logging in. Maybe work would help take her mind off things so that she could look at the problem with fresh eyes later.

Sunset entered her credentials into the system, and a moment later, a familiar welcome screen greeted her. She dutifully sifted through her messages, taking care of small matters that just needed her final approval and leaving the bigger decisions for later.

She would need to draft up a plan to try and win Starlight back, or to ease her transition out of the company if that failed. They'd all been a bit emotional at the time, and Sunset was certain she could at least get Starlight to stay for a little longer to help transfer her responsibilities.

Clearing the last of her notifications, Sunset brought up the security monitoring program for the lab, making sure she remembered the protocol for removing someone's credentials in case things went south. As she scrolled through the tabs to find the options, however, her eyes landed on the day's security logs for the lab door, and her blood chilled in her veins.

9:38 – Shimmer, Sunset
13:22 – Shimmer, Sunset
20:41 – Glimmer, Starlight
22:43 – Shimmer, Sunset

Sunset quickly looked around her. Nothing seemed out-of-place from earlier in the evening. And yet, Starlight had been here less than an hour after their fight. There had to be a reason.

Her eyes narrowed on the safe. Hurriedly, she walked over to the large metal box and undid the lock, pulling the door open to reveal the familiar collection of artifacts, with one exception: the bottom shelf of the safe was empty.

Starlight had stolen Twilight's magic detector.

Sunset's heart dropped into her stomach as she processed the sight before her. She couldn't be completely sure of what Starlight wanted to do, but she doubted that this was just a simple case of industrial espionage. The detector could be used to do a lot of things, especially given its secondary function has a magic absorber and storage unit, and given Starlight's emotional state, Sunset was very worried about what she would do.

On a hunch, Sunset pulled up the access records for the research she and Twilight had been working on. Sure enough, it also showed that Starlight had tried to access a portion of the data they'd collected. Poking into the details, it looked like Starlight had reactivated the sonic resonance system and had been looking at the live feed of the satellite above Canterlot that was tracking magical activity.

Despite the upcoming alignment creating a minor resonance with Adagio's medallion and amplifying any magical signatures, the tracker had still returned over a half-dozen possible locations across the city. Sunset stared at the map for a few minutes, looking for any more clues Starlight might have found. By now, it was clear that she intended to track down Adagio, and given her current emotional state, Sunset wasn't exactly sure what she would do after that.

She had to find her before Starlight did something stupid, and she had to do it quickly. With luck, Starlight was still searching the false positives, which would give Sunset time to intercept her if she figured out which of these six points Adagio was hiding in.

It was a daunting task, but Sunset had something that Starlight didn't right now: friendship. Pulling out her phone, she flipped through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for and made a call.

A few seconds later, someone picked up on the other end. "Sunset?"

"Hey, Sonata." Sunset returned to the computer terminal as she spoke. "Listen, something just came up, and I need to find Adagio right now before something really bad happens."

"How can I help?" There was no hesitation on Sonata's part.

"I've narrowed down Adagio's location to one of six areas. I'm sending the map to you now." A few keystrokes later, and a copy of the heat map was e-mailed out. "Do you recognize any of the locations?"

"Lemme get Aria to look at this. She's better at remembering this kinda stuff." There was some muffled shouting, followed by more muffled sounds. Sunset could make out what sounded like a conversation. A minute later, Sonata spoke again. "Aria says that Adagio used to have a little house on Meadowbrook Avenue, so she might still be hiding out there. I'll text you the address."

"Thanks."

"No problem." A short, static-filled silence. "Good luck Sunset," Sonata said, uncharacteristically solemn. "Be careful out there, okay? Adagio's dangerous."

"I will. Thanks again. I'll see you around." Sunset ended the call and immediately pulled up another number.

"What do you want, Sunset?" Open hostility greeted her on her second call as Rainbow Dash answered her phone.

"Starlight Glimmer just stole Twilight's magic detector and I think she's going after Adagio. I need your help to make sure everyone stays safe."

"You have a location?" Rainbow's tone lost all its hostility, taking on a veneer of professionalism that Sunset wouldn't have thought possible from the hotheaded pilot.

Sunset rattled off the address Sonata had given her and answered a few more questions from Dash, who had entered full military mode. The call ended shortly afterwards with a promise to meet Sunset at Adagio's house.

Sunset stared at the third and final number on her list. It was Twilight's, of course. Her knowledge could be invaluable against Adagio or Starlight, and in the past few weeks, Sunset had grown very used to having her by her side when they went out to face potential magical threats.

And yet, Sunset still hadn't decided what she wanted to do about her relationship with Twilight. As it stood, they were on opposite sides of their ideological fight, and while Sunset didn't want to count her as an enemy, it was clear that their end goals were vastly different and diametrically opposed to one another. Even if they managed to stop Starlight, Twilight having control over the journal and the medallion was a scary thought.

Twilight's earlier words echoed in Sunset's head. It was all about trust, wasn't it? They didn't trust each other, and that had led to their breakups both times. This was the perfect chance for Sunset to offer an olive branch to Twilight, to give her a chance to bridge the gap between them. All she had to do was trust Twilight. Did she?

The clock was ticking. She didn't have much time before she had to leave and meet up with Dash at Adagio's house. She didn't have the luxury of thinking things through and evaluating her options in great detail.

Trusting her gut, Sunset made her decision.

Chapter 23: Paradise Regained

Twilight stared at the screen in front of her with unfocused eyes as she scanned through her emails and her course website to ensure that everything was up to date and going as planned. Dinky and Moondancer were doing everything right, and all she needed to do was to approve some grades and upload a few documents for her students.

It was all mindless work that Twilight normally did when she was stuck on a research question, since it gave her a chance to think about the problem while still being productive and keeping the baser parts of her brain active.

Of course, this time she wasn't thinking about physics or teaching. She had a much more important issue to ponder, one that she should've thought of days ago, before her bright future had gone up in magical flames.

Sunset Shimmer. The only woman Twilight had ever loved. When she phrased it like that, her course of action seemed obvious. She wasn't ever going to find someone she could connect with as well as she did with Sunset, and it made perfect sense to stay with her, to do whatever it took to reconcile with the beautiful, brilliant, infuriating woman.

On the other hand, Sunset came with a lot of baggage, magic chief among them. Twilight couldn't deny how much she had enjoyed studying the mystical force once again, how much pleasure she'd felt when she actually had a chance to wield the power she'd given up all those years ago. It was a rush unlike any other, and one that was more dangerous than any drug.

If she stayed with Sunset, she would have to deal with magic. There was no way around it, no way to bury her head in the sand and pretend that Sunset would just give up magic no matter what her argument. She'd buried her head in the sand, refusing to truly admit the truth that had been staring her right in the face since the start.

Sunset needed magic.

Twilight had been a fool in thinking that she could change Sunset, and all she'd gotten for it was burned once again. The fact that Sunset had apparently been thinking the same thing about Twilight didn't make her feel any better.

So, what now?

The logical course of action would be to stay with Sunset and try to at least mitigate any damage Sunset might do with magic. Sunset had been right in calling her a coward before – by standing on the sidelines, she was just giving tacit approval of Sunset's actions. Twilight needed to be there with Sunset, to guide her with a subtle hand and prevent her from doing anything too catastrophic.

That thought sent another wave of mental exhaustion through Twilight's already tried psyche. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life with a woman she both loved and was at odds with, playing games of manipulations and emotional combat every day. She wanted to come to an agreement with Sunset, but there was no way she was going to be able to trust her to keep her word, no after what she'd done this time.

The ringing of her cell phone pulled Twilight out of her fatigued reverie. She reached for her phone, and nearly silenced it when she saw Sunset's name on the caller ID. Her desire not to live up to Sunset's accusation of cowardice barely won out, however, and she reluctantly pressed the phone to her ear. "What do you want, Sunset?" She could barely muster the energy to be mad at her former girlfriend.

"Starlight stole your old magic detector, and I think she's going after Adagio." Sunset spoke without hesitation, every word coming out quickly and precisely. "I've got an address where I think they'll be, and Dash is going to meet me there, but I'd like you to come too in case something happens that we aren't expecting."

Twilight's earlier irritation was immediately shelved. "Where are they?"

Sunset rattled off the address. "It's along the way for me, so I can pick you up. Gimme ten minutes."

"I'll be ready." Twilight ended the call at that point. There was a lot they needed to talk about, but she really didn't want to think about it right now. She had to focus on the immediate threat. Starlight had been furious after her confrontation with Sunset – there was no telling what she might do if she managed to track down Adagio.

Twilight put her things away and changed into something comfortable yet warm for the cool autumn evening. Standing in front of the closet, Twilight glanced at the small safe that had come with the room. If the worst came to worst, they'd need every advantage they could get.

Opening the safe, she grabbed the small purple pendant inside and slipped it into her purse. She could feel the faint pulse of familiar magic emanating from it, calling out to her with its siren song.

She walked out to the curb, just in time to see Sunset speeding through in her car. As soon as she stopped, Twilight climbed into the passenger seat, and they took off.

For the first few seconds, neither of them spoke. Twilight wasn't really sure what to say, and she assumed Sunset had the same problem. After all, they'd just broken up a few hours ago, and despite her inner turmoil, Twilight was still mad at Sunset for her deception.

"So, what's the plan?" she finally asked, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible.

"Starlight doesn't have an exact location, so if we're lucky, we can catch her before she gets to Adagio. Dash is going to meet us at her house. She'll help us take down Adagio, and then we'll get the medallion out before Starlight gets there. Hopefully, she'll calm down and we can talk things out afterwards."

"Right, so get there first, get the medallion, then let you do your whole manipulation shtick to get Starlight back on your side," Twilight summarized.

Sunset finally turned to look at her, shooting her a sharp glare. "Is this really the time to get into this?"

"In a few minutes, we're going to be confronting your former co-conspirator – who I assume wants to pull off your original plan. Forgive me if I'm a little sceptical about your intent to actually stop her."

"I called you, didn't I?" Sunset replied. "If I wanted her to go through with this, why would I have asked you to follow me?"

"I don't know." Twilight matched Sunset's glare with her own. "I don't know what ulterior motives you might have, because you won't share anything with me."

"I can't share anything with you because you won't trust me enough to listen to me!" Sunset was shouting now, but before Twilight could respond, the phone rang. Sunset's voice lowered again, though it never lost its edge. "It's Rainbow." She accepted the call. "What's is it, Dash?"

"I think Starlight's already been here," Rainbow Dash's voice was curt and to-the-point, devoid of her usual bravado. "I'm at the house. Adagio's out cold and it looks like someone tore up this place. I don't see any marks on Adagio either – I'm not sure how she took her out, but the whole room smells like flowers and I'm getting light-headed just standing here, so I think she used some kind of knockout gas."

Sunset swore. "We have to get to her before she finishes the spell. Any other clues as to where she might've gone?"

"Nothing. But if I were her, I'd be trying to cast the spell now before anyone stopped me."

"That's my guess too. I'll see you at Canterlot High then."

"Be careful." Dash was in full military mode now, her words coming out as an order. "Don't engage until I get there."

"Can't promise that," Sunset replied. "I can't let her finish that spell."

Dash growled. "Sunset…"

"Thanks for your help, Dash," Sunset said, cutting her off. "I'll see you at the school."

"You better not get yourselves hurt." With a click, Rainbow Dash ended the call, leaving Sunset and Twilight in silence.

"You didn't mention that Starlight had stolen the sleeping spray too," Twilight commented neutrally. "At least, that's what it sounds like she used."

"She didn't," Sunset replied. "She knows the recipe, though, and we have some of the inert stuff in the lab. She probably grabbed it from there."

"I thought you said that magic was needed to activate it. How did she manage to get access to some without stealing anything else from the vault? She didn't steal anything else, right?"

Sunset sighed. "She didn't have to," she said, sounding like a woman approaching her own execution. "When we were at Camp Everfree, I shaved off the tips of the cloverbloom while you weren't looking, and I gave it to Starlight for safe keeping."

Twilight felt the knife in her heart twist a little more. "I see. So you didn't trust me enough to tell me that either, huh?"

"And when would it have been a good time to do that?" Sunset's hands gripped even tighter on the steering wheel as they sped through the streets. "You were hell-bent on making sure I couldn't study magic at first, and later on if I told you then you would've used it as an excuse not to trust me again, not that you ever did in the first place."

"I want to trust you!" Twilight raised her hands up in frustration. "Do you think I want to doubt the woman I love? It hurts every time I have to think about what agenda you might be hiding from me, to know that you still can't trust me with your secrets."

"Can I trust you?" Sunset delivered the question like an archer shooting straight for her heart, her voice suddenly growing deathly calm. "You keep going on about trusting me, but have you ever thought about your own agenda?"

"I've made no effort to hide my intentions," Twilight replied.

"And that's exactly the problem," Sunset said immediately, as if she had predicted Twilight's response. "You're so fixated on what you think is right that you won't even hear me out. I couldn't tell you about the cloverbloom, or about the modifications to the neutralization spell, because I knew you wouldn't listen to my explanations. You'd react exactly like you're reacting now."

"So your response is to make yourself even less trustworthy by going behind our backs? That's always been your problem – you think you know better than everyone else."

"And you don't?" Sunset snorted. "Please, you're no better than me when it comes to this. Let's face it, that fight we had all those years was just between you and me – our friends would've gone through with whatever plan we suggested. Neither of us were willing to back down, and both of us were absolutely sure that we were right."

Did Sunset really think she had the moral high ground here? "I was willing to have a discussion, to try and come to some kind of compromise."

"You weren't ever going to compromise. You were planning on talking me onto your side the same way I was."

"I've been compromising all this time." Twilight opened her purse and pulled out her pendant, holding it up a safe distance from Sunset. "Do you think I'd be carrying this otherwise?"

"You don't see it, do you?" Sunset shook her head. "You haven't actually given anything up that you really care about, because it's not really magic that you're scared of. It's magic that you can't control."

"What do you mean?" Twilight slipped the pendant back into her purse, zipping it back up with more force than was necessary.

"Like I said, we're not really that different. It's not that you hate magic or want it to go away forever. You're scared of having magic used wrongly, having it used against you. You're fine with us using magic to track down Adagio because you get to decide how it gets used. You were okay with letting Gloriosa keep her magic because you knew she wouldn't use it in a way you wouldn't approve of.

"Face it, it was never really about magic. You're scared of losing control, of being helpless, and since your first encounter was magic was getting possessed by it, you can't move past the fact that magic is something beyond your control. That's why you spent so much time studying it afterwards too. I get it. I'm the same way. But at least I admit it."

Twilight shook her head. "At least I don't have a habit of twisting the truth to tell the story I want."

"You can deny it all you want, but you're still letting fear drive you after all these years."

"And you aren't?"

"I don't even know anymore. I wasn't at first. In the beginning, it was all about proving that I was right, and that you were wrong. But now, I don't know. I have power again, and I'm doing so much with magic, but I've got new things to be scared of." Sunset sighed. "Like losing you."

"What?" Twilight glanced up sharply at Sunset.

"I was terrified of losing you," Sunset said, her head bowed down as she focused on the road. "I had power and status again, and was on the road to taking back my destiny, but it wasn't until I met you that I really felt like I really had something to lose. Equinox was always a means to an end, but you, you were one of the first endgames I actually cared about.

"So yeah, I screwed up because I was scared of losing you, and maybe I didn't trust you as much as I should've, but I'm trying to make it up now. The question is, do you really want to start over with a clean slate this time, or do you think it'd be better if we pretended like we were never a couple?

"I'm choosing to trust you by bringing you along this time. Can you trust that I truly don't have any hidden agendas this time? That all I really want to do is break this cycle we've been trapped in all this time?" Sunset was staring at Twilight now, the occasional flick of her eyes towards the road the only sign that she was aware she was still driving. Her gaze bore into Twilight's, insistent and demanding just like she was.

"I… I don't know," Twilight admitted, turning away from Sunset. "It hurts to think of us being apart, I won't deny that. Love doesn't fade just because you get into a fight. But I don't know if I can take this olive branch you're offering me."

Sunset nodded, her gaze turning sad. "I guess I have to accept that." She tilted her head to the left. "We're here."

Indeed, the old school building of Canterlot High stood proud in the bright moonlight, reflecting a soft white glow from its shuttered windows. It was far too easy to see in its otherworldly beauty how this place had come to be a nexus for magic.

As soon as they got out of the car, Twilight felt the first wave of magic crashing over her, the sheer force of arcane energy nearly knocking her off her feet. "We have to hurry!" she shouted, taking off as fast as she could and circling around the school building to the front entrance. As she ran, she could feel a hum in the air as it crackled with a spell powerful enough to send chills of pure dread down her spine.

She hadn't felt this much magical energy in one place since before the portal had been closed. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, her heart hammering away in her chest. Twilight finally rounded the corner of the school building and saw a hauntingly familiar sight in the garden where the portal had once stood.

Starlight Glimmer stood at the center of a maelstrom of color, holding up a medallion the size of her hand. All around her, rapidly shifting tendrils of light flowed into the artifact from tears in the fabric of reality around her, tiny portals opening up to show glimpses of unknown, fantastic landscapes before closing the next instant.

At her feet, a familiar journal sat, its pages flapping about in an otherworldly breeze. Vaguely, Twilight noted a small hole in the ground next to it where the nullification disc had been buried.

Starlight's eyes glowed with power as she turned her head towards Twilight and Sunset. "And the High School Power Couple finally arrive!" she called out, her voice dripping with disdain as it echoed with arcane might. "Are you here to watch as I do what you were too cowardly to?"

"Starlight." Sunset stepped forward, reaching into her jacket pocket. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"I was your partner for thirteen years. I think I can figure out how to use a magical artifact, especially since your Siren friends gave us an instruction manual for activating it."

As Sunset took another step towards her, Starlight held out one glowing hand in her direction. "I wouldn't get any closer if I was you," Starlight said, waggling a finger at them. "I'm too far into the spell. If you try to knock me out or something the spell will finish anyways, and without the person who activated it to direct the flow, you have no idea how the raw magic will behave."

Sunset stopped in her tracks, clenching her fists as she stared at Starlight. "You're right, I can't stop the spell, not without risking leveling this city, but you can."

"And why would I want to do that?" Starlight asked, eyeing Sunset warily with her arm still outstretched, as if waiting for her to make a move. "After thirteen years, I'm finally about to achieve what we set out to do. What we promised we'd do together."

Sunset took a few steps back. "But this isn't what we set out to do. We didn't start Equinox just to give magic to ourselves."

Starlight rolled her eyes. "Obviously I'm going to use this power to open a portal to Equestria so that magic can return to this world."

"And that isn't why we founded Equinox either." The lights surrounding Starlight grew brighter, but Sunset stood firm. "Magic was always our secondary goal. We started the company to help people."

"And that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm going to create the utopia that you dreamed of, before you let your scientist girlfriend corrupt your views."

Twilight was about to defend herself, but Sunset spoke first. "Twilight didn't 'corrupt' my views. She just made me realize some things I'd been blind to for years. I'm sorry, Starlight, but I've let my own biases influence you. There are real dangers to bringing back magic into this world, and we can't just ignore them because we think we know better."

"I'm not an idiot, Sunset." Starlight's tone was more annoyed than angry now, though the magical light show continued to rage around her. "I know there's a cost to what has to be done. But with this power, I could make sure to minimize the damage done by introducing magic into this world."

"So that's it then? You're going to be the final decider on how magic gets used in this world?"

"Don't twist my words like that!" The aura around Starlight flashed a bright red as she shouted. "I'm doing this for the good of the world. You would do the exact same thing in my place before you let your love for Dr. Sparkle cloud your judgement."

"I would have, yeah." Sunset spoke the admission plainly, staring Starlight right in the eyes. "And I would've done it for the wrong reasons, just like you're doing."

"Oh, and what reasons are that?"

"Control. And power. Because I thought I knew better than everyone else, that everyone else was just blind to the truth. I would've wanted to bring magic back so that I'd be as powerful as I used to be, back when I thought I could become a princess. And with that power, I could've finally had control over my life, and everyone else's, so that I could do what I thought was right." Sunset let out a bitter chuckle. "Heh, I guess I'm not as reformed as I thought."

"This isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of me handing this power back to you," Starlight said flatly. "Even if I give up this power, all that'll happen is that you'll be the one with the magic instead. We'd just be trading one tyrant for another."

"No, we wouldn't." To everyone's surprise – herself included – Twilight stepped forward. "Because she wouldn't be alone." Twilight reached out and held Sunset's hand in her own, looking up into her wide eyes with her own warm gaze. A fire sparked within her, the embers of her love flaring up again at the sight of her heart's desire baring her soul for her to see.

"And the snake finally speaks!" Starlight hissed out the words as she turned her glare on Twilight, fiery lights flickering around her hand. "Your tricks won't work on me, Dr. Sparkle. Unlike my former business partner, I'm not about to fall for your charms and allow you to seduce me away from my cause."

Twilight felt Sunset tense and squeezed her hand, meeting her frown with a gentle but determined shake of her head. Satisfied that Sunset wouldn't lash out at Starlight, Twilight turned to face the woman who was as lost as she had been. "I know you don't like me, Starlight, and I understand why. But I truly don't hold any ill will towards you. I meant what I said before: I'm thankful that you were there for Sunset, and I'm sorry I walked away from her."

"Too little, too late, Professor," Starlight sneered. "Now, are you actually going to try and provide a counterargument, or are we just going to keep talking about how we should all be friends?"

"I'm not here to talk you out of bringing magic back into this world."

A stillness came upon all three of them as Twilight spoke the words. Sunset and Starlight were staring at her in surprise, with the magic around Starlight flickering in and out of existence to match her uncertain gaze.

Feeling the weight of two worlds on her shoulders, Twilight stood strong, her head held high as she addressed Starlight. "Sunset isn't the only one who's been blinded by her past. I haven't given magic a fair chance like I should've, and I've let fear control too many of my actions."

Twilight took a step forward as Starlight eyed her warily. "But it's time I got over it. I've seen all the wonderful things you and Sunset have managed to do at Equinox, all the miracles that would've been impossible without magic. I can't in good conscience say that bringing magic into this world would surely ruin it anymore."

Another step forward. Behind her, Twilight felt Sunset moving as well to keep them connected. "But if we bring magic back into this world, there's still so much harm that could be done. You know this. You're not stupid, and you understand what the consequences of giving people this much power could be."

"Progress always has a cost." A larger portal opened beside Starlight, giving Twilight a glimpse of a derelict castle before closing again a second later. "As a scientist, you should understand that better than anyone."

"I do understand that, which is why I'm not going to tell you not to do it." Twilight held out a hand towards Starlight, palm facing up. "I'm just saying that you don't have to do it alone."

For the first time since her fight with Sunset, Twilight allowed herself to smile. "You have a good friend who's willing to stand by your side, who knows more about magic than either of us could ever dream of." Twilight turned to face Sunset, her smile growing wider as she let the love she had for the woman shine through.

If her previous declaration had left them speechless, this one shocked them back into coherency. "What?" Starlight's uncertain question was mirrored by the confusion in Sunset's eyes, shrouding the glimmer of hope she saw shining within those cyan depths. "But she betrayed you! Didn't you just get into a fight a few hours ago? And now you're standing by her?"

Twilight saw the pain in Sunset's eyes as Starlight's words reached her. Undaunted, Twilight spoke on. "Yes, she went behind my back and she should've been honest with me. But she's also human, or pony, depending on how she self-identifies, and she makes mistakes.

"And no matter how many times she's screwed up, I truly believe that she wants to help people, to make the world a better place, because she's a good a person, a person who is genuinely trying to do the right thing. We've all done things we wished we could take back, but if we can't move on from that, we'll never get anywhere."

"Twilight's right." Sunset radiated confidence and love as she spoke, turning to face Starlight as she gripped Twilight's hand even harder than before. "We've all been so caught up in the past that it's been affecting how we plan for the future."

She took another step forward. "But if we can't trust each other, we'll never get anywhere. Fifteen years ago, I tried to make sure that the magic leaking in this world couldn't be sealed off. I did it because I didn't trust anyone else, and because I wanted to be the only one to decide how magic gets used in this world. I didn't want to lose the power I'd gained, since that power meant that I wouldn't have to trust anyone, and I almost lost everything because of that."

Sunset held Starlight's gaze as she spoke, her voice softening. "You don't trust me anymore, and I don't blame you. I haven't given you both sides of the story, and I've spent the last thirteen years manipulating you onto my side.

"But if you do this, you're going to be alone. You're going to be the only one to walk this path. We won't be able to walk it with you."

"It wouldn't be the first time I ended up alone." Starlight looked uncertain now, the magic around her lessening in intensity as she allowed the pair to approach. "Maybe it's better this way." The words sounded hollow to Twilight's ears.

"I used to think that too," Twilight said. "And as long as I closed myself off from everyone, I could even convince myself that it was true. But you've been alone before, and you've had friendship before. Tell me, could you go back to being without anyone?"

Starlight didn't respond for a few seconds. All around her, the spell continued, the medallion floating into the air above Starlight and glowing so brightly that Twilight could barely stand to look at it. Finally, she spoke. "So what am I supposed to do?" she demanded angrily, though there was a note of sorrow hidden beneath her tone. "Just put everything I've worked towards for the past thirteen years in the hands of someone who might destroy it all because of friendship?"

"No." Twilight shook her head. "Put everything you've worked on in the hands of your best friend, and trust her to work with people to decide what's best, instead of trying to impose only your will on everyone."

"Last week, Twilight and I talked about how, instead of starting over with a clean slate, we should forgive each other for our past mistakes, and trust each other in the future. Can you do that?" Sunset also reached out towards Starlight, who turned away from her friend.

Starlight barked out a harsh, mirthless laugh. "As if you'd ever trust me again after this."

"I know about how you planned the bombing."

"What are you talking about?" Starlight asked, glancing up sharply at Sunset.

"Before we met. You told me that you knew about the plan to bomb the stock exchange back when you were in your old group. You never told me that you were the one who came up with the idea, and that you manipulated them into thinking that they were the ones who thought of it."

Horror etched itself onto Starlight's face as she flinched away from Sunset. "How did you know?"

A shrug from Sunset was her response. "Like I've told you lots of times, I'm good at reading people. You're not as good at hiding things as you think you are, and we've known each other for thirteen years."

"Why didn't you say anything, then? Why would you still want to work with me?" Starlight's disbelief was clear in her tone, her hands trembling as she reached out for the medallion once again.

"Because I trusted you," Sunset said simply, as if that was the only thing that mattered. "The past was the past, and if you weren't ready to tell me, then that was okay. I still trusted you to do what was best, and to use your skills to make the world a better place.

"So you see, I've always believed in you, and you've never given me any reason to doubt that trust, even now. Can you trust me now too?"

"I…" Starlight bowed her head, the first tears falling to the floor. For a few moments, she simply stared at Sunset's outstretched hand as magic welled up around her, her own hands hanging by her side.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, she reached out and took Sunset's hand in her own. "Fine," she muttered as the tears continued to fall. "Let's do this your way."

Pulling back, she reached out to grab the medallion above her. Her eyes closed and a few seconds later, Twilight felt the storm of magic around her begin to ebb, the arcing bolts of magic shrinking away as the arcane colors faded around the journal.

Then, just as the last of the glow began to fade from the medallion, it suddenly burst into multihued flames, causing Starlight to scream and drop it to the ground. "W-What's happening?" Starlight cried out, eyes widening in panic as a roaring echoed out from the now vibrating and flashing medallion.

"The spellform is in a suspended state!" Sunset's shout was nearly drowned out by the sound of the medallion's release of energy, a bright ball of light erupting from it and hovering in the air, tethered to its source by tendrils of glowing magic. "We have to divert it before it becomes too unstable!"

"How?" Twilight took an instinctive step back as rifts in the air began to reappear.

"Do you remember how to open a portal to Equestria?"

Twilight nodded in response to Sunset's question.

"I'm going to divert the spell's energy into you. Use the connection from the journal to funnel it back to its origin. The magic should naturally want to take the path if you open it. Are you ready?"

As Twilight nodded again, Sunset reached out towards the glowing orb, and a moment later, she was surrounded by light, shining like she once had all those years ago at the Friendship Games. Through the physical connection of their held hands, Twilight felt more magic flow through her than she'd ever experienced before, even when she had turned Midnight.

Tamping down the panic and exhilaration of being flooded with so much raw power, she reached out with her long-dormant arcane senses and established a psychic connection with the journal, old muscle memories returning to the surface to guide her actions.

She opened a portal just as she did all those years ago, guiding the energy from Sunset into the journal and out into the wilds of Equestria. It was an unexpectedly intimate experience; Twilight could feel a deep connection with Sunset as her magic flowed into her, like their souls were being merged.

She hadn't been able to savor the sensation of their joining when they were fighting Sombra, but now, she could sense the other woman's drive, her need to achieve her destiny, to stand among her people as their benevolent leader. She could feel her fear of losing all she had worked for, her ambition to become someone who would be immortalized in history, her struggles to be a good friend even after all these years.

But most of all, she could feel her love enveloping her spirit, a force so strong it was a wonder that she could breathe. As she basked in her lover's light, Twilight knew she would remember this moment for all eternity. If she ever needed confirmation that Sunset truly loved her, this was one hell of a piece of evidence.

Slowly, the roiling sphere of renegade magic began to dissipate, fading away into a pinprick of light before vanishing with a silent pop. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as the last of the awesome power finally fled from her body, leaving her feeling exhausted and oddly empty.

She felt Sunset finally let go of her hand to walk towards the medallion, now looking like little more than a pretty chunk of rock. She picked it and the journal up without incident as Twilight and Starlight watched in tense silence.

After waiting a few seconds to make sure that something else wasn't going to come up, Twilight allowed her breathing to return to normal, sagging down into a slouch as the last of the adrenaline coursing through her veins wore off. A short distance away, she saw Starlight's pose similarly relax. "So, what happens now?" Starlight asked, sounding as tired as Twilight felt.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat," Sunset said, wiping off a bead of sweat from her forehead in a way that Twilight was still able to appreciate despite her inability to act on any base desires. "Today's been one hay of a roller-coaster ride, and I'm ready to sleep for about a year. Why don't we all head home and talk about this tomorrow? I know you've been overworked lately, but you can take some time off tomorrow, right? I swear I'll be back to work the day after that."

"Wait, you still want me to be your President?" Starlight stared disbelievingly at Sunset. "I just double-crossed you a few minutes ago! And I nearly blew up the city or something!"

Sunset shrugged. "Forgive and forget, remember? Besides, it's been a really stressful time for everyone lately, and it's not like I haven't been making mistakes either."

"I guess." Starlight suddenly perked up. "Oh! I just remembered about Adagio! I used that new anaesthetic we developed on her back at her house. She should be out for another few hours."

"I'll ask Dash to check on her," Sunset said. "She should still be heading over here." She took out her phone and began tapping on its screen. "Hey, Dash? No, we're fine. We're all safe and I have the medallion and the journal. I'll explain later. Can you go back and make sure Adagio's still there? We'll need to turn her in to the authorities. Tell them she got brainwashed by Sombra or something and tried to follow in his footsteps. Considering some of the materials she needed to fabricate the medallion, and how she's disappeared all these years, I'm sure they'll be able to find something on her. If not, we can figure something out. Yeah, everything's fine here. Thanks, I'll talk to you later." She returned her phone to her pocket. "Well, that's done. We ready to head out?"

Twilight and Starlight nodded, and together the three of them set out towards the parking lot. When they reached their destination, Starlight split off from them to head over to her own car. Before she climbed into the driver's seat, she turned to face Twilight and Sunset. "I'm sorry for going behind your back," she said softly, not looking either of them in the eye.

"It's okay," Sunset replied. "Just, don't do it again, okay? I'd really like to be done saving the world from magical catastrophes."

Starlight gave her a weak smile before she disappeared behind her car. Sunset and Twilight went over to Sunset's car, and the two of them climbed in, sinking gratefully into their seats. "Phew," Sunset gasped out. "That was not how I expected this night to go."

"My life's been a string of unexpected events ever since you walked into my office," Twilight said dryly. "I'm becoming a bit numb to surprises. Still, today was definitely a doozy, as Pinkie would say."

"Yup." Sunset turned on the ignition, and a moment later they were off, driving through the empty streets washed in pale moonlight.

"You know, you didn't need my help to take care of the instability," Twilight said after a few minutes of silence. "You could've just taken control of the spellform and let it run to completion on yourself."

"I could've, yeah," Sunset replied, "and you could've easily destroyed the journal while we were channeling the magic away and said it was an accident. Hay, I'm surprised you managed to keep it intact with that much magic running through it."

"I tried really hard not to damage the linking spell it used to connect to Equestria." Twilight paused, unsure what to say next. Eventually, she settled on: "so, trust, huh?"

"Yeah, trust."

"That's one hell of a test to pull."

"I prefer to think of it as offering another olive branch."

"Whatever you say."

They didn't speak again until they reached Canterlot Palace.

As the pulled into the parking spot, Sunset spoke. "So, what happens now? To us, I mean." Her usual confidence was gone, exposing a vulnerability to Twilight that she hadn't heard in a long time.

Twilight spent a few seconds phrasing her response before replying. "After our fight, I spoke with Rainbow Dash, and she gave me some words of wisdom. I'm not going to sugarcoat it; what you did hurt, for all the reasons I said before. But we made a promise to each other yesterday, a promise that we would fight for our love, that we would work through whatever problems we had." Twilight hung her head in shame. "And the moment things got bad, I ran like the coward you said I was."

"I said a lot of things I wish I could take back," Sunset said. "And when we made that promise, I don't think either of us knew what we were really in for."

Twilight chuckled. "Heh, you can say that again."

"I think, in light of this new experience, we can release each other from that promise. I wouldn't want you sticking with me out of obligation, anyways." Sunset parked the car and turned to face Twilight, a solemn weight in her eyes. "It's not too late for us to decide that this isn't worth it, that being together won't cause more problem than it solves. This probably won't even be the worst fight we ever have."

"I know," Twilight replied, holding Sunset's gaze with her own. "Do you still want us to be together?" her heart thudded loudly in her chest as she asked the question.

"I do," Sunset replied immediately without missing a beat. "I've thought about it, and I don't ever want to go back to being alone again. The moment when I thought I'd lost you was, well, not the worst moment of my life, but pretty close. I realized that life was so much brighter when I was with you, that working with you was the most fun I'd ever had. I want you more than anything else, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've fought for everything I have today, and I'll do the same for you if you'll let me."

Twilight allowed herself to breathe again. "I'm glad," she said, leaning closer towards Sunset. "Because I feel exactly the same way." Sunset met Twilight halfway, their lips meeting at the midpoint between them.

The kiss they shared was different than all their previous ones. It wasn't the fiery embrace of passion borne from the depths of lust, nor was it the chaste, gentle thing shared between lovers in quiet moments. This kiss was fierce, undeniable, insisting. It was a silent promise between two women who had been through trials both fantastic and mundane and become stronger for it to work towards earning each others' love just had they had earned all else they had achieved.

When they pulled apart, there was no doubt in Twilight's mind as to the strength of their commitment.

Face flushed, Sunset shot Twilight a crooked smile. "I know we were only broken up for a few hours, but I really missed that."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say, and there are many other measures of distance beyond the temporal."

"How poetic. Say, do you want to spend the night here?" Sunset's blush grew deeper before she spoke again. "I've got a guest bedroom," she added quickly, "and I'm finding myself really not looking forward to any kind of absence after I've just gotten you back."

"I'd like that," Twilight replied, her own cheeks warming as she committed herself to her next words. "And we don't have to sleep in different beds tonight if you don't want to."

Sunset's eyes widened as a slow smirk spread across her lips. "How very forward of you, Dr. Sparkle," she said playfully, no true heat in her censure.

"Recent events have given me a 'seize the day' mentality, Miss Shimmer," Twilight replied. "Should we head up now?"

"Sure." Sunset and Twilight climbed out of the car and headed towards the elevator.

As they waited for the elevator to arrive, Twilight spoke up, a great weight sitting on her heart. "In the interest of not having any more secrets between us, there's something I need to tell you."

Sunset looked up at Twilight. "What is it?" she asked. The elevator opened and they stepped inside.

Twilight reached into her purse and pulled out her pendant, handing it to Sunset. "When you first came to my office, you asked me if I'd used magic since the day the portal closed."

"I remember. You said you hadn't. I don't blame you – you had a really bad experience with magic and it completely turned you off magic. What does that have to do with anything…" Sunset's eyes widened as she touched Twilight's pendant. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she studied the artifact. "There's almost no magic left in this thing." Her glare turned its attention to Twilight. "There's no way it could've drained naturally this quickly."

Shame wrapped itself around Twilight's heart. "I lied to you. I didn't want you to think I was weak and couldn't hold on to my convictions."

Twilight looked into Sunset's judging eyes, baring her soul for her lover to see. "After I left Canterlot, I did swear to myself that I wouldn't ever touch magic again. And I kept that promise at first, until I realized that Spike's sapience was dependent on magic."

Sunset's glare softened almost imperceptibly. "What happened when he was away from magic?" she asked, curiosity battling with indignation in her tone.

"He went to back to being a regular dog." Twilight closed her eyes, her heart aching as the memories returned to her. "He was such a smart dog, and when he lost his sapience, it was like he'd died." She chuckled bitterly. "Depending on which school of philosophy you subscribe to, he did die when he lost his sapience.

"I couldn't let that happen, not when I had the power to reverse it. So I broke my own vow and channeled some of the magic of the necklace into him. It was like flipping a switch – suddenly he was my trusty lab assistant again.

"I kept funneling magic into him every few months, and it seemed to maintain his intelligence. At the end of the day, though, he was just a dog, and his lifespan was limited by his biology. Three years later, after he…" The anguish she had felt at the loss of her beloved pet-turned-friend still plagued her to this day, and she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. "Well, ever since then, I locked the pendant away and never used it again."

"So Spike's…" Sunset's voice trailed off as sadness clouded her eyes. "That's too bad. I would've liked to play with him one last time."

"I think he would have liked that too," Twilight replied softly.

The fire in Sunset's eyes returned quickly. "So you lied to me about not using magic," she said, her voice heavy with disapproval.

"I did," Twilight met Sunset's judging gaze with her own, refusing to hide her actions behind her grief. "And I'm sorry. I was just so angry at you and I wanted every advantage I could get against you."

"I can't believe you were so righteous and held that moral high ground over me when you…" Sunset took a deep breath. "No, we promised each other we weren't going to hold our pasts against each other."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said. "I should've told you earlier."

"It's okay," Sunset replied. "It's still not anywhere near as bad as what I did, so let's just forget this one too?" The smile she gave Twilight looked so forced it was painful to see.

"Sure." Twilight felt the tight coil of guilt slowly unfurl itself from her insides. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into the hallways, walking side-by-side towards the door to Sunset's suite. "So, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if I can sleep right now, no matter how tired I am."

"I could use some time to wind down," Sunset said in agreement, unlocking the door and stepping into the suite, Twilight close behind. "You up for a bit of fun?" she asked, shooting Twilight a saucy wink.

Twilight nearly tripped. "W-what do you have in mind?" she asked, heart thudding in her chest once again.

"I've still got my old chess set somewhere around here," Sunset whispered sultrily into her ear. "Do you want to see who's still better after all these years?"

Twilight smirked, warmth filling her spirit in Sunset's presence. "I'd be happy to crush you any day," she said, pressing a kiss to Sunset's cheek.

"I've learned a lot since the last time we played," Sunset replied, pulling Twilight into a firm embrace. "You don't stand a chance against me anymore."

"I'll believe it when I see it." There was a silence as Twilight and Sunset shared another kiss, this one soft and gentle yet passionate. "I love you, Sunset." Twilight said as they broke apart, needing to affirm her devotion one more time.

"I love you too, Twilight," Sunset said. "But I'm not going to go easy on you because of that."

"I'd be insulted if you did."

Sunset grabbed her chess set, and after taking a minute to set up, their battle began in earnest. Both sides fought with all they had, never letting up for a moment, just like they always did.

They gave their all to claim victory, just as they had done to claim each other.

Author's Note

Epilogue coming out tomorrow.

Epilogue: Second Contact

One year later…

"The Equinox Ball has always been a celebration of the accomplishments of the many extraordinary people – both within and outside the company – who have helped us to achieve the success we enjoy today. Tonight, we celebrate the most eventful year that Equinox has ever had.

"Between the start of our first ever internship program, our new partnerships with top research institutes across the country, and, of course, the opening of our new branch in Cambridle, we've certainly been busy the last year, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped make our initiatives a success, including my girlfriend Twilight, who's had to put up with me being stressed out this whole time. Twilight, Equinox Labs thanks you for your generous contributions."

A polite laughter washed over the crowd as Twilight blushed a deep red. Shooting her an easy smile, Sunset spoke on. "Equinox Labs was founded on the belief that we could make the world a better place, and with your generous donations today, we will take yet another step towards reaching that goal. Thank you, all of you, and please have a wonderful night."

Sunset took a seat after a few seconds of clapping. Next to her, Twilight punched her lightly on the arm. "Way to reduce my work in the past year to being your cheerleader," she grumbled without any real heat.

"I should think that everyone in this room understands that this new renaissance of technological progress for Equinox would not have been possible without melding your genius with that of Miss Shimmer's." From his seat on the other side of Twilight, Fancy Pants humored her with a kindly smile.

"See, Fancy gets it," Sunset said, elbowing Twilight back. "Besides, I've been singing your praises for the past year – I think I'm starting to annoy everyone."

"Fine, I guess I'll let this one go. But only if you make it up to me when we get home." Twilight said with a small pout.

"Sure thing, Twilight." Sunset winked at Twilight as she spoke, a smouldering flame burning in her eyes.

"Oh, how precious!" Across the table, Rarity clapped her hands together in glee. "I was sure that two would stop being this adorable after a year, but you've managed to buck that particular trend quite thoroughly."

"Thanks, Rarity," Sunset said dryly. "Glad we're providing quality entertainment for you." She took a sip of her wine, letting the cool liquid soothe her parched throat. "Anyways, love lives aside, there's something I need to talk to you about, Fancy Pants." She leaned over to make eye contact with the businessman. "How you heard about our latest discoveries in superconductive alloys?"

"I've read a précis of your press release, but I haven't had the chance to inquire further," Fancy Pants replied. "What marvels do you have to dazzle us with today, Miss Shimmer?"

"Well, I think you'll be interested in our new mythril alloy, which we've tested and shown to be at least an order of magnitude more conductive than anything else on the market…"

Sunset spoke on, giving her practiced spiel to Fancy Pants. Just like in all their previous meetings, Fancy proved to be a shrewd businessman, holding his cards close to the chest and making Sunset work for every concession.

In the end, they managed to work something out that they both agreed would be a good starting point for proper negotiations, just in time for the dance floor to open up. "I think we've covered a lot of ground tonight," Sunset said as she stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been promised a dance with the most beautiful woman in the room."

"What a remarkable coincidence," Fancy Pants replied as he also stood up. "I believe I have that very same engagement. Good night to you, Miss Shimmer, and I hope that love finds you well."

"Same to you, Fancy." Sunset walked over to the other side of the table, where Twilight was chatting with Rarity. "Excuse me," Sunset said, cutting in. "Sorry for bothering you, but the dancing's about to start."

"Oh, of course." Rarity tittered, covering her mouth with a hand. "I wouldn't dream of getting between a woman and her first dance."

"Thanks, Rarity." Sunset turned to face Twilight. "Would you do me the honor of sharing a dance with me, Dr. Sparkle?" she asked in the most faux-cultured voice she could manage.

Twilight giggled softly before schooling her own features into a slight frown. "I would be delighted, Miss Shimmer," she replied in her own haughty tone. She reached out to grasp Sunset's outstretched hand, rising gracefully from her seat, and together, the two of them headed out to the dance floor.

A slow, cheery love song played in the background as Sunset wrapped her arms around Twilight, her hands wandering as low as they could without being scandalous. They rocked back and forth lightly, heads nearly pressed together. "One of these days, I'll learn how to dance," Twilight said, her footsteps slightly shaky. "Especially if you're going to keep dragging me to these events."

"I think your lack of coordination is cute," Sunset replied. "But I have no problems taking lessons with you if it means I get to grope you the whole time."

"Behave," Twilight said, though she couldn't keep a serious tone in her voice. "We can have fun later tonight, assuming I can get through all my paperwork." She batted lightly at Sunset's shoulders. "You know, ever since we started dating, I've gotten twice the number of requests for thesis supervision than I did before. Because apparently being on track to be the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history pales in comparison to dating the founder of Equinox Labs."

"You can always just say you aren't taking in any new students this year," Sunset said.

"Unfortunately, I need to find someone to replace Dinky after you stole her from me." Twilight glared at Sunset. "You know, she was on track to be the best postdoc I ever had."

Sunset's returning smile was nothing short of cherubic. "And now she's on track to be one of the most brilliant scientists we've ever hired."

"I should never have let her take that internship," Twilight grumbled.

"She's in a better place now." Sunset's solemn tone was somewhat marred by her smirk.

"I'm going to get you back for that tonight." Twilight's own hands drifted lower as she pulled Sunset tighter against her, leaving no doubt as to her intent.

"I'm looking forward to it." Sunset's own voice dropped lower as she let herself melt into Twilight's embrace.

Before things could get too close to something that would scandalize Rarity, Sunset's phone buzzed. Extricating herself from Twilight with a wistful sigh, Sunset pulled out her phone. "Sorry, just got a text."

"Me too." Twilight withdrew her own phone, both of them opening their messages.

"It's Dinky," Sunset said. "She's got something urgent to show us."

"I have the same message."

"You think it's important?" Sunset eyes Twilight, unsure whether or not her new employee was simply being overly enthusiastic as she normally was.

"She knows where we are," Twilight replied. "She wouldn't send that unless it was actually something we needed to see now."

"Alright, let's go."

The pair headed over towards the side of the dance floor, where the President of Equinox Labs was standing with a small crowd of the Canterlot elite. Sunset signalled Starlight, who quietly excused herself to speak to them. "What's up?" she asked.

"Twilight and I need to head over to the lab," Sunset said. "Dinky's got something to show us. Can you hold down the fort?"

"Sure. You two have fun."

Sunset and Twilight made their rounds, saying goodbye to the more important guests at the Ball before heading out to the parking lot, where Gear Shift was ready with their car.

The drive to Equinox's less-publicized lab went by quickly, the site of the newest addition to the Canterlot labs located only a few blocks away. Twilight and Sunset tried to speculate as to what Dinky had called them for on the way, with little success.

They reached the nondescript building hiding in the shadows of the fading sunlight, and the pair stepped out of the car. They walked through the front door and passed through all the different locks and other security measures in order to reach the main lab, where an excited Dinky was practically bouncing on her heels waiting for them at the entrance. "Twilight, Sunset!" she called out, Sunset winced at the loudness of her tone.

"Hey Dinky," Sunset said, waving. "What've you got for us?"

"I did it! I finally got it to work!" Dinky actually started hopping up and down as she spoke.

"Got what to work?" Twilight asked.

"The transdimensional stabilizer!" Sunset gave up on trying to follow Dinky's movements as she listened to her response. "All I had to do was tweak the configuration of the rings in order to increase the capacitance and push the bandgap into the gamma region!"

Sunset's annoyance immediately vanished. "Wait, you got the stabilizer to work? That means…"

"Yup! See for yourself!"

Sunset and Twilight followed Dinky into the heart of the lab, where a small mesh cage sat on a table. Inside, the journal that had brought them together a year ago sat glowing faintly. On a screen next to the cage, the feed from a camera positioned at the top of the cage showed the pages of the journal. Sunset gasped as she saw a previously-blank page now filled with words written in a familiar handwriting.

"She… she kept writing to me," Sunset whispered as she studied the messages scrawled on the page. The first set of messages were from Princess Twilight, informing them as to the portal's failure and asking if they were okay. The increasingly frantic messages abruptly cut off on the next page, replaced by what appeared to be annual messages asking if they were okay.

"After all this time, she kept trying." The first tears began to fall as thoughts of the princess who had saved her wormed their way into her heart.

"Dinky, can you give us a moment, please?" Distantly, Sunset heard Twilight's request to her employee.

"Sure thing, Twilight." The sound of footsteps sounded out through the room, growing slowly quieter until Sunset couldn't hear them anymore.

At the same time, she felt a warm, comforting presence grow closer. Twilight wrapped one arm around Sunset, her other hand reaching out to cup Sunset's face and turn her towards Twilight. "Hey," she said softly, "you okay?"

"Yeah." Sunset's tone was equally soft, the former unicorn unable to bring herself to break the spell she found herself in and ruin the moment. "Just a little emotional seeing something from the Princess for the first time in years, y'know?"

"I get it." Twilight pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Take all the time you need."

"I'm good now," Sunset said, feeling the pressure in her eyes fade. She gave Twilight a weak smile. "Good thing we let Dinky in on our little secret, huh?"

"I'll admit, I had my doubts, but I suppose I did argue for getting more people to work on magical research, and it's obviously paid off."

"You know what this means, right?" Sunset's tone suddenly grew serious. "It's time to start the next phase of our plan."

Twilight sighed. "Yeah." Her voice turned sour. "And here I thought we might be able to go a little longer before our next fight."

"We don't have to fight, you know." Even as she said the words, Sunset knew it was pointless.

"Considering how our last discussion went, I have my doubts." Twilight pulled Sunset in closer, pressing their bodies together. "But it's okay, because whatever happens, we'll get through it together."

"Yeah, together." Sunset and Twilight basked in each others' presence for a few seconds before Sunset spoke again. "Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Sunset leaned in and stole a slow, sweet kiss from Twilight.

"I love you too," Twilight said as they pulled away from each other. "And no matter what comes next, I'll stand with you."

"I never doubted it," Sunset said, sneaking one more kiss in before regretfully turning her attention back to the journal. "Do we have the statement we drafted up somewhere around here?"

"I think we kept it in the cabinet over there." Twilight walked over to one side of the room and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it over to Sunset. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Sure." Reaching for a pen, Sunset opened the cage and pressed its tip against the pages of the artifact, writing the words that would herald the beginning of a new era.

Dear Princess Twilight…

Chapter 1: Fifteen Years Later

"...Once again, I want to thank all of you for your generous donations. With your contributions, we're going to be able to give lifesaving aid to thousands of children in need around the world.

"I also want to raise a toast to Rarity for donating these beautiful dresses for today's charity auction. Rarity, your generous heart is an inspiration to us all."

Sunset took a sip from her Champagne flute. The others in the room all did the same, and for a few seconds the room was silent save for the tinkling of crystal against crystal.

"Now then, I think I've taken up enough of your time for today. Please, enjoy your dinners and have a happy evening here at the Equinox Ball."

There was a round of polite applause as Sunset sat back down at her table.

"Bravo, Miss Shimmer. An excellent speech as always. Equinox Labs continues to serve as a shining example of all the good that can come from merging corporate success with a sincere dedication to helping others."

Sunset smiled at the man sitting beside her. "Thanks, Fancy Pants. Although, I can't take all the credit. This event was mostly Rarity's idea."

Across the table, the purple-haired woman blushed, a lovely shade of pink staining her white cheeks. "Oh Sunset, you flatter me. All I did was mention how lovely it would be to celebrate our new Luminosity collection with a charity auction. You are the one who brought this event to life."

"I must say, Miss Rarity, your new collection is unlike anything I've ever seen before," Upper Crust said as she leaned forward in her seat next to Rarity. "Wherever did you find the inspiration for such a daring concept?"

As Rarity turned to respond to Upper Crust's question, Fancy Pants spoke to Sunset. "So, Miss Shimmer, this Evershine fabric of yours appears to have been a rousing success, if the reactions to Miss Rarity's dresses are any indication." An easy smile played behind his thick moustache. "I assume you're looking to license out the product?"

"Actually, we've got an exclusivity contract with Carousel. They're the only ones who can make clothing with it." Sunset waited for the response she knew was going to come from Fancy.

"Ah, but there are many applications outside of the fashion industry that wouldn't fall under that contract, yes?"

Sunset smiled, and even a shrewd businessman like Fancy Pants couldn't tell it wasn't genuine. "I'm listening."

For the remainder of the dinner, Sunset found herself engaged in a battle of wits and will as she negotiated a licensing contract with Fancy Pants. It should have been a wonderful time, but despite the fact that Fancy was one of her favorite sparring partners in the boardroom, Sunset couldn't help but keep glancing at the clock on the wall behind him, watching the seconds tick by painfully slowly.

Finally, after spending far too long slogging through what should've been an exhilarating negotiation, the clock struck nine and the "Ball" portion of the Equinox Ball really began.

The tables were cleared away to reveal a dance floor, and couples began stepping onto the wooden surface at the center of the room to dance in time with the music. Or try to, at least.

Sunset abstained from the waltzing, flitting around the festivities instead to search for her prey. She found him taking full advantage of the open bar in one corner of the room. "Hey, Flim," she said, taking a seat beside one of the two founders of FlimFlamCorp. "How's it going?"

"Hello, Sunset." Flim's words were slightly slurred as he greeted Sunset. "What a wonderful, marvelous, stupendous Ball you've thrown."

"Thanks." Sunset ordered her own drink in order have an excuse to stay at the bar. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"I sure am," Flim replied. "Our patented Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic has attracted quite a lot of attention. We've got investors lining up for the chance to be a part of the next revolution in health care."

He leaned in towards Sunset until she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "The offer's still open if you want. We could double your investment in just a few months."

This was going to be even easier than she thought, Sunset mused as she reached into her pocket. "Well, Equinox is always looking for new business opportunities," she said, a fake smile plastered on her face as she mimicked his body language. "I've heard a lot about this miracle cure. People have been saying that it's almost magical how well it works."

Flim didn't react at all to Sunset's word choice, and Sunset's heart sank. "That it is, Sunset," he said, a flash of cunning still coming through his unfocused eyes. "You've read the testimonials, then?"

"I have," Sunset replied. "Tell me, just what is the secret behind your miracle cure?"

Flim chuckled. "Now now, Sunset," he said, sounding like an adult speaking to a child. "I can't tell you that. Trade secret and all."

"Of course." Sunset picked up her drink and stood up. "Well, I'll be sure to have my people talk to yours." She wrapped an arm around the shoulder of the drunken entrepreneur before walking away. "We'll be in touch."

As her arm made contact with the exposed skin of his neck, Sunset drew a sliver of power from the pendant hidden in her dress. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought of another permanent decrease in her magic reserves as she was suddenly flooded with memories from her target.

After quickly sorting through the foreign thoughts, Sunset walked away from the bar. "Have a great night, Flim," she said, her voice never betraying the disgust she was currently feeling.

"Same to you, Sunset." Flim returned to his drinks as Sunset walked away, her heart heavy as she mentally crossed off the last lead on her list.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Sunset nearly jumped in surprise. "Rarity! I didn't see you there."

Rarity smiled. "I gathered as much from your pensive look. You're generally much more cheerful at soirees like this one."

"Just have a lot on my mind," Sunset replied casually. "Thinking about all the stuff that still needs to be done."

"I know the feeling, darling. It's only two weeks until the Wonderbolts Exhibition and we've barely finalized anything. I love Pinkie Pie, really I do, but that girl needs to learn that not all of us are as comfortable with spontaneity as she is."

"She'll pull through in the end. She always does."

Rarity sighed. "I suppose you're right. And it will be nice to have Rainbow Dash back in Canterlot."

"I guess it'll be fun to have the six of us together again," Sunset replied.

Rarity's smile faltered. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

"I – Yeah. Something came up that reminded me of her," Sunset didn't want to lie to Rarity, but she wasn't ready to reveal the whole truth yet.

"I see." Rarity's gaze turned annoyingly sympathetic. "I suppose working on the Evershine fabric is bringing back some old memories."

"Yeah, Twilight's the one who figured out most of the groundwork for replicating it before…" Sunset shook her head. "Enough about the past. It is what it is. How's your evening been?"

"Oh, it's been simply marvelous. I've already received enough orders to last the rest of the season." Rarity's tone did a complete one-eighty as she effortlessly switched topics. "Once again, I have to thank you for the exclusivity contract on the Evershine fabric. It truly is the perfect fabric; stretchy but not clingy, and shimmery but not showy, and with the main pieces of my winter line being made from it, this year is going to be very profitable for Carousel."

"Hey, you're the one who's paying Equinox a lot of money for that exclusivity. Besides, it was another version of you who invented the material in the first place, so I figure it's only fair you get first dibs on it."

Sunset pushed away the creeping memories before speaking again. "Anyways, about that exclusivity contract. Fancy Pants has some ideas about industrial uses of the fabric, and even though licensing it out to him for that kind of stuff wouldn't be a breach of our contract, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it."

"Hmm, well, I'll have to get my lawyers to review our agreement, but as long it doesn't infringe on the fashion industry, there shouldn't be a problem..."

Forcing away thoughts about the past and the future, Sunset spent the rest of the evening engaged in pleasant conversation with Rarity. She even almost managed to forget about her troubles while she spoke to her closest friend.

It was well past midnight by the time the Ball drew to a close and Sunset could return home, but the ever-working president of her company was still online when she booted up her video chat program.

"Good morning, Starlight," Sunset said with a yawn as video stream appeared on screen.

"Morning, Sunset." Starlight Glimmer, President of Equinox Labs, replied cheerfully. Sunset swore the woman never slept. "How was the Ball? Did you find out anything useful?"

Sunset let out a snort. "FlimFlamCorps' 'Miracle Tonic' is just water, sugar, and food coloring, with just enough active ingredients to confuse people."

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "That's one hell of a con they're running, then."

Sunset shrugged. "They'll fail FDA approval in a week and do some legal loophole stuff to keep the investment money."

"Are we going to do anything about it?"

"We've got connections we could call to make sure an investigation get launched," Sunset replied. "Other than that, we can't really afford to spend more time on this."

"I guess." Starlight frowned. "So that's our last lead, then?"

"Yeah, we've got nothing else to go on. I guess we'll have to go with Plan B." Sunset grimaced at the thought of the upcoming confrontation that said plan entailed. "I'll head out to Hayvard tomorrow. Has the news about my vacation gone out yet?"

Starlight nodded. "I've told everyone who needs to know that you'll still be available for consultation if they really need you." A pause. "You know, it's not too late to change your mind. We can figure this out without her."

"We need her expertise," Sunset said with a sigh. "Normal investigative work isn't getting us anywhere."

"If what you've told me about her is true, then she's a threat to everything we've built in the last fifteen years," Starlight argued.

"Fifteen years is a long time. Maybe she's changed."

Starlight looked sceptical. "You really think so?"

Sunset shrugged. "You never know. Besides, it doesn't matter. I'll make sure she just does what we need her to do and nothing else, okay? Just let me know if anything important comes up, especially if it has to do with the incident or anything else weird like that."

"Fine, but I really hope you know what you're doing." With those final, uncertain words, Starlight ended the call.

"I hope I know what I'm doing too," Sunset muttered before turning off her computer and heading to bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

"...And so we see that if we take any signal that obeys the Dire Change conditions and apply the Four Ear transform to it, the total energy of the signal is conserved. Next week, we'll look at how the Four Ear transform naturally implies the uncertainty principle. And remember, the problem set is due on Monday at the beginning of class."

As she spoke those last words, Professor Twilight Sparkle observed a mass exodus from the lecture hall more efficient and effective than any fire drill could ever hope to achieve.

She suppressed a sigh as she did her best to field questions from the stragglers, a little of her good cheer returning as she guided them towards their answers. Even if most of her students just needed the credits, it was still worth it for the few who truly wanted to learn. That's what she kept telling herself, at least.

When the last of the students had left, she packed up her notes left the lecture hall, heading towards the elevator.

"Hello, Twilight."

"Hey, Moondancer." Twilight turned to face her approaching colleague. "How's it going?"

"My paper on spectroscopic analysis of quantum tunnelling was accepted this morning."

"That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thanks." The elevator doors opened and the two professors stepped in. "I'm thinking of extending the analysis to microscale objects, but I'd have to figure out the solid-state stuff first. Would you be interested in a collaboration? There's no one else in the world I can think of who would be better suited to this."

Twilight tensed. "Sorry, I've got a lot on my plate right now. Have you tried asking Minuette?" As the elevator reached its destination, Twilight stepped out, hoping that would be the end of it.

Unfortunately, Moondancer followed. "Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first. Are you sure you don't have the time? This could be really big for both of us."

"I know, but I'm really busy right now and I don't think I could take on another collaboration." Twilight hoped the weak excuse would be enough, since she couldn't tell her the truth. Somehow, she didn't think the other scientist would appreciate Twilight talking about how she had already solved the problem fifteen years ago with magic.

Oh, and that she had no desire to work on the problem again for fear of the memories it would bring back.

"Fine, I'll ask Minuette then," Moondancer said as they approached Twilight's lab. "Although, I have to wonder what's so much more important than a potentially Nobel Prize-winning paper."

Twilight was saved from having to answer by the appearance of one of her graduate students standing outside her lab. "Twilight!" she shouted as she saw her supervisor. "There's someone here to see you! You won't believe who it is!" The girl was practically bouncing on her toes, and the way she almost seemed to be vibrating brought to mind an old friend of Twilight's.

Twilight eyed her student warily. "Who is it, Dinky?" she asked. The preppy little fifth-year currently serving as Twilight's teaching assistant was always a little hyper, but this was a bit much, even for her.

"Sunset Shimmer! The founder of Equinox Labs herself!"

Twilight Sparkle felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Did you say Sunset Shimmer?" It had to be a mistake. Maybe she'd misheard Dinky. Or maybe Dinky had gotten the name wrong.

"Yep! She said she wanted to talk to you! Isn't it exciting? The CEO of Equinox labs is in our lab right now!" Dinky's words crushed any hopes of a miscommunication. "I wonder what she wants? Oooh, maybe she wants to form a partnership with us? They've never done it before, but maybe they'll see how amazing our work is and reconsider and..."

Twilight barely heard anything she said. An icy chill seeped down her spine, paralyzing her as her mind raced, trying to figure out why Sunset was here.

A number of answers came to mind, each worse than the last.

"I guess I should talk to her then," Twilight said numbly, her own voice sounding like it came from a thousand miles away. She barely recalled walking past Dinky or Moondancer. Placing her hand on the door, she pushed it open, her heart pounding in her chest.

And there, standing in front of the door to her office, was Twilight's former best friend.

She was a lot like how Twilight remembered her, with that same bright red hair streaked with equally bright yellow highlights that flowed in waves down her back, cyan eyes that contrasted well with her amber-tinted skin, and a designer leather jacket that hugged her curves far too well. A nervous smile graced her features, and her slight fidgeting as she stood betrayed her discomfort.

Twilight still recognized her sharp features and slim figure, but the last fifteen years had allowed her attractive teenage looks to develop into those of a beautiful woman, with piercing, dazzling eyes that sparkled with cunning and a body that most women would die for. Twilight also noticed the familiar pendant around her neck with an image of a stylized sun on it.

"Hi Twilight," Sunset said, her familiar voice threatening to flood Twilight with memories.

Twilight forced herself to focus on the present to keep herself from drowning in the past. "Hello, Miss Shimmer, what brings you to Hayvard today?" Cool, polite, impassive – Twilight was the perfect picture of formality.

Sunset's smile faded. "Can we talk privately?"

"Of course." Twilight unlocked the door to her office and stepped in. "Please, come in."

Sunset did so, and Twilight locked the door behind her, leaving the two of them standing awkwardly in her office. "So, Miss Shimmer," Twilight said, "how can I be of assistance to Equinox Labs?" Her tone betrayed no emotion, every inch of her the detached consultant as she spoke.

Some part of her clung desperately to the hope that Sunset was here for purely business or technical reasons, and she could have her out of her life before dinnertime.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Can we just drop this formal bullshit, please? It's not like we're strangers or anything."

"Fine," Twilight said bitingly as her last hope was cut down, "what do you want, Sunset?"

Sunset winced. "I guess you haven't let go of the past yet, huh?"

Twilight glared at Sunset, feeling a familiar cold anger welling up inside of her. "Sorry, but having your best friend try to kill you takes a little time to get over."

Sunset returned Twilight's glare with her own. "It was an accident."

"The first time or the second?"

"I was desperate. You were trying to take everything I cared about from me."

"I was trying to protect this world from the greatest danger it had ever faced. And besides, you agreed to wait for us to decide together." Twilight realized that she had moved closer to Sunset during their fight, and could feel the heat radiating from the other woman as the fires of their anger blazed around the room.

Sunset held her gaze for a few seconds before she backed away with a sigh. "Look, I didn't come here to rehash this debate."

"Then why did you come?"

"I need to talk to you about something. Where were you two weeks ago?"

Twilight blinked at Sunset, confusion dousing some of her anger. "Two weeks ago? I was here in the lab, finishing up some experiments on superconducting metamaterials. Why? What does it matter to you?"

Instead of answering, Sunset suddenly grabbed Twilight's arm. Her eyes flashed with an ethereal white light that matched the cyan glow that now surrounded her pendant.

It was a sight that Twilight had seen many times before, and she quickly jerked her arm back, breaking all physical contact and severing the spell between her and Sunset.

"What the hell, Sunset?" Twilight shouted while trying to ignore the tingling in her arm where she had touched her. "Did you just use your powers on me?"

"Sorry, Twilight, I had to know." Sunset looked apologetic, but Twilight wasn't having any of it.

"Know what? What was so important that it made you drive across the state just to come into my office and violate my mind like that?"

"I had to know if you were telling the truth about what happened two weeks ago."

"What's so important about that, anyways? Why do you care so much about what I was doing?"

Sunset's next words sent pure ice coursing down her spine. "Because two weeks ago, someone used magic to break into my lab and steal the journal I use to communicate with Equestria."

Chapter 7: Our Past is Still Today

"I'll be there in a second!"

Sunset's voice rang out from behind the door leading into her apartment. Twilight patiently waited, going over her mental checklist for the upcoming road trip. Snacks. Check. Change of clothing. Check. Laptop and related equipment. Check. Bug Spray. Check.

The door swung open as Twilight was checking off sunscreen from her mental list, revealing Sunset dressed in a casual set of khakis and a long-sleeved shirt. She smiled at Twilight. "Hey, Twilight. I'm just finishing up my video call with Starlight. Do you mind waiting a few minutes?"

"Sure," Twilight replied. "I'm early, anyways."

Sunset led Twilight down the hallway towards her office. Inside was an ornate wooden desk that was beautifully crafted to capture the light coming in from the large window on one side of the room. And on that desk was a heavy-duty computer with a large monitor showing the face of a professional-looking woman with purple-and-pink-striped hair.

"Sorry about that, Starlight," Sunset said to the woman on the video call. "I had to let someone in. Twilight, meet Starlight Glimmer, President of Equinox Labs. Starlight, this is Twilight Sparkle, Professor of Experimental Physics at Hayvard University."

"Hello, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight said politely. "It's nice to meet you."

"Doctor Sparkle," the other woman replied with equal politeness, but Twilight heard an edge to her tone. "It's nice to finally meet you as well. Sunset's told me a lot about you." There was a hint of... something in her tone near the end. Anger? Derision? Twilight wasn't sure, but it probably wasn't good.

"She has?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Starlight replied. "After all, a lot of the work we did was a continuation of yours after you abandoned it." Yup, definitely some anger there.

"Besides being the president of Equinox, Starlight has also been helping me with my research on magic," Sunset said, cutting into their conversation smoothly.

"I see," Twilight replied neutrally. Well, she wasn't surprised that Starlight seemed to dislike her, then; Sunset had probably painted her as the villain of the piece, trying to keep the wonders of magic locked away while Sunset fought to free it.

"Anyways, I think we're almost done with this meeting, right?" Sunset spoke to Starlight while Twilight tried not to disturb them.

"Yes," Starlight replied, returning to her previous professional air. "The only thing left to discuss is the Evershine exclusivity contract. I talked with Rarity's lawyers, our lawyers, and Fancy Pant's lawyers, and I think we've ironed out something that we can all agree to. I'll send the details to you if you want to go over them, but for now, I think we can proceed with negotiations with Fancy Pants."

"Alright, let me know how negotiations go. I don't know how long I'll be out, but I'll read over the legal stuff as soon as I can."

Starlight's expression softened. "You'll be careful out there, right? If there really is magic there, things could get dangerous, and you don't know who you can trust." The way her eyes shifted to Twilight as she spoke made it clear what she meant.

"I'll be fine, Starlight," Sunset replied. "We probably won't find much anyways. We're mostly just going to talk to Gloriosa."

"Still, stay safe. We can't afford to lose someone as important as you."

"I will. See you tomorrow." Sunset ended the call and turned to face Twilight. "Sorry about that. Give me a few minutes to get my stuff?"

"Okay." Twilight waited patiently as Sunset grabbed several bags lying around the room, stuffing them into each other and muttering off a list as she did.

"Ok, that's everything," Sunset said, holding up two large bags. "You ready?"

Twilight nodded and they headed out of the apartment. On the way to Sunset's car she listed the equipment that she had brought with her; an older spectrograph that was already calibrated for magic and two prototypes of the magic detector. She didn't mention Twilight's earlier reaction to seeing the original detector and Twilight chose not to bring it up either.

The drive to Camp Everfree passed by uneventfully; Twilight and Sunset were all business as they discussed the limitations of their equipment and how best to search the area, just the way Twilight liked it.

As they approached the camp, Sunset stopped by a pit stop to refuel and pick up lunch. "We're almost there," she said as she got out of the car. "Another half-hour and we should be at Camp Everfree."

"This is it, isn't it?" Twilight said, feeling a sense of finality settle in the pit of her stomach. "If we can figure out where the magic is coming from, we might be able to figure out who the thief is."

"Maybe," Sunset said as Twilight walked up next to her.

"Then we'd just need to take them down," Twilight said, "and that'd be the end of it."

"Yeah, I guess so," Sunset said slowly, glancing at Twilight. "Then you'd go back home, wouldn't you? Back to Hayvard and your lab."

"Of course," Twilight replied. "I told you I was only here to help you get the journal back. Once we do that, there's nothing keeping me here and I can go home and forget about all of this." Somehow, that thought didn't make her quite as happy as it would have a few days ago.

"Is that what you really want?" Sunset asked, her voice heavy. "To walk out on your friends again, go back home, and try to pretend this never happened? Forget how well we worked together? Forget all the advances we made in just a few days?" Sunset walked closer and closer to Twilight, her words becoming more heated as she spoke. "Do you want to forget about me?"

"Yes!" Twilight snapped. "Yes, I do." She refused to back down, stepping towards Sunset. "Because it hurts to remember. Every time we work together, I remember how good things used to be. I remember all the amazing things we did in our lab, how in-tune with each other we used to be."

She was close enough to Sunset now that she could feel the heat radiating from the other woman's body. "And I remember how I used to feel about you, how I–" She cut herself off before she could finish that sentence. "I don't want to remember anymore. It just makes the pain worse."

"I'm sorry," Sunset whispered, her breath brushing against Twilight's hair. "I'm sorry for all the pain and hurt I caused you. I'm sorry for nearly killing you. I'm sorry for all the things I said to you afterwards."

Sunset's lips were inches away from Twilight's. All she would have to do was lean over to kiss her. Their bodies were nearly touching and Twilight could feel a yearning building up within her. For a moment, all she wanted to do was sink into Sunset's embrace and forget all about the past. They could begin again, and rebuild their bond.

But first, she needed to know one thing.

"Are you sorry for trying to stop us from closing the portal?" Twilight stared into Sunset's beautiful cyan eyes as she spoke, searching for the answer.

She found it in her hesitation. Sunset didn't speak, her eyes clouding over with conflict, and Twilight knew the truth. She quickly pulled away from her, her heart aching at the memory of how close they had just been. "You aren't sorry for betraying us, are you? You're just sorry that I got hurt because of it. If you had to do it all over again, would you still try to keep the portal open?"

Sunset sighed. "Without a second thought. But only if it meant you wouldn't be hurt."

"You'd betray us all again if given the choice." It wasn't a question, but Twilight could see the answer in Sunset expression.

"You still don't understand, Twilight," Sunset said softly. "Magic was – is – everything to me. My life, my destiny, my soul. I was born a magical creature in a world of magic. I came to this world seeking magic. Magic is a part of me, not just something I can let go of."

"Even if it causes more harm than good?"

Sunset gave her a sad smile. "You haven't seen the good that magic can. I wish I could show you how much better my world was because of magic."

"But this isn't your world, it's mine," Sunset flinched at the words and Twilight immediately regretted them. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said that." Not that she was wrong, but there was no need to use those words to say it.

"Forget it," Sunset said flatly. "It's nothing I haven't heard before. Let's just grab some food before we go to Camp Everfree." She walked off towards the gas station, not looking behind to see if Twilight followed.

They ate lunch in tense silence, neither willing to speak up to clear the air. The silence continued as they returned to the car and set off again. Twilight wanted to say something, anything, to cut the tension. Being able to work with Sunset, to talk and share ideas with her had been a wonderful dream, one of few she had experienced between the nightmares, and now that it was gone, she desperately wanted it back.

But she couldn't say the words that would make it all better. She couldn't lie to Sunset and say that she forgave her, that it would all be okay. She couldn't do it to herself, and she couldn't do it to Sunset.

They entered the parking lot of Camp Everfree. This time of the year, there were few others here, which worked out well for them; no need to expose others to magic if they found any.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Twilight asked as they approached the entrance of the camp, grateful to have something to talk about to break the silence.

"I'm going to talk to Gloriosa and ask if she's noticed anything odd lately," Sunset replied shortly.

"And if she's the one behind this?" It was a long shot, but there was no denying the connection between the magic and Camp Everfree, and Gloriosa was the one who ran the Camp.

Sunset reached into her pocket and pulled out her necklace, the image of a stylized Sun glinting on the pendant as it reflected the morning light. "Then I'll know too."

"No," Twilight said. They were standing outside the main building of the camp now, Twilight moving to position herself between Sunset and the door. "I'm not letting you use that thing. It's a violation of the mind and of the right to privacy and you can't just start using it on anyone you think might be guilty."

"We're talking about the fate of the world here," Sunset said.

"The possible fate of the world," Twilight replied. "You can't just go around using magic on random people whenever you feel like it. It isn't right."

"Why not, Twilight?" Sunset replied, an edge to her voice. "After all, I'm not from this world. Why should I play by its rules?" She pushed past Twilight and opened the door to the main cabin, leaving Twilight to scramble after her.

Inside the cabin was a rustically decorated lobby, with scenic pictures of clear blue lakes and wild green forests interspersed with maps of the surrounding areas hanging on the walls, worn wooden chairs and tables with old quilts draped over them, and a wooden counter behind which a middle-aged man with green hair and brown-tinted skin sat. He looked up at the door with a warm smile. "Hello. Welcome to Camp Everfree... Sunset?" His smile faltered as an expression of surprise replaced it.

"Hey Timber," Sunset said casually, no sign of her previous disagreement with Twilight in her demeanor. "How's it going?"

"Great!" Timber replied. "We just finished the summer season and the fall crowd hasn't shown up in full force yet, so it's pretty chill right now. How about you? What are you doing here? And who's your friend here?" Timber glanced at Twilight for a few seconds before recognition sparked in his eyes. "Twilight?"

"Hi, Timber," Twilight said. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Fifteen years? Yeah, I'd say that's a while. Where have you been? I haven't heard from you since you graduated from high school." Timber walked around the counter and walked up to Twilight, holding out his arms to hug her. Twilight hesitated for a moment, but allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace. Timber still smelled the same after all these years, a mixture of grass and wood and dirt that screamed "nature."

"It's good to see you again," Timber said as they ended the hug. "So, what brings you here after all this time? I don't think you came here just to go camping."

"Actually, we came here to talk to you and Gloriosa," Sunset said. "Is she here?"

"She's just doing some inventory stuff in the back. I'll go get her." Timber hastily rushed out the back door, leaving Twilight and Sunset alone in the lobby.

"I'd forgotten that Timber worked here too." Twilight finally said.

"Yeah, sorry," Sunset said sheepishly. "I kinda thought you knew. It won't be a problem, will it?"

"No," Twilight replied. "It was a long time ago. I don't have any feelings for him anymore."

"Twilight! Sunset! It's so good to see you again!" Another familiar voice announced the arrival of Timber's older sister. She swept Sunset up in a warm embrace before moving on to Twilight with a much more restrained one. "So, what brings you to Camp Everfree? Timber said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah," Sunset replied, "Twilight and I have been investigating a magical anomaly and we think it might be linked to the magic in Everfree Cave."

"Oh," Gloriosa said, a flash of surprise crossing her face. "I thought you said that all the magic was gone?"

"We thought so too, but we think there's a chance that some of it might still be here, and if there is, we really need to find it," Sunset said. "Have you seen anything weird recently?"

"I don't think so." Gloriosa turned to her brother. "Timber? Have you seen anything weird around here?"

"Can't say I have. Sorry you wasted your time coming all the way over here."

"No worries," Sunset said. "It's always good to see you again. Do you mind if we hang around a little and take a few measurements for ourselves? There might be some stuff here that you can't see with your eyes."

Gloriosa smiled. "Of course you can! You two are always welcome here after everything you did for us. Are you going to be staying overnight?"

"Not this time," Sunset said. "We just wanted to take a few readings before we head back to Canterlot."

"Well, you'll need a guide out there," Gloriosa said. "The forest is dangerous for those who aren't familiar with it. Tell you what, I'll be your guide for the day. Timber can manage things here, can't you?"

"Sure," Timber replied.

"Thanks, Gloriosa," Sunset said. "I'll just grab some equipment from my car, then."

"I'll need to finish up the inventory too. I'll see you back here in a few minutes?"

"Okay." Sunset and Gloriosa exited the building, leaving Timber and Twilight alone in the cabin.

"So," Timber said after they had left. "I haven't heard from you since graduation. How've you been?"

"Good," Twilight replied. "I got my Ph.D. in experimental physics and I'm a tenured professor at Hayvard University now."

"Cool. I've just been here the past fifteen years, running the camp with Gloriosa." There was a short silence before Timber spoke again. "So, you and Sunset. I heard the two of you had a bit of a falling out?"

"Where did you hear that?" Twilight asked.

"The rest of your friends come here for a camping trip every year," Timber said. "It wasn't hard to notice that you weren't with them, and they all got awkward every time we asked about you, until we just stopped asking. But Sunset always looked hurt every time we mentioned you."

"Yeah, we didn't quite see eye-to-eye on the whole magic thing."

"But you're back together again?"

"Not really. We're just working together until we get this whole magic thing sorted out. Then we'll go our separate ways again and I won't have to see her ever again."

Timber looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Really? That's it? You're going to do your superhero team-up thing and then just never talk to each other again? C'mon Twilight, I know you better than that. You wouldn't just walk away from Sunset again."

"You knew me fifteen years ago," Twilight said coolly. "I'd hardly call you an expert on who I am today."

"Maybe not, but I still remember why we broke up at the end of that summer," Timber replied.

"Because we were two kids with a crush on each other who weren't thinking about our futures or the differences in where we wanted to be in life?"

Timber snorted. "You know it was more than that. I might not be some genius physicist like you, but I'm not blind either."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Twilight replied. "That was the past. Sunset and I are just trying to solve this anomaly now. That's it."

"Whatever you say, Twilight."

"Alright, I've got the equipment I need." Sunset's arrival signaled the end of the conversation between Twilight and Timber. "Is Gloriosa here yet?"

"Yup!" The back entrance opened up to reveal the woman in question. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Sunset said, holding up a small metal box. "Let's see if there's any magic left in this forest."