One Night in Canterlot

Chapters

Chapter 2: Not-so-Sweet Emotions
Chapter 3: A Jump to the Left...
Chapter 4: ... And Then a Step to the Right
Chapter 5: Don't Bet Your Future...
Chapter 6: ... On a Roll of the Dice
Chapter 7: Talk Nerdy To Me
Chapter 1: Nothing Stays the Same for Long

Chapter 2: Not-so-Sweet Emotions

Even the warm spring night air felt cold as it whipped around Sunset, tugging at her clothes and making what little hair wasn’t tucked inside her helmet dance across the nape of her neck. Canterlot flew by her on either side as she rocketed along darkened roads. Her phone buzzed and vibrated almost incessantly in her pocket, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes and attention focused as far ahead as she dared, looking for any sign of Flash’s tail lights as she swerved to pass the few other cars she encountered.

She hadn’t spotted him since leaving Sugarcube Corner, but she had a pretty good idea of where he would be headed. Unfortunately like most teenage boys Flash had a lead foot, and she knew that if she really wanted to catch up to him she was going to have to get creative.

Sunset eased off the throttle and dropped her right foot to use as a pivot, sliding into a sharp right turn that took her through a narrow gap between two buildings. She lowered her head, fists clenching hard on the handlebars to maintain control as her tires jostled over Celestia-knew-what lying in the alley, and flew out into the next street over. Ignoring the blaring horn of the car that slammed on its brakes to avoid hitting her, she stamped down with her right boot again and cranked her bike into another slide, gasping as the maneuver sent a sudden spike of pain through her knee. She grit her teeth, focusing on the road ahead as she sped off in the opposite direction she’d been traveling on the previous street.

Two minutes, another near-accident, and three completely ignored red lights later, Sunset sped out onto an overpass above the Canterlot Crosstown Expressway, daring to slow down enough to look out to her right. She spotted a single oncoming car on the road below, seconds from driving under the bridge she was on. Just before it vanished from sight it passed beneath a streetlamp, revealing a blue shield and accompanying yellow lightning bolt on the hood.

“Gotcha,” Sunset breathed as she accelerated, taking a sharp left at the end of the bridge and heading for the onramp on the next block. Flash was already about a quarter-mile beyond her when she merged into the otherwise empty two-lane commuter highway, but the sight of his tail lights in the distance merely set the fire in her chest blazing anew.

She threw open the throttle, hunkering down as the engine howled like a beast beneath her and the bike’s frame shuddered to keep up with its own acceleration. Her RPMs quivered deep in the red, the lines on the road becoming blurs as her speedometer passed the hundred mark. Wind whistled through her helmet and numbed her already-chilled skin with its constant buffeting pressure. Though the adrenaline surging through her veins demanded otherwise, Sunset forced herself to breath slowly. Her whole body shook, as much from the rush as from the ride itself.

For an agonizingly long ten seconds, Flash’s tail lights drew steadily closer. Instead of slowing, Sunset slid over into the left lane, sparing hardly a glance as she overtook and passed his car. She put another hundred feet or so between them before releasing the throttle, letting the bike glide into a slow deceleration as she cut back to the right. She feathered the brakes to make sure she had Flash’s undivided attention, and flicked on her turn signal. When she saw him do the same in her rearview mirror, she braked in earnest and brought herself to a rather abrupt stop on the side of the road. She was already off her bike when the car pulled up behind her, and Flash practically threw open his door as he leaped out.

“Sunset, what the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted as she strode up to him, limping slightly, and tossed her helmet into the grass at the side of the road. “That was crazy, you could’ve-!”

The sharp right hook that smashed into Flash’s jaw knocked his train of thought completely off the rails and sent him staggering back. A reflexive grab at the car door was the only thing that kept his feet beneath him.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” she spat, keeping Flash backpedaling until he was up against the side of the car with her face just inches from from his. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what what you just did to Twilight?”

Flash cringed and gingerly rubbed the side of his face, blinking a number of times as the spots started to clear from his vision.“Whu… what are you talking about? I didn’t do anyth-”

He found his words cut short yet again as Sunset grabbed his jacket collar and yanked him forward only to abruptly shove him back against the car again.

“... Ow!”

“Don’t you dare play dumb with me, Sentry!” Sunset shouted, pointing off in the general direction of downtown Canterlot. “Twilight is back there bawling her eyes out right now; do you really think I can’t put two and two together?”

Flash just stared at her, his mouth working silently.

Sunset growled and rolled her eyes. “I know you dumped her, Flash!”

A hint of some emotion Sunset couldn’t identify flickered across Flash’s expression, and he shook his head weakly. “I didn’t-”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I’m NOT!” Flash’s sudden yell gave them both pause, but the anger Sunset saw in his face faded quickly. He looked away with a frown, suddenly unable to meet her gaze. “Twilight… she broke up with me.”

“She...” Sunset's eyes widened as she released her hold on Flash's jacket and stepped back, her voice suddenly quiet. “What?”

“Yeah,” Flash mumbled with a small nod.

Sunset stared at him a moment longer, noting his downcast eyes and slumped, defeated posture.

“I… I don’t understand,” she slowly shook her head. “Twilight’s crazy about you. She blushes every time you even come up in conversation; why would she…?”

Flash drew in and released a long breath as he leaned back against the car. “She just said that with things the way they are she didn’t think there could ever really be an ‘us’.” He shrugged half-heartedly. “I told her that the girls had explained everything: about the world you two are from, about all the magic and stuff. I told her it didn’t matter to me that she’s really a… a pony.”

Flash glanced up at Sunset, who quirked an eyebrow.

“Okay, yeah, that part’s still kinda weird, but I really like her! Tonight I was finally going to ask her to go out on a real date, but she…” he trailed off with another, more forceful shake of his head. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter now anyway.”

“But that still doesn’t make any sense,” Sunset shook her head, “why was Twilight so broken up if this was her idea in the first place?”

Flash winced as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I… may not have taken it very well, to be honest. She asked if we could still be friends, and I just sorta... turned and left.”

Sunset scoffed, crossing her arms. “Oh, great, no wonder she was upset. She just got done dealing with a situation back in Equestria where a single broken friendship nearly destroyed the entire world, and here you are breaking off yours with her.” She gave him her best fake smile complete with an equally condescending thumbs-up. “Nice job!”

“Hey, hold up!” Flash snapped. “First of all, how the hell was I supposed to know about any of that; and second, this isn’t exactly a walk in the park for me either, okay?” He shook his head. “I just… I didn’t know what to say. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” He returned her sarcastic grin. “Getting sucker-punched the face didn’t really help, either, so you know, thanks for that.”

Sunset gasped, her pupils shrinking as she took an involuntary step backwards and her hands shot up to cover her mouth.

“Oh… oh, no. Flash, I’m sorry,” she said, her confident, commanding tone from earlier now all but gone. “I’m so sorry! When I saw Twilight crying I just sort of assumed, and then I… I’m...” She trailed off, turning away and walking a few uneven steps out into the road.

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Flash said. “It’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me tonight.” Sunset didn’t respond, and after a moment Flash looked up to see that she was standing motionless in the middle of the thankfully still empty highway. “Sunset?”

“I thought I was past all this,” Sunset spoke with a fragile timbre. “That… that’s not supposed to be who I am anymore, but I…” A hand on her shoulder slowly turned her around, and she didn’t resist as she came face to face with Flash again.

“Sunset, I’m not mad,” he assured her. “It’s okay.”

“No it isn’t!” She said urgently, terrified eyes brimming with unshed tears as she shook his hands away and took a step back. “I was going to hurt you, Flash! I did hurt you!” Her hands rose up to either side of her head, fingers weaving into her hair and gripping it tightly. “It’s just like at the Friendship Games, I was so mad at Twilight that I was ready to...” the thought died on her tongue as looked at the ground and shook her head. “I don’t want to be that Sunset. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore, but I...”

Flash stared at Sunset for another moment before letting out a sigh. Taking her by the shoulders once again he slowly guided her back to the curb, taking extra care when he realized she was indeed favoring her right leg, and sat her down on the car’s hood. He took both her hands and placed them folded in her lap.

“You know what the old Sunset would’ve done in this situation?” he asked.

She shook her head slightly.

“Nothing,” he stated emphatically. “She wouldn’t have lifted a finger. Actually, no, you know what? She would’ve enjoyed seeing someone get hurt and laughed that crazy evil-genius laugh she always did when she thought no one could hear her.” He threw back his head and let loose a truly terrible imitation of Sunset cackling maniacally.

Sunset herself couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Actually, she probably would’ve been the one who was behind the breakup in the first place,” she corrected with a tiny smirk.

“Exactly,” Flash nodded with certainty, “but you didn’t do any of that. Instead, you chased down the guy you thought had broken your friend’s heart and punched him out. You stood up for someone else, and you know what? That’s awesome.”

“That’s stupid,” Sunset countered in a mumble. “It doesn’t matter why I did it; I let my anger get the better of me and I hurt you.” Her shoulders slumped a bit further. “Is that really what a good person would’ve done?”

Flash hesitated just for a split second before reaching out and gently lifting Sunset’s chin so that he could look her in the eye. “I dunno about a good person, but I know that a bad person wouldn’t be sitting here worrying about the pain they inflict on others.”

Sunset looked up at him then. She stared into those big, sympathetic baby-blues of his, and noted that idiotic, half-cocked grin she’d always insisted she hated--until her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“You got that out of a movie, didn’t you?”

“Uh,” Flash stammered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as his cheeks turned just the tiniest bit red. “Video game, actually.”

Sunset started shaking her head in disbelief but found she couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled up from within as she tried to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.

Flash grinned and pulled a small packet of tissues from his jacket pocket as he sat down next to her. Sunset thanked him quietly and put them to good use as a strangely amicable silence fell between them. He nodded toward her. “How’s your hand?”

“Kinda hurts,” Sunset admitted, flexing it gingerly. “Think I messed up my knee pretty bad trying to catch up with you, too.” She nodded back at him. “How about your face?”

“Hurts,” he agreed as he tentatively massaged part of his jaw. “Probably gonna have to explain the bruise to my dad tomorrow.” He then put on a puzzled look. “How the heck did you even find me?”

“I figured you’d be heading home, and you always take the Crosstown after dark,” Sunset stated. “It’s practically empty outside of commuter hours and you like to pretend that you’re drag racing.”

Flash threw his hands up in the air. “Aw, c’mon! That was one time!”

“Two times if you count that old man in the Volvo that you thought was challenging you to a quarter-mile.”

“Hey, that guy had it coming.”

“That guy was geriatric.”

“Really?” Flash furrowed his brow. “I dunno, he seemed pretty memorable to me.”

Sunset blinked, turning to stare at him. “Geriatric, not generic! Do you seriously not know the-” She paused as she finally caught on to the knowing, sidelong smirk he was giving her. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but again found that she couldn’t hold back a smile. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Now that’s the Sunset Shimmer I remember,” Flash quipped.

Sunset’s smile evaporated, her gaze falling to the ground.

The color drained from Flash’s face as he realized his faux pas too late. “Uh, I didn’t mean it like… sorry.”

She nodded, but the comfortable silence from earlier was gone, replaced by one that draped heavily about their shoulders. It was a long minute before Flash cleared his throat.

“This is the first time we’ve actually talked to each other since the breakup, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Sunset scoffed, “and here I am insulting you and saddling you with all my problems again when you’ve got more than enough on your mind already.” Sunset shook her head sadly. “Things never change, I guess.”

“Some stuff does,” Flash mused. “You did.”

Sunset let out a derisive snort. “Only took a magic rainbow to the face to make me understand what a total bitch I was, right?” She played idly with the crumpled tissue in her fingers. “If it hadn’t been for Twilight, I’d still be stalking the halls of Canterlot High like some kind of monster... or worse. I owe her so much.”

“Yeah,” Flash sighed deeply, “she’s really something else, isn’t she?”

Sunset cringed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” She was interrupted by the buzz of her phone. She pulled it out and smirked at the screen. “Wow, eighteen texts and seven missed calls. Seems like the girls are pretty worried.”

“You better get back to them then,” Flash said as he stood. “Let ‘em know you’re okay.”

“You should come with me,” Sunset suggested, “I’m sure Twilight would want to talk to you, even if it were just to apologize.”

Flash grimaced, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking off to one side.

“Please?”

He looked back at her then, and she gave him the best hopeful smile she could muster. A dozen emotions played out behind his eyes, and for a moment Sunset thought it had worked, but in the end Flash began to slowly shake his head.

“I can’t,” he mumbled, almost too quiet to hear. “I mean, tell her… tell her I’ll talk to her some other time if she really wants to. I just…” he stopped for a long moment. “I don’t think I can look at her right now.”

“Okay,” Sunset’s heart sank in her chest even as she rose to her feet. “Okay, I’ll let her know.”

Flash nodded once and they both turned back to their vehicles. Sunset had only taken a few steps when she spun back around.

“Flash...”

He looked up, one hand on his door and one foot already inside the car. They stared at each other for a long moment before Sunset found her voice again.

“I know this might not mean anything coming from me, but for what it’s worth... you really are a great guy. Someday you’re going to make some lucky girl out there incredibly happy.”

Flash managed a smile; a paper-thin veneer which Sunset couldn’t help but recognize for what it was. “Someday,” he echoed.

With that he ducked into the car and shut the door. His engine kicked to life and he pulled out into the road, driving off with Sunset’s eyes following him until he was well out of sight. She picked up her helmet from the side of the road, brushing away a bit of dirt from the top, and sat down sidesaddle on her bike.

Lifting her phone, she quickly tapped out a message to her friends, letting them know she was okay and coming back. Once it was sent, she sighed and slipped the device back into a pocket, catching sight of her reflection in the helmet’s visor as she did. The girl she saw staring back at her looked like she’d been through Tartarus. Her hair was frazzled and her eyes were an irritated shade of red, but what really unnerved Sunset was the hollow, haunted look behind them.

A bad person wouldn’t be sitting here worrying about the pain they inflict on others.

As much as Sunset wanted to believe it, something told her it wasn’t quite that simple. She looked up, her gaze drawn to the highway before her and the way it seemed to disappear into the distance without end. With one final sigh she slipped on the helmet and started her bike.

The girls would have to wait for her a little while longer. Right now a long ride to clear her head was something she sorely needed.

Author's Note

The song reference in the chapter title shouldn't stump anyone, but just in case, here's a linky.

Chapter 3: A Jump to the Left...

It was half-past eleven by the time Sunset found herself in front of Sugarcube Corner again, and through the wide windows she could see that the party had long-since ended. A few decorations still hung from the walls, but Fluttershy and Crystal Prep’s Twilight were at work removing the last of them now. Rainbow Dash was helping Pinkie Pie sweep up, the two of them making fast circuits with wide push brooms as they raced around the shop, and Applejack stood in front of their group’s regular booth, talking to the seated duo of Rarity and Princess Twilight.

Sunset cringed at the sight of the latter, with her sagging shoulders and a half-empty tissue box set on the table in front of her. Part of Sunset wanted to just keep driving, dreading the conversation to come, but one deep, fortifying breath later she parked in her usual place and pulled off her helmet. She took a moment to try and straighten out her hair, but quickly decided it was a lost cause and made her way to the door, being careful not to put too much weight on her injured knee.

“Sunset!” seven voices (six if one considered that two of them were technically the same) exclaimed together as she opened the door. She had barely put down her helmet before she found herself mobbed by a concerned pastel rainbow full of questions.

“What happened?”

“You’re limping! Are you okay?”

“Didja find Flash?”

“You punch his lights out?”

“Rainbow Dash! Sunset would never stoop to such appalling behavior!”

“Pfft, you didn’t see her face when she took off.”

“Was it fun?!”

“Pinkie, why in the world would punching Flash be fun?”

“I’unno.”

“Girls, stop!” Sunset put her hands up and finally managed to get a word in edgewise, bringing silence to the room. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise, but I’m exhausted.” She gave them a weak smile. “Can we just sit down for a minute first?”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity smiled warmly and took her by the arm, leading her to a seat. “Pinkie, would you mind getting Sunset something to drink?”

“And maybe some ice for my knee?” Sunset added hopefully.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie chirped with a trademarked smile as she threw a sharp salute and dashed away to the kitchen while the others headed for their regular booth. Applejack pulled over an extra chair and helped Sunset elevate her injured leg. As they all finally settled in, Sunset gave Princess Twilight a weak smile.

“How are you holding up?”

“Okay, I suppose,” Princess Twilight returned the look with a slight sniff. “I’m not exactly experienced when it comes to these kind of relationships, but the girls have been very supportive.”

“Of course!” Fluttershy said sweetly as she leaned over and gave Princess Twilight a quick hug, “what kind of friends would we be if we weren’t?”

Sunset smiled anew at the touching scene as Pinkie emerged from the kitchen carrying not one but eight haphazardly balanced glasses of juice for her friends and with a frosty blue gel pack half-stuck in her hair.

“Thanks,” Sunset smiled as she accepted the items. She wrapped the ice pack around her throbbing knee, gently holding it in place with her injured hand while she used the other to gulp down almost half of her drink in one go. She hadn’t even realized how thirsty she was.

“So,” Princess Twilight began, nervously folding her hands on the table. “Did you...?”

“I caught up to Flash,” Sunset nodded.

“You knock his block off?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity admonished again, but Sunset’s sudden grimace gave her pause. The fashionista gasped and put a hand to her chest. “Sunset, you didn’t!”

“Ha!” Rainbow pumped her fist in the air as almost everyone else’s mouths fell open. “Told ya! Five bucks, AJ, pay up!”

Applejack glowered but nevertheless fished a crumpled bill from her pocket and handed it over to the snickering athlete. “Sunset, what in tarnation were you thinkin’?”

“I wasn’t thinking,” Sunset groaned. “I just sort of reacted. I assumed that Flash had dumped Twilight, but I didn’t find out it was the other way around until... after.”

“Well that’s certainly an understandable mistake to make given the circumstances, but to actually strike him?” Rarity questioned. “Darling, even the old ‘you’ never stooped to such things.”

“Ugh, I know!” Sunset put her hands over her face. “I feel awful. What’s worse is that Flash wasn’t even mad. I punched him in the face and he tried to cheer me up. In the end he somehow managed to screw that up too, but still...” Her hands fell back to the table as she shook her head tilted back to stare at the ceiling. “Sweet Celestia, what a night...”

“Okay, back up,” Rainbow put her hands up as she fought to contain herself. “You straight-up punched him in the face? That’s priceless!”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy was the one who spoke up this time, her brow knit in anger and with just a touch of disappointment staining her voice.

“Okay!” Rainbow waved her off, suppressing one last snicker. “Okay, I get it, I’ll stop now... sorry.”

Fluttershy huffed and turned to Sunset. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

“All right,” Sunset said as she sipped her juice again, more slowly this time. “Well, I had to take a bit of a shortcut to catch up to Flash, but when I did…”

“... After that he left, and I decided I needed some time to think, so I rode around for a bit and then came back here.” Sunset finished. A brief silence fell over the group.

“I’m sorry,” Princess Twilight murmured, “I didn’t want any of this to happen.”

“It’s not your fault, Twilight,” Fluttershy laid a comforting hand on the Princess’ shoulder.

“Actually it kiiiiiinda is,” Pinkie Pie added, earning more than a couple disapproving glares.

“No, Pinkie’s right,” Princess Twilight insisted. “I tried to let Flash down gently but I didn’t expect him to be so… so...”

“Stubborn?” Applejack suggested.

“Lovestruck?” Rarity batted her eyelashes.

“Sincere?” Fluttershy piped up.

“Hot?” Rainbow shrugged, taking the blunt stares of her friends in stride. “What? Just sayin’.”

“Ooh, ooh!” Pinkie Pie waved her hand in the air. “So super-completely wrapped up in the idea of being with you that the thought of not being with you never even crossed his mind, and when you finally dropped the bomb on him it was like watching a little kid who’s just been told that Santa Claus isn’t real try to keep it together even as everything he thought he knew about the world suddenly comes crashing down around him?!?”

“All of the above, actually,” Princess Twilight admitted with a ghost of a smile that faded all-too quickly. “I didn’t expect it to hurt me this much, either, and the fact that it caused so much trouble for Sunset makes it even worse.”

“I was the one who went running after him,” Sunset shook her head. “That’s my problem, not yours.” She gently laid her hand on top of the Princess’. “If it’s any consolation, I think Flash really does feel terrible about the way he reacted. He’s willing to try and patch things up, just... not tonight. He needs some time, that’s all.”

Princess Twilight’s face brightened a tiny bit. “That’s good to know. Thanks, Sunset.” The redhead returned the smile, only to have the heartfelt moment rudely interrupted by the rumbling of the Princess’ stomach. “Uh… sorry,” she blushed. “With everything else going on I guess I forgot to eat.”

“Aw, that stinks!” Pinkie Pie said. “And all the party snacks either got eaten or went home with people!” Her frown literally flipped upside down (kind of weirding the others out in the process). “Good thing we’re sitting in the best bakery in all of Canterlot, and Chef Pinkie is in da house!” She blinked. “I mean da kitchen!”

She produced a ludicrously large chef hat and plopped it atop her head. “Now let’s see… it’s so late today that it’s gonna be early tomorrow soon, so I’m thinking breakfast!” She put a finger to her lips in a pensive manner before a devious grin blossomed. “How does a batch of my special strawberry sprinkle funfetti pancakes with honey-maple syrup sound?”

Princess Twilight’s eyes glazed over as a tiny bit of drool dribbled from the corner of her mouth. “That sounds incredible.”

The others laughed as Pinkie zipped away to the kitchen with a perhaps too-eager Princess trailing close behind.

“Well, I’m thinkin’ it’s time for me to head on out,” Applejack said she she stretched her arms over her head. “Gotta get an early start tomorrow; life on the farm waits for no one.”

“Since Applejack is our ride this evening I’m afraid that means we three must be on our way as well,” Rarity said as she stood along with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“Twilight, will you be all right getting home?” Fluttershy asked.

“Huh?” Twilight looked up, her glasses slipping down her nose a bit from the sudden movement. “Oh, yes! The buses run late on weekends, so I should be fine,” she smiled.

“Okay, catch you later then!” Dash waved as the group headed off.

“Yeah… later,” Twilight offered a weak wave before her gaze fell back to the table in front of her.

Sunset frowned. “Everything okay? You’ve been pretty quiet.”

“I guess I’m just... not quite sure what I’m supposed to say.” She adjusted her glasses and looked up at Sunset. “Everyone else seems to already have their place in the group’s dynamic, but in the end I was finally able to convince Starlight Glimmer that what she was doing was wrong and restore the original timeline.” Princess Twilight Sparkle paused, taking a bit of a breath as she finished the rather lengthy tale of her recent exploits in Equestria. A moment of silence and blank looks of shock from the other girls followed.

“Uh,” Sunset furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Good gracious!” Rarity said. “I shudder to think of what might’ve happened had you not succeeded, Twilight. We might never have heard from you again!”

“Rarity?” Sunset turned to regard the fashionista. “Didn’t you just leave with Applejack?”

Rarity blinked. “Whatever do you mean, dear?”

“This is incredible!” Princess Twilight’s human counterpart exclaimed. “This Starlight person--er, pony was actually able to alter past events in a way that translated to meaningful changes in the future timeline?”

Princess Twilight beamed. “I know; I didn’t think it was possible! My previous experience with time travel led me to believe that everything was predetermined, but this event completely contradicts that theory! It’s so exciting!” She made an indistinct, high-pitched squeaking noise. “I can’t wait to start researching it when I get back home!”

“Wait, what is-” Sunset put her hands on the table and started to stand when she realized that the party was back in full swing. Sugarcube Corner was once again filled with a mixture of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts, most of whom were gathered around Rainbow and Indigo as they went head to head in that same fluffy fighting game. Fluttershy and a few others sat off to one side talking quietly. Vinyl and Lemon were rocking out. Sunset shook her head briskly, blinking several times as she took in every detail for a second time. “What’s going on?”

“Sunset?” Crystal Prep’s Twilight said, putting a hand on the other girl’s arm. “Is everything okay?”

Sunset could only shake her head as she continued to stare at everything around her. “I… I’m not sure. A second ago I could’ve sworn I was sitting over there,” she pointed to their usual booth, “talking to you, and then all of the sudden I was back here listening to Princess Twilight talk about how she dealt with the...”

She froze. A deep, clutching chill coursed through her body, reaching from the tips of her toes to the very top of her head.

“No…” she breathed. “No, it couldn’t be.”

“What?” Princess Twilight asked. “Sunset, what’s wrong?”

“Did I just...” Sunset stammered. “Th-there’s no way; it shouldn’t be poss-”

Someone cleared their throat. Sunset’s eyes went wide as sweat started to bead on her forehead. She turned to regard Flash Sentry, his hands stuffed in his pockets right where she expected to see them, and wearing a nervous grin that was all-too familiar.

No...

“Hey girls, sorry for interrupting.”

“Oh, um, it’s no trouble at all, darling,” Rarity recovered quickly and offered him a sweet smile. “Would you like to join us?”

No, no, no!

“Um, actually, Twilight can I talk to you for a second?” he mumbled, before adding a hasty “In private?”

A vibrant blush quickly overtook Princess Twilight’s features. “Oh, um... sure!” She pushed herself up from the table and took a moment to smooth her skirt before regarding her friends with a smile. “Hold that thought, I’ll be right back.”

Sunset stared open-mouthed as she watched the two of them enter the kitchen, and only after the door had closed did she turn back around and slump down into her seat, her gaze flitting about as her mind attempted to rationalize what the rest of her senses were trying to convince her was happening. She closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths one after another.

“Sunset, are you sure you’re feeling all right?” Rarity asked. “You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”

Sunset took one final, calming breath and opened her eyes. “It… it’s nothing. I’m sure it’s nothing, I just… I need some air.”

Rarity and Twilight exchanged confused, worried frowns as Sunset quickly slid from her seat and made a beeline for the front door.

Author's Note

Imma let y'all try and figure this chapter title reference on your own; shouldn't be too hard, :derpytongue2:

Those that do figure it out will probably be able to guess the next chapter's title too, and I'll post a link to the song in the Ch4 A/N, :rainbowkiss:

Chapter 4: ... And Then a Step to the Right

Sunset all but stumbled out onto the sidewalk in front of Sugarcube Corner and immediately began pacing, her arms crossed and her head bowed. She slowly brought her breathing back under control, but the chaotic, impossible thoughts spinning through her mind were a completely different matter.

This can’t be what it looks like. I can’t have gone back in time; magic just doesn’t work that way on this side of the portal.

She hesitated, tilting her head slightly.

Or does it? I’ve only just scratched the surface of trying to understand it, and it is Equestrian magic after all... if it’s possible there, then why not here?

She had barely a moment to ponder those implications before Rarity and Twilight burst from the bakery in hot pursuit.

“Sunset!” Rarity gasped. “Oh my, your face is practically as white as mine! What’s wrong? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“N-no! Nothing!” Sunset put her hands up defensively, forcing a smile. “Honestly, I’m fine.” Her brow furrowed. “I’m fine?”

She held up the hand she’d introduced to Flash’s chin, and flexed it. She then gave her previously sprained knee a tentative bend. No pain.

“Huh, I really am fine!” She smiled, hopping up and down on her right leg to accentuate the point before the frown reclaimed its place on her features and she froze in place.

“Oh, Celestia, I’m fine. Does that mean… what does that mean?!”

“Oookaaay,” Twilight said, turning slightly to Rarity. “I haven’t known you girls for very long; is she usually like this?”

“No, this is more akin to something out of Pinkie Pie’s repertoire, to be perfectly honest,” Rarity replied with a shake of her head. “Sunset… please, you’re starting to worry us.”

Sunset looked up then, and cringed, recognizing the genuine concern etched on both her friends’ faces.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, but I…” she trailed off, shaking her head and unable to hold back a nervous laugh. “You’re gonna think I’m crazy. I think I might have just traveled back in time.”

Rarity and Twilight stared at her for a moment, and the former was the first to speak up.

“Traveled back in time as in… like what Princess Twilight was just telling us about?”

Sunset shrugged. “More or less? I don’t know, but I literally just got done with this evening and now it’s started all over again.” Twilight and Rarity exchanged puzzled looks, and Sunset sighed in resignation. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

“It’s not that, darling,” Rarity said, “but it… well, it just seems like an awfully big coincidence.”

“Could it be something else?” Twilight asked “A particularly vivid dream maybe, or some kind of hallucination? A really strong sense of deja vu?”

“I hope so,” Sunset admitted with a sigh, putting her hands on her hips. “To be honest, time magic is difficult enough to handle in Equestria, but here?” She shook her head. “We still barely understand anything about how magic works in this world.”

Twilight bowed her head in thought and Rarity frowned, but the fashionista’s expression brightened a scant moment later.

“Well! Luckily, we have an expert to help us find a solution!” she said with a smile. “I’m sure Twilight will be able to come up with some sort of explanation.”

“What?!” Twilight gasped, her glasses sliding down her nose. “Me?”

“Oh, terribly sorry dear! I was referring to Princess Twilight,” Rarity said. “That does get dreadfully confusing at times, doesn’t it?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but before she had a chance the door to Sugarcube Corner opened again. The girls all turned in time to catch the brief glower Flash Sentry shot their way before he strode off down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

Sunset sighed as her heart sank a little further. “We should go back inside… I think Princess Twilight may have her own problems to worry about right now.”

The party went on a little longer than Sunset expected it to, but it eventually wound down. The last of the guests to leave outside of her immediate circle of friends had been Vinyl Scratch and Lemon Zest, the latter having stayed to help the former pack up and load her DJ equipment into that strange car of hers. That had been almost twenty minutes ago, and now everything was beginning to look familiar again. Rainbow and Pinkie were sweeping up, Fluttershy was taking down the last of the party decorations, and Applejack was no doubt giving some choice words of country wisdom to Rarity and Princess Twilight.

Sunset was pleased to see her fellow Equestrian handling the entire situation with Flash much better this time, though she knew most of that had been due to her presence and some well-placed assurances that everything would work out for the best. It had been easy for her to sound confident that Flash would eventually forgive Twilight, even if she hadn’t said why she was so certain. She had even made sure Twilight remembered to eat so the poor girl wouldn’t spend her whole evening on an empty stomach, and Rarity’s suggestion of ‘comfort ice cream’ had gone over well with everyone. Sunset actually found herself licking her lips at the memory. She could’ve sworn that she’d tasted oats mixed in with the vanilla.

Still, despite everything the sad frown had never left the Princess’ face for long, and the brightness in her eyes was quite subdued compared to what Sunset was used to seeing.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ask her?” the other Twilight, seated next to Sunset, said softly.

“Yeah,” Sunset nodded, her eyes never leaving the Princess. “I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe you were right. Maybe I was just daydreaming, or had some kind of stress-induced hallucination.” She smirked. “The past week’s been crazy enough to drive anybody nuts.”

Twilight chuckled. “You’re telling me. I’m still trying to wrap my head around all the laws of physics we threw out the window during our,” she paused to clear her throat, “little altercation.”

“You and me both,” Sunset agreed. “Anyway, Twilight’s going through enough right now. Even if I did jump back in time a few hours somehow, I can always ask her about it later when she isn’t so… overwhelmed.”

Twilight regarded Sunset for a moment, noting that the other girl’s gaze was still focused intently on the Princess. “You really care about her, huh?”

Sunset nodded again, more thoughtfully this time.

“Even though we don’t spend much time together, I feel like in some ways I’m closer to her than I am to the friends I see every day. The path I was on before I met her would’ve ended in misery and suffering, even though I was too blinded by my own ambition to see it.” She put on a soft, wistful smile as she felt her emotions swell. “I’m not exaggerating when I say she saved my life, and seeing her like this…” she trailed off and sucked in a sudden breath as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Twilight quickly handed her a nearby napkin, and Sunset shook her head as she accepted it.

“Sorry. It’s been kind of a rough night... both of them.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight gave her a half-hearted smile before turning her gaze to her Equestrian counterpart. “Princess Twilight does seem pretty amazing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that…” She trailed off suddenly, letting her gaze fall to the table.

Sunset quirked her head to one side. “That what?”

“Nothing,” Twilight answered a little too quickly. “It’s dumb.”

Sunset tilted her head back the other way and raised an eyebrow, fixing Twilight with her best approximation of Applejack’s patent-pending ‘what’ve ya gone and done now’ stare.

The bookish girl lasted a respectable two and a half seconds before she caved.

“It’s just that… after the Friendship Games you and the others were so kind and welcoming to me, even after all the mistakes I made--and I’m really grateful for that, honest, but...” Twilight paused and bit her lip. “But in the end I was finally able to convince Starlight Glimmer that what she was doing was wrong and restore the original timeline.” Princess Twilight Sparkle paused, taking a bit of a breath as she finished the rather lengthy tale of her recent exploits in Equestria. A moment of silence and blank looks of shock from the other girls followed, though Sunset’s reaction had nothing to do with Princess Twilight’s narrative.

“Good gracious!” Rarity said. “I shudder to think of what might’ve happened had you not- Sunset?” she stopped mid-sentence as Sunset slumped in her chair and groaned pitifully.

“Hey, my story wasn’t that bad,” Princess Twilight gave a frown that fell somewhere between amused and annoyed.

“It’s not that,” Sunset mumbled. “It just happened again.”

“What did?”

“For some reason I can’t even begin to understand, I’ve jumped back in time twice now,” Sunset leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands. “Every time midnight rolls around I wind up right back here just as Twilight finishes telling us about how she fixed the time traveling mess that kept her from coming to help us during the Friendship Games.” Finished, she sighed heavily.

The other three girls looked to one another for a moment before they all grinned and started laughing.

“Nice one, Sunset,” Twilight said as she adjusted her glasses.

Rarity nodded and smiled. “It was a very convincing performance.”

“Yeah, you really had me going there for a second before I realized you were kidding,” Princess Twilight giggled, but her laugh tapered off quickly as she and the others caught on to the deadpan stare Sunset was giving them. “You were kidding, right?”

Sunset shook her head. “The first time I thought it was a fluke, like it had just been a hallucination, or some kind of super deja vu like Twilight said.”

“I said that?” Twilight echoed as her hand rose to slowly stroke her chin. “Hm, those do sound like plausible theories.”

“They were plausible,” Sunset corrected, “now that it’s happened twice I can’t think of anything else that would explain it except for some kind of time magic.”

“But something as precise and complicated as time magic shouldn’t be possible here,” Princess Twilight said.

“Tell me about it,” Sunset grumbled. She had just begun massaging the bridge of her nose when someone cleared their throat.

“Hey girls, sorry for interrupting,” Flash Sentry said as he made his scheduled appearance.

“Why, it’s no trouble at all, darling,” Rarity smiled sweetly and gestured to the empty seat between Princess Twilight and Sunset. “Would you like to-”

“Actually,” Sunset cut in, “we were kind of in the middle of something, do you mind?”

“Uh,” Flash raised an eyebrow. “I was just hoping to talk to Twilight for a second.”

“Me?” Princess Twilight blushed. “Uh, sure.” Sunset opened her mouth to protest as Princess Twilight stood and quickly smoothed her skirt. “Hold that thought, I’ll be right back.”

“But… ugh!” Sunset groaned as Princess Twilight and Flash disappeared into the kitchen. She turned back to the table, putting her elbows on it and placing her forehead in her palms. “This is bad.”

“Oh don’t be silly!” Rarity chided. “Twilight and Flash have been smitten since they first laid eyes on one another.” She breathed a dreamy sigh. “It’s so romantic…”

Sunset snorted. “Yeah, except that Twilight’s about to break up with the guy.”

Rarity gasped as if she’d been slapped. “Utter nonsense! What could possibly make you think our Twilight would ever do such a thing?”

“I’ve seen it happen!” Sunset shot back, no longer able to keep the anger from her voice. “Twice! Twilight breaks up with Flash, he takes it badly and it ends up hurting her just as much as it does him!”

Rarity and Twilight could only stare as Sunset continued, her voice gaining intensity and volume with every word.

“I tried to tell her that it’ll all work out for the best once he’s had some time to think, but she was miserable for the whole rest of the night anyway!” She pointed at Rarity. “Then you suggest that we all eat some comfort ice cream--which was freaking amazing by the way; I didn’t even realize they had something like vanilla oat swirl in this dimension--and then you,” this time she pointed to Twilight, “keep trying to tell me something that’s clearly bothering you, but every time I jump back you get cut off right before you say what it is, and I’m-”

She stopped, suddenly and acutely aware that almost every eye in the room was now upon her save for Rainbow, Indigo, and a few of their more dedicated video game audience members. Even Vinyl had turned down the volume and was glancing at Sunset over the tops of her purple shades while Lemon Zest held her earphones in her hands, a mixed look of confusion and concern painted across both their faces.

“Uh,” Sunset swallowed hard as he cheeks flushed with heat. “Sorry.”

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash’s whooping victory cry and celebratory pose stole the room’s focus away at the best possible moment. “Oh yeah! Who’s awesome?”

Sunset tuned out the rest of Rainbow and Indigo’s clashing egos and breathed a sigh of defeat, slumping forward onto the table with a muffled ‘thunk’ as her forehead met the surface.

“Sweet Celestia, I sound like a complete madwoman, don’t I?”

“Actually,” Rarity began hesitantly, “I… I confess, I’ve been craving vanilla oat swirl ice cream for the last week but I just haven’t found the proper excuse to indulge myself. It is my comfort food of choice for romance-related situations, and if Princess Twilight were upset about her relationship with Flash… well, it certainly sounds like something I’d suggest.”

Sunset’s head popped up after a brief pause, giving Rarity a focused stare. “So… you’re saying you believe me?”

“Well there’s obviously something bothering you,” Rarity offered, “and I must admit, after everything Canterlot High has been through this past year I find that I have very little incredulity left when it comes to so-called ‘impossible’ things. I’m certain the other girls feel the same way.”

Sunset’s face brightened she and Rarity shared small smiles. She turned to Twilight. “What about you?”

“What?” Twilight’s glasses fell down to the tip of her nose as she gave a start. “What do you mean what about me?”

“There’s something bothering you, isn’t there?”

“Um,” Twilight narrowed her eyes and readjusted her glasses. “I don’t think so.”

Sunset visibly deflated a little, and Twilight put her hands up defensively.

“B-but, that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to believe you!” She grinned sheepishly. “A week ago I didn’t even know magic existed, and now here I am talking to a former unicorn and hanging out with a pony princess version of myself from another dimension. Time travel?” She shrugged. “Why not?”

Sunset teared up a little, gratitude welling up within her chest at the faith her friends had for her, but before she could express it Flash Sentry made his expected exit. Sunset once again found herself briefly catching his gaze as he strode past and out the door. Despite how it still twisted her stomach into knots, she couldn’t help but grin just a little at the wide eyes and open mouths of her friends. She was fairly certain Rarity’s remaining incredulity had just walked out the door along with Flash, and she could practically smell smoke as she watched the gears of Twilight’s normally agile mind grind to a halt.

“That guy left in a hurry and looked really unhappy about something,” Sugarcoat deadpanned as she and Fluttershy joined them, the latter nodding.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Flash look so angry since the Battle of the Bands. Is everything all right?”

Twilight and Rarity looked to Sunset, who heaved a heavy sigh.

“No, Fluttershy… it is definitely not.”

Author's Note

Let's do the Time Warp again! :rainbowlaugh:

Warning: if you're not familiar with the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the above link may be a bit... disconcerting, :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 5: Don't Bet Your Future...

Several hours of questions, explanations, some consolation, and even more explanations later, the girls were once again gathered around their usual table, having foregone cleaning up after the party ended to instead listen to Sunset’s rather astonishing tale.

“Well, you’re right, it certainly sounds like some form of time magic,” Princess Twilight mumbled, sniffing lightly as she fidgeted with the rumpled tissue in her hands, “but I still don’t understand how it could have happened on this side of the portal.”

“Me either,” Sunset shrugged, “I was kind of hoping you might have an idea where we could at least start trying to figure it out.” She glanced at the clock on her phone with a grimace. “Though at this point the best we can probably do is brainstorm a little. If time always resets at the same point, I’ve only got another eighteen minutes until it happens again.”

A tiny smile found its way onto the other Twilight’s lips as she adjusted her glasses. “You’re going to take what you learn with you into the next loop and pick up where we left off, making incremental progress toward eventually solving the problem. Clever.”

“I don’t know if I would call it that,” Sunset shrugged. “From where I’m sitting it’s pretty much my only option.”

“So… lemme get this straight,” Applejack said, “ya been through this night how many times now?”

“Only two so far,” Sunset sighed and gently massaged her temple. “Well, three if you count this one.”

“And no one else remembers any of it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nope,” Sunset shook her head. “The only thing that seems to carry over is my own memory. I hurt my leg pretty bad before this all started, but now it’s as if that injury never happened.” She hesitated. “I mean, I guess in a sense it really didn’t happen… ugh, now I know why people say time travel is confusing. No wonder I’m getting a headache.”

“Headache, schmeadache!” Rainbow Dash grinned. “This is awesome! Think about it! You can do all kinds of crazy stunts and stuff without worrying about getting hurt! You could do whatever you want!”

“I believe Sunset is more interested in finding a way to fix this problem than she is in using it to perform ‘crazy stunts’,” Rarity said, coupling her remark with a set of air-quotes. “Besides, what would be the point of doing all those things if no one would remember them?”

Rainbow Dash frowned, crossing her arms and hunkering down in her seat. “Well she’d remember.”

“We also have no basis to assume that time would still reset if something serious were to happen to Sunset,” Crystal Prep’s Twilight mused quietly, her head bowed in concentration.

Applejack sat up a little straighter. “Serious meanin’... what, exactly?”

Twilight looked up and blanched as the group’s collective focus fell over her. “W-well, she’s obviously the focal point of this loop, but that doesn’t mean she can afford to be careless. Relatively minor physical injuries are one thing, but we have no way to test what would happen if she were to… um, die.”

Fluttershy audibly gasped, and the tension in the air thickened as the girls exchanged pointed looks.Twilight swallowed hard and adjusted her glasses before continuing.

“Sunset’s death could just trigger the loop to start over, but it could just as easily break the cycle. There’s really only one way to know for sure, but… well, you know.”

“Translation,” Rainbow piped up, “don’t get killed.”

“How is that different from any other day?” Sunset deadpanned, though she wished her stomach felt as calm as her voice sounded.

“Ooh, ooh!” Pinkie Pie burst out, waving her hand in the air for a moment as if she was waiting for a teacher to call on her. “You could totally eat a billion, jillion cupcakes without worrying about getting fat! That’d be safe to try, right? Nobody ever died from cupcakes!”

“That’s… actually not a bad idea,” Sunset admitted with a nod. “I certainly wouldn’t mind pigging out on more of that vanilla oat swirl, and I have the feeling I’m going to need all the stress-reducing comfort food I can get my hands on.” She gave surprisingly helpful party planner a bright smile, which was returned ten-fold. “Thanks, Pinkie.” She turned her attention back to the Princess seated across from her. “So what do you think?”

Princess Twilight’s head was bowed, her unfocused eyes aimed at the tabletop as her hands continued to idly wring the tissue in their grasp. Sunset frowned.

“Twilight?”

Her head snapped up. “Oh! Um… sorry, I was… lost in thought.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Sunset took the Princess’ hand in her own. “I know how awful it is to dump all this on you right now, and I really, really wish I could put it off, but I don’t have a choice. I need your help if I’m going to figure this out.” She smiled. “After all of this is over we’ll patch things up with Flash, together. I promise.”

“I’d like that. Thank you, Sunset,” Princess Twilight nodded, the edges of her mouth curling ever-so slightly. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Okay, well… when it comes to time travel, I’m afraid my experiences are actually pretty limited. Before the recent incident with Starlight Glimmer I’d only ever used time magic once, so the first thing we’re going to need to do is gather some research materials.” She looked to Sunset. “It’s going to be a little tricky, though. The only place I know of that might have the information we need is the Starswirl the Bearded section of the Canterlot archives. Just getting there is going to take us a while, so we won’t have much time to research before the loop resets.”

Sunset nodded slowly along with Princess Twilight’s reasoning. “You could get to Canterlot faster if you flew there yourself, right?” she asked. “If I stayed here with my journal and you took yours along, you could write anything you find back to me.”

Twilight frowned. “Yes, but it would take longer if I was the only one researching… I suppose I could bring Spike along, but-”

“Wait,” the other Twilight spoke up, “what about Starlight?”

A septuplet of blank stares greeted her for a moment. The silence was broken by the resounding smack of Princess Twilight’s palm greeting her own forehead.

“Of course! How could I forget? Starlight Glimmer is staying at my castle now! She re-wrote Starswirl’s time travel spell; she’s practically an expert!” She shook her head again, slumping even further into her seat. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“It’s all right, Twilight,” Rarity laid a comforting hand on the Princess’ shoulder. “You’ve had as taxing an evening as Sunset, after all.”

Sunset, for her part, nodded once. “Rarity’s right; what really matters is that we’ve got a pretty solid lead now.” She turned to the other Twilight and shot her a wink and a smile. “Nice going, Sparky.”

“Oh,” the girl said, averting her eyes as a light blush tinted her cheeks. “No problem, i-it was nothing.”

“So,” Fluttershy’s soft voice floated to their ears, “what should the rest of us do then?”

Sunset shrugged. “I’ve still got a few minutes until the reset, but there’s not really anything else to do at this point. Just… wish me luck, I guess.”

“Good luck, Sunset,” Rarity smiled.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash chimed in as Fluttershy nodded and offered a supportive smile. “If anybody can pull this off Sunset, it’s you! Kick time’s butt!”

“Good luck, sugarcube,” Applejack said, catching herself in a yawn that morphed into a long stretch as she stood. “If’n it don’t matter anyway, we might as well hang out until your time thingamajig happens and you up and disappear.”

“D-disappear?” Fluttershy squeaked, retreating behind the pink curtain of her hair.

“Pfsh!” Rainbow Dash cut in, tipping back in her chair and putting her feet up on the table. “Really AJ? I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.”

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good, for a moment I thought-”

“If anything, we’re gonna be the ones who disappear when Sunset goes all Bill Murrhay on us.”

“Eep!”

“Applejack, Rainbow, could you please try to show a smidgen of tact; you’re upsetting Fluttershy!” Rarity chimed in. She scooted over and laid her hands comfortingly on the timid girl’s shoulders. “There there, darling, it’s all right. No one is going to disappear.”

“Oh, like you’re suddenly an expert?” Dash frowned. “I’ve seen Buck to the Future! When you mess up the past, people get erased from history!”

“Dangit Rainbow, that was a movie,” Applejack crossed her arms. “It ain’t real. ‘Sides, Sunset ain’t goin’ back to before we were born or anythin’.”

“Ooh, oooh!” Pinkie Pie jolted to attention. “What if Sunset brings one of us along with her for the ride next time? Then there’d be two of us in one place! How super-crazy and unexpected would that be?”

The rest of the room stared at her for a moment until the Twilights simultaneously raised their hands.

Pinkie’s jaw dropped as she glanced rapidly between them. “Omigosh! She did it already!”

Princess Twilight opened her mouth to reply but abruptly found herself staring into Pinkie’s ever-excited baby-blues from a distance that violated every personal space boundary known to man or ponykind.

“Are you from the future?!” She said in an urgent, hushed whisper that sent chills down Twilight’s spine.

Luckily the Princess didn’t have to answer, as Applejack promptly picked Pinkie up by her collar and plopped her back in her seat.

“Simmer down, girl. That Twilight ain’t from the future, she’s the same pony princess from another world that we’ve always known.”

Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, ‘cause that sounds so much more normal.”

“Makes more sense than folks up an’ disappearin’ for no good reason,” Applejack put her hands on her hips with a frown.

“Whaddya mean ‘for no good reason?’” Rainbow frowned right back. “I’m telling you…”

As Rainbow launched into her somewhat dubious, movie-reference filled rebuttal, Sunset rested her chin in her hand and looked on. The sight of her friends engaging in another of their roundabout, good-natured, everyone-laughs-about-it-later arguments brought a warm smile to her face. To them, this was just another Friday night in more ways than one, and even though Sunset was the only one stuck in time, her heart swelled at the notion that she wouldn’t truly be facing this challenge alone.

Sunset’s moment of calm was quickly upended as Princess Twilight pushed out her chair and stood.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” The Princess answered with an exhausted half-smile, “just need to use the little filly’s room and wash up a bit, that’s all.”

Sunset nearly got up to follow her, but hesitated, instead to merely watching as Princess Twilight shuffled to the labeled restrooms near the back of the cafe. She sighed, turning back to find that the remaining Twilight was trying--and failing--to suppress a grin.

“What is it?” Sunset asked.

“‘Sparky?’” was all Twilight replied with.

“Sorry,” Sunset grimaced, “I thought it’d be less confusing if one of you had a nickname. No good?”

“Yes!” Twilight blurted. “I mean no! I mean… I-I don’t mind.” She instinctively tilted her head down to hide an embarrassed blush. “It’s just that no one’s ever given me a nickname before. Well, aside from my brother; he still calls me ‘Twily’ sometimes, but he’s family, so he doesn’t count. Er, well, he counts, I mean it counts since it’s still a nickname, but I was always really close with him growing up so the fact that he gave me a nickname isn’t that surprising, and it’s really not as big of a deal as when some other random person does it.”

Her head snapped up as her face went ashen.

“N-not that you’re just a random person! Haha, that would make it seem like you weren’t important to me, or that I wasn’t grateful for everything you’ve done; which I am! I’m incred-”

“Sparky.”

“Yes?!”

“Breathe.”

Twilight did as she was told, placing one hand on her chest and slowly extending it out in front of her while she exhaled.

“Better?”

“Yes, thanks,” Twilight said with a nod. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Sunset laughed. “Honestly I’d rather see you all worked up than all mopey like you were the first two times. Speaking of, you wanna tell me what’s been-”

She was interrupted by a soft set of chimes from her phone as it vibrated in her hand. She looked down at the device with a wistful grimace and a sigh.

“Time’s up. See you again in a second, Sparky.”

“Are you leaving already?” Princess Twilight asked. “I know it’s kind of a long story but I was almost done… and wait, who’s Sparky?”

Sunset looked up from her phone to find herself on the other side of the room, looking into the mildly confused faces of Rarity and a pair of Twilights. Vinyl’s music was back in full force, as was the rest of the party going on around them. She took a deep breath.

Here we go.

“Girls, we need to talk.”

Author's Note

Guessing time again! Next chapter's A/N will have the link, :ajsmug:

Chapter 6: ... On a Roll of the Dice

On second thought, maybe ‘we need to talk’ wasn’t exactly the best way to start things off, Sunset Shimmer mused, trying to ignore the fact that her fingers were starting to ache from maintaining a deathgrip on a piece of partially rusted metal for the last eleven minutes. Maybe next time I’ll try something more urgent-sounding, like ‘we need to go,’ or ‘come with me if you ever want to see tomorrow.’

Another bone-jarring bounce made Sunset wonder if she was going to live to see tomorrow.

“Jeeze, is she aiming for every pothole in Canterlot?” Rainbow asked, her voice just barely loud enough for to be heard over the wind that whipped Sunset’s hair about her face and neck.

Applejack’s pickup truck, being the only vehicle the girls had access to that could carry them all at once, had been the logical choice for getting the group to Canterlot High as soon as possible. It would’ve been a lot sooner, however, if Sunset’s attempts to explain the situation to her friends hadn’t taken forever. They’d believed her readily enough, but trying to answer everyone’s questions and bring them up to speed on her current plan still took the better part of two hours, followed by a solid ten minutes of hijinx she normally might have found comical as the eight of them tried to find a way to squish into the slightly worse-for-wear work truck.

Sunset managed to catch Applejack’s gaze in the rearview mirror as she checked to make sure all her external passengers were still accounted for, and Sunset gave her an exasperated nod.

“I’m sure she’s doing her best to avoid them,” Sunset shouted back, though her aching tailbone didn’t believe it for a second.

“Wheeeeeeeeee!!” Pinkie Pie suddenly stood, leaning on the back of the truck’s cab with her arms spread wide as her hair danced behind her. “I’m king of the world!”

“Sit down!” Rainbow Dash sprang up and grabbed Pinkie by the arm, yanking her back to a sitting position just as the truck hit another bump in the road. “For crying out loud, I know you’re crazy, Pinkie, but seriously?” Dash admonished, drawing a pout from the party girl.

“Aww, but when else am I gonna get a chance to re-enact Titanic?”

“... You want us to hit an iceberg and sink?” Dash deadpanned.

“Pff!” Pinkie laughed with a dismissive wave. “Of course not! There’s no icebergs in Canterlot, silly!” Her eyes sparkled and brightened considerably. “Now an ice cream truck; that’s much more likely, not to mention way yummier!”

Dash facepalmed as Pinkie started saying something about the best flavors of ice cream to eat while stranded at sea, and Sunset gave them a wry smile, but her expression evaporated as her gaze drifted over to the fourth and last occupant of Applejack’s truck bed.

Princess Twilight Sparkle’s head was bowed, her arms wrapped around her knees in a sort of self-comforting hug. Her bangs hung at just the right angle to keep her eyes and most of her expression hidden, but Sunset didn’t need to see her best friend’s face to guess that it carried the same sad frown she’d been wearing all night; the same one Sunset had been forced to endure--from her perspective--for the better part of a whole day.

Sunset had failed to stop the breakup again, and thanks to focusing her efforts on getting the rest of their friends on board, had also failed to give Princess Twilight the support and comfort she sorely wanted to. Seeing Twilight curled into a ball as she was now; shying away from the rest of them… as gently as Sunset had tried to put it, her insistence that her time travel problem took precedence over Twilight’s emotional well-being must have cut even deeper than she had expected.

Sunset shifted her position, sliding a little closer to Princess Twilight as Applejack hit yet another jarring pothole and began to slow.

“Twilight?” Sunset said, reaching out with one hand to touch the other girl’s leg.

Princess Twilight gave a slight start, rapidly wiping at her face with the back of her arm before raising her puffy eyes to meet Sunset’s gaze, a sight which tore at Sunset’s already-raw emotions.

“What? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing,” Sunset shook her head, “I was just… I just wanted to say I’m sorry. About… everything, I guess.” She tried put on a warm smile, but even the attempt felt hollow somehow. “Things with Flash really will turn out okay. Trust me.”

Twilight smiled back at her weakly.

“Thanks Sunset.” The Princess looked like she wanted to say more, but the truck swung into a slow turn, and Twilight’s gaze was drawn to something over Sunset’s shoulder.

Sunset turned, the familiar sight of Canterlot High School looming just ahead. Applejack slowed to a stop near the shattered Wondercolt statue and cut the engine.

“Finally!” Rainbow Dash leaped down from the truck onto the grassy lawn, both hands trying to massage the small of her back. “If that ride was any longer I’d have to start looking for a chiropractor.”

“Sunset said to get the lead out, so I got it out,” Applejack said as she stepped out of the truck, turning and offering her hand to help Rarity down as well. “Quit yer bellyachin’.”

“Silly AJ!” Pinkie Pie bounced down next to them. “It’s not Dashie’s belly that’s aching, it’s her butt!”

Rarity and Applejack shared a look and rolled their eyes as Rainbow stifled a laugh.

“Focus, girls,” Sunset said as she shouldered her backpack and helped Princess Twilight down from the truck bed. Fluttershy and Crystal Prep’s Twilight came around from the passenger side of the vehicle as the girls collectively made their way over to the broken statue, and more specifically the portal to Equestria set into its thankfully still-intact pedestal.

“Okay,” Princess Twilight said with a weak smile and a slight sniffle. “I’ll be right back with Starlight.” She hesitated, her smile turning into a pensive frown. “Unless she’s already gone to sleep, in which case I’d better ask Spike to make some coffee first.” Her eyes widened. “Unless we’re out of coffee… in which case this miiiight take a while. Starlight isn’t what you’d call a ‘morning pony’, hehe.”

“I’m sure we can get Starlight some coffee here if we need to,” Sunset said, glancing to Applejack hopefully.

“Yeah, I can go on a run and meet y’all back here,” the farmgirl said with a sigh as she pulled out her keys again, “but somebody’s comin’ with to help carry.”

“I’ll accompany you, darling,” Rarity said, failing to conceal a small yawn behind her hand. “So long as we’re going, we might as well get a little something for everyone. I know I could certainly use a bit of a pick-me-up.”

“That’s a good idea. We haven’t had all that sugary ice cream this time around,” Sunset nodded.

“I call shotgun!” Rainbow Dash’s shout cut off any questions the others might’ve had about Sunset’s comment as she bolted for Applejack’s pickup.

“A minute ago you couldn’t wait to get outta my truck and now you want back in?” Applejack deadpanned.

“‘Cause just standing around waiting is boring, and this time I’m getting a nice comfy seat,” Rainbow smirked as she pulled open the passenger side door. “Why do you think I called--what the?!”

Dash found herself face to face with Pinkie Pie, already buckled into place in the very spot she had been intending to claim for herself on the truck’s bench-style seat.

“Coffee! Somebody said coffee! I heard them!” she practically shouted, jittering with nervous energy that was normally reserved for people who had already imbibed too much caffeine. Dash frowned and let out a low grumble.

“Ugh, fine; just move over!”

“Okie dokie lokie!”

Applejack pinched her nose and mumbled a curse under her breath. “Sunset, I assume you’re stayin’ here; anybody else gonna tag along?”

Fluttershy whispered a ‘no thank you’ as Crystal Prep’s Twilight shook her head. With a nod to the four remaining girls, Applejack climbed into the driver’s seat once Rarity had claimed the last open spot in the cab next to Pinkie, turned over the engine and drove off into the night.

“Okay,” Sunset exhaled sharply as she turned back to the statue. “Well, I guess we’ll…” She trailed off, taking note of the downcast, distracted look Princess Twilight seemed to be giving to the cement between her shoes. “Twilight?”

“Yes! Going to get Starlight! Sorry!” The Princess snapped to attention, giving her friends a quick smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a fla-” She stopped short, her smile twisting awkwardly into a frown. “I mean… I won’t be long.”

With one last fleeting look, Princess Twilight turned and stepped into the mirror-smooth surface at the base of the statue. A wave of bright white light shone across the courtyard as her body sank into the stone as if it were water, leaving only a slight ripple as her trailing foot vanished back to her own world.

Sunset took a single step forward and set her backpack down, staring as the portal reverted to its normal state.

“Don’t worry, Sunset,” Fluttershy said as she and the remaining Twilight stepped up to stand on either side of her, “I’m sure Starlight will be able to help.”

“Yeah,” Sunset said as she crossed her arms, finally pulling her gaze from the portal and turning to regard the darkened building towering above her. Like any school, Canterlot High looked and felt very different at night. Normally bright and inviting when the sun was shining, the two-story structure seemed much taller, was deathly quiet, and felt far more imposing now that shadows hung over every corner.

Sunset swallowed hard as her eyes inevitably found themselves drawn to the main entryway. A shiver ran down her spine, and she instinctively drew her arms in tighter to ward off the chill that she was almost certain was entirely in her mind.

“Everything okay?”

Sunset gave a start at Twilight’s voice, and the girl herself likewise jumped; glasses sliding midway down her nose.

“Sorry,” Sunset turned to face her, noting that Fluttershy had released Angel Bunny from the confines of her backpack and had settled onto a section of the grassy lawn with him some distance away. “I’m fine, I just… being here after dark makes me a little uncomfortable. Bad memories.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Twilight murmured as she set her glasses back in place, taking an awkward glance at the shattered remains of the Wondercolt statue.

A soft smile grew on Sunset’s face. “You really do, don’t you? Maybe more than anyone else ever could.”

Twilight’s only answer was to bow her head a little in an attempt to hide the rosy tint spreading across her cheeks.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, I just...” Sunset trailed off with a sigh. “I just meant that out of all of my friends, I think you’re probably the only one who really understands that part of me.”

“You… you really mean that?” Twilight practically whispered.

“Of course!” Sunset laughed, genuinely taken aback by the question. “C’mon, who else can I talk to about what it was like to transform into a raging she-demon and try to take over the world?” She reached out and lightly punched Twilight in the shoulder. “It’s just you and me, Sparky.”

“Sparky?” Twilight raised her head and gave Sunset a confused look, though her blush yet remained.

“It’s a nickname I gave you last loop,” Sunset grinned. “You said you liked it.”

“I did, huh?” Twilight smirked pensively, tilting her head from side to side as she rolled the notion around. “Yeah, I guess I do.” Her smirk blossomed into a genuine, full-on smile. “Thanks, Sunset.”

“You’re… you’re welcome,” Sunset replied, her own expression faltering. She turned her attention away, back to the surface of the portal to Equestria.

“Did I say something wrong?” Twilight asked, hands clutching at her plaid skirt.

“No,” Sunset assured her with a shake of her head. “It’s just that seeing you smile like that makes me realize how much I miss seeing the other you smile.”

“O-oh,” Twilight’s expression fell. “I see.”

“I hate doing this to her,” Sunset shook her head and re-crossed her arms. “I hate asking her to focus on my problems when she already has so much weighing down on her.”

“The Princess does seem a little distracted,” Twilight agreed, “but then again I’ve zoned out in the middle of conversations plenty of times.” She offered a weak grin. “Shining Armor calls it ‘Twilight Stackfull’; y’know, like when you’re programming and you have a problem with recursive…” she trailed off, blinking as Sunset shot her questioning look. “Nevermind; it’s not important.”

“It’s more than just zoning out,” Sunset scoffed, the tension in her voice rising. “It’s like her brain is on full shutdown mode. I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised, I mean for crying out loud, she’s just had her heart broken for the first time, and instead of comforting her here I am telling her to just suck it up and deal! I… I feel like I’m being a terrible friend.”

“Sunset, this isn’t your fault,” Twilight said, taking a step closer. “You didn’t ask to get stuck in this time loop, but if you don’t find a way to break it you’ll be stuck here for… well, potentially forever!”

“I know that,” Sunset admitted softly. “It doesn’t make seeing her suffer any easier.”

“What about your suffering?” Twilight asked, drawing Sunset’s attention. “When time resets Princess Twilight isn’t going to remember any of this. No matter how many repetitions occur, the cumulative result for her is always going to remain constant, but that isn’t the case for you. You’re most likely going to retain your memory of this entire experience, and it’s only going to get worse the longer it goes on. Do you think that’s what Princess Twilight would want? For you to prolong your own suffering just to give her a temporary reprieve that she won’t even remember?”

Sunset stared at Twilight for a long moment, her mouth working silently.

“I… no,” she finally managed to say. “No, that’s not what she would want.”

“And if the situation were reversed?” Twilight pressed. “You’d want her to escape the time loop as soon as possible too, right? Even if it meant she had to hurt you in the short term?”

“Yes!” Sunset’s answer came without hesitation.

“Then I think it’s safe to say you’re not a good friend, Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight adjusted her glasses with a smile. “You’re a great one.”

Sunset choked back a sob through a tightening throat, her vision going blurry as she threw her arms around Twilight and pulled her close.

“Thank you, Twilight,” she whispered as Twilight returned the hug. They stood like that for a neverending moment as Sunset let the tears slide down her cheeks. A quick laugh escaped her lips. “You know, for someone who used to be a reclusive, anti-social nerd you’re picking up this whole friendship thing really well.”

“I’m a quick study,” Twilight quipped, finally pulling back from the embrace to look Sunset in the eyes, “and I have a great teacher.”

The two friends shared a laugh and hugged again just as Applejack’s truck turned the corner. Twilight pulled away from Sunset abruptly and set about nervously adjusting her uniform, though her smile--and what looked to Sunset like an even deeper blush than before--remained.

“Sorry it took so long,” Applejack said as she parked ad hopped out of the truck carrying a cardboard tray of coffee cups, “we had to hit up three different coffee places because somebody got a mite too particular about their fancy ‘whateverachingos.’”

“It’s a white chocolate and hazelnut mocha frappuccino sprinkled with sea-salt and caramel drizzle,” Rarity stated as she too climbed down from the cab, cup in hand, leaving little question as to who Applejack had been referring to. “What good is purchasing it if one has to forego the caramel drizzle?”

“The first place had caramel drizzle!” Applejack shot back.

“Well yes, but did you see the ghastly state of their drizzle dispensary?” Rarity shuddered. “I loathe to think of what horrible, palate-assaulting tastes might’ve been mixed in with my frappuccino had we actually ordered it from that dreadful establishment!”

Applejack glowered but held her tongue in check as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie joined them, each carrying their own tray of drinks, and in Rainbow’s case a bag that Sunset presumed was full of creams and sugar packets.

“Why’d you guys get so much?” Sunset asked, counting a total of thirteen coffee cups between them.

Three fingers pointed at Pinkie Pie, who let out a satisfied ‘ahhh’ just as she finished downing one cup of concentrated caffeine and reached for the next with her trademark wide grin.

“Oh, that’s gonna be fun later.”

Rainbow Dash snorted at Sunset’s comment before glancing around the courtyard.

“Where’s Twilight? I mean, the pony princess one?”

“She’s not back yet,” Sunset said looking to the portal and then to the clock on her phone. “She did say it might take a few minutes.”

“Can you send her a message to see if everything’s okay?” Fluttershy asked as she rejoined the group.

“Sure can,” Sunset replied, striding to and unzipping her backpack before withdrawing a pen and the leather-bound journal emblazoned with her cutie mark. She flipped to the next open page and began writing.

Twilight stepped closer, eyeing the journal curiously.

“So this journal is what allows Sunset to keep in touch with Princess Twilight when she’s back home?”

“Yep,” Applejack nodded as she handed over a steaming cup of joe. “Princess Twilight’s got one just like it on her end. No idea how they work, but anythin’ you write in one shows up in th’other.”

“Hm,” Twilight sipped her drink, enjoying the warming sensation it brought with it. “So it’s like interdimensional text messaging.”

“You got it, sugarcube.”

“Uh,” Sunset furrowed her brow, “expanding on that analogy, I think I might need a new phone plan.”

“What’s wrong, darling?” Rarity asked as the girls exchanged worried glances and crowded around Sunset for a better look at the journal.

“I’m not sure,” Sunset shook her head, turning the book so that the others could see. “Normally you write a message and then close the book, like so,” she clapped the tome shut, “and then the cover will glow for a second to let you know it sent the message.”

The seven girls watched the book intently, but beheld nothing.

“How long does it usually take?” Twilight asked, gingerly touching the surface.

“It’s immediate,” Sunset shrugged. “Or at least it always has been before, even during the Friendship Games when the portal wasn’t working, but now...”

“So is it broken, or did the battery die or somethin’?” Applejack said with a frown.

Sunset sighed, hugging the inert book to her chest. “If we were in Equestria I could just cast a spell to find out what’s wrong with it.”

“Uh, duh. What do we need the stupid book for anyway?” Rainbow Dash swished her hand through the surface of the portal, creating a shimmering, rippling effect. “Equestria’s right there. Just go through and see what’s taking Twilight so long.” She shot a look at Pinkie Pie as she emptied yet another cup. “Y’know, before we run out of coffee.”

“I guess I’m gonna have to,” Sunset said, handing the book over to Twilight, who cradled it in her arms as if it were fragile. “Better leave this here. Even if it’s not working, it’s still the only thing keeping the portal open until the lunar cycles in both worlds align again.”

With a nod to the group as a whole, Sunset turned and set herself before the mirror-like surface. She took a deep breath before reaching out to place one palm against the stone, feeling the electric tingle on her skin as it made contact with the dimensional barrier.

She closed her eyes and stepped forward, the portal sliding over her body like chilled water. She immediately felt disoriented, just as she remembered feeling before, and opened her eyes to behold the swirling cacophony of color and energy that had bombarded her senses on her previous trips between worlds.

But it wasn’t there.

Sunset Shimmer saw nothing; only an inky blackness that obscured even her own body when she tried to look down at it. She heard even less, as the ringing of silence in her ears was permeated only by the quickening sound of her own heartbeat. She tried to call out, but no sound came forth.

Panic tickled at the edges of her consciousness. Where’s the portal? Where’s Equestria?!

She tried to turn, to see if she could somehow reach back and pull herself back to the human world, but she felt nothing as she flailed in the empty space, and couldn’t even really be certain that she was reaching in the right direction.

A sound suddenly splashed across her perceptions, fleeting and distant, but seemingly growing louder. Whatever it was, it wasn’t this nothingness, so Sunset tried to will herself towards the source. It drew closer; louder, rising to a dull murmur, until…

“... But in the end I was finally able to convince Starlight Glimmer that what she was doing was wrong and restore the original timeline,” Princess Twilight Sparkle said, pausing to take a bit of a breath as she finished the rather lengthy tale of her recent exploits in Equestria. A moment of silence and blank looks of shock from the other girls followed.

“What the... ?” Sunset Shimmer blinked.

“I know, it’s kind of a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Princess Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled playfully.

Sunset Shimmer nodded slowly, her eyes darting around the room to spot the many familiar sights she had not been expecting to see for another couple of hours.

“You have no idea…”

Author's Note

Obligatory Huey Louis reference; I choose you! :rainbowwild:

Chapter 7: Talk Nerdy To Me

“It just doesn’t make any sense! I’ve tried going through the portal both early in the loop and when it was almost over; I’ve gone through by myself and alongside Princess Twilight. I even took a chance and brought my journal with me hoping that whatever connects it with the one in Equestria would help... the result is always the same and I’m no closer to figuring out what’s wrong with it than I was at the beginning!” Sunset slumped down in her seat, closing her eyes and massaging both temples with her fingers. “It’s so freaking frustrating!”

“I, um… I’m sorry, Sunset, I’m not sure what I can do to help,” Twilight fidgeted as she spoke, her eyes focusing everywhere but on the girl across the table from her. “If you’re really stuck in some kind of magic time loop, wouldn’t it be better to ask Princess Twilight about it?”

“You mean the girl over there trying to set a world record for tissues soaked through in a single night?” Sunset jerked a thumb at the table across the room, where the rest of their friends sat surrounding a despondent and tearful Twilight Sparkle. “She can barely get two words out between sobs... and besides,” she added with a sigh, “this whole thing with Flash is really doing a number on her. As much as I’d love to have her help right now she needs to sort out her own feelings before she’ll be any good to anyone. That’s gonna take time, and unfortunately time is the one thing I can’t give her.”

Sunset sighed again and shook her head, gazing out at the rest of the party that was still happening, albeit a little more muted now that the incident between Twilight and Flash--not to mention Sunset’s seemingly sudden irritability--had put a damper on everyone’s mood. Having lost the opportunity for a rematch against Rainbow Dash, Indigo was now grouchily reigning supreme on the furry fighting game, trouncing challenger after challenger, regardless of the school they came from. No matter how many opponents she flawlessly took down, the disgruntled frown never left her face for long.

“Have you tried stopping them from breaking up in the first place?” Twilight asked, her finger on her chin and her head bowed in thought.

Sunset nodded without turning back to face the other girl.

“More than a few times, but so far the best I’ve been able to do is delay it for a while. Flash is determined to make this the night he finally asks Twilight out for real, and Twilight is just as dead-set on making sure the relationship ends before anyone gets hurt.” She snorted and turned her eyes in the Princess’ direction. “Fat lot of good that’s doing them, right?”

“Hmm…” the Twilight seated near her narrowed her eyes as Sunset continued.

“Anyway, that’s besides the point,” Sunset shook off her languid pose and pushed herself back up to a proper sitting position. “Regardless of what happens to Twilight or Flash, none of it matters unless I can find a way to cancel out this Celestia-damned time loop. I’ll happily help them pick up the pieces of their relationship once this is all over.”

“That’s sensible,” Twilight admitted with a nod.

Sunset smiled. “Thought you’d say that. It was your idea, after all.”

“Really?” Twilight’s eyes widened.

“In fact, pretty much every good piece of advice I’ve gotten this whole time has been from you, Sparky. Oh, that’s your new nickname, by the way.”

“Oh, uh… thanks?” A slew of emotions mixed across Twilight’s face. “Is that why you pulled me aside and aren’t talking about all this to the others?”

Sunset nodded. “Trying to explain everything to everyone each loop is exhausting, even when I try to speed things up by answering questions before people ask them. I know the girls are all willing to believe me, and that means a lot, but keeping them all on board just doesn’t seem like it’s really helping.”

“I was under the impression that the magic you girls have is at its strongest when you’re together,” Twilight said. “Won’t you still need their help to fix this?”

“Probably,” Sunset admitted, “but first I need to get a better handle on what’s actually going on. Rainbow lasers are cool and all, but shooting them off without a target isn’t going to get us anywhere. That’s where you come in.”

“Me?” Twilight gave a start, her hand automatically rising to push her glasses back into place. “I-I… are you sure?” Her eyes fell to the tabletop as he shoulders slumped in resignation. “Things didn’t go so well last time.”

Sunset gave her a comforting smile. “I’m not asking you to break out the spectrometer; I just need someone to bounce ideas off of; a sounding board, y’know?” She shrugged. “Think of it as library research instead of field work.”

“I guess that does sound safer,” Twilight nodded. “I’m not sure how much help I can really be, though.”

A sigh escaped Sunset’s lips.

“Stop selling yourself short. I couldn’t even figure out how to properly measure our magic using this world’s technology; every time I tried it blew up in my face. Or dropped apples on my head, or sprayed me with…” She shook her head. “Nevermind; not important. You, on the other hand, built a device capable of detecting and absorbing magic in a frickin’ broom closet using leftover computer parts. I think it’s safe to say that despite my or Princess Twilight’s knowledge on the subject, you’re this world’s leading expert on magic.”

Twilight’s eyes grew wide as she took in a long, slow breath.

“The… the world’s leading expert,” she reverently whispered the words, “on magic?” A dopey grin spread across her face as she blushed and began giggling, only to catch herself a moment later when she noticed Sunset watching her with an amused grin.

“Sorry,” Twilight mumbled, coughing into her hand as the tint on her cheeks deepened. “The, um… the whole 'world’s leading expert' thing is-”

“It’s been a fantasy of yours to go on the news and be introduced as the world’s leading expert of something,” Sunset finished for her.

Twilight froze, her only motion the rapid blinking of her eyelids.

“... We’ve had this conversation before, haven’t we?”

“Repeatedly,” Sunset replied without skipping a beat and shooting a glance at her phone. “I think next loop I’m gonna try opening with the ‘expert on magic’ bit; it always seems to be the clincher.” She shoved her phone back in her pocket and stood. “So, shall we?”

Twilight gave her a confused frown as she slid from the booth. “Where are we going?”

“Your old lab at Crystal Prep,” Sunset explained as the two of them made for the front door, pointedly ignoring the confused stares she knew were boring into her back from the rest of her friends, “it’s quiet and secluded so no one will bother us, and it’s familiar so you’re comfortable and do your best thinking there.”

“... Is it okay for me to be a little freaked out about how well you know me all of the sudden?”

Sunset smiled as she opened the door, her other hand snatching up her motorcycle helmet and holding it out for Twilight to take.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Okay,” Sunset breathed a sigh as she set down the chalk and dusted her hands, “so this is where we’re at.”

Twilight, seated in her computer chair with a small notepad, tapped a pen against her chin as her eyes danced over the rough diagram sketched on the chalkboard. A stick figure with wavy hair--Sunset, presumably--sat surrounded by a circle of arrows that--again, presumably--represented time looping on itself. Also inside the circle of arrows were two smaller circles; one with spiky hair and one with long, straight hair, which themselves were surrounded by a heart with a jagged crack down the middle, followed by a question mark. Outside the circle of arrows were images of the Wondercolt statue at CHS and Sunset’s magic journal, both covered by a large ‘X’.

“That’s… not a whole lot to go on.”

“I know,” Sunset’s shoulders slumped. “Aside from knowing that I’m stuck in a time loop and that the portal to Equestria doesn’t seem to be working, everything else is still more or less guesswork.”

“And we’re sure that Equestrian magic is the cause of it all?”

“Unless your world has some other force capable of messing with the fundamental laws of the universe that I don’t know about, then yeah,” Sunset sighed as she sat on the edge of a nearby desk, “though to be honest, this Starlight pony that Princess Twilight told us about is the first one I’ve ever heard of using time magic on such a massive scale… I don’t get how we might’ve managed to stumble into something on the same level by accident.”

“Hm,” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe... we didn’t.”

Sunset turned to look at the bespectacled girl, who remained focused on the blackboard.

“Back before the Friendship Games when I was still trying to analyze the readings coming from CHS, I noticed two things,” Twilight began. “One: there was a sort of lingering trace of energy left behind everywhere magic was used; almost like low-level radiation.”

Sunset nodded. “In Equestria it’s referred to as an imprint. Any powerful magic leaves one behind, but it fades over time.”

“Two,” Twilight continued with a nod, “not all of the magic I took readings on was the same. The measurements came back showing modulated frequencies, dissimilar wavelengths; things like that. I didn’t figure it out until later, but I think that the magic from you and the other girls is different from the magic that the portal uses. The readings I picked up a few months ago were also a little off from the others.”

“A few months ago?” Sunset crossed her arms as her lips twisted into a grimace. She stayed like that for a brief moment before snapping her fingers. “The Battle of the Bands! That must have been the Dazzlings!”

“What’s a Dazzling?” Twilight blinked. “Some kind of creature from Equestria?”

“No,” Sunset started to answer before she caught herself. “Well, yes, but--nevermind, the details aren’t important. When we defeated them they lost their magic; what does that have to do with the time loop?”

“It has to do with these,” Twilight said as she set down her pen and paper, stood, and stepped over to a nearby filing cabinet, pulling open the top drawer and lifting out what looked like a small, metallic, fireproof case. She undid the latches, holding it out to Sunset and gently lifting the lid as a soft red glow leaked from within.

Sunset sucked in her breath, her eyes widening as she took a reflexive step backwards. Inside the case lay about a dozen ruby fragments; fragments that Sunset instantly recognized as the shattered remains of the Sirens' pendants.

“But… but Princess Twilight took these back to Equestria for safekeeping. How did...” Sunset shook her head. “Have those been here in your lab this whole time?”

“My early scanners detected a disturbance that night in the park, so I went to investigate,” Twilight explained as she closed the case and locked it. “The whole amphitheater was a hotbed of magical activity, but there was also a very faint trail leading off into the city. I followed it for a while and eventually found these,” she patted the top of the case, “in a dumpster about four blocks from the park.”

Sunset nodded slowly. “The Dazzlings must have thrown them away, now that they’re useless.”

Twilight snorted and gave a small grin. “They’re far from useless. I’m guessing you already know, but these shards react in the presence of other magic and naturally draw in and contain any nearby magical energy. They were the entire basis for my second-generation spectrometer.”

“That sounds about right,” Sunset said, still eyeing the case nervously even as Twilight placed it back in the cabinet. “To think that Adagio and her sisters would still be causing trouble after all this time.”

“That’s exactly it,” Twilight said. “Even after all this time, the magical signature present in these shards carries some of the same properties as the magic itself. Now…” Twilight returned to her seat, a devious smile beginning to curl the corners of her lips, “who do we both know who’s recently been in contact with what--by your own assessment--is an unprecedented level of time magic?”

Sunset’s eyes snapped open.

Twilight nodded.

“It’s only been a few days,” Sunset continued, “of course Princess Twilight’s whole body is probably saturated with residual time magic…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “But how does that translate into getting me stuck in a time loop?”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight admitted, scooping up the notepad and pen from the desk. “Did anything happen between yourself and Princess Twilight around the time that the looping first started? Any kind of magical interaction at all?”

Sunset puffed out her cheeks, shrugging. “Not that I can think of.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight insisted. “No weird sensations, or lights or energy that you couldn’t explain?”

Sunset shook her head. “No, and even if there was, I can’t imagine how a leftover trace of time magic could have had such a powerful effect. It’s not like Princess Twilight is a foal who still gets...” She trailed off, gasping as she leaped up from her seat. “That’s it!”

“What is?”

“Magic surges!” Sunset practically shouted as she sprouted a massive smile. “Sweet Celestia; I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!”

“Huh?” Twilight frowned.

“Here,” Sunset darted over to the blackboard, snatched up a piece of chalk and swept their current diagram away with a nearby eraser.

“Hey! I thought we needed that.”

Sunset ignored her, frantically sketching out a series of stick figures, each with varying, simplified hairstyles, and a larger one that looked like the ‘Princess Twilight’ she had just wiped from existence, except this time it was surrounded by wavy lines, an hourglass, and a small heart with a crack down the middle.

“Here’s the deal,” Sunset spoke as she continued to draw. “In Equestria, it’s not uncommon for Unicorn foals to have uncontrollable magic surges; it’s sort of like puberty is for Humans. Most of the time these surges are unpredictable and fairly harmless, but on rare occasions they can be triggered by severe emotional stress.”

“Okay,” Twilight said slowly, “but Princess Twilight isn’t a foal… is she?”

“No, but that’s what got me thinking,” Sunset said as she finished her work and turned back to face Twilight. “Here in this world our magic is brand-new; we’re just learning how to use it--just like foals would be.”

Sunset pointed to the smaller figures, specifically one with short, somewhat messy hair.

“The first time Rainbow Dash ponied up on her own was during a pep rally, when her and everyone else’s emotions were riding high.” She moved her hand to the next figure, sporting an ornate, curly coiffure. “Rarity did it when she was gushing over how much she loves giving gifts or doing things for her friends, and Pinkie Pie,” Sunset indicated a stick figure with curly, poofy hair, “did it when she saw how much fun everyone was having at that party the two of you threw together.” She turned from the blackboard. “Do you see?”

“I see that despite all these loops your drawings could still use some improvement,” Twilight groused, pointing to one with a hair bun and goofy, coke-bottle glasses. “I do not look like that!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll try and draw you less dorky from now on, but do you see what these all have in common?”

“They all happened when your friends were displaying the truest part of themselves; you said so yourself right after the Friendship Games.”

“Right, and that’s what I thought at the time,” Sunset nodded, “but then what about this?” She quickly drew a guitar on Rainbow, a set of drums around Pinkie, and various other instruments near their respective players. “We pony up when we play music together as well. We’re not expressing our inner nature when that happens, are we? But what we are doing is sharing a collective emotional response; that’s the common factor!”

Twilight’s eyes lit up.

“And what’s more emotionally stressful than getting your heart broken?” She blanched. “W-well, according to Cadance, anyway.”

“Exactly!” Sunset tapped her chalk on the picture of Princess Twilight. “Princess Twilight’s emotions triggered a surge in her natural Equestrian magic, which interacted with the trace elements of time magic left in her body and boom!” She punched one hand into her own open palm. “Instant time loop!” She spun around, surprised to see a frown in her partner’s face. “What?”

“Well… if all this is true, then why are you the one stuck in the loop? Why not Princess Twilight?”

“I think I know the answer to that, too,” Sunset sat down backwards in one of the spare chairs. “The first time Flash and Twilight’s breakup happened--before any of this time looping stuff started--I went to try and comfort Twilight and got a huge shock from touching her shoulder. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but looking back now I’m pretty sure I haven’t gotten that shock on any of the subsequent loops.

“What if that shock was some kind of… I dunno, some kind of magical jump-start? A sort of link between Twilight’s Equestrian magic and my own?”

“Hm,” was all Twilight offered in response, her brow furrowing in thought. “I suppose it’s possible.”

“You don’t sound convinced,” Sunset stated.

Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry; I just wish we had more facts and data to go on. Right now all of this is just a theory.” Her gaze fell to her lap, where her hands idly wrung one another. “The last time I acted on theories without testing them… well, you know.”

“Hey,” Sunset said softly as she reach forward and took Twilight’s hands in her own. “This isn’t going to be a repeat of what happened at the Friendship Games. I promise you that.” A warm smile turned up her lips. “Besides, this time we get as many do-overs as we want.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Twilight said with a giggle, “although there is still one thing we were wrong about.”

“What’s that?”

“It looks like you’ll be helping Princess Twilight and Flash with their relationship after all,” Twilight said with grin. “If we want to break the loop, we need to stop their breakup.”

“I…” Sunset’s smile wavered as she let go of Twilight’s hands, “Yeah, I guess that’s our best bet.”

Twilight frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Sunset was quick to reply as she stood and turned to face the blackboard. “Nothing, it’s just… so far I’ve had zero luck trying to keep them together.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze focusing on the drawing of Princess Twilight. She took a deep breath and let out a mighty sigh.

“I guess I’m just going to have to try harder.”

Author's Note

I've been waiting months to use this song, :rainbowkiss:

Enough with these theories and postulation! Time for some field work!

Sunset Shimmer, Time Traveling Interdimensional/Interspecies Relationship Counselor, AWAY!

Chapter 1: Nothing Stays the Same for Long

It was Friday night, and Sugarcube Corner was alive with the sounds of music, laughter, and friendships new and old. That in itself was not so unusual, but on this particular evening the crowd filling the bakery’s tables was comprised of two groups of teenagers who up until a few days ago weren’t even on speaking terms with one another.

Pinkie Pie had, true to fashion, planned what she kept referring to as a ‘Victory and Friendship (although not so much the victory part ‘cause Principal Celestia said we’re all winners, and how can you declare victory when there’s no one to be victoryful over?) Party’. She’d personally invited every Friendship Games participant from both Canterlot High and Crystal Prep Academy, and ordered enough food, sweets, and party supplies for a gathering twice as large.

Also true to fashion, what she hadn’t planned for was how she was going to fit it all in her bedroom.

Luckily, the Cakes had heard that their favorite employee/customer/surrogate daughter wasn’t sure her home could accommodate all the guests, and they had generously offered to allow her to host the event at their bakery. So it came to pass that the students of both schools had come together on this night to share good food, listen to sweet tunes, and hopefully make what would be the first in a long line of great new memories. At the moment, the memory being made inspired just the tiniest bit of deja vu.

Gathered around a decent-size TV and gaming console that Pinkie had set up for the event, most of the partygoers were hooting and cheering as CHS’ resident super athlete Rainbow Dash and CPA’s number one track star Indigo Zap went head-to-head in some new fighting game that featured cute, fluffy creatures as the combatants. Both had initially expressed displeasure with the game’s aesthetic, but the words ‘tournament’ and ‘bragging rights’ had ignited the competitive spark in each of them. Now the air was filled with rapid, forceful clicking as they mashed buttons against one another in the final round, their faces twisted with intense focus and their school pride once again (sort of) on the line. No one even thought to snicker as Rainbow’s bandana-wearing baby cow bucked Indigo’s cuddly pastel llama in the nose.

Not everyone was interested in the dramatically cute battle, however. Fluttershy, while having loved the idea at first, had trouble keeping her eyes open once the little critters started smacking one another upside their furry heads. After an embarrassingly short first round matchup against Sour Sweet (it’s a little hard to use a game controller with both hands covering one’s face, after all), she, Bon Bon, Sunny Flare and Sugarcoat had retreated to a booth slightly farther from the crowd. There they conversed in quiet tones while Angel Bunny lounged on the table between them, happily enjoying the near-continuous belly rubs he was receiving from the four girls.

In another part of the room, behind a table on which Vinyl Scratch had set up her sound system, the blue-haired DJ’s head bobbed enthusiastically as she and her new, practically-joined-at-the-hip best friend Lemon Zest delivered the party’s music. Lemon had her eyes closed and was punching the air in time with the beat as Vinyl adjusted the equalizer on the fly, wide smiles on both their faces and not a care in the world.

One final group of four, sitting quite far from the rowdy gamers and the ever-impressive bass of Vinyl’s equipment, was all that remained.

“Wow,” Sunset Shimmer finally broke the lull with a raised eyebrow, “and here I thought we had an interesting week.”

“Indeed!” Rarity said. “I shudder to think of what might’ve happened had you not succeeded, Twilight. We might never have heard from you again!”

“Is that really a good idea?” Sunset asked. “After everything you just told us, you couldn’t even pay me to mess with time magic.”

“Oh, I’m not planning on doing anything too dangerous,” Princess Twilight gestured vaguely. “Just a few small-scale experiments to gather data and test theorems. You know, going a few minutes back in time to move a book and observing the results; that sort of thing.” Her excited smile returned. “There’s so much we could learn from even the simplest of tests; this could literally re-write everything we know about how time works!”

“I know exactly what you mean!” Twilight answered, her eyes practically twinkling as she joined in her dimensional twin’s exuberance. “If time travel is possible in Equestria, maybe it’s possible here as well! I should attempt to conduct some field experiments... we could compare notes, and review each other’s work!” Her face suddenly grew more serious. “Do you think that the changes in causality could persist, and represent some kind of divergent timeline phenomenon? Something like the branches of a temporal multiverse?”

“Oh boy, here we go,” Sunset smirked behind her drink and whispered to Rarity as she noticed the fashionista’s eyes beginning to glaze over from the sudden influx of nerdery.

Princess Twilight’s grin turned pensive. “Well actually-” She paused as someone cleared their throat behind her, and all four turned to see that someone was Flash Sentry, his hands in his jacket pockets and wearing a decidedly nervous smile as his eyes briefly glanced at each of them.

“Hey girls, sorry for interrupting.”

“Why, it’s no trouble at all, darling,” Rarity smiled sweetly and gestured to the empty seat between Princess Twilight and Sunset. “Would you like to join us?”

“Um, actually, Twilight can I talk to you for a second?” he practically mumbled, before adding a hasty “In private?”

The three seated girls watched with a mixture of amusement and curiosity as she turned and followed Flash a short distance, where he held open the door to Sugarcube Corner’s kitchen for her before slipping inside himself and letting it close behind them gently.

“Who was that?” Twilight asked once they were out of sight.

“That’s Flash Sentry,” Rarity offered. “He participated in the first round of the Friendship Games; don’t you remember?”

Twilight’s glasses chose that moment to slip down her nose, and she pushed them back up while giving the others a sheepish grin. “I was kind of too preoccupied with the whole ‘strange energy readings’ thing to memorize everyone’s names,” she admitted. “Although now that I think about it, I might’ve run into him that first day…”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “By ‘run into him’, you mean you collided with each other and ended up in a tangled pile on the floor?”

“Yeah!” Twilight’s eyes widened. “How’d you know?”

Sunset shook her head and sighed, eyes rolling playfully. “Classic Flash.”

Twilight smiled a little. “He helped me find my glasses after we fell. He seemed nice…” her expression fell suddenly, “and I completely blew him off because I was caught up in following the readings from my spectrometer.”

“Oh my,” Rarity grimaced, “and that was before Flash knew that you weren’t the other Twilight! I can only imagine how terribly heartbreaking that must have been for him.”

“I dunno, he seems like he’s handling the whole thing pretty well, if you ask me,” Sunset interjected, giving the door they had disappeared through a long, hard glance.

Eyeing her redheaded friend, Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but a pair of sudden shouts--one an overexcited ‘Yes!’ and the other a wail of disappointment--cut her short as the large group watching the video game tournament echoed the same sentiments to varying degrees.

“Oh yeah! Who’s awesome?” Rainbow Dash threw both arms in the air and struck a triumphant pose, while Indigo Zap held her bowed head in her hands and groaned. “Sorry, Zap! Mess with the best; go down like the rest!”

“Ugh, you just got lucky! If I hadn’t missed that last block you and your little cow would be veal right now!” Indigo shot back. A devious grin then spread across her face. “Rematch!” It was not a request.

Rainbow Dash smirked right back, twirling her controller on one finger like basketball. “Game on!”

The cheers of the onlookers redoubled as the dangerously fluffy grudge match rejoined with gusto.

Rarity sighed happily and rested her chin in her hand. “It’s so nice to see everyone getting along well with one another. Even after all that’s happened, I must admit that I still had my doubts that Canterlot and Crystal Prep could put so many years of rivalry behind them.”

“The rivalry seems just fine to me,” Sunset shook her head as the students watching the game took up chants of ‘Dash’ and ‘Zap’, divided cleanly along school lines.

“Oh, pish-posh,” Rarity waved dismissively. “Rainbow Dash could turn Bingo into a hyper-competitive sport if she tried, and from what I’ve seen Miss Zap seems much the same.”

Sunset nodded her agreement and raised her glass to her lips.

“So I’m guessing that the two of them are dating?” Twilight spoke up.

Sunset coughed, choking as fruit punch went down the wrong pipe and a tiny bit dribbled down her chin.

“What?” she spat once she’d cleared her throat, shooting a narrow-eyed glare at Rarity as the fashionista did a poor job of hiding her laughter behind one delicate hand while offering Sunset a napkin with the other.

Twilight stared at Sunset blankly for a moment until her eyes widened. “Oh! Not Rainbow and Indigo! Sorry, I was still talking about Flash and the other me!”

“Oh,” Sunset said, her tone somewhere between understanding and relief. “Not… exactly. They’re really into each other, but with her duties as a Princess back in Equestria Twilight doesn’t get to spend a whole lot of time here.”

Rarity nodded. “Even when she is around, it’s usually not under the best of circumstances. I don’t think the two of them really even had a chance to catch up with one another after the whole ‘Battle of the Bands’ incident, and Flash said some rather hurtful things while he was under the Sirens’ influence.”

“The Sirens?” Twilight blinked.

Sunset rolled her hand in the air dismissively. “Some magical beings from Equestria who tried to take over the world. It’s kind of a long story.” Twilight’s mouth dropped open in shock, but Sunset had already turned her gaze back to the kitchen door. “They’ve been in there a while... I hope everything’s all right.”

Rarity’s eyes widened suddenly. “You don’t think Flash would do anything… unbecoming, do you?”

“Are you kidding?” Sunset laughed out loud. “I’m more worried about Twilight trying something than him.”

“I see,” Rarity purred with a coy smile, “and the thought of Twilight and Flash behind closed doors makes you a little... uncomfortable, does it?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “I’ve told you before, I never really liked Flash, I was just using him to become more popular.” Her gaze drifted back to the door. “I just don’t want to see Twilight get hurt, that’s all.”

Rarity regarded her for a moment longer before letting out a quiet sigh. “All right, if you say so, dear.”

“So… wait, you used to date Flash?” Twilight pointed at Sunset. “And you only did it because you were using him?

“Yeah,” Sunset winced and let her eyes fall to the table, “that’s kind of a long story too.”

Twilight giggled and smiled warmly. “Is there any other kind?”

Sunset found she couldn’t help but return the infectious grin.

“Not when it comes to this group of friends.” She pushed herself up in her seat and leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “Okay, so from the time I came to this world up until the Fall Formal last year, I was…” She trailed off when she noticed Rarity and Twilight’s eyes were drawn to the side, looking somewhere over her shoulder.

She turned in time to see Flash walking out of the kitchen, his head down and his pace brisk. As he passed their table he looked up briefly, meeting Sunset’s gaze, only for his eyes to dart away a split-second later.

A cold dread seeped into Sunset’s stomach. The angry glower on his face was somehow hauntingly familiar.

Without so much as a word to anyone, but with more than a few heads turning to watch, Flash made a beeline to the front door and slipped out into the night. Sunset, Rarity and Twilight exchanged confused glances as Fluttershy and Sugarcoat got up from their booth and walked over.

“That guy left in a hurry and looked really unhappy about something,” Sugarcoat stated in her usual blunt, rapid-fire manner as she adjusted her glasses.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Flash look so angry since the Battle of the Bands,” Fluttershy added with a nod. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m not sure,” Rarity admitted. “He was talking to Twilight and then-!”

The fashionista stopped short as Sunset all but leaped out of her seat, racing to the kitchen and pausing only for a moment at the door, opting to open it gently instead of just bursting through.

The kitchen itself was darker than Sunset expected, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Emanating from within the shadows ahead of her, the unmistakable sounds of someone fighting a losing battle against their emotions brought Sunset’s heart into her throat.

“Twilight?” she called softly, her vision finally clearing enough for her to pick out the shape of her friend on the other side of the room. Standing with her back to the door and with her hands over her face, Princess Twilight didn’t notice Sunset’s approach.

“Twilight…” Sunset reached out to place a hand on the crying girl’s quivering shoulder, only to gasp and jerk it back as a particularly nasty shock coursed through her fingers.

Princess Twilight was likewise startled as she wheeled around. “S-Sunset… um…”

Sunset nearly choked when she saw the other girl’s face, her eyes red and raw, with twin rivulets that glistened even in the low light painting both her cheeks. For a moment she had to fight the urge to cry herself. “Oh, Twilight...”

“Oh my goodness, darling!” Rarity exclaimed as she and several others entered the kitchen, flipping on the lights and momentarily re-blinding Sunset in the process. The fashionista rushed to Princess Twilight’s side, drawing her into a tight hug. “Are you all right? What happened?”

“Flash, h-he…” Princess Twilight’s voice wavered as she all but collapsed onto Rarity’s shoulder. “I…”

As Sunset stood there, unsure of what to do or say, watching helplessly while her best friend struggled to even breathe between heavy, body-wracking sobs... she remembered. Her eyes went wide, and deep in her heart something snapped.

The last time Sunset had seen Flash wearing that expression was the night that he’d broken up with her.

Sunset wheeled around, her face hardening into a deep scowl, and practically shoved her way past Sugarcoat and the other Twilight. She slammed open the kitchen door, startling everyone still enjoying the party and drawing their undivided attention.

“Whoa!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a smile. “Easy there, Sunset! The Cakes were super-nice to let us use the bakery tonight. We don’t wanna leave them with a broken… door…” She ground to a halt, her eyes going wide as Sunset stalked right past her without a second glance.

Terrified expressions slowly formed on the face of every Wondercolt in the room. The kids from Crystal Prep had no way of knowing, but for the students of Canterlot High this was a sight they had become intimately familiar with over the years; one that many of them would have been happy to never see again.

This was Sunset Shimmer--the old Sunset Shimmer--and she was on the warpath.

Every eye in the room silently followed her as she snatched up her motorcycle helmet from the table next to the bakery’s front door and reached for the handle.

“Sunset!” Rarity’s voice called out behind her. “Sunset, wait!” When she did not, the fashionista huffed in frustration. “Rainbow, Applejack, a little help here, please?”

Sunset barely registered the subsequent scuffing of chairs and feet as the door closed behind her. Her real focus was on the sight of Flash’s unmistakable car driving past the storefront just as she stepped out into the seasonably warm night air. She glared after it for a moment before turning away and jogging to where her motorcycle, a dark red lacquered Barley Street 500, was parked alongside the curb. She pulled the keys from her pocket and threw one leg over the chassis in a swift, practiced motion. Rainbow Dash and Applejack came bursting out of the building just as the engine growled to life.

“Sunset!” Rainbow shouted over the noise.

“Where in tarnation are you goin’?” Applejack asked as they came up beside her, worry and confusion painted across their features. Sunset didn’t even look at them as she slipped the helmet onto her head and slapped the visor down.

“To beat some sense into my ex-boyfriend.”

With a roar and a squeal of rubber her bike leaped away from the curb, speeding Sunset off into the streets of Canterlot and leaving a very concerned group of friends behind.

Author's Note

O snap! :pinkiegasp:

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