Author's Note

Hey, guys. Thanks for tuning in. As always, leave any helpful advice. And this may be somewhat short of a chapter, but I have been a little busy, but this will not be a reoccurring thing.

From The Top

Applejack and Rainbow Dash barely managed to land without breaking their bones.

"Ow! " Rainbow Dash winced at the small cut on her leg, probably from when she ran into that wall. "This isn't exaxctly what I wanted to do today when it came to a favor for Twi," Applejack handed her a band-aid and a cloth for her to wipe and clean up.

"Yea, I know what you mean. With all those experiments of hers, it's hard to tell what she really wants. What are we looking for again; some kinda paint?" Applejack walked ahead, rubbing her thighs, and geez; they have been running for a good 30 minutes.

Looking down, the sounds of power tools and metal grinding did little to deter the pair. When Twilight said she needed paint, it seemed like a simple errand, but at this point they wanted to give up for the sake of their feet.

"Come on, Dash; the quicker, the better. But next time, anything over 2 miles, we gotta charge," Applejack joked, chuckling as they hopped down from the fire escape, touching the cold pavement with little more than a dull feeling in their joints. Taking the time to stretch, Rainbow jogged ahead, calling out to the mechanics.

In hindsight, the pair could have phoned ahead and requested the paint, but seeing as the request came at the last minute, little could be done.

"Hey, Big Mac!" Applejack called out to her brother, seeing him raise his head and stop the pneumatic wrench and take off his headphones, the dirt marks on his face and in his hair masking his true color.
The hulking man stood up and greeted his sister and friend in a hug.

"Doing ok, big guy?" Rainbow asked, seeing him brush the sweat off his brow.
"You got the stuff?"

"Yep." Big Mac said. He walked inside the mechanic shop, the sounds of horns and construction in the distance constantly giving the pair something to be aware of. The downtown area often was a hassle to even get down to, as something always needed fixing as many of the buildings were old and barely upkept as the need was not huge.

Big Mac walked back out with a can of paint, two paintbrushes and and plastic bag with rollers and a drip pan. Applejack and Rainbow gawked at all the stuff they had to lug back.

"All of this?" Rainbow groaned, taking the brushes and putting them in the bag. Good thing she brought a drawstring bag.

"Think we could bug you for a ride back to school, brother? Little strapped for time."

"Nope." Big Mac said. "Good luck," Applejack huffed and swatted her brother with her trademark hat.

Rainbow Dash just finished putting the bag and drip pan into her drawstring pack, tilting her head at the paint. "So how we doing this?"

Looking to see the way back in the crowded city, Applejack steeled herself once again, climbing back up the rusted fire escape with the bucket handle in her mouth, the mettalic taste on her lips almost causing her to drop it.

The pair began the trek back to school, the harsh wind blowing the dust from the ground into their faces, stinging their eyes and slowing their mouvement.

"Hey, Aj?" Rainbow asked, hopping over and sliding down a fallen sheet of metal. "Think we should have a talk with Twi about her plans?"

The thought made her stop in her tracks, displacing pebbles as she stopped right before the clearing that led down to an abandoned pickup truck with a ramp that provided them the way to start their journey.

Did she really want be honest? Well, yes, honesty is her only policy, but Applejack was just as wary as the other girls if not more than when it came to Twilight. She was a loose cannon at times with science experiments often letting it control her and cloud her mind.

"I really don't have a clue, Dash. I mean, yea, of course I want to; but going about it might be worse."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "How do you know? She might take it good. . .or. . .-"

"Not," Applejack interruptred.

"Yea. . .maybe we should just give up on it and the other girls handle it," Rainbow hopped down, jogging down the ramp until she hit the ground again. "But does that make us bad friends? Bad friends for not telling her?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But something is bugging me. That guy we saw. . .do you really think he's like Sunset?"

Seeing Applejack clench her fists and exhale, Rainbow spoke.

"If we assume, it could be a repeat of what happened at Canterlot. But who knows where he could be?"

She had a point. It would be a little bit of a issue to try and track him down, and for what? To ask a question from way out of left field? The pair were conflicted. Down one road, they could help their friend, or find out more about this mysterious stranger who may or may not have a concrete connection to something in their past?

"I'll talk to Twi./I'll try and talk to Sunset about him."

The pair had made their mind up, but they doubted that they would they really be content with the choice that either made. It was as uncertain as the sky was vast.

"Come on-" Rainbow tossed Applejack the drawstring bag at her feet. "-It'll be better if we split up. I'll look for Sunset; she should be at school or home, so I'll get her and gather what I can. Meanwhile you can go and talk to Twi yourself."

"What?! You're just leaving me to carry all of this by myself? What if I-"

"Good plan!~" Rainbow called, breaking off in a jog to begin scaling a fence, her jacket getting caught for a second before having to yank a piece away and continue on.

"Great." Applejack said. "Gotta play peacemaker. All by myself. This should be fun."

Sunset Shimmer considered herself to very intelligent. So much that she was able to travel to a different world and maintain cover for a while. And with that being all good, she couldn't help but feel like she was being punished.

First, Principal Celestia picked her to lead this new student around the school, and he walked around the place like this was his home.

And second was the increasing awkardness between her and Alister. Everywhere he went, she would be forced to follow so she wouldn't incur the wrath of Celestia. But she refused to be lugged around for nothing.

"Hey, Alister, right?" Sunset asked, jogging in front to catch his attention. He looked surprised to see that she still followed him. He stopped in front of the what looked to be the science lab, and waited.

The sun's heat could be felt through the window. Alister stared out down the hallway, beginning to feel a flutter in his chest as he spied at the rusic lockers he's grown to love.

He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed his mind to wander about the road ahead and what he could do to gain vengence for the people he cares about, whether they know it or not. He was rambled with thoughts of the past.

When he opened his eyes, the very first thing he saw besides the blue and white walls of Canterlot was the confused face of Sunset Shimmer frowning.

". . .You ok? You kinda spaced out there for a minute." Sunset said.

"No, not really. I'm actually not ok, but it's something you don't need to concern yourself about. At all. So you don't get hurt, I would appreciate it if you could just leave me be in the school. . .for your own sake," Alister walked away, leaving Sunset confused. All she wanted to do was talk to him like Principal Celestia asked, or in her case, told her.

She could leave down one road and never talk to him at all. Or she could inquire about what she meant. For her own good so she wouldn't get hurt? That sounded like a threat. She didn't do threats.

"Hold it!" Alister turned around, a curiously angry look in his eyes. Sunset walked up to him, any visible trace of timidness gone. "What do you mean for my own good?" Sunset folded her arms and glared at Alister, intent on getting the answer she wanted. "Or did I hear you wrong?"

Alister almost wanted to lash out at her, but then he saw something in her eyes. It was determination, vast and familar. In a moment, his brain played tricks on him. The throbbing feeling was ever present from his head to toes.

"Adagio. . ." Alister spoke in a whisper, the last breath of his saying caught by Sunset.

". . .Who? Somebody you know?"

"No, no. . .I just thought of something out loud. . .Just leave me alone, please,'' Alister moved around Sunset, intent on getting as far away as possible from her. ''Trust me when I say that you don't want to get involved in my life.''

''You act like your life is horrible; live a day in my shoes and maybe you can speak, pal,'' Sunset commented with a sting in her voice. ''I really doubt your mid-life-crisis as a teenager is anything close to my struggle. So get over yourself-'' Alister nearly fell from being pushed. His nostrils flared and his mouth crinkled into a frown as Sunset realized her mistake. He walked over with his fists clenched, wincing when he opened a small cut from the pressure. He would be sure to make this girl understand what it would feel like if she got involved in any capacity when it came to dealing with him.

''Let me be perfectly clear when I say this; I have problems to deal with, and you do not want to be on the list.'' Alister said, his tone sharp and unwavering. The few students who could see the pair from a adjacent hallway assumed the two of them to be arguing as a couple, but a look from Alister and Sunset either further confirmed or pushed any students away. Focusing on her once again and scoffing, he continued on his path in the school, but not before shutting the conversation down. ''You may have your own issues, but for me, it won't ever compare to my pain. The type of pain that only a few people can come out of and not be broken and forgotten. If you try and get too close, you may just be part of that pain.''

Absorbing what he said, Sunset whipped her head around to see him go up the stairs at the end of the hall, his footsteps getting heavy with every step. The science hall suddenly grew quiet and desolate. Nobody there, only Sunset. She tried. Tried to understand, but she only seemed to make things worse by prying. And she may have came off as a little harsh when it came to her own issues, but the only things she thought she could do proved to be the wrong one.

''Maybe Rainbow Dash was right about me. Maybe I'm not cut out for making friends. And now I just made somebody else hate me too. I should just give up. And Celestia did want me to help,'' Sunset walked down the hall, putting her hands in her pockets with her head hung low, cursing herself that she jumped to conclusions. Again.

Little did she know, Alister managed to catch wind of her conversation as he walked back down the stairs, pausing when she mentioned how she made him hate her. That was completely wrong.

''Hmmph. If she waited and tried to hear my side of things or me her, then she would know that she had done nothing to warrant hate. Only precaution,'' Alister muttered, holding his head in annoyance. ''Don't make this hard for me, Sunset. I already have to find my own way in this world by myself, and I'd rather not have it become a problem just because you are clueless to what's to come.''