“That’s an interesting look, Sunset,” Twilight said as I stepped down from my loft, still working the towel to dry my recently chopped hair. It wasn’t as short as Rainbow Dash’s, but it was short compared to how it used to be. In addition to the new haircut, I had donned my old leather coat and a spiked collar. My boots were studded and had a heavy, flat sole and were capped with a steel plate across my toes. It was making the part of me that had played the bad girl rear up again. I had done it for a particular someone, but my mischievous side was rising.
“Thanks, Twilight,” I said, a sly smirk spreading across my lips. “So, what brings you by?”
She fiddled with the loose hairs that dangled by her face. “You, ah, you promised to take me to Equestria so I could meet with the other me about a weeks tour of the world.”
My face froze for a moment. “Was that today?” I saw her nod in the mirror as I laid out the sparse makeup I owned. “Oh, ponyfeathers,” I cursed. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Can you give me a few minutes? We’ll head out after I make a call.”
“Were you heading out?” the scientist asked. “We could always reschedule.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I applied the makeup I had planned. A little smoky eye and a slightly thicker liner than normal gave me an edgy look I had experimented with before perfecting. I had consulted Rarity a while ago since I had never really used makeup back in the old high school days, but since I had graduated, I thought that maybe I could try.
“But you had plans,” Twilight persisted. “I don’t want to interrupt anything.”
I stalked out of the bathroom, my hair tousled similarly to how it had been back in the old days. I felt the old swagger return and the cocky grin on my face made Twilight take a reflexive step back. “My plans will wait,” I purred, reaching out and putting my finger under her chin, tilting her face up. “I made you a promise, and I’ll keep it. Go put your stuff in the saddle bag and I’ll reschedule my plans for later.”
She turned and picked up her bag, the dress she had on beneath her blazer swishing. Her glasses hung from a necklace, giving her a professorial look that was only heightened by the slightly messy bun her hair was in. I picked up my phone and hit speed dial.
“Hey, babe,” I said. “Can we postpone a couple hours? I forgot I promised a friend we’d do something today.” I tilted my head as I listened. “That sounds hot, put a pin in that, would ya? You’re the best, love ya.”
I grabbed my helmet and keys, stepping out to the parking out behind my apartment complex, striding towards my bike, finding the bookworm standing next to it, buckling the bag I had strapped across its rear seat closed again.
“All stowed?” I asked as I stepped up and handed her my helmet.
She nodded, pulling the helmet over her head and fastening the chin strap. I reached into the bag opposite her and pulled out the backup helmet I had tucked away, settling it over my head before tying my hair back.
“Are you sure that’s adequate cranial protection, Sunset?” Twilight asked as I pulled the goggles down from the brim. “It barely comes down to your brow line.”
“Why, Twilight,” I purred again. “I didn’t know you cared.” I chuckled as she shrank slightly, seeing just enough of her face through the visor of the helmet to tell she was blushing.
I patted the back part of the seat as I swung into the saddle, slotting my key in the ignition and turning it to the run position. “Let’s not dawdle, Twilight,” I told her as I thumbed the starter, setting the bike to rumbling.
My friend turned and mounted the passenger seat side-saddle, her knees held together closely. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“We’re not going around the block, Twilight,” I said, reaching back and grabbing one of her hands and bringing it up to my waist. “Some of the speeds we’ll hit, you’ll have to lean into the turns too, and you can’t get the proper leverage if you’re off center.”
Reluctantly, she shifted, straddling the rear seat as I pushed the kick stand up into it’s ride postion and stepped down on the clutch, settling into first gear. I felt the engine rumble changing slightly as I eased up on the brake and we pulled slowly out onto the road.
This was a sensation I always thought Pegasi felt, this rush of wind in my face and through my hair. Though I’m sure they don’t have the terrified clutching of a pair of small hands around their waists. As we pulled into the school’s public lot, I glanced back at Twilight, seeing her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“We’re here, Twilight,” I said, easing the bike onto its kickstand. “Time to make a trip.”
She cracked her eye open and climbed off the motorcycle as though afraid she’d be eaten by it. “I hope you’ll drive more sensibly on the way back!” she said as she pulled the helmet off and set it on the handlebars.
“And if I told you I actually did five under the entire trip?” I teased. I motioned at the portal. “After you.”
“This is a most peculiar sensation,” Twilight said as she stumbled around on her hooves. “The existence of a third set of limbs make balancing a little unwieldy.”
I shook my mane out a bit. For some reason, my boots and collar had remained through the portal, as did my jacket. My boots had turned into a set of anklets and the jacket was altered to fit a pony’s physique. Twilight’s glasses remained as they had been, the chain dangling from her neck as she looked around. “Is this all crystal?”
“So far as we can tell,” a similar voice spoke up. I turned and saw the Princess Twilight stepping forward, tilting an eyebrow at my appearance. “Turning back time, Sunset?”
I lit my horn, popping my jacket lapels. “Never goes out of style, Princess,” I returned with a grin.
She smiled in return and turned to her counterpart. “I’ll show you to your room, and then we’ll set up an itinerary,” she bubbled, the prospect of showing somepony around giving her a spark I hadn’t seen since she had been over for the Battle of the Bands.
I watched them go, chatting excitedly, the only way to tell them apart being the fact that the human Twilight had her glasses and her cutie mark lacked the five satellite stars around the primary one.
“Girls?” I called, making them turn towards me. “I’ll just pop back over in a week and pick up the exchange student, ok? You know how to get up with me if plans change.”
Princess Twilight nodded. “You have fun on your little trip, Sunset,” she bid, making the human Twilight frown and look at me.
“Trip?”
I smiled and nodded. “Sturgis,” I said. “I’m heading down with a friend for the first time. Sounded like fun.”
Her wings ruffled in nervousness now that her sidelocks were missing. “Be safe, please?” she whispered, a slight blush on her face.
“Of course,” I said, for once letting the front fade for a moment, the empathetic me showing through for a moment. “You try not to start an international incident, yeah?”
Princess Twilight laughed too. “We’ll do our best,” she told me. “Safe travels.”
I stepped back through the portal and saw someone standing there, a battered leather jacket draped over her frame.
“How’d you know?” I asked, the smirk growing.
“It’s not hard to guess,” she said as she walked up. “Not many of the Rainbooms are still around, and only one would ask you for something that would make you postpone our little getaway.” She swaggered over and crossed her arms with an amused grin. “You know she has a crush on you, yeah?”
“Yeah, it’s cute,” I agreed. “But she’s a touch too timid for me, though. I prefer a little bite to my dates.”
The girl smiled and made a biting motion before checking her watch.
“So, we staying the night at your place?”
I shrugged. “If we leave now, we can still make the hotel by ten, then head to the rally in the morning.
Adagio scowled at me. “That’s cutting three hours out of our private time,” she pouted.
I slid an arm around her waist as we walked towards my bike, seeing her cruiser parked next to it.
“Well, then,” I purred. “We’d best not waste any more time, then.”
She swung into the saddle of her bike and kicked it into life, the old bike rumbling like a predator warning off a rival. Her shark’s grin only honed the comparison in my mind’s eye.
“Let’s go, then,” she said, putting the bike into gear and easing out onto the road, and I pulled down behind her, watching her hair whipping around in the wind of our passage.
