Consonance and Dissonance

by applezombi

Rating: teen
Tags: Equestria Girls, Aria Blaze, Sunset Shimmer, Profanity, Violence, Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Slice of Life, Sonata Dusk, Human, Drama, Pinkie Pie (EqG), Romance
Length: 69507

After an unfortunate injury while hiking, Pinkie Pie accidentally sets into motion of a chain of events that leads to new friendships, romantic encounters, and even the salvation of an old enemy.

Pinkie Pie breaks her leg while hiking.

Twilight Sparkle falls in love with a mystery girl at a concert.

Sunset Shimmer carries on a long distance relationship with a magical pony princess from another dimension.

Multiple melodies, weaving in and out of one another, sometimes overlapping, sometimes competing, sometimes complimenting one another. Voices join in then fade away, adding to the collective whole. And in the end, maybe this symphony will lift the heart and dry the tears of an old foe.

Published 2020-04-07 21:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-05-16 17:24:41 UTC

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Girls, it’s really bad this time.”

“I… don’t know…”

“Of all the possible things, this is the worst possible thing!”

“She’s outta control. Somebody’s gotta stop her!”

“Um… did anybody talk to her parents? Or her sisters?”

“Woah, woah. I don’t think we need to go with the nuclear option just yet. I was thinking more zapping her with rainbow lasers or somethin’ like that. Ya know, to…”

“Dash… y’all know it doesn’t work like that.”

“I know, but still. There’s gotta be a way…”

“You girls ready to order?”

The five teenage girls looked up from their booth to the smiling pink face of Sunny Sugarsocks, looking perfectly the part of the Fifties theme embraced by the Sweet Snacks Café. The waitress, clad in her powder blue uniform and clutching an order pad casually in one hand, reached for the mechanical pencil tucked behind her ear and clicked the lead a few times.

“Hey Sunny,” Sunset said. “She’s at work, right?” Nobody needed to clarify who ‘she’ was. Sunny sighed, rolling her eyes with a wry smile.

“Of course, you girls are worried about Pinkie too. Sweet Snacks almost refused to let her come in, but you know Pinkie. As soon as Sweets started acting like she was gonna say no, Pinks turned on the waterworks. That girl sure knows how to turn the puppy-dog eye look up to eleven. So Sweets caved, but only on the condition that Pinkie takes it easy.”

“Takes it easy?” Rainbow Dash sputtered, leaning forward in her seat over the Formica tabletop. “Didn’t her doc say she was supposed to be off her foot for a few weeks? She’s gonna hurt herself. I mean, more than she already is!”

“It’s plum foolish, if ya ask me,” Applejack said with a growl, her concern clear in her eyes. “That gal’s actin sillier than a mule in moonshine.” She paused a bit, thinking about what she had just said, and blushed. “I mean, she’s always been silly, but this is downright…”

“Ridiculous,” Rarity finished for her friend. Sunset watched her two friends closely, wondering if anybody else noticed that the two of them had begun unconsciously finishing each other’s sentences within the last week. Pinkie would have noticed, but she’d been in the hospital for two days, and had spent another two at home, confined to her bed.

“I know you’re worried,” Sunny said, tapping the eraser of her pencil against her pad. “But me an’ Sweets are keeping an eye on her, and Sweets is keeping her off her leg as much as she can. Sweets has her working on invoices and stuff. Didn’t know that girl had a head for math, but Sweets is pretty happy with her work. It keeps her in a chair, at least.”

“Twilight and I have been tutoring her in math,” Sunset said in answer to the confused looks the other girls were giving. “She said she’s going for a business degree in college.”

“Business? But darling, I was sure she wanted to open her own bakery, or even a café? I’m sure she’s spoken about it before,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, but think about it. She’s already great at baking, and customer service,” Sunset replied. “It’s just the more technical parts she needs help with. She’s been catching on really quick. Even her grades show it. She’s gone from C plusses to A minuses, and Twi and I’ve only been tutoring her for a couple of months.”

“Huh,” Rainbow said, her single word response a good reflection of the shock on the faces of their friends.

“What, did you think that Pinkie wasn’t smart?” Sunset teased, and was rewarded with a blush from her other friends, and a sputtering denial from Rainbow Dash. “Now c’mon, let’s order. I’m sure with Pinkie off her roller skates, Sunny’s got too much of a workload to stand around chatting with us all day.”

The girls nodded and placed their lunch orders (Chilidog with all the fixings, cobb salad with avocado-cilantro vinaigrette, two tofu burgers, one with cheese, the other with grilled onions, and a boring, no-nonsense hamburger, plus an order of large fries for the table), which Sunny Sugarsocks dutifully wrote down before taking the sheet from her order pad to the back to put in their order. She walked, unlike her roller skating coworker; Pinkie was the only waitress insane enough to try to do this job on roller skates. It had been Pinkie’s idea, and Sweet Snacks had never been able to deny her exuberant employee anything.

The girls chatter became more relaxed; Sunny Sugarsocks’ reassurances had eased their minds somewhat. They had a few moments to gossip about their week at school before a shriek broke through the comfortable buzz of conversation, clinking utensils, and jukebox tunes that filled Sweet Snacks Café.

“I know that order!” came the shrill voice of the girls’ pink friend from behind the diner’s swinging polished chrome door. The diner went silent as customers and employees stared at the door, and the round glass window built into eye level on the door. Suddenly the door swung open with a slam, dashing against the rubber stopper screwed into the floor to keep the door from slamming into the wall and doing damage. The awkward silence of the diner was suddenly filled by the metallic click, click, click of a pair of crutches striking the floor. Pinkie Pie emerged from the back room, suspended by her crutches as she propelled herself towards the table where the girls sat. She had an intense look on her face, almost a grimace, and the five friends watched her nervously. Fluttershy began to shrink down in her seat.

Pinkie was wearing her light blue waitress uniform, and like Sunny had a pencil behind her ear, but lacked the typical waitress order pad. What she did have was a pair of brand new metal crutches, and a pristine looking light pink cast encasing her right leg from her bare pink toes to her knee. She kept it raised as she moved over to her friends table, freezing them with the intensity of her gaze. Without a word she stopped at their table, staring at them all.

“Heya, Pinks,” Rainbow Dash said nervously, noting the expression on her friend’s face. “How ya feeling?”

“Where’s Twilight?” Pinkie asked softly, ignoring the question. The rest of the diner began to buzz again, though softly, as if they could sense that something momentous was happening.

“Oh, uh, don’t you remember?” Fluttershy nearly whispered. “You got her those season tickets for the orchestra. She’s at a concert with her brother and his wife.

“Oh yeah. That was a good birthday present, wasn’t it?” Pinkie said, her eyes going distant as she remembered Twilight’s last birthday party with a grin. Then her face snapped back to seriousness, and she stared down at her friends. “I’ll just have to have a talk with her later.” Balancing on one foot and a single crutch, she let go of the other so she could reach inside her voluminous pink hair, drawing out a box, which she unceremoniously slammed onto the table. The five at the table jumped, and Fluttershy dived fully under the table with a startled ‘eep!’ Sunset looked at the box. It was an orange and green box of brightly-colored, seventy two count markers. “You girls owe me something.”

“You want us to… sign your cast?” Sunset guessed, and suddenly Pinkie exploded with a grin.

“Yup! Just look at it! It’s so boring and mono colored. A tragedy!” She plopped down in a chair next to their booth, leaning her crutches up against a nearby table and propping her cast-bound leg up on the bench next to Rarity with a slight wince of pain. “You girls can fix that, right?”

“Oh, we can do so much more than fix it, darling,” Rarity said, reaching for the markers and pulling out a collection of blues. “We’ll make that horrible eyesore fabulous.” She immediately began work drawing the three blue diamond motif that appeared on much of her clothing. Next to her on the bench, Applejack watched with interest while Rainbow Dash helped Fluttershy out from underneath the table. When the fashion artist was done, she signed her name underneath the design with a graceful calligraphy flourish, before passing the box over to Applejack.

One after another, the friends drew their own personal symbols on the light pink cast, with varying degrees of artistic competence. Applejack’s somewhat crudely drawn trio of apples sat between a rough rendition of a rainbow lightning bolt and Fluttershy’s carefully drawn butterflies. Sunset watched it all with a smirk, before adding her own symbol, the cutie mark she used to bear, alongside her signature.

“Something funny, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, noting the expression.

“Maybe. Those symbols you guys drew, the ones that you’ve got on your clothing. Where’d they come from? Like your apples, the ones on your boots.”

“Come from? Sunset, y’all know I’m an Apple. We’ve got apple stuff all over everything. Just kinda family tradition, I reckon. Why’d ya ask?”

“Idle curiosity, I guess. I’m just willing to bet, though, that if we took a peek on the other side of the portal at the other Applejack who lives there, she’s got that same three apple mark on her flank.”

“You mean like a tattoo? Sweet,” Rainbow said with a laugh.

“Not tattoos, cutie marks. Pony magic. They’re supposed to represent our true selves, our destiny, or our personality. It’s a really hard to understand magic; nopony on the other side really knows very much about it.” She pointed at the red and orange sunburst she’d drawn on Pinkie’s cast. “That’s what mine looked like.”

The questions flooded in after that. What were cutie marks, where did they come from, what did they mean. Sunset tried to answer as much as she could, but ultimately cutie mark magic was still a mystery to even the keenest pony minds. The conversation lulled a bit as Sunny Sugarsocks brought their meals (and an extra plate of nachos for Pinkie, along with a strictly worded demand from their boss Sweet Snacks to take a break with her friends) and the now six girls dug into their meals.

“So, what’s everybody up to this evening?” Rainbow Dash asked, pretending not to notice Rarity’s pained grimace when she spoke with her mouth full.

“I don’t have any plans,” Applejack stated, glancing at Rarity as she said it, though Sunset was sure she was the only one who saw the significant look. “Do y’all?”

“N-no, I wasn’t planning anything for tonight,” Rarity stuttered uncharacteristically. “What did you have in mind, darling?”

“Well, the Captain Marevel movie just hit the cheap theatres, and I’ve already seen it a few times, but I thought it’d be fun if we all went together.”

“I could go,” Fluttershy said simply. Rarity nodded as well.

“Captain Marevel. Isn’t she the one with the lasso?” Applejack asked with interest, before withering away from Rainbow Dash’s glare, a look that managed to be shocked, offended, and slightly murderous all at once. “What? I can’t keep all these superhero movies straight half the time.”

“You’d like this one, darling. She reminds me of you,” Rarity said. “She’s strong, honest, and direct, and she has the most delightful costume that would just look smashing on…” she blushed hotly, her face filling with red as she trailed off with a significant glance at Applejack. Sunset saw a similar blush on the farmer, and grinned. Good, she thought. It’s about time those two got things going.

“I can’t come tonight, sorry girls. I’ve got a… a thing,” Sunset said regretfully.

“A thing?” Rarity asked, spying an opening to escape from the uncomfortable scrutiny she was now receiving not only from Sunset, but from Pinkie and Fluttershy, as well. Rainbow Dash was, as usual, oblivious to any of the conversation’s subtext. “Is he cute?”

“Not that kind of thing,” Sunset said with a laugh. “To be honest, I’ve signed up for a three month class at Canterlot Community College. Nothing for credit, just something I’m interested in. It’s a few hours, two nights a week.”

“What kind of class?” Fluttershy asked.

“Um, first aid and CPR,” Sunset said, glancing at Pinkie Pie in time to see her expression turn dangerous. She waved her hands defensively. “I’m not breaking my Pinkie Promise, I swear. I’m not blaming myself.”

“Uh huh…” Pinkie said, her voice dripping with suspicion.

“Really, I’m not. I promised I wouldn’t beat myself up or blame myself for the accident, and I’m not.” Sunset said while Pinkie and the other girls watched her cautiously. “It’s just that, when the accident happened, I felt so helpless. Rainbow, you were so cool, taking control of the situation. You were fearless, you knew exactly what to do. You were…” she trailed off, and then let out a resigned sigh, only to continue “…completely awesome.”

“Well, yeah,” Rainbow replied, puffing up a bit. “Cuz I am. But that’s because I’ve had training.”

“Exactly. When we were threatened by mind controlling aquatic sex lizards, or a giant insane power hippie, or even our own possessed demon friend, I didn’t panic. I may not have known exactly what to do every second, but,” Sunset paused for a bit, taking a handful of fries from the center of the table while she gathered her thoughts. “I’ve studied magic. I know how it works. It makes sense to me, it’s familiar. I might have been scared, but its… kinda my element. Up that canyon, in the middle of nowhere with an injured friend, I felt so out of place. So here I am, shaking and puking and barely able to breathe, while Rainbow just calmly figures out what we have to do to get Pinkie safely to the hospital. For Celestia’s sake, the paramedics were treating me for shock while we were all riding in the ambulance. I don’t even know what shock is!”

“It’s the body’s physiological response to injury or extreme stress. Basically, the body’s organs, like the brain, aren’t getting the blood they need and can start to operate weird or even begin to shut down. It usually shows up with an injury, but it can happen with stress or panic attacks as well,” Rainbow said. As soon as she stopped talking, she noticed the shocked stares from the five girls around their booth. “What? So I know a bit about first aid. That doesn’t make me an egghead. Look, this thing,” she gestured to her body, “is a finely tuned machine, like a sports car. Ya gotta know how the bits and pieces work in order to take care of it, right? And that sometimes means reading the owner’s manual, and knowing when you can tinker yourself, and when you gotta see a mechanic.”

“Wow,” Applejack said simply, and Pinkie giggled.

“You compare your body to a sports car?” Sunset asked.

“Why not? I think it’s a good meteor,” Rainbow said. The girls stared once again, this time trying to wrap their heads around the apparent non-sequitur.

“You mean metaphor, darling,” Rarity exclaimed suddenly, as the lightbulb went on for the friends. She giggled. “Goodness, I was worried there for a moment. Thank you for making the world make sense again.” The other girls laughed as well.

“Um, yer welcome?” Rainbow said, confused. “But seriously, Pinks, don’t be mad at Sunset for taking a first aid class. It makes sense to me.”

“I’m not mad,” Pinkie said. “As long as she doesn’t break her promise…”

Sunset shivered at the dangerous voice, and the implied threat.

“I won’t, I swear,” Sunset said.

“How about you, Pinkie? Wanna go see a movie tonight?” Rainbow asked, going back to their earlier conversation.

“Aw, sorry Dashie, but I can’t. I have work until nine. I wish, though. Being in the hospital has really cut into my girl time. Raincheck?”

Everybody at the table went silent, awkwardly looking at their food, or each other. This was why they had come, after all.

“Um, sure, Pinkie. Maybe next time,” Rainbow said. “But, uh…”

“Don’t ya think you’re pushin yourself a little too hard, Pinkie?” Applejack pushed forward when Rainbow hesitated. “All of us’re worried about ya. I thought the doctor said you were supposed to stay off your foot, and Sunny says you pretty much had to beg Sweet Snacks to let you come back early. Sugarcube… yer gonna hurt yourself worse than you already are.”

Pinkie’s face had gone solemn. All of the other girls were watching her nervously, except for Fluttershy, who had tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry you’re worried, girls. I never meant to make you feel bad,” she began, but Applejack was already shaking her head.

“Nothin’ doin’, sugarcube. I don’t wanna hear you say you’re sorry. I just wanna hear what got in your durn fool head, comin’ into work early like this. It’s not like y’all need money or something, is it?”

“No, nothing like that,” Pinkie said. “I really was gonna take it easy. I had an amazing plan; stay at home, eat lots of cookies, get visits from my bestest best friends, and work on my Thanks-For-Calling-The-Paramedics-And-Doing-Excellent-First-Aid party I’m gonna throw for Rainbow Dash as soon as I’m all better. But then…” she sighed, her eyes on her cast, before brightening, her face spreading with a smile as she looked at her friends. “I got a tickly feeling. You know, the ear-wiggling, toe-scrunching, eyebrow-tickling kind of feeling. The one that means somebody’s got a frown that needs upside downing, and I’m gonna run into them at work.”

There was a collective sigh of resignation from Pinkie’s friends. Nobody had any idea what she was talking about. Not really. But each and every girl at this table knew enough about Pinkie’s odd prescient moments that they couldn’t deny there was something to them. Once she claimed it was a Pinkie Sense thing, nothing they could say would sway her from her path.

“So, is it one of you five? I thought maybe it would be Twilight, because of her break up, but she’s not even here. And the only thing making you five frowny is worrying about me, right? So it’s gotta be somebody else.”

“Is there anything we can do to help you find your, erm, frowny target?” Rarity asked. “I only ask because we wish nothing more than for you to be at rest, getting yourself healthy as quickly as possible.”

“No… I don’t think it works like that,” Pinkie said vaguely, but leaned over to pat Rarity on her hand affectionately. “But you five just showing up and worrying about me helps a lot. It’s nice to know you all care. And you don’t need to worry; Sweet Snacks won’t let me do anything too tough anyways.”

The conversation moved on to harmless gossip and weekly news as each girl finished off her lunch, polishing off the shared fries in the process. Finally Pinkie announced that she’d taken long enough, and with a pained groan, managed to maneuver her cast off the bench and onto the floor. Instantly, three of the girls, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Sunset all jumped up to help her, causing a wave of giggles from Pinkie as she waved off their offers of assistance. It was a little awkward watching her clumsily retrieve her crutches from the nearby table she’d leaned them against, but she handled it fine, and gave her five friends a cheery wave before finally disappearing behind the swinging metal door to the restaurant’s back room.

“So, you think she’s gonna be okay?” Rainbow asked into the silence that followed.

“Well, that Pinkie Sense of hers has never steered her wrong,” Applejack replied, though she was frowning at the still-swinging door.

“She’ll be fine,” Sunset said, her voice more confident than she felt. “If she doesn’t slow down, we can always tell Maud on her.” The girls passed a nervous glance between them. Nobody wanted to tattle on their friend, unless they absolutely had to.

* * * * *

“Sweet, I’m done with the dairy invoices!” Pinkie called out of the tiny manager’s office to her boss, who was just outside the open office door in the kitchen, cleaning off the grill. Pinkie leaned back in her chair, looking around the door frame to see her boss, leaning over the huge grill with an intense look on her face, hunched over as she scrubbed at some stubborn spot with her weight. Sweet Snacks was older, certainly old enough to have lived in the fifties, though probably not old enough to have been a waitress back then. Pinkie knew, she had asked. For some reason Sweets had nearly fired her that day. Her skin was light blue and wrinkled, as much from her easy smile as from her age. Her hair had long ago gone snow white, and stray locks escaped the tight bun and hair net she kept it under while she was at work. Sweet smiled at Pinkie where the young woman sat in the office.

“Okay, Pinkie. You can start heading home if you like. Need any help?”

“Ma’am, I’m not done with my closing chores yet!” Pinkie protested. She lifted herself out of the padded, rolling chair that Sweet usually used while doing the paperwork, maneuvering her crutches so she could put her weight on them. The bulletin board inside the office contained a half dozen notices, including a closing chore sheet. Under Pinkie’s name was a list that included taking out the garbage, wiping down and sanitizing spare trays, and wiping down and sanitizing the booth seats and tables.

“It was slow. Sunny already got your trays and the booths tonight. I’ll take care of the garbage before I go. You’ve done enough today, Pinkie,” her boss told her kindly.

“Nope nope nope! I’ve got the garbage!” Pinkie called out.

“Pinkie…” Sweet began warningly, but the pink blur was already out the back room’s swinging door, although somewhat less fast than usual and accompanied by the click of her crutches. The diner owner sighed and rolled her eyes, walking over to the shelf where they kept the spare garbage liners, grabbing a thick roll and holding it out just as Pinkie reemerged, looking sheepish.

“Um…”

“Forget something?” her boss said with a smirk. Pinkie giggled and snatched the roll of liners from her, before heading off to collect the garbage in the dining area.

“When you’re done with that, could you dump the tortilla soup that’s in the fridge? It goes out of date tonight.” It seemed a safe enough thing to ask the injured girl.

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” she called out cheerfully from the dining room.

It took Pinkie Pie exactly four minutes and fifty-one seconds longer than usual to change all of the trash cans in the dining room. She knew this because she timed herself with her phone; Pinkie had her garbage duties down to three minutes, seventeen seconds flat on a usual day, and she prided herself on her efficiency. The extra time didn’t bother her too much, because she knew she’d be slower without her roller skates.

As soon as she had all the trash gathered into two large plastic bags, she maneuvered herself so she was holding one in each hand, clutching tight to both the top of the bags and the handles of her crutches. When she pushed into the kitchen to head towards the back door, however, she hesitated, looking over to where Sweet Snacks was washing dishes.

“So, Ms. Sweet?” Pinkie began nervously. Her boss looked up from the hot sudsy water her hands were immersed in.

“Yes, Pinkie?” she asked, warned by the young woman’s tone of voice that something was up.

“Um, so I came in tonight because I got a Pinkie feeling. Ear wiggle, toe scrunch, eyebrow tickle.”

“What does that one mean, dear?” Sweet asked patiently.

“It usually means that I’ll meet somebody at work that needs a frown turned upside down. But what if I was wrong? What if my Pinkie Sense is on the fritz? The soup, Sweet! You said the soup needs throwing out!”

“Uh…” Sweet said dumbly, confused.

“The soup was my idea, because of my Pinkie Sense! It was a new combo, thumb scrunch, knee pinch, and nose jiggle! I was sure it meant that we needed to make a lot of soup! And you trusted me, Sweet, and I was wrong! We barely sold any! What if my Sense is falling apart?” Pinkie was shaking as she began to panic, and Sweet quickly pulled her hands out of the sink and dried them, rushing over to the young lady and catching her in an awkward hug around her crutches.

“Pinkie. Take a deep breath,” the older lady said soothingly as she rubbed her employee’s back. Pinkie breathed in, taking in the scent of her boss and friend, a permanent aroma of greasy spoon diner, baking hamburger buns, and cigarette smoke, even though Sweets had been wearing a patch for three years now. “Calm down, please. Nobody’s perfect. Not even unexplainable Pinkie Senses. It’s okay.”

“But the soup,” Pinkie moaned.

“The soup was tasty. So it didn’t sell well. So what? Maybe that combo meant something else? And as for tonight, maybe you made somebody smile without even knowing it. You never know what effect you might have had.” Sweet pushed away from Pinkie, holding her out at arm’s length. “Your ‘Pinkie Sense’ has, to date, saved me from three bruised heads, seven stubbed toes, and a possible broken wrist. It has also led to the creation of three of our highest selling menu items, and helped Sunny Sugarsocks reconnect with her best friend from Kindergarten. I don’t care if you have the odd miss every so often, I’m still gonna trust you. And it. Okay?”

“Okay boss,” Pinkie said, sniffing.

“Good. Now get that garbage out and then go home. And stay there until you’re better!” her boss demanded with a smile. Pinkie gave a mock salute with the top of her crutch, and with a ‘click, click, click’ of her crutches made her way to the back door.

“Be careful,” Sweet called after her. “I think we might have some raccoons getting into our dumpster.”

“I’ll be careful,” Pinkie called back over her shoulder as she pushed the bar that opened the door, shoving her way out into the cool September evening air.

The alleyway behind the Sweet Snacks Café was clean and well maintained, if still dark. It was pretty empty, containing only a dumpster across from the door, and an old, enclosed ashtray on a pedestal bolted to the cement next to the door. Pinkie looked at the ashtray with pride in her boss; Sweets was still going strong with her goal to quit smoking forever. The nearest street lamp was just around the building, casting a sharp, angled shadow that started just on the other side of the dumpster. It left the green metal trash container almost completely sheathed in darkness.

Pinkie winced when the door slammed shut behind her; it was heavy and metal, and usually she eased it closed with an arm. These crutches were really inconvenient. As soon as the loud noise of the door slamming echoed into the alleyway, Pinkie heard a scratching and shuffling from the direction of the dumpster.

“There are raccoons!” Pinkie exclaimed into the darkness. “Hello, raccoon critters! I’m just dumping some garbage, don’t mind me and please don’t make a mess!”

For a split second, there was no sound, the air pregnant with a tense silence. Then came a short shriek, and a muffled thud as a tall, human shaped figure stumbled away from the dumpster, spilling onto the street and into the full view of the street lamp. It was a teenage girl, wearing torn jeans, dirty sneakers, and a dark blue hoodie. The girl was facing away from Pinkie, though it was clear from the dirty cloth bag clutched in her hand what she had been up to. Stuffed inside were several dozen pieces of discarded food from the dumpster, from partly moldy tomatoes to half eaten sandwiches. Pinkie was about to call out when she saw the girl’s hair; a single lock of two toned, light and dark blue hair spilled out from inside the pulled-up hood of her hoodie.

“Wait a second. You’re not a raccoon, you’re a Siren!” Pinkie called out, and the girl spun around on the ground, jerking into a sitting position as she stared at Pinkie. A mixture of terror, revulsion, shame, and hatred filled the Siren’s wide, magenta eyes. Her hands were shaking, and she drew them both around herself, dragging the bag full of discarded food with them as she hugged herself tightly. Her mouth opened, her hostile and terrified eyes tight on Pinkie. Instead of spite and hatred, however, only a single whimpered plea escaped the Siren’s lips.

“Please don’t tell Aria.”

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dear Princess Twilight

I have quite the story for you today. Before I start, I want you to know that everybody involved is just fine. I don’t want you to worry and come rushing through the portal (though as you know, I would never say no to a surprise visit from my very favorite Alicorn *wink*).

It all started when Rainbow Dash invited me and the other girls to go hiking up Everfree Canyon, kind of near that camp I told you about. Turns out most of the girls were busy, so only me, Dash, and Pinkie were able to go. It wasn’t going to be an overnight trip; it’s early autumn here, and up near the forest it gets pretty cold at night. We were just going to pack a lunch, hike up to a cool waterfall Dash told us about, have a nice picnic then head back. Dash just wanted to go hiking one last time before things started to get really cold.

At first, it was a great hike. The canyon is gorgeous, and all the leaves are turning fall colors, not ready to fall yet, but still totally orange and red. The whole time the trail follows this narrow canyon with a small icy stream flowing down the middle. It reminds me of Blind Doe Creek Canyon, just a few miles north of Canterlot, if you ever went to hike there. Heh, who am I writing to? Of course you never did, they don’t have a library up there.

We reached a section of trail that’s been washed out a little by some late summer rains. The trail was still there, but it was only about a foot and a half across, and pretty covered in scree. It looked totally sketchy, but the drop into the creek on our left was only about ten to fifteen feet, so a fall wouldn’t be fatal, right? And the dangerous section was only about ten feet long. But Rainbow Dash suggests it might be too dangerous, so we should think about finding another place for our picnic.

I know, right? Rainbow Dash, being all cautious and responsible. Pinkie got all weird, asking if Rainbow had been replaced by an alien body snatcher (fictional human sci-fi thing, kinda like Changelings). But I get it. A few months back, Scootaloo got into some trouble acting out in school, and Rainbow Dash really doubled down on her responsibilities as Scootaloo’s unofficial mentor/example/big sister. It’s pretty impressive to see her trying her best to be more mature, more responsible, and more grown up.

But Pinkie and I both said we’d be fine if we were careful. So Rainbow says she’ll go last, to help either of us if we slip or anything. Pinkie goes across first, and she’s just fine. I go next, and I’m a little nervous, but it’s not that bad. The drop to my left is only a dozen or so feet, and I’m watching the stream below while I’m trying to hold onto any handholds on the cliff side on my right. And of course I slip, because I’m paying too much attention to the drop and the stream and not enough attention to where my feet were going. My foot hits a patch of loose stone, shoots out from under me, and I start to swing out into the drop.

Rainbow is magically fast, of course, so of course she rushed out to catch me. Pinkie darted in from the front as well. Each one grabs one of my hands as I fall into the drop. But Pinkie just reacted; she didn’t have time to set herself, and I ended up pulling her off with me when she slipped on the loose stone as well. Now I’m between Rainbow and Pinkie, so Rainbow can’t effectively catch Pinkie without shoving me off the cliff entirely. She almost managed, nimbly reaching out with her free hand and grabbing at the sleeve of Pinkie’s jacket. She managed to get ahold of the jacket, but it tore (sorry Rarity!), and Pinkie fell the ten or so feet down into the tiny stream.

It should have been nothing! I’m still mad about this. A ten foot fall! It’s ridiculous. Pinkie hit the ground feet first, her right foot on dry ground and her left in the stream. But her left foot got caught between a rock and a gnarled tree root, and as she landed she twisted, falling butt first into the stream. With her foot wedged, however, it didn’t follow the rest of her.

I don’t remember if there was a sound when her leg broke, but I remember the gasp of pain. I’ve heard Pinkie scream before, screams of joy, of laughter, of horror and disgust. She never screamed, just a nearly silent gasp. I’ll remember that gasp forever. Rainbow said some swear words, and shouted that she was gonna drop me so she could get down and help Pinkie.

We both made it down to where Pinkie sat in the stream, shivering and panting in pain. I took one look at her leg, twisted unnaturally, and immediately lost my breakfast. She was injured, not me, but I was panicking, probably hysterical. I can’t remember what I was saying, but I was shouting something.

You would have been really impressed with Rainbow Dash. She never panicked, never batted an eye. She spoke calmly, gave me orders, told me what to do. Honestly I remember very little of all of this; I know at some point I found a pair of long sticks to help immobilize the bone, using my and Rainbow’s jackets. I also remember she made me call 911 (human thing; we can call for paramedics on our cell phones. It’s pretty amazing, and convenient in a world without pony magic). Rainbow probably could have carried Pinkie down the canyon by herself, but she said she didn’t want to leave me alone. So here we are, waiting for the paramedics to show up on their ATV (Ugh. More human stuff. Small mechanical transportation devices) and I’m coming completely unglued.

All the times I’ve fought against strange magic, stood firm, I never felt like this. I felt so helpless; there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I could do to help Pinkie. Rainbow took charge. Rainbow immobilized the injury, Rainbow kept me calm. Rainbow was trained enough in first aid to keep us both safe, and to keep Pinkie from being even more injured.

Like all good stories, this one has a happy ending. The paramedics got there, they got Pinkie safely down the mountain and to the hospital, and I even got to ride in the hospital (the paramedics wanted to keep an eye on me because I was experiencing shock, and it was a little embarrassing). While I was in the ambulance, Pinkie made me Pinkie Promise that I wouldn’t blame myself for all this, or beat myself up, or even feel guilty. I don’t, not really, but I hate how helpless I felt.

Pinkie’s just fine. She’s healing well, and her doctor says there will be no permanent damage. In a few months she won’t even have a limp. I’ll be better too; I found a class being taught on basic first aid and CPR (human lifesaving technique for restarting a heart that’s stopped beating. Without magic. Yeah, it’s impressive). I’m actually writing this journal as I’m waiting for the class to begin. I won’t be helpless ever again.

Wow, that was a long letter, sorry. I hope you’re not too worried. I’m sure Pinkie would love a visit, she’s out of the hospital for a couple of days now, but nobody’s in danger, so you don’t need to rush if you’re busy. Things were scary, but they’re fine now. And I’m doing better as well; I’m not freaking out any more, and I’m keeping my Pinkie Promise.

Class is about to start, so I can’t write any more, but I’ll give you any updates. Hope to hear from you soon. I miss you, Princess. I can’t wait until your next visit. Two months is too long to wait for a fifth date *wink wink*.

Love,

Yours forever, Sunset Shimmer.

“Interesting way to end an inter-dimensional letter, Sunset,” came a voice from over her shoulder.

Sunset jumped, giving out a startled squeak that even Fluttershy would have been proud of. She’d been so engrossed in the message she was writing in the magical two-way journal she shared with Princess Twilight that she hadn’t noticed when somebody entered the classroom where she was waiting. She was at Canterlot Community College, in a science classroom that had been set aside for use by the instructor of the first aid class, Swift Siren, a retired paramedic. She’d been early to the class, and had found a seat at one of the tables in the classroom. She’d brought the two-way journal, knowing she should take a few moments to update Princess Twilight on recent events before the class started. She had not expected to be interrupted, especially not by a particular blue-haired menace.

“Trixie! I wasn’t… you didn’t… um… what are you doing here?” Sunset stammered, spinning around to look at her friend, who had moved up behind her. Trixie was dressed as usual in her starry dress and overly theatrical hat. One hand rested on a cocked hip, and her face was painted with an amused smirk.

“Trixie has enrolled in a first aid class in order to better herself,” Trixie said airily, in a matter that Sunset had come to know meant the girl was hiding something. Trixie was many things, but an accomplished and skilled liar was not one of them. Sensing a chance to change the subject and shift the conversation away from Sunset’s love life, she stood, peering into Trixie’s face intently.

“Really? First aid? Doesn’t seem like your usual gig, Trixie.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is always looking for ways to become even more Greater and Powerfuler!” Trixie protested. “Don’t change the subject! You’re writing love letters to the other Twilight Sparkle! The pony one!”

Sunset knew how to play this game. She’d done it for three years, manipulating, cheating, extorting, and blackmailing people to get her way. The trick to making herself immune to any sort of manipulation regarding her own embarrassing secrets would be to embrace it, and own it.

“Yeah,” Sunset said with an exhale. “Yeah, I am. We’ve been dating kinda in secret for a few months now.”

“You didn’t tell Trixie?”

“I haven’t told anybody yet,” Sunset said. “We’re not ashamed of what we’re doing, but there’s some awkwardness involved in dating somepony who’s the alternate universe version of one of your best friends. I don’t want there to be any weirdness.”

“Hmph,” Trixie said, disappointed. Inwardly, Sunset smirked. By owning it, she took the power away. Even months after crawling out of the pit she’d dug for herself, it was still hard not to think that way.

“But enough about me, what about you? Did your parents make you sign up?” Sunset guessed, and was rewarded with a cringe from her friend.

“Trixie’s mother made a very reasonable argument as to why she should…” Trixie began, cut off when Sunset started laughing.

“What’d she threaten you with?” Sunset asked. Trixie let out a dramatic sigh.

“Trixie’s mother thinks she should have more ‘balance’ in her life. She thinks Trixie was spending too much time on ‘silly magic tricks and video games’ and should spend some time on self-improvement. There was perhaps some mention of having Trixie’s phone and television confiscated if Trixie didn’t ‘use her time more wisely’.”

“Why a first aid class?” Sunset asked, curious.

“It was sarcastically mentioned by Trixie’s mother as an option because of all of the bumps, bruises, and second-degree burns that sometimes occur on the path to performance greatness. Pyrotechnics can be dangerous.”

“Also you fall off a lot of stuff,” Sunset noted. Trixie glared at her, and Sunset giggled. “Sit down, Trixie. This class will be a lot more fun with you around.” Trixie hesitated for a second, clearly wondering if she were still being teased, but Sunset slid the chair next to hers on the table out, and the blue magician took her seat with a smile.

“Why are you taking a first aid class?” Trixie asked.

“Oh, cuz of what happened to Pinkie,” Sunset said. “If something ever happens again, I want to be ready.”

“That makes sense. The Noble and Heroic Trixie always knew you were aspiring to heroic heights yourself.”

Sunset just rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics. By now another half dozen people had filtered into the room, including at least one other Canterlot Wondercolt, the bombastic Bulk Biceps. Sunset and Trixie waved, but they didn’t have time to say hi before the class instructor, Swift Siren, entered and called the class to order. She was a spry, athletic woman in her early eighties, with silver hair and pale purple skin. She moved with a quick confidence that drew the attention of everybody in the room. Soon all the students had settled in to listen to Swift Siren’s commanding voice.

* * * * *

“I hope you guys had fun,” Twilight Sparkle said, fidgeting with the straw of her smoothie. “I know classical music concerts aren’t always everybody’s thing.”

“Of course we had fun, sweetie,” her sister-in-law Cadence said with a smile as she sipped on her own giant pink monstrosity of a milkshake. Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, was nodding next to her as he chewed on a mouthful of the crunchy peppermint candy bits that had been sprinkled on top of the whipped cream that floated on his hot chocolate. The family sat in the small café, a brilliant recommendation of Pinkie Pie’s known as Sugar Cube Corner. The owner, a ‘Ms. Cake’, had given Twilight an odd look when she’d entered, but Twilight was coming to terms with those sorts of glances; her extra-dimensional doppelganger had made lots of friends in the region, and not everybody was privy to the full details of the situation.

The three family members were dressed in semi-formal wear for the concert; Twilight and Cadence wore dresses, and Shining Armor was in a suit, complete with a metallic pink tie. Cadence hated the tie, but Shining loved it; it never caused any real fights, however, because as Cadence put it, ‘If he’s wearing the tie, he’s wearing a suit, and your brother is yummy in a suit’. Twilight had immediately fled the room at this statement.

Cadence, meanwhile, was wearing a purple sleeveless high necked dress, with a skirt that ended just above her knees. Twilight’s dress was black, a slightly more conservative version of the black cocktail dress, with short sleeves, a gently swooping neckline, and a skirt just short enough to make her incredibly nervous whenever she sat down. It was certainly more daring than anything she’d ever worn before, and she’d bought it with tonight in mind. Unfortunately, tonight had come with a bit of a hitch.

“Twily, I might not be the best judge of good music,” Shining began, with a snort from Cadence, which Shining ignored. “But Cady and I both graduated from Crystal Prep. Even if we don’t choose to listen to this stuff all the time, we were both exposed to it enough to appreciate it. Tonight’s concert was incredible, and we’re both really happy you invited us.”

Twilight could hear the concern in both her brother and sister-in-law’s voice. She’d never been really good at hiding her inner thoughts or emotions, and her disappointment for this evening, however slight, was still tangible. She took a sip of her strawberry/kiwi/kale smoothie, taking comfort in the fact that Pinkie was never wrong when it came to the quality of sweet things.

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” Cadence asked finally, when it was clear Twilight was not going to volunteer the source of her discomfort on her own.

“I’m fine,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I really did want to treat you guys to a great night out, and I’ve been really enjoying the orchestra season pass Pinkie got me. Every concert is more impressive than the last.”

“But…” Cadence said with a raised eyebrow.

“But,” Twilight began. “I was really hoping for something else out of tonight. Please don’t be mad at me, but I was hoping you two could be my... well, my emotional support tonight. But she wasn’t there.”

Shining Armor opened his mouth to ask a question, but Cadence shot him a quelling look and motioned for Twilight to continue.

“I don’t even know her name,” the younger girl said. “I just think of her as ‘crying girl’. She’s been at every single concert. She sits on the balcony, above and behind where we were sitting. There hasn’t ever been enough people to fill the whole concert hall, so she’s always alone. She’s always dressed in jeans and a hoodie, and…” Twilight took a deep, steadying breath before she dared to say the next words. “She’s really pretty.”

“Ooh, a mysterious stranger, love at first sight!” Cadence tittered. “That’s so adorable!”

“Please, Dean Ca…” Twilight cut off when her sister-in-law harrumphed at the title. Twilight was still a bit unused to the change in relationship from school administrator to loving family member. “Sorry, Cadence. But it’s nothing so unscientific.” She paused to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose, a gesture many of her friends and family had come to connect with the beginnings of a ‘Twisplaination’. “I’m mature enough to recognize infatuation when I feel it. And I am decidedly infatuated.” The serious nature of the sentence was ruined by the flush Twilight felt in her cheeks.

Shining Armor made a noise. It sounded suspiciously like the kind of noise you might make if you were about to laugh, and then suddenly get elbowed hard in the ribs by your wife. Twilight, whose blushing face was locked on her drink, didn’t notice.

“Twilight, um…” Cadence began, but her sister-in-law cut her off.

“I know what you’re going to say, Cadence. ‘You can’t be so analytical about romance.’ I know that. Things like crushes, love, romance, lust… they defy analysis. While objectively, I understand that many of these things are evolutionary advantages, useful for creating social bonds and relationships that perpetuate the species, feeling them myself has been confusing. So I get it. But this is how I interact with the world, so… be patient with me?”

“Don’t ever change, Twily,” Shining said, smiling. Cadence nodded her agreement.

“But, Twilight, don’t you think this might be a little soon? You just went through a break up,” the older woman asked. “Are you sure you’re ready to try again?”

“I think so, Cadence,” Twilight replied thoughtfully. “I won’t pretend that breaking up with Timber didn’t hurt, but I’m not angry or bitter. We decided to break up together, and we’re still close. I even texted him about all this, and it was his idea to bring somebody else with me as moral support. He specifically suggested you two, as well.” It was a little embarrassing to admit how much more socially adept Timber was than she, but not much.

“This is all beside the point, though,” Shining Armor cut in. “You don’t even know the girl’s name. What did you call her? ‘Crying Girl’?”

“Let me start from the beginning,” Twilight said.

For my last birthday, Pinkie Pie got me these amazing season tickets to the Canterlot Symphony. It was my first birthday party with friends, you know, besides you two and Spike. It was great once I got over my pounding heart and panic.

Yes, Pinkie prefers to throw surprise parties. Sometimes they’re more surprising than the guest of honor is prepared for.

Pinkie? She’s fine. She’s out of the hospital now, but the rest of our friends say she’s pushing herself too hard after her injury. They went to the café she works at tonight to scold her for that.

Anyways…

The season tickets included seats for two guests, but for the first three concerts, everybody else I invited was busy. Well, that’s not true. Rainbow and Applejack both probably could have come, but Rainbow told me that going to a classical concert would somehow damage her image, and Applejack just told me honestly she wasn’t into that sort of thing. That’s fine with me; I don’t need to share all my friends’ interests, after all.

Each of the concerts is curated based on a theme, rather than a composer or a time period. Tonight’s theme was ‘love and romance’, right? It would have been so perfect to… uh, never mind. That first night’s theme was birds and flight. Each of the pieces the orchestra played was about that theme.

I noticed her first when I was sitting down. I happened to glance her way as she sat down up at the balcony, where she was alone. She was pretty, and I have to admit I stared for a bit. When she caught me staring, she looked shocked at first, and then angry. I couldn’t get it. She looked like she recognized me, and she was furious about something.

Maybe she did know my other self. You know, the girl who looks exactly like me? That’s my theory at least. Whatever the case, her glare didn’t last long. I must have looked confused at her apparent anger, because her stare became first confused, and then thoughtful. By then the house lights were dimming, and I took my seat.

Sometime in the middle of Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet Number 53 in D Major I happened to glance back up at her. I could barely see, but it was clear she was weeping. Not ugly, loud sobs, but the quiet dignified crying of somebody who’s really suffering in silence. I thought at first that maybe she was moved by the beauty of the music, but her eyes were closed and I couldn’t really tell. She must have sensed my looking, because she opened her eyes at that second and caught me staring. Her gaze was intent, and she looked right back at me, gently wiping at her eyes. Now her hoodie was down, and I could see her hair, two tone blue and light blue locks were pulled back in a ponytail.

I found myself wondering what she would look like with it down.

I remember glancing away quickly, figuring that she thought I must be weird. After all, I was staring at her. I didn’t look back for the rest of the concert, and when it was over, she was gone.

The next week’s theme was ghosts and the supernatural. Did you know Tchaikovsky wrote a piece of music about Shakespeare’s Hamlet? Most people are only familiar with his more popular stuff, like the Nutcracker and the 1812 Overture. I saw the crying girl again, just before the lights went dim. This time she didn’t look angry, and managed to smile just a little bit, giving me a little wave. It was just a tiny finger wiggle, but she didn’t look hostile at all, so I was really confused.

It was during a performance of an excerpt from Dvorak’s Spectre’s Bride that I looked up again at her. They’d brought in an opera singer to perform alongside the orchestra, and she was incredible. Once again, though, the girl on the balcony was weeping. For some reason, I couldn’t tear my eyes from her. I was watching her instead of the singer, and despite all of the talent of the performers, she was the most interesting thing in the hall at that moment. She didn’t catch me staring this time, and I’m grateful.

I can’t explain this. I don’t even have words, and both of you know me well enough to realize just how aggravating that is to me. But for a moment, as that wonderful singer on stage sang about loss and grief, about her lover being torn from her by death, I felt like it was the crying girl that was singing. It was like the music was coming from her, not from the stage. I know, it doesn’t make sense. But all of the passion, all of the emotion I felt coming from the music was perfectly mirrored on her face. Her eyes, which I could hardly see, were frozen on the stage, sparkling with reflected lights. I watched her for the rest of the concert. She got up to leave before the final applause, and she was hiding her eyes with her hands as she rushed from the building, as if she was running from something.

I wanted nothing more than to protect her, to keep her safe from whatever it was she was afraid of. Is that weird? Empathy is a bit of a new feeling for me. Now that I have real friends…

Yes, I mean more real friends. You’ll always be my first friend, BBBFF.

Do you want me to finish the story or not?

Now that I have lots of friends, I find myself more often considering the thoughts and feelings of others. Much more so than I used to, that is. That’s what I felt for the crying girl. Empathy. I wanted to find out what was hurting her and fix it.

I guess it didn’t hurt that she’s really cute, too.

The third week’s concert was much more fun. I actually did plan on bringing Pinkie to this one, but she ended up in the hospital. She would have loved it, too. That night’s theme was all about food. Before I even tried to look for her, the crying girl was trying to get my attention. She waved at me, not the shy finger wiggle from before, but a full wave, complete with a smirk and a wink. I’m sure she was flirting at this point.

I was also sure that she couldn’t possibly cry tonight, as the musical pieces were almost comical in nature. We were listening to a piece I don’t know the name of, but it was Bach, I think. Something from an opera where a father was trying to convince her daughter not to drink so much coffee. But even in the middle of this silly song, I looked up and she was crying again. I kept checking on her every few minutes. Most of the time she was crying, but once she caught me looking and…

No, it’s not important.

No, really.

Fine. The one time she caught me looking, she blew me a kiss. That’s how I deduced she might be flirting with me, okay? I nearly lost my nerve, but after that I had to go talk to her. So as soon as the applause started, I hurried out of the concert hall towards the balcony. I was rather nervous, but…

You want to know what?

Yes, I know it’s not a very poetic way to describe things. I’m not a very poetic person, Cadence. You know that.

Fine, if it will make you shut up about it. My heart was racing, I was flushed, I thought perhaps I might be experiencing a low grade fever…

Well, it’s unrealistic to assume that I can somehow summon up some previously unseen poetic ability just to satisfy your sense of romance. Isn’t there some inherent romance in the story you can get excited about, despite any failings in my delivery?

Thanks, Cadence. To continue, she wasn’t there. She’d already slipped out before I could make it up to the balcony. I asked the usher at the door if he’d seen where she’d went, and he didn’t know anything, only that she’d left seconds before I got there.

So the plan was to speak with her tonight. I would get up before the end of the show, and intercept her at the bottom of the stairs towards the balcony. Only, as the week progressed, I became more and more unsure of myself. The courage I’d felt, the willingness to go charging up the stairs and speak with Crying Girl kind of began to trickle away. So I realized I’d need moral support. Somebody who would, um, push me out of my comfort zone, romantically speaking. I texted the whole story to Timber. We’re still good friends, after all. He suggested I bring you two. For some reason he seems to think you’re some sort of a romance expert, Cadence. But she wasn’t there today.

“And that’s the whole story,” Twilight finished, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. “And now I’m worried I missed an opportunity.” She looked up and saw Cadence’s face, and cringed. She could practically see the stars in her sister-in-law’s eyes.

“Oh, Twilight,” she cooed. “That has to be one of the cutest things you’ve ever said.”

“But wait. You don’t know anything about this girl. She could be a delinquent or a criminal or something,” Shining said. Cadence rolled her eyes.

“Oh, be quiet and embrace the magic of love, Officer Armor,” his wife said. “Besides, you know Twi’s smart and grounded enough to take care of herself. But you are cute when you get all overprotective.”

“Moving on,” Twilight interjected quickly. She saw the signs; her former babysitter was about to start flirting with her brother if she didn’t interrupt. While she didn’t mind in theory, it wasn’t something she wanted happening right in front of her eyes. “What’s my next step?”

“Well, obviously you have to speak with this girl,” Cadence said. “She probably just had a change of plans for tonight. If she’s been at every other concert, she’ll most likely show up again.”

“You know, that doesn’t actually hold up to logic,” Twilight informed her. Cadence rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Sweetie, sometimes you just have to forget logic and just believe in love,” she said.

“But Dean Cadence…”

“No! I don’t hear enough belief! Belief harder, Twilight!” Cadence demanded, throwing a fist dramatically into the air. Twilight recoiled from her sister-in-law and the crazed smile on her face. Shining Armor just looked amused. After holding the pose for a few seconds, Cadence giggled and slumped back into her seat. “Seriously though, Twilight. There’s not much more you can do than go to the next concert and hope she shows up. If there’s any justice or poetry in the universe she’ll be there.

“But what if she’s not?” Twilight asked.

“Everything’s going to work out, Twilight. I have a feeling.”

“A feeling?” Twilight scoffed. “There’s no scientific basis for the idea that…”

“Twilight,” Cadence interjected, her voice lowering dangerously. “Remember the story you told me about your pink friend and her senses. Just pretend it’s like that.” Twilight shuddered. Her faith in the scientific method had been seriously shaken by the Experiments That Must Not Be Named. Also the damage to her lab equipment had been catastrophic.

“Okay. Let’s assume, despite all logic and evidence that the crying girl is just going to show up at the next concert. What do I do?”

“Get ready to chase her down?” Shining chimed in helpfully. Cadence growled at him, and he snickered. “Really, though, you have to at least give it a chance and go meet her. We could come with you again for moral support, but it’s probably better if Cadence and I aren’t there to alternately embarrass and overprotect you. We’ll send you strategically timed encouraging text messages. Besides, can you imagine how crazy Cadence will go if you don’t follow through?” He grunted again at another elbow to the ribs. “Twilight, you’re smart enough to figure out all this on your own. You don’t even really need our advice.”

“Yes, but if I told you all the story, I’d be forced to follow through or face the wrath of Cadence,” Twilight said, smirking at her sister-in-law. Cadence mock growled, but it was clear she was trying too hard not to smile.

“If you two both keep teasing me, you’ll face plenty of wrath,” Cadence threatened, but the grin was spilling through. “Oh Twilight, I’m so happy to see that you’re doing well post breakup. And I really do have a good feeling about this one.”

“Right,” Twilight said, mentally filing ‘Cadence’s Love Feelings’ away in the same box with ‘Inexplicable Pinkie Sense’. “Thanks for listening.”

“You know when you do manage to actually meet your dream girl and learn her name, you’re obligated to bring her to meet us,” Shining said. “Mostly so I can fulfil my annoying older brother instincts. We have to make sure anybody you’re dating is good enough for our little Twily.” Cadence was nodding earnestly.

“Yes. We must have a double date,” Cadence gushed.

“Your optimism might be premature,” Twilight said. “But thanks. Thanks for listening and for encouraging me, you two. You’re the best.”

“No problem, Twilight. And if she doesn’t make it to the next concert, Shiny can use his police contacts to figure out who she is.”

“Now Cadence, you know that’s unethical and illegal,” Shining began, but Cadence was already waving her hands in front of his face to shush him.

“You know I’m just kidding, Shiny.”

“Well…”

“Anyways,” Cadence said, interrupting her husband. “What you need to do now is to not obsess about this. You know how you can sometimes get inside your own head, Twilight. Until the next concert, you just need to relax and not overthink things. Maybe distract yourself by spending lots of time with your friends.”

“That was the plan. We need to convince Pinkie to take it easy to let her leg heal, after all. I hope they were successful.”

Chapter 3

“Ms. Sweet?” Pinkie called out as she worked her way clumsily through the large back door. “Ms. Sweet? Can I get your help with something?” She tried to hold the door open for her guest behind her with an outstretched crutch, but Sonata merely glared at her from underneath her hood as she opened the door for herself. After their eyes met for a moment, one pair friendly and open, the other darkly suspicious, Sonata looked away in a near cringe. “It’s okay. Come on in.” The hooded siren nodded silently. “The sink’s over there so you can wash up if you want.” She pointed at the hand washing sink, well used but well cleaned, set next to one of the prep stations in the restaurant’s kitchen. With a shrug, Sonata silently rolled up her sleeves and washed the grime of her dumpster diving off her hands.

“Pinkie?” Sweet Snack poked her head from around the corner of the office door. “What can I…” The café owner trailed off as soon as she saw the dirty, shrinking figure half hidden behind Pinkie. “Oh! One of your friends, dearie? Come on in!” Pinkie could have hugged her boss; the older woman seemed to have an instinct for reading people and situations, and Pinkie could tell her mind was turning as Sweet took in what she was seeing.

“Heya, ma’am. Where did you say that leftover soup was?” Pinkie called out. It took only a split second before Sweet’s eyes lit up with understanding.

“If you and your friend are hungry, Pinkie, just find a seat out in the dining room. I’ll heat up the soup for ya.”

“It’s okay, boss, I can…”

“Pinkie!” Sweet Snack shouted in her very best boss voice. Pinkie stumbled, nearly tripping over her own crutches in her surprise. Sweet almost never yelled at her staff. “Find a seat in the dining room and park it, girl!”

“Yes ma’am!” Pinkie yelped, and even Sonata snickered behind her. “C’mon, Sonata. I’ll show you to the dining room.” The siren followed behind the pink girl, trying to subtly hide behind the floofy mass of cotton candy hair. Sweets watched long enough to ensure that Pinkie was going to rest her leg as ordered before going back into the kitchen to reheat the soup.

The dining room looked lonely now that the restaurant was completely closed. The cleaning was done, and the room was in immaculate shape, ready to open for breakfast tomorrow morning. It was clear Sonata felt awkward and uncomfortable by her hesitant movements, but goaded along by Pinkie’s encouragement and a good solid prod from a crutch, she found a seat at one of the booths near the door. She slid into the back of the seat, sitting sideways so as to place her back up against the restaurant wall. Pinkie sat down opposite her, leaning her crutches against the metal rim of the Formica table.

“Hungry?” Pinkie asked. Sonata tried to sink further into her threadbare hood.

“I don’t want…” the siren began, her voice bitter. “I mean, I can’t…” She stuttered, cutting off again. Pinkie cocked her head with a smile, waiting and listening patiently. “I can’t afford to pay you right now,” she finally managed with a shameful flush. “I can wash dishes or something.”

“I don’t think Sweet’s gonna charge for the soup. Today was the last day. It was just gonna get tossed tonight anyways. Trust me, you’re not costing me or Ms. Sweet anything.”

“I don’t need charity,” Sonata mumbled back. It was obvious that she didn’t even believe what she was saying. Pinkie merely smiled at her.

“Okay,” Pinkie said cheerfully. “But what about gifts?” Sonata grunted in response, which Pinkie took as a yes. “I love giving gifts. I’ve been in such a frowny mood about my soup not selling well. It’d make me feel so much better if at least somebody eats it.”

“What makes you think I want to make you feel better?” Sonata snapped angrily. Pinkie flinched, but her smile never shrank.

“Do whatever you want,” she said cheerfully. “But the boss is gonna heat up your soup no matter what you say. So you might as well at least try it.” Sonata looked away sullenly.

“What kind of soup?” the siren asked finally.

“Tortilla soup,” Pinkie answered simply. Sonata finally looked up, staring at her.

“What’s tortilla soup?”

“It’s like a chicken taco, except in soup form,” Pinkie said, and finally got a response other than anger from the siren. Sonata was looking at her, eyes wide and jaw slack.

“You... can make tacos in soup form?” Sonata asked. Her face was alight with wonder. Pinkie couldn’t help but giggle, which of course made Sonata scowl. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” Pinkie giggled more. “It’s just, your face looks just like I imagine mine did when I first tried cupcakes. You really like tacos that much?”

“Tacos are perfection in edible form. They are the Siren of human foods,” Sonata declared. “I’ve been alive for hundreds of years, and tacos are the very best thing that humans have ever invented.”

“Hmm. We’ll have to agree to disagree, I guess,” Pinkie said. “I mean, there’s cupcakes.” She didn’t say any more. What more needed to be said? Cupcakes were the real greatest human invention. Sonata merely shook her head, but Pinkie sensed that a conversational hurdle had been passed. The Siren was at least speaking with her now, rather than just glaring and grunting. It was clear to Pinkie now what her last few ‘Pinkie Sense’ episodes had meant. Sitting across from her was clearly a frown in desperate need of upside downing. Now she only had to tread carefully here; it was also obvious that she would need to be very aware of Sonata’s fragile feelings.

“Soup’s on!” came a cheerful singsong from the direction of the kitchen. The swinging chrome door revealed a beaming Sweet Treat, expertly carrying two large bowls on steaming soup on platters. Pinkie could smell the spicy soup, the aromas of the chicken, peppers, and melty cheese filling the mostly empty restaurant. She set the platters down in front of each girl, and Pinkie nearly giggled again at the way Sonata’s eyes followed the steaming bowl like she was hypnotized. “You eat up too, Pinks. You’re still healing.”

“You sound so much like a mommy,” Pinkie said with a giggle, and Sweet gave her a stern look that didn’t quite overcome the amusement in her eyes.

“That’s cuz I am. Now eat up, both of you.” She made sure to share her stern gaze with both of the girls, and Sonata shrank away against the wall. With one last glance at Pinkie, the café owner disappeared into the kitchen. Sonata’s magenta eyes darted back and forth between the swinging door, Pinkie, and the bowl of soup sitting before her. Tremulously, she seized the spoon resting by the side of the bowl on the platter. With her wary gaze still on Pinkie, she scooped up the first mouthful of tomatoes, peppers, and shredded chicken. Pinkie smiled and waited.

If there was one thing that Pinkie lived for, it was that moment of surprise and joy that made a person’s eyes just light up. It could be for any reason; an unexpected surprise party, a perfect birthday gift, a hug on a rainy day, or the perfectly flavored cupcake. Whatever the reason, watching a person’s expression just lighten up with happiness was her oxygen. It was even better when the person was a former Meany Mcmeanypants. Pinkie remembered the first time she’d seen a real, genuine smile from Sunset Shimmer. She remembered the first shy, nervous smile of Twilight Sparkle as she announced that she would be transferring from Crystal Prep. She had a gallery in her head where she saved those moments, memories locked in frames in the gallery of her mind. This moment would have a place of honor alongside those others.

Sonata didn’t necessarily smile with her lips, but that was okay. Pinkie knew that some people just smiled with their eyes. Also it was hard to smile when chewing. Especially when after that first bite, Sonata couldn’t shovel the soup in fast enough. She even took a second to lower her hood, letting her two-tone blue hair spill out. Pinkie wanted to stand up and shout, she wanted to dance around and throw a party, a ‘Hooray-You-Discovered-A-New-Favorite-Food’ sort of party. Admittedly that sort of thing might be difficult with her bum leg. And also may not be appropriate for the situation. So instead she held herself back, letting herself simply enjoy being an observer for this moment.

“I had no idea tacos could be soup,” Sonata finally admitted with her mouth full, once her bowl was almost gone. “Or that it would be so good.” Pinkie merely beamed, sliding her own bowl over besides Sonata’s. “Really? You’re sure?”

“I ate earlier,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “I’m good. You enjoy, okay?” The siren didn’t need any more than that. Pinkie took the time to watch her (hopefully) new friend as she practically inhaled the soup. There was something different about the siren. Something off. There were physical differences; Sonata’s cheeks were sunken, and there was a darkness around her eyes. She was missing the confidence she’d had when she was evil. She didn’t move with the same sensual and seductive grace that she’d had when she was singing alongside her sisters. She acted like she’d been beaten down, and Pinkie felt a surge of guilt at the role she might have played in putting the frown on Sonata’s face, even if she and her friends hadn’t had another choice.

Pinkie liked to spend time with each of her friends. That meant doing things they enjoyed, such as helping Fluttershy volunteer at the animal shelter the shy girl loved. Pinkie remembered one weekend, nearly a year ago, when she’d been helping Fluttershy play with some of the cutest puppies and kitties and bunnies Pinkie had ever seen, when suddenly a group of animal control officers had brought in an injured dog. Even thinking about it made Pinkie want to cry forever. The poor dear had been underfed, and his fur was patchy. The shelter vets had done surgery to remove the pitiful creature’s collar. Pinkie had to leave, but Fluttershy had stayed to assist. It had been impressive to see Fluttershy in her element, but the look of anguish and despair in the dog’s eyes still haunted Pinkie. The moment Pinkie had caught Sonata stealing things from Sweet Treat’s dumpster, her eyes had been the same as that dog’s. The realization gave Pinkie an idea.

“What are you doing after you’re done eating?” she asked the siren suddenly, as Sonata was slurping up the last bits of Pinkie’s bowl. The siren looked longingly at the dregs in both bowls, as if she wanted to lick them out. The question, however, made Sonata’s shoulders slump.

“Dunno. Probably go home,” she said, sounding decidedly frowny again. Pinkie shook her head.

“You don’t have to, ya know. Go home, that is. Do you wanna hang out for a bit?” Pinkie asked. She felt nervous. This next bit could easily end in a completely unfriendly disasterific explosion of ultimate frowny faces. She’d have to tread lightly.

“Hang out? With you?” Sonata asked. Thankfully she didn’t sound as skeptical about the idea as Pinkie thought she might have even a few minutes ago.

“Yeah. I’d like to talk to you for a bit. Get a chance to get to know you. Maybe even be your friend?” Pinkie said. She hadn’t meant that last bit to be a question, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Don’t have anything better to do,” Sonata muttered, her voice defeated. Pinkie fought the urge to stand up and clap. Mostly by remembering that it would probably hurt a lot. New friends meant parties and celebrations, more birthdays to remember and cakes to bake, more presents and more smiles and more joy to spread around. The former villain thing didn’t bother her in the slightest; two of her very best friends in the entire whole wide world had been temporarily demons, after all. “What do you want to know about me?”

“Well, how have you been?” Pinkie asked, then immediately regretted it. It was one of the number one rule of good questions according to the weekly improv classes she took with Rarity; never ask a question that could be answered with one word. It was a good rule of thumb for asking questions of skittish, shy new friends as well.

“Fine,” Sonata said, and Pinkie slumped. She’d have to do better than that, but if she was too obvious Sonata would shut down.

“What are you up to these days?” Pinkie asked, hoping the more open ended question would produce more of a response. She was disappointed.

“Mostly working.”

“Oh yeah?” Pinkie asked. “Where are you working these days?”

“Oh, I’m a wish fulfillment ambassador at an Amaze-bay distribution center.”

“So you’re like a genie? Fulfilling people’s wishes?” Pinkie gushed. Sonata’s laugh was bitter.

“That’s what I thought when I read the job title. No, I work in a warehouse and fill people’s internet orders. It’s… not fun.”

“Aw, that’s no good,” Pinkie said. “Sorry it turned out so badly for you.” Sonata looked into Pinkie’s eyes, looking a bit taken aback by the sincerity in the other girl’s voice.

“Yeah. At least I have a job,” Sonata said. Pinkie was about to ask something else, when Sweet poked her head in from the kitchen. Sonata quickly put her hood back up, hiding her face almost by instinct.

“You girls need anything else?” she asked. In one hand she held a plastic bag with a to-go Styrofoam soup container.

“Nope! Thanks so much for letting me stay late, Sweet!” Pinkie cheered at her boss. Sweet eyed her with an amused expression and laid the bag on the table next to Sonata.

“You take this for tomorrow,” she ordered the young woman. Sonata opened her mouth to protest, but the older woman bulldozed forward. “I don’t wanna hear it. You be sure to eat this within the next day or so. We can’t sell it, but it will still be good to eat for a day or two. Pinkie, I’m about to lock up. You think I can have a word with your friend by herself for just a moment?”

“Okie Dokie Lokie,” Pinkie sang, though inside she was nervous. What did Sweet have to talk to Sonata alone about? “I’ll wait for you outside, Sonata.” Sonata nodded expressionlessly. Pinkie stood up, snatching up her crutches as she flashed Sonata an encouraging smile. As she maneuvered her way clumsily towards the kitchen door, she briefly entertained the temptation to hesitate behind the door to eavesdrop. She almost did it, too.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie?” Sweet Treat called out, and Pinkie nearly dropped her crutches in shock. “Your Pinkie Sense is vindicated. Don’t you dare come into work tomorrow. And don’t even think about…”

“I’m going, I’m going!” she called back, and hightailed it out the back door. Clumsily she worked the handle and managed to squeeze out the back door. The alley was dark and lonely, and Pinkie found her gaze drawn to the dumpster, where only a few minutes ago Sonata had been digging for scraps. It broke her heart to think about. For Pinkie, food was life. Food, after maybe only smiles and surprise parties, was like the third most important thing in the entire world. To think about somebody without enough food, even somebody who was sometimes a bit evil, was anathema to her. Crutches clicking against the concrete and asphalt of the alleyway, she made her way over to the dumpster and peered inside. The smell hit her like a fist, and she nearly cried. The idea that anybody could eat from a dumpster physically hurt, with a wrenching twist in her gut. She had to turn away before she lost her dinner. With tear filled eyes, Pinkie Pie turned away from the dumpster towards the door to wait for her new friend to emerge. She had a plan for Sonata for tonight, and she was praying that the siren wouldn’t hate her.

With a click, the back door of the restaurant opened, and Sonata emerged, with Sweet behind her. The siren was smiling, though her eyes were filled with tears. With a sniff, she wiped her nose on the sleeve of her ragged hoodie, then turned and, to Pinkie’s shock, hugged Sweet. The café owner, about to turn and lock the door behind her, gave a surprised chuckle and returned the hug with a hearty squeeze.

“Thanks,” Sonata whispered, and Sweet patted her awkwardly on the back.

“No problem. Enjoy your soup,” Sweet said, motioning to the to-go bag that Sonata was holding. “You remember what I said, girl. And be nice to Pinkie, she’s an angel.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sonata said, releasing the hug and glancing over at Pinkie. Sonata gave her a small smile, and Pinkie’s heart sang. It would definitely be time to start planning a New-Friend party soon. Maybe she’d have to find a way to ease her friends into the idea of befriending one of the sirens. It would take time, energy, patience, and an infinite supply of balloons and cupcakes. Each one in her friends’ individual favorite flavors, of course. Sonata walked over to stand beside Pinkie, her face once again disappearing into her hood as she looked down at the ground. Sweet bid them both goodnight before heading for her car. Sonata and Pinkie watched her go.

“She’s okay letting you head home on your own?” Sonata asked, a bit incredulously.

“Yup. She knows if there was something dangerous out there, I’d get an ear twitch, eyebrow wiggle, tummy clench,” Pinkie said confidently. “C’mon, there’s somewhere I wanna show you.”

“So, you’re psychic?” Sonata asked as she followed slowly after the other girl.

“No, I’m Pinkie,” she sang back, and Sonata’s face screwed up with confusion. It was an expression Pinkie was used to seeing in her friends, old and new. She didn’t mind.

“Where are we going?” Sonata asked. They exited the alley onto the dark street, well lit by frequent, smartly placed lamps. It wasn’t the nicest neighborhood in Canterlot Town, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near the bottom. It was nearly ten p.m., and most every business was closed.

“One of my favoritest places ever,” Pinkie said. “You’ll see.”

“You’re plotting something,” Sonata accused as they passed slowly by the Sweet Treat’s neighboring businesses.

“Why do you think that?” Pinkie asked, trying to make her voice sound as innocent as possible. Sonata rolled her eyes.

“I’ve spent the last few centuries hanging out with Adagio Dazzle. I know when somebody’s plotting something,” Sonata said. She didn’t sound angry, though.

“Yeah, okay,” Pinkie admitted. “Maybe a little. But it’s nothing bad, I promise. We’re heading towards the Canterlot Hills Youth Drop-in Center.”

“What’s that?” Sonata asked.

“It’s, um, a place where teenagers can go if they need help,” Pinkie said. Sonata stopped, freezing in her tracks.

“What kind of help?” she asked suspiciously.

“Do you mind if I tell you a story first?” Pinkie said nervously. Sonata’s eyes narrowed, but she started moving again, walking alongside the injured girl. After a few silent seconds, she nodded.

“It starts about two years ago,” Pinkie began…

It was sophomore year. I’d like to say I was as happy and bouncy and smiley as normal but… uh…

That… wouldn’t be very honest of me.

See, we didn’t know it at the time, but there was a bully at Canterlot High who was spreading rumors and lies, driving me and my friends apart. It was a pretty dark time.

Yeah. It was Sunset. But I don’t like to talk about how she was back then, because of how she is now. She’s a great friend, she tries so hard and she’s nothing like…

Right. Getting back on track.

Anywho, this bully, and no I’m not going to say her name in this context thank you very much, kinda made it so that me and my bestest friends weren’t talking to each other. Or me. So I decided I was gonna be the best of best friends for everybody and anybody I met. When me and my friends cut each other off, it left a hole in me, an emptiness, and I tried to fill that by giving as much love and joy and friendship and cupcakes and smiles to as many people as possible. I had a database on my phone, complete with the birthdays and favorite colors and favorite foods and favorite deserts of almost everybody at school, most of my teachers, both Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, my favorite café owners, and even my boss Sweet and my coworkers there. I didn’t do the math until later, but I was spending about six hours at school, two or three hours on homework, five hours at work, and sometimes five or six hours a night baking, planning parties, creating surprise gifts, that sort of thing. Seeing my friends smile, I thought, was the only thing I ever needed. Some nights I got less than four hours of sleep.

I was like a really sad clown with really happy makeup; the bright colors were hiding the frowny face that even I didn’t know I had. Sometimes my teachers would notice something was wrong, and they’d say something. Vice Principal Luna called me into her office a few times to ‘chat’, just to make sure I was okay. I don’t think she believed me when she said I was, but she didn’t argue. My sisters, Maud, Limestone, and Marble, all knew something was up. They begged me to slow down and take care of myself, but I was convinced I was just fine. Nothing was wrong.

Finally it was my dad that snapped me out of it. My dad and I…

We’re very different people. I love my dad, and he loves me, but I don’t think he gets me.

So one morning I’ve got my alarm set for 3:45 AM. It was just enough time for me to shower and get ready for school, before heading downstairs to make my first coffee of the day.

At the time? Probably about eight or nine cups a day, depending on how frowny I felt. My friends think I can be scary on caffeine. I don’t see it. So I was heading down the stairs at about 4:30 and my dad’s there already.

Dad usually wakes up at five. He owns a farm, and he’s used to being an early riser and working hard. I was a little surprised to see him up before his usual alarm. He was sitting at our kitchen table. My dad doesn’t really show his emotions like I do. People say I’m transparent, that I wear my heart on my sleeve.

Of course it’s silly. There’s no hearts anywhere on my sleeves, or even my skirt, or blouse, or socks. I think they mean it as a metaphor when they say it though.

But my dad’s not like that at all. He’s a pretty happy guy, but he never smiles on the outside. All his smiles are on the inside. But that means his frowns are on the inside too, and his tears, and his surprise. It’s almost impossible to startle that man with a surprise party. Trust me, I’ve been trying for twelve years now. But when I came down the stairs, it was clear even on his emotion-hiding face that he was ultra-extra upset about something. He was quiet, and his eyes were fixed on me, and without saying anything he pushed one of the kitchen chairs out with his foot, inviting me to sit there. I knew something was wrong right away, but I didn’t think it was me. At the time, I still didn’t realize how much I was hurting myself.

“Pinkamina, sit down,” he said, when I didn’t sit right away.

Yes, that’s my real name. Pinkamina Diane Pie. I prefer Pinkie.

You didn’t? Hm. I guess we never really did introduce ourselves. Too busy with the Battle of the Bands, I guess. Oh well. No time like the present.

Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you, Sonata Dusk! Let’s be friends!

Okay, back to the story. So I sat down, and Dad looks into my eyes. I can tell he feels totally awkward about all of this, and I’m about to speak up and ask what’s going on.

“Pinkamina, thy family is concerned about thee,” he said. Yeah, Dad sometimes talks all weird and old-like. It’s just another great part of what makes my dad my dad. “Thy health and thy happiness is important to us.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad,” I said. I was starting to feel worried. We argued.

Well, I argued. He just kept trying to interrupt me. I was jabbering away. I don’t even know what I was saying. I might have been a bit delirious. He just kept saying my name, trying to get me to stop, and I couldn’t. ‘Pinkamina,’ he’d say, and then I’d keep trying to talk. I was one second away from running out of the house and…

I actually have no idea what I would have done.

Finally, he said my name. Not ‘Pinkamina’, but ‘Pinkie Pie’.

“Pinkie Pie,” he said. “If you do not sit down right now I might never smile again.”

It was the nuclear option. I was completely stunned into silence. I think I might have been standing at that point, so I fell into the chair and listened while he told me everything he and my mother and sisters had been seeing for the past month. “Thou art killing thyself,” he said, and he’d never sounded sadder.

“I can’t stop,” I said desperately. “I don’t know how.”

“I have spoken with someone who can help thee,” he said. “Though I cannot force thee to go.”

He’d made an appointment for me with a counselor. A social worker who specialized in teenagers in trouble. But our family doesn’t exactly have enough money in the world to send me to a shrink, but fortunately Canterlot City has some good options for mental health services for folks without much resources.

I had no idea what to expect. I was thinking there’d be a reclining couch, and a beardy man with a weird accent asking me stuff about my childhood and then saying ‘hmm’ while he scribbled notes onto a pad of paper. Or maybe, I dunno, a padded room and a straight jacked. I almost didn’t go. But then I remembered what Dad had said about never smiling again. I could tell he was hurting because I was hurting, even though at the time I didn’t even really believe I was hurting. So I show up at the address he gave me, and it’s not even a real doctor’s office like I was expecting.

There’s a basketball court outside, and a nice well-kept lawn. There’s a garden, full of vegetables. There’s big doors outside that lead into a large open room, with huge glass windows to let in as much light as possible. There’s a ping pong table, and a pool table in the big room, and even a lounge area with comfy couches. I go inside, and there’s kids from all over hanging out, playing with the stuff. There’s kids our age eating…

Yes, yes, I know you’re not really our age, but you kinda count that way now that you don’t…

I’m sorry. That was mean of me.

Anywho, there’s kids eating lunch. Probably about ten or so, just hanging out, having fun, doing stuff. I saw a few other people I recognized from school, and they called out and said hi. There was a front desk check in area, and a nice looking middle aged lady with floofy blue hair…

No, not as floofy as mine. There’s no such thing.

…Okay. I’ll give you that. Adagio’s is just as floofy as mine.

She calls herself Calm Breeze, and says she was expecting me. We go back and meet her husband, the councilor, a guy named Still Waters. And… we talked about stuff. Every week. Once a week. For, well, until now. I’m much healthier now, and happier, but I still go see him once a week. He’s… really good at what he does. Both he and his wife run a safe place for teenagers, people like us who have problems that just seem bigger than they are.

Can you please not tell anybody I see a therapist? I’m not embarrassed about it, but if my friends find out they might worry and start blaming themselves. And I don’t want that.

No, I don’t think you need therapy. Really. But that’s not all they do. Calm Breeze and Still Waters give people a safe place, a place to belong, to be accepted. Sometimes even a place to stay and get a hot meal and a hot shower. No questions asked. And I won’t ask you any details, but it seems like you could use a place like that right now.

“If I’m wrong, I’m really sorry,” Pinkie said finally, feeling a stab of worry deep in her gut. Sonata was trailing behind, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her hoodie while one still clutched at the bag with the leftover soup inside. Her gaze had been on the sidewalk for most of the walk.

“How much further is this place?” Sonata said finally. “It’s pretty late.”

“Only another block or so,” Pinkie said. She stopped when she realized Sonata had stopped in her tracks. Sonata was staring at her feet, frozen in the yellow light of the street lamps. Finally she looked up, her magenta eyes blazing with intensity that Pinkie hadn’t seen since the Battle of the Bands.

“Why?” she demanded. Pinkie turned around, so she was facing the other girl rather than simply looking over her shoulder.

“Cuz you needed a smile. And because everybody’s my friend, and I love seeing my friends smile,” Pinkie said. “So? Will you let me help you?”

Sonata shuddered, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Finally she looked up at Pinkie with tear stained eyes.

“Okay.”

Chapter 4

Dearest Princess

I’m going to tell her today. Wish me luck,

Love,

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset clenched her eyes shut and took a steadying breath as she closed the magical journal, shoving it back in her backpack with her pen. There was nobody else in the hallway; school had been over for nearly an hour now. Rows of empty lockers stood quiet sentinel to those few students who, for whatever reason, were staying behind at Canterlot High. She sat on the floor, legs splayed out into the empty hallway in front of her, and looked up at the door just to her left. A faded metal plaque on the door declared it Science Lab One. Sunset could hear the sounds of somebody still working on something inside. She knew exactly who it was; ever since most of her own personal lab equipment had inexplicably melted in an ill-advised attempt to quantify Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense, Twilight had reluctantly begun doing all of her independent science experiments at the school’s science lab.

Sunset knew that sitting outside the door of the classroom was a coward’s move. She should really just go inside and talk to Twilight. It wasn’t as if she was doing anything wrong, right? Too bad it didn’t stop the sense of guilt she felt. So instead of heading inside to talk to her best friend like an adult, she was outside, hiding, just trying to scrape up the courage to even say anything once Twilight stepped through that door. Given Twilight’s ability to become lost in her work that could be any second from now.

Oh well. It wasn’t as if she could back out. Sunset had told Twilight (Princess Twilight, that is) that she would be coming clean about their relationship to Twilight (human Twilight this time). Even working it out in her head made her frustrated. But Princess Twilight would be coming for a visit soon, to see Pinkie and bring her a get well soon present from the other side of the portal. Sunset knew she didn’t want to keep hiding her relationship from her closest friends, but first she had to deal with the first, massively awkward step of telling human Twilight.

It was another half hour before the door opened and Twilight slipped out. She was wearing a typical white lab coat, but unlike usual it was covered in flour and cocoa powder. Her hair, tied back behind her in a usual bun had a single purple strand escaping, adding to the frazzled look created by the cooking ingredients spattered all over her lab coat. She pulled up short, her expression betraying her surprise at Sunset’s presence.

“Oh! Uh, Sunset! Hi! What’s up?” Twilight said. Sunset pulled herself up on her feet, slipping her backpack on behind her. “You don’t usually stay after school unless you have band practice.”

“I was hoping to catch you, actually,” Sunset said, her heart pounding. “Do you have a few minutes? I’ll buy you a coffee or hot chocolate.” She eyed Twilight up and down, and her mouth twisted into a more typical amused grin. “Or maybe we could just scrape enough off your lab coat to make our own.” Twilight looked down at the mess on her lab coat and blushed furiously.

“You couldn’t, really, there’s not enough sugar, and most of this is flour…” she trailed off and looked up at Sunset. “Oh. You were teasing me.” Twilight grinned and rolled her eyes. “Yes, after that you can definitely buy me a hot chocolate.” The two friends set off side by side down the hallway.

“You don’t have any clean up to do?” Sunset asked. Twilight shook her head.

“Already done.”

“What were you working on in there? I don’t see much use for chocolate in a science lab,” Sunset asked. Inwardly she was angry at herself. Small talk was just dodging the real issue she needed to talk about.

“Oh, it’s just that the science lab has everything I need to, uh…” Twilight trailed off, fidgeting with her hands as they walked. “I mean, I’m so much more comfortable there then in an actual kitchen, and all the books I’ve read suggested that, um…”

“Twilight. You’re floundering. Take a deep breath and start over,” Sunset said, laughing. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Right. Well. I’ve been doing research into common romantic tropes. Things like flirting techniques, gifts, possible date ideas, that sort of thing. Most experts agree that edible gifts are ideal, so I’m attempting to perfect some chocolate recipes. Turns out I do need a real kitchen, not a science lab, regardless of my expertise in one and lack of experience in the other.”

“Romantic tropes?” Sunset asked, her voice low and teasing. “Who’s the lucky target?” Her breath caught in her throat as a frightening thought crossed her mind. “It’s not me, is it?” She kept her voice teasing, but inwardly was terrified of the reaction.

“No!” Twilight spurted out her denial. “No. Sorry, Sunset, but you’re my best friend. No offence, but I just don’t think of you that way. It’s somebody else.”

“Relax, Twi. I was just teasing,” Sunset said. Thank Celestia, she thought. “And you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.” Twilight had obviously dodged the question, but Sunset chalked it up to normal awkwardness about relationships and crushes. “Does he know yet?”

“She. And yeah. We’ve been non-verbally flirting for a few weeks now.”

“Non-verbally flirting?” Sunset was nonplussed. “What does that even mean?”

“I… this is embarrassing. Sunset, it’s just a crush, and it could be all in my head. I’ll know for sure after tonight. Can it wait until tomorrow before I tell you the whole story?

“Sure, I guess,” Sunset said, puzzled. The two of them exited the school and onto the steps in front of the school. Sunset shivered at the cold October wind that blew through the air and made her wrap her jacket more tightly around herself. Twilight looked uncomfortable; the lab coat was too thin for the chilly fall weather. “Forget your coat again?”

“Yes,” Twilight grumped. “C’mon, I’ll drive if you’re buying.”

Twilight’s car was a secondhand beige sedan she had inherited from Shining Armor. It was a perfect car for a senior in high school; well maintained, clean, and at least four years older than Twilight herself. While she wasn’t a professional, Twilight’s analytical mind and lust for learning new things, alongside the budding instincts of an engineer, put her in a perfect position to be her family’s go-to amateur car mechanic. It was only fair that she would inherit a car she’d been maintaining since she was ten.

“To Sugarcube Corner?” Twilight asked, and Sunset nodded. It was their favorite café. “I even took my brother and his wife out for dessert here the other night, after the concert.”

“How’s that going?” Sunset said. “You’re enjoying the season tickets?” You’re still stalling, Sunset. Coward.

“It was seriously one of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever been given,” Twilight said, and Sunset thought she saw a blush on the girl’s cheeks. Suddenly it deepened as a look of panic spread over Twilight’s face. “Not that the rest of your gifts were bad! I loved the book, really! It’s very special, and not just because you brought it from another world! Sunset, I’m sorry, I… are you laughing?”

“Just drive, Sparkle,” Sunset chuckled at the other girl’s panic. “Don’t worry, you’re not hurting my feelings. Seriously, nobody’s going to be insulted that they got beat out in a gift giving competition by Pinkie Pie. It’d be like beating you in math.”

“You almost did,” Twilight reminded. “In both, Sunset. You’re a wonderful friend. It really was an incredible experience to sit both our world’s and your world’s Daring Do books side by side and compare the two. The differences were quite illuminating. I got a real sense over what things are different between our world and yours. Truly thrilling. I really hope to be able to visit again someday.”

“Hopefully when we’re not on a crashing cruise ship or stranded on a desert island?” Sunset asked, and Twilight smirked.

“Life or death peril does have a way of interrupting scientific observation and discovery,” Twilight remarked.

“So what concert is it tonight?” Sunset asked. Damnit, Sunset, stop stalling!

“I… actually don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t, uh, remember what was coming next.”

“Isn’t it posted on the symphony’s website?”

“I’ve been thinking about other things,” Twilight muttered, her face reddening dramatically again. “Um, yeah. I’ve been distracted.” She went silent, and Sunset watched her with curiosity, though Twilight refused to say any more. The rest of the trip to the popular café was silent.

“You know,” Sunset began as she stepped out of the car. “If you’re trying to learn how to bake romantically charged chocolate goodies, you could probably ask the owners here for some tips. This is where Pinkie learned to bake, after all. Mr. and Mrs. Cake are amazing.”

“I’ll consider it,” Twilight said. She still sounded embarrassed about something. Sunset pushed open the glass door of the café. A tinkling of bells announced their entrance, and Sunset saw Mrs. Cake, behind the register, look up and smile at the two girls.

“Sunset, Twilight, welcome!” she called out. There were a few other customers in the homey café, mostly teenagers sitting in small groups. Sunset waved to the folks she recognized from Canterlot High, and even two from Twilight’s old school, Crystal Prep. Even though all of the booths were taken up by groups of teenagers, there was at least one small table empty.

“I’ll go order if you’ll go save our table,” Sunset said, eyeing a large group of middle school students piling in the door behind them. Twilight nodded.

“Almond milk chai, no whip please,” Twilight said. Sunset nodded herself and went to place their order, picking up a hot chocolate for herself, complete with a candy cane. Who cared if Christmas was still months away?

“So what did you need from me?” Twilight asked as Sunset carried the steaming mugs of their drinks over to the table. Sunset cringed. There was a human expression she’d learned since coming to this world, something about ripping off an adhesive bandage in order to make the pain get over with quickly. She carefully sat down Twilight’s drink in front of her, before sitting down herself. Her eyes drooped, staring at the mountain of sweet whipped cream that capped her cocoa.

“I’m dating somebody,” she said, trying not to sound as scared as she felt. You’re Sunset Shimmer! You’re not a coward! You’re bigger than this! You’ve lived in two different worlds, mastered magics that most people and ponies don’t even know exist! Don’t let a little conversation with your best friend turn you into a jellyfish! Psyching herself up didn’t really work.

“And?” Twilight asked, and Sunset wanted to swear. She was being too obvious. “You seem so nervous. You know I’ll support you, whoever you’re dating, right?”

“Don’t be so sure,” Sunset muttered. Twilight opened her mouth, her eyes quizzical, but Sunset pushed forward. “I’m dating Princess Twilight. From the other side of the mirror. We have been for a few months now, long distance mostly, but we have had a few physical dates on both sides of the portal.” Carefully she looked up at her best friend, hoping to see acceptance, joy, amusement, or anything. Instead what she got made her heart sink.

Twilight’s face was stunned, and even a little angry. She’d frozen in the act of raising her mug to her lips for a sip, but now she gently placed her steaming mug down on the table and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. Sunset, heart pounding, resisted the urge to lean away.

“You’re dating… me?” she asked, sounding horrified.

“No, not you!” Sunset said, trying not to let her voice raise in the somewhat crowded café. This was certainly not something she wanted gossiped about the school.

“Really?” Twilight hissed, anger seeping into her voice. She too at least had the presence of mind to keep her voice low. “Sunset, you’re my best friend. How could you possibly think that’s appropriate?”

“Twilight, I…”

“I don’t know whether to be weirded out that my best friend is attracted to me, or insulted that I wasn’t good enough,” she spat.

“Twilight, I’m not attracted to you, I’m attracted to her!”

“Except she happens to look exactly like me,” Twilight sneered.

“But she’s not you!” Sunset said. “Twi, I thought you just said you’d support whoever I was dating.”

“It’s really helping your case right now, throwing my own words back at me, Sunset,” Twilight said. “When I said that, I didn’t think I would be something so insane.” She began to stand up, leaving her drink behind. “There’s nothing you can say right now that can make this okay.”

“Twilight, I’m not attracted to humans!” Sunset hissed desperately, and Twilight froze. “I’m not human, Twilight. Even though I look like it, I’m not from here.” Slowly, the other girl sunk back into her seat, with a look that appeared both sullen and stunned.

“Apparently I need to stop making declarative statements,” Twilight muttered. “Okay. I’ll give you five minutes to convince me why I shouldn’t just walk away and not speak with you for a few months.”

“Twilight, I’m so sorry. I just am not into humans. It’s not that you’re ugly or anything. I can appreciate the aesthetics of the human form, the gracefulness of their limbs, the practicality of fingers and opposable thumbs, that sort of thing. I don’t find humans ugly. Just when it comes to lust, infatuation, that sort of thing, your species just doesn’t… do it for me.”

“What about Flash?” Twilight asked skeptically. Sunset shook her head.

“Twilight, you know I was just using him. He was a safe pick; popular enough to be useful, but nice enough that he would date me and not demand a more physical relationship. I wouldn’t have been able to go through with that with him.”

“What about when we found the portal on the island, and were briefly in your world?” Twilight asked. “I looked like a pony then.”

“Look, why are you fighting this so hard? I thought you wanted your friends to see you as different than your inter-dimensional doppelganger?”

“Well, yeah, but this is…”

“This is the same thing. Twilight, I don’t want to date you. You’re beautiful, you’re funny, and I love spending time with you, but I just don’t see you that way. You’re a completely different person than Princess Twilight, and I have never once seen you in the same way as I see her. In any way. You may have started out similar to her, but you’ve both taken different paths in your lives. If you like, I can even arrange for you to spend some time in her world so you can see just how different you are.”

“That… but I…” Twilight stuttered, her eyes fixed on Sunset’s. Sunset was tearing up; she saw the chance of her strongest friendship slipping away before her eyes.

“Please just give me a chance to make this okay,” she begged, hating how pathetic she sounded. “Tell me what I need to say.”

“It will take some time to get used to,” Twilight admitted, after a long pause that was far too uncomfortable for Sunset’s liking.

“Of course, that makes perfect sense,” Sunset said. She felt like she’d just gone over a cliff, and she was latching on to the crumbling rocks and grass roots at the edge. “Whatever you need. If you need space…”

“No! No…” Twilight said, suddenly distracted. “I need… probably some time. And I think I might need to talk to other Twilight. Your Twilight.”

“Of course! She’s going to be coming over soon to visit Pinkie. She’s been concerned about her injury, too,” Sunset said. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her eyes. She was glad she tended towards makeup-light; Rarity would be dripping mascara at this point.

“And you owe me,” Twilight said. “More than just a single chai.”

“Yeah, I do. Anything to make this right. Twilight, I want you to know I didn’t plan this out. We just sort of… happened.”

“How?” Twilight asked, curious despite herself.

“I’ve always… felt strongly about Princess Twilight. First it was hatred and jealousy. What she has, on the other side of the dimension… it’s what Princess Celestia had planned for me, once. Only I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t worthy. And when I found out, I reacted very badly. It set me on a path that led me to this world. That led to my fall, and my own experience with the corrupting power of Equestrian magic.” Both girls shared a glance, and Sunset reached out and squeezed Twilight’s hand. There was both sadness and regret in both of their gazes, and an empathy created by shared trauma and bad decisions. The moment lasted for a few seconds before Twilight suddenly remembered the uncomfortable subject of their meeting, and slid her hand out of Sunset’s. Sunset tried not to look hurt at the loss of contact; she failed, and Twilight clearly noticed.

“Just… give me some time, okay? You were saying about your strong feelings towards Princess Twilight?”

“Oh yeah. So I hated her. More than anything. When I went through the portal and stole her crown, I hated her. When she followed me over here, I seethed. Twilight, I was so furious I even threatened her Spike. I was out of control, completely. I was so full of myself, so full of pride and magic, that I was sure I couldn’t fail.” She took a deep breath. The memories still stung. “But, long story short, I ended up battered and bruised at the bottom of a crater that I created. And it was Princess Twilight that pulled me out.”

“I couldn’t hate her. Not after she forgave me so easily. It felt effortless for her to give me another chance. So what did I do with all that passion and hate? I still was jealous, but that jealousy was rooted in admiration and my own subconscious feelings of inadequacy.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot,” Twilight said.

“Too much, probably. I kinda had to reinvent myself. Those first few weeks were a real period of rediscovery for me. And as time passed, I realized that I still admired Princess Twilight, and still was a bit jealous of her. But she accepted me with so much openness and compassion…” Sunset trailed off. She was suddenly worried she was rambling, and Twilight was staring at her.

“You kinda… glow when you talk about her,” Twilight said, looking away.

“Sorry,” Sunset said. “That probably doesn’t help.”

“No, it’s fine,” Twilight said. “I’m trying to re-contextualize this entire thing. You know how uncomfortable I am when it comes to romance, so I guess I’m trying to take mental notes about the entire process. Or maybe I just want what you have. Either way, keep telling your story.”

“Um, sure. So you know on the other side Princess Twilight’s kind of a big deal. You remember her castle, right? And the big room with the thrones and the map? Well, the map’s magical. When there’s a problem involving friendship, Princess Twilight’s responsibility, the map turns on and ‘summons’ the ponies best suited to resolving the problem. Symbols that represent the ponies being summoned appear on the spot of the map that they’re needed.”

“I’d love to see that,” Twilight breathed, her voice thick with the lust of discovery. Sunset grinned.

“It’s impressive to me, and I grew up with magic,” Sunset said. “So a few months ago, I was summoned by the map. Me and Princess Twilight.”

“Was that the time you disappeared for a week, and told us all you’d gone on vacation?” Twilight accused. “You missed an entire week of classes, Sunset. The makeup work alone was a nightmare!”

“Are you saying homework is more important than travelling to an alternate universe and helping a magical princess to solve a friendship problem that could have ended an entire village of ponies?” Sunset teased. Twilight blushed, waving a hand.

“Shut up,” she groused, but there wasn’t a bite to her voice, so Sunset smiled.

“If I never thanked you for looking out for my academic interests that week, let me do it now,” she said, and Twilight looked mollified. “Thanks for helping me get caught up. I really did need to be there. That friendship problem would not have resolved itself without both me and Princess Twilight. And while we were there…” Sunset paused, remembering the fear, the embarrassment, and the anticipation she’d felt at the time. “I realized what I felt for Princess Twilight was more than simple admiration, but affection. And you know me. Once I decide I want something, I do what I need to do to reach out and grab it. So I let the Princess know how I felt, and asked her out on a date.”

“Just like that?” Twilight asked, and Sunset nodded, once again noting Twilight’s expression. She was once again filing away tidbits of information and advice from Sunset’s story. For what, Sunset didn’t know.

“Yeah, just like that. I think she said yes out of surprise. But she’s busy, and I’ve got responsibilities over here, so we’re kinda limited on the amount of time we’re able to spend with each other.”

“Responsibilities? Sunset, you live alone. If you’re in love with the Princess, what’s keeping you over here?” Twilight asked. She seemed to realize how insensitive her question was and blushed, looking down. “Um, sorry, Sunset, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

“Not ready to get rid of me yet?” Sunset smirked with a sideways smile. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know you didn’t mean it to be rude. I stay because of the magic I brought to this world with me. It’s my fault your world has Equestrian magic. My fault you guys had your lives disrupted. It’s my responsibility to stay and clean up my mess.”

“Sunset,” Twilight said, her eyes seeking out the other girl’s as she reached out to take Sunset’s hand. “Do you blame yourself for what happened to me? For my mistakes?” Sunset gulped.

“Um, yeah, I do, a bit,” Sunset confessed, and Twilight’s eyes hardened. “Isn’t it a little my fault? I was the catalyst that set everybody on this path, Twilight. If not for my initial poor choice, you would never have been overcome by the magic and dragged into this.”

“Yes, Sunset. I never would have turned into a demon and nearly ripped a hole between two dimensions,” Twilight growled. “I also never would have met my best friends in the world. I would either be locking myself in my room, slowly plodding away at the Everton Independent Study Program while I retreated further and further into a pit of introversion, or still be at Crystal Prep, passively pretending to smile while everybody around me tortures and bullies me.” Her voice lowered in a sarcastic twist. “I’m so much worse off now because of you.”

“Okay, message received,” Sunset said, and Twilight smiled at her. “Are… are we good?”

“Provisionally,” Twilight said cautiously. “I think I’ll need some time to process all this.”

“Sure, sure,” Sunset said, trying not to cringe when she heard how eager she sounded. What to tell Twilight, how to tell Twilight, had been an anchor dragging her down for weeks now. Now that it was out in the open, she felt light and airy. Sure, things were going to be awkward around Twilight for a while, but she didn’t feel like she was hiding something any longer. Now she could tell the rest of her friends (complete with all the squeals and gushing and silliness that she was sure would ensue from all of them, though mostly Pinkie and Rarity). She could even release Trixie from her reluctantly obtained promise to remain silent for now. On top of it all, she knew Princess Twilight would be proud of her for finally having the courage to say something. And after all, hers was the opinion that mattered most. “I’ll write to the Princess to see when she can come speak with you. Twilight, I know you’ve always been a bit bothered at being mistaken for the Princess.” Sunset’s eyes were locked onto Twilight, as if trying to read her mind. “I know that’s a part of what’s bothering you here, and that’s okay. I can’t say I understand; I’ve never been able to find out what happened to my own double over here. But I just wanted to say that we, me and all your friends, love you for who you are, and not because of whatever relationship we have with the Princess that just happens to share your name and face. Okay?” Twilight looked away, overcome.

“Thanks. You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that, you know?” Twilight said. “I don’t even know if I knew I needed to hear it. You girls have been amazing, but with some of the others…” she trailed off, and sighed. “She casts a pretty big shadow.”

“I know,” Sunset admitted. “That’s why it took a near death experience for me to stop hating her.” Their eyes met, and there was another silent shared moment, a recognition of shared jealousy and envy. It passed when suddenly a panicked squeak slipped out of Twilight’s mouth.

“Oh my gosh, what time is it?” she jerked in her seat, fumbling into the pocket of her lab coat for her phone. She desperately tapped at the screen, moaning with dismay when she saw the time. “Crap. I’ve only got an hour and a half to get ready for the concert!”

“So? The symphony’s not far,” Sunset said, standing as Twilight jerked to her feet and chugged the last of her neglected drink, not even noticing the bit that clumsily dribbled down the front of her shirt.

“Yeah, but Cadence says that you need at least an hour and a half for true sexiness, and…” Twilight seemed to realize what she’d said out loud, and her lavender skin turned a cute shade of purple. Sunset laughed. “I, uh, um. Can you maybe forget I said that?”

“Already forgotten,” Sunset lied. “Go. I’ll walk home. But if you want, I can help you with your time crunch.”

“You can? How?” Twilight demanded eagerly. Sunset shook her head and held up one finger.

“Not gonna spoil the surprise. But you might have to keep your ear out for your doorbell. Somebody might be dropping by for a surprise visit.”

“Um, okay,” Twilight said with concern. Sunset laughed again.

“Go! I don’t know what’s happening tonight, but I’m guessing something important is going down.” Twilight admitted nothing, but her guilty expression was all the answer Sunset needed. “Good luck, and listen for your surprise visitor.”

“Got it,” Twilight said, before moving for the door. “Um, thanks, Sunset.”

“No, thank you for listening, Twilight. Have a nice date,” Sunset said, and Twilight gave another nervous squeak as she fled out the door. Her suspicions confirmed, Sunset dug into her backpack to send a pair of quick messages. The first was in her magic journal. Princess Twilight had not had a chance to respond yet, so Sunset simply added a post script.

P.S. The conversation went as well as I could have hoped. She was angry, but she listened. She wants to talk things over with you as soon as possible, and I’d love to see you again soon too. Love you Princess.

The second message was sent from her phone, a text message to a dear friend.

“Rares, fashion emergency at Twilight’s house, get there ASAP, Twi will explain the rest.”

Interlude 1

Sonata Dusk Therapy Session #1, October 7th
The following is an excerpt of a recorded conversation, taken for note taking purposes by Still Waters, LCSW.

“Okay, the tape recorder is on, and the microphone is working. This is Still Waters, speaking with Sonata Dusk. Sonata, once again I’d like to emphasize that nobody will ever hear this recording except for you and me, without your express documented permission. You can choose to ask me to stop recording at any time, and I will stop. Do I have your permission to record our conversation?”

“Uh, yes, sure.”

“Thank you, Sonata. And thank you for having the courage to talk to somebody.”

“…sure.”

“So for the first thing. I want you to know that this is a safe place. You can say anything you’d like to say, and it won’t leave this room. I will not take any action on anything you tell me, unless I feel like your life, or the lives of other people, are in danger. Okay? So you can share anything with me. That’s not just my policy, that’s the law, and I’m a pretty strong believer in your privacy. Second, I need you, in turn, to be as honest with me as possible. Therapy is no quick fix to all of life’s problems, but I will do my best to give you the tools you need to help yourself, okay? And that only works if you talk to me as honestly as possible. Any questions so far?”

“Nope.”

“Great! There’s one last thing you should know. Pinkie Pie has given me permission to share something with you, and I feel like it might be helpful. I have been seeing her for a few years now, and several months back, in one of our sessions, she shared some very surprising and shocking things with me. Um, some things that kinda challenged how I viewed science, reality, and, well, physics. To make a long story short, she told me about all the magical things that have been happening to her this year. She told stories about alternate dimensions, girls turning into demons, that sort of thing. As a mental health worker, it’s not my job to believe or disbelieve her, but honestly I was seeing some red flags. I was really concerned she’d become delusional. But then she proved it to me. I’ve worked with a few people recently who have been hurt or traumatized by recent magical events, so I’d say I know enough to believe and help anybody who’s been affected by these things. When Pinkie told me I could share this with you, she also said that those sorts of subjects would probably be coming up in my conversations with you. She didn’t say any more than that. Is that okay with you?”

“I guess? I don’t know.”

“Well, don’t worry about sharing that kind of thing if you don’t want to. I just wanted you to know that I’ll believe you if you tell me you came from another world, or you have magical superpowers, or whatever.”

“Um, both of those things.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not from here, doc. I’m from another world. And the superpowers. At least I used to.”

“Would you like to tell me about where you came from?”

“…no.”

“That’s fine. Let’s talk about where you are now. Do you live with your parents?”

“No. I don’t have parents. I live with my sisters.”

“Sisters that came with you from your home world?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you tell me about them?”

“Um, sure. There’s Adagio. She’s kinda the leader, she usually tells us what to do, what the plan is. Then there’s Aria. We, uh, fight a lot. Adagio usually breaks us up eventually, but recently she’d kinda been… not there.”

“What do you mean by not there?”

“You said anything I say here doesn’t leave this room, right?”

“Yes, Sonata. Nobody ever hears this except me, unless you tell me otherwise.”

“Okay. Adagio drinks.”

“Alcohol?”

“Yeah. Lots of it. I don’t think she’s been sober enough to even have a conversation with me or Aria for a month, at least. Usually it’s just one word answers to our questions, if she bothers to say anything at all.”

“Did she always drink?”

“Nah. Back in Equestria there wasn’t a lot of opportunity, and when we got banished here, it was always the next scam, the next scheme, the next seduction, the next whatever. She didn’t have time to be an alcoholic. Now that we’re normal, she’s given up. She doesn’t do ‘plans’ or ‘schemes’ any more. She just sits in her room and drinks.

“What about you and your sister? Do either of you drink?”

“Nope. I never saw the appeal. Aria drinks beer sometimes.”

“Sonata, can I ask how old you are?”

“Um, I have no idea. I’m not really… uh… human. Well, I guess I am now. I think I might even be aging. What does it feel like to age?”

“Hmm. I can’t say I know how to answer that, mostly because I don’t know what it feels like to not age. I’ve never felt the difference.”

“…you’re oddly calm about me talking about this weird stuff.”

“You are not the first, nor will you be the last of my clients who needs to talk about magical problems or issues. Trust me, Sonata. You can say whatever you want.”

“What do you want to hear about next?”

“Well, for now I’d just like a broad picture of your life. What do you do for work? What do you do with your sisters? How do you spend your free time? That sort of thing. We’ll get more into specifics at future meetings.”

“I work at a warehouse filling internet orders. Amaze-bay. I work twelve hour days, so there’s not a lot of time for free time.”

“Twelve hour days?”

“They pay overtime. I’m usually only ever scheduled for eight or nine, but I stay late when I can, and nobody tells me I can’t.”

“What about school?”

“I don’t go to school.”

“I’ve heard that working a job like that is really difficult. Lots of hours, few breaks, harsh working conditions.”

“I guess.”

“Okay. So what do your sisters do for work?”

“Adagio doesn’t work. She stays at home and watches TV and drinks. Aria… she has a hard time finding a job. Lots of bosses just don’t understand her, or her personality. So she has to go job hunting again.”

“Is Aria employed right now?”

“Nah.”

“I see. So the only one bringing in an income for your entire family is you?”

“Aria does bring in money when she has a job.”

“And when did she get fired from her last job?”

“Um, probably about a month and a half ago.”

“So when Aria isn’t employed, you have to work extra overtime just to make up the difference?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Sonata, from a practical standpoint, I have to ask. Do you have enough food to eat? You and your sisters?”

“Kinda? Not really, I guess. Um, you won’t tell anybody?”

“I promise, Sonata.”

“When things get tough, I’ve been looking for food in dumpsters. That’s… Pinkie Pie caught me stealing from the dumpster where she works. Please. I don’t want Aria to know, she’d get so mad. Don’t’ tell anybody, okay?”

“Sonata, you have my word. Is it bad, when Aria gets mad at you?”

“It didn’t used to be. We’d fight, and Adagio would let us bicker for a bit, and then she’d break us up. But Aria’s trying so hard to be the leader now that Adagio is… um… not really there anymore. So I guess it is kinda bad.

“Sonata, does Aria hurt you? Physically?”

“No! Never!”

“…okay, Sonata.”

Chapter 5

If somebody had asked Twilight what the concert was about, what the theme of it was, or even the names of the pieces played or the composers featured, she would have drawn a complete blank. She’d been buzzing all night, nearly vibrating in her seat with excitement. She was there. She was sitting in her seat on the balcony. Twilight had to spend the entire concert calming herself down, trying to cool down her expectations and her anticipation for the conversation that was to come, if she was brave enough. Before she’d shut her phone off when the concert hall’s lights went down, she’d already received four texts, one encouraging text from Shining, one inquisitive text from Rarity (no matter how helpful the fashionista had been in putting together her ensemble and makeup, Twilight had kept her tongue about why she was getting all made up for a solo trip to a concert) and two texts from Cadence. The first, like her brothers, had been simple cheer leading and encouragement. The second had contained a threat and a photograph.

“Ask that girl out or I’ll text this super embarrassing baby picture to all your friends. Remember, I have dozens of these.” The picture in question was Twilight’s first birthday, and involved a pink cupcake that wound up everywhere but Twilight’s tiny mouth. She didn’t need to imagine what else Cadence had. Embarrassing bath pictures maybe, or finger painting disasters. It didn’t matter; Twilight had a goal, and nothing ever stood between her and her goals. Not even, she ruefully admitted to herself, common sense or logic sometimes. The mental image of her, warped and twisted by dark magic, threatening to destroy two worlds just to learn more about magic, flashed through her mind. It happened less and less these days, but every so often the specter of Midnight Sparkle still haunted her.

The outfit Rarity had assembled for her, basically by scavenging from her woefully under stocked (according to Rarity) closet, was gorgeous. She had planned on wearing her short sleeved black dress, but Rarity had taken one look at the garment and sniffed judgmentally.

“You need to stand out, darling,” Rarity had said dismissively. “Frankly, I could make the little black dress work for you tonight, but you simply don’t have the accessories.” She’d brought an entire suitcase full of a random assortment of clothing pieces, not knowing the nature of the ‘fashion emergency’ that Sunset had texted her about. Between the eclectic assortment Rarity had brought and the mishmash in Twilight’s closet, Rarity had worked her magic.

“We’re going to make you turn heads, darling,” Rarity had told her as she finally chose an outfit that left Twilight terrified. She had no idea what ‘punk chic’ meant, or how one could possibly somehow fuse it with formal wear, but she knew better than to challenge Rarity while she was on a roll. Rarity had dressed her in a dark blue skirt with an asymmetrical hemline, something she’d called a ‘high-low’ skirt, with the left side ending just above her ankle and the right side about four inches above her knee. It was a bit more skin even than her little black dress. Under the skirt was a pair of long, knee length stockings, horizontally striped black and white. The strip of flesh she was showing off on her right leg, between her knee high socks and the short side of her skirt, made her incredibly nervous. The blouse was white, sleeveless, with half inch long shoulder straps and a round neckline. Not too high, but not too low either. There was matching blue belt, wide and high on her midriff, with a wide round buckle. Completing the look was a pair of rather thick bangles made of black faux leather and a wide matching choker of the same material.

After the outfit was assembled, Rarity went to work on her hair and makeup. Twilight didn’t know what a ‘smoky eye’ was, but she looked amazing when Rarity was done with her mascara brush. After nearly a solid five minutes of ‘hmm’s, and ‘um’s, Rarity finally concluded that a ponytail would be acceptable. When it was time to leave, Rarity even confiscated Twilight’s purse, demanding that she take with her a mini backpack instead.

“It fits the look,” Rarity said, when Twilight asked what did it matter what her purse looked like. The idea that one could have different purses for different outfits seemed inefficient to Twilight, but she was smart enough not to say a word about it in front of Rarity. “Now. You have to go, or you’ll be late for whatever mystery event you’ve got going on. That somehow involves romance, even though you won’t tell me more.” Rarity had made it sound like she’d committed some form of crime.

So Twilight had rushed to the concert hall, nervously presented her season pass to the ticket taker, and found her usual seat down in the audience. She thought very briefly about simply sitting on the balcony where the crying girl usually sat, but Twilight didn’t want to scare her away. So she took her favored seat, and pretended to wait for the concert to start while she watched the balcony above her. Just before the lights dipped, the blue-haired beauty emerged. Her eyes found Twilight’s, and they widened slightly in pleased surprise as they took in her outfit. There was something different about her that Twilight noticed, as well. While the crying girl usually dressed in an old, ratty hoodie, today she was wearing a clean pink t-shirt and a faded but clean brown jacket. Twilight smiled and waved, and the girl blew a kiss and winked in return, just before the lights dropped.

The concert was both the longest and shortest of Twilight’s life. She couldn’t concentrate on the music at all, and in the minimal light, all she caught were the barest glimpses of the girl’s face. She was reacting to the music as she usually did, eyes closed, tears seeping down her face, her lips pursed with emotion. Twilight’s heart ached. She wanted so badly to put a smile back on those lips.

As the concert dragged on, though, Twilight became more and more nervous. She’d tried all week, ever since her conversation a week ago with her brother and sister-in-law, to come up with any sort of game plan or strategy for how she was going to approach the crying girl. Every single idea had been rejected (she had a wastebasket full of crumpled up notepad sheets) and finally had even gotten the hair brained idea to try making some sort of baked gift, which had ended poorly. Cooking may be chemistry, but expertise in the latter did not automatically transfer to the former, as she had discovered. Finally she’d taken a page from her more adventurous friends and decided to simply ‘wing it’. The terror building in the pit of her stomach suggested that this may have been a deadly mistake. Once the last song of the evening began, she started making a mental checklist of what she would have to do to win a date with the mystery girl.

Step one: don’t let her leave before you can speak with her.

Step two: actually talk to her.

Step three: Uh…

Every other concert night, Twilight had missed the girl leaving. So before the final song was even halfway done, Twilight rose out of her seat, staying as silent as she possibly could so as not to disturb the other concert goers, and crept out of the hall. The concierge standing at the door looked at her in surprise as she approached; few people bothered to leave in the middle of the concert. She didn’t slow down, so the uniformed man opened the door a crack for her to leave.

Outside, she approached the ticket booth, where a woman wearing a similar uniform was stationed.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” she asked politely.

“Um, yes please. Can you tell me how to get up to the balcony?” Twilight replied.

“The balcony? But it’s closed for tonight’s performance, sweetie,” the ticket taker replied, sounding confused. “You won’t be able to get onto it. Besides, the performance is nearly over. Is everything okay?”

“Just fine. Could you just tell me where the door to the balcony is?” she repeated. There must have been something in her eyes, because the concert hall employee stared at her.

“Um, sure, I guess, but it’s locked. Head down the hallway on your left, my right. You’ll see the signs on the door. Are you sure that you…”

“I’m just fine!” Twilight nearly sang as she spun around and tried not to sprint down the hallway. She had no idea why the crying girl always escaped before the end of the performance, but she could only hope that she’d gotten out before the other girl could leave.

The hallway in question had several doors, each one with a clear label. There was a supply closet, an instrument storage room, restrooms, and then finally, a wooden door labeled balcony. Twilight rushed up and was about to grasp the metal handle when the door swung open and the crying girl, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her, slipped out.

“Hey,” Twilight said. She felt oddly out of breath, even though she hadn’t run more than a few dozen feet to the balcony door. Her heart was pounding. The girl jumped, glancing up and seeing Twilight for the first time.

“Oh! I, uh, um,” the girl articulated, looking panicked. Twilight reached out in what she hoped was a calming gesture with her hands.

“Woah, calm down, I’m so sorry for startling you,” Twilight said. “I just wanted to talk. Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, just fine, I guess. But I have to go. Now. I’m not supposed to be here,” the girl said. Her voice was nervous and shaky, but there was a pretty sort of innocence to it that Twilight found endearing. She wondered what the blue haired girl meant.

“You have to go?” Twilight repeated a little dumbly, her mind whirring. Her chance was escaping. “But I finally tracked you down!” It must have been the way she said it, because the look of panic on the other girl’s face was suddenly washed away in a spurt of giggles.

“You tracked me down, huh?” the girl asked, still laughing. “Well okay then. We’ll go somewhere else and talk, okay?”

“Coffee? Or ice cream? Or dinner somewhere?” Twilight spurted out, and then wanted to die of embarrassment. After weeks of planning, that was really the best way she could have asked the girl out? Twilight didn’t even know her name. Fortunately the girl smiled and nodded.

“Sounds good. Follow me, I don’t wanna get caught,” the mystery girl said. She reached out and seized Twilight’s hand in her own. Twilight nearly tripped and fell as the girl pulled her further down the hallway towards a metal door marked as an emergency exit. “See, I didn’t exactly pay for tickets.” There was a smirk on her face, but something in her voice sounded like guilt. Twilight tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but her hand felt hot. When they reached the emergency exit, Twilight noticed a battered wooden doorstop on the ground, propping the door open. The two of them slipped out the exit, and the other girl carefully removed the doorstop and leaned it up against the brick wall outside the door. She felt a thrill of adrenaline at the rule breaking they were doing; she wasn’t entirely sure which rules they were breaking, but it was implied.

The emergency exit led into an unadorned metal platform complete with a railing, and an iron staircase going down to the alley behind the concert hall. It was the kind of door that would be impossible to open from the outside; there was no handle to pull it open. She supposed that was what the doorstop was for; somebody on the inside had left it there, probably so the mystery girl could enter that way.

“Okay, great. Do you think anybody saw us?” the girl asked, glancing both ways down the alley. Twilight shrugged. She hadn’t been paying attention to much else besides the warm hand that was still holding hers! The other girl seemed to notice at the same time. “Oh, sorry,” she said softly, and slipped her fingers out of Twilight’s. “So…”

“Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said suddenly. It sounded so ridiculous, so out of place in this dark alley, and so different from anything she’d planned, that she burst out in nervous laughter right afterwards. The other girl smiled back at her.

“Yup, I know,” she said. “I met your other you a while back. I’m glad you’re not her, though.” She held out her hand. “My name’s Sonata Dusk.”

“It’s really nice to finally meet you, Sonata,” Twilight said. Part of her wanted to ask what had happened between Sonata and the other Twilight. Another part, a stronger part, didn’t even want to care. After her conversation with Sunset, thinking about the faraway Princess left a bitter taste in her mouth. “I’ve been waiting a while for this moment. I guess I didn’t see it happening in an alleyway after just having become an accomplice to trespassing.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Sonata said sheepishly. “I know one of the head janitors here, and he knows how much I love music. I could never afford a ticket for something like this, so he ‘accidentally’ props the door open for me every week.” She looked away, staring at nothing as the two of them went silent. “So where do you want to go?” A faint blush dusted her cheeks.

“What?” Twilight said, flustered, before her brain caught up with the conversation. “Oh. You mean for our date. The date I asked you out on. Um, it was clear I was asking you out on a date, right?” Sonata was laughing.

“Yes, it was pretty obvious,” Sonata said. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh. Okay. Great!” Twilight said, flushing. “Um, are you hungry? I’d love to share a meal with you and get to know you a bit.”

“I could eat,” Sonata said. She began to walk down the iron stairs into the alleyway. “Um, you can pick the place, wherever is fine. I’m not picky.” At the foot of the stairs, she paused. “Why me?” She turned and looked up at Twilight above her. There was a sadness in the question, a despair that reminded Twilight of the look on Sonata’s face as she listened to the concerts. It was a vague question, but Twilight knew what she meant.

“Because anybody who feels as deeply as you do when you listen to music is worth getting to know,” she replied without hesitation, then paused. “And you’re really cute, too.” The words were out before she could think too hard about them.

“Oh,” Sonata said simply, smiling. It was a quiet, private kind of smile, and her eyes were unfocused. Finally it brightened into something much lighter and more cheerful. “I think you’re pretty cute too, Twilight. Your outfit’s amazing too. You’re really rocking that look.” Twilight blushed and muttered something that might have been a ‘thank you’ before following the other girl down the stairs into the alley.

“Do you enjoy Indian food?” Twilight asked. Sonata shrugged. The two of them exited the alleyway into the street.

“I haven’t eaten it in a few hundred years,” Sonata said simply. “I’m not sure I remember if I liked it or not.” Twilight glanced at the other girl as they walked side by side, but Sonata wasn’t acting like she was joking. Twilight nearly asked what she meant, but was reminded of the times she’d been a little too inquisitive about Pinkie Pie’s oddities. She managed to suppress a shiver at the memory of her poor departed lab equipment. A year ago, it might have been a red flag, but Twilight had literally been to another world, carried a magical geode that allowed her to levitate objects with her mind, and had even spent a bit of time as an otherworldly demon. Her mind and her world had opened up in ways that were fascinating and enlightening, if not always entirely comfortable. “Let’s give it a try,” Sonata continued, unaware of the internal monologue going on in Twilight’s head. “At least if it’s terrible, the company will be great.”

“Aw,” Twilight cooed, blushing. “There’s a new place, The Tasty Treat, just a block down from here. Two of my friends really recommended it, and they both have wildly different tastes.”

“Your friends, huh?” Sonata’s face darkened just a bit. “Um, Twilight, before we go much further, I hafta confess something, okay? But please don’t hate me.”

“Okay…” Twilight agreed. They walked, side by side, down the street in front of the concert hall. The concert itself was just releasing, and several finely dressed people were streaming out into the night, heading for their cars. Twilight and Sonata wove between them, and Sonata was silent as they worked their way through the dispersing crowd.

“When I first saw you, the first night, I thought you were somebody else,” Sonata admitted, as soon as they were out of earshot of the other concertgoers. Twilight nodded. She’d guessed as much. “You knew? Yeah, that makes sense. I did kinda glare at you when I first saw you. Which means, you probably know why I thought you were somebody else.”

“You ran into the other Twilight,” Twilight said softly. Sonata nodded.

“I’m from the other side originally. Like the other Twilight. And your friend Sunset,” Sonata admitted. Twilight looked at the blue skinned girl and tried to imagine her as one of the little ponies she’d seen on the other side of the portal.

“You were a pony too?” Twilight asked, and Sonata flinched. “What brought you over here?”

“Me and my sisters didn’t come willingly. We were banished here by a powerful unicorn wizard. The coward didn’t know how to handle us, so he inflicted us on this poor, magic-dead rock.” Sonata laughed, and for a moment, there was a wickedness there that frightened Twilight. “We weren’t ponies, Twilight. We were something else. Monsters, if you ask the ponies. So he banished us here, and we did what we’d always done; made our way in the world by manipulating and using people. Much like your friend Sunset. Then, just a few months ago, your friends, plus the other Twilight, shut us down. Hard.”

“Why tell me?” Twilight asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Because you’d find out eventually,” Sonata said. “You’re brainy. I know, cuz I’m not. And you’re nice, too. I didn’t want to mess up what could be a good thing by hiding stuff, especially when some of the videos are still up on the internet. It can be a little hard to escape your past when your worst moments are still recorded permanently on YouTube. Besides, all your friends know who I am.”

“You sound angry at them,” Twilight said. Sonata hesitated.

“I was. My sisters still are. Or, at least, I think Adagio is when she climbs out of her vodka bottle long enough to even have emotions. Aria’s definitely still angry. But me?” She shrugged. “It’s not worth it. They did what they had to do. And I have to live with the results. So I’m trying to do the best with what I have. Until this last week, that hasn’t been much.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked, and Sonata smiled.

“Let’s just say this last week has been a good one. Especially since I just got asked out by a cute girl.” She glanced nervously at Twilight. “So have I scared you away yet?”

“No,” Twilight said, thinking of her own brush with corruption. Sonata didn’t seem like the villain she was describing herself as. “I’m a firm believer in second chances. And you seem like you could use some friends.” Carefully, she reached out with her right hand, brushing her fingers against the back of Sonata’s left. Sonata looked down in surprise, before eagerly taking hold of Twilight’s hand. She locked her eyes on the sidewalk in front of her, but Twilight saw a small, sweet smile spreading across her face.

The Tasty Treat was a gorgeous splash of colors set in the greys and browns of Canterlot City’s downtown. The owners had painted and decorated the façade a nearly dizzying rainbow of oranges and reds and turquoises. The sign over the door was a silhouette off an elephant, grasping a large spoon in its trunk. Over the image in a curling font was the words, ‘The Tasty Treat’. The place looked warm and inviting, and the smells from inside wafted out into the street. Twilight could identify all of the essential smells of Indian cooking, the aromatic spices, the curry, and the roasting vegetables. The only problem was that the place was beyond busy. There was a line of people, groups and couples, that extended past the propped open door and even a few feet down the sidewalk.

“Oh jeez,” Twilight sighed. “I didn’t think that there might be a wait. We could…”

“Too late, I smelled it,” Sonata said, squeezing Twilight’s hand with a silly grin. “If it tastes half as good as it smells, it’s worth the wait.”

“Got it,” Twilight said. She felt light and giddy, and she wanted to bounce along on the sidewalk like her friend Pinkie. Before her injury, that was. “So. I want to know more about you, if that’s okay,” Twilight said as the two of them pulled into line behind the last group. “I know there’s some hard stuff there, so you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” Sonata said encouragingly. “You ask whatever you want. I’m not afraid.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Twilight warned. “I’m a scientist. If you leave that door open, I’ll have to find a notebook and a pen to start taking notes.” Sonata laughed, but Twilight wasn’t really joking. “No, really. If I could, I’d ask you all about Equestria. It absolutely fascinates me.”

“Really?” Sonata asked. “It was a really long time ago since I was there last.”

“Um, how long?” Twilight asked. Sonata’s eyebrows wiggled, and she jabbed Twilight in the side with one finger.

“C’mon, Twilight. I’ve heard you humans consider it rude to ask a girl how old she is.” Twilight’s eyes widened.

“You can’t tease me like that,” she complained. “I need to know all about you. Your history, what you were on the other side of the portal.” She was trying to keep her voice down, but her eagerness was beginning to leak through. “I wasn’t kidding about being a scientist. It, uh, gets in the way of my social skills sometimes,” she finished, her voice dropping with a hint of embarrassment.

“A scientist, huh?” Sonata said, her voice light and musical. “So, Doctor Sparkle, what do you want to know? If you were writing a paper on me, what would you ask?”

“Well, I’d start by asking about what you were on the other side,” Twilight said. Sonata hummed, her eyes going distant. The line moved forward a few feet as one of the groups in front of them was seated.

“Do you know much about Greek mythology? Homer’s Odyssey?”

“Required reading freshman year at Crystal Prep,” Twilight said. “At the time, I didn’t really like the fantastic or magical elements. It felt too much like a fairy tale, and I hated literature that wasn’t grounded in reality. That was until I found myself in a fairy tale of my own. Why?”

“You remember the Sirens?”

“Evil water spirits disguised as beautiful women, using the magical power of their song to lure sailors to their death by drowning,” Twilight recited. “Odysseus wanted to experience their amazing music without drowning, so he had his crew plug their ears with wax while they tied him to the mast so he could listen safely.” Sonata nodded, and looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Do you have your phone with you?” she asked. Twilight was a little surprised by the non-sequitur, but she dug into her mini backpack and retrieved her phone. “Can I?” Sonata asked, letting go of Twilight’s hand and holding out her hand for Twilight’s phone. Twilight handed it over after unlocking it. Sonata gazed at the screen, pulling up a browser. A quick search later and she’d found a video. She handed the phone back to Twilight. “Just watch that. Then you can ask whatever you want.”

“Should I turn the sound on?” Twilight asked, and Sonata shrugged, though a look of pain floated across her face. Twilight touched the little speaker icon on her phone, turning the volume just high enough to hear, but not enough to disturb the other people waiting in line.

Twilight instantly recognized the cafeteria at Canterlot High, as seen from the lens of somebody’s phone camera. There were three girls, absolutely gorgeous with immaculate hair, clothes, and makeup that would have made Rarity green with envy. The leader was a light yellow skinned girl with insanely voluminous orange hair, spread out behind her in a perfectly fluffy cloud that somehow complimented her rock-diva outfit. The second, with her purple twin pig tails and torn sleeve vest looked confidently vicious in her punk-rock aesthetic. The third was Sonata, but a Sonata that Twilight had never met. She was made up, wearing perfect mascara and lipstick, and she wore an amazing pink miniskirt with a purple button up blouse, complete with wide lapels, that perfectly set off her eyes. It was a far cry from the ragged hoodie Twilight had seen her in before, or even the clean but faded hand-me-down outfit she was currently wearing. All three girls in the video wore a brilliant ruby pendant around their necks that sparkled with an inner fire, perhaps a bit more radiant than mere reflected light would allow for.

The three girls, with the orange haired one in the lead, stormed into the cafeteria with an impact that drew every eye. The three of them were singing gently, striding into the room with a sensuous sway to their hips that made Twilight want to blush. Their voices interweaved in a complex harmony, with Sonata and the punk girl serving as backup singers to the main act, the orange haired diva.

“Don’t worry,” Sonata interrupted softly. “The magic doesn’t work in a recording.” Twilight wanted to ask what she meant, but she felt almost hypnotized into silence by the haunting beauty of the song. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as the three girls, with a snake-like grace that defied explanation, danced and sang their way into the cafeteria until every single eye was on them. It took Twilight far too long to recognize the sinister nature of the song, the subtle, manipulative lyrics as the three singers slowly and gradually turned the students of the school against each other. This wasn’t the unified, welcoming, inviting Canterlot High she was used to; this was a hornet’s nest. Suddenly Twilight’s awe and admiration were replaced by a sense of horror as she watched her friends from school turn against each other.

“You know, your little group was immune. Sunset and the others. We came so close, but we never fully beat them,” Sonata said when the video ended.

“What… happened there?” Twilight said. The song had been amazing, but nothing to justify the vitriol and fury that the students were showing towards each other. The friendly competitive spirit of the school she was used to had been replaced with a nearly violent fervor, and the students looked like they had wanted to tear each other apart.

“My sisters and I happened. I’m a Siren, Twilight. Or rather, I was. I think I’m just a normal human girl now.” Her voice was low. “We fed off of human emotion, Twilight. The dark, mean ones. Hatred, jealousy, bitterness. That was fine dining. And the angrier and meaner people got, the more power over them we had. So we used our magic to stir up hatred and anger, and then fed. When we found out somebody had brought Equestrian magic into this world, Adagio, my oldest sister and our leader, decided it was our chance to amass more power than we’d ever had since being banished here by Starswirl the Bearded.”

“How did it end?” Twilight whispered, immediately wishing she hadn’t. Sonata looked away, folding her arms around herself. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“We got what we wanted,” Sonata interrupted. “A battle of the bands. But your friends, and Princess Twilight, beat us at our own game. Our magical gems broke, we lost our power and our voices, and became normal teenaged girls.”

“You were Sirens?” Twilight breathed, turning off the sound on her phone and restarting the video. There was a wealth of information there, but Sonata had seemed uncomfortable with the audio. “So Sirens didn’t really hang out in oceans luring sailors to their death?”

“Nah,” Sonata said. “That was just the legend they wrote about us. Or maybe it was around before us, I don’t really know. We’ve been around a very long time, Twilight. So long I lost count. I guess that’s over now.” She didn’t seem sad at that, merely resigned.

“You’re mortal now?” Twilight guessed, and Sonata shrugged.

“I think so. I don’t know. I asked my therapist what it felt like to be constantly aging. He kinda thought that was funny, but didn’t really have an answer.” Sonata seemed to realize what she’d just admitted, then glanced fearfully at Twilight. “Um, I see a therapist. Is that okay?”

“As a culture, we humans have made great strides in the last few decades in the de-stigmatization of mental health problems,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “We’ve gotten to the point where we now realize it takes courage and strength to recognize when one needs help, and seek it out.” She looked at Sonata. “I had to talk to somebody myself, after I experienced a trauma.”

“Can I ask?” Sonata said softly. Twilight nodded. The line moved forward up to the door, and the two of them stepped into a heated foyer. The room was small, with a desk for the host and a pair of benches covered in bright orange cushions for those still waiting for a table.

“Welcome to the Tasty Treat!” the host called out to them as they slipped inside. He was a jolly looking man, with a musical voice and an accent. His skin was slightly yellow, and he wore a large bushy brown moustache that somehow perfectly fit his wide face. He appeared cheerful but harried. “I am sorry, but the wait will be probably twenty minutes from here.”

“That’s fine,” Twilight said, though she was upset at the wait. Their conversation would have to be put on hold as well; the confines of the foyer were probably too close for an intimate conversation about magic, monsters, and another reality. There were a few other people seated on the benches. “My friends who recommended this place said it would be worth it.”

“Oh, so you must be the Twilight Sparkle I have a reservation for!” the man replied with excitement. “I received the strangest call from my dear friend Pinkie Pie just an hour ago. She made a reservation for two, under that name.”

“Um, wha?” Twilight managed. Sonata giggled. “Er, yes, that’s me.” She turned and whispered to Sonata. “I didn’t know Pinkie was making a reservation. I wasn’t even sure we’d end up here.”

“Pinkie Pie sometimes knows the future,” Sonata said, and Twilight nodded, wondering herself how Sonata had enough experience on the subject so speak so confidently.

“Come this way, ladies. We have a table ready for you. I am Coriander Cumin, your host and waiter. My daughter is the chef tonight, and we are honored to be serving you.” He motioned further inside the restaurant, and the two girls followed behind. “Any friends of Pinkie and Rarity are friends of mine. They saved my business, after all. You’ll have to get them to tell you the story sometime.”

The interior of the restaurant was just as colorful as the outside, with walls and chairs all decorated in the same bright motif. The tables were stained polished wood, beautiful and natural in color. It was packed with diners, who made a cheerful cacophony as they clearly enjoyed their food. The smell of spices filled the room. In a spontaneous bit of chivalry, Twilight even stepped over and pulled Sonata’s chair out for her, which made the girl giggle. Twilight decided that she really liked Sonata’s laugh.

“Here are your menus, Miss Sparkle and Miss…”

“Sonata Dusk,” Sonata said.

“And Miss Dusk. I will be by to take your orders or answer any questions in just a moment.” Twilight wondered just how Coriander Cumin managed; it was a small restaurant with only eight tables, but he appeared to be the only host and waiter. Despite his size, however, he maneuvered gracefully between the tables and diners. His open, friendly demeanor brightened the room and the smiles of everybody he passed by.

“I can see why Pinkie likes this place,” Twilight said. “It seems like the owner is just like her, in some ways.”

“I like it,” Sonata said. “We owe Pinkie for calling ahead.” Twilight watched her; she seemed to be comfortable and happy. “So…”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “I don’t want to weigh down the conversation with too much negative stuff, but I also spent some time as a bad guy and had to be shut down hard by Sunset and my friends.”

“Really?” Sonata gasped. “This world’s Twilight Sparkle was a bad guy?”

“Yes,” Twilight cringed. “I have a bad habit of becoming obsessed sometimes. I decide I want to know something, or learn about something, and everything else just kind of disappears. Personal relationships, morals, logic, social activities, sometimes even eating and drinking. When I first met Sunset and the other girls, I had just invented a device that could detect magic, though I didn’t know that’s what it was doing. I nearly killed myself and most of my school, and Canterlot High, trying to learn more about this strange new energy source I was detecting. When it was all over, I’d turned into a demon thing, and Sunset had to use magic to turn me back. That’s why I have no problem with people who need second chances. Or with people who need to talk to somebody about bad stuff that’s happened to them.” She reached out and grabbed Sonata’s hands in her own, their menus forgotten for a moment. “Even if we don’t end up dating again after this, I want to be friends with you, okay?”

“Okay,” Sonata said, her face reddening a bit. “But I think we should definitely consider a second date. For sure.”

“Okay,” Twilight agreed. “Um, we should probably actually look at the menu.”

Both girls laughed, and they picked up the plastic laminated sheets. There were no colorful pictures on the menu, just a list of dishes that Sonata was clearly confused about. Twilight wasn’t super experienced with Indian cuisine, but she knew enough to read the menu and explain to Sonata what each of the dishes were. Finally the blue-haired girl just shrugged with a bit of frustration and suggested that Twilight order for the both of them. Finally Coriander Cumin returned, with the same harried-yet-cheerful expression on his face, and asked what they would like to eat.

“Um, we’d like an order of rajma, and an order of malai kofta,” Twilight said, barely struggling over the foreign words. “And maybe two masala chai to drink?” Coriander Cumin complimented their choices as he scribbled them down on his ticket pad, before disappearing past the swinging metal door into the kitchen. She looked back at Sonata. “I don’t know which one you’ll like, but they both looked good to me, so when they show up you can pick whichever one looks better to you, okay?”

“Or we can just eat off of each other’s plates,” Sonata said, her voice low and silky. She leaned across the table as she said it, her eyes lidded, and Twilight felt her face heat up. “Maybe I’ll even feed you.” Twilight was reasonably sure she let out a little squeak before Sonata couldn’t hold it any more, falling back into her seat with a laugh. “Oh, you’re fun to tease, Twilight Sparkle,” she said with a warm smile while Twilight grumbled at her.

“Yeah, okay,” Twilight waved her off with a hand. “I do kinda want to try both dishes before. My mom does some Indian cooking, but mostly the basic stuff like butter chicken or curries. I wanted to branch out a bit.” She paused. “What do you usually like to eat?”

“Um, whatever I can get ahold of, really. I mostly just like tacos.”

“Oh. You should have said something. We could have found a Mexican place,” Twilight said. She was trying, really hard, not to let her tendency to give reign to her anxieties and overthink everything. Sonata was already shaking her head.

“No, don’t worry about it. This will be just fine,” Sonata reassured. “Next time, I’ll take you to my favorite taco place, okay? It’s not as nice as this place, though.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Twilight was blushing. She wasn’t completely socially inept, only mostly. Between sneaking into concerts and the state of the other girl’s clean but threadbare clothing, Twilight was already starting to get the idea that Sonata might be a bit resource poor.

“It’s only fair. You took me out tonight, so I should take you out next time.”

“Next week, maybe?” Twilight asked hopefully. “My season pass comes with two guest tickets for every performance. You can come listen to the concert legally, rather than sneaking in.”

“I…” Sonata began, then took a deep breath. Her eyes were wet; Twilight couldn’t quite figure out just what she’d said. “I’d really like that,” she finished in a whisper.

The moment was interrupted by Coriander Cumin, who arrived with two steaming plates of food and two steaming mugs of milky tea. For a moment, their conversation went on hold as the two of them sampled the food. True to her teasing threat, Sonata did try to feed Twilight from her own fork, but after a blushing refusal, the two of them simply ended up splitting both dishes between them, with half on each plate so they could try the cuisine. It was phenomenal.

“How was everything tonight?” Coriander Cumin asked when he returned to check on them.

“This is incredible,” Sonata answered for the both of them. “Spicy and sweet at the same time. I love it, thank you.” She said the last both to the host and to Twilight, who’d been caught with a mouth full. Rather than speak, she gave the large man a sheepish thumbs up. He gave them both a pleased smile before retreating to the kitchen.

“So can I ask you about music?” Twilight asked carefully into the silence that descended after the host had left. Sonata nodded, her face somber. “What’s your favorite kind of music?” Sonata looked surprised; she’d probably expected a question about the magical songs she’d sung as a Siren.

“Um, all kinds, really. Music is everything for me. It’s my life. I lived and breathed music once, when I could sing,” there was a depth of sadness and loss in her voice, but she brightened. “The next best thing is live performances. I find any I can.”

“Or any you can sneak into,” Twilight added.

“Well, not any more, if I get to go with you,” Sonata quipped. It was interesting that she didn’t show any hint of guilt or shame over having trespassed before. Twilight decided not to say anything.

“But isn’t there one song, one kind of music, more than anything else, that you really resonate with?” Twilight asked. “One composer, one genre?”

“What about you?” Sonata countered.

“That’s easy. Classical,” Twilight said. “Classical music is math.”

“Math?” Sonata asked, confused. Twilight made a frustrated noise.

“I’m bad at explaining this. So I’m kinda socially awkward, right?”

“I didn’t really notice,” Sonata said, her voice sincere. “You came right up to me and asked me out with like, zero hesitation.”

“That’s different,” Twilight said, embarrassed. “I’m goal-oriented. When I decide I want something, nothing can stop me. Sometimes not even good sense. If I apply that to social situations, like asking out a cute girl, I can accomplish the goal in the clumsiest, most ridiculous fashion possible.”

“I wouldn’t call it clumsy,” Sonata said thoughtfully. “More, cute and determined.”

“Those things aren’t mutually exclusive,” Twilight said. “It can be all three things.”

“So you admit you’re cute,” Sonata said, her voice triumphant. Twilight rolled her eyes. “So explain it to me. Why is music math?”

“Well, there’s how it’s written. Written music is fractions and numbers, intervals and slopes. Then you get into the science of sound, of wavelengths and frequencies. It’s all absolutely fascinating.” Twilight kept her description vague, knowing that she had a tendency to get lost in minutiae and completely lose other people. “But somehow, all that math, all those numbers, mixed together in exactly the right way, produce an emotional response in people. Like you at every concert. Music is just math, but it makes people love and hate, it makes people dance and cry. It’s like the perfect place where logic and emotion meet, where dispassionate science meets art and poetry.” She tried not to sound frustrated. It was always difficult for her to articulate unquantifiable values like emotion, romance, and poetry. “Calling it ‘classical’ music is really a misnomer; most people refer to classical music as anything older than a century or so. But the great composers; people like Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, and Vivaldi, they, uh, speak to me. Reach me in ways I can’t put words to. I find it both accessible and utterly frustratingly incomprehensible, and that paradox is irresistible to me.”

“I get it,” Sonata said earnestly. “I really do. I mean, not the math stuff. That makes no sense at all. But the other stuff, yeah. I think...” she trailed off, her eyes unfocused. “I think I took it for granted. When my music was magical. When I could sing. I didn’t realize what I had.”

“You can’t sing anymore?” Twilight asked, aching at the heartbroken tone Sonata was using.

“Not since your friends broke our amulets, yeah. Singing is how we did what we did. And now…” Sonata trailed off, looking down at her mostly empty plate. Her eyes were full of tears.

“I’m sorry I brought it up,” Twilight said. She’d seen the video. She knew her friends, loved her friends, and trusted her friends. Whatever they’d done, she was sure they’d had no other choice. But that didn’t meant there wasn’t pieces to pick up afterwards. “When I fell… when I turned, somebody was there to pick me up. I’m sorry nobody did that for you.” Sonata snorted.

“We didn’t give anybody a chance,” Sonata said. “We just ran. Back then, Adagio was still in charge. She was gonna find a way to get our power back, to get revenge. It didn’t take her long to give up.” She shook herself, then met Twilight’s eyes again with a smile that only seemed partially forced. “Sorry. I’m being kind of a downer.”

“No, I asked to get to know you,” Twilight said, while trying to make her smile warm and encouraging. “I know I said it already, but anybody that feels that deeply about music is worth getting to know.” They went silent again, though Twilight didn’t feel awkward in this silence.

“Cartoon music,” Sonata said suddenly, and Twilight stared blankly, completely taken by surprise by the seemingly random response. “That’s one of my very favorites. I mean the stuff you’d hear in the really old cartoons, like the one with the mouse driving the steamboat. There’s a lot of classical and jazz stuff, but some of its original too.” She paused, thoughtfully. “I snuck into some of the studios to watch them compose, watch them perfect the timing of the notes and the sounds. They had no idea I was there, of course,” Sonata laughed. “Hypnotic magic came in handy. But it was a different kind of magic that those people made. There’s something wonderful about the way they made music to tell a story, and have that story be so full of joy.” Sonata sighed. “I thought right then that there was no way I could ever make music like that. It was something beautiful and wonderful, and my music was only made to use and tear apart.” Sonata sniffed, then glanced apologetically at Twilight. “I’m being a downer again, sorry.”

“Stop that,” Twilight insisted. “Don’t talk down on yourself, okay? I don’t like to hear it.” Flashbacks of her time at Crystal Prep, images and sounds of a thousand subtle insults, a hundred ‘accidental’ bumps in the hallway, books shoved out of hands. Self-esteem was a touchy subject for her after years of bullying. Sonata looked at her curiously, and Twilight was suddenly self-conscious. Had she come off too strong? Maybe a little too possessive? She felt a wave of relief when she saw Sonata’s smile.

“I’ll try,” the other girl said. Sonata opened her mouth to say something else, when they were interrupted by a gentle feminine voice clearing her throat. They looked up. Standing there was a beautiful young woman with fabulous brown hair and a skin tone nearly identical to their host. She was probably only a few years older than Twilight, and her brilliant purple eyes sparkled with cheer. She was wearing a white apron dusted with the evidence of the busy dinner service she’d just been cooking. She carried with her a small plate filled with some sort of fried pastry.

“I am sorry to interrupt, ladies,” she said, in the same musical accent as Coriander Cumin. “I am Saffron Masala, the chef here at the Tasty Treat. My father told me we had friends of Pinkie and Rarity dining with us tonight, so I had to come out and say hello, and bring you some on-the-house dessert.”

“Oh, no, we couldn’t possibly accept…” Twilight began, but Saffron was ready for her denials, plopping the plate down in front of the two of them so they could catch the aroma of the food.

“It’s only good business sense,” the chef interrupted. “Once you try my Gulab Jamun, you’ll be a regular customer for life. It is a small price to pay for some ingredients. Go on, eat. My father will be by in a bit to check on you again. Do you need more tea?” Both girls shook their heads, and the stunning young chef retreated back into her kitchen.

“I feel a little bad to get stuff for free,” Twilight said, reaching hesitantly for one of the fried dessert pastries.

“Mmf,” Sonata said, and Twilight looked up. The other girl had already shoved one of them into her mouth while Twilight had been looking at the chef, and her expression managed to be both chagrinned and rapturous. Twilight giggled at the image of the other girl’s stuffed cheeks as she selected her own dessert and took a bite. It was simple and sweet, though she could taste the saffron that had been infused into the dough. It was a perfect end to the meal. Twilight felt no more hesitation as she and Sonata split the rest of the treat between them, devouring the delicious dessert.

“So, if you can’t sing, could you at least play instruments?” Twilight asked cautiously.

“Never learned to read music,” Sonata said neutrally. “Singing was always just a natural thing I was born with. As easy as breathing, or moving your fingers. Now, that part of me’s been amputated.”

“Do you think you could learn?” Twilight asked, the beginning of an idea forming in her head.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve never tried,” Sonata said.

“I could teach you,” Twilight offered. “I’m no expert, but musical training was a requirement at the school I was going to. If you want. I don’t want to…”

“Can you teach me?” Sonata interrupted her. “To make music again? Please?” Her voice was full of hope and heartbreak.

“It would be my pleasure, Sonata,” Twilight breathed. Sonata’s eyes were wet, and she scooted her chair around so that she was sitting right next to Twilight. Gently she reached out and touched Twilight’s cheek with one hand. Without any warning, the crying girl leaned in and kissed Twilight, gently, on the cheek.

Interlude 2

Sonata Dusk Therapy Session #2, October 14th
“Okay Sonata. The tape recorder is working again. Just to remind you, I want to mention that we can turn it off at any time, if you want to.

“Sure. I’m fine.”

“Good. How was your week?”

“Highs and lows, I guess. I had a date.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“She’s perfect, Still Waters. She’s so smart, she’s pretty, and she loves music. We have a second date on Wednesday.”

“I remember music is a bit of a sensitive spot for you, since you can’t sing any longer.”

“Yeah. She offered to see if I can learn to play a piano.”

“You’ve never tried?”

“No. I can’t read music.”

“Well, if you need a place to practice, we do have an old piano here at the Center. It was donated, and it’s probably twice as old as me, so there’s a few keys that stick, and the G key two octaves above middle C just doesn’t work at all.”

“Thanks. We’ll see how it goes.”

“So what are you doing for your date?”

“We’re going to go over to her house and see if she can teach me to play piano. Then we’ll go to a concert, and after that, I’m going to take her out for street tacos.”

“Sounds fun. I’m glad you’re reaching out socially. How are you doing making other friends?”

“Not great, doc.”

“Are you close with any of your coworkers?”

“Not really. Mostly they’re older than me. Besides, there’s not much time for hanging out at work. It’s kinda nuts.”

“What about finding another way to meet people your age? Like maybe going to school?”

“They’d murder me.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of what I did, doc. I hurt them. I used them.”

“You don’t think they could forgive you? Give you a second chance?”

“…it’s possible, I guess. But still, I don’t have the time. I have to work.”

“Has Aria found a job yet?”

“No.”

“Is she looking?”

“Of course she is! Aria just has really bad luck. Every job she’s had, it’s been a bad boss or coworkers who just doesn’t understand how she is.”

“I have a hard question for you, Sonata. I want to know, seriously, how many hours a day your sister spends looking for a job.”

“… I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Sonata, I think your sister might be using you. You work twice as hard, so that she doesn’t have to.”

“I said, I don’t want to talk about this anymore!”

“Okay, that’s fine. I want to talk more about school with you.”

“What do I need school for? You know I’m ancient, right?”

“Attending school isn’t just for book learning. It’s for socialization. For making friends, making connections, learning how to get along with people. You told me last time you wanted to leave behind the person you were before all this happened. I think reaching out, socializing with other people, might be helpful for that goal.”

“I told you, I’m dating somebody. And I’m friends with Pinkie.”

“Of course. And these are important things. But friendship is like your favorite flavor of ice cream. One or two tiny bites just aren’t enough to have a full, rich, satisfying experience. You need all the toppings, too. All the different kinds of friendship, all the different flavors. Casual friendly acquaintances, deep permanent bonds, and if you’re interested, even romantic connections. All of these things add happiness and connection to your life. And for somebody your age… sorry, your current, apparent age, the best way to have those connections might be at school. I’d like you to give it a try.”

“You make it sound nice. But I still don’t have time. Cuz of work.”

“One of the things we specialize in at this Center is making sure teenagers, just like you, have access to resources designed to help them in just such situations. If I were to help you find some financial or food help, that might enable you to go to part time work, do you think you could try to cut down to part time at the warehouse? Or even quit?”

“I don’t know…”

“Sonata, I’m going to be honest with you. I know you’re doing your best to take care of your sisters, to contribute to your family. That’s pretty admirable. But I’m worried about what’s good for you, what’s healthy for you. The amount of time you work may be okay for an immortal magical creature, but it’s just not healthy for a teenager. The fact that you’ve been managing as well as you have is amazing. You’re so strong, and you deserve to be loved and happy. So when we talk, I’m going to suggest things that might be hard, might be a stretch for you, but I think they’ll help you.”

“You really think school will make me happy?”

“I think so, yeah. Are you willing to give it a try?”

“You can make it so we have food? Cuz I can cut back on hours if I don’t have to worry about food.”

“I think so, yeah. There are a number of government programs designed to help people like you. Now, this might get a little complicated. I assume, from the stories you’ve told me, that you may not have the paperwork you need to apply for government food assistance.”

“Paperwork?”

“Social security number, citizenship or green card, even driver’s license, things like that.”

“Uh, no. Adagio always saw to that sort of thing. It was never legal, either.”

“I thought not. If you let me, I’ll look into what I need to do to get you access to legitimate documentation, okay? So that we can make you an official citizen of our world.”

“Y-yeah. T-thanks, doc.”

“Tissues are right here, Sonata.”

Chapter 7

“Absolutely not, Sunset.”

“Princess, I’ve already decided.”

“No. Absolutely no. It’s completely irrational.”

“Twilight, please. It’s not like we have much time.”

“Sunset, don’t you dare. You know how important education is, and missing even one day…”

“You didn’t seem to mind so much when the map called me away for an entire week, Princess. A week that turned out to be one of the best, most magical, and most important weeks of my life.”

“You’re trying to manipulate me. Butter me up. It won’t work. Spike tries these tactics at least once a week to finagle extra gems out of me, or more comic books, or later bedtimes. But I’m wise to his tricks, and yours.”

“But Princess, you forgot one thing. Spike doesn’t get to do this.”

“Mmm…” Princess Twilight resisted the kiss at first, before finally melting and leaning into Sunset. Sunset’s hands went up to curl themselves in Twilight’s purple hair, luxuriating in its silkiness while her lips pressed against her marefriends’. With a jerk, Princess Twilight finally broke away, flopping back into her seat across from Sunset. “N-not fair! Your argument has no relevance to this conversation!”

“Twilight, I’m going to skip school today. You need to come to terms with it,” Sunset sat back, smugly. She felt the gaze of the other café customers, mostly young people coming in for a quick coffee before classes started, sending curious glances their way after her aggressive PDA. She made a show of licking her lips and humming appreciatively. The Princess’ jaw dropped and her face colored cutely.

“Stop it. You’re terrible, Sunset.” Twilight tried to hide behind taking a sip of her Americano, her expression thoroughly embarrassed.

“It’s why you love me,” Sunset said smugly, leaning back in her own seat and crossing her legs. Princess Twilight muttered something grumpily. “What was that?” The Princess rolled her eyes.

“I said, ‘that’s not entirely inaccurate,’” Twilight repeated, louder this time.

“Oh?” Sunset leaned forward, resting her elbows on the Formica table. Princess Twilight sighed.

“You drive me crazy, Sunset, and sometimes I think you just don’t listen to what I’m telling you to do. You’re so headstrong and independent, and sometimes even borderline disrespectful. And…” the Princess took a deep breath. “I kinda love that.”

“Oh really?” Sunset said smugly, leaning forward even more, so that her face was mere inches from Twilight’s.

“I’m trying to be serious, Sunset. Can you stop teasing for one second so I can make a speech about how much I love you?”

“Sorry,” Sunset said, slumping back into her seat with a faux chagrinned apologetic look on her face. Twilight rolled her eyes again, not buying the innocent look for a second. “I’d love to hear it. Go on.”

“In Equestria, I don’t really have any peers. There’s my friends, my fellow Princesses, and of course my ‘subjects’.” She injected the final word with a fair amount of bitterness. “Nobody who sees me as me. You? You argue with me, you tease me, you tell me when I’m wrong. The only other ponies who do that with me are my friends, the other Elements. And I couldn’t even begin to see one of them as a romantic partner.”

“So what you’re saying is, I was your absolute last option?” Sunset smirked. Twilight’s eyes flew wide, full of denial and panic.

“No! That’s not what I meant!” she nearly shrieked. When she caught sight of Sunset’s expression, though, she frowned. “You tease. I know what you’re doing, Sunset. You know exactly how much power your teasing has, and you’re using it to change the subject and distract me.”

“First of all, you’re exactly right,” Sunset said, holding up one finger. She held up a second, her grin widening. “Second, thank you so much for admitting how much you like my teasing.” She lifted a third finger as Princess Twilight sputtered. “And thirdly, maybe I just think you’re cute when you pout.” There was a flash in the Princess’ eyes; Sunset thought she might be starting to get a bit upset for real. “Seriously though, Twi. I’m kinda trying to give the other Twilight a little bit of space to come to terms with us. I already spoke with all of my teachers and made arrangements to have Rarity and Applejack pick up my homework. And I really, truly, deeply, honestly missed you desperately and wanted to spend a day with you.”

“What excuse did you give your instructors? If you lied to them…”

“Every teacher at Canterlot High is at least passingly familiar with some of the magical events that have been occurring recently. I told them I needed a mental health day, that it was closely related to the magical goings on, and could I please have my assignments early to plan ahead? All completely accurate, and it doesn’t hurt that I’m a straight A student.”

“I still don’t like it,” Princess Twilight muttered, and Sunset slid her seat around so she was right next to her marefriend. She reached out, snaking a hand around Twilight’s shoulder before pulling her into a close squeeze.

“That just means I’ll have to try extra hard to make this day memorable,” Sunset said, and the Princess smiled.

“You never give up, do you?” the Princess said. Sunset grinned.

“Nope!”

* * * * *

“Hey, Pinkie, good to see ya!”

“Pinkie! Welcome back! Feeling better?”

“Pinkie Pie! Awesome cast, brah!”

“PINKIE PIE’S BACK AT SCHOOL! YEEEEAAAAH!”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is reluctantly pleased to see you here, Pinkie Pie. School is just too boring without her cast of interesting supporting characters.”

“Pinkie! Need help with your bags?”

Pinkie let all the greetings, well wishing, and general celebration of her presence wash over her like a refreshing balm. It had only been a few weeks confined at home (besides a single rebellious trip to work, but that had turned out to be a great decision) with only her closest friends to visit (but also inter-dimensional sleepovers!) had been a real trial. Even her eternally patient family members had begun to show signs of impatience with her budding cabin fever. It had been a morning of great relief and celebration in the Pie household this morning. Momma Pie had even made pancakes, with caramelized bananas and almond whipped cream.

For the most part, Pinkie just responded to the well-wishers with a smile and a wave. She did take Sweetie Belle up on her offer to help carry her bags, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo bounced ahead of her, ostensibly to clear a path for Pinkie and her crutches in the wave of students coming to say hi. The three freshmen may have been overexcited, but they helped her with her locker and were on their way to her first class when the P.A. sounded with Vice Principal Luna’s voice.

“Pinkie Pie, please report to the Principal’s office. Please take your time to get here,” the Vice Principal said in a dry tone. The students milling in the hallway around her laughed at the added note of caution, and Pinkie giggled along with them.

“Do ya need us to help you to the principal’s office?” Apple Bloom asked. Pinkie shook her head.

“No thanks, girls. But could one of you please run my bag and books to Mr. Cranky’s classroom? I don’t think Vice Principal Luna needs to see what’s in my bag.” Unless she did. Maybe she should…

“We’re on it, Pinkie!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, dashing off with Pinkie’s bag in her hands. Oh well. No use crying over spilled chocolate milk.

The first bell rang, announcing a five minute warning to all students, and the hallway began to clear as cheerful, chatty teenagers drifted away to their first classes. She really hoped the extra errand she’d set for Apple Bloom and her friends didn’t make them late for their first classes. Slowly, just like Vice Principal Luna had asked, she began to make her way towards the Principal’s office. She wondered what was up; maybe there was some sort of paperwork, or medical excuse so she wouldn’t have to do P.E., or something like that.

She reached the door to the principal’s office and paused just outside, looking at the twist handle of the door with distaste. Crutches were awfully inconvenient. Leaning on one side, she reached out and knocked on the wood part of the door, just under the opaque glass.

“Come in, Pinkie,” she heard the principal’s gentle voice call from inside. “Oh, right. Sister, could you…” There were footsteps, and the door swung open from the inside. Pinkie saw Vice Principal Luna standing at the door.

“Sorry to make you come this far out of your way, Pinkie. How are you doing?”

“Doing just great!” Pinkie exclaimed. She glanced into the room. Principal Celestia was sitting at her desk, and somebody else was sitting in a chair in front of the desk. Pinkie gasped. She recognized that hoodie, and that two-tone light and dark blue hair. Something inside her wanted to shout for joy. “Is that…?”

“Come inside please,” Luna cut her off, stepping inside and motioning at a second chair, this one empty. Pinkie maneuvered herself into the room, and the Vice Principal discretely closed the door behind her, standing next to it with her arms folded. Pinkie made her way over to the chair, glancing curiously at the other girl. She was right! It was Sonata! Sonata was here at Canterlot High! She beamed at Sonata, who gave her a shy smile and a little finger wave.

“So we have a new student here at Canterlot High,” Principal Celestia began. Pinkie was bouncing up and down in her seat, though maybe a bit less energetically than before her injury. “I’m sure you remember Miss Dusk. She’s going to be attending school with us. I know that there may be some difficulties involved with integrating Sonata into our school, due to thing that happened last year. We called you here to ask you for your help and insight in smoothing those difficulties.”

“Oh wow!” Pinkie exclaimed, leaning over to wrap an arm around Sonata’s shoulders, squeezing her with one arm in a motion that nearly pulled the both of them off their chairs. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Well, at least one of our students won’t have a problem integrating Sonata into our school,” Vice Principal Luna said wryly.

“Aw, Vice Principal Luna, don’t sound so snarky. Your students will surprise you. Remember, we have lots of experience making friends with people who did shady stuff in the past.” Sonata looked away sharply, and Pinkie made sure to squeeze her friend extra tight again. “Don’t worry, Sonata. You might get some weird looks, but there will be plenty of smiles and friendly looks, too.”

“Maybe we did underestimate just how welcoming and accepting our students can be,” Principal Celestia said. “Pinkie, do you think Sonata will experience much negativity?”

“Nope!” Pinkie cheered. “Everybody’s going to be so nice, and she’ll make tons of friends…”

“Pinkie, while I love your optimism and enthusiasm, I think we do need to prepare for the possibility of some students not reacting as well to Sonata’s presence,” Vice Principal Luna said. “Pinkie, we’ve arranged Sonata’s schedule so that she shares all of her classes with you. And I want to be informed if other students are not treating her well.” There was a stern note of steel behind the kindness in Luna’s voice.

“Yes, ma’am!” Pinkie said, saluting with one hand. It happened to be the hand that was holding her crutches, and the two metal tools clattered to the floor. Pinkie cringed. “Oops, sorry…”

“I got it,” Sonata said, speaking up for the first time since Pinkie came into the room. She reached down and swiped Pinkie’s crutches, handing them back to her. “Here. Is there anything else you needed, Principal?”

“No. We never removed your enrollment from when you first arrived at our school. I suppose I always hoped that you’d find a way back, you and your sisters. I’m so glad you did.”

“Not much hope of them showing up,” Sonata muttered.

“If that’s everything, the two of you had best hustle off to your class. Mr. Cranky isn’t exactly the most patient English teacher in the world, even if we provide him with an excused tardy.” Vice Principal Luna said. “We’ve already called ahead and informed him you will be on your way with Miss Dusk. Do you need any help getting there?”

“I’ve got this, Vice Principal Luna!” Pinkie said, giggling as she made her way to her feet. Despite her claim, she did let Sonata pull her to her feet. Taking a moment to arrange her crutches, Pinkie smiled encouragingly at Sonata. “Well? Let’s go meet your first teacher!”

The hallway outside the Principal’s office was now completely empty of students. The click of Pinkie’s crutches echoed down the hallway. Sonata was silent, and Pinkie eyed her, searching for any signs of nervousness or fear.

“You don’t need to be too nervous,” Pinkie said as they slowly moved down the hallway.

“Really? Cuz I’m pretty sure as soon as they see me in there, I’m gonna get burned at the stake. Which is weird, because I didn’t think public schools could afford steak.” Sonata’s voice was a little shaky, but Pinkie giggled at the joke.

“You can’t be too nervous, because you just made a pun! It was punny!” Pinkie laughed. Sonata smirked a little, but still looked incredibly uncomfortable. “So what made you decide to start going to school?”

“Still Waters suggested it,” Sonata said simply.

“He’s great, isn’t he?” Pinkie mused. “He and his wife both. I’m so glad you’re getting some help there.” Sonata blushed, so Pinkie dropped the subject. Some people could get really touchy about receiving any sort of assistance or charity. “So your sisters aren’t gonna be joining us?”

“They don’t even know I’m here,” Sonata whispered. Deep inside Pinkie’s decidedly overactive imagination, a very frowny girl with very flat dull pink hair and an angry look was waving a giant red flag at her. She filed that thought away for later. Maybe it was something to discuss privately with Sunset Shimmer? But Sunset was off on her day long Playing-Hookey-and-Maybe-Kissy-Time party with Princess Twilight. That had been quite the bombshell to drop on their sleepover when Princess Twilight had dropped by to offer her well-wishes and bring a get-well-soon card. It was one of her favorites ever, mostly because it was written in crazy magic pony language and Pinkie couldn’t read a word of it. The colors were nice and bright, though. The Princess had said it was claw written by dragon Spike himself, dictated by the Princess. With a start, she realized she was getting mentally off track, and tried to refocus in on Sonata.

“Their loss, I guess,” Pinkie said, not wanting to dwell on the topic for long. “So you’re joining me in all my classes? It’ll be so much fun!”

“I guess so,” Sonata said, managing to sound both hopeful and a bit down at the same time. “The principal thought it would be best to be close to somebody I felt comfortable with, and yours was one of the names that came to mind.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Pinkie cooed. “Wait, one of the names?” She could perfectly imagine Rarity’s face, her eyebrows arched in an inquisitive stare, her eyes sparkling with her innate sense for gossip. Pinkie’s friends may think it weird that she had a Pinkie sense, but nobody questioned the fact that Rarity seemed to have a built-in radar for good gossip. Maybe Rarity had rubbed off on her? Because she was certainly sensing some good gossip.

“I don’t wanna say any more than that just yet, okay,” Sonata said, but she was smiling as she blushed, so Pinkie figured whatever it was, it was a good thing.

“Well, I’m more than happy to be your tour guide for the day, as long as you don’t mind that I’m a tad bit less mobile than usual,” Pinkie said.

“No problem,” Sonata said. “Lemme know if you need any help.”

“Aw, thanks, Sonnie. Can I call you Sonnie?”

“No.”

They reached the door to Mr. Cranky’s room. Pinkie hesitated in front of the door.

“Need me to get the door for you?” Sonata asked.

“Sure, Sonnie. But uh, I think it’s going to go great with all the nice and friendly people here at Canterlot High,” Pinkie moved her crutches close enough to twiddle her thumbs. “But just warning you, there’s a teeny tiny smidge of a chance that some of them might be a little bit mad or rude. So if that happens I don’t want you to be sad, okay? Because no matter what, I’m your friend, got it?”

“Got it,” Sonata said with a smile. “Thanks, Pinkie. I mean it.”

“Also Mr. Cranky can be a little… cranky. Fair warning.”

“Can’t be any worse than Aria,” Sonata muttered sotto voce, though Pinkie didn’t think she’d been meant to hear it. Sonata reached for the door and pulled it open. The sounds of Mr. Cranky’s gravelly voice, lecturing about passive voice versus active voice in essays, flowed into the silent hallway. When the door was open, Mr. Cranky paused.

“Oh there you are,” he said. “Well, come in. We don’t have all day, and we’re already behind schedule as it is. Class, we have a new student. Sonata Dusk. Welcome, good to meet you, and all that. We’ve got a spot for you next to Pinkie’s desk in the front. Pinkie, welcome back.” It was possibly the least welcoming welcome that Pinkie had ever heard, but she knew deep down that Mr. Cranky was really a softie. He just didn’t like to show it much.

Sonata had stepped nervously into the classroom, with her hands folded tightly around herself. Pinkie clicked in behind her as quickly as she could. She was met with dead silence. Everybody in the entire room stared at them. There were a few open mouths. Pinkie began nervously listing the positives. Number one: nobody had reached for torches or pitchforks yet. Number two: Nobody was frowny or mad, just shocked. Number…

“Miss Pie, do you need some help finding your seat?” Mr. Cranky’s voice cut through her distraction.

“Nopey nope nope, Mr. Cranky, I remember where it is!” she said with a giggle. Sonata had already sat down in the empty desk next to hers. Everybody was staring at the new girl. Pinkie moved over to her own seat. Mr. Cranky gave the two girls just enough time to locate their books (he grumped just a bit when he realized Sonata didn’t have one yet. Fortunately there was a spare in the bookshelf behind his desk).

“Now if there are no more interruptions, I’d like to resume our lesson. If you could all please turn with me to page forty seven…”

* * * * *

“Huh. My phone’s blowing up,” Sunset Shimmer mentioned to her marefriend (or was it more properly girlfriend, since they were in the human world? Sunset didn’t know) while the two of them lay, face up, on a blanket Sunset had spread on the chilly grass in the public park where they’d spent most of the morning, just laying side by side looking up at the clouds.

“Blowing up?” Princess Twilight yelped. “Why would it do that? How dangerous is it? Is there a minimum safe distance we need to…” she trailed off to Sunset’s giggles.

“Human colloquialism, Twilight. It just means I’m getting a lot of messages really quickly. It might be something important, though, so if you’ll give me a second…” She had to extract her arm from underneath Princess Twilight’s head from their cuddles. She rooted around in her backpack for her phone, pulling it up to see at least fifteen new messages. Quickly she scanned through them. “Oh. Oh wow. That’s kinda nuts.”

“What’s up, Sunset?” Twilight asked, leaning up on one arm so she could glance at the lit screen.

“Looks like one of the Sirens signed up for school at Canterlot High. The blue haired one. Sonata. She was the one that was always getting bossed around by the others. Kinda ditzy.”

“I don’t think she was ditzy,” Princess Twilight replied, her voice tinged with just a hint of disapproval.

“Well, whatever,” Sunset said dismissively. “I just need to know if she’s up to something. You know, if this is a new plot to steal Equestrian magic, or take over town, or whatever.” She glanced over at Princess Twilight, her face mournful. “I’m sorry, Twilight. It sounds like duty calls. I might have to go back to school to sort out what’s going on. We’ll have to cut our day short.” The Princess looked worried for a moment, than reached out and grabbed Sunset’s shoulders.

“No, Sunset. You shouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s only one, right? And not even the ringleader of the gang. We should just let things play out on their own. Your other friends will let you know if they need you, right?”

“Twilight,” Sunset deadpanned. “Did you take lying lessons from Applejack?”

“Um, no, Sunset. What are you talking about?” Princess Twilight’s eyes were shifting back and forth, and she let go of Sunset’s shoulders to wring her hands. It was like she had a neon sign over her head screaming ‘Up to Something’ in bright yellow over her head. Sunset cocked an eyebrow.

“Just a bit confused by the fact that a few hours ago you were dead set on not letting me skip school. And now you’ve completely changed your mind, pretending like you haven’t, and you clearly don’t want to tell me why.”

“Heh heh heh,” Twilight laughed falsely, her mouth twisted in a grin that looked about as real as a three dollar bill.

“If you don’t want to tell me what’s going on…” Sunset said, putting on her own pout. Princess Twilight might be terrible at manipulation and deception, but Sunset was a master, even if she didn’t really use those talents any more. It was all about subtlety; the slight curl of the lip, the gentle lift at the end of the eyebrows, the slightest quiver in the voice. Princess Twilight could be a bit of a pushover, but Sunset knew even she’d suspect something if Sunset pushed things too far into Rarity levels of melodrama.

“Oh, Sunset,” Princess Twilight said, her voice dripping with sympathy. Inwardly Sunset celebrated. Hook, line, and sinker. “Maybe I do know a little bit about what’s going on. But Pinkie once told me that breaking a friend’s trust is the best way to lose that friend forever, and some secrets aren’t mine to share yet.”

Oh. Now Sunset felt guilty.

“I can tell you this much. I’m not surprised that Sonata Dusk is trying to socialize more with other people. I think it’s a good thing, and I don’t think its part of any sort of evil plot,” Princess Twilight said nervously, like she was worried she was giving too much away.

“How do you know?” Sunset couldn’t help but push just a little. Princess Twilight shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Sunset. You should find out soon enough, though. Trust me on this one?” Princess Twilight pleaded. Sunset couldn’t ignore those eyes.

“Of course I trust you, princess,” she said, and leaned over to gently kiss the blushing girl on the cheek.

* * * * *

“C’mon, come sit with us. All my friends will love you!” Pinkie was finding it very awkward to try and drag a gently resisting Siren towards the table she and her friends usually shared at lunch.

“I don’t think so, Pinkie. I…”

“Don’t argue! Today hasn’t been that bad, has it?” Pinkie asked. Sonata sighed.

“Everybody just stares. I wish at least somebody would shout at me, or throw something, or… I don’t know. Anything but just the silent shock.”

“But I want you to come meet my friends! Rarity will be there, and Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, and Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle…”

“Okay,” Sonata interrupted suddenly. Pinkie eyed her suspiciously.

“Wow, you sure change your mind quickly. Well, come this way then, it’s hard to drag you and walk on crutches at the same time.”

“Don’t we need to get our lunches first?” Sonata asked. Pinkie giggled, slapping herself on the forehead with one hand.

“Of course, duh!” she said through her laughter. “That way I can introduce you to the lunch lady. Granny Smith is super nice.”

“Okay,” Sonata said, and the two of them headed towards the back of the line.

“Pinkie! Pinkie! Over here!” called a voice from the front of the line. Flash Sentry was waving them over. Pinkie worked her way over, Sonata trailing silently behind. “Cut in front of me, Pinkie. You and your… uh… friend. It can’t be good for you to be standing on that foot for long.”

“Flash, I can’t…”

“Anybody in line have an objection to Pinkie cutting in front?” Flash called out to the odd dozen or so students standing behind him. Octavia Melody shook her head, smiling at Pinkie. Vinyl Scratch gave a thumbs up. Lira and Bon Bon were so involved with their flirting that they didn’t even look up from the goo-goo eyes they were giving each other, and most of the other students just shook their head or waved. Trixie, at the very back of the line, looked a little grumpy, but when she glanced at the assent the others in line were giving, she merely folded her arms and pouted. Since that was sometimes the closest Pinkie could get to a smile from the Great and Powerful Trixie, Pinkie shrugged and accepted the gap in the line Flash was providing for her.

“Howdy, Pinkie. Leg treating ya okay?” the lunch lady, Granny Smith, called out as she slopped a generous square of lasagna onto a beige lunch tray. She snagged another tray from her stack and dished out a second portion.

“Yupperroni, Ms. Granny Smith,” Pinkie cheered.

“Really? Cuz I heard from my granddaughter that you were gallivanting about, going to work before yer doctor said you could.” The lunch lady pinned her with a stern gaze. “Don’t you go about hurtin’ yerself extra, ya hear? Or you’ll have to answer to me.” She waved a threatening spatula, before using a pair of tongs to dish both of the trays up with a hefty helping of green salad. “You there. New girl. You make sure she’s taking it easy, okay? And I don’t want any musical shenanigans this time around, ya hear?”

“Yes ma’am!” Sonata almost yelped, looking fearfully at the kitchen utensils being brandished threateningly in her direction. With a suspicious eye on both of them, Granny Smith finally scooped up two brownies from a dwindling tray and placed one each on their trays.

“I got that,” Sonata said, picking up both of them while Pinkie was trying to figure out how to transport her lunch tray to her seat.

“Thanks, Sonnie! Or would you prefer Nata?”

“Just Sonata, please.”

“Okay, Sonnie. This way!” Pinkie led the way to the table she shared with her six bestest friends in the entire world. There was already an empty spot, thanks to Sunset being on a date with the pony Twilight. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash sat on the opposite end of the table from where Pinkie was approaching, so they were the first to see her and her new friend. Twilight and Rarity had their backs to them. Applejack raised her hand to wave, then her eyes locked on Sonata, and her jaw dropped. Rainbow’s eyes narrowed with suspicion and outrage, and Fluttershy sunk down in her seat.

“Hey guys. Guess who’s going to our school now. I mean, again. I mean, for real this time.” Pinkie announced. Rarity and Twilight turned to look. Pinkie just remembered that this Twilight had never met the Sirens under the unfortunate circumstances of the Battle of the Bands. “Oh yeah, Twilight. You’ve never met Sonata before. Sonata, this is our world’s Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Sonata Dusk, my new friend!”

“Nice to meet you, Twilight,” Sonata said with a genuine smile.

“Gah…” Twilight said articulately, which made perfect sense to Pinkie Pie. After all, their Twilight Sparkle was a bit more shy and reserved than the pony princess.

“What’s she doin’ here?” Applejack asked suspiciously, pointing a fork that still had a bit of green beans speared on it at the two standing girls.

“Silly Applejack, I told you. She’s going to be attending school with us,” Pinkie said. “Scooch over, Rarity. Sonata, you can sit here next to Twilight. Can you put my tray down here?” she pointed to an empty spot to the right of Rarity.

“Gah…” Twilight articulated again. Rarity’s eyes were wide as she slid over far enough to make room for Sonata, who slid into the seat next to Twilight. Rarity continued to gape as Pinkie handed her the pair of crutches and delicately maneuvered her cast-bound leg past the other chairs so she didn’t bump it. With glee, she attacked her lasagna. Granny Smith was a great cook, even when limited by the ingredients and logistics of cooking in a school cafeteria. It took Pinkie only a few bites to realize nobody else was eating.

“C’mon, guys, I promised you’d be nice. It’s not like she’s up to anything this time,” Pinkie pleaded, beginning to grow worried.

“Yeah, but, it’s a Siren,” Rainbow stated bluntly. Applejack nodded. Fluttershy seemed to be shrinking further under the table, and Rarity and Twilight simply stared.

“It prefers ‘she’,” Sonata muttered, but Rainbow heard, managing to look both embarrassed and angry at the same time. “Maybe I should find somewhere else to sit.” She made no move to stand, though.

“She can sit with us,” Twilight said out loud, confidently. The others stared at her. “C’mon, Rainbow. Remember how nice you were to me, even after what I did?”

“You apologized! It’s not like she’s ever said sorry!” Rainbow protested.

“Or maybe it’s just because I happened to already look like one of your other friends,” Twilight countered quickly. Rainbow opened her mouth angrily before Twilight’s words finally hit her. Open mouthed, her shoulders slumped and she silently stared at Twilight.

“Twilight’s right, y’all. Everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt,” Applejack declared suddenly into the silence that followed. She leaned across the table and offered a hand to Sonata. “It’s nice to greet you as a friend, Sonata. Welcome back to Canterlot High.”

“Uh, thanks,” Sonata took Applejack’s hand and shook it while Rainbow Dash pouted.

“She still never apologized,” Rainbow muttered angrily.

“Rainbow, maybe we should…” Fluttershy whispered.

“Are you gonna apologize for amputating my music from me?” Sonata shot back, ignoring Fluttershy.

“We did what we had to do!” Rainbow retorted, her palms flat on the table as she rose to her feet angrily. Sonata jerked to her feet angrily, and the two girls glared at each other. Pinkie was nearly panicking. This was not at all how this was supposed to go! She was about to do something! Unthinkingly, she tried to rise to her feet as well to try and settle the two of them down. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten one little detail. Her cast struck the ground as she tried to stand, the sudden motion and impact sending a jerking, bone deep pain up her entire leg. With a yelp, she fell back into her seat, and tumbled partially onto the floor.

Fluttershy’s response could have made Rainbow Dash gape. She was up and out of her seat nearly fast enough that Pinkie thought maybe she’d accidentally put on Rainbow’s magic geode instead of her.

“Oh goodness! Are you all right, Pinkie? Did you hurt yourself? You’ve been taking your pain medication like you’re supposed to, right? And you’re still taking it easy?” Fluttershy eased Pinkie back into her seat, her cyan eyes intent on Pinkie’s own.

“Um, Yes, a little, yes, kinda not really but I’m trying,” Pinkie tried to remember all the questions she’d been asked and answer them in order. Rarity scooted one seat over to make room for Fluttershy, giggling at Pinkie’s answer.

“Oh, sit down, you two. I don’t think Pinkie is up to all of your dramatics,” Rarity said. Sonata looked down and sunk into her seat. After an embarrassed glance around the table, Rainbow did too.

“If it helps, I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing as you guys,” Sonata said softly. “I wish things could have gone differently.”

“Sorry we, uh, took your music away. It meant that much to you, huh?” Rainbow muttered. Sonata just swallowed and nodded. “Sorry for being a jerk today, too. Um, start over?” Her voice ended on a hopeful note.

“Sure. Second chances, right?” Sonata grinned.

“Don’t look now, guys,” Pinkie said, looking around at the rest of the cafeteria. “But I think everybody’s staring at us.” It was true. Many people were still meeting, but nearly every eye in the cafeteria was locked onto their little group.

“Well, I’m not surprised,” Rarity replied. “It makes sense that everybody else at the school would take their cues from us in regards to Sonata. They’re waiting to see if we befriend her before deciding if it’s safe for them to do so. A bit shallow, perhaps, but we have set a precedent.”

“Precedent?” Twilight asked.

“Well, we were the first to befriend Sunset, the first to befriend you, even the first to befriend other…” Rarity trailed off, searching for the right words. “Other, um, types such as Wallflower, or Juniper Montage. It makes sense they would look to us first.”

“Does seem to be a bit shallow when ya put it that way,” Applejack remarked, scratching her head. “But shouldn’t matter none to us. At least you know we’ll be your friends, Sonata.” Fluttershy nodded, Twilight Sparkle smiled and patted Sonata’s hand. Even Rainbow gave her a thumbs up.

“Thanks, you guys,” Sonata said.

“So, what you got going on after school? We could all hang out together,” Rainbow offered. It was at least a little reluctant, but Pinkie could tell she was trying, and that was enough. Sonata looked away, down at her tray, sinking a bit.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow, but, uh, I’ve got something going on after school. I can’t,” Sonata said, her fingers fiddling idly with her fork.

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow asked, oblivious to the social cues Sonata was putting out. “What do you have planned?”

“Um,” Sonata replied, and several of Pinkie’s friends leaned in. Rarity in particular seemed to sense some juicy gossip just out of reach.

“Oh? Darling, you can share with us, we’re your friends,” Rarity said.

“I, uh…” Sonata stuttered.

“She has a date.” Twilight blurted out. Everybody went silent to digest that little fact.

“Silly Twilight. How would you know if Sonnie has a da…” Pinkie cut off right as the lightbulb turned on in her brain at the same second the rest of her friends figured it out. “YOU’RE GOING ON A DATE WITH TWILIGHT!?” she shrieked loudly enough for the entire cafeteria could hear. Thoughtfully, she reached into her hair and pulled out a single pin, releasing it to drop onto the cafeteria floor. Its ping echoed through the entire room. Of course nobody noticed the pin drop sound, because half a second later Rarity fainted dead away onto the floor.

Chapter 9

You share classes with Sonata, right? Text me the second she shows up in class. The text message had shown up on Pinkie’s phone almost the moment she woke up. Which was odd, because few teenagers that Pinkie knew bothered to wake up as early as she did. She guessed it made sense for Twilight to get up early. Maybe she didn’t have early morning baking to do, but she did have to study almost all the time so she could be a smarty-pants genius. The text sounded urgent, though, so Pinkie fired one back, her fingers flying over the phone’s virtual keyboard.

KK oki doki loki twi she texted back. What’s up?

Private. I’ll explain at school if I can.

That sounded bad. What kind of disaster could have gone down? Pinkie knew the two of them had just had a date last night. Maybe the date went bad? Maybe they were fighting? Pinkie let out a gasp so loud that the rest of her family looked up from their early morning pre-chore breakfast at the table. Maybe they’d (gulp) broken up? It was enough to start her hyperventilating.

“Pinkamina?” her mother asked gently. “What concerneth thou?”

“Nothing, mom, I’mjustfinenoproblemshere!” she rushed out, then stopped. No. She was better than this. Stronger than this. Still Waters told her it was healthiest to share her worries with her loved ones. She took a deep breath and slowed down. “Um, actually, I don’t know if anything’s wrong at all, but I just got a super vague and concerning text from my friend Twilight.”

Five sets of concerned, loving eyes looked back at her. The entire family, listening to her, watching her, loving her. She felt the warmth they held for her like a physical sensation, a blanket that draped over her shoulders and kept out all the cold mean world. Her eyes were watery.

“What can we do to help?” Maud asked. Only somebody who didn’t really know Maud could possibly think her voice was an emotionless monotone. Pinkie had grown up with her big sister. She knew how to listen for the subtle hint of concern, the gentle touch of love.

“I think maybe I’m just getting wrapped up in my head,” Pinkie said. “Overthinking things. I made a brand new friend last week, and she kinda started dating my friend Twilight. They had a date last night, which was totally awesome and completely surprising only now something’s gone wrong and I’m getting worried that something went very wrong and I don’t know and Twilight only said she’s going to explain at school and I’m not really the most patient person in the world so waiting for school just so I can find out what Twilight’s worried about is just the worst thing I can possibly think of, except maybe if the world ran out of frosting, though I’d even take that over my friends getting…”

“Pinkie!” Maud called out. “Please take a breath.”

“Okay!” she said. She took a deep breath. It felt good. She took another few.

“Mom, Dad?” Maud said. “I’ll take care of this one.” Pinkie’s parents nodded solemnly, and Maud stood up from the breakfast table and walked over to Pinkie. “Are you ready for school?”

“Silly Maud! School doesn’t start for an hour and a half!” Pinkie giggled.

“Yes, but are you ready?” Maud asked implacably. Pinkie nodded. “Good. Get your school things. We’re going out for a treat before school.”

“Coffee?” Pinkie suggested hopefully. For some reason everybody at the table looked horrified. Maud shook her head.

“No. You’re on the brink of an anxiety attack, Pinkie,” Maud said bluntly. “Caffeine will not be good for you right now. Meet me at my truck in five minutes.”

Ten minutes later, Pinkie had her backpack and crutches and had made her way to Maud’s truck. Five minutes was, after all, not nearly enough time to give all of her family a proper thank you hug. The plans were already brewing for her next I-have-the-best-family-ever party.

“You’re late,” Maud said, though Pinkie knew she wasn’t mad. After all, she’d explained the intricacies of proper hug procedures to her sister dozens of times. She was standing by the passenger side of her door, with the door open. Wordlessly she helped Pinkie into the beige truck, taking hold of her crutches and laying them in the bed of the truck.

The ride to Sugar Cube Corner was mostly silent, but Pinkie was used to that. Maud wasn’t much of a talker, after all. Still, she did what she could to have enough conversation for the both of them. Pinkie was mature enough to know that she was using idle conversation to avoid thinking about her own worries, but for now, that was okay.

Sugar Cube Corner had always been like a second home for her. Mr. Cake was running the café this morning, and he was just as pleased to see Pinkie as she was to see him. She tried to order, but Maud overrode her, asking for a chamomile tea and a dark chocolate muffin for Pinkie. She ordered a black coffee for herself.

“Chamomile tea and dark chocolate?” Pinkie asked.

“I’ve done a little research. There are some studies that suggest herbal tea and dark chocolate help with anxiety and panic attacks. In addition, chamomile has always been known to have a calming effect.”

“Did you look that up just for me?” Pinkie asked. Maud nodded, and Pinkie teared up again. “Aw, Maud! You’re the best sister ever!”

“I’m not entirely sure you have the empirical evidence to prove that, Pinkie. But thank you.” Maud deadpanned. It turned out that Maud’s instincts had been correct. A calming herbal tea and a bittersweet chocolate muffin were just what the doctor had ordered. Or would have, if Pinkie had seen a doctor. Recently. Well, she guessed she had; she still visited Still Waters on occasion, and Dr. Waters definitely recommended chocolate in moderation as a tool to use when life became too overwhelming. By the time they had to leave for school, Pinkie was feeling much better. Maud had a calming effect on her sister, after all. She was still worried about Twilight’s text, but the calming morning with Maud had given her a bit of perspective, and patience. She was willing to wait until she could see Twilight.

Unfortunately, Pinkie’s temporary disability made it difficult to seek out her friends. Maud helped her to her first classroom, and she was there before Mr. Cranky, even though there were a few other students milling about. There was no sign of Sonata just yet. She pulled out her phone, setting it on her desk and wondering if she should text Twilight. She even thought about texting her other friends, suggesting they come to visit her. Maybe they knew what was up. She had finally resolved to send out a mass text when her phone vibrated.

Pinkie is she there yet? The text was from Twilight. Pinkie texted back in the negative. Suddenly her phone was ringing with an incoming call from Twilight. Pinkie answered, her heart sinking. Something was definitely wrong.

“Hey, Twi,” Pinkie said.

“Pinkie. You’re at school?” Twilight responded. She sounded upset, and nervous, and maybe even a bit angry.

“Yup! Are you okay, Twi?”

“I’m fine, Pinkie,” Twilight said absently. “You’re sure you haven’t seen Sonata since yesterday? Or anywhere in the school at all?” There was panic in her voice.

“Nope. Twi, what’s going on?” Pinkie asked.

“Too much to explain. Where’s your first period?”

“Mr. Cranky. Room thirty-seven. Twi, school’s about to start, are you sure…”

“I’ll be there in a second, Pinkie. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Silly Twilight, I’m not…” the phone went dead before Pinkie could finish her sentence. Idly, Pinkie looked around the room for a video camera of some sort. In the movies and TV shows, people never actually said ‘goodbye’ at the end of a phone conversation like in real life. Or maybe Twilight was just being a little rude because she was worried. It was okay. Pinkie knew she didn’t mean to be rude.

A few seconds later Twilight burst in to the room, looking around frantically. Pinkie waved at her, and the frantic girl rushed to her side.

“Pinkie, I’m worried about Sonata,” Twilight said, her voice a frantic whisper. “I found out last night that somebody was hurting her. Probably one of her sisters, or both of them. I almost lost it. Pinkie, I…” Twilight took a ragged breath. “I transformed. Into Midnight. In front of my whole family.”

Woah. That was a doozy. Pinkie grabbed Twilight’s hand and squeezed, and Twilight shot her a grateful look. She said nothing, though. Pinkie knew that sometimes it was just time to sit quietly and listen.

“They talked me down from flying off into the night and doing something drastic. Shiny… my brother, Shining Armor, said he was going to call CPS in the morning. I was going to talk to her at school, see what was happening. But she’s not here, Pinkie! And Sonata doesn’t have a phone!”

Pinkie thought carefully if she’d ever seen Sonata with a phone. The answer was nope. She felt her own worry rising, a growing sense of urgency and dread.

“What do we do?” Pinkie whimpered. Twilight shook her head, frustrated.

“It could be that she’s just late. It could be that she was delayed, or was sick or something,” Twilight said. The fear in her voice said she didn’t believe it. “I’m going to call Shiny.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, looking for her brother. “I won’t let them hurt her anymore, Pinkie,” Twilight said fiercely, and for a heartbeat Pinkie thought she saw the outline of blue flames along Twilight’s glasses. Twilight glanced at Pinkie. “Um, yeah. Midnight and I have sort of an arrangement. If it’s even possible to have an arrangement with the anthropomorphized avatar of your own inner darkness.”

“Is everything okay?” Pinkie asked carefully. The last thing she wanted was another explosive demon friend, tearing holes in reality.

“I think so,” Twilight said. “Sunset sat down with me, my parents, Shiny and Cadence and Spike last night. We talked about a lot of stuff. She has a theory about Midnight. I’ll tell you about it later, but now I need to call Shiny or I’m going to grow wings and fly out of here to go look for her.”

There was something frightening about the intensity of Twilight’s tone and her eyes at that moment, but Pinkie found herself less afraid. Safe, even. Twilight found the contact she needed and pushed the button on her phone.

“Shiny? It’s Twilight,” she said into her phone. Pinkie couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation. “No, she’s not at school.” Pause. “I don’t think she has a phone.” Pause. “I don’t really know. One second, Pinkie’s right here. She might know. Pinkie? Do you have any idea where Sonata might go? Anywhere other than work or school? Shiny said that he called CPS this morning, and nobody was home at the address I gave.” Pinkie could tell Twilight was holding herself together by mere threads.

“Maybe the Canterlot Hills Youth Drop-In Center?” Pinkie said.

“Why there?” Twilight asked, still holding the phone to her ear connected to her brother.

“Because…” Pinkie hesitated. She didn’t talk about her own issues with her friends, because she didn’t want them to worry too hard. That being said, she would have had no problem telling them all about it if it would help somebody else. However, it wasn’t necessarily her place to share Sonata’s secrets with others. That was something that Still Waters had impressed on her; people needed to feel safe to heal, and sometimes that meant privacy. “Um.”

“Hang on, Shiny wants to talk to you,” Twilight said, after Pinkie had hesitated for a few seconds. She handed her phone to Pinkie.

“Hello, is this Pinkie Pie?” the voice on the other end of the phone asked. Pinkie had met him once or twice before, but they weren’t exactly familiar with each other.

“Yup! Good morning, Officer Armor. How can I help you?” Pinkie knew sometimes people thought she was silly, but Momma Pie had always said to put the silly on hold and be respectful when talking to police officers.

“You believe Sonata might be at the youth drop in center?” he asked.

“Yup!”

“You’ve seen her there before?” Shining asked. “I’m not going to ask under what circumstances.” This time Pinkie didn’t feel the need to hesitate.

“Yes,” she agreed again. That seemed harmless enough.

“Okay. I’ll call the center, see if she’s there. Meanwhile, you two stay at school, okay? Pinkie, I’m going to need you to keep Twilight at school for now. It’s important that she doesn’t do anything rash.”

“You mean like turn into a crazy demon girl and go on a righteous rampage?” Pinkie asked. Twilight flinched.

“Yes, like that,” Shining said, sounding exasperated. “Please. Keep her calm, however you can. I’ll call back as soon as I have news.”

“Okay, Officer Armor. Thanks!” Pinkie said.

“You’re welcome. Can you hand the phone back to Twilight? Goodbye, Pinkie.” She did as he asked and handed the phone back to his sister, who looked frightened and annoyed at the same time.

“Yes, Shiny,” Twilight said into the phone. The classroom was beginning to fill, and they were drawing some curious stares. Mr. Cranky entered, and he began eyeing Twilight with his namesake expression. “Yes, I know.” Pause. “Yes, I’ll be safe. I won’t go anywhere for now, but I’m not going to…” Pause. “Well, I’ll wait and see for now. No promises. Shiny. SHINY! I’m going to hang up now, I don’t want to argue with you. Call me as soon as you hear anything. Love you, BBBFF.” With a fair bit of frustration, Twilight mashed the ‘hang up’ button on her phone. “He told you to keep an eye on me?” Twilight said.

“Well…” Pinkie began, but Mr. Cranky cleared his throat loudly.

“Miss Sparkle. I don’t know what drama is going on in your life, but I’d prefer it if you took it with you to your first period. Which is, as I need not remind you, not in this room.”

“Yes, sir,” Twilight nearly growled, with a disrespect she had never shown a teacher before. Mr. Cranky’s eyes shot wide, too surprised to object, and Twilight blew out of the room. Mr. Cranky eyed Pinkie for a moment, then sat down at his desk to await the morning bell. Pinkie sat down to wait. She had a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate much on the lecture today. Briefly she considered using her leg as an excuse to get out of class, but dismissed the idea when she thought about just how frowny that would make Applejack.

The warning bell rang, and there was no news. Pinkie nervously wondered how long Twilight would wait before she did something disastrous. Then the second bell rang, and Mr. Cranky stood up to begin class. The second he opened his mouth, however, the PA system beeped and Vice Principal Luna’s voice filled the room.

“Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, please report to Principal Celestia’s office,” she said, and Mr. Cranky let out a groan of frustration, making the rest of the class snicker. Pinkie maneuvered to her feet with her crutches.

“I’ll watch your bag for you, Pinkie,” Bulk Biceps, who sat right behind her, offered helpfully.

“Thanks, Bulk! I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, so just drop it off at the Principal’s office if I don’t come back,” Pinkie said, trying not to let her worry fill her voice. Mr. Cranky even opened the door for her, though secretly she wondered if it was just to get her out of the room a bit faster. Once she was in the hallway, though, Sunset Shimmer sidled up alongside her.

“Silly Sunset, you weren’t called by the vice principal,” Pinkie said. Sunset’s face was set with determination.

“Yeah, I know. But I think I know what this is about, and I’m coming to help however I can,” she said in a tone that allowed no room for argument.

“Okie Dokie Lokie,” Pinkie said. She wasn’t about to argue with Sunset anyways. The principal’s office door was open when they reached it. Twilight Sparkle, looking fierce, was waiting there already. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were there, waiting. Celestia wasn’t seated at her desk, instead she leaned on the front of it, facing the others. She looked concerned.

“We found her,” Twilight said in a rush, as soon as she saw Pinkie. “You were right. She’s at the drop-in center, with somebody named Still Waters. She’s safe, but…”

“Miss Pie, I have just gotten off the phone with a Dr. Still Waters,” Celestia said, after a quick confused glance at Sunset. She didn’t say anything about the extra presence. “Apparently Miss Dusk has been injured, and went to her doctor for safety. She has refused to speak with anyone, including Miss Sparkle’s brother, Officer Armor, without either you or Miss Sparkle present. Given the urgency of the situation, and the very real potential for permanent mental or physical harm to Miss Dusk, I’m inclined to excuse the both of you so you may go speak with her.” She glanced at Sunset. “You, Miss Shimmer, were not requested.”

“I don’t care. I’m going. I’ll stay in the car or something, but I’m going,” Sunset said. Her face was set in an obvious challenge, and for a moment, Pinkie thought that Sunset and Principal Celestia may begin to argue. Since she’d stopped being a big evil mean bad guy, Sunset hadn’t challenged authority this way. At least, not that Pinkie had seen. “I don’t wanna fight you on this, Principal, but I’ve made up my mind. There’s more going on here than you know, and I need to stay close to it. Please don’t make me defy you.”

There was something genuine in her voice, a very real pleading. Celestia hesitated only for a second.

“Very well, Miss Shimmer. You may be excused as well. But you will listen to the doctor when you reach his office, understood? He is in charge.”

“Understood, ma’am. I’ll be good,” Sunset said.

“Should we get the others?” Pinkie asked, but both Celestia and Luna were already shaking their heads.

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said. “Let’s go. I need to see she’s okay.” She sounded desperate. “Shiny called me; he’s already there. We have to go now.” The last came out as a snarl. Idly, Pinkie noticed Twilight’s hands for the first time. They were bandaged for some reason.

“Okay! Okay, Twi, we’re going,” Sunset said, her voice soothing, her hands held up in a placating gesture. Celestia and Luna exchanged worried glances. “I got this, Principals.”

On the way out to the student parking lot, Pinkie was sure Twilight was one breath away from simply picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way to her car. She was frustrated, it was clear. But they made it to Twilight’s sedan without incident.

“I could drive,” Sunset offered. Twilight ignored her completely.

“Silly Sunset,” Pinkie said softly. “Twilight’s in hero mode right now. She’s about to ride to the rescue of her one true love and rescue her. I know it’s her brother’s name, but she’s the knight in shining armor right now. You’re going to have to let her have her moment.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. She unlocked the car and pushed the button that would let the other two in. Sunset helped Pinkie into the front passenger’s seat, then slipped in behind her. She turned the key in the ignition and put the car into gear, then hesitated.

“Pinkie? Sunset? If I go… scary, you’ll stop me before I do anything stupid?”

“Of course, Twilight,” Sunset said.

“Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie agreed, crossing her heart with her hand then miming shoving the cupcake in her eye. Twilight visibly relaxed at that. She may be one of Pinkie’s newer friends, but even Twilight knew that nobody broke a Pinkie Promise. With a nod of determination, Twilight pulled out of the parking lot.

“Directions, Pinkie?” Twilight asked softly. Quickly Pinkie gave her the directions to the drop in center. Pinkie was honestly surprised when Twilight, ever the stickler for rules, sped the entire way. When they got there and parked, Pinkie could tell she wanted to run in, but she waited, helping Pinkie out of the car and assisting her with her crutches. Sunset leaned up against the car, telling them to call if they needed her. They moved to the front door of the center, and Twilight held the doors open for Pinkie.

During school hours, the Canterlot Hills Youth Drop-In Center was usually a ghost town. Still Water’s wife, Calm Breeze, was waiting at the reception desk.

“Hey there, Pinkie,” she said softly. “And you must be Twilight Sparkle. Let me show you to Still Water’s office.”

“Is she okay?” Twilight begged, and Pinkie saw Calm Breeze’s eyes fill with heartbreak and sympathy.

“She’ll be much better once you get there, I think. She’s been asking for you. Both of you, but mostly Miss Twilight.”

* * * * *

Twilight had to stop herself from breaking into a sprint. She felt like an exposed nerve; she’d been holding such a tight rein on her self-control that she felt energized and exhausted at the same time. She was practically shaking with the need to do something, and there was almost nothing for her to do. She wanted to scream, to rage, to let out Midnight and fly over the city like an avenging angel, skewering her girlfriend’s tormentors with beams of righteous force. She tried to bury that thought.

The center looked wholesome. That was the first adjective she could think of to appropriately describe the place. Like the kind woman leading them, Calm Breeze, the place seemed charged with a kind of calming, safe energy, and she found herself relaxing by degrees. Every piece of ragged but well maintained furniture, every clean swept floor, even the pool tables and currently empty video game room oozed welcome. Finally, they reached a wood door. It was unmarked and unpainted, stained in natural colors. Calm Breeze reached out and turned the handle, pushing the door inward.

“They’re inside,” Calm Breeze said, and Twilight brushed past her into the room. She had expected a typical psychologist’s office, with certificates and diplomas on the wall, big padded chairs with brown faux leather, a long, wide wooden desk. It had none of those things. There was a hand-me-down couch and an armchair, both clearly hand-me-downs. The walls were covered in inspirational cat posters, those silly things that had lines like ‘hang in there!’ A coffee table between the chair and the couch was decorated by a single box of tissues. Sonata was curled up on the couch, clutching her knees to her chest. She was wearing the same clothing she had for their date last night. Her makeup was in tatters, streams of smeared mascara dripping down her cheeks from where she had been crying. Now that she knew what she was looking for, she could see the bruises that Shining had been talking about, one on her cheekbone, and a line of bruises on her throat. But that wasn’t all. There was blood, a dried stain on her shirt. Not much, but enough to make Twilight want to vomit. Sonata’s lips, the lips she had so enjoyed kissing last night, were split, crusted over with blood in two spots. There were new bruises, fresh ones that Twilight could see on her right wrist, her sleeve pulled up just enough to be seen. Twilight let out a sound that might have been a growl or a whimper and rushed over to her girlfriend, wrapping Sonata up in her arms and squeezing her tight. She could feel Sonata shaking.

“Hey, Twily,” she heard from behind her. It was her brother, dressed in his dark blue uniform. She hadn’t even noticed him in her rush to get to Sonata. “Glad you could come.”

“You too, Pinkie,” said another voice, one Twilight didn’t recognize but instantly decided she liked. She glanced over at the doctor. He was a middle aged man with pale white hair and dark brown skin. He was wearing an odd combination, jeans and a button down pink shirt with a metallic blue tie. His eyes were gentle. He saw Twilight looking and smiled at her. “Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle. My name is Still Waters.” He didn’t offer to shake hands, and Twilight wasn’t ready to get up and let go of Sonata. “Have a seat, Pinkie. I’ll take those.”

Twilight pulled back from her hug just enough to look at Sonata. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her lips were drawn. What she needs most right now, she reasoned calmly, hoping her inner demon was paying attention, is love. Calm, soothing, warm love. If she needs an avenger, we’ll be that for her. But it’s not what she needs right now. She didn’t hear anything, but hadn’t quite expected to, either. Gently, she stroked her fingers on Sonata’s cheek, Sonata shuddered and leaned into the caress.

“Hey. Hey, Sonata. You’re safe, okay? Whoever’s hurting you, it’s over. I’m going to keep you safe, okay?” Her hand kept stroking Sonata’s cheek. Fresh tears leaked out of her eyes, and she nodded.

“Can I… talk to Pinkie and Twilight alone for a bit?” Sonata whispered. Still Waters and Shining Armor glanced at each other, and the doctor nodded.

“Of course, Sonata. Officer Armor and I will be just outside. Knock on the door when we can come back in.”

“Thanks, doc,” she sniffled, and the two men left the room. Twilight reached over and pulled a tissue out of the box. Gently she began wiping at Sonata’s eyes, taking care to clean the smeared mascara from her face. Twilight went as softly as she could around the bruising on Sonata’s eye and cheek. “Are you going to ask me?”

“Not unless you want me to,” Twilight said softly. She looked up at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie was weeping silently.

“I’m so ashamed,” Sonata said, and Twilight laid a finger across her lips.

“No. Don’t. This is not your fault, Sonata,” Twilight said. Pinkie was nodding. “We love you, and you’re safe now.” Her voice echoed with the truth of what she was saying.

“Your brother wants me to tell him what happened. What’s been happening,” Sonata said.

“Do you want to?” Twilight asked. Sonata shrugged.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“Who is it?” Twilight asked.

“Aria,” Sonata whispered, shaking. It was like a faucet turning on; suddenly all her reluctance was gone, and words spilled out of Sonata’s mouth. “Adagio’s checked out completely. She was our leader, she told us what to do. She never hit us, but she did call me stupid, and ditzy, and idiot, and worthless, all the time. Now she hides in her room and drinks. Aria thinks she has to be leader now, but I don’t think she knows how. All she does is yell. Yell, and h-hit m-m-me…” she broke down with fresh sobs, this time uncurling her arms and grabbing at Twilight, clutching her tight for a second, then pushing away. “Let me show you.” She stood up from the couch and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting a few inches to reveal the smooth skin of her midriff. There, just along the line of her ribs, was a pair of fist sized bruises. Pinkie Pie hissed in horror, and Twilight suddenly found herself once again battling for control of her own magic.

REMEMBER WHAT SHE NEEDS RIGHT NOW! Twilight shouted inwardly to herself. Gently, she helped Sonata push her shirt back down and carefully pulled her back onto the couch, so she was sitting on Twilight’s lap. It was a little awkward, as they were both the same size, but Sonata snuggled up easily, drawing her legs up to her chest just as before. Twilight wrapped her arms around Sonata and hugged her, but released her when Sonata hissed in pain. She hadn’t been squeezing by any of the bruises.

“That wasn’t all, was it?” Pinkie asked, sounding frightened and angry herself. Sonata shook her head no, pointing at her shin, and her upper thigh.

“She kicked me too,” she whispered. “What do I do?”

“Why don’t you tell us the whole story,” Pinkie said.

“Should we call in the other two?” Sonata asked. Twilight wanted to say yes, but it wasn’t her decision.

“Only if you want to,” Pinkie replied. Twilight was quite glad Pinkie was taking the lead in the conversation; she didn’t want Sonata to see just how angry she was just yet. It might not be the most helpful thing. “Twilight’s brother’s a police officer, Sonata. He can make sure Aria doesn’t hurt anybody else.”

“You mean he’ll a-arrest her?” Sonata asked, horrified. Twilight stroked her hair, whispering soothing nonsense into her ear. It seemed childish, but Sonata calmed a bit.

“I think so, yeah,” Pinkie said. “She committed a crime. And it sounds like she’s suffering too. Somebody needs to make sure she’s safe from others, and also that she gets the help she needs, too.”

“Oh. Okay. I think, yeah. Pinkie, can you let them in?” she sounded so unsure, so fragile. Twilight thought about what she’d said about her sisters. The physical abuse may be relatively new, but this poor girl had been verbally beat down by both her sisters, probably for centuries. Twilight hated the way Sonata was looking to them to make decisions for her, but the seething angry rage monster inside her was merely glad that at least Twilight and Pinkie could make the right decisions.

“I’m on it!” Pinkie saluted. Sonata nearly stood up and did it for her when she remembered Pinkie’s injured foot, but Twilight held her tight. She didn’t bother with her crutches, but instead hopped on one foot, oddly gracefully, and knocked on the door. Still Waters opened it.

“Would you like us to come in, Sonata?” he asked politely. She nodded and sniffed. “Okay.”

Shining Armor and Still Waters stepped into the room. Shining was carrying two metal folding chairs, and Still Waters was carrying a fast food drink carrier with three paper cups wedged into it.

“Calm Breeze ordered us some hot chocolate, if you want some,” he said, setting the carrier down on the table. “There’s enough for you three girls. Sorry she didn’t bring any for you, Officer Armor.” Shining shrugged.

“Its fine,” he said, setting up the chairs. “I get enough sugar from my wife.” It was a poor attempt at humor, but it worked a little; Sonata gave a huff of laughter. Sonata slid off Twilight’s lap, moving so they were sitting side by side on the couch, and reached out for one of the cups, though she let Twilight keep one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“Sonata wants to tell us what happened from the beginning,” Pinkie offered. “She suggested we should let you two in first.” It wasn’t exactly how it had happened, but close enough, and this version gave Sonata the power of choice over her own situation.

“That’s good, Sonata,” Still Waters said calmly. “You can start whenever you’re ready, and we can stop whenever you need to.”

“Got it.” Sonata said. “So, I assume everybody in this room knows the whole story about where I came from?” She glanced at Shining Armor specifically, and he nodded.

“I heard that whole story from Sunset last night,” he said.

“Okay. So for hundreds of years, Adagio was in charge. Since she went on a permanent mental vacation, Aria’s been in charge. Only she doesn’t know how to be a leader like Adagio was. Since Adagio started drinking, Aria’s been getting angrier and angrier. She yells just about every day. Then she was breaking things. Now she hits me.” Sonata took a shuddering breath, looking around the room. “No matter what I say she always finds a reason. Something I did wrong. Something I said wrong.”

“The past few days it’s been getting worse. When I told her I was going to school again, she punched me in the face and… and c-choked me. Not too much, just a little. Then last night, she was looking out the window when I got home. She saw w-who dropped me off.”

“What do you mean Sonata?” Still Waters asked.

“Last night I had a date with Twilight,” Sonata said, and she nestled deeper into Twilight’s embrace. “But before that, I went to school for the first time. For reals, I mean, not just cuz my sisters wanted to feed. That morning Aria and I argued. Adagio was mad too. See, Still Waters had helped me get set up with a government food assistance program so I could cut back on hours at work to go to school. Work was cool with it, but Aria was worried we wouldn’t be getting enough, and Adagio was worried cuz she doesn’t want to run out and I don’t think the state government wants to fund my teenaged sister’s drinking habit.” Shining Armor was shaking his head. “Adagio was grumpy, but she was also already pretty far gone, so I wasn’t too worried about her. But when Adagio’s grumpy, Aria gets even meaner. By the time I got home from school she’d worked herself up into a rage. We argued again, and then I told her I was going out. I wouldn’t tell her where, so she…” Sonata trailed off. Wordlessly Twilight squeezed her closer. Sonata’s hands were shaking as she took a long drink of her hot chocolate. “She slapped me. And shoved me up against the wall of the trailer and wrapped the fingers of one hand around my neck.” Sonata reached up with her own fingers, brushing against the bruise on her neck. “She didn’t choke me much. I slipped out and locked myself in the bathroom, long enough for Aria to get bored. I did some m-makeup to hide my bruises…” She stopped talking and started weeping silently.

“Sometimes,” Still Waters began gently, “People who are being abused by a loved one experience a sense of shame or guilt. They might blame themselves for their abuse, or feel too ashamed or embarrassed to tell anybody about it. They can even go to great lengths to hide the abuse. It’s important to remember, though, that what Aria did is not your fault. She chose anger. She chose to react. Not you. You don’t control how other people feel or act, Sonata. Nor are you responsible for it.”

“Yeah,” Sonata said. “Yeah. Twilight, I’m s-sorry I lied to you. About my bruises. And hid them.”

Twilight was shaking her head, almost violently. She could feel herself twitching, and even noticed when Shining Armor shifted himself to where he could shield Still Waters if necessary.

“You don’t owe me an apology at all,” Twilight murmured softly into Sonata’s hair. She must have looked pretty scary, because Shining was looking at her with concern, and even Pinkie looked a little worried. “I’m not mad or anything,” She checked the honesty of that statement. “At you. Not mad at you. I’m furious at Aria, and I’ve never even met her.”

“Maybe we should let Sonata finish her story,” Shining said, and Pinkie was nodding. Twilight didn’t see how that would help her calm down. The more story Sonata told, the more Twilight had to hear about Sonata getting beat up by her sister.

“So I snuck out of the house and went to Twilight’s for our date,” Sonata said. For once, her voice was full of something other than shame and pain. She sounded happy. Sonata reached over and grabbed the hand that Twilight had wrapped around her, taking a hold of Twilight’s fingers and kissing them with a little giggle. Twilight blushed, and Shining armor conspicuously glanced elsewhere. “I don’t think we need to talk about that.”

“Why not? It makes you happy,” Still Waters said. “What did you do on your date?”

“Twilight gave me a piano lesson, then I met her family. We went to a concert, then got tacos and danced.”

“You danced with my sister?” Shining Armor asked skeptically. “On behalf of our entire family, I apologize.” Twilight stuck her tongue out at her brother.

“Don’t be a meanie. Twilight’s an amazing dancer,” Sonata said, turning just enough so that Twilight could see the sincerity in her eyes.

“I had an amazing teacher,” Twilight said, and decided she couldn’t help herself. She leaned down and kissed Sonata, just a peck, but it was right on the lips. Sonata was blushing. She was sure she was too. Shining rolled his eyes, but both Pinkie and Dr. Waters were beaming.

“The next bit’s a little gruesome,” Sonata whispered to Twilight. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Twilight replied.

“So Twilight drove me home from our date. I was afraid and ashamed about showing her where I live. I’ve been alive a millennia. I’ve been worshiped as a goddess. I’ve sung before kings and queens, and have had them offer their kingdoms to me just for a chance to hear my voice again. But now I live in a dirty trailer in a scuzzy trailer park, surrounded by drug dealers and weeds. I didn’t want her to see. But I couldn’t think of a good excuse, so I let her.

“Aria was watching through the window. She saw us drive up. She saw us kiss. She saw Twilight.” Sonata went silent for a deep breath, then resumed. “She thought Twilight was the other Twilight. The one from Equestria. I don’t suppose it would have mattered even if she knew this was the other Twilight.” Sonata was still looking at Twilight as she spoke; her eyes were full of concern. Twilight was touched; in the midst of all this, Sonata was worried about her, rather than being worried about herself.

“She was on me as soon as I came in the door. She hit me until I fell over, then when I went down she kicked me,” Sonata’s voice had grown cold and numb. “I just curled up in a ball and waited until she got tired. When Aria went to bed, I ran. I… spend the night outside. There’s a bank about six blocks away that has an indoor area they don’t lock so that people can use the ATM. The security guard kicked me out early this morning, and I wandered over here. I know I was supposed to be at school.” She sounded like she felt guilty for skipping.

“Y-you can’t go back there,” Twilight declared, and Midnight howled her agreement deep inside.

“Shining? There’s a few more details to this story before we talk about what Sonata’s next step is. If you don’t mind?” Still Waters said. Shining nodded.

“Sonata, after your date we spoke with Twilight. Both Cadence and I noticed your bruises, and with both of our professions, we’re required to inform CPS if we suspect abuse. First thing in the morning we made our report, and CPS performed a welfare check. Nobody was home.” Shining Armor leaned forward in his chair. “Sonata, I want you to know that Cadence and I both take your privacy and your dignity very seriously, but those cannot come before your safety. If we offended you by calling, we’re sorry. But we’d do it again in a second to keep you safe.”

“I-it’s fine,” Sonata stammered. She looked uncomfortable.

“Sonata, it’s a wonderful and strange experience to have people care about you, isn’t it?” Still Waters said, and Sonata nodded wordlessly.

“The CPS agent contacted me when you weren’t there. Nobody was there. She looked in the windows and didn’t see anybody, but since we didn’t have a warrant, or proof of abuse just yet, only strong suspicions, she didn’t enter. I was concerned and asked Twilight to see if she knew where you might have gone. Twilight spoke with Pinkie, and that led us to call Dr. Waters. And now here we are.” Suddenly Shiny looked down at his phone and stood up. “Excuse me for just a moment. I have to take this call.” He stood up and stepped out of the room, holding his phone up to his ear. “Hello, this is Officer Armor. Oh yeah, Cady. We found her. Everybody’s safe.” He closed the door behind him and his voice faded and became muffled.

“Now. When I arrived at the Center this morning and found Sonata here, she refused to see a doctor until she spoke with one or both of you,” Still Waters said. “I don’t think she’s in dire need of emergency care, but I would like her to get checked out, to be safe. Sonata, may we take you to the hospital now?” Sonata looked at Twilight, seeking approval. Twilight cocked her head to one side.

“What do you want, Sonata?” Twilight asked. Sonata looked unsure.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“It would make me very happy if you saw a doctor,” Twilight said, hating herself for saying it, even though it was true. Sonata sighed with relief, and nodded.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

It was a bit of a procession for everybody to get to the hospital. Shining and Still Waters rode in his squad car, and Sonata rode with Twilight and Pinkie. Sonata nearly froze up and shut down when she realized Sunset was there, but Sunset handled things as best as she could, giving Sonata all the space she needed. She was an excellent distraction, chattering on about how much of a good impression Sonata was making at school. Even Twilight, with her social ineptness, was aware that Sunset was being a bit manipulative, but it was for a good cause. Sonata seemed a bit more cheerful by the time they parked at the hospital. Unfortunately it was nearly all undone when Shining Armor brought the doctor in to do his exam. Sonata nearly shut the whole thing down when she realized Twilight, as a non-family member, wasn’t allowed into the room with her.

“Please relax,” Twilight begged her girlfriend. “It’s just rules. I’ll be right outside the examination room.” The doctor was quite understanding and helpful, and Sonata was finally persuaded while the others waited outside. Once Sonata was behind the closed exam room door, Still Waters addressed the rest of them.

“My chief concern right now is Sonata’s physical wellbeing. She needs a safe place to stay. I’m not okay with her being homeless, given her history and her fragile state of mind. There are beds at the drop-in center. She can stay there as long as she needs to, but as a permanent solution to her situation, it is not ideal.”

“Twilight, offer to let her move in with you and Mom and Dad,” Shining Armor said. “My room’s been empty for a year now. I think Dad’s just storing books and stuff there right now.”

“Um, okay, but do you really think Mom and Dad will be okay with…”

“I already asked them,” Shining Armor said with a smirk. “Mom and Spike are moving the boxes to the garage as we speak. I just wanted you to be the one to ask her so you get all the extra heroic girlfriend points.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, thinking for a moment. Her parents were okay with her girlfriend moving in? She was in high school, even if she was a senior. Parents weren’t supposed to work that way. It did show a great deal of trust, however, and it made her feel loved. “Thanks, BBBFF.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” he said smugly. “Doctor, how do you feel about that arrangement?”

“It’s up to Sonata, of course, but I think having a support system so close to her will be perfect. I do have some concerns about your anger control, Miss Twilight.”

“I would never touch her like that,” Twilight snarled, and Still Waters nodded.

“That’s evident. It’s also not what I meant.” He sighed, as if gathering his thoughts. “You’ve been on edge since you arrived at the Center, and both your brother and your friend have been nervous about it. May I assume that this has something to do with magic?” Still Waters looked around at the various stunned reactions. “I’ve had several conversations with Pinkie on the topic, but didn’t believe her at first. She arranged for a demonstration.” He let out a theatrically melodramatic sigh. “I’ll never get that cupcake back. Or the frosting stains out of my favorite white shirt. Since then, I’ve taken everything she says at face value.”

“You’re not wrong that something’s going on,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve struggled in the past with the personified manifestation of my own… um, inner darkness, I guess? Sunset has a theory, I’m not sure it’s true, and the testing we would have to do to confirm it would be rather destructive and uncomfortable, but it sounds good. We call ‘her’ Midnight Sparkle. She’s me, but an angrier, less rational, violent, and obsessive version of me.”

“The first time you transformed,” Sunset began, “it was because of your obsession and greed. Then, at Camp Everfree, you nearly transformed again, but this time as a result of self-hatred and self-doubt. The third time, last night, was because of your rage at finding out Sonata was being hurt.” Everybody was listening intently. “I think it shows that ‘Midnight Sparkle’ isn’t evil. She isn’t even bad. She’s just a part of you. The part of you that maybe lacks impulse control. I saw through Cadence’s eyes what it looked like last night. You weren’t going to hurt your family. You weren’t going to break open two dimensions and nearly destroy the world again.” Twilight flinched. “No, you were just going all ‘dark avenger’ on us. Maybe not the best thing, but definitely not evil. And you’re already doing great keeping it under control.”

“Not really,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve been on a hair trigger since last night. I barely slept. The only reason I haven’t transformed at all this morning is because it’s not what she needs right now.” She nodded towards the door.

“Talk to Sonata about it,” Still Waters suggested. “It might help both of you. Sonata may benefit from knowing how zealous a protector she has. You might benefit from added support. Either way, its proof that your relationship is a healthy one. She inspires you to want to be better, to do better.” Twilight nodded. It made sense, really. “That being said, I would very much recommend the both of you see a therapist together. Since I am privy to all of the intricacies of the situation, I might be in the best position to help the both of you.”

“I’ll… talk it over with Sonata,” Twilight said. She tried to beat down the knee-jerk reaction that psychotherapy was somehow an admission of weakness. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d considered seeing somebody herself.

“So what’s going to happen to Sonata’s sister?” Sunset asked carefully, looking at Twilight. It seemed deliberate that she hadn’t said Aria’s name.

“It depends on if Sonata wants to press charges,” Shining Armor said. “State law is that she technically doesn’t have to, she’s legally a minor, so charges should be automatic. But she’s close enough to eighteen that the DA won’t put too much effort into a domestic violence case unless she’s an active participant. Regardless, we’re going to draft a protective order against her, so that she can’t come anywhere near Sonata or any of you girls for the time being.”

“What about Sonata’s stuff?” Sunset asked. “Like clothes and personal items?”

“I can escort her onto the property to retrieve whatever she needs,” Shining said. It was odd for Twilight to watch her brother like this; she’d never really heard him using his ‘professional police officer’ voice before, he’d always been her BBBFF, and the police stuff had been another version of him that she’d never seen. Rather than being alienated by it, it made her surge with pride.

“I’m coming too,” Twilight insisted, and Pinkie nodded. Shiny looked like he was about to object. “Brother, if you say no, I’m just going to fly there.” He jerked as if struck.

“That’s not fair, Twily,” he said softly, and she shrugged. Twilight didn’t want to be fair right now.

“You said your colleague over at CPS already said nobody was home. You can go in first to make sure the place is clear. I’m just going to stay near Sonata, not for anything else.” Twilight said. She glanced at Pinkie. “Pinkie Promise.”

“This is a terrible idea,” Shining said, in a resigned tone that let Twilight know she had already won. Still Waters shook his head.

“I don’t think so, officer. As long as you can ensure the girls’ physical safety, I think having Twilight and her friends there will help with Sonata’s emotional wellbeing.” Still Waters glanced between all of them. “It’s important that we help make this transition in Sonata’s life as smooth and gentle as possible. Even moving into a new place can be traumatic, so whatever we can do to soften the blow is best.”

“Okay, Dr. Waters. Are you going to come as well?” Shining asked. Still Waters shook his head.

“I don’t think so. I think this is a transition she needs to make with Twilight. I’ll be heading back to my office as soon as Sonata gets out of her examination. I would like to be kept notified of how things are going, however.”

While they waited, Still Waters spoke with them about likely outcomes of Sonata moving in with Twilight. He warned them about signs of depression, anxiety, and self-harm, even going over some strategies for how to help. He was optimistic, but also made it absolutely clear that the weeks and months ahead might be brutal. Finally the door to the examination room opened, and Sonata stepped out, followed by the doctor. She glanced around the room.

“You didn’t all have to wait for me,” she said. Twilight jumped to her feet and hugged her.

“Of course we did,” she said, feeling a rush of relief. “How are you?”

“The doctor says I’m mostly okay. No broken bones, no long term injuries. He took pictures, too. In case there’s a t-trial,” she trailed off to a whimper at the end.

“That’s up to you,” Twilight insisted. It certainly wasn’t something Sonata needed to be worried about. “Now. We’d like to go to your house to pick up some of your personal things. Sonata, I want you to move in with me.”

“Move… with… uh…” Sonata went blank.

“You don’t have to!” Twilight said quickly. “There are other options. But I’d really like you close by. For lots of reasons.” She kissed Sonata’s forehead gently when she said it, and Sonata blushed.

“What about your parents?” Sonata asked.

“My mom and Spike are already clearing out Shining Armor’s old room,” Twilight said, and Sonata squeezed her tight.

“Yes. Yes, please. I don’t want to live with my sisters anymore.”

“You don’t have to,” Twilight reassured, stroking Sonata’s hair softly. “We’ll stop by your house, with Officer Armor, just long enough for you to pick up whatever clothes and personal items you want to keep. Then you’ll never ever have to go back again.”

“Okay,” Sonata whispered. Twilight looked behind her and saw proud and pleased smiles from everybody. Even Pinkie looked like she was about to clap.

“I’ll have to throw you the best housewarming party ever!” Pinkie gushed. “I’ll even have my boss make you some tortilla soup!” Twilight felt Sonata shaking, and realized she was laughing.

“Thanks, Pinkie. It means a lot,” Sonata said.

Everybody was in much higher spirits as they piled back into the cars. They followed Shining Armor’s squad car back to the drop-in center so they could drop off Dr. Waters, then he followed Twilight’s car to the trailer park. Twilight could tell Sonata was starting to feel a bit of apprehension about her last trip to her old home, but Sunset and Pinkie were there, joking and laughing and effortlessly incorporating Sonata into their conversation. Twilight wouldn’t have been able to do it without them there.

In the light of the sun, the Dazzling’s trailer looked even more pathetic. There was a yard outside, but it wasn’t even kept at all. A tiny gravel parking space in front led to a stained white door, with a pair of rusting metal steps leading up to it. There were two ceramic planters, filled with dead flowers, placed on either side of the steps. Shining and Twilight both parked their respective vehicles on the street, leaving the parking space empty. There was no signs of another car.

“Aria has a car. Well, it was Adagio’s, but she never uses it now. If it’s not here, Aria’s probably gone,” Sonata said. As much as an angry voice inside her wanted to confront Aria, Twilight realized this was probably for the best. Still, Shining Armor ordered all four of the girls to stay in the car until he could knock on the door and make sure nobody was home. They watched as Shining walked to the front door and knocked. When there was no answer, he circled around the back of the trailer, looking in the various windows. Only when he had made his way around to the front again did he walk over to Twilight’s car.

“Okay. It doesn’t look like anybody’s home. You girls go inside and help Sonata with anything she needs. I’ll wait out here.”

Sonata led the way and fished a set of keys out of her jean’s pockets. She opened the door and swung the trailer door inside, motioning with one hand.

“Welcome to my house, I guess,” she said. The insides were surprisingly very clean. The living room had a foldaway bed/couch with fraying and torn upholstery, and the carpet on the floors was probably older than Twilight, Pinkie, and Sunset Shimmer combined, but it was recently vacuumed. Against the wall was a television, one of the twenty-year old boxy models. In the center of the room was a stained wooden coffee table. They could see over a half-wall into the kitchen, which, with the exception of a couple of bowls in the sink was also mostly clean. A narrow hallway led towards the back of the trailer, presumably to the bedrooms and bathrooms. “I sleep out here, in the foldaway bed. Aria and Adagio take the bedrooms.” Twilight’s anger seethed a bit.

“Where do you keep your clothing?” Sunset asked.

“Hall closet,” Sonata said. “Here, let me find my backpack. We can use that.”

“We just need to grab what you need,” Twilight said. “Personal effects, stuff with sentimental value. We’ll get new clothes for you if we need to, so just get stuff that’s irreplaceable.” Sonata found her backpack and opened the hall closet. She stared at the piles of clothing for a second, then burst into giggles. The other girls stared at her quizzically.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, I had a silly thought,” Sonata said. Twilight motioned for her to go on, and Sonata began lifting some things from the closet into her backpack. “I just thought that this is far from the circumstances I envisioned for the first time Twilight saw my underpants.” Sunset and Pinkie burst into laughter, and even Sonata, her face brightening, joined with them.

“Girls!” Twilight rebuked, feeling her own face burning. “My brother is right outside!”

“You’re right, it was rude not to share that joke with him,” Sonata giggled. “I should…”

“NO!” Twilight hissed while the rest of the girls had a laugh at her expense. Embarrassing as it may have been, however, Twilight was inwardly ecstatic that Sonata felt well enough to joke and flirt.

“Well, you’ll be staying in a room right next to hers, so there will be plenty more opportunities,” Sunset teased. “Um, we’re going to need more space for your stuff than your backpack, right?”

“There should be garbage bags under the sink,” Sonata said. “The big black plastic ones. We could fill one of those.”

“I’ll grab one,” Twilight offered. She walked over to the kitchen. Sitting on the half wall between the kitchen and living room was a small lidded glass bottle, filled with what looked like shards of broken red glass. She picked it up and felt something inside call out to the rage and magic within her. “Um, Sonata? What’s this?” she asked, setting it back down quickly. Sonata poked her head from out of the closet and glanced.

“Oh, that’s not mine, it’s Adagio’s. She and Aria wanted to save the bits of our amulets after Sunset and the others broke them. I just wanted to move on, you know, but Adagio and Aria kept holding on. Adagio gave up, but Aria still wears hers like a pendant around her neck. Like she could somehow bring back the old days.” Sonata snorted. “The old days were miserable. I just needed some time to realize it. Thanks for that, Twilight.”

“No problem,” Twilight said, backing away from the glass jar. She remembered the video Sonata had shown her, the gently glowing red crystals as the Sirens danced seductively through the cafeteria. Shaking her head, she opened the cupboard doors under the sink and pulled out a large black plastic bag. She brought it over to Sonata, who was going through the stuff in the hall closet, picking out the few choice pieces she cared to save.

“Wait, what’s that?” Twilight asked, pointing at a plush animal on the top shelf of the cupboard. Sonata blushed but immediately reached for the stuffed giraffe. He was about one foot tall, and had a little plush taco sown into his hooves.

“I’m definitely taking Señor Spots,” Sonata said, sounding embarrassed, and Pinkie and Sunset both laughed.

“Señor Spots?” Pinkie asked.

“Well, yeah. Spots cuz he’s a giraffe. Señor because he’s, well, he’s got a taco,” Sonata finished, embarrassed. Twilight grinned, and carefully placed the stuffed animal into the bag. “It’s from a better time. Adagio won it for me, at a carnival. Some dumb ring toss game. She kinda got mad when she realized the carnie was scamming her, and kinda hypnotized him into rigging the game so it was possible to win. She said it was the best poetic justice for what he was doing. Then she won it for me.” Sonata let out a sad sigh. “It wasn’t always bad.”

The girls helped her pack up as much clothes and personal effects as she wanted. Twilight wanted to cry that there was nothing, beyond a single stuffed animal, that Sonata seemed to have a deep personal attachment to.

“There’s nothing else?” Twilight asked, when they had finished packing everything Sonata needed from the bathroom. Sonata shook her head. “No books, or pictures?”

“I don’t own any books,” Sonata said, and Twilight sucked her breath in through clenched teeth. Pinkie laughed at that.

“Oh no, you said it,” Sunset said. “Don’t worry, since you said it out loud, by this time tomorrow you’ll own a library.”

“Twilight gives the best books as presents. Christmas presents, birthday presents, Labor Day presents, Halloween presents, Arbor Day presents…” Pinkie said. Twilight glared at her. “What? You love books, and you’re good at picking out the ones we’ll like. It’s a true gift, Twilight.”

“I’ll bet Twilight already has three titles in mind to gift you in the next few weeks,” Sunset said, smirking. Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut again. “Oh my Celestia. I was kidding, but it’s true, isn’t it? Which ones, Twi?”

“Not three!” Twilight protested, but looking at the amused smiles around her, she realized she wasn’t going to get off the hook. “Okay. Piano Theory for Adults by Ivory Dance, A Music Lover’s Guide to Composers by Quarter Pulse, and The Saxophone Sleuth by Whodunit. The last one’s fiction, the first in a musically themed mystery series.” She looked at Sonata. “I really think you’ll like it.” Sonata looked excited.

“Girls?” Pinkie said, sounding suddenly nervous. She was standing next to the window. “We might have a problem. Are you done packing, Sonata?”

“What’s up, Pinkie?” Sunset asked. Pinkie pointed outside, then reached open and slid the window open just a bit so they could hear. A car had just pulled up into the driveway, and was idling.

“Stay inside, girls,” Shining Armor ordered. A young woman with purple hair, streaked with teal, stepped out of the car. She looked furious.

“Who the hell are you, and what the fuck are you doing at my house?”

Chapter 10

“Ma’am, please get back in your vehicle,” they heard Shining say. Twilight felt herself tense up.

“Do you have a back door?” Sunset whispered. Sonata shook her head.

“That bitch is in there with my sister!” the first voice shrieked. “I saw her car last night! Get your preppy little ass out here, Sparkle bitch, so I can give you what you deserve!”

“Ma’am, I have to advise you to shut your mouth and get back into your vehicle. If you make threats in front of me…”

“I don’t give a fuck what you think, pig! Tell that Sparkle bitch to get out here so I can show her what happens to people who mess with Sirens!”

“Ma’am, you’ve just made a threat of physical violence in front of a police officer. Please turn around and put your hands on the hood of the car.”

“The fuck I’m going to do that, cop! Get out of my way!”

Twilight was standing between Sonata and the door. She was glancing between Sonata, Sunset, and Pinkie, her anxiety spiking. She needed to keep them all safe at the same time, but how?

“Ma’am, if you don’t turn around and put your hands on your car, I’m going to taze you.”

“You wouldn’t dare, bastard. You’re just a small dick cop who thinks…” she cut off with a scream of pain, and the girls inside heard a thud.

“Stay down, Miss Blaze,” Shining said, sounding shaken. “I’m going to cuff you now.”

“The fuck you are,” Aria shot back. There was a rasp of pain in her voice, but there was more than that. Something sinister, something terrifying. Twilight remembered the odd other worldly echo in Gloriosa Daisy’s voice, after she transformed. There was a loud thud and a male grunt of pain, and the front door of the trailer buckled under some sort of pressure. It was dented inwardly, and all four of the girls turned to stare in horror.

“The stupid pig’s out of the way now,” Aria called towards the door. Her voice was wrong. It cracked and broke, screeching through octaves and skipping like a needle on a DJ’s turntable. It grated on Twilight’s ears. “You can come out, Sonata. You don’t need that Sparkle slut any more. I found a way to get our magic back.” Her voice reminded Twilight of a small, angry child taking a hammer to the keys of a piano. Dissonant, discordant, ugly, and terrifying. Then she heard Sonata whimpering in fear.

Midnight Sparkle tore her way out of Twilight, and she launched towards the door on black wings.

* * * * *

About three weeks ago, Sunset had snuck through the portal for a quick Saturday picnic with Princess Twilight. It was the day that Sunset discovered that her Princess girlfriend was close friends with an aggravating but fun-loving chaos spirit. She also discovered how quickly a situation could go from obsessively organized and checklisted to complete and utter insanity. She remembered the date quite fondly, and had even afterwards expressed an interest in forming a closer friendship with said chaos spirit, including exchanging letters. She didn’t think she would remember this day quite as fondly, though once again, things had gone from organized and sane to complete mayhem in a matter of heartbeats.

Sunset managed to shove Pinkie onto the couch and cover her with her body right as the front door ripped completely off its hinges. At the same time, a bolt of pure magical force, blue in color, blasted through the open door. Something large and red was trying to enter. There was a blast of light as blue met red, and an explosion of sound and energy that pushed the couch against the wall of the trailer. Sunset heard howling of fury and rage.

When the dust cleared, the Dazzling’s kitchen and living room was completely destroyed. Bits of shattered electronics, broken glass, twisted metal, and even snack foods and spoiled vegetables from the spilled open fridge and cupboards. The roof of the trailer was intact, though broken; it looked like a can of food that had been half opened, then the still-attached metal lid was peeled back. A large gash, starting at the door, extended several feet on either side. Just outside the door floated Twilight Sparkle. She spoke to Sunset in a voice twisted by the magic that seeped from her.

“Keep them safe, Sunset,” Midnight Sparkle commanded her. “I’ll take care of this monster.”

“Twilight!” Sunset shouted, and the creature that was her friend hesitated. “What about your brother?”

“I said ‘keep them safe, Sunset’,” Midnight Sparkle sounded a bit annoyed. “He’s just outside the door.”

“Okay,” Sunset said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Just last week, in her first aid class, she’d asked the instructor Swift Siren, a former EMT, how she dealt with panic.

“I take three deep, slow breaths. I count to ten, thee counts for each breath, then one extra. It slows down time, gives me a chance to prioritize. Once I’m done, the distractions and extraneous details kinda fade into the background, and I can focus on what I’m doing.”

Okay. One breath in, (one, two) then out (three). The trailer was destroyed, there was sharp glass and debris everywhere, and a mad siren who claimed to have magic was shrieking outside the trailer. Second breath in, (four, five) then out (six). Pinkie was on the couch, underneath her, panting with pain. Sonata was in the corner of what was left of the living room, shaking with fear. There was blood from a dozen cuts on her arms and face. Third breath in (seven, eight) and out (nine). Shining Armor was outside, injured and maybe unconscious, and the crazed magical nightmare that may or may not be her ally had sternly tasked her with protecting him. (Ten.) Okay.

“I’ve got this,” Sunset said out loud. Pinkie nodded, her face twisted with pain.

“Go see to Sonata first,” Pinkie whispered. “I’m hurt, but I’m fine.” Sunset picked through the wreckage the few feet over to where Sonata was crouching. She gently touched the girl on the shoulder.

“Sonata? Are you okay?” Sunset said, trying to make her voice as soothing as possible. Sonata flinched away from the contact, but then opened her eyes.

“Um, yeah,” Sonata whispered, wiping blood out of her eyes. “What do we do?”

“Stay close to Pinkie. Stay inside if you can. Pinkie? Call the girls, see how fast they can get here. Especially Dash. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. I’m going to try and see how Officer Armor’s doing.” Sunset stood up, and stepped towards the door.

“Wait!” Pinkie called out. Sunset froze. “I need those.” She pointed at a pink and white bag full of frosted cookies, cut into the shapes of circus animals. It had spilled out of a cupboard and lay within the wreckage of the kitchen.

“Pinkie, this is absolutely the worst time to be snacking,” Sunset groaned.

“But… they have sprinkles!” Pinkie protested. Suddenly Sunset understood.

“Oh, right. You can use your magic to turn them into little explosives. Good thinking, Pinkie,” Sunset said, snagging the bag on the way and tossing it to Pinkie.

“Oh, yeah, that too,” Pinkie agreed, sounding surprised. Sunset nearly tripped. Really, she shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Pinkie Pie. Cautiously, she made her way through the debris towards the door to poke her head outside and see what was going on. The sheer volume of mayhem nearly sent her back inside the trailer.

Twilight’s car was on its side. The clean paint was scorched with black burn marks, and smoke rose from behind it. Officer Armor’s squad car was crushed, the hood smashed down and glass sprayed everywhere. There was a third car, presumably Aria’s. Sunset could see the third sister, Adagio, inside the car. Her eyes were closed, and her head was slumped to the side. The car was upright but there were gouges in the weed-covered ground where something powerful had slid the car sideways. She couldn’t see any wounds on the eldest Dazzling, so Sunset couldn’t worry too much about her just yet. She instead concerned herself with Aria and Twilight, or rather, Midnight. Sunset had been expecting an exchange of magical blasts, much like she’d shared herself with Midnight Sparkle when infused with an overdose of magic herself. What she saw was both surprising and gruesome. Midnight Sparkle was, indeed, blasting at Aria with her blue magic. Aria, however, was responding with her voice.

Aria was taller than Sunset remembered, but that wasn’t too surprising. Like Gloriosa Daisy and Juniper Montage before her, Aria was clearly suffering from corrupted Equestrian magic. She’d gained a foot in height. Her hair, once full and bouncy in her twin pigtails, was unbound, hanging limp and oily about her face. But the worst part was the shards of her amulet. Sunset remembered the bottle that contained Adagio’s that used to be sitting in the trailer. Aria was covered with the shards. They sprung from every part of her body, piercing through her skin in a frightening display. There were so many more than should have come from a single amulet. Long shards jutted from Aria’s fingertips and toe tips, piercing through her shoes and forming gruesome talons. Another giant shard jutted from her forehead in a grotesque parody of a unicorn’s horn. Sunset’s stomach churned as she realized the shards, piercing through Aria’s skin, were the same color as blood. Around Aria’s neck, on a thin leather cord, was a bottle just like the one inside. Crystal shards, growing from the back of the bottle, impaled into Aria’s chest through her shredded shirt.

Every time Aria opened her mouth, a screech of sound shot out that tore through Sunset’s ears and stabbed at her brain. It was like the dissonant, broken singing the Sirens had done after their amulets had broken, but a billion times worse, and much louder. Like a harpy, Aria shrieked her voice at Midnight Sparkle like a physical attack; indeed, Sunset could actually see the sound waves like a physical presence, ripping through the air and pushing at dirt, dust, and debris like a wind. Midnight Sparkle couldn’t even dodge; the sound was unavoidable. With every shriek, the dark avatar of Twilight’s inner demons cringed and shuddered with pain. That didn’t mean that Midnight was on the ropes, however. She gave as good as she got, firing back with blasts of magic from her clenched fists. Aria was trying to dodge the blasts, because she had no counter for them except to get out of the way.

Sunset was lucky that she heard a small moan of pain coming from right next to the door of the trailer. Watching the two mystical combatants almost made her forget why she’d come outside. She glanced over at Shining Armor, slumped against the side of the trailer. His eyes were closed, and his face was clenched with pain. There was a small smear of blood on the side of the trailer next to a dent where his head had impacted.

“Okay, Sunset,” she said to herself. “Number one rule of head injury. Don’t move the person unless there’s a risk of more injury.” Aria shrieked again, and a spike of pain shot through Sunset’s head as she was pushed to the side. “There is a risk of more injury. If you have to move the person, stabilize the head and neck as much as possible. Sorry, Officer Armor. I’m gonna do my best here.”

“I trust you,” Shining Armor whispered, and Sunset jumped. “If it helps, I don’t think my neck is broken.”

“I thought you were unconscious,” Sunset accused, and Shining let out a shaky laugh.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he said. “How’s my sister doing?”

“Scary. Let’s get you inside. Can you stand up?” Sunset asked.

“I’ll try.”

Sunset steadied Shining Armor’s head and neck as best she could as she struggled to get him inside the trailer. He did his best to help, but it was clear he was badly injured. The back of his head was matted with blood, and he limped badly as Sunset helped him up the stairs and through the broken door. Pinkie gasped when she saw them, but Sonata was quick to leap to her feet to help them to the couch.

“Keep his head and neck straight,” Sunset ordered, and Sonata nodded. Pinkie vacated the couch, and between the two girls they were able to maneuver Shining Armor onto the couch.

“Radio at my belt,” he whispered. “Have to call for help, backup.”

“No offence, Officer Armor, but we have backup on the way. Our kind of backup,” Pinkie said. Shining tried to shake his head but winced in pain.

“Going to need EMT. And you can’t handle everything with magic.” Silently Sunset agreed with him. She found the radio at his belt and pressed it into his hand.

“Try convincing your sister of that,” she muttered. Shining barely lifted the radio to his mouth.

“Dispatch, this is Officer Armor. Code Wondercolt, grade three. Multiple injuries, one officer down. Um…”

“Officer Armor, what is your location?” the radio called back. Officer Armor groaned in pain. Frantically Sunset picked up the radio, and pushed down the button she’d seen him push.

“Hello? Officer Armor is injured. The location is a trailer park. Um, White Pine Woods trailer park.”

“Ma’am? We need a house number.”

“Um, I don’t know, and I don’t want to go outside and check,” Sunset said.

“Is Officer Armor able to communicate?”

“Uh, no. Negative,” Sunset felt terrified and completely awkward. She glanced at Shining Armor. “He’s had a head injury. Some bleeding, maybe a skull fracture. He’s probably concussed; he’s fading in and out of consciousness.”

“Are you medically trained?”

“No ma’am,” Sunset said. “Just taking a first aid class in my free time. I’m just a high school kid.” Never before had she felt more out of her depth. Sure, there was a magic fight going on outside. But Sunset bore the magic of friendship; a magic that relied on the close presence of her friends. She was sure they were on their way, but it would take time.

“What is your name, young lady?” the dispatch woman asked.

“Um, Sunset Shimmer.”

“You’re doing just fine, Sunset Shimmer. Keep Officer Armor as still as possible, and try not to move his head. What can you tell me about what’s happening? Officer Armor said Code Wondercolt, so there’s some sort of magical disturbance?” It was oddly reassuring that the Canterlot PD had a code word for magical disturbance.

“Yes, ma’am,” Sunset said.

“What can you tell me about what’s going on?”

“One of my friends is fighting against a monster,” Sunset summed up. “The monster was my other friend’s abusive sister. She and my friend are exchanging magical blasts, and generally trying to kill each other, though it looks like my friend is trying to keep things localized.”

“Officers are on their way to establish a perimeter and evacuate civilians,” the dispatch woman said. “As well as EMT. Sunset, your job is to stay out of harm’s way. This isn’t your fight,”

“Sorry, ma’am, but it kinda is,” Sunset said. Something slammed into the side of the trailer, making the entire thing rock. “Sorry, I gotta go.” She jumped to her feet. “Pinkie, you can talk to the dispatch lady if you like,” Sunset said, while the woman on the other end of the radio shouted for Sunset to come back. “Stay safe.” Before she could think better of it, she ran outside.

Midnight Sparkle was struggling. Blood was leaking out of one ear, and she had a nosebleed. One arm hung limp, the flesh near her shoulder shredded into strips like claws. Midnight was panting, standing on the ground instead of floating, and leaning against a new dent in the trailer. Several of her feathers were bent or broken.

“Help’s on the way,” Sunset said to her friend. She hoped it was her friend. “EMTs for your brother and Sonata. They’re fine, but this needs to end so they can get help.” Midnight nodded.

“I will end it then, Sunset,” the demonic avatar snarled.

“You make it sound so easy,” Aria snarled. She was floating herself, hovering above the street with her clawed arms outstretched.

“Maybe I’ve just been toying with you, monster,” Midnight shot back with clear false bravado.

“I’m the monster? Look in a mirror, you hypocritical bitch,” Aria said, cackling. “I’m gonna end you, Sparkle slut.” She raised her voice, calling into the trailer. “Hey, Sonata! Come out here and watch me kick your girlfriend’s ass!”

Sunset didn’t hear if there was a reaction from inside the trailer, but Midnight Sparkle clearly heard and reacted. With a snarl, she launched off the trailer into the air, her wings pounding behind her and her hand clutched forward like talons. Orbs of blue magic crackled and swirled, and Midnight Sparkle hurled them like grenades. Aria swiped at them with her clawed hands, but they exploded on impact, tossing her down and into the dirt. Midnight Sparkle gave her no time to get up, sending blast after blast of violent magic at the downed creature.

Aria cried out in pain and fury with each impact, but from what Sunset could see, Midnight was making no headway in defeating the giant rage monster. Aria lunged too her feet, looking furious but not terribly injured. She jumped at Midnight, slashing with her claws like a cat. Midnight fended her off with magical shields, but her reflexes were not as quick as Aria’s. It became apparent that Midnight was losing the fight when small scratches, tears in Midnight’s ethereal gown, began to appear, seeping blood. Sunset watched with her heart pounding. Midnight seemed to realize as well that she couldn’t keep fending off Aria forever. With a grunt of effort, she unleashed a blast of spherical magic that extended around her body, pushing the monster away and leaving Midnight to stumble to the ground, panting with exertion.

“Any time you want to grow wings and help out, Shimmer, would be rather convenient,” Midnight snarled at her, out of breath.

“I want to,” Sunset said, reaching for as much of her magic as she could. “Before, it was because of all the magic you’d gathered, or because all of us were there. I can’t just…”

“That’s super convenient,” Midnight snarked, cutting her off. “Do try to come up with something useful, though?”

“I’m working on it!” Sunset said desperately. Aria rose to her feet again, looking completely uninjured. Sunset was beginning to seriously consider going inside for Officer Armor’s sidearm, even though she realized conventional weaponry was probably pointless against a monster like Aria. “Aria, please, calm down! You don’t need to do this!” Sunset pleaded. Aria laughed, and even Midnight looked at her askance.

“Really? You’re going to try magic of friendship crap right now?” Midnight asked.

“It worked on you,” Sunset said, Midnight rolled her eyes as she sent another barrage of blasts at her opponent.

“Only because you’d fought me to a stalemate first!” Midnight said. “If you hadn’t noticed…”

“We done here?” Aria interrupted. “Cuz I’m getting pissed that you’re still breathing.” Aria reached over to Twilight’s car, her claws sinking into the metal with a screech. Aria’s magically enhanced body bulged with muscle as she lifted the vehicle. “This your car, Sparkle bitch? I hope your premiums are paid up. I don’t think you’ll be driving it away from here.” Her muscles tensed to throw, and Midnight’s hands glowed with magic, preparing a shield spell that would blast the car away. But then, with a victorious smirk, Aria threw the car not at Midnight, but at Sunset Shimmer and the trailer.

“No!” Midnight shrieked in rage and surprise. She managed just the beginnings of a shield spell as she plowed her entire body sideways into the car, stopping the deadly missile with her own body a mere split second before it smashed lethally into Sunset’s fragile human body. There was a loud crash and an ear-stabbing screech of metal and breaking glass, and Midnight Sparkle was down, slumped on the ground, twitching with a pained moan. Her wings quivered as she tried to rise. Sunset stepped in front of her, arms outspread wide.

“Oh, man, this is so fun,” Aria crowed. “I get to tear apart the Sparkle bitch, then I get to tear you apart bit by bit.” The monster advanced slowly across the scarred and smoking battlefield. Sunset’s heart pounded as she stood between Aria and Midnight. She heard motion at the door behind her, but she couldn’t turn to look.

“Take that!” Pinkie squeaked, and a small, pink something lobbed out and struck Aria in the face with a small explosion of pink smoke and color. Sunset took a second to glance behind her. Pinkie was leaning against the twisted door frame, her face clenched with pain. One hand clutched the wrinkled plastic bag of cookies, while the other snatched handfuls of cookies and hurled them at Aria. “And those! Those too! And also some of this!” The explosions weren’t hurting Aria, but they were distracting her; the monster was slowing down, swatting at the cookies with an annoyed expression on her face. “How dare you make me waste perfectly good sweets!”

“You’re just… delaying… the inevitable,” Aria growled. Pinkie reached into her bag and came up empty handed. “Besides… those are my cookies!” With a yelp of terror, Pinkie magically energized the crumbs and sprinkles in the bottom of the bag and hurled the whole thing at Aria. This explosion was the biggest by far, and it occupied Aria for a whole four seconds as she coughed and sputtered, waving a clawed hand to clear the smoke. “It’s over, little Rainbooms. Give up and die. Her clawed hand lashed out, and Sunset clenched her eyes shut. Instead of the pain of laceration, however, Sunset found herself being lifted up as powerful claws wrapped around her neck.

“I never guessed, before, how much fun it could be to choke somebody,” Aria hissed right in Sunset’s face. Sunset’s hands clawed at Aria’s as the latter cut off the former’s breath. Sunset gurgled, desperately trying to squeeze in the tiniest bit of air as she desperately pulled at Aria’s clawed hand. Her feet were nearly a foot off the ground. As she touched Aria’s hand, her magic activated involuntarily, showing her glimpses of the tortured life before her.

Aria, furious and heartbroken at the loss of her magic.

Aria, terrified and confused and adrift when Adagio failed to lead.

Aria, angry and frustrated when nothing she did seemed to help.

Aria, jealous and confused when her little sister looked outside the family for help.

Aria, enraged and betrayed as she watched Sonata kissing Twilight.

“Aria,” Sunset heard a gentle voice. She barely managed to open her eyes. Her head was pounding, her lungs screaming for air. “Aria,” the voice repeated again. It was Sonata. Sonata had come out of the trailer. Smears of dried blood covered her face and arms. She was standing next to Aria and Sunset, looking up at both of them.

“So you’re going to join me? Good! I know how to get your magic back, Sonata! We can be Sirens again. It can all go back to the way it was before, no trailer parks, no getting fired, no job hunts, no alcohol! We can be a family again!” Aria’s voice was heartbreaking, and even Sunset felt a wave of pity at the very monster that was strangling her.

“Of course, Aria,” Sonata said gently, reaching up at her sister. It looked like she was reaching for a caress. Sunset wanted to scream. Then Sonata’s fingers found the amulet around Aria’s neck, the amulet made of broken shards and broken dreams. She wrapped her hand around it, wincing as the razor sharp shards of glass cut into her hand. Sunset thought she saw one shard long enough to impale all the way through Sonata’s hand. Then, with a mighty pull, Sonata leaned away from her sister and yanked on the amulet. There was a sound of tinkling, breaking glass, and the monstrous jewelry broke away from where it had fused with Aria’s chest. It was still connected by the leather strap around Aria’s neck. “Now, Twilight!” Sonata pleaded, and from the corner of Sunset’s fading eyesight she saw Midnight Sparkle, raising a shaky hand for one last stuttering blast. Aria shrieked with rage, sending them all clutching their ears in pain, but it was too late. The blue magic severed the cord and Sonata pulled the amulet free, tossing it to the ground with a mighty hurl. It shattered into a billion tiny shards, leaving behind only one long, narrow splinter that pierced Sonata’s palm. Aria dropped Sunset to the ground, and Sunset gasped, filling her lungs with precious air even as she ignored the pain of impact in her knees and palms from where they’d hit the debris-strewn ground. Idly she thought she could hear something different in the distance, something that sounded like a Siren wailing…

No, wait.

It wasn’t a Siren. It was a siren. An ambulance siren.

It was Sunset’s last thought as she blacked out.

* * * * *

Sunset awoke to a gaggle of voices, most of them concerned and familiar. Her eyelids weren’t open yet, but she could see the flashes of light that meant dozens of police cars, or perhaps ambulances. Her head hurt, her neck hurt, even her knees and hands hurt. With a groan, she tried to rub her head.

“Woah there, young lady. You’re going to want to not move as much as possible, okay?” said an unfamiliar voice.

“Who…”

“We’re getting you strapped into an ambulance bed, okay? You’re completely safe now. All your friends are safe. Everything’s fine, okay?” Sunset found herself irrationally annoyed that whoever this was speaking with her seemed to end every sentence in an interrogative. That might have been the possible concussion talking, though.

“Hey, is Sunset awake?” she heard Rainbow Dash call out. Sunset tried to open her eyes, winced in pain, and closed them again.

“Dash?” she called out weakly, and felt somebody holding her hand very suddenly.

“Yup, I’m here. Didn’t make it fast enough, though,” Dash said, sounding cranky. Sunset laughed, then stopped herself with a painful cough. “You guys had the whole thing wrapped up before I could finish rounding everybody up. What gives, Sunset? We’re supposed to be a team!” She could hear the teasing in Rainbow Dash’s voice, but decided to answer the jibe anyways.

“Didn’t… have time. Too busy getting choked out, I guess.” Sunset said. “How is everypony?” She realized her mistake as soon as she said it, but didn’t care. She supposed she would still sometimes lapse into ponyisms when under extreme stress.

“Aria’s cuffed in the back of a police car. Officer Armor’s already being rushed to the emergency room. The other siren, Adagio, is on her way to the hospital too. Alcohol poisoning. The EMTs want to take Twilight and Sonata to the emergency room as well, but Twilight’s being a little Midnighty and irrational and won’t let go of her girlfriend.” There was a reluctant sort of approval in Dash’s voice. “Pinkie, oddly enough, is the least injured of all of you. She told me the whole story.” Dash paused. “Did you really try to protect Twilight from that monster with nothing more than your body? Pretty dumb, Sunny. But awesome.”

“Thanks Dash,” Sunset said, trying not to laugh again. “Um, Mister EMT guy?”

“Yes, ma’am?” said the voice she didn’t recognize.

“My friend is giving you trouble about getting into the ambulance?”

“Yes, but we’re not upset about it, right? We completely understand. Your friend’s in shock, okay? Plus, there’s magic stuff going on that nobody really understands or wants to think about, and there’s some lady walking around with some scary looking government badge making everybody nervous, though she’s mostly staying out of things. If you know some way of convincing your friend to stop intimidating my EMTs and get on an ambulance, that might be helpful, okay?”

“Yeah. Dash, get Midnight’s attention, please?” Sunset asked. It was agony to sit up in the ambulance stretcher and open her eyes, but her friends needed medical attention. What she saw was a kind of organized chaos. There were a dozen EMT and police officers milling about. Sonata was curled up in Midnight Sparkle’s arms. Midnight, obviously, had not transformed back yet. She sat on the ground, one arm limp and bloody, the other curled protectively around Sonata, and she snarled demonically at everybody who dared approach. Three different EMTs were trying to approach with various bandages and first aid supplies, but there was a line of scorch marks in the dirt in front of the two girls that none of the EMTs seemed willing to cross.

“Yo, Twilight!” Dash called, and Midnight looked their way. Dash pointed at Sunset.

“It’s over, Twilight. She’s safe,” Sunset called, pain lancing through her skull. Every muscle in her back and arms hurt as well. “She needs medical attention now. Those cuts need to be looked at. Please. It’s what’s best for her.” For a brief moment, when Midnight’s eyes locked with Sunset, there was an unspoken message passed. A threat, and a promise. Then Midnight closed her eyes, and with a flash, it was an exhausted looking Twilight Sparkle cradling Sonata Dusk in her arms. With only a brief second of hesitation, the three brave EMTs closed in and began coaxing the two girls into the same ambulance. Sunset looked at the EMT she’d been talking to.

“It may help save you a lot of trouble if you make sure those two ride in the same ambulance,” Sunset suggested, and the EMT nodded, still staring at the magical transforming girl in shock and awe. Dash stayed by Sunset’s side, watching as the EMT went off to make sure Sonata and Twilight would be riding together.

“I totally lied and said I was your sister so I could ride in the ambulance with you,” Dash admitted casually, and Sunset snorted. “So, how useful were your first aid classes?”

“Honestly?” Sunset said. “Not much, I guess.” She thought about it a little more. “I guess what did help was the training for how to act when you’re helpless. I didn’t freeze up or freak out, even though my magic wasn’t any help at all.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much how Pinkie tells it,” Dash said. “She thinks you’re pretty awesome, too.” Somebody was walking up to the two of them. A stunning young woman, probably early twenties, with long silvery hair, wearing a very businesslike black suit.

“Miss Sunset Shimmer? Hi. I’m Agent Lyrica Oracle, FBI,” she said. Her voice was confident and musical. Dash immediately jumped in between them.

“Oh, no. I’m not letting some suit go all ‘Men In Black’ on one of my best friends,” Rainbow demanded. Agent Oracle looked surprised, then laughed gently.

“So loyal, so quick to defend you. You have good friends, Miss Shimmer. But please, relax. I don’t want you to worry at all. I just want to know one thing, for now.” The agent looked back at where the police car with Aria in the back was just pulling away. “Is it over?”

“Is what over?” Sunset asked carefully.

“This particular incident, Miss Shimmer. My division has been content to remain as distant observers to the magical events that seem to surround you and your friends, if only because they always seem to resolve themselves with little collateral damage. This time…” the agent gestured expressively to the devastation and debris littered across the street, yard, and trailer.

“This incident is over, yes,” Sunset said. She had expected that the human government would get involved at some point in time, but the explicit admission that she and her friends were under FBI observation was disconcerting. “I hope it’s over, at least.” Agent Oracle nodded.

“Nice. I want you to know, Miss Shimmer, that you and your friends have nothing to fear from me or my coworkers. I would like to have a long sit down with you at your leisure, however. We have some unanswered questions I’d like cleared up.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card, trying to hand it to Sunset. Rainbow Dash blocked her way.

“I’ll take that,” Rainbow said, snatching away the card. “I’ll have to make sure it doesn’t have some sort of tracking bug or spy camera or…” The agent was laughing.

“Sure, you go ahead. Have a safe ride to the hospital, Sunset. I hope you get feeling better soon.”

Epilogue

Dear Princess Celestia,

Thank you so much for your kind letters. They were thoughtful. What meant even more, though, was your words of support and approval. Knowing that you approve of my and Princess Twilight’s relationship has been an unexpected gift.

As far as our injuries, here’s the final rundown. Me: bruises, lacerations, twenty four total stitches. Pinkie Pie: lacerations, eleven total stitches. Sonata Dusk: bruises, lacerations, including a full impalement of her hand. Possible contamination via Equestrian magic, but the doctors have no way of assessing that. Twilight Sparkle: bruises, lacerations, dislocated shoulder, significant blood loss, minor concussion, one hundred and forty three stitches total. Shining Armor: minor skull fracture, major concussion, seventy-one stitches. Everybody is healing fine. Twilight Sparkle is already back attending classes, and Shining Armor is back at work, though he says he’s ‘riding a desk’ for now. It means he’s on light duty until he heals all the way.

I’m sure you heard the whole story from Princess Twilight, but here’s the aftermath. Aria is in a psychiatric prison. She’s locked up, but also getting help. Adagio’s in a rehabilitation program for her alcohol problem. The prognosis is bleak. Sonata and Twilight are both seeing a therapist for ongoing issues, but they are happy, healthy, and doing well. Sonata is struggling with something humans call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but she is safe and healthy and getting all the help she needs. I find it both impressive and terrifying that the human world can be so frightening and depressing that it can leave permanent, lasting scars on someone’s brain, but also that they have the infrastructure and know-how in place to treat people for those very same scars. I guess that’s the beautiful duality of the human world. Every day they find new amazing ways to overcome the horrors they often created for themselves.

After Sonata first got out of the hospital, she almost refused to move in with Twilight. She was absolutely terrified Twilight’s poor parents would hate her for putting both of their children in danger. You’ll be gratified to know that this was not the case. When we finally dragged her out of the hospital to Twilight’s house, her parents had thrown a party for Sonata (with Pinkie’s help, of course). It was a ‘thanks for saving our kid’s lives’ party, complete with banners and balloons and everything. She fits right in at that house, and Twilight’s mother absolutely dotes on Sonata. Sonata seems to go through life with a bewildered sort of rapture on her face; like she’s utterly confused that things could possibly be going so well for her.

It’s been a rough few weeks of doctor visits, healing, and that sort of thing, but it looks like things are better than normal now. The only thing that’s got me worried is that the human government on this side of the mirror has contacted me. It seems they’re at least a little aware of what’s going on, and I’m a little worried they may try to interfere with the portal, block my access, or even lock us away somewhere for study (worst case scenario, I know). No matter how much I love Princess Twilight, I know that I have a responsibility here, to these people. I can’t let them cut me off from Equestria. Honestly, the agent I spoke with didn’t seem too aggressive, and she hasn’t said anything since, so I think I’ll be okay.

Princess Twilight invited me, as well as Twilight and Sonata, through the portal this weekend to discuss something important (she’s being annoyingly mysterious about it). Any chance that I could also get a visit from my second favorite teacher of all time? I’d love to see you again.

Forever your student,

Sunset Shimmer.

“So, we just step through? And we’re back in Equestria?” Sonata said, her voice quavering. Sunset nodded.

“Just like that. You’ll be back in your Equestrian form, as well,” Sunset warned, though inwardly she had a suspicion that she might be wrong. Sonata blanched.

“Um, yeah. About that.” She glanced nervously at Twilight, who was smiling supportively at her girlfriend. They were holding hands. “Are you gonna be okay, Twilight? With me being, um, scaley?”

“I’ll love you whatever you look like,” Twilight said confidently, her heart in her eyes. Sonata blushed, and the two kissed. It made Sunset miss her Twilight. “Ready?”

“Are you gonna panic again, Twilight?” Sunset was unable to help herself from teasing her friend. “Last time, she became nearly incoherent.”

“I was not!” Twilight protested. Sunset laughed.

“Pony Face!” Sunset yelled, mimicking Twilight’s voice. “All my things are horse things!” Twilight swatted at her friend angrily, and Sonata giggled. “Okay, enough. Let’s go.”

Pressing forward, Sunset stepped through the portal and into Princess Twilight’s castle. The transition was a familiar one at this point. She no longer tried to stand awkwardly on her hind hooves, only to make a fool of herself when she toppled onto all four. No longer did the sudden casual nudity of the pony world bother her. With a flash of light, she trotted out into Princess Twilight’s castle, immediately searching for the one face she wanted to see above all others. To her surprise, there was not one, but three princesses waiting for Sunset as she emerged. She spared Celestia and Luna a smile before galloping right into Princess Twilight’s warm embrace.

“I missed you,” Princess Twilight said, crushing her marefriend to her in a tight, needy embrace. “How are you healing?”

“Depends on if you pop any of my sutures,” Sunset grunted, and Princess Twilight let go with a yelp, checking Sunset over in such detail and intimacy that Sunset finally had to swat her away with her tail. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked on with amused expressions. “Please, Princess. Your other guests should be…”

The portal flashed again and Twilight emerged. While as human, both Twilights looked nearly identical, it was quite easy to tell them apart as ponies. Princess Twilight was nearly two inches taller, with a slightly longer horn. And of course there was the wings. Like Sunset had on older trips through the portal, Twilight emerged swaying clumsily on two rear hooves, wobbling back and forth before remembering to be quadrupedal. She quickly got out of the way, turning to look at the portal behind her. Finally it flashed a third time, and Sunset smirked. What emerged was not a serpentine reptile monster, but an earth pony with light blue fur and her usual ponytail. She looked around confused for a few seconds, dropping back onto her plot to stare at her hooves.

“But… uh… horse things?” Sonata blurted in utter confusion.

“Oh my god you are so cute!” Twilight gushed, rushing over awkwardly on her unfamiliar hooves to embrace her girlfriend. She even lifted a hoof to stroke at Sonata’s mane. It was exactly what Sonata had needed, because she blushed and grinned, hugging Twilight back.

“Uh, duh,” Sonata said with false confidence. “I’m always cute. But, um, why?”

“I kinda thought this might happen,” Sunset admitted. “I didn’t want to say anything in case I wasn’t right, but I was. I think your transition to a normal human also means you get to be a normal pony on this side. Um, sorry if…”

“I love it,” Sonata said, still looking at her hooves. “Like, a symbol of a fresh start, right?” Suddenly she noticed the others in the room, and tapped unicorn Twilight on the shoulder. “Um, love? There’s princesses present.” Reluctantly they split apart, and Twilight glanced almost fearfully between the three alicorns.

“Am I supposed to bow?” she whispered nervously. Princess Celestia shook her head, smiling serenely.

“Please, Miss Twilight. You are not one of our subjects, so you need not bow to us,” Princess Celestia said. “Now, if you will follow us to Princess Twilight’s throne room, we have something important to discuss with the three of you.”

“A-all of us?” Sonata stuttered, suddenly realizing what sort of company she was standing in. Sunset was comfortable in the presence of three alicorn princesses, but after all, she was dating one of them. Twilight was silent, but her face reflected her own nervousness.

“Yes, little ponies,” Celestia said. “Recent developments have created a situation that we could use your help with. Please,” she finished, gesturing at the door with her regalia-clad hoof.

The three girls from the human world followed the three regal princesses into a vast throne room, topped with a brilliant chandelier made of preserved tree roots. Each root was adorned with dozens of tiny crystals, and each one held a magical image inside. Sunset had heard the story of the chandelier from Princess Twilight herself, and was suitably impressed by it. She’d have to make a point of showing it off to Twilight and Sonata when their business was done.

To call the room a ‘throne room’ was probably a misnomer. Rather than a standard audience chamber, there were six thrones surrounding a large table. Two ponies already sat on chairs around the table. One, Sunset recognized as Raven Inkwell, one of Celestia’s personal aides. The other was a gorgeous black-furred pegasus that Sunset didn’t recognize, but looked oddly familiar. She looked deeply uncomfortable sitting on the throne, and there was a scattering of manila file folders sitting in front of her.

“Please, take a seat wherever you like,” Princess Twilight said. “I know the thrones are marked for my friends, but they won’t be present for this meeting.” Princess Twilight herself took the throne marked for her, and the others filled in to the other seats. Raven rose to give up her seat to the other guests, and the black pegasus nearly did so again, halting only at a headshake from both Princesses Twilight and Celestia.

“Thank you for coming, all three of you,” Princess Luna began, and Sunset looked between her and Princess Twilight in surprise. She hadn’t expected the Princess of the Moon to take charge. “The four princesses of Equestria have decided that I will spearhead this issue, and therefore will chair this meeting.”

“Well, three of the four princesses agreed,” Princess Twilight muttered, sounding a bit upset.

“You were too emotionally invested to be able to consider issues objectively,” Princess Luna responded firmly. “You agreed as well, once the facts were presented.” Princess Twilight huffed, but said nothing else. “Well then. It has come to our attention in recent months that the portal you three arrived through is not the only point of contact between our world and the world you three inhabit.”

“You mean like the portal on the island! During the cruise!” Twilight chimed in, then slumped back into her stone chair with a blush when every pair of eyes glanced her way.

“Princess Twilight warned us that your world didn’t really have experience with royalty,” Princess Luna said under her breath. Twilight paled. “Oh, don’t be concerned. You have no need to fear from a simple breech of protocol you did not even know existed. Please, calm yourself Miss Twilight.” Twilight nodded, though she looked completely mortified that she’d practically interrupted a monarch. “Yes, that portal is but one of dozens we’ve identified and located within the past few months. Every week we’re finding more. And we’re not the only ones. If you don’t mind…” Princess Luna waved a hoof at the mysterious black pegasus, who slid a black tablet out from under one of the folders.

“Is that…” Sunset stared, confused. Clumsily, the black pegasus tapped the tablet screen with her feather tip. The screen lit up. “That shouldn’t work here. How is that working here?” She’d tried once before to bring a cell phone through the portal. It had simply disappeared with the rest of her human clothing, only to reappear when she went back.

“We can discuss the theory and practice of inter-dimensional preservation and stasis spells later. For now, just watch,” Princess Twilight whispered at her side. The pegasus pulled up what looked like a video from the human world.

“This is from Scotland, about a month ago,” the pegasus said, her voice oddly familiar. The video was a traditional Scottish caber toss, where two large burly men in kilts competed to see who could throw a giant log the furthest. The two men, nearly giants, went back and forth throwing the tremendous weights until finally one of them was declared the winner. Afterwards, they roared their congratulations to each other and hugged. “The runner-up is a man named Tartan Trail. His husband, the winner, goes by the name ‘Ashburst’, and I’m informed that until sometime last year was a dragon flying about the wastelands of Equestria until he found a portal hidden behind a lava pool.” She tapped the screen again, and a second video queued up. “Remember three months ago, when that group of hikers was stranded by an unexpected blizzard and found by a rescue party up in Nunavut? Well, we kept it out of the news, but the rescue party was assisted by two mystery women. Search and Rescue never would have found the hikers without help. Here,” she pressed play on the video, turning up the sound. It showed two tall women, covered head to toe in strange, fluffy cold weather gear, high-fiving each other as the other members of the rescue team helped the rescued hikers into stretchers being pulled behind snowmobiles.

“Yaks are best at cold-weather rescue!” one of the women declared loudly.

“Yes, yaks are best!” the other agreed, and the two of them laughed heartily. The pegasus pony paused the video.

“We have hints of portals being opened in Scotland, Canada, Samoa, Madagascar, and South Korea. There’s Equestrian zebras crossing over in Australia, and somebody from this side named ‘Capper’ is already trying to facilitate some sort of cross-dimensional trade between Osaka Japan and a place called Klugetown. This isn’t something we can ignore any more, nor is it something we can pretend isn’t happening. My bosses wanted to shut down the entire portal, block it off entirely.” The pegasus got three angry glares from three different alicorns. “I suggested that not only would it not work, with several other portals opening up, but that it would in fact alienate and infuriate an immortal, godlike horse woman who was romantically involved with somebody from our side of the portal.”

“Agent… Oracle?” Sunset asked, and the FBI agent turned pegasus smiled and nodded.

“For the last few months, Miss Lyrica Oracle and I have been working on a combined response to this situation,” Luna said. “What we’ve discovered is that we both need representation on both sides of the portal to facilitate communication, open exchange of ideas, and to manage the unintended spillover of Equestrian magic into your world.”

“So we’re here to help with that?” Sunset asked.

“Miss Sunset, you’re in the best position to bridge any misunderstandings or cultural gaps,” Agent Oracle said. “Miss Twilight, your experience with Equestrian magic is probably deeper and more intimate than anybody else from our world. Miss Dusk, you grew up in Equestria and then went on to experience hundreds of years of human history. Frankly, I’d like to offer both of you jobs working for the FBI on the spot but there are requirements to be met. Mostly, college degrees.

“So I’d like to offer all three of you a paid internship, while the Bureau pays for your education, full ride. I don’t even care what you major in, as long as you get that requirement. Meanwhile, your internship means the three of you consult with me on Equestrian issues. We’d start pretty small, ten or so hours a week depending on incidents. It also gives the three of you an excuse to cross over as much as you’d like. What do you think?” The agent looked back and forth between the three ponies. Twilight looked ready to burst from excitement, which was understandable. Full ride scholarship? Internship with a brand new division of a government agency? Of course the scientist in Twilight would be ecstatic.

Sunset looked at Sonata, who was maybe a touch apprehensive, though she was smiling at Twilight. She would be supportive of Twilight.

Finally, she looked at her marefriend. The question of Sunset’s future, either in the human world or the pony one, had been a subject of some heated discussion between the two of them, finally landing on an agreement to not discuss an issue that made them argue. Now, in the alicorn Princess’ eyes, Sunset saw hope and pride and love. She saw an opportunity to stay with her friends, in her adopted world. She saw a chance to stay close to the pony she loved.

“I’ll do it!” Sunset said enthusiastically. “When do we start?”

The End

Author's Note

Well, that's it! Thanks everybody who read my little coronavirus quarantine project! Now that it's done, I'm returning to work on my epic, Rekindled Embers, the first chapter of which should be out soon.

If you liked my silly little story, I'd love to hear why. If you didn't like it, I'd really love to hear why too. Either way, thanks for reading! This was a blast to write, and I hope I entertained a few folks on the way.

Chapter 6

“Stop pacing. You’re freaking me out,” Sunset said.

“I’m freaking you out?” Twilight replied incredulously. “I’m freaking you out?!” Her voice rose an octave. “Well I’m so sorry Sunset that this situation is making you uncomfortable!” She was nearly shrieking by the last word. Sunset’s eyebrows raised, and she held her hands up in a calming motion. Twilight realized she was breathing heavily. “Um…”

“Twilight, are you going to be okay?”

“Do I look okay?” Twilight asked. “Sunset, she’s me. Except from another world. Except she’s a genius, and a sovereign ruler of her nation. A position, remember, that she earned through both scholarly and heroic achievement, not one that she inherited. She’s literally the perfect physical reminder of every missed potential, every mistake, every bad choice I’ve ever made!”

“Twilight, you’re hyperventilating. Please, can you sit down? I’ll go get you a drink of water.”

“And leave me alone for her to show up?” Twilight panicked. “And then she’ll be here, and I’ll be here, and we’ll be all by ourselves, and it will be so awful…”

“Twilight, calm down, please. I won’t go anywhere if you’ll just please sit down.”

“Sit down? Uh, okay. Okay.” Twilight muttered, plopping down on the cement that surrounded the plinth where Canterlot High’s mascot statue used to stand. She nearly leaned against the stone side of the plinth, remembering at the last second that this was the side that contained the magical portal to Equestria. With a start, she jerked away, rising to her feet again before taking a few steps then plopping down on the cement again, this time facing the portal.

“Twilight, I’m sorry. You know she’d feel terrible that she’d made you feel that way.”

“Of course it’s not her fault,” Twilight spat. “She’s so perfect.” She felt awful as soon as the words slipped out of her lips. “Sunset, I’m sorry I’m being like this. I really thought I’d be more okay with all this.” Sunset crouched down next to her best friend, resting a hand on her opposite shoulder and pulling Twilight into a half hug.

“Hey. Hey. It’s completely okay. I didn’t really think how hard this would be for you,” Sunset said as one hand rubbed Twilight’s shoulder comfortingly.

“I didn’t realize either,” Twilight said. “Really, we both should have. You may have noticed I have a propensity for panic attacks and overthinking things.”

“It is part of your distinct charm,” Sunset agreed, and Twilight looked up at her and laughed. It was a wan thing, maybe a little forced, but Sunset joined in. “Twilight, really, if…”

Whatever she was going to say was washed away in a flash of bright white light from the portal. Twilight’s heart caught in her throat as her double stepped through. She wore the same clothing that she had the last, brief time Twilight had seen the Princess; a pale, button down blue blouse with puffy sleeves, a pink bow tie, and a purple skirt with a pink star motif on it, completed by knee-high argyle socks. Twilight felt a twinge of jealousy that the Princess didn’t seem to need glasses like she did; her minor nearsightedness had never bothered her, not really. Not until she found out her absolutely perfect alternate reality double had perfect eyesight. Just one more insecurity to add to the list, she thought disparagingly.

“Sunset!” the Princess beamed. “And, uh, Twilight! Good to see both of you!” The sincerity in her voice was not feigned. Jerkily, Twilight jumped to her feet. Sunset rose with a bit more dignity, though she did dash forward to catch up the slightly shorter girl in a tight embrace.

“I missed you, Princess,” Sunset breathed, and Twilight looked away from the private moment, tugging at the hem of her own skirt in order to keep her hands from wringing. She tried not to hear when they kissed. “Oh. Twilight, uh. Sorry.” She looked up to see that the two of them had separated, though they were still clinging to each other’s hands. Their faces both had the flushed, rosy sort of look of new lovers, and their eyes kept darting back to each other. Oddly enough, that bit didn’t make Twilight feel guilty. She had a second date coming in less than a week, after all. Absently she reached up and touched the spot on her cheek where Sonata had kissed her just a few days ago. It was completely unscientific, and completely illogical, but she imagined she could still feel the warmth of Sonata’s lips.

“I’m so glad to see you too, Sunset,” the Princess said. She glanced at Twilight. “Um…”

“Oh! Right. Well, Twilight here,” Sunset began, pointing to human Twilight, not the Princess. “Twilight has the address for Pinkie’s house if you don’t remember where it is. I’ll meet you both there when you two are done talking? I think all the girls are coming over for a sleepover.”

“That sounds like fun. I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” the Princess said, her eyes on Twilight. Sunset nodded, and let go of the Princess’ hands so she could walk over to Twilight. Briefly, Sunset hugged her. “It’ll be okay. She’s nice.”

“I know that,” Twilight hissed. “This would actually be easier if she weren’t, you know.” Sunset laughed.

“Oh! I forgot!” Sunset exclaimed. Sitting on the ground, draped over Sunset’s backpack, was a coat. The Princess was already beginning to shiver. The coat was the same color as the Princess’ blouse, a light blue. It was a trench style coat that Rarity had selected, complete with a knit scarf that had been embroidered with the same pink star motif that was on the Princess’ skirt. Sunset snatched them up and handed them to the Princess. “These are from Rarity.”

“Ooh, they look warm,” Princess Twilight cooed. “I always forget how cold it can get without fur.” Somewhat clumsily, she managed her arms into the coat. The Princess stared at the buttons for a few seconds, as if waiting for something.

“Fingers, Twi,” Sunset said, her voice light and teasing. The Princess went crimson, fumbling at the buttons with her fingers before muttering something uncomplimentary at her girlfriend. “What? You know you deserve it, princess, after all the teasing you gave me about my telekinesis last time I was on the other side.”

“Okay, okay,” Princess Twilight muttered. “Now shoo. Twilight and I need some time by ourselves, okay?” The dismissal was not subtle, but it was kind and given with a smile. With one more quick hug to her girlfriend, and an encouraging smile for Twilight, she jogged off in the direction of the school’s parking lot. Twilight wanted to beg her not to go.

“Do you have somewhere you’d like to take a walk?” Princess Twilight asked, her voice full of kindness and patience. “Somewhere quiet, maybe?” She suddenly shivered as the wind blew by in front of the school. “Ooh, and maybe somewhere a bit sheltered from the wind?” Twilight laughed. It helped, somehow, to see the Princess as somebody who was able to experience cold. It made her seem more real, more vulnerable.

“Would you… like to see the school garden? Nothing’s blooming right now, but most of the leaves are still on the trees. It’s beautiful, the colors are fantastic, and there’s a nice little nature trail that’s only about a mile long.”

“Sounds nice. When is your Running of the Leaves?” Princess Twilight asked, as Twilight began to lead them to the wooded garden behind the parking lot.

“Running of the Leaves?” Twilight asked, which launched the Princess into a detailed description of the active role ponies took in changing the seasons in their world. It was incredible and odd at the same time; when Twilight explained that these were completely natural processes in this world, the Princess seemed just as shocked and intrigued as she was. The conversation took long enough to reach the packed dirt path that led to Wallflower’s little garden.

“We’re avoiding the issue, aren’t we?” Princess Twilight asked wistfully, as she looked around the fall palate painted on the trees and the forest floor.

“Yeah, uh, maybe,” Twilight responded. She didn’t know what more to say.

“Okay,” Princess Twilight breathed, stepping out onto the path, enveloped by the thick canopy of trees and leaves above her. The few that had fallen upon the path gave off a satisfying crunch, and the entire forest smelled of fall. “So to start with, I wanted to apologize.”

“Princess, you don’t need to…”

“No, please, let me finish,” the Princess said. It was a polite interruption, but it was clear that this Twilight was growing used to the trappings of power, to the people, or ponies, around her sitting up and listening to her, waiting on her, deferring to her. “I won’t say I regret what happened, because I don’t. But I do wish it could have happened without hurting you. So for that I’m sorry.”

“Um, thank you? For saying so?” Twilight said, flinching that she’d made it a question. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her own jackets to hide them from the cold, trying not to shrink into herself.

“What can Sunset and I do to make this less difficult for you?” Princess Twilight asked, after they’d walked nearly a quarter mile of the loop that led through the forest.

“Be less perfect,” Twilight muttered, before she could stop herself. The Princess looked back behind her, her eyes full of shock and confusion.

“Be less… you think I’m…” the Princess stuttered. “How could you possibly think…” It was very strange to be the witness to a ‘Twilight panic attack’ from the outside, and it was both an uncomfortable reminder of her own insecurities, and a stark example of the very similarities between her and her double that so terrified her. It was confusing. Then the Princess rolled her eyes slightly and lifted her hand, fingers curled up to her chest as she inhaled slowly, lowering her hand as she exhaled. It was a gesture she’d seen a thousand times from Cadence. Of course there would be a Cadence on the other side as well, teaching her same calming techniques to Princess Twilight. “Right. Sorry. You think I’m perfect?”

“I guess not?” Twilight said. The princess raised her eyebrows, and Twilight flushed with frustration. “Okay, maybe a bit, yeah. Do you realize how hard it is to live up to the benchmarks you’ve set? You’re… impossibly perfect, Princess, and I just happen to share your name and look exactly like you.”

“Do you think your friends feel that way?” Princess Twilight speculated. “Do they treat you poorly because of it?”

“No, of course not!” Twilight insisted. “They’ve been nothing but kind and accepting.”

“That’s what I expected. So who is making these expectations, Twilight?” the Princess asked. There was a serene maturity in her voice that Twilight wanted to hate her for.

“I know what a leading question sounds like, Princess,” Twilight grumbled. “I get what you’re trying to say. That doesn’t make it any easier.”

“You and I have had different experiences, but at our core, we’re very similar,” the Princess said. “I know how you feel, because I’ve been where you are. I know who sets those expectations, because it’s the same pony who sets them for me.”

“Don’t try to put us on the same level, princess,” Twilight said. “Look at what you’ve accomplished. I’m just… a teenaged girl.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” the princess said. “You’re a different pony… er, person than I am, but maybe that’s a function of time and opportunity than it is achievement.”

“What do you mean?”

“I began my path to where I am when another princess, Princess Celestia, discovered my potential and took me aside as her personal student. It led me to meeting my friends, to finding my destiny, and to eventually becoming the mare I am today. I’m not saying you’ll develop in the same way I have; that’s impossible. Your world doesn’t have alicorn princesses, after all.” The princess gave an awkward laugh. “Things don’t work the same over here, but I’m guessing that there was an event, comparable to my discovery by Princess Celestia, that has occurred to change your life profoundly. And my guess is that it has happened much more recently for you than it has for me.” Princess Twilight’s eyes were intense as she searched Twilight’s face, and she couldn’t look away. “You’re not inferior to me at all. You’re just at an earlier stage in your development. And I’m betting that whatever you become, whatever you turn into, will be something beyond what even I can imagine.”

Twilight blinked. There was a fervor and a passion to the princess’s tone that was impossible to ignore. The Princess believed in her, and it was impossible to doubt the sincerity in her voice. It made her eyes a bit misty.

“I-I didn’t know,” Twilight stammered. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

“Of course not. You and I always jump to the worst case scenario. My mom has an entire shelf full of psychology books on anxiety-ridden teenagers.”

“Mine too!” Twilight exclaimed. They shared a familiar laugh, but the same exact sound and mannerisms, coming from the both of them, made Twilight remember the real reason for this conversation.

“Tell me honestly, Twilight. Honest to Applejack,” the princess smirked as she invoked their friend. “What’s the biggest problem, or complication, you see to me and Sunset being involved in a relationship?”

“Writing a checklist?” Twilight teased, and the princess colored. “Only because that’s what I’d be doing. ‘Once you list your obstacles, you can break down your goals into easily manageable individual tasks.’”

“’That way’,” the princess finished the quote, “’overcoming the difficulties and complications between you and your goals becomes simple.’ I didn’t know you had Haycart in this world, too. He’s one of my favorites.”

“Mine too. Okay, Princess. I’ll help you write your checklist. Item one. It’s incredibly weird that my best friend is dating somebody who looks exactly like me. It creates all sorts of implications that are uncomfortable.”

“That’s fair,” the princess mused. “Do you want to talk about that one?”

“That’s not how this works, Princess. We have to make the whole checklist first. Item two. While I’m not really interested in my best friend that way, it is a bit of a blow to the ego that she picked somebody exactly like me, except much better in every way.”

“I believe we covered that at least a bit,” the princess said.

“Item three,” Twilight pushed forward. “If I have to think about it, I’m a bit worried about my best friend being hurt because she’s in a completely irrational and bizarre interdimensional relationship with somebody of a different species.”

“Technically, we’re the same species,” the Princess said. “She was born on the other side…”

“That’s not what I meant,” Twilight cut in, embarrassed that she’d cut off royalty. She went on anyways. “You’re not a unicorn any more. You’re something else, right? Basically an immortal deity? Of course I’m going to be worried. I care about Sunset.”

“It does you credit,” the Princess sighed. “Item four?”

“Um, that’s it, I guess,” Twilight said, taken aback by the sudden melancholy in the Princess’ tone. “Did you want to start with item three, then?” The Princess’ eyes were worried, and they pierced Twilight with an intense gaze.

“I’m worried about item three, Twilight. I’m terrified. I’ve been talking to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia about it. They’ve been alive for centuries, and they’ve taken lovers. They’ve had experience with that sort of thing.” Her voice was fervent, deep with emotion and worry. “Twilight, I have no idea what it feels like to watch ponies you love grow old and slip away. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it when my friends pass, let alone a lover. But I know that I’ll regret it more if I let this opportunity pass.”

“You sound determined,” Twilight said. “If you haven’t yet, you can always talk it over with Cadence. I go to my Cadence with all my love woes.” The princess paled.

“I couldn’t talk to Cadence about this,” Princess Twilight said, sounding horrified. “Twilight, she’s in the same horseshoes as me. Oh, you don’t know… Twilight, on my side of the portal, Cadence is an alicorn princess too.”

“What! Oh, so you mean…” Twilight’s face fell. “Oh. Poor BBBFF. Poor Cadence. You should talk to her anyways. You may be in a unique position to…” she trailed off. The princess’ face was grim, and Twilight had no desire to continue this line of conversation. “I guess I’m worried for my friend, you know? Your relationship can’t exactly be normal.”

“Thanks, Twilight. I mean it. It’s actually a comfort to know that she has somebody as amazing as you looking out for her,” the Princess said. She turned around and continued their walk down the path, ostensibly tired of waiting in one spot, but Twilight saw the twinkle of tears in her eyes before she turned. “Okay then. Item one?”

“I kinda think Sunset might have solved that one. A bit. I’m curious about something, though. And it’s a very personal question, so feel free to tell me off if you have to. Sunset mentioned that you and Flash Sentry briefly had a thing for each other. Can I ask… what attracted you to him?” The last few words came out in a rush. Princess Twilight froze on the path in front of her, and Twilight assumed it was in shock. She was just about to apologize when the princess spoke again.

“I think I see where you’re going with this. Okay. Twilight, for me, physical appearance only goes so far. There has to be something more, something engaging, below the surface. When Flash and I were together, even if it was brief, I was impressed by his kindness, his insight, and his moral strength. The other things that typically enter into an infatuation, the physical details, didn’t really enter into it for me. Mostly because, well, I’m attracted to ponies, not humans.”

“Is there a pony Flash Sentry?” Twilight asked, to curious to stay silent.

“Yes,” the princess replied, her voice falling. “Like my theory about you and me, I thought that maybe pony Flash Sentry is at an earlier stage of his development then Flash Sentry over here. Pegasus Flash just doesn’t seem to have blossomed in the way the Flash on your side has, maybe because he hasn’t experienced the same things. He’s a guard in the Crystal Empire, at Cadence and Shiny’s palace. I spoke with him a few times, and nothing ever sparked. Certainly not the way they did with the Flash in this world.” The Princess sounded disappointed. “How is he doing?” Twilight knew that the princess was asking about Flash’s love life.

“He’s rebounded nicely,” Twilight said, grinning despite herself. “I don’t know how much Sunset has told you about the school I used to go to. Those girls could use a heavy dose of friendship magic, and I think Flash has taken it upon himself to fill that role. With one specific girl in particular.” Sugarcoat and Flash Sentry certainly made an odd couple, but she had been learning to filter herself recently, and behave more kindly, so maybe he was having a good influence.

“Oh. Well I’m glad he’s doing well,” the Princess said idly. “But you were wondering about me and Sunset.”

“Sunset already mentioned that the reason she’s attracted to you and not me is because you’re a pony and I’m not,” Twilight said. “I guess… it’s just hard to understand.”

“Are you dating somepony right now? Er, somebody?” Princess Twilight asked.

“Um, kinda,” Twilight said. “We have a second date on Wednesday, but the first date went exceptionally well by all reasonable standards.”

“And if you met your date in a different form, would you be any less attracted to him or her?” the Princess asked. Twilight was already shaking her head.

“Her. And no,” Twilight said. She felt like she had to tread lightly; she knew Sonata and Princess Twilight had a history.

“Now think about it this way. Say you kept dating your special somep- um, somebody, and after several dates, happened to meet her double on the other side of the portal. Would you find it confusing who to give your affection to?”

“I think I see your point,” Twilight said, ignoring the impossibility of meeting another Sonata. As far as she knew, there was no double for Sonata because she came over centuries ago, and had never been a pony to begin with. But that conclusion may have also been based on an incomplete or faulty premise. Either way, it was immaterial to what the Princess was trying to say. “But knowing something logically and knowing it emotionally is two different things.” She went silent, not really having the words to continue.

“It’s frustrating, isn’t it?” Princess Twilight said sympathetically.

“Sunset said basically the same thing,” Twilight said. “I think she really does see us as two completely different people… er, beings. I’m the one that’s the problem. That’s why our earlier conversation may have helped. Sunset sees us as two different people. I guess I’ve been looking at you as just a better, smarter, more perfect version of me who didn’t make all the same terrible choices I did.”

“Would it help if we became closer friends?” the Princess asked. “So you could see just how different we are?”

“That’s your solution to everything, isn’t it?” Twilight laughed.

“I am the Princess of Friendship,” she replied, turning and smiling at the other girl.

“Sure. Okay. I’d like to be able to say you’re my friend, Princess.”

“Normally at this point I’d insist you simply call me Twilight, but for the sake of our sanity, I think ‘Princess’ might be okay in this context,” the Princess said, and both girls shared a laugh. “So now that we’re friends, tell me about this mystery girl you’re seeing.” Twilight’s breath froze in her lungs, and she felt the onset of panic. The Princess’ eyes were open and inquiring, without a hint of the minefield she was steering the conversation into.

“So, if we’re friends, you promise to be understanding, right?” Twilight said shakily. The Princess’ gaze turned confused, and she nodded. “Good. Great. Because I’m dating Sonata Dusk.”

“Oh. Oh!” the Princess exclaimed, and Twilight watched as a gaggle of emotions blew across the Princess’ face. “Um… great? How is Sonata doing these days?” The question was perfectly awkward, exactly the uncomfortable thing Twilight would have asked herself. On the other side of the mirror, looking at her own quirks reflected back at her, it made her giddily amused.

“Better than she was, I think,” Twilight answered, after a moment’s thought. “We’ve only been on one date, but I think we really connected. She told me all about trying to mind control the school, and getting beaten by you guys. I even saw some of the videos. She’s been in a bad spot because she lost her music. When I met her, she was crying her eyes out at a concert.”

“I see,” the Princess said mournfully. “I wish they’d’ stayed after the Battle of the Bands. I would have liked to reach out to them, make sure they were okay.”

“They weren’t,” Twilight said, maybe a little bluntly, and the Princess flinched. “And they’re not now. But Sonata’s trying hard. I haven’t met the other two yet, but it sounds like they’re doing poorly.”

“Well, at least there’s a silver lining there,” the Princess said. She glanced at Twilight. “I assume your other friends don’t know yet?”

“No. Not yet.” Twilight shuddered at the thought of what her more volatile friends might do or say about her dating an old enemy. She hoped they’d understand.

“Well, at least you’ll be able to empathize with them when you do tell them. After all, you’ve just come out the other side of one of those same conversations, haven’t you?” the Princess beamed. “And, once you do tell Sunset, do you think I could get updates on how Sonata and the other Sirens are doing? It’s something I worry about sometimes.”

“I’ll want to ask Sonata about that first, to make sure she’d be okay with that,” Twilight warned. “She doesn’t exactly have the best opinion of you, Princess. No offence.”

“No, I understand totally,” the Princess said, though she did sound a little disappointed. “Can you tell me about how you two got together?”

This was something Twilight was more comfortable with. The two of them continued their walk through the natural canopy of orange and red leaves while Twilight told the Princess the story of the crying girl on the balcony. The Princess seemed genuinely interested, commenting in all the right places and asking clarifying questions when necessary. She was even amused by the story about the Indian restaurant; apparently the Tasty Treat existed on both sides of the portal, and the pony Pinkie and Rarity had helped save their Tasty Treat from closure, as well.

“Ready to go see Pinkie?” Twilight asked, when she reached the end of her story. The Princess nodded, and the two of them left the forested path for the back parking lot of the school. It was almost entirely empty, though Twilight did see the Vice Principal’s sedan sitting by its lonesome in the faculty parking lot. Twilight led the two of them over to her car.

“I can’t say I’ll ever get used to riding in vehicles powered by controlled gas explosions,” the Princess muttered as she slipped into the passenger side of Twilight’s car. Twilight smiled; of course the Princess, a consummate scholar, would have learned the basics of internal combustion vehicles.

“Vehicles in your world are powered by magic, I’d guess?” Twilight asked. She put the key in the ignition and turned, and her humble little car rumbled to life. The Princess shook her head.

“Not really. We have trains, hot air balloons and chariots. The chariots are usually pulled by pegasi, but I haven’t needed that form of transportation since I got wings.”

“Flying must be amazing,” Twilight said softly, and the Princess nodded.

“Next time you come visit, I know a spell that can give you wings, briefly,” the Princess said.

“Next time I come visit?” Twilight asked, and the Princess smiled.

“Of course. We’re friends now, right? I’d like to spend more time with you. I feel like I’m learning more about myself the more time I spend with you.” The Princess hesitated, then continued. “When Sunset let me know about some of your… concerns about our relationship, I was curious about the different paths our lives have taken. I did a bit of research and spoke with my parents, and I found out something you might find interesting.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked, wondering where this was going.

“When I applied to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, my parents had a backup plan for me, in case I didn’t get in. I had already been accepted to an elite magical academy in Canterlot. Somewhere called the Crystal Preparatory Academy, with a stuffy, stuck up noblepony named Abacus Cinch as the headmare. I thought you might find that interesting.”

“So Sunset told you about…”

“Yes, Twilight. She told me the whole story. I’m so sorry you had to put up with that monster. Where is she now?”

“Early retirement,” Twilight smirked. “Cadence is now principal there. It’s going to take several years to change the school’s momentum, but I can’t think of anybody more suited than my sister-in-law.”

“Cadence is great,” the Princess agreed. Her expression suddenly brightened, and with a silly grin she looked over at Twilight. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…” Twilight laughed. She couldn’t help herself; the goofy nursery rhyme brought back a wave of delightful memories and happy times with her old babysitter.

“Clap your hands and do a little shake,” Twilight finished. She put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot to drive to Pinkie’s house for their sleepover. After a moment, the Princess reached out and gently brushed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder, squeezing her companionably. “Thanks for this, Princess.”

Chapter 8

“You knew,” Sunset accused. Sunset and her princess girlfriend had continued their day long date, despite Sunset’s concerns. They were currently sitting for a late lunch at the mall food court. Maybe the mall was a cliché place for a teenage date, and maybe Sunset and Princess Twilight weren’t exactly your average teenagers, but Sunset enjoyed the no-stress easy pleasure of window shopping. Maybe Rarity was rubbing off on both of them, because Princess Twilight had also enjoyed trying on outfits at the trendy shops. After that, Sunset bought them lunch at the vegetarian wrap place at the mall she liked, and then her phone had blown up again. This time, with an update on the news about the Siren who was now attending their school.

“Um, maybe a little,” the Princess confessed, looking guilty.

“You knew,” Sunset repeated. “And you didn’t tell me. Shame, Princess. Shame. You know I have to punish you now, right?”

“P-punish me?” Princess Twilight gulped. “Sunset, be serious. You can’t just…”

“Oh yes. The most vicious torture I can come up with. Because I know your secret. I had to interview one dragon, one draconequus, and two Pinkie Pies to figure it out, but now I know your weak spot.”

“S-S-Sunset?” Princess Twilight stammered. Sunset had stood, and was leaning way over looking down on Twilight, her face twisted in an evil grin. Her voice dripped with poisoned honey.

“I know exactly where your ticklish spots are.”

“Oh, that’s all? Sunset, you had me worried. R-really, I’m not ticklish,” Twilight said.

“Really? Then why do I see fear in your eyes?” Sunset cooed, reaching out with clawed hands.

“Sunset? Sunset no! Sunset, we’re in public, don’t you dare…”

Needless to say, they made quite the scene. One girl standing over another, ruthlessly attacking her ribs, the other cackling madly as she tried to fend the first off. Thought the mall wasn’t that busy on a school day, there was still enough traffic to thoroughly embarrass Princess Twilight.

“Now I’m all out of breath and sweaty,” Princess Twilight grumped when Sunset finally let up. Sunset waggled her eyebrows at the unintentional innuendo, and a light blush dusted Twilight’s cheeks. “You’re terrible.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who withheld the juiciest bit of gossip possible,” Sunset said. “You’re lucky Rarity isn’t here. She’d probably not speak to you for a month after that.” She laughed, then sighed happily. “I get it. Not your secret to share, right? Lemme guess, you heard it from Twilight.”

“Yeah,” Princess Twilight agreed.

“And you really think… everything’s gonna be okay?” Sunset asked carefully. Princess Twilight didn’t answer right away. Sunset knew this wasn’t because she was hesitating, but rather because she was truly giving the question some thought.

“I don’t have enough information to be sure,” Princess Twilight admitted. “But I’m inclined to say yes.” Sunset gestured for her to elaborate. “Do you trust Twilight, Sunset?”

“Of course,” Sunset said. “It’s not her I’m worried about. Twi can be trusting. Naïve. A little spacey, sometimes.” Her girlfriend was eyeing her skeptically. “None of those are bad things, but it does mean she can be taken advantage of sometimes. She always assumes the best in people. I want to think that everybody deserves a second chance, but the Sirens were born manipulators.”

“Hmm,” Princess Twilight said thoughtfully. “That was always more the leader’s thing though, wasn’t it? Adagio? The other two were more followers.” She cringed. “It sounds terrible to put it like that. Like they were only extensions of Adagio’s will.”

“I wonder if that’s what’s happening,” Sunset mused. “Free of Adagio’s will, Sonata is branching out and discovering who she really is.”

“Well, that’s just speculative,” Princess Twilight said. “But it does sound good, right? Maybe you should hold off until you actually head back to school before forming your opinion.”

“I think in this case, you’re right. I should trust Twilight’s judgement. It’s just weird.”

“You know,” Princess Twilight said slowly. “My friends were a little skeptical at first about me dating you.”

“Because I used to be a villain?” Sunset asked. Honestly, she was a little pricked that the Equestrian versions of her own friends would doubt her, but to be fair, they hadn’t really met her.

“That. Also the long-distance nature of our relationship. It was Starlight who calmed them down. She basically said the same thing. ‘Don’t you trust Twilight?’ That doesn’t mean they don’t check up on me constantly.”

“You’re exactly right. Jeez, I’m dating a total smarty pants. Don’t worry, I’ll be checking in on both of them. Honestly, of all the bad guys we’ve encountered, the Sirens are the only story that didn’t end in a new friendship of some sort. It’d be kinda nice to have another go at that.”

“That’s the spirit!” Princess Twilight cheered.

“Now I just have to think of the best way to tease them about this.”

“Sunset…”

* * * * *

“Mom, Dad, Spike, I’m home! Where are you at?” Twilight called out as she stepped inside the modest home the three of them lived in. Pausing by the door, she carefully took off her backpack, hung her coat up in the closet adjacent to the entrance, then picked up her backpack and moved further inside.

“I’m in the study, sweetie,” her mom’s voice came. Twilight tried to channel her inner Rainbow Dash as she moved through the family’s living room towards the small study that served as both a quiet reading room and a computer room, depending on who needed it. Her mother was sitting at the computer desk, with several textbooks and notes spread out as she was working on some assignment or another. Twilight summoned all the courage she had and took a deep breath. “Your father took Spike to the doggy spa, they should be back just before dinner.”

“Mom, I was wondering, do you mind if I have somebody over this afternoon? Before the concert?”

“Of course not, Twilight. Your friends are always welcome here.” Twilight Velvet barely looked up from her work to greet her daughter.

“What if it were more than a friend?” Twilight asked, unable to stop herself from wringing her hands in front of her.

“More than one friend is fine, dear. Though if they’re staying for dinner, I would have liked more warning.”

“No, not more than one friend. I meant, um…” Twilight trailed off, and her mother looked at her with a puzzled glance, before the light bulb went on, and a crazed grin slid over Twilight Velvet’s face. This is why her mother made her nervous; not that she wouldn’t approve of Twilight dating, but that she would approve too much. Maybe far too strongly.

“Oh! You mean boyfriend, don’t you?” her mother squealed gleefully. Twilight flinched.

“Um, girlfriend, actually, though we haven’t used that word quite yet. We’ve only been on one date, after all.”

“Huh. I had no idea you were bisexual,” her mother said casually. Twilight was momentarily grateful that her parents, for all their odd quirks and normal parent cringe worthy behavior, that they weren’t the type to throw a fuss about her sexuality. Twilight assumed that her mother was mostly just giddy that she was dating anybody at all. “What’s her name?”

“Sonata Dusk. I’m taking her to the concert tonight, and I kinda invited her over so I could start teaching her to play the piano.”

“Aw, that sounds like a cute second date,” Twilight Velvet cooed. “Is it a problem if your brother and Cadence are coming tonight? We already invited them over for dinner.” Twilight knew what she meant. In their family, it was her older brother Shining Armor who had displayed the ‘overprotective relative’ stereotype. He joked that only Cadence had stopped him from opening a full background investigation into Timber Spruce when Twilight had been dating him, and nobody who heard him tell the story thought he was really joking.

“Not really. Like I said, we’re going to the concert tonight, so we’ll be gone before dinner. I think Sonata said something about taking me out afterwards, so we’ll get something to eat then.”

“Okay. Tell me about this Sonata.”

“She’s a music lover. I’ve seen her at the symphony before, and last week was the first time I had enough courage to go talk to her. We bonded over our shared love of music,” Twilight said. It was probably safe enough; her mom didn’t need to know what else they shared, like the shared trauma of being a former villain, the shared experience of being blasted by rainbow friendship magic. Twilight had explained as much about the situation to her parents, but they seemed to want to know as little as possible, so she tried to go gently with her parents on any magical subjects. They were pretty calm about most magic stuff, such as their daughter’s fully conversant English speaking dog, but the less they knew, the more comfortable they were. “We went out to that new Indian place Pinkie recommended, and decided to try for a second date. She even started going to Canterlot High this week.”

“Oh? Where was she before?” Twilight Velvet asked innocently. Twilight froze. This was not a question she had a good answer for. To be honest, Twilight wasn’t completely sure, but she didn’t think Sonata had even been attending school. What did she say to her mother? She didn’t want her mom to get the idea that Sonata was some sort of delinquent. She felt her anxiety levels rising as her mother waited for an answer.

“Um,” she got out before Twilight Velvet intervened.

“Is something wrong, sweetie?” she asked, and Twilight blinked. What would Sunset do? Lie? Probably not. But she’d come up with some excuse. Pinkie would probably distract her mother by making something explode. Applejack? Applejack would…

“Um, she wasn’t going to school,” she blurted out, and her mother’s face became concerned. “I don’t know for sure just yet, but my impressions are that she’s just getting out of a bad situation.”

“Bad situation?” Twilight Velvet asked.

“Bad situation kinda like the Friendship Games,” Twilight finished. Her mother went pale. She’d wanted to avoid this, but her mother was smart, and always knew when Twilight was hiding something. Best to be completely honest up front, she supposed. “She’s been hurt before, by m-magic stuff. I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Everything’s okay now though, right?” Twilight Velvet asked carefully, and Twilight nodded.

“She’s as safe as me. Probably safer,” Twilight said, an image of black wings and a cruelly sharp horn flashing before her eyes.

“Well, of course,” Twilight Velvet said confidently. “She’s got you to look after her now, right?” Twilight blushed.

“Yeah. Thanks for that, Mom.”

“So when do I get to meet her?” her mother asked. Twilight looked at the clock. It was ten to four.

“Uh, forty minutes?” Twilight said. “Unless she gets lost.”

“Well, go get ready for your date, girl!” her mother cried out, clapping her hands. Twilight rolled her eyes.

“We’re just doing a piano lesson first,” Twilight said. “It’s not like there’s much to get ready for. I’ll get dressed for the concert later.”

“You sure?” Twilight Velvet asked. “Well, if you’re not busy, than could you proofread these pages for me? It’ll take your mind off of your pre-date anxiety.”

“I never said I had pre-date anxiety!” Twilight protested. Her mother smiled.

“I know you didn’t, dear. Can you take a look?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. Her mother was way too perceptive. Twilight Velvet slid out of the computer chair and made room for her daughter. Even though it was a doctorate level research paper, Twilight Velvet trusted her daughter’s keen mind and eye for detail enough to at least do some basic level proofreading. Twilight was a perfectionist, and she went through her mother’s writing like a sleuth, looking for the barest hint of grammatical error or stylistic misstep. Her mother had been right; Twilight was completely absorbed in her task when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Twilight Velvet sung out teasingly at her daughter. Suddenly Twilight remembered where she was and what she was waiting for, and stumbled out of her chair, spilling onto the floor with a clumsy yelp. Her mother giggled playfully and rushed to the door first while Twilight, tangled in the chair, did her best to chase after her mother before she could do something embarrassing. She was too late; she heard the door open while she was extracting her shoelace, which had become twisted in one of the chair’s wheels.

“Um, is this Twilight Sparkle’s house?” she heard Sonata’s melodic voice from the front door.

“Yes, it is. You must be Sonata Dusk. Twilight has told me all about you. I’m her mother, Twilight Velvet. Come on in. I’ll take your coat and scarf.”

“T-thanks,” Sonata stuttered, sounding very nervous. “Um, I’ll hang onto the scarf, I’m a little chilly. She came around the corner where she could see Twilight, sprawled out on the floor. Without any warning, Sonata suddenly burst into uncontrollable giggles, clutching her sides with the laughter. Twilight was torn. She wanted to be grumpy, she really did. But it really was a joy to hear her laugh. She finally decided her dignity was more important than her shoelace, and she slipped her feet out of her shoes so she could stand up and brush herself off.

“Yes, ha ha, very funny, I tripped,” Twilight grumped, though she was inwardly happy that Sonata appeared already at ease. As unintentional icebreakers went, this one had accidentally worked out quite well. “I’m glad you found the place okay.” She glanced nervously at her mother, a split-second flick of her eyes, before stepping forward and wrapping Sonata in a quick hug. Sonata squeezed her back, and Twilight could swear she heard her mother squee. “C’mon, I’ll show you to the piano. How was the rest of your school day?” She tried not to blush too hard when she took Sonata’s hand and guided her towards the living room, fully aware of her mother’s close and cheerful scrutiny.

“Honestly? Weird. Though all the staring stopped being nearly as hostile after everybody saw me sitting with you guys at lunch, so I guess it’s a good weird?” Sonata shrugged and followed Twilight into the living room. She was wearing the same clothing she wore to school, only this time, she also had wrapped a sea-green scarf loosely around her neck. She’d also taken the time to put on some makeup, mostly just a foundation and some eyeshadow, but Twilight quite liked the effect. She walked them over to the piano, an upright model that had been in the family since before Twilight had been born. It was beautiful and well kept, with polished honey-colored wood and faux-ivory keys. The bench was a matching wood, with a black velvet padded seat. Twilight pulled out the bench and motioned for Sonata to scoot it up to the piano.

“You girls want some snacks?” Twilight Velvet asked, passing through on her way to the kitchen. Twilight shot her a grateful look when it was clear that Twilight Velvet was not going to hover, though the expression on her mother’s face was a bit worried. Twilight wondered what the problem was.

“Sure, mom. Whatever is fine,” Twilight said, and her mother shot them both another concerned look before drifting out of the room. Sonata was staring at the piano, her fingers feathering over the keys too lightly to press any of them. “Are you okay?”

“What if I’m cursed?” Sonata whispered. “What if when your friends broke my voice, they broke my ability to make music all together? What if…”

“Shush,” Twilight ordered, placing her hand over Sonata’s mouth. She pointed at a book already sitting on the stand above the keys. It was one of the old books Twilight and Shining Armor had both used when taking piano lessons as small children. She opened it up to the first page, an explanation of musical notes and timing. When Twilight didn’t move her hand right away, Sonata kissed her fingers, and Twilight jerked away, blushing. Sonata smiled triumphantly. “Okay, we won’t get anywhere if we spend the whole time flirting.”

“Got it. We’ll only spend half the time flirting then,” Sonata declared, and the two girls shared a laugh.

“Now, I’ve never taught piano lessons before, but I’m going to do my best.” Twilight slid into the bench next to Sonata, close enough that their hips were touching. She tried not to think about that too hard. “This symbol here,” Twilight pointed to the page, “represents a single musical note. This is a quarter note, one of the most common notes in music. It represents a single beat in a measure.”

Sonata proved to be an apt musical pupil, her eagerness to learn to make music translating into an eagerness to learn. The first few pages of the book were dedicated to the most basic level of reading music, from defining the differences between basic types of notes, (whole, half, quarter; the book was kind enough to leave more complicated notes for future lessons) the basic arrangement of the musical staff, including time signature, clef, and what the lines and spaces on the staff meant. Twilight helped Sonata connect the notes written on the page with the keys on the piano. As the lesson progressed, Twilight discovered something profound about herself.

She loved to teach.

Admittedly, it took a great deal of patience. Sometimes it was frustrating to realize that concepts you found simple, concepts that just made sense to you, didn’t quite click just yet for your student. Twilight found herself explaining the most basic and simple of assumptions, and even though Sonata was quick to pick up on things, they still had to be explained in the first place. Both girls were so absorbed in the lesson that they didn’t even notice when Twilight Velvet snuck in, deposited a crudités plate with some blue cheese dip behind them.

“Do you have a piano you can practice on during the week?” Twilight asked, glancing at the clock. It was just about time to wrap up. “Learning to play piano is difficult, and requires a great deal of practice.” Sonata had just finished playing a near perfect interpretation of ‘Hot Cross Buns’.

“The youth center, where I meet my therapist. They’ve got a piano I can practice on. It’s broken, but I think I’ll be fine. I’d do anything to get music back,” she breathed, then glanced over at Twilight, her heart in her eyes. Sitting on the bench together put their eyes and noses mere inches apart.

“Okay, um,” Twilight stammered. “You’ll n-need to practice at least an h-half hour every day. M-maybe even more if you have time.” She could see every detail of Sonata’s face. This close, she could even smell the vanilla in whatever body wash or shampoo Sonata was using. She fought the urge to grab her, hold her close and bury her face in Sonata’s hair, to breathe her in, and to kiss her. Their lips inched closer together. It would be so easy...

“Twilight…” Sonata whispered, and the front door suddenly swung open.

“Twilight! Mom! Dad! We’re here!” her brother called from the entryway as the front door swung open. For the second time that day, Twilight found herself tumbling out of her seat as she lurched from the bench, trying to stand and accidentally banging her knees against the piano. She gave a scream of surprise and dismay, spilling out onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. Sonata, blushing furiously, couldn’t help as another wave of giggles took her. Twilight wanted to hide under something. Her brother and sister-in-law stepped into the living room, looking confused and amused. Sonata was covering her mouth, and Twilight buried her face in the carpet, trying to hide her own embarrassed blush.

“Oh, hello,” Cadence said, her musical voice filled with amusement.

“Hi, Cadence. Hey there, BBBFF,” Twilight mumbled into the floor without raising her head. “This is Sonata Dusk. Sonata, meet my brother Shining Armor and his wife, Cadence. I’m going to stay on the floor and die of embarrassment now, okay?”

“Oh, Twilight, get up. Sonata, it’s lovely to meet you. Is this…?” Cadence trailed off discretely, but Twilight knew what she’d been about to ask.

“Yes, Sonata is the girl I told you about. We’re dating now.”

“Twilight, get up,” Cadence said more seriously. Twilight heard the sound of motion as her family stepped into the room to shake Sonata’s hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, Sonata. Shiny, be nice. I think we might have interrupted something very interesting.” Twilight groaned into the floor. She saw the tips of Cadence’s shoes; she was standing right over Twilight. “You know, Sonata, I used to babysit Twilight when she was tiny. I have an entire folder on my phone full of pictures with…”

“I’m getting up!” Twilight yelped, jerking to her feet, much to the amusement of Sonata and her family. “You don’t need to do that!”

“If you give me your cell number, I’ll text you later,” Cadence teased. Sonata nodded, still trembling with laughter. “C’mon, let’s move to the couches and get to know each other. You two can take the love seat.” She delivered the last with a properly cheesy eyebrow waggle. She finally noticed the scarf Sonata was wearing. “Aren’t you hot, Sonata? You can take that off if you like.”

“I’m fine,” Sonata said, looking suddenly a bit nervous as her hand shot to her scarf. “It’s comfortable.”

“Okay,” Cadence said, sharing a glance with Shining. Twilight wondered what it meant. Cadence and Shining arranged themselves on the couch, and Twilight slid over the untouched crudités that her mother had prepared, placing it on the coffee table sitting between the couch and loveseat.

“We can’t stay for long,” Twilight said. “We have to get ready for the concert soon.” It was nice to have a built-in escape hatch when having an embarrassing conversation with Cadence. She was an absolute dear, but she could get a little intense when it came to the subject of love and romance. Cadence looked a bit annoyed.

“Well, okay then,” Cadence huffed. “Sonata, tell us about yourself.”

“There’s not much,” Sonata said simply. “I’m not actually all that interesting.”

“That is provably false!” Twilight interjected before she could help herself, well aware that she sounded a bit shrill. “You’re fun and funny, you love music, and you’re an incredibly hard worker and a passionate learner! You like tacos and Indian food, and you like to tease when you flirt.” She realized as soon as she said that last bit that she’d said way too much in front of her brother and Cadence. Oh well, too late to backtrack now. “I told you, Sonata, I don’t want to hear you talk down on yourself.” She subsided, glancing at the speculative looks on both Cadence and Shining Armor’s faces. Sonata grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Are you from Canterlot?” Cadence asked, a touch awkwardly, into the silence that followed Twilight’s outburst.

“Not really,” Sonata said. “I’ve been living here the last year or so, but my family traveled quite a bit while I was growing up.”

“Oh? What do your parents do?” Cadence asked. Sonata looked down.

“I’m kind of an orphan. I never really knew my parents. It’s always been me and my two sisters.” She was so matter of fact about it that Cadence was nonplussed.

“Oh! Uh, so you live with your sisters still?” Cadence asked. Sonata nodded.

“Yup. Just the three of us.” There was something in her tone, something cold and unhappy. Twilight almost sighed with relief when Cadence changed the subject.

“So where do you go to school?”

“I just started at Canterlot High,” Sonata said, sounding much more cheerful, though Twilight knew this conversation might be a bit fraught as well. “Twilight and her friends have just been amazing. I was kinda scared, first day in a new school and all, but they made it fun.” It was interesting, Twilight noted, how Sonata could speak the absolute truth but still leave out some of the more complicated details.

“That sounds lovely,” Cadence said. “I’m glad they’ve been so accepting. They were so kind to Twilight, too, when she transferred.” Cadence eyed Twilight. “I was sad to lose you, Twilight, but I’m ecstatic you’ve found a home at your new school.”

“You’re a teacher?” Sonata asked. Twilight could have hugged her in gratitude for changing the subject.

“Yes, I’m principal at Crystal Prep, the school Twilight used to attend.”

Twilight let Sonata and Cadence carry the small talk away. It was comfortable and nice to see them getting along in such a casual way. Shining Armor listened, mostly silent, though he did chime in every once and a while. She got the sense that Shining Armor was using his police academy skills to try and read between the lines of the conversation, and the idea made her nervous. She watched the clock until it was time to get ready for the concert. With a polite interruption, she was able to extract Sonata from the living room so the two of them could head to the concert.

“You’re not going to dress up?” Sonata asked as the two were about to step out the door. Twilight shrugged.

“I usually do, but I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable,” Twilight said. Sonata pouted. “I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”

“No. I just wanted to see you in another cute dress.”

“I see. Maybe next time we’ll have to talk to Rarity. That way we can both be in cute dresses,” Twilight replied.

“I’d like that,” Sonata said, licking her lips. Twilight led Sonata to her car, parked in the family driveway. She even opened the door for Sonata first. “Ooh, how chivalrous.”

Once they were in the car Twilight hesitated. She’d planned the next bit, but now she was having second thoughts. Hands shaking, she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.

“Everything okay?” Sonata asked. Twilight nodded.

“Yes. One moment, please, I want to show you something,” she said. Twilight found the video she was looking for and passed the phone to Sonata. “Last time, you showed me one of your darkest moments. I thought it would only be fair if you saw mine.”

“Twilight, are you sure?” Sonata asked, her finger hovering over the play icon on the phone. Twilight nodded, starting the car and putting it into reverse. She backed out of the driveway into the street.

“It’s a pretty dark time for me. But I’m coming to terms with what I did, and what I became. Slowly. It was helpful to have Sunset nearby, because we’d experienced something similar. Now I have you too.” Sonata didn’t say anything to that, but her smile glowed with warmth. She tapped the button on the phone, and the sounds of Twilight Sparkle’s worst day ever filled the car. The worst part was is how much she empathized with her past self. She heard herself singing, longingly, about all the things she’d learn if she set the magic free. She hadn’t been wrong.

When she heard her own voice, desperate and pleading, begging Principal Cinch for help, Sonata tapped the screen, pausing the video.

“I don’t need to see it all,” Sonata whispered softly, reaching up to Twilight’s cheek to brush away a tear. Twilight shook her head.

“I want you to,” she said. “If that’s okay.” Sonata nodded, and restarted the video.

“It’s amazing that somebody recorded all of this,” Sonata muttered, as Twilight heard the sounds of magical blasts destroying the old statue in front of Canterlot High.

“We’re teenagers. We always have our phones out and take videos of everything,” Twilight replied. She turned onto the street in front of the concert hall.

“Is it weird if…” Sonata began, then trailed off.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“Um, it’s embarrassing,” Sonata replied. Sounds of Sunset Shimmer’s speech about friendship and Twilight’s perfect evil villain laugh sounded from the phone.

“You can tell me.”

“Is it weird that you’re kinda hot like that? Just a bit.” Sonata held up a hand in protest. “Not that I’d want to see it in person. It’s just, even while evil you’re pretty badass.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but realized she didn’t have anything to say. She looked askance at Sonata, before bursting into laughter.

“That is entirely the most inappropriate response to this whole situation,” Twilight laughed. Sonata giggled embarrassedly.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll always be a little bit of a bad girl at heart,” Sonata said. Twilight pulled into a parallel parking spot along the street, just in front of the concert hall.

“No, I don’t see it,” Twilight said. “You’re not a bad girl at all.” She reached out and brushed her fingers along the back of Sonata’s hand. Sonata grinned. “C’mon, let’s go in.”

The theme for the music this evening was war. Perhaps it wasn’t the most romantic of dates, but Twilight certainly appreciated the parade or military themed music that the concert’s curators had picked. What she enjoyed more, however, was the fact that the armrests between the seats were retractable, so Sonata could nestle into her while Twilight wrapped her arms around her. Sonata listened to the music with eyes closed, and she didn’t cry a single tear, though she shivered a few times, and Twilight squeezed her closer. There was a small smile on Sonata’s face for the entire concert. When the lights went up, they left the concert, hand in hand.

“You didn’t cry once,” Twilight commented as they walked back to her car. Sonata shook her head.

“I didn’t feel like it. Is that okay?” she asked, unsure. Twilight laughed and squeezed her hand.

“Of course it’s okay. I’m glad.”

“Oh. Good. I really enjoyed listening to the concert with you this time.”

“Maybe the absence of worry over getting caught for being trespassing made it more enjoyable?” Twilight asked, and Sonata giggled.

“Maybe. Or maybe I’ve just never listened to music while cuddling before,” Sonata shot back, her eyes lost in Twilight’s. They reached her car, and Twilight unlocked it and let them in. “So, tacos?”

“Just tell me where,” Twilight said, her stomach growling. She pulled out her phone and fed the location Sonata supplied into her phone’s navigation app. “That’s a parking lot,” she commented, when the app loaded the location.

“Yup. The best tacos in all Canterlot are sold out of Mango Salsa’s food truck. She’s a wizard with food. Like, there may even be magic involved.” Sonata said, her expression rapturous.

“Okay. I can’t wait to taste it.”

The parking lot wasn’t really paved, but hard packed dirt. The truck itself looked fairly new, colored brightly in orange, red, and green logos. Somebody had set up three large plastic folding tables and some chairs, and there was quite the gathering of taco fans milling about. A speaker on the side of the truck blasted salsa music into the parking lot. There were even some couples dancing.

“This looks… fun.” Twilight said. Frankly, she didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t an outdoor restaurant experience, complete with music and dancing.

“We can go somewhere else,” Sonata said nervously, but Twilight shook her head.

“No, this looks amazing. I’m excited. Let’s go.” They found a parking spot on the dirt and stepped out of the car. Twilight expected a long wait, but it seemed most of the crowd had already gotten their food and were mostly staying for the atmosphere. The two of them lined up at the truck’s window, and Twilight looked inside.

Mango salsa was a young woman with scarlet hair and tan skin. She was moving quickly and proficiently in the small kitchen inside her truck, and seemed to have a permanent smile on her face. There was a spark of true joy in her eyes; this woman was doing something she loved. Twilight glanced at the menu, a handwritten chalkboard sign with only three items on it: tacos, grilled chicken, and fajitas. All were served with Mexican street corn and seasonal vegetables.

“The menu changes every day based on what Mango can get a deal on, and what she feels like cooking,” Sonata explained. “But tacos are always on there. Sometimes they’re chicken tacos, sometimes fish or pork. It looks like fish today.” The customers in front of them received their food, and Twilight and Sonata stepped up.

“Sonata dear! I was worried when you didn’t show up on Monday!” Mango called out cheerfully. “I get nervous if my regulars don’t show up.”

“I had to skip taco day this week so I could afford to bring a date,” Sonata replied, wrapping an arm around Twilight and squeezing her shoulders.

“A date, eh? Well done, Sonata, she looks cute. And good thing, too. I have a special tonight for couples on dates. Buy one get one free,” Mango said. Her eyes were twinkling with mischief and amusement.

“You do not,” Sonata protested, but Mango waved a spatula at her.

“Nonsense. I get to decide when to offer specials and promotions. It’s my business, after all. Now, does your friend have the same cast-iron stomach that you do?”

“Uh… what?” Twilight asked, confused. Sonata laughed.

“She means, how spicy do you like your food?”

“Um, a little bit? Not too much,” Twilight said nervously. Sonata smiled.

“Well, in that case, don’t kiss your girlfriend until she’s had something to drink,” Mango Salsa warned. “The usual for you, Sonata? The cod is super tasty today, I got a great deal on a very fresh shipment.”

“You know me. Twilight?”

“Um, tacos are fine. I’ve never had fish tacos before,” Twilight admitted. Her mother was a great cook, but didn’t have a very wide ethnic range.

“Two taco orders, one spicy, one not so much,” Mango Salsa repeated, and Sonata dug into her pocket to pay the woman, retrieving a handful of change and crumpled bills. They stepped to the side to wait, but nobody was waiting in line behind them. It only took a few minutes before the chef passed two paper-lined cardboard trays out of the truck’s window. Each one held two tacos, covered in shredded cabbage, salsa, and a green creamy sauce. There was also a pair of short Styrofoam cups containing corn in one and grilled veggies in the other. Mango Salsa also handed them a pair of cups with straws poking out. “Enjoy, and have fun on your date!” she called out as the two girls carried their food to a table.

“What is…?” Twilight asked, holding up the drink cup.

“Oh sorry, I should have asked if you wanted water or soda or something. It’s horchata. Try it.”

Twilight put her lips on the straw and sipped. Her mouth was flooded with a sweet milky beverage, and she tasted cinnamon and sugar.

“It’s good!” she said out loud. “What is it?”

“I don’t know how it’s made, but it’s made of rice, not milk. I love the stuff; it goes well with spicy food,” Sonata replied, taking a large bite of one of her tacos. Twilight followed suit.

The fish was battered and fried, much like a fish and chips. It was mild and tasty, and made a perfect complement to the creamy avocado sauce and the slightly spicy salsa spread on top. It was quite possibly the best taco Twilight had ever eaten.

“Wow. I see why you like this place,” Twilight said after she had chewed and swallowed her first bite. Sonata, her cheeks puffed out full of food, merely nodded and grinned.

It didn’t take long to eat their food. Twilight loved every second of the meal. The open air, the music playing on the speakers, and even the other people dancing and enjoying themselves all around created an atmosphere that was both welcoming and exotic for her.

“You done?” Sonata asked, glancing at Twilight’s empty cardboard tray. Twilight nodded. “Okay. C’mon.” Sonata’s gaze darted to the open area where a few couples were dancing to the music playing from the truck’s speakers.

“Dancing?” Twilight gulped. “Um…”

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Sonata said. “Here, I’ll get these.” She gathered up all of their trash in one hand, seizing Twilight’s in her other. She pulled twilight out of her seat and into an open area, tossing their garbage into a can on the way. The other couples dancing gave them some space.

“Sorry, I don’t know much about…” Twilight began. Sonata interrupted.

“Put your hand up here,” Sonata placed Twilight’s left hand on her shoulder. Her right hand rested on Twilight’s waist, and their other hands clasped. “Now, salsa dancing is fun. Basically, it works like this. We’re going to shift our weight by stepping, but leave our upper body as stationary as possible. This creates a swaying motion in our hips. Like so,” Sonata demonstrated, and Twilight’s eyes were locked on the hypnotic motion of Sonata’s hips. “Arm and shoulder movement is okay to, as long as it’s mostly the legs and the hips moving. The timing works like…”

Twilight found it nearly impossible to focus on the very physical demonstration. She wondered if Sonata had felt the same way while taking a piano lesson, then dismissed the idea. Piano lessons were rarely this sensuous. She was sure, throughout the lesson, that she was bungling up every movement and step that Sonata had her make, but every time she looked into Sonata’s eyes her worries washed away. Sonata’s eyes sparkled with pure, unfiltered joy. It didn’t matter how clumsy Twilight was, Sonata took the lead and helped them get lost in the pulsing, cheerful beat of the music.

Finally, it was time for Mango Salsa to clean up for the evening. Her announcement was met with groans of disappointment from the few dancers who’d stayed behind, including Twilight and Sonata. It was just as well, though. Twilight was flushed with a bit more than just exertion, and both of them were giddy with excitement. They held hands all the way back to Twilight’s car, and there was a musical bounce in their steps the whole way.

“Can I drop you off at home?” Twilight asked, and suddenly much of the joy leeched from Sonata’s face. “I mean, I’d love to give you a ride so you don’t have to walk. I guess I just don’t want the night to end just yet.” With that, Sonata nodded, a bit subdued. Twilight wondered mournfully what she’d done wrong.

“Um, please don’t think too poorly of me when you see where I live, okay?” she asked.

“Sonata, you’ve seen me at my worst. Of course I won’t judge you,” Twilight said. Sonata gulped, and gave Twilight the address.

“The neighborhood’s not exactly the safest part of town, so be careful when you’re driving away, okay?” Sonata whispered. Twilight noted how her voice had deflated. Silently she wondered how she could get the joy, the life, the dance back in Sonata’s tone. She wished she had Sunset’s power to read minds; something had shut Sonata down, and Twilight didn’t know how to open her up again.

The address turned out to be a trailer park, though not as run down as Twilight had expected. She pulled the car in front of the trailer Sonata indicated. There were lights on inside, but Twilight didn’t see any movement. The front yard was ragged and full of weeds.

“Here it is,” Sonata announced, her voice flat. Twilight looked at her with concern. “Um, sorry to be a downer. Thanks so much for taking me out tonight.”

“I had an amazing time,” Twilight said, completely honestly. “Every second was magical.” It was the truth, even if the drive home had a dark cloud hanging over it. Impulsively Twilight reached out, her hand resting on Sonata’s shoulder, curling just a bit behind her neck. Sonata willingly pulled into the embrace, and their lips met. Twilight reached up, tightening around Sonata as their lips and mouths pressed against each other. Sonata was warm and soft, and Twilight wanted it to last forever. When Sonata broke away, she couldn’t help but let out the barest whimper of disappointment, which brought a small smile to Sonata’s lips.

“Later,” Sonata promised, and stepped out of the car.

“Wait!” Twilight rolled down her window and called out. Sonata paused on her way to the door of the trailer. “Um, the food truck chef called me your girlfriend. Are we…?” Sonata’s gaze became husky, and she licked her lips slightly.

“What do you think?” Sonata asked. Twilight’s mouth went dry.

“I think y-yes.”

“Good. Me too,” Sonata finished with a wave, then walked the rest of the way into her house.

The entire drive home Twilight felt floaty. She had no idea how else to describe the feeling. Girlfriend. It felt nice. It felt right. She thought about the feeling of Sonata’s lips on hers. She wanted more. One kiss wouldn’t be enough. She wanted more dates, more dancing, more cuddling, more smoky looks and swaying hips, more laughter, more Sonata. She was practically dancing herself when she stepped into her house.

“Welcome home, Twilight. How was your date?” her mother called out from the living room. Twilight’s stomach bottomed out. She’d forgotten that now she’d have to go through the utterly humiliating trial of discussing her date with her mother, her father, maybe even Cadence and Shiny. To her horror, both her parents, her brother, and her sister in law were all sitting in the living room, waiting for her. Spike was nowhere to be seen.

“Spike?” she asked carefully as she stepped into the living room. She noticed that all of her family had their serious faces on.

“He’s in your room, playing video games,” her father, Night Light, replied.

“Oh. Well, my date was amazing, but I’m tired, so…”

“Twilight, could you sit down for a moment?” Shining Armor said. His voice was kind and calm. Twilight gulped. “We need to speak with you about something serious." He and his wife were sharing the love seat, and her parents were on both ends of the couch, leaving the only spot the space in between them. Nervously she sat down. “Twilight, what do you know about mandatory reporting laws?”

“Um,” Twilight said. This had not been the conversation she was expecting. She had no idea what Shiny was talking about. “Nothing, really. What are you talking about?”

“I’ll explain in a second. Twilight, I want you to know that both Cadence and I really like Sonata. We just met her, but she seems sweet and genuine. Whatever else happens tonight, we want you to know that we approve of the two of you together. Not that our approval or lack of approval would stop you if you really wanted to date somebody, but there it is.”

“What’s this about?” Twilight asked. The odd conversation was making her nervous.

“Twilight, as an educator, I’m bound by certain laws,” Cadence began carefully. “Shining Armor is in a similar position as a police officer. We are required, by state law, to report any suspicion of abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agency. It’s something I strongly agree with and try my best to follow to the letter.”

“Abuse?” Twilight asked.

“Twily,” Shiny sighed, looking uncomfortable. “Does Sonata usually wear makeup?”

“Not really. What are you saying?”

“I know you’re sometimes not the best at noticing these things, Twily. Did you notice the scarf, too? Sonata never took it off for your entire date, did she?” Shining asked. Twilight shook her head, feeling a growing sense of nameless horror. “Cadence caught a peek of something when they shook hands. Mom noticed it too.” Twilight looked at Twilight Velvet, who reached out and squeezed Twilight’s hand. Her mother’s eyes were full of sympathy. “She had bruises on her neck. She’d done her makeup to hide some more bruises. I’d be willing to bet there might be more on her arms as well; have you always seen her wearing long sleeves?”

“Yeah…” Twilight said. She felt nauseous. She felt furious.

“What do you know of Sonata’s home living situation, sweetie?” Cadence asked gently. The question jerked her out of her rising anger.

“Not much, really. She lives with her sisters. Aria and Adagio, I think. Aria’s unemployed, and Adagio drinks. You… you really think one of them is hurting her?”

“I believe so,” Shining Armor said. “Cadence does as well. Twilight, in the morning, Cadence and I are going to make a call to Child Protective Services. She needs to be safe. Tell me, Twilight. Does it sometimes seem like she’s going through mood swings? Like, she’s happy one second, then morose the next? Or maybe she behaves irrationally fearful or depressed, or shows signs of low self-esteem?”

“She talks down about herself. A lot. And she was afraid to let me see where she lived,” Twilight felt her anger rising like bile in her throat. “She rarely wants to talk about her sisters specifically. She cries when she listens to music. And one of her sisters is hurting her?”

She didn’t remember getting to her feet. Her parents were staring at her, concern and even a bit of fear evident on their faces. Shining gaped openly. There was a strange, flickering light in the room. Twilight’s palms hurt; she didn’t know why.

“Shining, go get Spike,” Cadence said slowly. Shining was about to argue, but she interrupted him. “Now.” Her brother stood and ran out of the room.

“Sweetie? Could you sit down, please?” Twilight’s mother said.

“They’re hurting her, Mom!” Twilight nearly shrieked, wondering why her parents looked so afraid. Night Light reached out and touched her clenched fist, jerking away as if burned. “I’ll… I’ll go there right now. I’ll get her out! I’ll fly if I have to!” She fluffed her wings out for emphasis, and a few black feathers floated down, dissolving into puffs of magic when they hit the floor.

“Twilight, I really think you shouldn’t act rashly tonight,” her mother pleaded. Cadence was shaking her head, mouthing something at Twilight Velvet.

“Why not?” Twilight demanded. She felt liquid in the palms of her hands. She realized her sharp, black fingernails were now digging deep enough to draw blood.

“Call Sunset,” Cadence said, glancing with terror at Twilight’s feet. Twilight didn’t understand. There was nothing wrong with her feet. They were where they were supposed to be, hovering about a foot off the ground.

“Yes, call Sunset. Her magical gifts might be quite useful when I smite those responsible for hurting…”

“Twilight! Woah, you’re all purple and demony again!” Spike shouted from the foot of the stairs. Shining was holding her dog tightly in his arms. She glanced at Spike, terror and worry evident in his eyes. She was floating. Floating. The entire room was bathed in the flickering, fiery light emitted by the phantom glasses floating by her eyes. She had wings. Her horn was glowing with a baleful blue light.

“Oh god. God no,” she whimpered, clutching her arms around her chest in terror. “Not again, please!”

“Twilight, fight it!” Spike called out, wriggling out of Shining’s arms to run to just under Twilight’s feet. “You’re in charge, remember? You are not Midnight Sparkle!”

“I don’t know if I can…” Twilight moaned. Something that didn’t feel like her reached out for her magic. She wanted to fly. She needed to fly. Somebody was hurting Sonata, and she needed to hurt it back. No, that wasn’t right. She needed to stay. She needed to…

“Twilight, honey. You’ve beaten this before,” her father said softly. “I believe in you.”

“Twily, if anybody’s stubborn enough to beat her own inner darkness, it’s you,” her BBBFF proclaimed.

“You’re the strongest, sweetest girl I know,” Cadence whispered. “You can do amazing things.”

Something inside her screamed to get out. Ruthlessly, she beat it down. She latched on to the voices of her family. Spike fearlessly stood at her floating feet, and she reached down to him. He was a small dog, and it took a lot of effort but he leapt up into her outstretched arms. Worry and concern filled his eyes, but he leaned up and licked at her face.

“You got this, Twi,” Spike said, his voice confident. She felt her feet touch the ground. The beast within her howled and gnashed for blood. She struggled, fought, and raged back.

I am part of you! Midnight Sparkle shrieked within her. I am every dark thought. I am your greed, your rage, your obsession, your fury! You can’t escape me! Let me loose, and we will scourge those who hurt her from the face of this planet!

“No,” Twilight said out loud. “No. I won’t let you loose. But I will protect her.” A new kind of fury filled her, a righteous sort of burning, and suddenly the voice of Midnight was quiet. No, not quiet. Waiting. “If we’re going to keep her safe, we have to do it right.” She realized she was having a conversation with her own inner demons, right in front of her parents. Oh well. She’d worry about it later. First things first, one crisis at a time.

Very well, Twilight. But when the time comes, you may call on me. I will come. Together we can keep her safe. Twilight marveled at the vehemence, the honest and pure and virtuous rage in Midnight Sparkle’s voice. Even more shocking was when Midnight Sparkle responded to her surprised. Dark emotions are not evil, Twilight. I’m not evil, I’m a part of you. Emotions and feelings aren’t evil or good, only actions are. I am you, Twilight. And you care for Sonata. And you will keep her safe. And if that means we hurt them, then we’ll burn them so deep they never hurt anyone ever again!

She was sitting on the couch. Her wings and horn and phantom glasses were gone. Somebody had wrapped a white cloth around her hands, and it was bloodstained. Everyone was staring at her, except Spike, who was curled up in her lap.

“Did somebody text Sunset?” she asked casually. “Because if so, you can probably call her back. I think I’m fine.” Her voice was trembling, betraying the sudden panic she felt. Her entire family had seen.

“Is that…” her father began, then cleared his throat. “Is that what it was like? Before?” He glanced at Cadence. She tilted her head to the side.

“No. This wasn’t nearly as bad. Quite a bit better, in fact,” Cadence said. Inwardly, Twilight disagreed. This was the first time Midnight Sparkle had fully manifested herself physically since the Friendship Games. She had been sure she’d had a better handle on this. Apparently not. She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out. Sunset was calling.

“Just a moment. It’s Sunset. I don’t want her to worry,” she said, and pushed the green button on the screen that accepted the call.

“Twilight! I’m on my way. Your mom texted me, said you were having a magic incident?”

“Um, yeah, Sunset, I’m fine now. You can head home. Really. I can tell you about it in the morning.”

“Sorry, Twi. Not good enough. I need to know what happened,” Sunset said.

“Okay, if you insist. We’ll put some tea on for you or something. I had a full ‘Midnight Sparkle’ transformation in front of my parents. But it’s resolved now.”

“Oh sweet Celestia you WHAT?” Sunset shouted. “I’ll be there in three minutes. Don’t go anywhere. Do you think I should call the other girls?”

“No! Sunset, please. I’m fine. My family is fine. Spike, tell Sunset to head home because I’m fine,” she set the phone near Spike’s mouth.

“Hey, Sunset,” Spike said casually. “Yup, it was bad. But she’s okay now. Yeah, you should still probably come so you can mind read her and be sure.” Twilight glared at him for his betrayal, even though he was probably right.

“I agree with Spike, sweetie,” her mother said. Her voice was like an oil slick of false calm spread over a boiling ocean of worry. Twilight looked around the room. She hated the looks on their faces. Her father was worried, and her mother seemed downright frightened. Shining armor appeared calm, but he never let his gaze waver from his sister. Only Cadence seemed to be taking the whole incident truly calmly. “Maybe we all need a little outside perspective to help process all of this.” The guilt nearly crushed Twilight. She needed to think about her family first, and what they needed.

“Okay,” she said in a tiny voice, shrinking into the couch as if trying to shrink into herself. Everybody in the room immediately zeroed in on her reaction.

“Twilight, you did nothing wrong. Nobody here is angry or upset with you,” her father comforted her immediately, patting her shoulder. She remembered how he had touched her hand, and been burned.

“Sweetie, your reaction does you credit,” her mom agreed. “Sometimes I wish I had big bad magic inside me to go punish people who hurt others. It’s an understandable reaction.” Twilight remembered the blood soaked cloth in both hands. Her mother’s dishtowels, stained in her own blood.

“Honey,” her father said, addressing her mother. “I don’t think we can afford to stay even a little ignorant about what’s happening to our daughter. When Sunset arrives, I’d like the full story.” He pulled Twilight into a comforting embrace. “I know Cadence has been there for some of it, and most of it has been good for her, but I’d like to know all of it. I’m not going to suggest we throw that away just because of what happened tonight.”

Twilight sobbed, the tears suddenly spilling forth from her eyes. She felt nothing but love and sympathy from her family, affection she did not earn, but was given freely nonetheless.

“I’m so sorry,” she whimpered, and was simultaneously shushed by the four adults and one dog in the room. “I don’t deserve all of you.”

“You deserve all the love you have and more,” Cadence declared solemnly. There was a knock on the door. “That will be Sunset. I’ll let her in.”

Sunset burst into the room, her face awash with concern. Ever quick on her feet, she took in the situation in an instant. Her gaze found Spike.

“How are things?” she asked the dog. Twilight wanted to object, but her instinct was probably right. Spike would give her an honest assessment of the situation, even if he hadn’t been there for the whole thing.

“Good and bad,” he said. “But you know you can just whammy her and get the whole story, right?”

“’Whammy’ her?” Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow. Spike shrugged.

“I don’t know what to call your magic, Sunset,” Spike said. Sunset looked around the room, apparently a bit uncomfortable about the fact that they were speaking about magic openly in front of Twilight’s family.

“It’s okay, Sunset. They want to know everything,” Twilight said. Sunset nodded slowly, then looked at Cadence.

“Okay, um, Principal Cadence? Do you mind if I touch you?”

“Touch me?”

“Yeah, I can look into your mind and see what happened, if you let me. I like to ask, first.”

“That’s thoughtful of you,” Cadence said, her voice betraying her nervousness. Cautiously she reached out her hand, and Sunset touched it with her fingers. Sunset’s eyes went blank for a second, and the geode she wore as a necklace glowed with a crimson light. After a heartbeat Sunset blinked, looking around the room.

“Woah. They’re doing what to Sonata?” Sunset growled, her own voice quivering with anger. “I don’t blame you at all, Twi.”

“However justified her anger is, this isn’t the sort of thing that needs to be solved with magic,” Shining Armor interjected. “Not every problem can be solved with the same tools. Sonata and her sisters are just normal, everyday girls. This sort of thing should be resolved with the human justice system, not otherworldly magic. Cadence and I will contact CPS in the morning, and they will take control of the situation.”

“Yeah, about that,” Sunset said, rubbing the back of her head and looking sheepish. “There’s more to all this than you realize. Let me start from the beginning and fill you all in, if that’s okay.” Twilight’s parents graciously made room for Sunset on the couch, right between Twilight and her mother. “See, I’m not exactly from this world. I come from a magical land called Equestria…”