“Yeah, I need a Double Wumbo Combo large with curly fries and Spritz, two orders of 20-piece nuggets with ranch sauce, and uhhhh, a Veggie Wumbo Burger for myself -- ring that up separate.”

Sunset Shimmer cringed as the voice from the speakerbox rattled her order back to her and tallied up a price tag that made her wallet cry. This crap should NOT be this expensive. A shouted affirmation, and she returned her gaze beyond the windshield, horribly annoyed with the long line of cars ahead of her, and how they sure did seem to enjoy not moving.

The former unicorn sighed, and with nothing to do, her mind wandered to a familiar proverbial street.

There were times, often, when Sunset considered going back to Equestria. Most of these times occurred while she was picking up orders, like now. Compared to how she’d lived in Canterlot, the human world had been a thoroughly humbling experience, and a stark reminder of exactly what she had been so fortunate to avoid before.

Three years ago (roughly; time was a bit finicky when you were considering Equestria and its parallel twin), Sunset Shimmer volunteered to enter the mirror, taking on the responsibility of investigating Starswirl’s impromptu prison and, if possible, returning any Equestrian natives to their origin world. In particular, Celestia and Luna were concerned about the fate of the long-banished Sirens, who they feared may have been wrongly sentenced by the mercurial wizard.

Sunset was briefly snapped out of her reverie by a honking car horn behind her, and cursed herself for failing to notice the line had moved up one car length. Always one step at a time, Sunset, no matter how slowly.

The mission to locate the Sirens wasn’t meant to be long-term, and yet with no home, no contacts, no magic, and no legal existence, the displaced unicorn would have been done for immediately without the bits she brought with her. Even still, the legal tender that gold got her would not have lasted her until Lumin and Luna devised the stabilized portal. Thus, Sunset entered the human world’s “gig economy”, and came to know exhaustion, worthlessness, and misery.

Being chronically poor sucked.

It was a stroke of luck that she had met the human Luna, really. The Vice Principal and her sister were no strangers to odd goings-on when it came to the statue in front of her school, and mercifully were as kind as the diarchs she knew. Without them, as before, Sunset would have been doomed.

If she were being honest, there was a lot she missed about her old life. Would be nice to not have to worry about running out of hot water again, that’s for sure. She couldn’t cook worth a hoot, and neither could any of her roommates, and suddenly she felt sympathy for that poor stallion who could never figure out omelettes in the royal kitchens. Even with the reconnection of the Gaian leylines underway, there still wasn’t a horn on her head, and while it was nice not bumping it into things anymore, that powerful, sturdy connection to magic was something she could never get over. Maybe she never will. Having to be the leading magic expert when she herself felt like she knew so little didn’t help.

And always, even with being able to write them any time, did she miss the Blessing-bearers, and the princesses (yes, even Cadance).

The line started moving. Sunset sighed, donned her face mask and moved up a place in the agonizingly slow WcDonald’s drive-thru. Everybody wanted to stuff their face today, it seemed.

Might as well check Mayhem, she thought, pulling out her phone.

Whenever these notions of leaving seeped into her mind, Sunset thought of all the people and confidants she had found here. A certain group of young adults made sure she didn’t miss the Blessing-bearers too much, in particular. She remembered the faces of her counterpart’s family when they first met her, how relieved they were that they could at least symbolically apologize to their daughter. Of the work she had begun, reunifying the split worlds, righting a wrong from before recorded history. And how she was a lodestone for her human friends, a pillar of the queer community in Canterlot City, someone that people looked up to, and how here, in this world, that was so much more important. But first and foremost, she thought of Twilight Sparkle and Wallflower Blush.

She saw their icons in Mayhem, and smiled her smitten smile. Hidden from the world, as it so often was, these days.

Surely Sunset’s absence was a familiar one in Equestria, by now. At this point it would be more strange for everypony if she came back. And to return there, to the marble halls atop Canterhorn, to those sun-dappled chambers stuffed with self-important ponies who rarely had an honest thaum in their body? There was no meaning there. There was no purpose. And her girlfriends couldn’t come with her. It would be a rejection of everything she was and what she felt was important. And as much as she loved Lumin like a brother, he didn’t need her, and he never had. Also that relationship was something that would be weird now, given she was regularly snogging with his interplanar twin and she did not feel like confronting that at all.

Sunset moved up the drive-thru line once more and shouted her given order over the engine again, just to make sure it was right. Bills changed hands, and her and the horribly fatigued fast-food worker proceeded to pretend neither one was there until the line finally moved again. Always one step at a time, no matter how slowly. Eventually her road, death-defyingly exhilarating or deathly boring, would lead back to them. Always.

She opened their private server. The Ponycule, they had called it, in a stroke of corny genius by Twilight, and let them know that, like always, the two of them were on her mind.

There were times, often, when Sunset considered going back to Equestria. But then she wouldn’t be home.

Author's Note

Toss A Coin To Your Pony (Today @ 14:07): sure u dont wanna come with me next time

tired (Today @ 14:07): Hmm nothx

Midnight Sparkle (Today @ 14:08): You know I have a lot of work to do msyelf, right?

Midnight Sparkle (Today @ 14:08): *myself

Toss A Coin To Your Pony (Today @ 14:08): sparky u can do ur work anywhere

Midnight Sparkle (Today @ 14:08): You would have all three of us too busy making out.

tired (Today @ 14:09): 0////0

Toss A Coin To Your Pony (Today @ 14:09): fair lol

Toss A Coin To Your Pony (Today @ 14:09): lov u both <33

tired (Today @ 14:09): <3

Midnight Sparkle (Today @ 14:11) I love you too, Sunny~.