Sunset and Twilight, the pony one, sat in the station’s rarely used interrogation room. Rarely in the fact it was only used to store the excess of folding chairs Cadence had accumulated for her groups over the years. MIST didn’t do a whole lot of interrogating. On the very rare occasion they did, it was still usually through the FBI at one of their facilities. So the only things in the room besides the two pony girls and the table and chairs, was a trio of apples the agents had allowed AJ to give them when Twilight’s stomach rumbled, and a decent layer of dust.

“I’m sorry…” the alicorn girl muttered for not the first time between bites, which Sunset once more responded;

“You just slipped Twilight- er, Princess; this isn’t your fault.” she returned a bit reserved “I’m the one that came through the mirror in front of everyone first…”

“You can call me Twilight, Sunset. I’m… honestly not really that comfortable with the title myself” she offered with a small smile. It only lasted a moment before she cast a worried look to the room’s door, to the dark suited men standing on just the other side of its small window “What’s going to happen to us?”

“I don’t know.” the unicorn turned human returned honestly. While still outside the school, the others had only just begun to recover as the pair managed to stand themselves up when a convoy of black SUVs rolled up on the courtyard. A small army of federal agents poured out, quickly separating them and securing the area. While she wasn’t sure where the two principals had been taken, the MIST staff had been brought back to the station and the two of them were put in the interrogation room before being left alone. They were apparently waiting for someone. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this, not right away at least.”

On the other side of the door, the gathered employees either stood or paced anxiously. Agadio leaned against the wall, pensive next to Fluttershy and Dash. She glanced over to see Aya was still glaring at the pair of agents guarding the door, refusing any of them entry. Just beyond the blonde stood Twilight, staring blankly at the wall her counterpart was just on the other side of. She’d been pretty much full BSoD since the doppelganger fell from the statue. Her brother was further down the hall, shouting into his phone.

“-Because I’m being blocked from doing my damn job!” his voice echoed through the otherwise silent hallway “The hell this isn’t a MIST matter! Shimmer’s a Hunt- Hello?! Mother f...”

Adagio watched as his thumb pounded on the phone’s screen, wondering if he was going to break it. She looked back to the door, the two suits still just staring ahead as they waited. She sucked at her cheek a moment, heel bouncing as she thought.

"Damnit to the depths…” she finally grumbled and, with a heavy sigh, pushed away from the wall.

“I’m sorry ma’am but-”

“STAND ASIDE!” The demand bounced through the hall with an unnatural echo, all present shooting stiff and still at the otherworldly order. The two men swayed in place, almost stumbling out of the way as they complied. Adagio teetered herself a second, wincing with a hand to her temple as the bright glow of her gem faded and she stepped into the room. As soon as she was through the men recovered, stepping back to block the door. They looked like they were briefly considering following her, but then shared a notably concerned look before thinking better of it.

“Dag?!” Sunset stared unbelievingly at the siren that forced her way in. She was left speechlessly hanging as the deeply scowling siren swept past and grabbed one of the room’s many chairs before unfolding it next to her at the table. Finally finding her voice again “The hell are you doing?! If they didn’t bring you here with us-”

“Please Shimmer, like they wouldn’t have put it together two seconds after whoever they’re waiting for arrives.” she snarked back as she fell into the chair. Her scowl grew slightly awkward as her eyes darted to the unicorn girl, having trouble making eye contact “Besides… I’m not about to just let you wriggle out of your promise because of something like this…”

Sunset stared at the siren now pointedly looking away. Any wonderings were interrupted by Twilight’s hand landing on her arm as the princess leaned into to whisper.

“You are So much further along than your journal entries suggest!” she gave excitedly. Excited enough to make the whisper not mean much and prompting the siren to turn back to shoot her a look. It however broke with a blink.

“Wait, you said the journal was broken!”

“It was! I mean it is!” the redhead quickly returned “Just… not as broken as I thought it was.”

Outside the door the pair of men stood ridged, trying not to sweat at the shorter blonde woman standing right in front of them with a smoldering glare. The Awakened had grown very cross at them having allowed the other hunter in but none of the rest. She may have been notably slighter in stature but they weren’t completely unfamiliar with her abilities. And even if they weren’t, few wouldn’t at least flinch under that intense gaze.

“Stand down Ms. Brea,” a new voice echoed down the hall. A tall woman with dark cerulean hair strode towards the group, flanked by another pair of the federal agents that had collected them as she sifted through the ornate shoulder bag Sunset had appeared out of the statue with. She paused as something within vibrated loudly. She cocked an eyebrow into its depths before continuing to walk “You’ll be allowed in momentarily. Please stop scaring my team.”

“CHRIS?!” Bonbon exclaimed.

“Heya Bonnie~” the agent cooed as she tapped her old partner on the nose while she passed. The hunter flailed at the offending digit before glaring at the woman.

“Hey Nothing! The fuck are you doing here?!” The agent stopped again and shot an incredulous look back.

“Seriously? After what you just saw and all this razzle dazzle you’re now asking why I’M here?” she asked bluntly. Bonavire blinked as her angry expression fell completely, replaced by worry. Eyes darting between her old partner and the door, she fumbled before managing to ask;

“This can’t be related to OUR-”

“No.” Chris quickly cut her off “No, this has nothing to do with OUR old assignment. Fuck that noise. No I got reassigned when you left and believe me, this has been far more pleasant to deal with.”

“And what IS this?” Aya’s frustrated tone broke into the conversion.

“Well, why don’t we go in and you can find out for yourself?” The woman’s dark lipstick exaggerated her cheery smirk. “Mr. Broderick, Agent Armor, Dr. Sparkle, you'll be joining us in the main room.”

“So, what?!” Dash demanded “The rest of us just gotta sit by with our thumbs up our asses while you decide who-knows-what with our friends in there?!”

“You all may watch from the other side of the mirror if you wish.”

“Ma’am that’s-!” one of the agents that had accompanied her protested.

“You’ve read the same dossiers I have, Thrax.” she cut him off as well “Secrets may not leave this group easily but they sure as hell don’t last long within it. So long as it stays that way, we might as well not fight it.”

The rest left outside merely watched the leads disappear with the woman through the door, telling the other pair to remain outside with the first two. Seeing them not move into any position to intercept them, they piled into the observation room in a miniature stampede.

“Chrysalis?!” a cry came from the other side of the glass, drawing attention to the rather startled looking second Twilight within.

“Christine, actually. Christine Lylis” the cerulean haired agent returned evenly before taking her seat “I would assume that’s what my own counterpart goes by? And from that reaction, I’m guessing she’s not very popular.”

“She tried to stage a coup…” the transformed alicorn muttered.

“Well then you’ll be happy to know I hold no such grand ambitions,” Agent Lylis’s lipstick once more enhancing her smile “I don’t even like the responsibility of knowing the things I know, let alone have any desire to rule an entire kingdom.”

“How do you know it’s a kingdom?” Sunset asked cautiously. She of course remembered the tall woman from when she ambushed her outside the station with the mysterious manila envelope. She definitely hadn't forgotten the quip implying she knew where Sunset was really from. The mysterious agent’s smile didn’t falter.

“I think it’d be better to start with what you’re willing to share, don’t you think?” she replied “Let us judge how much you’re willing to cooperate, yes?”

Sunset gaze dropped to stare distantly at the table top for a long moment. She glanced at her two fellow dimensional immigrants to see they both seemed more than willing to let her take the lead here. After the bag now against the far wall buzzed again, she gave a heavy sigh.

“What do you want to know?” She gave, defeated. Twilight was still staring at her doppelganger at a complete loss but the other MIST leads looked to Agent Lylis, who merely gestured for them to start.

“Sunset…” Aya finally began, though didn’t seem to know where to go from there. After just another moment though “You don’t really have amnesia, do you? Like, At All.”

“No…” the redhead admitted “No, I was just using it as a cover. Not that you guys ever fully believed it but it was pretty convenient when it came up in Twilight’s first cognition test. I couldn’t very well just tell you what I am after all.”

“What you are?” Rupert returned with an arched brow.

“I’m a pony” Sunset laid out plainly “Not like what you’re thinking, we’re actually a lot different than Earth’s horses. I think we might actually be significantly smaller for one thing…”

“You’re a pony?” he leveled a flat stare back at her.

“A unicorn pony to be exact,” she answered “The portal changes the traveler into something appropriate for where they’re going though. Hence the still rather handsome form you see before you.”

“A portal in the school’s statue…” he continued past the poor attempt at levity, still clearly skeptical. “Changed you into a human?”

“Magic can do a lot of crazy things.” Sunset shrugged. That finally got a reaction out of the human Twilight, though it was just turning her lost look to the redhead before her brows furrowed “I know Twilight, you don’t believe in magic; but I’m afraid that doesn’t make it any less real.”

“OH! I know!” The princess Twilight next to her perked up and snatched one of the two remaining apples and cupped it under her hands “Like you did!”

“Twi wait-” the unicorn tired but the alicorn’s magic flashed and the apple was gone. When she pulled her hands away, it was now an orange.

‘Oh, never mind then’ she relaxed. She hadn’t really wanted another pet right away. Twilight then changed the fruit into a banana and then, of all things, a dragon fruit.

“Wow…” the alicorn turned girl panted lightly “That is a lot trickier without ambient mana or a horn.”

The four leads were simply staring at the fruit and even agent Lylis seemed a little surprised. The scientist slowly reached out and picked it up. Something occurred to her as she was holding it. Her wide eyes snapped back to her double, blinking rapidly.

“You have the same extra layer…” she muttered, Aya then straightened herself “But you’re not a NMH…”

“That would be our magic.” Sunset stated. Aya met her eyes, confused and searching.

“You’re telling the truth aren’t you?” she whispered, to which Sunset nodded “...then who are you? Really?”

“Well, I really am Sunset Shimmer.” She shrugged again “I was born in Vanhoover to Sunrise Shimmer and Titan Starfall. I… lost them both when I was six. I was then taken in as the personal student of Princess Celestia, under whom I learned magic. I did that until we had a falling out and I jumped through the portal out of mostly spite. I got hung up inside it for over a decade apparently and fell out in front of the school during the cultist gathering. You know the rest from there.”

“Van…Hoove-r” Rupert parroted.

“Yeah, we’ve kind of got a thing for word play in Equestria apparently.”

“So you’re… an alien?” Aya asked.

“Pretty much. I’d actually been considering telling you for a while now but…” she frowned as she glanced at the two federal agents in the room, one that grew a little deeper as the bag vibrated again “The rumors when it came to the government and aliens weren’t exactly comforting.”

“You think I’d just turn you over?” Shining frowned back.

“Well, not really, but… no offense Shiny but you gotta admit; you’re pretty dang cryptic about what you actually do around here and even you can’t keep everything secret from your higher ups.” The redhead replied honestly before gesturing to Christine “Case and point. Seems even you didn’t see this coming.”

“How are you me?” MIST’s science lead cut in suddenly, the question aimed towards the her physical, if still oddly dressed, reflection.

“I’m not. While yes we’re parallels, I assure you; we’re still completely separate individuals Dr. Sparkle” the alicorn girl answered before a tickled smile reached her “Despite how much I positively Love the sound of that… Doctor Sparkle.”

“Your title isn’t without prestige itself there, Princess.” Sunset gave before dropping to a murmur “Harmony knows I certainly tried for it…”

“You’re a princess?” Agent Lylis finally spoke. She gave a dejected sigh at Twilight’s shrugging nod “Well this complicates things… continue for a moment, I have to make some texts and the encryption app will make it take a bit. Not like there aren’t still plenty of questions left though.”

“Are there doubles of everyone where you’re from?” Twilight seemed to have no problem letting the agent take her time.

“Oh no. No, Earth's population is significantly larger than ours, even accounting for the other races. There’s too many pon- er, people here for there to be a parallel for everyone.” her double answered with a loosely clenched fist rubbing her chin “We do know of some though. I personally know quite a few counterparts of this branch of MIST’s staff. Bulk Biceps, the ‘OC’ as you call them… AJ, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow are actually my dearest friends back home. It was actually really nice to learn that, even as a completely different species in an entirely different world, versions of us still found each other…”

“And how did you learn that?” Rupert returned with a hint of concern.

“The journal you guys found me with,” Sunset answered “It used to be linked with another. What was written in one would appear in the other. I thought that part of it was broken when it was damaged at the school, so I was just using it to document everything I learned here. I only just learned myself that they were still receiving my entries and weren’t able to respond.”

“Is that the same journal in the bag?” Agent Lylis inquired, still typing away at her phone.

“No, that’s actually a new one…” the unicorn girl answered mutely as the bag buzzed once again “Can we please at least answer her? She’s probably worried sick with Twilight falling through the mirror and the portal closing.”

“And who would that be?” Shining asked.

“Princess Celestia. Equestira’s ruler for the last thousand years, Twilight and mine's former teacher, and…well...” Sunset hesitated and looked away with a blush as she fidgeted in her seat. She hadn’t missed Luna’s comment about her being essentially her niece, despite not saying anything at the time “Basically my Mother…”

“Your mother?” Aya repeated with a blink.

“Like I said; I lost my parents when I was six. Dad died in an accident and Mom got sick not long after. It’s one of the reasons she pushed for me to get into Celestia's school, so I’d still be taken care of…” she returned a bit sadly. “But then I didn’t just get into the school but Celestia took me on as her personal student to live in the castle. She pretty much raised me after Mom passed. So yeah… other than never being officially adopted or... used any those kind of titles like I may have wanted... which could have caused some problems itself, she was basically my new mom after that.”

Any response was cut off as the tall woman placed the journal in front of the director.

“I think we can at least let her know her students are unharmed.” she gave before returning to her seat. He glanced uneasily to the others in the room before opening it up… to find it completely blank.

“Oh right,” Sunset gave before leaning across to tap the page with slightly glowing fingers. Words began to materialize across the page.

Sunset?

Sunset please respond. Twilight fell through the mirror and it cracked when it fell. Please tell me the two of you made it through safely.

Please tell me the journals’ connection wasn’t severed with the portal.

Please say I haven’t lost you again.

Despite having a great majority of his world view shattered in the last hour, Rupert still felt his heart tug at the simple words of a frightened parent. God knows how hard it was to lose his daughter. How hard it still was… He pulled a pen from his jacket.

“Do I just write back?” he asked, seeing the young hunter nod.

Hello?

The response was virtually instantaneous, the words forming from nothing before he even finished writing the question mark.

Hello? Who is this? I don’t recognize this hoofwriting.

“This is fucking wild…” Aya breathed as she watched over his shoulder, earning a suppressed chuckle from her new protégé. She didn’t get to hear the blonde swear like that much.

My name is Rupert- was as far as he got before the other writer started again.

Rupert? As in Rupert Broderick? Head of MIST?

The director blinked at the question. Intentional or not, it would seem Sunset had been sharing quite a bit with this princess.

Yes. That is correct.

Oh thank goodness. Please Mr. Broderick, please tell me Sunset and Twilight are safe.

They are seated in front of me, they’re unharmed.

Then at least there is that. Thank you.

Is this Princess Celestia? Ruler of [...] where they’re from.

I am the primary leader of Equestria, along with my sister, yes.

And Sunset’s adoptive mother?

There was a long pause after the inquiry, long enough to make Rupert wonder if he should ask if something was wrong just before the words continued at a more hesitant pace.

Did she say that?

Yes.

Another pause followed, though not quite as long as the first.

I [...] suppose I do have the honor of that title as well, yes.

“I think you just made her very happy” the alicorn Twilight leaned in to whisper gleefully to the once again blushing redhead.

“Are you reading that upside down?” Adagio cocked a skeptical brow at the girl.

“There’s a whole school of spells that have to be read upside down” Sunset answered for the other Twilight… and to distract herself now as well “They’re not very efficient or useful but the princess has it as part of her curriculum to help ‘open her student’s minds’.”

I would assume since you said unharmed instead of well , and the simpel fact that I am conversing with you instead of one of them, that their exit through the portal has caused difficulties. Correct? Celestia continued writing.

Many questions have been raised, yes. The FBI is currently holding them as they answer them.

I understand. I will assist in any way I can, limited to this mode of communication as it may be. May I ask though; How serious does it seem?

“Yes, how serious DOES this seem?” he repeated aloud, looking at the recently arrived agent.

“Promising” she answered cryptically, still texting. She looked up to the three though “Can your ruler still move your sun and moon?”

The Four MIST leads balked at the casually delivered question, staring at the trio with shock.

“Luna moves the moon again, now that she’s back, but yes” Twilight answered.

“Luna… so there are now three princesses, including yourself?” the agent asked for clarification.

“Four. Celestia, Luna, Cadence and now me” she listed off in response.

“Cadence?!” Shining blurted out. Behind the mirror his wife was wearing a similar look of surprise “Cady’s a princess there?”

“Princess of Love…” Sunset answered a bit dully. “Yeah, to say I was shocked the first time I saw our counselor would have been putting it lightly." The redhead glanced to the princess at her side "Is yours pregnant too?”

“No, but she and my brother have been married less than a year, so still in ‘honeymoon phase’ at this point” the alicorn answered before bouncing slightly with a giddy smile toward her bbbff’s counterpart “But congratulations! You’re going to be a DAD!”

Mr. Broderick? The book vibrated, refocusing the group.

Sorry, I’m trying to get an answer myself.

“You can tell her she doesn’t need to be concerned,” the black nailed agent answered “No matter what arrangement is ironed out, the last thing we want to do is cause an interdimensional incident with a species capable of moving heavenly bodies…”

I’m being told you shouldn’t be concerned.

That’s not the most reassuring way to phrase that sentiment, Mr. Broderick.

I’ll do everything I can to ensure they stay safe Miss [...] Princess.

Do I have your word?

Yes.

Then that will have to be good enough. Even in her earliest writings, Sunset painted you as nothing if not a man of honor Mr. Broderick, and believe me; earning Sunset’s actual respect as an authority figure can be quite the challenge indeed, as many of her former instructors would attest.

A low, distressed hum escaped from the redhead across the table from him, once more avoiding eye contact with reddened cheeks.

“Can we ask how you know what you do about Equestria now?” the princess Twilight asked of the cerulean haired female.

“Yes, I suppose we can get to that. I’ve already learned more than we knew.” the woman straightened in her seat “To put it simply, you three aren’t the first visitors we’ve received from Equis. Even you and your sisters were beaten to the punch by at least a decade Ms. Dazzle.”

“There are other Equestrians here?” Sunset wondered.

“At least two, as well as a griffon. He’s currently in the UK, beyond that I'm afraid I can’t tell you too much without breaching... certain confidences. One of the two ponies is in a similar state in Japan but we do still have one here in the states” Agent Lylis relayed openly “A rather pleasant woman that goes by Meredith now, formally a mare named Merry Explorer. She was on some kind of expedition when she encountered a sort of… ‘magical tear’ in the air as she put it and it dropped her here without a way back. That was about twenty years ago, hence why hearing there were three new princesses was notable.”

“Where is she now?” Twilight asked wearily.

“Safe. I’m afraid I can’t disclose her exact location either without clearance but she’s under our protection, like you three.” they seemed a little surprised to hear that “Come on Ms. Shimmer, surely you caught my little hint when we first met. You think we’d just let you stay with MIST, knowing what you are, if we had a problem with it?”

“So you’re not going to try to take them away?” Aya quired.

“Well even without that ‘try’ I didn’t fail to notice, no. On top of not wanting to deal with MIST’s resistance in any such attempt, Equestria has been deemed best not interfered with.” she explained “On top of the aforementioned risk of them moving our own astral bodies should we anger them, they’re… well, just too damn wholesome to want to piss off, honestly.”

“Wholesome?” Sunset balked as Adagio let out a thoroughly amused cackle.

“Well, as we understand it, the very concept of Friendship is a key tenant in your culture, yes?” she smiled back “We feel cooperation would be not only far more beneficial than risking any kind of animosity, but just plain easier. And now with this means to open communication available to us, I’ve made the recommendation to do what we can to not upset your princesses.”

“So no vivisections in an underground super lab?” Twilight gave nervously.

“What have you been writing in that journal Ms. Shimmer?” Christine quipped “But no. While I’ll admit your concern isn’t entirely without warrant, we’ve learned from Meredith and the other two that whatever process turns you lot human is rather thorough. And seeing as we haven’t made virtually any progress in even detecting your magic, let alone utilizing it… yeah, we’d be right back to the cooperation route anyway.”

“It is kind of weird NMHs can sense it in the first place” Adagio mentioned “Magic usually needs magic in kind to sense it like they can.”

“Ah yes, which brings us to you Ms. Dazzle” Agent Lylis gave with a note more seriousness “While these two are ponies, you and your sisters are not.”

“She’s not?” Twilight, the doctor one, asked.

“No, I’m a siren.” she gave a touch darker, scowling back at the agent in front of her. “Though I got the impression you already knew about us.”

“We did. From almost the beginning in fact. Why do you think your attempts to get yourselves identities went so smoothly?”

“God damnit, it was us…” Shining grumbled at the assertion “That explains why I never got anywhere with it.”

“Sorry about that, Agent Armor.” his fellow fed offered “But yes, it's significantly easier tracking people willing to have a paper trail and we definitely needed to keep you under surveillance; Your hypnotic abilities mixed with your rather aggressive plans and attitudes posed a very real threat to national security.”

“Then why bother letting us stay free?” Adagio sneered.

“Well, the main concern was the risk of you turning anyone we sent after you directly.” she returned before shrugging “But honestly? Even with all your world domination talk, you were set on a back burner when more than a year went by and you three seemed perfectly content to keep using your powers for petty things like free hotel rooms and scamming rich assholes. Not the most ethical stuff to tolerate, sure, but hardly a big enough threat to risk exposure or forced turncoats over.”

It was the Dazzling’s turn to look away with a blush at that one.

“I… suppose we may have grown a little too comfortable with this world’s amenities for a while…” she murmured after a moment.

“You don’t need to look at it so negatively; It’s what kept us from scooping you up after all. Though in retrospect that may have been preferable over ARK finding you…” the fed gave a bit dejectedly herself “We would have stopped it but didn’t see that coming ourselves. They may not have anyone in our department, but they can still hide their pawns in the others from us just as well. But it does bring up the question of what your plans are now that they ruined that former complacency.”

“I’m just trying to get my sisters back” the siren returned grimly “I don’t know what we’ll do after that, but considering you know about us and snipers are thing, it won’t be trying to piss you off… the asshole that banished us here launched us a thousand years into the future too, so were not even a threat to Equestria anymore either. We don’t have much choice but to play nice…”

“Princess Celestia has decided to offer them amnesty if they decide to return to Equestria, so long as they do plan on ‘playing nice’.” The trio’s alicorn interjected, “If you won’t let them stay here, we’re willing to make them ‘our problem’, as it were.”

The woman’s dark lipstick pursed as she sucked the inside of her cheek, studying the displaced fugitive. At least until her phone vibrated that is.

“Yeah alright, good enough for me.” she gave almost immediately after reading the text. The siren blinked.

“Just like that?”

“I was just given full discretion on how to handle the situation so yeah, just like that.” she delivered brightly “Now don’t get me wrong, you three will be having some pretty intense interviews the next few days and the whole station's in for a hell of a debriefing. Thankfully you lot are used to keeping secrets, so it shouldn’t be THAT bad. Beyond all the details being ironed out, and me needing to borrow this journal for a bit, we’re good. So unclench already, you’re fine.”

“Well that… sounds a whole lot less painful than I thought it might be.” Sunset hesitated “What now though?”

“Now you lot can finally leave the room while I talk to this princess of yours.” the agent didn’t quite order them to leave.

“I, er- We might be able to link you a set of your own.” Sunset gave as she rose.

“That… would be very helpful. Though for now I really do have to get some things settled right away.” she pulled out a pen and began referencing something on her phone “Don’t worry Ms. Shimmer, you’ll get it back and will be able to talk to your Mom again before you know it.”

With the agent now readying her own words upon the parchment and calling a pair of the agents outside in, the rest of them rose to leave. The displaced princess hesitated.

"I know you said she's being protected but I'd be remiss if I didn't insist to at least be able to speak with this 'Meredith'. As well as the others too if at all possible." Twilight gave with a strong, if still unpracticed, official note "Acclimated or not; They're still an Equis citizens."

"I'll put the paper work through for Meredith tomorrow. And start trying to bring the other two back to the US as well." Christine answered simply as the man she referred to as Thrax handed her a folder "It's my understanding the former Griffon is rather glad to be done with Equis and as for the pony in Japan... both situations are complicated. All three are under our authority but... circumstances might make getting those two back without too much suspicion from our foreign allies... 'difficult', but I'll do my best."

"Thank you." Twilight returned mutely and left with the others, now thoroughly dismissed. The group exited to the hall and started to stop as the rest of the witnessing staff practically poured out of the crowded observation room. Everyone just kind of stood silent for a moment, not sure where to start.

Until a pair of hands landed on the pony girls' backs and gently pressed them to keep moving forward.

“Lab.” the local Twilight said absently and the group burst into chuckles.

“Well, I hope you’re up for some testing” Sunset gave her fellow pony a sheepish smile.

“At this point, I’d honestly be a little disappointed if she didn’t.” the princess giggled “And at least we now know us touching wont make the universe implode.”

Sunset felt the doctor’s hands splay a little more stiff at the comment but it didn’t stop the pressure. They entered the lab with the rest hot on their heels. The scientist set them down in the testing stools before busying herself setting up her equipment.

“Soooo…” Cadence was the first to talk after they all crammed themselves in. “That answered some questions. It also brought up a whole mess more but at least we finally have an answer to your ‘inconsistent memory’. And we know what the deal is with the other Sunset Shiny found.”

“You found my counterpart?!” Sunset shot straight, barely noticing as a grumbling Adagio was seated next to her by the still somewhat dazed scientist. She had done some looking herself but hadn’t come up with even the slightest hint.

“Sort of.” Shining answered “We found a girl with the same name that looked just like you, so I guess more than sort of yeah. Her back story even lines up with yours some, save that we call it VanCouver here, she didn’t lose either of her parents until she was fourteen, and then well… then she died four years later.”

“She’s dead?” Sunset frowned “H-how?”

“As insane as it sounds, she was at Carnegie Hall… That night.” Aya answered somberly “I even remembered seeing her when Shining told us…”

“Huh… That’s… huh” the redhead muttered. She honestly didn’t even know how she was supposed to react to that, let alone how she should feel.

“You two knew,” Rupert shot toward the girl’s housemates “Not about the other Sunset obviously, but everything we just learned about this one. Didn’t you?”

“Uh, kind of. For a little bit, yeah” Rainbow shuffled a bit awkwardly “I figured it out after her manifestation and she told Shy not too long after. Sorry boss, but I think that fact we got fed-bushed the instant the jig was up kind of excuses us keeping it a secret.”

The director gave a difficult to read hum

“So like,” Applejack spoke next “Hooves and a horn and everything?”

“Those two things, yes. Again though, we’re pretty different from Earth equines. Saying we’re like your horses is like saying human’s look like gorillas.” Sunset tried to explain “We’re a lot softer and smoother for one. Obviously a lot smarter too.”

“From my estimations, we’re probably a good bit smaller like you said too” the alicorn Twilight added. A titter came from the group’s most fashionable member.

“It sounds like you might be rather cute by that description.” Rarity smirked.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Sunset countered

“Oh please,” Adagio quipped as the doctor wrapped a tourniquet around her bicep “You ponies are like if puppies and kittens could have babies.”

“We are not!” The Equestrian pair protested as more giggles found the group.

“They’re adorable.” The siren confirmed flatly to the fashionista. The two puffed their cheeks out in matching pouts, only further condemning their adorable status.

Sunset’s face then fell back to uncertainty as she looked around to her gathered coworkers.

“So… this isn’t all too weird?”

“You may have picked up that ‘Too Weird’ is kind of already the default here at MIST Sunny,” Lyra offered next to Bonbon nodding in agreement. “Don’t get me wrong, this is pretty fucking crazy even by our standards, but we’ve all heard the rumors of what Bonnie here used to have to deal with. From what she’s told me, half of them are even tru-OW!”

“Ly’!” her partner hissed through her teeth after delivering a pretty solid side kick to the hunter’s leg. She gave a huff but relaxed a bit “But yes. Considering how casually Chris was treating this, it’s probably nowhere as unpleasant to deal with than our previous assignments. If she’s been assigned to… the division I think, then they’re far less concerned about containment and counter tactics than they are simple study. Neither we or You… probably have too much to worry about.”

“Lotta modifiers there, babe.” Lyra grumbled, still rubbing her shin. The typically more professional hunter simply shrugged in return.

“So…” Sunset said again “I’m still MIST then?”

The group looked to the leads. Twilight was still distantly transfixed on her tests while the other four shared a look among themselves. Shining was the first to speak.

“If the bureau gave Agent Lylis discretion, then I can’t argue one way or the other” he offered. His wife rolled her eyes at her husband’s non-answer before answering herself.

“Considering she’s been like this the whole time and it’s worked out this well anyway, I don’t see this making that big of a difference. If anything it’ll help now that we finally know what the ‘extra layer’ really is” Cadence offered a conflicted smile “I’m not sure I’m exactly qualified to counsel aliens though.”

“I’d say you’ve done well enough so far. If nothing else, I think we might have to go over me finding out my counterpart is dead now…” the redhead returned a bit troubled. She shook the confusing thought away and looked to the man whose decision it really was. The director met her gaze.

“Were you planning on leaving us?”

“No…”

“Then why are you even asking?” he asked simply as Aya smirked next to him.

“Not gonna get rid us that easy kiddo.” Sunset turned her head down to hide her now watering eyes behind her hair.

“Thank you” she managed to whisper out, without her voice shaking too much even. She really didn’t need to be afraid, did she? Not about MIST.

Not about her friends.

“You don’t need glasses…” Doctor Sparkle accidentally saved the unicorn girl from further awkwardness, distantly making the comment as she was checking her double’s eyes with her scope.

“Oh uh, no. No, with how much I was starting to read at a young age, my parents felt it prudent to get my eyes checked,” the pony Twilight explained “They caught the problem early and I had it magically corrected long before it got bad enough to need glasses.”

“Mag…” the scientist muttered, “So this… ‘arcane’ energy is what we’ve been feeling as the ‘extra layer’ this whole time?”

“Uh… yeah” Sunset answered a bit abashedly.

“And these recent NMC developments? The tendril mutations, and the enhancements to that golem from the ARK’s armor?”

“I’m afraid so,” she confirmed with a sigh. “It was actually those developments that made me really start to consider telling the rest of you.”

“Things could have been a lot easier for us if you told us you knew what it was from the beginning, Sunset” the scientist huffed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Hey come on Twi, you know that ain’t fair,” Rainbow cut in. “And besides, would you have really believed her if she said it was magic?”

“One of the very first things you told her was ‘There’s no such thing as magic’, Twilight.” Fluttershy added.

“We know now.” Rupert cut in himself “And you mentioned you studied… it specifically, right?”

“Oh, oh yeah! I was taught by the most powerful pony in the kingdom!” Sunset returned “Now that this is all out there, I can help a lot more openly with trying to counter it. Not that we really understand how they’re doing it themselves but… yeah, I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I can help too!” the alicorn girl offered. “I may not know any more about this world than what I’ve learned from Sunset’s journal but if there's anything I do know for sure, it’s magic. And well… I gotta do something while we figure out how to get me back home.”

“Well Ah don’t see how we can turn that down” AJ commented “Can’t ask for better help dealing with those ARK assholes messing with this stuff than two girls who actually know how to use it right.”

“Three…” Adagio added quietly. Feeling everyone’s eyes one her she shrugged “I may not be trained by an immortal princess but my sisters and I were considered big enough threats to banish a thousand years into the future. And I still fully intend on showing ARK why we were so feared once I get them back.”

“Not the most noble endorsement for yourself there Darling, but I suppose I can’t argue against it either” Rarity returned “Still leaves how ARK knew enough about magic to take you all in the first place though.”

“While we hadn’t encountered any other magical beings, we did once come across an artifact containing some Equestrian magic” the siren relayed “They may have stumbled across something similar. Or even just caught wind of our abilities, not even knowing it was magic and just wanting to exploit them.”

“Wait you didn’t tell me you found an artifact” Sunset turned to the Dazzling.

“There’s not much to tell. We never even figured out what it did.” She shrugged “Sonata found it at a street fair. Her and Aria were fighting over it and ended up throwing it out the hotel window. Magic or not, it still shattered after a five story drop.”

“What was it?”

“Some egg shaped rock with an eye carved in it” she shrugged again “Didn’t have an ounce of magic after it broke so we just tossed it. Even if ARK did find an artifact though, I don’t see how they could know about Equis itself without having someone from it telling them, and they didn’t have any records of anyone magic besides us. None that I had access to at least.”

“Well, I already knew about Equestria.” All eyes turned toward Pinkie at the casual declaration “I didn’t know about Sunny being from there in particular, though I did have my suspicions.”

“You knew about… and Y-you suspected…?” Sunset balked at the bubbly rangemaster “What?!”

“I thought it'd be rude to ask, what with how you seemed to want to keep it a secret and all.” The Pie smiled “But yeah, my great auntie Megan ended up in Equestria a few times when she was a little girl. She would tell me and my sisters stories about it growing up.”

Sunset could only stare and blink at the woman blithely smiling back. She wasn’t the only one. She eventually turned to her fellow Equestrian.

“You said you know a Pinkie of your own?”

“Yes, she’s one of my best friends” Twilight answered evenly “And no, mine doesn’t make any more sense. If anything she makes even less.”

“Well now I wanna visit even more!” The Pie announced, earning another bout of laughter. Perhaps a bit uneasy laughter, but still laughter.

Sunset took the distraction to hide her behind her hair again, her eyes watering once more. They didn’t care. She was an alien and they didn’t care because she was MIST, a part of the family. She was their friend and they were hers, and that’s all that really mattered.

‘Why the hell did it take me so long to come around to this friendship thing again?’

True enough to Agent Lylis’s word, the next few days had been filled with virtually non-stop questions. Between the agents' on her team’s interviews, and now the whole station’s inquiries after being debriefed, Sunset was glad to finally be back home for more than just enough time to sleep. As much as a relief it had been to be accepted, and know her secret wouldn’t be leaving the station’s walls any more than the secrets already being kept within, it was getting pretty draining nevertheless.

The fact her journal had been returned was a big part of her relief as well. While the pages of whatever was discussed between the Princess and the mysterious agent had been removed, Celestia assured her it was nothing for her to be concerned about. She was to begin working with Twilight to try linking a new set for the agent who was apparently going to be joining Shining as another liaison at the Station, if only one more concerned with the now far more classified part of them being aliens while he continued his normal duties. Whatever the hell those really were. But that could wait until tomorrow. As it was, the princess thought it best they both had time to figure out the new status quo and adjust before any major talks beyond simply touching bases.

“Hey” Rainbow gave as she turned around on the couch. “Now that ya can talk back and forth with Equestria, I don’t suppose your Princess can put a sketch or something of what you guys actually look like in there, can she?”

“OOOO!” Fluttershy perked up at the idea, even more than Sunset would have expected. The equestrian Twilight, who managed to pull her almost enraptured attention from the very same laptop Sunset had used when she first arrived, was the one to answer the request.

“She can do better than that. With the occasional distortions in some of her other journal’s entries, Princess Luna and I, along with the others allowed to study Sunset’s findings, insisted the new journal should be able to transfer things in a much higher fidelity and with a more accurate color scheme.”

“You saying we can get pictures?” Dash arched her brow her way as Fluttershy gasped happily.

“We may be a bit behind in some areas compared to Earth, but we still have photographs. Pretty good ones too.” She confirmed before sweeping over to claim the journal sitting next to Sunset laying her head tiredly on the dining table and began writing “I can’t say she’ll respond right away, but the Princess does have pictures of us, so-”

The book suddenly snapped shut in the alicorn girl’s hands and the pages they were currently conversing on glowed slightly.

“Or she’s keeping it close enough to respond right away!” Twilight finished with a small chuckle. The human pair quickly rushed over to the table as they waited for the transfer.

“I hope you've brushed your teeth.” Agadio gave dryly from her now usual seat of the room’s armchair. Sunset finally raised her head to glare at her, earning no more than a smug smirk back. The book vibrated and Sunset took it herself, opening it to find pictures of both her and Twilight in her natural, quadapeal forms. There was also a rather detailed sketch of a trio of sirens. Sunset recognized it as the depiction of the Dazzlings from the story of their banishment.

“See, we’re not that cut-AH!” the unicorn girl found herself suddenly bumped out of her seat by the ecstatic nurse closing on the journal.

“Oh My God!” she beamed at the pictures with a positively glowing blush. “You ARE Adorable!”

“Told you” the siren snarked victoriously at the redhead now picking herself up into another chair.

“Is this what you really look like, seahorse?” Dash shot back. Adagio furrowed her brow and rose to join them. Looking past Fluttershy bouncing in her new seat, she studied the artist's rendition.

“Oh. While it doesn’t quite capture our true majesty, yes; that’s a fairly good representation of my sisters and I.” she confirmed “I remember posing for that in fact. We were surprised how well it turned out with how badly the pony drawing it was shaking. I’ll admit, it’s a little flattering to know we left a lasting enough impression to have it so well preserved after all this time.”

“Huh…” Rainbow tilted her head at the image “I was picturing something a lot more ugly.”

“WHAT?!”

“Hey, Sunny said seahorse! Seahorses are creepy as shit here.” Dash defended herself. Ignoring the siren’s still fairly scathing gaze she gestured back to the photo “That’s… actually kind of cool though.”

“Do you all look like this?!” Fluttershy asked the alicorn seated next to her.

“Not all of us. There are also earth ponies and pegasi.” Twilight giggled, taking the reaction in better stride than Sunset “And stallions are a bit more masculine, in a similar way to human males.”

“What about your-” a happy gasp escaped the nurse mid-sentence. Her eyes darted across the table before snatching the pen Sunset had been using. If she had been excited before, she was down right giddy as she rapidly scratched something beneath the pictures.

“Shy what’re you-” Sunset’s eyes bugged at what she read “NO!”

She lunged for the book but the medic snatched it away. Fluttershy then leapt from the chair as Sunset gave chase, giggling like a schoolgirl as she stayed a step ahead of the redhead. She had managed to put the kitchen’s island counter between them when the book vibrated in her grasp. They both froze, Sunset paling as the Nurse gained an almost manic grin. She flipped the book open to peer at what was sent;

And then literally screamed in delight as she hugged it to her chest.

Sunset fell against the counter, burying her head in her arms. The rest quickly skirted past the groaning redhead to see what was sent as the nurse laid it upon the counter.

“Ugh… did you really have to send mine too, Princess?” Twilight murmured.

“Oh holy shit” Dash sputtered as she and Adagio began to snicker in earnest and Fluttershy completely lost herself in overjoyed giggles.

Not that many could blame her after seeing not only Sunset and Twilight’s pictures of when they both became Celestia’s students, both fillies all of six years old, but the second pair of pictures as well.

Pictures of them both as diaper bound foals.

“Come on Sunny. You’re the one who said she was your Mom now.” Dash teased “Embarrassing you with baby pictures is part of the deal.”

Sunset took very little consolation in that fact as she groaned into the counter top again.

Author's Note

Well balls, had I realized Wednesday was the one year anniversary for this story I would have tried harder to release this chapter then! Ah well. Happy Belated Birthday Fuse!

So I know that all may have seemed a little too easy but to be honest, while I had always planned the expose, I hadn't really wanted it ever be that big of a source of conflict. Like the big scenes of the last chapter, this was one that's been bouncing around in my head since the beginning and it would have felt weird to make it this big fissure among the our messed up family of mutants after all they've been through together already... Things are certainly still going to be different but apologies to anyone that was hoping for a little more Drama out of it.

And it's not like there's not going to be more than enough for MIST to deal with coming up already...

But with our status quo still shifting, I'll leave it there until the next chapter. I hope to see you for it and thank you very much for reading! Have a good one!