Summary: "One week post-Friendship Games, Sunset Shimmer is haunted by peculiar dreams and visions, leaving her uneasy. Worried about her well-being, she returns to Equestria in pursuit of Twilight."
Episode One: Dreams
Under the morning sun near Canterlot High, six girls gather, eagerly awaiting their final member.
"Ugh, what's taking her so long?" grumbled Rainbow Dash, perched on the highest stair, fidgeting with her blue wristbands.
"Patience, Rainbow. She might be stuck in traffic," Rarity advised, engrossed in her mirror.
This world's Twilight Sparkle, the group's newest addition, glanced from Rainbow Dash to her phone. "Sunset should be here in a minute or so," she noted, adjusting her glasses.
The roar of a motorcycle engine echoed through the school parking lot.
"There she is!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Sunset, with her red hair, parked her black and teal metallic bike.
"Took you long enough," Rainbow teased, walking toward Sunset, who had just removed her helmet.
"Sorry about that," Sunset apologized, facing her friends, who collectively gasped upon seeing her.
"Whoa! Holy... you look awful!" Rainbow blurted out, earning an elbow from Applejack.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Ahem, what Dash meant to say was, um..." Applejack began, but Rarity intervened, inspecting Sunset's face.
"Sunset, darling, you look like you haven't slept for weeks," Rarity remarked.
Sunset scrunched her face. "I know, and that's because I haven't been able to sleep," she admitted, rubbing her eyes.
"Are you perhaps sick? You look a bit pale," Fluttershy spoke up. Sunset shook her head.
"No, no, I'm fine. Just... a bit tired is all. I'll be fine." Sunset brushed it off, dismounting her bike. "Anyways, thanks for waiting for me, girls. I really appreciate it." She gave them a weary smile.
Sunset looked at Twilight, offering a smile. "How have you been adjusting to CHS, Sparky?"
Twilight blushed at the nickname. "It's been hectic, but I'm glad that I have you—and the others, of course!" she replied with a sheepish smile.
Sunset returned the smile and playfully ruffled Twilight's hair. "I'm glad you're adjusting well. It can be a bit weird when everyone here already kind of knows you. Well, the other you," Sunset remarked. "Huh, that's actually kinda confusing when you think about it."
The Rainbooms observed the duo lost in their conversation, deciding to head inside the school without them.
"Soooo...." Pinkie began, producing a blue icing cupcake from her curly pink hair. "Cupcake anyone?"
Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy declined, while Rainbow shrugged and took the cupcake, taking a bite and leaving the others slightly bewildered.
"What? I haven't had breakfast yet?" Rainbow defended herself, continuing to eat as Pinkie Pie stuffed a whole chocolate cake slice down her own throat.
"Let's... Just go.." The trio backed away leaving Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash outside, the two looked at each other and shrugged before following.
As the morning unfolded with the first few classes, Sunset found herself wrestling with exhaustion, her eyelids drooping under the weight of weariness. Despite her best efforts, the battle to stay awake proved futile, and before long, she succumbed to the relentless pull of drowsiness.
In a sudden, unceremonious descent, Sunset's head met her desk with a resonant thud, echoing through the classroom and eliciting gasps from her classmates. 'Aw crap, my head...'
Sunset groaned, feeling her temples pulsating as her vision blurred. Amidst the concerned voices calling out to her, one familiar voice pierced through the haze.
"Sunset?" The voice echoed, but before she could respond, everything went black, leaving her engulfed in unconsciousness.
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From the depths of the sea of darkness, Sunset slowly opens her eyes. However, instead of awakening in her AP Calc classroom or the familiar surroundings of the nurse's office, she finds herself gazing at an unusual sight—an older version of herself. This mature Sunset is seated on a fiery red throne, framed by a towering wall of flames.
The elder Sunset casually props up her right arm against the throne's armrest, her head resting on her hand, casting a gaze towards the younger version.
"Kamen Rider Sun," The older Sunset's form morphs into black shadows enveloping Sunset. Now seated on the throne is a shadowy figure with glowing green eyes and black slit pupils.
"You're out of time."
In an instant, Sunset is struck square in the chest, her body colliding with the ground. The floor beneath her shatters, and she descends into a fiery pit, swallowed by the intense flames.
Sunset jolts awake with a scream, only to find herself in the school nurse's office, lying on the infirmary bed.
Her heartbeat echoes in her ears, the vividness of the dream setting it apart from the usual hazy ones that have plagued her since the Friendship Games. These dreams have felt distant yet strangely familiar, lacking the intensity of the one she just experienced. This time, though, she can recall every detail clearly.
"Sunset..." Twilight's voice reaches her as Sunset turns to find her friend beside the bed, having stirred awake.
"Twi? What are you doing here?" Sunset questioned, perplexed. Twilight sat up, adjusting her glasses, and promptly hugged Sunset tightly.
The red-haired girl reciprocated the embrace, holding Twilight close. "You okay there?" Sunset asked.
Twilight let go, a pink tint dusting her cheeks. "S-sorry about that; you've been unconscious the entire day," she explained.
"You had passed out earlier in calculus class, so I brought you here with some help." Twilight's eyes held concern as she relayed the events to Sunset.
"So you've been at my side since?" Sunset's playful smirk emerges. "You know, Sparky, if you wanted to watch me sleep, you could've just asked-"
Before Sunset could continue, a pillow is pressed against her face by Twilight, whose cheeks are now burning bright red.
"I-it wasn't like that! I just didn't want to leave you here alone..." Twilight looks away once Sunset moves the pillow away.
"Aw..." Sunset ruffles Twilight's hair with a closed-eye grin. "Thanks, Sparky. What would I do without you."
The two girls stepped outside into the school parking lot where Twilight's ride was waiting.
"You sure you'll be okay riding on that..." Twilight glanced at Sunset's motorcycle. "death trap?"
Sunset chuckled. "I'll be fine. I was just tired earlier... extremely tired." Twilight gave Sunset a skeptical look before sighing.
"Call me and the girls the second you get home. You had us worried today." Twilight gave one final hug to Sunset before leaving. The red-head watched as the car Twilight was in left, staying there for a moment before making her way to the partially destroyed CHS statue from her recent battle with Midnight about a week ago.
"Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, something is definitely wrong with me." Sunset spoke to no one but herself, scanning her surroundings before heading straight into the portal.
The blinding swirls of colorful light were something she never got used to. The portal then spat her out, and she crashed headfirst into a bookcase, causing all the books to fall and pile on top of her.
"Ow..." Sunset poked her head out from underneath the pile, coming face to face with the pony Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.
"Sunset? Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here? Is it a magical problem? Did the Dazzlings somehow get their gemstone back!?" The purple alicorn paced around the room.
"Huh? No, Twilight!" Sunset placed her hooves on Twilight's shoulder to get her to stop moving. "There's no magical issue... yet."
Twilight stared Sunset straight in the eyes. "Yet...?"
Elsewhere, far from the mainland in the human world, lies an island with a dormant volcano. Within its fiery depths, surrounded by a sea of lava, rests a mechanical bird resembling a Phoenix. Its eyes gleam a bright yellow before closing, patiently waiting for its master's call to awaken once again.
