Had it not been for the fact that Sunset was already filled with existential dread, she would have been in a far worse mood after last night’s failure. Lightning Dust had once again escaped them, and all of them were marked for death at an undetermined date.

Sunset didn’t feel good by any means. She just didn’t feel as frantic or hopeless as the rest of the girls did. Maybe that was because no matter what happened, Sunset was more than likely screwed.

And while her friends may have shared a similar sentiment, they only knew the half of it.

On the surface, Sunset was stoic; unmoving. Her eyes were fixated on the living room window. Despite her empty gaze, she was still keenly aware of her surroundings.

Twilight sat on the couch next to her, constantly fidgeting, shivering like the window was open in the middle of the winter. She’d been that way off and on since they arrived at Sunset’s apartment, nearly catatonic when she wasn’t looking like she was ready to crawl out of her own skin.

Pinkie Pie was in the kitchen steadily making baked goods to supplement Fluttershy’s blood sugar. Traditionally, cakes and cookies weren’t the most efficient way to replenish glucose, but something about Pinkie Pie’s confectioneries had a healing effect on Fluttershy, one that only seemed to work on her. Sunset’s kitchen was going to be an absolute mess by the end of the morning, but if it kept Fluttershy from fainting or seizing up, it was worth it.

Fluttershy was going back and forth between the bathroom and the kitchen, alternating between healing Rainbow Dash to the point of nearly fainting, and restoring her blood sugar so she could continue tending to her best friend. Usually, it only took Fluttershy a few minutes after eating to stabilize, but she’d been using her powers constantly, and the long-term toll it was having was impossible not to notice. Her words were slurred, her movements stilted, but she refused to stop.

Applejack was in the bathroom, monitoring Rainbow Dash when Fluttershy left the room and consoling Rarity while Fluttershy worked her magic. Recognizing the thick tension in the atmosphere, Applejack did what she could to keep a lid on things. That was usually Fluttershy’s job, but with her too disoriented to finish a sentence most of the time, AJ took it upon herself to play peacekeeper.

Rarity went between sobbing at Rainbow Dash’s side and cursing to Applejack about any and everything. While Sunset couldn’t make out much of what Rarity said, she caught more than a few choice words that were directed at her, and even more at Twilight. Sunset wasn’t looking forward to when she would inevitably hear those words from the girl herself. She was even less eager for Rarity to inevitably start an argument with Twilight.

Rainbow Dash was passed out in the tub, groaning in pain during her brief bouts of consciousness. Despite Fluttershy’s efforts so far, her body was still burned, bruised and battered. As worrisome as that was, Sunset knew she’d be okay. This wasn’t the worst she’d been injured after a fight. If anything, with the beating she sustained, she was lucky her injuries weren’t more severe. Besides, Fluttershy would never let anything happen to her, even if it meant risking her own wellbeing.

Sunset finally blinked when the sound of skin quickly rubbing against skin became too much to ignore.

Twilight’s palms slid up and down her arms. It wasn’t cold in Sunset’s apartment, but Twilight’s teeth chattered as though it were—a sign she was on the verge of being overwhelmed with anxiety. So far, Twilight had held it together to the best of her ability, but Sunset could tell she was close to melting down.

“Do you need a hug?” Sunset offered.

Twilight glanced at her, looking down at the floor immediately after.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Not a valid answer.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Sunset pointed to Twilight’s restless arms. “You call that fine?”

“Sunset, please–”

Before Twilight could protest any further, Sunset draped her arm over Twilight’s shoulders, pulling her close. Despite her previous denial, Twilight leaned into the hug, resting her head against Sunset’s chest.

A sudden hollowness, followed by a gust of cold air ran through Sunset. Over the years, Sunset had gotten good at blocking others’ emotions from entering her when she touched them, but Twilight was a different story. For some reason, her emotions were always so much more potent than anyone else's. Sunset's mental sieve could block out the images from inside her mind, but Twilight's raw emotions flowed through it and into her like water.

And during times like these, when Twilight was at her most anxious, it was like a tidal wave. It took a significant physical and mental toll on Sunset, but no matter how hard the wave struck her, she refused to be knocked over by it. Just like every other time, she stood firm.

She offered Twilight a warm smile. “Thanks for saving the day. We’d all be dead right now if it weren’t for you.”

“Hard not to think we are already,” she replied. “We just probably won’t see it coming.”

Sunset wanted nothing more than to say she was just being pessimistic, but she couldn’t find it in her to disagree. The only thing she could muster at first was a shrug, followed by several moments of nothing.

“If it comes down to it, I can go through the portal and get the princesses to help.”

Twilight gently huffed. “Won’t that just agitate the portal even more? And besides, what are they going to do? It’s not like they have any magic over here.”

Once again, Sunset found it difficult to counter. There was an argument there, but Sunset couldn’t quite articulate it, at least not concisely.

Of course, it was difficult to think of an argument for a number of external reasons as well.

It was six in the morning, and Sunset hadn’t slept in close to thirty six hours. On top of that, there was a discussion in the bathroom between Rarity and Applejack that was heating up by the minute. And if that all weren’t enough, the industrial-grade kitchenware Pinkie Pie was using, interrupted by occasional explosions, made the kitchen sound like a demolition site.

“I don’t know,” Sunset admitted. “But I’m sure they could think of something. We could think of something.”

Twilight curled further into Sunset, a wave of depression following in the wake of her movement. Twilight opened her mouth a few times to speak, but changed her mind each time. Eventually, she managed to spit something out.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I should be.”

“No, you shouldn’t.”

“Well, I am.”

“Why?”

“Lightning Dust nearly killed you.”

“But she didn’t.”

“Still, you could have died if it weren’t for me.”

“And I would have died if it weren’t for you.”

Twilight looked up at Sunset. She was hurt. Sunset couldn’t understand why, but she immediately regretted her words nonetheless.

“But I didn’t,” continued Sunset. “None of us did, and it’s specifically because of you. Now stop apologizing, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

As her face relaxed, Twilight grabbed her legs and curled up into a ball on the couch, still leaning into Sunset. Even if she wasn’t done arguing, Sunset could feel her starting to come around.

“I don’t think Rarity agrees.”

“Who cares what she thinks?”

“I think it’s pretty important that everyone’s voice is heard.”

“Are you saying that because you actually mean it, or because you feel like you messed up?”

She didn’t say anything. Even if she weren’t channeling her emotions, Sunset could tell by how Twilight tensed up that she was on the verge of a breakdown.

She turned her body to face Twilight, holding her in both arms. Not long after, Twilight began to unwind again.

“If Rarity comes out here and tries to start something, I’ll handle it.”

“No,” said Twilight. “Please, don’t.”

“Twilight–”

“I can defend myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to–”

“Sunset, please.”

“Twilight, I’m not going to sit by while Rarity demands you explain why you saved all our lives.”

“I don’t need you to fight all my battles for me every time you’re here.”

“Just because Rainbow Dash said that yesterday doesn’t mean it’s–”

“Sunset.”

Despite Sunset’s clear frustration, Twilight wasn’t going to budge. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “Fine. But if she says anything to me, I’m not promising anything.”

“That’s fine,” replied Twilight.

The two continued to sit there for several minutes. One of Twilight’s legs was falling asleep, but she didn’t feel like moving. Despite the dire situation they found themselves in, Twilight managed to find comfort, if not for just that moment in time. Reality cast a harsh light on all of them, and Sunset provided some much needed shade. And though Twilight hadn’t asked for the shelter her best friend provided, she might as well enjoy it.

The longer Sunset held on, the less intense Twilight’s feelings were. The draft blowing from the emptiness inside her subsided, and warmth filled her once again. That was one reason Sunset didn’t mind how strongly she felt Twilight’s emotions. If she could manage to make her feel better, the feelings she received were rejuvenating.

Once again, Rarity began yelling something from inside the bathroom. Even as Sunset pulled away from Twilight, she couldn’t quite understand what she was yelling about. Whatever it was must have been bad enough that Fluttershy stumbled out of the kitchen before she had a chance to recover from low sugar. Before she could make it to the bathroom, Rarity yanked the door open and stormed out.

“Rarity, wait, please–” Fluttershy slurred.

“Zip it!” she snapped.

“Don’t talk to her like that, Rare!” Applejack stood in the bathroom doorway. “This ain’t the time to be havin’ this discussion.”

Rarity ignored Applejack, her heels clacking on a warpath straight toward the couch. A deep exhale left her nose as she stood before Twilight, eyes lit with fury.

“You have doomed us all!”

In an uncharacteristically bold move, Twilight stood up from the couch, looking ready to stand her ground.

“Rarity, I–”

Unfortunately, it didn’t look like Rarity was going to give her a chance to.

“Why would you tell her that, Twilight? That psychopath is going to cause so much pain and suffering and it’s all because of you!”

“She would have killed us, Rarity!”

“Oh, so instead, you just handed her the idea of how to not only kill us more painfully, but a potentially countless number of others as well? Are you insane?”

“Rarity, I done told you that ain’t fair,” said Applejack. “If she killed Dash—if she killed any of us, there’d be no stoppin’ her at all. She’d eventually find out how to do all that fancy lightning magic shit on her own anyway. None of us had a plan, and it was the only thing she coulda done.”

Rarity held out her hands in exasperation, motioning towards everyone in the room. “I’m sorry, but none of you could have thought of anything else? That was the only thing anyone could come up with? You all just sat slack-jawed while Twilight handed Lightning Dust a pen to sign our death warrants, is that what I’m hearing?”

Sunset opened her mouth to speak, but stopped the moment she heard Twilight’s voice.

“Rarity, I’m sorry, okay? Applejack is right, It was the only thing I could think of. Maybe we couldn’t think of a plan then, but at least we have time to think of something!”

“What does it matter, Twilight? What are we going to do when she sucks every major power plant dry? What are we going to do when major cities are suddenly without power without any plausible explanation? What are we going to do when the media hears about a crazed lunatic who eats electricity, and what are we going to do when everyone inevitably finds out we were supposed to stop her, but instead we made her more unstoppable?!”

Twilight sputtered. “I-I, I don’t–”

“And that’s assuming we live long enough for everyone to find out. After all, what are we going to do when she makes us watch her electrocute us one by one? Don’t you know how this works? Don’t you know what’s at stake here? Aren’t you supposed to be smart?”

Sunset bit her tongue, the taste of warm iron following.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy shouted, almost collapsing into a nearby chair immediately after. “I understand you’re upset, but that’s uncalled for and you know it!”

“I won’t hear it from you!” Rarity glared at Fluttershy who was still too dazed to stand up to her any further. “You’re always taking everyone else’s side, but she doesn’t have a leg to stand on and you know it!”

“Rarity, please simmer down,” Applejack firmly pleaded. “You keep talkin’ like this, and you’re gonna end up sayin’ somethin’ you regret. Pointin’ fingers ain’t helpin’ nobody.”

“There ain’t no helping any of us, Applejack!” Rarity pointed her finger sharply at Twilight. “We’re all dead women walking and it’s all because of her!”

Try as she might to summon a response, Twilight looked like she was about to crumple like a wet tissue.

Sunset held back for as long as she could, but this had gone on long enough.

“Rarity, this is the only time I’m going to ask you nicely: back away from Twilight, and calm down.”

Sunset stood up from the couch, getting between Rarity and Twilight. She could feel the unhappy look from Twilight on her back, but considering Rarity’s role in their failure, this wasn’t just about how she talked to Twilight anymore. Sunset wouldn’t fight Twilight’s battle, but she had to try and de-escalate this.

And for a brief moment, Sunset felt proud of herself. For hours, she’d wanted nothing more than to spew every bit of venom toward Rarity she’d built up. In her mind, this was a damn good reason to finally do so. Despite this, she still managed to keep her cool. She didn’t even swear. She was handling this, just like she’d always done.

Unfortunately, she’d forgotten a very important rule; one she’d had to learn more than once: “calm down” is the worst thing you can say to someone who’s angry.

“And there’s her knight in shining armor!” Rarity was clearly trying to bait her, but Sunset wasn’t going to bite. “I don’t want to hear a word from you, part-timer.”

Until she did.

"Part-timer?" Sunset echoed incredulously, punctuated with a chuckle.

“Alright, Sunset, I know she’s outta line, but y’all don’t need to stoop to her level.” Applejack attempted to intervene, but her efforts proved ineffective from across the room.

“Rarity, I want you to know something. When I got the message about Lightning Dust, I was in Equestria’s frozen north, skulking around an abandoned shadow dimension. Yet I still managed to get here way before you. So, with that in mind…”

Sunset’s tone had been ostensibly friendly up until then, but when her face twisted into a scowl, her demeanor quickly shifted to match. “Can you explain why the fuck it took you so long to get here?!”

Rarity glared back. “If you must know, I was at an incredibly important conference in Manehattan—an event that had the potential to make my career if I didn’t have to leave three whole days early!”

“And you didn’t think to tell anyone else about this?”

“I told Rainbow Dash!”

“And nobody else?”

“Of course not!”

“And why is that, Rarity? Don’t you think all of us should have known where you were?”

“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think this would happen. And even if I did, why would I mention it to anyone else? Every time I talk about leaving Canterlot City, I get hassled about it even though almost nothing happens when I’m out of town, and I’m sick of it!”

“And shit like this is why we hassle you, Rares,” said Applejack. “‘Cause all it takes is one time for somethin’ like this to happen, and then we end up here ‘cause you didn’t have a plan to get back here quick.”

“What would you have me do, Applejack? Tell the airport to keep a plane on standby in case I need to be here at a moment’s notice? Buy my own private jet? Perhaps next time, I should just hijack a plane myself and fly it here directly?”

Sunset stepped closer to Rarity. “Hold on, you’ve been doing this?”

“Yes.”

“The whole time?” Sunset continued. “And you just weren’t telling us?”

“I always told Rainbow Dash so at least someone knew.”

“And why did you only tell Rainbow Dash?”

“Because–”

“Because you knew she wouldn’t say anything.”

“No! Because I–”

“Because you knew the rest of us would get on your case, you knew we’d tell you to make sure you can get back at a moment’s notice, and because you knew Rainbow Dash wouldn’t do either of those things. Not only that, but you had to know she’d probably forget to mention it to anyone else.”

Though she knew she was cornered, Rarity wasn’t about to admit she was wrong. “Must you always make things personal, Sunset?”

“Maybe I wouldn’t if you didn’t try throwing the blame on someone else when it’s your fault.”

“Sunset.” Twilight firmly tugged on her arm. “That’s enough.”

Sunset knew she should stop, but she just couldn’t. Even with Twilight urging her to quit, reason was just water on a grease fire.

“Say what you want about what Twilight did, say what you want about how I’m never around, but don’t pretend we’re not here because of you. If you had just stayed here like we keep telling you, we wouldn’t even be in this situation. Lightning Dust would already have been dealt with, we would have all become friends and learned an important lesson or whatever. Instead, you lied to us, and now, because of you, we’re stuck.”

Rarity looked seconds away from swinging, refusing to back down from the girl who stood several inches taller than her.

“I’m not sure if you’ve received the memo, Sunset, but I’m a fully grown adult woman, and I can do what I want! Yes, I lied by omission, fine! But perhaps you should consider that I shouldn’t have to seek your—or anyone else’s permission to leave this city because my life does not revolve around it nor you!”

“You’re right, it doesn’t—and believe me, I’m happy about that—but as long as magic keeps leaking into this world, and as long as we’re the only ones who can deal with it, we have to stick close!”

“And why do we have to, Sunset? Hmm? Because I don’t remember signing anything saying I want to spend the rest of my life orbiting my old high school, risking my life every month for no reason! I don’t recall ever having a choice in this matter. All I seem to remember is that one day, my old high school bully nearly killed me and my best friends, and since then I’ve had more unnecessary near-death experiences than I have hairs on my head!”

Sunset opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Several eternal seconds passed by without another word. All at once, everything Sunset had said, the way she’d said it—every bit of it registered with her. And not long after that, the truth in Rarity’s words dawned on Sunset.

“You know you don’t mean that, Rarity,” the only voice left unheard so far in this encounter cut through the tension in the air.

Everyone’s head turned toward the kitchen door. Pinkie Pie stood with a mixing bowl in her hand. Her brightly colored outfit and frilly apron clashed against the unbefitting frown she wore. Sunset, feeling as though she was probably the biggest reason for Pinkie’s sour expression, felt her stomach twist.

“Sunset’s the biggest reason we’re all still friends. She’s the only one who can solve our problem, and she’s doing everything she can to do that while helping us out with the magic issues.”

As much as Sunset appreciated Pinkie’s defense, it rang hollow. After all–

“She’s the reason we’re even having these issues in the first place!”

Rarity was right. That’s why, in the end, it really didn’t matter that–

“Sunset couldn’t have known that all this would eventually happen.”

Ignorance was hardly an excuse, and one she couldn’t really lean on. She didn’t know the specifics of what could happen that night at the Fall Formal, but that was because just about anything could have happened. That was why–

“It doesn’t matter whether or not she meant to,Pinkie Pie. Every magic incident we’ve been through is rooted in the same event, and this one has left us in the most mortal danger we’ve been in thus far. There’s someone who has explicitly stated they’re coming to kill us after they become more powerful—someone we were already struggling to beat—and it’s all because of one thing that happened in high school.”

“Like you’d know anything about that,” chided Applejack. “Sure, we’ve been strugglin’ to beat her, but we wouldn’t be if your ass had actually been here.”

“Be reasonable, Applejack,” Rarity huffed. “After she manhandled all six of you, do you genuinely think a seventh one of us would have made that much of an impact?”

“Yes, as a matter o’ fact, I do,'' answered Applejack. "You know we're stronger together. Either way, it sure as shit wouldn’t have hurt our chances.”

“Applejack.” Pinkie gave her a firm look. AJ sharply exhaled and rolled her eyes.

“I get it, Rarity. You’re scared. I’m scared, too. But the only way we’re gonna make it outta this is if we work together.” Pinkie put down her mixing bowl, slowly approaching Rarity. “Twilight saved our lives today. If it weren’t for her, when you showed up, we’d have all been sizzling like bacon.”

For a moment, Rarity looked ready to make her case a second time. “Yes, but–”

Pinkie put her hand on Rarity’s shoulder. “If Twilight hadn’t acted, Rainbow Dash might not have made it.”

For the first time since she’d stormed out of the bathroom, Rarity’s anger cooled. Pinkie alluding to Rainbow Dash’s current condition served as a sobering reminder that things could have gone down so much worse. The outlook was dismal, but at least there was still an outlook left at all.

“But now, we have another chance. And this time, we’re all together.”

Rarity’s began to shake, her words fighting against sobs. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to– I… I’m just–”

“It’s okay,” Pinkie Pie interrupted with a hug, one that Rarity quickly folded into. “We understand, and we forgive you, right girls?”

Sunset kind of resented the way Pinkie Pie spoke for all of them, but knew better than to contest her. Unity was far more important than her right to be petty.

Soon after, Fluttershy joined in on the hug, still looking absolutely exhausted. Then Applejack, though she looked to do it rather begrudgingly. Eventually Twilight took a step toward them. As she got closer, Rarity’s arm specifically sought to pull her into the hug, as if to suffice for an apology. To Sunset, it was a comforting sight to see, but it felt wrong just the same.

“Sunset?” Pinkie asked. “Aren’t you gonna join us?”

She wanted to, more than anything, but she couldn’t. It would hurt too much. Not even because of the way Rarity cast blame on her—something she herself found hard to argue with—but there was something else on her mind. Something she’d been waiting to tell the girls until they were all in the same room together.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best timing, but the sooner she got this out in the open, the sooner they’d realize there was still hope.

And it might be their last hope at stopping Lightning Dust.

“Princess Twilight and I… we think we may have found a way to stop the magic leaks.”

The girls dispersed from the hug. They gawked at Sunset, a couple of their mouths hanging agape. The room was silent for a brief eternity.

That was until the sound of someone stirring in the bathroom caught everyone’s attention.

Rainbow Dash climbed out of the tub, stumbling over to the doorway. She looked confused, like she wasn’t sure where she was.

“Where lightny dud…?”

Dash collapsed onto the ground immediately after. The girls all ran to her aide. Sunset just stood back and watched. It was like the timebomb she’d been holding finally ticked down to zero, only for there to be no detonation.

But it had to go off eventually.

Had it not been for the fact that she was already filled with existential dread, Sunset would have been in a far worse mood after her confrontation with Rarity. The girls could rest a little easier knowing there was still hope.

Sunset didn’t feel good by any means, but she felt better knowing her friends had some relief. No matter what happened from there, though, Sunset was still screwed.

If only they knew the half of it.

Twilight sat on the couch next to Sunset, her breaths slow and heavy as she’d been asleep for a little while. It was equally surprising and relieving to see. After her and Rarity’s confrontation, Sunset fully expected Twilight to go into crisis mode. Instead, after everything cooled off, she began to nod off until she was out.

Fluttershy was also passed out on the loft in Sunset’s bed, Pinkie Pie wrapped tightly around her. Fluttershy’s blood sugar had dropped far too many times in quick succession which left her in a precarious state of total exhaustion, and Pinkie Pie refused to leave her side for a moment.

Rarity and Applejack were tending to Rainbow Dash who had recently regained consciousness, making sure she had everything she needed. Fluttershy healed a good amount of her wounds—broken bones, open cuts, damaged organs, missing teeth, and a concussion—but time would have to iron out the other marks and bruises.

When Rainbow Dash learned what Twilight said, she was as livid as Rarity was. Thankfully, the revelation that the leaks could be stopped—and by extension Lightning Dust’s magic could be disabled with it—staved off yet more in-fighting.

“So, that’s what you were talking about at the bar.” Rainbow Dash said, her voice still somewhat hoarse. “When were you going to actually tell us?”

“Well, I was going to wait until after we beat Lightning Dust to say anything.”

“Whatever for?” asked Rarity. “Why not tell us right away?”

Sunset looked away, trying to ignore how it felt for Rarity to be asking a question about someone not telling anyone about something.

“A few reasons,” she began. “I thought it might put too much pressure on us if we knew this could be our last encounter with rogue magic. I wanted all of us to be in the same room when I said it. And—if I’m being totally honest—I don’t exactly know how all of this is going to shake out. All I know is we have one option left.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked AJ.

“This entire situation is woefully complex. The things I’ve learned about magic in the last couple of years would take me days to explain, and I’m still lightyears away from being able to understand all of it. The only thing I have is a very oversimplified explanation Princess Twilight gave me, but even she claims most of it is conjecture.”

“Well, how did she explain it?” asked Twilight, leaning forward with a sleepy look in her eyes. Sunset felt one half of her mouth curl into a smile.

Taking a deep breath, Sunset looked up at the ceiling.

“The tunnel that connects Equestria to here is like a sleeve made out of magic fibers. These fibers help regulate the balance of magic between worlds. This world was never meant to have magic, and that sleeve is supposed to keep magic in Equestria, and out of here.

“While it’s not perfect at its job, Equestrian magic is—at least for the most part—harmonious. Magic that flows from Equestria here should only manifest in benign and peaceful ways; the exception being artifacts designed and created with malicious intent.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Benign and peaceful?”

“I know how that sounds, but…” Sunset bit her thumb, immediately regretting it when she felt how sore it was. “Well, you know how we’ve always referred to people like Lightning Dust as being possessed by Equestrian magic?”

The girls all nodded.

“It turns out that might be kind of a misnomer.”

“Are you saying there’s a kind of magic that isn’t Equestrian?” asked Twilight. “As in: there is magic native to this world, or…?

“Yes and no,” Sunset answered. “Because Equestrian magic is what connected this world to Equestria, that’s the only kind of magic there should be,” answered Sunset.

“But it ain’t, is it?” asked Applejack.

“That’s what we theorize,” replied Sunset. “We think the problem is with the magic fibers. We don’t think they’re very durable, and because of that, just about anything that causes magic to transfer between worlds wears away at the sleeve.”

The girls all exchanged looks; all except for Sunset who refused to look anyone in the eye.

“Each time the portal gets used, each time me or any of you write in the journal, any time any of us uses our magic; we’re stretching the fabric that holds these worlds together. That allows the magical forces from outside the sleeve to seep in, and that upsets the balance between here and Equestria. So while Equestrian magic keeps showing up over here, it’s often augmented by something else.”

“I guess that’s why magic’s gotten so crazy the last couple of years,” said Dash.

Twilight tilted her head. “But you said you and Princess Twilight have found a way to repair it, right?”

Sunset let out another deep sigh.

“No,” she solemnly said. “We just… might know what to do about it.”

The girls all exchanged confused looks.

“Then what’s the plan?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“That’s where this gets tricky,” explained Sunset. “This is all how we think it works, but there’s no way to be sure, and that means building a plan around this involves a lot of guesswork.

“As you all know, when traveling between dimensions, you don’t exactly get time to process anything you’re feeling or seeing in between worlds until you’ve already crossed over. The Princesses, Starswirl and I have been working on a spell to allow for free movement between worlds, but even with all that help, we’ve only managed to get something to work for a half a minute at best. Not exactly enough time to figure out what we’re looking at, and without any way to record anything, our observations are limited by memory. That, combined with the fact that it takes a monumental amount of magic to pull off—meaning we’re only able to do it once every few days—has kept research efforts at a glacial pace.

“So far, there have been two potential ideas: we work on this spell, spending days, weeks, months, probably years perfecting it to sustain it for long periods of time with far more efficient magic usage. After that, then we can find a way to patch the magic fibers. The issue with that, though, is that we don’t know how to do that either, and even if we found out, it would have to be maintained perpetually as long as our worlds are connected. That, or…”

Sunset finally looked down, looking at her friends though still avoiding eye contact.

“Or we cut through the sleeve and sever the connection for good. No more sleeve, no more interdimensional magic flow.”

The room fell silent. Rarity looked at Dash, who looked at Applejack, who looked at Twilight, who stared in shock at Sunset.

“And how would that work?” asked Twilight.

Sunset shrugged. “More than likely by supercharging both sides of the portal and sending someone inside to do it.”

“And I’m willin’ to bet that someone’s gonna end up bein’ you, ain’t it?” asked Applejack.

“Who else, right?” Letting out an empty chuckle, Sunset held up her hands. “In all seriousness, there’s really no one else who can.”

“That sounds terribly dangerous,” added Rarity.

“Anything could happen,” replied Sunset. “But, more than likely, I would jump through the mirror in Equestria, quickly cast some kind of magic to tear the fabric in half, then hop through the mirror on this side before the entrances close up.”

“More than likely?” Twilight asked. Sunset could feel Twilight tense up next to her, but ignored her question.

“You mean you wouldn’t be stayin’ in Equestria?” asked AJ.

“I wouldn’t really have a choice,” replied Sunset. “I need to enter the portal as a unicorn to cast that kind of magic.

“Besides, barring the last few years, I’ve lived most of my life on this side of the portal. Equestria’s where I’m from, sure, but everything I know is over here, so.”

Despite Sunset’s assurances, there was an air of emptiness in her words. The girls could all tell, but none of them knew how to address it.

Dash leaned forward in her chair. “Alright, so if we want to stop Lightning Dust, we should probably do this soon, right?”

Sunset nodded. “I’ll have to write to Princess Twilight and let her know how things went down last night, and it’ll probably take a few days for her and the others to devise a plan, but… yeah, that’s our only hope.”

“A few days?” echoed Rarity. “Isn’t that all the time Lightning Dust gave us? What if she comes back before we’re ready?”

Sunset sucked her teeth and tilted her head. “Unless anyone else has a better idea, that’s just a chance we’re going to have to take.”

The room fell quiet again. The faint murmur of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stirring from the bed upon the loft broke the temporary placidity.

“I guess someone should let them know what’s going on.” Dash attempted to stand up from her seat, immediately hissing in pain when she tried to put weight on her foot.

Rarity immediately dashed out of her chair to Rainbow’s side. “Yes, perhaps someone should; someone who isn’t recovering from serious injuries.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Rarity, I’ll be fine. I just need some pain meds and then I can walk the rest of it off.”

“You will do no such thing, Rainbow Dash. You are not to exert yourself physically unless deemed absolutely necessary, are we clear?” Rarity gripped her arm, causing Dash to grunt in pain. “O-Oh, goodness, sorry darling.”

“Rarity’s right,” Sunset agreed. “You should probably sit tight until someone can take you home. Besides, with how many hits you took to the face, I don’t know if we should trust your memory yet.”

“Oh, come on! My memory is totally fine and…” Her expression suddenly shifted to worried confusion. “Uh...what were we talking about again? And where are we?”

Rarity’s eyes grew wide. At least until Dash was unable to keep a straight face any longer, descending into a fit of snickering.

Rarity squinted at her. “You have some nerve, you know.”

Sunset tuned out their playful squabble, standing up from her seat, dreading the fact she was going to have to repeat everything she said. The sun might have been up for some time, but the longest night of Sunset’s life continued to drag on.

Standing at the back of her garage, Sunset waved toward herself. Rarity slowly drove her car forward, the wrecked front end causing the vehicle to squeak in mechanical agony.

Unfortunately, living at an apartment complex, Sunset wasn’t given a very large garage. Thankfully, Rarity’s rental car was small enough to squeeze in, with enough room to spare for Sunset’s motorcycle.

As Sunset held up her hand, the car let out one long squeak as it came to a halt. The front was nearly pressing Sunset against the back wall, but she knew Rarity would be able to stop right on time.

Rarity awkwardly stepped out of the vehicle, the door unable to open all the way before meeting the wall. Once Rarity was out and not at risk of falling on her face, she shut the door behind her.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” she asked. “It’s not like I can’t just pay for the damages myself. Besides, I made sure to pay extra for insurance.”

Sunset nodded. “I haven’t gotten to tinker around with a car in ages. Besides, you’re already paying my rent while I’m not here; you don’t need to spend any more money when it’s unnecessary.”

Rarity grumbled. “Sunset, you know I refuse to accept compensation for that. I’m doing well enough financially to pay your rent three times over if needed. Besides, even if your apartment sits empty most of the time, you still need a place of your own while you’re here, and I’d hate for you to have to couch surf.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” Sunset conceded. “Still, if nothing else, this gives me an excuse to call up Flash Sentry. I’ll probably need his help, and I might as well get in a little time with my friends while I’m still breathing.”

A forced laugh escaped from Rarity, her eyes darting away from Sunset’s own. “Aren’t you the one who believes we still have a reason to be hopeful.”

“Yeah, you do.” Sunset had more to say, but kept her mouth shut. Thankfully, Rarity didn’t seem interested in prying.

“Look, darling, I’m… I’m very deeply sorry for what I said. Both to you and Twilight. That wasn’t fair to either of you, and I do hope you’ll both forgive me.” She let out a deep sigh. “After all, you’re right: my delay is why the situation with Lightning Dust has escalated to such a degree.”

Sunset shook her head. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have gone after you like that, and I shouldn’t have blamed you either. Especially because, well… you’re right, too. It’s my fault we’re even in this mess in the first place, and I took it too far.”

Rarity offered a strained but genuine smile. “Perhaps we shouldn’t worry about blame, anyway. After all, we may triumph yet, thanks to Twilight.”

Sunset smiled back, unsure of what to say in response. Maybe she was right, but Sunset felt no less blameless than she did before Rarity said that. Aside from that, it was hard to tell if Rarity actually meant what she said, or if that was her attempt at placating Sunset.

“Speaking of, I do hate to ask, but… how did Twilight do on the field this time?”

Of course, she should have guessed it was appeasement. The mirth in Sunset’s face vanished, a sharp exhale exiting her nose.

“Fine,” she curtly answered. “Twilight did fine.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I don’t mean to pry, Sunset, but you do know Rainbow Dash is going to give me a play-by-play breakdown of last night’s events, and–”

“She saved my life, but she almost watched me die. There, you heard it from me this time. Happy?”

Jaw hanging agape, Rarity spent several seconds stunned. “You call that fine?”

“Look, Rarity, I–” Sunset dragged her palm up her face, running her fingers through her hair. “I’m not interested in having this discussion with you again. You know what she’s been through, you saw what happened to her. If that were you, you’d be messed up too.”

“Sunset, I’m not denying that, nor am I trying to retread ground, but–”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do about it, though,” Sunset interrupted. “Like, yeah, Twilight’s days of doing this are over and have been for a while. I know that; we know that. Ever since the second Midnight–”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say!” Rarity countered.

Sunset stopped, prompting Rarity to continue.

“What I’m trying to say is…” Rarity pursed her lips, organizing the most diplomatic words she could behind them. “We need to be careful. I know you have full confidence in her, and while I wish I shared your optimism, you certainly have to see why I do not.”

Letting out a sharp exhale, Sunset crossed her arms. “Yeah, but–”

“Unless we’re all ready to take someone down, she should probably remain outside of the confrontation. Not only for her safety, but for everyone else’s.”

Sunset bit back a comment about how much worse their chances against Lighting Dust would have been if they were down two members instead of one, but Rarity’s concern wasn’t unreasonable, as much as Sunset hated that.

“If you think that, then you be the one to tell her. Otherwise, I’m going to let her decide for herself, because taking that choice away from her is only going to make things worse.”

“You know I would Sunset, but you know she won’t listen to me,” Rarity replied. “But we both know if there’s anyone she’ll listen to, it’s you.”

When Sunset didn’t seem interested in responding with anything other than a stoic expression, Rarity knew it was time to drop it.

She cleared her throat. “Umm, anyway, I should probably get going. Thank you again for offering to repair my rental. I’ll need to return no later than a week from now.” Rarity let out an awkward chuckle. “Here’s hoping we live long enough for it to matter.”

Sunset let out an empty laugh, pulling Rarity into a hug. “Here’s hoping.”

Despite all her unresolved frustrations, Sunset was relieved at the end of their conversation. Rarity had a tendency to say exactly the right thing to get under Sunset’s skin, but it was never from a place of malice. Sometimes, Sunset needed to hear the things she didn’t want to hear. And while she really didn’t want to have to hear those things from Rarity, she was still grateful it was her instead of anyone else.

Letting the garage door slam on the ground behind her, Sunset made her way back into her apartment. Even with the threat of death hanging over her head, Sunset found herself looking forward to collapsing on her bed for a dozen or so hours. Her entire body felt like it was submerged in thick sludge, the true weight of her exhaustion having set in hours ago, but even more apparent now that she was alone.

At least, she thought she was alone.

Sunset’s plan was to shamble up her loft and fall over onto her mattress. But when she entered her apartment, she found Twilight sitting in the same spot on the couch she’d been in for a while. If Twilight were still there after everyone else cleared out, there was a reason. Considering this was their first moment alone in months, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was.

As Sunset approached, she noticed Twilight wouldn’t stop staring forward. Even as she sat next to her, Twilight seemed frozen in place, oblivious to her surroundings.

“So, um,” Sunset began, “how’s life been over the last couple of months?”

Twilight finally looked in Sunset’s direction. Her eyes met Sunset’s for a split second before fixing on the ground. She hadn’t said a word, but her reaction said it all.

“Do you need a hug?” Sunset offered yet again.

This time, Twilight didn’t hesitate to throw her arms around Sunset’s waist, burying her face in Sunset’s chest.

That familiar rush of dejection nearly overwhelmed Sunset, but she stood firm. It hurt to know how bad Twilight was doing in her absence, but at least she could be there to do something about it.

With Lightning Dust still at large, that meant Sunset couldn’t head back to Equestria. It would at least be a few days before she could, if she could. If nothing else, that meant she’d get to spend some time with her best friend. Time that Twilight seemed desperate for.

Time that Sunset had to make count.

But before any of that, Sunset had an urgent letter to write to Princess Twilight.

Author's Note

Sorry for the absolutely ridiculous length of these opening chapters. Originally, this one was supposed to be a good bit shorter than the last two, but when you've got five to seven characters participating in a dialog heavy scene, the word count tends to balloon. The next one will be less than half as long as this, and they're not all going to be this long going forward.

Also gee it sure seems like Sunset is hiding something