Luna gave Sunset a thumbs up and a short lived smile.
Sunset turned to enter the band room, and stepped inside.

The whole crew was here, minus human Twilight.
Ponder, arms crossed; looking like he didn't want to be here, and Twilight by his side.

" So, uh. " Sunset started, not wanting the others to get a word in first.
" You, really wanted to get this done, huh? " She stared in Ponder's and Twilight's general direction. No one knew who she was referring too, but Twilight answered :

" I just thought we could at least make up. " She answered in slight confusion.

" Right. " Sunset turned her head down.

" Well, to start - I probably should have taken more care to make sure you two were separate : at least until after we got a chance to explain things. " She looked to Ponder, who gave her a unamused look in return.
Twilight was visibly confused.

" But isn't that what you wrote Sunset? " Twilight asked.
" Make amends and gain closure for those two? "

A wave of realization washed over Sunset's face.
" Oh. "
" I'm- so sorry. " She said in serious earnest.

Twilight was still looking confused, while the others were wondering where this was going.

Sunset looked directly at Twilight.
" People - Creatures - Here in this world - Don't really make up that fast. They just can't. " She grabbed an arm with another.

" This is my fault for not realizing the disconnect between our worlds sooner. " Sunset caught herself after stumbling her last sentence.
Twilight was taken aback.
Ponder raised an eyebrow.
The rest just watched.

" Oh. " Twilight brought a finger up to her mouth for consideration. She looked away from Sunset and the group, lost in thought.

Sunset awkwardly moved closer to the center of the group.

" Well, I fell I need to ask: PonderBright, did you mean what you said? "

He looked away for a short while, towards a corner of the room. Then back.
That gave her all the answers she needed.

" Right. " Her tone turned slightly sour.

" That complicates things. "
" Majorly. "

" It's going to hard - if not impossible to pull this off. "
She looked to Twilight.

" Well - If you don't think this is a good idea. " Twilight said softly.

" Sorry. I just don't see this working out. " Sunset gave a empathetic shrug.

" Ponder. " AppleJack chimed in for a moment.
" I understand you and Twilight are working together on this. "

" But seeing as you were one of the ones that saved us from being trapped under the dazzlings, and one of the only ones to complain to Celestia and Luna about the Freindship games - "
" Why so hostile at Twilight? She's one of us, you know? "

" Just seems to me like your sending mixed signals. Is all. " AppleJack had successfully mustered a neutral tone. It showed. Mostly on her face.

" Glad I could clear this up. " PonderBright relaxed a bit, shifting in his seat to face her. It's almost as if he felt more relieved.
" I worked to eliminate the threat at hand. "
" When the dazzlings were up to their obvious magical-take over shit, I confronted them. "
" When Celestia and Luna were too busy having an alzheimer's induced fit to notice that the Friendship Games should be canceled, I confronted them. "
" And when Twilight - "

" Alright. I think we get it. " AppleJack interrupted.

" But Twilight is our friend. ", " And there ain't no magical horror stuff happenin' right now or when you yelled at her. "
She seemed to press that point. With a pointed finger and everything. Her hostility was slowly becoming overt.

" She's no longer a threat? " Ponder intentionally raised an eyebrow at her.
" Really? " He asked rhetorically.

" YES. Really! " RainbowDash shouted.

" Ever since that day she's been so depressed she didn't even want to ASK about magic because she's afraid of something going wrong! "

The silence continued.

" Well? " Rainbow asked.

" I thought you answered your own question. " He raised a finger of expression at her.
That seemed to set her off.

" Well, If you think your going to do that again - " She stepped forward, hands now a fist.
" Rainbow! " Several of her friends shouted in unison.

Ponder moved his chair back.
He was ready to stand up.

" What?! " She looked around the room in honest confusion.
" I wasn't going to go after him! "
" I was just making sure - "

Rarity interrupted:
" RainbowDash! "
" You are going to get yourself killed! " She exclaimed with worry.

It took a hot minute for Rainbow to ' Get it. '
" Wha? "
" Killed? " She looked to Rarity with righteous doubt.
" Serious - "

Ponder cut her off mid-sentence by pulling a knife from his upper sleeve, and quickly stabbing it into the wooden desk he was seated at.

It was so fast that the knife entered the table before the other girls could recoil.
He retracted his hand from his weapon as fast as he took it out.
Everyone had reacted, but Twilight less so. Hers was a bit more of concern then worry.

He let it sit there for awhile. Plunged into the desk. He stared daggers at RainbowDash before slowly reaching for his blade.

" Glad I could clear that up. " He finally said, pulling the knife out of the wood and putting it back into it's hidden shirt compartment.

He made no move to get up from his seat, or to attack. Or to SEEM like he was going to do so.
He was quite proud of that.

" Ponder. " Twilight slowly raised a hand.
Ponder sighed.
" Twilight we are literally in danger here. " He motioned a hand to RainbowDash, who now had one arm awkwardly grasping the other in embarrassment.

" Plus I'm pretty sure no one wants to be here. " He motioned to the room.
" Speeding this along is what everyone wants, right? " His statement turned into a question.

" Correcting that tangent was what anyone would have done, right? " His confidence now in shambles.

" Lordie. " AppleJack exclaimed, finally breaking his monologue.
" You really are that dumb, aint' cha? " She said in monotone.

Ponder rolled his eyes.
Sunset seemed to get fearful when she said that.

" Sure. Lets go with that. " He matched Appejack's monotone.
" Sorry, Ponder. " Applejack plainly apologized. The bare minimum.

" Oh sure. Lets do that too. " He interjected.
The others seemed confused.
" Waste even more time saying useless mouth words not getting to the point. "
" Don't you all just love being here? " He sneered at the apple human.

Twilight looked at Ponder with pointed eyes.
Ponder sighed. He got back to a more neutral tone :
" I have an appointment in 15 anyway. " He pointed to his phone.

" Either get to the point, cancel, or postpone until later. "
" I don't care. And I don't care what you think of me. "

" I honestly couldn't give less of a shit. "

" Ponder. " Twilight put a hand on his shoulder.
He rotated his head fast towards Twilight.
They shared a look for a single moment.
His tone turned slightly harsh as his posture became more compact. It wasn't intimidating. In fact, it was kind of pathetic, if words had to be put too it. Twilight's gaze softened.

" Right. Sorry. " He blankly said.
No one was certain where the apology was directed.

" Also, Twilight. " He properly looked back to see her.
" Not from the back, please? "
" Oh. " Twilight was mildly put off. " Alright. "
She walked closer to him, so that the next time she would be coming at him from the side.

He looked to AppleJack, eyes half closed in a very bored stare.
" I'm - Just gunna stop talking. " - As she corrected her hat.
" Iv'e said my peace, and I think I've said enough. "
She leaned against the school wall.

" Yeah. " Sunset had her arms crossed and looked off into space.
" Neither Ponder or Twilight have had it easy. "
Ponder scoffed at that remark.

" So I think reconciliation is not in the cards right now. " Sunset continued.
" If - " She hesitated.
" If that's even in the cards at all. "

Twilight looked like she wanted to say something, even raising a hand, but was beaten to punch by PinkiePie :
" Well I think it's worth a shot. " She said with cautious optimism.

" Assuming- Well. You know. " She looked to Ponder.
" I'm not the one assaulting people. " He interjected, looking to RainbowDash.

" Hey! " Rainbow got defensive. " What else was I supposed to do when I saw you marching up to her, huh? "

Ponder rolled his eyes as the first part of his response.
" If I wanted her dead, she'd be - "

" OK. " Sunset interrupted, almost shouting.
" Definitely now with this talk of assault and murder, I think this is where we should leave it off. "
Twilight looked disheartened.

Sunset marched to the door, and opened it.
And there stood Twilight.
Other Twilight.

Sunset's look instantly soured.
" Oh no. "
" How long have you - "

" Long enough. " Human Twilight explained.
She walked in.

" You don't have to - " Sunset was cut off again.
" I want to. "

She centered herself in the room, staring at Ponder.
" I'd like you all to leave the room, if you would. " She stated plainly.

" Sunset and Twilight can stay if they want. "
" But I don't think I can handle any interruptions or distractions. "

Rarity winced a bit at the word ' distractions ' .
They all left the room, with FlutterShy giving Twilight once last look.
One last chance of an ' out '.
She didn't take it.
The door closed.

Sunset and the other Twilight still in the room, Ponder raised an eyebrow at her.

" Something the matter? " The purple human asked.
" Just braver then I expected. " He plainly responded.
Pony Twilight gave him a crooked look, but he couldn't see it.

Completely ignoring ( or unfazed, impossible to tell ) by his words, she advanced into talking distance.
She did not sit down.

" Whatever else you have to say to me, say it now. " She said softly.

Ponder looked to Twilight.
She looked back with :
" Just - stick to the basics. ", " What I taught you. " She stuttered.
He nodded and returned his gaze to his target. It took him awhile to gather himself.

" I hate you. " He started.
Pony Twilight looked away in sorrow.

" I hate everything about you. "
" If the day ever comes where I embody just one of your traits, I WILL kill myself. "

" Ponder. " Twilight said sternly.
" Fine. " He responded. " Got carried away. "

" Moving on. " He corrected his posture.
" Every second that passes with you here is another major threat left unchecked. "
Twilight looked like she was going to intervene again, but waited.
" That magic is likely still in you. Even if it is just a part of it. "

Sunset's and Pony Twilight's eyes widened.
They were not expecting that train of logic.

He continued still -
" I've seen your past transformations. " He pointed at Sunset.
" Pony ears. Tail. "
She recoiled a bit. But not in fear or shock.
" And correct me if I'm wrong but the last time magic was brought here it went away once the portal was sealed off. "
" But now - it's apparently here to stay. "

" How long before she gets any ideas then? " He pointed to human Twilight.
" How long before she tries to rip this world apart? "

" Ponder. " Sunset interjected.
" No one is themselves when infected by that much magic. "
" Especially not your first time handling it. " She grabbed her arm with another.

" Is that true? " Ponder looked back to Twilight. She nodded.

" Alright. " It took him mere moments to gather himself.

" Then that would make her criminally insane. "
" Likely to go off at any - "

" It's not like that either. " Sunset continued his sentence.
" It has to be- a lot. "
" Were you not here when I transformed? " She asked.

" No. " Ponder plainly said.
" Too busy falling into another world. "

" Just wanted to make sure - again - that was all correct. " He looked back to Twilight, who nodded again. She had returned his gaze with a bit of sorrow.

" Good. " Ponder's posture relaxed a bit.
" Should be taking no chances when an entire planet is at stake. " He muttered.
He sneered back at human Twilight, who had lost all of her composure from their previous escapades.
Something must have done it.

By process of elimination...
It must be -
Wait.
No.

Not here to make her feel bad, after all.
Unless,
That info could benefit us in some way later down the line.
Better hold onto that bit of info. Save it for later.

While Ponder was lost in thought, Pony Twilight looked to Sunset with an apologetic look.
Sunset shrugged. She genuinely did not know what to do now that this has started.
- Other then support both Twilights.

A long silence ensued.

" Did you mean what you said back there? " Human Twilight asked.
" At the last moment? "

Other Twilight shifted her weight just a bit. She was getting uneasy.
" We should probably be - " She started to say, motioning to the door.

" Yes. " Ponder said in the most matter-of-fact tone he could muster.

" But I didn't mean to say it. "

Her posture shrunk a bit in response.
" Alright. " She responded.

It took awhile for her to muster her next question.

" What did you mean to say? "

The other two in the room instantly jumped into action.

" Hang on- you don't - " Sunset was stuttering. Her hand motions and signals meant little to human Twilight.
" Yeah. You don't have to - " Equestrian Twilight offered.

" I know. " She corrected her glasses, which had been fogging up.
" But I feel I have too. "
She looked to him, who had been staring at her the entire time with quite the unamused look, arms crossed and all.

" Because he's right. "
" No! " Sunset jumped.
" Everyone is deserving of life. " Sunset was starting to getting quite compassionate.
The other two seemed to glean something else from that statement.

" I wasn't talking about that. " Human Twilight casually shook her head.
" Then what - " Sunset trailed off.

" His assessment. " She looked back at Ponder with determination.
" Oh. " Sunset sighed a sigh of relief.
" Ok. " She was obviously shaken. She corrected a hair, like she often liked to do when faced with awkwardness.

Ponder waited for Sunset to finish whatever she was doing.
" Alright. " He took a more casual, authoritative tone.
" Twilight. " He looked towards his target.

He considered his words carefully.

" One. "
" You should never willingly come into contact with any magic. "
His human target was about to speak when he cut her off -
" This magic has shown to be wildly unpredictable, and even a single misstep can lead back to catastrophe. "

Human Twilight finally got her chance to respond:
" I know. " She hugged her book.
" It's too much of a risk. " She agreed.

" Two. " Ponder continued, no sign or response from Twilight.
" Report directly to Sunset with any information regarding unknown magic. "
" If... " He turned to Sunset.
" She's willing to cooperate, I suppose? " He had gotten a little carried away. He was not in charge here, and he knew it.

" Of- Of course. "
" I'll contact Princess Twilight right away. If that happens. " She responded; with Pony Twilight not liking the added ' princess ' to her name.

" Third. " Ponder was almost robotic.
" Get your magic scanner thing, and do a complete sweep of the school. "
Everyone's eyes brightened. They were all coming to the same realization at the same time.
" Triangulate any source of magic, and report the exact location of any disturbances within 3d space immediately to Sunset. "

" I - " Sunset was taken aback.
A full, well-thought-out plan was not the outcome anyone was expecting here. Especially not her.

" I'm sorry. " She apologized.
" I'd thought I'd sealed all the rifts. But your explanation makes sense. "

" No it's fine. " Ponder sighed.
" Your incompetence was expected. " He slowly sneered to Human Twilight with a piercing stare.

" Ponder! " The other Twilight scolded him under her breath. She was comfortably out of her area of expertise right about now. That being where the aggressor actually has a point. She didn't know what else to do.

" Right. Ok. " He looked confused. His flow completely ground to halt. He lost his composure, and had to take a minute.
It seemed he was at a loss. Either he had no more ideas or Twilight's interruption had thrown him so off course he wasn't able to correct. He was noticeably embarrassed.

After a short awkward pause originating from everyone, Pony Twilight decided that it was her turn to break the silence :
" Well, this certainly wasn't what I had hoped, but now that we have an action plan maybe I could put it in writing - "

Sunset happily responded. " Yeah. "
" I think that would be great. "

Even human Twilight was looking better.
She gave a small nod, seemingly waiting for another person to end the ' meeting ' .

They left the room awkwardly, mostly due to Ponder, when he stopped near the doorway.

" You can go. " Sunset offered him.
" You have a meeting- and- "

" I don't feel comfortable with you either of you two behind me. " He plainly offered, while other Twilight was mere steps behind him.
The message was clear.
" Right. " Sunset continued through the doorway, with human Twilight in tow.

" And by the way I'm not in charge here. " Ponder stated with much autism.
" Twilight's in charge. She has final say in this. And probably the answers to any magic questions. "
Twilight looked away in embarrassment.
She really hadn't taken charge that much this entire escapade, huh?

Sunset had an idea creep into her mind as the group was splitting.
" Twilight. " Both Twilights looked her direction.

" Um. " Sunset scratched the back of her head.
Ponder looked back as he was walking away.
He walked back to the group.

He then stopped, and muttered something to himself while being completely lost in thought.
" Science... "
If the others weren't weirded out before, they were now.

" SciTwi. " He pointed to human Twilight.
" And since you were here first, your Twilight. " He pointed to his mentor.

" That should dispel any confusion? "
He gave an open-ended shrug to the bunch.

" Any objections? ", " At least, as long as were in the same place. " Twilight asked her doppelganger.
SciTwi shook her head.

" Alright then gotta go. " - And then Ponder walked off.

The rest of the girls shared a knowing look with each other; the tone finally somewhat resembling normal.
" At least he's trying. " Sunset offered.
" Yeah. " Twilight added.
SciTwi only gave the green and golden human one more glance, before returning her focus to the group.

Author's Note

I post on my FIMfiction blog!
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1037520/own-story-or-adaptations
Be involved!
Make friends!!
Influence (ever so slightly)
The direction of the story!

I am open to PM. No discord or email. Do not use email. Please.
I am open to work, even collaborations. I can't draw. Muscle condition.

Want to test my writing with this one. Will try to write more and more challenging subjects as time goes on.
All criticism minus something that can only be seen as a nitpick will be appreciated.

Don't get your hopes up, Ponyworlder.
Overestimation is often just as bad as underestimation.

And both can easily get in the way of communication.

Also for all you with autism out there -
Most of the time people don't even listen to what you say the first few times!
But they do listen to how you said it.