The day of reckoning came at last. The sun was setting, the students of the academy were filtering out, but one little unicorn filly remained behind. Twilight Sparkle was in the library, her muzzle buried in a book. Occasionally, a teacher would stop by to check on things. "This is fascinating." Twilight waved them along, continuing her reading.

One by one, the lights were turned off, until only one was left for Twilight to read by. "Head home when you're finished, and don't stay up all night. You have class tomorrow." The teacher gave a final little smile and walked off. The sound of the back door being locked came soon after.

Twilight waited in silence for a few moments. Then, with a little grumble, she closed her book, her horn glowing to carry it with her. She tucked it into its proper place on the shelves as she raced for the back as quickly as she could go without actually running.

The door rattled as she shoved it, finding it locked. "Oh no." Twilight tapped the door gently, hoping Sunset would hear it.

On cue, there was a thud at the door. Twilight backed a step, but a voice called her forward. "Open it," came the muffled voice.

Twilight folded her ears back, looking around for some clue on how to open the door. She reached up, feeling a key in the lock. "Oh!" She grabbed the key with magic, turning it, and opening the door.

"Excellent." Sunset leaned down, patting Twilight's head gently. "I see why they see a bright future ahead of you." Twilight beamed at the praise, but Sunset already had her eyes forward. "Keep an eye out and tell me if any of them come back. Probably won't happen. Let's get that book and split." Sunset strode in with confidence, her eyes scanning the shelves.

"Right." Twilight closed the door and locked it, making sure that the school stayed safe. She kept her eyes on the door, not watching where Sunset went.

Sunset found the book shortly. "They did love keeping things organized." She tucked it away with a low chuckle. "Makes it easier to find. Twilight?" she called into the dark. "Come here."

Twilight came trotting, her eyes still on the door. "Yes, Sunset?"

"I want you to see where the book came from." She pointed to the spot where there was a book missing. "When I'm done with it, I'll give it to you, and you can put it back, right in the proper place. So ponies can read it later."

"Thank you." Twilight bounced over to her friend, hugging her tightly. "I know this is a secret. But can you tell me what the spell does?"

Sunset looked down at Twilight, her lips curling into a smile. "It's a complicated spell, it may be more than you could handle." Twilight pouted up at her, earning a laugh from Sunset. "Easy. I'll show you when we're not right here." She tapped the ground. "I'll go out the back I came in through, you go out the front like nothing happened, okay?"

"Got it." Twilight smiled, heading towards the front. "I'll see you soon, Sunset!" She paused. "Oh." She went in a circle towards the back and raced there to turn the key to the unlocked position. "They must have left this in case I wanted to go out this way."

"Probably," Sunset said, amusement thick in her tone. "Thanks. See you, Twi."

"See ya." Twilight watched Sunset make her escape and locked it behind it. "In its proper place." She nodded, pleased to leave the key just as she found it. With that settled, she rushed for the front door. It had a key in its lock too, waiting for her. She frowned at it. "But if I unlock it getting out, how do I lock it again from the outside?"

Twilight thought, her mind racing, as she considered the problem. She didn't want the school to be unsecure. That would be dangerous. Somepony could come in and steal books! She shook her head at the awful idea of allowing that to happen. She turned the key. "Maybe." She opened it and turned it back while it was open. It made a metal thump, unable to finish closing while locked. "That won't work."

Twilight grumbled, pressing her small face against the door jam. She could barely see the key, which was enough to get her magic around it with her glowing horn. She turned it unlocked and the door closed with a loud click. She yelped, horn flickering off as she fell back. Unfortunately, that means the door was unlocked, and she couldn't see the key anymore.

"No." Twilight looked at the door, tears forming in her eyes. She had messed up. "How could I have been so careless?" She banged her head against the door. "Stupid." She opened the door and darted around it. "Guess I'm sleeping here." She locked the door, from the inside, and curled into a little ball on the cool stone. "I'll keep it safe."

She felt awful, her mistake weighing on her. Sleep was hard in coming, and when it did, she was wracked with nightmares. Twilight's dreams were full of books being stolen and unicorns failing to learn their spells, all because of her.

The morning came, a thing she only learned when a janitor poked her. "Huh? I did—Oh." She sat up, blinking at the janitor. "Hello." He just gave her a quizzical look. "I was studying, and I didn't want to go home. So, I slept here. Is that okay?"

He gave her a flat look that said he wasn't quite sure what to do about a student who stayed in the library overnight. "They didn't kick you out last night. I'd suggest getting somethin' to eat before you have classes, little pony."

"Okay." Twilight got to her hooves, her legs shaky from a poor sleep. She stumbled her way out, and then looked around. "Something to eat." It hit her and she got her footing back in a hurry. She raced home in a tizzy, crashing into the door instead of opening it the first time. "I'm okay!" She blurted, flopping into the living room.

Her mother, who had been cleaning, perked up. "Twilight? What happened to you, dear? You're a mess."

"I'm okay!" Twilight repeated, stumbling to her hooves. "I just studied late and fell asleep at the library." She laughed tensely, though none of what she said was, at least technically, a lie. "Sorry if I made you worry, Mom."

"Sweetie." Her mother trotted over, helping her stay on her hooves. "You should have come home. You're going to be a mess for school."

"Oh no." Twilight sagged in her mother's hooves. "But I can't fix that." She swallowed thickly. "I got some sleep, um, just not the best kind. Can I have breakfast, please?"

Her mother gave her a smile and helped her over to a seat. "Of course, dear. Your father could tell you about the times he stayed up late, cramming for a test. He never slept in the school, though." Velvet went to get breakfast together with a soft hum. "I'm glad you're taking your study seriously, but don't get in so far you don't come up for air."

Twilight nodded her head, the mention of staying up late making her feel a bit better. At least, it was good to know she wasn't the only one. She waited for her meal to come, relaxing in her seat. She was home, safe, with a pony that loved her. She lifted an ear with a sudden thought. Did Sunset have a mom to go home to?

***

Sunset had the book. That's what mattered. She didn't have a mom to go home to, and her father was, well, he wasn't really there anymore. He had left shortly after she had come to Canterlot. She shook her head free of those thoughts and opened the book instead as she got as cozy as any pony could be, in that alleyway. Flipping through the pages with her magic, she let out a soft sigh.

"Been too long since I could curl with a good magic book." There, laid across her arms, was the spell she had been looking for. "Mirror magic, now that's interesting stuff." She grinned as she read the explanation. "That's exactly what I need." She let out a soft chuckle, thinking of how she could use it. The annoying part was that it wasn't a spell one could just cast.

It was more of an object. She flipped to the next page with a frown. A rare object Celestia kept locked away where only she could access it. "Well, that's no fair." She pouted at the thought. "There has to be some other way." She kept reading, hoping to find something else. Anything, really.

A mirror of this power, created through magic, would be immensely powerful, allowing a pony to access a whole new world that could be very familiar, or not, depending on the mirror used. There were warnings about balances and stuff, which she ignored, reading on. There was magic for forcing a mirror open, and another for closed. She studied the opening one curiously.

"If I run into one and can't get it open, I'll feel really foalish." She chuckled at her own pun, continuing to study the page. It had a lot of information she didn't understand, but that was okay. She was still learning magic. She was sure that, with more study, it would make sense. The spell, well, it was a spell. She practiced it and understood the symbols that made it up. If she ran into a mirror, she could open it! She was at least mostly sure.

Sunset read into the late morning, her eyes narrowing as her belly complained at her. She didn't have any bits to her name at the moment, which was a problem. She'd have to find a way to eat that wasn't going to involve begging. Tucking the magic book away, she trotted out into the street and looked left and right. Around her, snooty Canterlot ponies were going about their business and paying her no mind.

"Right." Sunset started to walk. She was pretty sure she remembered how to get to the market. And if there was anywhere to find a loose coin, it would be a market. She trotted along, keeping her eyes on the ground.

She arrived to smell something good. A soup stall was open and serving any pony that wandered up with bits to buy some of the thick vegetable stew. She licked her lips, belly rumbling at the sight of it. There were easier marks, and places to look for coins, but she couldn't wrench her eyes away from that hearty dish. She was drawn to it, her hunger getting the best of her. She didn't have any bits, but maybe she could convince him to give her some. Maybe he would take pity on a poor, homeless unicorn filly. Sure, she was older, as fillies went, but no matter. She waited on line with the other ponies.

When her turn came, she wandered up with the most piteous look she could conjure. "Your soup smells so good," she started the conversation with, smiling at the pony.

The unicorn nodded. "It came out extra good today." He ran a hoof along his chin, ruffling his mild beard. "Did you want a cup, or a bowl?"

Sunset only realized then that he had two serving options. The bowl was bigger, but she had no bits. An idea came to her with a cunning smile she hid as quickly as she could. "I probably can't afford even the cup." She shivered in the chill of the morning more than she had to. "How much is it?"

"Two bits," he said with a nod. "The cup is two, the bowl is five. I'm sorry to say, I can't give it away."

Sunset put on her best puppy eyes, making herself look as miserable as she could manage.

He looked away and back. "Poor thing, look." His horn glowed as he picked up one of the smaller cups. "We can call it a taste test, yes? Try some, then go get your parents. They might like to get some as well, if they know I make such good food." He smiled, pouring a portion out for her.

"Thank you." Sunset took the cup, her tail giving an eager wag. "Thank you." She hurried off the line, cup floating beside her. "Yes!" Bringing it to her lips, she drank it down, chewing just enough to get it into herself with a pleased sigh of relief. Her stomach was happy with her. "You were good."

The cup was empty, so she kept her eyes out for a bin where it could be dropped. Finding a small can with a sign that read, 'Please Recycle,' she dumped it in and moved on.

Author's Note

Sunset, do you know what you're doing? Is this a good idea?

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