Sunset stalked down the main hall of her castle, breathing heavily. Focus, Sunset. Don't let them get to you. She didn't listen to her own advice. Her falling out with Twilight's friends in the other world had been years ago, but spending time with these five opened up the old wound. Forget it – they aren't here now. You endured their betrayal and came out stronger for it. That's what you do, Sunset! You endure, survive, and thrive! These five can't take that from you. If Celestia and Twilight couldn't, then they have no chance. Besides, these five aren't those five. Twilight likes these ones; she's been friends with them for years. There must be something different about them, something that makes them easier to tolerate. If Twilight was their friend, I'll just figure out how.

Sunset reached the stairs to the second floor and teleported to the top, reappearing in the upper hallway. "Spike!"

There was the distant sound of steps, and Spike emerged from a room down the hall. "Twilight! Did lunch not go so well?"

"No, it did not." Sunset kept her voice curt, hoping he wouldn't press the matter. "If my friends arrive looking for me, tell them I'm not here." She headed into the library below her bedroom.

"Um, okay." Spike scratched his head and followed her into the room. "Then, where are you?"

Sunset paused. I lie better when I have time to think it over. "Fine, I'm here, but I'm feeling unwell and don't want to see them. I could infect them. Okay?"

"I guess. Am I at risk too?"

"No. It's only contagious to ponies; dragons are immune."

"That's a weird disease to catch. What's it called?"

Sunset let out a groan and twisted her head around. "Just tell them I don't want to talk to them!"

"O-okay, Twilight!" Spike ran down the stairs, Sunset glaring at his back. When he was gone, she threw up a soundproofing barrier over the door for good measure and began pacing.

Need to focus. Get a grip! They're different. It was the others that cast you aside, not them! She stared at the floor as she walked, eyes darting back and forth. "They'll be here soon. I can't avoid them forever. I need a story that explains this. Snapping at them, not wanting to talk to them. Twilight does not act this way. Way to go, Sunset. She stopped and took a breath to try to calm down. Correction. Twilight does not act this way usually. With the right circumstance to set them off, everypony has a bad day now and then. So, what happened to Twilight lately that would make her act like this? Something at Canterlot – that made the most sense, it was recent. Sunset turned over several stories in her mind. One that will convince them easily, and on the off-chance they talk to Celestia or Luna, a story they won't contradict.

She paused, staring at the glowing gem overhead. Of course…

Applejack flung open the doors to the castle and walked down the main hall with a look of determination. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie followed her. Rainbow flew up beside her.

"Uh, AJ, are you sure about this?"

Applejack nodded. "That filly has somethin' on her mind, an' if bottlin' it up is makin' her act like this, we gotta talk it out of her and set things right."

As the group reached the stairs to the second floor, Spike came into view on the lower steps. "Oh! Uh, hi girls!" He chuckled and raised a claw to wave.

"Spike, where's Twilight?" Applejack asked.

Spike gulped and looked away, tapping his claws together. "Uh, she's not feeling well. She doesn't want you to get infected, so she says you should leave."

Applejack came closer. "Uh-huh. An' did she mention we just ate lunch with 'er? If we were gonna catch somethin', we would have by now."

"Maybe not! Let's make sure by going away." Spike put a claw on Applejack's hooves and tried to push. She didn't budge an inch and looked down at him.

"Spike, we are goin' up those stairs, and either you're comin' with us, or you're gettin' out of the way."

"Spikey-wikey." Rarity stepped up beside Applejack. Spike stood up straight and looked at her. Rarity pouted and batted her eyes. "Be honest with us now. Have you noticed Twilight acting strangely since she came home?"

Spike thought and rubbed his chin. "Well, she's been acting a little different. She spent months planning to study that mirror, and then she came home after one day and said she decided she had more important things to do here. But since she came back, she hasn't done much of anything."

Rainbow Dash looked at Pinkie Pie, confused. "Didn't she say she came home because the mirror hadn't arrived yet?"

Applejack narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. "Yes she did." Spike moved aside to avoid her, and Rarity followed with Fluttershy. The five mares emerged on the second floor and approached the library under Twilight's bedroom, the blue doors shut tight. Applejack raised her hoof and knocked loudly. "Twi! We know you're in there!" Her response was silence. She pushed forward but the door refused to move. "We just wanna talk to ya. You're actin' mighty funny and we know somethin's wrong. Can ya open the door?"

There was silence once more, stretching several seconds. Then the door lit up violet and opened. A purple eye peered out the narrow crack between the door and the frame. "I'm sorry I ruined lunch. Really. Just – let me be alone please. I need some time to sort my thoughts out."

Rainbow flew up to the door and tried to push it open, but the field of magic was holding it in place. She rolled her eyes and crossed her hooves. "Yeah, that ain't happening. You're always there when we need support, right? Just let us in and tell us what's going on."

Sunset looked up at Rainbow, then her eye vanished from the door. The magic aura faded and Applejack pushed it open. Sunset crossed to the other side of the room and turned to them as they filed through the doorway. "All right… I lied before. The mirror was at Canterlot when I got there. I really was going to study it, but…"

"But what?" Rarity tilted her head.

Sunset remembered the lines she had rehearsed and took a breath. "Sunset Shimmer returned."

"What?" Sunset looked up. She wasn't sure which of them had spoken, but it was the expected reaction. She proceeded with the story.

"I woke up in the middle of the night to find her standing over me. When she saw I was awake she attacked me. I don't know what she was trying to do, but I fought her off and called the guards. They took her to a cell, but I couldn't get to sleep again that night." Sunset's hooves began to shake on cue, her eyes darting away. "I went to see her the next day. She… she said it was my fault, that I had ruined her life. She said I left her alone in the other world to fend for herself and she had to wait years to come home."

Rarity gasped. "That's ridiculous, Twilight!"

Pinkie nodded. "Yeah, you've never ruined anypony's life!"

Sunset closed her eyes and hung her head. "I told her I was the Princess of Friendship and I'd do whatever I could to help her. She said… she said… I didn't deserve the title. That if I was a true Princess of Friendship, I would have stayed and helped her…"

She both heard and felt motion, and looked up. Fluttershy had come up to her and was extending a hoof over her neck. "That's not true, Twilight. You're one of the kindest and friendliest ponies out there."

"Yeah, Sunset Shimmer is just jealous." Rainbow came up on the other side of her and nodded.

Sunset turned to her. "But she's right! I left her alone. I trusted the others to show her the magic of friendship… and they turned their backs on her." Turned their backs on me after I did everything I could to change for them. Nothing I ever did was good enough for them. Eventually Sunset dispensed the pretense and left Rarity's home on her own when she was out one day, and the five never spoke to her again. I didn't need them to survive, I wasn't about to go soft. I lived on my own in that world for two years, I just had to endure two more. I was already a thief and a mooch, what did it matter to keep doing it until I could come home and leave the streets? Not that they ever even tried to look for me. Too busy graduating and moving on with their own lives. Always too busy caring about themselves to care about me…

"From what you told us of her, darling, it seems like she brought it on herself." The voice drew Sunset out of her thoughts and she turned to the speaker, Rarity. "She didn't much sound like the type to make it easy on others."

I did everything they wanted and they still cast me aside. "Maybe, but…" Sunset made a show of looking wistful and turning away. "I should have done more to try to help her. If I had convinced her to come back to Equestria with me the first time, maybe she could have been happy…"

"Now you look here, hun." Sunset looked to see Applejack approach her. "Ah won't pretend to understand how that pony made ya feel. But you can't keep stuff like this bottled up. We're yer friends. You should know you can talk to us about anythin'. Right?"

Sure, until I say something you don't want to hear, and you decide I'm not worth it. "Of course, Applejack. Thank you. It's such a relief to know I have friends I can count on."

"Absolutely." Rarity nodded and smiled. "Please don't let Sunset Shimmer get to you. We all know what a wonderful princess you've been, and I'm sure she's just bitter over it."

You've no idea. "I suppose. It's not a feeling I like though." Sunset sighed and shook her head. "How can I call myself the Princess of Friendship when I didn't help somepony who needed a friend the most?"

Pinkie bounced up beside her and hugged her tight, Sunset's eyes bulging slightly. "Aw, come on, Twilight! Nopony is perfect!"

"Yeah. So what if she blames you?" Rainbow Dash flew across the room to land on her other side. "She's the only one."

When Pinkie let her go, Sunset smiled and looked between the two. "Thanks girls. You don't know how much that means to me." You really, really don't.

"Is that really all that happened?" Sunset turned at the voice. Applejack.

"Pretty much. I told Celestia what Sunset had accused me of. She said Sunset was bitter and beyond reason, and that I shouldn't waste my time worrying about what she said. I tried to take her advice, but it kept bugging me. When I approached the mirror to finally do some experiments, I just looked up at it and saw her watching me on the other side." Sunset shook her head. "I know it's a valuable opportunity lost, but I couldn't work there after seeing her again. I needed to come home and sort some things out with myself."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Are we gonna go through this 'I dunno about being a princess' thing again? I thought you got over that when we trashed Tirek."

Sunset's eyebrows raised slightly. Again? Twilight has had doubts before?

Rainbow didn't notice her reaction and kept talking. "It's been like, three years—"

"Two and a half," Sunset cut in.

"Two and a half years since you became a princess. And not one pony in all of Equestria hates you for it. Okay, maybe a few here and there we haven't met, but that's their problem, not yours."

Of course no one speaks against Twilight. Everypony wants to be her friend, after all. "I know, but…" Sunset made a face and sighed. Her hesitation wasn't an act this time, she was running out of rebuffs for the group's assurances. Twilight probably wouldn't be this self-deprecating anyway. Dash is right for once, get over it. She shook her head. "I know you're right, Dash. You all are. It's just… maybe I need to sleep on it or something, let my head clear."

"Sleep on it? It's barely past lunch, dear." Rarity gestured a hoof to the window, the sun still shining brightly.

"It was a figure of speech. I just mean give me some time. I'll put it behind me." Sunset smiled in a way she hoped looked reassuring. It must have, because Rarity smiled back and nodded. Fluttershy followed suit.

"If there's anything we can do to help, Twilight, just let us know."

"Of course. I'll be fine. I just need to put it out of my mind and get back to enjoying my life. Don't worry about me: it's just me being silly, and I don't want to burden you girls with it." Inwardly Sunset patted herself on the back. This nice stuff is coming easily. Getting along with them may not be so bad after all. She had her limits, though, and she had already come close to breaking the charade once today. "Not to put a damper on the spirit, girls, but after lunch and all this talking, I'm kinda looking forward to grabbing something to read for the rest of the day."

"Are ya sure there ain't nothin' else we can do for you?" Applejack asked.

"I'm sure. I'm just feeling a bit drained now. It felt good to vent though." Sunset smiled and stepped forward to wrap a hoof around Applejack's neck. "Thank you so much for listening."

"Any time, Twi." Applejack stepped back and tipped her hat. "C'mon y'all, you heard the girl." At Applejack's words, three of the four moved towards the door. Pinkie Pie however began bouncing in place.

"Oh, oh, you know what might really cheer you up, Twilight?"

"No." I could wager a guess, though.

"A party, silly! How about I throw you the most super-duper awesome-tastic Pinkie Pie Ponypalooza party ever?"

Sunset blinked and tilted her head. "What exactly is a 'Ponypalooza' party?" Even for Pinkie Pie, in either world, she was being confusing.

Pinkie stopped bouncing and held up her hooves. "Meh. I needed a ‘p’-word, and that was all I had." She thrust her hoof at Sunset, who pulled back as it almost struck her. "Point is, I'll throw you the best party you've ever had, and you'll feel better than ever!"

Sunset thought. She still remembered her birthday parties at Canterlot. Formal foods she didn't like, half-hearted gifts she didn't want, and surrounded by the foals of nobles who made them come for sake of appearances when most of them had probably never heard of her before. Though, if this Pinkie is anything like the other, I doubt it'll be the same. "I'll think about it."

"Good enough for me!" Pinkie patted a hoof on Twilight's head and turned to bounce past Applejack out of the room.

"Take it easy, Twilight. We'll swing by and see ya tomorrow." Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to wave as she passed the doorway. Fluttershy and Rarity followed her.

"An' if there's anythin' else we can do fer ya, don't hesitate to call." Applejack stepped out into the hall, approaching the stairs.

Sunset waited until she had vanished down the stairwell before deflating, letting out a long sigh. Friendly, but clingy. I need time to myself. In small doses, I can survive them, but it'll take time until I can be with them for longer periods without breaking cover.

"Twilight?" Sunset straightened up again as Spike poked his head around the door frame.

"You were listening?"

"Yeah. Sorry if I wasn't supposed to." Spike came into the room, talking as he approached her. "Look, I know you've probably had enough with everypony else consoling you, and if you wanna be left alone that's fine. I just wanna say…" Spike stopped in front of her.

"Yes?" Sunset restrained herself from huffing out the word.

"I know you've tried to get used to being a princess and always keep saying you're not better than anypony else… but you are worthy, even if you don't think so. That's the point." Before Sunset could respond, Spike stretched up and hugged her, purple scales pressing into lavender fur. Sunset frowned over his shoulder and darted her eyes down at him.

What would Twilight say to this? She couldn't think of a response, even something sarcastic or rude that she'd have to hold her tongue on. Come on, Sunset, this is getting awkward! Her mind was still blank a few seconds later when Spike pulled back.

"I'm gonna catch up on my new comic and make some dinner for us. Lemme know if you need anything, 'kay?" Spike turned to head towards the stairs. Sunset stared, stunned.

Twilight… thinking she's not better? She headed for the spiral staircase up to her room. Time to skip ahead in that journal and find out what that was about.

In the lower hall of the castle, Twilight's friends headed to the door. Hanging back behind Rarity, Fluttershy looked back at the stairs to the second floor. "I knew something was odd about Twilight today, but I never would have imagined it was Sunset Shimmer."

Rarity nodded. "Quite. But, now we've talked it over with her, and the dear is feeling better. We'll come by tomorrow and see if we can't do something to help her enjoy herself. Ooo, I have coupons for the spa! Perhaps a day of beauty is just what she needs."

"I've got something in mind myself," Rainbow Dash said, hovering overhead. "If Fluttershy can gimme a hoof with it." She looked at her and winked.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "Of course."

At the front of the group, Applejack nodded. "Whatever makes her feel better is all right with me." She glanced back at them, then darted her eyes to the stairwell. Maybe Sunset Shimmer did come back. But that don't add up to Twilight acting so mean at lunch and wantin' to avoid us. Something else is up with that girl.

There was a series of three knocks on her door. Twilight looked up from Sunset Shimmer's journal. Rosen Cross pushed open the door and stepped inside. "How comes the research?"

"What? Uh…" Twilight looked at the window. It's evening already… She gulped and looked down at Sunset's journal. "Well, I've read a lot, but maybe we should finish that alchemy experiment and save the quiz for tomorrow. We don't want your samples to get contaminated by improper monitoring, do we?"

Rosen narrowed his eyes. Sunset's journal lit up in blue light and floated in front of her. Twilight groaned and hung her head. Rosen read for a minute then snapped the book shut. "Indulging yourself in old memories of wasted dreams. Why does this not surprise me?"

"I'm sorry. I only meant to read a bit and then study. I guess I lost track of time."

Rosen rolled his eyes and tossed the book in his magic. The pages flapped as they landed back on the table. "Perhaps you have not changed as much as I thought. Very well, I will indulge your suggestion."

Twilight perked up. "Really?"

"Yes. I will quiz you tomorrow after you have reviewed the proper materials. Until then, you shall busy yourself with my intended lesson for today." Rosen turned to the bookshelf and pulled out a thin brown book, setting it on the table.

Twilight looked at the cover. "A Filly's Guide to Alchemy and Spellcasting?"

"I will go and prepare dinner now. Read chapter two while you await my call."

Twilight nodded. Compared to the history studies this would be easy. Alchemy wasn't her strong suit, but she knew the basics inside and out. "Sounds simple enough."

"So did my last set of instructions, yet you still had difficulty obeying." Rosen stepped into the hall. "I shall examine what you have learned during dinner. If you pass, you will have the evening after to get a head start on your reading for the next morning. Failure will return you to my lab to aid me again." Twilight nodded at him and Rosen shut the door. She heard his hooves stepping to the stairs and turned back to the table with a sigh.

It's my fault, really; I chose to put it off and didn't keep track of time properly. Reading this journal is important, anyway, if I'm going to find a way to convince Rosen of who I am. Twilight's inner student protested the idea of ignoring a teacher's instruction again. This time, it didn't care for her rebuttal. Though, there hasn't been anything so far. Just Sunset talking about her life with Rosen. Sunset made no secret that she didn't like the lectures on government and history, and much preferred studying magic and alchemy. Well, that, and talking about how much she adores Celestia.

"There's nothing of relevance in this so far." Twilight pushed the journal away and pulled the alchemy book to her. She flipped to the table of contents. "All right, where does chapter two begin… page fourteen, Introduction to Potions." Twilight began to turn the page when something caught her eye. She stopped and looked back at the contents of the book. "Chapter six… Principles of Anti-Magic?" She thought and turned to the page.

"Anti-magic is the basic idea that one can suppress, negate, or counter, a unicorn's natural magic. Anti-magic itself is a type of magic, though not often used in spell form. Anti-magic was first discovered by earth ponies in the second century LS, when lodestone used in tandem with alchemical treatments was found to create a localized field…" Twilight stopped and looked up. "Lodestone…" She ran to the bookshelf and scanned the spines. Finding what she needed, she reached out and pulled it to the floor; a book on geology. She looked through the index for the page number and flipped to it. "Lodestone. A naturally occurring magnetized metal derived from magnetite. Commonly used in constructing anti-magic devices and charms. Typically black or dark brown with a metallic lustre."

Twilight put a hoof to her neck and lifted the anti-magic talisman she was wearing. The small black stone gleamed in the light of the ceiling gem, the white rune carved in it glowing. Twilight smiled. "Lodestone, of course!" She chastised herself for not realizing it sooner. I know all about anti-magic: I studied it when developing my failsafe spell. There were other materials used to create anti-magic devices, but they were usually reserved for protecting important buildings due to their rarity and the difficulty in smelting them. This has to be made of lodestone. And if it is, then…

Twilight looked back at the bookshelf and pulled down two more books, carrying them to the table. She couldn't stop herself from smiling now, a plan forming. No spell is foolproof. Not even anti-magic is absolute if you know the ways around it. She set the books down and looked between them. I'm living with one of the most brilliant conjurers of the modern era, and this home is full of alchemy reagents and magical textbooks. I'm sure there's something here I can use. Her eyes fell back on the book Rosen had given her and she made a face. The student in her rebelled against procrastinating again, and she flipped to chapter two.

"After dinner, he said I'll have time to read then…" She glanced back up at the other books, then down at the anti-magic charm dangling around her neck. "There's a way to get you off. I know it. And I'm going to find it."

Sunset finished reading the latest entry and sat back. She glared at the journal as though it could explain what she had read. All she had to do was preside over a trade fair. And she somehow manages to turn it into a self-pitying rant about how she feels she isn't better than other ponies. Twilight spent almost three full sentences noting she felt ridiculous being placed on a pedestal for the exchange. Not for the first time, Sunset wondered what Celestia was thinking taking Twilight as a student. What was she expecting when she sprouted those wings?

She's a fool. Sunset flipped the journal closed and stepped down from the desk. So far there nothing of much importance. It seemed after returning from the other world, Twilight mostly just wrote about the adventures of her friends and not her own. That, or she had none worthy of noting. Day-to-day pointlessness won't help me impersonate Twilight. Like any of them are going to quiz me on her past adventures.

She approached the stairwell and descended into the library. The afternoon was turning to evening, and her stomach was growling. I should have finished that lunch before I stormed out. I'm not waiting for dinner. As she moved to leave the library, a thought came to her. With a shrug and a smile, Sunset closed her eyes and concentrated. She vanished in a flash and reappeared in the kitchen on the ground floor. She looked around and her smile widened.

This body has so much more power than my old one. It's probably because she's an alicorn. Sunset knew her original body had considerable power in it, but Twilight's body was so much stronger. "Perhaps tomorrow I'll break out the spellbooks and try some magic. I'm sure Twilight has a forgotten tome of ancient spellcasting around somewhere." Sunset's inner magic student clapped her hooves at the thought of what her new body might be able to do. She had studied countless spells as a filly she had never had the power to cast. If only could remember them now.

Sunset approached an alcove in the kitchen wall. Rows of shelves held flower trays, a variety of blossoms growing from them with small labels on their sides. Sunset pulled down a tray of purple tulips and a tray of daisies and set them on the table. She hummed a tune in her head as she moved to the fridge, pulled out a jar of mayonnaise and a head of lettuce, and set them on the counter. Finally she flipped open the breadbox on her left, levitated a knife from a rack and cut off two thick slices. Mayo on both, then lettuce. Sunset turned her head to pluck three tulips and daisies each from the flower trays, pressed them into the other slice, and then slapped the two pieces together.

Sunset sat down and took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she looked over the foodstuffs she had to put back before she left. The only sounds in the room was the muffled crunch of the lettuce she was chewing. She finished the bite and swallowed.

"I'm bored."

She looked around the room for a response. The lavender and violet crystal walls had none, nor did the lettuce, flowers, bread or mayonnaise. Sunset sighed and set her snack on the table, then set about picking up her mess and putting things back in their proper places. When the kitchen was neat again she sat back down and resumed eating, and thinking.

What did Twilight do with all her time here? Sunset thought back to the journal. Twilight's life before her ascension as an alicorn seemed to consist of studying whatever materials Celestia sent her and living day-to-day in Ponyville, occasionally stepping in to keep the town safe from whatever chaos was going on that week. It amazed Sunset that a town subjected to this much adventure was still standing after it all. But I can't imagine her doing any research for Celestia these days. She's no longer a student and Celestia said nothing to me about it. So what am I supposed to do if I'm going to pose as her in the long-term?

The kitchen stood silent as Sunset sat at the counter eating. She weighed several options but rejected them each in turn. Travel? No point – there's nowhere I want to go. Govern Ponyville? Out of the question – if I had any actual authority here, somepony would have mentioned it by now. Sunset remembered the throne room and snickered at the thought of Twilight mediating the bickering of her friends. I suppose I'm free to do as I like, aren't I? The idea didn't sit well with her. Sunset wasn't used to not having a goal, and it wasn't her nature to be idle. Goals kept her focused, gave her something to work towards, provided a challenge to overcome.

Surely Twilight has some royal duties or responsibilities assigned to her. She had gone to Canterlot to study the magic of the mirror. But she can't have spent two years planning for it. Sunset finished her sandwich, wiped her mouth with a hoof, and mentally pictured the castle's floor plan. She'd only been here a day, but she had a mind for memory. She mentally mapped out the route to the room and teleported. She appeared in the hallway outside and raised a hoof to knock. "Spike?"

She heard movement. "Hang on!" Sunset huffed silently and waited. After a few seconds the door opened. "Hey, Twilight, what's up?" Sunset looked over his head at the room. The door obscured her view of the rest of it, but she could see a desk and a bookshelf. A lamp with a green flame hung from a hook over the desk, illuminating a comic back laying face-down on the top.

"I wanted to ask what's on the itinerary for the days after I came back," Sunset said. "With all that's happened, I think a few things have slipped my mind."

"Oh, sure. Just a sec." Spike turned and walked to the desk, pulled open a drawer and withdrew a notebook. He flipped it open and cleared his throat. "The next two days are marked for your time in Canterlot, so I guess there's nothing important there. Then the three days after that are for going over your data from Canterlot, putting aside a few hours each day to work on transcribing your friendship reports to the journal."

"Well, since Canterlot was a bust, is there anything we can move up a week or so?" Sunset waited while Spike flipped to the next page.

Spike shook his head. "Not really. You cancelled any visiting tourists for a week because you didn't expect to receive them. We put out the word a month ago so no one is going to show up now. Otherwise it's just general errands, helping the others, and magic research."

Sunset slumped slightly. Of course. "All right then. Thank you, Spike." Sunset smiled and nodded, turning to leave.

"Hey, Twilight?" Sunset stopped and turned.

"Yes?"

"Um… how are you feeling now? I mean, after cooling down from earlier."

They all care about me so much. When did any of the other five show this level of concern? "Better, I think. I'd really just like to get back into my normal routine and forget about it."

"Gotcha. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know," Spike smiled proudly.

"Of course. Thanks, Spike." Sunset turned to leave again, and heard Spike close his door behind him. She stopped and teleported, reappearing in the bedroom. She approached Twilight's desk and began pulling open drawers. "Twilight must have some sort of notebook to record what she was studying. She's too organized to not keep one." However she found nothing. She did find a large supply of quills, inkpots, blank scrolls, and some more modern notebooks and pencils, but no schedule or report of any kind.

Sunset looked beside the desk at the saddlebags she had brought home from Canterlot, lifted them into the air, and then tipped them over and dumped their contents out. More writing supplies and books fell out on the desk. Then the last item fell on top of them and bounced, falling to the floor behind Sunset. She turned to look at it. The glowing white and black stone rolled on the floor, the clouds of smoke in the centre roiling over each other in swirls of purple and orange.

"I almost forgot about you." Sunset picked up the stone and floated it towards her. "Still don't know what the hay you are, but thank you for giving me my new life." She smiled at the stone as though it could understand. "I need to keep you around. If somepony finds out what's going on I'll need an escape." She still didn't trust Applejack. Everypony else had believed the lies easily enough, but Applejack had kept asking questions. This stone was her key to her own safety if they discovered her. They'd want to put Twilight back in her own body, and they'd need the stone to do it.

"But until then, can't have anypony stumble across you, can I?" Sunset took the blank notebook from the saddlebags and flipped it open to the first page, then focused on her horn. She aimed and fired. A thin, narrow beam of energy burned a line down the length of the page, then turned at a right angle. In a few seconds a rectangle of black scorch marks bordered the inside of the book. Sunset lifted the torn pages out and set the stone in the alcove she had created. She closed the book and lifted it to look at it. Satisfied it looked perfectly inconspicuous, Sunset walked to the bookshelf, pushed back a row of books that had fallen over to create a spot, and slid the stone's book into them.

"Perfect." Sunset sat back. If I'm going to use that thing as my way out of trouble, I'll need to know more about it. Makes as good a goal as any, I suppose. Sunset took a moment to scoop the other items on the desk back into the saddlebags then walked to the staircase and descended into the library.