Sunset followed Flash to her new home, a route he had undoubtedly taken many times; for Sunset, though, as she still wobbled on her long legs, everything they passed was strange. Every now and then, his guitar - which seemed to glow red in the growing darkness - would bump against her arm, and when it did she flinched, though it didn’t really hurt. Finally he noticed what was happening, and as he transferred the indeed cumbersome instrument to his other shoulder, laughed an apology.

“No problem,” she smiled back, teeth gritted.

At last, as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon, Flash Sentry came to a stop in front of another large building composed of bricks. Sunset halted too, and turned to look at the apartment complex.

“Well, here we are.” The head of the guitar fell toward her face as Flash leaned in.

The building seemed to be ancient; many bricks in its façade were missing, and the windows were dusty and stained. A small strip of grass played the role of a front lawn, just barely enough room for a decrepit wooden sign. “End’s Glow” is what it read.

Sunset’s attention was suddenly torn away from her apparent home by her escort, who was now even closer to her face. He seemed to still be moving in, but when he saw Sunset’s wide eyes, he stopped.

“Something wrong, Sunny?”

“No! No, nothing’s wrong!” she stuttered, trying to smile again. Her heart thrashed against the inside of her chest, but she didn’t know what else she could do.

Flash pulled away, his bottom lip puckering out. “You have been really strange today. Are you sure it’s just school?”

She nodded quickly, then slowed down, looking him in the eye. “Trust me,” she whispered, partly because her rapid heartbeat was stealing her breath away.

He sighed. “All right. You can tell me if anything is bothering you, okay?” She nodded again, and forced the smile to appear. He grinned back. “Can I still get a kiss?”

Her heart stopped. She looked at the ground, then into the sky, her mouth open and gasping for words. Finally, she just faced him and nodded once more. With gratitude maybe, he snaked his fingers into her hair and curled an arm around her waist, pulling her hips toward his. Pausing with his lips an inch from hers, he glanced at her cyan eyes. Then with no more delay, he pressed against her mouth, melting his lips into hers.

Sunset stood rigid, terrified to allow this to continue, but even more terrified of pulling away. She knew she couldn’t survive in this world on her own, with no magic or power at all. If she was going to get anywhere in her new life, she would need to comply with the ways of her counterpart’s old life. And if that meant letting a stranger wriggle his tongue between her teeth, then she would stay strong and let him.

Finally, Flash pulled away. Worry still crumpled his brow, and he held Sunset’s cheek in his hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. We have a class together, right?”

“Right. I think. I guess we’ll see,” she laughed. He chuckled back and turned, waving goodbye. Sunset watched him walk away, down the sidewalk and around the corner. The small hairs on her nape bristled.

After finding her family name on the list of residents near the entry to End’s Glow, Sunset pressed the corresponding button. This created a sharp buzz, which made her leap and trip over the heels of her large boots.

“Sunset?” a voice asked, crinkling through the low-quality speaker system.

She gathered herself and brushed her skirt, keeping her eyes on the speaker. “Dad?” she responded. She remembered suddenly the last time she had spoken with her father - her real father. Celestia stood far behind them, but she was sure her teacher could hear them anyway, and that she would surely see no problem with eavesdropping.

“You can still go back to her, Sunny. Please go back to her. We’ll help you.” Tears flooded his eyes, and he wrapped a foreleg around her neck, pulling her close to him. Sunset turned her face away, toward Celestia. Her brow lowered over her eyes.

“I don’t want any help,” she told him, pushing away his hoof. She flicked her tail and glared at the princess. Magic spurted from her horn as her cheeks flushed dark red. “And I’m not going back to her!”

“Sunny? Is that you? Hold the button to reply, remember?”

The voice startled Sunset again, and she shook her head before reaching out to press the button again.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry. Let me up?”

“Sure thing, kid. We missed ya.” The buzz sounded again, and Sunset opened the door. Next Chapter: Familiar Strangers Estimated time remaining: 10 Minutes