The party was in full swing and, unsurprisingly, nearly everyone from CHS showed up. I stood away from the action, admiring the mass of faces that seemed to be enjoying themselves. Carefree smiles and energetic dance moves lined the backyard, all signs of an event that went through without a hitch.

What made it odd was that everyone seemed to have adopted the rock theme. Teenagers dressed as punk rockers danced with old school rockabilly types, and the grunge kids mingled with the geek rock kids. It was a pretty entertaining sight to watch from a distance.

"You know what I just noticed?" Pinkie asked. Her arm nudged mine, bringing me back to a state of awareness at the party. The booming dance music nearly drowned her voice beneath a guitar riff. I leaned in closer, hoping to get a better earful by getting closer. It didn't work. She was bouncing up and down in place, her thick curly hair styled into a vintage pompadour.

"What?" I asked, entertaining her thought before taking a drink from a freezing water bottle.

"When you and Sunset Shimmer put your names like celebrity couples, you'd get—"

"Sunlight?" I finished, already knowing where she was going.

"Wow," Pinkie hummed. "That totally blows Shimmle out of the water. Have you been thinking about this?"

"Nah," I lied. "It kinda just came to me."

Pinkie giggled before saying, "Well if you need help tying Sunset down, both figuratively and literally, you know who to call." Without another word, she turned away and t began bouncing away into the thick of the party.

I tried to brush the comment away, knowing it was just one of her jokes. Then, instinctively, I called an impatient, "Wait, Pinkie!"

Literally leaving skid marks, she stopped in her tracks before she popped up from behind a wall of dancing people.

"Who exactly was Sunset's ex?" I asked, finding it hard to contain my anxiousness.

"His name is Flash Sentry!" Pinkie beamed, bouncing on her platforms, "I think I remember inviting him earlier today, so he should be coming!"

"Flash Sentry. Got it, thanks," I said plainly before releasing Pinkie back into the general public like a stretched rubber band.

I had a lead. It wasn't much, but it narrowed down the possibilities from everyone at CHS to just one person. One person who managed to actually capture Sunset's heart. I spent the next few minutes wandering the party, not really socializing, unless asking around for Flash counted. But still, every lead turned out fruitless as everyone claimed they hadn't seen seen him arrive yet.

There was a corner of the backyard that served as my friends' base of operations. Though, as I looked around, it seemed that neither Pinkie nor Sunset Shimmer were anywhere in sight. Pinkie was most likely still greeting people, but I assumed Sunset was on a soda run or something. Although, her absence made it easy to ask around for her ex-boyfriend now that I knew that she wasn't nearby.

Every time I hit a wall, the thought of going back to the girls seemed more enticing.

After a good half hour of talking, declining sugary drinks, and asking around, I finally conceded defeat and asked my newfound friends.

Rainbow Dash shifted in her seat and toyed around with her drink. "Sunset's ex? I dunno. She might not really appreciate you looking into him."

"Ah remember he played guitar. We never got to know him while they were dating." Applejack clarified, scratching her head.

"You could ask Sunset," Fluttershy suggested. "That way you'll have her blessing when you—"

"Oh, no I'm not asking about that, " I defended. "Not that he isn't great. I just don't really know him."

"Yeah, why are you asking about him? It wouldn't hurt to ask Sunset unless you're scared that she'll be jealous," Rarity teased, squeezing at my shoulder in what I assumed was a playful gesture between friends.

"I can't. I'm uh, trying to figure out some, uh, background information on Sunset,” I admitted.You know, magic-based stuff. I'm just not really sure if she'll answer me... truthfully. And I was hoping maybe he could shed some light on things."

Smooth, Twilight. Real smooth.

"Uh huh," Rarity hummed. "Well, I think I saw him around here somewhere so you should just keep looking. I’ll let you know if we spot him."

"Thanks, Rarity. I really appreciate it."

I scanned the party once again, hanging around and hoping that the girls would pick him out from the crowd. After about five minutes of sitting there, I began to believe that this Flash Sentry guy just hadn’t shown up—maybe Rarity had gotten him confused with someone else.

Feeling my body weighed down by the lack of information, I figured it probably would have been easier to just tell them all the truth, but more people knowing equals more liabilities. Besides, I had Pinkie Pie, the girl who could seemingly bend physics for laughs and giggles. What more could I ask for?

Anxious, I stared at the water bottle in my hands. It was disfigured, bent at an odd angle from my grip. I also had a habit of chewing on the bottlecap when I was nervous. When I looked down, I noticed a small rut at my feet, and I immediately knew it was caused by my restless kicking. Sure enough, the grass and dirt on my shoes proved me right.

I needed something to do, something to take my mind off of things. Throwing away the water bottle just seemed like the most convenient thing to do.

On my walk, I passed a few of the party games that Pinkie had taken the role of hosting. The party girl stood over a two-foot pot of water with a sign hanging off it that read, "Bobbing for Rocks."

Hopefully, for the sake of everyone's teeth, it was just rock candy. Although considering that sugar was soluble, I doubted that it was actually candy. That would also explain the clear lack of people lining up from the tub.

As I tossed away the plastic bottle, I noticed a familiar group of girls hanging by snack table, and I immediately felt my chest drop.

Apparently Pinkie had invited my teammates from the Friendship Games.

I parted with them on… not the best of terms. Well, that sounds worse than what I mean; the best way I can think to describe it is “cold”. It wasn’t necessarily their fault, either. They had tried to make friends, but I didn’t make any effort to return their kindness; I had felt like they were only reaching out because they felt bad.

My departure had been quiet, unannounced, and it was one of the many regrets I had. At the time, I figured that no one would ask questions, but the message Sunny Flare had sent proved me wrong.

But still, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to them, and I found myself backing away.

Wanting to get out of dodge, I ducked inside the house. I felt exhausted and that I needed a little break from the rowdiness. Luckily the inside was relatively quiet—key word being relatively. There was still a healthy amount of chatter from people who wanted to talk free from the booming, oppressive music. I sat off in the corner, hoping to regather my thoughts before I continued the case of the mysterious ex-boyfriend.

"Hey," a voice called. Slow, quiet, monotonous. "Twilight Sparkle, right?" The only expression in her voice was the slight upward lilt at the end that signaled a question.

"Oh, hello," I greeted courteously. "I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

"Sort of," she said. "My name is Maud. Your friend Pinkie is my little sister."

"Oh!" The name immediately clicked, and a sense of guilt weighed on my back. "I thought you'd be—"

"Out there? Nah, parties are more of her thing."

She poked around her turtleneck before sitting dow next to me.

"Why did you let her throw this big party then?" I asked. Maud didn't exactly look like the life of the party, judging from the sad-looking dress she wore.

"Because my sister loves it," Maud answered plainly. "It makes her happy, and I like seeing her happy."

I paused for a moment, not really knowing what to say. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Maud answered, her voice absolutely deadpan. "But yes."

"If Pinkie were to come home gushing about someone she liked, how would you advise her in dating, as a big sister, you know?"

Hey, I'm getting better at being subtle, I think.

Maud paused, but her expression didn't change. It rarely did during my conversation with her.

"I guess I would tell her to be careful," she answered. "Knowing her, she's going to fall fast and hard. I just want to make sure she's not crushed when she finds out they're not the one. Now, tell me. Is she?"

"No," I answered, "just a hypothetical."

"Figured," Maud commented. "Would it be too much to ask who you like?"

I froze in place, not really knowing what to say. "I, uh, well, you see."

"It's a girl isn't it?" Maud pressed, keeping absolutely calm. "Not that I mind. You just seemed too skittish, and most girls would have mentioned a boy."

"But that doesn't mean—"

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"Is it Pinkie?"

I shook my head, and she nodded. "Not that she's not great and all. I mean—"

"Well, whoever it is," Maud started, "just ask her out. I'm sure she'll say yes." She paused for a moment before digging in her pocket. Her hand came out swiftly, holding a gray, uninteresting pebble. "Boulder told me he’s hungry again."

Without saying much else, she disappeared behind into the kitchen while whispering consoling words to the stone in her palm.

So much for my sage advice. What does she know? I asked myself, immediately questioning her validity based on her relationship with a rock. For all I knew, that rock could have been her lover, and this was just a giant waste of time.

I hit another wall. The clues didn't help, and I didn't get much from Maud. The search for the evasive Flash Sentry was back on. He might as well have been invisible, considering how hard he was to find. I should have figured it would be impossible to find Sunset's "Mystery Hunk."

"I like to call this one, ‘A Flash to the Past,’" a voice introduced, followed by the sound of a familiar chord structure, playing at a pleasantly upbeat tempo.

I stopped at the back of the room, watching the blue-haired boy sing in an attempt to liven up the party. Aside from his hair being ridiculously styled like a caricature of Elvis for the party's theme, he was familiar. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had run into him before, but we never really connected much more than a passing conversation.

Halfway through his musical set, he glanced in my direction and didn’t look away. It also didn't help that I was one of the few people not outside dancing. I sat on a chair against the wall, hoping to talk to him once he was done.

He put his guitar down, and then he set his sights towards me.

"Twilight," he called, leaning against the living room wall.

"Flash, right?" I greeted, taking a reassuring sip of my water. "I didn't know you play guitar."

"Yup," he answered, "and yeah, I play guitar."

"Cool," I said, faking interest. "Sunset also plays guitar."

Gee, Twilight, that wasn't forced at all.

Flash nodded and scratched at his head. "Yeah, I taught her a bit while we were dating."

My eyes flared, a staged reaction on my part to egg him on. "Oh, really? I didn't know that. She would always mention on how she had a good teacher."

That part was a lie, but it worked just the same to butter him up. With his ego stroked, he seemed to be a lot more receptive to talking about Sunset Shimmer.

"I could teach you," he offered, his smile getting wider.

"No thanks. I'm just looking to see what Sunset likes—so I could get her something for her birthday."

"Oh, I didn't know her birthday was coming up."

Maybe there's a reason Sunset dumped him. It couldn’t have been that hard to remember a birthday or at the very least the month—or even season—it's in.

"Aside from guitars, did you two have anything in common?" I asked, flashing an innocent smile and using every ounce of effort to look like I wasn't digging for information. I could have sworn my cheeks were supported with wires by how much they were hurting afterward.

"Well, we never really connected... ya know, intimately?"

I crossed my arms, hoping to just drop the subject of that, but no, conversations require closure or something. The next few minutes were spent trying to politely claw myself out of the conversation that went by interminably. I already knew what he was telling me. The girls (and Sunset) had been hounding me to join their band, insisting that I was a good singer.

With his words already less helpful than what I already knew, I was ready to throw in the towel for the night.

I stepped back outside, hoping to clear my head with the mind-soothing sounds of heavy metal. Kidding, of course. I spent a good twenty minutes wandering the party, taking part in small talk with other Canterlot students and declining their offers of cider. The party itself was lively—I couldn't take that away from Pinkie. Even though it wasn't my thing, the pink party girl sure worked some magic turning rocks into the can't-miss event of the month.

Retreating back into the safety of the party, I stopped in an isolated corner. Pushing through walls of guests, I slumped onto a foldable chair and decided to wait the party out.

“Twilight?”

I shrunk, recognizing the voice. “Hey, Sunny Flare.”

Looking up, my fears from earlier were confirmed as Sunny Flare was standing by me. Unlike the other guests, she wasn’t dressed to the rock theme—she was still wearing the Crystal Prep uniform.

“Dean Cadenza told us you transferred the other day,” she said quietly. “Then I got an invite on MyStable from one of your new friends, and I figured…”

“Sorry.” I stared down at my shoes. “I should have said something before I left, but...”

She put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s fine, Twilight. I get it. I mean, it sucks and all, but I probably would have left too, especially since Cinch is still running things.”

“Yeah... I couldn’t really stay around for much longer.” I paused, debating on whether to tell her any more.

“The rest of the girls really wanted to see you, but they had to leave a while ago.”

“Oh,” I hummed.

Sunny dug her hands into her pockets. “How are you holding up? You know, after the whole transformation thing.”

“Okay, I guess.” It was a lie, but I didn’t want to bother her with my problems.

“If you want to talk about it, or anything really, feel free to come to any one of us,” she offered. “It was just as much our fault, and we really want to make it up to you. You’re our friend, Twilight.”

I hung on the word “friend” and immediately felt selfish. Maybe it was my introverted nature, but it was hard for me to feel like I really made any friends.

I adjusted my glasses. “I’ll… I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Sunny. I needed to hear something like that.”

The conversation lulled, long enough for it to be a nice, quiet moment. Sunny Flare hummed a little while staring off at the party.

“Who’s the cutie at my ten?” Sunny asked, pointing off toward a girl wearing a flower crown.

“Oh that’s, uh, Roseluck, I think,” I answered. "She's in my calc class."

“I’m digging the psychedelic vibe. I'm gonna go see if she wants to dance,” she announced as she stood up. “See ya, Twilight. It was great talking to you.”

“You too,” I said, leaning back into my metal chair. I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling jealous of Sunny Flare's confidence.

Emotionally drained for the day, I plugged in by earbuds and substituted the party’s music with my own. I managed to get a few solid minutes of alone time before my earphones were mercilessly ripped out, and I was brought back to the world of guitar solos.

"Bringing your own music to a party? Not cool, Twi." Rainbow scolded, although not seriously, more of an immature hazing sort of way. "Seriously, though," the cyan girl spoke up through an entertained chuckle. "Come on and join the party. Even Fluttershy's out there having a good time. So is Applejack, and she's square dancing to punk rock."

"I'm not really a good dancer," I protested, hoping to drop it at that.

She held out her hand, ignoring my excuse—a friendly gesture, no doubt. Without hesitating, I grabbed the flannel-clad arm and joined the punk rocker into the fray of the party. Tonight was a somewhat of a failure, so I figured I should just enjoy myself for the rest of it.

"Any luck finding Flash Sentry?" Rainbow asked, leading me into the familiar group of girls.

"He was a bust," I answered truthfully. "Apparently they weren’t close. It kinda makes me wonder how they ended up dating in the first place."

“She dated him for popularity," Rainbow answered. "Any one of us could have told you that."

"I didn't think Sunset—"

"There's a lot of things she did before she mellowed out," Rainbow clarified. "It's a long story that she should probably tell you herself."

"But—"

"The only 'but' should be the one you can shake," Rainbow ordered playfully before shoving me into the thick of the party. Any cry of protest was ignored as I was pushed into the center of the dance floor.

"Catch!" Pinkie's bubbly voice called right before I was struck with a pile of flannel that landed squarely on my face. I wrestled with the pajamas for a split second before

I was tired. The party had been a blur, mostly forgotten other than the notes I had taken after most of the action died down. After the party, I stayed behind along with Sunset and the rest of the girls to clean up what we could. Empty cider bottles and soda cans were easy enough, but there was a folding chair still stuck in a tree somewhere. The only light we had were the streetlights and the moon, and unsurprisingly everyone agreed that climbing up a tree at one in the morning wasn’t the smartest idea.

Still, after putting everything away, the cozy inside of Pinkie's house was comparable to warmest of campfires.

Pinkie's parents were gone—they usually weren't around whenever Pinkie threw the world's biggest shindigs, hootenannies, or whatever. Maud offered the six of us her room but we all declined, choosing to cram into Pinkie's room for the night.

I slid myself into my sleepwear, feeling the warm touch of fabric rub against my legs.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack had already passed out, exaggerating their ruggedness by opting to take the floor next to Pinkie's bed. The blonde clutched her Stetson against her chest like a child would with a stuffed bear, and Rainbow, clad in a pair of men's boxers and a tank top, shared the cramped space, unconsciously pushing her friend so she had more room.

I chuckled to myself as I spread a spare blanket over the two.

Pinkie Pie took her own bed, obviously, although she had offered to share it with Rarity and Fluttershy. Both of them, however, had modestly declined, each taking a couch pillow from downstairs to occupy the last bits of free space on the floor.

So that left me with the bed... with Sunset Shimmer.

I swear I didn't plan this. Fate just decided on a whim to have a sense of humor. Story of my life, I guess.

It was a total of two days since greenlighting The Sunlight Project, and I could confidently say that I slept with Sunset Shimmer and not be lying about it.

Of course, we had the buffer of Pinkie Pie in between us, so it wasn't as aligned in the stars as it seemed. Sunset squirmed under the shared covers, and I pretended not to notice. We were all girls there, but I couldn't help but feel my cheeks flush with blood as Sunset carelessly tossed her bra in the corner.

"Hey! Watch where you throw that!" a half-asleep Rainbow scolded. "Jeez, it's all sweaty, too."

Once again I pretended not to notice, mentally blocking out the slanderous remark.

At least half an hour passed and I legitimately could not fall asleep. The sounds of slumber filled the room as most of them seemed to snore. I got up from the bed, thanking everything that I didn't have to climb over Pinkie Pie or trip over the sleeping girls. My throat was dry anyway, so I took it both as an opportunity to both grab some water and stretch my legs.

The halls were empty, almost eerie compared to earlier in the night it was littered with partygoers who ignored the "do not go upstairs" sign. The evidence was still around, forcing me to trod through crushed red party cups and potato chips.

In the corner of my eye, lit up perfectly in the moonlight, was a notebook. It was Sunset's notebook, to be specific, hanging out of her half-open bag. The gold accents shined, immediately drawing my attention towards the leather-bound book, where a heavily-stylized sun was printed. It looked awfully expensive—awfully private.

I'm not proud of what I did. It was an invasion of privacy, yes, but I couldn't help myself.

Greedily, I flipped through the book, my hands awkwardly fumbling the golden-lined paper until I reached the last passage.

I am not proud of what I did, and I am not still not sure of what I found.

I reread the first line over and over again trying to mentally comprehend the words on the page.