“So what do you know about Sunset?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight Sparkle barely half a second after they had taken their seats with their meals. Spike hopped up into the seat next to his master, his ears perked to their conversation. He couldn’t speak with so many people around, but it was clear he didn’t want to be left out.

The bookish girl pushed her glasses up her nose and glanced around. She leaned in over her steaming plate of hot french toast, and Rainbow did the same. “Ever since we started college, I’ve observed something peculiar that happens just before every new semester starts.”

The athlete arched an eyebrow. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

“Sunset vanishes.” Twilight licked her lips, her brow knotting as she looked down in thought. “She just kind of disappears for a few days. No one can call her or text her. When she comes back from wherever she’s gone, she says she came down with something.”

“And that’s not the answer?”

Twilight shot Rainbow an annoyed look. “I wouldn’t be bringing it up if I had accepted it as a coincidence! I’ll admit that at first I thought nothing of her absences, but then one day it struck me that Sunset always gets sick exactly one month before a new semester.” A student passed by their table, and Twilight sat up quickly, her eyes darting to the side as if afraid the stranger may have overheard.

Rainbow sat back with more ease, though her expression was now tight with befuddlement. “I guess that is kind of strange.”

“Exactly!” Twilight said, leaning in again. “But after she did it again last month, I asked her about it, and she just shrugged it off! I might have even taken her at her word if not for one important thing.”

“What?”

“A gold coin fell out of her bag.” Twilight gestured at Spike. “Spike saw before she swiped it up. She got really nervous and left in a hurry after that.”

Rainbow’s eyes fluttered. “Woah, hold the phone. You mean…Sunset had real gold?”

Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know! I couldn’t confirm it myself, but Spike says it looked pretty real. If I had to go purely off of Sunset’s reaction, though, that would be a plausible conclusion to draw. I mean, why get upset over something that’s fake?”

Rainbow Dash frowned and started to spread the butter over her french toast. “O-kay. So Sun disappears, comes back with gold, but freaks out when one of her close friends sees it.” She set down her butter knife and began to pour syrup over her breakfast from the little cup on her tray. “That sounds fishy to me.” Rainbow thumbed over her shoulder. “But how does that relate to that ‘Bray’ guy?”

Twilight pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing. “Well he’s clearly not a student of Everfree. He had no backpack or books. Plus, it’s unusual to see even older students at any of the campus cafeterias. Most who take advantage of school food are closer to our age.” She sat back and started to spread the butter over her own french toast. “Bray had a threatening air about him. It’s clear his visit was meant to send an intimidating message, and I’d be willing to bet he wasn’t coming on his own behalf. He lacked the charisma of someone in charge.”

“You think he’s a criminal or something?” Rainbow made a face. She crudely cut a large piece of french toast with her plastic fork, then after a moment of chewing, said around her food, “What would Sunset Shimmer be doing talking to criminals?”

Twilight pursed her lips as she started to pour her syrup over her meal. “The gold.”

“Huh?”

“Remember the gold!” Twilight took her fork and knife and began to neatly cut her french toast into small pieces. “Where is Sunset getting the gold from, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she took another bite of french toast. “Umm…” She racked her brain, her gaze turning up in thought. “Wait. I think I remember Sunset telling us that ponies in Equestria used mostly gold coins for their money.”

Twilight nodded eagerly. “Yes! They call them ‘bits’.” She carefully forked a piece of french toast and gave one to Spike, who ate it with a wag of his tail. “Knowing that, what’s one guess we can make as to where it is that Sunset might vanish to, where she would then return from with gold coins on her person?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, understanding finally dawning on her. “You mean she’s been going back to Equestria to get pure gold to pay for her semesters here at Everfree!?” she blurted.

Twilight shushed her. She looked around to make sure no one had heard before hissing, “Yes! At least, that is my latest theory. I haven’t had the opportunity to substantiate it yet. All of my evidence so far has only been circumstantial.” She speared a piece of french toast with her fork, then gestured at Rainbow Dash with it. “But continuing along this theory, we have to ask ourselves…how can Sunset spend her money? You can’t just go to the store, drop gold coins on the counter, and expect not to raise a fuss!” She carefully took the piece of french toast into her mouth.

Rainbow frowned. “So…the thug we saw?”

Twilight nodded slowly, relief flooding her features now that her friend was all caught up. She swallowed her food, then said, “My guess is that Sunset may be relying on less than savory sources to launder her Equestrian funds in our world! Doing so would prevent odd questions from say…the IRS for example?”

“But that would be stupid!” Rainbow said. “Why would Sunset put herself at risk like that when she could probably cover everything with scholarships?”

Twilight gave her a dry look. “Oh. Yes. I’m sure Sunset Shimmer’s legal documents—like her birth certificate and social security number—will no doubt hold up to scrutiny by the government or some charitable organization looking to pay for her entire education!” The bookworm shook her head. “It’s not that simple for Sunset, Rainbow. I’ve talked to her, and she’s constantly worried that someday, someone is going to realize that a lot of her papers had to be forged. You forget, Sunset wasn’t actually born here. There’s also her alter-dimensional twin she has to worry about. If you look at her ‘birth certificate’, you’ll see that she had to change the spelling of her name just to keep people from making the connection between her and her other self.”

Rainbow grimaced. “Geez, what a headache!”

Twilight sighed. “Tell me about it.” She speared another piece of french toast, gave that to Spike, then forked a new piece for herself. Just before taking a bite, she said, “And that, Rainbow Dash, is all that I know. Or at least, all that I think I know.”

Rainbow cut another large piece of french toast with her fork. “Well how about we stop guessing and try to find out, huh?”

“And how do you propose we do that?”

“You follow Sunset,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Text me if you see or hear anything. I’ll try and snoop around our dorm to see if I can find some clues.”

Twilight tucked in her chin. “I don’t know, Rainbow. I want to help Sunset, but it might be crossing a line snooping like that!”

Rainbow scowled at her. “Oh please! One way or another, Sunset is obviously up to something iffy, so it’s only right that her friends try to watch her back!” She snorted. “If she wasn’t such a stubborn wannabe-martyr, we wouldn’t have to resort to this crap.”

Twilight’s eyes ticked back and forth in thought. Spike barked, making her jump and look at him. His eyes were wide, and he looked quickly between his master and Rainbow Dash.

The girl sighed, scratching her dog’s head. “You’re right, Spike. We should at least give it a shot.” She looked seriously at Rainbow. “I’ll keep an eye on Sunset. I can’t be with her all the time, but since we have the same degree program, we’re usually pretty close to one another. Plus, that project kind of helps give me an excuse to see her too!”

“Sweet,” Rainbow said with a grin.

---

They finished their meals with relative gusto—all the conversation and drama had apparently worked up both their appetites. Rainbow Dash patted Spike on the head, then gave Twilight a quick one-arm hug before pulling out her blue penny board and skating across campus. Since she had ditched her survey class, she still had some time to kill before her practice that day. She skated to the quad, waving amiably at those she recognized on the way there. That’s when she saw him.

Bulk Biceps was out in the grass doing push-ups with two giggling girls sitting on his back. Rainbow nearly fell off her board when she realized one of those girls was Sassaflash. She braked fast, picked up her board, and made her way over to the spectacle, which had managed to attract its own crowd of onlookers. “You’ve gotta be kidding,” she muttered as she stopped and joined those egging the body builder on.

Bulk didn’t even looked fazed, his lips curved up in a smile as Sassaflash and the other girl—Fleetfoot, a sprinter, and one of Rainbow’s classmates from English—giggled together like a pair of grade schoolers.

“Sassaflash,” Rainbow called, pulling out her phone and opening her camera app with the tap of a side button. Sass looked up sharply, her smile wiping at the sight of her soccer captain. “Say cheese!” She took a picture.

Blushing hard, Sassaflash practically vaulted off of Bulk’s back, making the man pause and look at her in confusion. “Sorry, gotta go!” she said, stooping to grab her backpack off of the grass.

Fleetfoot pouted, her red eyes fluttering. “Aww…but Sass, Bulk was going to beat his record!”

Sassaflash barely looked at the other girl as she went to stand next to Rainbow Dash. “Maybe next time, Fleety.”

Rainbow grinned at her. “Oh no, I’d hate to cut Bulk’s record attempt short!”

Sass gave her a warning look, then started to swiftly walk away.

Chuckling, Rainbow went to stand before Bulk. The crowd around them began to dissipate, their entertainment ruined. Fleetfoot, oddly enough, still refused to stand. The powerlifter didn’t appear bothered by this in the slightest, though he did look up curiously as Rainbow leaned over and held up her phone. The angle afforded her a perfect view of Bulk’s deer-in-the-headlights expression, and Fleetfoot peering curiously from her coveted perch on his back.

“Uh, hey Rainbow Dash,” Bulk said.

Rainbow gave him a pursed-lip smile as she took a picture. “What’s up, Bulkster.”

His face tensed with worry. “You’re not here to talk about my membership dues for this month, right? I told your dad I’d have it by the end of the week—!”

She had already straightened and was walking away. Over her shoulder she said, “Naw, don’t worry about it, buddy. You’re good.” Rainbow looked at her phone and grinned wickedly. “Rea-ally good…” She brought up her text conversation with Fluttershy, attached her ‘flattering’ picture of Bulk Biceps, and added the message:

>R: Look! Bulk is savin u a seat <3

She snickered as she hit send. Looking up, she saw Sassaflash waiting for her back at the cement path, her arms crossed and a tense look on her face.

“What?” She said, shrugging.

“Can you please delete that picture?”

Rainbow frowned. “The one I just took?”

“No, the one I took of your dad in his birthday suit. Yes the one you just took!”

“Woah, chill. I can delete it.” Rainbow brought up her photo gallery and highlighted the picture. Holding the screen out so that Sassaflash could see, she tapped the trash icon. The picture vanished from the library. “Done. Okay? Are we cool, now?”

Sassaflash’s cheeks flushed pink, and she visibly sagged. She covered her face with her hands and sighed roughly. “I’m sorry. Caramel and I only just made up. I don’t need another reason for us to fight.”

Rainbow frowned as she slipped her phone away. “No offense, dude, but if you’re so intent on not upsetting your boyfriend, maybe you shouldn’t be flirting around with other guys?”

“I know…” Sass pouted and stubbed a toe into the ground. “But Bulk is nice. Like a teddy bear.”

Rainbow smirked. “And he’s also jacked.”

Sassaflash grinned coyly at her.

The tomboy rolled her eyes. Sass began to backpedal away, her hands clasped behind her back. “I gotta get to class. Catch you at practice?”

Rainbow waved. “Yep!” Her hand stilled in the air when she heard her phone start ringing, the device also vibrating in her pocket. Confused, she pulled it out and actually flinched. It was Rainbow Blaze.

Closing her eyes, she took a moment to take a bracing inhale, then accepted the call on her phone’s screen. “Hello?” she said as casually as possible.

“Rainbow, I want to see you tonight,” Blaze said.

Her mind went on alert. Her father’s voice was flat. His words were clipped.

He was unhappy.

“Dad, is something up?” she asked nervously.

“I haven’t heard from you since we talked last. I didn’t think it was necessary to have to demand to be kept in the loop, and yet here I am. Demanding.”

Rainbow’s grip on her phone tightened and she took another calming breath. Through her teeth, she said, “I’m busy. I got class, and practice, and I’m meeting my friend tonight—”

“Make time. I’ll be at the office until late.” Then Blaze hung up.

Rainbow glared at the phone, as if hoping that somehow the force of her ire could reach through the data network to clock her father in the eye. She jumped when the phone started to ring again. It wasn’t Blaze this time.

Without hesitation, Rainbow answered, a grin splitting wide across her face. “Hey, Fluttershy!”

“Hi, Rainbow. I’m on break. I thought I’d call since you’re apparently free…” there was a note of wryness to the other girl’s voice that made the athlete chuckle.

“Did you like my picture?” Rainbow Dash asked, rocking back onto her heels.

“Rainbow, please be nice. Bulk has always had his admirers—!”

“That you claim to be one of—”

“I’m just trying to say that I can’t fault him for that…” Fluttershy mumbled.

“You know I’ve got admirers too,” Rainbow stated innocently.

There was a pause on the other end of the call. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” the soccer player said. She was grinning so hard her face ached. “Tons of ‘em. Sometimes, when I’m feeling mean, I string them behind me like a parade and stop traffic. The cops love me.”

“That’s kind of mean to your admirers, don’t you think?” Fluttershy asked, just a hint of a quaver to her voice.

Rainbow’s grin softened and she ducked her head. “Yeah, kind of. I don’t mean to though. Someone smart told me that maybe I’m afraid of commitment or something.”

“But you aren’t afraid of anything!” Fluttershy protested, as if pointing out the obvious.

Rainbow’s smile turned delirious as she bit her lip. Her chest swelled and she slapped a hand over her heart. Geez, and I bet she isn’t even trying to make feel like this!

“You’re right,” she finally managed to say after a moment. Her voice sounded husky. “So that’s why I thought, ‘I’ll prove this egghead wrong’ by doing just that. Committing.”

“And how will you do that, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. “Do you have someone in mind?”

“I do. Wanna guess who?”

“Umm…”

Rainbow covered her mouth and laughed silently as she heard Fluttershy shift in a chair over the line.

“It’s…not your vice captain, is it?” the other girl asked.

That made the tomboy’s eyebrows shoot up. “Who, Sass? No way! She’s straight as an arrow.”

“Thank goodness!” Fluttershy breathed. “Er, I mean—not that I dislike her! I’d just hate to see your teamwork affected by a relationship!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but tease a little. “Riiight…”

“I mean it!”

“Like when you meant it when you said you like Bulk Biceps?”

A groan. “Oh Rainbow, not this again.”

“Come on, Fluttershy. We both know you freaked and said the first name that popped into your head. Just tell me who the song is really for, and I’ll let it go!”

“I… I can’t,” Fluttershy sighed. She sounded defeated. Rainbow’s grin waned. That wasn’t what she had intended for.

“Flutters, I’m gonna tell you a secret. You ready?”

“O-okay.”

“I may have a parade of admirers, but I’m not interested in any of them. You wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m too busy parading after someone as awesome as I am.”

Fluttershy exhaled over the receiver, causing the line to distort. “Who… Who is that?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Rainbow looked down at her sneakers, her face coloring red. She smirked and said, “Well, I’d tell you, but I’m kind of feeling exposed here. I mean, I’m the only one sharing after all.”

“So you’ll only tell if I tell?” Fluttershy squeaked.

The tomboy let out a laugh. She was trembling all over, her chest warm. “How about this,” she said. “I’ll write my song lyrics like I was writing to my crush. Then I want you to tell me if you can guess who it is.”

“But what if I don’t know who it is?”

Rainbow’s gaze turned soft, her grin fading. She started to walk slowly, no destination in mind, just happy feelings carrying her forward. “Trust me,” she murmured. “You’ll know.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 15 Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 18 Minutes