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Sunset Shimmer is MAD about EVERYTHING

by Justice3442

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: And on This Touching Chapter…

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Chapter 3: And on This Touching Chapter…


Starlight Glimmer trotted down a hallway of Twilight’s castle once more. Sunset Shimmer followed close behind her, watching as Starlight trotted right past an open room where Twilight busily scrutinized two sheets of brown parchment from two separate stacks. Sunset stopped and raised a forehoof to her mouth, clearing her throat.

Starlight stopped and turned.

Sunset motioned towards the open door with her eyes and head.

Giving Sunset an embarrassed smile, Starlight trotted towards the room containing Twilight. Sunset followed.

Hey Twilight,” Starlight said as she sheepishly entered the room, “can I ask you something about the Crystal Empire?”

Huh! Funny you should mention it,” Twilight said as she pulled three pieces of parchment from the stacks and trotted over to Starlight and Sunset. “Because I just narrowed your first friendship lesson down to three options, and one of them is in the Crystal Empire!” Twilight said as she turned all three pieces of parchment to face Starlight.

Really?” Starlight said excitedly.

Sunset peered over Starlight’s shoulder, quickly glancing at the options before Twilight neatly collected them in front of herself. I found out that's where the first pony you ever cared about lives!”

Sunburst?” Starlight asked. In the course of a second, her excited expression wilted on the vine.

“Who’s Sunburst?” Sunset asked.

“Oh… we were friends back when we were both foals,” Starlight answered.

Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “The first pony you ever cared about was a childhood friend? Geez, I guess take that your parents.”

Twilight and Starlight winced.

“What…” Sunset said as she looked between the two mares. “What did I…” Realization hit Sunset like a pair of shooting stars crashing directly into her. “Oh… Oh… I’m so… I’m so sorry… I didn’t…”

Twilight couldn’t help but smirk. “Doncha feel like a heel now.”

Tears began to pool at the bottom of Sunset’s turquoise eyes as she stared directly at Starlight with a sad look, a mixture of sympathy and pleading. Her lower lip began to quiver as she puffed it out.

“Sunset…?” Starlight said. “It’s… it’s okay, really… you didn’t…”

“It’s NOT okay!” Sunset choked out as her chest began to heave up and down. “You… me… I mean…sniff… Starlight I’m so, so sorry!”

“Sunset?” Twilight asked as she stared in concern at the orange mare. “I mean, you sort of stepped onto a landmine there, but you apologized, so…”

Starlight’s amethyst eyes shot open wide as they became glassy. “You… you mean…?”

Choking back sobs, Sunset nodded her head up and down. “Eh-heh…” she said half-crying.

Tears shot out of Starlight’s eyes.

“Oh-okay…!” Twilight said as she looked between the two mares who were clearly barely keeping their emotions restrained. “Would… would somepony please tell me what’s going on?”

Choke…Sob… STARLIGHT!” Sunset cried.

“Sniff… SUNSET!” Starlight shouted.

The two mares suddenly embraced, burying their faces in each other manes as soul reverberating wails wracked them both.

“SERIOUSLY!” Twilight exclaimed. “WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

-o~Five minutes of hysterical mare crying later~0-

Sunset did her best to cut off her crying and choke out a sentence as she continued to hold Starlight and sob openly into the unicorns purple/light purple/light blue-striped mane, “…HOUAAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAA-And-sniff-AND… I was just SO lonely! ALL THE TIME! WHOUAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAA!”

Starlight bit at her lower lip, tears still pouring out of her eyes and into Sunset’s damp mane as she held onto the alicorn tightly. “KNOOOOOOOOWWOUAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAA…!”

“..HOUAAAAAAAA…There was NOPONY!” Sunset cried. “NOPONY AT ALL! WHOUAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAA…!”

“I KNOOOOWWWOOOOHHHWWWWWOOOHHHHWWWWOUAAAAAAAAA…!”

“NO REALLY!” Twilight shouted above the crying. “I REALLY HOPE I’M NOT BEING INSENSITIVE RIGHT NOW, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU TWO ARE TALKING ABOUT OR WHY YOU WON’T STOP CRYING!”

Sunset and Starlight closed their mouths and started breathing heavily through their noses. Their chests still heaving, they raised their heads as the waterfall of tears each mare sported slowed to a trickle. Slowly, they detached from one another and turned to look at Twilight.

Sunset began wiping at her cheeks and face with the backside of her forehoof. “I’m… I’m sorry Twilight… but… I don’t think you’d understand.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes in frustration at Sunset then turned to Starlight.

Starlight looked at Sunset and nodded her head up and down. “Uh-huh…” she uttered.

Twilight grit her teeth as she looked back and forth between the two mares in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she brought a forehoof up to her chest and exhaled, extending the hoof. “Okay… Nevermind, if you two are okay…”

“We’ll manage,” Sunset said as she turned towards Starlight. “Right?”

Starlight gave Sunset a small smile and nodded. “Right.”

Twilight shifted the parchment in front of her and looked at new one. “Well… erm… ahem… That’s just one idea.” Twilight smiled again, putting on an air of excitement. “We could also go to Griffonstone! Making friends with a griffon is a challenge all by itself!”

“What, what, what?! Sunset asked in disbelief as she wiped the remaining tear from her eyes.

Twilight sighed. “Something wrong, Sunset?”

“Don’t you ‘something wrong, Sunset’ me, Twilight Sparkle! Do you… do you have any worldly idea what you just suggested?!”

Twilight looked at her list again. “I thought making friends with a griffon would make for a good lesson on friendship!”

WHY?! Because making friends with a griffon should be hard?!”

“Well… yeah!”

“Christ, Sparkle! Do you have any idea how just plain wrong that is?! A. You picked a lesson based on how you perceive Griffons to act, so it’s racist! B. Your lesson is that Starlight go out and just make friends with a stranger?! Who… who goes out and meets someone that potentially could become a life-long associate just because it’s some sort of bizarre assignment?! C. When we look at both A. and B. your whole plan is Starlight makes friends with a stranger of a specific race because such a feat should meet some arbitrary ‘Friendship Difficulty Score’?!”

“Well… I mean… Technically I named it the ‘Friendship Point System’, but—”

Starlight swallowed. “If neither of you mind, I’m just going to quietly back away from this conversation for a bit…” she said as she quietly backed away from the conversation.

“Oh my GOD!” Sunset shouted at Twilight. “What is wrong with you?! How many Griffons have you even met that you’d even think this was okay?”

“Me?!” Twilight asked. “Uh… I mean… I saw Gilda at a party once and she seemed pretty nasty… Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie managed to become friends with her much later, but that sounded rather difficult… OH! And I met a baker griffon named Gustave on a train once! He seemed pretty snooty…” Twilight said with a smile.

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “I mean… I was prepared to interrupt you and say, ‘Doesn’t matter! No amount of Griffons you’ve met would make this okay!’ But… but… you’ve only sorta met two Griffons and you’re basing part of your insane criteria off the fact of what you heard from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?! Do you… Do you have any idea what the newspapers would do to you if they even caught wind of this discussion we’re having right now?! Twilight, they’d roast you in black and white and then you’d be eaten alive! Imagine the crazy diplomatic situation you’d have to resolve with Griffonstone! You’d have to spend days just making appearances and probably donating to Griffon charities to make up for botching pony/griffon relations! How…?! WHY?! I… I… I think I need to throw up right now!” Sunset made a mad dash for the nearest window and stuck her head out.

Twilight pursed her lips in concern as she glanced at Starlight who stared back with wide, terrified eyes like a deer being bared down on by a freight train blaring its whistle.

With a purple glow of Twilight’s horn, she tore the parchment she had just read from in half. “Okay!” Twilight began in the same cheerful tone as before. “The last option is we tag along with the CMC—“

“BLLLLARRRRRGRARGAGARGARGARRRRRCCHCHCHCH…” Her head sticking out the window, one of Sunset’s hooves shot up. “Sorry! That wasn’t in response to what you were saying just now, that was still due to your other friendship suggestion,” Sunset said.

Twilight glanced at Sunset then looked back at Starlight with a smile. “As I was saying, we could tag along with the CMCs the next time they try to help a pony figure out why they’re special!”

“Hey, Twilight!” Sunset called. “There’s like… a bunch of kids outside with a bunch of fireworks? Is that… is that normal?”

“Oh!” Twilight said with a smile. “Sounds like they’re trying to help another pony right now!”

A shout of three fillies crying in unison suddenly sounded out from the window. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, LET’S GET BUTTON HIS CUTIE MARK IN PYROTECHNICS, YAY!

Sunset continued to stare out that window. “Gee, those fireworks are really close to the Cast—“

‘KAAAABOOOOOOM!’

A storm of multi-colored fiery sparks suddenly exploded right in front of the window. The castle shook as both Twilight and Starlight’s eyes opened widely, both shooting panicked expressions as they watched the deadly light show wash over Sunset Shimmer’s head.

For a just a moment, no pony did anything. Even Sunset merely stood with her head facing outside. Then slowly, Sunset Shimmer turned, her face blackened, her eyes wide and unfocused as her head wobbled slightly. She blinked a few times as the high-pitched scream of terror from a young colt filled the vacuum left by the loud fireworks explosion.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“I think one of the foals is on fire…” Sunset said calmly. Staring at nopony as one ear flicked followed by the other.

“STOP DROP AND ROLL, BUTTON! STOP DROP AND ROLL!”

Sunset turned her head slightly to glance out of the window. “No wait… vision is still a bit messed up, but I think one of the other foals put him out… Either that or he was saved by a crying marshmallow who really likes kisses and hugs.”

As Twilight and Starlight stared blankly at Sunset for a moment, Twilight once again used magic to tear the parchment in front of her in half. “Okay! So I’ve narrowed it down to one option!” she said in a chipper tone.

Starlight cringed before forcing on a giant toothy smile as sweat began to drip from her forehead. “Super…” She swallowed and looked at Sunset. “Hey, Sunset? Could you walk with me a little bit?”

“Okay,” Sunset replied. “I’m not sure which purple pony with a horn just asked me that, but assuming you’re going to help me wash my face and fix my vision and hearing, I’m just going to say ‘yes’.”

-ooo-

With a sorrowful look on her face which was pointed at the ground, Starlight trotted down one of what seemed like an endless series of identical hallways, Sunset Shimmer following close behind. Sunset’s face had been cleared up, but her head wobbled slightly as she continuously flicked her ears and attempted to keep her vision focused on the purple tail with a light blue-stripe through the center of it swaying in front of her.

Starlight’s horn glowed sky blue as she opened the nearest door, several brooms and a mop, a ladder and a bucket suddenly collapsed on top of her, burying her in an instant as the bucket landed squarely over her head.

Sunset stopped and squinted. “Sigh for supply closet. Scream for cleaning monster that’s trying to devour you.”

Starlight let out a dejected sigh.

Sunset nodded. “Good. I’m not in any condition right now to fight some bizarre broomstrosity, even if it would be made almost completely out of flammable-ass wood and straw,” Sunset commented as her horn blazed with fire momentarily.

Ugh!” Starlight groaned as she picked up everything on top of her with a sky blue glow and shoved it back into the supply closet, closing it with her magic. “I am never gonna find my way around this place!”

Sunset shook her head and blinked a few times, her eyes drifted erratically for a moment then focused on Starlight. “Starlight… Not to be mean, but how is it that you apparently were smart enough to both found and run an entire town where you removed cutie marks with magic, kept everyone in line with brainwashing and also smart enough to master a spell that sent you back in time and had reality-warping powers which you used so you could get revenge on some pony who has occasionally fights demigods and now can’t navigate a castle? I mean… it’s a big castle where everything looks the same a bit, but still…”

Starlight let out a small whimper. “I’m not good with directions, alright? Why do you think the town I founded could only be reached by taking a train all the way to the end of the tracks in the middle of the desert before you had to walk to and cross a gorge and walk even further through more desert to get to the town?!”

Uh… I mean… I thought maybe you didn’t want a ton of attention to your sort of shady practice of removing cutie marks and brainwashing?!”

“No!” Starlight cried. “I mean, okay… sure… For a while the quiet was nice and convenient, but I had no way to progress on my own! I had essentially built myself into a corner!” Starlight cringed. “It’s not like ponies just randomly wandered into town that far out! Also, because of the equalizing process no pony had any useful skills that would result in us having any trade to speak of! If it weren’t for Twilight and her friends showing up I basically would have had no way of furthering my goal!” Starlight paused for a moment. “I mean… technically a good thing, but still!”

Sunset pursed her lips slightly. “Didn’t you escape Twilight and everyone by hiding in a maze like system of caves and navigating to the other side?”

“Are you kidding?!” Starlight exclaimed. “I can’t even find the bathroom here!”

“But lots of ponies saw you run into the cave! How’d you get out?!”

An embarrassed smile quickly shoved its way onto Starlight’s face. “Well…”

>-~oooooo~-<

Starlight narrowed her eyes and then closed them as she stood amongst the snow and high walled rock cliffs of the mountains around her. In front of her were ten ponies, Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends and four of her former town mates, all their cutie marks restored. Behind her was the opening to a cave which lead to a network of tunnels that went on in all directions, getting smaller, larger, and leading off into and out of each other, most ending in dark, dead ends.

Thinking with lightning speed, Starlight weighed her options… Attempt to fight past the ten ponies, one which was clearly about as skilled on magic as her, or flee into the caves where she could quite possibly lose them… and possibly herself.

With a sky blue flash of her horn, she made her choice. She created a shield of energy that burst out in a blinding flash, leaving a smoldering dry patch where she once stood.

The other ponies turned, and looked into the cave, a trial of snowy hoof prints leading into it.

“She’s getting away!” Rainbow Dash cried as she flew up in front of the cave.

An earth pony stallion with a pure white coat who was wearing tinted goggles over his forehead and standing on a snowboard shook his head. “We’ll never find her in there.”

From behind a stalagmite a few yards into the cave, Starlight pressed her back against it. Clenching her teeth hard with a worried expression as she murmured. “Oh please! Oh please! Oh please! Oh please!” over and over to herself.

<-~oooooo~->

Sunset sighed heavily. “If ponies wore clothes, I’d get you a t-shirt that read ‘If lost, please return to Sunset Shimmer.”

Erm… Thank you…? I think…?”

“You’re welcome.”

“Hey, girls!” Spike said as he emerged from a room that contained a large oval mirror with a stool in front of it. “What’s shaking?”

“Sunset got blasted in the face by about 10 fireworks,” Starlight informed as she motioned to Sunset.

“Starlight is complaining that her new house is too big,” Sunset informed as she motioned towards Starlight.

“Huh?!” Starlight uttered.

“What?!” Sunset protested. “You are!”

Spike stopped and rubbed his chin with a claw as if considering which of the ladies’ comments to respond to first.

Starlight made the decision for him. “Okay… I mean… sure… from a certain point of view…”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “So you keep getting lost in the giant castle you get to live in!” Sunset exclaimed. “Tough break! I’m sorry Starlight, but you’re sort of griping about a problem I’m sure most ponies wish they had! Just… just make it an adventure of finding new rooms or something!”

Spike chuckled. “I do that all the time!” He grinned. “It’s like accidently opening a room and finding tons of free wall candy on the other side!”

Sunset and Starlight paused to look at Spike.

Spike frowned and clenched his claws together. “Please don’t tell Twilight about that.”

Sunset rose a forehoof and dragged it across her mouth like a zipper.

Starlight smiled at Spike. “It’s fine! I won’t say a word… Actually, I kinda wish I could just get lost in here and no one would find me for a while…”

Sunset’s eyes opened wide. “Whoa now! Most of Twilight’s options were bad, but she pared it down to the one that seemed pretty harmless!”

“Options?” Spike asked raising an eyebrow.

Sunset shook her heads. “Twilight wanted Starlight to make friends with a Griffon because such an act would win Starlight sufficient ‘Friendship points’.”

Spike winced. “Yes, that’s Twilight all over.”

“She also suggested she and Starlight tag along with the CMC… which is where the fireworks that exploding in my face came from.”

Spike nodded. “Well, those three can be alright… provided they’re not all together or you don’t take your eyes off of the three of them ever. What was the other option?”

Reuniting me with my first friend,” Starlight answered sadly.

Spike’s pupils shrank as he shrugged.What's so terrible about that?”

Starlight sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “When we were foals, Sunburst knew everything there was to know about magic. He always knew just what to do. And he was always there to help me. I guess it's not surprising that Sunburst got his cutie mark in magic and... went off to Princess Celestia's school. But when he left...” Starlight trailed off.

Spike picked up the trail, counting on his claws. “You blamed cutie marks and stripped a whole village of theirs, and when Twilight and the others stopped you, you went back in time and almost destroyed Equestria.”

Starlight cringed.

“Hold up…” Sunset said.

“What is it, Sunset?” Spike asked.

Sunset narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Starlight’s cutie mark “Sorry for staring at your flank, Starlight, but your cutie mark is also in magic, right?”

Uh… Yes?”

“Trying to write him aside, it never once occurred to you maybe you could also apply to Celestia’s school after you got your cutie mark?”

Spike and Starlight stood motionless for a second.

Starlight suddenly brought a forehoof up to her forehead with enough force that it made an audible ‘thunk!’ loud enough that Spike and Sunset recoiled slightly. Starlight let out a sad, exasperated sigh, took a deep breath and let it out in the same sad, exasperated tone.. “Okay, it’s decided,” Starlight said as she trotted past Spike, opened the room he had just left and stepped in. “I just live in this room forever now!” she announced as she closed the door.

“Starlight, wait!” Spike cried. “That’s my vanity room!”

“You have a vanity room?” Sunset asked.

Spike slowly turned to face Sunset with a clenched teeth cringe on his face. “I… I like to look at myself in the mirror while I flex sometimes… Please don’t tell anypony.”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she stared at the room. With a turquoise glow it opened, revealing Starlight sitting on the stool and weeping softly to herself. She looked up. “Sunset? Spike? I’m sorry, I just- wa!”

With a glow of Sunset’s horn, Starlight suddenly found herself back in the hall, sitting on her haunches.

“My turn! My turn!” Sunset said with the excitement of a little filly as she hopped onto the stool, unfurled her wings, and began admiring herself in the mirror. “Yeah! Looking good, Sunset!” Sunset said to her reflection as she turned to admire different angles of herself and her wings. She blew a kiss to herself. “Looking really good.”

Spike let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh thank Celestia, I’m not the only one.”

“Er…” Starlight uttered in an unsure tone. “Should I just go, or…”

“Sorry!” Sunset said as she glanced away from her reflect, glanced back to smile at herself, then looked towards Starlight as she stepped out of the room. “You were talking about maybe meeting up with your friend?”

Starlight winced. “Just all the stuff I’ve done since I’ve seen Sunburst… Not really stuff I'm super eager to tell him about. I mean, he's probably some big important wizard now, and... I can't even find my way around Twilight's castle.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Rich pony problems…” She trailed off as her brow suddenly tightened. “Wait? Why would you think he’s an important wizard?!”

“Because he was so good at magic!” Starlight said as she held a forehoof in front of her. “He has to be!”

“… A wizard?!” Sunset exclaimed. “I mean… Admittedly I’m a bit out of the loop, but I haven’t heard of wizards being a thing for hundreds of years! It’s not like mom had any wizards while I was around! She had advisors and lots of specialists who were good with magic which helped them do their jobs, but not any wizards!

Spike looked at Sunset with an inquisitive look. “Wait, mom? Who was your mom?”

Sunset froze on the spot, her cheeks turning cherry red.

Starlight looked at Sunset, giving her a small smile. “Do you mean your adoptive mother, Sunset?”

Spike smiled as realization hit. “Oh! You must mean Princes—”

Mom?!” Sunset interrupted with a massive fake smile. “Did I say ‘mom’?! Ha ha ha! He he he! Ho ho ho! Oh, let’s go back to talking about Sunburst some more like right now!” Sunset’s eyes darted back and forth over her giant crescent smile.

Spike scratched the back of his head and shrugged. He turned towards Starlight. “Well, if Sunburst is that good at magic, maybe he'd appreciate your, uh—“ Spike cleared his throat “— exploits.”

“I sure do!” Sunset said with a smile. “I mean… sure they were sorta evil. But I mean… stealing cutie marks and figuring out a time travel spell that could warp reality?!” Sunset narrowed her eyes giving Starlight a wry look. “Pretty impressive.”

Starlight returned Sunset’s look with a sheepish smile.

“Anywho,” Spike continued, “You should talk to Twilight about it. I'm sure she'd want to hear what you have to say!”

“I know,” Starlight said with a quick sideways glance towards a wall before she turned to look at Spike. “But I don't want her to think I'm not ready to learn or that I'm not grateful for everything she's doing.”

Sunset gave Starlight a quizzical look. “I’m sorry… Maybe I just don’t understand something, or it’s because pretty much everyone I know already knows of all the terrible stuff I did, but… Don’t you think you’re making this out to be a bigger issue than it really is?”

Starlight frowned heavily, her ears flopping down her head as she stared at the floor. “Maybe…” she mused. She looked up at Sunset with a slightly hopeful look. “But didn’t you have any friends from when you were a foal that you had a hard time facing after all the things you did that you’re not proud of?”

Sunset thought on this for a moment…

>-ooooooo-<

Smiling as she held up a cracked teapot with her turquoise magic that was almost as large as herself, little cutie markless Sunset Shimmer looked across a small, grimy, round wooden table towards a ratty, pony-shaped doll with dirty orange yarn hair.

“More tea, Shimmering Beauty?”

The pony doll stared off into space with lifeless, black button eyes as Sunset pretended to pour tea into a dirty, chipped tea cup.

“Why thank you, Shimmering Beauty!” She turned towards a filthy frog plushie. “What do you think of me, Pride Frog?”

The frog stuffed animal said nothing, its mouth hanging open as it stared up at the ceiling.

Sunset sighed sorrowfully to herself as she pulled her blacklegs onto her chair, wrapped her forelegs around them, and rested her chin on her back knees. “I hope somepony adopts me today…”

<-ooooooo->

“No!” Sunset replied chipperly to Starlight.

Starlight’s eyes shot open wide. “Oh… I see… Sunset… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… sniff…” Starlight’s eyes began tearing up.

“What?! No! Starlight,” Sunset said hastily as she raised a forehoof. “It’s fine, really! You didn’t mean anything by it and the past is the—”

“It’s not fine!” Starlight said forcefully. “You… sniff… You… choke… you were all alone and… sob… and…”

“Oh God, Starlight! Don’t cry!” Sunset said as water began to collect under her eyes. “If you start crying I’m going to start… I’m gonna… sob…OH STARLIGHT!”

“SUUUNSEEEET!” Starlight cried as the two mares quickly galloped up to each other, buried their faces and each other’s manes and began sobbing at full volume.

“WouhAAAAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAA…”

Spike stepped closer and cleared his throat.

The two mares bit their quivering lips and turned to face Spike as he stared down at his claws, awkwardly pressing the tips of his index claws against each other and twisting them. “Er… Like… you two are having a sort of a… biological parents are out of the picture cry off, right? Cause like… I don’t want to impose, but... I’m sorta the only dragon in a country full of p—”

In a sky blue and turquoise flash, Spike’s world was soon colorful manes, pony legs wrapped around him, and tears.

-o~Five minutes of hysterical mare and dragon crying later~0-

“… And… and… a-and… sniff…” Spike stuttered as he buried his shifted his crying face out of the tangle of orange, yellow, purple, and light-blue mane hair. “... I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF THEY MISS ME OR EVEN CARE!”

“WE KNOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWAAAAHOUAAAAAAHOUAAAAA…!”

“I JUST WANT A SIGN!” Spike cried. “JUST SOMETHING THAT TELLS ME THEY MISS ME OR EVEN IF THEY’RE OUT THERE! WOUHAAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAA…!”

“WE KNOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWAAAAHOUAAAAAAHOUAAAAA!”

The wailing ball of colorful bawlers quickly synced their cries, weeping in perfect unison as Twilight Sparkle came galloping into sight. In stark contrast to the ball of sad, Twilight smiled widely as she excitedly held aloft a large snowflake and a piece of parchment with her magic. “Girls! Spike! I… OH GOSH! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!”

The group stopped crying, collectively turned to look at Twilight. Slowly, they detached themselves from each other.

His face a bit pink, Spike looked up at Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer. “Thanks girls… it feels… it feels really good to find some ponies who really understand.”

Um-hmm!” The girls said in unison as they glanced at each other and back to Spike, nodding their heads up and down.

With a sheepish grin, Spike continued, “Is it… would it be okay if I maybe talk to one or both of you later about this?”

“Of course, Spike!” Starlight said with a smile. “Maybe the three of us should find some time alone to just sit and get it all out.”

Ooooh!” Sunset said excitedly. “Maybe we can even start a support group for ponies—” Sunset looked at Spike with a smile and winked “—and dragons who have situations similar to our own!”

“Far out!” Spike said excitedly. He put his claw forward towards the girls and held it flat. Sunset and Starlight grinned and placed their hooves on it. “Parents are Missing Society?”

Sunset cringed and smiled. “Worst acronym EVER! But okay!” she said as she placed her hoof over Spike’s claw.

Hurray, PMSers! Starlight said as she placed a forehoof on top of the pile.

“Aaaaaaand break!” The three said before throwing their appendages up in the air and bursting into laughter.

Twilight Sparkle watched all of this, a twisted, twitching smile on her face as her left eyelid convulsed. She slowly floated the parchment in front of her which read ‘Friendship lesson: Open up about your hard-to-talk-about past emotional experiences with somepony you trust’ in front of her face. Right before the parchment caught flame and turned to ash within the lilac glow of her magic.

“Hehehe…” Sunset turned towards Twilight. “I’m sorry, Twilight…” Sunset said with a warm smile. “Did you need something?”

Twilight shook her head, replacing her twisted smile with a real one. She excitedly held up the snowflake which unfolded revealing a small card.

“It’s a Crystalling invitation!” Spike exclaimed.

Sunset squinted hard at the small card. “Okay, maybe my eyes are still messed up, but Starlight, can you read what that says from here?”

Starlight shook her head. “Nope!”

Spike sighed. “I just like to guess about the mail, alright?”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m surprised you didn’t throw out a letter inviting you to be a new gem-filled ice-cream taste tester.”

“One day, Twilight!” Spike said in a determined voice. “One day!”

Still smiling, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Anyhow, Spike is right! Shining Armor's a father! I'm an aunt!” she said as she beamed from ear to ear. She turned to look at Starlight. “Well, this settles it! Since we're going to the Crystal Empire, your first friendship lesson is going to be... reuniting with Sunburst!”

Starlight’s eyes widened fearfully for a moment before a nervous smile appeared on her face. “Grrrreeeaaaat…” she said in the most earnest tone she could muster as her ears flopped down around her head.

Spike thrust a claw into the air. “Alright! A trip to the Crystal Empire! Could this day get any better?!”

Sunset paused remembering she threw up and almost got her face blasted off as a familiar, head-splitting ringing reverberated through her skull. “Are you… Are you being rhetorical, or…?”

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: Please Point out on This Doll Where the Last Chapter Touched You Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 42 Minutes
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