Sunset sipped her coffee, humming lightly along to the music in her airpods. She placed the cup back down on the saucer, her breath now pungent with its bitter taste.

Americano with two sugars, the way she always had it.

Sunset never enjoyed the taste of coffee, but it worked to get the job done. After a long day at CHS, she and her friends had decided to unwind with a trip to the mall, helping Rarity with one of her seasonal shopping sprees. It had been fun while it lasted, but now the day had drawn to a close. The sun had set and her friends were all making their separate ways home. Sunset’s bus schedule was one each hour, which left her with twenty minutes until the next one. Luckily, just across from her stop was a coffee shop, and here she was. The day had really taken it out of her, meaning she’d need a little pick-me-up if she wanted to make it home without dozing off on the bus.

“Excuse me,” Sunset asked politely, grabbing the attention of a young waitress, “could I have one of those muffins please?”

The blonde-haired waitress smiled and nodded.

“Sure thing. Two bucks please.”

Sunset and the girl did their exchange and soon a glazed caramel muffin sat on a plate in front of Sunset. She liked this café; it was a good middle ground between quality and prices. It wasn’t super-expensive, but as a result the food and drink quality suffered. Not that it was terrible, it just… wasn’t the best, either. It was a good place to recharge without making a huge dent in her wallet.

Taking a bite into her muffin, Sunset glanced up at the clock.

5:46 p.m.

She still had fourteen minutes until her bus arrived. The sign on the door marked the café’s closing time was 6 p.m, which was convenient for her. Less convenient for the store owner, who had to wait for her to leave before she could lock up, Sunset knew. Her excuse was that any annoyance felt by the store manager wouldn’t be as bad as the cold weather Sunset would have to stand in outside. The café was nearly empty now, with only Sunset, the waitress who’d served her, and a lone girl sat a few seats down from her remaining.

Sunset frowned.

Her eyes drifted back down to the girl she had spied a second ago.

“Is… that?” she thought to herself.

Deciding to risk it, Sunset turned her head to the side so she could get a full view of the girl.

Three seats down was a pale blue girl in a Crystal Prep uniform. She had short purple hair with a bright orange accessory clipped in on one side. Sunset immediately recognized her as one of the girls she had competed against in the Friendship Games, but for the life of her couldn’t remember her name.

Sunset opened her mouth to catch the girl’s attention, but closed it again, unsure if that was a good idea. Where did she even stand with her? After what happened at the Friendship Games, were CHS and CPA friends now? Outside of teaming up against Principal Cinch, the two schools hadn’t made any attempts to resolve previous conflicts… Not that any of those conflicts actually affected Sunset. But what if they affected this girl? It didn’t matter if Sunset didn’t have any negative feelings towards her; what if she wasn’t on good terms with Sunset?

“I can see you staring,” the girl said blankly.

Sunsets eyes widened in alarm and she blushed.

“I, er… wasn’t sure if I recognized you or not. Sorry,” Sunset tried to hide her face in her muffin.

“It’s okay,” the girl looked in her direction, “I wasn’t sure if it was you or not either.”

Sunset looked back up to see the girl smiling at her. Sunset returned the smile.

“I’m Sunset; Sunset Shimmer. I don’t think we’ve met properly.”

The girl smiled and nodded.

“I’m Sunny Flare. Nice to meet you, Sunset.”

Sunset pulled out her airpods and twisted her body in Sunny Flare’s direction.

“You were one of Twilight’s friends from Crystal Prep, right? One of the Shadowbolts?” she asked for politeness, already knowing full well who the girl was.

Sunny Flare nodded. “Yeah I am… sorry about last time we met, by the way. The whole evil she-demon thing.”

Sunset smiled lightly and dismissed her apology.

“Happens all the time,” she half-joked.

Sunny Flare frowned.

“You must live a more exciting life than me then,” she joked.

“You’d be surprised, actually,” Sunset laughed.

Just then the waitress returned from the back and made her way over to Sunny’s seat. She placed down a coffee and a muffin on separate saucers in front of Sunny, greeted her with a smile and then made off with the payment.

“Glazed caramel muffin, nice choice,” Sunset nodded proudly.

Sunny shrugged again, shaking her head.

“I don’t come in here often, I’m waiting for my parents to pick me up,” Sunny began to unfold the wrapping off her muffin.

“Same,” Sunset nodded. “Waiting to catch my bus. What brings you to Canterlot?”

“I don't live too far from here. I get the bus into city for school. But my dad works, so I have an hour to wait before he can get me tonight.”

Sunset nodded before frowning, “Why don’t you just walk home?”

Sunny smirked and gestured out the window.

“Would you walk home in this weather?”

Point taken.

“Besides,” Sunny Flare took a sip of her coffee. “Prices are good here. Food’s not great… good balance I suppose.”

Sunset’s eyes lit up. As she opened her mouth to respond, she was cut off by an angry voice from the back of the store.

“I heard that!” the waitress snapped in their direction.

Sunset and Sunny eyes widened in shock, before they struggled to repress guilty laughter. Sunny Flare lifted her coffee back up to her face and took a second swig. Sunset followed suited, and they placed their cups back down on the saucers in rhythm.

“So, how’s Twilight doing?” Sunny asked.

“She’s been good. She’s really come out of her shell recently.”

Sunny Flare nodded.

“She was always quiet at Crystal Prep. Kept to herself usually. She ate lunch with us occasionally… kinda got the impression she didn’t like us that much.”

Sunset nodded in agreement, “She’s just shy, don’t take it personally. She doesn’t really like anyone that much.”

“Does she, er…” Sunny Flare tried looking for the right words, “… talk about us, at all? About Crystal Prep?”

“Ermm…”

Sunset racked her memory for a time when Twilight had talked to them about Crystal Prep, but none came to mind. None at all, in fact. After Twilight started it had been like she’d completely forgotten about the time she’d spent at the other school.

“Yeaaah, all the time,” Sunset lied. “She misses you guys.”

Sunny Flare looked down into her coffee, deflating a little.

“What’s wrong?” Sunset asked.

Sunny Flare sighed.

“You’re lying.”

Sunset was taken aback. She thought she was a better actor than that. As she opened her mouth to retort, Sunny Flare cut her off.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Didn’t really expect her to, we did give her a pretty rough time,” Sunny Flare gave a small chuckle at the memories.

Sunset cocked an eyebrow.

“Rough time?”

She nodded.

“Aside from, y’know, forcing her to become a magical demon so we could beat a high school in a friendly competition thing... We did the odd prank here, the odd gossip there… the usual friendly stuff.”

Sunset chuckled at Sunny’s wording.

She did find that odd, though, Twilight had never mentioned that she actually had a relationship with the girls of her school. From the way they’d treated her in the Friendship Games, Sunset had always assumed they knew each other as classmates and nothing more. She made a mental note to ask Twilight about that later.

“I’m sure she does miss you guys,” Sunset offered in a reassuring tone, “you were her friends long before we were.”

Sunny played with the handle on her cup, as if mulling over Sunset’s words.

“As long as she’s happy, I guess,” Sunny shrugged.

Sunset felt bad, noticing the obvious deflation of Sunny’s mood.

“Why don’t you try texting her? Seeing how she is?” Sunset suggested, putting a chipper note in her voice.

“Don’t have her number,” Sunny said plainly, her eyes still focused on her drink.

“I could give it you?” Sunset offered. “Or, do you have MyStable?”

“Yeah I’m on MyStable.”

Sunset smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“There you go then, add her on there and pop up!”

Sunny gave a small smile, trying to show she appreciated Sunset’s enthusiasm.

“You should add me too,” Sunset took out her phone, “I mean, if you want.”

Sunny Flare looked from Sunset down to the phone she had just brought out of her jacket pocket. She gave another shrug.

“Sure, what’s your profile?”

Sunny Flare took out a cell phone of her own and passed it to Sunset. As she took the phone into her hands she suddenly stopped.

It was identical to her own. Same model, same color, and even had the same phone case of a stylized cartoon sun.

“What are the odds?” she thought to herself.

Sunset unlocked the phone and quickly found herself on the MyStable app. Once the request was sent she handed the phone back to Sunny Flare, and thought not a moment longer about the unusual coincidence.

“What would I say to her, though?” Sunny Flare asked.

Sunset gave a shrug, “Whatever you like. What did you guys usually talk about?”

Sunny screwed up her face, “Ermm… school work, usually.”

A wave dismissed her answer.

“What else did you guys talk about?”

Sunny thought for a moment longer before shrugging.

“You guys… didn’t talk about anything else, just school work?” Sunset asked, as if she was unsure if a punchline was coming or not.

Sunny Flare nodded.

“I mean, what else… What do you guys talk about?” she asked.

As Sunset opened her mouth to answer, a small bell rang through the shop, alerting its residents a third party had joined the room.

Sunny Flare’s head looked over in the direction and her eyes lit up. She quickly hopped off her seat and chugged what remained of her coffee like a lukewarm shot.

“Dads here, gotta shoot, was nice talking to you though!” she offered Sunset a smile.

“Er, you too, Sunny Flare,” Sunset tried to rush her goodbye.

“Let’s get you home, pumpkin.”

Sunset’s world thundered to a sudden and abrupt halt.

That voice was familiar to her, but she hadn’t heard it in a long time. A very long time. Not since Equestria… and even then the voice was a million miles away. She didn’t hear that voice in Celestia’s Palace, or the School for Gifted Unicorns. The voice was from before even then.

This voice was from home.

"No.."

As a whitewash of anxiety and disbelief crashed over Sunset, she found it within herself to push against the counter and turn herself around.

It was him.

He was human and a lot had changed. He stood upright, his mane was shorter and he lacked his orange horn. He wore a burgundy suit with a brown tie, his hair was slicked back and his style of glasses were different to what she was used to, but it was still definitely him.

Sunset’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Dad?”

The man in the doorway didn’t hear her. Or notice her at all, in fact. Instead his attention was focused solely on the other girl now approaching him. Sunny Flare greeted her father with a warm hug and then turned back. She offered Sunset a brief wave, one which Sunset was too dazed to return.

With that the two left and the bell rang obnoxiously loud behind them. Sunset’s eyes followed the two through the store window until they disappeared entirely out of view.

Frozen in place, Sunset sat there for what felt like hours, staring blankly at the area her father had just been.

“Let’s get you home, pumpkin.”

“My dad’s here, gotta shoot.”

“Let’s get you home, pumpkin.”

“Dad’s here, gotta shoot.”

“Dad’s here.”

“Dad.”

She replayed it over and over again, hoping each time something would suddenly click and make sense.

That was her dad. Unmistakably her dad. But… Sunny Flare’s dad? There was no way he could look that similar to her Equestrian father and it be a coincidence. Did her dad have a second daughter in this world? Or did he have a twin? Was Sunny Flare her inter-dimensional cousin?

A door creak signaled the waitress re-entering the room. She stopped short of Sunset.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”