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A Study on Chaos Theory

by Amber Spark

Chapter 3: Minimum Complexities

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Moon Dancer slammed back the mug of hot chocolate and enjoyed the rich, velvety liquid as it went down her throat. It helped distract her from other, more annoying things. More annoying thoughts. More annoying ponies.

Pony Joe’s was quiet at this time of night. There was one couple in the far corner and a hooffull of single ponies scattered throughout the room. There was even a griffon near the front window, studying one of Joe’s classic white glazed doughnuts with a critical eye.

Across the table sat her best friend. As usual, she looked perfect. Red and gold mane flowing around her face. Amber coat that seemed to brush itself. Teal eyes that were alert and all-too-observant. Teal eyes that had bored into her… even when Sunny hadn’t been looking at her. How she pulled off that particular trick, Moon Dancer didn’t have a clue. But she could do it. Probably had something to do with being Celestia’s successor.

Moon Dancer tore off a chunk of her apple fritter before popping it into her mouth as Sunset helped herself to another strawberry glaze.

That’s the third tonight, Moon Dancer mused. This really is eating at her. Then again, I’m not doing much better. Especially after that little freakout back in the RCA.

Almost ten minutes of increasingly-awkward silence had passed since Joe had brought the order and even now, Moon Dancer could feel his eyes on Sunny and her. That wasn’t helping matters. Still, she didn’t blame him. Some tiny piece of Moon Dancer still cowered at the memory of what she’d just pulled on Sunny and Twi. Well, maybe more than just a tiny piece. After all, usually by this point, Sunny and her were bickering like an old married couple.

Instead, silence.

Silence sucks, Moon Dancer decided.

“So,” Moon Dancer began, shattering the silence like one of those new party cannons. “When did you actually figure it out?”

Sunny didn’t even bother pretending she didn’t know what Moon Dancer was talking about.

“After the spell? Not really sure,” she said, not meeting her eyes. “Couple days? Maybe a week?“

Sunset waved vaguely in the air and took another bite.

Moon Dancer sighed. That was about what she’d expected. “That was two months ago.”

“I know.”

Ugh. She should have had some sort of snappy comeback to that. Instead, she’s just staring into her cup of Earl Grey as if it contained a mildly interesting art exhibit.

Cards on the table, Sunny. Why haven’t you done anything about it?”

Sunny shrugged.

“Oh, come on!” Moon Dancer cried. “Sunny, it’s not just me. It’s obvious to everypony except Miss Lavender Oblivious that you’ve got a thing for her. And frankly? I think even she’s noticed, but she’s too afraid to do anything about it. Haven’t you noticed I stopped trying to set you up with other ponies? That all of our friends have? Why do you think I was so… so… ticked at you?

Sunny didn’t even flinch. “Hadn’t crossed my mind,” she mumbled.

“Liar,” Moon Dancer snapped. “Why haven’t you done anything about it?”

“Is that what this is about?” Before she could react, Sunny was matching Moon Dancer stare for stare. “Because I’ve got this wild and crazy hypothesis I’m not the only one holding a torch for a certain archivist.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Moon Dancer snapped between another few savage bites. Crumbles littered the table before her. “You know I prefer stallions.”

“Not buying it, Moony.” Sunny put her doughnut down and shook her head. “Especially after what just happened back there. I saw the look in your eye. And you’ve haven’t tore into me like that… not since…” Sunset trailed off and glared at her tea. “I should have noticed it earlier, but like you said, I’ve been distracted.”

“There’s nothing to notice!” Moon Dancer crossed her forelegs. “Nothing at all!”

“Moony,” Sunny said, her voice growing quiet and intense. “This is me. Come on, talk to me. I know we like to butt heads like a couple of buffalo, but we’re always there for one another. Let me in. Please.

“Since when are you the one holding out a hoof?” Moon Dancer huffed before stuffing another chunk of fritter into her face. “That’s usually the job of your friends.”

“How about since we almost had a screaming match in the middle of the RCA? Or better yet, since I got my head out of the clouds and figured out one of my friends needed me to do it. I’m still not great at it. But we’ve been friends for seven years, Moony. That’s got to count for something. All I have is what I think is going on… but I need to hear it from you. Now, talk to me.”

Moon Dancer sighed, knocked back the rest of her hot chocolate and savored every drop, because it gave her time. She needed it now. She needed all the time she could get. But no matter what, there wasn’t enough.

Just get it over with.

She sighed.

“I had a fillyhood crush on her way back when,” she admitted. “Before we even started at GU. It was years and years ago, Sunny. It doesn’t matter now. Since then, I found I usually liked stallions more.”

Sunny’s mouth opened and then closed. Then she narrowed her eyes.

“It started the night you re-introduced us.” Moon Dancer groaned, rubbing her eyes at how much of an idiot she’d been that night. “Come on, you remember how much of a scene we made.”

“It’s kind of hard to forget,” Sunny admitted. “I swear that manager would have kicked us out on our tails if I hadn’t been… well, you know.”

Moon Dancer didn’t press the issue. She just nodded. “She reminded me of you, only a bit more… I don’t know, accessible? Fun? Don’t look at me like that. It’s different with Twilight. We’ve run in the same circles for years, but until that night, she avoided me. The few conversations we did have were about as riveting as a lecture by Professor Paper Bin. She… she didn’t want anything to do with me. That hurt for a long time.”

She swirled the dregs of her hot chocolate in her cup and stared into the depths. “Eventually, I gave up on her. I thought she had given up on me forever ago.”

“Wait,” Sunny interrupted. “Then… why’d you point me at her that day? The day Celestia had me looking for The Applications of Unified Harmony Magics?” Sunset paused, her eyes going wide. “In fact, you called her Twilight Twinkle. You didn’t even use her real name!”

“It… it was an old nickname, okay? I… don’t want to get into it.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you suggested I find her! Moony, I can see your hoof behind it. You wanted me to talk to her. You were hoping something would happen.”

Something in Moon Dancer’s chest twisted and she couldn’t stop herself from squirming under Sunset’s stupidly insightful gaze. “I was hoping I’d get my friend back, okay? I couldn’t get through to her and well… I thought… you might.”

“Only that?” Sunny demanded.

Moon Dancer didn’t look her friend in the eye.

Sunny dropped the pretense. “Were you trying to set me up with her?”

“What?” Moon Dancer looked up with a start. “No! Of course… not. I mean, if something happened there, I didn’t think I’d mind… but…”

“You found out you did mind.”

“I wasn’t expecting to have dinner with her that night! And I thought I was over her! But then she just waltzes in there and I’m reminded of all the little things.”

“But…” Sunny frowned. “You’ve always said you didn’t like mares.”

“A pony’s allowed to have exceptions to their own rules!” Moon Dancer huffed. “There’s no law preventing it! Anyway… after Twilight... Well, stallions didn’t remind me of her.”

Sunny lifted her hooves. “Fine, fine. I’m not judging.”

Moon Dancer sighed and shrugged. “So, yeah… I think the real reason I flipped out that night was because… ugh, I wasn’t ready to deal with it, okay? I didn’t want to deal with stuff I thought I put away years ago. And especially after seeing the two of you were making bedroom eyes at each other. The two of you have been inseparable since you’ve met. I’m not an idiot, Sunny. You like her. A lot.”

“It’s not that simple,” Sunny said. She paused and ripped out a giant chunk of her doughnut. “Moony…”

Sunny fell silent and stared into her tea some more. Moon Dancer decided to wait this one out. Despite her own obnoxious feelings, she was smart enough to know when her friend was in trouble. She’d seen Sunny tear herself apart more times than she could count. The mare was so intent on sabotaging herself, it was a miracle she’d managed to accomplish anything.

In truth, Moon Dancer had never met another pony with so many… demons as Sunny. Despite endless conversations about the subject, Moon Dancer knew Sunny hadn’t forgiven herself for the pony she had once been. Seven years after her entire world had been shattered, only to be saved at the last second by Moon Dancer herself… and Sunny still clutched at the guilt like a filly with a safety blanket.

Sure, Sunny still slipped up from time to time, but the Sunny who’d first offered to tutor her and the Sunny sitting across from her were two totally different ponies.

A blind pony could see that.

But Sunny couldn’t.

Maybe I can see when she’s in trouble… but it doesn’t mean I understand her.

“Moony… Princess Celestia knows.”

“Wait… what?” That little revelation threw her. “What do you mean she ‘knows?’”

“I told you the Princess made Twilight her student the night after, right?”

“Yeah…” Moon Dancer nodded.

“Well, that same night, she confronted us about our… sudden feelings. She said it was common for two ponies who had gone through what we’d gone through to be… drawn to one another.”

“I don’t see the problem.”

Sunny growled a little under her breath, but Moon Dancer was pretty sure it hadn’t been directed at her.

“She asked us to take things slowly. That what we felt may not… actually be real. It’s a common superstition when two ponies experience this kind of bond, they’re ‘meant to be together.’ I’ve heard about it, but never realized just what it meant. Moony, you don’t know what it’s like. Every time I look at her, I think about all the things I saw.”

“And… what did you see?” Moon Dancer popped the last of her fritter into her mouth.

Sunny shook her head. She’d tried to explain it before, but Moon Dancer always had the sense it hadn’t been… complete. Sunny could never seem give the whole picture.

“It’s… it’s like trying to describe music to somepony who can’t hear.” Sunny sighed. “We were in that unified harmony magic for only a few seconds… but when I think about it, it’s like I saw her thoughts through a projector going at a thousand times the normal speed. Now, every time I remember it, I remember different parts.”

“You make it sound like you got to see her whole life…”

Sunny stared into her mug again. “I might have. I remember reading through The Application of Unified Harmony Magics a dozen times the next week, trying to understand what I had seen. What it had meant. But apparently, it’s different for everypony. Even she saw something different. You know the theories, Moon Dancer. I remember you lecturing Minuette about them that very day!”

“She saw the mirror,” Moon Dancer supplied.

“The second time…” Sunny said with a nod. “I… I haven’t had the courage to ask if she saw the first time.”

I hope she didn’t. For your sake, Sunny.

“So, tell me a little about what you’ve seen,” Moon Dancer prompted.

Of course, I’m asking purely to help Sunny work out her feelings. No ulterior motive whatsoever.

Sunset took a deep breath and hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “I saw… I saw what she thought was her greatest moment of shame. When she couldn’t hatch a dragon’s egg during admissions.”

Moon Dancer frowned. “I never got a dragon’s egg during my admissions test. Heck, I’ve never even seen a live dragon’s egg.”

Sunny shrugged. “I didn’t get one during my test either. I asked Celestia once about it. She just smiled cryptically at me, telling me I’d find out ‘in due time’ and that she was ‘handling matters quietly.’”

Moon Dancer snickered. “That makes it sound like she’s got a secret baby dragon running around, hiding from the whole of Canterlot.”

“Yeah. I’d love to hear what the Draconic Ambassador thought if he found out if something that crazy was going on.” Sunny smiled back. “No, I think something else happened. Maybe it was a baby dragon and Celestia sent her home to the Dragon Lands after hatching her.”

“Or him,” Moon Dancer pointed out.

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Or him. Jeez. Nitpick, much?”

“Just because ponies are traditionally matriarchal doesn’t mean all races are!” Moon Dancer protested. “I should know. I’ve studied enough of them.”

“Fine, fine, you win,” Sunny replied, holding up her hooves in surrender. “Anyway, we’re getting off topic. What matters is nopony ever told her that her last test was some wild plan cooked up by the professors. She thought…”

Sunny paused and took a gulp of tea. Pony Joe came over with a plate and refilled Moon Dancer’s mug with more hot chocolate and dropped another teapot on the table for Sunny. They both smiled up at him and he departed.

“She thought… she had gotten in as a charity case. That she was subpar from the beginning. She was trying to work off this invisible debt.”

Moon Dancer nodded. It tracked with what she remembered. “That explains a lot actually.”

Sunny peered at her. “I thought you two were close. Shouldn’t you know all of this?”

“She didn’t talk much about herself.” Moon Dancer shook her head. “She was always so focused on the books and the studying. The way her eyes darted over a new book is like the way you go through anything with strawberries in it. She was so… determined. Like she wanted to prove she was worthy of being there.”

Sunny nodded.

Yeah, I’m sure you know that feeling, Sunny, Moon Dancer thought.

“During my first year at GU, we still hung out a lot,” Moon Dancer continued. “It helped since she only lived a few blocks away from me. She would pepper me with questions endlessly about just… just about everything. The school, the teachers, the exams. I thought it was cute, even if she was a year younger than me. I was so happy when she got in. That second year? It was amazing. We got to study again, side-by-side. We were kids, but… she got me. And I got her.”

“What happened?” Sunny asked. She was already wincing, which told Moon Dancer Sunny already knew the answer.

“You,” Moon Dancer replied simply. She managed to say it without any annoyance. “She was terrified of you by reputation alone. And nothing I could say would change her mind.”

“So, the more time you spent with me…” Sunny began.

“…the less time I spent with Twilight,” Moon Dancer nodded. “Yeah. And you remember what happened at the end of it all.”

Sunny laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. “Actually, even now, my memory’s still screwed up from that week.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Sunny said with a shrug. “Since I started hanging out with Twilight, she’s had to correct me a few times about stuff that happened that year.”

“Jeez, Sunny,” Moon Dancer took another gulp and set down her cup. “I know you were sleep deprived, but still…”

“Sleep deprivation plus extensive spellwork equals a loony Sunset,” Sunny muttered. “Hey, notice how we keep wandering off topic?”

“It’s almost like we’re trying to avoid something,” Moon Dancer commented.

“Almost.”

Moon Dancer rolled her eyes, though she wasn’t sure if she was doing it at herself or at Sunny.

“I tried to reconnect with her after I got back from Trottingham that summer—”

“I will never forgive you for what you made me go through with Minuette, by the way.”

Moon Dancer grinned, stuck out her tongue and moved right along. “Anyway, she’d extended her time at the South Archives with Jade Singer, so she was always there. When the next term came around… she just avoided me. Avoided us all. We asked if she wanted to hang out… but she always said she was busy. I tried really hard. Really, really hard.”

Sunny nodded, staring into her teacup again.

“Nopony blames you, Sunny,” Moon Dancer said for what was probably the eight-hundred-and-forty-seventh time. “It was her choice. Twi’s even said as much.”

“Guilt isn’t solved that easily, Moony.”

Moon Dancer sighed and shook her head. “You and guilt. Two of you are on a first-name basis, aren’t you?”

“Something like that. So, what happened?”

“Nothing,” Moon Dancer said with a shrug. “Nothing happened. It hurt a lot to see the filly I had a crush on constantly reject me… so eventually, I stopped asking. I forced myself to move on. At least, I thought I had. All of us moved on, though I think Minuette held out hope the longest. Fast forward a few years… and here we are.”

“Here we are,” Sunny echoed.

I’ve been putting this off for long enough. Stop being such a filly and pony up already.

She threw back the rest of her hot chocolate one more time, just to give her the sugar spike she needed to get the next few words out.

“Sunny,” Moon Dancer said. “Please, just ask her out. We both know she’s not going to make the first move.”

Sunny was silent for a long time. She didn’t look up. She didn’t look around. She just looked into her tea. She could have been the latest addition to the Canterlot Gardens for all the life she showed. Moon Dancer watched as the minutes ticked by on the clock behind the counter. Pony Joe frowned at her. It was a look of concern more than a look of annoyance. Moon Dancer couldn’t blame him.

Still, she knew this wasn’t the time to push Sunny. Moon Dancer might not have Minuette’s freaky ‘right time, right place’ special talent, but she wasn’t totally clueless when it came to interacting with ponies. Despite her flaws, Sunny was very good with ponies and Moon Dancer had paid attention. Over the years, she’d picked up a few things, even if she did tend to be a bit—okay, a lot—more headstrong than what was strictly required to get her way.

Still… when the silence had stretched for going on ten minutes, it felt like ten years. Pony Joe had already refilled her hot chocolate twice and she’d gone through an entire new apple fritter before Sunny finally bowed her head.

“No.”

Moon Dancer blinked.

“You make me wait all that time just for a two-letter answer?” Moon Dancer asked with a cocked eyebrow. “Overdramatic much?”

Sunny didn’t rise to bait. Instead, she just looked up at Moon Dancer with tired eyes and a resigned expression. It wasn’t something Moon Dancer was used to seeing on Sunny. It was a little scary.

“I mean it, Moon Dancer,” Sunny said with a sigh. “It’s… not right.”

“What do you mean it’s not right?” Moon Dancer demanded, slamming her cup on the table. “You two were made for each other!”

“No, we weren’t,” Sunny replied. “I ruined her life.”

“Don’t you dare start—”

“Let me finish!” Sunny interrupted, but there was no anger in her eyes. “I did steal her friends. I know all the explanations and rationalizations. I know it was unintentional. I know she’s even forgiven me for it. But it doesn’t mean I don’t still feel guilty. It doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven myself. It doesn’t mean I deserve to be forgiven. The more I think about it, the more Celestia’s words make sense. I already have a pretty screwed up relationship with Twilight. The last thing we need right now is to throw some stupid dating thing into the mix. And considering that my best friend has a thing for her too…”

“Oh no,” Moon Dancer protested. “You are not using me as an excuse—”

“You’re not an excuse,” Sunny replied evenly. “You’re just the third reason… and I hope the solution.”

“Solution?” Moon Dancer cocked her head and adjusted her glasses, making a note to redo the padding on the bridge sometime soon. “What solution?”

“I think you should be the one to ask her out.”

What, Moon Dancer thought in sheer stupefaction. Her mouth moved silently for a bit before she found words to express her thoughts. In the end, the internal thought was the same as the external expression.

“What?” she finally spat. “You can’t be serious.”

“Completely serious,” Sunny replied.

Her eyes weren’t twinkling. But she didn’t seem sad either. Just… resigned with a hint of determination. It was a strange look. One of those deep looks only somepony who spent way too much time with Princess Celestia could pull off.

“I think you’re missing something here, Sunny.”

“And what’s that?”

“She’s never been interested in me!” Moon Dancer hadn’t meant it to come out as a yell, but when she felt the eyes of every pony—and griffon—in Pony Joe’s on her, she flattened her ears and tried to ignore the stares. “She has never for one moment showed any interest in me!”

A little smile played across Sunny’s lips. It was a familiar smile. It was the smile Minuette used when she was DMing an O&O game for them and they just entered the boss room without knowing it.

Moon Dancer has personally termed it ‘The Smile of Doom.’

“I don’t know about that,” Sunny said, the smile never fading. “After all, how much did she light up when you offered to do a sleepover with her? And now that I think about it, after that explosion in the lab? She went running after you, not Princess Celestia. She needed to make sure you were safe, despite the fact that we both know Twilight all but worships the Princess.”

Moon Dancer shook her head and tried to get a word in, but Sunset wasn’t done.

“After all, she tore into you pretty good the night I re-introduced the two of you. And I seem to remember a lot of blushing back at the RCA. Maybe even a few smiles. I was an idiot not to see it earlier. But she likes you just as much.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one she has a special magical connection with!” Moon Dancer protested.

“No, but once I talk to her about it, it should simplify matters. And that’s what disqualifies me.” Sunset nodded to herself, a grim smile on her lips, as if she had come to a firm conclusion. “I’m going to remove myself from the board, Moony.”

“You can’t!” Moon Dancer cried. “You can’t be serious about this!”

The smile hardened, as did Sunny’s eyes. That was a look Moon Dancer knew, too. Another look Sunny had inherited from Celestia. The look that said, “Protest all you want, this is happening.”

Sunny hadn’t used that look on her in a while.

“I won’t make things even more complicated between the two of us,” Sunny said with a thump of her hoof on the table. “So, Moony, you might as well just accept it. I’ve made my choice. I’m going to do exactly what Celestia asked me to. And how better to prove that I can do it than by setting up my best friend with her long-lost love?”

“You’re serious.”

“Serious as the sun.” In a flash of teal magic, Sunny drained her Earl Grey and set it on the table, then levitated out enough bits to cover their tab and a little extra. “So, you might as well get ready, Moony.”

“I haven’t been on a date in years, Sunny.”

“So what? Between the two of us, I’m fairly sure we can come up with something amazing for two little librarians.”

Moon Dancer gaped at Sunny, unable to believe what she was hearing. This… this wasn’t the plan. The plan had been to get Sunny to finally do something about Twi. And this was not the ‘something’ she had in mind!

“You almost sound like you’re going to enjoy this!” Moon Dancer said. “Sunny… how am I supposed to just ignore how you feel about Twi? I’m not about to stab you in the back like that.”

“You’re not stabbing me in the back, Moony,” Sunset said with a sad little smile. “I want Twilight to be happy. And I know you. You’d take on a dragon to make your friends happy. I can’t think of a better match.”

“I can!” Moon Dancer said in a last-ditch effort to put a stop to this insanity. “You.”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s not going to happen. My mind’s made up.”

“I…” Moon Dancer swallowed and finished off what little remained of her hot chocolate. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to yourself, Sunset.”

“Moony, for the last time, I’ve made my decision. I’m not in the running anymore.” Sunny laughed. It was a subdued thing, but it was at least honest. Even if it totally ignored Moon Dancer’s real concerns. “Hey, I might not end up getting the girl, but I will enjoy every awkward minute of you two together.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

I have a bad feeling about this, Moon Dancer thought. How had this all become so freaking complicated?

But she knew Sunny’s expression too well. Sunny really had made up her mind. Granted, there was no guarantees that Twi would actually be interested in this arrangement. But… Moon Dancer had to admit… she wanted to at least try.

I’m so doomed. Now, if only I could decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing...

Author's Notes:

“Guilt isn’t solved that easily, Moony.”

-Sunset Shimmer


If you come across any errors, please let me know by PM!

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