“No,” Sunset grunted, straining against Twilight’s firm grip. “Will you—hey, lemme go!”

“Please don’t order me to do that,” the morose-looking goddess whispered in a strained voice. “Don’t make me let you go see—”

“I order you to let me go!”

She did, of course. Twilight released Sunset’s arm like she’d been burned. Sunset stumbled and almost went down face-first before a hand shot out to wrap around her stomach to keep her aloft; still saving her, even from herself. But Twilight did not try to prevent her from running toward the prone, still form any longer.

The most memorable part to Sunset, out of everything, was how surprised Rainbow Dash looked in death. Eyes glassy, mouth open in a small circle that could have been a scream or a gasp. None of the blood had made it up to her face. The wound was small. Clean. A perfect little puncture in her vintage gummy bears shirt.

There was no sign of the attacker anywhere. Maybe that was for the best; Sunset would have etched their face into her memory forever is she could, instead of only Rainbow’s death mask. Her hand lifted to close her eyes — something had to be done, it wasn’t natural, they couldn’t let her—

“Stop!” said a nearby voice. It was old Mrs. Cake, hobbling down the sidewalk with a plastic grocery bag dangling from her elbow. Her face was drawn tight with worry. “I know its hard, but… the police would want you to leave her be.”

“How could they do this?” Sunset whispered in a weak, broken voice. It surprised her that she wasn’t crying, wasn’t angry… wasn’t anything at all. She just felt like she was in a dream, a horrible but ludicrous dream that somebody was going to have to wake her up from before she was lost inside of it forever. “What… I mean, what happened? Did you see anything?”

“I didn’t, deary, I’m sorry. But I’d guess it was a mugging. There’s been a few in the area lately.”

“A mugging.” That word meant something, and it took her longer than usual to put it together. “Then… all they wanted was her money?” The old woman nodded sadly. “Why? Why are people so… fucking stupid?!”

There was the rage. Mrs. Cake saw as clearly as she felt it when she had spoken, and she dipped her head lower in acknowledgement of the younger girl’s distress. “Come away from there. I know you want to help, but there’s—”

“There’s what? Nothing I can do?! Bullshit! Bullshit!” Turning and pushing up from the sidewalk, she ran at the kind old woman full speed, stumbling while trying to gain her footing — and was promptly intercepted.

“Inside,” Twilight hissed in her ear as Mrs. Cake took a wary step back, watching the two girls scuffle. “Come on, let’s— no, I really think you should come inside!”

“We can’t just leave her alone!” Sunset screamed. “Somebody has to—”

“These people will watch over her while the authorities are on the way,” Twilight whispered, gesturing to the steadily growing number of passersby. “In the meantime, I really, really think we have things to discuss in your apartment.”

Something in her tone cut through the haze of rage and disbelief. Things to discuss. Twilight wasn’t just a human friend — she had connections. Magic. Maybe this wasn’t over. She had just barely begun to accept what it was, hating it though she did, and swinging her brain back in the other direction left her feeling disoriented to the point of nausea.

“Do we?” she murmured shakily. “Have things to discuss?”

“Yes. Right now.”

Her head started to turn, to glance down at Rainbow’s body — but she didn't need to. That image would be forever burned into her mind, haunting her sleep and ruining her quiet moments for years. No, there was no need to look at it another time for further confirmation.

By the time they got back into her apartment, she finally had enough of a check on her emotions to demand, “What can you do? Tell me, Twilight. Tell me right the fuck now, what you can do for Rainbow.”

“Okay. I can bring her back to life.”

She hadn’t really minced words in the slightest. Completely stunned, Sunset asked, “Wait… just like that? You can bring her back to life?”

“I told you from the beginning,” Twilight said as her outfit melted back to the poodle skirt and blouse, turning to face her summoner in the middle of her own kitchen. Her horn slowly slid out from her forehead and her wings unfurled, stretching as much as the ceiling would allow. Sunset barely noticed any of this. “Anytime you are dissatisfied with my services, as long as you tell me before I leave…”

“You can hit the undo button!” Her eyes were brimming with tears -- now, not before when it would have made more sense, but now, when there was actual hope, she was crying instead. “And if you do that, Rainbow will be alive?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m not satis—”

“Wait a second,” Twilight cut her off with a finger against her lips. “Before you say it… just remember that there are never any ‘free’ decisions. If you choose to undo what we did, you may put Rainbow Dash on a worse path. Or someone else. Nobody knows the future, or all possible futures that stem from our decisions.”

Pushing the goddess’ finger aside, Sunset snapped, “Get the fuck out of here with that Back To the Future shit! Right now, there is nothing that could be worse that Rainbow dying in the street, okay?!”

“I didn’t say that wasn’t a terrible enough fate to warrant you changing how things ended up,” Twilight said in a very soft, very patient voice. Sunset saw that she was not as ‘together’ as she usually was; her purple eyes were wide, and her breathing was shallow. Sunset didn’t know if this was a genuine reaction to her friend’s death, or faked. Right now, she didn’t care. There was no way of knowing anyway. “I just… wanted you to be aware of possible implications before you chose. It wouldn’t be my place to judge your choice, but I am obligated to fill you in first.”

“Fine. You told me. Thanks for the heads up. I’m not satisfied.”

Nodding sadly, the goddess turned and began walking through the living room toward the bathroom. Sunset found herself a little confused, thinking she was going to leave in the middle of the crisis, until she laid her hands on the symbols on the floor.

She hadn’t know what she expected. Maybe some words in a strange language, or Twilight to whip out a magical staff or something. But there were no words, no magic spells or wands. There was only a slight breeze, and power. The floor and walls rumbled slightly — like a low-level earthquake, and Sunset grabbed onto the door frame for support. There was a brief flash of multi-spectrum light, and the air began to swirl around her. Then Twilight looked up at her, and she could only gasp as she saw the goddess’ normally crystal-clear amethyst eyes glowing a brilliant white.

And then she felt herself being tugged through what she could only call a portal.

It all lasted about ten seconds, but it felt like a lifetime passed as she felt as she rocketed through something she imagined as a bad acid trip. Horrific scenes like melting skulls blended together with rainbows and fields of grass. There was a distinct ‘cracking’ sound, like a glass was breaking somewhere. There was no time to contemplate that something as ‘sci-fi’ as a portal between time and space existed, or could be created so quickly, or that she was actually travelling through one herself. Just time enough to scream.

The worst part, somehow, was that the trip just ended. There was no jumping out the other side of the portal, no disembarking or fading. She just blinked, and she was back in the bathroom as usual. Only this time, she did not have tears on her face from Rainbow’s death. Things were… perfectly normal.

“Twilight?” she whispered. No answer. Reaching up to touch her own face, to feel for the nonexistent tears, she felt the jar of pig’s blood push into her cheek. She was still holding onto it, getting ready to summon.

But she remembered. She remembered everything that happened after summoning Twilight — clearly, not as if it were a dream or something imagined. Putting the blood on the counter, she tried to decide how she felt about everything all at once, and it was just too overwhelming for her — death, portals with skulls and rainbows and broken glass, time being rewound…

And then there was the sound of her door opening. Rainbow’s voice. That blessedly sweet voice that she had briefly thought would never be heard in her apartment again.

“Would you believe it?!” The door shut, and not gently. “That fucking granola bar isn’t home! And I was finally actually going t— to… hey, where’d you go?”

“I’m in here!” Sunset called out as she frantically jerked open the cabinet under her sink and shoved the jar of blood inside. She could figure out everything after she made sure there would be no awkward questions of her having a jar of blood in her bathroom and… was it just her, or was her mirror looking even more broken than before?

“Oh. Anyway, I guess I’ll have to gripe her out another time.” Sunset had just kicked the rug back over her summoning circle when Rainbow rounded the corner. “Oh, um… sorry, did I catch you at a weird moment? My bad.”

“No, you’re fine,” Sunset stammered, trying to force herself to be calm, to will herself to not sound like she hadn't just been staring at this young woman — this wonderful, amazing young woman — on the sidewalk, in a pool of her own blood. “You’re… really fine.”

“Uh, yeah. Cool. Listen, I think I’m just gonna go out and get some air. You were probably right before that I just need to be more positive — and confront ‘Shy. I mean, she’s my friend, and we should probably have a talk about our living space and shit. But I can’t shake this crappy mood right now, so I’m gonna step out and—”

“No!”

Blinking, Rainbow took a step back. “I… what?”

“No, you… I can’t let you!” Trying to think quickly, Sunset gripped her friend’s arm and declared, “Because, um… friends don’t let friends walk around alone!”

“Fine, then come with me,” she grunted, still wary at the manic intensity in Sunset’s eyes.

“We’ll go in the morning. Tonight, why don’t you and me just watching old movies until we pass out? I’ll order a pizza, and there’s chocolate syrup in the fridge.”

“Oh snap, my fucking kryptonite,” she laughed. Then she debated for a second or two before leaning in slightly to whisper, “Hey… are you okay? I mean, I thought I was feeling rough, but I didn’t even notice how wiped you look. Like somebody made you work a double shift.”

“Me? I’m fine! Never better!”

“Really?”

Unable to help herself, she threw her arms around Rainbow -- and felt so much of her anxiety and terror just drain away, evaporating from her skin like dew in the warm morning sun. “Really.”

“Whoa, bonding moment. Ooookay.” Rainbow patted her back a few times, but did return the embrace a little more easily. “Did… I freak you out? With all that ‘life doesn’t matter’ talk earlier. I mean, if I did… God, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t trying to—”

“You’re okay,” Sunset whispered. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Just… you’re my friend, Rainbow. You really, really are. I’m sorry if I’m difficult sometimes. Or kind of a bitch—”

“Kind of?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow, but her lips were curled up into a sardonic smirk.

“Okay. A major bitch,” Sunset giggled, then sobered. “But… really. I care about you. A lot. You’re always there for me and… well… I’m sorry If I’m not always there for you. I’ll get better. I will. You…” she trailed off, Twilight’s words coming unbidden into her mind as she spoke them aloud. “You’re one of the most loyal people I know. And I’m proud to call you my friend,”

“Whoa.” Rainbow blinked three times before she cleared her throat shyly. “Well… thanks, Sunny. I… I mean, that means a lot to me. Really.”

“You’re okay,” Sunset repeated softly. “Just… don’t give up. And be careful at night; there are all kinds of fucking nutjobs on the streets.”

Chuckling slightly, Rainbow pulled away and said, “Right, mom, thanks for the pro tip. I can cover the pizza if you want.”

“No way. My treat. You’re the one having a shitty night, so I’m happy to spring.”

“Okay, okay. Oh, and no—”

“No pineapple. I know.” They both grinned at each other as they moved back into the living room. “You better buckle up. We’re in for an eighties moviethon and major heartburn in the morning.”

“Oh, shit! We talking Labyrinth, here?”

“Hell yes. You name it, we got it; Labyrinth, Neverending Story, Ghostbusters, The Goonies, and Raiders!”

“Dude, you’re gonna spoil me — pineapple-free pizza and Indy? I shoulda freaked out like this a long time ago!”

The night progressed, and everything was absolutely okay. That is, until about ten minutes later, when they heard the gunshot from outside.

By the time they got downstairs and out into the street to investigate — mostly because Sunset insisted there was nothing they could do anyway, but Rainbow finally said she was going with or without her — the ambulance was already there. Sunset could see old Mrs. Cake, who had been so kind to her before time was rewound, being lifted inside onto a stretcher, groaning weakly as the medical team worked. She was clearly still alive, but she was in a lot of pain, and there was a lot of blood. The police were everywhere, questioning people and taking photographs of the crime scene.

Walking alongside Mrs. Cake’s gurney, looking to Sunset like all the world was ending, was a girl who looked to be her age. Her vibrant, bubblegum pink hair fell in slick curtains around her shoulders and back, and her ice-chip blue eyes were round with worry and despair. Sunset assumed that she must be the family friend staying with old Mrs. Cake, and felt reassured that the kind old woman at least wasn’t alone. The girl gripped Mrs. Cake’s hand tightly as they climbed into the ambulance.

What Twilight had talked about had come to pass: there was indeed a consequence. In this case, however, Sunset was more or less at peace with her decision. After all, even though she hated to see the kindly old woman in pain, but at least she wasn’t dead like Rainbow had been. She would make that choice again in a heartbeat, as many times as it would take.

She was no longer in the mood for pizza, but Sunset did force her way through a few slices as she and Rainbow powered through The Goonies, Raiders of the Lost Ark and most of Temple of Doom. Around four in the morning, her friend fell asleep just as Indy saved the day yet again, so Sunset crept off to her room and crawled into bed to sleep it off.

But she didn’t forget about what Twilight had said. As the movies rolled on, she addressed several of the points the goddess had touched upon before the night was reset — slipping them in more naturally and at intervals, of course. She could tell that Rainbow was always reluctant to get back to the subject and would rather just focus on how Indy handled his whip and fedora, but she did seem to take some of it in and felt a little better about herself in the process. It wasn’t perfect, but it was all she could do.

One of the best sights that could greet Sunset upon waking up was that of Rainbow Dash snoring gently on her couch, a blanket draped over legs . After all of her horrible, blood-soaked nightmares, it was the only thing that could make them disappear. Her friend was fine. Just fine. She was alive, and she was going to stay that way as long as Sunset could help it.

Work and class seemed to drag on forever. Somehow, even though her sleep had been less than plentiful, a can of Java Monster seemed to get her through it, and she made it home to take a well-earned nap on the couch, right in the tiny nest of blankets left by Rainbow.

To her extreme misfortune, that was interrupted by a knock at the door. Too tired to even get up, she just half-yelled, “It’s open!”

But instead of Rainbow, in walked Fluttershy. The girl was a real piece of work; her golden-bronze skin didn’t quite match up with the pale, almost pinkish hue of her hair very well, and the dirt-colored knit cap over it only made her look weirder. But it was the flowy hemp dashiki that was truly problematic for Sunset. Even if Rainbow was mostly annoyed with her habits around their shared space, everything about her screamed ‘sheltered white hipster who suddenly felt a lot of racial guilt when she make it to college’.

Not that Sunset had any right to complain, mind.

“Oh,” she mumbled dazedly. “Uh… hi. I mean, hello, Fluttershy.”

“Hi, Sunset. Um…” the girl’s face was neutral, but her expression flickering between discomfort and determination. “If you’re not busy, would you mind… talking to Rainbow?”

“What?”

“She’s been a grumpy puss all day long,” Fluttershy went on, placing her hands on her hips and sticking her lower lip in an impressive pout. “Snapping at me and telling me how she’s not ‘taking my… um… my ‘s-word’ anymore.’ I mean, we’ve been friends for so long, and I think I work pretty hard to be a good roommate to her, you know? I respect her habits, observe her opinions and understand how her ideals don’t resonate with mine. So… I don’t understand why she’s so upset now.”

“God, can we have this conversation after I get some coffee?”

“Coffee? It’s… almost sundown. Do you normally keep nocturnal hours? I mean, it’s okay if you do and everything… but do you know what time it is?”

Groaning loudly, Sunset mumbled something along the lines of “Anytime is coffee time” and sat up, padding into the kitchen while Fluttershy sort of wandered along behind her, waiting for her to reach into the fridge for the first thing she could find. Which was beer. She put that back and found a bottle of cola that was flatter than her floorboards. As she guzzled that, Fluttershy opened her yap again.

“I mean, like this afternoon, when she got back from work, she just started complaining to me for always taking up the living room again. Which of course was fine and everything... but I thought we were supposed to share it, not just me stay out of her way, right?”

“Not… exactly… but yeah, I guess.” Setting the disappointing bottle down on the counter, Sunset’s brain tried to parse out a response for her. “There are just things that you can’t do when you’re like, right next to somebody the way you are with Rainbow.”

“Well… yes. That’s true. But that’s what I don’t understand. I’m not trying to annoy her. She’s my oldest friend.”

“That’s — just… look, you can’t just say ‘Hey, if I didn’t intend to piss somebody off then they have no right to feel pissed off.’ That’s crazy and unrealistic. You don’t live in a bubble. Um… here’s an example: If you burn incense that smells up the entire apartment, that affects Rainbow. Like, she can’t unburn just the incense that comes into her airspace, right?”

Frowning, Fluttershy leaned against the counter. “I don’t really do incense… but it is natural, so I don’t understand…”

“It stinks, Fluttershy. You said before that you don’t really ‘believe’ in fake scents, like Febreeze. What if Rainbow sprayed that all over your room? Wouldn’t that bother you?”

“Well… of course, but I don’t do that to Rainbow Dash. Why would I go into her room and burn incense?”

“Whether you plan to or not isn’t the point!” Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sunset began to see this was a lost cause. However, maybe she could summarize it in a way that would poke through that makeup-free ‘all-natural’ beauty. “Look — how about this; If Rainbow’s saying she’s annoyed by something you do, then you can’t tell her she isn’t annoyed, or has no right to be. That’s not fair to invalidate her like that. If you want to do something like naked yoga or cucumber masks in the bathtub or something with the door closed, you can, but you still have to understand that in shared spaces, things you do can affect other people. Otherwise…”

“That’s not fair,” she muttered under breath. “I knew you’d take her side. It’s not like I’m doing anything just to make her upset; you know that, right?” When Sunset looked skeptical, she stepped closer. “Really, I swear to you, it’s true. Really very serious.”

Nodding, Sunset plopped a hand on her shoulder and began steering her to the door. Fact of the matter was, if she didn’t get rid of the girl now, she was going to throttle her. “Look, ‘Shy, just believing that you don’t mean to piss her off doesn’t change the fact that you’re annoying her. Just makes you less of an asshole. So my advice, stop resisting her suggestions, because you’re actually really messing with her mental health. Alright?”

That did it. Against all odds, that one phrase seemed to make every single shred of difference.

“Oh… oh my God, are you -- is it really making her mentally unhealthy? I thought she was just trying to, like… you know, assert her territorial dominance, or something, like Angel Bunny does back home. I wasn’t sure since we never actually lived together before for an extended period, but if it’s really stressing her out this much… I mean, I still don’t get why things I consider natural and inoffensive are bothering her, but I don’t want her to have to go insane because of something I don’t mean, you know?”

Flinching at the word ‘insane’, Sunset tried to slap on a smile as she said, “Yeah, I think that would actually help out a lot. Plus not, um, walking around in a thong. Also kinda bad for shared spaces.”

“But my body is… okay, right, it’s not about me, it’s about Rainbow’s mental health.” Then she leaned in close and whispered, “Is she gay or something? Like, I think I would know by now if she was, and it’s wonderful if she is and everything, but I’d never flash the flesh if it would be a problem for her!”

“No, no,” Sunset laughed, patting her on the shoulder — even though she had no real desire to touch the girl’s awful scratchy clothes. “Just… not everybody can do the whole ‘our bodies are beautiful’ thing. We all have our trigger, you know? Rainbow’s happens to be vagina-floss. When you’re in your room, anything goes, but in the shared space--”

“Ohh… I understand,’ the free spirit said with a sagely nod as she moved towards the door. “I’ll be sure to keep my rose under glass.”

“I… is… like, did you just compare your vag to Beauty and the Beast, or is there something going on here?”

Shrugging, a coy smile flitting across her lips, Fluttershy turned to leave. “Who knows? Well… thank you for the talk, Sunset.”

“Sure,” Sunset waved slightly, watching as her friend walked towards the door. Her… friend. Wait… was she her friend? Sure, she hadn’t really had all that much interaction with Fluttershy; mainly clipped greeting in the hallways and in passing on campus… but was that enough to consider being friends?

Rainbow was her friend, Sunset knew that. And Rarity was also her friend… or at least, back on the right track. Which was more than before. But what about Fluttershy?

“Hey, wait,” she found herself calling out as the free spirit opened the door. She turned back, her eyebrows high and her face a look of mild curiosity.

Maybe it was the influence of her newest and best friend — one who considered herself an expert on the subject of friendship — but regardless, Sunset knew it was her own intention when she suddenly asked, “You, uh… you wouldn’t be interested in staying a bit, would you? I have some tea.” She shifted slightly. “If… if you like tea, that is.”

There was a long silence, during which Sunset cleared her throat, feeling inexplicably exposed. She had never once offered anything to Fluttershy before; every previous interaction with the girl was usually forced or ending up with Sunset nursing the beginnings of a migraine. This time was no different, but her recent revelation of how important Rainbow was to her, and her reconciliation with Rarity made her realize just how important friendship truly was to a person.

Maybe now, she could finally start on the right track.

“Sure,” Fluttershy finally said, her voice soft and decidedly pleased. “I would love to have some tea with you, Sunset.”

An hour later and Sunset was pouring out some of the pig’s blood again — the same amount as last time, which was mysteriously returned even though she still had a memory of the summoning. She said the incantation, looked around at the candles, and waited.

Nothing.

Licking her lips and clearing her throat, she said it again — still no crazy vortex of air, no pop of atmosphere to announce Twilight’s arrival.

That made her feel crushing sadness like she hadn’t in a long time. Never before had she failed at summoning. Did she do something wrong? The words were exactly the same. She looked at the magic circle, trying to find a spot that might be worn down or smudged too much, but it looked relatively intact. Just in case, she went over the spots not doused in blood with her eyeliner again. Even when it looked perfect, and she was saying the words clearer than she had ever spoken before, there was no response of any kind.

“Hey!” she finally shouted to the ceiling, stamping her foot for good measure. “What the hell?! Don’t I even get a—”

Before she finished the sentence, there was a poof! And a scrap of paper started fluttering down from the ceiling. It moved slow enough that she could recover from her surprise in time to snatch it out of the air.

‘We apologize for the inconvenience. Your alicorn goddess will be with you shortly’

It was in a fancy script that Sunset had to re-read to understand clearly, and had an illustration of what looked to be a caracturized pony on the phone — complete with a headset and desktop computer at a desk — looking very cheerful as though the picture was straight out the fifties.

Huh. Well. Okie dokie.

Half an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. later, the telltale sounds of a teleportation filled the apartment as she craned her head hopefully towards the bathroom. Her hopes her not dashed; a moment later, Twilight stepped out, dressed in a violet gown with a slit all the way up her leg, matching opera gloves, and silver heels, bracelets and earrings that sparkled in the light. There was also a silver necklace with an amethyst that was easily the most beautiful she had ever seen.

“Whoa,” was all Sunset could manage.

“Sorry for not getting back to you sooner,” the dolled-up goddess announced wearily as she strutted closer, patting her razor-sharp hairdo. “I’d tell you who I was having dinner with, but the spell forbids me from saying anything — and also, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Yeah... that’s… you look incredible,” Sunset told her earnestly as she rose, feeling as if sitting down in her presence wasn’t even permitted. “Are you even allowed to be in this apartment with me looking like I am?”

“Stop,” she giggled bashfully as she slipped out of her heels and plopped down on the couch, rubbing one of her feet. “But that’s sweet of you to say. Sometimes it pays to have magic to do your hair and makeup.”

At first, she was going to get on with her question, but Sunset found another one coming out instead. “Do your — okay, I’m sorry if this seems mean or like I don’t trust you, but I’m legit curious.”

“Oh?” Trimmed eyebrows knitted slightly, but Twilight didn’t comment further.

“Do your feet actually hurt, or are you faking that to seem more… ya’know… relatable to me?”

Nodding slightly, she couldn’t keep the bemused smile from her face. “Thought you and I were past the whole ‘new friend mistrust’ thing by now. But I understand; you’ve never known anyone from another world before.” Switching legs, she sighed and went on, “Yes, they are sore. If I have to create something that could hurt me, I feel the pain of it; I’m not immune. For instance, some clients want me to take on the form of their parents and get revenge on the atrocities they perpetrated. If you’re familiar with a ‘whipping boy’ concept, then yeah, I get summoned to be that sometimes. The bruises and cuts aren’t permanent, and fade the very moment I shapeshift again… but at that moment, the pain is real, and I do feel it.”

“So… you could change back to the skirt and blouse you normally wear and make the ache go away, right?” When Twilight nodded, she shrugged and sat down next to her. “Then why don’t you? I’m not trying to judge, I promise.”

“I know you aren’t,” Twilight said very gently. “It’s just… how can I explain?” She considered for a moment, then nodded to herself and looked over at Sunset. “Have you ever had a really good stretch, both arms over your head and everything, then afterward you thought, ‘Man, I wish I could go back to not having stretched and enjoy that stretch all over again?’ Anything like that?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Then maybe you can understand why massaging the ache feels more satisfying than just… waving your horn around so it disappears.”

That wasn’t something Sunset could actually understand. Yes, she could somewhat appreciate it from Twilight’s perspective, but she’d never had her pain supernaturally removed — the closest was having her period cramps soothed — so comparing the two experiences was difficult for her. On the other hand, she did have some level of empathy.

“Here.”

“What? Oh, you— Sunset, you really don’t have to--”

“It’s cool,” she said as she tugged Twilight’s ankle toward her and away from its owner’s grasp. “You do a lot for me, and I want to repay you how I can.”

“If you really want to repay me, you can explain to Luna and Celestia that the re-do from last night totally wasn’t my fault,” she laughed — and then the laugh changed to a groan of relief when the thumbs pushed into the bottom of her foot. “Ooh… wow, okay, this is way better than me doing it, for sure!”

“My mom taught me,” Sunset laughed as she worked on her pressure points. Her skin was as soft there as on her arms, and while she felt she should have expected that to be the case, she didn’t. “Reflexology, or whatever. Are… are Luna and Celestia mad at me?”

“No, of course not. There aren’t really mad. It’s… complicated. Whenever we have a summoning reversal, there’s a bit of a backlash that feeds back into the conduit for the spell.”

“….Okay?” Whatever that meant. Frowning, Sunset thought about that. Too late, it seemed; if she had really considered how saying she was dissatisfied with the job might affect Twilight, it would have been pretty obvious already. She was still grateful to have saved Rainbow, but she would have liked to know in advance if Twilight could get in trouble for it, or have something bad happen. Then again, she had been pretty irate at the time… even if the goddess would have properly warned her, Sunset doubted she would have listened.

“I’m really sorry,” she finally whispered.

“Nah,” Twilight sighed, her head leaning over onto her elbow as Sunset kept working. “You… this makes the whole thing worth it, trust me.”

“Doing my best, anyway. Switch?” They did, and now Twilight was lying on the couch with her legs gently crossed, eyes closed in relaxation. “I doubt this can really make up for… uh, backlashing magic into your spell conduit?” Wow, real technical there, Sunny. Way to make magic sound kinky. “Is… there something else I can do? Like, write a letter to Celestia, or something?”

Twilight snorted, “Seriously, you’re fine. It happens once in a while. There’s nothing we can do about it. Even Celestia gets redos from time to time -- although she gets summoned so infrequently such a ratio is negligible. There’s just… one small thing I should mention.” One of her eyes opened very slightly, as if to gauge her friend’s emotional state, then closed again. “I… can’t let it happen very often. Each time we cast a time reversal, the conduit is damaged a little bit more. If it gets too damaged, you won’t be able to contact me anymore.”

“What?” The foot dropped from her hands to bounce against her calf. “You— what do you mean, ‘can’t’? Like you won’t be allowed to come if I summon? For serious?!”

Nodding, Twilight frowned across at her, looking both guilty and resigned. “Sorry. I only told you because you asked; we normally keep that bit to ourselves. But you’re entitled to know if you ask.”

“I… I don’t… how? Will Celestia stop you from responding, or something?” Sunset gasped loudly. “You won’t be fired, will you?!”

Snorting again, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I can’t be ‘fired’ from being a princess or a goddess. It’s…” she paused slightly, considering her words. When she finally decided, her explanation came slowly; deliberate. “The conduit that opens the bridge between our worlds is not permanent. Each time it’s used, it’s weakened just a little bit. And the more magic we use, the more it is damaged. Time magic is powerful… far more powerful than a simple glamour or a memory charm. If we use it too much, then we run the risk of the conduit breaking beyond repair. We cannot allow that, so instead, once the conduit reaches a certain point of damage, we will seal it off completely.”

“Oh.” Sunset nodded slowly, considering Twilight’s words. “And once you do, you…”

“We will not be able to be summoned anymore,” the goddess finished. “For good.”

“I… see…” She didn’t really, but couldn’t really complain.

“Listen, you’re fine!” Twilight continued, sitting up a bit and gripping her wrist. “We are fine — you haven’t ruined anything! What we typically do is have a set limit of three rewinds per summoner. Once they hit the third, we cut them off and don’t answer any further summons. That way, we can continue coming here so long as we don’t mess things up with too many different summoners. Honestly, we really do our best to make sure we don’t have to cut anypony off unless they are really super picky.”

Frustrated, both with herself and with the whole situation, Sunset picked Twilight’s foot back up and started kneading furiously. “No. No, that totally won’t happen — I’m never telling you I’m dissatisfied again. You’re gonna make me so satisfied, okay?”

“Really?” An odd keening moan floated out of the goddess’ throat, and she laughed at the tail end as she sank back into the couch. “Keep that up and… wow, you may get that wish granted.”

“What?!” Then she cleared her throat once she heard how sharp her reply had been. “I mean… uh, what do you mean?”

Smiling lopsidedly, Twilight turned her knees from one side to the other, sliding her hands up behind her head. “You did tell me you’ve never dated, but you’re a smart, kickass chick who gives one hell of a massage. Boys are missing out — and by ‘boys’, I mean the ones that aren’t a Blueblood or a Snails, of course. The ones who deserve someone like you.”

“Somebody who’s going to break a magical conduit?” she scoffed.

“Somebody who could make anyone the happiest, luckiest shit in existence.”

There was a shift. It was negligible, almost, but suddenly Sunset felt hyper aware of everything around her. Twilight lay on the couch, gazing into her with those startling purple eyes as earnestly as anyone had ever looked at her. Yes, she’d found good friends before, but none of them seemed to cut through her heart in a way that left her totally speechless. Alas, no potential boyfriends — even Flash before she learned why he was so aloof — came even remotely close.

And she was sitting there across from her, massaging her, kneading the soft skin between her toes. If she were to be honest with both herself and Twilight, before the sudden and jarring shift in her perceptions, she had been contemplating an offer to move up to her neck next. Where after that? Her back, her shoulders? Or would it be her own turn afterward?

“Thanks, I guess,” she finally murmured in a hushed voice as she looked down at Twilight’s toes so as to avoid that piercing gaze. They were painted a pristine plum color, and Sunset inspected them as a sudden thought occurred to her, and the desire for a distraction spurred her to voice it. “Hey… do you mind if I ask you about something?”

“You can do whatever you want,” Twilight purred softly.

“Where… did the scars on your legs come from?”

Almost instinctively, her leg twisted as if to hide them, even though they could still be seen from the top of the slit in her dress. “What scars?”

“Don’t do that. I mean, if you don’t feel like answering, that’s one thing, and I totally—”

‘“No, you’re right,” she cut Sunset off — pulling her legs again and turning to sit more properly, staring across at the dark TV. Her dress rumpled from the motion. “You… deserve better than lies, and I hate lies. I’m just… I don’t want to get into that. Not when we could be doing something more fun.”

“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Sighing, she scooted closer and nudged her friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re okay, Sunny. You asked a simple question, that’s all.” Then she smiled back at her with a little more confidence, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “Glad we had this chat -- and thanks for the magic fingers. What are we up to tonight? Soul Calibur? Fallout? Seeing who can eat the most cookies without throwing up?”

Laughing, Sunset allowed her stomach to unclench the tiniest amount as she considered their options. No. She had already promised herself that they wouldn’t just waste her valuable time anymore.

“Nothing that disgusting — and you have an unfair advantage with your super magical stomach. Tonight… we go after the big fish.”

All at once, the slightly moody, slightly amiable grin turned as dark and sinister as it ever had, and Sunset felt her heart speed up at being so close to something so deliciously malicious. She was the lucky one to have found a bestie this awesome — especially one who had the bonus of magical powers.

“Snails. Oh, yes… that fuckboy won’t know what hit him. I’ve been saving some ideas for him, so tell me which you like best.”

“Okay… you have anything especially traumatizing up your sleeve?”

Twilight’s grin, if possible, grew wider and even more unnerving. "Oh baby, you have no idea. Have I ever mentioned an old friend of mine by the name of Pinkie Pie?”