Sunset placed her hand on the smooth marble base of the Wondercolt statue, feeling the faint pulse of Equestrian energy buried deep within. The former unicorn extended her senses, trying to ascertain why the school before her felt...different, somehow, than it had before Winter Break had started. She could easily identify how the difference was affecting her mood and emotions: a lightness in her spirit mixing with a sense of the world being set back properly on its axis, as if all this time it had been...off-kilter, somehow. Yet stretching her senses didn't give her any greater insight, leaving her to wonder if she was simply imagining a magical connection where there was none.

Movement caught her eye, and Sunset turned her head to see several people waving at her as they walked by. “Morning!” she called out before she could stop herself. It was a surreal experience, and it did make her wonder if maybe it was just her perceptions that had changed. With her fellow students now being friendly to her, the atmosphere of hostility and thinly veiled threat had dissipated, and she no longer felt on the verge of flight or constant nausea. Not having that kind of stress on her was already making her days at school much more enjoyable.

“Maybe it is something more mundane at work,” she mused, glancing up at the statue. “Not everything is the work of magic, Shimmer.” She frowned, not liking the implications—Sunset needed to keep her perspective open and be careful about her personal biases in order to study magic in the human world. It was clear it was not the exact same as magic in Equestria, and while she could use her knowledge as a starting point, she had to be open to it not working the way she might expect. If she was so desperate to see magic that she imagined it where there might be no magic at work, it could affect her research. She needed to get that under control and fast.

A quick glance in the journal confirmed that the princess would be bringing the books and other supplies that afternoon after school. Sunset glanced around to see if any of her friends had arrived yet. Finding none, she cast her gaze towards the faculty lot, searching for the vehicles belonging to the principals. They were both parked, and she could actually see the vice-principal walking towards the school.

Sunset abandoned the statue to meet Luna on the sidewalk, offering out a hand to carry the paper sack that smelled of breakfast. “Morning, Miss Luna. Can I help you carry that? I wanted to talk to you before school about the research project and some good news I thought you might appreciate.”

Relinquishing control of the paper bag, Luna arched one eyebrow. “I could certainly use some good news this morning, Miss Shimmer. I spent most of yesterday in conversation with Crystal Prep’s Assistant Principal over the upcoming Friendship Games. It was not a...productive...meeting.”

Her nose wrinkled up. She could vaguely remember the last Friendship Games competition when she was still in the junior high grades, and it was an unpleasant experience, with arrogant teens who would have fit right in at CSGU, lording their victory over the other school. “I can imagine,” she replied. “Especially if the staff is anything like most of the students.”

“A great many, yes, but that is neither here nor there.” Luna pushed open the front door. “We will speak in my office. Should I get my sister as well?”

The redhead shrugged. “You can just as easily pass on what I’m telling you.” She kept pace with the woman on the way to the office. “I talked with Princess Twilight. She’ll be coming through the portal this afternoon with books and supplies that I requested—well, as many as she could find on short notice. She’s still waiting to hear back from the other Princesses about the archives in the palace.” Sunset frowned, wondering if the princess had remembered to include the restricted section in her request.

“Are any of the supplies things I need to be concerned about, Miss Shimmer? In my admittedly limited experience, magic seems to be a tad explosive.” Luna’s jibe held an undercurrent of humor that eased the spike of worry that had gone through Sunset.

“Um...not as such by themselves?” the former unicorn responded sheepishly. “Once I start mixing magic and science? That might be a bit of a different answer. I’m going to try sticking to diagnostics at first, until I get a better handle on the energy levels we’re looking at.”

The vice-principal’s face became serious as they entered her office. “Miss Shimmer,” Luna began, setting her things down and turning her full attention on Sunset. “While my sister and I would like answers on how to better protect the school, neither of us want you to put yourself in harm’s way, do you understand?” Stormy green eyes were fixed on her, darkened by worry. “As much as you may have been a royal pain before the Fall Formal, I was terrified that we would see a corpse at the bottom of the crater in the front walk. Neither Celestia nor I want a repeat of that scenario, especially now that we have had the pleasure of being able to know the real you. I feel that your friends—all of them—would share that sentiment.”

Sunset sucked in a shaky breath around the lump in her throat, her thoughts immediately going to the girls, and from there to her girlfriend. “I...I promise I’ll do my best to be careful, Miss Luna. I know better than anyone what uncontrolled magical surges are capable of.” She offered the administrator what she hoped was a confident and reassuring smile. “In all honesty, I’m probably the best able to handle it out of anyone, given how bad my surges were when I was little. It also means I can recognize the signs of a surge in time to either shut it down or get out of the way.”

Her mind wandered briefly to the way her magic had threatened to surge over the break, and hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. “Not to mention,” she added, “a lot of spell grade gems and basic equipment are designed to minimize collateral damage if they do overload. In Equestria, the real danger usually comes from thaumic backlash through a unicorn’s internal magic pathways. Since I’m in a human body, I’ll be handling them externally, not with my own power.”

It didn't seem to put Luna at ease. “I still would prefer if you exercised extra caution, Miss Shimmer. This is meant to help students and staff, not put them at risk, and until you graduate, you are one of those students.” Sitting in her chair, she took a sip of her coffee. “And no situation is ever a hundred percent guaranteed. I would like you to put together a contingency plan in the event that something does go wrong. Injuries on school grounds are bad enough, but I am not certain Canterlot General can handle injuries caused by magic. A human may not know what to look for or what they are looking at, and Nurse Redheart, while an exceptional school nurse, should have at least a primer on first aid for magical injuries.”

The former unicorn found herself nodding in understanding. “I’ll ask Princess Twilight to add a unicorn first aid manual to the books. It won’t be perfect, but it might offer at least a few things that can be adapted for humans. I know there’s at least one arcanobiology text among the ones she’s bringing, which can help me compare and contrast my findings. Once I get some baseline readings, I’ll write down things to be worried about.”

Nodding, the dark haired woman took another long drink from her coffee, expression turning thoughtful. “That plan needs to include a way for us to contact Twilight Sparkle in the event of an emergency.” One hand came up to stall the protests Sunset was about to voice. “I understand that by legal terms here, you are responsible for yourself as if you were a grown adult, Miss Shimmer, but if the worst happens and you are incapacitated, unable to speak for yourself, we still need to be able to get you the help you need, whether that help is from this world or your own.”

That was something Sunset hadn’t considered. “I’ll make sure that the journal is somewhere accessible anytime I’m working with magic. All you have to do is write a message in it and—” She stopped. “Oh ponyfeathers. I’ll have to teach you how to write a sentence for help. Equestrian glyphs and English letters are completely different.”

“In that case, Miss Shimmer, keeping it simple will be best. Perhaps something like ‘Send Help. Sunset is hurt.’ A sort of SOS that will get someone here quickly. I would also like you to consider deciding on an emergency contact for your file for more mundane, human emergencies.” Luna reached into her filing cabinet and pulled out a file folder, setting it in front of Sunset on the desk. She realized it had her name on it. “I have checked and the extra number here goes to a mechanized voice-mail that I suspect you have control over.”

Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “...yeah. That’s my landline. I use it exclusively for screening calls meant for ‘my parents.’” It was something she hadn't thought of for a while, since it almost never rang.

“Then I would appreciate you finding someone to designate as your emergency contact—an adult, not one of your friends. I know you are on passably good terms with at least some of their parents, considering one of them called you in sick after the incident with the band competition.” Her vice-principal tapped the folder with one finger. “I recognize you are capable of taking care of yourself adequately, Miss Shimmer, but...there are circumstances where you shouldn't have to, and there are clearly people available to you that you can rely on.”

Luna’s words took a few moments to sink in. “I...guess I’m just not used to it yet,” she admitted. “Being able to trust others, rely on them. I’ve looked out for myself for so long it doesn't even cross my mind to ask that of others.” Her thoughts turned briefly inward. “I’ll...give it some thought, Miss Luna.”

The dark haired woman gave a nod. “I had expected as much, but I would like someone put in your file in the next two weeks, if you would.” She smiled, and nudged the folder aside before producing a keyring to hold out to Sunset. “Now, the old A/V room is now officially the research lab for your magical studies, Miss Shimmer. The larger key locks the door, while the smaller keys are for the desk and filing cabinet respectively. I will reiterate my sister’s statement about the trust we are showing you in regards to this—do not abuse it.”

Sunset reached over and took the keys. “I won’t let you down.”

---

The keys jingled as she attached them to her keyring, next to her bike and house keys, finishing the task right as she reached her homeroom. Sunset had spent long enough in Luna’s office that she only had a few minutes to get there before the bell rang, so giving her friends the good news would have to wait for their free period before lunch. That part was a little disappointing—she was excited in a way she hadn’t been in years with the prospect of studying magic again, and she wanted to share that with the people who had come to mean so much to her.

“Darling, there you are! We looked all over and couldn’t find you this morning—where on Earth did you get off to?”

The former unicorn sank into her seat, smiling at Rarity while being acutely aware that every set of ears in the room and most of the eyes were on the two of them. “I had to talk with Vice-Principal Luna this morning,” she explained, her grin returning. “About our group ‘research project.’”

One manicured eyebrow arched. “I take it that your talk went well, judging by your smile?”

In response, Sunset held up the key for her to see. “We have a room to practice in now, and a cabinet to store our things in.”

Rarity smiled pleasantly. “Oh that will be absolutely wonderful! Keeping my keytar in my locker is cumbersome, you know.” Then she paused, thoughtful. “I assume it’s quite the barren space right now—I’d be more than happy to provide things to make it a comfortable space. Perhaps some cushions to sit, a small refrigerator for drinks? Singing does tend to require water to avoid a sore throat later.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “Perhaps a basket or two to keep snacks in as well, and some place for the inevitable sweets that will follow Pinkie Pie.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Rarity, we’ll be researching magic, not having a picnic.”

The tailor waved a hand at her. “Sunset, darling, we will also be playing music and among our friends we have both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. As much as I understand the need to sometimes spend hours at a desk on a project, can you truly see the two of them being able to handle that part of your research if we don’t provide things that play to their interests and desires?”

What she had been about to say dried up as the redhead considered that. “....I never even considered that,” she admitted after a minute. “I just want to take this seriously. Sorry for accusing you of not doing the same.”

A chuckle and her friend leaned across the aisle between them to hug her. “Darling, it’s quite alright, and I assure you, we are taking this seriously, ever since your talk with us.” Then Rarity’s gaze grew sharp. “But serious doesn’t mean it has to be all spartan and severe—quite the opposite, since our magic is, as both you and Twilight called it, ‘the Magic of Friendship,’ and we’ve seen first hand that it doesn’t manifest properly when we are miserable or callous of each other’s feelings.”

Sunset blinked, mulling over Rarity’s words. “Alright,” she agreed, “sprucing it up to be at least comfortable between sets or while we’re running individual tests is a good idea...but...try not to go overboard? It’s not a huge room, and I need the space to conduct my tests...” She wrinkled her nose. “Tests that hopefully won’t leave me covered in rainbow colored goo or stuck to the wall this time.”

Rarity had the decency to try and mitigate her laughter, but a few giggles slipped out. “I’m sorry, Sunset, but you have to admit it was humorous in hindsight. Though you’re working with Twilight to prevent that from happening again, I thought?”

“Yeah,” Sunset nodded. “That’s the plan. It’s part of the reason she’s coming through the portal this afternoon.” She glanced towards the door, seeing the teacher enter, then murmured to Rarity, “Speaking of my research ending badly, remind me later to teach you girls how to write an emergency message in Equestrian glyphs in case we need Princess Twilight’s help and I’m out of commission.”

“We have every confidence in you, Sunset, but I’ll be happy to learn in the event of an emergency...” Blue eyes shifted rapidly from concerned to excited. “These glyphs...they aren’t by chance those very elegant, pretty things I see you doodling on your notes, are they?” At Sunset’s confirmation of that, the designer went a little starry eyed. “Oh! For a language, those designs are so enchanting! I would love to learn them—Can you imagine some of them as subtle design accents on fabric?”

The former unicorn stared awkwardly at her friend—just when she thought she was understanding human idiosyncrasies, one of the girls did something that threw her for a complete loop. As the teacher called the class to order, she found herself shaking her head in amusement.

---

Sunset sank down onto the cold marble, resting her head tiredly back against the stone. It felt good, the cold, crisp, refreshing winter air filling her lungs and nipping at her nose, as she enjoyed the brief respite while she waited for the Princess of Friendship to arrive. The day had crossed into surreal and more than a little overwhelming very quickly, and she needed a few minutes to collect herself. She breathed deeply, the magic in the air around the statue itself making it smell and feel fresher and cleaner than it really was, as if it somehow scrubbed away the scent of rubber and asphalt and exhaust so that all that lingered was damp, cold stone, and dry vegetation. Or maybe it was just Sunset’s mind playing tricks on her after the day she’d had.

It wasn’t that the day had been bad, or even unpleasant—quite the opposite, really, and that was more than half the problem. Most of the students had been outright friendly to her! Not indifferent, or just the sort of stiff friendliness that was the hallmark of being polite, but actually friendly, inquiring about her holidays, trying to get to know her, and asking enough questions about magic, the Sirens, and Princess Twilight to make her head spin. She had been ‘popular’ before, but that had been a tyrannical form of control, characterized by how much people hated and feared her in equal measure. This...this reminded her more of the way the school treated Princess Twilight and the rest of her friends. And that didn't touch on the ones who were treating her the same way she’d seen ponies from some of the more remote settlements treat Princess Celestia—though at least now she could relate to the faint hint of discomfort the princess had sported in those instances.

The whole thing unnerved the girl who had once been proud of her unofficial title as queen of CHS. She liked the way the positive attention made her feel, which in turn made her recoil from that feeling and the memories associated with it. Sunset did not want to be tempted back towards her old ways, and the exhilaration was far too close to them for her to be entirely happy about it.

Without thinking, Sunset found her phone in her hands, fingers already typing out a message for her Twilight, needing the way talking to the nerdy girl helped ground her and soothe her nerves, even if it was only in texts. It also reminded her to prepare herself, just in case, for another round of weird doppelgänger disorientation...though with how different the two Twilights were to her, she didn't think that would be a problem. The response came after a few minutes, the affection in the message bringing a soft smile to her face, reinvigorating her a fraction.

Sunset stared at the clear afternoon sky, eyes taking in the endless blue expanse, feeling her body relax. She was still tired, but taking the brief time to herself was helping put her thoughts and emotions more in a manageable order. Her head turned towards the flat surface where she could feel the Equestrian energies welling up in the heart of the statue as the portal connection was establishing itself. The Princess of Friendship was on her way.

Next Chapter: Interlude XIII: Observations of the Setting Sun Estimated time remaining: 41 Hours, 23 Minutes