Sunset did not consider herself a morning person. She’d tried back when she lived with a pony that was by definition up with the dawn, but alas for the maid staff, the guard, and that one pegasus who’d set off a lightning bolt by her bedside, Sunset always woke up, grumpy, bleary eyed and in a blind rage. She went through a lot of alarm clocks. 

That morning was no different. The sun was just daring to poke through the curtains when a sudden rapping echoed through Sunset’s studio apartment. With a groan she rolled over in bed, dragging the sheets over her head. 

“Come on Sunset, I know you’re in there.” Rainbow’s voice cut through the cocoon of warmth. “I need to talk to you.” 

“Go away.” Sunset growled, burying herself deeper. 

“Yeah, I totally can’t hear you. I’m going to keep knocking until you answer.” She broke into a percussive version of ‘Awesome as I Wanna’ Be’. 

Sunset mused for a moment on whether she could get away with murder by claiming diplomatic immunity. Muttering to herself she slid out from under the bedspread, like a butterfly from a chrysalis of warmth. With a silent promise to return, she dragged herself to the front door. 

“What?” she demanded, throwing the door open, only to find herself glowering into an empty corridor.

 “Behind you dingus.” 

Sunset whirled and did a double take. Rainbow Dash rested her elbows on Sunset’s windowsill, drumming her fingers against the glass. She wore her athletic kit, with a duffel bag over her shoulder and a pair of headphones on her head. 

“Rainbow, what are you doing?” she exclaimed, hurrying over to the window.

“Dude, headphones,” Rainbow called out, tapping them. “Open the window I need to talk to you.” 

Sunset rolled her eyes but obeyed. The blast of cold air sent shivers down her spine and she rubbed her arms beneath her pyjamas. “Urgh, Rainbow it’s like six in the morning.” She shot a hateful glare at the sun peaking over the horizon. “Unless someone is on fire, dead, or fallen into another reality can’t it wait until morning?” 

“It is morning,” Rainbow protested. “Look, I need to be at hockey practice in, like, five minutes. Do ponies fly?” 

A groan escaped Sunset. “You woke me up at the crack of dawn to ask me that? Yes ponies fly. Heck you grow wings when you ‘pony up’ and fly about, unless you hadn’t noticed.” 

“Jeez, give me some credit.” Rainbow shook her head. “I know that, but even you and Twilight figured out how to hover. I wanted to know if ponies could really, you know, [i]fly[/i].” 

Sunset pressed a hand against her head “What, like a plane? Kind of, yeah. Pegasi can move pretty fast when they want to.” 

“Oh awesome you guys have those,” Rainbow said, bobbing along to the beat. “And they go, like, properly off the ground?” 

“Well, yeah they build cities in the clouds—” She paused and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “—Rainbow, do you know you have pony ears?” 

“Duh, that’s why I’ve got to keep the music going. So you–” 

“Hang on,” Sunset cut in. “Rainbow I live on the fourth floor, how did you even get up to this window?” 

She shrugged “Well, your doorman wouldn’t let me in and this was the fastest way to reach you... Anyway, you reckon that a pegasus could get between here and school in ten seconds flat?” 

“Probably, yeah,” Sunset frowned. “Where are you going with this Dash?” 

“Hockey practice, I told you.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of which, I’ve gotta’ fly. See you in Math, Sunset.” 

Rainbow kicked away from the wall and plummeted out of sight. Sunset threw herself forwards, hanging half out of her window with her heart hammering as she watched Rainbow drop towards the asphalt. Rainbow Dash’s wings flared out wide, beating like a hummingbird's and she kicked off empty air, hurling herself up into the sky. 

“WOO!” Rainbow’s whoop of joy rang out as she blazed over apartment block, a rainbow contrail spilling out behind her as she shot towards the rising sun. 

Sunset stared as the contrail faded away to nothing, her mouth hanging open. She could only imagine how the school was going to react when Rainbow Dash arrived on the wing. Shaking her head, she closed the window and crawled back in the bed. 

It was way too early in the morning to worry about that.