//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: The Sun Won't Come Home // by bahatumay //------------------------------// A few hours later, Twilight entered the house proper, feeling the strange sensation of being bipedal again and wearing clothes on her whole body. These proportions were different than her previous excursion, with her current body being a bit thicker, especially around her barrel and hips. She hadn’t kept many of her secondary characteristics; her skin was now a similar pale sheen as Celestia’s and her hair had turned a shade of midnight black, with a hint of purple on the edges when the sunlight streaming through the open windows hit it just right. Celestia looked up from where she sat with her two daughters, all playing with small colorful blocks. They were small, but very numerous and surprisingly light, and Twilight was surprised to see that Celestia had been building a detailed replica of her castle at Canterlot. Selene had built a flying car and was making it fly around the room, making the noises with her mouth, and Dysis had built a few crude horses and was having a tea party there with them. Selene froze at the sight of Twilight, nearly dropping her car. “Mom?” she said, looking back at Celestia. “There’s someone in our house.” “Ah, yes,” Celestia said, rocking forwards and pushing herself to her feet. Twilight bit her lower lip as she heard Celestia’s tiny grunts of effort as she did. That was unlike the Celestia she knew; it made her seem so... mortal. “Girls, this is a friend of mine. Would you introduce yourselves?” “Selene.” “I’m Dissi! That's short for Dysis. What's your name?” Twilight smiled. “I’m…” She then realized that it might not be a good idea to use her own name, especially if Celestia had been using her and her friends' names, and so she determined that she would quickly think up a fake name. “Trixie,” she said, saying the first female name that popped into her head. She then paused, and winced. Really? Trixie? “Trixie. That’s a nice name,” Dysis said. “Like with the rabbit?” “What?” “You know, Trixie for kids?” Twilight cocked her head, confused. Had this been a storyline Celestia had used for her books based on the Trixie incidents? Celestia laughed lightly. “Not quite, Dissi. She’s a person, not a cereal.” Twilight didn’t get this, either; but apparently this made sense to Dysis, because she quietly accepted this answer and resumed her playing. Twilight knelt down and began toying with the tiny blocks. These humans must have had some special abilities to make so many tiny blocks out of this strange light substance while keeping them all so uniform. She watched as Selene snapped a few together, adding another set of rotors to the top of the vehicle, and Twilight tried to copy her motions. Though her coordination did leave something to be desired, she managed to combine the two blocks she held. She felt a surge of pride at her accomplishment. Dysis suddenly appeared beside her, making her jump. “Whatcha makin’?” she asked cheerfully. “I haven’t decided yet,” Twilight answered truthfully, looking at the blocks in her hands. “Looks like it could be a wall,” Dysis said. “Wanna help mommy make a Unicornia?” Twilight looked over at the castle and smiled. “Yeah, I think I'd like that.” “Working together is good. Applejack learned that during applebuck season,” Dysis said. Twilight's eyebrows raised, but then lowered. Of course she would know. Selene rolled her eyes. “Dysis loves mom's stories,” she said. “Like, really loves.” “I do too,” Twilight said slowly. Last time her friends had had problems and weren't themselves, memories of their friendship adventures had brought them back. Could the same work for Celestia? “I think Twilight Sparkle is my favorite.” She glanced over at Celestia to see her reaction, but she was looking down at her blocks. She did, however, smile that tiny half-smile she wore when she knew something important. “I like Twilight Sparkle, too,” Dysis said. “I like all the ponies.” She looked around and then leaned in close. “Sometimes I like to think they’re real,” she whispered. Twilight hid a smile and continued building. “Yeah, but magic isn’t real,” Selene said dismissively. “It is, too!” Twilight and Dysis said at the same time. They looked at each other, and giggled. This was going to be the start of a very fun playtime. * * * Twilight had gotten so engrossed in building that she hadn’t even noticed that Celestia had left the room until something began smelling really good. She stood up and followed the smell into the kitchen, where she found Celestia standing in the kitchen, mixing something on the counter. She turned and smiled at the expression on Twilight’s face. “Didn’t expect to see me cooking?” she asked with a cheeky smile. “Well… not exactly,” Twilight admitted. Celestia shrugged. “It’s actually fairly fun. The cleaning part, though, not so much. But such is life, right?” “I guess,” Twilight said. “What are you making?” “I figured I’d give you a treat tonight. Have you heard of tacos?” Dysis’s voice came ringing from the living room. “I love tacos!” “Not as much as I do!” Selene challenged right back. “How would you even test that?” Dysis asked. “That's not quantative data!” Twilight was so pleased to hear the conversation take that turn that she didn’t even bother to try and correct her pronunciation. “Uh…” There was a pause, and then came the sound of blocks being shifted. “This is now a taco party,” Dysis proclaimed. “Wanna come to my taco party?” “Ok!” Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. Regardless of what they looked like, fillies were adorable. She turned her attention back to the food cooking in the large saucepan. Celestia recognized the look in her eyes, and she picked up a spoon, filled it with the brown mixture, and held it out. Twilight took it and hesitantly put it in her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she smiled widely as she ate. “What is that? I think I had something similar when I went through the mirror.” “Probably not exactly the same. This is textured vegetable protein. Tastes like most of the normal food here, but it comes from vegetables.” She grinned. “That much hasn't changed. I am still a vegetarian.” Twilight paused to consider the alternatives, and then shuddered and decided it would be better not to entertain that train of thought. Instead, she looked over the ingredients still sitting on the counter, and then raised an eyebrow. “Where’s the hay?” she asked. “No hay here,” Celestia said, adding a teaspoon of some spice that made Twilight’s nose flare. “People just don’t eat it.” “At all?” Twilight asked, shocked. Celestia shook her head. “At all. Too dry for human mouths.” Twilight frowned. That meant… “No hay fries?” “No. We fry potatoes here instead.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Potatoes? Really?” “With plenty of salt,” Celestia added. Twilight paused. “That’s kindof silly,” she said. “Frying is a drying technique, anyway. Why would they say hay is too dry, then dry something else and then add salt on top of it? That makes no sense.” Celestia grinned. “It’s one of those things that you have to experience to understand. I’ll have to take you out for fries one of these days. Perhaps you’ll change your mind.” Twilight smiled. “I guess we'll see.” She froze as the door opened. Selene and Dysis were expecting this, apparently; they sprinted up and ran towards the door. “Daddy!” Twilight froze. 'Daddy'? Curiosity overcame her, and she poked her head around the corner to see who had some in. If Twilight needed to describe him in one word, it would be 'genuine'. Twilight fancied herself a good judge of ponies, and she liked him instantly. He seemed to be honest and friendly. He hugged his two daughters and looked up. He paused as he saw Twilight. Twilight jumped as Celestia came behind her and kissed him. “Trixie, this is Richard, my husband.” Twilight had trouble reconciling that term of endearment with Celestia's voice, but she smiled and held out her hand anyway. Richard shook it. He hesitated a bit, expecting a bit of a firm handshake as opposed to the fish handshake Twilight had given, but he smiled nonetheless. “Hello, Trixie. It's good to meet you.” Curiosity overcame her hesitance. “How did you two meet?” Twilight asked. Richard chuckled. “Actually, my cousin set us up. Said he knew this beautiful girl that he could introduce me to, but he also said she was born in a barn and had an unhealthy appetite for oats.” Celestia chuckled as well, as if at a joke only she knew. “Well, my cousin lives on a farm, and I was half-expecting to see a girl with less teeth than I have fingers. Instead, I found the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He shifted slightly, and Twilight had the distinct impression that Celestia had slid her hand over to rest it on his waist. It seemed so wrong… and yet fitting. Twilight felt a tiny chill run up her back. “So what happened then?” Selene asked, in a tone that indicated that she already knew the answer. “Did you kiss her?” “Ew!” Dysis squealed, scrunching her nose. He laughed. “I was too busy looking at her to watch where I was going, and I stepped in a cow pie. I slipped and faceplanted right in front of her. Great first impression I made, huh?” Twilight winced. Guess some things really don’t change across universes, she mused, remembering the first time she had approached her own love interest. “Somehow, she decided to give me a second chance, and the joke was on him when we got married.” He smiled, and brought his other hand over to rest it on Celestia's. “She's been my rock ever since.” “She’s more than that,” Twilight said, the words slipping out before she could stop herself. He frowned. “I beg your pardon?” “I said, uh… That’s a fact. She’s been nothing but kind and helpful to me, a person she has never met before this time.” Twilight winced internally, realizing that she really wasn’t good at misdirection. She looked up, hoping they bought her story. Luckily, Dysis chose this time to interrupt. “I saw a unicorn today,” she said. “Did you now?” “There are no such things as unicorns,” Selene said dismissively. Dysis clamped her hands over her ears. “Every time you say that, a unicorn dies!” she squealed. “That’s only for fairies, Dysis,” Celestia said with a smile. “Unicorns exist whether or not anyone believes in them, or can even see them.” She winked at Twilight. “Oh, right,” Dysis said, removing her hands. Richard laughed lightly. It was clear that he thoroughly enjoyed being home. He met Twilight's eyes. “You're staying for dinner, right, Trixie?” Twilight smiled. “Of course.” * * * Twilight walked down the street, thinking. Dinner had been delicious. The conversation had been light, but very telling. Richard had listened and was attentive to everything his daughters said, without showing favoritism to either. He cared about his children and Twilight could almost have seen herself and her own father when he kissed them good night. In a word, he was perfect. And Twilight hated him for it. Twilight continued walking until she was out of sight of the house. Then, in a bright flash of purple light, Twilight appeared back on the roof of the house. She closed her eyes, and in another bright flash of light, resumed her pony form. She kicked off the clothes, lay down, and rested her head on her hooves. She remained there for the remainder of the night, alone with her thoughts.