It was a bright and beautiful day in Canterlot! Only two wispy, thin clouds were in the sky, looking like the crest of a wave. The rest of it was a breathtaking blue that made me want to sing! But, since that might raise a few more odd questions about my sharp turn in behavior, I settled for skipping.
Cadence and I trotted down the main thoroughfare, away from the castle. She had given me a little blush to cover up a bruise on my cheek, and I thought it complemented my facial features wonderfully. Why have I never used make-up before? Probably because I was so vain, I didn’t think I needed it.
Birds sang in the trees, the stream bubbled giddily, and just down the hill, all of Canterlot buzzed about in their day-to-day merriment.
“Wow, Sunset. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy,” Cadence said. Her lips were turned up in a smile, but her eyes were cautious.
I stopped skipping and just walked beside her. “Well… I’m just in a really good mood right now. It’s been awhile since I left the castle for anything other than school.” I frowned. “Am I bothering you?”
"No! No, no, no, no!” Cadence shook her head, bouncing her locks left and right. “It’s just… new, that’s all. I just have to adjust.” She smiled again. “Really, I’m happy you want to give this friendship a try.”
“And I’m happy you’re happy!” I said jubilantly. I resumed my skipping, this time to Cadence’s amusement. Seeing her hold a hoof up to hide her giggle gave me warm fuzzies all around.
It’s like Sunset was a negative force and without her pushing against me, my happiness was free to reach maximum levels! Carpe diem! I was gonna have fun like it was my last day to live. You know, since it probably was.
The city was hustling and bustling like usual. The rich and powerful strutting around like they owned the place, the middle-class workers carrying themselves with tired pride, knowing that they earned their livings, and the occasional beggar, hooves out for change. It was all so wonderful! Well, you know, except for those poor beggars. Life could be unfair sometimes. Cadence was nice enough to hand them a few coins from her saddlebag. Isn’t she the best?
It was drawing close to lunch time, and the smell from all the bakeries and veggie stands mixed together to create a wonderful aroma that made me salivate. Bad tummy! You just ate an hour ago!
Feed me, filly! it seemed to growl.
I ignored it as Cadence led me to the day spa. First pampering, then food. Yes, I had my priorities straight!
We stepped into the checkered lounge, incense and herbs masking the aroma of food outside. The spa was large and well-lit, with round windows near the roof to let sunlight drop down from above. A curtain separated the lounge from the rest of the facilities.
The mare at the counter smiled brightly at Cadence. “Princess! Good day to you! Here for your usual?”
“Sorry, Mineral, in a bit of a hurry today. But, I brought a friend with me.” Cadence gestured to me, and I gave a hearty wave.
Mineral smiled at me as well. “Lovely, Princess! Right this way.” She took two sets of towels and led us to the back room.
“You’re going to love this, Sunset!” Cadence said. “A nice, relaxing soak in a hot, mineral water bath is just what you need. I’d get us a mud bath and a deep tissue massage, but I don’t want to keep Shiny and Twily waiting.”
“That’s okay, Cadence. All of this sounds wonderful as is.” I’d never had a mud bath before, believing rolling in mud was for earth ponies. I’d have to try one if I ever got the chance.
Cadence set her saddlebag on a chair and kicked off her regalia as she approached the hot tub raised on a dais at the back of the spa. The skylight above it was tinted gold, so when the sun shined through, the tub glittered with a heavenly light like it was the fountain of youth. Cadence pulled her hair into a bun and wrapped her towel around it before easing herself into the bubbling water. I copied her movements and stepped into the tub, an involuntary sigh escaping me.
Mineral turned on some soothing music, filling the room with sitars and soft pounding drums. She turned an hourglass over and left Cadence and I alone.
“Wow,” I said dreamily, “this is really nice.”
“Isn’t it?”
“How often do you do this?”
“At least once a week.” Cadence rested her head against the rim. “You’re free to join me whenever you want.”
I beamed at her. “Thanks, Cadence, I appreciate that.” Even though this is probably the only chance I’ll get. I wondered how the other me was doing with her research. She probably found a way to merge us together again and was just waiting for me to come back.
What if I never came back though? What if I just ran away and lived my own life? Being totally honest, the idea was tempting. Even with half magic, I was still pretty strong; I could easily get a job somewhere. In fact, the only thing stopping me from rolling with this idea was that Sunset would go berserk if I ran away, and I’d hold myself responsible for whatever carnage she’d create.
No, it would ultimately be for the best if we fused together again. At least then, we’d be a little more mellowed out and less prone to violent attacks. Maybe.
“Everything all right, Sunset?” Cadence asked.
I snapped my head up, unaware that I had been staring at bubbles the entire time. “Oh, uh, yeah, I’m cool, totally cool. I mean, not like cool cool, ‘cause, you know, we’re in a hot tub. But like, you know, cool as fine… and stuff. Ha ha.”
I’m also really bad at this thing called lying.
Cadence blinked in response. “Are you sure?”
I dropped the fake smile I had plastered to my face and lowered myself until the water was right at my chin. “No.” How much could I tell Cadence? More importantly, what would she repeat to Celestia? Even more Importantly, what would Sunset do to me if she found out I told Cadence who told Celestia?
That would end very badly for one of us!
Still, Cadence was looking at me expectantly now. Friends confided in each other, right? I’m pretty sure that was somewhere in the Friendship Code. I wouldn’t really know since… you know, kinda been a jerk up until now. Anyway, I felt obligated to tell Cadence something.
I decided to be as vague as possible. “I’m just worried about my future. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.” I may be bad at lying outright, but I was pretty good at lying by omission.
Cadence crossed the pool and sat next to me, offering me a smile that made the water cold by comparison. “Everypony is scared of the future at some point, Sunset. It’s natural. But you’re a gifted unicorn learning from Celestia.” She sighed. “You should hear how she talks about you sometimes. It… actually makes me a little jealous.”
I gaped at her, getting a little spa water in my mouth. It would have been refreshing if it weren’t so hot. “You’re jealous of me?” To be honest, I didn’t think jealousy was an emotion she could feel.
Cadence gave a sheepish shake of her hoof. “It’s just… everything seems to come so easy to you. You’re so good with magic, you’re at the top of every class, you get to have all these advanced lessons with Celestia.”
“Well, yeah, but look at you! Everyone loves you! You’re an alicorn, you’re beautiful, you get to call Princess Celestia Auntie!” I sank lower into the pool, so the water was just below my lips. “You have friends and family that care about you. You have all the important things.”
After a brief hesitation, Cadence gave me a soft hug. “Believe it or not, Sunset, I care about you. I cared about you since we first met. You were always by yourself, and I could feel your sadness beneath all your… anger and unpleasantness. But more than me, Celestia loves you dearly. And I’m sure you could make plenty more friends if you… umm…”
I saved her the trouble of finding the right words to describe me. “Stopped being a you-know-what with a stick up my you-know-where?” What? Profanity is bad.
“I was just going to say if you were nicer, but that works too.” Cadence smiled. “You’re doing good so far. I’m sure Twily and Shiny are going to love you.”
And I was probably going to love them too, mostly because the concept of hate seemed incredibly foreign right now. I smiled and returned Cadence’s hug, which encouraged her to give me a friendly squeeze. Hugs are so nice.
We lounged for twenty more minutes before it was time to leave. I followed Cadence to the shower stalls to rinse and dry off. As I ran the warm towel down my backside, I notice something off in my mirror’s reflection. I turned to the side to get a better view, and my eyes enlarged to dinner plates.
This day just went from good to bad.
The paint on my cutie mark had completely washed off, leaving it as just a yellow sun. Looking at it, I felt naked, exposed, and doomed. If Cadence saw, she would know something was wrong! I had no paint to recolor it again, no clothes to cover up.
Maybe she won’t notice. She’s straight, she won’t be staring at my flank anyway! I just have to stay behind her! I could already see the holes in that plan. Still, I had little else to do.
“Sunset, are you ready?” Cadence asked, knocking on my stall door.
This plan was doomed to fail before it started. “Y-yeah, here I come.” I opened the stall and stepped out at an angle, using my tail to cover my cutie mark as subtly as possible. Cadence smiled at me, seeming not to notice my nervous disposition. As she turned away, I noticed the saddlebags on her back, and thought fast.
Wrapping them in my magic, I pulled them off and slid them onto my back, wearing them close to my flanks so the bags covered by mark. “That looks heavy, Cadence, let me hold onto it for a while,” I said cheerfully.
“Oh no, I couldn’t let you—”
“I insist!” I almost shouted. “I mean, it’s the least I could do for the spa treatment.”
Cadence tilted her head. “Well, if you’re sure. Just let me get the bits to pay Mineral.”
“Don’t worry, I got it!” I don’t know why I was still shouting. I pulled the bits out via magic and dropped them on the counter as we walked out.
“Thank you, Mineral, the water was fantastic!” Cadence gushed.
“Of course, Your Majesty! Always happy to see you!”
Out we went, Cadence with a genuine smile and me smiling like my life depended on it, possibly because it did. Oh, there was a thought I didn’t need. Would Celestia blast me on the spot if she found out about me? Would I merge back into Sunset’s consciousness, or just fade from existence?
Just keep smiling. Smile through the existential horror.