//------------------------------// // That Sweet Feeling Knowing You’re Superior to Everypony Around You // Story: Double Sun Daze // by Albi //------------------------------// If I had any friends, boredom would be my closet right now. I laid sprawled on my bed, still seething in silence. Well, maybe ‘seething’ wasn’t the right word; I was too hungry to seethe anymore. I was quietly angry. I stared up at the ceiling with nothing else to do but count the crystals hanging from the chandelier. Fifty-two in case you were wondering. The rune book had been deposited to the floor during my last quiet temper tantrum. Perhaps there was still a spell in there that could correct this mess, but I was too hungry and annoyed to look for it. Stupid replica. She got to go gallivanting around town with the pink, prissy, princess while I wasted away in here! I mean, I wouldn’t reverse that situation even if I was dying in here, but it still pissed me off! She was outside, which meant she could get food! Spear Sparkle had already seen ‘me’ leave. If he saw me leave again, he’d probably get suspicious, even with my excuse of teleporting. I needed to get out of here. Just to grab something to eat. The only question was how? Did I have enough magic to teleport a safe distance out of the room? I hesitated to try; failure could mean splicing, and I know I didn’t have enough magic for a healing spell. I lifted my head to the window, where birds chirped and the sun shone brightly on the other side. It made me sick. Although, it did give me a cliché idea. I could always sneak out the window. Sure, I’m a few stories off the ground, but what’s life without a little challenge? Gathering my strength, I rolled off my bed and onto my hooves, popping my joints as I stretched. I trotted to the window and pushed them open, letting a warm breeze wash over me. The courtyard spread out beneath my tower, and for a moment, I felt like a princess standing tall above her domain. My blasted stomach and its insistent growling spoiled the moment. Princess’ stomachs don’t growl. I had spent enough time with Celestia to know that. I wonder if she ever actually got hungry, or just ate to look normal? How did immortality work? Questions for when I’m immortal, I thought, shaking my head. The ground looked further away than I remembered. A possible side effect when you’re trying to escape from a high tower. Still, no match for my genius. A simple suction cup spell would allow me to walk down the wall with ease. Basic magic, it wouldn’t even leave me taxed… hypothetically. My horn lit up, and my hooves glowed in a teal light matching my magic. I clambered out the window and put a tentative step against the marble bricks. Pulling away required a bit of effort, meaning my spell was a success! The rest of my body followed the first hoof, and I was on my way down the tower for lunch. Looking at the world from this angle was odd. I knew I was facing downward, the blood pushing against my face told me as much, but everything looked straight. I was walking toward a solid wall of courtyard while another wall of sky floated behind me. Now all I need is for the guards to not look up. A few were positioned around the courtyard, making their normal rounds. Like the good, incompetent guards they were, they only looked forward and occasionally checked their peripherals. Ah, that sweet feeling knowing you’re superior to everypony around you! The universe has a sick sense of humor, because at that time, my magic chose to fizzle out and drop me the last two stories into the bushes. Thankfully, the gardener really loves his job, so the bush proved lush and soft. It still stung, bramble cutting into me and the impact leaving me dazed. Well, at least I’m on the ground. I got up and shook myself out, wincing at a bruise on my shoulder. I hope replica feels that! Checking to make sure nopony was looking my way, I exited the bush, took the leaves out my hair, and proceeded back to the main entrance. The hard part was over. Now I just had to decided what I had a hankering for. Though, keeping out of Celestia’s path would probably be a wise decision as well. No need to complicate things. “Hello, Sunset.” “Hello, Princess.” I grounded to a stop in the middle of the hall. Son of a— Turning around, her royal blindingness looked down at me, all smiles as usual. If I had claws, I’d tear her face off. What, was she waiting for me to come down to eat? Trying to catch me in the act, is that it? Well, she’s clearly forgotten who she’s dealing with. “Cadence told me you had agreed to spend the day with her,” she said. No accusation in her voice, just calm, wise, and understanding tones. But I knew better. She knew something was up. “Yes,” I said with a smile. “We went out, did a little shopping. You know, mare stuff. I had fun.” She looked into my eyes, trying to find the lie. Technically speaking, it wasn’t a lie. Shimmer was out doing who cared what with her. If I begrudgingly admit she’s me, then I’m not lying. Hmm, do I want to admit she’s me? In this brief instance, sure. Celestia reached a hoof out, and against my better nature, I flinched. When she brought it back, she showed me a leaf leftover from my fall. “It was sticking out of your mane.” “Oh, haha, yeah, me and Cadence played in the park for a little while. Good times.” My stomach growled again, and for the first time, I was grateful for it. “Well, all that bonding made me famished. I’m going to grab a bite to eat.” “I’m surprised you didn’t grab something while you were out.” I weighed my hoof. “Common street food, or gourmet castle dining. Hmmm, choices.” With that, I turned back down the hall, restraining myself from flicking my tail in Celestia’s face. Ha, sucker! “Make sure you get some sleep tonight,” she called after me. “We’re going to be working on advanced spells tomorrow.” Screw you! Great, I was going to be up all night trying to put me and Shimmer back together. Otherwise, if Celestia didn’t think something was up now, she would by tomorrow. But, that was an angry thought for later. I required sustenance to restore my drive to be angry. I marched into the kitchen, stomping the floor to get the chef’s attention. “I require a meal!” I said in my best authoritative voice. The kitchen was spotless as always. A massive room with four ovens, three stations for chopping, two stations for slicing, two for mixing, one for stirring, and another for cooling. Utensils hung from the ceiling, and pots and pans were carefully organized in their respective cabinets. The organizational neat freak in me appreciated such a well-maintained space. The hunger in me was ready to tear this place apart in search of food. Cuisine, the head chef, hurried to my side. He was lanky with a light purple coat and short brown mane tucked under his chef hat. “Lady Sunset, always a pleasure to see you here.” He bowed and smiled. “What would you like?” Unlike Sparkle Sword, I liked Cuisine, if only for the sole purpose that he had the power to make my meals terrible. If I had to be nice to anyone, it would be the ponies handling my food. “Please, deliver to me your best sandwich with a side of hay fries.” “At once, my lady!” He clapped his hooves together. “Chop chop! One supreme and hay fries for the young lady!” The kitchen staff got to work immediately, cutting tomatoes, chopping lettuce, frying hay. Within five minutes, a well prepared sandwich with a side of fries hovered before me. Excellent service befitting a soon-to-be princess. “Is it to your fancy?” Cuisine asked with an expectant smile. I took a bite. Crisp lettuce, a combination of the sweetest flowers, honey bread. “It’s satisfactory,” I said, cheeks full. I took the food in my magic and turned on my hooves. “Thank you for your services.” Finally, I could get my stomach to shut up. A decadent sandwich and a nap would give me the strength to pummel Shimmer when she came back. I opened wide to take another bite when a sharp pain struck my right eye. It felt like someone had jabbed my cornea. My hoof instinctively jumped to it, but the pain persisted. Before I knew it, my magic failed for a moment, and my food fell onto the carpet, flowers and fries spilling everywhere. For a minute, I forgot about the pain in my eye as anger rose through me like a gushing geyser. I ground my teeth together, expecting powder to fill my mouth. As it turned out, I didn’t need food and sleep to get my hatred back. I just needed a new reason to kill somepony. And brutal evisceration was looking real good right now.