//------------------------------// // 5. The Ice Cream Tradition // Story: Her Knight in Sunlit Armor // by AliceLiz //------------------------------// Twilight woke up on Saturday feeling refreshed. Last week had taken more out of her than usual. It showed how unfamiliar Twilight was with friendship that simply spending time with Sunset had exhausted her. She went through the motions of her morning routine, not really paying much attention, though she did decide to wear the outfit Sunset had helped her pick at the mall two days before. She idly wondered what she should do today. The library was an appealing choice. She could see if she found something on the history of Canterlot City. “Hey, mom?” Twilight walked into her mother’s study, Spike held in her arms. “I wanted to go to the library today, could you give me a ride?” Velvet looked up from her work, — writers, as she said, made their own work schedules, and a workaholic like Twilight Velvet had no intention of giving herself the weekend off for anything less than a family camping trip — and addressed her daughter. “Sure, I could use a break from staring at this screen, anyway.” She stood up and stretched her arms over her head, yawning while she was at it. “Did you get stuck on a scene?” Twilight asked. Velvet nodded. “Yes, not really sure how to introduce the villain. He’s supposed to come off as a good guy at first, but as you learn more about him you start to realize what his real motivations are.” Velvet walked past Twilight out into the hallway, ruffling Spike’s fur as she passed. Twilight followed her mother downstairs. “Usually when people want to do that, they just make their villain really charming so the audience’s first reaction is to want to like them.” Velvet huffed. “True, but at this point, the audience is savvy enough to recognize this and realize they're a villain from the start, so I have to find something else to do.” As they reached the front door, Twilight set Spike on the floor. “You need to stay here Spike, I’ll only be gone a couple of hours.” Velvet grabbed her keys and the two of them put on their winter coats before stepping out into the snow. “So, how are things going with your new friend,” Velvet asked encouragingly. Twilight got into the car before she answered. “It’s going really well. She’s much easier to talk to than any of the other students at school. She also helped me pick out this outfit at the mall.” She indicated the dark blue blouse and socks, along with her purple skirt. Velvet looked at the outfit and gave an appreciative nod as she started the car. “She has good taste, a useful trait to have in a friend. I remember when I went to prom, I had a friend who helped me pick out my dress. I tell you, if it hadn’t been for her, your father and I would probably have never gotten together, and you would never have been born.” She chuckled. Twilight took a moment to contemplate the fickle nature of fate, then banished the creeping cosmic dread in favor of something more pleasant. Books. She kept silent until her mother spoke again. “So, do you have anything planned for the weekend?” Velvet asked. “Well, I’m going to the library to find a book on the history of Canterlot city for a project I’m doing.” “Not that,” Velvet rolled her eyes. “I mean, do you have any plans with Sunset this weekend?” She clarified. “Oh,” Twilight mumbled. “Uhm, Sorta. Sunset said she’d like to hang out, but we didn’t decide on a specific time or activity” “Maybe you should call her?” Velvet suggested. “I’m sure you two can find something fun to do with your weekend.” Twilight gave it some thought. She had never really asked someone else to hang out with her. The few times she met with other students outside school, they had invited her, like how Sunset brought up the idea of going to the mall together. “I guess I could ask her if she wants to do something.” Twilight half mumbled. Velvet chuckled at her daughter’s tone. “I think you should. But when you do, make sure to put a bit more confidence in your voice,” she teased. Twilight pulled out her phone and opened her messenger app. Cadance had convinced her to start using it, and she had only recently added Sunset to it. Hi, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today? I’m going to the library now but I’d like to have lunch with you after. If you’re free. Twilight read and re-read the message a few times without hitting send. Is it too much? Does it sound like I’m asking her on a date? What if she already has plans? Twilight took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It’s fine, she’s not going to look that deeply into a text message. Just send it and see if she answers. Don’t worry so much. She hit send quickly, before her insecurities resurfaced, and put her phone back into her pocket, deliberately trying to take her mind off it. “What are you going to be reading today?” Velvet asked. “More research for that mystery project of yours?” Twilight was glad of the distraction. Even after putting her phone away, she was still wondering whether she could have worded that text better. “I’m taking a break from that project, actually,” she replied. “Oh?” “I’m working on a extra credits project for history class. This one is about how Canterlot city grew exponentially fast, compared to other cities.” Velvet chuckled. “Taking a break from a project by working on a different project. You must have inherited that from your father.” Twilight joined in the laughter. “I guess I did.” Twilight stepped out of the car just outside the library. Without her mother to distract her, she pulled out her phone to see if Sunset had answered. OMC, I’m actually heading to the library right now! I wanted to get a bit more studying done over the weekend. We can meet up there and have lunch together afterwards. OMC? Must be a typo, Twilight thought, before she texted her response. Cool, I’ll see you soon. Twilight entered the library and took a moment to enjoy the calm atmosphere. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, filling her senses with the wonderful smell of old books. Nodding her greeting to the librarian, — she didn’t know his name, but she saw him often enough when she came here — she made her way to the history section to search for books that might help her with her research paper. She traced her fingers along the spines of the books as she read their titles, picking out the ones that seemed helpful. A few minutes later she settled herself in a little reading nook with a small stack of books on the table in front of her, and a notebook and pen next to them. The first book she picked from the stack gave a few useful insights into what Canterlot city was like before it became a true city. The next two, unfortunately, had no relevant information to help her. She huffed annoyedly as she not-so-gently dropped the third book onto the ‘done’ stack, before reaching for the next book. “Hey, Twi.” Twilight looked up to see Sunset standing there with a stack of books in her arms and a smile on her face. “Hey, Sunset,” Twilight greeted. Sunset placed her books on the table and approached the chair Twilight was comfortably curled in. She pulled Twilight into a brief, awkward hug. “It’s good to see you again,” she said, then took a seat opposite Twilight. Twilight blushed. “You too.” “I see you're wearing your new outfit. It really does look good on you.” Sunset complimented. Twilight looked over Sunset’s own outfit, and realized that this was the first time she’d seen her in her everyday clothes as opposed to her CPA uniform — or her CPA uniform gym clothes. “Your outfit looks really good too. I didn’t want to say anything before, but the school uniform doesn’t really suit you,” Twilight giggled. Sunset rolled her eyes. “I know! I hate it. But I guess I have to make sacrifices if I want a good school,” she finished with mock despondency, causing Twilight’s giggling to increase. She just about managed to stifle it after the librarian shushed her from the front desk. “So, have you been here long already?” Sunset asked. Twilight looked at the time on her phone. “Uhm, I’ve been here about an hour.” Twilight looked at the books Sunset brought and saw they were largely history and biology books. “You’re studying for history? I thought you didn’t have history class this semester?” Twilight asked. Sunset picked up the history book and idly flicked through it. “Thankfully, I don’t. I’m even worse at history than I am at biology. But I figured I might as well study up on it ahead of time.” “So, “ Sunset continued, “what brought you here, anyway?” “I really like coming here on the weekends. I love the quiet and the books.” She paused for a second and started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “I’m doing a bit of reading for a research paper I’m working on. It’s extra credit work for my history class.” Sunset nodded and picked up one of her own books. “That’s cool. So, you’re taking a break from that other project you had?” she asked tentatively. Twilight nodded. “For now, yes.” She decided not to pry Sunset for more information yet. She still seemed a little reluctant to talk about it. “Cool. So how about we stop talking and have some nice quality reading time?” Sunset said with a playful smirk. Twilight smiled, nodding fervently. She then opened her next book and, after another glance at a smiling Sunset, used it to hide her blush. The two of them read in silence for a good hour or two before Twilight finished with her stack of books. She hadn’t gotten as much information as she had hoped, but she had managed to write down plenty of useful notes. She stretched her arms and caught Sunset’s attention. “I’m done with my reading. How are things on your end?” She asked. Sunset yawned and stretched her own arms. “I’ve managed some progress, but I could really use a break. I don’t have the same reading endurance I used to.” Twilight checked the time on her phone. “It’s more or less lunchtime now. Where did you want to go to eat?” “I walked by a café on my way here that looked pretty good, mind trying it out?” “Okay, let’s do that.” Twilight said. Sunset led the way to the café while Twilight was wringing the hem of her skirt. She had asked Sunset out to one activity, she might as well see if she could get her to hang out tomorrow as well. Just ask if she wants to hang out tomorrow. It’s easy. Not as easy as the text, but still easy. Just ask her, don’t overthink it like you’re doing now. Just ask. She attempted to psych herself up. “Hey, Sunset,” Twilight started hesitantly. Sunset turned her head and gave an affirmative sound. “I was just wondering if you’d like to… uhm, hang out tomorrow, too?” Twilight could feel her heartbeat quicken. Why is talking so hard!? “Sure. But would you mind if I invite someone else too?” Sunset asked. Twilight relaxed a little at that. Well, that works. I guess. She smiled. “Sure, I guess. But who is it?” Twilight added. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. “My boyfriend, actually.” And just like that, Twilight’s previous joy vanished, replaced with a sinking feeling. “Oh.” “Yeah, I met up with Neon Lights after you talked about him. Turns out we got along pretty well and so I thought ‘what the hell?’ and asked him out.” She’s dating someone else. And it’s a boy too. Sunset suddenly stopped, while Twilight took a few more steps before she realized they had reached the café. Twilight put on a smile, though she couldn’t imagine it would be a very convincing one, and followed Sunset inside. They ordered their food, and chatted for a bit. Twilight mostly listened while she struggled to keep up a cheerful expression. After they finished their food, Sunset decided to have dessert, and insisted she buy one for Twilight as well. “So,” Sunset picked up her fork to start on her dessert, “I get what you meant when you said Neon was aloof, but I think he’s just putting on a show for people. A lot of people think that it’s cool to be distant with everyone. I think he could be a nice guy when you get to know him, though.” Twilight just nodded along. She never really cared to learn more about Neon Lights, but now it felt like each piece of information about him was taunting her. Sunset moaned as she took a bite of her dessert, a lemon cheesecake. “Oh, stars above, this is good.” She muttered. Twilight’s melancholy was briefly pushed aside at hearing Sunset’s unusual exclamation. Then, Sunset leaned over the table to whisper conspiratorially to Twilight. “If I’m being honest, I don’t expect things to work out between us.” Twilight froze, and her eyes widened. “I mean, he’s cute, but I don’t really expect much more than just some fun with him.” Sunset finished. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, that was just a misunderstanding. Sunset isn’t replacing me or anything like that, she thought, trying to calm her frantic heart. Sunset was looking at her expectantly. “Oh… uhm, I don’t really know what to say about that.” Twilight said, without emotion. Sunset nodded. “Yeah, just don’t tell him, okay?” Twilight just nodded, not really sure what to think about everything that she had just learned. They finished their desserts mostly in silence. Sunset went home — after giving Twilight another hug, which only made Twilight even more confused about what to feel — and Twilight pulled out her phone, intending to ask her mom for a ride home. Looking at her contacts list, one name stood out to her. Making her choice, Twilight called the one person she really needed to talk to right now. “Hey, Cadance. Um, I really need to talk to you. Can you come pick me up?” Twilight stood outside the café, waiting for Cadance to pick her up, all the while her mind went in circles, thinking about Sunset, her new boyfriend, and what that meant. She’s probably not into girls, Twilight thought, the chances of that were already low, but now they seem practically zero. Can I be happy just being her friend? Can I handle sitting with her at lunch, watching her kiss some boy? If not, what would that mean? Would our friendship just end? Could I handle losing my only friend like that? I told her only yesterday that I wasn’t going to just leave her, and that really meant a lot to her. If I leave just because we can’t have a deeper relationship it could really hurt her. She hadn’t realized quite how much Sunset meant to her until now. It had just been a silly crush, right? Did high school crushes really hurt so much when things didn’t go well? Twilight agonized while her mind went in circles, until she was startled out of her panicking thoughts by a car horn. Looking up, she saw Cadance. She slowly brought her accelerated breathing under control, then got into the car and gave her ex-babysitter a half hearted greeting. “Hey, Cadance.” “What’s the matter ladybug, you look like a child who just found out Santa isn’t real,” Cadance said, trying to tease out a smile. Normally, Twilight would have at least pouted at Cadance for that, but she didn’t really have it in her now. She wanted to tell Cadance what the problem was, but found it difficult to open her mouth. Instead, she watched the buildings speed past the window for a few moments while her mind regained control of her voice. “Sunset has a boyfriend.” Cadance glanced over, then reached a hand out and took one of Twilight’s. “I’m sorry to hear that, sweetie.” She cooed. “Love can be a harsh thing. Let’s go get some ice cream, Okay? It’s pretty much tradition in situations like this,” she smiled. Twilight just nodded. They stayed silent on the way to the nearest ice cream parlor, and only spoke once they had gotten their cold treats and comfy seats. “How are you holding up?” Cadance asked delicately. Twilight shrugged, swirling her spoon through her icy treat. “I don’t really know how to feel, or what to do.” Her voice was monotone. She felt sad inside, but she also felt guilty about feeling sad. This, inevitably resulted in a lot of emotion-based confusion for her. “What did Sunset say about her boyfriend?” Cadance asked, taking a spoonful of her ice cream. Twilight listlessly played with her ice cream some more. “She said she kinda liked him, and thought he could be nice. But she also said she didn’t expect the relationship to last.” She said in an emotionless voice. Cadance nodded in thought. “Sounds like she really isn’t serious about the relationship. Well, she is just a teenager, it’s not too uncommon for high school romances to be short lived.” Cadance said with a hint of encouragement. Twilight ate her comfort ice cream in silence. Logically she knew there was a chance — a very small chance — that she could still end up with Sunset somehow, but knowing that logically didn’t help her feel any less hopeless. The ice cream did help, at least a little. “You’re still friends though right? That’s not going to change?” Cadance asked, looking worried. Twilight shrugged again. “I don’t want to lose my only friend, but I’m not sure how I feel about her never being more than that.” Her voice cracked slightly at the end, so she stopped and shoveled more ice cream into her mouth. “There was one moment,” Twilight half-whispered, not taking her eyes off her treat. “Sunset said something that made me think she didn’t want to be my friend anymore. It was just a momentary misunderstanding, but for that one moment… I felt like my world was crumbling around me. We’ve only been friends for a few days, and already I don’t ever want to go back to being alone.” She paused for a second. “Well, not alone alone, but you get what I mean, right?” she looked up pleadingly at Cadance. She was sure she looked like a mess right now, and was thankful there weren’t any mirrors in sight. Cadance nodded. “I think you should stay as her friend. I know how important she is to you, and I also know that losing a good friend hurts a lot. I know you’re hurting now, but maybe you’ll find another girl you like, and then you and Sunset can laugh together about this whole thing.” Cadance’s smile was reassuring, but Twilight didn’t feel very reassured. “Well, if you like, I have a whole playlist of sappy love songs that I could send you. They won’t make everything feel okay again, but they might help.” Twilight nodded and offered a tiny smile in thanks. Truth be told, she didn’t feel like doing much other than lying in bed, and maybe listen to Cadance’s playlist, for the rest of the day.