//------------------------------// // 8. A Relaxing Recovery // Story: Her Knight in Sunlit Armor // by AliceLiz //------------------------------// “Okay, Mom, I’ll see you tonight. And don’t spend all day worrying about me, I’ll be fine.” Sunset put her phone away and turned to face Twilight. “Mom’s got some important meeting today after work. She wanted to reschedule it, but I told her not to. Especially since you so kindly offered to keep me company.” Twilight blushed a little. “Well, of course. You’re my friend and I’d hate to leave you all by yourself like this.” Sunset smiled at her, and Twilight caught a glimpse of Cadance mirroring that smile in the car’s rear view mirror. “We’re almost there. It was the yellow house, right?” Cadance said from the front seat. “Yep, that’s the one.” Sunset replied. She was sounding surprisingly cheerful considering the circumstances. Cadance pulled up into the driveway and Twilight helped Sunset to the door. “I think I can walk from here, thanks.” Sunset said, digging through her jacket pocket for her keys. Cadance turned to address Twilight. “Call me later if you want a ride home, Okay?” Twilight nodded just as Sunset got the door open. “Bye, Cadance.” “Thanks for everything,” Sunset added. “Oh, I’m not done yet. I’m going to have some words with Principal Cinch about this!” Cadance fumed, then left the two girls alone. “Do you think Indigo will get into trouble this time?” Sunset asked. Twilight sighed heavily. “I hope she does, but honestly… Cinch will just give her a slap on the wrist. So, Indigo did this because you asked out her crush?” Sunset nodded. “I didn’t think she’d get quite this mad about it. Last time I was able to intimidate her enough for her to back off. This time, I barely got in a word.” Twilight helped Sunset get to the sofa in the living room. Biting her lip, she said, “You seemed so confident the whole time though. I kinda expected you to put up a bit of a fight.” Sunset chuckled. “I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m terrible at fighting. In Equestria, I could take just about anyone with my magic, but after I came here, I never bothered to re-learn to fight. Back when I was a bully, I had all of CHS under my thumb. But at no point did I get into a real fight with someone. I had other ways of getting what I wanted.” Sunset leaned back in the sofa before continuing. “Intimidation, manipulation, even blackmail. Those were the tools that let me control an entire student body. I like to think I’m pretty good at them by now,” Sunset gave a half smirk that quickly faded into a sad frown. Twilight didn’t know how to take this new information. “I’m gonna get you an ice pack.” Twilight said, then made her way into the kitchen. She didn’t find any ice cubes, but she did find a pack of frozen peas. She wrapped them in a dish towel and brought the makeshift ice pack to Sunset. “Here, keep this on your nose to stop the swelling. Is there anything else I can get you?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, could you grab me some pajamas from my room? This uniform is pretty uncomfortable,” Sunset used her free hand to indicate her Crystal Prep uniform. “Oh, sure.” Twilight went upstairs and entered Sunset’s room. She spotted the dresser in the corner and started searching it. It was a strange feeling to be digging through someone else's clothes, even with their permission. Especially with their permission. And doubly so when she came across the underwear drawer. Turning around with a pair of pajamas in her hand and a furious blush on her face, Twilight spotted a familiar journal sitting on Sunset’s nightstand. She put the clothes down on the bed and opened the journal. She didn’t want to snoop, though. She just wanted to re-read the exchange she’d had with her doppelganger from yesterday, to confirm it had actually happened. The words were still there, just as Twilight remembered them. Sunset had chatted a bit with the Princess after Twilight left, but it seemed to just be small talk. She closed the journal and brought the pajamas back downstairs. “It’s so strange to think that you have a magic book that lets you talk to my dimensional counterpart,” Twilight said, handing the clothes to Sunset. Sunset stood up and started to unbutton her shirt. “Yeah, it is pretty strange,” she agreed. Twilight blushed and turned to face away from Sunset, causing the other girl to chuckle. “Twilight, we share a locker room, remember?” she teased. Twilight gave a nervous laugh, turning back. “Right.” She sat down on the sofa, hoping that a distraction would present itself. “Hey, Sunset?” she said. “I was wondering if you could tell me what it was that you did.” Sunset cocked her head in confusion before pulling on a oversized t-shirt. “I mean,” Twilight corrected herself. “What caused the readings I picked up.” Sunset finished putting on her pajama bottoms, and frowned. “Alright, I guess we can have story time.” Twilight realized a little too late that she was dredging up the past again. The past that Sunset clearly wanted to get away from. “Uhm, if you don’t want to talk about it-” Sunset cut her off with a shake of her head. “I think it’s only fair you know about this. But since I don’t really like this story, you’ll have to do something for me in exchange.” She collapsed onto the couch, her head on the opposite side from Twilight, and lifted her feet into Twilight’s lap. “Rub my sore feet.” She smirked and wiggled her socked toes for emphasis. Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled, but she did cave in, taking off Sunset’s socks and starting to massage them. “It all started a little over four months ago, at the CHS annual Fall Formal. I had been stuck here for a few years. I was angry, bitter, jealous, resentful and a touch megalomaniacal.” Twilight gave her a questioning look. “That doesn’t sound like you at all.” Sunset looked away bashfully. “That’s what I used to be like,” she said quietly. “I wanted power, so I went back to Equestria to steal a magical artifact. Princess Twilight, who was the true owner of the artifact, followed me here. Hijinks ensued and at the end of it, I got my hands on the magic, and I turned into a dark reflection of my negative emotions, then the Princess blasted me with a wave of friendship magic. It did something to me. The quick description is that it made me a better person, but there’s obviously a lot more to it than that.” “Magic can change someone’s personality?” Twilight asked. “Well, technically yes, but the Princess didn’t really change my personality, though. The magic just changed my emotions, made it so I’d be less angry, less jealous, etc.” Sunset waved her hand through the air. “I’m still the same I used to be, only with a clearer mind, less clouded by negative emotions. Ooh, that’s the spot.” Sunset cooed when Twilight started rubbing a particular spot on the sole of her left foot. “That’s fascinating,” Twilight said, mostly to herself. She wondered what Sunset would have been like before. Supposedly the same person, but could she ever have befriended her if she had been as angry and bitter as she claimed? “That’s the first magical event you picked up on,” Sunset continued, “The second one was the Battle of the Bands, two months ago. Me, the Princess and my then-friends had to fight a trio of sirens who had been banished here from Equestria.” “Hold on, when you say sirens, you don’t mean Greek mythology sirens, do you?” Twilight asked. Sunset shrugged. “Equestrian sirens aren’t quite the same, but they're pretty close. Anyway, let me finish the story, then we can talk about the various mythological creatures that actually exist, okay?” Twilight gaped at her. “Right, okay.” She filed a few questions away on that topic. “The sirens used music to control people's emotions, and we ended up having an epic magic music battle to strip them of their power. Because of the sirens’ music had turned the audience half brain dead, no one actually got a recording of it. Which is a bit of a shame, because it was a really cool display of magic.” Twilight was once again stunned by the casual nature in which Sunset talked about epic displays of magic. “So, that’s the short version. And I don’t really want to go any deeper into it.” Sunset looked away. Twilight squeezed Sunset’s toes to get her attention. “Thanks for telling me. I know you don’t like talking about your past.” She gave her friend a smile, and got one in return. “So,” Twilight continued, “about Equestria and mythological beings.” “That actually reminds me. I never got to answer your question earlier today.” Sunset said, pulling her feet away and sitting up, facing Twilight, one hand still holding the pack of frozen peas to her nose. Twilight had completely forgotten about her list of questions from this morning. “Oh, right. What was the question again?” Sunset smirked. “You asked if Equestria has the same kind of animals as Earth. And the answer is that some animals are the same. We have a few more exotic ones as well. Griffins, hippogryphs, manticores and dragons.” Twilight gave Sunset a deadpan stare. “You're messing with me right? All those famous creatures just so happen to exist in another dimension?” Sunset gave Twilight a serious look. “I promise you I am not, nor have I ever ‘messed with you’ when telling you about Equestria. I honestly wonder if someone from earth spent a few years in Equestria, then spread all sorts of tales of these mythical beings.” Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose. “That doesn’t entirely work. Lots of these creatures come from different mythologies and times. Dragons didn’t show up until much later than griffins for instance.” She pushed up her glasses as she thought. “Although, it could be possible that multiple people got glimpses of your world, each bringing only a few myths to their culture and time.” Sunset smiled at her. “Yeah, that seems possible. Although, if that’s the case, those people where probably called crazy for some of the other things they must have seen.” “Like what?” Sunset fiddled with her fingers. “One of the key differences between Equestria and Earth is that there aren’t any humans in Equestria.” “Oh,” Twilight said, pondering that statement. The two sat in silence for a few seconds, before the weight of the comment set in Twilight’s mind. “Hang on, you said you where from there? How can you be from there, if there aren’t any humans…” Twilight trailed off, mouth hanging open in shock. “So, a funny thing about the portal,” Sunset laughed nervously. “It changes your species to fit the world you’re entering.” Twilight worked her jaw, trying to push out the words on her mind. “The dominant species in Equestria is actually ponies, as strange as it sounds. A-and ponies divide into three subspecies. Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns.” Twilight finally managed to get her vocal cords working. “You’re a pony?” She asked, her voice faint. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “Uhm. Unicorn, actually. And, to be honest, it’s more like I used to be a unicorn. I’ve been here for a while, and this is my home now. I feel like I’m more human than pony at this point, even though it was difficult for me to accept at first.” “Oh. Okay.” Twilight said, lamely. Twilight sat there for a few moments, while Sunset patiently waited for her. “How many times are you going to do that?” Twilight asked. “Do what?” “Blow my mind with worldview-shattering revelations,” Twilight clarified. Sunset laughed. “I’m sure I got a few more in me,” she teased. “So, do you want to watch a movie or something?” Twilight stared at Sunset. “Uhm. Sure, we can do that.” She shook her head to try and clear it. Sunset nodded her head at a shelf with a collection of DVD’s in the corner. “After Aunt Luna found out I had only seen a few documentaries and other films we were shown in school, she let me borrow a bunch of movies she thought I’d enjoy.” Sunset chuckled. “Well, ‘let me borrow’ isn’t really the right phrase, she pretty much demanded I take them.” Twilight moved to sit in front of the DVD collection. “Hang on, you haven’t seen any of these?” she asked, looking over the vast array of classics. Disney, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, even a large haul of horror classics. “Aunt Luna made me watch Star Wars with her, but I haven’t gotten to many of the other ones.” Sunset replied. Twilight gave her a disbelieving stare. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. We didn’t have any of these in Equestria.” Twilight giggled. “Oh, right. Well, how about some Disney? Did you see any of those yet?” Sunset shook her head. “Well, then you’re in for a treat! There’s nothing better to get you in a good mood than a Disney movie. Preferably one from the 90’s Renaissance,” she added. A couple of hours later, Sunset was humming the theme of ‘Be our Guest’ while sending a few texts. The pack of frozen peas had been returned to the freezer sometime during the film. Twilight assumed Sunset was telling Neon what had happened, and maybe Luna too. She briefly wondered if she should offer to get the journal so Sunset could tell the other Twilight too. Instead of giving words to her idea though, she sat in contemplative silence. The revelation that Sunset wasn’t human had been bothering her throughout the film. “You know,” Sunset interrupted Twilight reverie. “I feel for the Beast. It’s pretty terrible to have everyone see you as just a monster.” Before Twilight could reassure her friend, Sunset’s phone buzzed. “Uhg, speak of the devils.” Sunset scowled, turning her phone off and tossing it onto the coffee table. “What was that?” Twilight asked. “Nothing worth wasting our time with. What’s next? Another movie? I think you’re onto something with these Disney movies making you feel better.” Twilight nodded. If Sunset didn’t want to talk about it, Twilight wasn’t going to push her. She returned the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ DVD to it’s home, then thought about what to play next. “Hey, Sunset,” Twilight spoke over her shoulder. “Can I ask you a question?” “Sure.” Twilight fiddled a little with her hair. “So, you mentioned that you’re friends with my Equestrian counterpart, right?” Sunset gave a sound of affirmation. “Did you ever come across your own counterpart?” Twilight located a suitable film to play next and made her way to the TV. She glanced at Sunset after a few moments of silence. “No. I searched some records a few years back. As far as I can tell, she never existed. That’s not too unexpected though, There are a few people here I recognized from Equestria, but I’m fairly sure it’s not a one-to-one thing where everyone has a counterpart in either world. Heck, there’s like, twice as many people here than in Equestria, so a one-to-one thing wouldn’t really make sense.” Twilight nodded, then sat back on the couch, next to Sunset. “Oh. I see.” Twilight sat back down on the sofa and pressed play on the remote. Twilight and Sunset chatted for a little longer after the film ended. Sunset gave Twilight a crash course in Equestrian ponies, telling her about unicorn spells, pegasi controlling the weather and earth ponies getting the short end of the stick — which Sunset seemed to be only half joking about. “Hang on,” Twilight held her hand up in a stopping motion. “If I go to Equestria, Will I turn into a pony?” “Well, that’s the theory anyway. So far we haven’t seen a human go to Equestria.” While Twilight pondered the thought that she might someday be a quadruped, another thought occurred to her. “The pony in the painting…” she trailed off. Sunset nodded. “She wasn’t anyone in particular, but she would be an actual citizen of Equestria, yes.” “Wasn’t it- she naked, right?” Twilight blushed. Sunset burst into laughter. “Yeah, clothes are more like an accessory in Equestria. We don’t need them to keep warm or to hide certain bits.” “Oh. I see,” Twilight started wringing the hem of her skirt. “I guess that’s another big difference between our worlds.” There was a brief silence, during which Twilight continued nervously fiddling with her skirt. “Hey, Sunset?” Twilight asked tentatively. “Can I ask you a question.” Sunset gave her a calculating look. “Is this one going to be more personal than the rest of them?” “Yeah,” Twilight nodded. “Alright, go ahead.” “Everything you tell me about Equestria seems so wonderful. And the way you talk about it… makes me wonder if you miss it. If you want to go back there for someday.” Sunset gave a deep sigh, and stared up at the ceiling. A wistful smile spread over her features. “I used to be one of the best unicorns in all of Equestria. I was the personal student of Princess Celestia, the goddess of the sun herself. Magic was everything to me, I spent nearly every waking moment of my life studying it, practicing it, and mastering it. Sunset turned to Twilight. “But that was basically all I had there. Coming here, I lost one thing that was indescribably important to me. But I’ve gained so much more.” She took one of Twilight’s hands in her own. “So, yes I do miss it. And it’s very possible that my love of magic will drive me to go back there sometime. But I can’t imagine abandoning the family and friends I’ve made here. And for now, I just want to enjoy the company of those closest to me as much as I can. To make up for lost time, I suppose.” Twilight brought a hand up to wipe away a stray tear. “Well, since we’re getting all touchy-feely… Sometimes I wonder what has changed my life more. Knowing that magic and parallel dimensions exist, or gaining a friend like you.” The two of them lent forward into a hug. One that lasted long enough that it would normally have been awkward. Shortly after they broke apart, the front door opened to reveal Celestia and Luna. The former of which rushed to pull her daughter into a hug. “Sunset! I’m so glad you’re okay.” “Hi, Mom.” Sunset said thought the crushing embrace. Twilight looked up to see Luna smiling at her. She had never met her in person, but she remembered her from pictures, both in this room and on MyStable. “You must be Twilight?” She asked. Twilight nodded. “Hmm, I see what you mean sister. The resemblance is remarkable.” Twilight tilted her head in confusion. Sunset explained once Celestia had let her go. “They both met Princess Twilight when she came here.” Twilight nodded in understanding. “Well, it’s nice to meet you Luna.” The older woman gave a smile and a nod. “Anyway, I should probably be getting home. It’s close to dinner time.” Twilight said, looking at the time on her phone. “You’re welcome to stay if you like,” Celestia said. Twilight thought it over for a couple of seconds. “It sounds lovely, but I have some stuff I need to do at home. Maybe some other time?” Celestia nodded. “Alright, then.” She gave Sunset’s hand a quick squeeze before going into the kitchen. Twilight called Cadance to ask for her promised ride. “Hey, Twily. How did it go?” Came Cadance’s voice over the phone. “Great. We mostly just watched Disney films and talked a bit. Can you come pick me up?” “Sure thing. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Cadance replied. Twilight put her phone away and started listening to Sunset and Luna’s conversation. "I assume the person responsible for this will be severely punished?" Luna asked. "Actually," Twilight grumbled. "Principal Cinch tends to be lenient with students who are 'important for the school's image'," Twilight rolled her eyes as she repeated the Principal's words. "By which she means students who will win competitions, and with the soccer tournament this week, I have a feeling Indigo will get off with a slap on the wrist," she finished with a huff. Luna looked between Twilight and Sunset. "Truly? Your Principal makes a habit of this sort of thing?" When both of the girls nodded, Luna sneered. "I shall be having words with the superintendent about this!" After this, they moved on to more pleasant topics. Luna was excited to hear that Sunset had watched more films and wanted to know what she thought of them. Twilight gave her own opinion on some of the movies they mentioned and also gave Sunset even more recommendations to add to her list. But through it all, Twilight thoughts kept going back to the newest revelation Sunset had revealed to her. I have a crush on a pony, she thought. My best friend is a pony. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Luna went to answer it with Twilight following behind her. “Ah, Dean Cadance. It’s lovely to see you again. What brings you here?” Luna asked. “I’m here to pick up Twilight.” Cadance replied, just as Twilight came into view. “Hi, Cadance. Just gimme a sec to get dressed.” Twilight put on her shoes, coat and scarf. "Do you know what punishment has been decided for Sunset's attacker?" Luna asked the Dean, just loud enough for Twilight to hear. Cadance crossed her arms, frowning. "No, but I talked to Cinch about it earlier. I got the distinct impression she was gonna let her off easy, though. If she does, we'll clearly have to do something about her." Twilight attention was redirected to Sunset when the recovering girl tapped her on the shoulder. "At least something good might come of this," Sunset said with a faint smile. Twilight nodded and returned the smile. “Thanks for keeping me company, Twilight,” Sunset pulled her into a hug, which she promptly returned. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” Twilight and Cadance left, Cadance calling out over her shoulder. “Say hi to Celestia for me.” Luna nodded before closing the door. “Sunset seemed rather lively,” Cadance commented. “I’m glad she’s recovering so well.” “Yeah,” Twilight said. They got into the car, staying silent for a little while. Twilight was staring out the window, fiddling with the sleeves of her parka. “Is something bothering you, Twilight?” Cadance asked, causing Twilight to jump slightly. “Oh, uhm. I guess.” Twilight replied. She wasn’t sure how to feel about Sunset being a different species. Or having been a different species, anyway. And she couldn’t really tell Cadance about it either. That would involve far too much explaining. “It’s nothing.” Twilight settled. “Come on, Twilight I know it’s not nothing.” Cadance said in an annoyed tone. “You can talk to me.” Twilight sighed. “Well, I guess I’m just a little confused. Sunset told me that she used to be… different from how she is now.” Twilight didn’t enjoy talking around the truth, but Cadance did usually make her feel better about the things that troubled her. Cadance frowned in thought. “Oh, you mean about having been a bully in her old school?” She asked sympathetically. “I know you’ve had some issues with bullying, but-” “It’s not that,” Twilight interrupted. “She told me that last week, actually. What’s bothering me is that  I found out that she used to be, like, physically different. I can’t really explain it properly.” Cadance furrowed her brow in thought, before her eyes widened a little. “Ooh, I think I know where this is going.” Twilight felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t actually know, right? “Twilight, I know this can be a difficult subject to talk about. I always feel like I’m treading on eggshells whenever I do.” Twilight furrowed her brows, thoroughly confused. “The important thing to know is that this is Sunset’s choice. And what’s on the inside matters much more than what’s on the outside. Sunset made the choice to be like she is now, it doesn’t matter what she used to be. I know it can be tough not to think about what she was but it’s important to remember that she is and always has been Sunset.” Twilight was practically panicking now. How could she know!? How is she so casual about this!? “If Sunset chose to be a girl, then she’s a girl, maybe even more than you or me. No matter what people thought she was at birth, or what anyone might say about her now.” Cadance concluded. Twilight’s brain came to an abrupt halt. Oh… Oh, right. Okay, her mind slowly caught up. “Uhm. That’s no-” Twilight cut herself off. Don’t correct her you idiot! She just gave you the perfect substitute. “Uhm. That’s really helpful. Thanks, Cadance.” Twilight said. While Cadance had misinterpreted Twilight’s half-information, what she said was kinda applicable to this situation. A little. Whatever the case, Twilight did feel a bit more at ease now. Cadance beamed at her. Looking very pleased with herself. “I’m glad I could help. Like I said, this can be a very tough subject. Oh and don't worry, Sunset's secret is safe with me," she added with a wink. Twilight continued to contemplate this news while staring out the window. Then, when a thought struck her, she sent Sunset a quick text message. Wait, is that why you needed tutoring in biology?!