It was late in the evening when Sunset’s train arrived in Baltimare. The sun was beginning to dip past the horizon, and Sunset herself was jolted out of her nap by the train coming to a stop. With some minor laughter at her expense, Sunset and Twilight both disembarked from the locomotive and headed into Baltimare proper. A street paved in brick clicked under their hooves with each step they took.
“Wow! Everything looks so different!” Sunset’s eyes danced from building to building, jaw dropped. She shook her head and picked up the pace when she realized that she was gawking. “I guess it sinks in just how long I’ve been gone.”
“Well, is there anything that looks the same?” Twilight smiled as they trotted down the brick road.
Stopping for a moment, Sunset looked around the neighborhood and frowned. “Not at the moment. A lot of these buildings were repainted at the very least. I just hope I can find my old house.” Sunset grimaced as a thought popped up. “And that’s assuming my dad still lives here.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Twilight pulled a few newspapers from under her wing and smiled. “I did some research to make sure your dad was still in Baltimare when you wrote about considering coming over, and he most certainly is. There was an article about him adamantly refusing to sell or move from his home that was published a month ago.”
“Really?” Sunset took the paper, and sure enough, there was a picture of her dad nearly getting close enough to throttle some up and prissy looking unicorn in a suit. “Sweet Celestia, he didn’t get arrested, did he!?”
“Surprisingly not.” Twilight frowned a bit at the paper and rubbed her chin. “For some reason, the stallion wanting to buy the land, Quick Bit, didn’t press charges, despite there being several witnesses.”
“Well, what are we waiting for!?” Sunset picked up the pace and headed around the corner. “I’d rather get there before my dad somehow gets himself arrested!” The two mares darted down the road, weaving between ponies who protested at the two nearly bumping into them. Sunset only came to a stop when they arrived, and Twilight’s jaw dropped at the sight of Sunset’s old home.
Three stories tall, the old mansion like building loomed over any passerby. However, the effect was ruined by the similarly tall buildings surrounding it. Where neighbors had brick exteriors, Sunset’s old home was a striking white and had a parade of old equestrian decor painted along the lower edges. Windows were covering the side of the building they faced, and each had a similar white curtain in them. “You used to live here?”
Sunset hesitantly looked at the door for a moment. “Yeah. Dad always did like the color white. He’ll never admit he likes pink more though.” She had to take a breath to try and steel her resolve before the two trotted up to the front of the building and knocked. “Here goes nothing.” There was the faint sound of hooves coming down the stairs within, followed by grumbling as locks were undone. Several bolts. Enough that Twilight had time to look over at Sunset and for the amber unicorn to give an equally confused look back.
When the door finally opened, and one amber pony stared grumpily out of his abode at another amber pony. Even though the wrinkles building along with his face, the word Twilight would use to describe his visage would be stern. A small collection of scars covered his cheek, one, in particular, going towards his neck. For a pony in his late fifties, Hot Air had quite the muscled physique and looked more like an Earth Pony than a Pegasus. Twilight even noted that there were still a few scars she could faintly see under his fur. The messy and somewhat long mane didn’t help make him look like anything other than a wild pony that had been hiding in the Everfree forest... Or maybe a warrior of old? He did at least put in the time to pull his mane out of his face.
It was the bark of Hot Air’s voice that made Twilight lose focus on the more exceptional details, and realize that the wing she could see past the door, his right-wing she noted, was splayed out. “For the last time, I am not giving up my-” He stopped short as his eyes finally caught sight of exactly who was standing on his porch. Hot Air’s eyes slowly widened as he kept his gaze on one of the two; his wing was slowly folding itself back down to his side. “Sunset?”
Sunset barely managed to smile at him through her nervous glances at her hooves. “H-Hi, Dad.”
A second later, she was enveloped in a bear hug that pulled her into the house. “What took you so long to visit this old stallion?”
“Sorry for the wait.” Sunset smiled as she enjoyed and returned the hug before a frown crossed her face as she pulled herself free. “I’m going to need an explanation though. What’s all this about someone trying to buy the house and you trying to get yourself thrown in jail?”
“Oh, ah, that.” A nervous chuckle escaped her father as he rubbed the back of his head. Twilight caught a glance at his teeth right then and saw a couple had been chipped pretty badly. “Thing about that is some uh, particulars would need to be taken into account for any of that pedlar's talk even to begin to be legal.” Twilight took a moment to look at Sunset in confusion before Hot Air continued. “But enough about all of that. How about you and your friend--!” Hot Air stiffened slightly at the sight of Twilight, his eyes showing a spark of... something before they narrowed ever so subtly. “Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
The lavender alicorn smiled nervously. There was just something about this stallion that put Twilight on edge. “Um, Yep! That’s uh, that’s me.” She cleared her throat and tried to get some form of composure back. “B-But, please. Just call me Twilight. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Very well.” The glint in Hot Air’s eyes vanished as soon as it came, and he smiled at his daughter. “Why don’t both of you come inside and spend the night? It’s getting pretty late, and you could go and tell me what made you come back to Baltimare!”
“Actually, I was wondering how you were doing. I’ve been away so long...” Sunset trailed off as she looked down at her hooves.
A hoof landed on her shoulder, and Sunset looked up at her dad’s kind smile. “Say no more. Come on in, and we can talk as much as you like.” Sunset gave her dad a nuzzle before entering her old home.
Twilight was a touch hesitant to follow, as when she went inside, Hot Air gave her that same look. Twilight couldn’t pin down just what about it was making her so uncomfortable. She couldn’t tell if it was because of the house or the late afternoon amber glow, but Hot Air looked like a specter within his own home. However, as she got inside, a small gasp escaped her. Now that a doorway wasn't obscuring the stallion, the princess got a good look at Hot Air’s side.
And more importantly, the most massive scar Hot Air had where his wing should have been.
Before she could say anything about it, he waved a hoof and went into the home further in the same direction as Sunset. “It’s a story I would rather not tell. I would ask you to respect that.”
“Y-Yes, sir.” Twilight’s ears splayed back as she politely moved as fast as she could into the next room after Sunset. When she got inside, the amber unicorn was lounging on a couch with a content smile on her face and her eyes closed.
Cracking an eye open to the sight of Twilight’s nervous gaze made Sunset’s smile fall. “Is something wrong, Twilight?”
Twilight jumped a bit in surprise, before putting on a strained smile. “N-Nothing! I’m fine, really. Just a touch, anxious.” Twilight was hoping that her smile was convincing enough to make Sunset believe her.
Unfortunately for her, the smile she gave wasn’t convincing at all. Sunset hopped off the couch and walked over to her before raising an eyebrow. “Look, you can bring up whatever’s bothering you. We’re friends, and I would rather you be comfortable in my childhood home.” Twilight made to answer, but Hot Air walked in before she could, and the lavender princess locked up.
Hot Air, however, was more focused on his daughter. “Sunset, I know you just got here, but I’ll be just a moment.” His eyes trained on Twilight again for a moment, before he walked off through the house, heading for a back room.
As he did, Sunset’s ears perked up for just as fast of a moment, before she groaned and facehooved. “How did I manage to forget that of all things.”
Nerves and curiosity were warring for control in Twilight’s mind at that point. “Forget what? Is there some obscure cultural nuance in your family and I did something that would offend him? Does he have an irrational fear of the color lavender because of a traumatic event? Does he think if there’s even the slightest thing wrong I’m going to banish him to Tar--?” Sunset’s hoof was planted well within the depths of Twilight’s mouth, silencing her rambling as the amber unicorn gave her friend a deadpan glare. Her hoof was pulled back a moment later, and Twilight blushed with a sheepish smile. “Um, right, sorry. I’ll let you explain.”
“As I was going to say,” Sunset grumbled as she wiped her hoof off on the couch cushions, “my dad, doesn’t exactly like anything that has to do with Celestia. Or anypony for that matter.” She sighed and looked down at her hooves, ears splayed back. “I should have remembered at least that much before letting you come with me on this trip. Now he’s just going to keep being a big jerk as long as you’re here.”
Twilight sat down on the couch next to Sunset and put a wing over her back. “If that’s how he’s going to be, I’ll just have to deal with it.” She frowned, even as Sunset looked over at her in mild shock. “This whole trip was so you could have some time with him. If it gets too bad, I guess I could go into town and see some sights or--”
“No.” Sunset glared at Twilight and pressed a hoof into the alicorn’s chest. “You are my friend. I’m not going to kick you out just so my dad stops being a blockhead for a few minutes.”
Twilight smiled and hugged her friend. A hug that Sunset returned in earnest with a smile. “Thanks, Sunset. That means a lot.”
The sound of a throat clearing made both of them look back to the door, where Hot Air had a raised eyebrow as he stared at the two. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Breaking away from the hug, Sunset shook her head and hopped off the couch. “Nothing much, but is it alright if I ask something?” At his raised eyebrow, Sunset took it as a cue to keep going. “I know how you feel about, certain things, but I would like it if you’d stop giving my friend death glares.”
The room was tense for a few seconds, as no one said a word. Hot Air only stared at an increasingly uncomfortable daughter and the alicorn sitting behind her. It was with a sigh that he closed his eyes and rubbed his muzzle. “I’ll... try.”
Sunset made him jump slightly as she walked over and gave him a nuzzle. “Thanks, dad.”
The stallion let out a hearty chuckle and returned the nuzzle. “Anything for My Little Sunbeam.”
Both Twilight’s and Sunset’s ears perked up before the latter backed away with a blush on her cheeks. “Oh, my-- Dad! I told you not to call me that! It’s so embarrassing!” A small snort escaped Twilight, making her amber friend whip her head around to shoot a small glare. “Oh don’t even start Sparkle! I know your brother had a silly name for you too!”
Hot Air, for the first time that day, let out a hearty laugh and put a hoof on his daughter’s shoulder. “There’s the Sunset I remember! Just took a little bit of prodding to get you back out.”
Sunset’s jaw dropped a bit before she moved her eyes to her dad. “Wait, what!?”
A smirk was growing on Hot Air’s face, showing a hint of mischief that resonated with the look in his eyes. “You didn’t think I’d be all gruff and mean to the newest Princess did you?” He looked over at Twilight and smiled kindly. “Speaking of; this old guard dog would like to say he’s sorry for the ruff introduction.”
Sunset’s eyes twitched slightly, a vein throbbing in her neck before she scowled. “SWEET HONEYED TARTARUS DAD, STOP DOING THAT!” An exasperated sigh left the unicorn as she slumped down. “I thought you were about to behead my friend for goodness sake, and now you’re just making puns!”
Hot Air continued to smirk as he nodded. “It’s what I do.” The amber pegasus trotted over to the other side of the room, opened up a cabinet, and pulled out a large binder. “Now If you’ll excuse me, I need to share a plethora of baby pictures with your friend.”
Her father showed no mercy. If it was something a parent did to embarrass their child, it happened that evening. Sunset then spent the next few hours trying to get the binder away from her dad, silence his stream of cute baby names, and avoid his cheek pinching, only to realize too late that the scrapbook he had was a fake, and Twilight had been going through all of them back in the living room. Her only thought on the matter, was as follows.
I remember why I jumped at the chance to be Celestia’s student now.
Later that night, the three were sitting at the dining room, enjoying a casserole Hot Air had made. Cheddar and broccoli, with a hint of parsley, steamed wonderfully from the baking pan and their plates. The scent could be found all through the house, much to a certain alicorn’s delight. “Oh my Celestia this is so good.”
“Glad you appreciate my cooking, Princess.” Hot Air chuckled taking a few bites from his meal. “Old family recipe. One tried and true.” He took another bite. “And more importantly, from Mrs. Periwinkle down the road. I am so lucky that she shared her cooking with me when Sunset was growing up.”
A giggled escaped the princess as she tried to focus on her food. “Sunset, I’m so glad I came here with you. Today has been so much fun!”
Sunset grumbled as she picked at her food. “Glad to know my embarrassment was to your benefit.”
“Oh come now Sunset, there’s no need to be a grumpy Gus.” Hot Air’s wing ruffled her mane, making the seething pout she was wearing partly obscured under the messy hair. He looked at the clock, before sighing and getting up. “Now I’ll be just a minute. I need to take care of something right f--”
A violent onset of coughs escaped his throat, nearly making the large stallion fall over. Whatever joy or annoyance the two mares had at that moment was gone as Sunset rushed over to her dad and helped keep him steady. “Dad, are you alright!?”
A few weaker coughs left Hot Air before he stood a little bit straighter and rubbed his neck. “I’ll be fine. Just need to take my meds is all. They’re in my bedroom upstairs.” Twilight stood and joined Sunset in helping get Hot Air to where he was trying to go. When they got to his room, he pushed open the door and moved over to his dresser, pulling out a pillbox and popping some into his mouth with a grimace. “Nasty little buggers.”
“Dad, since when did you need medication?” Sunset looked at him with worry.
“For about two years now.” Hot Air put the remaining pills away, before gesturing to his missing wing. “Turns out, there was a bit more damage than just losing my ability to fly. It was small, but the side of my lung is falling apart. Bless medical advancement the pills help, but I know that they’re only delaying the inevitable. Getting into a fight with that little snot from last week didn't help any. Probably tore it more.”
Sunset’s disbelieving eyes watered as she shook her head. A glance at the hoof her father had coughed into spelled it out for her though, as there were flecks of red in his fur. “No...”
“Sunset.” Her gaze moved to Hot Air’s face, where he looked at her sadly, tears in his eyes. “I know I have told you a lot of half-truths while you were growing up. I also know that you knew I was, and for all of that, I am sorry. I’m sorry for all the lies I told you as a filly. Before you showed up today, I thought I’d never get the chance to tell you the truth, and it was eating me up inside.” He chuckled a bit and looked over at Twilight. “So I think it’s actually a pretty good thing you brought your friend here.”
Twilight blinked in surprise and pointed at herself. “Huh, me?”
Sunset looked equally confused, but with sadness laced in her eyes. “What do you mean?”
Hot Air sighed and looked at the room as a whole. “There’s a reason I hid the truth you’ve wanted to know for so long. It, it makes the stories I told you to seem tame, in comparison, and with how I’ve lied to you, I know I wouldn’t believe a word I was saying if anyone told me the same tale.” He gestured to Twilight with a smile. “But, I know that as a pony as powerful as your friend, you more than likely have a memory spell or two up your sleeve, right Princess?”
“W-Well, yes, but they’re only for emergencies!” Twilight looked uncomfortable at the thought of the spells. “I can’t use them without consent from all parties.”
“And I do.” Hot Air’s eyes got that hint of steel from earlier that day but carried no ill intent. “If I’m going to show you all the truth, I’ll need you to show my memories to Sunset. If need be, you can view them as well.” He coughed again and sighed, glancing at the clock. “But it will have to wait till tomorrow. By then, the medicine will have kicked in, and I can take a fresh dose to hold through the spell.”
“I...” Twilight glanced between Hot Air and the still frozen Sunset. “I understand.”
No more words were said that night. Twilight helped guide Sunset to the spare beds and tried to be there for her friend. It was a good thing she did, for as soon as the door shut, and she hugged Sunset, the amber unicorn broke down into tears and cried until she could cry no more.