//------------------------------// // Transit: Marina Marketplace // Story: Teahouses of Saddle Arabia // by Amber Spark //------------------------------// By the time Sunset and Twilight managed to get down the half-dozen terraces to the Marina Marketplace, they were both soaked to the bone. Sunset made a mental note to talk to Celestia about just how blazingly hot it got in Jeddahoof. Granted, Celestia didn’t actually control climate or weather, but still, she was the Princess of the Sun! She had to be able to do something! Sunset wished she would do something now. Despite her own feelings on the subject, the residents of Jeddahoof didn’t seem to pay any attention to the sun. They walked around in the blazing heat as if it were nothing unusual. For all Sunset knew, it was nothing unusual. In fact, throughout the Marina Marketplace, all manner of creatures warmly greeted one another as street vendors hawked their wares to anypony within earshot—and everypony else. More than anything, the sheer variety of creatures in the immense marketplace made it almost impossible not to stop and gawk. Canterlot didn’t have anything like this. That shouldn’t surprise me, Sunset thought ruefully. Canterlot is the capital of Equestria and Celestia’s seat of power. Jeddahoof, on the other hoof, is a bustling port city, the biggest seaside trading center in all of Saddle Arabia. Sunset stepped aside for two towering camel merchants, who chatted amiably about spice shipments. Twilight’s eyes were enormous as they passed a group of a dozen zebras, each wearing travelworn tan cloaks and festooned with hoofbands and neckbands of gold, steel and brass. One mare hoofed something over to another with a surreptitious glance around her. Sunset shoved Twilight aside as a pair of armored griffons chased a madly cackling pegasus through the marketplace. “This place is crazy!” Sunset called to Twilight over the din. Twilight shook her head and pointed at her ears, which were flat against her head. She didn’t bother trying again, but she did push Twilight forward into the throng. After all, they had to go through the market to make it to ‘I Sell Mostly Sand-Free Books!’ Because anything else would have been silly and totally against the rules of Narrative Causality. If it’s a thing, Narrative Causality is having a field day with us today, Sunset thought to herself. This is ridiculous. Still, Sunset actually didn’t mind the massive crush of creatures around them. In fact, she found it rather liberating. Namely because if felt different. Despite the circumstances, there was something amazing about being in a place so radically different from her home town. A trio of grumbling griffons bumped into her. She blinked and glanced around… only to realize she’d lost Twilight. “Twilight!” she shouted, but the cries of vendors and traders stole the word away in an instant. “Oh come on, Twilight, don’t do this to me!” Her body pricked as she whirled, real panic setting in… only to catch a glimpse of a familiar lavender coat threading through the mass of creatures. Sunset wasn’t subtle about fighting her way to Twilight, as several zebra, a deerkin and what might have been a short giraffe found out. She did still have to duck around a group of buffalo shouting at two minotaurs, though. Best not to annoy anyone in that group. Sunset burst out of the throng beside Twilight, gasping for breath. Between that and the heat, her patience with Twilight was dying quickly. “For Celestia’s sake, Twilight!” Sunset shouted. “You can’t just go running off around here! This place isn’t like back at home!” Twilight’s ears—up again—twitched before turning toward Sunset. She adjusted her glasses and blinked. “Oh, hi Sunset,” she replied in a shout. “I just saw this fountain and I had to see it up close!” Sunset facehoofed, but Twilight’s attention was already back on the fountain. “Do you think that might really be…?” She sounded almost reverent. Sunset sighed and glanced up at whatever had captured Twilight’s attention this time. Then she herself froze. At first, Sunset thought she was looking at an abyssian, considering those distinct feline features. But it wasn’t shaped right. Instead, the sun shone down upon the great stone statue of a large smirking cat with three tails. A pair of very knowing eyes peered down at Sunset in a manner far too lifelike for her tastes. The cat sat atop the head of something even more startling. Something straight out of mythology. And current hypotheses about some race’s ancestry, there was a reason it vaguely reminded her of a diamond dog. “That’s a jackal,” Sunset said, her voice tinged with wonder and the faintest hint of fear. Powerfully built and standing on two legs, the stone jackal looked really ticked at the smirking cat atop his head. He held a shepherd’s crook in one paw while wearing a rather ornate headdress that could only be from the Anugypt era. Spouts of water sprang from the tips of his ears, his crook. Water also flowed from the cat’s ears and three tails. “Why does that cat seem familiar?” Twilight asked, almost to herself. “I mean… I know that’s Baast, the legendary liberator of Anugypt. But there’s something about her…” Sunset’s eyes slid to Twilight, who still stared at the cat in wonder. That’s when it hit her. If she squinted a little, she could maybe convince herself that the shape of Twilight’s eyes and the shape of Baast’s eyes were almost identical. The same eyes she’d been looking into back in— Okay, the sun is definitely getting to me if I’m matching up ancient cats with Twilight. “Come on, Twilight.” Sunset pulled on one of Twilight’s saddlebags with her magic. “We should get out of this heat before we melt.” “Ponies don’t melt,” Twilight replied absently as she reluctantly allowed Sunset to drag her back toward the crowd. “This pony is going to try if we don’t find somewhere cool soon. I swear, I don’t know how these creatures handle it. I’m dying right now.” Twilight blinked a few times, raised a hoof to her forehead and wiped away the sweat. “Okay, I can see your point. I got distracted. I’d never seen Baast or a jackal in sculpture form.” Sunset raised an eyebrow while they could still hear one another. For some reason, there was a bubble in the crowd around the fountain. “I hope you don’t get too distracted from here on out, Twilight,” Sunset replied, a little frost in her voice. “You heard what Pathseeker said about this ‘Desert Sands’ individual. This whole thing has gone insane and my goal right now isn’t sightseeing. It’s getting us home and maybe getting a copy of that stupid book.” Twilight flushed and looked away, her ears going flat against her head. Sunset didn’t dare allow her stern expression to slip, even if Twilight made her want to apologize instantly for the harsh words. “So, can we agree on that?” Sunset demanded. “Those are the goals?” “Yeah… of course. Those are the goals.” Her voice was barely audible. Sunset started to say more, to reassure her somehow, but she knew to try to have a long conversation like this would just end up with both of them miserable. “Let’s go. As we left, Pathseeker said something about the east side of the marketplace.” Twilight nodded, not saying a word, allowing Sunset to lead the way. Great job there. How many times you going to snap at her? I want to make sure to keep proper count before she breaks down into tears. She’s fine, Sunset growled at the angry little thing in her head. We’re both just worn-out and fried. Sure you are. And that’s a perfectly acceptable excuse to call out Twilight on something you yourself found fascinating. And it only cost you a little panic and five minutes of your time. How horrible. We need to get home! You’re in Jeddahoof! You’re on the other side of the world! Canterlot isn’t going anywhere! Looking around won’t hurt anypony. Explore a little! See the sights! Sunset shook her head, hating that the voice was using her own very real temptations against her. If the circumstances had been different, she would love to explore this city from top to bottom, visit every merchant, see every historical site within twenty miles. But circumstances weren’t different. They were stranded with nothing but what had been in their winter coats and the supplies Pathseeker had given to them. This wasn’t a time for sightseeing. Making sure Twilight was behind her, Sunset once again waded into the crowd. It was slow going moving through the dozens of species in the marketplace, which got more crowded every moment. Ponies, griffons, camels, zebras, minotaurs and even a few miserable-looking yaks bartered, traded, yelled and shouted throughout the massive courtyard. There were dozens of other species as well, everything from abyssians—who spent a lot of time avoiding getting their tails trod upon—to cheerful, brightly-feathered hippogriffs. To Sunset’s shock, she even saw three shops run by deer. Sunset found herself blushing when she spied a massive white buck with enormous antlers and a gentle smile running a curio shop. Before she could take three steps in his direction, Twilight shouted her name and she snapped out of it. She managed to only glance back once. Don’t you say a word, she growled in the privacy of her own head. I didn’t say anything! the voice protested. Tartarus, even I thought that buck was stunning. Your friends might be idiots most of the time, but occasionally they’re right. Moon Dancer said there are always exceptions. And I’d make an exception for a buck like that any day. Sunset really hoped that this conversation—and the burning on her cheeks—was the result of too much heat. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Now if you don’t mind, I’m just going to keep a picture of him in a nice, secure little place. Don’t worry. He’ll be there if you want him. This conversation isn’t happening, Sunset told herself. Nope. I’m just loopy because of lack of sleep, mild dehydration, spatial dislocation and the onset of heatstroke. That’s all there is to it. Nothing else. Nothing else at all. “Sunset?” Twilight said, suddenly in front of her. “Gah!” Sunset jumped back, only narrowly avoiding knocking over a short Saddle Arabian mare. “What?” “You okay? You’re looking a little flushed…” Now… why don’t you imagine what Twilight and— “I’m fine!” Sunset bellowed. A few creatures glanced her way, but she ignored them. She did, however, make a point to avoid Twilight’s curious gaze. Instead, she focused on the search. More important. Find the store. Find a way home. Get that stupid book! Her eyes flitted across the storefronts, looking for anything resembling a sign that might indicate the location of ‘I Sell Mostly Sand-Free Books!’ It had to be around here somewhere. Hopefully she’d find it sometime tonight… or today?   Stupid other-side-of-the-planet and the sun throwing me off. I don't even know what time it is back in Canterlot. They moved forward past a vendor selling small animals. Sunset’s eyes drifted across it, only to pause on a cage standing on a small platform with a sign reading ‘Free to Any Home!’ Inside looked to be a perfectly normal white rabbit. The rabbit smiled at Sunset strangely and she had the odd impression that the rabbit was only in a cage because it chose to be. Sunset shivered and hurried on. We need to find this place. Quickly. Despite their best efforts, it took them nearly twenty minutes to find a tiny door along the shaded east side of the marketplace. The crush of assorted shops made the door almost invisible, leaving little more than a shadow in the wall. It didn't even have a name. All it had was a stylized candle engraved on the ancient-looking grey wood of the door. It was the same symbol Pathseeker had stamped into the wax seal he'd affixed to the scroll he'd given Sunset as a letter of introduction. “Finally,” Sunset breathed, trotting forward and luxuriating in the fact that the crowd seemed to melt away behind them. “That’s… weird.” Twilight mumbled, but Sunset really didn’t care what she considered weird at the moment. However, as they approached, Sunset felt something. Something… odd. It took her a few seconds for the sensation to register. The air around the shop radiated magic. Alien magic. Something that wasn’t like anything she’d ever done or cast. It sent shivers up her spine and goosebumps along her skin. For some reason, a memory of the Canterlot Statue Gardens popped into her head, though she couldn't fathom why. She hesitated and glanced at Twilight. The buzz of creatures around them seemed to have faded, as if the two of them were a few alleys away instead of on the edge of the bustling and crowded marketplace. “You feel it too?” Twilight asked, fiddling with one of her bangs and chewing her lower lip at the same time. She’s nervous… no, she’s downright scared. “Yeah,” Sunset answered, eyeing the door suspiciously. “That magic…” “It doesn't feel right,” Twilight whispered. “I don't like this, Sunset.” “Pathseeker said he's the only one who might be able to help us… assuming we don't want to be traveling for the next week or two.” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I believe him. I don't think he'd send us somewhere truly dangerous. He said Desert Winds was just… really strange.” “Are you sure?” Twilight glanced at the door, her eyes wide. She adjusted her glasses. Then, Sunset saw something inside Twilight crack just a little. “This… this is all… Sunset, I've never even been to Manehattan before! Now, we're on the other side of the world! Celestia, I never really thought of it until now! We don't have any travel papers! Or visas! Or permits! Sunset, we could be causing an international incident just by being here! We practically invaded the Wayfinder! We broke the law! The diplomatic fallout could be disastrous! And Celestia… she’ll exile us for sure! And I can't even imagine will happen to my brother because he'll probably be thrown out the guard and then you know I just I can't deal with my parents if that happens not to mention Cadance and I just don't know what to do when we are on the other side of the planet and there’s no way Celestia will ever forgive us and then we’ll be thrown out and—” “Twilight!” Sunset shouted and shook the other unicorn. Twilight froze, shivering in Sunset’s hooves, suddenly dead silent. Sunset closed her eyes and audibly counted to ten. She’d once seen Moon Dancer do it for Twilight. The circumstances hadn’t been quite this… intense, but she needed Twilight to stay in the here and now. “Twilight,” Sunset said again, opening her eyes and squeezing Twilight’s shoulders. “You need to keep it together. We're not going to start an international incident. What is it with you and international incidents anyway?” Twilight shook her head. She looked like she was on the cusp of hyperventilating. A few months ago, I would have found this almost cute. Okay, fine. I would have found it extremely cute. Sunset watched her friend, those violet eyes locked onto Sunset as if she was the only lifeline to sanity. It still is… in a sad way. But she’s terrified. Why is she so terrified? “Twilight.” Sunset pulled her friend to the side, closer to the wall, but away from the door. She took a few steps back to give Twilight some space to breathe. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting a little odd since… well…” Twilight immediately broke eye contact. She fiddled with her glasses with a hoof while using her magic to play with one of the bangs. “What’s wrong, Twilight?” Sunset asked with a bit more urgency. “I’m sorry, okay?” Twilight wailed, pounding a hoof in the dust as tears began to streak down her face. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I was curious about the Linking Chamber… but this is supposed to be about finding that book and now we’re actually in Saddle Arabia and we were pretty much just told there’s no way we’re going to find it here and you don’t deserve to be stuck here and the things I saw while inside that bubble just keep eating at me and—” “Wait… what?” Sunset said, jumping forward and grabbing Twilight with her hooves. “What do you mean ‘the things you saw while inside that bubble?’” Twilight wouldn’t look at her. She stayed silent, shaking her head a little. “Twilight… what happened?” Sunset shook her a little as her own memories flashed before her eyes. “What did you see?” “Please… Sunset…” “Twilight!” Sunset shouted. “Tell me!” “I saw you!” Twilight said in a tiny squeak of a voice. “I saw you! I saw you… with… with… Sunset, you looked like you did in the mirror!” Sunset staggered backward as if Twilight had just stabbed her. Her hooves flew to her mouth and her heart tried to leap from her chest. Now, it was her turn to hyperventilate. She stared at Twilight, her eyes wide, wishing she’d never asked. Wishing to Harmony she’d could take it back. She didn’t want to hear this. She couldn’t hear this. She couldn’t deal with this. Not on top of everything else. She had to be the one in control here. She couldn’t do that and hear this… “I’m sorry,” Twilight mumbled. Tears continued to flow, pouring down her face. “I saw you… it was on a hill on a sunny day… and… and you had just… just…” Her voice fell into a whisper almost impossible to hear. “You had… you had this long black… sword or dagger… or something. And… it was just a few seconds. But I saw a single drop of blood fall to the grass. There was another pony there, I think, sagging, bleeding… I think… I think… I think she was being sacrificed… and… you looked up at me… and you… you sneered at me. I’d… I’d never seen anypony look at me with such… such… such hatred.” Sunset’s entire world cracked. She stumbled another few steps away from Twilight. Blood pounded in her ears. “That’s… that’s not possible. It… it can’t be possible.” “I don’t know what it was!” Twilight shouted, tears falling into the dust at her hooves. “I just… all I’m sure of is it hasn’t happened yet. I don’t know how I know that. I don’t know… but… but… whatever I had seen… it hasn’t happened yet.” Sunset couldn’t speak. She tried… but, her thoughts didn’t… they didn’t make any sense. Nothing made any sense. And then Twilight stood in front of her, shaking Sunset desperately. “Sunset! Please! I don’t know what it was! Pathseeker said that leylines don’t work right! Messages end up corrupted! It can’t be real! I refuse to believe that was real! It’s not! That’s not you. You would never do that! It’s just… it just shook me up. I… I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking! I… I got scared. Please… please, don’t leave me alone here…” Some piece of Sunset heard the trill of true fear in Twilight’s voice. “Please… forgive me. I’m so sorry, Sunset! I’m so sorry!” She needs you right now, whispered a still, small voice in the depths of her mind. It was… a strange voice. It wasn’t her angry little pony. It wasn’t the one that kept noticing how cute Twilight was when she got all flustered. It felt like it was coming from somewhere far deeper within… maybe through her very hooves. Maybe from somewhere else entirely. Wherever the thought had come from… it didn’t matter. Twilight needed her. And no matter what, she refused to make the same damn mistakes that she did before with Twilight. She might be mad at her for starting this whole thing, but she would be damned before she blamed Twilight for a vision. With that, she mentally heaved the image of herself holding a bloody dagger into the darkest recesses of her mind, smashed open the shell of panic threatening to suffocate her and bucked her way free. Sunset gasped for air and staggered in Twilight’s grasp. It took a few minutes, but eventually, she steadied herself. She forced a smile… which she found wasn’t actually all that hard. “Twilight… it’s… it’s okay. I’m okay,” Sunset’s tongue felt thick in her muzzle, but she pushed past it and said the words that needed to be said anyway. “Really. I… It’s like you said. We don’t know what you actually saw. There’s no telling what really happened.” “You don’t hate me?” Twilight said in a voice that nearly broke Sunset’s heart. “I could never hate you, Twilight.” Sunset smiled. This time, it was completely honest. “Mad at you, maybe, but not hate. I know we’ve only been friends for a few months… but you got to see more of me than even Moon Dancer ever has. You were in my head, Twilight. I think that means we’ve known each other a lot longer.” Twilight’s eyes—like so many times before—were huge as they stared at Sunset. Again, Sunset caught the glimmer of stars. Streaks of tears matted her cheeks. Her glasses slid down her muzzle. Sunset swallowed. “I understand you, Twilight,” Sunset said. “I know you know that… but sometimes, I think you forget it.” “Maybe sometimes.” Twilight rubbed a hoof across her muzzle and sniffled. “You promise? You don’t hate me?” Sunset could think of only one thing to do to convince her friend. It was probably a stupid idea. But she did it anyway. She got to her hooves, stepped forward and wrapped Twilight in a hug. As soon as Sunset’s hooves encircled Twilight, Sunset knew it had been a stupid idea. Her body betrayed her. A furious blush spread across her features. Both her angry little pony and that sultry new voice had many, many things to say about the hug. Every part of Sunset Shimmer felt stiff and awkward, down to her tail. Nevertheless, Twilight melted into it. A few more tears fell onto Sunset’s shoulder. Sunset didn’t mind. She didn’t mind when Twilight sniffled loudly beside her. She held onto her friend until she was ready. It wasn’t until Twilight pulled away Sunset realized she’d needed it as much as Twilight.  However, the real problem started when Twilight stopped inches from Sunset’s face. Sunset swallowed hard as Twilight stared at her. The Saddle Arabian sun reflected a bit off of Twilight’s glasses, just enough for Sunset to see herself and the expression on her own face. Sunset leaned forward just a hair. Twilight, almost in a trance, did the same. The light shifted and she caught a glimpse of the red in her own mane. Sunset blinked. The trance broke, she let out a squawk of surprise and threw herself backward, only to slam her head against the cobblestone surface of the Marketplace. The entire world went fuzzy. She let out a groan. “Sunset?” Twilight asked from somewhere in the haze of light and color above her. “You… you okay?” “Yup,” Sunset said with a sigh as she stared at the blurry cloudless sky. “Sometimes my brain needs a sharp buck. Decided to help it along this time.” “You seem to do that a lot.” “It’s a hobby of mine. Everypony needs a hobby.” “Most hobbies don’t end up in physical pain.” “Most ponies aren’t me.” After another few moments, Sunset’s vision cleared and she allowed Twilight to help her to her hooves. Sunset looked into Twilight’s eyes. Again. Then she swallowed hard. Again. This is the mare I walked away from, Sunset thought. The mare who deserves better than somepony as messed up as me. And she got one of the best ponies I know. She got Moon Dancer. Sunset wanted to know what was going through Twilight’s head. She also very much didn’t want to know. She’s better off this way. They both are. I’d be bad for her. I’d just drag her down. Twilight and Moon Dancer are better off together. She’ll be happier with her than she could ever be with me. She had to repeat that three times before she could put a passable smile back onto her face. “Okay,” Sunset declared, ripping her eyes away from Twilight and focusing on the small door. “Back on topic. We have a bookstore owner to talk to.” “But the magic—” Twilight began. Sunset held up a hoof. “I don’t know what kind of magic it is. But I know we can handle it. I’ve been training with the Royal Guard Unicorn Division for years now. I’m one of three ponies on this planet who can wield sunfire. You’ve got the most brilliant mind in all of Canterlot and your brother has spent years teaching you shield spells. We’re both Celestia’s personal students. We can handle a little used bookstore.” Twilight blushed. Sunset pretended not to notice. “Anyway,” Sunset continued. “If Pathseeker is right, this ‘Desert Winds’ is our only ticket home. So, let’s just get this over with.” Sunset marched up to the door and took the small brass knob in her magic. She turned and looked at Twilight. Twilight played with one of her bangs, but nodded. “Wait…” Sunset paused. “How did you know my brother’s been training me in shield spells?” Sunset winced. Because Cadance told you two weeks ago, said the smug little voice in her head. During your bimonthly little social visit. That’s not the only reason. “I’ve seen you practicing occasionally. It wasn’t hard to figure out when I know his magical specialty.” “Oh… okay.” Sunset pushed thoughts of the couple out of her head and focused on more immediate concerns. “Ready?” Twilight nodded, biting her lip. “Here we go.” Sunset braced herself and turned the knob. Nothing happened. She frowned and tried to turn it again. Again nothing. “Sunset?” For a split second, Sunset thought somepony had locked the door. Which would have been perfect Narrative Causality. However, after one more yank, Sunset realized the knob was just stuck. Twilight—wisely—didn’t say a word.   Sunset turned and bucked the door as hard as she could. It banged open like the sound of a dropped stone in an orchestral hall. Sunset staggered as the strange magic she’d felt increased exponentially. She swayed in place and had to hold herself up against the door frame. Her horn tingled and started to actually ache. She felt something in her head. A strange presence she didn’t… Sunset staggered around to glare at the darkness. After a few more seconds, the bizarre magic filling the air seemed to fade to little more than a background hum. She shared a look with Twilight. Twilight looked a little ashen, her ears back. She trembled as she madly nibbled on a bang. Sunset steadied herself and stared down the darkness before her. “Are you ready for this?” she asked Twilight without breaking eye contact with the gloomy bookstore beyond the door. “If I say no, will it matter in the slightest?” “Not really.” “Then I guess I might as well be ready.” “Good girl. Let's go.” She swallowed and went for the door.