//------------------------------//
// Hey, are you okay? 
// Story: Hey, are you okay? 
// by James Pwyll 
//------------------------------//

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sunset stirred form the darkness that she'd been engulfed in, and she could feel the cold rain falling on her. All she could remember was eluding the guards at the palace, then running as fast as she could through the mirror. After that, nothing. There was light, and then an impact of some sort. Whatever it was, it had knocked her out cold. But now, with that unfamiliar voice speaking to her, consciousness had begun to return. However, that didn't change the fact that she had a splitting headache right now, and an especially sore spot that she now nursed with her hoof. "Ugh...what the...?" But as her eyes slowly opened, she realised that it was not a hoof that she was now using to rub her head. Immediately, she drew her appendage before her eyes, and they widened as they saw the bizarre and unnatural-looking thing she had instead. No hoof, but a limb with fingers, and the sight of it was so horrifying to her that she retreated back, colliding with some hard structure behind her.

"Hey! Easy now!" It was that voice again, and Sunset squinted her eyes. With all this rain it was hard to really know for sure, but there was definitely somebody with her. A limb much like the one she now had was stretched out to her, being offered to her, and when her eyes drifted upwards, she saw a creature she'd never even heard of before. It was like an ape of some sort, standing upright, and fully clothed in garments she'd never seen. Atop his head was a somewhat spikey blue mane. But the way he was looking at her, so concerned and sympathetic, that was genuine. "Are you okay?"

The voice sounded male, but everything else was uncertain. Sunset's head darted left and right, and she finally took in her surroundings. It was a street, and close by was a large structure. At a guess, she assumed it was a school of some sort. But all this speculation was drowned out by the continuing torrent of rain that plagued her. And then the rain halted, at least over her head, as this strange creature beside her had stretched out his umbrella, shielding her from the raindrops. "You looked like you'd been down there a while. Were you hurt?"

She knew she couldn't just stay silent forever, so at long last she gave an answer. "Er...yeah. I slipped and fell." She reached out with that foreign appendage of hers, taking hold of the thing behind her, which she could now see was some sort of statue. And it was here that she realised that her forelimbs were not the only thing that had changed. Her entire body felt different now, and as she looked down she realised, to her shock and dismay, that she was no longer a pony. Instead, she was like this other guy. Whatever the native creatures of this side of the mirror were called, she was one of them. Reaching up, she felt her forehead, and came to understand that she was without her horn. With her face turned away from the nearby male, she grimaced, knowing full well that she was without her magic. Being powerless was a terrible thought, but panicking wasn't going to help her, and she knew it.

"Do...do you need any help?"

The voice reminded her that she wasn't alone, and she glanced back, seeing the continuing concern this native was showing to her. If he was worried about her, then Sunset realised that he might be of some use to her. Though the pain had faded from her head, she nevertheless gave out a grunt that suggested it was far worse than it really was. "Ugh! Y...yes. I think I need some help."

The boy moved closer, making sure she was fully protected from the rain. "Don't worry. I'll call the police. They can help."

Sunset watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some strange object. The way he spoke suggested that it was some kind of communication device. But since dealing with authorities was the last thing she needed right now, at least until she understood her situation better, she spoke with more urgency. "No!" When she saw the surprised look she got back from him, she softened. "I mean...I'll be fine. I just need to get out of the rain for a bit."

The boy hesitated, but he took her at her word, putting the device back into his pocket. "If you like, my place is close to here. You can rest up there, if that's okay?" he asked. Sunset nodded. A place of quiet shelter would do her good, at least for now, so she followed this boy, whoever he was, as he led her to his home. As they walked, he looked back to her. "I'm Flash, by the way. Flash Sentry."

Though not exactly interested in who he was, Sunset still gave a courteous response. "Sunset Shimmer." No other words passed between them as they continued to walk, though Flash sometimes looked back at her, just checking to make sure she was still okay. She couldn't blame him, since a blow to the head would make anyone worried. She might have hit herself there when she came through the portal. However, her thoughts were more occupied right now, most notably with the fact that she seemed to be having no difficulty whatsoever with walking the way she was. She had spent her entire life as a four-legged pony, yet here she was, walking with two like it was nothing. Sure, there had been some wobbles, but otherwise she was doing fine. Some magical muscle memory given to her by the mirror perhaps? She would have to speculate on that later. Her eyes darted to the left, noticing more of these ape-like creatures pass them by, though they paid her no heed.

"We're here," Flash said to her calmly. Sunset was stopped from her train of thought on all these strange happenings when he spoke to her, and she looked on at the modest home he'd brought her to. Rummaging in his pockets, he found some keys, unlocking the door before opening it up for her. "My folks aren't here, but I think they'd be fine with me bringing you here, at least until you felt better."

Sunset took a step in, eager to get out of this rain at last. The interior wasn't anything special, just a standard-looking sort of home. But she wasn't about to call it that right now, lest she offend the closest thing she had to an ally in this place. Instead, she forced a smile for him. "Thank you for letting me be here." But then she shivered. The rain had clearly had more of an effect on her than she realised, and she started rubbing her arms as a result.

Flash noticed this at once. "Oh! I'll get the heaters on. We can get you dried up soon, with luck."

Sunset nodded, looking around. "I don't suppose there's anywhere where I could...um...be alone for a bit?"

Flash gave her a small smile. "Sure. Bathroom's just over there." He pointed to a door close to where they were. "I'll get you some hot chocolate. Always helps me whenever I've been caught in the rain, you know?"

Sunset again gave a false smile to him, making her way over to the door that had been pointed out to her. She entered, closing said door behind her, and got a light on. Yep, this was definitely a bathroom, she thought to herself. And more importantly, it came with a mirror on the wall, finally letting her have a chance to get a good look at herself. As she'd suspected, she was one of them, yet she could still see traits of her old pony self. Her manestyle, her eyes, those were still the same. But the rest? It was all so different to her. She looked at the clothes she was wearing, the ones she'd arrived with, and curiosity came to her. "I wonder..."

It took only a minute or two before she was finished, but eventually she had removed all of her garments, setting them to the side to dry off. Now she looked to herself in the mirror a second time. Her grimace made it easy to tell that there was a lot she'd have to get used to about all this, but if nothing else she was a quick study. She'd learn how to live like one of these creatures if that's what it took to be in this world. Sighing, she made her way to the door, but stopped just shy of the knob. These beings were all clothed, which was a stark contrast to ponies. Was going without clothing taboo here? She didn't want  to take the risk of causing a scene, so she quickly glanced around. Luckily, there was a dressing gown hanging on the door, and since Sunset's own clothes were still soaking, she took the former and wrapped it around herself. "Hmm, comfy," she remarked.

Exiting the bathroom at last, she could smell the distinct aroma of hot chocolate. Seems Flash had kept his word, and as she followed her nose, she was drawn to what appeared to be the living room of this place. Flash was only just setting the chocolate on a table by a newly-started fire, and when he looked to her, he smiled. "Hope you like it. I'm not the best, but it'll be hot at least." Smiling back, and genuinely this time, Sunset walked over, accepting the cup and finding the closest chair to sit in. Her first sip was the most enjoyable thing she'd had on her tongue for who knew how long, and the warmth from the fire only served to make the experience all the better. Flash watched her, his face betraying the concern he felt for her. "...Are you running away from something?"

Sunset stopped her next sip, looking to him seriously. "Pardon?"

Flash gestured to her. "A girl all alone in the rain, not wanting to call the authorities. That sounds like someone running to me."

He was perceptive, she had to give him that, but she also silently cursed how well he'd been able to read her. Setting her cup down, Sunset looked away, staring into the fire. "It's...a long story."

Flash nodded. "I'm sorry if I upset you for asking."

Sunset shook her head. "No, it's fine. But I'd still rather not talk about it. I've got problems, but I intend to sort them out myself."

Looking to her carefully, Flash sighed. "Well, whatever problems you're going through, you're welcome to stay here for the time being."

Sunset raised an eyebrow to him. "You'd have a total stranger stay with you out of the blue? Just like that?"

Flash smiled. "The world has enough bad in it. I'm not gonna ignore someone in trouble."

It was a sincere remark, and for just a moment, Sunset softened from it. "Thank you. I...I appreciate it." But the memories of why she was here and what drove her to leave her home soon returned to the forefront of her mind, steeling her heart, even as she enjoyed the comfort of this moment. Her mind raced as she considered all the things she'd need to do in this world. She'd need a more permanent residence, that much was certain. That school she arrived next to, it might be worth investigating. And then there was her magic. She had no idea if it was totally gone or if there was just some trick to using it in this world. Again, this was something she'd need to look into. 

Her eyes narrowed as one more thought made itself known to her. She wouldn't be able to do all this by herself, even though it pained her to admit to it. She'd need others, and she was certain she'd find those who could help her. And as she finally resumed her drink, her eyes drifted to this boy, this Flash Sentry. He was the first she'd met here, the first to offer her aid. Perhaps, if she played her cards right, he might serve other uses also. A smile came to her, and when she finally spoke again, it was with a sweeter tone than before. "So, Flash...tell me about yourself."