//------------------------------// // Lush Life // Story: Out of This World // by Mouse-Deer //------------------------------// Sunset and Twilight merrily stepped into the apartment, hands full of plush toys, shopping bags, and boxes of pizza. “That was amazing!” Twilight laughed. “Fairs are so much more fun in this world.” “Well,” Sunset smirked, “That’s what’s so great about being human. We create attractions where everybody knows they’re being swindled, but they still go to it anyway! Some people even make it a hobby.” “There are a few Equestrian types who follow a similar philosophy, though!” They had spent all Sunday traveling around Canterlot City, Sunset showing Twilight all of the important sights and attractions she could think of. Eventually they noticed that a small fall festival had been going on all weekend and decided to spend the rest of the day experiencing the event. Sunset had hoped that Twilight would forget about the more important matter at hand. If I go through with it. “And the history museum . . . oh my gosh! I already have a first draft in my head about the divergences between human and Equestrian society. Yet some historical figures share such similar names with ours . . . I wonder which comes first, does the name build the legacy or the legacy build the name?” “I would say neither, actually,” Sunset said, placing the pizza boxes on the counter. “People don’t follow ideas like destiny and fate as seriously as ponies. They have no cutie marks, so their fate is not as easily spelled out,” she explained. “But . . . how do they know what they are supposed to do with their lives?” Twilight wondered. “Trial and error. In Equestria, the only prerequisites a pony needs to find their calling is existence and a cutie mark. Humans have to figure things out on their own. I kind of like it, actually,” Sunset murmured. Twilight set her plush animals on the ground and slid up to the counter. “Well, I know what my calling is right now . . . this pizza!” She opened a box with a grin. Like the scientist she was, she examined the pizza carefully, admiring the toppings strewn across the top. Sunset thought that if she had a notepad she would have created a detailed sketch already. She looked up at Sunset, confusion evident on her face. “How do I . . . attack this?” “You haven’t had pizza before? I thought it was somewhere in Eqeustria,” Sunset snickered. “No I haven’t, and definitely not with hands . . . it’s my first time.” Sunset pointed at a slice. “Do you see how it is cut into triangular slices? Grab a slice by the crust with your hands and eat up, starting with the open corner.” Twilight frowned, tapping her forehead in thought. “How about you show me?” Sunset stepped back, arms raised in defense. “Hold on a second, I don’t know if—” “You haven’t eaten all day, Sunset. You must be hungry by now,” Twilight pleaded. It was at that time when Sunset noticed that she was starving. Should I? Could I, knowing what I know? What I plan to do? Warily, she stepped forward and grabbed a slice. She blushed under Twilight’s attention. I haven’t shared a meal in years. “Like this,” she said, never breaking eye contact. She gently raised the slice to her mouth and took a small bite, savoring the taste on her tongue. “Ah, I understand now,” Twilight said, grabbing her own slice. She smiled coyly at Sunset as she ate the meal, as if she found the whole situation absurd, both acknowledging and mocking the cultural customs Sunset had gotten used to in the past year and a half. “It’s delightful.” She swallowed and quickly grabbed another piece. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Sunset said, finishing her own piece off. The two stood in the kitchen for a long time, eating slices of pizza and reveling in each other’s company. Somehow, Sunset managed to forget about everything that had happened over the past few days; however, the wounds on her back never stopped itching. She wanted to mention it to Twilight, but any time they shared a glance she never found the voice to do so. Once the sun had long past set and the pizza boxes were empty, Sunset beckoned Twilight outside onto the roof of her apartment. They silently climbed up the steps and reached the top, a canvas of stars entering their view. The sun had set without either of them noticing, but the enchantment that the night sky cast made them pay no mind. Twilight sat down near the edge. “Wow . . .” “The light pollution here is fairly low for still being in the city.” Twilight was completely focused on the brilliant stars. “There’s Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor, and, is that . . . um . . .” Sunset lightly chuckled. “Yes, the constellations are different here. There are similarities, but without the influence of magic, the stars are quite different.” Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Princess Luna has been experimenting with the constellations too. I’m a bit rusty now.” Sunset lightly punched her on the shoulder. “Well, let me show you.” As the night went on, Sunset pointed out to Twilight all of the constellations and star patterns that were unique to the human world. Eventually, Sunset worked through most of the well-known ones and let Twilight make connections to Equestrian mythology and sometimes even Equestrian history. However, Twilight began to grow more uninterested over time, despite Sunset consistently focusing back on the stars. “Sunset, we need to talk,” she said. “Look over there first,” Sunset pointed at another area of the sky. “That’s Taurus. I’m pretty sure Taurus exists in Equestria, but the story of Taurus in this world is a lot less literal than over there.” “Sunset,” Twilight said. “So it started when Zeus decided to take the form of a bull to basically kidnap this princess—” “Sunset,” she repeated. “—and he brings her out into the sea and is like, surprise! I’m the god of the sky! Give me your love! And of course she does, because who refuses a god—” “Sunset, listen to me.” “—and . . .” Sunset trailed off with a frown, focusing her gaze on the night sky. “You have no idea what to do, do you? About Chrysalis. That’s why you’ve been distracting me all day.” Sunset continued to stare into the stars, not meeting Twilight’s eyes. I can’t tell her. “I just don’t know if there is anything that I can do. There’s nothing that you can rely on me for. I know you said you need your friends, and you need my help, but there’s nothing left for me to offer, besides another trip to the best tourist spots around here.” Twilight sighed. “Oh Sunset, I know there’s something in you that can help me. You already have, just by working through all of this with me. I cannot continue without your help.” Sunset turned to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Why won’t you understand that you need to be independent, Twilight? Your friends aren’t here. You need to step up. Don’t rely on me for help. I can’t offer it. I never could.” Twilight frowned. “I’m not looking for help because I’m uncapable. I need it because friendship is the key to saving Equestria. It always has been. And, Sunset, you’re my friend. I can only step up if you’ll be there with me.” Sunset let out a painful laugh. “It’s almost funny how much you think you need my help. I’m no friend; I’m a bully who got kicked to the curb. You can argue with me forever, but I’m not the person for the job. I’ve proven that by wasting two days with you now. I’m a . . .” She stopped, tongue stuck in her throat. Twilight scooted up to Sunset. “You’re a what?” Sunset swallowed, fear flooding her senses. “I’m a . . . bad person.” Despite having said it for years, it was as if she was admitting it for the first time. I’m going to betray you. I will. There’s nothing that can change that. She had worn the title as a badge of honor for years, but it suddenly felt like she was swallowing poison any time the thought even crossed her mind. I don’t want to. “I thought we agreed that you could be better?” I want to be better. I don’t want to betray you. Although she ran the words through her head, they never seemed to click. She did not want to betray Twilight, but she still felt the tug that she had been falling into her whole life. Just tell her that you don’t want to. Say it. “I don’t . . .” She choked. “I . . .” “What?” I can’t say it. Sunset turned away, staring at the cold stone rooftop under her feet. Silence fell between them, increasing the look of worry on Twilight’s face. After Twilight was certain Sunset was not going to speak up, she scooted closer to her. " . . . What do you believe defines someone’s true nature?” she questioned. Sunset laid herself down on the rooftop. “When does someone show their true colors, you mean?” She said, silently cursing herself now that her voice was now working perfectly fine. “It’s when . . . when someone is cornered. When their chances of escaping a bad situation are slim. Their final moments. It’s how someone reacts right then, on the brink of despair, that shows their true nature. I have come in contact with that moment more than once, Twilight.” “And what did you find?” “Poor results.” Twilight grabbed Sunset’s shoulders and forced her to stare into her eyes. “That’s the most foolish thing I have heard you say,” she seethed. “I can’t believe you think of yourself that way. Maybe your explanation applies for humans, but I think it’s different for ponies. A pony’s true nature is shown at their peak; their top moment of life; when life never seems like it stops going up. How they act then is what proves who they really are. “It can’t be somepony’s worst moment that defines them. When I found out about the Changelings, I told my friends about all of it. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony, protectors of the land. But they didn’t believe me. None of us realized it, but that ended up being the lowest point of our friendship. It still is, really. They doubted me, which ended up costing us everything. But do you know what, Sunset? If that was their true nature, that doubt, that betrayal, then the Elements of Harmony should have crumbled to dust. They should have cracked open and shattered across the floor, never to be used by my friends again. So it could not have been their true natures that day. “So maybe I was wrong, Sunset. Maybe I was wrong when I said that you were a bad pony, but you could be a good person. I’m beginning to think that it’s the other way around. You’re a bad person. But if you come back to Equestria, and start living again, then maybe you can be a good pony.” Twilight took a deep breath and turned away from Sunset with a huff. Sunset sat there dumbly, astounded at what she had just heard Twilight say. “I . . . I’m sorry . . .” She choked out. Twilight stood up and began walking to the staircase. “Good night, Sunset. I will start taking the initiative tomorrow, since you seemed so adamant that I fix this myself. But I will not back down on what I said: I need you, Sunset.” She continued down the steps but turned back just before she disappeared from view. “And I think that you need me, too.” Sunset continued to lay on the ground as she heard Twilight’s footsteps grow quieter and quieter. She ran the fastest routes to Canterlot High School through her head, in case she really did go through what she was planning tomorrow. I shouldn’t do this to her. She didn’t deserve to get stuck with the mess that I am. The thoughts continued on throughout the night. Fortunately, the cool stone rooftop helped soothe the aching pain that pulsed through her back. Principal Celestia swerved through another sharp corner in the Everfree forest. “Do you have sight on them again?” She yelled. Princess Celestia had her head stuck out of the window in the backseat, scanning the dark forest for any unwanted followers. “Not right now!” She yelled back. “I can feel them, though!” “Shit!” As they sped through the woods, one or two wasps flew in their direction, as if marking where the car was headed. The Principal was manning the wheel while the Princess made sure that none ever got too close to the vehicle. The exit of the woods and entrance into Canterlot City was approaching fast. “Where should we go from here?” The Principal shouted, focused on her steering. “Wherever you think we will shake them off!” The Princess responded. “Like hell I know where that is!” A wasp slammed against the front of the car, clutching onto the windshield. The Principal flipped up the wipers and threw it off the side. “I have a possible solution,” The Princess said, sliding down onto the backseat floor. “But there is a strong chance that it will go wrong.” “And what is that?” The Principal questioned. “You will not like what I am going to say!” “Spit it out!” The Princess leaned forward so the Principal could hear her clearly. “Let’s not lose the Changelings, but bring more to us! We need to bring all of them to us!” “Are you kidding me?” She balked. “Do you want to die?” The Princess, now prone, slid half of her body under the seats. “We will be safe if we stay in the car all night, especially if my suspicions are correct. I can only confirm it with complete certainty if we get every Changeling on our tail.” The Principal groaned. “You cannot be serious. They will kill you the second they lay eyes on you.” “Give me your suit,” the Princess demanded. The Principal pulled off her outside suitcoat and threw it behind her, confusion flashing across her face when she saw the Princess’s position. “What are you planning now?” “Drive to Canterlot High. We will swap places when we get to the parking lot.” She threw the coat around her shoulders. “Hopefully I can lead the Changelings around the building without cornering myself, or without them finding out that there are two of us for too long. I will clump them together in a swarm and have them chase us all night.” “So you’re just going to wave your hands at them? ‘Hey, look at me, Princess of Equestria, ready to be devoured!’ Come on!” “I will not be revealing myself as the Princess immediately. If they knew straight away, I would not even be able to step out of the car.” The Principal realized she had just given a portion of her suit over to the Princess. “You’re not going to impersonate me,” she said. “I most certainly am,” replied the Princess. “Chrysalis would never believe that the Princess would walk right into the lion’s den. She will probably try and take control of my mind, but I can fend it off if I realize it is happening. If she realizes that I am more powerful than I let on, however, I have no doubt she will use everything she has available to defeat me.” “But why do you even want all of the Changelings to be focused on you in the first place?” “The only way we can know our enemy is if we face off against them. Once I get out—” “If you get out,” the Principal interrupted. “If I get out, we will drive around the city until the school day starts. They will not attack in public, so we should stay in populated areas of the city.” “And then what? What’s the point of making this situation so much more worse?” “We need to know our enemy, and in this case, the fastest way to learn will be through confrontation,” she explained. “We assess their numbers, their speed, their coordination as a swarm. If my theory is correct, then most if not all of the Changelings will have to assume their roles at the high school by the time school starts tomorrow. After seeing how many pods they have, I am privy to believe that almost every single one is pretending to be another student or staff member. They will have to return. Once they leave, we race to your house and barricade everything.” “But what makes you believe that they will all return back to the school and not just have a few students take the day off?” The Princess smirked. “I’ll tell you soon enough.” “Fine,” the Principal sighed, “If you want to stick your tongue out at them, then go ahead. If I die, though, I expect a golden monument to be built in my honor back in pony-land.” “Well, we’re in the same situation whether there are four Changelings on us or fourty. And, it would probably be easier just to renovate one my own statues,” she muttered. “Alright then,” the Principal responded. “Let’s get over to CHS.” “That is not the only reason I want to travel to the high school, though,” said the Princess. “And what is the other?” “Your institution is the first thing anypony from my world sees when they cross over. I would not be surprised to find latent magic in the halls, or even some long-lost artifacts stashed away in forgotten areas. I need to enter the building and do a brief sweep in case there is anything that the Changelings could use against us. We need all the help we can get.” They sped over to Canterlot High School, and soon the front of the building came into view. The Principal pulled into the parking lot past the now tar-black tree and swooped into the back parking. “Good luck, Princess,” she said. “The same to you. Stay quiet.” The two swapped positions in an instant, the Principal hiding underneath the seats while the Princess stood in front of the front seat trying to imitate her best headmaster demeanor. She stepped out and walked toward the back entrance. Despite having never been in the building before, the Princess felt an odd sense of deja vu when she stepped inside. The corridors had a striking resemblance to one of the earlier remodels of her school for gifted unicorns. It almost felt homely. She walked through the cafeteria and began feeling the air for any magic. Outside, Principal Celestia squeezed herself tighter under the seat, cowering from the low buzz that emanated from across the building. Adagio stretched across the floor of the janitorial closet, repeatedly shifting her arms back and forth behind her. Sonata had noticed on Saturday night that the janitor had a broom with a slightly broken handle at the top, which was just the right size to slip in between the ropes binding their arms together. Chrysalis had completely emptied out the area beyond the larger supplies, so any chance of a faster method did not seem possible. So there she was, awkwardly trying to cut the ropes off of the arms behind her back with a splintered broom in a pitch-black closet. It had not been going well. At first Aria and Sonata had tried shouting directions on where they thought Adagio should move her arms, but they contradicted each other in the dark, and soon Chrysalis heard them and came in to taunt them again. Adagio struggled on, though, and she began to feel the ropes around her arms starting to fray. The next time after Chrysalis left the room, she would probably be able to rip her hands free just with brute force. From then on, it was a matter of untying the others and running as far away from the school as possible. And then they would enact their revenge, of course. No one fucks with the Dazzlings. In the midst of Adagio’s reverie, a pair of footsteps could be heard running outside the door. Soon, the noise passed them by almost completely. Adagio turned to Aria, who was staring at her with wide eyes. They both began to scream simultaneously, although their cries were easily muffled by their gags and the door. After a few seconds of screeching, the sound of footsteps came back to their ears. The footsteps reached the door in front of them, and the Dazzlings cries only increased in intensity. A figure creaked open the door and turned on the lights, all three girls squinting at the sudden brightness. “Ah. The Sirens. I almost did not believe it was your magical aura that I sensed.” Adagio’s eyes adjusted first. Strangely enough, the person in front of her somehow shined brighter than the lights in the room. Adagio squinted at her, only to reel back in shock when she realized who was standing in the doorway. Dressed in a wrinkled principal uniform stood the Princess of the Sun, regal as ever, gazing upon the Sirens with an expression of cold judgement. The three sirens backed as far away from her as possible. “Starswirl did dump you three here a long time ago, I suppose. If I recall correctly, he gave you all fifty years to live the rest of your lives. He must have miscalculated.” Adagio tried to ask for help, but struggled to speak through her gag. “Do you want me to untie you?” Her visage never faltered from its stone-like seriousness. The three girls nodded their heads and made noises of approval. The Princess took a step forward, before suddenly shaking her head and retracting her foot. “I cannot. I have not forgotten what you have done. I may despise the Changelings with my entire being, but I can agree with them that you should never be in a position that holds a single ounce of power. That will only cause pain for us all.” The sirens tried to take on pleading looks with Celestia, attempting to beg through their gags, but no warmth broke through her frozen demeanor. “I am sorry for you. Perhaps Starswirl was unknowingly cruel, keeping you alive this long. Still, I will not let you get even a chance to harm my ponies.” The Princess suddenly spun around, glancing back at the hallway she came from. “Good luck to you three.” She turned and ran down the hallway, the opposite direction of which she came. Soon after a swarm of wasps buzzed right past the door as well. The three sirens looked at one another, tears flowing out their eyes. Their one chance at escape, wasted. Wasted because the only person that would show up was the one person who knew who they were. Adagio cursed Starswirl for the millionth time. She hated him. She hated Chrysalis. She hated Celestia. Sonata and Adagio leaned against one another in defeat, while Aria stared at the open door in front of them. The open door. She started pushing against Adagio, screaming and pointing at the chance for escape. Adagio’s eyes widened in realization, and, with all her might, broke apart the last few strands of her rope that had not been cut off. She untied her legs and pulled the gag out of her mouth. “That bitch was dumb enough to refuse to help us but forget to close the door!” She laughed. “Alright, you next Aria.” She quickly untied Aria and the two worked together to get Sonata free as well. After a few seconds to stretch themselves out, Adagio approached the door. “I bet the Princess is giving us the perfect distraction right now.” She peered outside into the hallway. It was completely empty. “Let’s run for it.” The Dazzlings took off through the halls in an attempt to reach the front exit. However, when they reached the main hallway, they saw the Princess leading a swarm of Changelings behind her right in front of the entrance. They swerved into the gymnasium and saw that there were a few fire exits at the other end. “There!” She yelled. Although their footsteps echoed across the whole gym, no one surprised them on their way across. Adagio pushed through the door and out into the night air. The fire alarm blared, filling their eardrums with its terrible screeching noise. None of them noticed, completely focused on getting as far away from the school as possible. They headed off into the night, and once thoughts of escape began to settle down, revenge became the main topic of discussion. They had already created quite a few plans for Chrysalis, but there was now one more pony they had to take care of. “Well, that’s for a little farther ahead! First we need to get Chrysalis out of the way,” Adagio declared, the three walking down the sidewalk underneath the warm lamplights. “Where are we going?” Sonata asked her. Adagio grinned. “I think we should pay a visit to the girl who got us into this mess.” Princess Celestia hopped into the passengers seat of the car, a cloud of wasps following close behind her.”Drive!” She screamed. Principal Celestia slid out from underneath the back seat and scrambled up to the front of the vehicle. “On it!” The golden chariot was being increasingly bombarded with green wasps, all banging their heads against the windows. The Principal threw it into reverse and sped out of the parking lot, the swarm still following close behind them. “What the hell was that?!” The Principal exclaimed. “What happened to them not realizing who you were immediately?!” “It turns out that those drones that were following us had better eyesight than I originally thought. They saw that I was not you and ambushed me a few minutes after I entered the building.” “Great, just great,” The Principal groaned, “Did you at least find anything of value?” “Well,” The Princess sat up, “Your halls are full of inert magic, I found some research notes from my old mentor Starswirl shoved in an old science classroom, there’s a magical stone in your garden, and there are three sirens tied up and gagged in the janitorial closet.” The Principal turned to her, nonplussed. “Tell me something I don’t know.” “Seriously?” “No, are you kidding me! What the hell is going on? Do you have any proof?” The Princess shook her head. “Not much. I was able to snag Starswirl’s notes, but everything else was more of a feeling than a confirmation. I ran into the sirens, though. Hopefully they took my hint.” “Well what a useful outing this was, then. We’ve got a whole army on our tail, and not a damn thing to show of it!” The Princess grinned. “Wrong you are,” she said. “Try and count every wasp that you can see. I did so when I was running around inside.” The Principal slowed down and let them catch up to the car. It took her a few minutes to count them all, half-focused on controlling the vehicle. “Thirty-two . . . thirty-three . . . thirty-four. There are thirty-four following us!” She sped up the vehicle. “Look again. This time check for any wasps that are right next to each other.” The Principal slowed down again and realized that each wasp attacked the vehicle with a partner by its side. Every single partner was doing the exact same motions as the other, however. “I see!” Exclaimed the Principal. “It’s a trick!” “That’s right. Illusion magic, to be exact. Quite well-suited for a Changeling, as it turns out. If each wasp is duplicating itself, then how many are actually chasing us?” The Principal ran through the numbers in her head. “Seventeen then.” “Yes. And how many changeling pods were in the cave?” She shot up in realization. “There were sixteen in the cave! This is what your hunch was, wasn’t it?” “It was. The Changelings are not as populated as we originally thought they were.” “Who is the seventeenth, then? Chrysalis?” “Possibly. Or perhaps there is still one more without anyone to take over. So pay attention.” “Yes, of course.” The two moved over to a populated part of town and began waiting out the night. “Hey, Princess?” “Yes?” “I know there’s at least one thing you and Sunset still have in common,” she said. “And what would that be?” The Principal grinned. “You’re far more reckless than any sane human being.” “Well,” responded the Princess, “It’s a good thing that we’re not human, then.”