One month after the portal to Equestria was destroyed. 22 years before new Lunar Lock Mirror restoration.
Sunset Shimmer pulled into the parking lot of Crabs, We Got’em and carefully maneuvered to the side lot near the lake where signs had been placed to reserve spaces for motorcycles only. Normally, she would have put Shadow in the back somewhere so that no one would accidently strike her baby, but Sunset had been informed ahead of time that the restaurant was a favorite for motorcyclist because of the accommodations. As Celestia had once told her many years ago, one does not refuse thoughtful accommodations.
The redhead removed her helmet and shook out her hair, thankful that even with all the other body changes she had recently undergone that her helmet still fit just fine. It had been expensive and custom painted with gold and red flames.
It would have been a shame to have to give it up or trade it out. A truth she had been dealing with nearly all her other clothes that were all too tight. At least the girls, especially Rarity, had been eager to assist. She smiled at the memory of their faces after their fashionista friend had taken Sunset's new measurements, dropping her tape measure and whined, "Even supermodels don't have proportions this perfect! It's... it's not fair!." Sunset had shrugged and laughed it off at the time, but the declaration made more sense after they hit a few stores.
Sunset dismounted and stored her head gear and gloves, taking a moment to dust off her casual attire. The black denim jeans were a recent purchase from a thrift shop and the holes in the knees were not as much for style as function because they had been a little on the tight side. Without the holes she would not have been able to fully bend her legs. Her favorite cropped jacket, which had always been a little big, was now snug and did little to conceal her chest that was stretching out her plain green, v-neck tank top. Rarity had donated a pair of old riding boots that had been used for a costume once… by her father. Sunset Shimmer noted she was nearly as tall as him now and could in all likelihood bench press the man if she so felt inclined to do so.
She had only been discharged from the hospital for a week after a remarkably short amount of time under care and observation considering the injuries she had sustained, but not soon enough in Sunset’s opinion. The doctors were asking too many questions and took far too many samples, both tissue and blood, for her liking to run tests on. Twilight Sparkle had been confident and reassuring they would not find any anomalies or discrepancies of note with the equipment at their disposal. Sunset trusted Twilight on that with her life… and that was not just a metaphor. If they did find anything unusual it was likely the FBI or worse would be coming by to ask questions again. And she doubted even Pinkie Pie could run interference all the time… not that she wouldn’t try. And that was assuming an unmarked van did not just drive up and attempt to bag and drug her for an 'off the books' chit chat.
Sunset shook that chilling thought from her mind. None of those concerns really mattered at the moment, however. It was just Sunset’s mind trying to distract her from why she was currently beyond city limits and at a lakeside seafood restaurant and bar to begin with. It was not terribly far from Canterlot City, but she certainly had never been to it before. Though she had been to the lake before, albeit to the camp, miles away on the other side. Sunset pulled out her phone and shot off a quick text to Twilight, as promised, before the thought slipped her mind.
Twilight wanted to come. The two had talked about it for more than an hour, nearly causing the pros versus cons markerboards to come out, but in the end, Sunset had just made the decision to meet him by herself because she was the only one he had asked for. He had even gone as far to text Sunset directly instead of through Twilight. Possibly in an attempt to avoid the back and forth that had occurred. Or, possibly, because he was not ready to see Twilight again just yet. Even if he had assured her and said, ‘no hard feelings’ upon their last conversation. That was something Sunset could ask if she felt it needed to be brought up. Assuming things did not turn ugly or uncouth. My mind is really in speculation overdrive right now.
Sunset’s phone pinged and she read the reply Twilight had sent. It was a simple thank you for keeping her informed and a request for Sunset to call her later no matter how late it was. That brought a warm, pleasant smile to Sunset’s face. Their new relationship was still giving Sunset the ‘warm and fuzzies’ as some liked to call it and it really did feel amazing to be able to introduce or describe Twilight Sparkle as her ‘girlfriend.’ As she had done the other night when the new couple had sat down for dinner with Twilight’s family. Sure, they had eaten together before. Sunset was not one to turn down an invitation from her best friend for free food by one of the best home cooks she had experienced outside of a castle. Mrs. Twilight Velvet was culinary master and that was not even what her degrees were in! Sunset had even gone as far as to tell Twilight's mother she could put most of those chefs to shame on the cooking shows she had seen from time to time. It had been a great icebreaker. One they had both needed.
With Sunset by her side, Twilight Sparkle had taken her girlfriend's hand and kissed the back of it. It was in that moment, with Twilight's father arching his brow curiously that she had elected to come clean to her parents on her sexual preference in case they had any objections or concerns considering the two would be moving at the end of August to California to attend college. Despite some anxiety and concerns and much needed explanations and clarifications, Velvet and Night Light were more than happy to grant their blessings and wished them the best of luck going forward while also reminding them both that school was still their top priority. Not that either girl needed such a reminder.
However, that left one last loose end to tie up before the summer came to an end.
Sunset climbed the wooden stairs to the outdoor bar/table patio where she found Timber Spruce sitting at one of the tables near the rail. At least he remembered that I can’t legally sit at the bar even if I probably look over twenty-one now.
The young man with curly green hair waved at Sunset Shimmer, a dorky smile on his face that eased the anxiety knotting her stomach a few notches. Sunset understood many of the reasons Twilight had been so smitten with the Camp Everfree counselor and co-owner. Timber was handsome, had great toothy smile, a strong, decent build without being ripped like a pro athlete, and was strangely charming in his own quirky way. He had, in truth, managed to help Twilight realize that she was dateable (she had quietly swore more than once no one wanted to date a nerd like her) and helped her realize her own heart and desires better. For those things and the fact that he never hurt her, Sunset would always be grateful to the young man… even if it still kind of creeped her out that he had been hitting on campers to begin with. Thankfully, that uncomfortable ship had long since sailed and was no longer an issue. What was possibly still an issue was why they were meeting. News got around and Timber found out Twilight was no longer single. Twilight’s ex-boyfriend insisted he have a chance to speak with her current girlfriend. And now, they were face to face.
Sunset paused for a moment and considered how she should play this. She had a few options at her disposal. She could do the tough girl/bitch routine, lots of hard glances and piercing stares. She could be aloof and bored, maintain a poker face and see what was Timber’s game. Or…
Sunset stepped up to the table, placed one hand on her hip, arched her eyebrow, and said with a sassy smirk, “You called?”
Timber stood and then paused. His hand went to his chin as he examined the woman before him. Sunset could tell he was clearly caught off guard. “Um… don’t take this the wrong way, but did you have some surgery done recently? You seem… bigger than I remember.”
Sunset arched her brow further. The dude has some balls on him, I'll give him that. “Seriously? My eyes are up here, Timber.”
“Taller! I meant taller!”
“I had a growth spurt.”
“Right, yes. That… wait, really?”
Sunset grabbed a chair, spun it around backwards, and straddled it in a way Applejack would have appreciated. She gestured for the young man to sit, which he did immediately. “Yes, really. Mostly magically related, but you didn’t call me here just to talk about me and my changes I assume.”
“Um, no I guess not.” Timber paused to rub the back of his neck. “Do you want something to eat, or a soda or something? Feels weird to sit here and only have a drink.”
“I’m good. But what I would really like is to get to the point. Your text didn't give me much to work with and I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just Twilight and I have a lot still to do and not a lot of time left to get things squared away before the cross country move.”
Timber’s eyes were suddenly downcast, staring into his bubbling brown drink that may or may not have been mixed with something stronger. Sunset was unsure if that was good or bad. He did not smell drunk and her nose was sensitive enough to pick that up considering all the other scents that wafted by. What she was sure of was that the beverage did not contain the secrets of the universe no matter how hard he stared into it. With a sigh, followed by a sizable gulp of his drink, Timber started over with far less of his chipper, silly charm.
“I knew you two were busy and that Twilight would be moving away soon. Well, both of you, since you are going together, that is. That was why I needed to see you now. I… shit. Let me start over from the top." Another large gulp. "Twilight told you everything, right? You two always talked about everything, like every single day.”
Sunset shrugged. “More or less. I didn't pry for details, but by everything I assume you mean about how your date and night at the hotel went, yes?”
Timber grimaced and nodded. “I… Well, right away I want you to know I didn’t hurt her. I went slow and took my time to make sure she was comfortable. I, I tried to do everything right, by the book, as Twilight would say.”
The mental image that Twilight Sparkle likely had book called, “How to properly have your first sexual experience,” and made Timber read it cover to cover brought a smile to Sunset’s face. The smile must have been pleasant and disarming because when her focus returned to the young man across from her Sunset noticed he was more at ease and smiling too.
“I made you smile,” Timber said with more than a little relief. “You probably have no idea how hard that is for me to do.”
“I’m sorry if I always came across as a stone cold bitch. It's a character persona I can slip into pretty easily. Sometimes without even trying. It's not personal.”
“It’s not that, you were cool, still are. I guess, somewhere in the back of my head I always worried you were the competition, even if you did not realize it yourself. She talked about you ALL THE TIME. It didn’t bother me at first, you’re her best friend and I understood that. But then it started to feel weird. Like she HAD to keep you in the loop even if it was stuff that I thought was 'couples' stuff. She was always concerned what you would think about something she was wearing or if we went somewhere she would say, ‘I bet Sunset would love to see this,’ or whatnot.” Timber paused to take another long sip, glass nearly drained to the bottom. “I loved her. Or I tried to, at least. With all my heart. I have spent so long over the past month trying figure out what I did wrong. I just... I...”
Sunset, without hesitation, leaned forward and reached across the table to take Timber Spruce by the hand. She may have lost her geode necklace and magical empathy powers, but that did not mean she was incapable of being empathetic. Sometimes something as little as friendly touch could convey more than a five paragraph persuasive paper. Twilight might disagree and could write a five paragraph persuasive paper on why if she so felt inclined. Timber, however, jumped. Momentarily surprised by the sudden contact, but then smiled. Taking the fingers inside his own and giving them a little squeeze of appreciation. He took a deep breath that settled his rambling thoughts. These two really did have a lot in common. They would have been a great couple. Perhaps in another universe... but not this one.
“Timber, you did nothing wrong. Get that out of your head right now. Neither of you did anything wrong. It is possible to do everything right, to do it to the best of your ability, and still come up empty. That's not weakness or divine punishment or anything to blame yourself for. That’s just life. It's a reality check lesson that was as hard for me to learn when I was young. Even now I sometimes have to be reminded of that. The point is, Twilight needed to figure out who she was and what her heart was telling her. We were just there to help her solve that puzzle and yes, because I can see the question in your eyes, I love her with all my heart and have loved her for a long time now.”
Timber nodded and smiled thinly. He finished his drink and let out a massive sigh of both relief and melancholy. The young man drummed his hands on the table for a moment before slipping some bills under his glass and stood up. “Well, I guess that’s that then. I mean, I thought about yelling at you or blaming you for interfering or sabotaging our relationship, but after hearing you out and listening to it all, you were right. This was Twilight’s choice and I love and respect her too much to be that kind of guy. Just… just take care of her, for both of us, you know? That's all I can ask.”
Sunset stood as well and signaled Timber to come closer. Sunset wrapped the man in a hug. If he enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed to his more than he should, well, he earned the pleasant comfort, she thought. “I will. And it’s not the end, just so you know. I'm certain Twilight would love for the two of you to stay friends, so please don’t just fade away after all of this. Text her, call sometimes, make her laugh like only you can because I know there will be times she will need that and we both know you can do it.”
Timber nodded and straightened his beanie. “I can do that. It’s nice to hear that I’m still wanted and needed and that after I've had some time that we can still be friends.”
Sunset shot him the finger guns. “I completely understand.”
“From most people that just sounds like a throwaway line, but I get the feeling you really do.”
Sunset tapped her chin a moment and then made a choice. She pulled out her phone and shot Twilight a message that she would be hanging out longer and would call her after dark. She then tapped Timber on the shoulder and gestured to the table again. “Hey, if you're up for it how about we order something to eat and drink since we're already here. I’m not ready to leave just yet and I want to tell you a story.”
“You know you don’t have to.”
“I know. But I want to.” Timber nodded and smiled, sitting back down. Sunset took off her jacket and hung in on the back of her chair, flipping it around to sit like most everyone else. “Let me tell you a little story about when I was young and I had my first crush. She was a cutie, that's for sure. She worked for my mom in the castle I grew up in.”
“Wait, what? You lived in a castle?”
Sunset blinked, then grinned sheepishly. Some context was clearly going to be required. “Right, maaaaybe I need to clarify a few things about me that were purposely being omitted for my protection. Don't feel bad, I asked Twilight and all my friends to keep that secret. Since you’re a friend too I should let you in on a few things about me and my past. It will probably give you some much belated clarity about what happened at camp and to your sister a few years ago. Do you want to order a hard drink? You're old enough. You might want one after I get going. Anyhow, let me start at the beginning. Once upon a time in a land far different from what you see around us there lived two Royal Sisters…”