//------------------------------// // Chapter 25 // Story: A Shimmering Intellect // by DungeonMiner //------------------------------// Sunset woke up in a warm bed in the Crystal Keep. Light spilled in from her room’s window, hitting her directly in the eyes. Rolling over, she kept her eyes closed, too awake to go back to sleep but too sleepy to get out of bed. Caught between staying in bed or getting up, Sunset decided instead to stay put and let the past few days wash over her. Twilight needed to rest after ripping out the magic in the area, so the guards gathered together and set up a campsite before turning their attention to Tinker Trot. They had to keep him close to the Thronestone, but they still needed to remove it from the back of his head so that it couldn’t cast magic through him anymore. However, Sunset already figured that the platoon of guards lacked any surgeons or non-magic healers. Twilight had a spell temporarily stopping a pony from casting, but she still needed to rest. Without many other options, the guards manacled his legs together to a shard of Thronestone. Unable to move, the doctor was entirely at their mercy, and they were not giving him much of that. When they saw him black and blue the following day, the only one who seemed surprised was Twilight. After making it clear that she was not happy with whoever beat the doctor, she cast the suppression spell and teleported the entire group down to the Crystal Empire. Then, Sunset’s ability to care dried up for the day, and she retreated to a warm bed. Deciding against her better judgment to get up, Sunset peeled off the covers and got up, crossing the room to her mirror. She used a light application of magic to fix her mane and started heading out for breakfast when she was greeted outside by the same unicorn butler who had seen her off last time. “Good Morning, Lady Shimmer. How may I help you this day.” “Uh, hi…I wasn’t expecting to see you.” “I did not mean to cause a disturbance. Would you care for breakfast?” “I was heading in that direction, actually.” “Wonderful, breakfast today is cut strawberries on this sweetbread called a ‘pancake.’” “I know what pancakes are.” “I see. I was unsure if the news of this breakfast food had spread across Equestria at this time or if they were only a delicacy of the central region.” Sunset gave a small smile. “I see.” “If you follow me, Lady Sunset,” the butler said before leading Sunset to the grand hall. Flash was already there, eating strawberries and pancakes. “Hey, Sunset!” She waved and sat beside him, ignoring the smiling butler. “Morning. Are you ready to hear about what happened yesterday after you left us all?” “Just about.” “The doctor’s had surgery and has officially been arrested. Night and Twilight returned to Canterlot, and the guards were all given medical attention. Everything’s good. On top of that, Other Flash said we can stay on his dime for as long as we want.” “I’m so glad you’re good friends with your other self,” Sunset said. “I don’t know if I even want to meet mine.” “It’s mostly because I’m easy to get along with,” Flash said with a smile. “Sure,” Sunset said. “So what are you going to do now?” Flash opened his mouth to say something but paused. The silence lasted only a fraction of a second, and he said. “Eh, I don’t know.” She knew Flash well enough to know that he was blowing off the question, but the pause told her he also had many thoughts about what to do. “Are you heading back to Equestria, then?” “I did a lot of hard travel in the past few weeks,” Flash said. “I’m probably going to take it easy first. I could relax here for a few days.” Sunset nodded. “Honestly, that sounds like a great idea.” “I’m sure you think so,” Flash said. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sunset asked. “You already had a break from all the travel. You took a train to get all the way to Canterlot and then teleported to the mountain. You had it easy.” “Easy?” Sunset asked. “No, I returned to a retail job while you were out here.” “That’s an excellent counterpoint,” Flash said. Maybe some time off would be good for both of us.” Sunset nodded. “Sure, some time off for both of us sounds great.” Flash smiled, and the two fell back into relaxed silence. ---♦--- Night woke up early. It was still dark when he got out of bed, but it would have to be to catch her by surprise. While he spoke with Twilight up on the mountain, he still had a lot on his chest that he needed to discuss with her. The moments before jumping into a cave, surrounded on all sides, was not the best place for a heart-to-heart. The dawn broke. Twilight was awake. Night waited outside the door, taking deep, steadying breaths. He tried to steady himself, but he somehow couldn’t. His heart was thundering in his chest, and he couldn’t bring it under control. Night had already told her he’d made a mistake, so he couldn’t figure out why he was shaking now. He had nothing left to admit, right? He shouldn’t be— Twilight opened the door. “Oh, Night. Good morning.” “Good morning,” Night said, feeling his throat close on himself. “You, uh, don’t normally show up in front of my door at six in the morning. Is something wrong?” Twilight asked, looking him up and down. “Uh, no…” Night said. He couldn’t do this, but he had to. He needed to apologize, wholly and truly. “No…I just—” he paused before he took a deep breath. “We still need to talk, and we’re not trying to storm a cave filled with golems.” “Okay,” Twilight said. “Do you want to sit down?” He glanced at the cushions inside the room and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice.” She let him in, and Night followed, feeling the tension in his guts tighten with every step. He sat on a cushion but couldn’t get comfortable, no matter how he shifted. The quiet stretched on for a second that never seemed to end. “So you feel like you don’t belong?” Twilight asked. Night looked up at her and opened his mouth to say something, but the words caught in his throat again. He needed to say something just to clear the air, but he couldn’t now, no matter how hard he tried to force them. Twilight waited. “N-no,” he finally said. “That’s not all of it.” “Okay,” Twilight said, waiting. Night tried to speak again and let her know what was going on in his head. “It’s not that I don’t belong, but it is. I was never a pony that was good at being with others. I’ve only ever been good at hiding and stealing. That’s not something you’d find in Celestia’s courts.” “I’m not Celestia.” “I know,” Night said, “and I understand why you put me in your court. I get it. It feels like I shouldn’t be there, even though you invited me.” “I want you in my court, Night.” “I know,” he said. “I know you do. I just…” he hesitated, trying to find the right words for the knot in his chest. “I’m just not sure you really want me.” “Of course I do, Night.” “No, I’m a problem. I’m a problem even if I’m just in the court. I bring problems with me, and I’m not really…” he hesitated for another second before he finished. “If someone else had my skills, they would be a better fit.” “That’s not true,” Twilight said. “You are exactly who you need to be. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my Spymaster.” “You should,” he said as something released in his throat. “You deserve a better Spymaster than me.” Twilight stepped closer and placed her hooves on his withers. “Night, I don’t care who I ‘deserve,’ I want you in my court because…” She hesitated momentarily, and her nervousness appeared on her face as clear as day. Night looked at her, watching as she tried to say something herself. She licked her lips before she stared into Night’s eyes. “I love you, Night.” Night felt the words wash over him. They crashed over him like a wave, and he felt like drowning. He felt the need to come up for air, but he couldn’t find anything to breathe as the words poured out from Twilight. He wanted to push it away, to try and force Twilight’s confession back where it came from. He couldn’t accept it. He didn’t deserve it. How, by Celestia, was he supposed to take her love when he could barely take her acceptance? “I can’t…” he whimpered. The chime of magic filled the air, and he watched as Twilight cast a spell. Her mind unfolded, and the wave he had been crushed beneath became a tsunami. Her burgeoning respect transformed into admiration for his skills, knowledge, and sincerity. He felt her appreciation for his companionship when all her other friends had to step away for their own lives. Night could almost see Twilight’s heart reaching out to him, reaching for him no matter how much he wanted to hide in whatever shadows he could find. And then, to his horror, he saw Twilight feel his thoughts. Night saw as his alienation washed over her. He could read in on his face. Worse, his feelings about her, the ones he tried to hide for her sake, bubbled to the surface, and in response, she merely smiled. “Night,” she said. “It’s okay. You don’t need to hide who you are from me, Night. I know who and what you are. There’s nothing wrong with you.” “I’m not made for this. I’m not good enough to be with you.” “If I can become good enough to be a Princess, you can too.” And she held him, and after a long moment, he held her back. ---♦--- Flash couldn’t believe the trip to Canterlot was so short. The train ride passed in minutes, even though he could clearly see the hours passing by on the train’s clock. They arrived late in the day, perfect for one last Equestrian dinner. The idea of finding a place to stay the night after eating had an appeal that he couldn’t turn away, either. “Know any good places to stay the night?” Flash asked. Sunset shrugged. “Maybe. It’s been at least twenty years since I’ve been here on this side. One bad change in management could change everything.” “Any you want to check up on?” “There was a good place that had some great cinnamon rolls for breakfast. A family recipe, I think.” “That sounds great,” Flash said. “We’re a little late getting to the castle, so staying the night might be our only option.” Sunset smiled her soft, knowing smile, the one he saw whenever he saw through his white lies. “Sure,” she said, “that sounds like a great idea.” She directed him down to an inn, which—instead of being some large franchise—bore the simple name ‘The Candlelit Mantle.’ It wasn’t quaint, not like the tavern in the Crystal Empire. It had the same air as a severe and fancy hotel he’d find in his world’s Manehatten, but it still didn’t feel the same. This one was somehow older, more respectable. “How much for two rooms?” Sunset asked the mare at the front desk. “One hundred eighty bits includes two rooms, dinner, and breakfast the next morning.” Sunset blinked. “Um, can we skip the meals?” “Unfortunately, no, ma’am,” the clerk said. The Candlelit Mantle’s policy is to provide meals for all guests. You can choose to forgo the meals, but they will still be charged to your account.” Sunset glanced back at Flash. “Um, I didn’t bring that much back with me.” “Uh, okay, I-I don’t—” “Do you want to try one room?” He blinked, the words processing in his brain. They had done this kind of thing before but were an item at the time. That being said, it’s not like Flash would see anything new. If he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure if privacy was a problem in pony bodies, and he didn’t want to head back to his world right now. “I guess?” he said. “How much for one room?” Sunset asked. “Ninety bits even, ma’am.” “We’ll take it, thank you.” The clerk handed over a key and gave them directions to the room. Sunset thanked her and took the lead up the stairs. They climbed up to the fourth floor, giving them a decent—but by no means spectacular—view of southern Canterlot. The vaguely medieval city looked incredible with the swirling spires, an architecture that reminded Flash of soft-serve ice cream. “I’m kind of glad we sprung for the meal,” Sunset said. “Last time I came here, they had an amazing ratatouille that I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over.” “I’m just glad for a chance to rest before heading back home,” Flash said. “You’ve taken it pretty easy heading back,” Sunset noted. “Yeah, you’re not wrong.” “Is there a reason why?” Sunset asked. Flash glanced over at her. She was playing coy. He could already tell that she’d guess the reason why. A part of him wasn’t happy that she was so good at reading him, but he’d gotten nearly as good at racing her, so the trade-off was at least equal. “There might be,” Flash said. He didn’t want to give Sunset everything. She needed to work for it as much as anyone else. “Might be?” Sunset said, and her tone made it clear that she knew he wanted her to guess. “Is it because you don’t want to leave?” “You got me,” he said. Sunset shrugged. “I get it, honestly. I have returned once or twice since being on good terms with the Princess, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I was coming home.” She hesitated a moment. “You know, despite the long hike up a mountain.” Flash nodded, almost surprised that she told him so easily. Her old self would never have given him that kind of vulnerability. “I get it, honestly,” he said. “Equestria’s nice. It doesn’t feel as…I dunno, grimy?” Sunset shrugged. “I don’t know about that,” she said, “but it does feel like I can do what I want to better while I’m here.” Flash nodded, his mind going back to leading the guards. They’d look to him as a leader, and helping them through the snow and the fights felt…right in a way that he couldn’t explain. “I think I get that.” Sunset moved to stare out the window and watched the city as the sun began to drop below the horizon. Flash joined her a moment later. The city sparkled in the pink-orange light. The swirling spires and gleaming towers looked like a painting created by a master, with the dying light forming perfect brushstrokes. “So what else is out there?” “A lot,” she said softly. “Canyons filled with massive eels, caves with crystals that reflect a thousand reflections like mirrors, deep jungles, and wild forests. I’ve even heard that a civilization of seaponies appeared out of the ocean.” “Seaponies? Those anything like mermaids?” “Yes, but they can also change into flying bird ponies too.” “Like pegasi?” “More like griffons. I don’t have all the details.” She glanced over at him, and he turned to face her. “I could find out, though.” “Yeah?” She shrugged. “All it would take is a little time. I could get a commission from Twilight and then go anywhere to research anything. I could see anything, go anywhere.” “Would you?” Flash asked. Sunset nodded. “I think I will,” she said. “I need to work some things out. Decide if the human world is where I want to be or not. I do have a life there and friends there, but they’re off going on their own journeys. I’ve basically got to wait for them to visit anyway, so I might as well do something on my own.” Flash nodded. “I can see that. I do have a question for you, though.” “Yeah?” “Can I go with you?” Sunset blinked. “You want to?” Flash nodded. “I do. I need to figure out some stuff, and some adventure sounds fun.” “Enough that you want to stay in Equestria?” Sunset said, but Flash knew she meant “enough that you would go and stay with me?” He nodded. “Yeah.” “Why?” He knew what she was asking, but he played dumb for a moment. “I could use a change of scenery. Besides, leading the whole expedition did feel really fulfilling, and I—” “No, no. I mean…” Sunset blinked away some confusion still clearly visible on her face, but pushed through. “You want to go with me? You only came the first time because you wanted to prove yourself to Twilight. Then, because you wanted to do the right thing, you stayed. Why go with me?” He gave a small smile. “Well, that’s the thing, right? I thought, after we dated that I knew the real you. Even after you changed and gave up ruling the whole high school or whatever, I thought I understood what you were doing. I thought it was more of the same but slightly less annoying.” She looked back unamused. “This whole trip proved me wrong. You’re not the person I thought you were. You might not even be the person you thought you were.” That got a smile back on her, small and pensive. “And I think I’d like to know who this Sunset is, the one I haven’t met before. The one I think deserves a second first impression. So yes, I would like to go with you. Do you want me to come?” Sunset smiled back. “Well, I can’t help but think it’s a good idea to bring someone who knows how to set up a tent in the middle of nowhere.” Flash smiled back. “Then it sounds like we have a plan.”