If Sunset would get a bit-coin for every stare she got, she could easily fill the half of the royal treasury within a day. There was a time she actually wanted ponies to look at her, but this story is getting old. Tell you what, I won't mention it anymore, 'kay? I probably should Pinkie Promise it or I'll forget...
*AHEM* Anyway,
Sunset did her best to ignore the stares she got and moreover the whispers. Dear Celestia AND Luna, high school gossip wasn't nearly as bad as this. For example one particular mare whispered that Sunset and Spike were secretly, although the drake was supposed to date Twilight. He was just a baby dragon for buck's sake!
"Let's get down over there. Looks as good of a place as any other."
"Sure." Spike quickly took the next best seat outside of the little cafe. His body temperature seemed to have increased enough for him to get into the mood of ice cream. Especially since Equestria had ice cream with gem sprinkles. Not to get confused, gems were still valuable, just in Equestria you can grow them like crop. It just took a while and there were of course more valuable gems, depending on how long they had been growing and a bunch of other stuff Sunset actually didn't know.
Sunset herself carefully readjusted her wings, as she sat down. It was almost like having arms again, only her forelegs were supposed to be her arms. And there was one more thing: she couldn't fly. She needed to fix that, fast, yet she knew only one way as to how she could learn flying as fast as possible.
Sticking that plan into the back of her head, Sunset tried to enjoy the warm breeze, while she and Spike waited for somepony to come and bring them the menu card.
"What do you think we'll find on this other world? Maybe we'll meet aliens?" Spike asked. Sunset was brought out of her stupor and chuckled at Spike's comment.
"It's possible. Although it does sound like out of a comic. At least we can conclude there's no toxic air or something. Starswirl must have at least visited the place to note down that there exists no magic. Makes me wonder if that is the place he disappeared too..."
"At another theory to add to Twilight's list." Spike stated. "Now that I think about it, we probably shouldn't tell her. She's going to have a fit, when she finds out that she could meet some aliens."
"Cool, we leave her with the whole politic, while we check out the night clubs."
Spike laughed and imagined Sunset dancing with alien ponies in a disco. A loud sound of a door being burst open caught their attention. A yellow mare with an apron stumbled out of the house and quickly approached their table.
"G-good morning Princess Sunset Shimmer, Sir Spike!" The mare put on the most obvious fake smile Sunset had ever seen. Out from the corner of her eye, she saw a stallion looking out of the window with an expression that you give to a soldier who you sent to suicide mission. Clearly this must have been her boss.
"W-what can I b-bring you two on this magnificent day, your mother so generously created?"
Sunset resisted the urge to facehoof and at the same time to just smack the mare in front of her. Family was a really touchy subject for the former unicorn, one that she particularly tried to ignore for lots of reasons.
"I'll have a chocolate glass with sapphire sprinkles." Spike proclaimed. "Please don't tell Twilight." He quickly pleaded Sunset, who shook her head in amusement. Seeing as she still had to order something, but had no idea what exactly, she asked: "Do you have a menu card?"
"O-of course. Right away your highness!" She high-tailed back into the building. Seconds later the two heard the sound of glass and pottery crashing.
"Talk about overreacting..." Sunset muttered. "Next time remind me to up a disguise."
"Uh...sure?"
30 seconds later the menu card was brought to Sunset, who thanked the pony and opened it with her magic. "Hmm....what to get?"
It doesn't look like they have anything special here. Meh, I can always stick with the classics.
...
What a way to just shove away my problems. With ice cream. How low can I sink?
Well, it's not like I can do anything as long as the portal is closed.
The portal is irrelevant. You need to talk with somepony about this.
But who would belief me?
...
I'm arguing with myself...
"Sunset?"
"H-huh?" Spike got her back to reality.
"You were spacing out."
"Oh...sorry. Just having a lot on my mind today. I think I quit studying completely today. Maybe a book before sleeping at most."
"Wow, something must be really up, when you quit studying just like that." Spike commented.
Sunset didn't comment any further, instead she checked the menu out again. In the meantime, a group of four ponies took a place on a table a little away from the duo. Sunset overheard their conversation.
"I swear, sometimes I wonder why I even bothered getting to this place." a stallion unicorn spoke up. "Seriously, what's wrong with those so called nobles anyway?"
"You get used to it." another one, a pegasus, said. "Just be careful what you say around the nobles. They're the ones with the money after all."
The only mare in the group, another unicorn, snickered and her friends gave her a look. "I just remembered that one time. You know, those nobles are always proud of their pure unicorn blood? I was practicing my shield spells in the park, when of them walked by with some "friends". Tried to break through it, only to fail miserably. I swear I never felt a weaker magical aura in my life."
The last stallion in the group, an earth pony, snorted. "They probably are all related to each other already. Incest for day!"
They all had a good laugh, despite it being not so funny. It was probably an inside joke among friends, the way the earth pony had raised his foreleg in the air.
"While we're at it" the first unicorn spoke up again "does anypony know who's the pop of the two daughters of Princess Celestia?"
Sunset lowered the card a little and sharpened her ears.
"Uh..." there was a silence at the table.
"Huh? I thought you Canterlot guys would know or at least heard rumors about who had an affair with whom."
"Actually...nopony ever asked that question." the pegasus answered. The unicorn who actually asked that question, facehoofed.
"Really?" he asked in a deadpan matter.
"I guess even princesses need some "fun" in their life." the earth pony spoke up again.
The others looked at the earth pony, before laughing out loud.
"Oh wow. I'll never get THAT image out of my head." The pegasus shouted.
"Who cares anyways?" the mare spoke up. "I bet she slept with a bunch of stallions. She is immortal after all and she's bound to get bored. And maybe she just was in the mood of having kids. Spending the eternity all alone doesn't exactly sound pleasant to me. I think even IF she did what we all think she did, we should overlook it."
"Don't tell me you're pregnant yourself and just say all that stuff, so we won't-"
"Shut up."
Sunset blocked them out, when they started talking about stuff of their personal lives and joked about it. Still there was another thing that could be added to the list of questions that needed to be answered. If Celestia for whatever reason, then who was her father? Yet, she wasn't really going to ask Celestia this question, because of the high level of awkwardness it would ensure.
The waitress brought Spike's order and turned then to the princess. "H-have you decided your highness?"
"Yes. I'll take a strawberry cup."
"Right away, your highness."
The waitress left quickly, this time without crashing into anything. As soon as she left it became awfully quiet. Well not completely silent with ponies walking around and the general city noise. It just seemed like someone shut off a radio that had been playing for the last twenty minutes. Turning her head, Sunset found out what the problem was. The group of four, who had arrived were now holding their heads low and whispering around each other, stealing glances every now and then towards Sunset.
She sighed. This feels way too much like the first thirty moons at CHS.
Sunset just ignored them and waited for her ice cream. When it arrived, she immediately duck into it. However after the first bite she immediately froze with the spoon in her mouth. The owner seemed to have an heart attack.
"You okay Sunset?" Spike asked.
The mare finally took the spoon out of her mouth. "Best ice I've ever had." she said before she wolfed it all down.
"That was very princess like." Spike grinned.
"Shut up."
Spike had a good laugh out of it, while Sunset ordered seconds. The ponies on the other table whispered among each other and commented about their princesse's behavior.
"Urrgh, I think I have brain freeze." Spike complained.
"YOU have brain freeze? What are you a dragon or a worm?"
"Very funny."
Spike walked towards a place where the sun could shine directly onto his poor little head, while Sunset took care of the payment. Earlier that day she found a huge stack of bits inside her room. Okay, more than one apparently and there had been lots of jewelries.
Since she had more bits than she could count, Sunset gave a rather huge tip, along with the lines: "Best ice cream I've ever had. Definitely coming here again."
Sunset and Spike left a stunned waitress who had just received her pay a month earlier than usual.
"Hey, how about we head to Donut Joe?" Spike suggested.
"First ice-cream and now Donuts? You're gonna be one fat dragon and I'd have rather not Twilight beating me up (again)."
"Come on, Twilight would never do that. At most she'd give you a speech."
Sunset laughed out loud. "Oh you have NO idea Spike." You have so no idea.
Again ponies were watching/bowing to her. Spike seemed to have no problem with that. At least he wasn't making a scene or something.
I wonder if it is still there. Sunset got suddenly the thought of something really important. "Spike, do you mind going ahead of me. There's something I need to check out."
"Huh? Are you sure I shouldn't go with you?" the dragon asked a little confused.
"Sorry, it's something really personal for me. I'll tell you another time."
"Okay. See you at lunch. I better help Twilight anyway or else she's going to get lost in her notes again." Spike hurried ahead towards the castle. Sunset looked after him, until he was out of sight. She herself walked back the road she came and further downtown.
XIII
"It's still here." she muttered. "Heh, back then I took the first chance to leave this place and now I actually feel drawn to it. Stupid elements of harmony, I didn't need that."
She walked a little closer to the building. "Why did I come anyway? This place was...no it probably is still an equivalent to Tartarus. There's nothing for me to get here and especially no good memories to relive or old "friends" to look after. I should go...and stop speaking to myself." Probably my emotions running wild. I can't wait for the mirror to open again.
"It's time." spoke a sing-song voice. "You have the bits, do you not?"
Sunset turned towards the speaker. Oh. So that's why...now I really feel bad. But now I can do something against it.
...
If this is your fault, I hate you elements of harmony.