This was chaos. Discord himself would surely shed a tear at the sight before her, but all Sunset could do was stare, jaw to the floor. She was utterly speechless, her mind having difficulty making any sense of the wreckage. There wasn't an inch of floor space visible. Stretched across the cold, marble floor were the partygoers, still sleeping away the drunken antics from the night before. Between them lay the scattered remnants of the party favors, primarily discarded cups, bottles of alcohol, disposable kitchenware and the food they had once carried.
Several ponies were stirring finally, others already sneaking out the door to resume their day-to-day lives. Pinkie had evidently been crowned Princess of Parties by popular demand. She sat snoring obnoxiously upon her own throne, a gaudy plastic crown adorned upon her head and a cardboard horn and wings taped to her body. Sunset shook her head with an amused grin and continued to survey the area. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had constructed a bed of confetti and streamers. Fluttershy was still sleeping, but Rainbow Dash was already up. Looking up from her Daring Do book, she waved eagerly to Sunset, a gesture that was readily returned.
She found Applejack passed out on a table, bottles of cider scattered all around her. Momentarily, Sunset wondered if the farm pony might have drowned herself in booze, but the steady rise and fall of her chest eased the unicorn's mind. Rarity was in a rather compromising position, spooning between a stallion and another mare. Sunset snorted in mild amusement, causing Rainbow to chuckle a bit as well. Apparently the chromatic pegasus had found her friend earlier, her mirth revived by Sunset's.
Spike was in the most interesting situation and was inadvertently the hardest to find. The young drake was nearly buried under the pile of mares clinging to his scaly body, an expression of pure bliss stretched across his face. Sunset rolled her eyes. "No wonder he turned into a dog in the human world," she joked.
The drunken masses had caused a pungent musk to replace much of the oxygen throughout the castle, and Sunset decided quickly that she was in dire need of fresh air. Taking a breath to steel her resolve, she took the first step toward the front door, a journey that proved to be especially arduous.
Though she took great care not to, several ponies groaned their complaints as Sunset stumbled over them. The trash between the ponies made it nigh impossible not to trip over her own hooves. It didn't help that she still wasn't quite used to them. Years of living as a bipedal ape creature had caused her to be incredibly unprepared for unfortunate situations such as the one she found herself in.
Despite the obstacles writhing beneath her, she did manage to make it to the door, unfortunate enough to trip into it and plant her face against the marble with a solid thunk. With a groan, she ignored Rainbow's muffled chortle and swung open the door, stumbling into the brisk, morning air. With a huff, she slammed shut the heavy door behind her and made her way onto the dirt path toward town.
Relieved to get a moment of peace, she breathed in the pleasant Autumn air and exhaled it in a sigh. The sun was still low in the sky, just beginning its ascent. The morning sky was a pale blue, hues of bright yellow and faint orange encroaching upon it over the horizon. Even the clouds that had blotted the sky overnight had dispersed, most likely the reason Rainbow Dash was already awake. Sunset grinned as she began to understand that she had returned for Fluttershy's sake. True to her element, she refused to let her timid friend wake up alone in such a situation.
The running of the leaves had yet to occur, and they livened up the town in brilliant colors. Ponyville was beautiful this time of year, shades of yellow and orange, a splash of red here and there. In fact, Sunset was so caught up in taking in the scenery, she was shocked back to reality when she ran straight into the fountain in town square and painfully stubbed her hoof on the hard stone.
"Oww oww oww!" she shouted, "Stupid statue! Stupid water! Stupid hooves!" She bounced around on three hooves, waving the other in the air as if she could shake off the pain for nearly an entire minute before she felt comfortable gingerly setting her hoof down once more. She sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and cringed as a sharp pain shot up her leg.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked. Startled, Sunset whipped her head up to see the alicorn laying on the outer edge of the fountain with a book in front of her and an adorably concerned frown.
"I-I'm fine," she replied, hobbling over to sit across from her friend. Once nestled onto her perch, she asked, "Were you sitting there the whole time?"
Twilight nodded bashfully. "Unfortunately, yes. You startled me from my book. I didn't even see you coming."
"Ugh," Sunset planted her nose between her hooves, hiding her face from the world. "That's so embarrassing!" came her muffled cry.
Twilight giggled. "Oh quit being so dramatic. It's only me."
Sunset looked up from her hooves to argue, "But you-"
Want to know a secret?" Twilight interrupted.
Sunset blinked. "I... Ugh, sure. I'll bite."
"I've made that same mistake, myself, twice! I never told a soul until now." Twilight winked and giggled a bit more. "Your secret is safe with me."
Sunset blushed and made a point to keep her eyes trained on her reflection in the water. "Th-thanks..." Minutes passed between them in silence, slowly turning into an hour. More and more ponies began to shuffle home from the castle. Most stayed quiet, still fighting hangovers. Sunset was content to watch them, happy to feel invisible to the zombies as they passed her by.
Twilight returned to her book, and the world faded from existence for her. It was some time before Sunset pulled her back to reality, curiosity taking over. "What are you reading?" Sunset asked.
"Hm?" was Twilight's initial response as she looked up at her companion. It took only a second more before her brain registered the question. "Oh! Nothing spectacular, really. I wanted to get out for some air, so I grabbed a book from my shelf at random before ducking out my window."
Sunset raised a brow and smirked. "Fascinating, but that doesn't really answer my question."
Twilight blushed and pouted, knowing she couldn't argue. "Like I said, it's not particularly interesting. It's just a slightly outdated book about archeological findings in Saddle Arabia. I read it for the third time just last week."
"Ah, is that the one written by Dr. Digger Down? I'm particularly interested in the mummified remains of Czar Knight they found in that underground temple east of Khobar."
Twilight gawked in surprise. "You've read it?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I was Celestia's personal student before you came along. I read all the time. That's how I learned about the mirror in the first place."
"I just... I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable," Twilight responded, barely capable of holding in her excitement. "I guess I should have. I mean, of course Celestia would have chosen all her students carefully. I just... I've never met anyone quite like... well, me."
Sunset shrugged. "I guess we've got more in common than we thought." She smiled casually and Twilight smiled back, a light blush coloring her fur a darker lavender. "Would you like to go out for lunch with me?" Sunset asked.
Twilight's smile became a grin. She hopped off her perch on the fountain and levitated her book behind her back. "That sounds lovely. I know just the place."
"And then Celestia said, 'Parent-teacher conference? What does that even mean???'"
Twilight busted up laughing, Sunset along with her. They were sitting at a table outside one of Twilight's favorite restaurants. Most of the town had returned to normal functionality, and the regular bustle of the nonresidential districts had resumed. The particular restaurant they currently occupied was fairly small, a quaint "mom and pop" place with only a few places to actually sit inside. The main draw of the establishment seemed to be enjoying ones food in the sunshine. There were far more tables outside, each adorned with a red and white striped parasol.
They had both ordered a sweet tea and a dandelion sandwich, but their food had already gone untouched for over half an hour. The mares were far too engrossed in conversation to be bothered with eating. It was amazing just how much the two had in common with each other, and it seemed to Twilight they had even shared many of the same experiences while growing up on the castle grounds, the main difference being that Sunset seemed completely incapable of recalling any of the staff members or their names.
It had all started with Twilight asking Sunset what it had been like having Celestia as an actual parent, and that had somehow blown into the most engaging conversation either mare had held in years. They certainly had enough combined knowledge of their mentor to tease her relentlessly, something both of them were considering doing in the near future.
Twilight's stomach gurgled, and she blushed brightly. "Erm, sorry. Maybe we should start eating now," she said, smiling sheepishly.
Sunset giggled quietly and nodded. "Yeah, we've put off lunch long enough," she agreed. It was only then she realized just how hungry she was. The pair ate in silence for several minutes. They hummed their delight as they finished their food. Sunset had missed Equestrian food. It had taken quite some time before she became comfortable eating meat, and she still doubted she could look a cow in the eye again. Lucky for her, the cows of Ponyville kept to themselves for the most part. She had, however, become very fond of fish. She knew there were vendors in Canterlot who catered to griffons, avid fish eaters themselves, and she wondered if she could get away with that being her guilty pleasure.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Rarity approached, leaning on the table between the two of them, turning her head back and forth to look each of them straight in the eye. She had the biggest smirk on her face either had ever seen. Uncomfortable with being watched like some sort of zoo exhibit, Sunset swallowed her bite of food to ask, "Yes, Rarity? Can we help you with something?" She seemed incapable of completely masking the irritation in her voice.
"Oh, no. That's quite alright, Dear. Seeing you two on a date has provided me enough gossip for a lifetime!" Rarity replied, absolutely giddy with mischievous excitement.
Twilight blushed so hard her face turned a deep violet. "W-w-what!?" she stammered, incredulous and highly embarrassed. Sunset, however, was able to keep her cool.
She raised a brow and deadpanned, "Rares, this isn't a date. We're just having lunch, as friends."
Rarity completely ignored the statement and tapped a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I wonder who I should tell first. Oh, the press in Canterlot would be ecstatic to know anything about their newest princess's love life."
Twilight just kept blushing. Though she opened and closed her mouth several times, she was completely incapable of forming a single word.
"This is not a date, Rarity," Sunset repeated, "and if you tell anyone otherwise, I will not hesitate to gut you like a fish."
Rarity rolled her eyes and stopped leaning on the table. She turned around to walk away, but she turned back to look at Sunset once more. "It's a shame, really. You're a very sexy mare, in a fiery sort of way. You certainly had my attention, but it seems I was beat to the punch."
"That wouldn't end well for either of us, Rares, trust me... and we are not on a date!" Sunset practically yelled the words as she repeated them once more. By now a vein had begun to protrude from her forehead as her irritation progressed into anger. Once rarity had her mind set, there was little that could change it, a fact Sunset was all too aware of.
"I suppose we'll never know, will we?" Rarity answered with a wink.
This seemed to be Sunset's turn to blush, and she turned her eyes away. "A-actually, I dated the Rarity in the human world for a time. It... didn't work," she admitted in a mutter.
Rarity let loose a low chuckle to match her mischievous grin. "Well, perhaps you've found something that will. Don't let the opportunity slip away. That goes for both of you." With that, Rarity continued on her way, walking in the direction of her boutique. "Au revoir!" she called.
Sunset stared blankly at Rarity for several seconds as she left. When she turned back to Twilight, the princess was staring wide-eyed back at her, still blushing like a madmare. "Are... you alright, Twilight? Do you need me to get you some water or something?" Sunset asked, genuinely concerned at this point.
Twilight eventually broke from her catatonic state and shook her head violently. "N-no! I just... I need to go!" Before Sunset could so much as get a word out in reply, a bright flash of white light blinded her, as well as many of the other patrons, voicing their own discontent at the light and loud POP that accompanied it.
By the time Sunset's vision returned to her, Twilight was gone. Only a small black scorch mark on the wooden chair she vacated indicated she'd ever been there at all. "...Great," Sunset sighed.