The modestly sized lake appeared almost like a giant's pool, such was its calmness. It was far from massive, but there was a tranquil air to it despite its popularity among ponies. Numerous animal families that called it home. Schools of minnows swam not far from the surface, while mallards glided atop with their children in tow. A heron was presently perched near the brushes, searching for its next meal. Sunset Shimmer admired the idyllic feeling of the place, where she was relaxing with Princess Twilight Sparkle and the princess's friends, who were respected figures in their own right. It was her second day in Equestria, and while it might not compare to the excitement of the first night, it was pleasant in its own way. Sunset was happy to lay at the beach, undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the wider world even as nature buzzed around her.
Fluttershy stood at the edge of the water, observing the waterfowl and, on occasion, striking up a conversation with a passing duck or swan, an act which Sunset was always baffled to see taking place. To the best of her knowledge, the Fluttershy of her world didn't possess any kind of special ability to speak to any sorts of critters, no matter how much she might wish she did. But that was just the sort of idiosyncratic difference between the two worlds that Sunset was slowly growing accustomed to. Being born in this world of magic, it surprised her how often it was catching her off guard. She'd been gone longer than she thought.
Earlier that day, Sunset had been speaking with Twilight about the similarities between their respective friend groups. It was something Sunset had wondered about since she'd first learned about Twilight's friends, and surely Twilight had wondered about it for much longer.
"It seems that the two realities have parallel histories in a lot of places," the princess said, "and yet, they differ a lot too. For example, your world's Celestia has a much smaller influence than our Celestia. They’re so different, and yet they have so many counterparts to each other."
"So, someone like you could be a princess in one world and a mere exchange student in the other." Twilight's double in the human world had joined Canterlot High late in the year, soon becoming a good friend of Sunset. She was a poor substitute for the Twilight in front of her, but Sunset soon learned to think of her as a different person who just happened to look, sound, and act like the princess.
It was tough sometimes.
"Yes," Twilight said, "exactly like that." The meeting of the two Twilights--occurring not long after their Twilight transferred--was awkward at first, but as soon as they found common ground, which as it turned out were numerous, they came to get along very quickly.
It occurred to Sunset that she had never actually met her own counterpart. Oh sure, she had searched, but that search had mainly extended to the school records and the area immediately surrounding her. She hadn't found another Sunset there, and now she was glad that she hadn't. She dreaded to think what she might have done to the poor girl.
A splash of water snapped her wandering mind back to the present. The source was Pinkie Pie, who had taken an interest in sharing the cool water with her friends. Further down the beach, Rarity was visibly annoyed at the interruption of her sunbathing, as was Twilight, whose book would have been significantly dampened if she hadn’t placed waterproofing spells over it. Sunset giggled, amused by the scene. Her gaze then moved towards the horizon. It was such a lovely day, and even if she weren’t spending it with the equivalents of these ponies she was familiar with, she could still think of no personalities she’d rather be here with.
She did not regret the decision to come here one bit.
Sunset woke up the next morning feeling a distinct lack of the early morning grogginess that she had grown accustomed to. More satisfied with her sleep than she had been in a while, she wasted no time reaching the kitchen, where she found eggs, cheese, spinach, green onion and peppers, which she used to cook herself an omelette. She found cutlery in a drawer, briefly noting the relative mundanity of the furniture compared to the castle walls. The wooden furniture looked not unlike the counter and drawers that Rarity or Rainbow Dash had back at home, complete with a granite countertop. Sitting down at the table, she dug into her food, and when she looked up again, she jumped as she saw Twilight suddenly standing across from her.
“Oh, um, h-hi Twilight,” she stammered.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I startle you?” she asked.
“Erm,” Sunset mumbled, “kinda.”
“Oh, sorry about that,”
"N-no, it's fine!" Sunset blurted out the words. "You don't need to apologize.” Right now, Sunset didn't want the princess to feel she had any need to apologize to her. Twilight had made her life better in immeasurable ways, and ultimately had saved Sunset from herself. That Twilight was so willing to give her a second chance, and then to accept her friendship... it filled Sunset with feelings she had not been able to understand at first.
Later, after their friendship grew, so did the feelings. She developed a distinct crush on the princess. But there was no way Twilight would return her affection. She was interested in Flash Sentry, the guitar-playing doofus who went to Sunset's school. Sunset knew it wasn’t serious, but even then, surely Twilight was too busy with her duties to think seriously about romance.
"Why are you blushing?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. Sunset froze. What would she say? Should she just admit her feelings? She was afraid of what Twilight might say, but...
She sighed. Twilight would want her to be open and honest, she knew. She just hoped their friendship would stay the same. "I..." Sunset began. She then looked Twilight in the eyes. "I… really like you, Twilight. I mean, not like I like the others. I mean..." She paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “I think I love you.”
Twilight was silent. Her shocked expression, turning now to discomfort, confirmed Sunset's worst fears. Her expression dropped. "I-I mean, I know you like Flash, and you don't have to feel the same way but-"
"I have to go," Twilight interrupted, and she ran out of the room. Sunset began to cry.
As soon as she began sobbing, however, she heard another voice. "Sunset Shimmer, correct?" it asked.
Sunset looked up, and saw a figure she had only previously known from books. A pony whom she knew in a different form in another world, but whom had existed here before her time. Princess Luna. Sunset nodded in answer to Luna's question.
"Is this all a dream?" Sunset asked. Luna nodded, and Sunset sighed with relief.
"However," Luna said, "nightmares like this reveal real fears. You fear this is what will happen if you confess to Twilight Sparkle, do you not?" Sunset nodded again, but still said nothing. She was sinking further into the uncomfortable wooden chair, though as soon as she wished it were less unpleasant it was made of soft velvet.
Luna nodded with understanding. "Twilight may not share your feelings, but she would not be insensitive. You know this." Sunset nodded, but a look of uncertainty remained on her face. She still shouldn't tell Twilight, she thought. Twilight wasn't interested in her, and besides, she's busy anyway, being a princess and all. Luna’s own expression turned to concern at Sunset’s continued agitation.
"Perhaps you should speak to one of Twilight’s friends about your feelings. I know that Rarity might have some advice.” Sunset cringed. If this Rarity was anything like the one she knew, then her advice was not exactly what Sunset needed right now. Luna furrowed her eyebrows. “On second thought, that may not be best. Perhaps you might consider writing Princess Cadance, as some other ponies do. She might want to hear about it anyways considering that your affections are towards her husband’s sister.”
Although Sunset knew Cadance more recently as the Dean of Crystal Prep Academy, she also had sharp memories of an alicorn not too much older than her from her days as Celestia’s pupil. These weren’t pleasant memories, and with them came a new sensation of guilt. Still, Cadance was the princess of love, so if anyone would have good advice, it would be her. “I’ll consider it,” Sunset said, finally. She wasn’t ready to do anything yet.
Luna again nodded. Having lived as long as she had, the emotions Sunset was feeling weren’t unfamiliar to her, and she knew dealing with them could be difficult. But those experiences freshest in her mind were from a perspective not entirely relatable to the much younger pony. “I wish you the best,” she said, and the dream faded. Sunset’s eyes fluttered open, and she found herself lying snugly in the bed which Twilight had given her to sleep in. It was a new day, and Sunset Shimmer had no idea what she would do.
As it turned out, what she would do was not much at all. Although Sunset had not had any sort of ambitious plan for what exactly she would do once she arrived in Equestria, she did have a small checklist in her head, about half of which was invalidated once she realized she was not in Canterlot. Ponyville was largely unfamiliar to her, but thankfully there were a few points of similarity. Around noon, she was strolling through the midday market when her stomach started to rumble. I could really go for a burger right about now, she thought.
Thankfully, to her absolute delight, there was a fast food restaurant right in the middle of Market Street. A couple minutes later, she was diving into a hayburger, an item of food which might not have been too exciting to her when she lived in Equestria but which tasted utterly exotic now that she had been without equine taste buds for a few years. Once she had finished, she noticed that her tray was an absolute mess of hay and toppings, with splatters of ketchup and mustard all over and even a pickle having fallen off. Shrugging, she grabbed the pickle and gulped it down before shaking the remaining residue into the garbage bin. As she walked out, however, she was seen by Twilight, who shot her a look of utter disgust.
“Really, Sunset? You went to that dump?” Sunset froze in bewilderment. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but then Twilight continued. “Ugh. Remind me tonight and I’ll show you a real fast food restaurant.” Sunset’s mouth closed. She had absolutely no idea how to react to that.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
“Good,” Twilight said, smirking. “Now, has anything caught your eye?”
“I wasn’t really looking,” Sunset said. The noon market consisted largely of grocers, farmers, and food vendors, and Sunset, being on vacation and all, was only interested in the latter. “I was hoping to get a better feel for Ponyville by taking a walk, but it seems like I already sort of know half the village. It’s like I never left school.”
Twilight chuckled. “I remember feeling the same way when I first crossed the mirror.”
“Yeah, it was the same for me when I first saw Principal Celestia. Among… others.”
“Did you see some old friends there?”
Sunset sighed. “I didn’t really have friends until you and the girls. You know how I was.”
Twilight’s smile faded. “Oh. Right. But you’re not the same person who you were, Sunset.”
For a brief moment, the two mares made eye contact. Both fell silent, not fully registering the action. Sunset felt lost in Twilight’s brilliant purple eyes, sparkling with intelligence and magic power beyond her comprehension. It was Twilight who looked away, far later than Sunset would have anticipated, and sporting more than a slight blush. That last fact didn’t register to Sunset, but it didn’t escape the notice of another who had walked in on them.
“Oh, isn’t that precious!” said Discord, in his usual tone of condescending amusement. He received glances of mixed confusion and annoyance in return. “Oh, I’m sorry, was I interrupting? I would hate to break up this special moment.”
Sunset stared, not quite processing that she was meeting Discord in person. He was dressed in a toga and holding a bow with a heart-tipped arrow. The ridiculous image made the draconequus’ appearance less frightening than it might have been to her, and she knew that he was allegedly reformed now, but a large part of her still saw him as the malicious spirit of chaos which she had learned about. Twilight, meanwhile, merely glared daggers at him, prompting him to take a step back. He switched his outfit to an aloha shirt, bermuda shorts, and sunglasses, then noticed exactly who the other pony was.
“Oh, my, I haven’t seen you here in awhile, Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset’s pupils dilated. Twilight raised an eyebrow, asking the question on her mind. “You saw her here before?”
“I was turned to stone, not dead. Magical petrification gives you a certain… awareness of your surroundings. Can’t say I would recommend it. Gets a little cramped.” Twilight rolled her eyes, but broke a small smile. Sunset remained apprehensive, which Discord was not amused by. “Oh, c’mon, Sunset, lighten up a little. I won’t bite.”
Sunset stared silently.
“No, really, I won’t!”
Noticing that Discord had, in fact, made no attempt to bite her, Sunset eased slightly. “Sorry,” she said, “I’m not used to you being so… benign.” Sunset paused for a moment. “Actually, I’m not really used to you in general.”
“Oh, how rude of me. I should introduce myself. I am Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony, currently reformed through the efforts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Although, it was more Fluttershy than anyone else.” That last part was mumbled aside to Sunset, but Twilight still heard it, and made her irritation known by rolling her eyes. Discord’s smirk didn’t move an inch. “Oh, don’t be like that, Twilight. You know you love me.”
Twilight sighed. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Sunset giggled.
“See, she gets it,” Discord said, pointing his thumb at Sunset. Twilight smiled again, until Discord began speaking again. “So, what exactly was that scene I walked in on? You two were staring into each other’s eyes so tenderly.” Discord paused, then his smirk broadened into a full-on grin. “Oh, it’s just so perfect. Celestia’s greatest success and her latest failure, brought together by the former’s goodness.” Midway through the last word, his grin turned to a scowl, as if he suddenly realized he didn’t like what he was saying. “How utterly saccharine.”
Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle’s faces reddened consecutively, resulting in the return of Discord’s smirk. Sunset tried not to show the anxiety she felt at Discord describing her feelings so accurately, but knew that her discomfort must be obvious. She expected that Twilight would be shocked by the accusation and immediately deny it, but once again, the ambiguity of the princess’s actions surprised her.
“Go away, Discord,” Twilight said. Discord’s smile fell. He was taken aback by her sudden harshness, but quickly regained his composure, rolling his eyes.
He cleared his throat. “Well, I can see when I’m not wanted. Good luck with the date tonight!” He skated off, suddenly wearing rollerblades and a helmet. He smiled to himself, knowing without seeing that the two had become very flustered.
Sunset’s eyes widened, processing what Discord had just said. I’m not going on a date with Twilight, she thought. We’re just going to grab dinner together at her favourite restaurant. Sunset smiled, confident in that understanding, until realization hit her. She looked at Twilight, who was blushing just as hard as she was, and who deliberately avoided her gaze as her brows furrowed in frustration. Finally, Twilight made eye contact with Sunset.
“Uh, I’ve got to get back to the library and, um, sort my books. See you tonight!” Before Sunset could respond, Twilight had already sped off, leaving Sunset to contemplate what had just happened.
“Tonight” came quickly. The “real fast food restaurant” which Twilight had spoken about turned out to be Greasy Hay’s Burger Emporium, which she insisted had the absolute best hayburgers in the town. “You’d have to go all the way to Manehattan to find anything this good,” she said. Once she and Sunset had ordered and sat down at a table, the latter made a concentrated effort to avoid eye contact. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get Discord’s leaving words out of her mind. Thankfully, Twilight was too absorbed in her burger to notice, much to Sunset’s relief. Twilight’s face was covered in sauce and grease, and her messy eating would have resulted in a tray covered in toppings if she hadn’t caught each and every one of them. Sunset found it endearing. Twilight paused for a moment and looked at Sunset.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked. Sunset blinked twice and realized that she had been staring, and instead of answering, she picked up her burger and took a bite, and the world melted away. Twilight was right: Greasy Hay’s burgers left the ones from the market in the dust. Although it had the usual toppings of tomato, pickle, ketchup and mustard, the onions were deep fried and breaded, and the hay was also topped with fried carrots and mushrooms. Sunset took another bite before she had even fully swallowed the previous, although midway through said bite she noticed Twilight grinning at her.
“See? I told you it’s good.”
Sunset nodded enthusiastically. “So good,” she said, mouth still full of food. Twilight giggled, provoking Sunset to blush with embarrassment.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Twilight said. “I’m not exactly the most mannered eater, either.”
Sunset was about to take another bite when a question came to mind. “You know, although your friends have the same names as the girls back at CHS, there’s a lot of differences. I mean, the other Twilight isn’t a princess, so I wonder. Is there anything else like that with your friends?”
“Well, for one thing, Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt.”
Sunset dropped her burger, mouth agape.
“I mean, she’s still in the reserves, but she’s become very popular for a reserve. I hear she has quite the fan base. Oh, and Rarity’s fashion line has gotten a lot of buzz in Canterlot and Manehattan.”
Sunset merely stared at Twilight.
“The others are pretty well known around Ponyville, but they’re not really Equestria-renowned in the same way. Aside from having helped save the world a few times and being the friends of a princess, that is.”
“Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt?!” Sunset exclaimed, finally. Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled.
“Kinda, yeah.”
“Wow,” Sunset said breathlessly. This provoked another giggle from Twilight. While Sunset recovered from learning this new information, Twilight took another bite out of her burger.
“So, were you just going to stay in Ponyville your whole trip? It’s not exactly the most exciting of destinations.”
This brought Sunset back to attention. “I hadn’t really thought about that. Maybe I could to go back to Canterlot. See if anything I remember is still there, y’know?”
“Canterlot is only a short train ride away from here,” Twilight noted. “I could give you a tour if you decide to go.”
Sunset nodded. “I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Do give me some advance notice, though. I’ll need to prepare myself for the trip.”
“Alright, Twilight,” Sunset said. As she gazed at Twilight, she felt a pang of longing. No, this wasn’t a date, but she wished it were. But that will never happen, thought Sunset.
“Are you gonna finish that?” Twilight said, referring to Sunset’s burger. The princess had moved on to her second, which was far from the last. Sunset picked up her burger, and made an exaggerated bite to indicate that yes, she had every intention of finishing it. “Oh well,” Twilight said, “it was worth a shot.”
It was a quiet day at the post office. The mailmare, Muffins, munched one of her namesake at the desk, unburdened by customers, until a cloaked mare entered the building.
“Hello!” Muffins called. “How can I help you?”
The cloaked figure walked up to the desk. Muffins saw her face, but her yellow coat and red-and-yellow mane were unfamiliar. “I’d like to send this,” she said, handing Muffins a letter. The mailmare looked at the mailing information:
PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA
13 CASTLE STREET
CRYSTAL EMPIRE
EQUESTRIA
“That’ll be one bit!” she said. The cloaked pony handed Muffins the money. “Thanks! Have a great day, Ms... “ Muffins looked at the envelope again. “Ms. Sunset!”
When she looked up, though, Sunset Shimmer had already left.