"Where am I?"
It wasn't the most original thing to say when waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, but Sunset couldn't think of anything better. Sitting up with a loud yawn, she rubbed her eyes clean and took a better look around. The bed she was lying on was propped up against the wall with a lamp directly behind it. Beyond the bed's foot was a box of toys that didn't really interest her. A clothes closet sat next to the bed, and a bookshelf sat next to that. To her left were a pair of teddy bears, both so cute and fluffy. And on the floor next to the bed sat a dinner plate holding two slices of pie.
Leaning down, she picked up the plate and placed it beside her on the bed. She could still see tiny wisps of steam rising from the pastry. The outer golden-brown pie crust made a nice contrast to the darker pallet of the slice and dollops of whipped cream on top. Moving her face closer, she felt her mouth begin to water. Her stomach, deprived of sustenance for days, grumbled in anticipation of the food. She took a whiff to confirm the flavor and found her nose's attention divided.
"Is that butterscotch? No wait, cinnamon. A butterscotch-cinnamon pie?" Whichever it was, it looked delicious. She couldn't wait any longer. Carefully, so it wouldn't fall apart, she picked up one of the pieces, slowly slide it into her mouth, and bit down.
It tasted just...just like....
Sunset stood in an empty washroom, rubbing streaks of mud off of her face while unsuccessfully trying not to cry. If she'd known that becoming the Princess's protege meant dealing with prejudiced unicorns, she would have had second thoughts about applying. Every insult, prank, or punch they threw at her sank into her spirit and soiled her day. She wished she wasn't so weak, wanting more than anything to see them made humble. Oftentimes, she'd construct fantasies of paying them back fourfold for every moment of her suffering. But for now, all she could do was seek solstice in her mentor's presence.
Speaking of the Princess, the low hum of the kitchen's oven indicated that she was preparing something scrumptious. Yes, despite the insistence of the palace cooks on doing everything themselves, Equestria's ruler had secretly learned how to cook for herself. It had taken some time and several bunt dishes; but at last, she had mastered that skill as she had with her others. It was there she stood now, waiting for Sunset to join her. Once the latter had finished cleaning herself, she walked to the kitchen and opened the door.
Celestia smiled upon seeing her and beckoned Sunset closer. On the table before her sat a delicious looking pie. One whiff and a smile told Sunset all she needed to know.
"Apple-cinnamon. You remembered."
"Of course I remembered." Celestia carefully cut a slice for Sunset and one for herself. "The last time we had it was when we opened presents on Hearth's Warming Day. It was right after you passed your first test as my pupil."
"Uh-huh." Sunset mumbled, her mouth full of pie. Sweet cinnamon and crisp apple slices slide across her tongue. How good it felt. Warm, sweet, and comforting. Moments like these made the hardships worth it. Just her, Celestia, and a nice meal at--
"Home." That was it. The pie tasted like home.
After finishing the first piece, she decided to save the second one for later. Something that special couldn't be eaten all at once. Besides, she wasn't hungry anymore anyway. More than that, all of her injuries were gone too. How one slice of pie was able to heal her completely, she didn't know, but she still needed to figure out where she was. Taking the plate with her, she pushed down the covers and stood up.
The bedroom door creaked at her touch, complaining loudly as it struck its hinges. She paid it no mind as she moved through its mouth. To the left of her room was another one, and a third door sat at the end of the hall. She thought about tiptoeing, but the lights being on kinda made stealth pointless.
Her first stop was the second room. In contrast to the orange hue of hers, this one was blue. The bed was bigger too, possibly queen-sized. A bookshelf sat in the back full of encyclopedias.
I'll bet Twilight would love those. She thought with a sigh. On the desk next to her was an open book. One quick skim later, she groaned from an onslaught of incredibly lame puns. A dresser stood next to the shelf. And on top of that-
"Aaaaah-CHOO!" was another gold flower.
So my injuries are gone, but now I'm allergic. Just great. Though I suppose sneezing beats getting killed. Perhaps falling onto the flowerbed before had been the catalyst. Maybe it was Flowey, she didn't know. With nothing else to see there, she left the room.
The last room in the hall was closed for renovations, and the only other object of note was a mirror at the very end of the hall. Upon seeing her reflection, she become uncomfortably aware of her lack of recent hygiene. Her hair was unkempt, her clothes were blood-stained, and her mouth felt like a slug had taken up residence within it. Leaning closer to the mirror, she examined herself in more detail.
It's me. Chara.
"Huh?" A shake of her head brought her back to her senses. For a moment, she'd seen herself with red eyes and brown hair. Was she hallucinating thanks to her near-death experience? Well if that was the case, then maybe it was time for a little more sleep. Without another word, she returned to her room and slipped back under the covers.
"Wake up, my child."
The bothersome intrusion into slumberland only elicited a grunt of annoyance.
"Wake up please." This one came with a small shake.
A few rays of light filtered into her field of vision. Groaning, she tried to turn away. "Gluuuugh. Comeonmom. Idon'twannagotoschool. Justfivemoreminutes."
"'Mom'? Uh yes 'Mom.' Come on little one. Wake up for 'Mom.'"
"Noooooo," she moaned. "Idon'twanna."
"All right then, you leave me no choice." The cozy warmth of the covers gave way to a cool rush of air as Sunset's feet were exposed.
Her eyes snapped open. "Oh no."
"Tickle tickle tickle."
"Wait stop! AH-HA HA HA HA HA! PLEASE! HAH HAH HAH HAH! MERCY! HA HA HA HA! I CAN'T TAKE IT!"
After thirty agonizing seconds of torment, whoever it was let her go. "Are you awake now?"
"YES! Uh, yes I'm awake." Sunset sat up, curling her knees up, and looked into the eyes of her caretaker.
Or rather caregoat. Although her appearance was mostly humanoid, she had a pair of horns atop her head. Her ears too were long and droopy, stretching all the way to her chin. Her nose also extended slightly out of her face.
Sunset was about to comment on such an oddity; but then, she remembered that a pony-turned-human that could grow pony ears and a tail probably looked just as weird. So instead, she decided to go for a simple--
"Who are you?"
The goat-woman smiled. "I am Toriel, the caretaker of the Ruins."
"The Ruins?" Sunset scratched her head. "Is that where I landed?"
"Yes, it is. And it is also where you are now."
"Did you save me from that Flower?"
Toriel nodded. "I did. And might I just say, what a horrible creature to torment such an innocent youth."
She didn't know why, but for some reason, Sunset felt warmth spread through her chest at those words. "Thank you. So was the butterscotch pie you too?"
This time her smile held a trace of sadness. "It was. Butterscotch was my son's favorite flavor while he was growing up. Cinnamon was his best friend's. So, I decided to combine them together. Did you like it?"
"'Like it'? That's a massive understatement. It was delicious. It was so good, I couldn't bring myself to eat the second piece."
Then came a chuckle. "Well, food doesn't go stale down here, so feel free to eat it whenever you want. Is there anything else you need?"
"Um, yes actually." Sunset stared down at her dirty outfit. "Do you have a change of clothes I could borrow?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Toriel opened the dresser and pulled out an outfit. There was a blue shirt with pink stripes and a black pair of pants. "These belonged to my son's closest friend; hopefully, they should fit you too."
"Huh. Out of curiosity, what was this friend's name?"
"Their name was Frisk."