The warmth of the sauna was really relaxing, as was the silence inside the small room. I had been alone with my eyes closed, lying on the small wooden benches for a moment now. I was thinking about everything that had happened since yesterday afternoon. The more I was thinking about it, the more I was feeling like I was missing a point so obvious that a foal would've noticed it. I sighed as I slightly got up.
The door opened to let somepony in. In the second my human counterpart came inside, water condensed on her glasses. She groaned and lowered her head to wipe it, but as I expected it was a difficult move for her to perform. I took her glasses with my telekinesis while smiling at her:
"Here, let me help you with that."
"Who's there? I can't see without my glasses."
I wiped the condensation with a spell and put it back on her muzzle. She blinked a few times and stared at me. She said with a flat tone:
"Oh. You are here. Great."
"Thank you will be enough."
"Is Sunset around? I am looking for her."
"I have no idea. I wanted to be alone to think, so I left the girls in the main room. Maybe they are having a massage."
Twilight remained silence for a moment, glancing between me and the door behind her. She closed her eyes while her horn begun to glow. The towel on her back levitated slowly and made its way to a hanger outside the sauna. I chuckled heartily, she was truly gifted or she was a quick learner. In less than a day, she managed to learn the basics of telekinesis. She sat in front of me and asked with an offended voice:
"What are you laughing at?"
"You are really talented. Your levitation isn't perfect, but it's really impressive for a beginner."
"And is that laughable? I don't think so."
"Have I done something wrong to you?" I asked bluntly. "You are acting as if we were enemies but we have hardly talked to each other. Every time you are looking at me or talking to me, I have the feeling I only inspire you disdain."
"It is not as if it would matter to you." She replied harshly.
"It does. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be making efforts to understand what is going on." I exposed calmly with a small smile. "We are going to spend at least one week together, so maybe we should try at least to get along, don't you think?"
She didn't answer right away; she looked at her hooves in silence. Maybe she was very shy with me, or at least disturbed. I could understand it, since I was experiencing the same. But as the one native from this world, I was the one who had to reach for her and not the opposite. I tried to give her my warmest smile:
"So... What do you think of Equestria so far? I know you haven't seen much, but it is quite different from your world, isn't it?"
She nodded simply, without quitting looking at her hooves. I sighed internally and gave it a new shot:
"Well... I remember when I went to Earth that I felt very... disparate?" I laughed alone at the memory of the first time I saw - and felt fingers on my hooves, or hands? "I believe it's the same for you, is it?"
Again, she answered nothing and simply looked around, as if she was searching something more interesting in the steam. I groaned. Trying to befriend myself was more disturbing than fun and she wasn't making it easier. I really wanted to do it though, it would be difficult but I could do it. Maybe all I needed was another pony who went along with her to help me.
My alter ego stood in front of the door for several seconds stomping her right forehoof on the ground. I was searching another idea to continue the conversation when she looked me in the eye and asked firmly:
"What kind of relationship do you with Sunset Shimmer?"
"Wait... What kind of relationship do I have...?" I stammered. She caught me off guard with an unexpected, strange question. "You mean what kind of friendship? How often we are talking?"
"Just answer. It will be enough."
"You don't have to be harsh to ask a question."
She glared at me several seconds, before letting a sigh out and turning around. She was about to leave the room when I quickly answer, I didn't want to lose an opportunity to understand what was going on.
"We usually talk using the book. It is similar to the texts you can send with your mobile phone." I tried to explain using an analogy with technologies of her world. I hoped I didn't mess up the ideas as I went on. "So far, I think we are good friends, maybe not as close as you and Sunset are though. I can't tell that only talking by disconnected interfaces - letters and books - develops friendship as quickly as physical presence."
She didn't say anything; she stood still for a while, making me feeling uncomfortable. I got up and came a little bit closer. I knew I said to myself I was going to not interfere with their relationship but... I was able to say that the other Twilight Sparkle was overprotective with Sunset. I was of course protective when it came to my friends, but it was on a whole different level with her. I lean toward her and asked.
"Is everything okay?"
"Just friends, uh? Likely story." She answered right away, avoiding my eyes. "That sure explains why she left in such a hurry."
"Look Twilight." I told her as I raised her head with my hoof. "I really, really want to understand what the matter is. And frankly, it is getting ridiculous. But I think we won't go anywhere if we continue like this... Why don't you take a sit? We could talk and get to know each other."
"Why are you acting like it actually matters to you?" She asked weakly.
"Because it does. I understood that... Well... there's something that makes you acting differently when it comes to Sunset Shimmer." I pointed out, wanting to show that I was being honest. "But I can't tell exactly what, and I may not be the pony who should know. For now, I just want to befriend you, to show you Equestria. I can understand that you are not comfortable with me; I reckon it is disturbing to have another myself in the room. But remember, I'm not you. We may share a name, but we don’t share the same history or ways of thinking. Come on and thrust me on this one."
"Do you promise that you aren't lying?" She said flatly, looking me in the eyes with an irritated yet sad glare.
"Hoof to heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" I pinkie-promised her. I was too happy to see her lowering her suspicion.
"Hum... I'll take it as a yes, I guess?" She raised her eyebrow.
I laughed in embarrassment, feeling my cheeks turning red a little. A pinkie promise was surprising if not destabilizing the first time you heard one. I sat down on the benches again, followed by the lavender unicorn who took place in front of me. She rubbed her arm clumsily while looking at me in silence, again. I couldn't help to feel some sympathy for her; I couldn't argue that being thrown into a world that changed even your own body was a pleasant experience.
I managed after a few attempts to break the ice by talking with her about the physics paradoxes linked to Celestia and Luna in comparison with the laws of her world. It was a very fascinating question that occupied us for a long moment. I noticed that, as long as she and I didn't mention Sunset Shimmer, Twilight wasn't more aggressive than any pony. I could even say she had a stunningly interesting conversation, though I was certainly biased since we had a lot in common. An eerie thought came up to me several times as we were talking. How could we be so alike even if a whole interdimensional was usually standing in between us? Were some transcendental forces upon us and manipulating our fates?
At the end of the day, we knew each other more. I was confident she now trusted me; she understood that I wasn't a threat whatever was going on with Sunset Shimmer. I wasn't sure of exactly how the end of the week would be like but there wouldn't be arguments and angry glares anymore at the very least… I hoped so.