//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Guiding Light // by Havokwithak //------------------------------// Twilight watched as the wonder-struck unicorn bounded through the halls of her castle with a goofy grin on her face. Even at the familiar sight of her face Twilight still could not withhold a chuckle at the mare's enthusiasm. "I think she likes it." Rainbow mumbled as she tried in vain to suppress one of a long string of yawns. "I think so too." Twilight mumbled. She cleared her throat and called, "Sunset Shimmer." before the unicorn bounced back to her. "Yes, princess?" she asked as she stopped short before the two mares. Twilight wondered for a moment how somepony who was shot could have this much energy. "Twilight." Twilight said firmly. "Sorry, Twilight." Sunset said. Twilight chuckled quietly, "It's fine." she said. "I need you to go pick your room. Then, I would like you to join Rainbow Dash and I in my room." "Why your room?" Rainbow asked. "Because, after she gets situated, I'm going to bed." Twilight explained. "You guys do look tired." Sunset said, suddenly her face twisted into a frown. "It's my fault isn't it?" she asked. "You were both taking care of me and you didn't get any sleep." "Don't feel bad." Rainbow said, clumsily throwing a wing on the mare's back. "It's what friends are for." "She got less sleep than I did." Twilight explained as Sunset tried to support the pegasus. "I got about an hour before you came through the portal," which Twilight was grateful was now closed, "and then I got about three while you were in the hospital." she said. "Which I still don't get." Rainbow mumbled. "I gave you a ton of sedatives. You should have been out all day." "Alicorn metabolism, Dash." Twilight smiled. "Just another perk of being a princess." "T's not fair." Rainbow slurred. "Now that I think about it, Dash, did you get any sleep?" Twilight asked as the three began to move through the castle. Rainbow nodded, "Yeah, I got about thirty minutes after Sunset made that wall." "When did you sleep before that?" Twilight asked. "A couple days ago. I've been getting ready for my new flying routine and I've only been power-napping." she explained as she tripped over her own hooves, nearly dragging Sunset to the ground. "Sorry." she mumbled to the unicorn. "You're alright." Sunset said as she limped the pegasus towards the end of the hallway. "We're almost there, Sunset." Twilight said as she entered her room. It was probably the most modest room in the castle, with only a desk, a bed, a chair, and a couple bookshelves, it truly matched it's owner's personality. Twilight gestured for the unicorn to deposit the barely conscious pegasus on her bed. "She can stay there." Twilight said. Sunset merely nodded. "I wanted you to go pick a room first, but I appreciate you helping with Rainbow." Twilight said. Suddenly her horn flared up and Sunset was surrounded by violet light. "What is this?" she asked as she experimentally ran her hoof through the magic. As quickly as it had appeared it dispersed once again. "Just a precaution." Twilight explained. "If you try to leave the castle, I'll know. Now I can sleep knowing you won't leave while I'm out." "So, I'm a prisoner?" Sunset asked, her face betraying her annoyance. "No." Twilight said with a smile. "You can leave any time you want. You just have to let me know where you're going." "That's fair." Sunset said as Twilight curled herself up on the edge of her bed next to Rainbow. "So, should I go pick my room now?" Twilight nodded and nudged Dash. "Dash, go pick out your own room." she mumbled. Rainbow shook her head and pulled the alicorn to her. "I'm staying here. I'm already comfy." she slurred. Sunset smiled at the sight of the two ponies curled up together, snoozing happily. Ponies are adorable, she thought to herself. Wait! I'm a pony now, am I adorable too? It was true that the only time she had seen her pony reflection she had been focused on other things entirely. Maybe she could find a mirror and see just how cute she was now. Her eyes lingered over the two ponies, asleep already, and then she left the room. She wondered at the last time she had been held as the two other ponies held each other, and she wondered how normal it was for platonic friends to hold each other in this world. She wished they would hold her like they held each other, she could really use the comfort after the time she had had recently. She knew she should want to leave this world, however it was already better than the one she had left. She already had two ponies in this world who cared about her and worried for her. Sure, it did seem like Twilight had some problem with her, but she also seemed to care. Sunset remember briefly the sound of her voice as she cried for Sunset when she first appeared in this world. She casually walked the halls of the castle, searching for a room with a mirror. As she passed one door she noticed stairs at the end of the hallway. She remembered the words of the princess and realized that she had free reign of the castle aside from a room on that floor. She might as well check out the rest of the floors. As the large as the castle looked from the outside, Sunset assumed there were many floors. Walking up the stairs, Sunset realized her wound was stretching and winced as she felt a small pool of blood drip from the wound. Maybe she would stick to the first two floors for now. She reached the top of the stairs and entered the first room she encountered. The room itself was minimal, a bed, a desk, and some bookshelves. The room did have a walk- in closet with no clothes, and a large bathroom with a shower. She explored the room for a moment and decided this would be a good room for her. She had very little at the moment and she did not need much space. She experimentally pushed on the bed with her hooves and quickly discovered it was the most comfortable mattress she had ever laid hands on... or hooves. She quickly and awkwardly pulled herself onto the bed and pulled the covers around her. She quickly discovered that her pain medicine was wearing off and as such she was growing drowsy. Maybe I should stop exploring for now, she thought, after all, I probably won't sleep long. I can look around some more when I wake up. She looked to the window and saw the sun was barely above the tip of the large window. It wasn't even noon yet, but she knew she would sleep soon. It had been too wild for the past few days and she had no energy left. She thought of the princess as she felt the exhaustion sink in. She wondered not for the first nor last time, how a pony could be beautiful. The last thing she had remembered before waking in the hospital was still haunting her mind. An explosion that left her savior only a black silhouette. Large wings spread as if to protect the one cowering in the floor behind her and a violet light shining through the room and then only blackness and a voice, crying and screaming her name. After that she woke up to meet Rainbow Dash. She had grown found of the pegasus almost immediately after her panic attack, and she had found pleasant conversation and information on her savior with the mare. Then, there was Twilight. Beautiful with a grace that seemed to come from nowhere and Sunset had noted she carried herself with power. Not political power, but actual power. She was a pony with the strength to protect what she cared about. Sunset fell asleep with thoughts of a pony princess in her mind and a smile on her face. The sun had set when she awoke again. She rolled over in her bed to make sure she was still in Equestria. She knew she was, but she needed to be sure. Seeing the large crystal walls and the breathtaking view out her window she smiled. She was rapidly growing attached to this world, and maybe even to this room itself. She hoped after her week was up she could talk to the princess about renting it somehow. She also would need a job after her week, unless of course, the princess allowed her to keep doing chores to pay her way... chores she hadn't actually done yet. Then again, she hadn't seen anything that needed cleaning on her way up here. Maybe Twilight just wanted her to run errands? She had no idea, but she didn't think she would mind doing whatever it was the princess wanted. She grinned as the adorable image of the two ponies cuddling popped back into her mind. This led her to remember that she had originally been searching for a mirror. She grinned as she imagined how cute she must be as a pony and walked awkwardly towards the bathroom. She should walk some more to get used to her new hooves. She entered the bathroom and realized there was no mirror. There was a sink, a toilet, and a shower with a few bottles of shampoo and conditioner on a shelf and a large tub. "What kind of bathroom doesn't have a mirror?" Sunset asked aloud in her annoyance. She sighed as she left the room and searched for a room with a mirror once more. As she exited the room she realized that the one right next to hers (she wondered briefly on how she had already claimed the room) was the only one in the hall that had a lock. The door looked just the same as all of the others aside from a small keyhole under the knob. Sunset was curious as to what was behind this door, but she knew better than to break one of the few rules that Twilight had given her, especially when she had not even been there for a full twenty-four hours yet. She ignored the room and decided to check the rooms downstairs for a mirror. After she had gone down the stairs and poked her head into a few rooms she realized that none of them had a mirror either. She 'tsked' quietly and wondered into, what she could only assume, was the throne room. Seven crystal thrones sat before a round table each with a unique mark on the back aside from one which was blank. Two of them she recognized as the marks on Twilight and Rainbow Dash, but the other four she did not know. She looked closely at the thrones and the table itself and wondered what things were like in this castle. Could Twilight be the King Arthur of this world? Sunset considered the possibility amazing. She noticed the large tree roots hanging in the middle of the room and stepped closer for a better look. There were gems hanging from the roots, all of them containing pictures. One picture in particular caught Sunset's eye. It was a picture of six ponies, two she recognized, sitting together in the grass. What really caught Sunset's attention with this photo was Twilight. She looked smaller and had no wings in this picture. Hadn't Rainbow mentioned that her wings were new? She wondered how that worked. Did Twilight just use some kind of magic to grow them? Is that what made her a princess? Sunset laughed to herself at the thought, she doubted it was anything as silly as that. She wondered off out of the room and proceeded down the hall when she noticed one door was cracked slightly open. Curious, Sunset stepped closer to the door and looked inside. Twilight was sitting on the floor of, what looked like, a library. She was staring at a large mirror and talking. Sunset was not usually the type to eavesdrop, but the princess looked to be crying as she spoke to the mirror. "It really did help, talking to you like this yesterday." she said, her voice barely quivering as she spoke. "I know it's not healthy to keep this up, but I don't know how to function without you anymore. I miss you..." Sunset slid further into the room, trying her best to be quiet so as not to disturb the princess. She knew she already liked Twilight and she didn't like seeing her upset like this. She told herself she was just listening in to learn if there was something she could help the pony with. "I've been thinking a lot about you lately, especially the past two days. It's harder now, since she showed up." Twilight continued. Was she talking about Sunset Shimmer? How did her showing up make anything harder on the princess? "I know she needs my help though and that's what I'm going to give her. In a week I may send her back, or I may give her a job and free roam of the town. I wish I could talk to you about it." Twilight stretched and ruffled her wings. "It's all because of these." she said as she gestured to her wings. "Sometimes, I really wish I had never got them." Sunset felt a hoof drop on her shoulder and she jumped quietly before turning to see Rainbow shaking her head and gesturing out of the room. Sunset nodded and walked away. When the pair had reached the room that Sunset had claimed Rainbow spoke. "What were you doing?" she asked. "I was looking for a mirror." Sunset confessed. "The only one I could find was that one though, and when I got there Twilight was..." Rainbow nodded and laid a hoof on the young girl once again. "I know you probably just wanted to help," she said, "but, I promise, you would have only made her feel worse. It's nothing against you, she just really needs to be alone when she gets like that. We've all tried, and she's been doing a lot better the past few months, but she still isn't over it." "What happened?" Sunset asked. She felt an ache in her heart for the princess. She knew what pain looked like, what true pain was, and she saw it hanging on the alicorn like a web. She wanted to help. "Sorry," Rainbow said with a small shake of her head. "That's her business to share, not mine." Rainbow smiled at the small unicorn, "I'm glad you want to help her. Just give her some time and she may talk about it." Sunset hung her head and nodded. "Alright, I just really want to help her. It seems like she's lost someone and I know how that feels." The pegasus nodded again. "She's a lot tougher than most ponies give her credit for, she'll be okay eventually." she said. "Still, I'm with you." she said, her voice quavering slightly. "I wish she'd let somepony help." Sunset saw the way the shoulders of the pegasus began to sag and she grinned to herself. There was no reason they should all be sad. She was at least going to cheer up Rainbow. "Am I cute?" she asked. Rainbow shook her head and asked, "What?" "You and Twilight are freakin' adorable." Sunset explained. "I wanted to know if I was as cute as you two are. That's why I was looking for a mirror." "I am not adorable." Rainbow grumbled. "Maybe not by pony standards," the unicorn explained, "but, by human standards you are absolutely precious." "So, you think every pony is cute?" Rainbow asked. "All of them I've seen so far." Sunset nodded. "Twilight is a little different though. She has this majesty to her that makes her seem.... beautiful." Rainbow laughed and nodded slightly. "I see how you could think that. Don't be fooled though, I've seen her fall asleep covered in pancakes and leaves before and I don't think you'd have seen any 'majesty' to her then." Sunset giggled as she pictured the adorable princess asleep in a pile of pancakes. "You might be wrong about that." she laughed. "I think that would be pretty cute." Rainbow merely grinned and shook her head at the unicorn. "You didn't answer my question though." Sunset said. "Am I cute?" Rainbow blushed slightly and kicked the door closed. "If you repeat what I'm about to say, I'll deny it forever." she locked onto Sunset's eyes. Sunset smiled and nodded. "You're probably one of the cutest ponies I've ever seen." Rainbow said. "Nopony can know I've ever said anything like that. I have a reputation to keep up." Sunset laughed. "Your secret is safe with me, Rainbow Dash." "I mean it." Rainbow said, her expression suggesting no games. "I promise." Sunset laughed. "It's good to know I'm cute though. I was a little worried about it." Now it was Rainbow's turn to laugh. "What does it matter if you're cute or not? I think all that matters is how cool you are." "Am I cool?" she asked. "Anypony who's worried about how cute they are is never cool." Rainbow deadpanned. "Aw." Sunset feigned her disappointment. Then an idea hit Sunset and she grinned wickedly. "So, I guess cool ponies like to cuddle?" she asked. "What?" Rainbow dropped all pretense of being amused. "Well, you were cuddling with a princess earlier." Sunset shrugged. "If that's cool-" "That was different!" Rainbow barked. "I was tired and I wasn't thinking clearly." "Sure. Sure." Sunset nodded. "Because, being cool is a full time mindset, right?" "It is." Rainbow nodded. Sunset smiled and laughed. She had no idea what seemed so funny now, but she couldn't stop laughing. She kept laughing and laughing as Rainbow began to look worried. "Sunset?" she asked. "Are you okay?" Sunset continued to laugh as she spoke. "W-why wouldn't I be?" "Because, you're crying." Sunset continued to laugh as she lifted a hoof to her eyes. They were wet. Her new fur was absorbing her tears as she continued to cry. She stopped laughing, but the tears continued to fall. "What's wrong?" Rainbow asked. Sunset chuckled once before responding. "I don't know." she said. "It just started hurting." Rainbow's gaze turned soft as she gently pushed the mare towards her bed. "I think you need to go back to sleep now." she said quietly. Sunset nodded as she managed to wriggle herself into the bed. "Rainbow?" she asked. "Could you stay with me for a while?" Rainbow stared at the crying unicorn for a minute before sighing. "If you tell anybody-" "I know." Sunset said. "I just don't want to be alone right now." Rainbow hopped into the bed next to the unicorn and draped her large cyan wing over her. "Thank you." Sunset mumbled into her wing. Rainbow merely slid closer to the unicorn and closed her eyes. "Thank you." she said again. "Go to sleep." Rainbow mumbled as she wrapped her hooves around the smaller mare. Sunset nodded and went to sleep. Twilight had finished her conversation with her Sunset and had been heading to bed when she realized that Rainbow was not where she had left her. Had she left in the middle of the night? Or, had she simply moved to another bed? Twilight began searching the rooms out of curiosity when she found herself outside a room on the second floor. She heard the familiar sound of Rainbow's gentle snoring on the other side of the door and smiled to herself. She peeked her head quietly through the door. The two ponies were curled together asleep in one another's embrace. She smiled proudly, glad that her friend was taking good care of Sunset Shimmer. The princess had to stifle her quick 'Aw' as the two unconsciously snuggled closer together. She quietly closed the door and walked back to her own room. She was tempted to turn around and see if the two ponies would allow her to join them. She knew she shouldn't, but she was feeling vulnerable and needy. She needed somepony to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay, but she dared not ask. She arrived in her room and simply stood for a moment. She missed her Sunset. She missed how she would come in, late at night, and find her asleep in the bed that Twilight now stared at. She missed the laugh that would echo through the halls of her castle and the way that Sunset would simply be there. Twilight sighed as she fell into her bed. Thinking of her love all of the time wasn't healthy and she knew it rationally. However, it was much harder to convince her heart of that. Having the second Sunset here was not helping things either. It hurt Twilight to simply look at the mare that so closely resembled her lover, but she couldn't send somepony in need away. She tossed and turned for a few more minutes before sighing angrily at herself. This was nonsense. She knew she could sleep and stop thinking about the mare upstairs. Had Sunset intentionally chose the room directly above her own? No. This was ridiculous. She just needed to stop thinking period. How hard could it be? Five hours later, Twilight stared at the sun being raised above the horizon and (not for the first time) silently wished her mentor could learn to sleep in once in a while. She groaned as she rolled out of her bed, realizing her friends would be there soon, and began her morning ritual. She silently prayed they could get through the day with no more unexpected events. She quickly trotted to her bathroom and stepped into her shower. She bathed quickly in her favorite tangerine body wash and dried herself with a spell. She made her way to the kitchen with the intentions of cooking breakfast, but she was shocked to discover halfway there she could already smell muffins baking. Her mouth watered at the aroma as she realized the only thing she had eaten in almost two days was a sandwich. Twilight entered the kitchen to find Sunset and Rainbow busily preparing several stacks of muffins. "Morning, Twilight." Sunset said as she sat at the table. "Rainbow told me your friends were coming, so I thought I'd make you all something to eat." Rainbow sat next to Twilight as Sunset pulled another tray from the oven, surprisingly she did so with her magic. "How did you do that?" Twilight asked. "I found a book this morning about magic for unicorns. All I could do was this beginner's levitate thing, but I thought I might as well use it." Sunset explained as she brought three muffins to the table, also with her magic. The aquamarine magic disappeared for a moment as the muffins hovered above the table, but Sunset regained control quickly. "I'm not very good at it yet." "Why did you go to all this trouble?" Twilight asked as she grabbed one of the muffins in her own magic. "Well," Sunset began as she passed Rainbow a muffin and sat her own on the table. "you told me I'd have to earn my keep by doing chores, I just assumed that cooking would be one of those chores." Twilight bit into her muffin and smiled to herself. "What are you doing, Sparkles?" Sunset asked as Twilight cried in the floor. It had been their first night together and she had woken before the other girl. Twilight used her fingertips to wipe the tears from her eyes quickly. "I'm sorry." she said. "I thought after last night, I should do something 'girlfriend-y' and then I used your phone to text Rarity and ask her what I should do and she said that I should cook you breakfast." she sniffled again. "I don't have my magic though so I grabbed the tray with my hand and it really hurts. "I thought I was dating a genius." Sunset chuckled. Twilight looked up at her girlfriend and gasped as she saw her. Her hair was messy and covering the majority of her face and the only thing she wore was a button-up shirt that was several sizes too large. She had a half-asleep and dazed expression on her face and she wasn't wearing any of the make-up that she had worn on their date the night before. This was the first time Twilight had ever seen her lover like this. "What?" Sunset asked as she picked the tray of muffins off the floor with an oven-mitt. "You're beautiful." Twilight said. Sunset blushed and placed the muffins on the counter. "Shut up." she giggled. "Let's try these." she indicated the still hot muffins. "My hand still hurts." Twilight whined. Sunset quickly pulled the small girl off the floor and brought the burned hand to her lips. She held her lips against Twilight's hand for several seconds before pulling away. "Better?" she asked. Twilight smiled and nodded. "Good," she smiled, "now about those muffins." Both girls grabbed a muffin and took a bite. Banana nut muffins. That's what Sunset had told Twilight was her favorite, but Twilight had never made them before. In fact, the princess hadn't spent much time at all in the kitchen. She nervously swallowed the disgusting bite of muffin while she swore to herself that she would wait to cook for Sunset again until she had more practice. Sunset made a face and stared at the muffin. "It's bad, isn't it?" Twilight asked. Sunset looked at Twilight for a moment and then smiled. "You remembered my favorite muffin." she then pulled Twilight into herself and kissed her deeply. Twilight gasped as she felt the other girl's tongue slide into her mouth, the taste of bananas filling both of their mouths. "I'd say, these are the best muffins I've ever had." Sunset said after she pulled away. Twilight smiled at her and mouthed a quick 'thank you' before Sunset locked their lips together once more. Twilight tasted it again now. Banana nut muffins. "Sorry," Sunset said, "I kinda made my own favorite. I didn't know what your friends like." Twilight smiled at her as she chewed. "They're awesome." Rainbow said as she grabbed her third one to inhale. "You're a better cook than Twilight." she mumbled around a mouthful of muffins. "Hey!" "You know I'm right." Rainbow mumbled. "Anyways," Sunset cut in, "I just thought after what all you've done for me so far, I needed to do something kind in return." she explained. "It's not like making your breakfast is worth much, but it's what I can do right now." "Thank you, Sunset. I really appreciate it." Twilight said with a smile. "M'foo." Rainbow said as she chewed her fifth muffin. "Manners, Rainbow." Twilight scolded. "Now, Sunset." Twilight addressed her newest tenant. Sunset looked up at the princess with a mouthful of muffin and nodded. Twilight smiled to her, "Today I'll have a few errands for you to run for me while my friends and I discuss some important matters." she said as she levitated a quill and a scroll to herself and began jotting down a list of things she would need for the coming week. "Since you're going to be here a while, we'll need a few more things around the castle that I could use your help getting. A few more groceries and I'll give you a few extra bits so if you see anything that will make your stay more comfortable you can pick it up for yourself." "You don't have to do anything like that, Twilight." Sunset said with a smile. "I was perfectly comfortable last night without any extras." Twilight returned the mare's smile and nodded. "Be that as it may, I'll still give you a bit extra just in case." Sunset laughed. "Whatever you wish, Princess Twilight." she winked to let the pony know she was just playing. Twilight rolled her eyes and continued to write in her scroll. She knew they would need extra food and maybe some extra of the basic toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, a new toothbrush for the unicorn, and a new blanket. The ones that were already in the castle were slightly old and smelled of dust due to their lack of use. She mentally added up how much everything would cost and then considered the list again. What food exactly should she get, she wondered. This Sunset probably had the same appetite and preferences that her Sunset had, evident by the banana nut muffins. She jotted down some foods she knew her Sunset had loved when she had stayed here. "Ugh," Sunset groaned as she stared at her salad. "The human world spoiled me. I'm so tired of veggies all the time." Twilight giggled slightly as she took a bite of her salad. "Well, if you start eating meat here you aren't going to make any friends." "Just a nibble." Sunset bawled. "I just want a little bit." Twilight nodded and set her fork down. "Come on." she said as she used her magic to pull her girlfriend behind her. "Let's go." "Go where?" Sunset asked. "Didn't you tell me they made veggie burgers in your world?" Twilight asked. "Let's see if we can get a recipe from your world and I can try making for you." Sunset laughed and began to walk of her own free will. "With the way you cook? I'd probably rather have salad." "Not funny." Twilight pouted as they grabbed their saddlebags and approached the portal. Sunset simply laughed and kissed Twilight on the neck. Twilight felt a shiver along her body. "What are you doing, Sunset?" Sunset grinned devilishly as she began to run her kisses further down the alicorn's body. "Maybe before we go..." she trailed off. Twilight simply grinned and nodded as she used her magic to take them both to her bedroom. Twilight hummed to herself as her friends continued eating and she jotted down the ingredients she would need to make her veggie burgers. According to Sunset it was good, but still not as satisfying as meat, but for a pony who had never eaten meat before they had been amazing. She jotted down what she would need, tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, lentils, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt, and cornmeal. The instructions she had found had called for goat cheese, however Twilight had immediately replaced it with regular cheese. Rainbow finished her last muffin and looked at the list Twilight had been writing. "Are you planning to make what I think you are?" she asked. Twilight nodded. "Yes, Dash, and don't worry, I planned on inviting everyone when I did." Rainbow flew in the air and let out a whoop. She had been Twilight's biggest fan after the first time they had all tried her burgers. Sunset glanced and the list and then back at Rainbow. Rainbow gently landed in the chair next to Sunset. "I take it Twilight is a good cook?" she asked the pegasus. "She's the best at a few things." Rainbow laughed. "After she spent some time in the human world, she came back with all sorts of awesome recipes." Twilight narrowed her eyes at the pegasus. She was giving away a little too much information for the alicorn's taste. She did not want Sunset to know anything about her trips to the human world, mainly because of who she had been in the human world for. Rainbow's eyes seemed to widen slightly as she realized the inevitable question that Sunset would ask. "Why did you go to the human world, Twilight." she asked. "Do you have like a vacation spot there or something?" "Or something." Twilight said as her smile faded and she finished writing in her list. "I don't really want to get into it right now." "I understand." Sunset said. "When you feel up to it I'd like to hear it though, okay?" Twilight nodded. "Sure." she stood from the table and grabbed a set of saddle bags. She placed the scroll and plenty of bits in the bag and floated it onto Sunset's back. "You can leave after you finish eating." Twilight said. "I'm going to go take care of some things, but I should be back before you leave." "Okay." Sunset said as she watched the princess leave. She finished her muffin and floated the dishes to the sink. This new magic she had was so convenient. She began washing the dishes as Rainbow grabbed a towel with her hoof and began drying them. They washed in silence for a few minutes before the question nagging at the back of her mind forced Sunset to ask, "What was that last night?" Rainbow shrugged and grabbed a mixing bowl to dry. "What do you mean?" "You don't strike me as the type to hold someone until she fell asleep. You seem like you'd be more worried about how uncool that is." "Well, usually I am, but I know you could use a friend right now. Twilight is trying not to treat you any different than she would anypony else, but she's still having trouble with that." "Why?" Sunset asked. "Is it because she found out I'm a criminal in my world?" Rainbow shook her head as she grabbed another dish to dry. "No," she said. "It's something else. I can't really talk about it." Sunset nodded. "Does it have anything to do with what she was doing last night?" Rainbow sighed and placed her towel on the sink before sitting back at the table. "Kinda." she said. "Look," she locked eyes with Sunset. "without telling you anything that isn't my business, I'll fill you in a bit. You can't tell Twilight though, okay?" Sunset nodded. "Twilight was in love. With someone from your world. That mirror she was talking to last night, that's the portal back to your world." "So, seeing somebody from my world at all is hard for her?" "She's still hurting over it and the way their relationship ended. You actually showed up on the anniversary of the day she lost her." "Her?" Sunset asked. "Yeah," Rainbow shrugged. "I know it's not very common, but Twilight likes mares. Anyways, she's still upset about it, because she still loves her." "Well, if she still loves her and whoever it was left, then she can do better." "I don't really know what happened between them, but I know neither of them wanted to be apart." Rainbow said calmly. "I just know that after that day, Twilight's been really struggling." "If they loved each other there was no reason for them to split up." Sunset said, she didn't exactly understand why, but she was getting angry at whoever had left Twilight. If she had Twilight, she would never let her go. The thought disturbed her for a moment, but she had already realized that she had been idolizing the princess since she had stepped foot... or hoof in this world. "You can't say that unless you knew all the details, Sunset." Rainbow said with a note of disappointment in her voice. "I don't know what happened between them, but I do know that neither have them had ever been happier when they were together. They would spend time together in both my world and yours and they were so in love." Rainbow's voice seemed to strain on the last word and Sunset wondered if she was hurting for her friend. "I get it," Sunset sighed, "I understand, but I don't think she's treated me poorly at all since I got here." She had already saved the young girl's life and taken her to the hospital and given her a place to stay and food to eat. How had she done anything to mistreat the girl? "You don't understand, Sunset." Rainbow said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "She is treating you different. She doesn't want to get attached to you and she wants nothing more than for you to leave. She's still hurting and she isn't thinking straight." Rainbow shrugged and walked away from the table. "She's a good mare, Sunset. Don't let her push you away, okay?" Sunset was stunned by the request. Was Rainbow insinuating that she should hook up with the princess? Was she honestly just saying being her friend? Sunset had no idea, but neither option sounded bad to her. She nodded and began to walk away before stopping herself. "I still don't understand why you were like that last night. There's a difference between being there for someone and holding them all night." Rainbow blushed and shook her head. "If you tell anybody this, I'll-" "I know." Sunset said, stifling a laugh. "Twilight's not the only one who's been hurting lately." Rainbow said, and before Sunset could make another remark, she sped off out of the room and possibly out of the castle, Sunset couldn't be sure. Sunset sighed and decided that she should probably ask the pegasus later about what her remark had meant, but decided it could wait. She immediately left the castle in search of some kind of store where she could pick up everything on Twilight's list. She floated the scroll out of her bag and marveled at the list. There were a lot of very specific things the princess wanted. She stared at the list as she walked through the down and before she knew it she had forgotten where she was or how to get back. She was completely lost. She growled at the list and slammed it back into her bag before heading in a random direction and mumbling to herself about how she couldn't believe she had forgotten to ask for a map or something, however one look in the horizon confirmed that she could at-least find her way back. Still, it didn't help that she had no clue as to where anything was in this town. "Can I help you?" A voice asked from behind her. Sunset jumped and spun to face whoever had spoken, however her lack of motor control, due to her new hooves, turned the spin into a belly flop. Sunset grumbled as she got to her hooves and stared at the pony that had spoken to her. She was a unicorn, just like Sunset. However, this unicorn had a mint green coat, whereas Sunset had discovered her's was orange. "Sorry." The mare said with a laugh. "You looked lost so I thought I'd help you figure out where you were going. Didn't mean to sneak up on you." "It's okay." Sunset said with her own chuckle. Her side began to ache from where she had been shot. The impact with the ground must have disturbed it slightly. "I am a little lost." she said as she hid a wince. "I'm Lyra." the unicorn said with an outstretched hoof. "Nice to meet you." Sunset stared at the hoof for a moment before attempting to shake it. Lyra apparently found it hysterical. "Sorry, I'm not from around here." Sunset blushed. She must have looked like a fool. "My name's Sunset Shimmer. It's nice to meet you, Lyra." "What're you looking for?" Lyra asked as she began to walk with the other mare. "Anywhere that sells this stuff." Sunset said as she floated the list to Lyra. Lyra grabbed the scroll with her magic and as her's and Sunset's magic intertwined for a moment, Sunset felt a warmth from it. The sensation was like when someone's hand brushes against your own. Lyra studied the scroll for a minute and laughed. "You can probably buy any of this from town square." she said pointing her hoof towards a clump of buildings and carts gathered in what appeared to be a town square. It wasn't far from where they were now. "I'll help you." Lyra said as she began to lead the way towards the square. " Bon-Bon is working today and I've got the day off so I don't really have anything to do right now." "Who's Bon-Bon?" Sunset asked as they walked. She could already tell she liked this smiley mare and hoped they could be friends by the end of her errands. Lyra simply blushed and smiled wider. "Just a really good friend." she said. Sunset smiled herself, she recognized that goofy smile and blush even in this world. "Tell me about her." Sunset said. Lyra beamed and began to tell Sunset all about herself and her 'best-friend'. Twilight sat at the map table in her throne room and stared at all of her friends. Rarity had filled them all in and gathered them at her castle. After they arrived, Rainbow filled them in on everything they didn't know while Twilight sat in silence and mentally reviewed the past few days. She had been trying to be kind to Sunset while also trying to keep her at hoof length away. She had taken in the doppelganger of the one pony she loved most in the world... and for some reason, Rainbow Dash had yet to leave. She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she had yet to realize that her friends were all staring at her in silence, waiting to learn what she needed from them. Spike, who had apparently been brought along by Rarity, poked her in the side. Twilight jumped and looked at her friends expecting faces. She cleared her throat and smiled sheepishly. "Right," she said. "Rarity I'm going to need you to watch Spike for a little while longer." she looked to Spike. "I know you want to be here, but my moods have been so wild the past couple of days and I don't think it would do anypony any good for you to be here." His response was a predictable resigned nod combined with a sulking cross of his arms. "Sure." he said with a pout. Twilight would have tended to his obviously hurt feelings, however now was a time to figure out everything with her friends. "I don't really know how to handle this, guys." Twilight said as she looked to the rest of her friends. "Part of me is glad that she's here, because she looks just like my Sunset. Part of me hates her just for existing. I keep trying to push her away, but I can't treat her like that." She looked at Rarity with a pleading expression. "What do you think I should do?" "She is a criminal." Rarity said with a strange look on her face. "I think you should send her back after her week is up to face justice." "I don't think so." Applejack said. "Pardon me?" Rarity asked. "Do you suggest that we just let a fugitive have refuge here? Are you condoning breaking the law?" "You know I ain't, Rarity." Applejack said. "But, we don't even know what she did. She's still Sunset Shimmer and we all know Sunset wouldn't hurt no pony. She ain't bad and if she did somethin' those things in the other world didn't like, then it probably wasn't that bad." "I agree with Applejack." Pinkie shouted happily. "Sunset isn't bad so what she did probably wasn't bad." "I'm with them." Rainbow said. "You saw her, Twilight." she implored the princess. "Think about how she's acted so far. She doesn't act like a criminal out to escape. She just didn't want to go back because she almost died there. I don't blame her for wanting to stay here." All of their heads turn to the only pony to stay silent in the whole conversation. "Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "What do you think?" Fluttershy seemed to shiver as she opened and closed her mouth a few times before answering. "I think you're hurting right now and you want to take it out on somepony, but I think that's wrong. You should just ask Sunset what she did." Why haven't I just tried asking what she did? Twilight thought sarcastically. "She doesn't need to be punished just for being who she is and you know better, Twilight." Twilight flinched as she realized that Fluttershy was completely right. She sighed, "You're right." "I still say you shouldn't be harboring a fugitive." Rarity said. "For all we know she's done something terrible and deserves whatever punishment they have waiting for her in that other world." "That doesn't sound like you, Rares." Rainbow said with a glare. "Why are so against even hearing her out?" "Because, I don't want her hurting anypony in this world." Rarity said. Only Rainbow noticed her eyes shift quickly towards the alicorn in the room. Only Rainbow immediately understood what she was saying. She wanted her to leave for the same reason Twilight did. So Twilight wouldn't be in anymore pain. "I get it." Fluttershy said quietly. "But, if we send her back then we'd be the ones hurting somepony. You said it yourself, Dashie. If you send her back she'll probably get hurt." For Fluttershy's sensitive mind the pegasus had simply said hurt instead of die. "She needs you right now, Twilight Sparkle." "You're right." Twilight sighed. "Still, I think we should at the very least learn what she did and how she ended up here before I agree to anything." "I agree." Fluttershy said. "Twilight!" Pinkie screamed from her kitchen. The princess did not even bother to guess as to when or how she got there. "Come here! I need your help with something!" Twilight sighed and shook her head. She had a pretty good idea of what the pink mare was doing. "Just a second, Pinkie." Twilight realized that this was to be a long day, but she hoped that, with a little help from her friends, they could make it a good one. Sunset had picked up everything on the list. She had also found herself a stuffed pony that she had bought for herself with the extra bits Twilight had given her. She normally would have been embarrassed that she still slept with stuffed animals had her new friend not been the one to suggest it. She was currently sitting in a coffee shop. Lyra had offered to buy the mare a coffee and Sunset would not pass up the offer from a new friend. She had only been gone an hour and she thought she should wait a while to head back, just in case Twilight and her friends were still discussing whatever they needed to discuss. "She always smells like candy though, which sounds great, but after a while it makes you sick of candy." Lyra said. She had been talking about Bon-Bon for the entire trip, but Sunset didn't mind. She thought it was sweet that the mare could talk about her friend the way she did. "Still, I couldn't imagine living with anypony else." "She sounds really nice, Lyra." Sunset said with a polite smile. "Yeah..." Lyra said. "but, that's enough about me. What about you?" "What about me?" Sunset asked with a laugh. She considered pointing out that Lyra had yet to actually talk about herself, but decided against it. "Where are you from?" Lyra asked. Sunset panicked momentarily. She had no idea of what to say. Should she tell this pony the truth? Magic seemed to be pretty common here, but she didn't want to risk saying anything crazy. "Out of town." Sunset finally decided on. It was true, without sounding crazy. "I got hurt on my way through here and Twilight took me in for a while." "You're staying with Princess Twilight?" Lyra asked, her voice reverent. "She's like, the most amazing pony ever." "She is pretty amazing." Sunset said. "I got to see most of her fight with Tirek and we had just moved into town when she took on Nightmare Moon." Lyra began to bounce in her seat as she recalled all of Twilight's greatest achievements and she even mentioned a few that Rainbow had not mentioned to Sunset yet. Sunset's favorite was about the changelings. "I wasn't there for it, but I heard that her friends and her literally took on a huge part of the changeling army by themselves. Then they got captured and Twilight's big brother and her sister in law made a shield so large, it threw them all out of the city." "That's amazing." Sunset said as she finished her drink. Lyra told her about the crystal empire and King Sombra and the grand magic games. She even told her about Twilight's coronation. "Anyways," Lyra said after she had spent a half hour recalling just how amazing the princess was. "I should be getting over to Bon-Bon's store. We're supposed to have lunch together today. Can you find your way back?" Sunset nodded and began to leave. "I'll be staying with Twilight for at-least a week. You should bring Bon-Bon by sometime so I can meet her." she said. Lyra nodded and held a hoof out to Sunset. "I'll do that." she said. Sunset stared at her hoof for a minute before Lyra laughed. "You're supposed to bump it." "Oh." Sunset said as she bumped her hoof against Lyra's. "You must be from a totally different world." Lyra said with a laugh. "We'll see you later this week sometime." she called over her shoulder as she walked down the road. Sunset smiled as she watched the mare walk away. Less than a day in this world and she had already made new friends. She scanned the horizon until she saw the tip of Twilight's castle and began walking in that direction. She had made it three blocks before disaster struck in the form of a little pony on a scooter. "Look out!" a little voice cried. Sunset turned her head and saw a pony on a scooter headed straight for her. She would have attempted to move or jump out of the way, but she had no time. She simply had to brace herself for impact and hope for the best. The scooter hit the unicorn with the force of a slow car. Sunset hit the ground as the other pony landed gently on her hooves beside her. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" the young pony asked. "I'm fine." Sunset grunted as she strained to stand. Of course the filly hit her in the same side where she had been shot and blood was now running freely down her side. She felt tears running down her face as she stood. "We should get you to the hospital." The kid said. "That's alright." Sunset said through gritted teeth. "It's barely bleeding. I'll just put some bandages on it when I get back." She took a deep breath and released it. The pain was already starting to ebb away. She was slightly worried that she had cracked a rib, but she knew from experience most doctors would just give her some pain medicine and say that was all they could do for her. "At-least let me walk with you till you get home." the orange little filly said. "I feel really bad, I should have been paying attention." "Sure you can walk with me." Sunset said as she limped towards the castle. Apparently, if a pony who gets hit in the side it also makes your leg hurt. Who knew? she thought glumly. "What's your name?" the kid asked as they slowly walked. "Sunset Shimmer." she said. "What's yours?" "I'm Scootaloo." the filly said. "I'm really sorry for hitting you with my scooter." "It's alright." she said. "I should have been watching where I was going. I guess I was just in a hurry to get back." "Why is that?" "I don't know." Sunset lied as she thought of a certain alicorn she was dying to have a real conversation with. "Maybe I'm just excited to get off of my hooves for a while. I've been walking around this town for hours." Sunset laughed and a sharp pain in her side made her realize how bad of an idea that was. So, I have a crush on a pony and that's not even the weirdest thing to happen to me this week. Sunset thought with a wry smile. She could already tell that her developing crush was going to be anything but comfortable, but she couldn't help it. Maybe it was reverance for the one who saved her life, or for the pony who had taken her in when she thought she had lost everything. Maybe it was just that she felt drawn to her for something completely different, but whatever the case was, she accepted that she was starting to develop feelings for the princess. "You okay?" Scootaloo asked, breaking her away from her thoughts. "I'm fine." Sunset chuckled. "You were just making a weird face." Scootaloo said. "That's the same face that Diamond Tiara's been making when she hangs out with us lately. It's really creepy." Sunset stared at the filly for a moment as she limped closer to her destination. "You really rude, aren't you?" Scootaloo shrugged. "A bit." Sunset chuckled again and waved a hoof at the castle. "This is my stop." During her distracted day-dreaming and conversation, Sunset had finally reached Twilight's castle. "Thanks for walking me here, Scootaloo." Scootaloo smiled and nodded at the unicorn. "No problem. I'll come by and check on you tomorrow, make sure that hit isn't still hurting you." Sunset smiled and held her hoof out for Scootaloo to bump. "Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." Sunset waved as the filly got on her scooter and beat her wings until she was speeding away towards the town. Sunset limped into the castle and began heading for the dining room. She didn't know if that was where Twilight was or not, but she supposed that's where the things she got should go for now, and it was near enough to lunch time that she should start cooking. She considered going to her room first to hide away her stuffed pony. She wouldn't be too embarrassed to show it to the princess if it weren't for the fact that she had (maybe) subconsciously grabbed the lavender one with the pink stripe in it's mane and tail. She decided that if the princess saw it and asked she would just say that it was the only one she had left. Maybe that would keep things from getting awkward. Still, she decided that going to the dining room first would be easier on her since it was closer, and the mare who had sold her the stuffed pony had wrapped it in a paper bag. She opened the door to the dining room to discover that the room was pitch black. That was when the cannon fired.