The Mysteries of Love

by MysteriousStranger

Welcome Back

Rarity's P.O.V.

Judging by Trixie's look, it probably wasn't a good idea. What was I thinking?! Maybe I should call it off. Oh, she's about to say something! It's too late!

"Your parents? Well, I couldn't wait to tell my brother that we started dating, so I suppose it's logic that you want to tell them."

I should have called it off... wait, what? She seemed shocked a few moments ago, but now she's acting cool. She's even smiling! "A-Are you sure...? We don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"Rarity..." She didn't lose her smile. "I must admit that I was always curious about your parents. We have been hanging out for months and I never saw them. You told me that they're busy all the time."

"And that's true, but sometimes they take a few days off."

"I hope not tomorrow. I need time to get ready to meet them."

"Don't worry, darling. It was my intention to tell you in advance. They'll be taking the next weekend off."

"Okay, that's enough time. I want to make a good first impression."

I smiled at her and sighed, relieved. "I thought you wouldn't like the idea."

"I have to meet them one day, right? It's better sooner than later. I would be lying if I said I'm not worried, though. How do you think they will take the news?"

"They're caring parents. They gave Sweetie Belle and me everything we needed and they always supported us; however, I'm not sure how they will react that not only I'm in a relationship, but I'm in one with a girl. What if they're not okay with this? Maybe we should wait. Yes! Forget about the meeting...-" I started to take deep breaths after deep breaths.

"Rarity, you're stressing out! Try to relax..."

"I can't! This is a bad idea!"

"Rarity!" I was still hyperventilating. I didn't pay attention to my girlfriend. "Rarity look at me. Look at me!" Trixie put her hands on my cheeks and forced me to look at her. "Don't think about your parents for a second. Just... focus on me." Without having options, I stared into Trixie's eyes. My hyperventilation died slowly and the stress was ceasing as well. With my sight locked on Trixie's eyes, I could calm down. "That's it... take it easy. Inhale... exhale... close your eyes." I did as I was asked. All I could do while I had my eyes closed was to center my attention on Trixie's hands. Her soft hands on my cheeks helped me to reach inner peace in a matter of seconds. I raised my hands to take hold of her wrists and smiled before opening my eyes. "Feeling better?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you, Trixie."

My girlfriend grinned and leaned towards me to plant her lips on my nose. "You're welcome. Remember, you won't be alone. Trixie will be there supporting you, okay?"

I nodded again. "Okay." Trixie moved her hands towards my hair and stroked it. I couldn't resist hugging her. "You're amazing..."

"Does Trixie needs to remind you who you're talking to?" I giggled before releasing her from our hug. "That's the cheerful Rarity I recognize."

Blushing, I glanced at the elevator. "I better go, now. I don't want to keep Applejack waiting."

"Go. We'll talk about this later. Until then, try not to think about it."

"I'm afraid that will be impossible, but all I have to do is to think about you, and I'll be fine." Trixie flushed visibly. I touched her nose with my index finger before heading to the elevator. Trixie waved and watched me as I stepped in on the elevator. I blew her a kiss before I lost sight of her.

---

I saw Applejack's pick-up when I was arriving to my home, but there were no signs of her nor my sister. Sweetie Belle surely used her own key to get in with her. The door was unlocked, confirming my thoughts.

"There you are! Ah was about to call you to ask how far you were." My friend greeted me with a smile when I walked into the kitchen, where she was drinking juice.

"I'm sorry, Applejack. I came as fast as I could. How long have you been waiting?"

"Just five minutes. Sweetie Belle prepared juice for me before goin' to her room. Or at least tried to. She accidentally got lemon drops on one of her eyes."

"Really? But we have lemon juice already prepared inside the fridge."

"You do?" I opened the fridge so Applejack could see the lemon juice inside. "Well, how 'bout that."

I groaned. "If she drank juice more often, she would know." I closed the fridge. "I should check on her."

"She also made a mess on the counter, but ah cleaned it."

"Thank you, darling. That girl should be more careful. No matter how much I talk to her, she's still not careful enough. Anyway, how was your day?"

"Honestly? Ah'm exhausted, but it was worth it. With all the work mah brother and ah did today. Ah'll have the day off tomorrow to receive Sunset. "

"I can't wait for tomorrow afternoon. I want to hear all about her trip!"

"Me too. Not everyone has the chance to learn about a different world... dimension... you know what ah mean, but we could have asked her before."

"It wouldn't have been a good idea. What if she got homesick? Until she was invited over, she didn't know if she would ever be able to go back."

"Hmm, good point," Applejack finished her drink and placed the empty glass in the sink. "Ah better get goin'. There's still work to be done."

"It's always a pleasure to have you over. Drive safely!"

My farmer friend nodded confidently and waved as she walked out of the kitchen. After I heard the front door close I washed the empty glass. When that was done, I walked upstairs to Sweetie Belle's room. I knocked on her door and waited until she opened the door.

"Hi, sis!" she grinned at me. It was impossible to ignore her red eye. She was struggling to keep it open.

"Does your eye still stings? Don't force it open, dear. It will only be worse. Did you wash it?"

"I did, but it still hurts. Applejack told you, huh?"

"She did. Let me guess, you tried to squeeze the lemons fast, right? You need to be more patient instead of rushing everything, dear."

"I'm sorry, sis..." My sister pouted. I smiled and hugged her.

"Next time, check the fridge first. We had lemon juice already prepared."

"Really?" I nodded. "Now I feel silly."

I giggled and stroked Sweetie Belle's hair. She was still fighting to keep her eyes opened. "Lay on your bed and rest your eyes."

"But I'm not sleepy!"

"I'm not asking you to sleep. I just want you to rest your eyes. It will continue to hurt you if you don't. I'll keep you company so you don't get bored."

"You will?" I nodded again. "Okay then!" Sweetie Belle ran towards her bed. She removed her vest and jumped on her bed, where she closed her eyes. I grabbed a chair and placed it next to the bed before sitting on it. "The sting is ceasing."

"See? Just stay like this for a little while."

"Maybe hearing what you did with Trixie will help me."

I blushed deeply. "S-Sweetie Belle!"

My sister kept smiling and turned her head towards me, but she kept her eyes closed. "Pleaseeeee!"

"Why do you want to know everything? Can't I spend time with her without having to tell you the details?" Sweetie Belle shook her head. I sighed. I was smiling, though. "Fine. I introduced Fluttershy to her."

"I thought Trixie wasn't ready to make more friends."

"She isn't. I took Fluttershy to Trixie's home without warning her."

"You what?! Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Sweetie Belle opened her eyes in shock, triggering the sting again.

"I had to! I can't keep secrets from my best friend. You know how sensitive she is."

"How did Trixie react?"

"She was... surprised. She tried to have a conversation with Fluttershy, but it didn't last long. She didn't get angry at me, but she warned me not to do it again. We watched a movie afterwards."

"What else?" my sister smiled, keeping her eyes closed.

"Nothing else. Applejack called afterwards. Before coming here, I asked Trixie to meet our parents."

"You did? And she's fine with it?"

"Actually, I was the one who panicked. Trixie had to calm me down. Sweetie Belle, I'm nervous about it." I looked away from my sister for a moment and sighed. "What if mom and dad don't like her? What if they're not okay with the idea of me having a girlfriend? What if they forbid me from seeing her ever again?!"

"Sis!" Sweetie Belle sat on her bed and struggled to keep her eyes opened. "Mom and dad love us. I'm sure that they will be happy to hear that you're seeing someone.

"I have until weekend to try to control myself. I have to think on how to tell them."

"I'll be there too to speak well of Trixie, sis." Sweetie Belle shut her eyes, unable to keep them open anymore.

"Thanks, darling." I stood up and kissed Sweetie Belle's head before heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back. I just need to visit the bathroom."

---

First Trixie and now my own sister. Both of them were trying to give me confidence to come out to my parents, even though I'm not sure what am I coming out as. I haven't been hiding from them either. I always planned to tell them about my relationship at the first opportunity I had since Trixie and I became more than friends. They must learn it from me.

While I wait for the dreading day Trixie would meet my parents, I'll try to distract myself. Sunday arrived, and it was almost time for Sunset to return. My friends and I were by the statue in which the magical portal was. She wasn't specific about the time she would be returning. I hope we weren't too early.

"I really wish Sunset told us a more specific time. It has almost been an hour." Rainbow Dash complained as she paced back and forth.

"Easy, Rainbow! Maybe time runs different on the other side of the portal." Applejack said, with her arms crossed.

"If that's so, then what if it's morning over there? Or what if it's nighttime and we missed her?" Our athletic friend might have a valid argument.

"Well, ah..." Applejack closed her mouth shut when she couldn't think of anything.

"Silly, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie joined the conversation. She was holding various balloons with one hand and a party favor with the other. "If she was already back, she would have called us!"

"How? She left her cell phone here. It was in her jacket when she gave it to Fluttershy." When Rainbow Dash mentioned Fluttershy, I looked at her. She was standing next to me. She didn't move an inch since we arrived. All she did, was to hug Sunset's jacket close to her body and stare at the statue with the hidden portal. I held her wrist and smiled at her, but my best friend was too focused on the statue to notice me.

"Then she would have tried to find us!" Pinkie Pie spoke again. "Come on, Dashie! Show me a smile!" When our eccentric friend said the last, she blew the party favor on Rainbow Dash's face. However, she didn't smile at all. She opened her mouth to yell again, so it was time for me to step in.

"Now, now, Rainbow. We're all eager to see Sunset again, but a bad attitude won't make the wait easier." I said as I walked towards my irritated friend. She had her eyes on me. "The only thing you will achieve by doing tantrums is wrinkles." I smirked when Rainbow Dash sighed in defeat. She crossed her arms and gave me her back.

"Whatever!" Moments after Rainbow Dash's last word, the statue started to glow. We all watched in awe as Sunset Shimmer appeared.

"Hey, everypo... I mean, everyone!" She had a big grin on her face, and was carrying bags.

"Sunset!" We all surrounded her. Sunset placed the bags she was carrying on the floor and waved shyly. I looked at Fluttershy, and noticed that she was closing in on Sunset. However, a pink phenomenon flew in front of her. In a blink of an eye, Pinkie Pie tackled Sunset with a hug.

"Yay, Sunny is back!"

"P-Pinkie! Careful, I'm fa...!" All of us remained still, dumbfounded as Sunset and Pinkie Pie fell into the portal and crossed to the other world. A long silence followed. We looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Should we...? You know, peek to see if everything's fine...?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"Maybe." Applejack said. I glanced at Fluttershy again. She slowly walked towards the portal and stood in front of it. She then raised a hand and was about to touch the statue, when Sunset's head popped up again. Fluttershy gasped and stepped back as Sunset walked in, holding Pinkie Pie from her arm.

"Pinkie, we almost hit delicate machinery! You're lucky that Twilight reacted fast!" Even though Sunset was visibly angry, Pinkie Pie kept smiling and laughing. The equestrian girl kept frowning at Pinkie Pie, until the later blew her party favor on her face. Sunset couldn't help but chuckle and smile. "I missed you too, Pinkie."

"Speaking of Twilight, what ha-hmph, hmph!" Pinkie Pie tried to ask something, but Sunset covered her mouth with her hand before she was able to.

"I'll tell you soon enough, Pinkie." The equestrian girl said, without losing her smile.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash called, catching the attention of both Pinkie Pie and Sunset. "Aren't you going to tell us about your trip?"

"What's in the bags, what's in the bags?!" Pinkie Pie said as she excitedly skipped on her spot after Sunset removed her hand.

"Everything at its time." Sunset said with a grin as she grabbed the bags. "Come with me to my place and I'll tell you everything."

"Yay!" Our party friend said as we all walked alongside Sunset. As we walked, I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Trixie.

'Thank you for coming. I'll see you tomorrow.' I received a reply almost immediately.

'How did you know I was there?' I giggled softly before replying to her.

'I didn't. You just told me.'

'Oh, fridge!' I laughed but quickly covered my own mouth. It was too late, though. Everyone was looking at me.

"Seriously? Sunset just returned from another world and you just look at your phone? You do have a problem, Rarity." Rainbow Dash jokingly said.

"Oh, quiet, you!" I smiled at her before putting my phone back in my pocket. I glanced at each of my friends. They were telling Sunset about their weekend. Except for Fluttershy. She kept staring at Sunset, smiling lightly.

---

"Home, sweet home." Sunset commented as she entered her apartment, with us behind her. She placed all the bags on a counter before running to the cage her pet was in. "Hello, Ray! Did you miss me? Did you miss mommy?" The fiery girl said with a soft tone one usually does with babies and pets. She opened the cage and hugged Ray before looking at Fluttershy with a bright smile. "Thank you for keeping him company while I was away."

"M-My pleasure." I could swear I saw Fluttershy's cheeks turn slightly red. "It's time to feed him again."

"That's right." Sunset opened the mini fridge beside Ray's cage and fed him with his mealworms. "There you go. Yummy!" Sunset placed Ray on her shoulder after he was done eating and looked at us. "Drinks?"

"Yes, sure!" I said while my friends nodded. The former bully headed to the fridge in her kitchen.

"I'm afraid I don't have much variety. Just orange. I also barely have something to eat tonight. I need to go to the convenience store."

"You were so excited to visit your home world that you forgot to buy food for your return?" Rainbow Dash commented in a joking manner.

"Yer not in position to laugh, sugarcube. Remember yer first tournament? You were so excited that you forgot to set the alarms. You would have overslept if we haven't stopped by to pick you up." Applejack said.

"Don't remind me." Rainbow Dash blushed of embarrassment and lost her smile. Meanwhile, Sunset poured juice on six glasses and each of us took one.

"Thank you, darling." I said.

"You're welcome." Sunset smiled and took a sip. "So..."

"Tell us about your trip!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

Sunset chuckled. "Okay, okay. I must confess that I'm excited to talk about it as well." she took another sip from her juice. "The portal leads to Twilight's castle. But when I met her, I noticed a big difference."

"What kind of difference?" Applejack asked. Sunset's smile became wider.

"Twilight is a Unicorn again. She gave up her wings and her princess hood."

"What?!" All of us exclaimed at a unison, except for Sunset, who took another sip.

"How, and why?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Since returning to Equestria after helping us with the Dazzlings..." Sunset gave us a detailed explanation about everything Twilight did for an unfortunate young colt named Dusk. "And now, Dusk is living with Twilight."

"That was... very nice of her." Applejack said.

"Wait, wait..." Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke, waving her hands around. "I agree, it was a nice gesture, but, that doesn't explains why she's not royalty anymore. You said she still has a castle."

"She does, but she only uses it as a headquarters for her special friendship missions. She gathers with her friends there before setting off. The thing is, her royal duties kept her away from her friends. Even though she didn't want to see herself as superior to them, deep inside her, she knew she was. In the end, she realized how empty her life was without being able to see her friends often, so she had to choose. She chose her friends. I believe she made the right choice. I put myself in her shoes... hooves, and... I would have done the same."

There were several seconds of silence. We were processing the new information. I was with Sunset. Twilight did the right thing, considering her situation. It must have been so hard for her to be away from her friends. I can't possibly imagine what she went through.

"Yes... she made the right call." Rainbow Dash spoke, slowly smiling.

"Ah think the same. That girl has a big heart."

"You said she no longer sleeps on her castle. Where does she sleeps now? What about the furniture? Is it still there?" Pinkie Pie asked with her usual fast speech.

"Princesses Celestia, Luna and a Zebra named Zecora worked together and found an enchantment that was able to resurrect the tree that used to be Ponyville's library and her home back to the way it was before it was destroyed, except a little bit larger and without furniture. It didn't matter, though. To show their appreciation, the entire town gifted her with furniture to start over, and her sister in-law donated books to get the library up and running again. As for the furniture in her castle... everything that she didn't need any more was sold and donated the money to charity, especially the hospital where she met Dusk."

"Careful, Rarity. It looks like Twilight might be more generous than you." Rainbow Dash commented in a joking manner.

"Actually, Rarity recommended her to do it. The pony Rarity, I mean." Sunset said.

"That was quite a story, darling, and you haven't even told us what you did yet." I said with a smile.

"Equestria hasn't changed much since I left. Allow me to tell you more about my world..."

---

The sun was almost completely gone by the time we left Sunset's apartment. My friends left, all carrying the bags Sunset brought from Equestria. They were gifts for us. I was holding mine while I remained on the corridor, waiting for Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, dear. You didn't take long. I thought you would want to, you know... speak Sunset."

Fluttershy's eyes widened and her cheeks turned visibly red. "I-I don't know, Rarity... I'm too nervous..."

"Remember that you already know she likes you." My best friend remained silent. "Sunset wouldn't do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable." Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, confused. I smiled at her. "Wait here." I walked towards Sunset's door and knocked on it. Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth with her hands when the former bully opened the door.

"Rarity! You forgot something?" Sunset said, smiling.

"I would like to have a word with you, darling." I spoke using a serious tone.

"Umm, sure." Sunset said before noticing Fluttershy.

"Don't worry. She will wait outside." I winked an eye at Fluttershy before walking into Sunset's apartment again. My friend closed the door and walked to the kitchen counter, where she pulled another bag from behind it.

"I'm actually glad that you returned. I got something for Trixie too. I don't know if she will accept it or not, but I brought her something anyway."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she accepts it. I'll talk to her first. Hold onto it for now. She won't be able to say no if her girlfriend asks her to accept it."

"Girlfriend? Oh! Y-You two are finally...?" I nodded, smiling. "That's great, congratulations!" She opened her arms and hugged me.

"Thank you."

"When did it happen?" My friend asked, as she broke the hug.

"Last Thursday. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner Sunset, but I couldn't find the right moment to do so."

"Don't worry about it. Uhh, is everything alright with her, though? I mean, when you said you were in the hospital..."

"Everything's going to be fine. I think Trixie should tell you what's going on when she's ready."

"Okay. I'll stop digging in the subject then." Sunset said before losing her smile. "So, what do you want to talk about? Is there a problem?"

"Not really." I placed my bag on the floor before continuing. "I just wanted to speak about your feelings on Fluttershy. You said you were willing to tell her not to worry if she didn't feel the same."

"Oh, that..." Sunset's expression changed drastically. She walked to her couch and sat, placing her arms on her legs. "I didn't mention it to our friends, but Twilight is in a relationship with Fluttershy. The way pony Fluttershy looked at Twilight... made me jealous. I know they're not the same, but I remembered when our Fluttershy had a crush on Twilight. The pain was back. I think... I think I'm still in love with Fluttershy, but I'm certain that she still has feelings for Twilight."

"Sunset..." I sat next to her and placed my hand on hers. "It has been a month. Fluttershy hasn't seen Twilight since then, and the Twilight from this world doesn't even know us. I'll tell Fluttershy to come in. You two need to talk. It's time to allow yourself to be happy."

"But..."

"Please... this whole punishment of yours has gone far too long. Take the leap."

Sunset stared at me. She was thinking. Then, she looked away and sighed. "A-Alright... I-I'll talk to her."

"Thank you. I'll let her in." I stood up and headed towards the front door. I glanced at Sunset before opening it. She was still sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. "Fluttershy, come in." My best friend hesitated, but she slowly walked towards me. I took her arm and gently led her inside. Upon entering, Sunset stood up and looked at Fluttershy. "I'll be going now." I said before taking the bag containing my gift. "Good luck." I smiled at both of my friends before walking out, closing the door behind me. I took a deep breath before heading towards my home. Playing cupid with two of my closest friends made me so happy!

Author's Note:

Well, Sunset's back!

And Rarity is more worried about introducing her girlfriend to her parents than Trixie. Oops!

I want to thank zalla661 for revising this chapter before its release!

P.S. Some of you might not be impressed about what I did with Twilight. I'm sorry, but I vowed never to write her as an Alicorn. To know what exactly happened, click on the link in the story. It's inside the first time Dusk is mentioned

You're free to agree or disagree as long as you're polite. You'll achieve nothing by being toxic. Thank you

Comments

[Vaguely Demented]

Only problem I have with the Twilight thing is that it is a bit of an information dump. Lot of talking about events that at least as stands don't seem to really have much connection to the story going forward.

[MysteriousStranger]

8401782 Trust me, I know. But it was either giving too little information or too much. I mean, I kind of have to explain a change like that

[Vaguely Demented]

8401792
Fair enough. Does occur that it is odd that Pinkie didn't question why she didn't have wings, though I suppose it also wouldn't be the first thing on her mind given the circumstances.

[MysteriousStranger]

8401806 I think I found a way to change it, but it will take me a few days. I need to sit down and focus.

As for Pinkie Pie, I didn't want her to spoil anything before Sunset explained. Now that you mentioned it, I think I know what to do with it. Fridge! Why do I get all the ideas AFTER I submited this chapter!

[Vaguely Demented]

8401811
Because hindsight is a cruel sadist.

[MysteriousStranger]

8401822 True

[Norwegian boy]

So, Twilight is a unicorn in this storie. Nice work, I never like her as an alicorn.

[MysteriousStranger]

8405204 You're in luck, then

[LaTorpeJefe]

ITS BAAAACCK!!!! YESSSZ!
I love your writing ! Keep up the good work

[MysteriousStranger]

8413041 Thanks!

[zalla661]

NO! I just want her to meet the parents!! I swear you better not make me wait ten chapters for this! It’s nice to see Sweetie Belle backing Trixie up in this too. I still want more sisterly interactions between them. OH! Maybe do a sisters social? Oh, I wonder what rarity’s parent swill say? Good, bad? It’ll be nerve wracking for Trixie I know for sure.

[MysteriousStranger]

8433611 Hey, chill!
There will be more Sweetie Belle and Trixie moments. Just wait

[Cheer]

I'm with others on this. It just felt like a pointless addition. Like. Yes I'm not a fan of the idea but even with that to the side, it felt really forced to include that all. It just really tore me out of the cute RariTrix story I was reading.

like, after reading that part all I could think was "What was the point of telling us all that?"

Like. I love the rest of the story. Trixie's adorable. Rares adorable. But that part just really hurt it for me.

But yeah. Keep it up!

(also I might be writing a lil Trixie based story because you made me want to with the Prideful Confession thinger X3)

[MysteriousStranger]

8684934 Thanks for speaking your mind. I'm aware not everyone was going to like it. You're a cool guy

And, go ahead! Write, write, write!