Consonance and Dissonance

by applezombi

Chapter 4

Dearest Princess

I’m going to tell her today. Wish me luck,

Love,

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset clenched her eyes shut and took a steadying breath as she closed the magical journal, shoving it back in her backpack with her pen. There was nobody else in the hallway; school had been over for nearly an hour now. Rows of empty lockers stood quiet sentinel to those few students who, for whatever reason, were staying behind at Canterlot High. She sat on the floor, legs splayed out into the empty hallway in front of her, and looked up at the door just to her left. A faded metal plaque on the door declared it Science Lab One. Sunset could hear the sounds of somebody still working on something inside. She knew exactly who it was; ever since most of her own personal lab equipment had inexplicably melted in an ill-advised attempt to quantify Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense, Twilight had reluctantly begun doing all of her independent science experiments at the school’s science lab.

Sunset knew that sitting outside the door of the classroom was a coward’s move. She should really just go inside and talk to Twilight. It wasn’t as if she was doing anything wrong, right? Too bad it didn’t stop the sense of guilt she felt. So instead of heading inside to talk to her best friend like an adult, she was outside, hiding, just trying to scrape up the courage to even say anything once Twilight stepped through that door. Given Twilight’s ability to become lost in her work that could be any second from now.

Oh well. It wasn’t as if she could back out. Sunset had told Twilight (Princess Twilight, that is) that she would be coming clean about their relationship to Twilight (human Twilight this time). Even working it out in her head made her frustrated. But Princess Twilight would be coming for a visit soon, to see Pinkie and bring her a get well soon present from the other side of the portal. Sunset knew she didn’t want to keep hiding her relationship from her closest friends, but first she had to deal with the first, massively awkward step of telling human Twilight.

It was another half hour before the door opened and Twilight slipped out. She was wearing a typical white lab coat, but unlike usual it was covered in flour and cocoa powder. Her hair, tied back behind her in a usual bun had a single purple strand escaping, adding to the frazzled look created by the cooking ingredients spattered all over her lab coat. She pulled up short, her expression betraying her surprise at Sunset’s presence.

“Oh! Uh, Sunset! Hi! What’s up?” Twilight said. Sunset pulled herself up on her feet, slipping her backpack on behind her. “You don’t usually stay after school unless you have band practice.”

“I was hoping to catch you, actually,” Sunset said, her heart pounding. “Do you have a few minutes? I’ll buy you a coffee or hot chocolate.” She eyed Twilight up and down, and her mouth twisted into a more typical amused grin. “Or maybe we could just scrape enough off your lab coat to make our own.” Twilight looked down at the mess on her lab coat and blushed furiously.

“You couldn’t, really, there’s not enough sugar, and most of this is flour…” she trailed off and looked up at Sunset. “Oh. You were teasing me.” Twilight grinned and rolled her eyes. “Yes, after that you can definitely buy me a hot chocolate.” The two friends set off side by side down the hallway.

“You don’t have any clean up to do?” Sunset asked. Twilight shook her head.

“Already done.”

“What were you working on in there? I don’t see much use for chocolate in a science lab,” Sunset asked. Inwardly she was angry at herself. Small talk was just dodging the real issue she needed to talk about.

“Oh, it’s just that the science lab has everything I need to, uh…” Twilight trailed off, fidgeting with her hands as they walked. “I mean, I’m so much more comfortable there then in an actual kitchen, and all the books I’ve read suggested that, um…”

“Twilight. You’re floundering. Take a deep breath and start over,” Sunset said, laughing. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Right. Well. I’ve been doing research into common romantic tropes. Things like flirting techniques, gifts, possible date ideas, that sort of thing. Most experts agree that edible gifts are ideal, so I’m attempting to perfect some chocolate recipes. Turns out I do need a real kitchen, not a science lab, regardless of my expertise in one and lack of experience in the other.”

“Romantic tropes?” Sunset asked, her voice low and teasing. “Who’s the lucky target?” Her breath caught in her throat as a frightening thought crossed her mind. “It’s not me, is it?” She kept her voice teasing, but inwardly was terrified of the reaction.

“No!” Twilight spurted out her denial. “No. Sorry, Sunset, but you’re my best friend. No offence, but I just don’t think of you that way. It’s somebody else.”

“Relax, Twi. I was just teasing,” Sunset said. Thank Celestia, she thought. “And you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.” Twilight had obviously dodged the question, but Sunset chalked it up to normal awkwardness about relationships and crushes. “Does he know yet?”

“She. And yeah. We’ve been non-verbally flirting for a few weeks now.”

“Non-verbally flirting?” Sunset was nonplussed. “What does that even mean?”

“I… this is embarrassing. Sunset, it’s just a crush, and it could be all in my head. I’ll know for sure after tonight. Can it wait until tomorrow before I tell you the whole story?

“Sure, I guess,” Sunset said, puzzled. The two of them exited the school and onto the steps in front of the school. Sunset shivered at the cold October wind that blew through the air and made her wrap her jacket more tightly around herself. Twilight looked uncomfortable; the lab coat was too thin for the chilly fall weather. “Forget your coat again?”

“Yes,” Twilight grumped. “C’mon, I’ll drive if you’re buying.”

Twilight’s car was a secondhand beige sedan she had inherited from Shining Armor. It was a perfect car for a senior in high school; well maintained, clean, and at least four years older than Twilight herself. While she wasn’t a professional, Twilight’s analytical mind and lust for learning new things, alongside the budding instincts of an engineer, put her in a perfect position to be her family’s go-to amateur car mechanic. It was only fair that she would inherit a car she’d been maintaining since she was ten.

“To Sugarcube Corner?” Twilight asked, and Sunset nodded. It was their favorite café. “I even took my brother and his wife out for dessert here the other night, after the concert.”

“How’s that going?” Sunset said. “You’re enjoying the season tickets?” You’re still stalling, Sunset. Coward.

“It was seriously one of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever been given,” Twilight said, and Sunset thought she saw a blush on the girl’s cheeks. Suddenly it deepened as a look of panic spread over Twilight’s face. “Not that the rest of your gifts were bad! I loved the book, really! It’s very special, and not just because you brought it from another world! Sunset, I’m sorry, I… are you laughing?”

“Just drive, Sparkle,” Sunset chuckled at the other girl’s panic. “Don’t worry, you’re not hurting my feelings. Seriously, nobody’s going to be insulted that they got beat out in a gift giving competition by Pinkie Pie. It’d be like beating you in math.”

“You almost did,” Twilight reminded. “In both, Sunset. You’re a wonderful friend. It really was an incredible experience to sit both our world’s and your world’s Daring Do books side by side and compare the two. The differences were quite illuminating. I got a real sense over what things are different between our world and yours. Truly thrilling. I really hope to be able to visit again someday.”

“Hopefully when we’re not on a crashing cruise ship or stranded on a desert island?” Sunset asked, and Twilight smirked.

“Life or death peril does have a way of interrupting scientific observation and discovery,” Twilight remarked.

“So what concert is it tonight?” Sunset asked. Damnit, Sunset, stop stalling!

“I… actually don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t, uh, remember what was coming next.”

“Isn’t it posted on the symphony’s website?”

“I’ve been thinking about other things,” Twilight muttered, her face reddening dramatically again. “Um, yeah. I’ve been distracted.” She went silent, and Sunset watched her with curiosity, though Twilight refused to say any more. The rest of the trip to the popular café was silent.

“You know,” Sunset began as she stepped out of the car. “If you’re trying to learn how to bake romantically charged chocolate goodies, you could probably ask the owners here for some tips. This is where Pinkie learned to bake, after all. Mr. and Mrs. Cake are amazing.”

“I’ll consider it,” Twilight said. She still sounded embarrassed about something. Sunset pushed open the glass door of the café. A tinkling of bells announced their entrance, and Sunset saw Mrs. Cake, behind the register, look up and smile at the two girls.

“Sunset, Twilight, welcome!” she called out. There were a few other customers in the homey café, mostly teenagers sitting in small groups. Sunset waved to the folks she recognized from Canterlot High, and even two from Twilight’s old school, Crystal Prep. Even though all of the booths were taken up by groups of teenagers, there was at least one small table empty.

“I’ll go order if you’ll go save our table,” Sunset said, eyeing a large group of middle school students piling in the door behind them. Twilight nodded.

“Almond milk chai, no whip please,” Twilight said. Sunset nodded herself and went to place their order, picking up a hot chocolate for herself, complete with a candy cane. Who cared if Christmas was still months away?

“So what did you need from me?” Twilight asked as Sunset carried the steaming mugs of their drinks over to the table. Sunset cringed. There was a human expression she’d learned since coming to this world, something about ripping off an adhesive bandage in order to make the pain get over with quickly. She carefully sat down Twilight’s drink in front of her, before sitting down herself. Her eyes drooped, staring at the mountain of sweet whipped cream that capped her cocoa.

“I’m dating somebody,” she said, trying not to sound as scared as she felt. You’re Sunset Shimmer! You’re not a coward! You’re bigger than this! You’ve lived in two different worlds, mastered magics that most people and ponies don’t even know exist! Don’t let a little conversation with your best friend turn you into a jellyfish! Psyching herself up didn’t really work.

“And?” Twilight asked, and Sunset wanted to swear. She was being too obvious. “You seem so nervous. You know I’ll support you, whoever you’re dating, right?”

“Don’t be so sure,” Sunset muttered. Twilight opened her mouth, her eyes quizzical, but Sunset pushed forward. “I’m dating Princess Twilight. From the other side of the mirror. We have been for a few months now, long distance mostly, but we have had a few physical dates on both sides of the portal.” Carefully she looked up at her best friend, hoping to see acceptance, joy, amusement, or anything. Instead what she got made her heart sink.

Twilight’s face was stunned, and even a little angry. She’d frozen in the act of raising her mug to her lips for a sip, but now she gently placed her steaming mug down on the table and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. Sunset, heart pounding, resisted the urge to lean away.

“You’re dating… me?” she asked, sounding horrified.

“No, not you!” Sunset said, trying not to let her voice raise in the somewhat crowded café. This was certainly not something she wanted gossiped about the school.

“Really?” Twilight hissed, anger seeping into her voice. She too at least had the presence of mind to keep her voice low. “Sunset, you’re my best friend. How could you possibly think that’s appropriate?”

“Twilight, I…”

“I don’t know whether to be weirded out that my best friend is attracted to me, or insulted that I wasn’t good enough,” she spat.

“Twilight, I’m not attracted to you, I’m attracted to her!”

“Except she happens to look exactly like me,” Twilight sneered.

“But she’s not you!” Sunset said. “Twi, I thought you just said you’d support whoever I was dating.”

“It’s really helping your case right now, throwing my own words back at me, Sunset,” Twilight said. “When I said that, I didn’t think I would be something so insane.” She began to stand up, leaving her drink behind. “There’s nothing you can say right now that can make this okay.”

“Twilight, I’m not attracted to humans!” Sunset hissed desperately, and Twilight froze. “I’m not human, Twilight. Even though I look like it, I’m not from here.” Slowly, the other girl sunk back into her seat, with a look that appeared both sullen and stunned.

“Apparently I need to stop making declarative statements,” Twilight muttered. “Okay. I’ll give you five minutes to convince me why I shouldn’t just walk away and not speak with you for a few months.”

“Twilight, I’m so sorry. I just am not into humans. It’s not that you’re ugly or anything. I can appreciate the aesthetics of the human form, the gracefulness of their limbs, the practicality of fingers and opposable thumbs, that sort of thing. I don’t find humans ugly. Just when it comes to lust, infatuation, that sort of thing, your species just doesn’t… do it for me.”

“What about Flash?” Twilight asked skeptically. Sunset shook her head.

“Twilight, you know I was just using him. He was a safe pick; popular enough to be useful, but nice enough that he would date me and not demand a more physical relationship. I wouldn’t have been able to go through with that with him.”

“What about when we found the portal on the island, and were briefly in your world?” Twilight asked. “I looked like a pony then.”

“Look, why are you fighting this so hard? I thought you wanted your friends to see you as different than your inter-dimensional doppelganger?”

“Well, yeah, but this is…”

“This is the same thing. Twilight, I don’t want to date you. You’re beautiful, you’re funny, and I love spending time with you, but I just don’t see you that way. You’re a completely different person than Princess Twilight, and I have never once seen you in the same way as I see her. In any way. You may have started out similar to her, but you’ve both taken different paths in your lives. If you like, I can even arrange for you to spend some time in her world so you can see just how different you are.”

“That… but I…” Twilight stuttered, her eyes fixed on Sunset’s. Sunset was tearing up; she saw the chance of her strongest friendship slipping away before her eyes.

“Please just give me a chance to make this okay,” she begged, hating how pathetic she sounded. “Tell me what I need to say.”

“It will take some time to get used to,” Twilight admitted, after a long pause that was far too uncomfortable for Sunset’s liking.

“Of course, that makes perfect sense,” Sunset said. She felt like she’d just gone over a cliff, and she was latching on to the crumbling rocks and grass roots at the edge. “Whatever you need. If you need space…”

“No! No…” Twilight said, suddenly distracted. “I need… probably some time. And I think I might need to talk to other Twilight. Your Twilight.”

“Of course! She’s going to be coming over soon to visit Pinkie. She’s been concerned about her injury, too,” Sunset said. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her eyes. She was glad she tended towards makeup-light; Rarity would be dripping mascara at this point.

“And you owe me,” Twilight said. “More than just a single chai.”

“Yeah, I do. Anything to make this right. Twilight, I want you to know I didn’t plan this out. We just sort of… happened.”

“How?” Twilight asked, curious despite herself.

“I’ve always… felt strongly about Princess Twilight. First it was hatred and jealousy. What she has, on the other side of the dimension… it’s what Princess Celestia had planned for me, once. Only I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t worthy. And when I found out, I reacted very badly. It set me on a path that led me to this world. That led to my fall, and my own experience with the corrupting power of Equestrian magic.” Both girls shared a glance, and Sunset reached out and squeezed Twilight’s hand. There was both sadness and regret in both of their gazes, and an empathy created by shared trauma and bad decisions. The moment lasted for a few seconds before Twilight suddenly remembered the uncomfortable subject of their meeting, and slid her hand out of Sunset’s. Sunset tried not to look hurt at the loss of contact; she failed, and Twilight clearly noticed.

“Just… give me some time, okay? You were saying about your strong feelings towards Princess Twilight?”

“Oh yeah. So I hated her. More than anything. When I went through the portal and stole her crown, I hated her. When she followed me over here, I seethed. Twilight, I was so furious I even threatened her Spike. I was out of control, completely. I was so full of myself, so full of pride and magic, that I was sure I couldn’t fail.” She took a deep breath. The memories still stung. “But, long story short, I ended up battered and bruised at the bottom of a crater that I created. And it was Princess Twilight that pulled me out.”

“I couldn’t hate her. Not after she forgave me so easily. It felt effortless for her to give me another chance. So what did I do with all that passion and hate? I still was jealous, but that jealousy was rooted in admiration and my own subconscious feelings of inadequacy.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot,” Twilight said.

“Too much, probably. I kinda had to reinvent myself. Those first few weeks were a real period of rediscovery for me. And as time passed, I realized that I still admired Princess Twilight, and still was a bit jealous of her. But she accepted me with so much openness and compassion…” Sunset trailed off. She was suddenly worried she was rambling, and Twilight was staring at her.

“You kinda… glow when you talk about her,” Twilight said, looking away.

“Sorry,” Sunset said. “That probably doesn’t help.”

“No, it’s fine,” Twilight said. “I’m trying to re-contextualize this entire thing. You know how uncomfortable I am when it comes to romance, so I guess I’m trying to take mental notes about the entire process. Or maybe I just want what you have. Either way, keep telling your story.”

“Um, sure. So you know on the other side Princess Twilight’s kind of a big deal. You remember her castle, right? And the big room with the thrones and the map? Well, the map’s magical. When there’s a problem involving friendship, Princess Twilight’s responsibility, the map turns on and ‘summons’ the ponies best suited to resolving the problem. Symbols that represent the ponies being summoned appear on the spot of the map that they’re needed.”

“I’d love to see that,” Twilight breathed, her voice thick with the lust of discovery. Sunset grinned.

“It’s impressive to me, and I grew up with magic,” Sunset said. “So a few months ago, I was summoned by the map. Me and Princess Twilight.”

“Was that the time you disappeared for a week, and told us all you’d gone on vacation?” Twilight accused. “You missed an entire week of classes, Sunset. The makeup work alone was a nightmare!”

“Are you saying homework is more important than travelling to an alternate universe and helping a magical princess to solve a friendship problem that could have ended an entire village of ponies?” Sunset teased. Twilight blushed, waving a hand.

“Shut up,” she groused, but there wasn’t a bite to her voice, so Sunset smiled.

“If I never thanked you for looking out for my academic interests that week, let me do it now,” she said, and Twilight looked mollified. “Thanks for helping me get caught up. I really did need to be there. That friendship problem would not have resolved itself without both me and Princess Twilight. And while we were there…” Sunset paused, remembering the fear, the embarrassment, and the anticipation she’d felt at the time. “I realized what I felt for Princess Twilight was more than simple admiration, but affection. And you know me. Once I decide I want something, I do what I need to do to reach out and grab it. So I let the Princess know how I felt, and asked her out on a date.”

“Just like that?” Twilight asked, and Sunset nodded, once again noting Twilight’s expression. She was once again filing away tidbits of information and advice from Sunset’s story. For what, Sunset didn’t know.

“Yeah, just like that. I think she said yes out of surprise. But she’s busy, and I’ve got responsibilities over here, so we’re kinda limited on the amount of time we’re able to spend with each other.”

“Responsibilities? Sunset, you live alone. If you’re in love with the Princess, what’s keeping you over here?” Twilight asked. She seemed to realize how insensitive her question was and blushed, looking down. “Um, sorry, Sunset, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

“Not ready to get rid of me yet?” Sunset smirked with a sideways smile. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know you didn’t mean it to be rude. I stay because of the magic I brought to this world with me. It’s my fault your world has Equestrian magic. My fault you guys had your lives disrupted. It’s my responsibility to stay and clean up my mess.”

“Sunset,” Twilight said, her eyes seeking out the other girl’s as she reached out to take Sunset’s hand. “Do you blame yourself for what happened to me? For my mistakes?” Sunset gulped.

“Um, yeah, I do, a bit,” Sunset confessed, and Twilight’s eyes hardened. “Isn’t it a little my fault? I was the catalyst that set everybody on this path, Twilight. If not for my initial poor choice, you would never have been overcome by the magic and dragged into this.”

“Yes, Sunset. I never would have turned into a demon and nearly ripped a hole between two dimensions,” Twilight growled. “I also never would have met my best friends in the world. I would either be locking myself in my room, slowly plodding away at the Everton Independent Study Program while I retreated further and further into a pit of introversion, or still be at Crystal Prep, passively pretending to smile while everybody around me tortures and bullies me.” Her voice lowered in a sarcastic twist. “I’m so much worse off now because of you.”

“Okay, message received,” Sunset said, and Twilight smiled at her. “Are… are we good?”

“Provisionally,” Twilight said cautiously. “I think I’ll need some time to process all this.”

“Sure, sure,” Sunset said, trying not to cringe when she heard how eager she sounded. What to tell Twilight, how to tell Twilight, had been an anchor dragging her down for weeks now. Now that it was out in the open, she felt light and airy. Sure, things were going to be awkward around Twilight for a while, but she didn’t feel like she was hiding something any longer. Now she could tell the rest of her friends (complete with all the squeals and gushing and silliness that she was sure would ensue from all of them, though mostly Pinkie and Rarity). She could even release Trixie from her reluctantly obtained promise to remain silent for now. On top of it all, she knew Princess Twilight would be proud of her for finally having the courage to say something. And after all, hers was the opinion that mattered most. “I’ll write to the Princess to see when she can come speak with you. Twilight, I know you’ve always been a bit bothered at being mistaken for the Princess.” Sunset’s eyes were locked onto Twilight, as if trying to read her mind. “I know that’s a part of what’s bothering you here, and that’s okay. I can’t say I understand; I’ve never been able to find out what happened to my own double over here. But I just wanted to say that we, me and all your friends, love you for who you are, and not because of whatever relationship we have with the Princess that just happens to share your name and face. Okay?” Twilight looked away, overcome.

“Thanks. You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that, you know?” Twilight said. “I don’t even know if I knew I needed to hear it. You girls have been amazing, but with some of the others…” she trailed off, and sighed. “She casts a pretty big shadow.”

“I know,” Sunset admitted. “That’s why it took a near death experience for me to stop hating her.” Their eyes met, and there was another silent shared moment, a recognition of shared jealousy and envy. It passed when suddenly a panicked squeak slipped out of Twilight’s mouth.

“Oh my gosh, what time is it?” she jerked in her seat, fumbling into the pocket of her lab coat for her phone. She desperately tapped at the screen, moaning with dismay when she saw the time. “Crap. I’ve only got an hour and a half to get ready for the concert!”

“So? The symphony’s not far,” Sunset said, standing as Twilight jerked to her feet and chugged the last of her neglected drink, not even noticing the bit that clumsily dribbled down the front of her shirt.

“Yeah, but Cadence says that you need at least an hour and a half for true sexiness, and…” Twilight seemed to realize what she’d said out loud, and her lavender skin turned a cute shade of purple. Sunset laughed. “I, uh, um. Can you maybe forget I said that?”

“Already forgotten,” Sunset lied. “Go. I’ll walk home. But if you want, I can help you with your time crunch.”

“You can? How?” Twilight demanded eagerly. Sunset shook her head and held up one finger.

“Not gonna spoil the surprise. But you might have to keep your ear out for your doorbell. Somebody might be dropping by for a surprise visit.”

“Um, okay,” Twilight said with concern. Sunset laughed again.

“Go! I don’t know what’s happening tonight, but I’m guessing something important is going down.” Twilight admitted nothing, but her guilty expression was all the answer Sunset needed. “Good luck, and listen for your surprise visitor.”

“Got it,” Twilight said, before moving for the door. “Um, thanks, Sunset.”

“No, thank you for listening, Twilight. Have a nice date,” Sunset said, and Twilight gave another nervous squeak as she fled out the door. Her suspicions confirmed, Sunset dug into her backpack to send a pair of quick messages. The first was in her magic journal. Princess Twilight had not had a chance to respond yet, so Sunset simply added a post script.

P.S. The conversation went as well as I could have hoped. She was angry, but she listened. She wants to talk things over with you as soon as possible, and I’d love to see you again soon too. Love you Princess.

The second message was sent from her phone, a text message to a dear friend.

“Rares, fashion emergency at Twilight’s house, get there ASAP, Twi will explain the rest.”

Comments

[Ibliscorn]

This was a nice chapter and truly a well written way on writing the whole “Princess and Sci are not the same and how others, especially romantic, can see them” and must say you handled it quite well