Chapter 7: Lunch complications
Sunset was given the opportunity to spend the remainder of the week attending classes and taking end-of-quarter tests at Crystal Prep prior to the start of the new quarter. Sunset found the tests to be challenging but not insurmountable despite her lack of preparation. Everything was falling into place and Sunset was truly happy for the first time in a long time. Of course, there is always that but that just loves to complicate things, and in this case, it came in the guise of Twilight Sparkle. Both world’s Twilight’s to be exact, but let’s start with Crystal Prep’s Twilight. Twilight would enter a class right before the bell and leave class as soon as she finished her test. Naturally, there was that common sense part of Sunset’s mind that said, just leave it alone, but then again, when did Sunset ever listen to that little voice of reason? Especially in that, she knew that Twilight could be so much more if Sunset could just bring her out of her shell.
“What’s with Twilight?” Sunset asked Autumn Blaze as they made their way to lunch on the third day.
“You mean the coming in at the last moment and then leaving before anyone else does? That’s just Twilight.”
“That’s just Twilight,” Fern echoed. She and Blossom had joined the two. “Stays in her cave most of the time. The only reason she gets away with it is that she’s the top student. Academically speaking that is.”
“Cave?” Sunset asked in astonishment.
“She was given her own lab,” Blossom explained.
“Must be nice,” Sunset mused sarcastically. “What say we invite her to lunch?”
“Twilight?” Fern asked sounding a bit like she wasn’t sure if she’d heard right.
“She’s friends with a Twilight,” Autumn offered. “And I’m guessing her Twilight is a near-identical double.”
“My Twilight doesn’t wear glasses, doesn’t slouch, is a lot more outgoing, confident, and adorkable.”
“Adorkable is she?” Autumn teased with a raised eyebrow.
“You know, I heard a rumor that Twilight showed up at the Fall Formal over at Canterlot High,” Blossom offered. “Called herself a princess. We aren’t talking about some multiple personality thing, are we? Might be dangerous if you mess around with her.”
“Maybe it’s like that character in Grease, All prim and proper where people know her, but cuts loose where she’s free to be herself?” Fern suggested.
“No, I’m pretty sure they are two different individuals who just happen to...” Sunset tried to explain but got cut off by a group of girls who’d approached like they were looking for trouble. “Um…. Hello?”
“We want a word with you.” Stated a pale-skinned girl with hair that was sort of dark ash blue with light blue and teal highlights. Just behind her were four more girls.
“Indigo, what do you want?” Autumn asked in a sort of resigned tone.
“Are you by any chance related to Twilight Sparkle?” Sunset asked.
“What?” Indigo asked, her bluster getting derailed on the spot.
“I think they are cousins,” Blossom offered. “And nearly as socially adept.”
“What’s Twilight got to do with anything?” Indigo protested. “I want to know how you managed to talk Cinch-”
“No, not another word,” Sunset said as she held up her right-hand palm forward. “Friendship games was it? Ah, yes. One, it was Cinch’s idea, not mine. She kind of tacked it on as a requirement to attend Crystal Prep. Also, for my participation to have the desired effect, the idiots who nearly drove me to jump off a bridge can’t find out until the day of the event in question. Not one word from anyone.”
“And here I was about to ask you why you would go against your own school,” Indigo said softly. “Wow, just wow. That is a whole lot of baggage to unpack.”
“They pinned Anon-a-Miss on her,” Autumn offered.
“Ah, that makes a lot more sense,” Indigo consented. “I’ll admit that watching Canterlot High meltdown was kind of amusing but a person would have to be an idiot to think it was Sunset, and downright malicious to pin it on her.”
“So you…” Sunset began.
“Think it was you? Hell, the girl I met at last year’s Friendship games would never be so stupid.”
There was a part of Sunset that wanted to say that she wasn’t that girl anymore, but then again, Indigo was right. A person would have to be mighty stupid to set themselves up like that. And for that matter, a person would have to be mighty dense not to see it. Even with magic manipulation going on. Sunset knew full well that you can’t use magic to force someone to do something they truly don’t want to do.
“Let me just say that while I can forgive the individuals who started the profile, and in time I may be able to forgive my fair-weather friends over at Canterlot High, the student body as a whole is deserving of some payback.”
“So, do you know who it was that started it?” Indigo asked.
“Yes, and one of the perpetrators was my own half-sister. I’ve forgiven her for her part in that I really don’t think she or her friends truly understood just how much damage they were doing. They weren’t the ones harassing me. Plus, a good deal of what they posted came from the very people who were.”
“Yikes. Talk about sibling rivalry, and wow,” a girl with yellow and pale lime green hair commented. “Name’s Lemon Zest. Welcome to the Shadowbolts.”
“So, are you headed to lunch?” Indigo asked.
“We are, but Sunset wants to invite Twilight,” Blossom informed them.
“Ha, good luck with that. Name’s Sunny Flare,” offered a pale blue girl with mulberry hair.
“Sunset, oh good, I found you,” called a familiar voice.
Sunset turned to see Twilight. She was wearing street clothes, no glasses, no bun, and wasn’t slouching.
“Twilight?” Sunset asked tentatively.
Things just got complicated.
“I need to talk to you about Dusty,” Twilight offered as she approached.
“Twilight, what are you doing here?” Sunset asked as realization dawned on her.
“Twilight?” Indigo said as she and all the others looked on in befuddlement.
“We were just about to come to ask you to join us for lunch,” Fern offered tentatively.
“Twilight, what are you doing here?” Sunset asked even as Indigo stepped up to Twilight, took hold of the neckline of Twilight’s blouse, tugged, and had a good gander.
“Ah, is this some sort of greeting I’m not aware of?” Twilight asked.
“This is not our twilight,” indigo proclaimed. Princess Twilight was after all a college graduate even if she was capable of passing as a high school girl.
“Indigo!” exclaimed the girls who’d arrived with her.
“Well, she’s not,” Indigo offered while giving Twilight a good feel up.
“Um, excuse me, but people are starting to stare,” Twilight protested even as a boy walked into a door jam. “While it’s not entirely unpleasant, you should probably stop.”
Crash! A strange sort of pandemonium was taking place all around them and it wasn't just boys walking into things.
“Indigo!” Lemon Zest shouted, and then moved to intervene. “How many times do I have to tell you that doing that is inappropriate?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Terribly sorry,” Indigo replied followed by backing off. “Still though, that’s not our Twilight.”
“No wonder our Twilight hides in her lab all day,” Furn said softly.
“We were just about to go to lunch, care to join us?” Sunset asked. “I mean as long as you are here?”
“I thought you wanted to invite our Twilight?” Autumn asked.
“What?” Twilight asked.
“Your double,” Sunset offered. “Wears glasses, ties her hair in a bun, slouches, is anti-social, and apparently less endowed. I was just about to go invite her to join us.”
“Wait, I have a double here?” Twilight asked.
“You want to meet her?” Blossom offered.
“Might not be a good idea,” Fern cautioned. “Pretty sure she’d freak out big time.”
“I’ll see if I can coax her out of her lab another time,” Sunset offered. “Now, let’s go get something to eat and you can tell me what’s so important that you came over here without so much as a heads up?”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about Dusty, didn’t want to risk text, kind of wanted to just come and go without anyone knowing I was here, and I want to know about your history,” Twilight prompted as they started walking. “Or I should say, Sunset’s History. Whichever works. And I really wanted to see you in person.”
“Should she even be here?” asked Sunny Flare.
“Doubt anyone besides Indigo will realize she’s not our Twilight,” Fern suggested.
“There is that,” Lemon Zest admitted as she nodded her head sagely.
“What say we introduce everyone?” Autumn offered.
“Yes, of course, Twilight, this is Autumn, the friend I didn’t even realize I had because I was too dense to realize we were more than just bandmates. And this is Fern, Blossom, you’ve met Indigo, that’s Sunny, Lemon…”
“I’m Sour Sweet,” Offered a girl with magenta hair. “And this is Sugarcoat.” Sugarcoat had white hair.
“Hi,” Sugarcoat replied.
“So, you want to have lunch with us?” Sunset asked.
“Do you think it’ll be alright?” Twilight asked.
“I’d imagine that so long as you and your twin don’t meet, no one will be any the wiser,” Sunset reassured her.
“Alright then, let's go get some lunch,” Twilight replied with a smile, and the group continued on to the dining facility.
“So, are you really some kind of princess?” Sour Sweet asked.
“She’s an Akkadian Princess,” Sunset replied for Twilight. “From the Island of Eques.”
“Ah, Sunset?” Twilight was looking at Sunset with a rather confused look. “Akkadian? I can’t go around telling people-”
“Yes, I understand you wish to keep a low profile, but that is where Equestrians come from.” Sunset gave Twilight a wink.
“Oh, right, what?”
“Twilight is sort of a road scholar,” Sunset offered to the others. She leaned over to whisper into Twilight’s ear, “Apparently there is some sort of Equestrian colony that showed up in the nineteen-twenties by the local calendar. Out in the Caribbean sea.”
“There is?” Twilight asked. She’d at least remembered to keep her volume down.
“Just a little something Princess Celestia never bothered to tell us.”
“I’ll be sure and ask her about it, but how did you find out about this?”
“Philomena, she’s apparently an Akkadian Phoenix, protected by international treaty, and the only reason I didn’t get arrested for having her with me was that I apparently visited the island when I was little, bonded with her at the time, was proclaimed an Apostle of the Sun, and given dual citizenship. That or someone has created a fake background for me to explain Philomena.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s all in the computers. I wanted to ask about it but like you, I thought it might be a good idea to be careful of what I um, text to you. Just in case someone gets ahold of my things.”
“Wow. Princess Celestia did say something about there being other Equestrians in good standing here, but was being her usual cryptic self like there is something she doesn’t want to tell me.”
“I wish she would just come right out and say what needs to be said. Let’s face it, I wouldn't have run off in the first place … granted I needed an attitude check, but still,” Sunset lamented as they entered the dining facility. To say it was nice would be an understatement.
“Wow…” Twilight said as they entered.
“Pretty spiffy, isn’t it,” Sunset teased.
“Did you seriously just say spiffy?” Indigo asked with a grin on her face.
“Ya, I suppose I did,” Sunset admitted and then laughed which in turn led the other girls to join in.
“So what can you tell me, about Sunset’s early years?” Twilight asked. “And I’m specifically interested in Dusty. I mean, he just shows up right when you needed him the most. What they did to your books...” An involuntary shudder shook Twilight for a brief moment.
“And he moonlights for the government,” Sunset admitted. “Quite frankly, I suspect that I am his assignment. Officially he is here to just keep an eye out for weirdness; I suppose is one way to put it. What happened at the Fall formal was a gas line that exploded.”
“So I’m to understand,” Twilight confirmed as they got in a serving line.
“I’m getting a salad, you?” Sunset asked.
“Oh yes, that sounds… oh wow, look at all the options and there are multiple lines. Not like over at Canterlot High at all.”
“Crystal Prep is a private academy with a high tuition. In order to attract the people with the money, Principle Cinch likes to snatch up the smart kids and give them scholarships so long as they keep their grade point average up. I seem to be on an all-expense free ride paid for by an outfit called the Silverwood Foundation. Dad was prepared to pay the tuition himself, but I’d say he was pleasantly surprised to find I had a scholarship waiting for me. Kind of wish I’d known.”
“Tia mentioned someone named Nova, but only said that it’s someone she knows who is here.”
“Might be Zap’s Aunt,” Autumn offered.
“Zap?” Twilight asked.
“A distant cousin, it would seem. Zachary Apple,” Sunset supplied.
“Twilight? Twilight Sparkle, why are you back, and where’s your uniform?” Asked a server.
“A minor difficulty came up,” Sunset explained. “We’re just helping her out, aren’t we?”
“Oh, yes, we are helping her,” several of the other girls chimed.
“Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped.” The server had that I’m sure something is going on here but what, look on their face.
“Just put it on my account if there is an issue. Can I do that?” Sunset offered.
“Well, you are allowed to pay for a guest, so it’s not going to be an issue.”
“Thank you,” Twilight offered and soon found herself with a plate full of goodies that rivaled anything served in Canterlot Castle.
A short time later they’d all found a table to sit at.
“Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Twilight Sparkle?”
“Zap?” Sunset asked looking at the boy. There were two boys backing him up and all had their right hand in their inside left blazer pocket.
“He noticed,” Indigo announced with a grin.
“Zachary, keep it down,” Sunset admonished.
“Boys, honestly,” Fern lamented. “Pretty sure I can guess where he’s been looking.”
“It’s not like that,” the other two boys protested.
“Oh, it totally is,” Lemon Zest admonished.
“Zap, this is Princess Twilight, from Eques. We snuck her in figuring no one will realize she’s not the Twilight who goes to this school,” Sunset informed him in a hushed tone. “I’m an Apostle of the Sun, that’s why I’m allowed to have a Phoenix.”
“Seriously?!” Zachary said sounding like he didn’t believe a word of it.
“It’s on her Interpol profile,” Blossom offered. “I got a good look when we were at the police station.”
“I grew up on the island of Eques,” Zachary stated as though that made him the authority.
“In and out before you arrived,” Sunset offered. “Look, my mom had hooked up with a guy named Snap Shutter. He took the family to Eques when I was little. Don’t ask me, I can’t remember anything prior to getting plucked out of a river and dumped in an orphanage.” Which was a true enough statement given the event surrounding her being in a river in the first place had been so traumatic she'd buried the memory behind multiple mental blocks. “Somehow I ended up bonded to a phoenix, listed as an Apostle of the Sun, and Snap got deported and put on a watch list because he hadn’t bothered to get permission to be there. And Twilight is from a small hidden community.”
“Ah, they usually imprison people,” Zachary offered.
“Zachary Apple, Beau, Knight, what are the three of you doing?” scolded an adult as she approached. She had a dark complexion and dark auburn hair which had colored stripes that resembled the stripes in Twilight’s hair. “Hands out of your pockets, now! All three of you.” She’d hissed the command like she wanted to yell and keep her volume down at the same time.
“But? Ms Swan?” Zachary protested. “That’s not… ”
“Alright, fine, you spotted a look alike. Took me a bit to figure it out but I’m guessing that that young woman is Princess Sparkle.”
“You mean they are telling the truth?”
“Just because you were privileged enough to live on Eques doesn’t mean you are going to know everyone and I can guarantee you that should anything happen to this Twilight, your Aunt Nova, my grandmother, will pin your hide to a wall. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes mam,” all three boys replied as they took up a more natural pose.
“Now scoot, off with you, and I’ll see you in class after lunch.”
“Yes mam, the boys chimed and scuttled off to return to the table they’d been eating lunch at.
“I am so terribly sorry about that,” Ms Swan offered.
“That’s quite alright, he’s usually much more congenial,” Sunset offered.
“Probably thought he was protecting you from a spy or something like that. Any chance we’ll see you in the folk studies class after lunch?”
“I’d love to, where’s it at?”
“In the building attached to the old conservatory out in the park. Just go past the dorms and take the path less traveled. Oh, and Miss Sparkle may come as well if she would like.”
“I… thank you, yes, I’d like that,” Twilight offered, her smile having returned. It was a cautious but friendly smile.
“Well then, I’ll let you get back to your lunch, and I will return to mine.” And with that Ms Swan spun on the balls of her feet and walked back over to the staff tables from which she’d come.
“Well, that was curious, and a bit troubling too,” Twilight said in a low tone.
“She’s one of the thaumaturgic studies instructors,” Sugarcoat offered in a whisper.
“She’s in the class. Furn and Autumn have classes out there too. Oh, we aren’t supposed to know about it, but kind of do,” Indigo offered.
Twilight looked over at Sunset who just smiled.
“So, about Dusty?”
“You have your misgivings I gather. Look, on the one hand, I’m probably lucky I didn’t end up strapped to an autopsy table.” Twilight had a stricken look cross her face. “That said I really think that my as yet unseen benefactor has been subtly manipulating things.” Sunset took a breath. “Twilight, I don’t really know what to tell you.”
“Just give me some history.”
“Alright, Dad, that is Dusty met and married Pippin Apple. I’m to understand that like most cowboys he was away from home a lot. They separated but were still on good terms. Dusty is on good terms with Granny Smith.”
“Wait, he is?” Twilight asked.
“We are going over to their house on Saturday. You could probably come too,” Sunset offered. Twilight gave her a look that hinted that things back in Equestria weren’t so good. “I think I kind of get the picture. You got some info that is contrary to what I’m seeing. Anyway, Mom hooked up with Snap Shutter, and you already know about the alleged trip to Eques. Shortly after returning from Eques mom lost control of her car going over the Avalon River bridge, presumably with little Sunset with her.”
“Presumably?” Twilight asked.
“The car went over the edge, and they found Pippin’s body but little Sunset was never found. And then I show up several years later with no history. I’m to understand that it shook up a lot of people. They talked and decided to just let me have my own reigns more or less. I couldn't account for where I’d been, though to be honest I wasn't about to tell anyone about Equestria, and no one wanted to press the issue. Probably afraid it would break me. They put me in foster care, only what I didn’t know was that Dusty was legally married to Lofty and I was being placed with a person who was legally my own parent. I’d been living with a person who was technically my mom and not just a foster mother. Though to be honest if I had known I might have taken advantage of the situation. Also, Scootaloo is my half-sister. She was living with Snap Shutter, her father, but he keeps taking off on adventures leaving her without adult supervision so Child Protective Services have ruled that she is no longer to stay with him and Mane Allgood. He’s lost custody of her and is staying with us now.”
“So you had a nice home and she was just getting left to her own devices was it?” Indigo asked.
“I was living in my own apartment,” Sunset informed her. “When I thought I’d hit rock bottom I was rudely informed that yes, there is indeed always one more step further down. My apartment got trashed and I got locked out on the coldest night of the year. It never occurred to me to go back and ask Lofty to let me come home. I headed to the same bridge where I’d presumably died several years previously.”
“Damn,” Indigo said softly.
“Dusty somehow managed to show up right when I needed to be rescued from my own despair and the side of that bridge,” Sunset informed them. “And after they got me thawed out he had a pretty good argument as to why I should give him a chance. You see, I flat out told him I wasn’t his daughter. His two main points, the universe doesn’t care, and if for the sake of argument that he is my father, we’d still be strangers with a lot of catching up to do.
“The thing is, all this time they’d all been helping me without my even knowing they were doing it. Sure I thought I was independent but the reality is that I was just being naive.
“If Dusty had missed me that night, they would have all been affected. They all would have felt the loss.” The table was quiet. “He, Lofty, Holiday, and even Scootaloo wants to support me. Ya, Scootaloo screwed up big time, but she wants to make up for it. Twilight, I’ve found my family. Real family. Not a bunch of fair-weather friends who ditch me the moment trouble starts. No, don’t say it. You saw how I was getting sidelined when the Dazzlings were at Canterlot High.”
Twilight had to think for just a moment, and then replied, “I saw what they did to your books. I’m glad that you’ve found your family.” She still had her reservations but there was only so much she could say in front of others.
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Twilight didn't even notice that sunset was on the sidelines the battle till she invited sunset at the end to help and she was the one who suggested that sunset take her place in the band otherwise she would be still on the sidelines.
Well hope to see Scoota Parents react to losing her now.
I'm a sucker for a good Anon-A-Miss story and this is a great one. Can't wait to see how this plays out.
Huh...tried giving a thumbsup but I keep getting "Permissions required for this action were not met." Maybe if I try later because this story really deserves it.
11104527
I actually had that shut off. I'd been getting a bunch of downvotes minutes after posting my last two stories so I started shutting it off until the story had been up for a while. That seems to weed out some of the people who downvote just because they can. I'd forgotten to turn it back on.
11104550
Sorry some people just seem to be huge assholes for no reason. I did manage to give a thumbups, a really great story.
Hahahaha I like how Twilight is so obsessed with books it's like "they bullied you and BURNED YOUR BOOKS!" Books more important 🤣 but not that you getting bullied isn't as well its just books first the bullying second🤣
11105654
Fitting that in just right was actually harder than one would think. It wasn't even part of the first draft. And then I was like, I've got to have another quip about the books.