Sunset Brings Twilight Glassesby Slateblu1ChaptersCare PackageGetting Another PairLove AdviceCare PackagePacing back and forth, a small part of Sunset’s mind worried she was going to wear a groove into her carpet. The vast majority of her mind, however, was going through the list in her hand. Again. “Okay, so I’ve got a few spare glasses cases, a dozen things of lens wipes, one of those necklace things so the glasses don’t fall...” she ticked off each item on her list as she went down. “Twilight, what does she need for a ‘glasses repair kit’?” Sunset stopped in the middle of her room, turning to face her purple faced friend. Twilight, for her part, was calmly sipping tea. The tea did a wonderful job of hiding the giggles that threatened to escape her every few seconds. She had to take a sip to stifle another wave before speaking. “Ohh, just, hehe, some small screw-drivers, some super glue, that kind of stuff.” Twilight took another sip, leaving the mug raised to hide her growing grin. “But with her magic, you could probably leave that one off the list.” “Nope! Going to the hardware store! Back in a bit!” Sunset grabbed her jacket and ran out, locking the door to her apartment behind her. Twilight waited until she could hear Sunset’s motorcycle rev and drive off before setting her cup down. She took a deep breath, and fell to the floor, rolling with laughter. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rolled back and forth. “Ohh, she fell for it! She fell for it good!” After a minute of laughter, Twilight was finally able to calm down. “I need to tell the princess.” Sunset’s bedroom was a simple affair. There was a lofted bed and a desk beneath that. Next to the desk was Sunset’s backpack. Twilight smiled as she pulled it open. There were only two books in there, a math textbook, no doubt for that weekends homework, and the journal. Twilight pulled it out, grabbed a pen from the desk, and wrote out a quick message. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Sunset totally bought the joke. It’s great. But she’s going out and buying stuff for your ‘glasses.’ Shall I tell her now, or do you want to? She’s planning on visiting this weekend to give you a care package. -Twilight Sparkle. Twilight set the journal down on the desk and sat in Sunset’s chair. She didn’t have to wait long for a response. Twilight, Ohh, that’s brilliant! How adorable is she being about this? Let her come over, I’d love to see her again. Why don’t you come with and we can both tell her? I’m sure that’s not the only thing we need to tell her... -Twilight Twilight, Absolutely adorable. Sounds great. I’d love to see Equestria. And ya, that kinda just slipped out, didn’t it? I’m sure she’ll message you soon enough about setting up a time. -Twilight With a grin returning to her face, Twilight slipped the book back into Sunset’s bag. Heading back out to the main room, Twilight picked up her tea, returned to her chair, and set to work getting the massive grin off her face. Or at least enough that she could hide it behind the cup. Sunset walked up and down the aisles of the hardware store. The screwdrivers and super glue hadn’t been that hard to find. But she wanted to make sure she got everything. So she was scanning each aisle, trying to decide what Twilight might need. Her only problem was that she didn’t wear glasses, and as such had absolutely no idea what Twilight could need. “I shoulda brought Twily along. She’d know way better than me.” Not thinking of anything, and not wanting to go down every single aisle, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Twilight, asking for help. Twilight didn’t take long to respond, telling her she was probably fine, the only other thing she could think of was some microfiber rags to dry them off with. It didn’t take Sunset long to find the sign for microfiber cloths. She briefly wondered why the sign didn’t say anything else. As she turned onto the aisle, she froze, realizing why. The entire aisle was full of different microfiber rags and cloths, all in dozens of colors, shapes, and sizes. She slowly walked down the aaisle, overwhelmed by the choices. “Does it matter how big they are?” she mumbled to herself. “Do I need to get her a bunch of them, or can she reuse them?” She stopped half way down the aisle and stared at the brand with the largest color variety. “Ponyfeathers, what color should I get her? Does she have a color she likes best? Maybe I should get her five colors, one for each of her friends...” Sunset sat down on the hard floor. “What about that new girl, Starlight was it? Is she a friend? What about me? Is that even the right thing to do?” Letting her eyes wander across the wall of color, Sunset continued muttering to herself. “Or maybe I should just get her a bunch of purple ones. But what if she has another color she likes better....?” Starting to panic, Sunset hopped up to her feet and began pacing again. She whipped out her phone and called Twilight. “Come on... Pick up. Really need you right- Twilight! What color rags should I get her?” There was a slight pause before Twilight replied. “Ohh, um.” Twilight paused again. “I know! Orange!” “Orange? Why orange?” Sunset let the confusion fill her voice. “Well, she’s me, right?” Sunset grunted. It was vaguely confirming. “I like orange, so I know she will too.” Sunset shook her head. “Okay. Orange. Now, what brand?” “Doesn’t really matter, Sunny.” Sunset blushed at the nickname. Neither Twilight could know, but it was what Princess Celestia had called her when she was young. "Just get her a dozen or so. Ohh, call waiting, see you whenyougetbackbye!" Twilight hung up. "Orange... Okay." Sunset shrugged. Turning back to the wall of cloth, her face fell. "Why do they have multiple oranges?" Groaning, Sunset went about trying to decide which orange to get. She grabbed one of each and then grabbed one of every other orange microfiber on the aisle. Luckily for her, orange wasn’t a common color, so she only ended up with a baker’s dozen. She sat down at the end of the aisle, trying to decide. "This one's neon orange. I mean, I'm sure both Raritys would thow a fit upon seeing it, but it might be easier to keep track of." She set that one to her left to begin her ‘maybe’ pile. "Bleh, this one looks like the rust on my bike. Nope." She tossed this one to her right and the newly formed ‘No’ pile. "This one is okay... I guess. Uhh... Why do I like it?" Sunset took a moment to realize just what she liked about it. "Ohh." She looked at the sleeve on her jacket. "Same color as that... Alright, it's a maybe." The next half dozen went in similar fashion, being sorted into her two piles. The tenth one caught her attention. "Ohh.. I could..." Sunset blushed. By what was no doubt random chance, Sunset had found rags almost the exact same shade as her skin. "Rarity would gripe about how it's slightly darker but..." She bit her lip and smiled. "No, I'm getting this one. If she does like me then maybe this will go over great." Just as she was gathering up her two piles, she froze. “But if she doesn’t, would this come off as too forward?” She started pacing again. “I can brush it off, act like I hadn’t noticed... What was that Equestrian tradition about matching somepony’s coat color? Does that mean friendship or romance?” Biting her lower lip hard enough to draw a drop of blood, Sunset’s pacing sped up. “And she’s the princess! Would I get in trouble if I came on too strong? Ohh and what will this Twilight think? Will she think this means I chose the other Twilight over her? Does she even like me that way? Eughh, I can’t figure this out!” Deciding to just go with it, Sunset went about putting the rejects back, and grabbing a few more of her chosen type. “I could get some for both Twilights... That way she doesn’t feel left out. Or maybe- No.” Sunset stopped herself from worrying again. “I just have to just go with it. And hope. Lots of hope.” Sunset took a deep breath and managed to calm down somewhat. Putting a spring into her step, Sunset added two dozen of the rags to her basket. Twilight had to hang up on her friend. She had almost burst out laughing over the phone. She couldn’t ruin it yet, but she was having trouble holding it in. “I wonder if she got the hint?” Twilight let loose a happy laugh. “If she went to the place by the sweet shop...” Twilight giggled as she pulled out her own orange cloth, purchased from said store, and gave her glasses a quick wipe. “Ohh, this will be perfect. Now, I need to calm down. I can’t mess this up.” Twilight brought her hand to her chest as she took a deep breath, then pushed it away as she let the air out. She did this a few times before getting her nerves under control. “I really hope she likes us back.” Getting Another PairCarrying the spoils of her shopping trip up to her apartment didn’t take long. Neither did fiddling in her pocket to find her key to unlock her door. With a sigh she pushed her door open and entered her room. Twilight barely hid a deep blush behind her mug. Which, she noticed with worry, was out of tea. “Alright, I’ve got everything.” Setting the bag down on her small table, Sunset smiled. “Screwdrivers, super-glue, and a dozen microfibers.” She pulled out each item as she said them. “Ohh, I also wanted to get you some, since I was there and all...” Grabbing half the stack, Sunset hurriedly gave them to Twilight. “Thanks Sunset,” Twilight replied happily. She couldn’t hold back a small bounce as she noted that Sunset had gotten the exact ones she already had. “So, add them to the box?” she asked, dropping her gift into her bag. Sunset nodded. She lifted the lid off the shoe-box turned care-package. It took her a moment, but she easily enough shifted things around to make it all fit. The cloths were on the bottom, since they didn’t run the risk of being smooshed. On top of those, and to one end, were the cases. Next to those sat the super glue and screwdrivers. The wipes sat on the far end, filling the box nicely. Thinking for a moment, Sunset stuffed the neck loop into one of the cases. “Alright. Only one more thing to get. A pair of glasses for her.” “She still has my pair,” Twilight pointed out. While the pair in question was actually in her backpack at home, the Twilight had taken the time before she left to figure out what their next steps would be. Originally, they had planned to leave the joke alone, and maybe after a few weeks tell Sunset. But when their mutual crush started to obsess over it, they had to plan quickly. The high-schooler had 'borrowed' the journal on the premise that she wanted to learn more about the princess, but had actually been furiously writing back and forth as they tried to come up with a new plan. While they didn't like it, they had decided to keep the joke going, for just a little longer. They were still enjoying the prank, and were certainly enjoying the attention they both got from Sunset, but they did feel bad about how far it was going. Although they had agreed to keep it going, it was only so long as it took for them to convince Sunset to visit the pony world. The princess couldn't just pop over, she was too busy; They also wanted to be together to confess their love for the former pony. “I know, but I want to get her her own pair.” Sunset shuddered as the mental image of the two Twilights wearing the same glasses popped back into her head. “Ones that don’t look like yours. I need to be able to tell you two apart after all.” Sunset turned to Twilight, suddenly serious. “Seriously, that was kinda creepy. Don’t do it again?” Twilight lifted a hand to hide her snicker behind. “Alright. Sorry about that. Should you maybe make sure she has time this weekend to meet you?” Raising an eyebrow, Sunset gave Twilight a very puzzled look. “Well, if she doesn’t have time then you’ll have to wait till next weekend. And the glasses could break easily if the box gets knocked over by accident.” Twilight was lying through her teeth. She knew as long as the glasses were in a sturdy case they’d be able to survive most anything. But she wanted to make sure she and the princess could prepare, if they needed to. Sunset thought on that. “I didn’t realize...” Sunset began pacing again. Twilight had to bite back another giggle. “I’m going to pour myself more tea. Would you like some?” With a shake of the head from Sunset, Twilight scurried away into the kitchenette. Taking a few calming breaths, Twilight grabbed the self-heating kettle and poured herself a small measure of tea. The strong jasmine scent floated up into her nose, and she let out a content sigh. Breathing deeply, Twilight took a moment to bring herself back under control. Returning to the main room, Twilight found Sunset on her laptop. Looking over her shoulder, Twilight saw half a dozen tabs of glasses frames makers open. “Looking up where to go?” Sunset nodded. “Ya. Why do they all advertise frames? What about the actual glasses?” Twilight plopped down on the couch next to Sunset and gave her a quick hug. “There’s two parts to glasses,” Twilight said, taking hers off. She held them up so Sunset could see them better. “The frame, which is the plastic or metal that makes up most of it, and the lenses, which are the part you see through.” Twilight pointed at each piece before returning them to her face. “The lenses are made based on the prescription you need, the frames are what you go and choose. You buy the frames and they then put the lenses in.” Sunset stared at her friend. "But do I have to buy the lenses separately?" She pointed to the screen, where an offer for two for one frames sat. "This just says frames." Looking at the ad, Twilight felt most of the joy she had felt earlier retreat. While she was enjoying the joke, and looked forward to telling Sunset and confessing to her, this was another matter entirely. She had forgotten just how expensive glasses could be. While the deal was certainly enticing, Sunset seemed prepared to spend well almost two hundred dollars on the glasses. "Sunset, have you seen the prices of these?" The care package was one thing; Twilight was sure Sunset had spent less than thirty dollars on the whole thing. A pair of one eighty glasses on the other hand, she couldn't justify as part of the prank. That was too far. Sunset waved her hand in the air. "It's okay. I can cover it." A faint smile graced her lips. "Plus, it's worth it, right? I mean, I assume they're good quality and will last if they're costing that much." Twilight shook her head. She had to keep Sunset from this. She and the princess would feel horrible about it, she knew, and Sunset likely wouldn't be to happy either. "You know what, I'm sure she's had some made in Equestria already. You don't need to spend almost two hundred dollars. Here," she snatched the laptop from Sunset and did a quick search. "Here you go," she said, turning the screen back to Sunset. She had found close to the right strength prescription, and for a tenth the price. "I mean, they're not exactly right, but it's not worth ten times the price for the extra level of precision." Humming to herself, Sunset thought. "What if the portal screws them up, though? What if that little bit of error means she misreads something important? There are so many things that could go wrong!" A groan escaped Twilight. "She's a princess right? Really smart?" she asked, a leading tone in her voice. Sunset nodded quickly in response. "Then I think she has the resources, knowledge, and power to fix and mistakes the portal makes. And knowing her, I bet she triple reads every important document she gets. I know I do." Sunset bit her lip again. Her foot began tapping quickly on the ground. "Alright. Fine. I'll get her the cheap pair." Sunset grumbled. "I don't want her to think I'm being cheap though..." A hand on her friends shoulder, Twilight stood up. "Look, I'm sure she'll love them. I know I would. How about I go send a message to her and ask how soon we can visit while you put in the order." Waving her offer, Sunset nodded. Forcing a relaxed smile to her lips, Twilight had to fight to not rush into the bedroom and grab the book. Flipping it open to the back, she quickly scrawlled a note. Twilight, We have a problem. She almost spent two hundred dollars on glasses for you That's almost a fifth of her rent for the month I talked her down to a cheaper pair, only twenty How soon can we come? I think this is going to far -Twilight Standing, Twilight paced around the room. She had to wait less than a minute before the journal buzzed again. Twilight, Horsefeathers You're right, this is getting out of hoof I'm free later today. Give me like two hours Will the glasses she's buying be ready by then? -Princess Twilight Twilight, They should be See you soon -Twilight With a sigh of relief, Twilight returned the book to Sunset's pack. Much calmer now, she made her way back to the living room. "She says she's free later today!" she proclaimed, a hint of actual joy in her voice. Every muscle in her froze as she saw the page Sunset was on. Her trained eyes quickly noted that Sunset had gone back to the original, expensive pair, and that it was currently thanking Sunset for her purchase. "I know you said the cheap pair would be okay, but I kinda wanted to splurge on her..." Sunset said meekly, knowing she was caught. Shit. Love Advice"I'm so glad you were able to make it on such short notice, Cadence!" Twilight bounded down from her throne, galloping up to her old foalsitter. She dropped to her knees with Cadence and the pair chanted, "Sunshine Sunshine, Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Giggling, Cadence wrapped her hooves around Twilight and the pair hugged. "Spike! Clear my schedule for a few hours. I'm taking my sister-in-law out for lunch." Spike rolled his eyes while the two alicorns left. They both knew Twilight had already cleared her afternoon for this exact reason. Twilight led her sister-in-law from the castle, taking her to one of her favorite places to eat. She was more than grateful that Ponyville as a whole had gotten used to her being a princess pretty quickly. The pair were still given better than average treatment, immediately getting a private table in the back, but were otherwise left alone. Once the waiter had taken their orders for drinks, water for Cadence and an apple cider for Twilight, they began to talk. "So, Twilight, how has being a princess been treating you?" The younger princess couldn't hold back a groan. "I swear, Celestia has hoofed way to much of her paperwork onto me." Shaking her head, she continued, "I mean, I've been reviewing tax law. Tax law, Cadence! And I thought nothing could make math boring, but oh, was I proven wrong." A mirthful laugh escaped Cadence. "Back when she first made me a princess she gave me all sorts of busy work too." A hoof raised to her lips to stile another giggle, Cadence reminisced. "One of the projects she gave me, at least I'm like 90% sure on this, was to come up with a new organizational plan for the Canterlot City Library." Twilight gasped. "She still says it was a matter of military importance, but Shiny says he's never heard of it so..." "I knew someone had done something!" Twilight screamed. A muscle in her cheek twitched, something which did not go unnoticed by Cadence. "I remember walking though the library and feeling like everything was just a little off!" Cadence's eyes went wide. "Oh no. You didn't lose anything, did you?" "I got lost trying to find the history section. I had a paper due in a few days, Cadence!" Despite all the years between, Twilight was still clearly upset over this. "That's one of the few papers I failed, all because they moved everything in the library!" Cadence bit her lip. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Deflating with a sigh, Twilight shook her head. "Sorry. I know I shouldn't be upset at you, it's just, that was one of the few times I screwed up. It's been a sore spot for years." "Your drinks, ladies," the waiter said, stepping in. He quickly placed their drinks in front of them before pulling out his pad. "Are you ready to order?" Twilight nodded quickly. "Get us two of my usual, Mr. Cuffs." Bowing, the waiter exited the small room. "And what, exactly, is your usual, Twilight?" Cadence asked, more than a little skeptical. "You'll love it. Trust me." Cadence stared inquisitively into Twilight's all too innocent eyes. "Fine," she eventually relented. "Anyways, I didn't call you all the way here to talk about libraries." "Not like you wouldn't, Twi," Cadence chided. Rolling her eyes, Twilight scoffed. "Anyways. I need some advice." Cadence perked an eyebrow, sipping on her water. "Oh?" "Love advice," Twilight replied, her voice barely above a whisper. A massive grin broke out across Cadence's face. "Have you found a special somepony?" she asked in her slightly irritating singsong voice. Twilight groaned. "No. Not yet at least." Cadence's face lit up, practically begging for more. "Look, I found someone I like, but I'm a little worried." Wiggling with joy, Cadence leaned forward. "I am the princess of love, Twilight. I will help you find yours!" Twilight bit her lip. "Promise not to tell Shiny? I don't want him trying to do the whole protective big brother thing." Another musical trill came from Cadence's lips. "Of course. I can't have him rushing around across Equestria after all," she laughed. "So, who is it?" Rolling her eyes, Twilight couldn't help but sigh. She looked around the room to confirm they were alone. "Sunset Shimmer." Her voice was little more than a whisper. Cadence gasped. "Isn't she your student?" she asked incredulously. "SHUSH!" Twilight reached across the table, trying to cover Cadence's mouth. The older alicorn pulled back, barely suppressing a laugh. "Not so loud! I don't want this getting out." Cadence hid her grin behind a hoof. "Alright, alright. So," she took a moment to regain control of her laughter. "So, what do you need help with?" Twilight sat back, wringing her hooves together. Before she could open her mouth, the waiter returned. "Oh thank Celestia," she said under her breath. The pair thanked the waiter, who promptly bowed himself out. The moment the door was shut Twilight grabbed her burger in her magic and took a huge bite. A content groan escaped her lips as the various juices and dressings dribbled down her chin. Cadence watched Twilight curiously, then hesitantly took a bite of her meal. Her eyes went wide. "This is good!" she exclaimed around a mouthful of food. "Told ya," Twilight teased. For a minute or so, the pair sat enjoying the food. "Alright," Cadence eventually said. "So, what's the problem?" Sighing deeply, Twilight put down her burger. "The other Twilight and I both like her." "Little rivalry for her affection?" Cadence asked with a knowing smile. Shaking her head, Twilight relaxed into her seat. "No, it's..." Twilight breathed a deep sigh. "We decided to have a little fun with her, prank her a little." Looking up at the ceiling, Twilight smiled softly. "It was funny. I pretended to need glasses, we synced up, creeped her out. We were going to let her in on it after a few days, give her time to calm down a little. Instead she decided to make me a care package. We let it go, thinking it was sweet. I just found out she spent a lot of money on it. On me." Cadence gasped. "So the prank went too far." Twilight nodded. "Way too far. We were going to talk to her soon enough and explain everything to her. The prank, that we both really like her, all of it." "And now you're worried she's going to blow up when she finds out what happened." Twilight nodded again. "I like her, Cadence. She's so much fun to be around. She's smart, she's funny." Twilight's eyes misted over. "How do I save this?" Cadence shook her head, then took a sip of her water. "You need to own up to your prank, right away, Twilight." Biting her lip, Twilight nodded quickly. "Then, understand that she's likely going to be pretty upset." Standing, Cadence quickly moved around the table to hug her friend. "She'll forgive you, but she's going to be angry. She has every right to be." Smiling, Twilight returned the hug. "Thanks, Cadence." Returning to her seat, a mischivious grin spread across Cadence's lips. "Then you and the other Twilight need to decide how you want to deal with both liking her." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? We've already talked about that." "Oh?" "We agreed to share her, if she's up for it." Cadence groaned. "Are the two of you attracted to each other?" she asked hesitantly. "Uh, no? I don't think so?" came Twilight's confused answer. "Then don't try to share. It won't work." At Twilight baffled expression, Cadence rolled her eyes before continuing. "Look, if you try to share her, but don't have any interest in being together yourselves, you're going to end up fighting over her. I've seen it happen way to many times. Even if you do, how is that going to feel for her? Being passed between the toy of you like some object? "And what if she isn't up to being shared between the two of you?" Cadence's mouth set into a hard line. "What if she wants to choose just one of you to settle down with? How will the two of you deal with that?" Twilight opened her mouth, trying to retort, trying to prove that she had a plan, that she knew what she was doing. She didn't like feeling like she wasn't in control. She had to quickly admit defeat, though. "I didn't think about any of that. We both just assumed she'd like us back and be happy with both of us." Twilight groaned and took another bite of her meal. "I don't know much about Sunset," Cadence began slowly, carefully choosing her words. "But I know a lot about ponies in general. I'd bet she's willing to be with the two of you for a while, give you both a chance. After that, my bet is she'll want to make a choice. Plus, switching between the two worlds constantly sounds pretty stressful." She took a bite of her burger as well, then added. "If she's willing to move past the prank, and returns your feelings, of course." Twilight groaned. In silence the two finished their meal. "When is she going to be here?" "Soon." Twilight groaned and tossed some bits onto the table, more than enough to cover the check. "Well, I'll be around all afternoon." She gave Twilight a quick hug before the left the room. "I'm here to support you, you know that." "I know." With a groan, Twilight set her lips into a determined line. "Let's face the music."
Care PackagePacing back and forth, a small part of Sunset’s mind worried she was going to wear a groove into her carpet. The vast majority of her mind, however, was going through the list in her hand. Again. “Okay, so I’ve got a few spare glasses cases, a dozen things of lens wipes, one of those necklace things so the glasses don’t fall...” she ticked off each item on her list as she went down. “Twilight, what does she need for a ‘glasses repair kit’?” Sunset stopped in the middle of her room, turning to face her purple faced friend. Twilight, for her part, was calmly sipping tea. The tea did a wonderful job of hiding the giggles that threatened to escape her every few seconds. She had to take a sip to stifle another wave before speaking. “Ohh, just, hehe, some small screw-drivers, some super glue, that kind of stuff.” Twilight took another sip, leaving the mug raised to hide her growing grin. “But with her magic, you could probably leave that one off the list.” “Nope! Going to the hardware store! Back in a bit!” Sunset grabbed her jacket and ran out, locking the door to her apartment behind her. Twilight waited until she could hear Sunset’s motorcycle rev and drive off before setting her cup down. She took a deep breath, and fell to the floor, rolling with laughter. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rolled back and forth. “Ohh, she fell for it! She fell for it good!” After a minute of laughter, Twilight was finally able to calm down. “I need to tell the princess.” Sunset’s bedroom was a simple affair. There was a lofted bed and a desk beneath that. Next to the desk was Sunset’s backpack. Twilight smiled as she pulled it open. There were only two books in there, a math textbook, no doubt for that weekends homework, and the journal. Twilight pulled it out, grabbed a pen from the desk, and wrote out a quick message. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Sunset totally bought the joke. It’s great. But she’s going out and buying stuff for your ‘glasses.’ Shall I tell her now, or do you want to? She’s planning on visiting this weekend to give you a care package. -Twilight Sparkle. Twilight set the journal down on the desk and sat in Sunset’s chair. She didn’t have to wait long for a response. Twilight, Ohh, that’s brilliant! How adorable is she being about this? Let her come over, I’d love to see her again. Why don’t you come with and we can both tell her? I’m sure that’s not the only thing we need to tell her... -Twilight Twilight, Absolutely adorable. Sounds great. I’d love to see Equestria. And ya, that kinda just slipped out, didn’t it? I’m sure she’ll message you soon enough about setting up a time. -Twilight With a grin returning to her face, Twilight slipped the book back into Sunset’s bag. Heading back out to the main room, Twilight picked up her tea, returned to her chair, and set to work getting the massive grin off her face. Or at least enough that she could hide it behind the cup. Sunset walked up and down the aisles of the hardware store. The screwdrivers and super glue hadn’t been that hard to find. But she wanted to make sure she got everything. So she was scanning each aisle, trying to decide what Twilight might need. Her only problem was that she didn’t wear glasses, and as such had absolutely no idea what Twilight could need. “I shoulda brought Twily along. She’d know way better than me.” Not thinking of anything, and not wanting to go down every single aisle, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Twilight, asking for help. Twilight didn’t take long to respond, telling her she was probably fine, the only other thing she could think of was some microfiber rags to dry them off with. It didn’t take Sunset long to find the sign for microfiber cloths. She briefly wondered why the sign didn’t say anything else. As she turned onto the aisle, she froze, realizing why. The entire aisle was full of different microfiber rags and cloths, all in dozens of colors, shapes, and sizes. She slowly walked down the aaisle, overwhelmed by the choices. “Does it matter how big they are?” she mumbled to herself. “Do I need to get her a bunch of them, or can she reuse them?” She stopped half way down the aisle and stared at the brand with the largest color variety. “Ponyfeathers, what color should I get her? Does she have a color she likes best? Maybe I should get her five colors, one for each of her friends...” Sunset sat down on the hard floor. “What about that new girl, Starlight was it? Is she a friend? What about me? Is that even the right thing to do?” Letting her eyes wander across the wall of color, Sunset continued muttering to herself. “Or maybe I should just get her a bunch of purple ones. But what if she has another color she likes better....?” Starting to panic, Sunset hopped up to her feet and began pacing again. She whipped out her phone and called Twilight. “Come on... Pick up. Really need you right- Twilight! What color rags should I get her?” There was a slight pause before Twilight replied. “Ohh, um.” Twilight paused again. “I know! Orange!” “Orange? Why orange?” Sunset let the confusion fill her voice. “Well, she’s me, right?” Sunset grunted. It was vaguely confirming. “I like orange, so I know she will too.” Sunset shook her head. “Okay. Orange. Now, what brand?” “Doesn’t really matter, Sunny.” Sunset blushed at the nickname. Neither Twilight could know, but it was what Princess Celestia had called her when she was young. "Just get her a dozen or so. Ohh, call waiting, see you whenyougetbackbye!" Twilight hung up. "Orange... Okay." Sunset shrugged. Turning back to the wall of cloth, her face fell. "Why do they have multiple oranges?" Groaning, Sunset went about trying to decide which orange to get. She grabbed one of each and then grabbed one of every other orange microfiber on the aisle. Luckily for her, orange wasn’t a common color, so she only ended up with a baker’s dozen. She sat down at the end of the aisle, trying to decide. "This one's neon orange. I mean, I'm sure both Raritys would thow a fit upon seeing it, but it might be easier to keep track of." She set that one to her left to begin her ‘maybe’ pile. "Bleh, this one looks like the rust on my bike. Nope." She tossed this one to her right and the newly formed ‘No’ pile. "This one is okay... I guess. Uhh... Why do I like it?" Sunset took a moment to realize just what she liked about it. "Ohh." She looked at the sleeve on her jacket. "Same color as that... Alright, it's a maybe." The next half dozen went in similar fashion, being sorted into her two piles. The tenth one caught her attention. "Ohh.. I could..." Sunset blushed. By what was no doubt random chance, Sunset had found rags almost the exact same shade as her skin. "Rarity would gripe about how it's slightly darker but..." She bit her lip and smiled. "No, I'm getting this one. If she does like me then maybe this will go over great." Just as she was gathering up her two piles, she froze. “But if she doesn’t, would this come off as too forward?” She started pacing again. “I can brush it off, act like I hadn’t noticed... What was that Equestrian tradition about matching somepony’s coat color? Does that mean friendship or romance?” Biting her lower lip hard enough to draw a drop of blood, Sunset’s pacing sped up. “And she’s the princess! Would I get in trouble if I came on too strong? Ohh and what will this Twilight think? Will she think this means I chose the other Twilight over her? Does she even like me that way? Eughh, I can’t figure this out!” Deciding to just go with it, Sunset went about putting the rejects back, and grabbing a few more of her chosen type. “I could get some for both Twilights... That way she doesn’t feel left out. Or maybe- No.” Sunset stopped herself from worrying again. “I just have to just go with it. And hope. Lots of hope.” Sunset took a deep breath and managed to calm down somewhat. Putting a spring into her step, Sunset added two dozen of the rags to her basket. Twilight had to hang up on her friend. She had almost burst out laughing over the phone. She couldn’t ruin it yet, but she was having trouble holding it in. “I wonder if she got the hint?” Twilight let loose a happy laugh. “If she went to the place by the sweet shop...” Twilight giggled as she pulled out her own orange cloth, purchased from said store, and gave her glasses a quick wipe. “Ohh, this will be perfect. Now, I need to calm down. I can’t mess this up.” Twilight brought her hand to her chest as she took a deep breath, then pushed it away as she let the air out. She did this a few times before getting her nerves under control. “I really hope she likes us back.”
Getting Another PairCarrying the spoils of her shopping trip up to her apartment didn’t take long. Neither did fiddling in her pocket to find her key to unlock her door. With a sigh she pushed her door open and entered her room. Twilight barely hid a deep blush behind her mug. Which, she noticed with worry, was out of tea. “Alright, I’ve got everything.” Setting the bag down on her small table, Sunset smiled. “Screwdrivers, super-glue, and a dozen microfibers.” She pulled out each item as she said them. “Ohh, I also wanted to get you some, since I was there and all...” Grabbing half the stack, Sunset hurriedly gave them to Twilight. “Thanks Sunset,” Twilight replied happily. She couldn’t hold back a small bounce as she noted that Sunset had gotten the exact ones she already had. “So, add them to the box?” she asked, dropping her gift into her bag. Sunset nodded. She lifted the lid off the shoe-box turned care-package. It took her a moment, but she easily enough shifted things around to make it all fit. The cloths were on the bottom, since they didn’t run the risk of being smooshed. On top of those, and to one end, were the cases. Next to those sat the super glue and screwdrivers. The wipes sat on the far end, filling the box nicely. Thinking for a moment, Sunset stuffed the neck loop into one of the cases. “Alright. Only one more thing to get. A pair of glasses for her.” “She still has my pair,” Twilight pointed out. While the pair in question was actually in her backpack at home, the Twilight had taken the time before she left to figure out what their next steps would be. Originally, they had planned to leave the joke alone, and maybe after a few weeks tell Sunset. But when their mutual crush started to obsess over it, they had to plan quickly. The high-schooler had 'borrowed' the journal on the premise that she wanted to learn more about the princess, but had actually been furiously writing back and forth as they tried to come up with a new plan. While they didn't like it, they had decided to keep the joke going, for just a little longer. They were still enjoying the prank, and were certainly enjoying the attention they both got from Sunset, but they did feel bad about how far it was going. Although they had agreed to keep it going, it was only so long as it took for them to convince Sunset to visit the pony world. The princess couldn't just pop over, she was too busy; They also wanted to be together to confess their love for the former pony. “I know, but I want to get her her own pair.” Sunset shuddered as the mental image of the two Twilights wearing the same glasses popped back into her head. “Ones that don’t look like yours. I need to be able to tell you two apart after all.” Sunset turned to Twilight, suddenly serious. “Seriously, that was kinda creepy. Don’t do it again?” Twilight lifted a hand to hide her snicker behind. “Alright. Sorry about that. Should you maybe make sure she has time this weekend to meet you?” Raising an eyebrow, Sunset gave Twilight a very puzzled look. “Well, if she doesn’t have time then you’ll have to wait till next weekend. And the glasses could break easily if the box gets knocked over by accident.” Twilight was lying through her teeth. She knew as long as the glasses were in a sturdy case they’d be able to survive most anything. But she wanted to make sure she and the princess could prepare, if they needed to. Sunset thought on that. “I didn’t realize...” Sunset began pacing again. Twilight had to bite back another giggle. “I’m going to pour myself more tea. Would you like some?” With a shake of the head from Sunset, Twilight scurried away into the kitchenette. Taking a few calming breaths, Twilight grabbed the self-heating kettle and poured herself a small measure of tea. The strong jasmine scent floated up into her nose, and she let out a content sigh. Breathing deeply, Twilight took a moment to bring herself back under control. Returning to the main room, Twilight found Sunset on her laptop. Looking over her shoulder, Twilight saw half a dozen tabs of glasses frames makers open. “Looking up where to go?” Sunset nodded. “Ya. Why do they all advertise frames? What about the actual glasses?” Twilight plopped down on the couch next to Sunset and gave her a quick hug. “There’s two parts to glasses,” Twilight said, taking hers off. She held them up so Sunset could see them better. “The frame, which is the plastic or metal that makes up most of it, and the lenses, which are the part you see through.” Twilight pointed at each piece before returning them to her face. “The lenses are made based on the prescription you need, the frames are what you go and choose. You buy the frames and they then put the lenses in.” Sunset stared at her friend. "But do I have to buy the lenses separately?" She pointed to the screen, where an offer for two for one frames sat. "This just says frames." Looking at the ad, Twilight felt most of the joy she had felt earlier retreat. While she was enjoying the joke, and looked forward to telling Sunset and confessing to her, this was another matter entirely. She had forgotten just how expensive glasses could be. While the deal was certainly enticing, Sunset seemed prepared to spend well almost two hundred dollars on the glasses. "Sunset, have you seen the prices of these?" The care package was one thing; Twilight was sure Sunset had spent less than thirty dollars on the whole thing. A pair of one eighty glasses on the other hand, she couldn't justify as part of the prank. That was too far. Sunset waved her hand in the air. "It's okay. I can cover it." A faint smile graced her lips. "Plus, it's worth it, right? I mean, I assume they're good quality and will last if they're costing that much." Twilight shook her head. She had to keep Sunset from this. She and the princess would feel horrible about it, she knew, and Sunset likely wouldn't be to happy either. "You know what, I'm sure she's had some made in Equestria already. You don't need to spend almost two hundred dollars. Here," she snatched the laptop from Sunset and did a quick search. "Here you go," she said, turning the screen back to Sunset. She had found close to the right strength prescription, and for a tenth the price. "I mean, they're not exactly right, but it's not worth ten times the price for the extra level of precision." Humming to herself, Sunset thought. "What if the portal screws them up, though? What if that little bit of error means she misreads something important? There are so many things that could go wrong!" A groan escaped Twilight. "She's a princess right? Really smart?" she asked, a leading tone in her voice. Sunset nodded quickly in response. "Then I think she has the resources, knowledge, and power to fix and mistakes the portal makes. And knowing her, I bet she triple reads every important document she gets. I know I do." Sunset bit her lip again. Her foot began tapping quickly on the ground. "Alright. Fine. I'll get her the cheap pair." Sunset grumbled. "I don't want her to think I'm being cheap though..." A hand on her friends shoulder, Twilight stood up. "Look, I'm sure she'll love them. I know I would. How about I go send a message to her and ask how soon we can visit while you put in the order." Waving her offer, Sunset nodded. Forcing a relaxed smile to her lips, Twilight had to fight to not rush into the bedroom and grab the book. Flipping it open to the back, she quickly scrawlled a note. Twilight, We have a problem. She almost spent two hundred dollars on glasses for you That's almost a fifth of her rent for the month I talked her down to a cheaper pair, only twenty How soon can we come? I think this is going to far -Twilight Standing, Twilight paced around the room. She had to wait less than a minute before the journal buzzed again. Twilight, Horsefeathers You're right, this is getting out of hoof I'm free later today. Give me like two hours Will the glasses she's buying be ready by then? -Princess Twilight Twilight, They should be See you soon -Twilight With a sigh of relief, Twilight returned the book to Sunset's pack. Much calmer now, she made her way back to the living room. "She says she's free later today!" she proclaimed, a hint of actual joy in her voice. Every muscle in her froze as she saw the page Sunset was on. Her trained eyes quickly noted that Sunset had gone back to the original, expensive pair, and that it was currently thanking Sunset for her purchase. "I know you said the cheap pair would be okay, but I kinda wanted to splurge on her..." Sunset said meekly, knowing she was caught. Shit.
Love Advice"I'm so glad you were able to make it on such short notice, Cadence!" Twilight bounded down from her throne, galloping up to her old foalsitter. She dropped to her knees with Cadence and the pair chanted, "Sunshine Sunshine, Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Giggling, Cadence wrapped her hooves around Twilight and the pair hugged. "Spike! Clear my schedule for a few hours. I'm taking my sister-in-law out for lunch." Spike rolled his eyes while the two alicorns left. They both knew Twilight had already cleared her afternoon for this exact reason. Twilight led her sister-in-law from the castle, taking her to one of her favorite places to eat. She was more than grateful that Ponyville as a whole had gotten used to her being a princess pretty quickly. The pair were still given better than average treatment, immediately getting a private table in the back, but were otherwise left alone. Once the waiter had taken their orders for drinks, water for Cadence and an apple cider for Twilight, they began to talk. "So, Twilight, how has being a princess been treating you?" The younger princess couldn't hold back a groan. "I swear, Celestia has hoofed way to much of her paperwork onto me." Shaking her head, she continued, "I mean, I've been reviewing tax law. Tax law, Cadence! And I thought nothing could make math boring, but oh, was I proven wrong." A mirthful laugh escaped Cadence. "Back when she first made me a princess she gave me all sorts of busy work too." A hoof raised to her lips to stile another giggle, Cadence reminisced. "One of the projects she gave me, at least I'm like 90% sure on this, was to come up with a new organizational plan for the Canterlot City Library." Twilight gasped. "She still says it was a matter of military importance, but Shiny says he's never heard of it so..." "I knew someone had done something!" Twilight screamed. A muscle in her cheek twitched, something which did not go unnoticed by Cadence. "I remember walking though the library and feeling like everything was just a little off!" Cadence's eyes went wide. "Oh no. You didn't lose anything, did you?" "I got lost trying to find the history section. I had a paper due in a few days, Cadence!" Despite all the years between, Twilight was still clearly upset over this. "That's one of the few papers I failed, all because they moved everything in the library!" Cadence bit her lip. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Deflating with a sigh, Twilight shook her head. "Sorry. I know I shouldn't be upset at you, it's just, that was one of the few times I screwed up. It's been a sore spot for years." "Your drinks, ladies," the waiter said, stepping in. He quickly placed their drinks in front of them before pulling out his pad. "Are you ready to order?" Twilight nodded quickly. "Get us two of my usual, Mr. Cuffs." Bowing, the waiter exited the small room. "And what, exactly, is your usual, Twilight?" Cadence asked, more than a little skeptical. "You'll love it. Trust me." Cadence stared inquisitively into Twilight's all too innocent eyes. "Fine," she eventually relented. "Anyways, I didn't call you all the way here to talk about libraries." "Not like you wouldn't, Twi," Cadence chided. Rolling her eyes, Twilight scoffed. "Anyways. I need some advice." Cadence perked an eyebrow, sipping on her water. "Oh?" "Love advice," Twilight replied, her voice barely above a whisper. A massive grin broke out across Cadence's face. "Have you found a special somepony?" she asked in her slightly irritating singsong voice. Twilight groaned. "No. Not yet at least." Cadence's face lit up, practically begging for more. "Look, I found someone I like, but I'm a little worried." Wiggling with joy, Cadence leaned forward. "I am the princess of love, Twilight. I will help you find yours!" Twilight bit her lip. "Promise not to tell Shiny? I don't want him trying to do the whole protective big brother thing." Another musical trill came from Cadence's lips. "Of course. I can't have him rushing around across Equestria after all," she laughed. "So, who is it?" Rolling her eyes, Twilight couldn't help but sigh. She looked around the room to confirm they were alone. "Sunset Shimmer." Her voice was little more than a whisper. Cadence gasped. "Isn't she your student?" she asked incredulously. "SHUSH!" Twilight reached across the table, trying to cover Cadence's mouth. The older alicorn pulled back, barely suppressing a laugh. "Not so loud! I don't want this getting out." Cadence hid her grin behind a hoof. "Alright, alright. So," she took a moment to regain control of her laughter. "So, what do you need help with?" Twilight sat back, wringing her hooves together. Before she could open her mouth, the waiter returned. "Oh thank Celestia," she said under her breath. The pair thanked the waiter, who promptly bowed himself out. The moment the door was shut Twilight grabbed her burger in her magic and took a huge bite. A content groan escaped her lips as the various juices and dressings dribbled down her chin. Cadence watched Twilight curiously, then hesitantly took a bite of her meal. Her eyes went wide. "This is good!" she exclaimed around a mouthful of food. "Told ya," Twilight teased. For a minute or so, the pair sat enjoying the food. "Alright," Cadence eventually said. "So, what's the problem?" Sighing deeply, Twilight put down her burger. "The other Twilight and I both like her." "Little rivalry for her affection?" Cadence asked with a knowing smile. Shaking her head, Twilight relaxed into her seat. "No, it's..." Twilight breathed a deep sigh. "We decided to have a little fun with her, prank her a little." Looking up at the ceiling, Twilight smiled softly. "It was funny. I pretended to need glasses, we synced up, creeped her out. We were going to let her in on it after a few days, give her time to calm down a little. Instead she decided to make me a care package. We let it go, thinking it was sweet. I just found out she spent a lot of money on it. On me." Cadence gasped. "So the prank went too far." Twilight nodded. "Way too far. We were going to talk to her soon enough and explain everything to her. The prank, that we both really like her, all of it." "And now you're worried she's going to blow up when she finds out what happened." Twilight nodded again. "I like her, Cadence. She's so much fun to be around. She's smart, she's funny." Twilight's eyes misted over. "How do I save this?" Cadence shook her head, then took a sip of her water. "You need to own up to your prank, right away, Twilight." Biting her lip, Twilight nodded quickly. "Then, understand that she's likely going to be pretty upset." Standing, Cadence quickly moved around the table to hug her friend. "She'll forgive you, but she's going to be angry. She has every right to be." Smiling, Twilight returned the hug. "Thanks, Cadence." Returning to her seat, a mischivious grin spread across Cadence's lips. "Then you and the other Twilight need to decide how you want to deal with both liking her." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? We've already talked about that." "Oh?" "We agreed to share her, if she's up for it." Cadence groaned. "Are the two of you attracted to each other?" she asked hesitantly. "Uh, no? I don't think so?" came Twilight's confused answer. "Then don't try to share. It won't work." At Twilight baffled expression, Cadence rolled her eyes before continuing. "Look, if you try to share her, but don't have any interest in being together yourselves, you're going to end up fighting over her. I've seen it happen way to many times. Even if you do, how is that going to feel for her? Being passed between the toy of you like some object? "And what if she isn't up to being shared between the two of you?" Cadence's mouth set into a hard line. "What if she wants to choose just one of you to settle down with? How will the two of you deal with that?" Twilight opened her mouth, trying to retort, trying to prove that she had a plan, that she knew what she was doing. She didn't like feeling like she wasn't in control. She had to quickly admit defeat, though. "I didn't think about any of that. We both just assumed she'd like us back and be happy with both of us." Twilight groaned and took another bite of her meal. "I don't know much about Sunset," Cadence began slowly, carefully choosing her words. "But I know a lot about ponies in general. I'd bet she's willing to be with the two of you for a while, give you both a chance. After that, my bet is she'll want to make a choice. Plus, switching between the two worlds constantly sounds pretty stressful." She took a bite of her burger as well, then added. "If she's willing to move past the prank, and returns your feelings, of course." Twilight groaned. In silence the two finished their meal. "When is she going to be here?" "Soon." Twilight groaned and tossed some bits onto the table, more than enough to cover the check. "Well, I'll be around all afternoon." She gave Twilight a quick hug before the left the room. "I'm here to support you, you know that." "I know." With a groan, Twilight set her lips into a determined line. "Let's face the music."
