“Sunny, thank goodness you’re home!” her mother cried as she embraced Sunset. She held her tightly for several uncomfortable seconds, then pulled away so she could check her cranium for bumps and bruises. “Where were you hit, baby? Are you feeling okay?”

“You took so long getting up here, we thought you might have forgotten where you live!” her father laughed from a table just outside a small kitchen. From what Sunset saw, her counterpart’s living conditions were quite different from the castle that she was accustomed to.

She had in fact spent at least ten minutes walking through the cramped and poorly lit hallways of the apartment building, losing herself in its dusty stairwells laced with spider webs, and straining her eyes to read the chipped paint of each room number until she found the right one. It only took her another half a minute to don her facade, which held up fantastically as her mother continued to scan her skull.

“I’m fine, really. Just a little scattered from the first day of school,” she said with a grin, wrapping her fingers gently around her mother’s wrist and freeing herself from her touch. “I think I just need a good night’s sleep.”

Her father nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me. Your mom made lasagna for dinner, but you can always heat it up for breakfast tomorrow.” He stood up and rested his hands on her mother’s trembling shoulders. She crossed her arms and frowned, biting her bottom lip. Sunset recognized this gesture all too well, and she felt her pretense shiver before quickly reinforcing it.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled again. “That’ll be delicious. You know I love your lasagna!” She really had no clue what this meal was that they were talking about, but her mother seemed to relax a little, so she didn’t care.

“Okay, well. Sleep well, sweetie. Tomorrow I expect to hear all about what went on today.” She pulled her into a hug again, and Sunset felt her twitching fingers wiggle through her hair, still searching for her wound.

After an awkward moment lost in the hall, Sunset found her new room. Her first instinct was to illuminate the room with her magic, and she even waved her head, her thick mane tumbling over her face, completely forgetting her departed power. How did these creatures accomplish anything without magic? She compared them all to earth ponies, vulnerable to disorganized weather and chaotic monsters and more.

Then again, Sunset recalled the strange machines she saw in the streets, and even the worms at the end of her arms suggested that this world had an ability just as powerful as Equestria’s magic. Nonetheless, as Sunset stood in the dark bedroom, she found herself painfully missing her horn.

In the morning, Sunset awoke by the light of her namesake’s opposite, leaking through a window above the bed she managed to find the night before. Well-rested and fairly calm within this new world, she lifted herself up and stretched her arms until they felt comfortable again, then brushed her eyes and looked around.

Painted in the orange light from the sun, the bedroom seemed to match her perfectly. Across from where she sat, by the door, a bookshelf packed with everything from magazines to tomes creaked against the wooden floor. On its other side there sat a small wooden desk holding a stack of papers and a couple more books. A closet took up most of the adjacent wall, and a full length mirror hung from one of its panel doors. Under the window in the last wall was a large, black rectangle sitting on a short table. Looking a little closer, she saw a couple smaller rectangles on a lower shelf in the table. The walls were dotted with picture frames and other decorations.

The bed she still sat upon was pink and plush. It wasn’t nearly as large as the one in Sunset’s suite at the castle, but it was more than comfortable enough to ensure her a good night’s sleep.

As suddenly as these things usually happen, an alarm clock on the desk burst into life and filled the room with its cacophonous ring. Clutching the blanket below her, Sunset searched around frantically for the source of the noise. Her heart raced even faster when the door swung open, revealing her mother.

She leaned on the door handle and grinned. “Good morning, sweetie! Time to start another day-” She trailed off as she saw her daughter sitting upright, eyes wide.

After walking over to the desk and shutting off the alarm, she turned back with her mouth twisted in concern.

“You didn’t even switch out of your clothes last night? Are you sure you’re feeling all right?” She sat on the edge of the bed. Sunset wasn’t accustomed to having guests in her room, and certainly not to sharing her space with her parents. However, she fought the feelings of violation, aware that something needed to be done before her worrywart mother called an ambulance.

She set a hand on her mother’s shoulder and beamed up at her. “I just had a strange dream, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”

Her mother didn’t seem convinced, but she still nodded. Standing up, she looked down at her daughter. “You sure?”

Sunset nodded back. “I’ll let you know if anything changes.” She moved her warm orange hand to her mother’s dark yellow one. “I promise.”

“Okay,” she whispered back. “Better get ready, then.”

When she was alone again, Sunset threw herself back onto the bed. She liked the look of her counterpart’s personal library, though it was nothing compared to what she was used to in Canterlot. She liked her bed, though it seemed a little short for Sunset’s long legs. Lastly, she liked her door, though it seemed that there wasn’t any way to lock it.

She sat up once more, and with wobbly patience, got to her feet. A full day stood ahead of her, and she’d have a lot to learn - some she’d like, and some she surely wouldn’t.

Facing the mirror, she noticed how wrinkled her clothes were, and the mess her mane was in. Then she looked down at her big, black boots.

“Guess it’s time to find out what my hind hooves look like.” Next Chapter: Smelly Encounters Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes