Sunset in Canterlot

By Silvertie

Sunset. That’s what they called her. Beautiful as anything. Exotic, even. Her coat and mane were just like her namesake - a beautiful gradient of warmest yellow to orange, to just a hint of red. For just that alone, she had half the stallions in Canterlot’s attention, never mind her charmingly exotic neighponese accent and quick wit. Easy to smile and almost unfazable, it was a wonder she was even still single. I’m sure the mares kept an eye on her, too, either out of lust, envy or wariness.

And then there was little old me. Scratch, her neighbor from across the street. She lived in a second-floor apartment, just like I did. Every morning, she was up bright and early, and over coffee, we often saw each other through windows and over balconies, and gave each other a little wave. I’d like to think we were closer than “acquaintances”.

Is it a little creepy that I know she detests white chocolate? Or loves tulips to bits? Or that she works part-time at a bookstore on seventh and a coffee shop on the boulevard? Or that she receives a median of sixteen letters from home every month, written in neighponese script, with a standard deviation of three? Probably, yeah. But I say it’s worth it, because out of every pony who’d have her (i.e. everypony) I think the only pony who knew more about her than I did was herself.

But what about me? What did she think of me? To her, I was probably no more than “that teal pegasus across the street that keeps waving at me every morning”. I was sure she had no idea just how... well, stalkery I’d been. Much less who I was and what I liked.

It was a conundrum. And one morning, on a day when it was both of our days off, I sat at my dinner table, alone in my apartment as usual, and nursed a coffee as I stared out the window and at the apartment across the road, pondering my next move. The curtains weren’t open just yet, so she must’ve been sleeping late. An enviable skill in this heightened security environment. A large, translucent shield had been put over the entire city for some reason. Hopefully it wouldn’t interfere with my work, though. There was that royal wedding, perhaps that was why.

I finished my drink, wrinkling my snout at the taste. You’d think after drinking it for several months just to have an excuse to stare at Sunset’s apartment and “accidentally” wander into the cafe where she worked, I’d have developed a taste, or at least tolerance for it. Should I... make an advance on her?

This was the part I dreaded. I’d seen so many suitors come to her apartment, leaving with her on their arms for a date. And each time, I’d seen her come back later that night, alone, smiling and unflappable as always. Sometimes a wretched mess of a stallion came back later as well, clutching a broken heart and imploring her to reconsider.

She never did. Warm as sunlight, and at the same time, cold as night. I guessed that was just in her nature, being Sunset.

And here I was, wanting to step into that same arena, put my neck on the romantic chopping block in an attempt to try and woo her, to do what nopony else had ever managed. To land Sunset for the legendary second date. Failure would mean I’d have my heart cut out.

I got up, and placing my mug in the sink, looked to the little section of bench that was invisible from outside the apartment’s window. In that little corner, a small box of dark chocolates (dark forest, they were her favorite) and a single tulip, so fresh the dew was still budding on the petals. I had all this advantage... and still I couldn’t say for sure if this would win me her heart. I sent up a silent prayer to the gods that be that I might succeed in giving her my heart, and not having it broken.

All sleeper agents, a voice whispered in my mind. It’s time.

I closed my eyes, and groaned. I guess work was going to interfere after all. I knew it was coming, we all did. It had been planned for months. I’d just hoped... that it wouldn’t happen so quick.

I looked out at the other balcony, as I let my disguise drop and revealed my true form. I shifted chitinous hooves on the carpet of my little room as I considered it.

The sounds of chaos and panic were already starting to drift through the windows. Chaos and panic meant some ponies would get hurt, if not by my jumpy comrades, by themselves as they did dumb things.

The least I could do for Sunset was to make sure she got out of this place unhurt. I pulled open the sliding door to my apartment’s balcony, and buzzing my wings, flew across the gap, over the street. Her door was locked, but that wasn’t a concern to me. My horn glowed, and almost reflexively, I fiddled the pins and turned the lock; it was a tricky lock, but months of practice had done wonders for my lockpicking skills.

I slid the door open, and called out in the same voice I’d been using all this time. “Sunset?” I asked hesitantly. “It’s me, Scratch. You in here?”

There was no response, and I stepped forward, walking into the curtain. And I felt a sharp pain in my chest, like I’d lost my breath all of a sudden. There was a rustle, and the curtain was whipped aside, to reveal a curious sight.

The apartment was dark, thanks to the curtains, dappled shadows from where blinds didn’t quite block all the light. It did a spectacular job of hiding the black-clad form standing in the middle of the room, reared up on her hind legs as she balanced a leg-length straight blade, levelled at me. Other ponies would have had trouble identifying who it was, but I knew those eyes and that tail anywhere.

“Sunset,” I coughed.

“You’re not Scratch,” she muttered darkly, that beautiful accent giving her words such a flavor. “Scratch couldn’t use magic to unlock my door.”

She lunged forward before I could speak, and with a second, devastating stab... broke my heart. I keeled over sideways as she withdrew the blade, and lay there, staring at the ninja who loomed over me.

“What did you do to Scratch?” she demanded. I opened my mouth to try and talk, but nothing came out. I couldn’t tell her.

For all my stalking, for all that I thought I knew about Sunset... as it turned out, I didn’t know anything. Sunset was a ninja. And Scratch wasn’t just “That pony across the road” to her. He was something more. I knew love, I was a changeling. And I could sense the truth now that I was so close and undisguised.

And so, I did what I had to do. For Sunset.

I stayed silent, and told her nothing, because the truth would break her heart. Even as she threatened to cut out my heart if I didn’t talk. Even as she actually did. But that was okay.

My heart, as always, belonged to Sunset.