Read The Bridge

“Is your family here?”

“….No…”

The pale woman sat back, leaning her head up. For reasons unknown to her, she felt a clamping on her chest. Her eyes began to feel a bit wet. Why was she bothering to speak with this half fur-less monkey? It was only a waste of time. She wanted to leave now. The gyaos attempted to will herself to get up and walk, no, run away. Get free of this human and her words. She tried to rise… She failed. Something kept her drawn in like a magnet. She unconsciously squeezed Sunset’s hand a bit firmer. Her words were as true as they were painful, in ways she knew the human could never guess, never understand. But that didn’t seem to matter.

“I, freed myself from them awhile ago….”

Sunset sighed, leaning back into her seat.

“So, you’re alone huh? No friends either?”

The gyaos let her vision drift to the skies above, her world beginning to zone out.

“Yes, I’m flying solo…”

The former unicorn’s face drooped a bit more as all too familiar memories came back to light. Ones of self exile, demons, turning her back on everything and anyone around her. Sunset Shimmer looked up at the sky high above. ‘Alone’ that was a word she’d known well for four years. Four years away from her first home, her first teacher. One of the snow clouds high above vaguely reminded her a winged, horned equine. One who’s fur was as white as the falling snow.

Just like I was…

But amongst the nightmarish memory came remembrance of joys. That fourth year, she’d learned something. Good days and years, surrounded by company. All thanks to the example of a purple alicorn who became a woman. It was in that fourth year she truly had a new home.

“You know, a friend of mine once told me something about situations like yours when I was experiencing it.”

Pink eyes cast themselves upon Sunset before she looked back at them. Her head told her it was impossible for some talking monkey to tell her anything of value. Something in her chest told her otherwise.

“Even if you lose all of your circle of friends or family… If you work hard enough, you can get a new one.”

“But how do you do that?”

Sunset’s smile was as warm as her namesake.

“Invite people you like in. But, one step at a time I suppose. Wanna start with a name for yourself for your friends to call you?

The pale woman looked to Sunset. She said nothing to object, her gaze curious. Sunset proceeded.

“How abooooout-”

She looked the woman over, almost wishing they were back in Equestria. An off glance at a cutie mark was usually more than enough to at least guess at a name. But they weren’t in any realm of magical talent tattoos, so she had to make do with what she

had. Looking over any feature on the confused face, she immediately homed in on the pearl-hued irises.

“…Irys?”

The former gyaos blinked a few times, looking down as her lip puzzled. It took some time before she looked up at Sunset Shimmer. Slowly and steadily, the albino woman in a sweater cracked her first full, honest, happy smile in her life. She nodded a bit, chuckling slightly.

“….Yes, I like that one…. My name is Irys.”