The quiet of Twilight's library was disturbed as the loud combination of claws and hooves on hardwood came rambling down the stairs. The Princess herself looked back over her shoulder from where she was re-shelving books, spotting her current housemate slipping into the kitchen.
Her name was Sunset, and she was Spike and Rarity's daughter. She was pure white, with a purple and green mane and tail and a smattering of pearly scales on her forehead, ankles and shoulders. A pair of bat-like wings were folded over her back, still too small to properly suspend her, and she had a small bump where her horn had partially grown in.
"Is Aunty Celestia is coming today?"
"Yes," Twilight clicked her tongue, reaching out absently with her wing to tap the young dragon beside her. "She's not your aunt, you know."
"I know," the dragon answered, "but calling her Mom would be weird."
Twilight considered reminding her that Celestia wasn't her mom either, but dismissed it with a wave of her hoof. "Anyway, Sunrise, what do we do when we meet the Princess?"
"I bow and you introduce me," Sunset replied, frowning, "and then you two talk about politics and I pretend to be interested when I'm actually reading a book under the table."
"You don't need to be so sassy," Twilight reprimanded.
Sunset rolled her eyes. "Sassy is such an old-pony word to use. Of course, you are technically my grandma..."
"And you're the best granddaughter I could ever hope for."
"Don't be so... smushy." Sunset fake-gagged before walking past Twilight and into the kitchen. "Do we have anything to eat?"
"You finished off the toast last night." Twilight reminded her, mentally making a note to get more. "We can go get something from Sugarcube Corner before Celestia comes, if you'd like."
"One, it's not my fault if I finally got to ate something crunchy that wasn't burnt, and two, yes." She stepped back from the cupboards, eyeing the wood. "Do most ponies use such flammable materials?"
"Most ponies don't live with dragons." Twilight reminded her. "Leave my design choices alone."
Sunset trailed after her, looking around at the books. "Imagine if I got a cold while I was staying here. This place would just burn. All of it."
"Did you forget that I raised Spike? Everything has a fire-resistant spell on it."
"You're boring."
"I'm safe, unlike your father! How is his wing healing up, by the way?"
"It was almost fixed until he tried to race a passing Pegasus and dislocated it."
"Sounds about right." Twilight held the door open while Sunset passed, making sure to lock it on the way out. "So, how's your magic coming along?"
"Not at all." Sunset complained. "My horn is just a lump, and my flame just burns things. My wings don't even work."
"Now now, it took your father years to even grow his wing nubs! You're well on your way to full development. If you'd like, I can get one of Princess Luna's guards to try and help you through the transition-"
"I'm fine, gramma. It just feels like... like I'm never going to get anywhere, you know? All of the other foals my age have their lives planned out. When you were my age, you were an Element of Harmony! I've been living in a cave my whole life!"
"It's not a cave, it's a den. Rarity keeps it very well-furnished, doesn't she?"
"That doesn't change anything! It's still a dingy old cave up the side of a dingy old mountain! None of the kids from school can visit because it takes so long to fly up, and I can't visit them because dad can only land fifteen minutes away from anywhere!" Sunset growled, her lips lifting slightly to reveal small fangs. "Do you know how hard it is to make friends when you fly to school?"
"I'm sure you'll make friends here, just like I did! Maybe you'll even meet a special somepony!"
"Ugh, gag me with a spoon." Sunset slowed down, looking around. "Where is this sugary curb, anyway?"
"It's Sugarcube Corner, and it's just down the street a bit more. Oh, hello, Soda! Has Applejack got you working the stand again?"
A young mare, her coat the color of amber and her mane a dark brown streaked with pastel yellow, smiled thinly. "She's been getting older, you know. I can hope that she hangs around like Granny Smith did, but I think she might regret having me later on."
Twilight trotted over to the small apple stand, leaving Sunset rolling her eyes in the middle of the street. "I'm sure she'll stick around for much longer. Alicorn's promise."
"Unless you can convince Celestia to give immortality to the rest of the Elements, I have a right to worry," she teased. "Who's that following you?"
"Oh, that's Sunset. She's technically my granddaughter. Sunset, this is Apple Soda, Applejack and Caramel's daughter."
"Hmph." Sunset eyed the young mare, lingering on her Cutie Mark - a drinking glass with an apple wedge on the brim - and her freckles. "You look a lot like a colt."
"Use mare's pronouns, please, Sunset. You weren't raised in a barn."
"I was raised in a cave. What's the difference? And why should I use mare terms when he's a colt?"
"Sunset, can I talk to you over there please? Soda, I'm very sorry. She's not really used to... other ponies at all, really."
Soda jerked her head up in a nod, glaring at the dragon-pony. Sunset glared back. Twilight quickly stepped between the two. She draped a wing over Sunset's back, using it to pull her along. "Sunset, not all ponies are the same gender that they look. Some ponies are male but look female, and some are female but look male, and some that are male and female, and some that have no gender at all. Apple Soda is a mare who looks like a stallion. It's incredibly disrespectful to call her anything but a mare."
"I'd rather call her a weirdo." Sunset frowned. "Are there many freaks in this town?"
"Sunset, no pony is a freak." Twilight spread her wings and drew up to her full height, milking her Alicorn size for all it was worth. "If you wish to continue living with me, you will go over to Soda right now and apologize."
"Jeez, don't get your feathers all ruffled." Sunset snorted, ducking under Twilight's wings. "I'll say sorry to the freak, and then we can move on."
If there is a single unstoppable force in the world, it is an Alicorn grandmother going after her granddaughter. She bore down on the half-dragon, not even bothering to speak, and chased her up onto a nearby rooftop. Sunset dug her foreclaws into the straw roof, hoping her hooves would hold a grip, and waited for Twilight to follow her up.
When she peered over the edge, she saw her grandmother sitting patiently on the ground, absently tapping a hoof as she waited. "Is there something you'd like to say, Sunset?"
"Go suck a dragons' egg." She snapped, lashing her tail.
"Don't use that kind of language with me, young lady. You were one gender spell away from hatching from an egg yourself." Twilight tossed her mane, her long horn glowing momentarily as she summoned her crown. "Now get down from there before I have to force you down."
"You're not even my real grandma!" Sunset protested. "I don't have to listen to you!"
"Well then, I'm a Princess under Celestia of Equestria's rule and I royally order you to come down from there."
"Technically, my dad's a Lord of the High Reaches so that makes me a princess as well. Kind of."
"That makes you a landholder's heir. The two are nothing alike. Come down."
"You can't make me." Sunset lay down, her legs wobbling as she tried to keep from sliding, and tried to look as dignified as possible.
Twilight rolled her eyes. Her horn started to glow, and she carefully lifted Sunset in a wavering purple glow. "Now, we're going over to Apple Soda so you can apologize."
"No we're not!" Sunset struggled against Twilight's magic, spitting a few sparks as she stoked up a flame.
She kicked out against the bubble and let out a bright gout of teal fire. The flames slammed against the wall of her magic, burning a large hole in it. With the surface broken, the spell quickly dissolved and Sunset dropped to the ground, on all fours and snarling. Twilight let out a small cry as her magic recoiled.
"Young lady! What was that?!"
"That was what you get for trying to move me without my permission!" Sunset growled.
"Now, now, that doesn't seem like a very proper way to act in public."
Sunset startled, jumping forward and nearly bumping into Twilight. She spun, ready to snap back, but Twilight quickly pushed her hoof between her shoulders and forced her into a bow.
"I'm sorry for my granddaughter's actions, Prince. I assure you that she'll be fittingly well-behaved for the rest of your visit."
"That's quite alright, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I am not offended so easily. Would you like to welcome your granddaughter to me?"
"Oh, yes, of course! Prince, this is Sunset, daughter of the Lord and Lady of the High Reaches. Sunset, this is the future Prince of Dawn, Cobalt."
Sunset stood up once Twilight lifted her hoof, giving the Prince a once-over. He was surprisingly well-put together for his parentage; the draconequus in him showed through only in the horns he shared with his father, his reptilian tail and the dark purple dragon wings that extended back from his white feathers. Almost all of the rest of him was a pearly white; his mane was a pastel pink and blue and his eyes were rich gold. As she examined him, she was able to draw in some other traits; his smile had turned from friendly to wary, and he kept glancing between her and Twilight. The silence extended as neither attempted to greet the other.
"Granddaughter, you say?" He broke the silence, nearly babbling. "You must have had an interesting marriage."
"I hatched a dragon and raised him as my son." Twilight frowned. "I would have thought Celestia would have told you of her faithful student."
"Of course. O-of course." He looked down at his hooves, jerking his head back up as an afterthought and making eye contact with Sunset on instinct. "So, uh, nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all yours," Sunset snarled.
His mouth hung open for a moment as he tried to comprehend the lack of respect. "Ah, Twilight, my mother is being held back in Canterlot due to a group of Changelings trying to cross the border, so she sent me ahead. She neglected to send any travel funds with me, so would you mind if I stayed in the library with you while I'm here?"
"Of course! You're always welcome in my home. You can share Spike's old room with Sunset. I can trust you two won't do anything shameful?"
"Ugh, grandma, gross! And how come he has to room with me?! Can't he sleep on a bookshelf or something?!"
"He's Princess Celestia's son, he is not sleeping in a bookshelf!" Twilight snapped back, swatting Sunset with a hoof.
"I'd be quite happy for any lodgings, actually. If Sunset doesn't want me in her room, I'd be more than content with sleeping in the library."
"Sunset will be quite fine with you staying over. Just don't stay up late chit-chatting!"
Twilight trotted away, presumably leading the Prince back to the library to settle in. Sunset stayed where she was, glaring daggers at him. "You have to sleep on the floor, no matter what she says."
"I'd be very grateful for that." Cobalt bowed. "Shall we follow her?"
Sunset snorted, flicking her tail angrily as she turned to follow her grandmother. "I don't care what you do, just don't get left behind."
