Knights of Equestria: I'll See You on the Other Side

Chapter II: Twilight and Ponyville

The day was still young and not wanting to lose any time, Twilight told Sol, “Come with me.” Sol eagerly followed Twilight out of the guest room and through the main doors of the castle. Once under the direct sunlight of the morning sky, Sol gasped in amazement, gazing out for miles past the mountains and over the clouds. The steep slopes of the mountains around Canterlot, the fluffy patterns of the white clouds, and the softness of every blade of grass at her hooves was something not entirely new, just different. As she took in the crisp Equestrian air, her heart raced with a strong anticipation.

“Where are we going, Princess Twilight?”

Twilight let out a brief chuckle and remarked, “You don’t have to call me Princess, you know. Just ‘Twilight’ is fine.”

“Twilight?”

“We’re going to my house,” Twilight said, continuing with, “I don’t live in the castle much since I have a family, now.”

As they stepped into Ponyville, Sol was somewhat surprised to see so many ponies cramped into such a small town. The dirt roads connecting the blocks of colorful brick buildings could barely contain the carts, wagons, and bustling ponies going about. Most of the ponies were at the market vendors near the outside of town, but the shops within the brick boundaries were filled as well. Many of these ponies were travelers, indicated by the constant crowds gathered at the local inn.

“It’s so busy, Twilight. Has it always been like this?”

“No. Stay close to me. My house isn’t far.”

It was a suffocating crowd, ponies of every color and kind, and even many nonponies, surrounded Sol. She felt different from them, separate, yet she knew that no one knew who she was. Apart from her lack of a cutie mark, there was no physical difference between another pony and herself.

As Twilight ordered, Sol stayed close to her mentor and always kept her in sight. They weaved their way down a large street and at the corner, stopped at one of the older buildings; a colorful shop with pink doors, a chocolaty brown roof, and what appeared to be a cupcake built in the top center of the structure. The weathervane attached to one of the thick support beams was an ironwork pony holding a peppermint candy cane. The wooden sign held out over the door had words written in a foreign text, a set of drawn symbols that the ponies could read.

Sol whispered to Twilight, “What does that say?”

“We’re at Sugarcube Corner.”

“Is this where you live?”

Twilight chuckled loudly and remarked, “No! My friend, Pinkie, lives here.”

The two walked inside. The bell hanging over the door rang when it was hit. Sol looked carefully about and noticed how most of the pillars supporting the ceiling were spirals panted in alternating red and white stripes. On the counter before them, there was an enormous pink cash register, glass containers, and rows upon rows of baked goods. There was a fresh scent of orange and other fruits coming from the back rooms where the oven and kitchen would be. Then, from behind the counter came a pink, wingless and hornless pony with an even pinker mane so curly that the curls were hardly noticeable.

“Hiya, Twilight! What can I get’cha? Who’s this?” exclaimed Pinkie, who exaggerated almost every word with an intense burst of excitement. She gasped heavily upon seeing Sol’s face, someone she had never met.

“Pinkie Pie, this is Solar Shimmer. She’s Sunset Shimmer’s daughter.”

“Wait,” Pinkie began, narrowing her eyes as she thought, “Sunset Shimmer’s back here? Hasn’t it been like, a really, really long time?”

“No, Pinkie. Remember the mirror I made long ago?”

“Ooh, I remember! I came up with the idea!” was Pinkie’s cheerful reply.

“Yes, you did. Well, Solar, here, came through earlier. I’m her new mentor.”

“Ha-ha! You aren’t going to, like, go all crazy over tests like you used to, are ya?”

Twilight gasped, “I did not get all crazy over tests!” she paused, realizing that she was standing on only her forelegs. She set her hind legs back to the floor and added, “Well, anymore. In any case, I need your help, Pinkie.”

“Ooh, ooh! A welcoming party?”

“Exactly!” replied Twilight, swinging her right hoof around in agreement. “I need you to round up the rest of our friends so they can all greet Solar. We need her to feel welcome.”

“Umm, Twilight?” Solar interjected.

“Hmm?”

“I’m not that big on parties. Too much attention.”

Twilight paused for a moment and asked, “Pinkie, can you make it not like a usual party? Something that welcomes her to Equestria without too much attention?”

“Huh, well, I can certainly try. Where will it be?”

“At my house.”

“Okie dokie! I’ll get it set as soon as I can! 150 percent satisfaction guaranteed!”

Twilight chuckled, “Thanks a bunch, Pinkie!”

The door bell jingled when they walked out of the shop. Once more, they were amongst the bustling crowds of the town. Sol commented quietly to Twilight, “She seems fun.” Twilight, smiling, rounded the corner, passing Sugarcube Corner, and continued until they came to the remains of the Oak Tree Library, which had been fenced and left as it was. All that remained was the burnt stump. A few of the charred books that surrounded the devastation had been placed in the stump’s center. There was a golden plaque attached to the fence, but like the Corner’s sign, Sol could not read it.

“What happened here?”

“I used to live here, but a powerful being destroyed it. That’s how I got that castle.”

“What happened to this being?”

“His name was Tirek. He gained power by absorbing it from magical creatures. He escaped from Tartarus, but thanks to my friends, we were able to return him there under Cerberus’ watch.” For just a brief moment, Sol spotted a frown cross over Twilight’s mouth. When the moment passed, Twilight continued to smile.

“Wait, Tartarus is real?”

Twilight raised her eyebrows and chuckled, “Of course it’s real.”

“It isn’t where I came from.”

“Well, there’s more where that came from. Let’s go. Not much farther.”

They continued walking and made a few turns down smaller roads before stopping once more at the other side of town. The house at the end of the road was two floors tall, supported with creamy colored bricks at the base with wooden beams running through the walls, had what looked like a straw roof, and pink doors similar to those at the Corner. A black iron wrought fence surrounded the house and a small staircase completed the pathway from the road to the door. Sol could see two reddish chimneys and about ten shining windows on the face of the home. As they approached the door, Twilight used her magic to pull out some mail from the purple mailbox at the gate.

“You live here?”

“Mhmm.”

“It’s a beautiful house. How much did it cost?”

“It was cheap since I’m a Princess. Bills. Bills. Bills. Junk. Bills.”

“If you’re a Princess, why don’t you live in that castle?”

Twilight opened the gate and continued up to her front door, “Oh, I still visit. Things to do. I admit, things have been rather boring, lately.”

The front door creaked open and swung back, slamming into the wall when Twilight tried to open it. The sudden bang startled Sol and made Twilight blush. “Sorry,” she said quietly. The two stepped inside. Sol’s hooves tapped repeatedly against the hardwood flooring. She saw furniture like tables, seats, and a couch. There were also several bookcases filled with books of every size and color. Unlike the Corner, there were no outrageous colors or overly fancy designs. The home was rather plain to Sol, although she enjoyed the simplicity.

Twilight raced to the base of the staircase that went to the second floor and shouted, “Midnight! Get down here!”

“Who’s Midnight?” Sol asked.

Before Twilight could answer, tapping of a pony’s hooves could be heard moving down the stairs. A female voice muttering softly came with it. A unicorn with a dark blue coat and a shimmering cerulean blue mane appeared before them. Her mane, like her mother’s, sparkled in the light and gently waved almost constantly, whether or not there was wind. She was not an Alicorn, yet her stature was greater than what Sol had seen in most other female ponies. She stood firm with a serious expression on her face, with no smiles or grins of any sort. On her flank was a glowing, white star surrounded by a silvery crescent moon.

“Who is she?” Midnight inquired. Her voice was soft, direct, and rarely presented a grammatical error.

“Midnight, this is Solar Shimmer. She’s my new pupil.”

“What about me?”

“Hmm, I haven’t thought about-. Maybe I can teach both of you together.”

Sol extended her left hoof toward Midnight and said, “Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Midnight looked at Sol’s flank and did not see a cutie mark. “Where’s your cutie mark?”

Sol looked back at herself, and caught a glimpse of her flank in the corner of her eye and replied, “I don’t have one, yet.”

“I guess we’ll have to fix that,” Midnight replied. “Can you do any magic?”

Sol shook her head and answered calmly, “No.”

“Midnight, Pinkie and the others should be coming later,” Twilight said.

Midnight looked at her mother and asked, “Why is that?”

With a subtle huff, Twilight answered, “A welcoming party.”

Without another word, Midnight Sparkle left the room and returned upstairs. Sol heard a door shut, followed by the sound of things rustling around. Twilight put her hoof around Sol’s neck and told her, “That’s my daughter, Midnight. She’s probably cleaning her room. Don’t let her get you down. I’m sure you’ll be the best of friends.”

“Are you sure, Twilight? She seemed jealous to me.”

“Well, remember, she just found out. Give her time. We’ll get used to it eventually.”