Prologue: Welcome back, Twilight
Welcome back, Twilight
Twilight was looking through her reflection in the window of her cabin. Any moment now, the train would reach her home. Her thoughts were still wandering the ruins of Quetzalcoatl and her recent adventures, when Ponyville finally appeared in her sight. A loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life.
“The Friendship Express is about to reach Ponyville Station. Travellers stopping there are asked to start gathering their luggage and be ready to disembark.”
Twilight snapped back to reality and looked around for Spike. The now not-so-baby dragon was curled into a ball of purple and green scales at her side.
Even now, he is still as adorable as the day he was born. I kinda wish he would stop growing up so fast. If this keeps going, he won’t need me to take care of him anymore. He let out a short snore and brought his tail to his mouth, sucking on it like a baby bottle. Ok, I take it back. He will always be my little baby dragon Spike.
The train finally came to a stop. Once again, the old train driver’s voice came from the loudspeaker.
“We have now arrived at Ponyville station. All travelers disembarking are to head toward the closest exit. We thank you for choosing The Friendship Express Railway and hope to see you again soon.”
Twilight slowly stretched her limbs, still sore after so many hours without moving. With a poke of her horn, she brought Spike back from the land of dreams.
“Mhgnn… Five more minutes… Rariwife… This dream is awesome…”
“Rariwife? Now that’s the first time I’ve heard that one. Come on, Spike, we’re here. Don’t you want to see our friends again?” No answer. “I wonder what I should tell Rarity when she asks where her little Spikey-Wikey went off to. Maybe I’ll just say he chose to keep traveling on his own,” she said with a teasing voice. “I hope she won’t be too disappointed.”
The short tirade had the effect she expected. Only a few seconds later, Spike was already up and quickly gathering all of their bags. A short moment later, they were on their way home. The small town of Ponyville had barely changed over the last two years. Some minor renovations here, a new garden over there, a crowd of ponies in front of a large stage. Wait a second. I don’t remember a stage in the middle of the town’s square. Is Trixie back for a new show? She then noticed three ponies tuning their instruments. The one holding a microphone seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn’t quite identify her from that distance. At first, she thought about getting back on track right away, but a quick glance at Spike made her reconsider. They were about halfway to the library, yet, the young dragon was sweating bullets and seemed like he could use a break from carrying all these luggage. A short pause wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“Spike? You want to take a look at the show? I’m curious to know what kind of music they play.”
“No objections, Twilight!” he replied as he just let all the luggage drop to the floor. “Geez, these things are heavy, I sure won’t complain if we take a breather. Do you recognize anypony? I wonder if it’s a well-known group.”
“I really don’t know. It doesn’t seem like they’ve started yet. Maybe they will introduce themselves before playing.”
The young mare at the microphone had an immaculate white coat and a spiky mane composed of two pale colors, pink and purple. She fidgeted a bit with her mic, whispered something to her two bandmates, and after a mutual nod, she finally spoke to the public.
“Goooooood day, ladies and gentlecolts. If you’re here today, it’s probably because you heard about the concert we’re giving tonight. We are well aware we have yet to make a name for ourselves and barely have any exposure in town. However! Today, we’re glad to give you a sample of what you’ill hear, with a paid admission, of course. We hope you will enjoy the experience, and hope to see you all tonight! We are Colt and Roses, and this is our sample song: Welcome to Everfree Forest!”
Suddenly, a loud sound unlike any Twilight had ever heard popped out of the speakers. Strangely enough, the thundering sounds matched the movements of the guitarist’s hooves. Twilight cringed slightly as the song kept going. From her vantage point, she could see the earth pony’s drumsticks flying faster than she could track. And then, the white unicorn poured the first lyrics into her mic. Twilight had heard a very similar voice in the past, although it was a bit higher-pitched. The voice of an angel singing as loud as she could. As the song progressed, a sudden voice crack in the young mare’s voice rang a bell.
“Sweetie Belle?!”
Indeed, the band’s singer both looked and sounded like Rarity’s little sister. The curls in her mane and tail were now gone, the hair cut short and straightened into spikes, but it was definitely her. Well, I didn’t see that one coming. I wonder what kind of instrument that guitar-shaped one is; the sound it produces is so weird. After a few minutes, the final chords of the song subsided as the crowd cheered; the clamor strong enough to make the ground tremble under their hooves as they stomped on the ground in euphoria.
“Thank you, Ponyville! We are glad you enjoyed this song as much as we did performing it. If you want to hear more, please come back tonight at nine. A ticket booth will be open from eight until the start of the show. Come in great numbers. We will be waiting for you! We’re Colt and Roses and we wish you a nice day!”
The large crowd slowly spread around as the ponies forming it went back to their daily activities. On the stage, Sweetie Belle and her bandmates gingerly put away their instruments while giving each other pats on the back.
“Well, that was something,” said Twilight. “Not really my kind of music though. What do you think, Spike?”
“That was amazing! You think we can come back tonight? I want to hear their other songs! I don’t know what they did to that guitar, but that weird sound made my scales rise on their end. Can we come back? Pleeease?” Spike did his best to look as adorable as he could, staring at Twilight with his best puppy dog eyes.
“I don’t know, Spike, I feel a bit tired and will probably sleep early tonight.” She lightly tapped her chin with a hoof as she started thinking aloud. “Oh, and you know what? I think you are a big enough dragon now. Want me to give you the bits to see the concert on your own? Like a big boy would do?”
The teenage dragon couldn’t hold his excitement, lightly jumping from one foot to the other. “Yes! Don’t worry I won’t be back home too late! Are you sure though? You won’t change your mind at the last minute, right?”
Twilight simple gave a firm nod before replying. “Don’t worry, my mind is made up. You don’t need my supervision all the time and I think you deserve to have time to yourself once in a while.”
Spike promptly hugged his mother figure as hard as he could. “Thanks Twi.”
Caught up in their discussion, they didn’t notice the ponies approaching them.
“Hey! Spike! Twilight! It’s been a while since I last saw you around, how are you?”
Spike quickly let go of his hold on Twilight as both the former and the latter turned to face the source of the voice. Standing in front of them, Sweetie Belle greeted them, waving a hoof in the air. Behind her, her bandmates waved as well. One of them was a young mare with a cream-colored coat and a mane as bright as hot lava. The other one was a young colt, donning an electric-blue coat, with an indigo-and-white striped mane.
“Hello, Sweetie Belle. Indeed it’s been a while. You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. I see you formed your own music group?”
“Yep! You saw our performance? Did you like it? Oh, and guess what? During your absence, I got my cutie mark!” she said with excitement as she pointed her hoof at the microphone surrounded by music chords resting on her flank. “Oh wait. Where are my manners? Let me introduce you to my group members. First is Twist, on the drums.”
“Hi, Miss Sparkle.”
“And to my left is Wubsy, son of Vinyl Scratch, our local DJ.”
“Hello, milady. One look at you and I understand why they call you ‘sparkle’” Sweetie hit him in the chest with her elbow.
“Quiet, Wubs. No flirting with my sister’s friends.”
“Aw come on. You know I’m just doing this for fun.”
“That’s why I’m stopping you.”
“Party pooper.”
“Idiot.”
“I love you.”
“WHAT?!”
“Exactly.” he replied with a wry grin.
“Excuse me,” Twilight interrupted. “It was nice seeing you again, Sweetie, but I really have to go and unpack my things. I’ll talk to you again later, alright?”
“Aw, ok then. See you later. Oh, before I forget. We overheard your conversation as we approached. Twist?”
“On it, Sweetie.” From her saddle bags, Twist seized a ticket and gave it to Spike. “Can’t wait to see you at the concert tonight. You sure you don’t want to come as well, Miss Sparkle?”
“Sorry Twist, maybe another time. Thanks for the offer though. I really appreciate it, and it’s very generous of you three. Now I really should go. Good-bye, and have fun tonight!”
“Will do!” replied the three musicians.
With a final wave of her hoof, Twilight was on her way back to the library, a very excited Spike in tow.
Finally, the library appeared in sight of the two returning travelers. As soon as they had spotted it, they increased their pace, eager to be home. Twilight’s horn glowed slightly as she pushed the door open. Once inside, something odd struck her. At first she wasn’t quite sure what, but something really felt out of place. Her stare slowly scanned the inside of the tree when finally, she figured out what was so weird. Every shelf, all of the furniture, everything was spotless. No trace of dust or cobwebs anywhere. Not as keen to details as she was, Spike did not notice anything. He simply dropped all the luggage and headed straight to the staircase, hoping to get a short nap before the evening’s concert. Twilight was still inspecting the library when she heard a strange noise, followed by Spike’s letting out a surprised gasp. A second later, she saw him roll down the stair and fall flat, face first, on the floor.
“Spike? Are you ok?” She hurried to his side to flip him over. Strangely, he didn’t seem much too troubled. Actually, his wide grin and the hearts replacing his pupils were a dead giveaway of what happened. The voice coming from upstairs ended up confirming Twilight’s suspicions.
“Huh? What just happened?” the voice wondered. A second later, Rarity appeared at the top of the staircase. “Spike? Twilight? Oh by Celestia, it is you! How long has it been? Two years? Two whole years already went by since your departure. Oh darling, I can’t believe we finally can see each other in person. I mean, we did get your letters, thanks to Celestia’s sending us what Spike sent her, but we haven’t been able to send you anything in return. What’s with you and never staying at the same place long enough to receive ours? There is so much we have to tell you about, so many things changed. Twilight? Are you alright?”
“Rarity? What are you doing here? Not that I am not glad to see you. It’s just… Everything is so clean. Don’t tell me you took care of the library on your own this whole time.”
“Of course, dear, we all helped keeping this place as tidy as possible. Once per week, we each had our turn dusting until you came back. It is the least we could do for you as your friend, making sure your home would welcome you at its best. Between you and me, Rainbow and Applejack’s cleaning consisted of hiding the dust under the carpet. Good thing Fluttershy and I fixed that before you came back. So, have you met any of our friends yet? Have you heard of the good news?”
“Well, I have yet to see anyone other than Sweetie Belle.” One of Rarity’s eyes twitched at the name. “I even had the chance to see her and her group play a song. Honestly, I am surprised about her whole new look, I never would have imagined you allowing her to look so… How should I put it? Wild?”
“I have nothing to do with that horrible style. Even a big sister can’t always be the voice of reason for her sibling. I did try to show her the right way. I did try to help her get a better entourage. I even encouraged her to use her special talent to sing great classics. But alas, she is at an age of rebellion. Unlike Applebloom, she refuses to obey her sister. And that dreaded electric guitar, a sound directly from the depths of Tartarus. Ugh! I am really sorry the first thing you had to see had to be that.”
“Come on Rarity, it wasn’t that bad. And It’s your sister. If she wishes to try her luck with a new music style, it’s up to her. So, about that electric guitar— do you know where it came from? It’s the first time I have seen such an instrument.”
“What I heard from Sweetie is something about Scootaloo trying to power up her scooter with a battery similar to the one Tank uses to fly around. At some point, she accidentally touched a metal string of Wubsy’s guitar and the resulting jolt of electricity let out a new and, quote unquote, a wonderful sound never before heard. Vinyl then helped them modify the guitar to use a small battery to produce this terrible sound. That’s pretty much how Sweetie decided to join him in the band he was forming with Twist. Now where are my manners? I am here rambling on and on without letting you get the rest you deserve after such a long trip. Please allow me to wish you a good remainder of the day. I will tell the others about your comeback though, and Twilight? I suggest you go see Pinkie as soon as you can. She has something very important to show you.”
“Really? Then I’ll go see her later. Should I wait for her to come here? It would seem very likely for her to be aware I am back in town, and even likelier to want to celebrate in some way.”
Rarity stifled a giggle. “Oh trust me, darling, she isn’t in a position to party right now. You will understand once you meet her. Well, I will be off. Make sure you rest properly and let’s all do something together in a day or two. See you soon.”
The door closed right behind Rarity, leaving Twilight wondering about what she meant about Pinkie. If Pinkie Pie really had something important to show her, she would be doing all she could to tell her as fast as possible. What could possibly stop her from doing so? Well, only way to find out is to go and talk to her myself. Let’s just bring these in my room first so I can unpack later. After a few minutes, all the luggage ended up neatly placed at the side of her bed. Beside it, Twilight had brought Spike to his own bed using her telekinesis. As she kissed him good night, a drawer opened itself. From it, a small alarm clock floated to his side. Twilight set it to one hour before the concert.
“Have fun tonight, my growing-up number one assistant.”
The day was well into the afternoon when Twilight Sparkle reached Sugarcube Corner. She took a quick glance at the sun touching the horizon in the distance, reminding her that she shouldn’t stay there too long if she planned to go to sleep early that day. Here we are. What do you have to show me, Pinkie Pie? She knocked on the sweet shop’s door once. Then a second time, still without answer. Before she could attempt a final time, she heard the telltale sound of hooves on the other side, Pinkie’s voice coming through the door.
“Coming. Just... give me a moment.”
The door slammed open, revealing the ever-smiling Pinkie Pie. What Twilight didn’t expect to see, though, was that large—no, very large belly hanging from under the pink pony. Before she could get a word in, Pinkie Pie was already hugging her as hard as she could.
“Pinkie! Can’t breathe!” Twilight coughed.
“Oops sorry Twilight! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it! I haven’t seen you for months! Why didn’t you tell us you would be back today. I didn’t have time to prepare anything for your welcome-back-to-Ponyville-with-all-of-our-friends party.” Pinkie paused for a second as she slightly winced, then resumed rambling about “I mean it’s been so long. We have to celebrate! Oh by the way, did you bring anything from your travels? I’m sure you got plenty of books, but I’m also certain you found things like weird-looking figurines, strange toys, bizarre food or maybe even incense or colorful rocks! Did you bring any rocks? I—”
“Whoa, Pinkie, calm down.” Twilight let out a giggle “I am happy to see you again too. And yes, I have some souvenirs for everypony, but… There is something I didn’t expect to see here. Pinkie, are you…” She pointed at Pinkie’s belly.
“Pregnant? Well of course! Aw, that’s a bummer. I wanted to surprise you by announcing it at your party. How did you figure it out? I wanted to tell you about it when it was confirmed but we had no way to write to you.”
“And who is the father?”
“I have no idea!”
“What.”
“Come on Twilight, don’t do that face. You should know that there isn’t any stallion able to keep up with me. I still wanted to have a foal of my own though. So I went to see that doctor in Canterlot. He used his magic to teleport an orb containing a bit of life essence from a stallion I know nothing about inside my belly and bam! A few weeks later, I had a baby in my tummy!” Twilight had heard about the procedure for artificial insemination, but had yet to study the process on her own. What she knew, however, was that it was possible to transfer a bit of the life force of a stallion in a special orb. This procedure is supposed to have a very low chance of success, but when it worked, it gave the same results as natural impregnation. “Ouch! Sorry about that. I think I got cramps from all the ice cream I ate recently. Did you know that choco-peanut ice cream and pickled onions make a delicious mix? You really should try t— Ow!”
“Mm… Pinkie, these cramps, how long have they been going on for again?”
“I dunno, about three days ago?”
“Pinkie… If these were cramps due to what you ate, they wouldn’t last that long. Have you considered that you may have been having contractions for the past three days?”
“Contracwhat? Ouch!”
Twilight slammed a hoof on her forehead. “Pinkie, the baby, it has been trying to get out for the past three days! You are having your baby now!”
“Ooooooh. That explains it. Maybe I should have prepared for that eventuality, ‘cause honestly, I have no idea what I should be doing right now. Mind if I panic? Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
And here we go, Twilight thought with a groan. What in the hay have I got myself into?
“Well, there aren’t a hundred options before us. To the hospital!”
The front door of Ponyville’s hospital suddenly blew out of its hinges, thanks to Twilight’s attempt to open it while she was in a panicked state. Honestly, the door didn’t stand a chance. As the dust settled, the nurses on shift and the patients waiting for their appointments could only stare with looks varying from amazement to horror. Twilight rushed in, levitating Pinkie Pie in tow.
“Emergency! Having a baby! Now!”
“You don’t look very pregnant to me…” said an annoyed nurse.
“Not me! Her!” Twilight replied, shoving Pinkie’s belly in her face.
“Helloouch!” Pinkie yelped.
“Oh. Place her on the gurney over there and give me a moment.” The nurse hurried to an intercom and pressed its button. “We have an emergency in the entrance hall, Nurse Sweet Pea and Nurse Red Heart are required here stat!” It didn’t take long before the nurses came in and brought the gurney away. As Twilight observed the scene with trepidation, the nurse got close to her again. “Are you family?”
“No, just a friend. And I didn’t get any chance to tell her parents either.”
“Well, you go and follow her to her room. She will need some moral support.” Twilight had a hoof lifted to take a first step when she was interrupted for a moment. “And by the way, before I forget. Where do I send the bill for the door you destroyed?”
“Oh, um… Yeah, that… Send it to the library.”
Without missing a beat, Twilight followed the stretcher to Pinkie’s room. She had barely stepped in the room when Nurse Red Heart threw a medical gown, hat and mask at her.
“Put this on before entering.” The nurse then turned around continuing her preparation for the baby to come. Connect this machine to Pinkie, bring hot and sterile water, place sterilized towels and more. At no point did she stop. For a second, Twilight wasn’t even sure if she took the time to breathe. Not sure what to do, Twilight simply gave Pinkie her biggest smile, unaware that her mask hid it completely.
“Don’t worry, Pinkie. Everything will be fine. Everything will be o—”
“Gyaaaaaaaah! It hurts!”
Twilight winced at the sound of Pinkie’s scream. She only wanted to hide in a corner at that moment. Seeing her friend suffer without being able to relieve her of her pain shook her to the core. Note to self: never have children. If you ever get bored, get a dog or something.
The nurses kept doing their job as efficiently as they could, one of them giving the birthing mare advice to speed up the process, while the other stood ready to catch the baby as soon as it would be free. And then, the miracle of life happened in front of Twilight for the first time in her life. She could see it, a small muzzle the same color as vanilla ice cream. Then the head, and finally the full body. When Nurse Sweet Pea reached to hold the newborn, though, she suddenly froze and stuttered.
“What the… It can’t be… It’s impossible!” Then she fell on the ground, unconscious.
Curious to know what could disturb a professional nurse that way, Twilight took a look herself at the baby and came to the same conclusion. It’s impossible! I… I… And she blacked out as well.
Nurse Red Heart then stepped in, took a look at the baby, and started wrapping it in a towel.
“Really? One unusual birth and my best nurse can’t stand the pressure. I’ve seen it happen with fathers, with family members and friends of the new mother, but that one’s a first.”
Pinkie Pie, who was aware something was wrong, even though she still felt numb from the pain of giving birth, couldn’t help but plead to the nurse.
“My baby, is anything wrong with my baby? Nurse, please let me see my baby, let me see!”
In response, Red Heart gave Pinkie her widest smile. “Don’t worry. She is a healthy little girl, a bit special, but you will see why yourself.” She then brought the sleepy baby to her mother, who had her hooves extended and ready to hold her.
“My daughter… I can finally see you, eh? All these months knowing you were there and I couldn’t even see you. I see you have a horn on your forehead, so you are a cute little unicorn like Auntie Twilight over there.” The newborn suddenly shuffled a little in its towel, and that’s when Pinkie understood what was strange about her baby. A small wing popped out of the towel’s folds.
“What.”
Hours later, Twilight had regained consciousness and entered Pinkie’s room. She noticed through the open window that the sun was already high in the sky. In front of her, Pinkie Pie was cradling her baby against her without a worry in the world. The child’s coat was a yellowish white, while her mane had the same color as chocolate, and her two red eyes reminded her of cherries.
“Hi, Pinkie. I see you are doing well? How is your baby?”
“Hello, Twilight. She is fine. Look at her. Isn’t she the most beautiful thing in the world? Even more beautiful than strawberry-flavoured cupcakes with cherries and two inches of icing on top.”
“Yes she is. And also, she is an alicorn, which is quite unusual. What little I know about alicorns is what Celestia told me. Apparently, one of the parents needs to be a very powerful magic user to even have a chance of this happening. The last one to have been born is Cadence, and her father was Starswirl the Bearded. But in the case of your daughter, who could have enough magical power to give you an alicorn baby?”
“Does it really matter, Twilight? What’s important is that she is my daughter, no matter her species. And if you really are curious, maybe Celestia knows who is the potential father. Let’s ask her when I get out of the hospital, okay?”
“We will. Have you chosen a name for her?”
“I think I did. I always knew that I wanted to name my child after something sweet. She was born yesterday, which was a super bright and sunny day. Also it was Sunday. Twilight, let me introduce you to Sundae. It fits the day she was born, it fits her looks, and it is one of the best desserts around. Want to hold her a little?”
“Of course, Pinkie, it would be an honor.”
As she held the newborn against her, Twilight felt lost in her own world. The high-pitched giggling, the eyes still full of innocence and all the fragility of the newborn were the proof of how wonderful the miracle of life is. Note to self: scratch previous note to self. Maybe I’ll have my own one day. And then she kept cradling Sundae while chatting with her mother for hours to come.
Simple Life
Well hello there. Welcome to the inside of my head! You probably wonder why or whose head you are currently in and I can answer one of these questions. I have no idea how or why you can see or hear whatever I do, but I can tell you who you are into. My name is Sundae, I turned twelve two weeks ago and my mother is the best mom ever! Maybe you heard about her? Her name is Pinkie Pie, the current owner of “A Dash of Pink” bakery. Now, you may wonder, who is this Sundae girl? I can easily answer that one too! As strange as it may be I’m not a pony like the others. For a reason I don’t know, I was born with both a horn and a pair of wings, just like the princesses. Strange, isn’t it? Huh? You wonder how am I aware that you can hear what I am thinking? I honestly have no idea. Once, my mom was reading me a story where a character was reading a story himself to somepony else. That night, she asked me if I ever considered that , if it was possible for a story character to have a past and stories of his own, wouldn’t it be possible that we were part of a story as well? And maybe those reading our story are part of a story themselves! Since then, just in case, whenever I feel like somepony might be watching me I thought I would try to at least be polite to them, whether they exist or not. Better safe than sorry, right?
“Sundae? Are you ready to go?”
Oh, that was my mom! I almost forgot that I have a very important mission today. Believe it or not, but the princesses are coming to Ponyville, in our bakery! My mom and her friends are all close friends to them and they sometime come for casual visits. Mom asked me to get her some baking supplies to help her make sure everything will be ready for their arrival. And I don’t plan to disappoint her!
“Yes mom! I’ll be down there in a minute, just need to adjust my saddlebags and I’m ready to go!”
“Okey dokey lokey! The bits you’ll needs are on the dinner table, don’t forget to grab them!”
“I won’t!”
That’s my mom alright, always happy and singing all day long. Well, gotta go! I would rather avoid being late to help her!
Aaaand here we are! The market square. Here in Ponyville, you have two places to buy your food supplies. Town square for business with our local farmers, such as the Apple and Carrot family, or the market square for all the ingredients we can’t grow or produce in these parts. Today I need to buy some sugar made out of the bestest sugarcane in the world. Yeah, I know, running out of sugar on the same day the princesses are coming is pretty silly. If there is something I can definitely say I inherited from my mom, it’s how easily distracted we are by anything we come across. The kind of attention span that makes us go oooooh! Shiny! Right as we are sorting our inventory of baking supplies.
“Hey, Sundae! Can you come and lend me a hoof here?”
If you wonder whose voice just called for me, it is Butterscotch’s. He’s Fluttershy’s son. If you want my opinion, the colt is kind and all just like his mother, but he’s somewhat of an air head, if you know what I mean. Also, it is a bit ironical that Fluttershy’s kid had to be an earth pony instead of a Pegasus like his mother, you know how she barely fly at all, right? Anyway let’s see how I can help him.
“Hey, Scotch, What’s up?”
Before answering he points at something in the air. “I know it may be a bother, but, do you think you can help me get my ball back? I accidentally threw in on that house’s roof and it got stuck. A bit of magic should be able to bring it back down, if you don’t mind of course.”
Oh, now that may pose a small problem. You guys barely know me but this is a sorta well known fact that I suck at magic. Weird isn’t it? I’m twelve and I still can’t do magic. Actually, scratch that. I can do magic, but I have no actual control over it. Every time I try using it some kind of random effect happens instead. I tried seeing doctors about it, and Twilight did try to help me with my magic but she isn’t sure exactly what is wrong with me. She once told me the ley lines of my horn, the part allowing unicorns to channel their magic, were a complete mess. Basically, when I try to use magic the channeling gets all mixed up and it weakens the spell. Which still doesn’t explain why the effects are so random in addition to being on the weak side. I kinda want to decline the request, but of course, no unicorns or pegasi are on the street at the moment.
“Well, I would like to help you but, you know what happens whenever I use magic, right?”
“Oh, right… Can’t fly either, can you?”
Yeah, even though I got these super duper large wings, I still can’t fly very well either. Mom would like to help me learn, but she doesn’t have wings of her own, she may understand the theory she read in books, but in practice, it’s a whole different story. For my own security, she forbids me from flying without the supervision of an adult Pegasus so even if I did have confidence in my abilities, I wouldn’t be allowed to.
“Sorry, can’t do that either. Maybe we can get somepony else’s help later, what do you think?”
“Aaaaw… You sure you don’t want to try your magic? I won’t blame you if it doesn’t work.”
Oh well, here goes nothing. Come on Sundae, don’t mess up! Don’t mess up! As usual, when I start gathering magic in my horn, I feel that strange tingling sensation coursing through it. A few more seconds aaaaand there! Oh, dang. Just as I expected, my telekinesis spell didn’t telekinect anything. Yes, I just made that word up. On the bright side, the ball did go down the roof, but I hope Scotch doesn’t mind it being covered in chocolate. Instead of being telekinected, a small chocolate fountain popped from under the ball and pushed it down; a fairly good outcome considering I expected the ball to blow up from whatever random effect might have occurred.
“And there you go, be careful with your ball now.”
“Will do!”
Now that it’s taken care of, let’s go back to the task at hoof. Sugar, I need sugar! Now at full gallop, I hurry to the market square. I can finally see the stall I was looking for after a few minutes running around. I wish these vendors at least kept the same spot every time they set up shop here.
“Hello, Mister Sweet Spot!”
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t little Sundae. Haven’t seen you in a while. I take it your mom ran out of sugar before my next delivery, am I right?”
“Yep, I need about four kilograms of your finest sugar!”
“Give me a moment, I will be back in a minute with your order.”
As mister Sweet Spot is filling bags with sugar, I reach to my saddlebags for the money I need… Oh, you gotta be kidding me… I forgot the bits on the table. Now what am I gonna do? Mom is waiting for me!
“And there you go. You should tell Pinkie to order a bit more every week. With her ever expanding customer base, she will need it.”
“Erm… Mister Sweet, I just realized I forgot to bring money with me, do you mind putting this on the side until I come back with it?”
“Oh… I don’t see any problem, just take your order with you, I can always charge It with the next delivery.”
As he tells me that, a few bits lands on the counter. I turn around to see a familiar face and hat: Auntie Applejack!
“Ah believe you won’t have to do that, sir. Ah’ll take care of it. Ah haven’t seen her in a while and Ah believe it’s the least Ah can do to thank her for today’s invitation.”
That’s Applejack alright, always can be counted on to help somepony in need. She reach for my mane with a hoof and starts ruffling it, before recoiling and shaking it off her hoof. She forgets about it every time, haha. Oh right, you don’t know about that either. My mane started doing that thing the princesses’ manes do, except that instead of flowing in the air, it just flow like a chocolate fountain. It doesn’t stain or anything, and it seems like it just evaporates when splotches of it are separated from it. Sooo yeah, if you don’t expect it, the texture will surprise you.
“So, how are you, Sunny? Guess you forgot to bring some coins with you before goin’ shoppin’, huh?”
“I’m good. How are the twins?”
“They’re fine and dandy! Big Mac offered to look after them while I participate to the party yer mom organized. And gosh am Ah grateful. Ah love them both, but they sure have a knack with drainin’ me of all my energy. Here, let me help you carry these bags, we can discuss while we head back to the bakery.”
Well, with all that taken care of, I think it’s safe to say it’s time to go back home. With some luck, Applejack will help us cook some apple based desserts!
After a day preparing food and making sure all the decorations are in place, the first guest finally arrived. The princess were the first one to arrive, then Auntie Dash came in. I really love her, and she is the only one to have shown me the basics of flight. It’s a shame that I can almost never see her since she became part of the wonderbolts. Her training and shows all around Equestria never let her stay at the same place for long. After her, Twilight arrived with Fluttershy and Spike. With his current size, he can’t even use the front door, that’s why we have him come from the back door, which is usually used for deliveries. And finally, Rarity came in while fashionably late, whatever that is supposed to mean. Really, how is it that arriving late at an appointment makes you fashionable, if anything, it should be considered rude to the host… right? Anyway, I don’t dislike her! But still, I wonder why she does that. After dinner, the adults started conversing with each others.
This is when I usually go play by myself, but tonight, I look at the princesses and get to thinking. I often asked my mom about who my dad could be. I mean, I am the only alicorn in Ponyville. And aside from the princesses, I haven’t heard of any others being alive. There has to be something about my dad that allowed me to be born as one. At first I believed mom when she said she couldn’t tell me about him. Back then I thought she meant that she didn’t know who it was. When I asked her to Pinkie promise that she didn’t know who it was, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She knows, and she doesn’t want me to tell me. I even tried to ask her friends and they all told me they didn’t know who it was, except Applejack. I didn’t manage to make her talk though. Somepony laying herself at my side brings me out of my reverie. A look at my left confirmed the pony to be Luna.
“Soooo. I noticed you seemed to be lost in thought. Is anything bothering you, Sunny?”
Dear Luna, Princess of the night and my favourite princess at the same time. I remember how a few years ago she spoke with a weird… how do you call that again? Oh, right, a weird dialect. Over the years she seems to have learned how to speak the same way everypony else’s does now. Mom always told me that Luna had been away for a very long time and wasn’t used to our current customs. I think this is why I love her so much. Seeing her adapt over the years is so inspiring.
“Well… I was just wondering, do you have parents? Somepony who brought you to the world?”
“Of course I do. So does Celestia. In retrospect, I believe it would be more accurate to say we used to have parents. They are now long gone. Why do you want to know about— Oh! I think I understand. You want to know who is your other parent, am I right?”
I simply nod my approval as I sign I want her to continue.
“I… I can’t answer that question. Not that I don’t want to tell you, but your mother made us all Pinkie promise not to say anything until she believed you were ready to know the truth. I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok, Princess. I’m not angry, only puzzled. I guess she only wants to protect me or something… Was my father evil or something?” She slowly nods. “ Maybe it is better that I don’t know… Princess, can I ask you something? Are all alicorns part of royalty?”
“Of course not. The rare alicorns to see the light of day usually live a normal life. Celestia and I weren’t just born princesses, we earned our place. So did Cadence. The main reason most of us ends up on a throne is thanks to our long lifespan, during which we grow wiser as time goes by. After a few hundreds years, one can earn the respect of nations. We also all go through a special ritual we call the Trial of the Three Paths. Want to know about it?”
The way she smiles while asking me that shows me how happy she is to have somepony to talk about it. I simply can’t refuse, after all, it may be interesting. Who knows? I signal her to press on.
“You see, to become royalty, it is imperative to understand your people. The Trial of the Three Paths was designed for that simple purpose. Before alicorns graced the surface of Equestria, ponies would elect leaders amongst each races, sadly, back then the relations between each of them were pretty tense. I probably don’t need to explain that part if you saw the Heart Warming’s eve pageant. Moving on, when the first alicorns were born, the populace saw the potential of having a single ruler reuniting the three races as one. To make sure the future ruler would be impartial to all, they had them live under the roof of representatives of other races. After some time passed with each of them, the alicorn needed to retain a lesson from that race. Something she would use to lead the kingdom toward a better future. There is no good or bad answers, but what she gathered would be the determining factor for her coronation. If the ponies of the populace didn’t think the paths she chose were worth it, they would revoke her rule. That alicorn was my mother. When Celly and I were younger, Mother made us go through that trial as well. Then she passed away, our ponies couldn’t decide who they favoured the most, so it was decided we would each rule for half a day, every days. Sunday, would like to try your hoof at the trial?”
“Me? Passing through a test designed for princesses? Can I really do it?”
“Of course you can! There is no time limit, all you have to do is live with other races to understand them better. I am sure you know of ponies who wouldn’t mind looking after you for a while. Let’s make a deal, once you chose the paths you wish to follow, write us a letter about your discoveries. I am sure Celestia would enjoy reading about such a lesson in the magic of friendship. If you want we can even tell you which paths we chose to follow as a reply. What do you think? Are you going to try it?”
Have you ever had that feeling where you think the next decision you take will have a huge impact on your life? Because that’s how I feel right now. I know this is gonna be nothing more than a game, but somehow, I think doing that trial could be what I need to do now. First, it would keep me occupied enough to stop wondering about my dad all the time. Second, it looks fun, doesn’t it? I wonder if being raised by an earth pony count as doing the first path though. Oh well, what do I have to lose?
“It would be my honor, Princess.”
“Huzzah! Glad to hear it. Don’t forget, you can take as much time as you want. I personally chose my three paths in a week, as for Celestia, she took a few months. I will never be sure if it was because she used to be indecisive or if she simply liked Ms. Berry Jam cooking better than mother’s.”
A new day, a new adventure! Daring Do’s motto is my motto. You never know what is waiting around the next corner and that is what makes life exciting. I am currently on the way to Sugar Cube Corner; the day is so hot I needed to get something refreshing like a slushie or something similar. “A Dash of Pink” currently doesn’t have any machine for cold desserts, that’s why I’m heading there. After placing my order and sitting at a table I can’t help but think about the discussion I had with Princess Luna yesterday. On a clean napkin, I start listing names of ponies I could ask to live with for a few days. At first I thought I could go to Fluttershy’s, but then I remembered she already is very busy with Butterscotch and her animals. I wouldn’t want to impose myself to her. As for Dash, she already went back to her hotel in Canterlot.
“What should I do?”
“Need a hoof with somethin’, Sunny?”
Lost in my own bubble, I hadn’t recognized the ponies sitting at the table next to mine. The red maned one is Applebloom and with her, Sweetie Belle. I have no idea who that orange pegasus is though. I think Applebloom just noticed the face I made when looking at the pegasus since she signal me to get a bit closer.
“Sundae, meet Scootaloo, one of my fillyhood friend. With her, me and Sweetie Belle pretty much spread havoc wherever we went through to earn our cutie mark. Those were good times. If you were a bit older you probably would be able to recognize the third member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Scootaloo brought her hoof to me for a hoof pump. From what I can observe, she looks like a cool pony, just like Auntie Dash. No need for words when a smile and connecting hooves do the talking.
“So, what was it that seemed to be gnawin’ at you? When you think aloud you are usually bothered by somethin’. Care to tell us what?”
I quickly tell her about the conversation I had with Princess Luna yesterday. Don’t ask me to repeat everything, you already witnessed that part. Once done with the explanation, the three mares in front of me started whispering to each other, as if conspiring. After a minute or two of murmuring, Applebloom finally tells me what they were discussing about just now.
“Well, this here trial looks like somethin’ fun and we have plenty of room for a guest at the farm. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo also agreed that they don’t mind havin’ you stay with them for a few days to teach you about their race. Don’t think we will go easy on you, though. At the farm, you don’t eat if you don’t work. Sweetie and Scootaloo will give you their own conditions once you go with them. What do you think? Are you in?”
“You really want to help me? Thanks,thanks,thanks! Just let me ask my mom and I’ll be right back!”
“Ah’ll be waitin’ for you. Meet me at the farm tonight and Ah will prepare you a room to sleep in.”
