Author's Note

Chapter compliments of Rixic~ >;'3

Princess' Arc 6: Ball of a Time

“So, uh… What exactly did you want me to do now?” Sunset shifted around uneasily beside Princess Celestia as the pair waited for the huge, immaculate wooden doors to the castle to open, letting the growing crowd outside to enter and enjoy the spontaneous ball being held by Princess Celestia and one “Very Important Pony”.

“You get to stand beside me here as we welcome all the fine ponies that will be joining us tonight.” Celestia smiled as she looked down at her daughter. The pair were wearing similar looking dresses, their haunches covered by thinner fabric showing a repeating pattern of their respective Cutie Marks, leading up to delicate gold embroidery on an iridescent white fabric.

“Who all is coming, though?” Sunset’s voice perfectly conveyed a minuscule fraction of the worry that was running rampant through her currently.

“Royal nobles, middle class business ponies…” Celestia trailed off, coughing gently as she looked away from her daughter, who instantly looked unimpressed at her mother’s attempt at duplicity.

“Say that again.”

“There may have been a hint dropped off at all of the local newspaper companies that I had a really important, very personal guest to introduce.” Celestia said, refusing to look down at her daughter.

“How… Local…”

“Equestria wide…” Celestia said softly, before gasping as she watched Sunset tilt over.

~

“Hello, and welcome, everypony!” Celestia said as she walked up onto the small stage that had been prepared in the ballroom. “I hope you all had a great day, and I welcome you all to this very impromptu ball!”

Cheers and polite clapping rang out from the crowd, causing Sunset to look out at the small sea of ponies that filled the room. Sure enough, it seemed like every single member of the upper echelon was here, judging by the amount of expensive looking suits, tuxedos, and dresses she saw around her. Members of the press could be seen off to the side, a small section cordoned off to allow them to set up their cameras and other devices.

“Now I do have an important announcement to make, but it will have to wait for a little bit first. I want you all to enjoy yourselves here, so please feel free to dance and take in the dishes that the Royal Chefs have prepared for us all tonight!”

More cheers and polite clapping followed Celestia as she departed from the stage, Sunset bringing a hoof to her chest to try and calm her raging heart. The sound of the live orchestra soon filled the air, ponies moving to the ball floor to start dancing, others off to the side to have more personal discussions.

“Ah, it looks like the Chefs prepared everything that I requested, good!” Sunset gave a small jump as she heard Celestia come up from behind her, the amber mare spinning her head to the side in shock as she watched her mother approach. Countless media personal soon started to flood towards her, Sunset barely able to discern there numerous questions as they neared.

“I am sure you all have countless questions about my announcement,” Celestia said warmly, obviously well practiced at dealing with the media given her millennia of experience. “But you will have to wait just like everyone else. In the meantime, why don’t you all go and interview some of the other guests? In fact, why not this mare here?”

Sunset did all she could to not yell out at her mother as the alabaster alicorn motioned towards Sunset with a delicate, gold shod hoof. A few newspony’s approached her, whilst others rushed off into the rest of the crowd, leaving Sunset with little time to glare at the retreating, chuckling form of her mother.

“You look new! What’s your name, and who are you here with?” one asked, his magic already flaring to life as he pulled a pen and notepad out of nowhere.

“U-Umm, my name?” Sunset shifted around, straightening herself before and giving a cocksure grin that she had not worn since her days of dominating Canterlot High School. “Heh, call me Fireside Glow, and I recommend that you all don’t forget that name. As far as who I’m with? I’m more than important enough by myself to get a personal invitation from Princess Celestia herself, thank you very much.”

Sunset chuckled darkly on the inside as she watched the various writing utensils scribble rapidly across the sheets. If her mother was going to throw her to the timberwolves, Sunset was just gonna have to do the same.

~

“Is everyone having a good night?”

All the eyes in the room turned up towards the stage once again as the lights dimmed, save for a magical spotlite-like beam of light shown down on Princess Celestia as she walked up to the front of the wooden platform. Acknowledgements and thanks sounded throughout the great hall.

“That is great to hear.” Celestia’s smile widened as she looked around the room, before giving a self knowing chuckle and motioning with her royal hoof. “I would recommend that all members of the press hurry to their area, as I am about to make my special announcement.”

The night had gone on long, with Sunset eventually giving interviews to all the various newspaper outlets as word spread amongst them.

“Now, as you all know, I am indeed quite old.” small chuckles echoed from the crowd at Celestia’s comment, the mare smiling as she walked back and forth on the stage. “Though as history will have taught you, I have never taken a significant other, mainly due to my immortality. By lacking a significant other, that also meant that I lacked children.”

“But that would be a lie, if it were written in a history book recently.” gasps and murmurs now spread through the crowd. “You see, over twenty years ago, I adopted a young filly. A young filly that was actually living on the streets you see, one that had been sadly abandoned, and had run away from her orphanage at a young age due the noble families of the era reducing funding to the local infrastructure.”

“I took that filly in, and kept her secret, enrolling her in my school for magic as my personal protege. She is here tonight, recently returned from a personal quest of discovery, and I would like to finally introduce you all to my daughter.” Celestia stepped aside slowly and looked behind her, holding out a hoof towards the hidden form of Sunset, a beam of the alicorn’s light shining down in time with Celestia’s reveal.

“Please welcome my daughter, Sunset Shimmer.”

There were shocked cries, gasps of amazement, and a few dropped cameras as Sunset strode forward confidently, though with an incredibly warm smile as she looked out amongst the crowd. She couldn’t help herself but look over at the media section and give a small wink as the various unicorns and pegasi struggled to reset cameras.

“Hello, everyone- er, everypony.” Sunset gave a small chuckle as she corrected herself. “As my mother, Princess Celestia, so kindly said, my name is Sunset Shimmer, also known as Fireside Glow to the media members joining us.”

“I am… Indescribably happy to be standing in front of you all tonight, knowing that my mother, her sister, my friends, and myself no long have to hide the fact that I am the adopted daughter of Princess Celestia. As my mother said, she adopted me off the street when I was barely five years of age.”

“...She saved my life that evening, and I will never be ungrateful for that fact. She brought me into her life, and has been the largest portion of mine ever since.”

“I only recently returned to Equestria after many years abroad on a pilgrimage of personal discovery and growth, and I would like to think that I am now a better pony now then the one I was when I left.”

“Thank you all for listening to me ramble, and I hope you all have a good rest of your night. Thank you!”

Sunset smiled as she waved, the lights slowly coming back on as she trotted back towards her mother, the pair sharing a loving embrace as the sounds of cameras clicked away loudly, intermingling with the all of the talking that arose from Sunset’s introduction.

“I am so proud of you, Sunset.” Celestia beamed proudly as she encased her daughter in hooves and wings. “Of the individual you have become.”

“It only took me all my life so far, trying and failing to take over Equestria after running away to another world, getting blamed by an entire school and subsequently trying to kill myself, become sisters with Equestrian monsters, getting shot like twelve times, and blasted by the Elements of Harmony,” Sunset took a deep breath as she recited her past. “but I think that I can finally say that I can properly accept that compliment… Mom.”

Sunset felt a warmth build inside of her as she watched Celestia smile down at her, before reaching up and brushing away the single tear running down her mother’s muzzle.

“I love you, Mom… Thank you for saving my life.”

“Thank you for being a part of mine, my dear, dear daughter.”

~

Sunset yawned as she slid off her old bed, Philomena giving a happy squawk as she fluttered over and landed on Sunset’s head, balancing precariously as she tried to straighten her owner’s mane.

The mother and daughter pair of Celestia and Sunset had departed soon after Sunset’s introduction, the pair deciding to turn in early for the night. Or at least had planned to, only for Sunset to receive a quiet knocking at her door shortly after she had turn out the lights.

Celestia had brought late night snacks in the form of slices of cake and a pair of glasses filled with cold milk, as well as a small bowl of sugar water of Philomena to enjoy. The pair sat on Sunset’s, happily enjoying their cake and giggling at various happenings from the ball.

“C’mon, Mom, time to get up.” Sunset yawned as she looked back over her shoulder and poked the mass hiding under her covers, a playfully annoyed groan emanating from the alicorn Princess hidden beneath.

Sunset had stopped Celestia the previous night as the mare was leaving the unicorn’s room, Sunset asking her Mom to sleep with her, saying that she would appreciate sharing another moment with her mother.

“I don’t care…” Celestia groaned, burrowing deeper into her daughter’s bed. “I’m not raising the sun today, the ponies can all have a day off…”

Sunset chuckled as she rolled her eyes, Philomena singing a delightful tune that sounding slightly of laughter before fluttering up off of her owner, who was slowly raising to her hooves and turning to face her bed.

“I guess you know what this means then..” Sunset said, her voice heavy with warning and implication. Celestia seemed to freeze under the covers.

“No…” was all the alicorn could utter before Sunset gave a loud cry and leapt up on top of her bed and started digging her hoofs into the unprotected sides of of her mother.

“It’s time for the tickle monster!” Sunset yelled between fits of laughter as she mercilessly tortured her mother, Celestia giving desperate pleas of mercy as she laughed like schoolfilly from her daughter’s assault, bucking this way and that in an attempt to dislodge Sunset.

~

“Promise me you’ll return soon?” Celestia said with a small smile as she sat on her throne of pillows.

“Regularly.” Sunset respond with an equally small smile. “And I hope the research goes well, so I can bring my sisters back with me.”

“I do believe that we can a spellstone set up so that the Sirens can visit Equestria again.” Celestia gave a small chuckle. “I am still amazed that they seemed to have turned over a new leaf of sorts.”

“Oh, they’re still troublemakers, and definitely don’t regret their actions, but I think they would like to see Equestria as peaceful guests instead of mythical monsters.” Sunset chuckled uneasily as she rubbed the back of her head. “...I should get going, Twilight’s waiting for me. Wants to introduce me to the Equestrian versions of the Rainbooms…”

“Remember that they are not the same as their counterparts from that other world.” Celestia said darkly, a frown of disappointment coming to her muzzle. “But I do hope you enjoy your time with them. They are all good ponies.”