Many Happy Reunions

Chapters

Chapter Three - Kindness is It's Own Reward
Chapter Four - Loyalty Is Earned
Chapter Five - Generosity and its Limits
Chapter Six - We Make Our Own Magic
Chapter Seven - Unfinished Business
Epilogue One - Seeds of the Future
Epilogue Two - Addressing the Past
Chapter One - Together in Laughter
Chapter Two - Honest Work and Dishonest Intent

Chapter Three - Kindness is It's Own Reward

“Okay, let me make sure I understand all of this.” Sunrunner flashed her coltfriend an incredulous look as she repeated, “They all thought that Zecora had cursed them, just because she’d said something to them that sounded vaguely like a threat? No wonder she only comes into town once a month.”

“Hey, don’t be too harsh on them. Twilight was the longest holdout on that, even if she eventually gave in to everypony else’s hysteria.” Quiver frowned, unhappy at painting his friends in a negative light. “As for the rest, they were less afraid of Zecora because she was a zebra and more afraid of her because she lives out in the Everfree. They’ve warmed up to her quite a bit since then.”

The pegasus made a rueful expression. “Still, stuff like that’s probably why you shouldn’t meet your heroes. Nopony’s perfect.”

“Yeah, but they admit to it, and try to be better.” Quiver smiled. “That’s all you can ask for in anypony, really.”

A nod as the three continued along. “So, I’m guessing Sour hasn’t met her yet, but what about you, Quivs?”

“I’ve seen her once or twice, but we haven’t really interacted much.” The stallion managed a regretful look as he admitted, “What can I say? I’m still getting over being my shy little self.”

The pegasus smiled. “You’re better at it than you used to be. Anyway, is there anything I should know about the next pony we’re going to meet?” At Sour’s smirk, she rolled her eyes. “Or I’m going to meet. Whichever.”

Quiver laughed as the three approached a lone cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, the surroundings making it look as if it came out of a story book. “Only that Fluttershy’s one of the sweetest ponies in the world. You’ll love her.”

The sounds of something very large thrashing about caught their attention, and the trio made a mad dash to the other side of the cottage to find Fluttershy seemingly locked in combat with a full-grown bear, her rear hooves firmly planted on his back and her forehooves looped around his arms as she applied pressure with all her might. Exertion was on the mare’s face and a snarl on the bear’s, and it looked like she wasn’t just in a fight with the bear, but winning, before the snarl faded from the bear’s muzzle and he contentedly moaned in relief.

“Whew! Feeling better, Harry?” The bear nodded and let out a pleased growl as Fluttershy climbed off his back. “Well you be careful about where you sleep from now on. It’s getting harder and harder to work out the kinks in your back.” As her animal friend settled himself into a sitting position, she noticed her guests. “Oh! I’m sorry I didn’t notice you earlier, Quiver! I was a little occupied.”

“So I’ve noticed.” As the yellow pegasus approached, he explained, “I hope you don’t mind me dropping in, but Sour wanted to get a better idea of the lay of the land, and I have a guest who wanted to meet you. Fluttershy, this is Sunrunner.”

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh my goodness!” She put on a nervous smile and offered a hoof. “It’s very nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much!”

“And so have I, though what you did with Harry almost made me question it.” Sunrunner accepted the hoof in greeting and smiled. “It’s an honor, ma’am.”

“You don’t need to be that formal.” A few familiar footfalls sounded, and she turned around to find a curious bear examining their guests. “Harry, this is Sour Sweet and Sunrunner. Sour is Quiver’s cousin and Twilight’s new bodyguard, and she’ll be living here in Ponyville for the foreseeable future. And Sunrunner is Quiver’s marefriend.” She paused, then turned back to the pair. “Oh dear, that wasn’t too presumptive, was it?”

At Sunrunner’s smile, Quiver laughed reassuringly. “No, I don’t think so.” He then turned to the bear and said, “Hey Harry. You feeling okay?”

The bear’s response was to smile and take the stallion into a warm hug, which prompted a laugh from him and surprise from his two companions. Fluttershy, for her part, wasn’t surprised, and turned to the pair of mares and asked, “Are the three of you in a rush? I wouldn’t mind having you here for tea.”

Sour shrugged, which prompted Sunrunner to remark, “Tea sounds fine to me, thank you.”

Fluttershy happily nodded, then led the way into her cottage. Harry released Quiver from his grip and followed his friend inside, leaving Quiver to turn back and laugh. “What can I say? He’s a hugger.”

That prompted a laugh from his cousin, a proud smile on her face as she watched him go. Before she could follow herself, however, she turned back to find an odd expression on her fellow soldier’s face. “Warbler? You still with us?”

Sunrunner turned to her, then shook herself out of her reverie. “Sorry. Just a little surprised by the positive reception I’ve been getting. They can’t be that excited to meet me after hearing about me just last night, can they?”

“Hey, this is Ponyville. Strange is normal around here.”

As she entered the cottage with her comrade, Sunrunner nonetheless found herself quietly wondering just what would cause four ponies to act the way they did. Applejack and Fluttershy’s reactions seemed natural, but Pinkie Pie going so far as to drag a princess to meet her? Her instincts told her there was a reason. She just wished that she knew what.

Though again, perhaps she was simply being too suspicious. Not everypony was up to something, after all.

“And here we are.” Rarity pulled back the curtain with a dramatic flourish to reveal three ponnequins, each one adorned by a gown. “As I said, I had some alternatives ready in case, but I do hope that you’re pleased with what you see.”

Primrose Thorn examined the three gowns with a critical eye. They were identical in terms of color, a deep emerald green for the areas which kept close to her breast and abdomen while the skirted sections were a fine scarlet, and their designs all suggested a rose in bloom. Each, however, varied in its details, as one was low-cut and exposed much of her shoulders, while another was designed in such a way that most of the torso was concealed while the forelegs were completely bare. The third was somewhere in the middle, and included long boots over the forelegs. All of them could be easily accented with jewelry and other accessories. She gently stroked one with her hoof, and raised an eyebrow at the familiar feel of silk. “Pleased? No. I’m not pleased.” She turned on the fashionista and scowled, “I’m disgusted! My instructions were to make the dress evocative of a red rose in bloom! How are ponies supposed to see that, unless they have their heads upside down?!” She tossed her head to one side and ordered, “I won’t take any of these! Make me another one, this time with the colors swapped!”

Rarity frowned. “Very well. I’ve plenty of leftover materials, but it will take me a while.”

“Fine, just be quick about it!”

The ivory unicorn frowned and went off to her work, the three dresses carried behind her in her magic. As the door closed behind her, the one stallion present smirked. “I kinda liked that first one.”

“That’s sweet of you, Brick, but this isn’t about what you want, is it?” Primrose took on a wicked grin. “It’s about what I want.”

Brick Wall chuckled. “And I guess this gives Roxy and Hot Trail more time to find that fag Quiver and get him to come to the reunion, doesn’t it?”

The mare’s grin was joined by a cruel gleam in her eye. She somehow doubted that he’d need much persuading. Quiver Quill was always a light touch, after all.”

“I’m sorry this is a little light, but I wasn’t expecting company.”

Sunrunner smiled sympathetically at Fluttershy’s apology as cups and saucers were passed out. “If it helps you feel any better, I didn’t expect to sit down and have tea with a bear.” She turned to the ursa in question and grinned. “Not that you aren’t good company, Harry. I’ve had a better time with you than I have with most ponies.”

Harry smiled as he claimed a cup and saucer of his own, and Quiver and Sour laughed at the remark. Fluttershy giggled herself as she poured some tea. “Well, I’m glad that you like him, and very glad to see you. Especially after everything Quiver said about you last night.”

The flame-haired pegasus grinned at her old friend. “Yeah, I’ve been getting that impression. Would love to know what went down to inspire so much sharing.”

The stallion grinned back. “You will. I promise.”

“Holding you to that.” Her attention went back to her host as Fluttershy settled into her seat with her own cup, the rabbit beside her nibbling away at some biscotti. “Anyway, this is a lovely place. Surprisingly roomy, too.”

“Well, having lots of room is good for all of my little animal friends, especially when they need some tender love and care.”

A curious look crossed her face. “So, you’re a vet when you’re not saving Equestria from some ancient mostly-forgotten evil?”

“Oh no, but I do work with Ponyville’s veterinarian in my actual job.” Fluttershy smiled proudly as she explained, “I’m employed as Ponyville’s wildlife conservation officer. I look after many of the wild animals that live on the outskirts of the Everfree, help out with the animal-related tasks during Winter Wrap-Up, that sort of thing. If a vet isn’t absolutely needed, then I step in. It’s a quiet life, but it’s a happy one, and I have plenty to keep me busy.” She blushed nervously as she admitted, “That being said, the fewer adventures I go on, the better.”

“More time for the Pony Tones that way.” At his two associates’ curious glances, Quiver explained, “It’s a local acapella group. They recently went from a quartet to a quintet, after Fluttershy joined.”

“Well, I’m still easing into it.”

Sour’s eyes lit up with interest. “Easing or not, this is the first I’m hearing about it. There a story there?”

“Oh, there isn’t much of one. I’m just glad that Quiver was there, or…” A knock sounded at the door, and she called, “It’s open!”

The front door swung open to reveal a familiar unicorn filly, a well-groomed Persian cat at her side. “Sorry to bug you, Fluttershy, but…” Her eyes darted to the yellow pegasus’ company. “Oh, Mister Quiver Quill!”

“Hi Sweetie Belle. Hello Opalescence.” The cat approached and contentedly rubbed up against him as Quiver made introductions. “Runnie, this is Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister. Sweetie Belle, meet Sunrunner.”

“Oh my gosh!” The filly rushed up to the flame-haired pegasus with enthusiasm. “It’s great to meet you! We all heard so much about you last night!”

Sunrunner chuckled. “So I’m gathering. But what brought you by? Is Opalescence ill?”

The filly shook her head. “I think Rarity just wanted the two of us out of her mane while she tended to her client.” She turned to Quiver and explained, “It’s that Primrose mare you mentioned. She didn’t seem that bad, but…”

“But better safe than sorry. And trust me, she is that bad.” Quiver frowned as he turned to his marefriend. “Sorry Runnie. I guess you’re definitely not going to be seeing Rarity this visit.”

She shrugged. “Eh, I get the next best thing.” She then turned her attention to Sweetie Belle and noted, “Guess you spend a lot of time in your big sister’s shadow, huh?”

“Yeah, kinda.” The filly sat down as a snake came along and offered her a cup. “Oh, thank you Rupert.” She accepted it with her hooves and continued, “Rarity’s a great sister, but our relationship has its ups and downs.”

“I can sympathize.” Sunrunner smiled sadly. “At least you guys still have the chance to talk to one another. Trust me, that makes a big difference.” At the concerned looks from the filly and Fluttershy, she explained, “Sorry. Lost touch with a relative a long time ago. Been hoping for the chance to see them again, but after so long…”

“Hey, don’t lose that.” She turned to her fellow solider in surprise as Sour smiled. “Life finds a way.”

Sweetie Belle frowned as she snuck a glance at her bare flank. “It takes its sweet time, though.”

Quiver grinned. “It’s worth it in the end, though.” He turned to his marefriend and explained, “Sweetie Belle wasn’t quite as lucky as us in regards to getting her cutie mark. She, Apple Bloom and another filly named Scootaloo got bullied about it so much, they even started their own little group to try and earn their marks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And that was about a year ago.”

The flame-haired mare grimaced in sympathy, then turned to the filly. “At least that bullying won’t be a problem anymore.”

“Yeah, but it would’ve been nice if we’d have gotten our cutie marks in the bargain.”

Sunrunner considered that, then grinned. “Well, you want some advice?” The filly looked up at her hopefully. “Play to your strengths. If you’re good at something, and enjoy doing it, then focus on developing it. That’s how it worked out for Quivs.”

“Yeah, but…” The filly turned shy as she admitted, “The only things I seem to be good at are singing and getting into trouble. But I don’t really like the idea of being a professional singer, and who wants a cutie mark in trouble-making?”

Quiver frowned. “Sadly, you don’t really need a cutie mark for that. Thankfully, most who do that sort of thing grow out of it with time.” He gave her a curious look and added, “But why not want to be a professional singer?”

The filly shrugged. “I guess I’m a little scared of not measuring up. Or not really standing out.” She smiled nervously and added. “You have an older sister like mine, it’s easy to get stuck in their shadow.”

The stallion gave her a teasing grin and noted, “Well, there’s one area where you’ve got Rarity beat.” The grin grew as he continued, “Or am I misreading things between you and Button Mash?”

Sweetie Belle’s blush and smile told them everything, even as Sunrunner resisted the urge to beg for more.

It had been a long time since Sunset Shimmer had felt this anxious about anything. The last time she’d felt anything like this was when she’d taken the entrance exam to the School for Gifted Unicorns, and even that paled in comparison.

The knock on her apartment door distracted her from her thoughts, and she jumped to her feet to answer it. She greeted her guest with a smile. “Hey. Glad you could make it.”

Flash Sentry smiled back. “I’m glad that I could find this place, and somewhere to park.” He entered and set aside his coat, then glanced around. “Wow. Definitely a step up from your old place.”

“Less spacious anyway.” She led him over to her couch and motioned for him to sit down. “Anyway, something big’s come up, and I need to talk about it with someone.”

“And the girls aren’t available because they’re busy making fools of themselves on the street in banana suits?” At her surprised look, Flash explained, “It’s already making the rounds on MyStable.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess people figure there’s a difference between posting a private secret and posting a video of someone doing something in public.” She leaned back into her seat and pulled her hands into her lap. “But yeah, they’re busy, and it’ll be a little awkward talking to anyone else for advice about this.”

“Even Principal Celestia?”

“Especially Principal Celestia. I trust her, and I know she’s there for me, but I feel like this is something I need to work out without her or Vice Principal Luna. Especially after her finally letting me in on more of the truth.” She frowned and admitted, “I know I’m not exactly the sort who should be pointing fingers over keeping secrets, but…”

“Hey, you don’t need to defend yourself to me. You let me in on the truth the first chance you got, and I appreciate that.” Flash smiled encouragingly and admitted, “Made me glad I extended that olive branch.”

The flame-haired girl grinned. “Yeah, well, you needed to know after everything happened with Twilight.”

A sad smile crossed the young man’s face. “I did. Thanks again for that.” He shook his head and carried on, “Anyway, what’s going on? You didn’t tell me anything specific about what you needed to talk about.”

“It’s news from back home. Twilight’s…” A loud series of knocks sounded from Sunset’s door, and she held up a hand in apology to Flash before getting back to her feet to answer it. She opened the door, and looked in surprise at her new visitors. “What are you three doing here?”

Despite her outward confidence, Photo Finish’s voice betrayed her anxious nerves as she and her two friends stood at the door. “Ve…vish to talk. May ve come in?”

Sunset regarded them with a tiny bit of suspicion, and quietly thought to herself that she should’ve expected them to confront her at some point given what had happened the previous month. That they were doing so here rather than at school raised some red flags, but worst case, she did have ways to get help. If nothing else, Flash would have her back. “Alright, come on in.”

“Danke.” Photo led her two associates inside, and paused once they gave Sunset enough room to close the door behind them. “Flash Sentry.”

Flash was far more surprised to see the three of them than they were to see him. “What are you three doing here? How did you even know Sunset would be here?”

“Her address is in the school directory.” Pixel Pizazz raised a hand and continued to tick things off with her fingers. “Plus we’ve been keeping an eye on her since last month, where she goes after school and stuff. We didn’t know exactly where she lived for certain until today, though.”

“Yeah, nice place.” Violet Blurr finished slipping off her jacket and setting it on a nearby coatrack as she turned to Sunset and asked, “How can you afford a place like this?”

“I don’t. Principal Celestia owns it.” Sunset made her way back to sit with Flash as she explained, “She’s been letting me live here since a week after the Fall Formal. I’m probably lucky that she doesn’t have me living under the same roof, otherwise things would be awkward.” She gestured towards waiting seats and invited them to sit. “Now, you three had something to say?”

“Ya.” Photo Finish was somber as she collected herself. “Sunset, I vill not pretend to be anything but satisfied at vhat happened to you zhe night of zhe Fall Formal. You vere zhe bitch long before zhat night, and everything zhat happened.” She took a breath to steady herself, sat up straight, and firmly declared, “But vhat happened last month has put things in perspective. Ve… I… vish to apologize properly, for any ill-treatment you may have received from us.”

Sunset regarded that, then crossed her arms and remarked, “You could’ve done that at school. There’s something else going on here.”

“Well, yeah, but we figured you’d want something from us before we came to you asking for anything, and this was probably something you’d want to talk about privately.” Violet glanced towards Flash and reasoned, “Whatever it is, I’m guessing you’re already in the know.”

Flash crossed his arms in turn. “You guessed right, but it’s not up to me to decide if the three of you should be. What’s stopping you from blabbing about what Sunset might tell you?”

“Zhat is a fair question.” Photo Finish took off her glasses, and looked up at Sunset with her dark indigo eyes and admitted, “Sunset, I am normally zhe one to be capturing moments in time, bringing out zhe best in those I capture on film. Rarely am I forced to look inward, at how terrible I can be. I vas not blasted into a crater, but I still did things I am not proud of, und I vish to make amends.”

“Plus something tells us that if we blabbed, people would think we’re as crazy as those guys who chase after UFOs or Bigfoot.” Violet cupped her hands together in her lap and quietly pleaded, “We saw those two ponies that day last month, and Photo and I were both at the Fall Formal. We all know something weird’s going on at Canterlot High, and of the five of us in this room, you two know the most about it. We get it if you don’t think you can trust us, but that isn’t going to stop us from wanting to know the truth.”

Sunset considered the problem before her. On the one hand, she had no firm reason to trust them to keep her secrets. On the other, Photo Finish was being genuine, and the first step towards having trust was giving it. Maybe taking another chance was a good idea. “Alright, I’ll tell you what’s going on.” She rose to her feet and explained, “But I can do it much better in the next room. Follow me.”

The three girls, now more curious than anxious, followed Sunset into what had previously been an office but now looked like the beginnings of an entertainment room, the television having been joined by a small home entertainment system. Flash followed and asked, “They get the special treatment?”

“Only because I didn’t make a ‘special treatment’ until just a little while ago.” Sunset had plugged her laptop into the television via an HDMI cable, and as everything booted up, she explained, “I figured something like this might happen, so I thought I’d save myself some trouble and put together a little presentation for anyone I brought in on the truth.” She smiled and admitted, “Rarity and Vinyl helped.”

After a minute or so, everything was ready, and the television screen was filled with the image of Sunset sitting down inside of her living room. The video file then started, and the Sunset on the screen smiled. “Hi there. If you’re seeing this, then that means I’ve decided to bring you in on the truth about what happened at Canterlot High the night of the Fall Formal. If that’s the case, then I hope you don’t betray that trust, otherwise I’m going to feel very foolish. Before we begin, there’s a couple things I need to cover.” Graphics appeared beside Sunset in the recording as she continued, illustrating her point. “First off, a brief lesson in quantum mechanics. One idea related to it, known as the ‘many worlds interpretation’, suggests that the world we live in is just one of a potentially infinite number of alternative, parallel worlds that coexist alongside of one another, where any number of different scenarios could have occurred. It’s been explored in science fiction and fantasy for decades, but there’s never been any widespread proof.” The graphics disappeared as the recorded Sunset admitted, “But it’s the truth. I come from one of those alternative worlds, and it’s one very different from the one you’ve grown up in.”

Sunset watched their eyes light up with wonder as the recording continued, and found herself thinking back on what she’d left behind in her original world, and wondering herself on what was to come. Her eyes wandered towards Flash, who gave her a sympathetic smile, and she found herself with a small sense of relief. If nothing else, she had something to take her mind off her main issue for a little while. But after a few minutes, the presentation ended, and she turned to her three gobsmacked guests and leaned back against an empty wall. “Well, any questions?”

Violet was the first to recover herself as she raised a finger. “Okay, let me recap. In the base of the Wondercolt statue, on the side facing the school, is a portal connected to an alternate universe where, instead of humans, there’s a multitude of sapient creatures, some we’d consider livestock and the rest we’d consider mythical, ruling the planet.” At her host’s nod, she continued, “And you came from there, and have been living here for, what, almost three years now?”

Sunset nodded again. “Yep.”

Pixel was next to speak as she picked up where her friend left off. “And you’re really a pony? A cute little unicorn pony?”

Another nod as their host held a hand at about half her height. “Somewhere around three and a half feet tall at the top of my head. Little more if you include my horn.”

The fashionista suddenly turned pale as she looked to the young man in their company. “Please tell me…”

Flash rolled his eyes. “Saw that coming.”

“Can you blame her?” Sunset smirked at her guest. “No, Flash and I never had sex. I had a lot of reasons for latching onto him, and getting carnal wasn’t one of them. And even if we had, it wouldn’t count as bestiality.” She then smiled reassuringly at Flash and admitted, “Besides, I know he’s not the kind to go chasing after a girl just for a little action. His parents raised him better than that.”

Flash smiled back in gratitude as Pixel gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, can’t blame me for wondering.” She opted to move on. “But what about those two ponies we saw at school last month? That video said the portal only opens for a few days every two and a half years or so, and that it transforms ponies into humans.”

Violet nodded as she added questions of her own. “Yeah, and who were they? One of them kinda looked like Princess Twilight, but that couldn’t have been her, right?”

Sunset pointed to the second of the two. “First off, Violet? That pony looked like Twilight because she was Twilight, just not the one who came here and defeated me at the Fall Formal.” Before either could speak up, the flame-haired girl stopped them and said, “Potentially infinite number of worlds in the multiverse, remember? That Twilight came from a third such world, and likely fought her own version of me at her own version of the Fall Formal. Heck, from what the Twilight we know was able to gather, she might’ve been a little further ahead than we are.”

“And the other pony? The bigger one?”

“Her name’s Crystal Faire. She comes from a fourth world, and she’s been traveling the multiverse making certain that the really bad stuff doesn’t happen, stuff that the locals either couldn’t handle on their own or would have a much harder time with.” Sunset opted against mentioning exactly how the multiverse-traveling alicorn was related to Twilight, but couldn’t resist an embarrassed grin as she admitted, “Apparently, mine and my friends’ lives being endangered by a living force of dark magic was enough to justify overriding the safeties and coming here.”

“Not that anyone’s complaining.”

Sunset nodded at Flash’s remark, then turned back to her guests. “Any more questions?”

“Vhy come here?” Photo’s head rose slowly to face Sunset as she continued, “Vhy just up und leave a world such as zhat?”

The flame-haired girl turned downcast. “Spite, mostly. Spite and short-sighted foolishness from a hotheaded idiot who thought she had no good reason to stay.” Sunset crossed her arms over her chest and admitted, “I’m not really sure what I regret more, the fact that I did it or the fact that it took me two and a half years just to realize how terrible a mistake I’d made.”

“But didn’t you have anything tying you to your home?” Photo’s eyes were still exposed as she looked at Sunset in shock. “No friends? No family?”

Sunset shook her head. “Making friends was the least of my concerns back then. And as for family, well…”

Flash approached and laid a comforting hand upon her shoulder, then turned to the three and explained, “Sunset was orphaned years before she came to this world, and she’d pretty much broken off contact with what family she had left.”

“An aunt, an uncle, and a cousin who thought of me like I was her sister.” She steeled herself as she admitted, “And that’s part of why Flash is here. I needed the opinion of someone I could trust, and I knew everyone else was caught up with something right now.”

“And that’s got something to do with your family?”

Sunset nodded at Pixel’s guess. “Twilight and I have been keeping touch since the Fall Formal. Believe it or not, she and I are friends now. Have been for a while. Anyway, she said that she’d do what she could to try and track down my relatives, and today, she’s managed it.” A nervous smile formed as she explained, “She found my cousin.”

Photo Finish rose to her feet with a gasp, her more familiar energy now clear in her actions. “Zis iz wunderbar! Vhy are you acting so nervous?! Do you not vant to see zis cousin again?!”

“It’s not that simple.” The flame-haired girl slumped and explained, “The last time I saw her was right before I left to take the entrance exam for the School for Gifted Unicorns. I left her in tears.” Her expression got even worse as she admitted, “Despite that, she wrote me letters. Letters I never answered. And then I jumped through a magic mirror just to spite my mentor and get as far away from her and…”

“Um Gottes willen!” She rushed towards Sunset, brushed away Flash’s hand from her shoulders and slapped the girl across the face before taking hold of her shoulders and shouting, “Get a hold of yourself! You act as though zhe vorld has already ended, but zhis has barely begun!” She calmed herself and donned her sunglasses. “Sunset Shimmer, do you think you are zhe only person who has ever made mistakes?”

“Well no, of course not, but…”

“But nothink! Zis cousin you speak of, she wrote to you for so long after zhe two of you parted ways! You should have answered her, yes, but the fact that she kept on trying to keep in touch shows that she forgave your lapse in judgment! Now, do you vant to see her again?” As Sunset’s nod, the aspiring photographer noted, “Zhen do not waste your time, or hers! Seize this chance! Reconnect! Make amends!”

Stunned silence was the response to Photo Finish’s outburst, until Flash let out a low whistle. “Wow. Not that I wouldn’t say the same thing, but…”

The bespectacled fashionista waved a dismissive hand. “Bah. Photo Finish has never been in quite zhat position, but I have seen it too many times in movies und TV shows. It has gotten boring.” She turned back to Sunset and noted, “Besides, you beat off zis thing which tried to harm you, yes?”

Sunset crossed her arms confidently. “We killed it.”

“Und zis iz somehow more daunting?” Now Photo Finish crossed her arms. “You have befriended zhe girls whom you tried to kill, und mended fences vith many others. Vhat is one more? Now go and make your arrangements. Ve vill talk more once you are done.”

Sunset smiled, then turned and walked towards her bedroom. Once the door closed behind her, Flash turned to Photo Finish. “Guess you did my job for me.”

The young woman waved a dismissive hand through the air. “She vould have done it anyvay. Besides, I am doing her zhe favor.” She smirked as she turned to her two friends and admitted, “As glad as I am zhat Sunset is no longer zhe bitch, she has been taking too long in regaining her confidence, and in remembering vhat she has.” A knock sounded at the door, and she gestured, “Flash, you should probably answer zhat.”

Flash smiled with both respect and gratitude as he complied. “Yes ma’am.” He opened the door, and some relief came into his smile as he recognized the two girls on the other side. “Hey guys.”

“Hi Flash!” Pinkie Pie grinned as she stepped into the apartment and slipped off her winter coat, Fluttershy close behind. “We came as soon as we could get away from what we were doing! Everyone else…” Her eyes landed on Sunset’s other guests. “Oh, hi you three? What’cha doing here?”

“We just got read in on Sunset’s big secret.” Violet noticed the concerned expression on Fluttershy’s face and flashed a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’re not gonna blab to anyone. It’s safe with us.”

“Ya, Photo Finish has secrets of her own.” The photographer crossed her arms in defiance. “None shall pry zhem from me any easier zis one.”

“Oh, well…” Fluttershy’s train of thought was derailed as Pinkie approached the trio. “Um, Pinkie?”

The party planner had a critical look in her eye as she looked Photo Finish up and down. “Just what kind of secrets are you keeping?”

The response was curt and to the point. “If I told you, zhey would no longer be secrets, ya?”

Pinkie responded with a satisfied nod. “Ya!” She then dashed over to Sunset’s cabinets and retrieved a tin, then dashed back. “Anyway, congrats on being in on the secret! Have some celebratory cookies!”

Pixel looked at the contents of the tin to find a number of sugar cookies with some concern. “How do you know…?”

Sunset’s voice shouted out an answer from her bedroom. “Pinkie baked them! You’re good!” She then emerged, her expression more at ease than before, and greeted her friends. “Hey girls. Everyone else coming?”

“They have a few things to sort out, but yes.” Fluttershy turned hopeful as she asked, “Any word yet?”

The flame-haired girl flashed an optimistic smile. “We’ll see.”

Soft hoof-falls sounded within Golden Oak Library as Twilight anxiously paced back and forth. Spike stepped into her path with a groan and said, “Twilight, you gotta calm down, or you’ll wear a hole in the floor. Again.”

“I know, Spike.” The alicorn took a deep breath, but that barely took the edge off her unease. “But so much could go wrong and…” A knock sounded at the door, and she groaned. “We’re open!”

“I know!” A familiar orange pegasus entered the library with a relaxed air about him. “I just figured it’d be polite to knock.” Flash Sentry stopped as he got a good look at his marefriend. “Oh no, Shining Armor’s warned me about this. What’s going on?”

Twilight took another deep breath, and felt slightly easier. “You remember everything about Sunset Shimmer, right?” At her coltfriend’s nod, she continued, “Well, here’s something you probably didn’t know. Your classmate from the academy, Sunrunner, is her cousin.”

Flash’s ease was quickly replaced with shock. “Seriously? How long…?”

“Not long enough to seriously consider the idea that you and her knew one another before last night.”

Her embarrassed tone was obvious, and Flash quickly raised a wing to her muzzle to put her at ease. “Well, in your defense, it’s not like everypony in the Royal Guard knows one another. But what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that Sunrunner’s in town now, and Twilight’s just sent word off to Sunset about it.” Spike stepped forward and explained, “Twilight’s just worrying herself over not having heard back yet.”

Flash nodded and gained a teasing grin. “Hence the early stages of her going ‘Twily-nanas’.”

“I am not –!” She fumed and admitted, “Fine, maybe I’m getting worked up too much, but still, I’m worried. Sunset might not get the message in time, or something could happen in the human world that’ll keep her from arranging a meeting, or she might get cold feet at the last second, or…”

“Or things could work out alright.” The stallion grinned and noted, “That does happen every once in a while.” A strange buzzing filled his ears, and he looked about. “What’s that supposed to be?”

Twilight’s attention turned to the message journal, and she swiftly took it up in her magic. Relief flooded her features as she read the newest message. “Flash, you might just be on to something.” She set the journal down, then turned to her able assistant. “Spike, can you go to Sugar Cube Corner and relay a message to Pinkie? Ask her to tell Sunrunner to come here sometime between eleven and noon. The closer to the former, the better.”

Spike nodded and dashed off, and Flash smiled. “Guess it’s a good thing I decided to drop in, though something tells me you won’t be able to join me and Basey at the arcade.”

“Afraid not, sorry.” Twilight grinned and noted, “But we’ll have plenty of time later. Knowing Pinkie, she’s already up to her neck in party prep.” She extended her own wing and took her coltfriend into a hug. “You have fun with your brother though, hmm?”

“Will do.”

Flash waved as he departed, leaving Twilight alone to hope that Spike got to Sugar Cube Corner before Sunrunner could. That led to concerns that she might not make it there before eleven, however…

“Steady, Twilight. It’ll work out.” More anxiety bubbled onto her face as she amended, “I hope.”

As Flash stepped out of the Golden Oak Library, he found himself approached by two mares, one an earth pony and the other a coral pink pegasus. “Excuse us, is this Golden Oak Library?”

He nodded. “It certainly is, ma’am. Looking for a book?”

“More like a bookworm.” The earth pony laughed at her own joke. “Friend of ours named Quiver Quill? Tan coat, brown mane, cutie mark with a scroll and a quill on it?”

The stallion shook his head. “Sorry miss, haven’t seen him. And he’s definitely not here. Please excuse me.”

Flash trotted off as the pair looked at one another. “Hey Hot Trail, what do you think of him?”

Hot Trail watched the stallion meet up with an older mare and a small colt, the latter bearing a close resemblance to him, then gagged. “Must be some weirdo who’s into old ladies. Come on, let’s try that Sugar Cube Corner place.”

“Works for me. I could use a bite to eat.”

“And I hope we don’t run into any more weirdoes while we’re there!”

Pinkie looked up just as Spike entered the establishment. “There it goes again!”

The young drake paused. “Huh?”

“Oh, sorry Spike! Pinkie Sense was going off again! Somepony’s tempting fate hard today, and it’s probably not you!” As a relieved Spike approached, she asked, “What’s up? I hope I can help!”

He grinned and held up his message. “Actually, I think you can.”

“I hope you can forgive our hasty departure.” Sunrunner smiled graciously to her host as she and her party stepped out of Fluttershy’s cottage. “But something tells me there’s still a lot to see here in Ponyville.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. I was glad to have you, if only for a little bit.” The shy pegasus smiled at the bolder one in turn and remarked, “And it was wonderful meeting you, Sunrunner. I hope you’re able to visit again.”

“After the reception I’ve gotten today, I think it’s very likely that I’ll visit more often than I thought I would.” She turned to Quiver and grinned, “And that was looking to be pretty often already.” She then turned to Sweetie Belle and added, “And relax about your cutie mark. You’ll get it, maybe sooner than you think.”

“Still not soon enough.” The filly smiled nonetheless. “But thanks. I can see why Mister Quiver Quill likes you so much.”

Quiver’s slight blush was enough to elicit a giggle from the four mares present before the trio went on their way. Fluttershy gave the filly a slightly disapproving look and noted, “That was a little mean.”

“Well, he started it.” The filly felt a pat on her side, and she turned to find a familiar rabbit nodding in approval.

Fluttershy’s words were chiding, but her tone was joking as she ushered them both back into her home. “Angel, don’t encourage her.”

Sunrunner heard the cottage door close as the three went on their way, then turned to her coltfriend. “You okay?”

“Like she said, I started it.” He smiled and added, “Besides, I can take a little teasing, especially with something like this.” He noticed the look on his marefriend’s face and asked, “What?”

“Just thinking about how proud of you I am.” A grin crossed her muzzle as she added, “And how lucky I am.”

“Ugh!” The third member of their group gagged. “You two are gonna give me diabetes acting that sweet.”

That prompted laughter from the other two ponies. “Sorry Two-Face. Guess I’m making up for lost time.” Sunrunner took on an earnest tone as she continued, “Seriously though Quivs, I do feel like I’m luckier than I ought to be. We were apart for years, and I was a little worried that you’d forgotten about me and moved on.”

“Hence that little thing between you and Sour earlier, and the not-so-subtle cues you had with Applejack and Fluttershy?” He raised an eyebrow. “Feeling a little protective, are we?”

The pegasus turned sheepish. “Okay, maybe I’m going a little far.” She regained herself and admitted, “Still, can you blame me for being a little possessive? For a while, it was you and me against the world. The idea of you ending up with another mare is a little heartbreaking, even if it’s with a national hero.”

“You’re not a national hero?”

A snort. “You know what I mean.”

“Well, you’ll know what I mean when I say this.” He gave her a firm expression and assured her, “As much as I like Applejack and Fluttershy and Twilight and the rest, they’re my friends, and I don’t expect them to be any more than that. You, though? You’re a lot more than that. You were the first real friend that I had, and for the longest time, the only one that I didn’t share DNA with. You had my back, encouraged me, made me feel like I mattered. You had the wings, but thanks to you, I was the one standing in the clouds. I never let go of that, and I never plan to. I care about them, but I love you.” He grinned and finished, “So do us both a favor and drop the jealousy? Green isn’t your color.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Fine.” She then batted her eyelashes and added, “But you have to admit, it complements my eyes.”

Sour Sweet gagged again. “Seriously! I’m gonna need medical treatment before this is over!”

Author's Note

Admittedly, not a lot is happening with Quiver and Sunrunner in this chapter, but I think everything with Sunset Shimmer makes up for it.

Chapter Four - Loyalty Is Earned

“Well, I hope I speak for everyone here when I say how delighted I am that the three of you are now in on the full truth!” Rarity paused, and then amended, “At least, the full truth as far as we know it.”

Enough time had passed that the rest of the Rainbooms had congregated at Sunset’s apartment, joining her and the rest of her guests and effectively turning her good news into an excuse for an impromptu party. As Violet Blurr accepted a drink from Pinkie Pie, she wondered aloud, “As far as you know it?”

“Principal Celestia’s admitted that there are a few things she didn’t tell me outright, but that was because of previous promises and obligations more than anything else.” Sunset gave her a reassuring look and explained, “But I figure I’m better off giving the full truth, or at least as much as I can, right upfront. You have to give trust to get it, after all.”

Her guest accepted that point with a nod. “So, who else knows about all of this? I mean, obviously everyone here does, and I guess Principal Celestia knows the truth…”

“Along with Vice Principal Luna, Applejack’s immediate family, Vinyl Scratch, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pinkie’s sister Maud, and at least a few members of the faculty at CHS. Definitely Miss Cheerilee, and I’d be shocked if Dr. Turner didn’t at least suspect something. Beyond them, there’s Dr. Hope…”

“That’s the shrink we all talked to a month ago,” Rainbow Dash helpfully supplied.

“…and my boss at work, Miss Zecora, and Sapphire Shores.”

Photo Finish sat up in shock. “Zhe reigning queen of Pop?! She knows?! Mein Gott!”

Sunset smirked. “Yeah, you three are in good company.”

The trio grinned at that though, before Pixel Pizazz picked up. “So, just them? No one in the government or something?”

“Ah’ve been wonderin’ about that fer a while now, to be honest.” Applejack sat down beside Sunset and got comfortable as she reasoned, “Way Ah figure it, either there ain’t been enough goin’ on in our area to attract their attention, or they’re just purposely ignorin’ it. ‘Course, Sunset thinks it might be both.”

“More like they’re subconsciously ignoring it until it forces itself to be known.” Sunset’s expression turned grim as she added, “All the more reason for what Twilight and I have been doing.” At her guest’s curious looks, she sighed and explained, “You really want to know the super nitty-gritty?”

Photo Finish frowned. “After everything else ve have been told? You will leave out zhis important-sounding thing?”

“And if it’s important, then why not have it in your video?”

“Because that video covered facts, and this is a theory at best.” Sunset leaned forward and held up her hands so that she mimed a globe. “Like I said in the video, in my world, magic is normal. All sapient creatures, ponies especially, are able to use it, but the scientific reason is because, on an individual level, we’re interacting with what’s called a ‘thaumic field’. And the prevailing theory is that every planet in every reality has one, but they vary in strength from planet to planet and dimension to dimension.”

“Sorta like electromagnetic fields. A weaker EM field is one of the reasons why Mars has a thinner atmosphere than Earth.” Heads turned in surprise towards Flash, who sheepishly explained, “I was really big into outer space when I was a kid.”

“Well, yeah, but there’s another difference. Electromagnetism’s a fundamental force, while magic isn’t.” Sunset turned back to her guests and continued, “The Earth that I came from has the same EM field as this one, the same gravity, but a stronger thaumic field. Consequently, it has an excess of thaumic energy compared to this one, and the portals have made the interaction between the two worlds a bit more interesting thanks to that.” She sat up and explained, “When Star Swirl created the portals, he effectively punched a hole in the barrier between realities, allowing them to interact. That caused problems with his first prototype, ones that built up over time and that he worked to correct with later models.”

“And the portal leading here was his seventh one.”

Sunset nodded at Pixel’s summation. “From what Twilight’s gathered, the bridge portal was part of the system designed to help govern the interaction between the two worlds’ thaumic fields and prevent the worst of what happened with that first prototype. It was Star Swirl’s theory that the excess magic from my world was trying to equalize with that of the other worlds he linked to, thanks to a fault in his designs, and that was causing the problems.”

“So the magic from your world is leaking into this world through the portal, and the bridge portal is soaking it up like some kind of magic sponge?”

“Pretty much, but we think that Star Swirl vastly underestimated the magical balance between the two worlds, and that excess magic has had some strong effects on this end.”

“Of vhat sort?” Photo Finish took on a critical expression and explained, “Zis is something one can’t just ignore, isn’t it?”

“There’s a difference between ignoring something and being blinded to it.” Sunset turned nervous as she looked the fashionista in the face. “Photo Finish, what color is your skin?”

That gave the girl pause. “I fail to see how zhat matters.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, and trust me, this has nothing to do with your accent. Just answer my question.”

A frown, and she answered, “Light pale greyish cerulean, und I…”

“Or puttin’ it simply, pale blue.”

“Yes, und…!” At Applejack’s summation, Photo Finish paused, then took a second to examine her hand and consider that for herself. “…mein Gott…”

Photo’s two friends’ eyes seemed to widen with realization as they considered their friend, then examined their own skin colors. As she examined her own light gold hand, Pixel wondered aloud, “Why didn’t…?”

“It’s not so much that you didn’t see it, and more that your mind dismissed it.” Sunset cupped her hands in her lap and explained, “Back home we have a spell that intentionally invokes something like that, we call it the ‘Not My Problem’ Spell. Here it seems to be a subconscious thing, and probably a side effect of several generations of being within proximity to the portal. I didn’t notice it for years, and when Twilight came over, she had bigger problems.”

“And we were all a little worried when we realized it for ourselves.” Fluttershy offered the three a gentle smile as she added, “If it makes you feel any better, we got used to it pretty quickly.”

The three looked suitably freaked out, but seemed to accept things well enough as Violet Blurr asked, “How long exactly are we talking here? Longer than we’ve been alive?”

“Longer than Granny Smith’s been alive at least.” Applejack turned sour as she explained, “Sunset figures this all started in earnest ‘round the time CHS was built. An’ that was back in the thirties or so.”

“Like you said earlier Pixel, the main portal’s leaking magic and the bridge portal soaks up the excess. But the greater the distance between the two, and the more obstacles in the way between them, and the less excess magic gets soaked up. It has to go somewhere.”

“Like all of us.” Pixel worriedly looked up and asked, “This isn’t having an effect on the whole world, is it?”

Sunset shook her head. “If the bridge portal wasn’t there, then yes, but with it, the effects are limited. Our best guess is that the effective radius is about the distance between CHS and downtown in the city up north, but we don’t know the exact distances involved. I haven’t had time to put together what I need to get exact figures. The one bright spot in all of this is that I doubt all of this happening was intentional.”

“Und you tell us all zis?” Photo’s former confidence was replaced with anxiety as she asked, “Vhat happens if zhe rest of zhe world realizes vhat is happening here? Ve all know zhe vorst of human nature, racism and so on. All zis…”

“Can’t be kept secret forever, and shouldn’t.” Sunset’s voice was firm as she explained, “That’s why Twilight and I are researching this as much as we can and getting all our facts together. You combat fear with facts, and getting those facts as widespread as possible. We can’t stop a panic or prevent any kind of hysteria, but we can head off the worst of it.” Her tone softened as she added, “For now, though, I hope you can understand us wanting to keep this as low-key as we can.”

The three nodded as Photo Finish admitted, “Und it’s clear you took a great risk in trusting us. Thank you for that.”

“Like I said, you have to give it to get it.” Sunset smiled and added, “That’s how friendships start. With trust.”

“Okay, you can’t exactly trust us to avoid making with the goo-goo eyes Two-Face, but can you blame us?” Sunrunner grinned as the three entered Ponyville proper. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. “Fine, but be subtle about it. Not every long-separated couple goes out of their way to make everyone sick.”

Before the pegasus could respond, an aged voice called out her name. “Sunrunner?” Heads turned as a pair of elderly-looking donkeys approached, a surprised expression on the jake’s aging muzzle. “Lieutenant Sunrunner, is that you?”

The mare’s eyes lit with surprise as she recognized him. “Cranky! Sorry, the new wig threw me! What are you doing here?” She noticed the curious jenny and grinned. “Oh, never mind! Is this who I think it is?”

The old donkey laughed. “Sharp as ever, aren’t you?” He turned to his beloved and explained, “Matilda, this is Sunrunner, one of the ponies I met on one of my last adventures before I retired.”

“Really?” Matilda turned to the young mare and smiled. “Well I’ll be. It’s not often that I run into somepony that Cranky met from his travels across Equestria. Delighted to meet you.”

“And you, ma’am. Cranky didn’t go into a lot of details, but I could tell that whomever he was looking for, they were someone special.” She glanced at Quiver from the corner of her eye and grinned, “Maybe I just recognized something similar from my life.”

The old jake smirked as he recognized the stallion. “Quiver Quill. Heard about you wrangling Pinkie Pie a while back. Could’ve used you when I first came to town.”

“In my defense, Mister Doodle, that was a very near thing.” He heard his cousin loudly clear her throat, then smiled. “Sorry. Cranky Doodle, Matilda, this is my cousin, Sour Sweet. She’s Princess Twilight’s new library assistant, just moved into town yesterday. I’m showing her and Runnie around.”

“In theory, anyway.” Sour dispensed with her snark and gave the two donkeys a polite smile. “Pleased to meet both of you.”

“And you, especially considering we’ll probably see a lot of each other.”

Cranky gave Matilda a smirk. “Don’t give her too many ideas, Matilda. These old bones of mine don’t move as much as they used to. I’m lucky to get out of the house as it is, considering…”

“Cranky! Matilda!” Heads turned again as a familiar grey postmare glided down out of the sky. “I was looking for the two of you!” She noticed the other ponies present and smiled. “Oh, hi Quiver! Who’re these two ponies?”

“Two of the most important mares in my life. Sour Sweet, Sunrunner, meet Ditzy Doo, one of the sweetest mares you’ll ever meet and an able postmare if I’ve ever met one.”

“Call me Derpy, everypony does.” She then turned back to the two donkeys as she pulled a printed sheet from her bag. “Oh, before I forget, I just wanted to run this by you. It’s the rough copy for that invitation you wanted printed and mailed out.”

“Invitation?” Sour turned curious as Matilda examined the sheet. “For what exactly?”

Cranky took on a proud grin. “Our wedding. It’s a while off, though.” He turned to Sunrunner and added, “I’m more than happy to add you to the guest list.”

The flame-maned pegasus grinned. “Well, I don’t think I’ll have trouble getting a plus one. When’s the date?”

“The tenth of October.” Matilda passed the sheet to Sunrunner and explained, “It’s not going to be anything really extravagant, but if even half the ponies we’re inviting manage to arrive, well, it’s going to be the most talked-about wedding since Cadance and Shining Armor.”

“Though probably with fewer uninvited guests.” Cranky noticed a worried look on Sunrunner’s face as she considered the rough copy held in her wingtips. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing with me, but you said the tenth, right?” She turned the sheet over and explained, “This has the date a day earlier, on the ninth.”

Cranky’s eyes went wide with surprise, and he took up the sheet and turned to the postmare beside them. “What happened?!”

Derpy took up the sheet with surprise. “Oh dear, I must’ve written something down wrong. Good thing I was able to double-check.” She took out a pencil and quickly corrected her error on the rough copy. “Don’t worry, this hasn’t gone to full print yet, and I won’t charge extra for the second rough copy! I just hope I can get everything printed in time! We’re on a crunch as it is!” She jumped into the air and called before she flew off, “Gotta go and fix this! Sour, Sunrunner, it was very nice meeting you!”

As the postmare departed, Cranky turned to Sunrunner and asked, “Do you realize what you’ve just done?!”

“Saved you two some trouble?”

The donkey broke into a grin. “Exactly! Thanks to you, Matilda and I won’t be run ragged trying to get the wedding ready a day early! Thanks, all of you!”

Sour gave him a surprised look. “What did Quiver and I do?”

Quiver smiled. “Never complain when someone sends a compliment your way, Sour.” He then turned to the happy couple. “Congratulations. Can’t wait for the big day.”

Matilda smiled in turn. “Neither can we.”

The pair then went on their way, and Quiver turned to his marefriend with a grin. “I was wondering when I’d get to hear about your adventures.”

Sunrunner grinned back. “Plenty more where that came from, and I can’t wait to tell you about them sometime.” She noticed the smirk on her comrade’s face and asked, “What?”

After what had been the better part of an hour, Rarity stood before her client once more, her work concealed by a set of curtains as before. “My apologies for the wait, I do hope that this is more to your liking.”

She pulled back the curtains to reveal a new dress, identical in cut and design to the first one of the three that she had made earlier for her client but with the coloring reversed. Primrose approached the dress and examined it, then idly stroked it with one hoof, before she turned up her nose at it. “No. This won’t do at all. Brick?” Her coltfriend dutifully came when beckoned and pulled a small black box from his saddlebags, which she claimed with her magic. “I want the dress to compliment this.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide with appreciation as the box opened to reveal a finely-crafted horn ring, designed in such a way that the gemstone would fit at the tip of the wearer’s horn rather than be on one side or another. “Oh my. That’s a very impressive piece. When is the wedding?”

Primrose’s lips curled into a grin. “We haven’t even announced the engagement. I’m waiting for a special occasion.” The case snapped shut as she ordered, “Now, I want a different dress. Make sure it compliments my engagement ring. Also, I want the red to be a darker shade, and the green a lighter shade. And gold trim!”

The fashionista frowned, then turned and went back to her work. “I’ll have it done as quickly as I can.”

“Of course you will.” Primrose laughed as she watched the mare retreat back into her workshop, then turned to Brick Wall and idly noted, “It’s so much fun making them work for their money.”

“When will you take one and go?”

A wicked grin crossed her face. “After she’s run out of material, of course. This little filly’s going to regret making me waste my time, and I’m going to have my fun.” She laughed, high on the anticipation of the fun she’d have, and certain that no one would keep her from it.

“Seriously, what?”

Sour shook her head. “Might be a good idea for you to be honest with him, Warbler.” She turned to her cousin and explained, “Scuttlebutt had it that after her first big assignment, Sunrunner and three other ponies got stuck on a punishment detail up until the changeling invasion. Not a lot of big adventures in there.”

Quiver’s gaze went between the two mares before he smirked. “Sour, I’m not stupid. I know a soldier’s life isn’t constant adventure. Isn’t meant to be.” His attention turned back to his marefriend as her expression brightened. “And it’s definitely not all sunshine. I just hope that punishment detail was worth it.”

“It was. Once you get the full story, you’ll agree with me. Both of you.” The flame-haired pegasus turned to her fellow Guardspony and added, “And the detail wasn’t horrible.”

“You were stuck guarding Prince Blueblood.”

“Lots of travel, decent food, and the one time I asked for leave, he granted it.” She smirked and added, “Though I do wish I’d been on duty that one Grand Galloping Gala.”

Sour considered that, then snickered. “Don’t we all.” She turned to her cousin and asked, “Please tell me Princess Twilight and her friends have told you about that night.”

He grinned. “A little. Fluttershy’s still a little embarrassed by what happened that night, but most of them can joke about it. Rainbow Dash especially.”

“Speaking of whom, any chance she’ll cross our path?”

Quiver spotted a familiar prismatic mane high above and smiled as it angled towards them. “Ask and ye shall receive.” The pegasus came in for a swift landing as he greeted her. “Hey Dash! We were just talking about you!”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No surprise there!” Her attention turned to the newcomer as she asked, “But right here’s another matter. Please tell me you’re who I think you are.”

Sunrunner smirked. “If I’m not, then I’m a damn good impersonator.”

The prismatic pegasus gave a gleeful cackle and offered a hoof to her fellow flyer. “Awesome!” The two shook as she explained, “Quiver told us all about you last night, and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you! Didn’t expect you to show up so soon, but I’m not complaining!”

“Neither am I!” Their excitement settled a bit as Sunrunner remarked, “Tell you the truth, I’ve been wanting the chance to meet you for a while.” She grinned and explained, “I saw that first sonic rainboom you pulled off after I moved out of Indianapoloosa and into Canterlot. The press called it a fluke, until you did it again at the Best Young Flyers’ Competition.”

Rainbow allowed herself a proud laugh as she stood up straight. “Yeah, gotta admit, that was pretty awesome of me.”

“Careful Dash, we both know what happens when you let your ego get the better of you.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge when I do something impressive.” She smiled at the newcomer and noted, “And from what I hear, you’re not so bad yourself.”

Sunrunner shrugged her wings. “Well, if we want to go down that road.” She turned to Quiver with a grin. “That leave I was just telling you about? It was so I could attend Wonderbolt Academy for a week.”

The stallion’s eye lit up, and he laughed in triumph. “How’d you do?”

“Well enough to set a few records, though they only lasted a few months.” She nodded her head towards Rainbow Dash. “Three guesses who broke them.” Before the prismatic Pegasus could enjoy that revelation too much, Sunrunner continued, “And ever since you showed it could be done, I’ve been trying to pull off a sonic rainboom of my own. Haven’t done it yet, obviously, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Now that’s an attitude I can appreciate!” She then flashed a challenging grin and noted, “But now that you’re here, how about you put your money where your mouth is?”

An eyebrow raised on the flame-haired pegasus’ head. “A race?”

“Quiver said you could fly like me. I wanna see that for myself.”

Sunrunner’s grin matched that of Rainbow Dash’s as she crouched down low and spread her wings. “Then you’d better pay attention, or you might just miss me. Quivs, count us down.”

Rainbow Dash matched her stance as Quiver grinned and called out, “On the count of three! One! Two! Three!”

His last word was barely out of his mouth before a massive gust of wind blew into his face, leaving his mane ruffled and forcing him into a small coughing fit. Sour was in a similar state beside him as she complained, “Great! What is it with jocks and stunts like this?!”

Quiver didn’t answer as he did his best to keep his eyes on the two ponies as they continued their flight. It was easy enough to follow them thanks to their respective contrails, as Rainbow Dash’s distinctive multicolored trail stood out even against Sunrunner’s fiery one. The pair had shot straight up, then completed a 270-degree loop to shoot their way in the direction of Canterlot. One by one, they traded aerial maneuvers, one copying the other to increasing degrees of flying skill. Rainbow Dash began with a barrel roll towards her left, which Sunrunner matched with a flat spin to her right. A Hammerhead turn was matched by an Immelmann, a zoom climb by a falling leaf maneuver, a Lazy Eight by a Scissors maneuver, and the two finished with a Kulbit and a Herbst before swooping back to their starting point. They bled off speed while in the air and skidded to a soft halt on the ground, almost exactly where they’d left off, and as they came to a halt, they broke out in laughter.

“That was awesome!” Calling Rainbow Dash thrilled was an understatement as she shared wingslaps with Sunrunner. “I haven’t seen a pony who could match me in the air like that since Lightning Dust at the Academy! No wonder you set records before I got there!” She turned to Quiver and exclaimed, “You were right, she’s definitely Wonderbolt material!” She noticed a frown form on the flame-haired pony’s face, and backed off. “What? What’d I say?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” She turned to her coltfriend and asked, “Quivs, you’ve followed recent stuff with the Wonderbolts, right?”

“As best I can. Having Rainbow Dash as a friend helps, and I was still hoping I’d see you fly with them one day.”

“Well, I’m afraid that’s one thing I can’t do.”

The prismatic pegasus turned to her in shock. “Why not?! You were matching me up there, pulling perfect maneuvers…!”

“It’s not whether I can fly with them, Rainbow Dash. It’s whether I should. And you of all ponies should be able to guess why I’d have some misgivings.” She turned to the mare beside her with a firm gaze. “You mentioned Lightning Dust. That was my first warning sign. Spitfire was impressed with that mare setting records and pulling off stunts, but she didn’t care one flying feather about how it was happening until you threatened to resign. Ponies could have died, and she cared more about records.”

“Well, yeah, but she did something about it. Lightning Dust got the boot and…”

“And would that have happened if you hadn’t threatened to leave?” Rainbow Dash’s pensive expression showed Sunrunner that her point had hit home. “We’ll never know, but like I said, that was my first warning sign. I started asking around after that, paying closer attention to scuttlebutt and keeping tabs where I could. Helped that I got on pretty well with Surprise after my week at the Academy. Spitfire should’ve been on top of things, riding herd on Lightning Dust and making sure she didn’t cross a line. That she hasn’t gotten any sort of disciplinary review from above still rubs me the wrong way.”

Rainbow’s eyes flicked to the mare’s mane, then towards Quiver. “Yeah, I can get why.” Her full attention turned back to Sunrunner as she prodded, “And your second one?”

“Rainbow Falls. Soarin’ gets injured, but not badly enough that he couldn’t recover in time for the qualifiers. Do Spitfire and Fleetfoot call in another Wonderbolt to take his place? Nope. They ask you to join them, despite you already being on another team. That was dirty pool, and I told her that myself after I tore up my application in her office.” A snarl formed on her face as she continued, “And she had the nerve to try and defend herself. ‘I did what I needed to do to win’, she said.”

Sour scowled. “Please tell me you name-dropped Blue Falcon.”

“Without a moment’s hesitation.” A deep sigh. “She came to speak to me again after that, try to get my point of view, even admitted that she’d messed up and encouraged me to give it another shot. As much as I appreciated the gesture, I couldn’t.”

“But they’re the Wonderbolts! They’re the most famous flyers in all of Equestria!”

“For what, exactly? For wearing nice uniforms? Being the so-called best of the best?” Sunrunner sat up ramrod straight and declared, “The Wonderbolts have their roots in the Equestrian military, a proud tradition going back to the days of the Mighty Helm and the Cloudsdale Royal Legion. You’ve heard of Rockhoof and Flash Magnus, haven’t you?”

“Well duh, of course! Flash Magnus’ story is my favorite legend!”

“One of mine, too. But do you think he’d have sat in some office putting hoofstamps on photos instead of supervising his recruits? Or that he’d have pulled that horseshit on Soarin’?”

“Well, no, but…” Rainbow Dash had a very hard time replying to any of that as she sat down. “Who’s Blue Falcon?”

“Not a Wonderbolt. Just a soldier who abandoned his squad to the tender mercies of his enemies, and tried to cover his plot afterwards.” She took on a softer tone of voice and asked, “Why do you want to join them, anyway? Please don’t tell me it was because of ego, or entitlement, or wanting to show somepony up.”

“No! Heck no! Believe me, I…” Rainbow Dash turned quiet, then quietly admitted, “Maybe it was a little bit about showing somepony up, but that wasn’t the big reason.” She raised her head to look at Sunrunner and said, “I love flying. I’ve always loved flying. My folks could see that before I was out of diapers, the way they’ve gushed about me, and they were always cheering the loudest for me at every competition, even when all I got was a participation trophy.”

Sunrunner gagged. “I hate those things.”

“Me too, but that’s not the point. The Wonderbolts are the top flyers in Equestria, no exception. I get far enough to join them, I earn a spot on that team, there won’t be a pony alive who’d treat me like the butt of some joke.” She looked up and softly noted, “You and Quiver weren’t the only ones who got bullied in school. I didn’t get it nearly as bad as you two did, especially him, but it still stings.”

“And you think that becoming a Wonderbolt will finally get them out of your head?”

A laugh. “Nah. Winning the Best Young Flyers’ Competition and saving Rarity and the Wonderbolts did that. Got an apology and everything. And trust me, I know the ‘Bolts have messed up. I saw both those examples for myself, and a whole lot more besides.” She gained a measure of firmness to her voice as she explained, “But if they’re gonna get better, then they’re gonna need ponies to get them there. Dragging their plots along, kicking and screaming if I have to. Maybe Spitfire gets ‘em started, and maybe not, but I’m still gonna do it one way or another.”

Sunrunner considered that, then smiled. “Well, if anypony’s gonna pull it off, it’s gonna be you.”

Rainbow Dash smirked in turn. “Well I’d better do it if you don’t.” Her voice dropped low as she leaned in. “Speaking of, you think you can help with that? I’ll stand a better chance of joining the Wonderbolts if I get into those new Wonderbolt Reserves, and it sounds like there’s a paper test involved.”

Sunrunner whispered back in turn, “Not much for bookwork?”

“I dropped out of flight school. Not really something I’m proud of.”

A smirk. “We’ll figure something out.” The two leaned back as Sunrunner turned to her coltfriend and said, “Sorry if that admission disappointed you any, Quiver. I know you always thought I could make it there.”

“Yeah, I did. But better you happy with a unit you can trust than unhappy with one that won’t have your back.” He smiled and added, “And I’m glad that you aren’t forcing Rainbow Dash to give up her dream either.”

“Heck no. That’s her decision.”

“Dang right!” The two pegasi hoof-bumped as Rainbow Dash added, “Anyway, it’s been awesome meeting you, Sunrunner. You’re everything I expected you to be after how Quiver talked you up. Now I gotta go tell Twilight…”

“Pinkie beat you to it, Dash.”

“Seriously?!” A groan. “Bad enough it’s always happening with cider season, but this? I’m not the last one of the six of us to find out, am I?”

“Nope, that’s Rarity.” The stallion frowned. “Primrose is in town, and I’m staying as far away from where she’ll be as possible.”

A snort. “Don’t blame you.” The prismatic pegasus took flight once again and called out, “Anyway, I’ve got stuff that needs to get done! Catch you guys later!”

The three waved her off as Sunrunner remarked, “She’s definitely something special.” She turned to the two and smiled. “Think maybe she can give me some pointers?”

“Can’t hurt to ask.”

Sugar Cube Corner was surprisingly empty for a late Saturday morning in midsummer, a few ponies having come and gone to pick up the odd confectionary here and there but very few lingering for very long. Neither the Cakes nor Pinkie Pie minded this too much. In the case of the former, this quiet time allowed them to get the odd thing done that they’d been putting off, or tend to their very young and rambunctious foals. In the case of the latter, it allowed her time to make preparations for her plans for later in the day, as well as make ready a few other minor things here and there.

Roxy and Hot Trail had no context for this as they entered the establishment and looked about, their arrival heralded by the ringing of a bell above their heads. The earth pony mare glanced at the wares available and grinned. “Well, at least we won’t go hungry.”

The pegasus seemed to be of another mind entirely. “You’re really gonna, like, eat this stuff? It looks so…fattening!”

“Only if you don’t exercise, silly!” The two jumped in shock, then turned to find themselves looking upon a pink pony with bright blue eyes and a gleaming smile. “I mean, look at me! I eat all sorts of sweets, and do I look it?” She then bounded about the establishment, almost bouncing off the walls at one point, and let out a long string of “Nope!” before settling behind the counter and grinning. “Anyway, welcome to Ponyville and Sugar Cube Corner! What can I do ya for?”

The two stared dumbfounded until Hot Trail raised a hoof and asked, “How did…?”

“…I know that you two were new in town?” Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes and explained, “Because I know everypony in town, and I don’t know you two! Therefore, you’re new in town! And the two of you look like you’ve been walking around everywhere looking for somepony, so how about some cupcakes to recover those carbs and fill those tummies?”

Roxy grinned. “Sure, why not?”

Pinkie grinned and turned about to see about their order as Hot Trail leaned in and whispered. “Roxy, what are we doing? She’s a crazy weirdo! We need to get out of here!”

“Hey, I’m hungry! Besides, she might just be stupid enough to tell us what we want to know!” Neither noticed the tingle go along their host’s spine as she went about her work, or her attention going from one set of cupcakes to another. Roxy smiled and resumed her normal tone as she continued, “You said you know everyone in town, right? You know a pony named Quiver Quill?”

A gasp, and Pinkie turned around to face them. “You know Quiver Quill?!” At their nods, she exclaimed, “Omigoshomigoshomigosh! He was just telling me about how things were for him back in his hometown last night! Did you two go to school with him?”

Hot Trail’s smile joined Roxy’s. “Like, yeah! We were great friends of his!”

“Aww! I’m glad!” Pinkie turned her attention back to the cupcakes, but her conversation continued on. “Quiver needed friends with all the horrible meanie-pants bullies he had to deal with! Party poopers like that are just no good at all, you know what I mean?”

The pegasus rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well duh!”

“Now me, I didn’t really have to deal with bullies a lot when I was a little filly. Not that they didn’t try, though. They’d look at me or my baby sister Marble, and they’d get these looks in their eyes and try to be mean to us, but that didn’t last.”

Roxy grinned. “Because you made them cupcakes?”

“Nope! Because our older sister Limestone would scare them off. And if that didn’t work, then our older-older sister Maud would beat them into bloody pulps. You grow up on a rock farm, you build up a lot of strength.” She turned back to face them with a box full of cupcakes, all topped with frosting in various shades of red, orange and yellow. “Anyway, here ya go!”

Roxy examined the confections with approval. “Nice frosting. How much?”

“Oh these? They’re free!” Pinkie beamed and explained, “Just a special little something for some special little ponies!” The door bell chimed again, and Pinkie waved in greeting to her newest customer. “Hi Quiver!”

“Hi Pinkie.” The two newcomers turned around in surprise to find the object of their search standing directly behind them in the doorway to the establishment, an unfamiliar unicorn mare at his side. He kept a pleasant smile as his eyes met theirs. “Well ain’t this a surprise!”

Both mares turned pleased as they turned to address him. “O-D-C, Quiver Quill! You remember us!”

“Of course, how could I forget!” He and the new mare stepped inside of Sugar Cube Corner, but failed to clear the door as he made introductions. “Sour, meet Hot Trail and Hard Rock! I went to school with them!” He turned back and finished, “This is Sour Sweet. She and I live together now.”

“Really?” Hot Trail gave the unicorn a once-over. “You look amazing! How long have you known each other?”

“Oh, it’s been so long!” Sour’s expression was a match for that of the pegasus before her. “And Quiver’s told me so much about you two and all the friends he had in school!”

Hot Trail gasped, then turned to him and said, “Then why haven’t you gotten back in touch about the reunion?”

The stallion took on a surprised expression. “There’s a reunion? My invites must have gotten lost in the mail.”

Roxy chuckled. “No surprise.”

“Well now we can tell you in person! There’s so many ponies there who’d love to see you again! It’s gonna be so much fun, like…”

“Like all the times Roxy and Brick Wall and Primrose tripped me up or banged me into doorframes.” All the pleasantness in Quiver’s tone had disappeared as his smile turned into a scowl. “Or the time the two of you and Primrose shoved Runnie into a bathroom and sheared her like a sheep. Or all the other times that you two and her and Brick decided to have their fun.” He turned to Sour. “I mentioned High Note to you, right?”

“How they tried to convince him that you had the hots for him?”

Quiver nodded and turned back to the pair. “That the sort of fun you had in mind?”

Hot Trail briefly made a very good impression of a goldfish before she managed to string a sentence or two together. “Well, I, like, don’t know how you could…”

The two parted to reveal Sunrunner standing behind them, a glare fixed on her face as she stepped forward to fill the gap. “Hello Hot Trail. Fancy meeting you here.”

The bullies paused at this, the pegasus in particular clearly attempting to figure out some sort of counter to all of this. She grabbed at the first thing to come to mind, and turned her attention to Sour Sweet. “I should warn you, they…”

“Stuff it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said stuff it you blow-dried little snot.” The mare’s indigo eyes glittered dangerously as she explained, “I’m going to spell a couple things out to the two of you. Me and Sunrunner? We go back a ways. Me and Quiver? We go back even further. Far as I’m concerned, they’re blood, and…”

Roxy grinned and rushed the mare, only to find a hoof strike her right where her neck met her upper torso. She stumbled back in shock as Quiver and Sunrunner stepped to one side, then tried again, only for the unicorn to take hold of her and fling her out the door and leave her a crumpled heap outside.

“…And you mess with them, then you mess with me.” Her eyes glittered dangerously as she added, “And I don’t play little girlie games like you. Mess with me, and I. Will. Break you.”

Hot Trail, to her credit, could see that she’d bitten off a bit more than she could chew. She took the box of cupcakes and gave Pinkie Pie a spiteful look. “You’re a weirdo freak. This town is full of weirdo freaks and retards, and you all, like, deserve each other.” She then exited, and made a point of slamming the door behind her.

Sunrunner snorted. “Didn’t even pay for the cupcakes.”

“Oh, they’ll pay for them. Trust me.”

The three had just enough time to take notice of the certainty in Pinkie’s tone before the proprietors came rushing in, a pair of familiar foals on their backs. “Pinkie Pie, what just happened? We heard something…!”

“Don’t worry Mister Cake, just a couple rowdy ponies who wanted to make trouble. They’re gone now.”

“Well thank Celestia for…” Mrs. Cake’s eyes fell on the flame-haired pegasus in the room and she gasped, “Oh my! I remember you from earlier!” She then turned to Quiver. “Please tell me…!”

He laughed. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

Roxy was just regaining her footing as Hot Trail caught up with her, the coral pink mare keeping her nose in the air. “Like, can you believe them?”

“Bitch blindsided me. She won’t be so lucky next time.” The bulky earth pony caught sight of the box of cupcakes on her friend’s back. “You took the cupcakes?”

“They were free. Freaks want to give them away, let them.” She then opened the box with her wings and held it forward. “So I guess we gotta give Primrose the news, huh?”

“Yeah, and then we find Quiver’s place and trash it before we leave town.” Roxy selected one of the cupcakes, then waited for Hot Trail to take one for her own. “That’ll teach him and that unicorn bitch to mess with us.”

The two bullies laughed at the fun that was to come, then bit down on their cupcakes. They were going to savor the things as they found their way to Carousel Boutique and caught up with Primrose and Brick Wall, maybe even offer them a cupcake to enjoy on their way to Quiver’s place to redecorate it. If nothing else, this trip would be a fun one.

They hardly got any further than where they’d started before a terrible warmth built up in their mouths, and a terrible heat in their throats. They cried out, and fire literally burst forth from their open maws as if they were dragons. All thoughts of their petty revenge went by the wayside as they went scrambling off in search of water, totally heedless of the clouds lazily floating above their heads.

The cupcakes, meanwhile, went flying, only to be caught by a prismatic pegasus as she went about her cloud-busting duties. Rainbow Dash opened the box and took a sniff, then grinned. “Spike’s gonna love these. Shame there’s a couple missing.”

Introductions were quickly made between the Cakes and the two important mares in Quiver’s life, and the latter two found themselves gleefully welcome at Sugar Cube Corner, especially as Sunrunner found herself doing what any self-respecting soldier would do.

“Hapabababa! Habooboobooboo!”

Eliciting laughter from young infants. Quiver watched her play with the biggest grin on his face that anypony could imagine, and one that was all too familiar to Cup Cake as she knowingly gave them a melancholy smile.

“I hope you’ll understand me not going gaga over your kids.” Sour nervously smiled at Carrot Cake as she explained, “I’m not exactly good with babies.”

“That’s perfectly fine miss.” The lanky stallion quietly amended, “I just hope that won’t keep you away, and that what happened won’t get you in trouble.” He glanced to the shelves. “Pinkie, what they took…?”

“Don’t worry, I made those with one of Nana Pinkie’s recipes.”

Sour raised an eyebrow. “You gave them free cupcakes, made from your grandmother’s recipe.” At Pinkie’s nod, she frowned. “Let me guess, some kind of chocolate.”

The smile that formed on Pinkie’s face as she nodded made the room go cold. “Chocolate habanero.”

Sour barely had a second to process that before she heard a soft clap of flesh against flesh and a baby’s voice say two words.

“Gen-tull touch.”

What followed was a squee for the ages from Sunrunner, who turned from Pound Cake to a grinning Quiver as he remarked, “I taught him that.” The wild hug that came afterwards made him laugh with joy even as she continued to squee.

“Oh they are adorable! I love this town!” She finally released Quiver and began wiping tears from her eyes with her wingtips. “Thanks for showing me and Sour around, Quivs. I’m glad that you’re happy here. You needed a place like Ponyville.”

The smile faded from his face. “Probably more than you think.” He then turned to Pinkie and asked, “Pinkie, can Runnie and I have a few minutes of privacy in your Party Cave? I’ve got some stuff I need to talk with her about.”

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie led them out of the main floor of the business and into the residential portion, up to her living quarters on the second floor towards a familiar staircase. “When you’re done, use the stairs to get out and then come find me!” She then set a hoof on the ice cream cone banister and trotted off, even as the banister made odd mechanical noises and descended in segments.

Sunrunner grew curious, but saw a relaxed smile on Quiver’s face as he whispered, “Hang tight.”

And then the floor went out from under them, and the pegasus cried out in surprise as she dropped and slid down through the innards of the building and into a cavernous room beneath it, filled with party supplies and filing cabinets of one sort or another. As they climbed off the slide, she looked around in wonder. “Whoa. What is this?”

“Pinkie’s not-so-secret party planning cave. Not really a cave, but close enough, and definitely somewhere private.” He turned around and gestured for her to sit beside him. “I needed a little privacy for this. Just hope you don’t mind.”

Sunrunner obliged. “Just you and me?”

“Sour already knows about all of this, and I think you deserve to know all of it too. Would’ve told you earlier back at my place, but we kinda got sidetracked.” He took a deep breath. “There’s a lot more that you need to know, about what I’ve been through. About me and my brother, and about my life here in Ponyville since I moved in. Trust me, it isn’t all pleasant.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “What life is? Come on Quivs. Tell me everything.”

Author's Note

The segment with Cranky and Matilda was adapted from something I was originally going to include in the first chapter to A Mad Pony in a Box. I mostly excised it because I didn't want to risk spoiling anything for this story. Suffice it to say, Slice of Life is gonna go a little differently in the Quiververse.

For those unaware, the chocolate habanero is a real-life variety of pepper, also known as the black habanero. On the Scoville scale of pungency (heat), they're at #4 - for reference, your standard bell pepper is at the bottom of the list, while the infamous ghost pepper is at #3.

Chapter Five - Generosity and its Limits

“…and that’s pretty much everything.” Quiver looked up at the mare beside him and gave a rueful smile. “Quite a bit to unpack, isn’t it?”

Sunrunner’s expression was noticeably sourer than his. “No kidding.” She’d kept silent as her coltfriend had elaborated upon the parts of his life story that she hadn’t already been privy to, mostly everything having to do with his family but also his brief adjustment period to living in Ponyville. Her expression turned regretful as she looked back up at him. “You really almost ended it all?”

He nodded sadly. “Sour slapped me over that. Wouldn’t be shocked if you did the same.”

“I think we can skip that.” She scowled. “And that mare Luster Drain?”

“Locked up and serving time for what she did, but something tells me she won’t be serving her full sentence.” He shrugged. “Equal parts cynicism and me doubting that she’ll do anything to compound her punishment.”

The scowl softened slightly. “Better than nothing, I suppose.” It faded as she leaned forward and gave him a hug. “Still, I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that. I’m not gonna say that you were always on my mind, but I did worry about you from time to time. Wonder how you were doing. That’s why I tried to get back in touch, but…”

“But if it wasn’t for my father, you’d have managed it.” He draped a forelimb around her and returned the hug. “Runnie, I’m not mad over that. Seeing you again, knowing what I know now, I feel a lot better over it.” He smirked and added, “And I’m really glad that I wasn’t the only thing on your mind over all that time. I’d worry if I was.” The hug broke off as he admitted, “Seriously, the universe shouldn’t revolve around anypony, especially me. And I’ve gotten more than my share of the wrong sort of attention for my liking.”

“So you’ve told me.” She frowned. “He really thought you faked getting a cutie mark?”

“He probably still thinks I faked getting it.” Quiver looked down at his flank and scowled. “Fur grows back and it’s still there, and that’s still not enough to convince him that it’s real.” He turned back to look at her and continued, “And him saddling me with every bit of housework and yardwork that he could think of every day whenever I didn’t have schoolwork to worry about just made things worse. Having a talent for something doesn’t automatically mean that you’re good at it, and you have to practice writing just as much as you practice any other skill. But the way he acts, I may as well have never gotten it. And there was always something for me to do, even after I got a job.”

“I remember.” She pursed her lips for a moment before she next spoke. “Quivs, there isn’t a nice way to say this, but it has to be said. Your dad’s a plot-rutting bastard.”

He turned to her in shock. “Runnie! That’s going a little far, isn’t it?”

“Let’s take a quick count.” She extended a wing and began ticking off items with her feathers. “You get suspended from school, and rather than try to hear your side of things, he lashes out at you and calls you a retard. He notices your cutie mark, assumes that you faked it, and tells you to scrub it off. He doesn’t notice that you scrubbed it off so hard that you were down to bare skin, which barely got covered again by the time you resumed classes, and starts working you like a dog rather than encouraging your talents or looking into the problems at school for himself. He takes every chance he can get to poke at you and make jokes at your expense, acts like he expects you to screw up…”

“More like he anticipates it.”

“…and when you make the decision to move out after years of that kind of treatment, he throws a hissy fit and bitches at you over all sorts of things that were never your fault in the first place.” She scowled as she looked over the singled-out feathers on her wing, then waved it off and pulled it in. “My parents never pulled that kind of horseshit on me. No parent should. It’s no wonder you seriously considered taking your own life, or that you almost killed somepony last night.” The scowl faded as she admitted, “But I’m just as glad that you didn’t. And I’m glad that you got out.”

“Did I?” Quiver gave her a fearful look as he explained, “Runnie, he raised me. Mom gave me plenty of love, yes, but he was still a big influence on my life, one full of impotent anger and rage just looking for a target. I don’t think I’m going to become him just because I share half his DNA, that’s stupid, but…”

A wingtip touched his lips as she assured him, “Quivs, you got out.” She smiled and assured him, “Yeah, fine, you’ve got some anger in you. Everypony does. But you’ve got a better awareness of it than he does, and much better control. Push comes to shove, you know how to hold yourself back.” She lowered her wing. “The fact that you shared all of that with your friends, and not just with me, tells me that. Recognizing a danger, and actively working to prevent it, is a lot different from what he’s done.” She then frowned and added, “Though from the sound of things, he’s not the only one you have to thank for your issues. Those grandparents of yours probably didn’t help. Probably messed him up too, along with your aunt.”

“Mom would probably agree with you.”

“Yeah, well, your mother’s not without blame in all of this either, but at least she never made you consider taking your own life. And if I ever meet Two-Face’s mom, I’ll have words for her too.” She then smiled and added, “And anyway, it’s his own damn fault if he can’t see you for who you are.”

A rueful half-smile formed on his muzzle. “A guy who got lucky?”

“A good, decent stallion with a big heart, who’s better than almost anypony gives him credit for.” She wrapped a wing around him. “You’ve made friends with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, met three princesses and gave all four of them very good impressions despite not having personally met all of them. And that’s ignoring everything else you’ve accomplished. And if your dad can’t see all that good for himself, then like I said, he’s a bastard. And his opinion isn’t worth listening to.”

Quiver’s eyes never left hers, but his half-smile turned into a full one as he leaned over and gave her a hug. “I’ve missed you, Runnie.” She squeezed him back, and as the hug broke, he wondered aloud, “So, will I get to hear more about this cousin of yours?”

Sunrunner turned saddened as she admitted, “Not much else to tell, sadly. Mom’s still pissed about what happened to her. Pissed enough that she’s never told me exactly what Princess Celestia told her regarding her disappearance, and Dad never saw fit to say either. Which is a surprise, considering how hard it is to get him to shut up sometimes.”

“I remember. I like your parents.”

“They like you too.” She glanced around the cave and added, “So, question. How do we get out of here? I don’t think I can carry you up that slide.”

Quiver grinned. “Stairs. Follow me.”

As her cousin and his marefriend discussed things in private, Sour Sweet found herself feeling decidedly uncomfortable as she watched Pinkie Pie tend to the Cake twins.

“I don’t mind, dearie.” Startled, she turned to find their mother giving her an encouraging smile. “If you want to play with the babies, that is. They’ve got plenty of energy for you and Pinkie, trust me.”

“Oh, no, it’s not that.” The unicorn gave her an apologetic look and explained, “No offense meant to your children, Mrs. Cake, but young foals make me uneasy. They’re messy and unpredictable and…” She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what next to say. “Has Pinkie told you about last night? Everything Quiver and I shared?”

“Nothing specific.” The matronly mare turned comforting as she admitted, “But what little I’ve heard doesn’t paint a happy picture for your family.”

“That’s an understatement.” Sour frowned. “My mother went out of her way to shove me into the spotlight, present me in a way that she was happy with. Between that and no father, I didn’t have the happiest of childhoods. And Quiver had things in his own flavor of terrible thanks to my uncle. And as for our grandparents, well…” She flicked a quick glance at Pound and Pumpkin and asked, “You ever think of those two as a blessing?”

“Every minute of every day.”

“Well, my grandmother had three grandchildren, and only one of us got called a blessing. It wasn’t me or Quiver.” She turned back to her host. “And the really sad thing is, every time she’s seen me, she’s pressured me to find a nice stallion, settle down and give her another blessing. Her words. It’s not something I’m really in a rush to do.”

Mrs. Cake laid a gentle hoof on Sour’s shoulder. “Dear, I can’t say I blame you. What little Pinkie’s told me says that you’re trying to work through some personal problems, and from what you’ve said, it sounds like you’re afraid that you’ll continue where your mother and grandmother left off.” She then gave the mare a soft smile and continued, “Tell you the truth, all parents worry about something when it comes to children. In my case, well…” She lowered her head and admitted, “It was whether I’d ever have any of my own.” Sour turned surprised as her host admitted, “It’s no secret that I’m a bit on the old side to be having foals this young. My best friend growing up had her first one within a year of getting married to her foalhood sweetheart, but me?”

“It couldn’t have taken you that long to meet your husband.”

“Oh, that wasn’t the problem. Carrot and I met after he started apprenticing for my father, and we’ve been married, well, longer than Pinkie’s been alive. It was something else.” She looked to her children and their caretaker and said, “Thank the Maker for fertility treatments, otherwise…” She put that thought aside and continued on. “Anyway, you might find yourself that special somepony, or you might not. But things change, and ponies change. And you shouldn’t stop yourself from having something wonderful, just because you’re afraid of how things could go wrong.”

A shrug. “I suppose not, but…”

“But that doesn’t mean you should be in a rush either. And that grandmother of yours should understand that.”

Sour gave a rueful smile before her cousin’s return prompted her silence. “Hey Quiver. You and Warbler take care of what you needed?”

“Yep.”

A nod, then she turned to her fellow Guardspony. “You smack him?”

Sunrunner’s eyes tabled. “You already did that, Two-Face.”

“I know, but he’s a stallion. They’re stubborn.”

The pegasus smirked. “And us mares aren’t?”

Quiver managed a groan just as Pinkie approached with a gleeful look and both babies on her back. “Ooh, Quiver! Twilight sent Spike here with a message for you guys! She’d like you and Sunrunner to come to the library somewhere between eleven and noon! Didn’t say why, but I betcha it’s something important!”

The stallion raised an eyebrow. “Pinkie Sense?”

She gave a conspiratorial grin. “Nope! Not this time! And my lips are sealed!” She then mimed zipping her lips, and Pound and Pumpkin followed suit.

Quiver smirked. “Fine then, be that way.” He turned to Mrs. Cake and said, “Can we get something to go?”

Rarity frowned as she continued her work, and tried her best to put her mounting frustrations out of her mind. She had worked hard upon all of the dresses she’d made for her current client, and all of them had been rejected. Granted, she could likely find somepony who wanted them – Primrose’s physique was hardly any different from that of the average mare – but still, it irked her to have to endure this sort of thing.

She paused over her materials, before she could start stitching everything together, and quietly groaned. A part of her hoped that she was simply dealing with a picky customer, while another part of her found herself wishing harm upon whomever had dreamed up the axiom of the customer always being right. Nonetheless, she found herself thinking that her earlier hopes regarding Primrose had been dashed. Fortunately, Quiver wouldn’t lord this over her too much.

“So you think they’ll find that fag Quiver?”

Rarity, despite herself, had always had an ear for gossip, and found her attention firmly on her customers as Primrose laughed. “Of course they will. He can’t be that hard to find in a dump like this town, and all they have to do is encourage him to think Chum-Scummer will be there. Even if she isn’t, well, he always wanted to feel like he was wanted, like other ponies liked him. Promise him an award, and he’ll some running like a dog for table scraps. And we’ll be ready for him.”

Brick chuckled darkly. “Can’t wait for him and High Note to reunite.”

“And I know High Note will be happy about seeing his boyfriend too, but that won’t be the half of it. By the end of that reunion, we’ll break…”

The door leading into Rarity’s workshop banged open, and the fashionista affixed them with her fiercest glare. “Get. Out.”

Primrose gave her a disbelieving look. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” She strode forward and declared, “Get! Out!”

One unicorn looked at the other in surprise, with the green-eyed one finally casting a smirk towards the blue-eyed one. “You still owe me a dress.”

“I owe you nothing!” Rarity maintained her glare as she elaborated, “First, you haven’t yet paid me for my services! No exchange of funds, no exchange of goods! Second, I refuse to be even a distant party to whatever cruelty you happen to be planning!” No sense in letting slip that she and Quiver were acquainted with one another. “And third, I have the legal right to refuse service to whomever I choose for whatever reason I choose, valid in both Ponyville and Indianapoloosa! So I reiterate! Get! Out!”

Primrose eyed the mare before her until her grin turned into a sneer. “Oh, you poor, poor soul. You don’t want to do this. You toss me out, and it’ll mean the end of your career in the fashion industry. Who will want to do business with a madmare who’d toss out a customer at the drop of a hat? They’ll think you’re insane.” The sneer deepened as she added, “The press will eat you alive.”

Rarity grinned. “Between the two of us, darling, they’ll have plenty to dine upon. After all, what will they think when it’s revealed that you were wearing a fake gemstone in your engagement horn ring?”

A haughty laugh. “Fake?”

“Fake. False. Not true.”

“As if they’d…”

“I’m a certified gemologist, one of my closest friends grew up on a rock farm, and I have a very wide social circle and the wiles to use it.”

Primrose paused at that, and Rarity could see her considering her options. After a few seconds, she turned her head to one side, the sneer still on her face. “Brick?” The stallion straightened up at that. “We’re leaving.”

Brick looked between the two mares in surprise as Primrose turned and made her way out of the shop, but quickly moved to follow her out with little prompting. As the doors closed behind them, Rarity took a deep breath. She expected trouble over this in the future, and likely in the very near future, but better a loss in business than a loss in principles.

Besides, now she could look Quiver in the eye again.

A knock sounded from somewhere within her shop before a drawer popped open and a familiar pink pony’s head popped out. “The meanie-pants bully is gone, right?”

“Yes Pinkie, fortunately.” Rarity had long gone past the point of questioning how her friend did all of the things that she did, and was just grateful that she was being a little more thoughtful about it. “What brings you my way?”

“Oh, just a little bit of good news that I didn’t want that Primrose lady to know about.” Pinkie pulled an envelope from her mane and held it aloft with her hoof. “But I definitely wanted you to know about it.”

The envelope was taken up in the unicorn’s magic, and she opened it to reveal and review its contents. Her eyes widened, and she took in a sharp intake of breath before screaming gleefully and dancing in place.

Pinkie grinned. “I know! I can’t wait for you to meet her!” The grin faded as she turned serious. “Anyway, I need your help.”

Rarity’s grin soon matched her own. “Whatever it is, darling, I’m in.”

Sunrunner idly took another chomp out of her muffin as she trotted along beside Quiver and Sour. “Quivs, you remember when we were kids, and you talked with me about Occam’s Razor?”

“Hm-hmm.” Quiver swallowed the last of his own muffin, then brushed some crumbs from his muzzle. “What of it?”

“Well, maybe it’s just me being suspicious, but I’m starting to think there’s something going on around here, and that your friends have been interested in me some time. I mean, Pinkie went so far as to fetch Princess Twilight to chase me down as soon as she heard I’d shown up. And the princess outright said that she’s been trying to track me down for a while now. You don’t do that for a random pony.”

“And you’re trying to figure out why.” At her nod, Quiver pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t like to speculate without having more information available to me, but what little’s there suggests that Twilight has an interest in you.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t explain why she’s interested. That’s the critical question.” She looked to her fellow Guardspony. “No thoughts on this, Two-Face? No accusing me of having an ego?”

Sour shook her head as they approached the library. “Nothing beyond the fact that if what I think is going on is the truth, then she wouldn’t want me to spoil it for you.”

That raised eyebrows with the other two ponies as the door to the library opened and a familiar little dragon greeted them. “Hey guys. Nice timing. Come on in.” He gestured them inside before turning back and calling out, “Twilight! They’re here!”

With a quick flash, Twilight winked into the main chamber of the library with a nervous but hopeful expression on her face. “Perfect!” She took a breath to collect herself and stepped forward. “Sunrunner, I’m sorry for not saying anything about it to you earlier, but I had to make some arrangements before I could do anything definite. Like I said earlier, I’ve been trying to find you for months, on behalf of somepony you know. Your cousin, Sunset Shimmer.”

That immediately had the pegasus’ attention, and Sunrunner noticed the satisfied look in Sour’s eye. “You knew!”

“I suspected.” The unicorn gave an apologetic smile as she explained, “Sunset was brought up in my briefing when I became the princess’s bodyguard.”

Sunrunner frowned, then turned to the princess. “Okay, Sour being briefed on her means she’s likely to come up in her duties. And if you’re trying to get in touch with me on her behalf, then there’s a chance you’ve had contact with my cousin. So two questions. First one, how do you have contact with her? Second, how long?”

“I’ve had contact with her since the Princess Summit this spring in the Crystal Empire. As for how, well, it’s a long story.” She turned to the lone stallion in the room and asked, “Quiver, you’re familiar with the concept of alternate realities, aren’t you? Parallel dimensions, alternative timelines and so on?”

“Yeah, that sort of thing’s been showing up in fiction for decades. But last I checked, as far as real world science went, it wasn’t much beyond a theory.”

“Real world science is a little over a thousand years behind the times.” She gestured for everyone present to follow her as she explained, “During the early days of Equestria, Star Swirl the Bearded created a number of artifacts that could allow for travel between alternate worlds.” She led them down into the library’s basement. “He and Princess Celestia used his prototype to visit a number of them. And almost three years ago, Sunset used a later version to travel to one. She’s been living there since.”

Sunrunner’s attention went to the ornate mirror in one corner of the basement lab. “Is that the portal? It looks like a fancy mirror.”

“No. The portal Sunset used was moved to the Crystal Empire in time for the summit, and it’s stayed there since.” The group approached the artifact as Twilight explained, “This one’s related to it. It leads to what we’ve dubbed a ‘bridge realm’ between the two worlds. It’s one of the methods I’ve used to keep in touch with her.”

Sunrunner raised a hoof to the glass, and pulled it back in surprise as she saw ripples form on its surface. She turned to Twilight and asked, “She went all the way to an alternate world? Why?”

“That’s probably something you’re better off hearing from her. I’ve been in touch with her, and if she’s not waiting for you in there now, she will be soon.” The princess gave a hopeful smile. “And she’d like to speak with you.”

Sunrunner’s gaze drifted to the floor. “Does she now.” She turned back towards the portal and added, “She and I didn’t exactly part on good terms.”

Spike stepped up with a worried look. “Don’t you want to see her again?”

“I do, but…” A rueful laugh escaped her muzzle. “Thousands of changelings? No problem. Reuniting with a wayward relative? That’s another matter.”

Quiver stepped to her side. “Runnie, if you want us to stay out of this…”

“No, I want you all with me. If nothing else, it’ll stop me from running.” She stood up straight, took a deep breath, and then stepped forward through the portal. She emerged on the other side, then looked around at the seemingly vast, cavernous space as Twilight emerged behind her. “Well, can’t say I’m not impressed.”

As the other ponies joined them and started gawking despite themselves, Twilight grinned. “Yeah, the awe never really goes away.” She then turned to the Pegasus and added, “Just a warning, but Sunset’s going to look a little different from the last time you saw her. Not bad different, just a little outside of normal by Equestria’s standards.”

“I can deal with that.” She turned back to Twilight and just caught the mirror at the opposite end of the space before them begin to ripple. “But where do I start? What do I say to her?”

“Maybe I could start instead?” Sunrunner’s ears went alert at that familiar voice, and she turned to find a very unusual creature looking back at her with some very familiar features and a nervous expression on her face. She waved a forelimb and gave a nervous smile as she said, “Hey Runnie. Long time no see.”

It took the mare a couple seconds to process what she was seeing, and she stepped forward as if on autopilot to get a better look. The creature was taller than her, perhaps even tall enough to look Princess Celestia in the eye, and clearly some form of primate, with long legs and forelimbs that ended in appendages with five digits each. Her skin lacked fur, but maintained a familiar amber shade, while her eyes and hair were all too familiar. “Shims?”

And then the creature sang a tune that Sunrunner recognized all too well.

“Do you want to build a snow-mare?”

Her voice was low, frightened and uneasy, but nonetheless, she was clearly singing, and as it continued, it was clear that she was trying her best, and failing, to hold back tears as she continued.

“We could’ve been best buddies.

But we were not,

It’s all my fault,

But can’t we try again?”

Sunset Shimmer bowed her head and closed her eyes as she quietly sang, “Do you want to build a snow-mare?”

She felt soft feathers dab at her face, and opened her eyes to see her cousin look up at her, quietly weeping herself as she smiled and sang in reply.

“It never had to be a snow-mare.”

Sunset collapsed to her knees and took her cousin into a warm hug. “I’ve missed you, Runnie.” She wiped away what she could of her tears as she continued, “And I am so sorry. For everything.”

“Why should you be sorry?” Her cousin was wiping away tears of her own as the two broke off. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I came on too strong, scared you off.”

“No, you didn’t. I pushed you away.” Sunset gently ran a hand down her cousin’s neck. “Back then, with everything going on, I thought… I felt like you and Aunt Flare and Uncle Streak were trying to make me forget about my mom and dad, and take me away from everything I knew. I know you didn’t mean that now, but that doesn’t excuse how I acted, or how I treated you. That’s no one’s fault but mine.” She took one of her cousin’s hooves in her free hand and continued, “I know that I was a terrible big sister to you, but if you give me the chance, I’d love to try and be a great cousin for you.”

Sunrunner frowned. “No. I can’t do that.” She then smiled. “Because you were always an awesome big sister. And nothing’s gonna change that.”

The two laughed, then hugged again, before Sunset turned to the princess. “Thanks Twilight. I told you that you’d do it, didn’t I?” That prompted a laugh from the alicorn before she turned back to her surrogate sibling. “So, you want to make introductions, or should I start guessing?”

Sunrunner laughed, then gestured the remaining two ponies forward. “Shims, meet Sour Sweet and Quiver Quill. Sour and I went to the Academy together, and now she’s Princess Twilight’s bodyguard. Quiver’s her cousin, and my coltfriend.”

“And somepony you wrote a lot about in your letters.” She grinned a little at her cousin’s blush, then raised a hand and balled it into a fist. “Nice to finally put a face to the name.”

Quiver smiled and raised a hoof. “Likewise.” The pair shared a hoof-bump before the stallion laughed. “Lyra will go nuts if she ever finds out about this.”

Sunset looked at him in surprise. “You’ve met Lyra Heartstrings?” At Quiver’s nod, she laughed. “Small world. But yeah, you’re right. Seeing me would be a dream come true for her.” She turned back to Sunrunner and explained, “Consequence of going through the portal. It turned me into a human, or at least a close approximation of one.”

“I was wondering about that.” She then gestured to Sunset’s chest and asked, “So, what are those things on your chest?”

Sunset rolled her eyes at the inevitable question. “They’re mammary glands.”

Her cousin looked at her in shock. “Are they always that big?” Her cousin nodded, and she decided, “Humans are weird.”

Sunset chuckled. “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. Besides, I’m actually considered pretty attractive by human standards.” The mirth faded from her voice as she addressed the elephant in the room. “So, I guess you’ve got some questions.”

“I do.” Sunrunner sat down in front of her cousin, with Quiver and Sour following suit close by. “For starters, what happened? Why leave for an entirely different world? And what caused you to want to get back in touch?”

The former unicorn sighed. “It’s a long and very painful story.”

Her pegasus cousin gave an encouraging half-smile. “I’ve got plenty of time. And if you’re worried about the two of them, well, something tells me Sour already knows, and I’m not gonna leave Quivs out of the loop.”

Sunset smiled. “Good for you.” She then began her story, and indeed, it had been a long and painful one. Even those already in on some of the pertinent details found themselves moved by her words, with Twilight and Spike both bowing their heads and providing the former unicorn comfort, until she reached the midpoint of her tale.

“…and thus ended my reign as Queen Bee of Canterlot High.” She gave her cousin an apologetic frown. “You must not be too thrilled, after all the trouble you had with your bullies.”

Sunrunner shook her head. “No, but as terrible as you were, you never got physical.”

“And you’ve shown a lot of obvious remorse.” Quiver looked up at her with a comforting smile. “I doubt Primrose would ever show anything like that, even after getting a face-full of magic from all six Elements of Harmony, let alone one. I don’t like bullies, but repentant bullies? That’s a whole different matter.”

The pegasus among them grinned at her coltfriend. “Ain’t that the truth.” She then turned back to Sunset. “So, I guess you did read my letters.”

“A lot later than I should have, but yes, I did.” The flame-haired girl nodded towards Twilight and said, “Princess Celestia found them, and Twilight got them to me just in time for the human world’s equivalent to Hearth’s Warming.” Sunset rolled her eyes and corrected herself, “One of them, anyway. Lots of winter holidays, each with their own origin and some older than others. The letters were kind of a mixed blessing, but I was glad to have them, even with everything that went down.”

Quiver noticed the saddened look on Twilight’s face and frowned. “Let me guess, another long and painful story?”

“More like a short and painful story.” Sunset sighed and explained, “After everything went down at the Fall Formal, I was looked after by the girls that I’d hurt the most, the counterparts to Twilight’s friends in Equestria. Up until that time, I thought that things were good. And then Anon-A-Miss happened.”

“Thanks to a mix of jealousy, lingering fear and hate towards Sunset, the counterparts to the Cutie Mark Crusaders decided to frame her for sharing secrets about other people around Canterlot High in an open forum using the false identity of ‘Anon-A-Miss’.” Twilight looked to Sunset and explained, “It only took a couple days for the girls to accuse her of the deed and cast her out. The secrets kept coming, and…”

“…And after I got mobbed by some of my supposed victims, I hit rock bottom and almost killed myself.” Shocked and sympathetic expressions were on Quiver and Sunrunner’s faces as Sunset continued, “Twilight stopped me in time, but it was only thanks to Pinkie’s sister Maud that the girls worked up the nerve to apologize for how they treated me. And after that, it was a couple weeks, some hard questions from a therapist for all six of us and me getting targeted by a fragment of the Nightmare as a new host before the entire situation was resolved.”

Sunrunner’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Did they get punished for it?”

Sunset nodded. “I almost took the Crusaders with me by accident, and that finally shamed them enough to confess to their crimes and turn over everything they had on those who’d contributed to Anon-A-Miss. Everyone who submitted got punishment for it. And as for the mob, well, once there was evidence to back up what happened, they got punished too.”

A grim but satisfied expression remained on the pegasus’ muzzle as she decided. “Good. You didn’t deserve that.”

“There were a lot of things that she didn’t deserve, from the sound of it.” Curious expressions turned to Quiver as he asked, “Sunset, Celestia showed you the Crystal Mirror, and after you had that vision and asked her about it, she never told you anything.”

“No. Like I said, she didn’t think that I was ready.”

“Well here’s a question for you. If she didn’t think you were ready to know the full details about the mirror, then why show it to you in the first place?” Before Twilight could even start to protest, the stallion turned to her and countered, “Don’t pretend for one second that what I said isn’t a valid question, Twilight. You and Sunset have both had to wonder about that at some point.” He glanced around and reasoned, “I think we’re all wondering about it. I’m just the only one here who can get away with saying anything and not feel like I’m betraying her, or my mental image of her.”

Twilight winced at that, but nonetheless protested, “Quiver, you’ve never met Princess Celestia…”

“I don’t need to meet somepony in the flesh to know that they’re capable of making mistakes, Twilight. Her taking you and Sunset on as students was no mistake, certainly, but the way she handled things with Sunset and the mirror is a mistake at best. And given my history, you can see why I’d consider the worst-case scenario.”

The princess looked at him in shock. “Quiver! Celestia isn’t your father!”

“No, which makes this all the more damning, especially in light of what went down after this Anon-A-Miss mess. You and Sunset have kept in touch, and you stopped her from trying to kill herself. Did Celestia know about any of it?”

“Of course she knew!”

“Then why didn’t she do anything about it?! If my father heard about my instance of considering offing myself, he’d at least read me the riot act about causing some stunt to get attention! But Princess Celestia’s hardly done anything! It’s like she’s washed her hooves of Sunset and made her your problem!”

Sunset looked at him in shock. “You almost…?”

“When you spend a good chunk of your life dealing with an emotionally abusive parent telling you how the world and everypony in it will treat you like shit just because it can while demonstrating it for himself, and every other adult in your life gives you anything from well-meant empty gestures to straight up apathy while bullies make your life miserable, it’s not hard to start thinking that you’re the problem, and that the world might be better off without you.” He shot her a sympathetic look and assured her, “You’ve got a lot of guilt over the hurt you’ve caused, and that’s fair, but not everything is your fault, Sunset. What you did at Canterlot High is on you, and you’ve owned up to it, but the road that led you there, after getting enrolled at the SfGU? Celestia’s got no one to blame but herself for that, and I can only hope that she’s already realized it on her own.” He then frowned and added, “But if she has, then there’s still no excuse for her not setting the record straight and owning up to you. Especially after that Anon-A-Miss mess.”

“But Celestia said that she was sorry…”

“And a lot more needed to be said beyond that. And still needs to be said.” Quiver gave Twilight a firm look and finished, “The sooner, the better.”

Both Twilight and Sunset bowed their heads as they considered Quiver’s words, only to be distracted as loud clapping sounded from nearby. Heads turned as a startlingly-familiar young woman with finely-curled purple hair admonished, “Photo Finish!”

The other teenage fashionista scoffed. “Please Rarity, do not pretend zhat you vere not thinking of doing zhe same!”

Rarity sighed, then turned to her friend in regret. “My apologies, Sunset.” She approached with Photo Finish in tow and explained, “I knew that you wanted this time for yourself, but it was all that I and everyone else could to restrain Photo Finish from interrupting your reunion. Stopping her from entering the bridge realm was, alas, impossible.”

Sunset shook her head and managed a slight smile. “It’s alright, Rarity. All the important stuff got dealt with.” She turned back to her cousin and asked, “I guess I don’t need to make introductions.”

“No, kinda obvious who they are.” Sunrunner’s gaze turned to the portal leading back to Canterlot High as she wondered aloud, “But why didn’t we notice them earlier?”

“That’s one of the things I’ve been trying to figure out, with Sunset’s help.” Twilight shrugged. “Best guess is that transit through the bridge portals leaves the user with a temporary effect similar to the Not-My-Problem spell, though we don’t know exactly how long it lasts.”

Quiver raised an eyebrow. “Everyone makes their presence known before it wears off?” The princess nodded, which prompted a laugh on his part. “Better that then all of us just failing to pay attention, I guess.”

Sunrunner laughed as well before she turned to face the human Rarity. “Rarity, huh? It figures. The one bearer of an Element of Harmony that I haven’t met yet, and I meet her human counterpart first.”

“I’m honored.” The fashionista knelt down to get a better look at the pegasus, and seemed to be making a genuine effort to restrain her hands from stroking the pony’s fur. “And delighted to meet you, Lieutenant. Sunset’s told us a great deal about you, and I must say, you look very much like how I imagined that you would. I just hope that what you’ve heard about myself and my friends hasn’t soured you towards us.”

Sunrunner frowned. “I’m not gonna say I’m happy about how you treated her.” The frown softened as she leaned forward. “But she’s forgiven. I can do the same. Just don’t repeat your mistakes, huh?”

Rarity cooed and ran a hand through the pony’s mane. “Oh, of course not!” She then giggled and admitted, “Oh, you are absolutely adorable!”

Photo Finish made a dismissive snort. “Zhey are all adorable!” She then waved at Quiver and noted, “Save for zhe stallion. He is too mannish to be adorable.” She gave him a sidelong glance and added, “No offense.”

He rolled his eyes. “None taken, I suppose.” He then turned to Sunset. “Now I’ve gotta ask…”

“Yes there’s a human version of Lyra, no she doesn’t know the truth yet. I’m just waiting for her to ask.”

“Okay, thanks for clarifying, but I was wondering about something else. You and Twilight are trying to figure things out, right? Anything that we should know about in particular?”

“Mostly how the portals work and how the magic from our world is interacting with the human world.” Twilight grew hesitant as she amended, “Among other things.”

Sunset turned to Photo Finish, who raised a hand and vowed, “You have mine word zhat nothing discussed here escapes my lips without your permission.”

“We’ll hold you to that, dear.” Rarity got back to her feet. “You recall that magical crown from the Fall Formal? Well, that crown was an artifact from Equestria, which as you know, Sunset attempted to use for her own ends. It’s one of a set of six, collectively known as the Elements of Harmony. Twilight and the pony counterparts to myself and the other Rainbooms were their bearers for about nine months or so before that incident.”

Sunrunner raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Rainbooms?”

Sunset smirked. “They formed a rock band, long story.” She then got to her feet and continued where Rarity left off. “Anyway, while everything was going down with Anon-A-Miss, a situation arose where Twilight and her friends had to return the Elements to their source, another magical artifact called the Tree of Harmony. After that was done, the Tree grew something that we’ve started calling the Chest of Harmony.”

“You remember those blueprints that I was studying last weekend? The ones Silver Spoon took an interest in?” At Quiver’s nod, Twilight explained, “Those were for the Chest. I’ve been spending the last few months trying to find a way to open it, but no luck so far. It looks like it needs six keys to open it, but every effort we’ve made to try and find them has come up empty, and I don’t want to try and pick the locks.”

“Afraid that it won’t work?” At Twilight’s nod, Quiver brought a hoof to his chin. “Makes sense. And I’m not surprised word about this hasn’t gotten out.” He frowned and admitted, “I can’t say that I envy you, Twilight. I wish I could help.”

“Who says you can’t?” At his surprise, Twilight smiled. “Quiver, you figured out that Nightmare Moon was coming back without even trying, and another set of eyes can’t hurt. Maybe you’ll find something we’ve missed, or come up with an idea that hasn’t occurred to us. I certainly wouldn’t mind the help.”

Sunset gave him an encouraging smile. “And you’ll be a lot more helpful with that than I’ve been, at any rate.”

He considered their words for a moment, then smiled. “Well, I don’t have all the time to apply to it that you do, but I can try.”

“Thanks.” Twilight turned to Sunset and added, “And I’m glad that Vinyl wasn’t the last one to learn the truth. Hopefully, this is a good sign.”

The flame-haired girl grinned. “Fingers crossed.”

“So, anyone else hoping things are going okay in there?” Pinkie Pie glanced among her friends and those newly introduced to the truth, gathered together in the teacher’s lounge at Canterlot High, and worriedly asked, “I mean, things are probably going okay in there, right?”

Fluttershy quietly laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Pinkie. We’re all worried for Sunset. This is her first time seeing her cousin in a long time, and…” The mirror rippled as Photo Finish emerged, with Rarity and then Sunset following. “Oh dear.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Sunset as she smiled. “It’s okay everyone. I’ve seen Runnie. We’re good now.”

Exhales of relief sounded as the remaining four Rainbooms gathered close and embraced their friend. Applejack in particular seemed relieved as she took Sunset into a hug. “Good to know you an’ her patched things up, Sunset. Wish it hadn’t taken this long.”

“Me too, but…” Sunset frowned. “I think I still have some unfinished business to deal with. We both do. Not with each other, that’s squared away, but…”

“But that’s life, sugarcube. There’s always a loose end somewhere.” The farmgirl smiled hopefully. “Give it time, and you’ll get there. Right now, Ah say we celebrate.”

Sunset smiled back. “Yeah. Let’s do that. One small favor though, before we do that.” She tipped her head towards the one male present and asked, “Can Flash and I have the room?”

No one dissented from that, and the rest of the girls filed out, leaving the flame-haired girl alone with a very confused young man. “What’s all this about?”

“This.” Sunset rushed to him and took him into a warm embrace. “Thank you, Flash. For everything. For giving me a chance when you had every reason not to, for standing by me, for…” She laughed even as she fought back fresh tears. “Sorry, I…”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s been a big day for you.”

“Still, you could’ve held a grudge, but you didn’t.” Sunset wiped at one eye and admitted, “I’m still lucky you chose to give me a chance.”

“It helps that I believed you when you said you were sorry.” Flash turned downcast as he admitted, “Not everyone who does terrible things expresses real regret over them. You did, but someone else I knew never did.”

Sunset suddenly got a very ill feeling. “Flash, you don’t have to…”

“No, but I want to. And I can trust you with it now.” Flash gestured for her to sit down, and the pair did so. “Sunset, you remember meeting my family?”

“I remember your father giving me the evil eye. Can’t say I blame him now.” She frowned and turned worried. “And I remember seeing your mother limp. Don’t tell me…”

“No, that wasn’t because of him. It was someone else. A real monster, unlike you.” The young man turned bitter as he admitted, “And one I share more with than I care to admit.”

Sunset gently reached out and took his hand, and stood ready to listen to his story. She doubted she’d be okay afterwards.

“You could’ve let me smash her place up a little. Maybe smash her up a little.”

Primrose allowed herself a smirk at that thought before she shook her head. “No Brick. As much as I like immediate gratification, I have something far better in mind. I can drop a few words in a few ears, and ruin that mare’s career.” She grinned and added, “I think I’ll start in Canterlot. Hoity Toity has a fantastic selection, and…”

“HOT!” Frantic screams reached the mare’s ears, and she turned in surprise to see her remaining two associates running about like chickens with their heads cut off, with Roxy’s screams being the loudest at the moment. “HE’P! HOT! HE’P!”

“WATER! WATER!” Hot Trail’s eyes found those of her friend, and she cried out in relief, “PRIMRO’!” The pink pegasus rushed towards her and screamed, “WE NEED WATER!”

The unicorn gave her a look that was equal parts disgust and disbelief. “You’re a pegasus, aren’t you? Get your own!”

Hot Trail frantically looked about before she noticed the small bits of cloud lazily drifting through the air. Her eyes went wide, and she shot skyward. Her efforts were clumsy, but they yielded fruit as she collected and compacted the bits of cloud together into one dense, dark cloud, then brought it down close to the ground. “ROXY! BITE!”

The bulky earth pony mare looked up at the cloud and did as she was told. Hot Trail quickly joined her in taking a bite out of the compacted cloud, and after several more from both of them, they stopped, and their eyes went wide with shock before another gout of flame burst from each of their mouths.

Primrose and Brick ducked in surprise. The former glanced at the cloud and grimaced. “Local weather patrol can’t do their job right.”

“Or you don’t know how to deal with hot peppers.” The two turned to find a mare approaching them, three wrapped candies for a cutie mark as she dug something from her saddlebags. “Hey!” The two fire-spewing mares turned as she tossed some candies into their mouths. “Eat these! They’re milk chocolates! You’ll feel better!”

The two chewed, sighed and exhaled steam in relief, Hot Trail in particular looking relieved. “That’s better.”

“Good.” Primrose then shoved away the pony who came to her associates’ rescue with her magic and approached them. “Now what happened?”

Bon-Bon simply picked herself up and frowned as she went on her way. “You’re welcome.”

“Those two little shits set us up!” Heedless of the odd pony nearby giving them disgusted looks – and more than a few mothers covering sensitive ears of their foals – Roxy elaborated, “We found Quiver at some place called Sugar Cube Corner! He and Sunrunner knew we were coming, and had this crazy pink pony give us gag cupcakes!”

“And this other pony, some unicorn, was there too!”

Brick laughed. “Guess the fag’s finally…”

“The unicorn was a mare.” Roxy scowled as she recalled the encounter. “Sucker-punched me and threw me around. Little bitch is lucky I didn’t mess her up more.” She then realized that neither was carrying much and wondered aloud, “Didn’t get that dress?”

Primrose scowled. “The seamstress got a little bit too uppity for her own good. I was going to put her in her place, but it seems I have more immediate issues to deal with.” The scowl turned into a wicked grin as she amended, “Blunder Bill and Scum-Chummer are both in town, huh?”

“Yeah, and they’re fitting right in with the rest of the weirdos and freaks and retards around here.”

The unicorn’s grin widened at Hot Trail’s summation. “Then we just need a good opportunity to put both of them in their place all over again. Something public, something…”

“Of all the rotten luck!” The quartet’s attention went to an open window to a house that, if not for its color scheme and customizations, could pass for any normal domicile in Ponyville. One side looked sedate with its earth tone paint, until one saw the chimney resembled a pipe organ. The other side lacked such extravagance, but was colored in varying shades of indigo. Both sides, however, had musical designs in their windows, and the flowerbeds resembled the keyboards to pianos. “I’ve nothing against providing music for a party, but I would appreciate it if Pinkie Pie could provide me with a bit more forewarning!”

“Tavi, chill.” The four inched closer to the open window as a second voice joined the first. “Pinkie wouldn’t call you in if she didn’t think you could do it. Besides, I’ll be there to back you up.”

“And I appreciate that, Vinyl, but we hardly know any of the ponies this event is in honor of.” Primrose peeked in the window to see a light grey mare with a deep grey mane holding up an invitation to a second mare, a unicorn with an electric blue mane. “How am I supposed to prepare music for these three ponies if I don’t know their musical tastes?”

The unicorn lifted up her glasses as she studied the invite. “Well, can’t speak for the other two, but I think Lyra knows this Quiver guy. Maybe she can help?”

Primrose’s eyes widened, and she turned away from the window and grinned at her entourage as she whispered, “And as usual, things go exactly the way I need them to. Roxy, Hot Trail, you two follow those mares and make sure they’re really talking about Putrid Swill. Brick and I are going to the telegraph office.” The grin grew venomous as she reasoned, “If he won’t come to the party we’re throwing for him, then we’ll crash his.”

Grins spread across the other three ponies’ faces, and they found themselves anticipating what was to come.

“Runnie? You okay?”

“Still figuring that out, Quivs.” The five had returned to Golden Oak Library, and it was clear to everyone present that the fiery-maned pegasus was troubled. She turned to her coltfriend with a sad frown and shook her head. “I mean, I’m glad that she’s okay. And I’m glad things are good between her and me now. But hearing about what she did, what she’s been through…”

“Sunrunner, believe me when I say that she’s a different pony than how she was when I first met her. Sunset’s a better person now, and in a much better place than she was.”

“I don’t question that, ma’am. And I’ll be the last one to say that she deserved what happened to her with that Anon-A-Miss mess. I just feel like there are still some ponies who have a lot to answer for with all of this.”

Twilight’s expression grew troubled. “I’m sure that Celestia had the best of reasons for what she did.”

“I was actually talking about my mother, but yes, Princess Celestia too.” She turned to Quiver and her expression brightened. “What you said back there did a pretty good job of hitting the nail on the head, Quivs.”

“Just telling it like it is.” The stallion shrugged as he gave a nervous smile. “Kinda sad. I can sum up that much courage to say things like that to someone I’ve barely known for an hour or so, stand up for them, but for myself…”

A comforting hoof found its way to his shoulder, and he turned to see Sour give him a soothing smile. “Abuse takes a lot of forms, and does a lot of damage. But if it helps, you found plenty of ponies to help heal those scars.” The smile turned to a smirk as she ticked her eyes towards her fellow Guardspony. “Including one in particular.” The three shared a chuckle before she continued, “Seriously though, as much as I complain about you two flirting, I’m glad you have each other. And I’m glad that Sunset has the both of you too.”

Quiver raised an eyebrow. “Not gonna join in on that yet?”

The unicorn shrugged. “Give it time. I sympathize with repentance, but I want some one-on-one time before I call her a friend.”

Twilight smiled. “I think we can arrange that.” She then turned to Sunrunner and offered, “Anyway, something tells me you didn’t expect all of this to happen when you came to Ponyville today.”

“No, but I’m not gonna complain either.” The pegasus stood at attention and smiled. “Thank you, Princess Twilight. For being there for several ponies whom I love. For being their friend.”

“Thank you for being there for them as well.” Twilight’s next smile was both warm and embarrassed as she amended, “And please, you don’t need to be that formal. I’m younger than you are, after all. Just ‘Twilight’ is fine.”

Sunrunner relaxed. “I’ll do my best to remember that.” She then laughed and admitted, “If I’d known all of this was going to happen, I’d have come here sooner.”

“Speaking of, how long can you stay?” Quiver flashed a nervous grin as he admitted, “I mean, I don’t want to sound selfish, and I can get if…”

The pegasus gently lifted a wingtip to his lips as she giggled. “I know what you meant, Quivs. And I’m sure I’ll find some excuse to hang around a little longer.”

The doors to the library opened to reveal a well-maintained unicorn with a vibrant violet mane, an excited expression on her face as she trotted inside. “I apologize for barging in like this, but I had to see this for myself!” She strode up to the newcomer in their midst and asked, “Sunrunner, I presume?” The surprised nod was all that she needed to squeal gleefully and give the mare a warm hug. “Oh, this is delightfully wonderous!” She paused and pulled back, then gave an embarrassed smile. “My apologies, dear, but after all this time and everything that’s happened, well, I’m just very delighted to meet you at last. Rarity, at your service.”

Sunrunner flashed a forgiving smile. “Apology accepted, and it’s alright. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you too. I’ve seen your dresses on display at Hoity Toity’s boutique in Canterlot, and they are gorgeous.” She rolled her eyes and admitted, “Way too expensive for me to own one on my salary, but still…”

“Worry not, darling, we’ll soon correct that bit of misfortune.” Rarity then turned to Quiver and admitted, “Speaking of which, I regret to say that you were completely right about that horrid mare Primrose, both in thinking that she hadn’t changed and in the depths of cruelty that she’d stoop towards.”

“Threw her out of your shop?”

“With no regrets. And while I suspect she has some petty revenge scheme in mind, well, I’ve weathered worse storms than what she can conjure.”

“Well, that’s no surprise.” Heads and more than a few smirks turned towards Spike before he admitted, “What? Rarity’s a leagues-better pony than that Primrose mare. Don’t have to prove that to me.”

“And I appreciate the compliment, Spike.” She leaned over and nuzzled the young drake, then turned her attention back to the gathered ponies. “Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but…”

“Rarity! Wait ‘till I get there!” Pinkie bounded up and closed the door to the library behind her before making a deep exhale. “Whew! And here I thought I was hard to keep up with!” She approached and admitted, “Quiver, a lot’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, and upon reviewing all of it, I’ve come to an important conclusion – we need a party! A big party, in honor of you and Sour and Sunrunner and all the happy times to come!”

Sour frowned. “You’ve already sent out invitations, haven’t you?”

“Yepperooni!”

“Didn’t check to make sure Primrose and her cronies were out of town?”

“Nope, but whatever they try to pull, we can deal with them!” Pinkie raised a hoof and declared, “We’ve fought off Nightmares, Discord, changelings, Sombra, and lots of other things in one dimension or another! We can take whatever that party-pooper meanie-pants Primrose throws at us!” She then grinned and added, “Besides, I’ve got plenty more cupcakes where those came from.”

Sour shook her head, only to get a half-smile from her cousin. “You’re better off going along for the ride, Sour. Trust me on this.”

“And if it helps you feel any better, you can come along with me to my boutique.” Rarity turned to the reunited couple and smiled. “I want to make sure my friends look their best for this special occasion.”

Sunrunner’s eyes went wide as she realized the implications of what the fashionista was saying, and a faint squee escaped her lips.

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “Well, go on then. If you’re lucky, it won’t take too long.” As Rarity led the three out the door and Pinkie departed herself to continue party prep, Twilight had to stop her assistant from going with. “Sorry Spike, but I need you here for a little bit longer.”

The little dragon turned to her ready to protest until he saw the troubled look in her eyes. “Letter for Celestia?” At her sad nod, he went off to retrieve scroll and quill. “Take your time, Twilight.”

She shook her head. “I think this has taken too long as it is.”

Author's Note

And here we are, the moment so many have been waiting for. I hope it was worth it. It ended up being much more than what I'd initially planned - thank Final Legend Zero for that.

Astute readers should be able to figure out what the human version of Flash Sentry's going to discuss with Sunset Shimmer.

Once more, I reference "Frozen". Again, original lyrics to "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" are credited to Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Chapter Six - We Make Our Own Magic

The remainder of the afternoon was a flurry of activity as more than a few ponies prepared themselves. As word spread about the party, more and more of the town grew eager for it. Not all of them knew the ponies whom the party was being thrown in honor of, but few cared – one didn’t miss a Pinkie Pie party.

So far as things went for the ponies of honor, the three had found themselves ushered to Carousel Boutique where Rarity had swiftly seen to giving them proper accoutrements for the event. Both Sour and Quiver had practically gotten new outfits forced into their hooves and sent on their way, though neither offered much in the way of complaint with how they looked in them.

“I didn’t know you worked with stallions-wear.” Sunrunner gave her host an appreciative smile as Rarity busied herself taking measurements. “Guess that’s another feather for your cap.”

The fashionista gave a slight smile as she winced. “Well, I can’t take all the credit. I reached out to a business associate for assistance with Quiver’s formal attire. He and I both agreed that stallions needed much less in the way of frills than a lady would, and I’m glad I went with simple black. Though a deep brown would have worked just as well.” She frowned as she admitted, “Though I do wish that Quiver had included the tie.”

“Well in his defense, life’s taught him to be paranoid.” The pegasus extended her wings as Rarity continued her measurements. “Quiver’s probably convinced that a long necktie will present a choking hazard, or an easy way for someone to strangle him.”

“Well, from that perspective…” Rarity frowned as she finished her measurements and set aside her tape. “Sunrunner, may I admit something to you?” At her guest’s nod, the unicorn continued, “Darling, I find myself in two places with the two of you. On the one hoof, I feel terribly sorry for the both of you, given the hardship you’ve both had to face. Quiver especially in light of the abuse he’s suffered. But on the other, I find I’m rather jealous. Despite all the adversity you’ve faced, you had one another. And after all this time, you’ve found each other again, and are still very much in love.” A rueful smile spread across her face. “It’s the fairytale romance I’ve always hoped for.”

Sunrunner gave the mare a smirk. “Rarity, don’t romanticize it too much. You said it yourself, Quivs and I have both had a lousy time of it.” Her expression grew warmer as she added, “Besides, a mare like you? I’m surprised there aren’t stallions beating down the door to get to you.”

“Yes, well, I’ve a strange suspicion that I may well be my own worst enemy in that regard.” Rarity frowned. “I haven’t exactly been silent about the stallions that I’ve had an attraction towards. Ponies of sophistication and taste, or so I’d been led to believe. I’m guessing that you’re aware of how things went with Prince Blueblood?” Her guest nodded, and she continued, “Well, that was hardly the last. There was a more recent incident involving another stallion, Trenderhoof. I honestly thought that I had a chance with him, but…”

“He wasn’t interested.”

“Worse, he became infatuated with Applejack at first sight.” Rarity let out a very un-ladylike groan at the memory of that occasion. “It was as if I became invisible the instant he laid eyes upon her and…” She noticed the disapproving look on Sunrunner’s face. “What?”

“Permission to be blunt?” At her host’s nod, the pegasus explained, “Rarity, I don’t think Trenderhoof was genuinely attracted to Applejack. Infatuated with his image of her and her lifestyle, maybe, but not to the degree that he was willing to get to know her as a pony. I mean, have they kept in touch?”

“Well, no, and I imagine part of that involved Applejack making it firm that she wasn’t interested in him. He took it rather well, and even apologized for not realizing my infatuation with him. But still, can you blame me for being infatuated myself? He’s a trendsetter, he tells ponies what’s what…”

“He’s a hipster. Granted, from what you’ve said he’s not the worst stereotype of that particular group, but still, he’s got a tendency to embrace the superficial without really getting into the nitty-gritty of what makes something what it is. He spends more time going around telling ponies what they should like than he does finding things that he likes for himself. It’s good that he’s fulfilled, but I doubt he’s gonna find anyone to share that life with anytime soon.” She gave a sad smile and admitted, “And I think you might have a similar problem.”

Rarity turned to her in shock. “Darling! I can forgive being blunt, but I certainly hope you can defend yourself!”

“Rarity, nopony can deny that you’re a wonderful pony. You’re the bearer of the Element of Generosity, after all, and you stand up for others and help to bring out the best in them the way you know how. Your dresses are beautiful, plain and simple. But the more you set your sights on stallions like Blueblood or Trenderhoof, the more you’re going to lose sight of ponies who can make you truly happy, and the more they’ll think they can’t measure up to your standards.” She smiled as she added, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of what Quivs has done for himself, but I didn’t fall for him because he fought off timberwolves. I fell for him because he was a genuinely nice guy, because he stood fast for what he believed in, and because I loved his enthusiasm for the things he loved.” She gently nudged the mare before her with one hoof and added, “Good taste in friends doesn’t hurt much either. Something tells me that if I hadn’t come along, he’d have a soft spot for you.”

Rarity blushed slightly at that. “Well, that is flattering.” The blush faded as she sighed. “Though I fear you might have a point there. As it is, the only open admirer I’ve had for some time is Spike, and I’m honestly unsure of how to treat that. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate how he feels about me, and I do care for him greatly, but I’m uncertain how to treat it.”

“Because he’s a dragon?”

“At first, yes, but it’s more to do with him being so young at this point. I’m a grown mare, and while Spike’s rather mature for his age, he’s still younger than my baby sister. I would talk with him about it, but I don’t want to break his heart.”

“That might be a risk worth taking.”

“I suppose.” Rarity sighed, then admitted, “I do hope that’s the only issue you have with me. I’d hate for you to accuse me of being manipulative.”

Sunrunner smirked. “Haven’t gotten a reason yet. Still, you wouldn’t be nearly as bad as Primrose.”

“Perhaps not, but one can still be manipulative without being deliberately hurtful.” She shook her head and made her way to a wardrobe. “Anyway, I apologize if it seems like I’m giving you a cast-off, but I do have a dress that I think will be perfect for you after some alterations. It’s something I made after considering ideas for your cousin…”

The pegasus turned alarmed. “Whoa, Rarity! I can’t accept anything that you made for Shims!”

Rarity smiled. “Relax, darling. I had plenty of ideas for her outfits, and Sunset and I have already discussed the matter. She is fine with you getting one of my designs for her, and if she were here, she’d insist on you wearing it. But at least look at it before you make a final decision, hmm?”

Sunrunner frowned uneasily. “Fine, but…” The wardrobe opened, and her eyes went wide at what was inside. “…wow.”

Rarity grinned. “I had a feeling you’d like it.”

“I don’t know what to think of this.” Sour Sweet frowned as she looked herself over. “On the one hoof, I’m having flashbacks to all those pageants Mom had me take part in as a kid. On the other…” She smiled. “This does look pretty good.”

Thanks to Rarity, Sour had found herself with a fairly sensible dress that she could wear to formal occasions, colored in such a way that the upper portions complimented her coat while the actual gown matched her indigo eyes. A few bits of jewelry as well as some functional accessories, and she felt ready to be seen.

“I just hope you have a little something hidden away on you just in case.” Quiver stepped out from where he’d been changing into his own attire for the evening and added, “Call me paranoid, but something tells me we’ll have some trouble before the night’s out.” He noticed the surprised look on her face. “What?”

“Nothing, just…” Sour smirked. “Warbler’s gonna love this.”

Quiver, much to his relief, had been blessed with a plain suit, though one that was a good fit to his frame. A white dress shirt, black vest and jacket covered much of his frame, and he had to admit, it did feel good wearing it. A quick bit of combing and some product to straighten out his mane, and he actually looked fairly presentable.

“I hope so. As nice as I look, I doubt I’m gonna make this a regular thing.” He smiled as he looked himself over once more. “I do like the vest though. Makes me look sophisticated. All I’m missing is a watch on a chain, or a fancy scarf.”

Sour shook her head. “Leave that kind of thing to the nobility, Quiver.” She stepped forward and gestured him out to the gathered crowd. “Come on. Like it or not, we’ve got us a shindig to get through.”

Indeed, there was a growing crowd on the fairgrounds near Ponyville. It had played host to a number of gatherings in the past, most of them one party or another hosted by Pinkie Pie, and even as the crowds gathered, she and her friends were getting the last bits in place, with some eager bits of assistance.

“…An’ that’s the last’a the treats.” A trio of fresh apple pies were levitated onto a table as Applejack watched with satisfaction. “Some from me, an’ plenty from Pinkie. Hopefully there’ll be plenty fer everyone.”

“Oh I imagine there will be more than enough for everyone.” Rarity surveyed the foodstuffs before them, then gave their smaller helpers a smile. “Especially considering the help we had in getting it here.”

The three Crusaders managed proud smiles as Apple Bloom admitted, “Well helpin’ out’s the least we can do, considerin’. ‘Sides, we’d be helpin’ either way, considerin’ what happened last night.”

“And much better to be providing assistance of your own volition rather than being forced into it.” Heads turned as a familiar middle-aged stallion and two of the Crusaders’ schoolmates approached, the latter pair with uneasy expressions on their faces. “If nothing else, it makes the job go much easier when you’re in a good mood.”

Applejack laughed. “My sentiments exactly! Good seein’ ya, Mister Rich. Little surprised, but Ah ain’t complainin’.”

Filthy Rich chuckled. “Well, I only thought it right to attend this gathering in light of the actions of those being honored. I owe them a debt I may never be able to repay. Speaking of which.” He turned to his side and softly beckoned, “Diamond?”

The filly nodded and hesitatingly stepped forward. “May Silver Spoon and I have a minute alone with the Crusaders? Please?”

The two older mares exchanged glances, then gave their charges worried looks before they nodded. “Alright, but keep in earshot.” Applejack gave Rarity a nod, then turned her attention back to Filthy Rich as the fillies moved off to one side. “Hope you can forgive our caution.”

“Given their history with your sisters, it doesn’t surprise me.” There was clear regret in his voice at that. “I haven’t seen Princess Twilight. Is she on her way?”

“Should be. Twi just had some things to take care of before she came.” The mare turned quiet as she asked, “How’ve things been since last night?”

“I’m still figuring that out for myself. I had the staff clean out most of her belongings today, everything that could easily be packed away and removed from the house, while Randolph was looking after Silver Spoon and I Diamond. Regardless of how things go, that mare shall never set foot within my property again.” The stallion frowned sadly. “I thought the day Diamond was born would be the most exciting of my life. Clearly, the Maker had other plans. I’m still not sure who I should be unhappier with in all of this, myself or Spoiled.”

“Way Ah figure it, she was the rotten apple in this bushel.”

“Yes, but who was the one who allowed her to spoil Diamond? I’ve already gotten the process started on divorce proceedings, but something tells me that Spoiled will fight it, even if her own hooves are full with her criminal case.” He glanced over at his daughter. “I can only hope that I can repair whatever damage I’ve caused.”

Applejack gave him an encouraging smile. “Ah’d say you’re off to a good start.”

Filthy Rich’s frown only deepened. “I only hope that you’re right.”

“I guess I’m the last pony the three of you want to see, considering.” Diamond Tiara had the courtesy to look ashamed as she stood before her three victims. “I mean, I did cause you a lot more trouble than I had any right to.”

Scootaloo frowned, but kept her response to herself.

“I get the feeling an ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to make up for anything I did, and you’ve got every right to be mad at me about all of it.”

“At both of us.” Silver Spoon was of similar temperament to her friend. “Diamond might’ve been the one in charge, but I still helped her.”

“But I am grateful that the three of you came looking for us. It’s more than we deserved, and way more than I deserved. Thank you for that.”

A tense silence followed as the Crusaders considered what their tormentors had said, before Scootaloo finally spoke up. “There’s a lot of things you didn’t deserve. Dealing with that mom of yours was one of them.”

Apple Bloom gave the pair a half-smile. “Might be a while before we forgive all the stunts you two’ve done pulled, but it ain’t impossible fer it to happen.”

The two former bullies looked at one another in surprise before relief formed on their faces as Diamond sighed. “We’ll take it.” She then gestured towards her saddlebags and added, “Anyway, I hope you don’t mind us wanting to give Mister Quiver something for what he did.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “We’ve got something for him too.”

Scootaloo giggle-snorted. “More like you’ve got something. Button Mash better look out, he’s got competition.”

Before the unicorn filly could protest, a light tapping noise sounded from the stage’s speakers, and their vision was drawn towards the stage as Pinkie Pie called them to attention. “Good evening everypony, and thanks for coming!” The crowds gathered in as the party pony continued, “A while back, a stallion came to visit Ponyville and told us all a nice little story that he’d wrote. He liked it here so much, he came back to stay a little while later, and since then, he’s become a part of our little family. And tonight, we’re here to celebrate him and two ponies who’re near and dear to his heart. First and foremost, please welcome Quiver Quill!”

The stomping of hooves in applause heralded Quiver as he stepped out onto the stage. His new formal attire helped to give him an air of confidence as he stepped towards the microphone and accepted it from his friend. “Thank you, Pinkie.” He turned towards the crowd and gave a nervous smile as Pinkie jumped off and joined the audience. “Wow. When Pinkie told me she was putting this together, I really didn’t expect this much of a turnout. Then again, who passes up a Pinkie Pie party?” He gave a nervous chuckle and continued, “Anyway, thank you all for coming. I can see quite a few ponies among you whom I’ve met personally, and quite a few that I’ve seen in passing. For the former, I’m glad to see you here. For the latter, well, hopefully I’ll get to know you better. For everyone, well, I hope that as good a welcome as I’ve received, you’re able to do the same for the mare I’m about to introduce. Everypony, please welcome my cousin, Sour Sweet.” The mare stepped onto the stage to her own applause, and Quiver explained, “You’ll be seeing a lot of her, especially if you come by the Golden Oak Library. As of this Monday, she’s starting work as Princess Twilight’s new assistant.”

Sour leaned towards him as Quiver moved the microphone closer, and she took a moment to smirk and remark, “Assistant number three. I’m right under an owl in the pecking order.”

That elicited a laugh from the audience as Quiver reclaimed the microphone. “Don’t give her too much trouble, folks, trust me. Anyway, I’m also very happy…” He paused as music began to play, and smiled. “…To introduce somepony very special. Fillies, gentlecolts, kindly welcome Sunrunner.”

The curtains behind them parted as Quiver and Sour backed to the sides, and Sunrunner was revealed to the audience. Quiver’s eyes went wide as he saw her step forward, and an awestruck grin spread across his muzzle. Her gown was colored deep red, with orange and yellow along its trails. Its collar was also orange, with yellow frills and decorated with small rubies and pink diamonds. Small pink slippers adorned her rear hooves, while long pink stockings were on her forelegs, and a tiny decoration that resembled a red rose was clipped just below her right ear. Her eyes caught his, and she smiled right back.

“Thanks, Quivs.” Her attention turned to the gathered crowd. “Some years ago, somepony very special came into my life. We grew close, both as friends and as something more, until circumstances far beyond our control tore us apart. Before that happened, he wrote me a note. It was something I wasn’t able to answer, until now.” Spotlights shone upon her, and she began to sing.

“There was a colt…”

It took Quiver longer than he cared to admit to realize that Sour had backed almost all the way off stage, and had effectively surrendered it to the two of them as she continued to sing. Midway through the verse, she turned to him and affectionately booped him on the nose, and then raised her hoof towards him. On instinct, he responded in kind, and the pair smiled as she continued the song.

“…And be loved in return.”

As she sang, she inched closer to the point that when those final words were recited, there was hardly any space between them. With smiles upon their faces, the two ponies leaned forward in contented bliss, their muzzles just barely touching as the crowd swelled…

And then Quiver noticed something out of the corner of his eye, some sort of large round projectile like a dodgeball shooting towards the two of them. Sunrunner noticed it too, and the two backed off in surprise just as a ray of magic collided with it and sent the ball flying off into some nearby trees. Upon impact, it exploded into a fine red mist, and the few ponies who were on the fringes backed off with a few going into coughing fits. They hardly had the time to thank Sour for her intervention before a familiar voice called out from the crowd.

“Move aside, peasants!”

Thorned vines sprouted from the ground in the middle of the crowd and grew into a wall that divided it in two. The wall then split, forcing the divided ponies back and clearing out space in the middle as the mare responsible stepped forward with a sneer on her face.

Sour glared as she joined the couple onstage. “That her?”

Quiver nodded as Sunrunner glared at the intruder. “Primrose Thorn.”

“Blunder Bill!” Any cheeriness in her voice was false as she slowly closed the distance with the stage and ignored the other two ponies alongside her target. “How rude of you, throwing your own little with Chum-Scummer just to spite the rest of us back home! And we had such wonderful things planned for you!”

“Like that little prop a second ago?” Sunrunner spat back.

Primrose’s response was to telekinetically yank both mares off the stage and onto the ground, then entrap them in more thorny vines. Hot Trail and Roxy then emerged as if on cue, the latter grinning as the former stomped on the two vulnerable mares as Primrose continued her tirade without missing a beat. “And High Note was so looking forward to seeing you! How could you disappoint him?” Her eyes locked on his as she added, “I remember how much of a special relationship the two of you had, after all, and I know how much he’d love to see you again.”

Quiver’s eyes never left hers. He stood, impassive as a statue, betraying no emotion, until his eyes closed… and he threw his head back and started laughing. It was a light, quiet laugh at first, but it swiftly grew into a wild cackle that alarmed many within the crowd.

“Remembering all the good times?” Primrose continued to smirk in arrogance as she pressed on. “All the fun we…?”

“I’m laughing at you.” All trace of mirth was gone from the stallion’s voice as his gaze fell upon the unicorn before him. “At how pathetic you are. You come here today, with your flunkies and your bravado and your foalish antics, and for what? Your own sick amusement. The only good times had were yours, when you and the rest of your sadistic little bunch had your twisted playtime. You shoved me into doorframes, tripped me up, put me down every chance you got. You assaulted Sunrunner, sheared off her mane and walked away because your daddy was the mayor and our principal was a gutless plot-kisser. And for what? Shits and giggles.” His eyes narrowed dangerously as he declared, “Well it ends here. Do yourself a favor, Primrose. Gather up your merry little band of sociopaths and leave, while whatever you have that qualifies as dignity is still intact.”

The tableau held for all of a second before Primrose smirked, enveloped Quiver in a pale pink aura of magic, and pulled him off the stage in an arc that send him hurtling over her head and impacting hard into the ground some distance behind her.

Quiver landed with a sickening thud and a gasp from the crowd, but so far as he could tell, none of his bones had been broken. He tried to get to his hooves, only for another one to slam hard into his neck and leave him gasping for air as another familiar voice all but bellowed in his ear, “Hey there, fag!”

Primrose turned around and smiled at her coltfriend as he held their victim at his mercy. “Pathetic, am I? Brick, be a dear and break him.”

Brick Wall smirked as he raised his hoof to deliver another hard blow to Quiver’s neck, only to find himself getting bucked hard in the side of one leg by a small pair of hooves. He turned around to find Diamond Tiara attempting to hit him hard with her back legs as she shouted, “You leave Mister Quiver alone, you…!”

The filly’s cries were cut short as the much larger and much stronger stallion kicked her aside like a particularly annoying small animal. Her tiara was knocked off her head as she bounced once on the ground, then came in for a hard landing. She tried to regain her footing only to be held down by more thorny vines as Primrose approached. “Oh, what’s this? I didn’t think you could sink so low.”

“You leave her –!” Quiver’s words were cut off once more as Brick slammed his hoof into Quiver’s throat.

The mare let out a cruel laugh as she picked up Diamond’s tiara in her magic. “And how cute! A fake little crown for your little princess!” She smirked evilly, and the crown all but disintegrated in her magic. “And you call me pathetic.” She stood up and shouted, “Listen here, all you freaks and weirdoes and retards of Dirtville! I’m Primrose Thorn! My father is the mayor of Indianapoloosa! My mother has made and broken more careers in more industries than any of you have the brain cells to count! I have everything, and when I want something, I get it! So if any more of you try to interfere with me putting this pathetic little shit in his place, then…!”

She was interrupted as a thin needle pricked her flank, another striking the same place on Brick. “You should have heeded my friend’s warning, madame.” The two jumped back in shock to find that several ponies had cut through Primrose’s barricade, among them Rarity, who had a small cloud of needles, cutlery and assorted other sharp objects hovering around her in her magic. “This is Ponyville. And we look after our own.”

The prismatic pegasus that hovered overhead gave a defiant snort as she called, “Yeah, so get lost!”

Primrose looked over the collection of ponies that had gathered, mostly adult mares but with one earth pony stallion of similar build to Brick and a second, this one a pegasus of similar build to Quiver, among them. A few foals were even gathered around her target’s little protector, which made her laugh even more. “Oh, you want to help him? You should worry about yourselves. Brick?”

The bulky stallion sneered, then whistled. From the fringes of the crowd, a dozen earth pony stallions of build similar to his shoved and crowded their way through the group and clustered around him, all with expressions on their faces that spoke of eagerness that one could almost call bloodthirsty. He peered down at the stallion beneath his hoof and smirked. “Remember some of them, fag?” He took a second to press his hoof further into Quiver’s neck as he looked up and shouted, “Say ‘hi’ to my friends! We call ourselves the Wolf Pack!”

“And you think you’re the alpha then? Where I’m standing, you’re more like the beta.”

That got Brick to drop his smirk as he looked around for the source of the taunt. He found it as his Wolf Pack parted and another stallion stepped into view, a pegasus of similar size to him with a light olive coat with his mane in a buzz cut. “You say something, fag?”

“Somewhat lacking in vocabulary too. Tell me, is that the only insult you know?” The stallion narrowed his eyes. “You and your friends should have…”

His boast was cut short as Brick Wall took him by surprise, charged and attacked. As his pack cheered, the one closest to Quiver planted his hoof where Brick had and Primrose stepped forward, Rarity and the group with her forgotten as she enjoyed the show.

Brick laughed as the stallion recovered himself, then punched him once, twice, thrice before he shoved him hard into a good-sized tree and pressed him into it. For all the pegasus’s bravado, he was nothing compared to…

The stallion looked him in the eyes, braced his wings against the tree, and looped his forelegs between Brick’s own. With barely any effort, his opponent pushed Brick back and forced him to stagger on his hooves. Confidence turned to surprise, then shock, before the stallion loosened Brick’s grip and delivered a hard jab to where Brick’s neck met his shoulder.

Brick cried out in pain as he inched back, the Wolf Pack’s cheers behind him silenced. The pair briefly circled one another before the bully attempted another attack, only for the stallion to evade and land two hard blows in quick succession with his forehooves. Brick turned to his side in a daze, and left himself open to a hard blow from one of his opponent’s rear legs as it struck his abdomen. He tried to turn back to the pegasus, only to continue being pounded by blow after blow, the assault pushing him back against the same tree he’d struck the pegasus against and nearly tearing it from its roots. The pegasus then grabbed hold of him by his front hooves and threw him through the air, and thus left Brick a groaning mess on the ground.

The stallion’s attention turned to the rest of the stunned Wolf Pack, but before they could charge to avenge their leader, a mare’s voice chuckled. “Oh, that was such a perfect opening! Seriously, Wolf Pack!” Roxy and Hot Trail turned to find a silvery grey mare with an indigo mane and sunglasses standing near to them as she shouted, “Nice work, Silv-!”

Roxy punched her hard in the face, shattering the glasses covering her eyes. “Get lost, freak!”

Hot Trail was about to laugh at that, but ended up screaming instead as the mare turned back and hissed at them, batlike wings outstretched and fangs glistening in the late afternoon sun. She then pounced on Roxy, punched her hard in the face and pushed her limb to one side before she landed another blow to the mare’s sternum and sent her flying back, then followed by giving the pegasus a hard buck to her face.

It only got worse as Sunrunner and Sour Sweet tore their way out of their thorny bonds as the latter smirked. “Hey Boo. Heard you and Chuckles were around town.”

Pixie Dust turned back and smirked as Roxy roused herself and Hot Trail tried to bring herself out of a stupor. “You’re just lucky Pinkie invited us to this little shindig. By the way, nice shot there earlier, Two-Face.”

“Shame I couldn’t do a return to sender.” Sour then fired off two bolts of magic from her horn and sent the two bullying mares flying towards the rest of their party. “Hey! You really want to continue this?!”

The gathered band of bullies looked between Silver Bullet, who’d soundly dispatched their supposed leader, to the rest of the gathered ponies against them. Primrose smirked. “I’d like to see you try and stop me!”

Off on the side manning the sound system, a blue-haired unicorn sighed and set a record to play. If there was to be a brawl, then at least it would have appropriate music to go with it.

The rest of the Wolf Pack had apparently decided to go after the softer targets, and charged the mass of Ponyville natives. The first to reach them realized their mistake as Rarity delivered several quick blows to his face, pausing to shake her mane aside before landing another buck and knocking him into a daze. A second was sent flying by a two-hoofed buck from Applejack, and two more by Big McIntosh.

Even as his comrades came in from the outside, Flash Sentry held his own among the civilians. He landed one blow against an opponent, then a second to another as he kept them off-balance. A third found themselves caught in a cloud of confetti and streamers, and the stallion grinned. “Nice shot, Pinkie!”

The party pony grinned and gently patted the gigantic party cannon before her. “All thanks to Big Bertha!”

Another of Primrose’s posse was swiftly dispatched by Rainbow Dash, while another was momentarily blinded by a flash of light from Lyra Heartstrings’ horn before she slapped him hard across the muzzle with one hoof. Another tried to attack the unicorn from behind, only for her to form a glowing golden construct in the shape of a hand and sucker-punch him with it.

Primrose watched all of this with a growing level of disgust, but the sound of vines being torn from the ground distracted her. She turned to find a quartet of fillies struggling to rescue Quiver’s would-be hero, three blank flanks and one silver-haired nerd with glasses, and smirked. “Oh you stupid little…”

“How dare you.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to the newest distraction. “Oh come on, who else…”

What awaited her was perhaps the strongest Stare Fluttershy had ever performed, easily equal to the one she’d unleashed less than a day prior against Spoiled Milk. “How dare you!” Her gaze shifted to the stallion keeping Quiver pinned, and she sternly ordered, “You! What do you think you’re doing?!”

The stallion went visibly pale as he protested, “Um…teaching a fag…”

“And that’s another thing! You should be ashamed of yourself, using language like that! Would you use that horrible word in front of your mother?! Now explain yourself again, and no slurs or vulgar language!”

“No ma’am! Yes ma’am!” came a much squeakier reply. “Brick asked me and the guys here because he wanted to rough up a pony who he thought deserved it!”

“And do you know for a fact that Quiver Quill or Diamond Tiara or anypony here deserved to be ‘roughed up’?! What have they ever done to you?!” As the bully stammered and attempted to answer, Fluttershy firmly ordered, “Take your hoof off him this instant!” He complied and then sat down and tried his best to make himself look as small as possible, before her attention turned back to Primrose. “And I could ask you the exact same question! How dare you harass my friends?! How dare you come here and disrupt this nice party and spoil everypony’s fun?! How…?!”

Much like Spoiled Milk, however, Primrose Thorn was unfazed by the Stare, and she slapped Fluttershy across the muzzle. The crowd gasped at this, and while the melee surrounding them had halted at the yellow pegasus’s scolding, the mass of bullies and their opponents stood in shock at Primrose’s actions.

“You really want to know?” Primrose sneered as her horn lit up with magic, and additional vines shot forth from the ground, bound everypony who’d risen against her and forced them tight to the ground. “Come to think of it, the answer’s pretty simple.” Her vines squeezed hard on Quiver as she admitted, “Not a damn thing.” Her attention went to him as she continued, “You remember that first day in school, Putrid Swill? I sure do. I remember you getting introduced to the class, right after me, and saying that you wanted to make some friends.” Her sneer deepened. “And then you tripped over your own hooves. It was hilarious.” She stood imperiously over him and continued, “Now, not too long before that, somepony was stupid enough to deny me something that I wanted. Somepony with power. Well, I was the one with the power there, and you know what they say about doing onto others.”

“That isn’t the quote and…!”

She ignored Quiver’s protests and piled on the pressure. “And then you had the nerve to get your cutie mark before me. Seeing you suspended for a week was nice, until your little white knight tried to come to your defense. And if one pony tried something like that, then another might. So I had to put her in her place.” She turned her gaze towards Sunrunner and laughed. “You remember that, don’t you Chum-Scummer? That nice little manecut I gave you? I remember how you looked the next day I saw you in class, looking like some thick-jawed jarhead!”

“You’re just…!” Sunrunner’s retort was silenced as Roxy stomped hard on her side with a snicker.

“And I remember all the time you two spent together, and the goo-goo eyes he had for you.” She smirked and admitted, “And that’s when I pointed High Note at you. I had him figured for a fag from day one, and told him that Blunder Bill here was just waiting for somepony to help him out of the closet.” She turned back to Quiver and continued, “It was a lie, of course, but if I was lucky, I’d drive you two apart and get you arrested for a hate crime in the process. I thought I’d only gone halfway, until now.” Her gaze went to Rarity. “You know, I had something else in mind for you. I think what you’re getting instead will be worse. But then again, you deserve it.” Her horn flared further, and every pony ensnared in her vines found their limbs painfully stretched out and within easy reach of one of her associates. “They call this place the Friendship Capitol of Equestria. Well, it’s time this town learned that some ponies aren’t worth being friends with.” She gazed over the crowd of bullies and barked, “If they’re a unicorn, break their horn! If they’re a pegasus, break their wings! That bat-pony there? Rip her membranes out! The earth ponies? Break their legs! And that includes the fillies!” Her gaze turned back to Quiver as she finished, “And since all of this started with you, you’ll go last.” She leaned in and laughed. “And after today, you’ll never have friends.”

As the majority of the Wolf Pack gazed over the gathered captive ponies and considered whom they’d start with, the crowd looked on with horror. More than a few ponies looked ready to jump the barricade and attack en masse, but stopped as flames swept over the vines that had sprouted up, both to block their progress and to hold down Quiver and his assorted rescuers. As their attackers stepped back in shock, the wave of flame swept upwards as a winged equine form swooped into view above them with a dragon upon her back, fire spewing from his maw and being shaped and manipulated by her magic. She curved around and came in for a smooth landing opposite the stage near where Brick lay attempting to regain consciousness, and the dragon jumped off her back as she declared, “Nopony gets to tell anypony that they can’t have friends. And nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it.” She flared her wings and ran a hoof on the ground in warning. “Now get lost!”

The dragon at her side crossed his arms and glared. “What she said.”

Primrose was briefly taken aback by the pony before her, but smirked as she charged her horn. “You first.” A bolt of magic shot from her horn, directly at the newcomer.

The magic was halted by a shimmering shield of raspberry light, which faded to reveal the newcomer’s own horn still glowing. The glow only grew more intense as she glared at Primrose, briefly reared back her head, and then fired a far more impressive burst of magic back in response. Everyone present covered their eyes, and Primrose herself winced as the counterattack made impact.

When everyone uncovered their eyes, they looked upon Primrose to find that she was glowing in raspberry light. The glow was swiftly fading, but it remained at its strongest around her horn. A fleeting instant of surprise crossed her face before she smirked again at the newcomer and readied another spell…only for her horn to sputter and spark uselessly. She tried again to charge her magic once, twice, thrice, each time visibly struggling in such a way that she was beginning to look constipated. She finally gave up and, between heaving pants, glared at the pony before her. “What did you do to me?!”

“I’ve nullified your magic.” The pony stepped forward, her gaze firm and fixed and her wings remaining outstretched. “It’s disabled. It could be weeks or even months before you’ll be able to cast another spell.”

Primrose attempted once more to use her magic, and glared at the mare before her as she failed. “How dare you?! What gives you the right to do this to me?!” She looked about at her two associates and the rest of the Wolf Pack and barked, “What the rut are you standing around gawking at?! Get her you retards!”

The stallion closest to her gulped and protested, “But she’s a princess…!”

“Who cares?!”

“Me, for a start.”

Primrose whipped her head back to face the latest newcomer and shouted, “Who asked you, you rutting –?!” She stopped in shock at the mare she’d just started cursing at, and those among her associates who were still conscious looked upon the mare in question with abject terror. Most everypony else present gave a respectful bow instead.

“Primrose Thorn.” Princess Celestia’s voice lacked her usual warmth, and was instead hard and cold as ice as she regarded the unicorn before her. “I see you’ve changed very little in the years since you and I last met.”

Primrose attempted to regain herself and smirked. “So you remember me then.”

“Very clearly. I remember how you were among a number of potential students for my school. I also remember that you’re the first one who walked through my doors and absolutely refused to take the practical portion of the entrance exam.”

The mare scowled. “You wanted us to hatch a dragon’s egg! What kind of test is that?!”

“I wanted you to try and hatch a dragon’s egg. I wanted to get an idea of your imagination, your ability to think outside the box and try new ideas. One student that day surprised me and performed an advanced spell the likes of which few adult unicorns, let alone one her age, could perform, and years later, another student actually hatched that egg and brought new life into this world, but you? You steadfastly refused, and demanded another, different test, otherwise your family would raise a fuss over it.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she amended, “A part of me had hoped that you might have shown a change of heart since then, but clearly, that hasn’t been the case.”

Primrose’s scowl turned into a cruel smile. “Oh, I have had a change of heart. If I had it to do all over again, I’d have smashed that damn egg to pieces.”

The crowd watching barely had a second to process that before Spike breathed, “I hatched out of that egg.”

As ponies all around her gasped, Primrose sneered and decided, “Well, I guess I get to fix an old mistake then! Brick!”

Spike wheeled around to see Brick Wall back on his hooves, towering over him with one hoof raised as if to smash the little dragon underneath like an insect. The bulky stallion brought the hoof down with an evil grin, only for the dragon to wink out before he could make contact. He barely had a second to notice the dragon reappear at Celestia’s side before Twilight appeared before him, a cold look in her eyes.

Alicorns, as most ponies knew, had the magical abilities of all three tribes – the versatile magic of a unicorn, the strength and endurance of an earth pony, and the flight and weather manipulation of a pegasus. Exactly how strong they were compared to ponies of the other tribes was unclear, even moreso given that only half of the known alicorns were born that way. What was clear, however, was that the ascended ones would gain the magical abilities of the other tribes, and that time would be spent learning to control those talents.

Twilight’s inclination right now, however, was not for controlling herself, but for dispensing some well-deserved payback as she spun about and delivered a hard buck to one of the bully’s knees. Brick Wall had already been battered and weakened as a result of his fight with Silver Bullet, but this was the last straw as the bully let out a scream that would make Wilhelm take notice, and his right front leg bent in a way that nature never intended.

Another quick teleport, and Twilight was right back in Primrose’s face. Her horn glowed, and the unicorn before her soon felt pressure about her neck the likes of which she’d never known. The princess narrowed her eyes and growled, “Not as much fun when the victim fights back, is it?”

“Twilight.” The young princess paused at her mentor’s firm voice. “That’s enough. Let her go.” At Celestia’s command, Twilight released Primrose and left her a gasping mess, then backed up as Spike rushed to her side. The elder alicorn then called out to the gang of bullies, “I hope that all of you are proud of yourselves. Whatever careers or livelihoods you’ve built? You can now officially kiss them goodbye.”

Primrose recovered herself enough to scoff. “Really? You’re going to charge us? With what?”

“For starters? Several counts of assault, for all of you.” A marigold-colored mare stepped to the princess’s side and continued, “Along with conspiracy to commit assault, disturbing the peace and destruction of public property, and those are just the local charges.”

She smirked. “Says who?”

“Says me. The local district attorney.”

Primrose smirked at Legalhawke’s statement, but the smirk faded as Celestia chimed in, “And that doesn’t include charges on higher levels. Last I checked, assault upon a member of the royal family is a federal offense.” She raised her voice and turned her gaze on the rest and smiled. “And conspiracy to commit assault carries the same penalties as the assault itself.” Now the alicorn’s horn glowed, and manacles formed around the hooves and wings of everypony in Primrose’s group, a horn ring finding itself at the base of her horn for good measure. “But I think Ponyville can have first crack at all of you.”

The personal guard of the Princess of the Sun emerged from the crowd and aided those few members of the Ponyville police present in rounding up the beaten and defeated gang of ponies, one even procuring a wagon to assist. As Primrose was forced onto one with Roxy and Hot Trail, she turned back and sneered at the princesses, at the crowd of Ponyville natives, and at Quiver especially.

The effect was lessened when the cart took off and ran over a rock very quickly into its trip to lockup, and she was knocked to one side with a pained grunt.

All of that done, Celestia sighed, smiled, and added, “Now then, assuming there’s no serious injuries, I believe we have a party to get back to.”

Author's Note

I hope this was worth everyone's wait.

Sunrunner's dress is inspired by this artwork from cheerful9 on DeviantArt. The song she sings, "Nature Boy", was originally written by eden ahbez (birth name George Alexander Aberle), and initially made famous by Nat King Cole. I've linked to the version I'm familiar with, performed by Celine Dion. Playing during the fight is "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fightin')", composed and performed by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin.

Silver Bullet's fight with Brick Wall is ~~strongly inspired by~~ shamelessly stolen from the clash between the Hulk and Thanos in the prologue to Avengers: Infinity War, albeit with the roles flipped. Finally, the spell Twilight uses against Primrose is the same one she used against the antagonists of Friends Forever #25. Does that mean that story won't happen in the Quiververse? Time will tell, but odds are, it'll still happen.

Keep watch, folks, there's still a little bit of story yet to be told.

Chapter Seven - Unfinished Business

Ponyville’s local jail wasn’t all that large a facility. This was partly due to the fact that crime was light in town, with most issues being resolved without the intervention of the authorities. In a small town like Ponyville, most residents were content to handle issues on their own, something that the local constabulary didn’t object to in the slightest, even in the odd extreme case such as that scuffle over a doll or that love potion incident. Perhaps that might change if such things became more common, but for now, they remained an oddity.

What many hoped would remain an oddity would be actual prisoners in the jail itself. That there had been two arrests within the last two months was something of a shocker, one within the last twenty-four hours. The lone prisoner had vocalized very clear protests at being gawked at, but had behaved herself enough to send off a message on the wireless requesting her lawyer and otherwise not raise any trouble. The staff hoped that she’d be their only guest, and upon arraignment the following week would be out of their manes in one way or another.

The arrival of sixteen more ponies, all of them sporting some manner of bruising and injury, was a surprise, but not one they were unprepared for, save the one stallion whose front right knee was clearly going to need serious attention. That the local district attorney was present helped to expedite matters, however. The prisoners would get a quick medical evaluation and treatment before being locked away in cells, and there they would stay until arraignment on the coming Monday.

As the guards escorted one prisoner out of examination for his injuries and into holding, Legalhawke made her way to a break room. She spied one of her junior lawyers and smiled. “That coffee still fresh, Woody?”

The deep red stallion shook his head. “You know I don’t like being called that, ma’am.” Ironically the junior of the two lawyers given his name, Elderwood nonetheless found himself the victim of an affectionate and unfortunate nickname from his senior associate. “But yes, still fresh. I thought you were going to that party with your husband and kids?”

“Party got spoiled.” She approached the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. “They’re still there though, and I’m heading back after I take care of some paperwork. And that includes having you handle arraignment proceedings.”

He looked at her in surprise as she took a sip. “Me? Really? Why?”

“Conflict of interest. My son Flash was among those being attacked, and one of those doing the attacking was…” She frowned. “You know what I told you, about my first husband?”

Elderwood’s face darkened at the mention of his associate’s past. “Yeah, I remember.”

“I have friends, and they’ve kept tabs on his relatives. One of the mares we brought in tonight was his niece. I try her or any of them, and any competent lawyer could tear the case apart, accuse me of bias. And the jury might believe it.” She shrugged and added, “Plus I’m a witness.”

The stallion shook his head. “At this rate, we might end up with a change of venue.”

A knock sounded at the door, and one of the guards’ heads poked in. “Excuse me counsilors, but one of the prisoners has asked for use of the wireless. She wants to contact the Mayor of Indianapoloosa, says he’s her father.”

Elderwood nodded. “Go ahead, we can’t deny her a phone call.” The guard nodded and closed the door behind him before the stallion turned to his coworker and said, “You enjoy that coffee while you can, then get back to that party. I’ll get one of the clerks and we’ll put together our cases and have them ready by Monday.”

“Thanks Woody, but I’ll wait until they’re been sorted out before I get going.” She grinned at her coworker’s eyeroll. “Anyway, at least this means you won’t have to deal with Spoiled Milk.”

“Thank the Maker for minor miracles.”

“We can handle it, you said.” Sour Sweet glowered at Pinkie Pie as the party pony finished her part in cleaning up the partygrounds. “Never occurred to you that the bitch would be able to hold her own with her magic, did you?”

The party pony shook her head. “Well, no, but I didn’t think she’d be able to pull off magic like that.” She pouted regretfully. “Or that she’d be crazy enough to pull something like that in the first place.”

“Arrogance and stupidity can lead a pony to do a lot of things, especially if they were never told they couldn’t.” Quiver gently rubbed his neck with one hoof, still feeling sore from where he’d been struck. “As for the magic, well, I guess private tutors can more than make up for a formal education.” He turned to Twilight and added, “Good thing for us you came when you did.”

“I guess.” The young princess had kept Spike close after the fight had ended, both for her own comfort and his. “But if I’d been here earlier…”

“We all agree that no one can fault you being late to the party, Twilight.” Princess Celestia gave her former student a comforting smile. “And I don’t think anyone faults you for your actions tonight, though I fear whatever lawyer she summons will argue for excessive force.”

“She attacked us and ordered Brick to hurt Spike just because she could.” Quiver scowled. “A lawyer can argue for whatever they like, but I doubt a jury’s gonna be sympathetic.” He then calmed himself and looked up at the elder alicorn before him. “My apologies if I spoke out of turn, your Highness.”

Celestia smiled. “None required, Mister Quiver Quill.” She turned herself to properly address him as Sunrunner took a place at his side. “I’m glad to finally have the chance to meet you face to face, though I do regret the circumstances, and the trouble you’ve been through.”

Quiver shook his head. “None of it was your fault. You recognized Primrose as a bad egg and tossed her out. That she ended up going to the same school as me was just an unfortunate circumstance. As for what you did in regards to my story, however, that I owe you my thanks for.” He frowned and noted, “But you’re not here because of me, are you?”

“Not directly, no, but something you said earlier to Twilight struck something of a chord with her, and with me.” She leaned in and gently reassured him, “It’s the rare pony who’s willing to call me out for my failures, especially in the company of another princess. And me addressing them is long overdue, and has only worsened thanks to Primrose’s actions.” Her gaze turned towards Sunrunner as she added, “I’ve much to answer to where your family is concerned, Lieutenant. I only hope that you can forgive me for my failings.”

The fiery-maned pegasus kept calm, though her eyes showed some unease. “With all due respect, ma’am, I think there’s somepony else you need to take things up with before I can do so.”

Celestia nodded. “A fair answer. Please excuse me then.” With that, she winked out and left the gathered ponies to themselves.

Sunrunner managed a proud smile as she turned to her coltfriend. “Praise from a centuries-old monarch. That’s a feather in your cap.”

He gave her a slightly-embarrassed smile in return. “I’ll try not to let it go to my head.”

“Mister Quiver?” He turned to find a slightly battered and bruised Diamond Tiara standing nearby with her father, Silver Spoon and the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, packages balanced upon her back and Sweetie Belle’s. “I’m sorry about your party getting trashed.”

“And I’m sorry that you got caught up in what happened.” Quiver approached and added, “Especially with your tiara getting destroyed. As much as I appreciate you standing up for me, I don’t want anypony getting hurt on my behalf.”

“You stood up for me, though.” The filly turned conflicted as she admitted, “And the tiara isn’t a big loss. She gave it to me, after I got my cutie mark.” She reached back and held up her present. “Anyway, this is for you.”

“After Pinkie Pie came to us with an invitation, Diamond insisted upon getting you something.” Filthy Rich beamed with pride as he admitted, “I didn’t have the heart to say no.”

Quiver opened the package to reveal a golden tie clip, adorned on the front by a quill. “Wow. Thank you.”

“We’ve got somethin’ for ya too.” Apple Bloom grinned nervously as her unicorn friend lifted up her present in her magic. “Well, Sweetie Belle’s got somethin’ for ya.”

“It’s meant to be from all three of us, along with an invitation.” Quiver opened this present to reveal a deep red scarf, trimmed with gold and decorated with the symbol of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “The invitation was something we talked about after we all got here.”

“We want to name you an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader.” Scootaloo beamed as she explained, “I mean, it’s the least we can do after last night.”

“Aw girls, thank you.” Quiver wrapped the scarf about his neck, and made a point of slipping the tie clip onto it for good measure. “And I’ll accept it with honor. Just the four of us?”

“Plus Discord an’ the Manehattan branch, fer now.” The three Crusaders looked among themselves as Apple Bloom explained, “We’ve gotten to thinkin’ that just because a pony’s earned their cutie mark, that don’t mean they can’t help others find theirs. You did that fer Sunrunner.”

The pegasus gave her coltfriend a playful nudge. “And a few others besides.”

“So we thought it might be a good idea to expand the membership. If’n a colt or filly our age wants to join, cutie mark or no, then they can. All that’s required is that they be willin’ to help others find their cutie marks.” She turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and added, “An’ that includes the two’a y’all.”

“Really?” The two former bullies looked at one another in shock as Silver Spoon spoke for them both. “Even after all we did? Why?”

“Because we figure this could give you guys a chance to make up for some of what you’ve done.” Scootaloo gave a half-smile. “Plus it’d be kinda wrong for us to give Discord a chance and not you guys.”

Quiver sagely nodded. “This is true. And having an outside perspective can be a good thing anyway, even when it comes to interpreting cutie marks. I read this article once in a magazine about this one stallion, Troubleshoes.”

Applejack laughed at that. “Ah’ve heard of him. Famous rodeo clown. Thought his cutie mark meant he was stuck with bad luck until somepony pointed out it could also mean he was good on his hooves. He needed a few classes, but he’s gone on to great things.”

“Exactly, though his life could’ve gone another way.” He frowned and noted, “Makes you wonder what could have been.”

Celestia was solemn as she stepped into the bridge realm. She idly glanced around and wondered if any of the furniture her counterpart had brought here had been removed, and whether or not she’d be able to tell. So much had been left in here over the centuries between the two of them, Star Swirl and whomever he’d communed with that it would be hard to guess whether everything had been claimed.

In any case, she had more immediate concerns as she began stripping herself of her royal garments. She’d just slipped out of one of her hoof-shoes before a familiar voice reached her ears. “You don’t need to do that on my account.”

“Perhaps not, but I thought there would be more meaning to this without them.” She turned to find her former student waiting near the portal back to Canterlot High. “Hello Sunset.”

“Princess Celestia.” Sunset Shimmer stepped forward as her former teacher slipped back into her hoof-shoe. “I guess what Quiver said got Twilight thinking.”

“He did, and it’s a very good thing for him that Twilight decided to act upon it.” She spied an easy chair and some cushions, and moved them closer with her magic. “I’ll let her tell you about what happened later, but suffice it to say, somepony else has faced a reckoning today. Though I fear they won’t learn from their experiences.” She frowned and added, “I can only hope that won’t repeat.”

Sunset sat down as Celestia planted herself upon a cushion. “Whether that happens depends a lot on if they’re able to do so.”

“Indeed it does. I wish that I was as good about that as you are.” The princess turned to face her former pupil with regret. “Sunset, when we first reunited here some months ago, after you apologized to me for your actions, I offered an apology in return. But even then, I felt that what I said was woefully inadequate to the task. I hoped to find the time to discuss that further, but circumstances kept getting in the way.” She frowned bitterly and noted, “It’s a shame. I’ve divested myself of much of my power and put it into the hooves of my subjects, and yet, I still find myself with not enough time on my hooves, even for the important things.”

“You’re finding the time now.”

“But I should have found it months ago. Had I done it after you became Twilight’s student, or even after your suspension ended, perhaps we could have avoided so much. Alas…” Celestia looked her student in the eye, dread now clear upon her face. “I think I’m due some difficult questions. Don’t hold back.”

Sunset steepled her fingers and held the tips to her lips as she considered her first question. “Why did you refuse to tell me anything more about the mirror after you showed it to me? I mean, why show it to me in the first place if you didn’t think I was ready to know anything about it?”

“You recall the vision you saw, when you looked into the mirror?”

“The one that briefly showed me as an alicorn, before showing me turned into a demon.” Celestia nodded at Sunset’s summation. “You couldn’t have seen that for yourself.”

“No, but…” Celestia frowned. “Sunset, very often you can rush into something and find yourself making a terrible mistake in the process, particularly if you’re frightened or scared. And thanks to hindsight, we both knew what was on the horizon.”

“Nightmare Moon’s return.”

“And when a filly as talented as yourself uses a spell as advanced as the Dragonfire Spell, a mare like myself has to wonder if she could be a candidate to carry an Element of Harmony. But one pony wielding them seemed at the time to be impossible, if not outright dangerous.”

“Six Elements between six ponies, and if I was going to carry one, then I needed to form a friendship with others.”

“But I couldn’t force you to do so, any more than I could force you to write back to your family or resolve your remaining issues with your parents’ deaths. And as I recall, the efforts I made to encourage you to make friends amongst your classmates didn’t go nearly as well as I’d hoped.”

Sunset frowned at that memory. “No kidding. I think I intimidated Glitter Drops and Spring Rain more than anything.” She then winced and added, “I really hope they didn’t drop out because of me.”

“They didn’t. Don’t go borrowing guilt that you don’t need.” Celestia steered discussion back on-topic as she continued, “In any case, I saw that it was less a case of you finding friends and peers and more you gaining admirers, and seeing your classmates as being beneath you. And that ignores the sense that you actively didn’t want to seek out others and make friends. You’ve always been the willful sort, for better or worse, and I wasn’t quite certain how to proceed. You were a unique student, even considering how long I had been taking ponies into my tutelage. Then I remembered a conversation I had with someone I knew, and that led to what was probably the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”

The girl took on a grim expression. “Trying to scare me straight with the mirror.”

Celestia nodded at Sunset’s summation. “I had a vision too, the same time you looked into the mirror. It showed me Nightmare Moon’s return and defeat, and Luna’s restoration. It also showed me glimpses of you, and your life until that point. Nowhere did the visions intersect, and that worried me. But one thing I theorized from what I saw was that, thanks to decisions I and others had already made and couldn’t undo, that you were likely not to play a part in my sister’s return.” She turned remorseful as she admitted, “I planned to explain everything to you about the mirror, but that vision made me think otherwise. Right up until that fateful last time you asked me about it, I was still trying to figure out the vision I’d seen. I’ve received them in the past, but they were usually far less cryptic and far more direct.”

“And telling me that I wasn’t ready?”

The alicorn bowed her head in shame. “The hasty, ill-chosen words of somepony at their last ends, who expected to be obeyed simply because they were a figure of authority. They were no different from a parent telling their child ‘because I said so’. Had I been honest with you from the beginning, had we discussed things properly, had I treated you as a grown adult rather than a juvenile student who couldn’t grasp the severity of what was to come…” She looked back up at her former pupil. “You were right when you said that I was making a grave mistake, but not for the reasons you’d thought. I lost you just as I lost Luna, and unlike her, I didn’t even have the petty luxury of being able to blame Star Swirl for distracting me from my sister’s problems. I failed you, Sunset. Just like I failed her. And the best I could do about it was ask my counterpart to look after you, and clearly, that didn’t go nearly as well as I’d have hoped.”

Sunset bowed her head in thought. “It could have gone much worse. Even if she’d been straight with me, I doubt I would have accepted her help.” She looked back up at Celestia. “And you not talking about this then?”

“Because I’m a damn fool who can’t learn from her mistakes.” A rueful smile crossed the alicorn’s face as she admitted, “I thought that gentle encouragement and quiet support would be enough, though it seems I underestimated how much talking out her problems helped Luna to recover. And I thought you’d refuse, for whatever reason. You can’t force someone to confront something, after all.”

“Bullshit!” Both turned back in surprise to find that they had an audience with the five members of the Rainbooms as the human Rainbow Dash shouted indignantly, “That’s bullshit and you know it!”

Applejack moved a hand over her friend’s chest to ease her. “Apologies fer intrudin’, yer Highness, but when Sunset told us ‘bout this little heart-to-heart, we thought it’d be a good idea to bear witness, just in case.” She tipped her head towards Sunset and admitted, “We failed her once. Don’t wanna do that again.”

“Or let someone else compound their own failures if we can avoid it.” Rarity turned to Sunset herself and said, “Sorry dear.”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s alright, I appreciate the worry.” She turned back to Celestia and frowned. “Still, they’re right. Celestia, you were there when I mentioned my vision in the mirror. You could have talked with me about it then. Hell, you should’ve talked with me about it then. Why didn’t you?”

Celestia looked her former pupil in the eye as tears of remorse welled up in her own, a clear struggle being made to hold them back. She finally closed them and admitted, “I don’t know. Maker help me, I…” Her eyes opened again, and the struggle ended as tears flowed down. “I wanted to, Sunset. And you’re right, I should have. But some nagging voice in the back of my head told me that I shouldn’t worry about it, that you were fine and that you’d be alright if I just left things alone. I shouldn’t have listened to it. If I had…” She wiped tears away with one wingtip and explained, “Twilight told me about what happened with Anon-A-Miss. If I’d shared the truth with you earlier, perhaps things wouldn’t have escalated as far as they did.” She eyed the Rainbooms, who had the decency to recoil in shame as she acknowledged, “It may not have prevented others from making poor choices, but it may have stopped you from coming close to taking your own life. And it might have given you a clearer head for addressing other parts of that incident.” She turned back to Sunset and added, “And perhaps even avoided you becoming as great a target for the Nightmare as you did.”

Dash snorted. “Yeah. Thanks a lot for that.”

Both Pinkie and Fluttershy shushed their friend as Sunset explained, “I’m not angry at you over the Nightmare. No way could you have known it was coming. But that’s a weak excuse, and I think you know that.”

Celestia nodded. “It is, for so many reasons. I still played a role in leaving you vulnerable and…” She wiped tears away again and tried to continue even as her voice cracked. “I almost lost you again. Forever. Twice within a few weeks because once again, I failed to do anything to stop a problem before it could grow into something terrible.” She took a breath and admitted, “I don’t know what was worse about all of that. The fact that somepony else from an entirely different part of the multiverse had to come and clean up the mess, or the fact that I couldn’t help myself.”

“And why didn’t you act to help then?” Sunset crossed her arms. “I’m better off hearing all of it. Don’t hold out on me now.”

“Two reasons, and had the second not been there, I would have still jumped in.” Celestia regained some measure of control as she explained, “I knew that even without the Tantabus that the Nightmare would poke and prod at my insecurities and fears, and that Luna was far more gifted with the magic of dreams than I was. That was the first. As for the second, well, I had another vision. It was brief, and far more straight to the point than the one I’d experienced the day I showed you the Crystal Mirror. Two words – ‘trust her’. Whether that referred to Luna or Crystal Faire, I don’t know, but that was enough reason for me to stand back. And as relieved as I am that I did so, and as glad as I am for the outcome, I still look back on what happened that day with so much shame. I failed you, and rather than taking responsibility and helping you, I sat back and allowed others to do what I should have done and fix my mistakes.” The control was lost again as she closed her eyes and admitted, “It’s a wonder you even want to speak to me.”

Sunset reached over and gently wiped more of her former mentor’s tears away. “It helps that I’ve made some pretty bad decisions myself. And that you’re at least trying not to repeat those mistakes.”

“But I fear it’s far too little and far too late.” Celestia’s eyes were regretful as she opened them and looked upon her former pupil. “Twilight has seen my mistakes first-hoof, seen me admit to my failings and my faults. She may not have acknowledged my omissions of information, but that can only last so long. I have my excuses, my reasons, but they ring hollow even to me. The fact remains that I’ve hidden the truth from her about so much. I’ve been better about opening up to her, sharing what I know and guiding her over important affairs, but it’s only a matter of time before I make another mistake, and I fail her, just as I failed you and Luna.”

Sunset frowned as she thought back to her own old fears, but kept her gaze upon her old mentor. “That might be a risk worth taking, but you and Twilight need to talk this out, and the sooner you do, the better for both of you.” She offered a half-smile and suggested, “And continuing to not repeat old mistakes is still a good idea.”

“Difficult to accomplish.”

The smile turned into a complete one. “But all the more worth it to try.”

The gathered Rainbooms smiled at Sunset’s words, and Celestia smiled herself as she considered them. “Indeed it is. Sunset, you’ve come so very far thanks to the friendships you’ve found, especially with Twilight. I’m so very proud, of all of you.” She wiped away the last of her tears with a hoof. “I just wish that a different road had been taken to get you to where you are now, and where you’re yet to go.”

“Me too, believe me.” She then smirked and added, “And there’s one thing you can take comfort in. You never gave up on me, or Luna.”

“No, I didn’t.” A sad smile remained on Celestia’s face as she considered her last thought. “Sunset, you recall the times I’ve discussed you ascending, becoming an alicorn and a princess in your own right?” Her former student nodded. “I’ve had time to think about things and reflect, and I’ve realized something. I wasn’t ready to be a princess when Star Swirl chose me. I had no right to say that you weren’t ready for such a thing either. But I think you’ll have a leg up on me when the time comes.” The smile was more confident as she finished, “And it will come. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it as many times as I need to until it happens. And hopefully, I won’t fail either of you again.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I won’t be the only one holding you to that.”

The alicorn nodded, then turned away and departed. The weight on her back seemed lighter, though not quite completely gone. Whether it would leave her was something that would take some time yet to come.

Once Celestia had passed through the portal back to Equestria, Rainbow Dash approached and asked, “So, how exactly are we going to hold her to all of that?”

Sunset smirked and pulled her smartphone from her jacket pocket, then idly tapped the screen. “Me recording that entire conversation might help.” She turned back to face her friends as she explained, “Something tells me Quiver won’t be the last to hear my story and find the holes in it. Plus, Celestia might need reminding in case she messes up again.”

“Do you think she knew you were going to record her?”

The former unicorn shrugged as she got back to her feet. “I’d be shocked if she didn’t at least suspect it.” She regarded her friends. “Guys, you didn’t have to come in here like you did.”

Applejack took off her hat and admitted, “Actually, Ah think we did. Like Ah said sugarcube, we failed ya. Don’t wanna do that again.”

Sunset nodded, then gently claimed Applejack’s hat and set it back on her head. “You’re not. Thanks.”

Back at the party grounds, Quiver found himself seated off to one side with a weary smile upon his face. It remained as many of his friends and quite a few acquaintances he’d made approached, with Flash Sentry being the first to speak. “You look like how so many of us felt in Canterlot after the royal wedding.”

The stallion chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I dunno Quivs, that smile might be tired but there’s a glimmer of pride in those eyes.” Sunrunner sat down beside him with a smile all her own. “We all heard what you said to Primrose.”

“Not a word of it was false.”

“True, but I’m not happy about what you said. I’m happy that you said it.” She wrapped a wing about his shoulders. “You never did anything like that back in school.”

“Back then, I didn’t have much.” He looked to her with a grin. “What I did have was good, but now?” He lifted his head and looked upon those gathered around him, ponies and a dragon and all of them friends or at least respectful acquaintances. “Now I’ve got faith. That I’m not alone, and that ponies won’t just abandon me. I’ve always been afraid that someday, I’d make a mistake and those I held close would toss me away in disgust. Say the wrong thing, make the wrong move, whatever.”

“Real friends, the folks who love you, don’t do that, sugarcube.” Applejack nodded her head towards Fluttershy and admitted, “Plenty a’ times where me an’ the gals’ve disagreed over somethin’, an’ it took a lot more’n that to tear us apart. You’re a part of that now, Quiver, an’ don’t pretend otherwise.”

“And friend or no, we swore an oath.” Silver Bullet stood tall alongside his fellow Royal Guardsponies and recited, “To stand for Equestria, for its citizens, and for each other. Pix and I weren’t about to just stand by while some thugs were threatening anyone.”

Pixie Dust smiled. “That we were helping an old war buddy’s coltfriend and another old war buddy’s cousin was a bonus.” She then turned to Sunrunner with a smirk. “So how soon before the wedding, Warbler? Rarity’s gonna need time to measure all those dresses for the bridesmares.”

Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. “Don’t rush them, Boo. Let them have a few dates first.”

“Speaking of, this does raise an important question.” Quiver turned to Sunrunner and asked, “When can I see you again?”

“Well, assuming nopony minds.” Heads turned to a blushing Twilight. “Flash and I already made arrangements for a dinner date in Canterlot in a couple weeks. Maybe we can turn it into a double date?”

Flash shrugged. “I don’t mind, though Quiver might want to get his suit cleaned a little before then.”

Quiver looked over his beaten-up suit and laughed. “Well, that’s not too difficult.”

“And I’m not about to turn down a dinner with a princess, or with my friends.” Sunrunner grinned at her old comrade and admitted, “And this’ll be a good chance for me to catch up, congratulate you, tease you, expect a ‘thank you’.”

Flash cocked an eyebrow. “For what? I don’t owe you anything.”

“What about that post in the Crystal Empire?”

The pegasus laughed. “Oh don’t you dare start saying I have you to thank for meeting Twilight! You turned down that post all on your own, and nothing that happened after that was thanks to you!”

Quiver smirked. “He’s got you there, Runnie.”

“Hey!” Sunrunner smirked as she gave her coltfriend a playful smack with one hoof. “Whose side are you on?”

The gathered ponies laughed a bit at the playful bickering before them, one joining them as a familiar alicorn joined them. “I wouldn’t press your luck too much, Quiver Quill. Sometimes a joke can go a little too far.”

Twilight looked up at her hopefully. “Did everything go okay?”

“I think so, yes.” Celestia turned to Sunrunner with some regret. “Lieutenant, I fear there are still some issues to work out with your family. The last time I saw your aunt, she was less than happy with me, and rightfully so.”

“With all due respect, your Highness, I don’t think I can pressure her to speak with you.”

“I’m not asking you to do so. I’ll find the time to see her soon enough. But I hope that you’ll be willing to accept a ride back to Canterlot.”

Sunrunner smiled. “That I can agree to.” She then turned to Quiver. “You’ll handle the wait, right?”

“Hey, I waited how many years between then and now?” The smile faded as his expression turned darker. “Besides, I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied before then, and afterwards.”

Twilight beamed and looked up at Celestia. “Quiver’s offered to help with my research into certain projects.”

“Not just that.” Quiver looked up with a grim look as he reasoned, “Primrose might have stepped in it today, but her family has wealth and connections, and that’s enough to cover up a lot of sins. Sooner or later, she’ll clear out of that, and make another stab at me. When that comes, I need to be ready.” He turned to his cousin and said, “Sour, can you teach me how to fight?”

Sour Sweet smirked. “Don’t expect it to be easy.”

“Nothing that’s worth it ever is.”

Author's Note

I offer my sincerest apologies to those who were fans of the episode Appleoosa's Most Wanted. However, the way my storyline's shaping up, it had to get retconned out. Troubleshoes is better off, though.

Epilogue One - Seeds of the Future

Sundays in Ponyville were, as Sundays went, peaceful. This particular one was little different, which suited the townsponies just fine given what had happened the previous evening. One particular corner of town found their late morning eased by the soft melodies of a saxophone, albeit from a player that hadn’t practiced it in years.

Quiver’s hooves went over the instrument as he went through his scales and reacquainted himself with his instrument. That his reeds were in playable shape was a pleasant surprise for him, the fact that he was taking back to it easier than he’d thought was another. He finished his scales, pulled the instrument from his lips and smiled, then noticed somepony watching him out of the corner of his eye. “Got something to say?”

Sour smirked. “Yeah. Thanks for waiting until around noon.” She watched as he disassembled his instrument. “What brought this on?”

“Just felt like taking a stab at it. For all I knew, if I tried it, it might be fun again.” He smiled as he finished packing his sax away and closed up the case. “It was.”

“Well I hope this doesn’t spoil it, but I think your wild leaps are rubbing off on me.” She motioned for him to follow her and asked, “You remember how Grandmare made a big deal out of calling Regal her ‘blessing’?” She led him to the living room, where the family record awaited them on a coffee table. “Well, I was looking at your copy of the family record, and I saw something.”

Quiver looked to where Sour was pointing and noticed a name beside those of his father and aunt, the lines indicating a third sibling. “Sweet Blessing. We had an aunt we never knew about.”

“If these dates are right, her death lined up with when Regal was conceived.” Sour frowned as she looked to her cousin. “Maybe I’m leaping to conclusions, but…”

“But maybe there were reasons why she wasn’t brought up very often.” Quiver frowned himself. “I get the odd feeling we might never know.” A knock sounded at the door, and glad for the distraction, he went and answered it. “Sweetie Belle!”

The little unicorn filly smiled. “Hi Mister Quiver. May I come in?”

“Sure.” Sweetie Belle trotted inside as Sour put away the record. Quiver closed the door behind her and asked, “What brings you our way?”

“I was hoping I could get your help with something. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and me are putting on a play, and I think the script could use a once-over.” She pulled a copy from her saddlebags and laid it out on the table. “Maybe you can do something with it?”

Quiver took up the script with his hoof, and upon a couple seconds reading frowned. “Well, this first line is definitely troublesome. ‘Forsooth and anon, I cometh forthwith and posthaste’. Aside from being a mouthful, it also doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

The filly looked up at him in surprise. “Really?”

“Really. You’re using a lot of words in ways they really weren’t meant to be used. Put in modern terms, the line reads ‘In my honest opinion, very shortly now, I comes immediately and quickly’.” He noticed her wince and gave her a half-smile. “I think you were trying a little too hard to sound old-timey and impressive.”

“I guess.” The filly looked crestfallen as she looked up at him. “Can we fix it?”

Quiver grinned. “We can try.” He turned to the raven perched upon his desk. “Edgar, get me a pencil.”

A quiet Sunday was something that Solar Flare was very much looking forward to as she settled down onto her sofa to enjoy a good book. Her husband was off running errands, the odd bits of daily maintenance that she had to worry about were complete, and she now had the house to herself with nothing to disturb her.

And then there was a knock at her door. She rolled her eyes, climbed off her sofa, and went to answer the door, hoping that it wasn’t some door-to-door salespony or…

“Runnie!”

“Hi Mom!” Mother and daughter embraced as Sunrunner smiled. “I hope I didn’t get you at a bad time.”

“No, of course not, come in!” She led her daughter inside and encouraged her to sit. “So, I guess you decided not to attend that reunion?”

“More like I had my own. Long story, and part of why I’m here.” She turned hesitant, then quietly asked, “Mom, why haven’t you and Dad ever told me about that talk you had with Princess Celestia? When Shims disappeared?”

That caused Solar Flare cause, and she frowned bitterly. “Runnie, I had a lot of reasons. Partly it was because I didn’t think you’d believe a word of it, but mostly because I was so angry over what happened that day, and I still am. With myself, and with the princess.” The older mare bowed her head. “Sunset probably felt like she’d been abandoned by her parents, and I never did anything about it. Worse, I just left her in the care of a pony who already had responsibilities stacked on her plate, and never bothered to visit. I kept on telling myself that Sunset wasn’t ready to reach out, but…” The anger faded as she sorrowfully admitted, “It’s no wonder she ran off. I just wish that Celestia hadn’t lied about how she did it.”

“You mean about going through a magic mirror that’s only open for a couple days every thirty moons?”

“Exact…” Solar Flare paused at her daughter’s summation, then turned to her in shock. “How did you…?”

“I didn’t just have one reunion, Mom.” Sunrunner smiled and explained, “I found out from a couple ponies back in Indianapoloosa that Quiver moved to Ponyville. I went there yesterday, and found him. And I met so many ponies there, including Princess Twilight. And thanks to her, I found out about what happened to Shims.”

Solar Flare deflated at that. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you everything before now.”

“Yeah, but I’m not mad that you didn’t.” She then grinned and added, “I’m mad at whatever red tape’s been stopping her from getting in touch with us before now. Princess Twilight’s been trying to find us for months on Shims’ behalf.” At her mother’s shock, Sunrunner exclaimed, “She’s okay, Mom! She’s stuck in that other world for now and she’s had a rough time of it, but she’s alright! And she misses us. And probably has as many regrets about us as we do about her.”

Solar Flare looked at her daughter in disbelief. “And you’re saying all this because Princess Twilight told you?”

“I’m saying all this because Shims told me so herself.” Sunrunner grinned at her mother’s surprised expression. “I’m gonna ask about getting some leave in around the time of the Equestria Games. Would you and Dad be up for a trip to Ponyville around that time?”

Canterlot Castle, despite being a daily hub for government activity of one sort or another, was often quieter than ponies would think. Most of the actual work of government was handled elsewhere in Canterlot, leaving the castle itself as the private domain of Equestria’s heads of state and their immediate staff.

That wasn’t to say that the princesses didn’t have a great deal on their plates, however. Celestia herself was often bogged down in meetings of one sort or another, or otherwise occupied with engagements in and around the city. That she managed to maintain good cheer throughout all of it served as a testament to her willpower, and a testament to her staff – Kibitz and Raven especially – and their ability to keep her on a schedule that didn’t exhaust her. Neither were particularly thrilled when their schedules were disrupted, of course, and only hoped that the number of disruptions didn’t continue to increase, or at least remained minor or brief.

This Monday noon, alas, would find them dealing with a minor disruption as Celestia sat down to her lunch. A knock sounded at the door to her personal chambers and prompted a frown from the old stallion. “Confound it, I’ve left notes specifying that you were not be disturbed…”

Celestia gave her old advisor an accommodating smile. “Kibitz, we can’t plan for everything. I can put off my lunch for a little bit to deal with whatever this matter is.”

Kibitz nodded, then answered the door. Celestia took a moment to make herself slightly more presentable before he returned with a familiar elder mare at his side. “Congressmare Amaranth Thorn to see you, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Kibitz.” Her gaze fell upon the unicorn mare before her. “Congressmare Thorn.”

“Your Highness.” Amaranth Thorn was very much the image of her great-granddaughter, though with a much shorter and more professional cut to her mane and an ever-present, calm smile upon her face. The clearest difference was with her eyes, an icy blue compared to Primrose’s pale green. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I assure you, I won’t take up too much of your time.”

“Of course not. Please.” As her guest sat down opposite her, the princess considered exactly what would prompt this visit, and none of the possibilities were pleasant.

“First, allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for the actions of my great-granddaughter. I fear that my grandson Crimson has a tendency to spoil the poor dear. She is his only child, after all, and one does tend to dote.”

“Such is a risk that all parents run.”

“Indeed. But now to business. Congress has been at work on a bill that will fund an expansion to the Equestrian military. The construction of new airships, training new troops and so forth. It’s a bill that you’ve been asking about for months now, in light of the recent attack upon Canterlot.”

“I have. It’s my hope that we can build upon the moderate changes I’ve already implemented and hopefully prevent a repeat of what happened when the changelings invaded.” Celestia had remained cagey about the source of said improvements, even if her senior military officials had expressed some approval of them. She doubted that the public would accept the notion of alternate worlds, and suspected that if they did, panic would be stirred up in one way or another.

“Well, I’m more than prepared to back this bill, assuming particular conditions are met.”

Celestia kept her best poker face as she considered this revelation, and the reasons for this visit suddenly narrowed. “And what sort of conditions are those?”

“Nothing that’s outside of your capacities. I’d like either a full pardon for my great-granddaughter, or a complete dismissal of charges against her.”

And thus were her concerns confirmed. “Congressmare, you’re aware of what Primrose has done.”

“I’m aware that her actions are rather insubstantial compared to some.”

“She led fifteen other ponies in committing acts of assault against several others, and she herself attacked a member of the Equestrian royalty. I personally witnessed her strike at Princess Twilight Sparkle with a bolt of magic. The only reason we aren’t trying her for treason is because there’s no evidence that it was anything beyond an attack in the heat of the moment.”

“As I said, insubstantial. Your sister committed an act of rebellion against you. Discord usurped your control over the sun. Both, however, have been allowed to roam free.”

“You’re vastly oversimplifying, Congressmare. Luna was corrupted and possessed by an outside force, and spent a thousand years imprisoned and banished. Discord, meanwhile, was locked away in stone for over a millennium, and is currently acting on parole. They’ve served their sentences and are better for it. Primrose is another matter entirely.”

Amaranth gave a thoughtful hmm. “Princess, can I take it that you’d forsake national security for the sake of punishing a single pony? Because I imagine that quite a few reporters would interpret things that way.”

“And just as many would counter that a powerful member of Congress using the freedom of her great-granddaughter as a bargaining chip to ensure our nation’s security might have skewed priorities.” Celestia’s voice was firm as she remarked, “Ours is a nation built upon the principles of harmony, but harmony cannot exist without justice. Your great-granddaughter will see her day in court, and I will not interfere with that.”

The congressmare remained silent for several seconds, as if weighing her options, before she rose to her hooves. “Very well then. Please excuse me.” She then departed, and the door was closed behind her.

Celestia sighed, then turned her attention back to her meal. An ill feeling settled over her as Kibitz returned to her side. “I doubt very much that she’ll continue with this, your Highness. The Congressmare hasn’t maintained the career she has without being pragmatic.”

“She’s also more than aware of the fact that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, Kibitz.” Her meal was presented to her, and the princess frowned. “If I could be alone, please.”

Kibitz did as he was told, and Celestia found herself alone with her meal and her thoughts. The meal looked delicious, but the conversation she’d just had with Amaranth Thorn had weakened her appetite. She doubted even cake would entice her right now.

She’d long been aware of forces operating in Equestria in ways that went against its principles, claiming to be acting for the sake of a greater good. She was hardly in a position to fight them, given she’d often done things of morally dubious value for the sake of expediency. Those choices still haunted her, especially as they were the result of other terrible mistakes that had been made on her part. She doubted that the congressmare was one of those forces, but it wouldn’t surprise her if Amaranth Thorn could act in a similar way, or worse, be connected to them. And putting them down was going to be a very difficult proposition indeed.

Epilogue Two - Addressing the Past

“Spike?” Twilight cautiously looked about the library, Sour following close behind as they sought out the young drake. They finally found him slumped in a corner, sulking and looking miserable. “Spike, no one’s mad at you over what happened with the breezies.”

“Have you asked the breezies that?”

Twilight sat down and wrapped a wing around him. “It was an accident. It could’ve happened to anypony.”

“It happened to me though. Now a bunch of them are stuck here and they might not be able to get home and…”

“Spike, Princess Twilight and her friends will figure out a way of getting them home.” Sour gave him an encouraging look. “And the three of us are gonna make sure of it, and you’re gonna get the credit.” He looked at her in surprise as she grinned, “You’re the Number One Assistant, remember?”

He gave a half-smile at that. “Yeah, I am.” He got to his feet and went to a nearby shelf. “Okay, so let’s get started on getting those breezies home.”

“And the first thing we need is information on breezies and how their magic works. Fluttershy pointed me towards a book about them, and it should…”

“I think this is what you’re looking for.” A book rose up from a nearby desk in a light yellow aura of magic, and the three turned towards their newcomer as she offered a smile. “I hope you don’t mind me speeding things up a little.”

Twilight gasped in shock as she looked upon the taller alicorn before her. Slender like Cadance and Luna, with a long flowing mane of cerise, violet and arctic blue, the pony looked upon her with a pleased smile and a twinkle in her weary opal eyes, made clearer by the scar over one of them. “Oh my gosh, Crystal Faire! What are you doing here?!” She caught herself and continued, “I mean, thank you, obviously, but why are you here?! What’s going on?! Is there some kind of crisis or danger or…?!”

The young princess soon found a hoof pressed against her lips as Crystal Faire smiled. “Twilight, calm down. There’s no crisis, no danger, no impending disaster. I’m here for other reasons, so you can relax.”

Twilight sighed as the hoof was removed from her mouth. “Good. Sorry, but the last time you were here, it wasn’t a social call.” She claimed the book in her magic as her bodyguard approached. “Oh, sorry Sour. This is…”

“Crystal Faire, multiversal traveler and the counterpart to your yet-to-be-born niece.” The unicorn looked up at her with a polite smile. “I’ve been briefed. I assume you know who I am.”

The alicorn nodded. “First Lieutenant Sour Sweet. You’re Twilight’s new bodyguard.” She smiled and added, “I’m glad that she has you. It’s the rare world I see where she has any sort of official security, for whatever reason, and there’s plenty where she could have used it. And this visit is less of a social call, and more like unfinished business.” She turned back to her fellow alicorn and asked, “Twilight, could you send a message to Sunset Shimmer for me? I need to talk with her about a few things.”

“Of course, but it could be a wait. Can we get you anything to eat?”

Crystal Faire smiled. “Well, if you’re offering…”

Spike scurried off to fetch food and the message journal as Twilight beamed. “Well, since you’re here, maybe you could take a minute to explain a few things? I’d love to know more about how the multiverse works. I mean, I’ve developed some theories based on Star Swirl’s research, but…”

The taller alicorn laughed as she unfolded one wing to reveal a pannier strapped about her middle. “One thing that’s constant, you never stop wanting to learn.”

Sunset stepped into the bridge realm and quickly laid eyes upon its only other occupant. “Crystal Faire.”

“Hello Sunset. I hope that this isn’t a bad time for you.” The alicorn was seated upon a cushion at one side of a small table, a tray of baked goods sitting before her with every sign of having been sampled. The most obvious being the chunk of baked good floating in the air near Crystal’s head. “Donut?”

The girl shrugged, sat down in the chair waiting beside her host and accepted one of the treats as Crystal finished her own. “It’s a free period, but something tells me you tried to time it that way. And that you’re probably not referring to my school schedule.”

“No, but I’m glad it isn’t poor timing in one aspect at least.” She wiped her face with a napkin and tried to make herself look a little more presentable. “And I’m glad that you decided to talk with me, or at least listen, so I’ll stop wasting your time and mine and just bring up the elephant in the room. You’ve been giving what happened around our last meeting a lot of thought.”

Sunset’s gaze went from Crystal Faire to the donut in her hand as she considered her next words, until she finally nodded. “I have.” She raised her free hand in apology. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that you were there. I’m glad that you came and helped, but…”

“But you feel as though I robbed you of a victory.”

“Yes, and I feel terrible about it!” Sunset took a breath to recover herself before she let her frustration take hold. “On the one hand, I’m grateful for the help, and I’m trying my best to not feel petty or spiteful over it because that’s what the old me would’ve done and I don’t want to go back to being that sort of person. On the other, I’m surprised something like that would even come to your attention. I mean, there’s so much that you probably haven’t stepped in for, so what made me tangling with the Nightmare worth your time? And finally…” Here Sunset looked guilty, like a child who’d gotten something wonderful but knew the circumstances for how were terrible. “…I wish we’d have gotten through that without your help.”

“Because?” It wasn’t a proper question, and both of them knew it, but it was nonetheless asked.

“Because someday I’m going to talk about that with someone who isn’t in on what happened, and they’re going to point out that the only reason we got through it all was because you came along and saved all our plots. It’s not going to matter to them that we won, only that we won because we had you supporting us.”

“Like two individuals playing a sporting match, and one winning because the other was somehow handicapped.”

“Exactly.” Sunset sighed and admitted, “Finally, I’m a little sick of going through these heart-to-heart talks. I’ve had three since you and I met, and as much as they were necessary, they’re starting to feel repetitive.” She finally chose this moment to bite down on the donut, slowly chewed it, and managed a smile despite herself. “Sugar Cube Corner?” At Crystal’s nod, the former unicorn sighed. “The day I became Princess Celestia’s personal student, I had my first donut. She and I would visit the shop that made them the first Sunday of every month, just the two of us. They were fantastic, and these? Just as good.” She frowned and added, “The human world donuts are just a little too sweet for me.”

“More artificial sugars and sweeteners.”

“Exactly.” Sunset sighed again and got back on topic. “Anyway, I’d just like to move on if I can, try to get that thought out of my head.”

“That’s fair.” Crystal Faire nodded as she gathered her thoughts and claimed another donut. “Sunset, I have a great deal to say. I can’t promise that you’ll be happy with all of it, or that you’ll be satisfied, but I will ask that you hear me out, and try to be patient with me.” At Sunset’s nod, the alicorn continued, “First, as you no doubt know, there are many instances where I can’t step in to save a particular timeline. And there are instances where I don’t intervene, because in those cases, the situation is well within the ability of those present to handle. Most individuals are more than capable of handling themselves, provided they have all the information and tools they need to deal with the situation before them.”

“And in the case we’re talking about?”

“Nine times out of ten, you don’t need my help at all. You’re very capable, Sunset, but failure happens sometimes. That’s the nature of probability. You can’t plan out everything to intricate detail because something always comes along to disrupt it.”

“Chaos theory.” Sunset had finished hers and claimed a second as she elaborated,“Man plans, God laughs.”

“Along those lines, yes.”

“But the trouble is that this time, from what I can tell, was that tenth time. And if you hadn’t intervened, then there’d be a lot of people dead and at least one person, likely me, playing host to the Nightmare and pretty much stuck in a fate worse than death. And that’s ignoring all the knock-on effects from there.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” At Sunset’s disbelieving look, Crystal took a bite from her own, chewed, then swallowed before she continued. “Sunset, I’m able to read the timelines and see how they progress, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I always choose the right course of action. I’ve made mistakes in my time, and paid for them.” She pointed to the scar on one eye with one wingtip. “One mistake cost me this eye. Sure, I got it replaced with a new one just as good as the old, but my point remains. And on another occasion, I failed to make the right decisions, and a version of Twilight Sparkle was killed by a hydra.” She bowed her head and solemnly admitted, “That one hurt far more, for what I hope are obvious reasons.And most recently… well, you remember what happened to the timeline of the Twilight I was traveling with when we first met?”

“It collapsed. At least, that’s what you told the Twilight I know.”

“And it wasn’t the first or the last world to be threatened in such a way. Our travels led to us realizing a threat to all existence, or at least our corner of it, and the cause was far closer to home than I’d have liked. Ending it meant the end to what little existed from my original timeline, as well as the survivors trapped in timelines that had collapsed. Countless lives were lost because of the actions we took to save yet countless more, and it was still a narrow thing that we were able to stop any more timelines from collapsing.” She raised her head again, and Sunset could see the sadness and uncertainty in her eyes. “In theory, perhaps I could have handled it on my own, and I was prepared to. But it would have been infinitely more difficult, and looking back on it, I’ve realized how much I needed their help, and how much like the Twilights we both know, I neglected the most powerful magic we know.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Their help?”

Crystal smiled. “A few others helped us along the way, though three in particular were of greater help than the rest. One of them was a version of you, who’s been through quite the adventure of her own. They became my friends, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting help from a friend sometimes.”

Sunset crossed her arms. “I never said there was, but that doesn’t change my concern.”

“Well, you remember what I said about making mistakes? Often the greatest mistake is not making a choice at all, and one thing I’ve learned is that there’s plenty of times where I couldn’t afford to stand by and do nothing, because if I did, so many would suffer as a result.” The smile faded as Crystal Faire explained, “Your case was one of those times. I came into your timeline knowing that things could go wrong, and I waited until the last possible moment before deciding whether or not to intervene. I still don’t know if my help was necessary or not, but if I’d left it to chance and stood by as the Nightmare consumed you, I would never have forgiven myself.”

Sunset’s earlier irritation faded as she reasoned, “So you made a judgment call? Over me?”

“I’d have done so for anyone, Sunset. Any life is worth saving, because every life matters in the end. Yours, mine, anyone’s life. And regardless, did anyone tell you to reject the Nightmare?”

“Well, no. I mean, it offered me everything I’d ever wanted, everything that I still hoped for, but then I heard all of them and…” Sunset put the pieces together and realized, “That wasn’t you.”

“Or Luna. It was all you, Sunset. You read their emotions, felt their regret and remorse, and despite how much they’d hurt you, you still chose to reach out to them. Because you knew how it felt to be in that much pain, and it hurt you to think of them feeling likewise, no matter how much they deserved it.”

Sunset smiled. “Because I’m not a monster.”

“You threw aside and let go of that guilt all on your own, and that was an important victory all by itself.” Crystal Faire smiled again. “That was the first nail in the Nightmare’s coffin. Luna’s presence, free of the guilt she’d carried over Nightmare Moon and the Nyx, bought you the time you needed to help your friends to resolve their guilt, and I mean all of them. As for me, well, I didn’t bring any guilt with me. One consequence of my life is that I’ve been able to deal with it and carry on, for better or worse. All I did in that mess was buy you a little extra time to resolve the deepest guilt of all.”

“Twilight’s.”

“Exactly. I’m not the hero of that story, Sunset. You are. Remember that.”

Sunset laughed. “I think I can do that.” A third donut was taken up as the former unicorn smiled, “And I was right. Twilight did make good on her promise. I just wish it hadn’t taken her almost five months.”

“Don’t be too hard on her. There were forces conspiring against Twilight, but even they could only hold out so long. You said it yourself, chaos theory. Man plans, God laughs.” The alicorn looked relieved as she studied Sunset’s face. “Better?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“Well I’m afraid I’m going to have to give you another apology. Before I came in here, I left a journal with the Twilight you know, detailing everything I’ve figured out about how the multiverse works. It’s going to give you a headache.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “I guess I’m going to have to redo my Powerpoint.” She shrugged. “Small price to pay, I guess. Thank you at least, for coming and talking this all out.”

“Thank you for listening. And if it helps, I doubt you’ll be seeing me again for a while, and not for anything more serious than a social visit.”She wiped her face again and stood up from her seat, one of the last donuts grasped in her magic as she made her way to depart. “I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you need it. Whatever comes next, you can handle it. And not just because I say so.”

Sunset watched the alicorn leave the bridge realm, then took the last donut for herself and made her way back to Canterlot High. A tiny part of her wondered what else was different as a result of Crystal Faire’s intervention, but another part found itself thinking that perhaps it didn’t matter. What was done was done, and it was hardly worth fretting over it now, especially with everything she was involved with right now.

Crystal Faire was right. Sunset would handle it, whatever came down the road, because she had her friends and family beside her.

As she emerged into the teacher’s lounge, however, the loud sirens of a fire drill rang through her ears, and Sunset cringed, stuffed the last of the donut in her mouth and covered her ears with her hands. That was one thing she wouldn’t miss about Canterlot High when the time came, though it was still a long time in coming.

Author's Note

Crystal Faire, of course, comes from various stories written by RQK. My thanks to them for proofreading this installment and offering their suggestions.

Chapter One - Together in Laughter

“Hey Quivs. Long time no see.”

Quiver Quill stood for what felt like an eternity in disbelief. Despite his eyes and heart and every instinct screaming at him that what he was seeing was true, it still felt like it wasn’t. And yet, it was. Right before him, hardly any different from the last time he’d seen her, was Sunrunner.

His shock passed as a faint smile formed on his face, and hints of tears formed at the corners of his eyes, and he rushed forward and took the mare into a tight embrace. “Hey, careful!” Despite her shock, she laughed in pleased surprise as she returned the embrace, then playfully asked, “How do you know I’m not a changeling?”

“Like a changeling would know that stupid poem I wrote!” He released her, then wiped away his tears before smirking at the mare before him. “But how do you know I’m not a changeling?”

She returned the smirk. “What did Scorpan say to Star Swirl on the eve of his departure?”

Quiver shook his head but kept his expression. “Nopony knows the answer to that question.”

“True.” She raised an eyebrow. “But who did I learn it from?”

His smirk turned into a grin. “Me.” He laughed. “I’ve missed you, Runnie.”

She smiled back at him, now totally at ease. “Same here, Quivs. You look good.”

“Thanks. So do you.” Now it was his turn to be nervous as he admitted, “Granted, that’s not a hard thing for you, but…”

“Hey Quiver, you mind not leaving the door open?” Quiver turned back to see his housemate approach from the kitchen. “I don’t want flies buzzing around while we’re…” Sour Sweet stopped, and a grim expression settled onto her face.

That suddenly got the stallion worried again as he turned around and saw a similar expression on the face of his guest. “Okay, before anypony jumps to any conclusions…” He was silenced by the pegasus’s raised wing, and she gently moved him aside.

“Two-Face.”

“Warbler.” Sour stepped towards the mare before her, never once breaking eye contact.

“Care to explain what you’re doing here?”

“I live here. Care to explain why you took so damn long getting back in touch with my cousin?”

Sunrunner’s grim stare broke into wide-eyed surprise, while Sour’s turned into a pleased grin. The former looked between the two cousins, then turned thoughtful. “Okay, I can believe the two of you are related. I’ve seen Quiver when he’s angry.” She shook her head and sighed. “I guess I’ve got some catching up to do.”

“You both do, and you can do it over breakfast.” Sour gestured for the two to come back inside. “The four of us, together.”

Before Sunrunner could inquire about that statement, she was answered as a raven perched himself upon her head and gently rubbed his beak against her right ear. “Hello!”

“Yeah, that’s Edgar.” Quiver smiled. “Don’t worry, he’s friendly.”

The pegasus smiled. “So I’ve noticed.” She stepped inside and allowed Quiver to close the door behind her as she admitted, “And breakfast sounds great.”

Pinkie Pie hummed happily to herself as she carried out another batch of baked goods ready for purchase. “Did we just have our first customer of the day?”

Mrs. Cake nodded. “And right after I unlocked the door, too. A pegasus came in, asked for directions, and bought a bagel. Whoever her parents were, they did a good job of raising her.” The portly mare went about her work setting up for the day as she continued, “You’d be surprised how often somepony comes into a place like this and loiters around without even buying anything. I’ve got nothing against ponies coming into the shop mind you, but I would prefer that they buy something.” She sighed. “It doesn’t even have to be expensive, just something small.”

“Aww! That’s good!” Pinkie finished setting things up and asked, “So where was she trying to get directions to? Twilight’s library?”

“Strangely enough, they were asking for directions to your friend Quiver Quill’s place.” She smiled and leaned in. “Between you and me, I think she might be somepony special to him…” She then noticed the strange look on Pinkie’s face and asked, “Pinkie, dear, are you alright?”

The party planner looked far more serious than she’d ever been as she asked, “What did this mare look like, Mrs. Cake?”

A question like that got her attention as she answered. “Well, she was about your age, maybe a little older. Pegasus, amber coat, red and yellow mane, eyes colored like Princess Luna’s…”

Pinkie gasped as the picture formed in her mind and she realized just who had stepped into the shop. “Missed her by that much!” She then bolted to the door, then briefly turned back. “I gotta go, Mrs. Cake! I’ll be back in a half-hour! I gotta get Twilight and then take her to Quiver’s place!”

“Alright, but why…?!”

“Because somepony important just came to town, and it’s about darn time, too!” She then flung open the door and bolted out of it before it could even close behind her, blowing away the mane of the next pony to enter.

Mrs. Cake watched dumbstruck, then shook her head and hoped for an explanation later as her next customer came up. “What can I get ya?”

With a terrific yawn, Spike stretched out and rose from his bed in Golden Oak Library. The previous evening had a bit more exhausting than he liked, given all the excitement, and he suspected that today would be just as crazy, if not moreso. That tended to be the way things went in Ponyville – as dull as things could be sometimes, when they got exciting, they got really exciting, and tended to stay that way for a couple days at a time. Thankfully, that excitement was never anything that they couldn’t handle.

That bit of reflection done, he then climbed out of bed to grab some breakfast, hopeful that he still had some emeralds squirreled away somewhere to nibble on while he fixed something a bit heavier up for himself and Twilight. The alicorn, unsurprisingly, was already up, and no doubt at work on something downstairs. She’d probably grabbed something for herself, but depending on what she’d gotten into, she might well have forgotten to eat. Good thing she had her Number One and Number Two Assistants, then.

Without further ado, Spike made his way down to the main floor of the library. Sure enough, he found Twilight sitting at a table, hard at work on a letter with a mug of coffee at her side. “Hey Twilight. You had any breakfast yet?”

“Fixed up a little toast, but other than that, just some juice and coffee.” She put aside her quill and reviewed the letter before her. “Wanted to get this done before anything else.”

Spike approached and glanced over her shoulder. “Another letter to the personnel offices of the Royal Guard? Twilight, this’ll be your, what, seventh one since we found out Sunrunner was part of it?”

“I know, but I’m not sure what else I can do. Silver Bullet and Pixie Dust are caught up in their duties here liaising between me, the Mayor and the Royal Corps of Engineers, so I can’t ask them to make a special trip to Canterlot just to try and get in touch with her. There are procedures keeping me or Celestia from going to her directly, and asking Shining Armor to step in and do something would be overkill. Going through proper channels is the best I can do.”

“Yeah, I get that, but if proper channels were going to work, they would’ve after the first or second letter.” The dragon gave her a comforting look as he noted, “Twi, I get why you’re in such a rush over this. First you promised Sunset that you’d try to track her down, now you find out that she’s got a connection to Quiver. And after last night, I can’t blame you for putting in a little extra effort. I’m just saying that maybe it’s time to change your approach.”

“What, like charge into the personnel offices and directly request her current assignment and address and ruffle the feathers of every civil servant involved in the process? If this was something which the fate of Equestria depended upon, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but…” Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “…but compared to that, this is small potatoes, and all I can do is disappoint two of my friends and feel lower than dirt.”

Spike flashed a hopeful smile. “Well, maybe you’ll get lucky somehow?”

“That would be nice, but it’s not like she’s just going to drop in on us out of the blue.”

The door to the library swung open, and the pony responsible rushed in so quickly that she blew Twilight’s mane around. “Twilight, you and Spike gotta come with me now!”

“Pinkie, wha…?” The alicorn shook her mane back into place. “What’s going on that’s got you this excited?!”

“It’s Sunrunner!” The party pony beamed happily as she explained, “She came into Sugarcube Corner earlier today, bought a bagel and asked Mrs. Cake for directions to Quiver’s place! She’s probably there right now!”

Spike allowed himself a smug look before Twilight asked, “Did you see her yourself?”

“Nope, I missed her by a hair, but can we really ignore this chance?”

“No, no we can’t!” Twilight grasped the party pony and her assistant in her magic and pulled them close. “Owlowiscious! Hold the library while we’re gone, and fetch the message journal just in case!” The owl barely had time to acknowledge before the alicorn hugged the pair close and teleported out of the library as if lives depended on it.

“…And that’s the short version.” As breakfast was portioned out, Quiver smiled. “I’ve had a little more excitement than I’d like since I arrived in town, but then again, it’s Ponyville.”

“No kidding. This place has seen more surprises in the last eighteen months than Indy ever did.” Sunrunner smirked at one of her hosts. “And speaking of surprises, I’m amazed that you can actually cook, Two-Face.”

Sour returned the smirk. “Don’t give me too much credit. It’s hard to screw up oatmeal and hay bacon.”

Quiver rolled his eyes as he mixed some brown sugar into his oatmeal. “If the two of you are going to keep competing with each other, this is going to be a very unpleasant meal.”

The two mares sighed as the pegasus gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry Quivs. A little friendly competitiveness is encouraged in our line of work.” She added some chunks of apple to her oatmeal and changed the subject. “Still, I’m a little surprised to find you rooming with your cousin. How’d that happen?”

“That’s another story.” Quiver gave his cousin a proud smile. “I’ll leave her to explain. I refuse to have loose lips.”

“Sink ships!” Edgar cawed before returning to his own breakfast of dried mealworms and fish.

The three ponies shared a chuckle at that before Sunrunner continued. “Okay, fine, let me guess.” She gave the unicorn a curious look. “You snagged protection detail for Princess Twilight?”

Sour raised an eyebrow. “Jealous?”

“Very. That’s a choice assignment.” Sunrunner bowed her head. “And something tells me one of those won’t be coming for me again very soon.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Sour got to her hooves. “Let’s table that, huh? You two have bigger things to talk about.” She then made her way out of the room, leaving the reunited couple to themselves.

“Well anyway, I’m impressed, Quivs. You hang out with one of Equestria’s princesses! If our classmates could see you now, they’d be stumbling all over themselves trying to take advantage of that.” She rolled her eyes. “Most of them, anyway.”

“Like that would do any good. Twilight’s set a precedence against nepotism.”

That prompted a smile from the pegasus. “Good for her.” Sunrunner took a breath and managed a rueful smile. “I guess we need to address the elephant in the room, don’t we?”

“Ideally before he draws attention to himself.” Quiver put down his spoon and turned to face her. “What happened, Runnie? I mean, I get it, you leaving wasn’t my fault, and I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. You being here is proof enough for that. But…”

She raised a wing to his lips. “But you still deserve answers.” She pulled back her wing and explained, “You’re right, it wasn’t your fault. I wouldn’t have memorized that poem if it didn’t matter to me. And I’ve felt miserable about leaving you behind in that Tartarus pit with Primrose and High Note and the rest of those plotholes.” She slumped slightly as she explained, “I left because of family stuff. I had…I have a cousin. Her name’s Sunset Shimmer. My parents took her in after her mom and dad, my aunt and uncle, died. You never met her because she was in Canterlot, attending Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

Quiver grew worried. “What happened to her?”

The mare bowed her head. “That’s the worst part. I don’t know. It’s like she just dropped off the face of the planet that fall. Mom whisked us off to Canterlot and transferred me to another school after she vanished, and aside from some lingering resentment against Princess Celestia, that was that.” She offered the stallion an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I never told you about her, Quivs.”

He returned the smile. “Hey, you’re under no obligation to tell me about your relatives. I never told you about Sour.” His expression turned regretful as he amended, “Or my brother.”

That got her attention. “You have a brother?”

“Had. Long, sad story.”

Before Quiver could elaborate, Sour cleared her throat. The two looked up as the unicorn explained, “Sorry to interrupt, but we have company.” The unicorn stepped aside to reveal their guests. “I don’t believe they need any introduction.”

Sunrunner rose from her seat and stood at attention at the sight of the alicorn mare before her. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, ma’am! First Lieutenant Sunrunner, Equestrian Royal Guard! It’s an honor and a privilege to meet you!” She turned to the pony and dragon beside the princess and added, “And of course the two of you as well, Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie and Sir Spike.”

Twilight gave a nervous smile. “The honor’s mine, and you don’t need to be that formal. Just Twilight is fine.”

Pinkie simply rushed forward and took her into a joyful hug. “And just call me Pinkie! The more I hear that name, the more I think my mane’s gone flat!”

The dragon beside her smirked and noted, “I dunno, I could stand a little more of being called ‘Sir Spike’.”

Quiver rolled his eyes. “Careful Spike, you’ll get in trouble saying things like that.” He then turned to Twilight and asked, “To what do we owe this? You weren’t that worried about me, were you?”

“Well, I was planning on stopping in to see you later today, but circumstances got me to hurry things up a little.” She turned to Sunrunner and explained, “Specifically, you being here, Lieutenant. I’ve actually been trying to get in touch with you for months now.”

That took the pegasus mare by surprise. “Me? Really? What’s so special about me?”

“You mean besides being the only friend Quiver had when he had to deal with bullies and meanies and lousy teachers and his dad making him feel lousy and miserable, and the fact that you’re friends with Twilight’s coltfriend, and the fact that you’re a really nice pony and you look exactly the way we always pictured you’d look?” Pinkie blinked as she paused and considered her statement. “Okay, that last one is a little bit of a stretch.”

Quiver looked a little embarrassed as he admitted, “Well, I might’ve talked about you in very positive terms. And made clear how much I missed you.”

Sour snorted. “There’s an understatement.”

“Well regardless, Pinkie’s not far off.” Twilight smiled as she turned her attention back towards Sunrunner and noted, “Still, this was amazing timing. What are you doing here in Ponyville? And how did you know Quiver was living here?”

Sunrunner laughed. “There’s actually not much of a story there.” She turned to Quiver and asked, “You’ve been getting invitations to that upcoming class reunion, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ve been pitching them after the first one.” He frowned. “Like you said, Tartarus pit.”

“Well, me being overly optimistic, I got roped into helping put the thing together, only to overhear that Primrose had a cruel prank planned. Don’t know the details, but knowing her, it’ll be like something out of Monarch Crown, only worse.”

Quiver raised an eyebrow. “Involving High Note?”

The pegasus nodded. “The one good thing that came out of it was that I got your current address. Never had much luck with your old one.”

“That’s nice and all, but if you had his old address, when what took you so long to try and get in touch?” Sour gave her comrade a critical glare. “We both know there was a short gap between graduating from the regular courses in the Academy and that first assignment you had.”

“Yeah, and I tried visiting there in pony, but all I got for my trouble was a bitter old stallion raging at me for wasting his time with a survey and threatening to call the police if I didn’t get off his property.”

Quiver raised a hoof to just above his head. “Little taller than me?” He gestured towards his muzzle and added, “Beard?” At the mare’s nod, he grumbled, “That would be my father.”

Sour shook her head and groaned. “Yep, that sounds like Uncle Bits.”

“The annoying thing is that he probably had me doing yard work or something that day. You practically missed me by a hair or so.”

“Well regardless, the two of you have found each other now.” Twilight beamed at the pair. “And from the looks of things, you’re having a much better reunion than I did when I reunited with some old friends.” She then turned to Sunrunner and asked, “Anyway, any plans now that you’re here?”

She shrugged. “Nothing specific.” She turned to Quiver and explained, “I mean, I hoped that I’d meet Quiver, get caught up over a few, give him my current address and maybe plan for getting together again. I’ve gotten one of my best friends back, and I’m not about to lose him again.”

Quiver considered that. “Well, maybe we can do a little more than that.” He turned to Sour and explained, “Sour still needs to get the lay of the land, and there’s plenty of other ponies here in town that I know you’d love to meet. Maybe I can show the two of you around and make some introductions.”

“Other…?” Sunrunner glanced between the princess and her friend and almost exclaimed, “Don’t tell me…!”

“Yes, Runnie, I know the other Bearers!” He gave her a teasing grin. “Don’t be too shocked.”

“I’m not shocked, Quivs, I’m impressed! And proud!” She laughed and turned to Twilight and Pinkie as she admitted, “And a little envious. The closest I’ve come to meeting any of you before today was having a record I set at Wonderbolt Academy get beaten by Rainbow Dash.” She extended one wing and held two feathers apart by a hair. “Just by a hair, though.”

“Well be careful bringing that up with her, or she’ll want to see what you’ve got.”

The pegasus smirked at the dragon’s warning. “Well she won’t find me lacking when she does.” She then turned back to Quiver and asked, “So where do we start?”

“Well, if I could make a suggestion?” Attention turned back to Twilight as she explained, “If you could, try to end it with a visit to Golden Oak Library. I have something that I’d like to share with the three of you, but I need a little time to prepare for it.”

“And before that, you guys have got to come to Sugarcube Corner again!” Pinkie smiled gleefully as she declared, “I can’t just let Quiver’s best friend visiting town happen without her getting an extra special treat to celebrate the reunion, or without properly meeting the Cakes! Pound and Pumpkin are gonna love you!”

Quiver grinned at that. “As if that wasn’t on the list, but we’ll work up to it. As for where to go first…” The grin faded as the first place he thought of was instantly ruled out. “It’s definitely not going to be Carousel Boutique.” As his marefriend looked at him in surprise, he explained, “Primrose is going to be in town today visiting there. She commissioned Rarity to make her a dress, probably for the reunion.”

The mare made a disappointed sigh. “Why am I not surprised? If the elites are talking about it, Primrose is definitely going to want a part of the attention.” She turned apologetic as she explained, “Sorry, but I’ve seen Rarity’s designs in Canterlot at Hoity Toity’s boutique. A part of me’s always wanted one, but they’re way too pricy for my pay grade. Just meeting her would be enough though, for obvious reasons.”

Quiver smiled hopefully. “Well maybe you’ll still get the chance. Plenty of time in the day.” He gestured back to their meal and said, “First, though, let’s not leave that unfinished.”

Twilight suddenly turned apologetic. “Ooh, sorry Quiver. We’ll leave so the three of you can finish your breakfast in peace.” She ushered Pinkie and Spike out and concluded, “Anyway, I’m glad to have met you Sunrunner, and I’m looking forward to seeing you again later today.”

The pegasus gave a polite nod. “And you as well, Princess Twilight.” As the alicorn closed the door behind her, Sunrunner turned back to her coltfriend and smiled. “I can’t believe how casual you are with her.”

Quiver shrugged. “She’s my friend. Not a lot of reason to be crazy on the formalities.”

“Well, good for you.” She reclaimed her seat and got back to her meal. “Anyway, if you’re up for it, I’d like to hear about your brother.”

“You sure?” At her nod, Quiver relented. “Alright, but be warned, his story won’t paint him or me in a positive light.”

She gave him an encouraging smile. “Nopony’s perfect, Quivs. I’m not gonna pretend otherwise. And the sooner I hear everything from you, the sooner you can show me around town, and something tells me we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

Quiver grinned. “Well, hopefully there won’t be too many more surprises on the way.”

Twilight sighed as she gained more and more distance from Quiver’s home. “Thank you, Pinkie.”

The party planner looked at her in surprise. “What for?”

“For not saying anything about Sunset Shimmer in front of Sunrunner.” The princess smiled. “I mean, I know you take secrets seriously, but no one swore you to secrecy about this.”

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t say anything about Sunset! It wasn’t my place to talk about her, and you obviously had a plan to do it!” Pinkie then took her friend into a warm hug and assured her, “And you’re gonna be great, Twilight! I know it!” With that, she turned and skipped off back to Sugar Cube Corner.

As they watched her go, Spike looked up at Twilight and asked, “So, do you have a plan?”

The alicorn smiled. “I do. Come on, we need to get back to the library. I’ve got a message to write.”

Chapter Two - Honest Work and Dishonest Intent

Ponyville’s tiny train station was often quite busy due to ponies coming and going from the small town for one reason or another. There’d been discussion of expanding it, or at the very least adding a second platform and putting down more track given the uptick in visitors of late, but nothing had come of it due to budgetary constraints in the mayor’s office. For now, it could only hold one train at a time, which was fine so long as they arrived on time and without incident.

One such train slowed as it came into the station, its passengers unloading within seconds of its carriage doors sliding open. As various ponies milled about and went on their way, a few even stopping to meet and talk with ponies waiting for them at the station, a disgusted whine sounded from inside of the train. “Ponyville! It had to be Ponyville!” Ponies were shoved aside by a bulky, dark brown earth pony mare as the speaker emerged from the train carriage. “What self-respecting fashion designer has a boutique in some hick-infested dump like this? She could at least have some class and live in Canterlot!”

Following a short distance behind the earth pony was a pale white unicorn mare who carried herself as if she were royalty, her head held high as if to show off her fancifully-curled deep red mane for all to see. Disgust was clear in her pale green eyes as she looked about at her surroundings, and she and her entourage made their way off their platform as quickly as they could.

A bulky earth pony stallion with a smug grin on his face and a pale coral pegasus followed her out, the former looking about the place with a condescending look in his eyes. “Place doesn’t even have a stadium. What got it on the map anyway?”

The pegasus rolled her eyes. “Nightmare Moon. O-D-C Primrose, this place should’ve been called ‘Freaksville’.”

Primrose Thorn smirked as she considered her lackey’s remark. “You make a pretty good point, Hot Trail.” The smirk faded from her face as she returned to her earlier disgust. “It’s no shocker that Blunder Bill found his way here. A place like this is perfect for him.”

The stallion made a laugh that sounded something like a grunt and a chuckle mixed together. “Friendship capitol of Equestria? Of course the little fag’s here.”

“And if everything had gone properly, Chum-Scummer would’ve convinced him to come to us.” Primrose turned back to scowl at the pale coral pegasus. “Shame somepony had to blab.”

Hot Trail made a shocked expression and countered, “Like, how was I suppose to –?”

“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you screwed up, and now you and Roxy are gonna fix it.” She huffed angrily and turned about. “Putrid Swill lives somewhere in this two-bit town, and I’ll just bet that one of these freaks will be able to point you towards him. Find him, and convince him to come back for the reunion.” A cruel grin crossed her face as she noted, “I don’t want all that hard work to go to waste, now do I?”

The earth pony mare in their party made an eager grunt. “Nope. Don’t want that. You got his address, Hot Trail?”

The pegasus nodded. “Like, duh!”

Primrose rolled her eyes at her two lackeys’ antics. “Well, then what are you waiting for?! Go on and find him already!” As the pair dashed off, she turned to the stallion and grinned. “Now then Brick, I believe I still have another reason to be here?”

Brick Wall grinned back at his significant other. “Oh yeah. Gotta look nice for your big night.”

“You should’ve been here last night, Warbler.” Sour Sweet’s grin was equally teasing and proud as she looked to her cousin while the trio made their way along. “We had quite the adventure, Quiver especially.”

Quiver rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do anything special.”

“You took on a bunch of timberwolves with nothing but a flaming torch to protect a bunch of young fillies. Not everypony can do that.”

“Still had to get my plot bailed out.”

Sunrunner giggled. “That makes three of us.”

Sour groaned, then managed a laugh as the trio continued along. Breakfast had progressed quietly for the three ponies, and enough time had passed for them to work out a rough itinerary for the day, with the first stop coming into view as they reached the southwestern edge of Ponyville, an immense orchard coming into view before them. “Well, don’t be surprised if you get bugged with all the details. One of the little munchkins lives here.”

The pegasus turned surprised as she realized what that meant. “But that means…” She moved forward a little and gave her coltfriend a gentle slap with one wing. “Dang, Quivs! Look at you being awesome!”

As a loud bang sounded nearby followed by several dull thuds, Quiver smiled and countered, “Well, they do it more often than I do.”

The trio found themselves a small distance away from another trio, this one a group of earth ponies setting about their work. The orange mare among them paused in her work to wipe some sweat from her brow, but satisfaction was on her face. “Well, that gets this part’a the orchard done. Alright y’all, let’s…” She caught sight of their guests and laughed. “Well I’ll be! Howdy Quiver!”

“Hey Applejack!” The stallion laughed and led the rest of the party along as he approached the three Apple siblings. “Hope I didn’t time things badly, but I wanted to help Sour get acquainted with all the highlights of Ponyville, and I’ve got somepony I want you and the girls to meet.”

The farmmare’s eyes found themselves on the flame-haired mare, and delight crossed her features. “Well Maker bless me. You two found each other again.” She approached the three and kept her attention on the mare in question. “Sunrunner, Ah presume?”

A nod. “I guess Quivs has been talking me up.”

“Not as much as you’d think, but what he has said spoke volumes.” She offered a hoof. “Name’s Applejack, and it’s a right honor meetin’ ya.” After a brief shake, she then introduced her two siblings. “That there’s my older brother, Big McIntosh, an’ my little sister, Apple Bloom.”

“Dang! You look exactly the way Ah thought you would!” The little filly was wide-eyed and awestruck at the mare before her. “No wonder Quiver talked ya up as much as he did!”

The lone stallion among the siblings chuckled quietly. “Yep.”

Sunrunner took on a nervous smile as she admitted, “Well, don’t put me up too high, I’m nopony special. At least, not an Element of Harmony.”

“Gal, all mah hero stuff’s done because Ah needed to do it. You chose to do it, same as Sour an’ everypony else who put on that armor. That’s worth somethin’, and don’t you pretend otherwise.” A tiny bit of shame crossed her face as she admitted, “An’ jus’ because Ah’m me don’t mean Ah ain’t made the odd mistake here and there. We’re just held to slightly higher standards is all, an’ the time comes here and there where we don’t realize it soon enough.”

Big Mac smirked. “Nuthin’ to do about that but try not to repeat it, though.”

Applejack nodded. “Anyway, y’all are fine, me an’ Apple Bloom were jus’ helpin’ Big Mac with the last’a his chores. Now we jus’ need to get all these apples off to storage.”

“Can we help?” Sour cast her gaze on the bushels of apples around them, then gestured towards her horn. “Six ponies will get the job done a lot faster than three, especially with a little of this thrown in.” Applejack gained a hesitant look, at which point the unicorn prodded, “Don’t tell me you’ve got something against magic getting the job done a little easier.”

The farmmare frowned. “Tiny mixed feelin’s. Gonna have to forgive me, but Ah’ve always been kind of a traditionalist, and usin’ unicorn magic feels like a cheat half the time. Plus you’re guests.” She relented and admitted, “But liftin’ bushels into a wagon ain’t easy work with teeth, and ya’ll are volunteerin’.”

“So let’s get on with it.” Sour’s magic enveloped several of the waiting barrels as she helped to carry them to a waiting wagon.

As the work continued, Apple Bloom kept close to Sunrunner and asked, “So have ya heard about everythin’ that happened last night?”

“I’ve heard a little, but it sounds like you had quite the adventure.” She grinned encouragingly. “Wouldn’t mind hearing more about it.”

The filly beamed happily, then launched into her tale as she continued to help load up the wagon. “Well, to start with, y’all should know that Ah’d been puttin’ up with this pair’a bullies fer a while now, Diamond Tiara an’ Silver Spoon. They started givin’ me an’ some’a the other kids in school grief over not havin’ cutie marks a little over a year ago, an’ it got worse from there.”

A grim look settled over the pegasus’ features. “Not a lot got done about it, I take it.”

Apple Bloom noticed the shameful look on her sister’s face. “No, but what did get done helped plenty, and it was a lot more than what got done fer you an’ Quiver from what he’s said, especially after last night.” At her elder sister’s slight smile, she continued, “Anywho, things changed a lot yesterday after Quiver stepped in…”

“Oh, this looks absolutely magnificent!” Rarity beamed as she surveyed the garment before her. “You’ve come quite a ways as a seamstress, Sweetie Belle!”

Her little sister blushed, but was nonetheless proud of herself. “Well, it’s nothing like what you can do. I just hope he likes it.”

“Oh I’m certain he will, dear.” The elder sibling looked about and wondered aloud, “Now as for properly packaging this. I should have something about to store it in until we can properly gift it to him.” She wandered off in one direction as the bell rang at her door. “Sweetie Belle, would you see to that please?”

“Yes Rarity!” The young filly dashed out of one of the back rooms of Carousel Boutique and into the main part of the store. Despite being grounded until her parents got back from their trip, she was in high spirits, mostly thanks to everything that happened last night, and she was already looking forward to giving Quiver his thank-you gift for everything that had happened last night. At this point, she doubted that anything would dampen her mood. “Good morning! Rarity…!”

“Well here we are at last!” The filly was greeted by the sight of two grown ponies, a unicorn mare and an earth pony stallion. The mare had a smirk on her face that reminded Sweetie Belle a little too much of Diamond Tiara as she asked, “This is, Carousel Boutique, isn’t it?”

“Yes ma’am, and…”

“Well, if you’d be so kind as to fetch the dress that was reserved for me.” She raised an eyebrow and beckoned, “Well? What are you waiting for?”

The filly turned apologetic. “I don’t know where it is, ma’am.”

“You don’t? Well, clearly this boutique is lacking in its employees.”

“Oh, I don’t work here, I’m…”

“Apologies!” Rarity emerged from the back room and into the store proper. “I was busy with something for another client and I asked my little sister to greet you. I am Rarity, and I happily welcome you to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique. Primrose Thorn, I presume?”

The mare gave a satisfied smirk. “Indeed.” She gestured to her escort. “My fiancé, Brick Wall. Clearly you’ve heard of us.”

“Of course, madame.” Rarity, of course, kept how she’d heard of them to herself. She then turned to her sister and quietly suggested, “Sweetie Belle, I do believe that Opalescence is due for her grooming. Would you be so kind as to take her off to Fluttershy?”

“Sure. I’ll go and find her, and then I’ll be out of everypony’s manes.”

The filly then scampered off, and Primrose smiled. “Thank you. I’d rather not have any distractions if I can help it.”

A careful smile formed on Rarity’s face. “Nor I.” She then gestured for the two to follow. “Now then, I’ve made your gown to your specifications, though I’ve made a few variations on it, just in case you ended up changing your mind about one detail or another.”

“Wonderful.” A chuckle escaped Primose’s mouth as she admitted, “I always like to have options.”

“…An’ when that first timberwolf lunged at us, Quiver hit it right in the muzzle with his torch! Pow!” Apple Bloom punched the air with a foreleg for emphasis as she trotted alongside her siblings and their guests and continued her tale. “An’ then he punched it right in the face, an’ it broke inta deadwood! Two more attacked us, an’ he burned the first one an’ bucked the second one…”

“And that was when Big Mac rushed in and started everyone saving our collective flanks.” Quiver smiled as the group closed in on the Apple family’s farmhouse. “Bucked the third one hard enough that it flew right into a tree and shattered into splinters.”

The filly smiled. “Well yeah, but Big Mac doin’ somethin’ like that ain’t a surprise. Everythin’ you did though, that was somethin’.”

“I’d say so.” Sunrunner gave her coltfriend a proud grin as an elderly mare emerged from the farmhouse and into view. “Always thought you had something like that in you.”

“Yeah, well, you wait until you hear the whole story before you cast judgment.”

“Ah’d take his advice if’n Ah was you, missy!” The elderly mare caught up to them at last and finished, “Fella knows what he’s talkin’ about.”

Quiver chuckled softly and made introductions. “Runnie, meet the matriarch of the Apple Clan, Granny Smith. Granny Smith, this is my marefriend, Sunrunner.”

The pegasus made a polite bow, and the elderly mare looked her over. “Well ain’t you a sight. Can’t blame Quiver fer talkin’ you up.” She frowned. “Shame. I wuz hopin’ him an’ Applejack would end up together.”

A raised eyebrow went towards the mare in question as Sunrunner considered that. “Really.”

Granny Smith chuckled as Applejack turned apprehensive at the mare’s glare. “Don’t get a burr in yer saddle. Ah ain’t one for wreckin’ relationships. Did it once by accident when Ah wuz yer age an’ Ah still feel lousy fer it.” That got Sunrunner to relax, and the elder mare smiled. “Anywho, right nice to see ya, an’ it’s good that you an’ Quiver found each other again.”

“Thanks, ma’am. Believe me, I’m glad that he and I found one another again too.” She then cast a smile towards the Apples as a whole and noted, “And I’m glad he’s found some good friends.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” She turned back to her grandkids and called, “Big Mac, you go ‘n get those apples stored away. Applejack, ain’t you still got those chores to take care of? Take Apple Bloom with ya an’ have her help. She’s still bein’ punished after all fer runnin’ the risk she did.”

Applejack gave her grandmother a curious look, but nodded. “Alright Granny.” She turned to the two remaining mares and offered, “Sunrunner, Sour, Ah can’t ask either a’ ya to help out, but Ah’d appreciate the chance to talk with ya fer a bit while me an’ Apple Bloom work.”

She shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’ll give Apple Bloom the chance to finish her story.”

Sour smirked. “I’ll finish it for her. The little timberwolves pulled themselves together into a big one, and I blew it up.” She and Sunrunner followed the two Apple sisters as she continued, “What happened after that, though, you’re better off hearing about from Quiver. Trust me.”

“Hope ya don’t mind me gettin’ ya away from yer marefriend fer a bit.” Quiver’s attention turned back to Granny Smith as she explained, “Applejack an’ Big Mac told me what ya told them last night. ‘Bout yer family.” She laid a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Ah’m awful sorry. Nopony should have’ta go through life dealin’ with things like that. An’ fer them tellin’ me without askin’ fer yer okay.”

He softly smiled. “I didn’t exactly swear them to secrecy.”

“Nah, ya didn’t. But those two know better’n to keep secrets from me, even when they probably should.” She frowned and added, “An’ that don’t change the fact that what Ah heard from ‘em was heartbreakin’. No parent should talk to their kids like that.”

An eyebrow rose at the old mare’s tone of voice. “That doesn’t sound like normal disapproval.”

“It ain’t, an’ Ah’d appreciate it if’n ya don’t pry too much into it.” At Quiver’s nod, she continued, “Still, yer daddy bein’ angry Ah get. Ah know the pain’a outlivin’ yer youngin’s. No excuse fer him takin’ out that anger on you, puttin’ you down ‘cuz he could. Ain’t no wonder what you almost did to Spoiled Milk last night.”

“I almost murdered her in an act of rage.”

“Almost, darlin’. That only counts with horseshoes an’ dynamite.” She smiled and reassured him, “My grandchildren ain’t the sorts to make nice with bad ponies. You’ve risked yer life fer my granddaughter, an’ stopped yerself from doin’ somethin’ terrible right in front’a her, even if it was to somepony who probably had it comin’. Had the decency to be ashamed’a lettin’ the worst parts’a ya come to the forefront, too. Tells me that fer all their faults, yer folks did somethin’ right raisin’ ya.” Her expression grew dourer as she amended, “’Sides, Ah get the feelin’ that pain didn’t start with yer daddy. That grandmother’a yers sounds like she got issues, an’ that jus’ made things worse fer alla’ ya.”

A rueful smile crossed Quiver’s face. “The sad thing is, I’ve got an easy time believing exactly that.”

A more pleased one crossed Granny Smith’s face. “All the more reason to be glad yer livin’ here now. Less likely you’ll have that weighin’ down on ya.” She gave him an affectionate shove. “Now you go an’ have yerself a good day with that filly a’ yers. You’ve earned it.”

“Yes ma’am.” He turned away, then paused and looked back, the rueful smile now an appreciative one. “And thank you.”

“Awful sorry that we can’t sit down and talk with y’all proper, but this is a workin’ farm.” The four mares approached a pig pen to find a number of full-grown pigs contentedly lazing about in the mud. “Plenty to do, an’ only four’a us to do it. An’ with Sweet Apple Acres bein’ on the short list fer the Best Orchard in Equestria contest, the pressure’s been cranked up a bit.”

“Hey, I understand. You have stuff that needs to get done before a certain point, otherwise the slop hits the fan. And hopefully, that little extra bit helped.”

“It did, yeah.” Applejack grinned at her guest. “Ain’t gonna stop me from sayin’ this, though. Ah’m glad you an’ Quiver found each other again. Way he talked about ya, you lit up his world like the sun.” The grin faded as she admitted, “Given everythin’ he’s been through, fella could stand to have more stuff in his life to lift him up when he’s down. Me an’ everypony else have helped, no question, but somethin’ tells me he can use all he can get.”

Sunrunner turned alarmed, then looked to Sour Sweet and asked, “Anything specific I need to know about?”

The unicorn frowned. “Better that Quiver tells you, Warbler. Trust me.”

The pegasus gave a grim nod, then turned her attention back to Applejack as the farmmare set a bucket full of slop onto a fencepost, then approached the gate to the sty. “Um, not to question your methods, but what are you doing?”

“Feedin’ the pigs.” Applejack opened, and then closed the gate to the pig sty, then made her way over to the opposite side of the pen. “Ah know what Ah’m doin’ looks a bit silly, but there’s a reason fer every step in it.”

Sunrunner and Sour Sweet shared a perplexed look as the farmmare babbled and made silly noises at the pigs, then turned to Apple Bloom. The filly shrugged. “This is the first time Ah’ve had to help her with these chores. All’a mine’re done.”

“Got up proper early to get ‘em done too.” Applejack made her way back closer to the other three and proceeded to dance and cluck about like a chicken.

Sunrunner’s eyebrow was raised as she considered the sight before her. “Okay, fine, but you want to explain that reasoning?”

“Well, the gate use’ta squeak so loud, the pigs’d run off’ta the other side’a the pen an’ never come out! Ah open an’ close it to show’em it’s safe.”

Sour put a hoof to her forehead, already anticipating a headache. “But it doesn’t squeak anymore.”

“Yeah, fixed it a few days ago. Anyway, Ah realized givin’ ‘em a good fright would get ‘em outta whatever corner they’d rushed to.”

The pegasus gave the pigs a glance to see they hadn’t stirred from their muddy comfort. “Yeah,” she dryly remarked, “they look terrified.”

“They got used to it. That’s why Ah started doin’ the chicken dance, to let ‘em know that if’n they don’t get their food, the chickens will.” She produced some rope and gestured upwards towards a pulley system. “An’ Ah couldn’t open the gate if’n Ah was a chicken, an’ after a fortunate…”

“Oh for the love of…” Sour took up the bucket in her magic, shouted “Soo-IE!” and slopped its contents into a trough. The pigs instantly came running to gobble up their food as the unicorn sighed. “There. Chore’s done.” At Applejack’s gobsmacked expression, she reasoned, “What? You didn’t need all that rigmarole. Like you said, you fixed the gate, and if the pigs don’t recognize those sounds, then there’s something wrong with them.”

“Well yeah, but…!” The farmmare groaned. “But now Ah feel right foolish.”

Sunrunner chuckled. “Don’t be. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine, especially if you’ve been doing it every day for Maker knows how long.” She shared a grin with her fellow soldier and remarked, “Sour and I know that especially.”

“And sometimes it takes an outside perspective to point things out.” Sour gestured towards Apple Bloom and noted, “Good thing you’ve got your little sister to help out, don’t you?”

“Me? Really? Ah ain’t so sure, ah mean, Ah’ve made mistakes too.”

Applejack chuckled as she approached her little sister and affectionately ruffled her mane. “An’ been more sensible than me sometimes too, if’n Ah’m rememberin’ that mess with the poison joke right.”

Sour chuckled. “Sounds like I’m not the only one to straighten out a relative.”

“Hey! No talking about me behind my back!” Quiver finally caught up with them, but the grin on his face undermined his words of protest. “So what have the four of you been up to?”

“Just doing for Applejack what I once did for you.” Sour turned her attention back to the farmmare and noted, “Anyway, the two of you should be able to streamline things from here.”

“Ah’d say so. Thanks fer that, and fer helpin’ with cartin’ those apples. Saved us some time an’ trouble.”

Sunrunner shrugged. “Glad we could help, but I do wish our timing had been better. We caught you guys working, after all.”

“Gal, Ah ain’t complainin’ that y’all came by. If anythin’, Ah’m glad Quiver brought ya by to meet us. Means a lot meetin’ ya, after everythin’ he had to say about ya.” Applejack turned to Quiver and asked, “Speakin’ of meetin’s, anypony else know she’s in town?”

“Twilight, Spike and Pinkie Pie so far.” Quiver laughed as he realized, “Oh no, I should’ve realized.” He turned to Sunrunner and explained, “Pinkie’s gonna throw you a party.” He laughed again and turned to his cousin. “And it’ll probably double for your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.”

At Sour’s huff of displeasure, Applejack advised, “Best accept that it’s gonna happen, Sour. Pinkie can’t avoid throwin’ a party no more’n she can avoid candy on Nightmare Night. Hopefully, though, she can keep it peaceful, like she did with Quiver’s party.”

“An’ hopefully it’ll happen after Rarity’s finished her business with that Primrose mare.” Apple Bloom turned sympathetic as she explained, “Quiver told us about her, too.”

“And thankfully, I know exactly where to go next in order to avoid her.” Quiver turned to Applejack and gave her an apologetic smile. “Hope you don’t mind us getting on our way like this.”

“Not at all, darlin’. You’ve got catchin’ up to do and a few more introductions to make on the way. Sunrunner, you enjoy the rest’a yer day in Ponyville, y’hear?”

“Will do. Thanks for having us.” The trio then departed with a few friendly waves exchanged as Sunrunner asked, “So what’s that about poison joke?”

Quiver chuckled. “Oh, that’s a long story, and a ways before my time.”

The stallion continued his tale as the two Apple siblings went about the rest of their duties, certain that the day would progress well for them and hoping that the same could be said for all of their friends.

As they made their way through town, Hot Trail and Roxy found themselves wanting to get out as quickly as possible. There was nothing wrong with Ponyville per se, of course, but…

“Ugh! This place is so, like, dull!” The coral pegasus gagged as she reviewed the address for their target. “Why’d Sunrunner have to stick her nose where it didn’t belong?”

“Cuz she’s stupid.” The earth pony mare’s laugh sounded more like a grunt, but her mirth faded as she turned her attention towards a nearby house. “Hey, you think that’s the place?”

The pair paused as Hot Trail checked the address. “Think so.” She trotted up to the door and knocked, then waited a few seconds before knocking again. “Maybe he’s not home?”

A scoff. “On a Saturday morning? Where else would he be, at a job? Who works on Saturdays?”

“Excuse me!” The two looked up to find a pale grey pegasus hovering nearby, clad in a postal worker’s uniform. “I’m sorry, could you move aside so I can get to the mailbox please?” They stared at her, which prompted the postmare to explain, “Believe it or not, some ponies do work on Saturdays. Neither rain nor sleet and all that.”

The two moved aside to allow the mare to do her work, with Hot Trail smirking once she got out of the mare’s eyesight. “Hey, do you, like, know the pony who lives here?”

“Quiver? Hm-hmm.” The postmare dropped off a few letters before she turned back to answer further. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, we’re friends of his from back in Indianapoloosa, and we’re trying to reconnect.” She gestured to the door and explained, “But he doesn’t seem to be in…”

“Oh, and you’re wondering where he might be?” At Hot Trail’s nod, the postmare smiled apologetically. “Well, I’m pretty sure Quiver doesn’t work on Saturdays, but if he isn’t at home, there’s only two or three places that he could be. I’d check at Sugar Cube Corner or the Golden Oak Library. If he’s not in either of those places, he’s probably on his way to one of them or heading back here.” She turned from the door and went aloft. “Sugar Cube Corner’s the building over there that looks like a gingerbread house, and you can’t miss Golden Oak Library – it’s an actual oak tree! Hope that you find him!”

“Thanks!” The mare went on her way, and as she got out of earshot, Hot Trail snorted. “Did you see that pony’s eyes? Talk about weird!”

Her companion snorted in turn. “The little weirdo probably feels right at home in a place that has a derped-up retard like her living in it. Come on.”

The two went on their way to Sugar Cube Corner, grins on their faces as they quietly made faces at one another to mock the postmare who’d helped them on their way. They still had their goal in mind, of course, but nothing was stopping them from having a little fun on their way. After all, it wasn’t as if they’d face any consequences for it. They never had before, after all.

A chill went up Pinkie Pie’s spine as she finished putting together party invitations, another signal courtesy of her Pinkie Sense. “Oooh, somepony just tempted fate.” She shrugged, then gathered up her invites. If she was quick, there was the chance that she’d get back to Sugar Cube Corner before Quiver made it there himself, and if she was lucky, he and those closest to him wouldn’t see it coming.

Author's Note

A tiny part of this chapter adapts events from Applejack's 'Day' Off, story by Neal Dusedau, Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox, and written by the latter two. I don't dislike that episode, far from it, I just felt like stuff from that could have easily come earlier in the storyline. So here we are. I've also tossed in a nod to another of G. M. Berrow's books.