The sensation of falling came to an abrupt and painful resolution as Sunset’s head and horn clonked into the wooden leg of the heavy desk that took up almost an entire wall of her study. The blow to her horn sent waves of agony down her nerve endings and made her vision swim with tears. “Son of a wyvern rutted yak!” the amber unicorn swore. “Rot infested, knot-holed piece of dirty driftwood—every time!” As the pain receded she pushed her forehooves under her and flicked one irritably at her desk’s leg. “I really need to put padding on you…or stop falling asleep at my desk.”

Her ears swiveled towards the sound of amused chirps from the corner. “Haha. Laugh it up, ‘Mena. I’ll remember that when you miss your landing the next time we get a batch of firebee larva in for you to snack on.”

Philomena let out an obnoxious trill while Sunset hauled herself back into the cushions in front of her desk, and tried to sort herself out. She had been dreaming again, those disorienting dreams whose details slipped through her hold like sand through a fine mesh, yet always left her feeling like she had lost something important. They’d been happening for a while now, leaving her feeling unsettled after she woke.

Today proved no different, and she found herself reaching for the dream journal on her desk, scribbling as much as she could recall down on the page. A minute later there was the fluttering of wings and a weight on her head, before her phoenix leaned over to look at what she was scribbling with an inquisitive, “Chrrrr-ik?”

“Yeah, I had another one…” Sighing, the amber unicorn flicked back through a dozen pages with half illegible notes from numerous dreams. “I wish I could remember more, because it feels important…” The phoenix let out a concerned sound, clicking her beak. Sunset closed the book. “Mom says that if they continue or get worse, she’ll send a message to Aunt Luna. I don't want her to have to do that—the situation up north is already too unstable. I can deal with it for now, as long as it doesn’t start affecting my projects…”

Eyes found the scattered documents she had been working on prior to her unscheduled nap, with theories and long equations and entire books full of her research on both unicorn teleportation and into devices like the three strange and ancient mirrors that sat on the other side of the study. One hung silent and eerie, cracked and broken, because its unstable power had threatened two different realities, and it had its connection broken to save them. Another was on a timer that lasted far longer than the supposed thirty moons to actually transport living things through—though Sunset had discovered she could perceive the reality on the other side on the thirty moon timer, revealing it to be full of what looked like hairless yeti and a large brick structure. The third went somewhere unknown, its activation method lost…all three still possessed the runes and artificing work that was allowing the young archmage to reconstruct their creation. She had high hopes for her eventually creating a form of ‘doorway’ or ‘gate’ that could be linked to other such doorways and linked to be opened and shut on command, allowing near instant travel over thousands of miles.

She was stuck, however, on a piece of theory that was outside her wheelhouse. “Remind me to message Twi before I leave. I need to stop by Ponyville on the way back, and get her thoughts on Manifold and Tesser’s Theorum of Spatial Disruptions. This way she can research in advance.” A smirk tugged at her lips; the other mare would be ecstatic to have an excuse to bury herself in dusty old books for a week or two to escape the attentions of the recently arrived courtiers to her sleepy town.

Philomena let out a trill of amusement, one that ended on a teasing note.

“Of course it's for research reasons!” Sunset refuted hotly, ignoring the flush in her cheeks. “What other reason would I have?”

Chirping suggestively, the avian flew to the corner of the desk, spreading her wings and puffing up her chest feathers.

Sunset sputtered. “What?! No! She’s my friend! I don't think of her like that!” She tried not to, anyway…but the dorky filly she had known when she was a teenager and helped her mother teach had grown into a sleek, and newly ascended alicorn mare…Who was still somehow a total dork that made Sunset smile at her antics.

Dark eyes blinked, and a flicker of flame spouted to frame them like spectacles, as Philomena let out a dubious sound.

“….okay, yes, her reading glasses make her look adorably cute when you pull her out of a book. But that doesn't mean—”

The bird clicked her beak derisively, and proceeded to strut across the top of the desk, only to make a show of tripping over herself as she got close to a picture of Sunset with Twilight and Twilight's friends in Ponyville, pantomiming being flustered.

Scowling, Sunset flicked a few sparks at her. “I do not act like that when I see her!” It was a lie. She absolutely felt like a fool every time she saw Twilight…

It probably wouldn't have been so bad, but it was, as near as Sunset could tell, utterly one sided on her part…and something about it felt…off. Like it was less Twilight she was attracted to, and more things about Twilight that she couldn't pin down a ‘why’ for, like the reading glasses. She huffed at the phoenix. “Look…we’re just friends. Some of what she does is really cute and maybe I have a small crush on her, but she doesn't return it. I’m contenting myself with being her friend in the ways she wants. I'm just glad she’s a little oblivious to these things unless you tell her.” She paused, and glared at Philomena. “And you aren't going to tell her. It would just stress her out.”

Huffing, her oldest friend made a somewhat exasperated chirping sound.

“Thank you,” she responded, floating over a long roll of parchment and her favorite fountain pen. “Now let’s see… ‘Hey, Twilight…It’s Sunset. I’ve recently hit a snag in my research project and…’”

Sunset secured the protective scroll tube and looked at Philomena. “Are you still willing to take this to Twilight for me?” she asked. “I know you’re not the biggest fan of sea air, which is why I wasn't going to bring you with me, but…you don't have to play messenger if you don't want to.”

Her phoenix let out a throaty burble and held out a foot for the scroll case, flexing her talons as if to say ‘just give it here!’

“Thanks, ‘Mena.” She ran her magic lightly through the bird’s feathers affectionately. “Feel free to let Fluttershy spoil you while you're there. Twi said something about her testing relaxation techniques for avians. Maybe you’ll get a spa day out of it.”

Philomena perked up and pecked Sunset’s forelock before taking off out the open balcony doors, scroll case clutched in her talons as she flew past a rather bemused Princess of the Sun.

Landing on the balcony with a sharp sound of hooves on stone, Celestia peeked her head in through the doorway. “Philomena certainly left out of here in a hurry. Is everything alright?”

That made her laugh. “It's fine—she was making it clear how much she hates salt water, so I asked her to take a letter to Twilight instead. I need to confer with her on some high level theory for my Gateway project, since that's more her area than mine.”

With a nod, the mare stepped into the room more fully. “Are you finished packing?”

“Yeah. I’m all ready to go—are you sending anything besides the coronation gift?” Sunset tilted her head, one ear splayed. “I know the queen was your friend.”

The hint of a sorrowful expression tugged at the alicorn’s lips. “She was. I’m sending a token to go on the boat with her, a momento from our friendship.” One brow arched. “You read up on their customs, I trust?”

Sunset flicked her ears in annoyance. “Of course I did,” she responded with a sigh. “I’m not thirteen anymore, Princess.”

“It's just a very different set of rites than our gardens, Archmagus,” Celestia countered formally. “Very different, as they focus on air, fire, and water, while our rites heavily evoke elements of earth and life. While I appreciate you going in my stead as my representative and unofficial heir, I do not wish to send you in unprepared.” The formality slipped and it was her mother standing there, under the regalia. “You have always been a sensitive mare, my little sun, and I don't want to put too much upon you too soon. I already worry I have done so with Twilight, but Harmony dictates Ascension, not I.”

Sunset padded across the carpet to hug Celestia. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Formal or not, I’m going to be there for Novo. She might be the Crown Princess, but she has always been my friend, and I would bet she needs one of those right now. My focus is going to be on supporting a friend, not on impressing courtiers. If they don't like that, well…they can lick my frogs on a muddy day.”

There was a long moment of silence, before a snort of laughter escaped the mare, and a wing curled over her back in affection. “Sunset,” she chided, “language. I swear, I do not know where your sewer of a mouth comes from. You did not learn it from me.”

“Mom…your sister trained me alongside the palace guard. I picked up a lot more than just how to wield a lance.” Sunset breathed in the scent of warm fur and autumn sunshine. “Also, I have it on good authority that you are far more vulgar when you are angry.”

A sniff reached her ears. “I see Luna has been telling tales again.”

Laughter escaped her, and she pulled back. “Only good ones.” Then she sobered. “I’m prepared for this, Mom. I have my things all packed, my formal speeches written and checked over by Kibitz for maximum pedantic pettifogging prattling, and I ensured the official gift from the kingdom to the new Queen in honor of her coronation is packed, sealed, and even enchanted. Did that last part myself, as a personal touch of our House—that ought to really set mites loose in some feathers.” Plus it should protect her friend—Novo had confided privately in an enchanted journal that she had concerns about factions who saw her as ripe pickings for their agendas, given that she was barely into her fourth decade and had no heir of her own. “I promise I’ll do my best to represent you and our people. You can hold your meeting with Ambassador Nikaru without worrying it will snub our southern allies.”

Celestia smiled softly at her, and brushed some wayward curls away from her cheek. “My dearest little sun…you truly have become a mare I am proud of.” Then she straightened. “In lieu of that, perhaps you’ll permit your mother to spend the evening with you before you depart in the morning? I was thinking we could put on our disguises and have an early dinner at Lucky’s, before perusing some of the shops before they close?”

She grinned, practically prancing to get her light cloak to ward off the autumn nip in the air. “I’d love to!”

Salty air gusted, dragging its fingers through the curls of her mane and tail, but it did little to make Sunset feel better. She still hated traveling by zeppelin—for all the enchantments to stabilize them and make them less dangerous, the way the body of it lurched erratically in the rough wind currents over the ocean was enough to make any pony without wings nervous. The unicorn had spent most of the trip firmly ensconced below deck, riding out the turbulence in miserable solitude.

It was where she would have preferred to be, but they were making the approach to dock, having gotten close enough to the island with its towering mountain that the escort had flown out to meet them and guide them into the hustle and bustle of the diplomatic serpents’ nest she was about to enter. Straightening and holding herself with force of will, she ran through the mental checklist and made note of which other kingdoms and factions had sent representatives that were already docked, reading the flags and banners the way most ponies read a book. Most of the main players of Equestria’s political stage were represented—she could see the vessels belonging to Abyssinia and Thrace, their elegance and raw craftsmanship announcing them better than their flags. There was a rather gaudy, gilded affair that made it clear even Griffonstone had managed to get their act together enough to send someone, and tucked away to the side were two tiny-by-comparison craft, one seemingly grown in one piece but for its balloon and still alive, capped with lush foliage and flowers, and the other beautiful in its simplistic shape that relied on the wood grain in its highly polished surface to showcase the real work that went into it, representing Thicket and the Children of Inari respectively. Scattered here and there between the larger vessels were smaller ones for various factions or individuals from many of the different species and kingdoms.

As docking ropes tied Sunset’s transport securely, her eyes found a familiar pair watching her from behind a large honor guard of hippogryphs. Novo had come out to greet the arrivals personally; that was either a very good thing, or a bad one. The amber unicorn hoped it was a good thing.

“…the Good Thing…” whispered a voice in the wind at the edges of her hearing.

Shaking herself, Sunset stepped down onto the docks briskly, glad to be off that cursed zeppelin, and offered a deliberate and well practiced bow to her friend, making it quite clear to the hundreds of watching eyes that the standards and banners flying from her own vessel were accurate, and she was an official member of House Solaire, representing the Diarchy, the kingdom, and her mother all at once. “Your Majesty,” she said, “I bring greetings and condolences from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as their deepest apologies for being unable to attend. The situation in the north is tenuous at best, and the renewal of our pact with Inari’s Children is a critical event that cannot be postponed.” She paused, then tilted her neck. “My mother has sent a token meant to accompany yours on her final journey, and I would like to offer my own magic to light the Flame of Eternity for the ceremony.” Novo’s only sister was already handling the water aspect of the ceremony, and the task in question was usually performed by a sibling or extremely close friend of the family—Sunset’s offer was calculated. As a respected and renowned Archmagus with an affinity for fire, making the offer was practically a declaration of sisterhood to Novo’s people, and the greatest show of respect she could offer both their departed queen and their rising one.

Novo cleared her throat softly, and she inclined her head with the right measure of decorum due, but Sunset could read her well enough to know that she was touched. “Be welcome in my kingdom, Lady Sunset Shimmer, Daughter of the Sun…and know you have my gratitude for both your words and your offer. It…would be an honor to have you be the one to light the Flame for the ceremony, one my mother would have appreciated.”

She flexed a wing a bare fraction, and a well groomed attendant appeared. “My servants will escort you to your quarters. After you’ve had a chance to settle in, would you join me for tea?”

“I would be delighted, Your Majesty.”

Sunset stepped into the airy sitting room, enjoying the sea air that trickled into the space as a light breeze now that she wasn't on a zeppelin. She bowed again, “Your Majesty,” she greeted.

Novo looked tired and wan now that she wasn't performing for the public or the servants. “Please, Sunset…no formalities. Not here or from you. I…I was hoping for a few hours with my friend, not another dignitary.”

“Erring on the side of caution, Novo,” she told the hippogryph, before dropping the act entirely and pulling her large friend into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry about your mom.”

Tears dripped into her coat, as Novo shuddered with grief. “She was fine—a little tired and complaining of headaches—and then she was just…gone.”

The unicorn rubbed a hoof down her spine gently. Queen Aviana had been fairly young and healthy, but…sometimes bad things just happened. “How are you holding up?” she asked, already feeling that the answer was ‘poorly.’

“I…just can't believe she’s gone. We had so many plans…she was still teaching me what I needed to know to take over—she wanted to do like grandfather had done for her, and let me take on smaller duties while she was still reigning monarch, to make the transition of power gradual over several decades. There's so much I still don't know…” Novo let Sunset guide her to a lounge, sinking into the cushions shakily. “Do…do you think Princess Celestia would mind if I wrote to her for her counsel? She and Mother were close, and Mother always said I could trust her.”

Humming and settling next to her friend, Sunset twitched an ear. “I think she would be more than happy to correspond with you over anything you wanted. She really did like your mom, and your grandfather too, to hear her talk.”

Numbly, the hippogryph nodded, and they sat in heavy silence for a time, long enough for servants to bring tea and a light snack—Sunset was delighted to see the strips of fish and veggies wrapped in dark seaweed. Even stricken with terrible grief, Novo remembered her favorite snack to pair with the mild teas favored by the denizens of Mount Aris.

It was a break in decorum, but Sunset didn't care as she shooed the servants away and prepared the tea for her and Novo herself, pressing the cup into the young Queen’s talons with her magic. “Here. Just like you like it.”

Novo murmured in gratitude, taking a sip from the cup and tipping her head back with a heavy sigh that seemed to expel a great deal of emotion with it. “I’m so glad you came. I don't think I could get through this without you…I’m already having to be strong for my sister and my people, and they don't exactly handle it well if I show weakness.”

Sunset snorted. “Oversized piles of pillow stuffing, all of them. I’m here for you, and for Ocean if she needs it. I already told Mom that, and that any offended parties can encase their issues in a crystal and stuff it under their tails.”

“Oh, honey, you did not!” Unexpected laughter came from the ruler. “You did! Well, consider this my approval of your plan! Someone needs to upset their fishnets.” A wing reached out to rest across Sunset’s withers. “…Thank you, Sunset. This is already helping.”

She sipped her own tea, nibbling on one of the tasty snacks. “Well, I figure I can get away with it. I'm a foreigner, not officially an heir, and also over a decade younger than you. I'm bound to still be a bit ‘rough’ around the edges.”

The other female chortled. “It doesn't hurt that you have quite the reputation after your rather public argument on the Ethics Board floor with that boor Neighsay. Did you know that according to the stories, you turned into a giant avatar of Harmonic crystal and set him on fire that was all colors of the rainbow?”

Groaning, the unicorn curled her lip. “I did not set him on fire. I threatened to set him on fire for being a bigoted, obnoxious, talking dung heap who insisted on airing opinions that smelled as bad as a compost bin. And that was a year ago, after he went after Twilight’s attempt to research records of the Elements and Harmonic magic being used by other species besides ponies.”

Feathers flicked to ruffle her mane lightly. “I hate to tell you this, but the stories matter more than the truth to anyone who wasn't there and doesn't know you, honey.”

Sunset made a face. “They make me sound like some kind of raging monster.” She shook her head to dispel the distant sound of unsettling laughter that brushed against her consciousness.

Novo made an apologetic sound in her throat and the pair lapsed into silence. The unicorn shook off the dark thoughts, and glanced over at her friend. The hippogryph was in her own head again, and after a few long minutes of quiet, Sunset cleared her throat. “You…want to talk about it?”

Blinking away tears, Novo sighed. “I…just can't believe she's gone. I keep turning to ask her a question, or tell her something, only to remember that she’s…not here.” Her neck dropped until her beak was pointed to the floor. “You always think you're going to have more time. Time for all the things you want to say and do.”

Her heart twisted with empathy—she knew all too well that aching emptiness of apologies unsaid, of individuals beyond her reach to ever speak to again. Of a gap far too great to bridge by any normal means. “…yeah. That's…never a great feeling. You always wonder if you could have done things different, hate yourself for not saying what you felt when you had the chance. It's even worse when it ends in an argument.” Angry accusations and hurt words hurled in anger echoed in her ears and her mind. “I know how that feels…”

Novo jerked away from her, still teary eyed but now furious. “You know how it feels? I thought of all creatures, you would be the one who didnt lie to me with empty platitudes and false sympathy!”

The amber unicorn hesitated, confused. “I’m not lying, Novo, I swear…I wouldn't do that to you, especially not when you're grieving your mom. The breakdown in my relationship with Princess Celestia might not have been caused by death, but it's been just as permanent.”

“What breakdown?” Novo demanded harshly. “You have the best relationship with your mother! Creatures talk about how they expect her to officially make you her Heir any day—there are bets going around about just how soon you’ll earn Ascension to rule alongside her!”

Sunset’s head throbbed with a stab of pain, conflicting memories fighting for dominance. “…no, that's…I’ll never Ascend. I…I’ve proven I don't deserve it. Harmony would never grant that power to a raging she-demon…” Flashes of a ball of fire, of a group of bipeds wielding the rainbow ripped through her thoughtscape. “And…she's…Princess Celestia is not my…mother…maybe…I wanted that…but she never wanted me.”

A powerful force slammed into her, angry and shrieking. “Now you're mocking me! Playing me for a fool with this ridiculous story—what kind of friend does that?” Novo was over top of her, Sunset sprawled painfully on her back and with claws threatening her vulnerable underside. “I thought you were my friend!”

She winced. “…I…This isn't right,” she told Novo. “I…I’m not in Equestria anymore. I ran away, years ago.” Sunset sagged. “And you're not Novo. I haven't seen Novo since I was sixteen, and the last letter between us was a year before that, when I got my certifications.” Sorrow bubbled up in her. “Whatever you are, you're not the Crown Princess I knew, and this…this isn't real. I’m sorry…I wish it could be…but this life…it was never mine.”

Novo had gone rigid and silent, and Sunset touched her beak with a hoof. “It would have been nice, but I think I still would have been unhappy, because it doesn't have the person who matters most. It never could…and she’s waiting for me. Let me go.”

Those sharp eyes stared at her and Novo nodded once, before she and the room dissolved like smoke, leaving Sunset staring at Spike’s slavering jaws.

Author's Note

....Yup. Its THAT kind of Hell.

This one was fun to write, not gonna lie, because of the fact that it allowed me to touch on some worldbuilding lore.

And also the fact that all this time, all the humans have been giggling over Sunset's ponyism diatribes....and it turns out she's basically got a potty mouth. She's been swearing like a veteran sailor all this time and getting away with it.

Lore...

So I've got a whole file just on the funerary customs of the various Equestrian races, and this makes reference to them. Ponies have a rite they learned in ancient times from the deer, to bury their departed and plant the seeds for a large bush or tree of the deceased's choosing in either a "Memorial Garden" or in a "Family Garden" and then magic is used to rapidly grow the plant to a modest size so that the roots enfold the body--preventing predators and scavengers from digging up the dead. Because believe me, they'll try.

Hippogryphs on the other paw, do something that combines Air and Water, and the transformative energies of Fire. They craft a funeral boat--specially made with certain kinds of oils--and the dead is placed upon it with tokens from friends and loved ones, before water and air magic is used to push it out to the sea, at which point a ritual flame is lit, and used to ignite a special fire which is then used by the family to ignite the boat at range...often by a bombing fly over. The boat burns and eventually sinks, out at sea, but not before some of the ashes are caught in the ocean winds as well as the currents.

(personally my favorite one is Minotaurs. They build a labyrinth under their cities that are as deep and winding and branched as the history and people above, and that labyrinth is a giant catacomb AND a lineage. They carry the specially wrapped bodies of their dead past their ancestors all the way down family and clan lines, to place them in alcoves that mark their identity and deeds in the deepest depths of the labyrinth to date. In the largest cities, with the oldest history, this labyrinth is a maze of staring minotaur skulls that stretch for miles underground. Bruhahah.)

*ponders* This chapter also touches on something to do with the temporal mess that is the portal--Sunset is NOT Princess Twilight's contemporary. Had she stayed in Equestria instead of running away, she'd be like...10-12 years older than pony Twilight. That means she didn't encouonter the same creatures as Twilight.

She knew Novo when Novo was still a princess, and her mother was queen, because Novo was a teenager when Sunset was like...5? Theres a cute little story that will come up in Memories at some point.

Hmmm...am I missing anything?

oh yeah. There's more here than meets the eye. I encourage paying attention. :P

And Voice? I added the bit with Philomena because of you. Because I know your version would give Sunset just as much shit if she ever has the chance.

Happy Halloween, everyone! See you next week!