The Sunset of a Frozen Princessby DaylightHobbyistChaptersChapter 1: Moving OnChapter 2: New Old FriendChapter 3: Getting SettledChapter 4: Brave New WorldChapter 5: Caught in a FlurryChapter 6: Clash of Shimmering HeartsChapter 7: Going on a TripChapter 8: Welcome to PonyvilleChapter 9: Old Old FriendChapter 10: RememberingChapter 12: Learning to TeachChapter 13: Flowers and FeelingChapter 14: Old DreamsChapter 15: Set in StoneChapter 16: Teaching to LearnChapter 17: Twilight Against SunsetChapter 18: Missing ThingsChapter 19: The Long Ride HomeChapter 20: Pleasant SurprisesChapter 21: Missing PiecesPrologue: What Now?Chapter 11: Letting GoChapter 1: Moving On“And, that’s basically it.” Sunset finished as she concluded the tale explaining her current dilemma to her six best friends. Said best friends were of course not physically in the room at the moment, but that was one of the reasons human technology could be such a wonderful thing. Video chatting could never measure up to hanging out in person, but it made a very efficient means for staying in touch with each other after they had all gone their separate ways. “So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash started. “Twilight, as in royal Princess Twilight and not super-nerd Twilight- “ “Watch it!” interjected the mentioned nerd. “-has invited you back to magical pony land to see if you can find the purpose there you can’t find here,” Rainbow finished unperturbed. “Yeah, I guess that about sums it up,” confirmed Sunset while scratching the back of her head. Applejack was the next to contribute to the conversation, sporting a look that made it apparent she was trying to put everything together. “So, since you’re really a pony from Equestria, you reckon you’d find yourself more at home in a place with magic, bein' that your folk take to magic like ducks take to water, and we just don’t have none ah’ that here?” “well, Kind of,” Sunset answered. “Generally, all ponies contain some form of magic, but that usually only goes towards helping out with a pony’s special talent, which is represented by our cutie marks.” Seeing the collectively raised eyebrows on the faces of her friends, Sunset decided to elaborate further. “Cutie marks are these magic marks that everybody, or actually everypony, receive when they discover their special talent. They just sort of magically show up on our flanks when we figure out exactly what that is.” Sunset took a second to pull up her geode and gestured to the mark engraved on it. “This was my cutie mark, back when I lived in Equestria.” “Here I thought you were just running with a particular fashion theme,” Rarity idly commented. “Well anyway…” Sunset continued. “My cutie mark represents my affinity to and mastery of magic. The same as Princess Twilight’s along with a select few other unicorns.” “So, you’re saying that magic is what gives you that super-duper extra warm fuzzy bubbly feeling in your chest that I get when one of my pies puts a huge smile on someone’s face that nothing else in the whole wide world can replace?” Pinkie Pie rambled off in her typical hyperactive yet insightful manner. “That sounds like the feeling I get when I’m caring for animals,” Fluttershy spoke up. “Or when ay’m harvesting apples,” Applejack pitched in. “Or when I’m designing my next fashion line,” Rarity breathily interjected. It was then that Twilight decided to say her own opinion on the matter. “I think you should do it.” Shocked at the sudden declaration Sunset could only stutter out a quick, “w-what?” “I said...I think you should give it a try. If studying magic is what makes you happy, and there’s magic there while there’s none here, it doesn’t make any logical sense for you not to at least give it a shot.” Twilight finished with a quick readjustment of her ever-present glasses. Sunset was so taken off balance by her friend’s sudden conviction that her argument barely got off her tongue. “You guys, I can’t jus-“ “Sunset.” Whatever meager defense Sunset was prepared to give was quickly cut off by Rainbow Dash. “I’m gonna level with you. We haven’t always been the best friends to you.” If Twilight had taken her off guard, this next sudden change in direction left her completely speechless as Rainbow Dash went on. “Don’t give me that look. You know that between that whole Anon-a-miss mess and that thing with Wallflower, we’ve left you hanging more times than any of us are proud of. I’d like to think we’ve become better friends since then. That means that there’s absolutely no way we’re going to let you be miserable for our sake.” “Rainbow’s right Sunset,” Fluttershy cut in. “We’re your friends, and that means that we can tell when somethings been bothering you. If studying magic is what will make you happy, we’ll support you all the way.” At this point, Sunset was practically floored. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been, considering this was pretty much exactly what Princess Twilight told her was going to happen, yet the sheer amount of love and sincerity that was directed at her was staggering. What had she ever done to deserve these guys? Sunset’s composure was beginning to break as she felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. “But…how could I live over there, when you guys are all right here?” Rarity was the one prepared to answer this one, “Darling, forgive me for being curt, but we haven’t been, ‘right here’ for quite some time.” Rarity met Sunset’s eyes with a half-smile and a knowing look. “We’ve all gone on to bigger and better things. Rainbow’s bouncing around the country from game to game, I’m constantly moving around meeting people and looking for inspiration, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are positively buried in demand for their services, and Twilight’s locked away in her bunker doing her nerdy science things” “Ok, what do you people have against science!?” “The point is, we’re all in different places now,” Rarity picked up after a quick chuckle at Twilight’s expense. “And yet, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still friends,” Rarity finished with a full smile adorning her face now. Applejack nodded, “Rarity’s right sugar cube. It don’t matter if you’re here or in Equestria. We’ll always be your friends.” Sunset was reminded of the story Princess Twilight had told her yesterday about her departure from Ponyville. She couldn’t deny that they had a point. Still, there was a slight difference in moving between towns and moving between worlds. “Besides silly, if pony land isn’t your style anymore you can just come right back no problemo!” Pinkie exclaimed with a quick double fist pump. A long sigh erupted from Sunset as she accepted the truth behind her friends’ words. There really was no reason not to at least give it a shot. There were just a few matters to attend to beforehand. “What am I going to do about all the stuff in this apartment I can’t take with me?” Applejack tipped her hat at the question, “I reckon I can make some room at the farm for whatever’s yours while you’re away. What do you say we all get together and help ya move out? Then we’ll be able to give ya a right proper sendoff.” “I don’t suppose everyone is free next weekend?” Sunset sheepishly asked. A chorus of affirmations and promises met her question, even from Rarity and Rainbow. This time Sunset failed to suppress the tear that made its way down her cheek alongside the contrasting smile she was sporting. “You guys really are the best.” Sunset found herself unable to sleep that night, only able to stare blankly at the ceiling with all the thoughts bouncing around in her head. She settled for lying in bed until she wore herself out thinking of what she was preparing to do. She could scarcely believe she was going through with the entire thing to begin with. For as long as she could remember, going back to Equestria simply wasn’t an option. It wasn’t like she had never considered going back. In fact, during her first few years in this world when she was the scourge of Canterlot High, going back was ALL she thought about. Every action she took was just a means of getting closer to achieving the power she had been denied and returning to rub Celestia’s face all over it. At the time Sunset had been little better than a child throwing a tantrum because her mother had refused her. Then, Twilight had humbled her, stripped her of all her ambition and delusions of grandeur until all she was left with was a feeling of utter emptiness. She had given everything for magic and power. Forsaken bonds of any kind to attain the one thing that she was convinced would give her worth. In the end, it had all amounted to a lonely smoking crater. Twilight, on the other hand, had embraced the bonds of friendship she had dismissed as distractions and showed her a form of magic and power far beyond anything she could have ever imagined. She had shown Sunset another way. A better way. After the Fall Formal, she remained in the human world to both make amends for the lives she had trampled over and learn more about the magic of friendship she had foolishly dismissed. There was also the small matter of simply being too scared and ashamed to ever show her face to Princess Celestia again. The one who had taken her in at a young age when she had no one and raised her as one would a daughter. Sunset had long come to terms with how even in her darkest moments, everything she had done was little more than a misguided attempt to impress the Princess. Years of carefully laid plans dedicated to proving her worth to the only pony who had ever given her the time of day. Even after all this time, it still stung for her to think of the life she might have had if she had only listened to her teacher. But in the human world Sunset had gone above and beyond in her quest for redemption, saving them from magical terrors time and again as well as all of Earth and Equus on at least one occasion. Past actions can never be taken back, but it was hard to deny that, by now, Sunset Shimmer had done more good than bad. During a particular incident with a student named Wallflower Blush, she had even given a brief and long overdue apology to Princess Celestia. After that point, Sunset remained in the human world simply because she was comfortable there. Part of her still longed to spend time with the pony who raised her and she would always miss the ability to call upon the full might of her unicorn magic, but she had friends, magic to study, and a steady life. Uprooting that to run off to another world a second time was simply not appealing. Now the irony was, uprooting that life was exactly what she intended to do in just a few short days. Sunset wondered if she was crazy because of that. The fact was, ponies were creatures of purpose. No matter how long she walked like a human, it didn’t change that she was a pony. She needed a purpose and she no longer had one here. In truth, the idea of going back to Equestria after so long terrified her. Now that she was committed to the idea though, she was beginning to feel something else in addition to the terror. The feeling of excitement. She had been cut off from true Equestrian magic for so long that the idea of being able to work with an endless supply of it once again made her shiver in excitement. She could scarcely imagine all the new information and forms of magic available after Equestria had changed so much. The thought of commanding and creating new spells once she was reunited with her beloved horn was enough to cause the long-restrained unicorn’s eyes to glass over. She could fill a lifetime with it all for sure. Perhaps several. To top it off, that was only the magic aspect of returning to her homeland. Despite growing up in Equestria, Sunset had seen so very little of it, spending the majority of her life in Canterlot, learning about the outside world solely through her studies. This could be her chance to really see the world she came from. Then there were the people, or rather, the ponies. The ability to easily see Princess Celestia again was both heartening and nerve-racking. There was just so much left to tell and ask her. Then there was Twilight. The pony who changed her life. The idea of seeing her in person again stirred up all sorts of feelings Sunset couldn’t properly identify. It seemed they would be at the very least in close proximity to each other fairly often once she crossed over. Truth be told, Sunset had always wished they could spend more time together. Corresponding through the journals was a good compromise for the dimensional barrier issue, but it also made the distance between them very apparent. It was strange, feeling close to somepony who was always so far away. First thing tomorrow, she intended to write Twilight, to let her know she was taking her up on her offer, which would officially set their reunion in stone. Sunset began to wonder what Twilight was like these days. How much had she changed since their last meeting so many years ago? Had the weight of the crown gotten to her at all or was she still the same nerdy princess who freaked out over a particularly old book? Sunset found herself hoping she was still the same old Twilight but knew that realistically holding the throne for so long was bound to change anypony at least a little. She reminded herself that whatever Twilight was like now, the mare was still one of her best and oldest friends. Getting to spend time with her again was perhaps what Sunset was looking forward to the most out of the whole affair. These comforting thoughts were enough for Sunset to finally close her eyes with a tired yawn, in wait of the fast-approaching journey back to a long-departed home. Hazy images of a familiar landscape being watched over by a small purple alicorn flashed through her mind "Besides," she thought just before she drifted to sleep, "how much could anypony change in all that time?" The weekend arrived much too quickly for Sunset’s liking. One by one her friends all arrived to help load all of her belongings into Applejack’s truck. The amount of work that was actually required was surprisingly little. Even after all this time, the items Sunset could truly call her own were depressingly few. Several guitars she had collected, her electronic equipment complete with an admittedly sizable collection of video games, and various books and knickknacks she had used to personalize her living quarters composed the bulk of the moving items. The amount of stuff she would be taking with her was even more scant. Merely a small satchel containing whatever notes and keepsakes she couldn’t bear to part with, such as her first magical journal, given to her by Princess Celestia, and her Geode. With a final grunt, Applejack placed the last box into the back of the truck and turned to face Sunset without so much as a light sweat from the manual labor. “I believe that there's the last of it. You're ready to go Sunset,” Applejack told her redheaded friend as their gang began piling into either Applejack’s truck or Rainbow dash’s sports car. “Girls, wait!” Sunset cried out in alarm now that the moment she was anticipating was coming so near. The group paused what they were doing to hear what their friend had to say. “What if I’m making a mistake?” Sunset desperately asked her friends who were giving her their undivided attention. “What if I’m moving too fast? Maybe I’m being too rash with this whole thing? I mean, packing my whole life up in just a few days to go soul searching in another dimension is kind of crazy, right? With how I’ve been feeling, I just don’t know if I’m thinking clearly, and- “ The borderline hysterical tirade was cut off by Applejack placing a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Calm down now Sunset. This here’s a pretty big deal, but I hope you know that we wouldn’t let ya go through with anything we didn’t think would be good for ya’.” “Plus, you kinda already quit your part-time job and moved out of your apartment, so it’s a little late to be getting cold feet,” Rainbow interjected and was given a smack to the back of the head courtesy of Rarity for her troubles. Regardless, Sunset’s nerves had been cooled for the time being and she let out a long breath to calm herself down. “You’re right AJ. I trust you.” The peace lasted until she was suddenly crushed from behind in a tight hug and lifted off the ground by her hyperactive pink friend. “Besides, we still have to have your super special going away party!” Pinkie Pie shouted while still holding Sunset off the floor. The captive girl couldn’t suppress a laugh at the antics of her best friend. One wouldn’t think that Sunset’s more down to Earth cool girl slash nerd hybrid persona would mesh well with Pinkie’s hyperactive eccentric personality, but the two had developed a special bond even among their friends. “It’s not a party Pinkie. We’re just going to have lunch together,” Sunset clarified through her own giggles. “Silly Shimmy. Everything’s a party when you’re here,” Pinkie countered while actually managing to tighten her already firm grip on the redhead. Despite how her life may have currently been in serious danger due to a rapidly decreasing supply of oxygen, Sunset could only find herself savoring the moment as all her friends shared a laugh at her predicament. Soon, she would be far away from all of them, but the fact that she’d be able to hold moments like this in her heart no matter where she went made it all not seem so bad. Compared to some of their adventures in High School, the rest of their day together was rather uneventful. Sunset couldn’t have been happier for the fact. Just a peaceful day hanging out with her friends. It was so simple, yet so perfect at the same time. Sunset found herself thinking that if every day was like today, living without magic wouldn’t be so bad. Unfortunately, the day eventually came to an end as all good things must. After a lengthy drive that somehow still seemed all too short, Sunset found herself facing the place where it all began. Canterlot High School. So many things were different now, but Sunset found comfort in the fact that some things just never changed. All these years later and the school stood the same as it had the day she first came to this world. Fortunately, the school was completely deserted as a result of it being a weekday during the summer which would make what came next much easier. “I guess this is it,” Fluttershy said, her volume barely louder than a whisper. “Yeah, I guess it is,” Sunset muttered as she stood before the former base of the wondercolt statue, which was now adorned with a statue of a stone alicorn. The new statue was commissioned to celebrate their class's graduation (as well as to seal off the magic coming through the base from Equestria once Sunset and Twilight located the source of the rogue magic that had endlessly plagued the school). The idea to model the new statue after a mythical horse was Sunset’s way of paying tribute to the princesses who helped make her into the person she was today. The part of the statue that currently had Sunset’s attention, however, was the mirror embedded in the front of the statue's foundation. The inconspicuous reflective surface that occasionally served as a gateway between two entirely different worlds. There was no point in turning back now, but there was no way Sunset was going to leave without first saying goodbye. Sunset turned around to take one last look at her best friends…only to see that the composure they had all valiantly held onto since they had convinced her to give this a chance was finally coming undone. Each one of the girls was clearly struggling to hold back tears now that the moment was finally upon them, and the strength Sunset had been building up all afternoon was quickly failing her. “Girls, I don’t have to-“ Sunset started only to be cut off by Rarity. “No no. None of that now,” Rarity got out through sniffles. “If this is what will make you happy…then it’s what will make us happy as well.” Twilight stepped up and took both of Sunset’s hands in her own causing a strange warm feeling to wash through her. “It’s...it's okay Sunset. You’ve done so much for all of us, and especially for me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you, and I wouldn’t trade the time we spent together for anything in this world or the next,” Twilight spoke until she had to stop and take one of her hands to wipe away the tears building up in her eyes. Sunset noticed that the hand Twilight had let go of now felt strangely cold. Once Twilight had regained enough control of herself and readjusted her, after all these years, still ill-fitting glasses, she picked up her speech. “We’re really going to miss you. I’m really going to miss you. But…It’s time for you to move on,” she finished as she let go of Sunset’s other hand. Sunset didn’t know what to do next as she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to replace the lost warmth. In her heart, she knew Twilight was right, but the truth was that Sunset had simply never been good at letting things go. She met Twilight’s violet eyes wondering if this was how she really wanted this to end. “ARGH! That’s it, I can’t take it anymore!” The silence was mercilessly shattered as a pink blur rushed in and captured both Sunset and Twilight in a hug. Pinkie Pie was soon followed by the rest of the girls as they all collected into a massive group hug in front of the portal. Whatever semblance of composure remained gave out as the sound of tears mixed with laughter filled the air. A different but far more intense warmth filled Sunset as she was mercilessly smothered in affection from her dearest friends. Something about this moment just felt right to her, and for the first time in a long time, she truly felt at peace. Several minutes later, when the sorrowful and joyful sobs subsided the group hug finally broke up, and Sunset felt ready to face what came next. She removed her journal from her satchel and quickly scribbled in one more message. Twilight, I’m ready. “I love you girls,” Sunset said with a gentle smile on her face. “Well, we are pretty awesome.” “The feelings mutual darling.” “You take care now Sugercube.” “Say hello to all the cute animals for me.” “And don’t forget to thoroughly document all the data you collect in Equestria.” “And especially don’t forget to smile!” The journal lit up after this final chorus. The portal’s ready for you Sunset. "Guess it’s time to go," Sunset thought after she read the message. There was just one final thing to do. “Pinkie, I want you to have this,” Sunset said as she held her journal out to the bouncy pink-haired girl who now had a rare look of genuine shock on her face. “It won’t be of much use to me once I go through the portal, and I still want to keep in touch with you guys. You can all pass it around whenever you need to tell me something. I know it’s not the most efficient means of staying in contact, but it’ll do until I figure out something better.” Sunset explained Pinkie Pie seemed conflicted between taking the book and pulling her hands into herself. “Wouldn’t you rather someone a bit more careful keep this Sunset?” Pinkie asked with a sheepish look on her face. Sunset merely shook her head at the reservation that didn’t at all fit the hyperactive girl she had come to love. “I’m hoping that you’ll all get around to keeping it eventually, but I want my best friend to take first watch,” Sunset said as she placed the book into a pair of pink hands. Pinkie Pie resisted the urge to burst into tears a second time that day, instead settling for tightly hugging the book to her chest as if her very life depended on it. With the feeling of love fresh in her heart, Sunset walked over to the mirror’s surface and took in the sight of her own reflection. The face she saw had been her every day for the past several years. It would be strange not seeing it the next time she looked into a mirror. She looked back once again to her friends still standing behind her with supportive smiles on each of their teary-eyed faces. Sunset flashed a genuine smile of her own in return. Then, she pushed forward. Traveling through the portal was never an experience Sunset got used to, regardless of how many times she had crossed between worlds. It was chaotic, disorienting, blinding, and overloaded just about all of one’s senses. It also didn’t make for a very happy landing. This time, when Sunset Shimmer emerged from the portal, she was shot face-first onto the smooth floor and continued to slide several inches before coming to a dead stop. The sight lacked an ounce of dignity or grace as she laid there with her face glued to the floor and her rear end pointed skyward. “…owie” came the muffled groan of the unicorn returned to form. Determined to at least not look as ridiculous as she had when she met Starlight Glimmer, Sunset peeled herself off the tiled floor with an almost audible ‘shlap’ sound as she dizzily propped herself up onto her four new hooves. “Not my best landing, but not my worst landing either,” Sunset said in an attempt to console herself as she shook her head and took in the sight of the room she had arrived in. It was a rather dim and dreary room that wasn’t very well lit by the small windows in the rafters. It was most likely a tower storage area in the castle where the mirror was now kept based on the dark assorted shapes covered in tarps and the vaguely familiar architecture Sunset could make out. “Hello! Is anybod-er, I mean is anyPONY there?” Sunset asked with a raised voice. She hadn’t been expecting a welcoming party, but she had figured there’d be at least one pony here to greet her. Movement in the nearby shadows caught Sunset's attention as a large figure made its way to her. What seemed to be the sound of metal knocking against tile filled the air. The dark and oppressive atmosphere put Sunset more on guard than logic told her she should have been as she struggled to remember any spells that would be useful in a pinch. Eventually, the figure came close enough to take definitive shape, though aside from the small glint of metal regalia they were still cloaked in darkness. What features she could make out however were unmistakable. It was undoubtedly a pony. A very big pony. Easily twice the size of an average mare. It sported an extraordinarily long horn and if Sunset’s suspicions were right, the protrusions by its sides were likely wings. Large as the pony was, its limbs were also extremely lanky and defined. The last immediately notable feature was the enormous mane and tail that seemed to be flowing in some sort of ever-present breeze despite the fact that they were clearly indoors. Any one of those features would be remarkably distinguishing on their own, but there was only one pony Sunset Shimmer knew that possessed all of them. “Princess Celestia? Is that you?!” Sunset called out to the shadow standing just outside of the dim light cast by the room’s windows “I’m afraid not,” Came the even-toned response of the figure. That was certainly NOT the voice of Celestia. Sunset certainly did recognize the voice however, yet everything her eyes told her was pointing to an entirely different pony than the one she had just heard. The figure seemed to finally take pity on her as it took several steps forward into the light revealing itself in full to the fire maned unicorn staring in utter disbelief at what was before her. “Welcome to Equestria Sunset Shimmer. I've been waiting for you,” Said the towering lavender alicorn in the most regal tone Sunset had ever heard the voice she was hearing take. “…TWILIGHT!?” Author's Note First off, I'd like to thank everyone who read, followed, and favorited this story. Even my most optimistic expectations didn't match the positive reception the first chapter received. It's not every day your first story makes the featured page and garners over 100 upvotes. I sincerely hope I can keep it up, and please don't forget to give me feedback. It helps a lot. Now, I learned while writing this chapter that balancing interaction and dialog between 7 different characters at once is HARD. I'm not as comfortable with the dialog and mannerisms of the rest of the mane 6 as I am with our two main characters, so please let me know what you think of my writing for them so far. I guarantee you this will not be the last we see of them. Next chapter we'll finally be seeing a lot more of our favorite purple pony, so stay tuned. Chapter 2: New Old FriendSunset Shimmer had always been on the short side compared to other mares. By no means was she comically small, but she had usually been shorter than nearly everypony in the room. It was something of a sore topic for the amber filly back during her days at Celestia’s school, when her ego had been far larger than any body could reasonably contain, only made more apparent by how she spent much of her time hanging around the largest pony in Equestria. Sunset believed the proper term for describing her attitude in the human world was a, “Napoleon complex.” Spending so many years in her more vertically gifted human form, in a world that allowed her to artificially extend her height even further with a nice pair of heeled boots or platform shoes, had long since made the small unicorn forget that particular insecurity. Now, as a changed pony, Sunset would have liked to say that she no longer had any issues regarding her size. However, the sheer towering figure of the lavender alicorn standing before her combined with the amber mare’s own lack of stature made the height difference between the two of them, in Sunset’s personal opinion,…absolutely ridiculous Sunset was brought out of her wide-eyed stare by the sound of muffled laughter emanating from the pony holding her captive gaze. “I can see you might need a moment. I guess I never mentioned the little growth spurt I had after taking the throne.” Twilight mused with barely suppressed laughter The alicorn’s words were enough to finally shake Sunset out of her silence as she violently pointed a hoof in Twilight’s direction. “Little growth spurt!? Twilight, you’re HUGE!” Sunset exclaimed before pulling her foreleg back to cover her mouth recognizing how what she had just said could very easily offend any mare. Fortunately, Twilight seemed to take no offense to the unicorn’s unintended sleight and instead let out another good-natured chuckle. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Sunset,” Twilight said in earnest before kneeling down to wrap her old friend in an embrace. To her credit, Sunset only took a few seconds to shake off the shock before she wrapped her own forelegs around Twilight’s neck to return the hug. “It’s great to see you too Twi.” They stayed in that position for a few minutes before Sunset decided that this friendly hug was going a bit long. “Hey, Twilight. You can let me go now.” “OH! Sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve seen you,” Twilight explained as she released her unicorn friend sporting an embarrassed blush on her face. “You…haven’t changed a bit.” For the first time since coming back to this world, Sunset took a moment to look herself over and quickly concluded that Twilight was right. She looked, as far as she could tell, exactly as she had the last time she had been on this side of the mirror. Admittedly, Sunset wasn’t entirely sure what to expect given the mirror’s strange habit of de-aging ponies traveling through the portal, but it seemed that her age as a human and as a pony finally matched up. Neat. Now, before she got into anything over here, Sunset decided it would be best to take stock of her current situation and clear up where exactly she stood in Equestria these days. “Sooo, exactly how long have I been gone?” Sunset asked the monarch before her. Twilight’s grimace at the question did not give her a good feeling about the answer she was about to receive. “What…exactly do you mean?” Twilight tentatively responded. “She’s stalling,” Sunset internally noted. “I must have been gone even longer than I thought.” Rather than point it out, Sunset decided to play along and further elaborate on what she wanted to know. “I mean, how much time has passed in Equestria since I was last here. I know that due to the temporal distortion between the dimensional planes more time has passed here than in the human world, but I haven’t had the time or tools I’d need to calculate the exact ratio between this world and theirs.” “Yeah, that’s what I thought you meant,” Twilight responded with the weak chuckle only somepony preparing for things to go sideways gave. Sunset decided to be merciful and ease the large alicorn’s obvious discomfort, “Listen Twi, I want you to give it to me straight. I’m a big pony, mentally I mean, and I can take whatever answer you dish out. How long’s it been? Thirty years? Forty even?” Sunset’s words had the opposite of the desired effect and only seemed to increase the lavender mare’s discomfort as she struggled to maintain eye contact with the out of touch unicorn before her. “Sunset, there are some…things…I have to tell you before I answer your question. It’s not really a big deal so I’m asking you not to freak out, but it might come as a biiit of a shock.” It seemed merely inheriting Celestia’s throne and stature did not immediately afford somepony the iron control of one’s nerves the sun princess was famous for. If anything, the large princess was beginning to look a LOT more like her old self as she clearly struggled with the message, she wanted to convey. “It’s okay Twilight. I promise that I won’t freak out,” Sunset vowed with a raised hoof both to hurry things along and help out her struggling friend. This seemed to finally put the lavender mare at ease enough to continue after putting a hoof to her chest and taking a deep breath. “Well, as you know, the mirror was created by Starswirl the Bearded as a gateway to worlds beyond our own. The mirror was designed to operate on a schedule that took advantage of a natural phenomenon that opened a portal between our world and the human world. That is until I created a machine that allowed the mirror to tear open a portal between the two worlds at any given time in order to aid you against the Sirens. It turns out that bending the rules of reality in such a way resulted in some…unintended consequences.” Twilight paused her explanation to give her audience a chance to absorb this information and continued when the amber unicorn prompted her with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t even realize it at first because the process was gradual, but time seemed to slow down in your world based upon your journal entries. Eventually, it got to the point where several years had passed in Equestria before you had even finished your last year of high school.” The full picture seemed to be sinking in for Sunset at this point whose face had taken on a neutral expression and in an even tone she stated, “So you’re saying that your portal machine further desynced the flows of time between the two worlds?” Twilight took a silent gulp before continuing, “Yes. I did some more research on the mirror after I noticed these anomalies and confirmed that the unnatural openings of the portals had thrown off the balance between the two worlds. The barrier eventually compensated for the additional portals and re-stabilized, but not before permanently shifting the ratio between time in Equestria and the human world.” “How much?” Sunset asked, tone still carefully neutral. The ruling princess of Equestria decided that it would be best not to drag this out any further and gave Sunset the answer she was looking for. “One year in the human world…is now equivalent to ten years in Equestria.” Sunset did the math in her head the second Twilight finished her sentence. “YOU MEAN I’VE BEEN GONE FOR OVER EIGHTY YEARS!?” Anyone watching the display would have likely found the sight of the princess of the entire realm cowering from a pony barely half her size rather hysterical. “You said you wouldn’t freak out!” Twilight yelled in a panic as she backed away from the fuming fireball before her. “Well, I lied!” Sunset screamed as she advanced on the retreating princess. “How am I only finding out about this now!?” The Lavender alicorn stopped her retreat beside a stone pillar she could take cover behind on the small chance Sunset’s temper went beyond heated words. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know exactly what was happening until after my coronation and your graduation.” Twilight explained in hopes of at least making her friend understand. “But you must have suspected SOMETHING before then!” Sunset countered clearly not deterred by the justification. “Apparently, you’ve had all the time in the world to turn this whole thing over!” The need to retreat behind the pillar was starting to seem like a much more likely possibility than previously thought as Sunset didn’t stop her advance. “Ok, so I did suspect something wasn’t right, but it just didn’t seem important at the time.” This was undoubtedly the wrong thing to say as Sunset’s temper reignited in full force. “Not important? NOT IMPORTANT!? How is it not important for me to know that while I’m fooling around in school all of Equestria is passing me by!?” Sunset yelled at the alicorn who had finally given in to the temptation to shy away behind the stone column. Knowing she had to make this right somehow Twilight did the only thing she could think of. She told the truth. “You’re right! I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t think you would ever come back to Equestria until you told me you weren’t satisfied in the human world. I didn’t want you to worry about something you couldn’t control while you were out there, living your life, so I never told you. I just wanted you to be happy!” This last earnest declaration managed to finally cut through Sunset’s rage and cooled her into a much more sedated state of burning irritation. With a long-suffering sigh, the amber unicorn ceased her march and instead fell back into a seated position. Noting the distinct lack of anything blowing up around her, Twilight tentatively poked her head around the pillar only to catch sight of a rather dejected amber unicorn sitting down and staring intently at the floor. Any fear for her own safety was quickly pushed aside as Twilight stepped out from behind her hiding place determined to provide her friend with whatever comfort she could. Slowly but resolutely Twilight Sparkle walked over and sat beside the mare who seemed lost in her thoughts at the moment. After a few more moments of consideration, Twilight extended her wing and carefully wrapped it around Sunset, holding her as the two sat in the dim light and silence of the storage room. After several minutes went by Twilight began to wonder if she should say something but she wasn’t sure if speaking now would help or set the unicorn off again. As if sensing her worried thoughts, Sunset answered the unspoken question for her, “Don’t worry. I think I've gotten the worst of it out of my system already. I’m not planning on doing anything treasonous at the moment.” “Well, that’s a relief.” Twilight laughed. "For a second there, I thought you might actually catch fire." Just like that, the tension melted away as the two mares laughed at the absurdity of the whole scene. The late evening found the pair sitting in one of the palace gardens enjoying a rather subdued tea party. Or at least, Twilight was enjoying a tea party. Sunset on the otherhoof seemed far more concerned with how many teacups she could juggle in her magic now that she had been reintroduced to her horn. “You having fun there?” Twilight asked her dining partner with an amused expression. Sunset at least had the decency to look abashed as she placed the majority of the royal china back onto the cart they came in on. “Sorry, it’s just been a while since I’ve been able to use my own magic. It’s like I’ve been missing a part of myself.” “I understand. Fingers are no substitute for a horn” Twilight responded while telekinetically taking a sip from her cup as if to make her point. “Eh, they’re not so bad once you get used to them,” Sunset shrugged. “It definitely got on my nerves when I’d think about something and it didn’t instantly happen though.” After a shared laugh, Sunset decided it was time to talk business as she leaned forward and laid her forelegs on the table. “So, tell me, your majesty, what exactly does, ‘Royal lab assistant’ entail? You were a bit scarce on the details earlier.” “So…Should I take that to mean you’re still interested in the position?” Twilight remarked as she set her own cup down onto the table. Sunset wondered if she was simply imagining the hopeful desperation that flickered in the alicorn’s eyes. “I went through a lot of trouble to get here princess. I think I should at least give this a chance,” Came Sunset’s resolute reply. “Well, as a teacher and scholar of magic I tend to do a lot of complex lab work in addition to my other duties. I need somepony who can help me with the types of experiments and research I do. You know, an assistant,” Twilight offhandedly clarified. “You don’t already have an assistant?” Sunset asked out of curiosity. Surely the ruler of Equestria for what had apparently been several decades would have no shortage of willing hooves. “I’m afraid not,” Twilight confirmed while shaking her head. “The type of work I generally get up to is very advanced, and there just aren’t a lot of unicorns with special talents in magic that can also keep up with an alicorn. Ever since my last student left Canterlot some time ago, I’ve had to make do on my own.” “Well, I’m flattered Twilight,” Sunset said, and she meant it. To be considered worthy of such an advanced position, even after all her time away, was humbling, but she couldn’t claim to be as confident in her abilities as she once was. “I just don’t know if I’m ready for all that. I’ve been out of the game for a while.” The alicorn reached over the table and placed her hoof over Sunset's own. “That’s okay Sunset. I’ll help you. We’ll have you doing magic better than ever in no time.” The gentle action stirred up the well of different feelings Sunset always seemed to get when Twilight was involved. Rather than linger on the what and why she pushed forward with her next few questions. “So, what about independent research? No offense Twi, but I’d like to perform my own experiments at some point if I’m going to be staying here.” The princess smiled at this, “You’ll have full access to the castle’s labs and resources as my assistant. What you do with them on your own time is your decision Sunset.” “So, you’re saying I pretty much have free reign whenever you don’t need me? That’s some employee benefit you’re offering me. There’s a lot of trust involved in that.” Sunset stated with a flick of her hoof. Even as Princess Celestia’s personal student, she was never given such freedom. Especially considering that she was banished from the castle specifically because she was researching materials she was not permitted to have. “What can I say? I trust you,” Twilight offered with a shrug in place of an explanation. “Besides, I’m actually pretty curious to see what sort of research you’ll get up to once you get back into the swing of things. Who knows, maybe I could be your assistant every now and then.” All things considered, it was a very generous offer. Then again, Sunset knew Twilight to be a very generous pony. Sunset couldn’t help but notice the strange dichotomy in the pony before her. It was like she was both the exact same and completely different at the same time. All the qualities that made Twilight worthy of the title bestowed upon her were still in place, but they were all tangled up in the form of this new regal and proper ruler. Twilight Sparkle was many things, but poised and graceful would have been some of the last words Sunset would have used to describe her. Yet here she sat, the mirror image of Celestia herself, the very picture of an experienced and composed ruler. “Your majesty,” interrupted one of the palace attendants in a refined accent. “Forgive me for intruding, but I believe the sun was due to set nearly a half-hour ago.” Twilight’s eyes widened so fast Sunset was surprised they didn’t pop right out of her head. “GAH! I LOST TRACK OF TIME!” the alicorn shouted loud enough for the majority of the garden to hear. Well, she was composed most of the time these days anyway. This time it was Sunset’s turn to do the comforting as she left her seat and made to place a supportive hoof on her friend’s back. “breathe Twilight,” encouraged the unicorn as the lavender princess proceeded to start heaving. “I’m fine, I’m TOTALLY fine, don’t worry,” choked out the alicorn once her short panic subsided. “Well, since you’re here, would you care to accompany me as I lower the sun and raise the moon?” offered the now, once again, perfectly composed princess. Sunset performed a mock bow in response. “I would be honored to join you, your highness.” Twilight couldn’t quite suppress the roll of her eyes as she used her horn to prepare a teleportation spell for both of them. “Hold on Twi, I think I’ve got this” declared Sunset with a raised hoof as her own horn started glowing. Then, with a red and magenta flash accompanied by a brief pop, both ponies were gone. Less than a second later a flash of magenta light on the tower balcony signaled the arrival of the majestic alicorn ruler of Equestria. This was followed by a flash of red that roughly deposited the small unicorn body of one Sunset Shimmer, who found herself making out with the floor for the second time that day. “Not…One…Word,” growled out the frazzled unicorn who to her credit did make the entire trip under her own power after several years without practice. This remarkable achievement did nothing to stifle the giggles of her royal companion who turned to face the sunlit sky. Sunset had barely gotten back onto her hooves before the sun began to descend, guided by the glowing horn of Twilight Sparkle. Sunset had seen Celestia lower the sun and raise the moon many times throughout her foalhood, and each time it was one of the most majestic sights she had ever seen. Seeing Twilight perform the same act was…different somehow. When Celestia had lowered the sun and raised the moon her eyes were always focused on the movements of the celestial bodies as they danced across the sky. Now, Sunset’s eyes were focused on Twilight as the lowering sun and rising moon illuminated her new figure in a dazzling light that made her look every bit the part of a divine being. It was utterly breathtaking. “That was beautiful, Twilight,” Sunset uttered in her now trance-like state. This prompted Twilight to face her with a small but genuine smile on her face. “Really? I figured you’d have seen this a hundred times before.” This seemed to snap the young mare back to reality. “O-Oh! Uhm...right! It’s just, y'know been a while and all.” Sunset stuttered out while wondering why she was tripping over herself to begin with. Preferring to take her mind off these things at the moment, the amber unicorn decided to make small talk. “So, it’s just you raising the sun and moon all by yourself these days, huh?” Right after the words left her mouth, Twilight’s demeanor took on a sudden shift. Several emotions Sunset had never seen before on the lavender pony made themselves at home. Whereas before Twilight could have easily passed for a goddess, now she suddenly looked almost weary. Her towering figure sagged ever so slightly, her eyes cast downward, and her voice took on an edge that sounded more worn out than it had been previously as she answered, “Yeah…it’s just me.” Whatever Sunset had done to bring about this sudden change in countenance she was desperate to undo. “Well, now that the moon’s up, how about you show me to where I’ll be staying?” she prompted hoping the task would pull Twilight out of this stupor. “…Of course. I’d be happy too. Just follow me.” Twilight instructed in a voice that was no longer melancholy but still sounded older than before. As she followed behind her friend, Sunset wondered what brought on such a shift in the princess. She could only imagine what could cause an immortal alicorn to suddenly look so very…tired. “And this is the private wing of the castle, where me and my guests sleep. You can spend the night here and I'll give you a full tour of the castle tomorrow.” Twilight finished as the pair of equines entered the hall containing the castle’s most secluded bedchambers. “Thanks, Twi, but you really don’t need to give me a tour. I used to live here, remember?” Sunset pointed out now that Twilight had finally come to a stop. “Oh, um…well, it’s just been a while since you’ve been here, and I figured…you see the castle’s been remodeled a few times since…” “At ease, your highness,” Sunset chuckled, feeling merciful enough to spare Twilight the trouble of working herself up over nothing. Thankfully, whatever had come over her on the tower balcony had faded and Twilight was back to being her usual self. If anything, she was acting even more like herself than she had been when they had first reunited. Sunset found herself thinking how nice it was, being able to spend time together again. “Besides, it’s like you said. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so it might be good to get a refresher on a few parts of the place. Although, is it just me, or does a lot of the castle look newer than I remember? I noticed a few new towers, but even the ones I remember look different.” Sunset remarked as she pondered how a castle several centuries-old could manage to look younger after several decades. “Well, it’s a funny story actually. You see, a while back some of the castle might have been…absolutely destroyed. Did I forget to mention that?” Twilight said with a sheepish smile on her face. “No, I don’t think it ever came up,” Sunset responded with a deadpan look on her face. “Exactly, how much of the castle was destroyed while I was gone?” Sunset asked with a quirked eyebrow. “Oh, not much, if I had to guess I’d say about…half. “Half!?” “Actually, now that I think about it, it might have been closer to three fourths.” “You managed to knock over most of the castle?” Sunset gawked at the information that her childhood home had for the most part been dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up. “Of course not, it wasn’t ME!” Twilight quickly defended. “It was a group of villains who were trying to destroy me,” Twilight explained as though the clarification was crucial. “Ok, I guess I’ll be needing that tour of the castle after all.” Sunset got out, though still processing how even the most timeless structure in Equestria had changed while she was away. If not even the castle of Canterlot was the same anymore, how much had the rest of Equestria changed? “Sunset, are you alright?” Twilight asked noticing her friend’s now distant behavior. “I-I’m fine Twilight, could you take me to my room now. I think I’m ready to turn in.” Sunset answered. Twilight wordlessly trotted over to the end of the hall with Sunset in tow and gestured to an ornate door. “Here we are. Just let me know if you need anything at all. My room is behind the large door in the center of the hall if you ever need me. You can’t miss it.” “Thanks, Twilight, I think this will be fine,” Sunset said, still slightly disconnected from the world around her. “Alright then, goodnight Sunset, I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Goodnight Twi.” Twilight began to depart in order to give her friend some privacy, but just before she left, she turned her head to face the unicorn behind her. “And Sunset, I’m glad you’re here.” As Twilight made her way out of the hall, Sunset couldn’t help but wonder what to make of Twilight now. Just like the rest of Equestria, there was so much about her she no longer knew. So familiar, but also so different. It was beginning to make her head hurt. Once Sunset managed to collect herself, she used her magic to open the door before her and was greeted with a sight she had not witnessed in a long time. Her living conditions had never been glamorous in the human world. Living by herself and surviving off her wits and whatever money she managed to earn from her various part-time jobs often meant that her standard of living was rarely above a single room apartment with some cheap furniture thrown in. What was before her now was undeniably lavish. The room was pristine and tastefully decorated. There was a door off to the side that likely contained the private bathroom, plenty of storage shelves for whatever books and trinkets she might wish to adorn her room with, and a study area for paper and book work. Nice as the overall area was, however, none of it mattered compared to the centerpiece of the room. A royal queen-sized bed positioned in the center of the back wall, decorated in the silkiest sheets and most lavish pillows Sunset had seen in ages. As if she didn’t have a moment to lose Sunset placed her saddlebag onto the floor, locked the door behind her, and hopped onto the waiting mattress. Had she been born a Pegasus, she imagined that this would have been what if felt like to lay upon a cloud. Everything was different now. Sunset knew that. She knew that eventually, she’d have to deal with exactly what that meant for her, her life, and her relationship with everyone and everypony she knew, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy a night on a bed that didn’t give her back pain. Author's Note And so here we are at the moment I'm sure a lot of people have been waiting for. Plenty of readers no doubt guessed where this was heading. I give you, Sunset Shimmer in the future! The concept came to me LONG before the specifics, so the actual mechanics of the mirror were easily the hardest thing to wrestle with so far, and to be honest likely will continue to be so. It's never really been dealt with in the show proper and likely never will be. Still, I had an idea for what I wanted to happen, where I wanted most of the characters to be, and what I wanted to do after. The only thing I didn't have, was an acceptable way to pass time. I couldn't come up with an acceptable time exchange ratio that wouldn't also mean an young adult Sunset left for the human world a while before Twilight was even born which I am 99.9% certain is not what happened. So hey, one day I figured, my story, my rules, PLOT DEVICE time! Twilight's machine she built in 5 minutes to negate half the conflict of the first movie actually had some drawbacks in this story. Figured it would also explain why out of nowhere Twilight starts doing so much while Sunset hasn't even made it through an entire year. It's not something I'll want to do often, but it seemed like the way to make everything move smoothly. tl;dr The story is about to shift into what it promised, next chapter. I hope you're all still enjoying, and if you're not be sure to tell me why either way. I'd hate to write things nobody enjoys. Can't promise I'll listen to all criticism, but I'll definitely consider it. Chapter 3: Getting SettledAn insistent knocking at the door to her room jolted Sunset awake as the light of the early morning penetrated through the gaps of the curtains futilely trying to block out the light of the newly-risen sun. It was in the hazy half-dead state of, ‘not quite awake, but not quite asleep’ that she most got the wires between pony and human crossed up so in order to avoid yet another embarrassing incident that she would no doubt need to explain to anyone who either saw her roll out of bed on all fours or vainly try to keep herself upright on two hind legs. “Let’s see, can’t feel my fingers or toes, pointy thing coming out of my head, and I’m currently sleeping in a much nicer bed than I could ever afford,” Sunset mentally checked off. “Pony it is.” Ordinarily, Sunset would have considered simply ignoring the headache-inducing knocking and going back to her cloud-like royal bed, but the unicorn already had a strong feeling about who it was. It was likely in her best interest not to snub royalty just yet. “Keep your crown on, I’m coming!” came the half-shouted half growled affirmation that the mare was in fact getting out of bed. On the bright side, the knocking had finally stopped, though it did little to raise Sunset’s spirits as she trudged over to open the door. She was, as expected, greeted by a positively radiant Princess Twilight Sparkle complete with a winning smile that lived up to her last name. “Goooood morning, Sunset!” the princess practically sang. Apparently, Twilight was a morning pony now. Which made sense, given how the morning existed due to her, not that such a fact did anything for the amber pony’s less than excited mood. “…Blegh” spat the incredibly frazzled unicorn who was currently sporting bags under her eyes and a bird’s nest for a mane. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Apologized Twilight as she took in the sight of her disheveled friend. “Do you need a moment to freshen up?” Sunset took a moment to process the offer. “No,” came the curt reply as she strolled past Twilight into the castle hall without even bothering to fix her bed head. With a shrug, the princess rounded around to catch up. “I figured with that cutie mark of yours, you’d be a bit more of an early riser,” Twilight idly commented once she had caught up. “The name’s Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, not Sunrise,” the still agitated unicorn quipped as she padded down the hall, only growing more agitated when she realized she had to work overtime to keep up with Twilight’s stride. Internally she wondered if she’d ever get over the massive size increase. “What’s with the early wake-up call anyway princess? You must have only just raised the sun a few minutes ago.” “Well you see, I had to put a few things off due to your arrival yesterday, so I’m going to be extra busy today. I figured that if we got an early start we could squeeze in some breakfast and a little magic training. Just to bring you back to speed.” Explained Twilight. The thoughtfulness of the gesture was not lost on Sunset and she found her morning irritability quickly abating. “Thanks, Twi. Sorry, if I seemed a bit testy. I’m usually not all there until after breakfast. A frosting free breakfast that is,” Sunset shuddered, remembering a particularly painful morning with Pinkie Pie. Now that her head was a bit clearer, she could take advantage of a spell she had perfected during her early days at Celestia’s School. It proved rather useful in the past given the fire maned unicorn’s penchant for sleeping in. With a brief glow, her mane restored itself from a tangled mess to the more organized wildness she typically sported on a day to day basis. “Gotta say, it’s pretty great to be magic again,” thought the now much more presentable pony. “Teleportation and mane magic? It looks like you’re readjusting to your magic pretty quickly. I might have to make some adjustments to the exercise program I mapped out for us this morning,” Twilight commented, clearly already in the process of making mental altercations to her schedule. “We’ll workshop magic AFTER we get something to eat. I haven’t had Equestrian cuisine in ages,” Sunset said before trotting off in the direction of the castle’s dining area. Twilight had to admit that she never would have believed Sunset could consume her own body weight in pancakes were she not currently witnessing it with her own currently enlarged eyes. The princess just hoped she remembered to chew. “Twilight, whatever you’re paying your chef, it’s not enough,” Sunset managed to get out somewhere between the third and fourth plate she had levitated over to herself. Twilight let out a chuckle at the childlike glee of the grown mare. “I’ll be sure to let Chef Sizzle know you approve.” “Sizzle? That’s a bit strange for a pony name. Oh well, if he makes more food like this who cares what he’s called?” Sunset idly thought as she finished the last of the pancake stacks. “Let me tell you princess, human taste buds and pony taste buds are NOTHING alike. After living off of school lunches and microwaveable meals for ten years or so, these have got to be the second-best pancakes I’ve ever had.” “Only the second best? What’s the first?” Twilight prodded with a quirked brow, her curiosity needing to know the answer if the food she had borderline mauled was only second best. “Well, back when I was a filly, Princess Celestia used to get up every morning to make breakfast herself. We used to start every morning eating together, just the two of us. Sometimes it was the only time we saw each other, so even though she was always super busy, and I was still half asleep, we still made sure to start the day off together,” Sunset recounted as she lost herself in the nostalgia of pleasant foalhood memories, now years gone. Sunset knew she’d have to confront her mentor eventually while she was here. She promised herself that if she accomplished nothing else in Equestria, she’d at least do that. She wanted just one more day with the pony who was the closest thing she ever had to a mother. Yet, the courage to track the ancient alicorn down currently eluded her for whatever reason. It was just one of the many things she was too much of a coward to face at the moment. Not least of her current issues being the disconnect she had recently learned of between this world and the one she had called home until recently. As of now, Sunset had yet to really talk about what that meant beyond her shouting at Twilight, but she had certainly thought about it. The fact was, she could live a whole life here before her friends on the other side of the mirror even developed gray hairs. It certainly made long term communication with her friends a hassle. Sunset wondered if perhaps she should just call it quits and go back through the mirror. “But then what? I’d just be right back in the same place I started, and if my little panic attack yesterday taught me anything about myself, it’s that I’m not as unaffected by leaving Equestria behind as I thought I was,” Sunset rationalized in her head. It was the truth. Finding out that the Equestria she knew was more than likely almost completely gone was a sobering experience. Sunset considered herself lucky that all her meaningful relationships on this side of the mirror were to ponies who were immortal, but something about missing out on her entire generation left her feeling empty inside. For now, Sunset decided it would be best to take advantage of the one thing she had plenty of on this side of the mirror. Time. Time to figure out exactly what she wanted out of her life. These musings were interrupted by the lavender alicorn sitting across from her. “Well, now that you’ve had your fill, and about four other pony’s fill in addition to that, what do you say we head outside and get a feel for where your magic stands. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just muttered under your breath and say yes. Let’s get our magic on!” Sunset exclaimed with a raised hoof. “Alright, now for the final test, let’s try a growth spell.” “Seriously princess? I thought this was supposed to be a workout?” Sunset said with confidence as she stepped forward and rolled her neck. “Here’s a toned-down variant of a spell I created for one of my mid-terms.” The amber pony proceeded to unleash a controlled blast of magic on a simple daisy poking out of the private garden grounds. The flower began to glow with a stunning magical aura…before quickly fizzling out as the magic was absorbed into the stem, looking no different than it had before. Twilight made her way over to Sunset to console her. Growth magic was an advanced form of magic that relied on serious molecular manipulation for any size increase at all. It wasn’t surprising that it would take a few attempts to succeed. Let alone perform a personalized spell. “It’s alright, Sunset. You just need a lit-“ Twilight began, only to be interrupted by the ground violently shaking. The unsuspecting daisy suddenly erupted out of the ground like a giant beanstalk, twisting its way into the sky. Increasing in length and width as it climbed skyward, the once-simple flower didn’t stop growing until it was large and high enough to block out the sun. When all was said and done, the flower was the size of a small tower. “THAT’S your idea of a toned-down growth spell!?” Twilight shouted at her now all too content with herself companion. “Are you kidding?” Sunset responded with perhaps a touch of self-satisfaction. “The first time I used that spell, I destroyed the exam building and the tower next door.” “That was YOU!?” “Twi, I was doing magic while you were still in diapers. Anytime a building in Canterlot needed to be rebuilt and it wasn’t because of you, it was probably me,” elaborated Sunset who was perhaps a bit too proud of the fact. “HEY! I’ll have you know that I only destroyed the roof. Maybe a few walls, but NEVER an entire building,” Twilight argued by making the totally important distinction. Rather than squabble about who did or did not cause the most property damage in their youth Sunset decided to get her final grade from her impromptu instructor. “So, what do you think? Am I qualified to be your assistant?” “Sunset…" Twilight began, “Your raw magical ability is far beyond almost any non-alicorn I’ve ever seen. I can only think of a hoof-full of unicorns I’ve ever met that were capable of matching your power. I mean, I always knew you were strong, but I guess I never really thought about what that meant until now.” “Well, as much as the old me would have liked to take those compliments and run with them, I have to admit that it probably isn’t all me anymore,” Sunset confessed. To demonstrate her point, she used her magic to take hold of a nearby stone and levitated it over to them. “Have you ever noticed anything peculiar about my magic, Twilight?” Sunset asked as she floated the rock around where the alicorn could see it. Sensing Sunset was getting at something here, Twilight took a careful look at the reddish glow keeping the stone suspended in the air. No matter how long she stared however, she couldn’t see anything that stood out about the magic field compared to any other auras she had seen. “Sorry no, it looks perfectly normal to me.” Expecting that answer, for the most part, Sunset pushed on to what she hoped would make her point clear to the princess. “Alright, I know this was a long time ago, especially for you, but try to think back to when we first met. Think back to the night I stole your crown.” Now especially curious as to what Sunset was getting at by bringing up such old memories Twilight did her best to recall that night. “Let’s see, it was the middle of the night, and I was asleep. I heard a loud noise, and I woke up to see you there, with my crown. Then I chased you. I tried to use my magic to head you off by teleporting in front of you. Then, I think you ran right at me. I stood my ground, but there was a blinding flash of green light…or was it blue? Either way, you teleported just like I did and…WAIT!?” Twilight stopped herself mid-memory and took another hard look at the rock still floating in the air, this time noticing something was definitely off about what she was looking at. “Your magic! It’s red now! It used to be green. Or was it blue? Who cares!? It’s red now! How have I never noticed this!” Twilight began to rant. Sunset noticed that, as the ruler of Equestria, Twilight seemed to have moved past her full out panic attacks, yet she was still rather excitable when confronted with either an unexpected surprise or a chance for study. Just another way the more things change the more they stay the same with this new Twilight. Whatever the case, Sunset was also still a pony that liked to cut to the chase. “I mean, I know I’ve only seen your magic a hoof-full of times, and each of those times involved some sort of catastrophe, but I still think I would hav-mphf! Twilight’s babbling was unceremoniously silenced by a red, magic aura forcing her muzzle shut. Sunset found herself briefly wondering if forcibly silencing the monarch of the entire kingdom constituted some form of treason but rationalized it wouldn’t be the first time she had committed a crime against the state, and knowing Twilight it wouldn’t be the last time such an action was called for. “Yes, Twilight, my magic used to be a different color. Cyan to be specific, the same color as my eyes, but some time after traveling to the human world, it...changed. Now I’m going to let you talk but promise me you’ll be pertinent,” Sunset broke down for her fellow student. Her request was met with little more than a glare, clearly not appreciating being forcefully cut off. Fearing an overnight stay in the dungeon, Sunset decided to release her alicorn friend regardless of whether or not she accepted the terms set before her. “Well, as I was getting to before I was so rudely interrupted, do you have any idea what changed your magic?” Twilight questioned. “I’ve seen a ton of magic phenomenon, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony’s magic completely altered before.” “I don’t know what caused it exactly, but I do have some theories I’ve been dying to test out. I’ve never seen or heard of this happening before either and I was never able to explore why it happened or what it meant in the human world,” Sunset rattled off growing more excited by the second. The exercises she had performed this morning with Twilight had left her feeling more alive than she had in years, and now she already had a magical mystery to personally unravel two days into Equestria. She had forgotten exactly how much she loved what she used to do. It was like her entire world had a direction again, even if only briefly. Either Sunset’s enthusiasm was infecting the lavender mare by her side or she was becoming just as invested in the prospect of such untouched research as her friend. Both were likely possibilities given who it was. Regardless, Twilight was becoming positively giddy. “Sunset, we have to record this! Maybe we can narrow down the possible causes of this change. Do you remember when the first time you realized your magic had changed was?” Twilight finished this question by practically putting herself muzzle to muzzle with Sunset, which served to once again highlight just how much bigger Twilight was than her now. Sunset could feel her face heating up from the sudden invasion of her personal space and took a few steps back. Once she had regained her focus the answer to Twilight’s logical question came fairly easily. It was only briefly, and she had been much too focused on other things and excited to even have her magic back at all to properly give it attention, but it was impossible to forget the interactions she had on that day. “Yeah! It was when I came back to Equestria to get a replacement journal from you. I met your friendship student that day. Her name was Starlight Glimmer, wasn’t it?” The result of her question was instantaneous. Every ounce of excitement and enthusiasm Twilight Sparkle had been practically bursting with drained out of her in a matter of seconds. Her excited smile fell clean off her face and her eyes lost the sparkle they usually contained. “Yeah…yeah, it was,” Twilight answered like somepony who was currently a million miles away. “...Excuse me Sunset, but I need to go take care of some things right now. I’ll see you later,” Twilight finished as she turned away and spread her wings. Sunset panicked at the sudden change in tone “W-Wait a moment, Twilight, I-“ “We’ll talk later Sunset, I have to go.” As soon as the words left her mouth the princess pushed herself into the air and was gone, leaving a confused and distressed Sunset Shimmer in her wake. Sunset could only watch the alicorn fly off into the horizon until she lost sight of her. This was the second time she had seen Twilight undergo a complete change out of the blue. The change was short-lived and subtle enough yesterday that Sunset could almost convince herself she had simply imagined it, but even the most emotionally deaf pony in the world couldn’t ignore what had just happened. One moment the princess had been practically bouncing and the next she had looked completely lost. Then she flew off, with barely an excuse. “Something’s not right,” Sunset muttered to herself as she walked her way out of the garden. Sunset found herself aimlessly wandering the castle halls later that day. Before now, she had been kept to the more private areas of the palace, and she suspected Twilight had intentionally kept the staff’s presence light upon her return. With Twilight running off before they had actually set any terms for her position at the castle, Sunset found herself with little else to do than see how her old home had changed over the decades. The answer was like a lot of things so far, not a lot and completely at the exact same time. The general structure of the building seemed to have been preserved during reconstruction, making finding her way around easier than she had originally feared. She had taken the time pay a visit to the Chef mentioned this morning in order to offer her gratitude and was surprised by it being not a pony heading the castle diet these days, but a dragon. It certainly explained the name. It didn’t stop there however, for it seemed that the entire castle had undergone a change in management. Back during her youth, the castle had been exclusively occupied by various types of ponies. There were still quite a few ponies working here, such as the attendants that kept track of Twilight’s duties, but there were also just as many other species doing equal amounts of work around the castle. Ever since she had taken the time to actually look around the busier parts of the castle, she had seen griffons, yaks, dragons, creatures that were apparently an evolved form of changeling, hippogriffs, and one or two strange ponylike creatures called kirin. It was apparent that the castle had greatly diversified in her time away. Was all of Canterlot like this now? All of Equestria even? Sunset was by no means ever the kind of pony to discriminate against other species as she had known some ponies, particularly the upper class and high standing nobles, to do. No, back in her formative years all creatures had been equally below her, regardless of their race, and now she had long since realized that all that really mattered was how a creature looked on the inside. Equestria becoming more accepting of others wasn’t bad by any means. If anything, it seemed to indicate a great era of peace was upon them. The culture shock was simply getting to Sunset again. Everywhere she looked seemed to be a reminder of all she had missed. A reminder of all she could have been a part of but wasn’t. Still, Sunset thought as she entered a great hall, one she had walked through countless times as a foal, that it was perhaps a blessing in disguise. Sunset had never imagined she’d be welcomed in the castle again after her banishment, let alone living here again, but now it was like she had a fresh start. The walls and towers may not have been exactly as she remembered, but the creatures within them had also never heard the tale of Celestia’s little brat, who once terrorized Canterlot with her bad attitude and immense power. If she wanted, this could be the chance for a new start. She could make a new legacy in this castle, maybe in all Equestria, in a world where no one yet knew the name- “Sunset Shimmer!” Sunset rounded around to face whoever it was that somehow knew who she was. She barely had time to look up before she was scooped into the arms of some sort of hulking dragon. “Oh man, it really is you! Twilight said you’d be here, but I didn’t expect to just walk into you once I got back to Canterlot.” Whoever it was that was currently pleased to see her clearly didn’t know his own strength as his broad arms strangled the air right out of Sunset’s lungs. “I still can’t believe you’re even here! It’s great to see a familiar face these days. Or well, the pony version of a familiar face. Not that I don’t know what you look like as a pony, but I’m just a bit more used to your other look is all.” Every second the dragon rambled about their supposed history brought Sunset closer to asphyxiation. Fortunately, as a close friend of Pinkie Pie’s Sunset had plenty of experience with ‘Death by hug’. Still, unnaturally strong as Pinkie was, she didn’t quite possess Dragon muscle so Sunset figured the sooner she ended the embrace the better. “C-Can’t…breath. Talk…after…let…go,” Sunset choked out. Experience had taught her that short incomplete sentences were wiser when air was in short supply. Survival first, grammar later. “Oh! sorry about that. I was just excited to see you is all,” remarked the dragon who finally released his hold. Unfortunately for Sunset, this hugging beast didn’t feel compelled to completely release the mare just yet, and instead of putting her down, he merely readjusted his grip on her to one she had seen Rarity use when she was cooing at her pet cat. Being dangled off the ground by her underarms didn’t do Sunset’s dignity any favors, but it did at least give her a much clearer look at the face of her assailant now that she was being held eye level with him. He was roughly as tall as Twilight and his face was remarkably chiseled, but there certainly was something undeniably familiar about this dragon. But she didn’t even know any dragons aside from… “…Spike?” Sunset tentatively called out, halfway not believing her own guess. The now fully-grown drake responded with a half-smile and a restrained chuckle, “Yep, that’s what they call me.” Sunset didn’t think anything could shock her more than Twilight’s sudden turn from book horse to a goddess, but at least Twilight had pretty much always been noticeably taller than her before it got ridiculous. Spike had been a baby dragon when they’d met. Granted the only time she got a good look at him in that form was during the whole Spring Break debacle, but he was very clearly no larger than a foal. Then on the other side of the mirror, he was just a pup. He could fit into a backpack for Pete’s sake. She had held him in her arms. Now he was practically handling her like a doll. “This is so unfair,” Sunset made her frustrations known to the dragon. “Uhm, what?” Spike asked in understandable confusion expecting a different reaction to their first meeting in years. “I mean, I get that I’ve been gone a while, so I understand things are going to change. I could understand with Twilight because all that height is probably necessary for running things. I could get over all the huge new creatures roaming around the palace. But YOU Spike? Why is EVERYTHING so much bigger than me now!?” Sunset punctuated her rant with a futile kick of her hind legs that only served to make her sway back and forth in Spike’s grip. Just when Sunset didn’t believe she could feel any smaller, Spike burst into a full-on guffaw clearly finding her crisis hysterical. “HAHAHAHA! Oh man, Sunset. You haven’t changed a bit.” “Yeah yeah, laugh it up, dragon boy. Now put me down before I turn you into a house plant.” Spike thankfully did as requested and finally set the amber pony back on her own hooves, though to Sunset’s disdain it seemed to be more to wipe the tears of mirth from his eye than a reaction to the threat she had made. “It really is good to see you,” Spike said after he had finally gotten a handle on himself. It was a shame everypony Sunset knew was so genuine. It made holding her temper next to impossible no matter how justified she felt in her offense. “It’s good to see you too Spike. Just…go easy the next time you decide to hug me, alright?” The two of them fell into step with each other soon after, taking the walk as an opportunity to catch up. “So, friendship ambassador and royal advisor, huh? Must be a full-time job,” Sunset began while not shifting her eyes from what was in front of her. Spike rubbed the back of his head, somehow still not used to all those lofty titles being thrown around. “Oh, Twilight told you about all that, did she?” “Are you kidding?” Sunset started while turning to look at the hulking dragon walking beside her. “I know things about you that would make you want to curl up in a corner and die. Any chance Twilight got, she filled our journal with the escapades of her favorite assistant. Your favorite kind of gem, how much ice cream you managed to sneak out of the freezer, the stuffed animals you keep, how excited you got over a new comic book, and my personal favorite, Spike’s baby adventures. Twilight talks about you like a proud mom and an overbearing sister rolled into one. Honestly, it’s adorable.” Spike, unfortunately, wasn’t seeing the cute side of things and instead wanted to find himself a nice quiet corner to do exactly what Sunset said. Fortunately, he was far from defenseless if this was the game the unicorn wanted to play. “Oh, and I don’t suppose you actually think everything that you write in that journal stays there? You should know that as Twilight’s number one assistant, I got a front-row seat to all your little heart to hearts. Isn’t that right ‘Celestia’s little sunspot’?” Sunset’s face did an incredible imitation of her hair color as she quickly diverted her gaze elsewhere. “Touché Spike, touché.” “So, are you around the castle often?” Sunset decided to pry, curious to know just how much she’d be seeing of the dragon. “It honestly depends. Friendship problems aren’t things that have any sort of schedule so sometimes I’m around for a few months at a time and other times I’ll be away for just as long. Plus I’ve made a lot of friends around Equestria I need to go and visit every so often. I try my best, but, really, I don’t think I’m around as often as I’d like to be,” Spike explained. The subtle somber note at the end was not lost on Sunset. If anything, it seemed to be a running theme in this new Equestria. Still, it would be nice having a somewhat familiar friendly face around every once and awhile. “So, I take it you’re back from some Friendship ambassador business? Anything interesting come up?” Sunset prompted to continue the conversation. “Ah, not really. Once you’ve been around the block enough you actually find yourself reteaching the same friendship lessons. It’s still nice to help, but it gets a little predictable,” Spike answered before taking the reins of the conversation. “I was actually on my way to see Twilight. Court should be over by now, so we were going to have dinner together. I’m sure she’d want you to join us.” “I don’t know Spike. I think I messed up earlier. Maybe I should give her some space right now?” Sunset admitted. Spike’s tone once again shifted to a more somber inflection as he looked down at the pony walking beside him. “Trust me Sunset. The very last thing Twilight needs right now is space.” Whatever few doubts Sunset had that there was something going on she wasn’t privy to were quashed right there. It seemed Spike was all too aware of whatever it was that was bothering Twilight. Perhaps she could get what exactly out of him later. Now though, it was clear Twilight needed her. “Alright, Spike, lead the way then.” “It would be my pleasure,” his voice now back to the friendly chipper inflection that suited him. “Just so you know, Twilight was really happy you decided to come here. I haven’t seen her so excited in…years really.” This was a new change in mood Sunset had yet to experience since returning. This was tinged in a new emotion other than sadness. His voice now sounded, hopeful perhaps. Sunset knew she really needed to get to the bottom of all this now, but not before she allowed herself to enjoy a nice meal with some old friends. For now, the pair made their way to their waiting ruler content to enjoy each other’s peaceful company. “…So how long until we get there exactly?” “What? Those small legs of yours getting tired already?” “Oh, zip it. I’m seriously starting to consider the plant idea.” “Would you be less grumpy if I carried you? You’re pretty light really.” “I mean it, Spike. I remember the spell. I’d find you a nice windowsill and nopony would ever know.” The private dining room was surprisingly spartan, at least when compared to the rest of the castle. In contrast to the dining room she had eaten breakfast in that morning, the room Spike led her to was no bigger than an average house, and the center of the room contained a small round dining table akin to the ones used by small families. This was in stark contrast to the rectangular tables found throughout the castle, each capable of seating at least a moderately sized party. Everything about the dining room setup indicated that it was a place meant for Twilight and those close to her. Somewhere to escape the grandiose pomp of everyday royal life and be close to those around you. It was a place for friends. Princess Twilight Sparkle was already seated at the table when the two arrived, clearly awaiting somepony. Sunset noted that it was the first time she had seen Twilight without her crown on since coming back through the mirror. Perhaps it was simply nostalgia, but Sunset found herself thinking she preferred the lavender pony without it. “Spike! It’s good to see you,” Twilight said the instant she caught sight of the purple dragon as she quickly rose from her chair to embrace him. “It’s good to see you too, Twi,” Spike returned while wrapping his arms around her in a firm but gentle hug. “You’ll never believe who I ran into on my way here.” Twilight caught sight of the small amber unicorn hiding just out of view while looking over Spike’s shoulder. The earlier confidence Sunset had felt on her way here was gradually wearing down as the doubts from earlier reasserted themselves. Taking in the sight of the cozy room and touching moment between the two who were clearly family in all but blood left her feeling like more of an intruder than a guest. Twilight’s eyes flashed with surprise at her presence before settling into a welcoming smile. “Sunset, you’re here already. I was just about to send one of the guards to fetch you.” Knowing her presence was not only welcomed but planned did wonders for stilling Sunset’s nerves as she returned a smile of her own. “Well, Spike and I just sort of bumped into each other, so we thought we’d come see you together.” “In any case, I’m glad you’re both here. Come on, take a seat” Twilight gestured as she returned to her place at the table. Twilight seemed to have once again returned to her usual state since the last time Sunset had seen her. Whatever had happened earlier, she wouldn’t press for details just yet. Still, this would be a good chance to finalize their arrangements. “So, when exactly do I start?” Sunset questioned as she took her seat. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked back. “My job. As your assistant. We never actually got around to setting any terms,” Sunset clarified as a pony wheeled in a cart adorned with tonight’s meal. Clearly remembering her abrupt exit from earlier, Twilight’s face took on a faint blush as she sat up straighter. “Oh right, sorry. It just slipped my mind. I was actually thinking you could start as soon as tomorrow...if that’s alright with you, I mean.” Sunset found bashfulness both didn’t suit Twilight’s new figure in the slightest and was incredibly adorable at once. Just another thing to add to the list of perfect contradictions that was Twilight Sparkle. “That sounds perfect. I’ve been itching to get my hooves dirty.” Twilight’s face took on a relieved expression at Sunset’s enthusiasm. “Great, I usually work in the lab after I’ve finished teaching class at Celestia’s school. I’ll send for you when I'm finished.” “So, you run Celestia’s school now too? She really did give you everything,” Sunset prodded in a teasing manner. “Well, I didn’t have to run the school, but I enjoy it. Ruling Equestria is my duty, but magic is my passion. You understand, right?” “More than you could imagine.” “So, you’re going to be Twilight’s assistant? I didn’t know you were coming here to replace me,” Spike interjected with a false offense. This caused a round of good-natured chuckles to fill the table. “Come on Spike. You know that no matter what happens, you’ll always be my number one assistant.” The rest of the evening was rather peaceful. Sunset couldn’t remember the last time she had dinner with anyone or anypony besides herself. It made her realize just how lonely she had gotten in the human world. Even when her friends had been able to see her regularly, she had spent most nights alone. No one to talk to over a meal or bid her goodnight. Talking, sharing stories, laughing at jokes, all by the gentle candlelight. It was really something special. For the first time, Sunset allowed herself to wonder if she belonged here. Author's Note Not too much to say this time. Just the beginning of Sunset familiarizing herself with Equestria again as well as the people who now live there. Also, Spike is here now. I needed to make good on his character tag. We'll be seeing him a fair bit from now on, so hopefully I've done him justice. Nuance is something I believe a lot of witters struggle with, but I hope I've done a good enough job so far without shoving it in everyone's face. Again, please don't be afraid to give me feedback, even if it's just to slap me about my terrible grammar. I want this to be as enjoyable to read as it is to write. Final small note, there's only going to be one more chapter after this one before updates slow down a bit. I penned the rough draft of the first five chapters before publishing the story which is why I've been able to update every few days. Just wanted to give everyone a fair warning. Chapter 4: Brave New World“The Modern Magic by Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset read off the cover of the book she had been handed. “It’s one of Equestria’s best sellers,” offered the hippogriff librarian sitting at the front desk as she readjusted her glasses. Sunset figured if she was really going to catch up on several missed decades of magical study, she couldn’t be picky about where the information came from. “Alright, I’ll take it. Check it out with the rest of the books, please.” “My pleasure. It’s so nice to have somegriff take an interest in these old books. Aside from the princess, you’re the only one who ever comes here regularly,” the middle-aged hippogriff responded as she checked out the latest collection of books Sunset Shimmer had decided to read through. Experimentation and observation were Sunset’s preferred methods of learning new magic, but she wasn’t averse to some old-fashioned textbook learning when the situation called for it. Within a few days, she had made record progress reading through the stacks of books she picked up from the castle library. “Well, it’d be a shame for nopony to make use of your impeccable organization system, Sky Quill.” Sunset said with earnest to one of her new friends within the castle. It seemed the possession of flight and hand like claws made for a deadly book organizing combination. There was no shelf in the castle Sky Quill couldn’t reach. Nopony short of an alicorn could even hope to do the job better. Before Sunset could even bid the kindly hippogriff goodbye a stiff blue skinned changeling in a tailored tuxedo approached them sporting a typical look of indifference. “I figured I’d find you roaming about here. Princess Twilight requests your assistance, Ms. Shimmer.” By now, Sunset knew that he referred to her as such simply to try and get a rise out of her. It always worked. “That’s DOCTOR Shimmer to you, Cercus. I didn’t spend countless sleepless nights studying my flank off to be called, ‘Ms.’ Shimmer.” “Until you can provide me with your degree or an answer to your place of study beyond, ‘It’s complicated’ I’m afraid I will not be able to oblige,” Cercus responded without a single change in inflection. As far as Sunset could tell, the changeling’s expression had yet to change even once since she had met him, but she swore she could see the mockery behind his purple eyes. Cercus was something akin to the Kibitz of modern Equestria. One of Twilight’s most trusted attendants and advisors who made sure that the princess had her crown on straight before she left her chambers. More recently, he served as Sunset’s keeper. Tracking her down whenever Twilight was in need of her, helping her become accustomed to the castle, and keeping whatever tabs on her he felt was necessary. All things considered; he was a real stick in the mud. He was also her first new friend in the castle. Once you moved past the sarcasm and dry humor, there was a changeling who seemed to genuinely care. At least, that’s what Sunset thought she was seeing behind the blank mask he called a face. In any case, she could think of worse creatures to hold her leash. “Whatever. You said Twilight needs me?” Sunset picked up, moving past their typical banter. “Indeed. Her majesty is about to begin her daily research. On that note, I would advise you to rehearse your defense spells while on your way. Today’s research appeared particularly dubious,” Cercus informed her. “It’s one of those days then,” Sunset thought as she began to make her way out of the library. “Alright, I’ll see you both later. I hope anyway.” Sunset wasn’t quite sure what Twilight had meant when she said she needed a unicorn powerful enough to keep up with her and her experiments, but after the third castle shaking explosion of the day she was fairly certain that she simply needed a unicorn strong enough to survive her scientific exploits. So far, her own shield spells had been proficient enough to endure the experiments, but the amber mare still wondered how comfortable she was spending her days hanging around ground zero. “Khoff…kaff…well, it seems like griffin feathers weren’t the stabilizing agent I was hoping for," Twilight choked out, her face now blackened with soot and her wind-swept hair now more hurricane-swept. “Really? Was it the violent gurgling or the explosion that tipped you off?” Sunset said with perhaps a small hint of irritation at nearly being unmade for the third time that day. “I didn’t bring you here to sass me, Sunset.” Twilight responded with perhaps a dash of frustration at exploding for the third time that day followed by her new assistant berating her. Sunset couldn’t suppress the roll of her eyes, though she didn’t try very hard. “I’m starting to think you brought me here as some sort of belated revenge for stealing your crown.” By now Twilight had managed to clean herself up with a little magical aid as she turned to face her companion. “Oh, like YOU’RE the one getting blown up? Can you please just give me the data we collected from that trial?” Figuring she had heckled Twilight enough, and internally acknowledging it was somewhat hypocritical to accost Twilight when her own hooves on approach had led to plenty of explosions in her time, she cooperated with her request as she approached the machine that should have recorded the magical reading from the experiment. Sunset noted that the machine was likely the most current Equestrian technology available at the time, several decades after her own, yet it still seemed primitive in comparison to the devices of the human world, only giving vague numbers and graphs in response. Perhaps she’d take it upon herself to upgrade some of the equipment. Those years of college education might end up being good for something after all. “It looks like the repulsion spell matrix is still rejecting the weather magic elements in the mixture. As far as I can tell, all the griffon feathers managed to do was delay the feedback, but that just made a bigger explosion,” Sunset interpreted from the readings on the screen. Twilight let out a sigh at the predictable result. “I had hoped outsourcing to the magic of another species would solve the issues we’ve been having, but it looks like the weather protection potion is just going to have to wait another day. Hopefully we’ll be able to work out the kinks before the storm season starts. What do you say we break for now?” “I think that sounds like a great idea,” Sunset responded. Magic was great, and she’d be lying if she said the past few days she had spent as Twilight’s assistant hadn’t been wonderful. Getting to toy around with all the advancements in magic and read all the books she had missed out on had been wonderful. To be a unicorn without magic was like being a pegasus without flying. It was like she was finally whole again. Still, there was only so much of nearly being incinerated a pony could take for one day. “Well, come on,” Twilight beckoned as she opened the laboratory door. “I was thinking I could show you around Canterlot today.” That declaration managed to instantly shatter Sunset’s brief relief. “Oh, you don’t need to do that, Twilight. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of other things to take care of besides showing me around,” Sunset said in an attempt to wave her off. “Actually, I’ve cleared my schedule for this.” Twilight offhandedly stated as she guided Sunset through the door and the two entered into the hallway. “I’ve been meaning to show you around for a while now. “ “Come on, the sole ruler of all Equestria can’t be using her precious free time to play tour guide. Surely, we can think of something more meaningful to do than wander around Canterlot,” Sunset tried to justify in an attempt to get out of the trip that was seeming less and less optional by the second. Right as she finished, a long slender alicorn leg placed itself directly into her path, stopping her in her tracks. At least twice a day, Sunset was confronted with just how annoying it was that Twilight was so much bigger than her now. “Sunset…” Twilight began. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’ve been doing. You’ve been here for almost a week now, and not once have you left the castle. Now, I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but I think it’s time you got outside and refamiliarized yourself with the city you grew up in.” “That’s just it, Twi. That isn’t the city I grew up in,” Sunset confessed. “I know it’s the same place, but now everypony and building are like complete strangers to me. At least the castle is still the same general shape, even if a lot of it’s changed, but every time I look down at Canterlot I can barely even recognize the place.” She finished while slumping over slightly. Twilight seemed to consider this for a minute. She had already figured that Sunset was having trouble readjusting to life in Equestria. She had taken to her renewed studies with an exceptional vigor and she had no trouble making friends with the palace staff despite their differing species, but it was difficult to miss the way the amber unicorn would avoid even gazing upon the city below and lost herself in books and murals that recounted the past. It was the main reason she had felt the need to organize this particular excursion. Ordinarily, she rarely left the castle herself these days for the sole purpose of seeing the sights, but if it meant making Sunset more at home in this world it would be well worth the time. Besides, making occasional appearances in town was generally good for public spirit, and perhaps with a friend by her side she’d actually enjoy it. Spike was always on her case about getting out more anyway. “I think that it would be good for you to explore the city. Things have changed, but you of all ponies should know that change doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” Twilight rationalized while bending her head down to be eyelevel with Sunset. “So, what do you say we go down there and spend some time together looking around? It would mean a lot to me.” It was then that Sunset knew that this was certainly not an optional event. Twilight’s words told her that she was fully able to refuse. Logically, she could turn the princess down and that would be the end of it. She could lock herself in her room and read the copy of Advanced Magical Transmutation she picked up from the castle library today. All she had to do was crush Twilight’s spirit as she looked upon her with those hopeful violet eyes. And that was why there was just no choice. “Alright, just let me pack a saddlebag and we’ll go sightseeing,” Sunset sighed in defeat. The toothy smile and excited glint in Twilight’s eyes were all it took for Sunset to know she had made the right choice. “So, if I mapped this out right, which I did, we should be able to take in every notable sight in Canterlot before dinner,” Twilight explained as she looked over her masterfully organized checklist. Sunset couldn’t help smiling at the sight. It seemed that some things really did never change. “Of course, I had to account for your significantly slower walking speed. I may have to carry you between a few stops if we want to keep up with the timetable” And just like that, the novelty was over for her. “Hey, Twilight, can I see that checklist?” “Oh, here you go, Sunset,” Twilight said as she passed the list suspended in her magic into the red magic of her friend. “Did you want to see something?” “Something like that…” Sunset remarked. The checklist promptly caught fire in the red aura surrounding it and was reduced to ashes within seconds. Sunset tried to feel guilty about the look of sheer and utter betrayal carved into Twilight’s face. She really did. “This is supposed to be a relaxing trip to the city, Twilight, not a speed run,” Sunset explained to the distraught princess. “Let’s just explore the city at our own pace, okay?” Twilight’s eye twitched in response. “It took me HOURS to map out that route, Sunset!” “Look, I’ll buy you something to make it up to you, ok?” Sunset said in an attempt to pacify her agitated friend. “With what money? I’m the one who gave you those bits.” Twilight deadpanned; her earlier excitement now cooled into mere irritation. “Come to think of it, can you really ever buy me anything when all your money comes from me?” Sunset sighed in response. “Look, what’s important is that we see the city, and have a good time. We don’t have to see it all at once. I’ll be here long enough to see it all eventually.” “Alright, but I’m never trusting you with another checklist again,” Twilight relented as the two approached the inner ring of Canterlot that surrounded the castle. It seemed the diversity contained within the castle really was just the new reality of the world. pegasi, griffin, changeling, dragon, and hippogriff children could be seen playing with each other in the sky as soon as one was within the city. Earth ponies, yaks, kirin, and even a few zebras could be seen mulling about the streets openly conversing. Several creatures actually stopped to happily wave at them as they passed by. It was all so…different. “So, this really is what Equastria is like now?” Sunset muttered to herself as she stopped before a fountain modeled after a Griffin. “What do you mean?” Twilight inquired as she strolled up next to the distracted unicorn. Sunset broke her gaze from the world around her to look into the eyes of the only remnant of the world she used to know. “I mean, look at all this…the people. They’re all talking to each other. They’re just enjoying themselves. No one’s even running over each other to see you like they used to do with Princess Celestia. You remember what Canterlot used to be like, right? A busy city where everypony had somewhere to be and nopony had time to chat, especially with anypony that wasn’t rich or famous. Back when I lived here, most ponies would walk right over you if you fell over on the sidewalk.” Sunset broke eye contact to look as a large Yak stomped by carrying a litter of foals and hippogriff fledglings upon its back. “And look at all these…creatures. I’ve never even seen some of these species in person before I came back. When I was a foal it was rare for anypony that wasn’t a unicorn to live this close to the castle. It was rare for other types of ponies to live here at all. Now, you have dragons, and these colorful changelings, and a whole ton of things walking around like they’ve always been here,” Sunset finished clearly trying to wrap her head around the entire thing as she looked into the water of the fountain and stared at her reflection. “Is…is it all like this now?” Sunset felt a gentle wing wrap around her back in a manner that reminded her of her old teacher. “Does it bother you? How much everything’s changed?” Sunset subconsciously shifted further into the wing upon her back, as she did when she was an upset filly, longing for something familiar to take solace in. “No…I mean it doesn’t. It shouldn’t. Right?” Sunset tried her best to put her hoof on exactly what she was feeling. “Everyone’s happier now. I can see it in their eyes. I should be happy too, but it’s like…” “Everycreature’s happy without you,” Twilight offered. “Yeah…” Sunset sighed. “It’s funny, I came back to this world because I didn’t have a place in the human world. Now I’m back and there’s not a place for me here anymore either. Maybe if I had stayed here in the first place, I could have been part of the reason everyone’s so happy, just like you. Now, I’m just a piece of a different time. It makes me wonder if I belong anywhere at all,” Sunset finished with a look that gave away just how lost she felt. “That’s why you make a place,” Twilight cut in after a few moments of silence. “Huh?” “That’s what’s you came here for, right? That’s what’s so beautiful about Equestria now. You said it yourself, Equestria wasn’t always like this. Everycreature here is only here because they’ve found a place here. If I know anything about you, Sunset Shimmer, it’s that you’re not the type of pony who gives up. I know you’ll find where you belong, and I’ll help you until you do.” Twilight punctuated her speech with a gentle squeeze with her wing. “Where I belong?” Sunset thought to herself, wondering what such a thing would even entail. Still, she couldn’t very well be acting aloof and unloading all her problems on Twilight the entire trip when they were supposed to be having fun. “Thanks Twi, I can always count on you. Now, let’s get to sightseeing. What’s the most popular place in Canterlot these days?” Sunset asked. “Well, these days, that would probably be the marketplace. It’s where everycreature in Equestria comes to sell their goods.” Twilight said “Well, let’s go see what we can find then.” Sunset offered with a newfound enthusiasm. The two mares walked off, side by side amongst the assorted crowd of happy creatures and new buildings, Twilight’s wing still draped over Sunset. “Sunset! Sunset, look!” Twilight all but shouted into the amber mare’s face. “A first edition copy of Canterlot Cantabiles, volume one…VOLUME…ONE!” “I thought you said they didn’t get good until around the thirty first volume?” Sunset calmly questioned, by now far too used to Twilight’s overzealous fascination with books to be taken off guard by the enthusiasm. “While it’s true, I personally prefer the pieces in volume thirty-one onward, this book is beyond classic, and it’s in good condition. I’ve been looking for a first edition to complete my collection for ages, and now it’s mine!” Twilight concluded with a grin that was only slightly unsettling. “So, how about you? Find anything interesting?” “Well, I did pick up some books about classic magical theory, a few igneous statues I got from those dragons over there, you know to tie my room together, and best of all, this crystal amulet.” Sunset listed off before floating the amulet between the two of them. “It’s made of a rare type of sapphire that’s supposed to be super conductive towards magic, and best of all…I think it’s cursed,” Sunset said with far too much glee for somepony possessing a potentially dangerous artifact. Not that such information was any more unappealing to the alicorn than it was to the unicorn. “Oooh, what kind of curse! Are we talking an ancient spell or some sort of magic booby trap?” “I don’t know, but the kirin who sold it to me was happy to get rid of it, so you know it’s gotta be good.” Sunset stated as she floated the amulet back into her saddlebag for future study. “I think that’s everything that interests me, what about you? Ready to head back?” “I think so, I just…” Twilight trailed off as her eyes locked onto a small booth in the distance being manned by a brown earth pony stallion with a slicked back mane and an assortment of gems for a cutie mark. As far as Sunset could tell, his booth was filled with an assortment of dull antiques, assorted gems, and rusty metal trinkets, but clearly something on the table had caught the princess’s eye. “Excuse me sir,” Twilight called out to the stallion as she walked up to his booth, “Is that a Fire Ruby you have there?” “Ah, fair Princess Twilight, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to have a pony of your standing grace my booth. Why yes, this is a Fire Ruby, and a rather fine cut I might add.” The Earth pony said in a somewhat overdone salespony voice. Sunset walked beside Twilight as he finished and took note of the gem that had drawn Twilight over. It certainly looked to be a rather fine ruby, though the golden metal necklace it was attached to had seen better days. “Why, rumor has it that this ruby used to belong to the famed fashion designer and element of generosity herself, lady Rarity. As generous in death as she was in life, it was among her worldly possessions distributed to the less fortunate by order of her will. Whether there’s any truth to that story…well I suppose only you could say, Princess. Be that as it may, it has come into my possession after I made a trade with a rather strange changeling in Appleloosa,” the stallion finished. “Is there anything you would be willing to trade for it now?” Twilight asked with a hint of longing laced into her voice that did not go unnoticed by the ponies present. “Well, as you may have noticed by my cutie mark, I’m something of a collector of rare gems. Potentially historic as this ruby may be, I already possess a fair amount of Fire Rubies. I suppose I could part with it for a gem that I do not contain in my collection. Perhaps…something contained in the royal treasury?” The Earth pony proposed while resting his chin upon his hoof. “The nerve of this guy!” Sunset internally fumed. “The savior and ruler of all Equestria, several times over, bothers to come over to this dinky little booth, and he still has the gall to try and squeeze her for all she’s worth.” “I’m afraid I don’t have anything like that on me right now. Isn’t there something else you would be willing to trade for it? I have quite a few rare books,” Twilight offered. “I’m afraid not, your majesty. I don’t have any particular interest in that sort of… uhm, treasure,” the stallion spat out, clearly not placing the same level of value on the offered items as the royal pony before him. “I-I see. We’ll leave you be then. Come on Sunset.” Twilight said clearly crestfallen as she turned to leave with her head hung low. “Wait!” Sunset called out. “How about this?” Sunset levitated the amulet she had purchased earlier from her saddlebag and placed it on the table. The Earth pony practically hopped out of his seat. “Is that, a Baby Blue Sapphire amulet?” Sunset had to admit, presenting the amulet she had just received was something of a long shot, but she took the earth pony’s reaction to be a good sign. “Why, this has to be around sixty carats. I’ve never seen one this big before. And such a perfect cut as well. How on Earth did you manage to get a hold of such a specimen?” The now drooling stallion asked as his eyes glassed over. “Well, I haven’t tested it yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s cursed-” Sunset began. “Nothing a trip to the local shaman can’t fix.” The stallion said as he cut her off with a wave of his hoof. “Now, hold on a second.” Twilight cut in. “Sunset you can’t jus-” “Why not?” Sunset asked. “It’s my amulet, which means I get to trade it for whatever I want, and right now, I want that ruby.” “So, do we have a deal?” Sunset prompted the still mesmerized stallion. “What? Yeah sure, take it,” the stallion said without so much as looking up to chuck the ruby in their direction. “Pleasure doing business,” Sunset responded sweetly to the pony she knew had barely heard a word she said as she took the ruby in her magic and trotted off. The two made it out of the marketplace before Twilight broke the silence between them. “What was that? Sunset, you didn’t need to give up your things just so I could get what I wanted.” “Twilight, I had that thing for twenty minutes tops. Don’t make a big deal out of it. That ruby clearly meant something to you, so I got it. Speaking of which, here you go.” Sunset said before levitating the gem in front of Twilight’s face. Sunset always knew Twilight was far too self-sacrificing for her own good. Ever since they had that heart to heart in Pinkie’s kitchen during the siren attack. A pony that just gave and gave, but never did anything for herself. It was another thing that reminded the unicorn far too much of the Sun Princess she had inherited the throne from. Well, Sunset resolved that as long as she was around, that was going to change. It was about time somepony did something for Twilight, and if it had to be her, so be it. This particular incident also helped with another matter. Sunset couldn’t claim to know the full details just yet, but it brought her a fair bit closer to putting together the puzzle Twilight had been unknowingly presenting her with for the past several days. As usual though, it could wait for now. “Sunset I…thank you” Twilight said as she relented and took the ruby into her own magic before tenderly placing it into her own saddlebag. “Don’t mention it, Twi. That’s what friends are for.” Sunset proclaimed now feeling particularly proud of herself for making the princess happy. Sunset’s pride was short lived however, as Twilight did something she had not anticipated. The towering lavender alicorn leaned her head down and gave Sunset a gentle nuzzle as thanks for her act of generosity. Sunset’s cheeks flushed a bright red at the action. Nopony had ever nuzzled her, aside from Princess Celestia. She had been a mere filly the last time she willingly let it happen. It happened under strong protest when she was a grown mare. To have such an embarrassingly tender action done to her in the middle of the city could have killed her. “ahem, um, well this has been…just great, but I think I’m ready to go home, please,” Sunset forced out through her embarrassment. Something Sunset had said seemed to please Twilight even more than she had been previously. “Yes, let’s go home. The chefs should be just about finished preparing dinner, and I need to lower the sun soon.” “Sounds good. I could really use a shower right now. Can we take the short way back this time?” Twilight merely smiled in response as her horn started glowing. Sunset found Spike diligently setting the table as she walked into the dining room. She was fairly certain they had plenty of hooves around the castle who could have performed such a mundane task, but the unicorn figured that after a lifetime spent looking out for Twilight, old habits must have died hard for the ~~little~~ big drake. “Hey Sunset, how was your trip?” Spike asked the mare who was trotting over to take her seat. Sunset only briefly wondered how he knew about their little excursion in Canterlot before surmising that Twilight probably ran everything by her advisor before she did it. “Oh, it was good, great even. Twilight seemed to enjoy it.” “Yeah, she’s a lot happier whenever you’re around,” Spike offhandedly stated before giving a slight grimace. Perhaps he had said too much there? Fortunately, years of diplomatic experience had taught Spike to simply not draw attention to any potentially awkward slip ups. “Dinner should be ready in a few minutes and Twilight should be here after she finishes raising the moon.” Sunset saw an opportunity after she had taken her seat. Spike had been present for most of the week she had been here after their reunion, but she had never gotten him alone after that. Her days of manipulation and twisting the situation to her benefit were long behind her, but the skills she had acquired from those days would always remain. Now was a perfect time to probe Spike for information. “So, Twilight rules day and night all by herself now. That must have been something to get used to?” Sunset ventured out to see if Spike would take the bait. People or ponies, it was a safe bet that when someone was forced to hold onto something for a while, they’d vent to anyone who offered to listen. “Well, it wasn’t supposed to be just Twilight running things when she took over for Celestia and Luna, but…I guess that’s the way things were always going to end up.” Spike confessed as he took his own seat, clearly starting to lose himself in his own head. Sunset was walking a thin line here between coercion and trickery, and Spike was her friend. She really didn’t want to resort to her old ways in order to get what she wanted, she’d have simply used her powers to take the information otherwise, but she needed more to go on if she was going to help Twilight through whatever she was going through. “What do you mean?” She pressed on. Spike took a moment to respond. “Well, the thing is-” “Sorry it took me so long. There was a minor dispute in the west wing of the castle. You would not believe how territorial the maids can get,” Twilight interrupted as she took her seat. “Ponyfeathers!” Sunset internally cursed at being interrupted just before her question was answered. “Hey Twi, no worries. We were just waiting for you.” Sunset expertly recovered without a trace of worry, her experience as a supervillain once again coming in handy. “Dinner should be here soon,” Spike offered, thankfully also having dropped the previous subject. Speaking of which, the doors chose then to fly open as a griffin wheeled in a cart topped with an assortment of side dishes and a large silver platter covered by a traditional domed lid. “apologies for the wait madame,” the griffin who spoke in what Sunset could only ascribe to be a rough French accent. “You know how particular the chef can be, but dinner is served.” “Actually, I’d say you were right on time,” Twilight assured the griffin as he placed everything onto the table and made his exit. “Aw finally, I’m starving.” Spike exclaimed as he leaned forward in anticipation. “What are we having for dinner?” “Well-” Twilight began as she used her magenta magic to begin lifting the lid. “SURPRISE!” The lid was suddenly flung into parts unknown by an explosion of smoke and confetti that left all at the dinner table in coughing fits. “You’re having the Lord of Chaos for dinner!” exclaimed a tall lanky amalgamation of animal parts striking the pose of one basking in the spotlight and standing in place of what should have been dinner. “DISCORD!” Both Twilight and Spike shouted in unanimous shock. “Discord,” Sunset whispered under her breath, hardly believing her eyes. It wasn’t like Twilight had never mentioned him through her journal. On the contrary, some days she complained about him. A lot. Still, there was something different about meeting an ancient evil in person instead of simply hearing everything about them second hand. Reformed or not. “The one and only…well unless you count those guys,” Discord said while gesturing to five identical copies of himself playing cards at a poker table that was suddenly in the room. The one holding his cards backwards had the courtesy to wave. “Not that it’s not good to see you, Discord, but you seriously couldn’t have just written ahead of time, or at least used the door like everypony else?” Spike questioned with a cross expression that was perhaps a little ticked that his food had been randomly replaced with a god of disharmony. “Well I suppose I COULD have done that, but then I’d miss the delightful look on your faces when I popped in for a visit. I even took pictures,” Discord remarked while flashing the unflattering photos to the dragon. “Besides, between keeping up the animal sanctuary, spreading a dash of light-hearted chaos to keep me going, and enjoying my visit to the Crystal Empire, all simultaneously I might add…” Discord paused his spiel to give his poker playing doubles a wink. “I’m afraid I’m quite booked these days,” he finished while putting on a pair of reading glasses and opening a day planner that exploded with all manner of items from Slinkys to trick dice. Suddenly Discord vanished from the table before reappearing next to Twilight and wrapping a lion arm around her shoulders. “Still, I always make time to visit my good friends.” “Well, you know you’re welcome to join us at any time, Discord. Though next time we’d appreciate it if your grand entrance doesn’t get rid of the meal the chefs worked so hard on,” Twilight said while giving the draconequus a disapproving look that she had long learned had no real effect on him but was far too ingrained in their relationship to ever stop. “Well, can you blame me? It took those slowpokes forever to get that stuff out here, and I got hungry in there. You’ll be happy to know however, that it WAS delicious.” Discord punctuated this statement by sucking the tips of his eagle hand clean. “You ate the food!” Spike exclaimed now wholly disappointed. “Oh relax,” Discord said in what appeared to be an attempt to placate his audience. “I saved a little for my two friends,” he finished while producing an apple in his lion paw. With a snap of his other hand the apple vanished, and two apples reappeared…both lodged firmly in the mouths of a surprised Twilight and Spike in what may or may not have been a move to silence them. “Now then…” Discord began as he pulled himself onto the table and quite literally slithered over to where Sunset was sitting, the amber unicorn still speechless and now considering the benefits of teleporting out of the castle. “Why is it that nopony told me YOU were back in town?” he questioned as he finally reached the mare and positioned himself to be as face to face with her as possible. Sunset used her magic to pull her chair a few feet back from the chaotic being with no concept of personal space before carefully responding, “Excuse me?” “I’m sorry, perhaps I’m mistaken. You ARE Sunset Shimmer are you not?” Discord asked while repositioning himself to lay on the table like somepony who wanted to be painted. “Oh!” Sunset exclaimed, believing herself to have finally understood the situation though it did nothing to make her feel more comfortable. “So, Twilight has told you about me?” Discord placed a hand to his chin. “Yes, if memory serves, she has mentioned you once or twice, but that’s not where I know you from. We’ve met a few times before if you recall.” Now Sunset was really confused. “I’m sorry, and please don’t take any offense to this, uhm Mr. Discord, sir, but I’ve never met you before.” “OH! How cruel!” Discord exclaimed as he rolled onto his back and clutched his heart. “We finally see each other once again for the first time in years and she doesn’t even remember me. What a horrid fate!” Suddenly Discord was behind Sunset’s chair wrapping his head around the back to face her. “Seriously though, you don’t remember me? Even just a smidge?” Sunset now at a complete loss for words merely shook her head in a small panic hoping she wouldn’t be on the receiving end of some serious chaos magic for offending the lord of chaos and disharmony. All levity and jovial nature drained from the draconequus as he took on an unamused expression. “You remember the palace maze gardens? The ones you used to study in so nopony would bother you?” Sunset nodded an affirmation. “How about the statue of me? The one you always used to make faces at when you were little?” “Oh…” Sunset tentatively responded finally putting the pieces together. “So, you could see all that? I guess I should apologize.” “Oh, no need dear girl!” Discord said coming back to life as he smacked the back of her chair and left Sunset flailing to stay stable. “Through all those lonely centuries spent trapped in stone, YOU were the most interesting thing to happen to the castle in decades.” Just when Sunset didn’t think she could get any more confused this strange creature proved why he was the physical manifestation of chaos. “When you have nothing to do but stand around all day as a hunk of solid rock, the most entertainment you get is watching the boring dull lives of ponies unfold before you. Watching Celestia was entertaining for a few years, but after old Luna got blasted to the moon, it just got really sad most of the time,” Discord explained while conjuring a statue base to pose on as he weaved his story. “But that all changed when you came into her life. A bad tempered, lonely little filly, with way too much power for her small little body, and a desire for more, desperate to be loved by anypony or anything. Oh, things got so exciting when Celestia took you in,” Discord finished practically bouncing from his seated position on the base. “Why, I had such high hopes for you, little fireball. In a few years’ time, your temper and bad attitude would have broken the seal on me all by itself. I was going to make you my general of chaos.” Discord finished while placing a general’s hat onto the mare. “Oh, but then…” Discord continued producing a hanky. “Then, you just up and vanished. Off through some strange mirror into parts unknown. Celestia and I were so devastated. You should have seen her. It was Luna all over again, so very tragic.” Discord said as he wiped several tears and blew his nose into the hanky. “Oh, Great,” Sunset thought internally. “I had almost forgotten what crushing guilt and self-loathing felt like.” “But none of that matters, because you’re finally back home little sunspot,” Discord picked back up with his arms splayed out. “Although…there is one thing I just can’t figure out.” Discord invaded Sunset’s personal space once again to look her over. “All this happened, assuming I have my years straight, nearly a hundred years ago.” Discord pondered as he took hold of Sunset’s face in one hand while studying her through a magnifying glass with the other. “Exactly what kind of moisturizer are you using these days?” “Discord! Enough!” Princess Twilight Sparkle interjected with a loud bang upon the table. Thankfully she seemed to have dislodged Discord’s makeshift gag, though Spike seemed to still be having trouble. “What? I’m just having fun with an old friend. Is that so wrong?” Discord defended himself as he picked Sunset up in a one-armed hug. Sunset was beyond grateful when a magenta magic surrounded her and pulled her away from the touchy draconequus’ grip. “The way you were doing it? Yes, it is. I expect better from you, Discord, now either apologize or leave.” Twilight demanded as she set Sunset down beside her and used her magic to dislodge the apple Spike was still struggling with. To his credit, Discord managed to look genuinely ashamed. “doh, alright. I’m sorry. Sometimes I still get carried away with all the fun. What do you say, Sunset, friends?” As Discord said this, he remained across the table, but a dismembered eagle hand popped in front of her and extended itself in what seemed to be a handshake. Sunset warily eyed the hand, unsure of what to do until it disappeared of its own accord. “You know what? We’ll work on it later. Much as I’d love to stay for dessert, I actually came here to deliver a message from the Crystal Empire.” Twilight Sparkle immediately shifted into collected ruler mode as she heard the news. “There’s not any trouble, is there?” “Oh no, don’t worry, nothing serious. I just came to warn you that your dear niece is on her way to pay a visit. You know how she is.” Discord waved off. “Oh,” Twilight muttered, disengaging from ruler mode and shifting into distraught relative. Part of her almost wished Sombra was back again now. “Now, I really must be off. You know how the rabbits get if you leave them be too long. We’ll all talk later. Bye now!” Discord finished as he vanished in a puff of smoke and the room returned to the state it had been in before, food included. “Well, at least he’s not totally evil,” Spike remarked upon seeing that tonight’s dinner had not actually been lost. “Sunset, are you all right?” Twilight questioned the unicorn who had not said a word in some time. “Oh me? I just got through a meeting with the all-powerful lord of chaos who just completely deconstructed me and threw my greatest regrets back into my face, on top of just being generally freaky. All things considered; I’m doing great!” Sunset finished while flashing Twilight a toothy smile that said she was most certainly not doing great. Twilight had to admit, she was doing better than some ponies did upon first experiencing Discord. “I’m sorry about that. Discord usually means well, but he has a pretty funny way of showing it.” She sighed, trying to put the past few minutes behind her. All in all, it had still been a good day for Twilight Sparkle. All she wanted now though was to settle down and enjoy a meal with the pony and dragon she cared for. “Well, let’s eat.” Author's Note And now we finally get our first real look at modern Equestria. That means we're nearing the end of the first act. Starting next chapter, things are going to get...interesting. Also, how about that Discord? How many people were expecting him? Talk about a real writing challenge. Putting a character that conveys himself largely through random actions into just words is not easy, but I hope I did a good job. I'm planning on him dropping in now and again so please tell me what you think. As always, don't be afraid to give me your honest thoughts and I hope you're all still enjoying so far. Chapter 5: Caught in a FlurryThe castle of Canterlot was well known for being the most regal and pristine place in all of Equestria. Under the dutiful watch of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and now Princess Twilight Sparkle the castle stood as a timeless beacon of peace, harmony, and order to all who looked upon it. However, certain creatures could rightfully tell you that the castle was rarely as peaceful within its walls as it first appeared outside of them. “Hey! Watch it!” “Sorry, Spike! I’m kinda juggling a lot right now.” One of the many labs within the castle, usually occupied by Princes Twilight Sparkle, was currently in a state of total disarray as countless objects floated about, suspended in a red magical aura. “I can see that. You know that some of that stuff belongs on the ground, right?” Spike asked as he ducked a passing bookshelf. “I’m multitasking,” Sunset Shimmer waved off as she sat at a table, tinkering with a small strange device. “Did you know that the waves produced by magic in Equestria bear an incredibly similar resemblance to the waves comprising the electromagnetic spectrum?” Spike had to admit, as somepony who had been practically raised by Twilight Sparkle, he didn’t think there was any level of nerd left in the world that could possibly leave him clueless. He was wrong. “Sunset…what the hay are you talking about?” Spike questioned, at a loss for understanding any of the words that had left the unicorn’s mouth. “Look at this!” Sunset exclaimed as she quickly turned around, looking incredibly frazzled, and levitated the device she had been working on into Spike’s face. “I somewhat modeled it after the cell phones of the human world. Isn’t it great?” Spike had known more magical prodigies than your average pony. Each one of them were very dear to him in some way or another. In spite of that, he couldn’t deny there tended to be a common theme surrounding them. The theme being…they were all slightly nuts. “Well gee, I’m sure I could tell you, if I had any idea what it actually is.” Spike found himself worrying when the unicorn took on a blank expression, clearly processing what Spike had just said. Sunset remained unresponsive for a few more seconds before violently shaking her head, which only served to further mess up her already unruly mane. “Right, getting ahead of myself. You know those big machines Twilight keeps in all her labs to collect data from her experiments?” Sunset questioned, once she managed to reorganize her thoughts. Spike wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but he knew that this would go smoother if he played along. “Yeah, why?” “Well, this is the same as those, but smaller and better!” Sunset explained as she bounced in her seat and floated the machine around Spike’s head. “It can take all the same readings as those machines, but it also organizes, labels, and saves any data it records. Plus, since it’s portable, you don’t even need to be in a lab setting to use it! Right now, there’s just the one I made, but with a little time I can make even more so that you can share your findings with other creatures!” Spike had to admit, from the bits he understood, Sunset’s invention sounded impressive. He’d hauled around enough of those large machines Twilight used to appreciate a more compact design. Still, he didn’t need to be getting distracted from the reason he came here in the first place. “That sounds great, Sunset, but do you know how long you’ve been in here?” Spike questioned while trying his best not to glance at the pile of empty coffee cups lying in the corner. Again, Sunset seemed to have short-circuited as she deciphered what Spike was saying. “Well, I started this weekend, as soon as the sun came up.” The dragon scratched the back of his head, all too aware of where this was headed. “Yeah…and then the sun came back down…and now it’s up again.” “…Oh” The entire lab came to a halt as the magic guiding everything around the room fizzled out and roughly deposited the contents of the room onto the floor in a resounding crash. “Ms. Shimmer, I understand you’re free to use your weekends however you wish, but we would all appreciate it if you took care when pursuing your personal interests,” Cercus admonished the pony hunched over before him. “I told you, it’s Doc-oh, forget it,” Sunset huffed out as she collapsed onto the table Spike had practically carried her to after injecting her with a hard dose of reality. The changeling had apparently seen fit to get the mare some fresh air and food before sending her off to bed. Personally though, Sunset felt he just wanted an opportunity to lecture her. “What in the world were you slaving away on for so long anyway?” the Changeling asked. Sunset sat up enough to answer the changeling’s question. “Well, at first I just wanted to perform a few basic performance tests on my magic. It turns out that whatever happened to me also gave me A LOT more stamina. I guess I got carried away after that,” Sunset finished lamely as she began to focus on the sandwich that had been prepared for her. “If it makes you feel any better, Twilight used to do this sort of thing all the time. If the entire day didn’t literally depend on her, I’m pretty sure she still would.” Spike offered as a roundabout comfort. The mention of the alicorn princess certainly did manage to grab Sunset’s attention. “Where is Twilight anyway? I’m surprised she didn’t drag me out of that room herself.” Spike’s obvious look of discomfort caused an uneasy feeling to rise up within her chest. Cercus on the other hoof was not one to beat around the bush. “Her majesty was attending a funeral. I believe it was for a pony named Moondancer. Sir Spike had recently returned from the service, before I sent him to coax you out of your nest.” “Moondancer?” Sunset thought, now more alert. She could swear she’d heard that name from somewhere before. “Perhaps Twilight mentioned her in the journal? Or, perhaps I met her counterpart in the human world? No, it feels like it was before that.” “The princess spends an unfortunate amount of time at events like those, I’m afraid,” Cercus continued, unaware of the thoughts bouncing around in Sunset’s head. The rare change in inflection that came from the changeling was enough to bring her back to reality. “Was Twilight friends with this Moondancer?” Sunset asked, her curiosity giving her the strength to pry. “Yeah, she was. She was one of her oldest friends actually. They met when they were both going to Celestia’s school,” Spike chimed in. “Things got sort of complicated after that, but they were pretty good friends, in the end,” Spike finished, with a depressing finality. The brief synopsis answered Sunset’s question of where she had heard the name before. Being Princess Celestia’s personal student meant she heard the name of many of the other students that went there at least once. To think that some of the unicorns from all those years ago were still around. Sunset couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had been locked away in the lab while all this was happening. “When will Twilight be back?” “She should already be back by now. She needs to be here for when Flurry Heart arrives,” Spike answered. This presented Sunset with a much more lighthearted topic to pursue. Twilight hadn’t written much about her niece in the journal, but it was evident that she had adored the newborn foal. A foal that was no longer a foal. There was absolutely no telling what the first natural born alicorn in Equestrian history had grown up to be. Sunset told herself she wasn’t the least bit bitter about somepony simply being born with the wings she had worked for years, and failed, to attain. She had come too far and done too much to let such petty jealousy get under her skin. It really didn’t bother her. Nope, not at all. “So, what’s Twilight’s niece like anyway?” Sunset asked, in hopes of quashing any treacherous thoughts. “Oh boy, where to start?” Spike sighed, somehow made weary by the mere thought of the newest princess. “Flurry is…she can be difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I love her and so does Twilight, but lately she’s just been a lot to handle. Anytime she comes for a sudden, ‘visit’, it usually means she’s trying to get space from home.” “Yes, there’s nothing quite like an eighty-year-old teenager,” Cercus bluntly added in, with a small drop of annoyance. If the changeling was deterred or intimidated in any way by Spike’s glare, he didn’t show it. “Look, Flurry’s a good pony at heart. She’s just got some things to work through right now,” Spike defended, “I’m sure you’ll be able to tell for yourself when you meet her.” “At a later date, once you’ve gotten the rest you’ve been neglecting,” Cercus cut in, apparently shifting into nanny mode. Sunset, being the grown mare she was, stuck her tongue out at the changeling. “Fine, mom,” Sunset spat out as she hopped off her chair. “I’ll go get some shut eye. Good day everyone.” Cercus turned to look at Spike with a raised brow. “Everyone?” “It’s…an out of town saying.” Sunset wondered how unsightly she must have appeared trudging down the hall, when even the yaks in the palace gave her a wide berth. It seemed she had been living in the castle long enough for the staff to know to be wary of a tired Sunset Shimmer. Kind as they all were, they still had a good sense of self preservation. As Sunset worked her way around the castle, her thoughts drifted to her royal host. It didn’t seem right to lock herself away again without at least offering whatever comfort she could provide. There was a lot to Twilight that Sunset couldn’t relate to anymore, but she liked to think she had gotten pretty good at understanding. Her mind had been made up before she had even left the garden. She’d find Twilight, let her know she was there for her, and then pass out. It seemed like a good plan at the time. Only problem was, she had absolutely no idea where Twilight was at the moment. Thirty minutes of trotting around the castle halls had so far bore no fruit. The throne room was the last immediately obvious location the unicorn could think of after exhausting the more likely options, but as far as Sunset knew there was no particular reason for Twilight to be there at the moment, as court typically didn’t happen on this day of the week. Still, there was nothing to lose from peaking inside. As Sunset approached the large door that guarded the entrance to the throne room, she began to hear noises emanating from inside. It seemed her gamble had paid off. “-can’t keep doing this!” Sunset stopped just before the door after hearing the muffled but still understandable raised voice coming from within. The voice was undoubtedly Twilight’s, but it was far more forceful than Sunset had ever heard it. Like a parent reprimanding their child. “Why not? It’s not like I have anything else better to do!” The second voice was not one Sunset could ever remember hearing in her lifetime, and yet something in the way it spoke was all too familiar. “You know that’s not what I meant!” It didn’t take a genius to figure out that there was a private argument going on within the throne room. The polite thing to do would have been to respect their privacy and come back to see Twilight some other time. So of course, Sunset used her magic to silently jar the door open just enough to peek inside. A changed pony Sunset may have been, but old habits were hard to break. Concern for her friends usually took precedence over more mundane ethics. The throne room predictably contained only two ponies. Twilight stood at the bottom of the stairs to her throne looking every bit the part of a stern queen. Her eyes were unflinchingly locked on the pony standing before her. The identity of this pony was easy to deduce. There were only so many alicorns in Equestria and Sunset had met all but one. This alicorn was not quite as tall as Twilight, but she was easily larger than most stallions, comparable to Luna if Sunset was remembering their very brief encounter accurately. Her hair did not possess the ethereal quality of Twilight’s, but it was distinct all the same. Long light purple hair that was split by strands of blue cascaded in curls down to her chest to compliment her pastel pink fur. Silver regalia modeled in the same fashion as the other princess’s completed the look, her chest plate adorned with what appeared to be a blue crystal heart. Pulling it all together was her cutie mark. A blue heart placed over a six pointed star. All things considered, the alicorn that must have been Flurry Heart was the very picture of beauty. Or rather, she would have been if not for the deep scowl that was currently etched across her face. “I thought that maybe you’d be HAPPY to see me,” Flurry Heart ground out, clearly not willing to back down from this confrontation. Twilight visibly softened at this but held her ground. “You know I’m always happy to see you, Flurry. I just wish seeing you didn’t always mean you running away from your problems. Everypony’s worried about you.” Flurry Heart snorted at Twilight’s concerned statement and turned around to begin pacing in the throne room. “Worried? About what? The pony with a crown but no kingdom? The spare alicorn that’s never ever going to be needed? The princess with no title? I’m sorry if my absence took away everypony’s favorite castle ornament!” Twilight’s expression hardened again. “Your MOTHER is worried about you, Flurry. It seems like every time you come here; I get a letter from Cadance about how you stormed out after a fight.” Flurry Heart stopped and stomped the floor, the sound reverberating off the walls. “Well, tell her not to worry. I could level half of Equestria if I wanted to, not that that seems to matter to anypony.” “That doesn’t make you invincible, Flurry, and that’s not the point!” Twilight shouted, clearly approaching the limits of her patience. “Whatever your problem is, this isn’t the way to deal with it.” Something in Flurry Heart seemed to snap as she quickly turned back to face Twilight. “How should I deal with it then? Should I completely throw myself into some mindless task, so I can shut everypony else out, just like you and Mom!” Flurry Heart started to advance on Twilight, who stood motionless holding Flurry’s gaze. “Or, maybe you’d both prefer it if I ran around Equestria on some meaningless, ‘friendship’ missions. That way you can feel like you did your jobs without having to actually deal with me.” “Flurry, what on Equus has gotten into you?” Twilight asked, her stern tone now mixed with concern. “What’s gotten into me? Maybe, I just find it a little unfair that, aside from you, I’m the most powerful pony in Equestria, but the only thing I’m good for is smiling and waving! I need more. I deserve more!” Flurry Heart demanded, punctuating each statement with another stomp as she got to Twilight. “Talking like that just proves you’re not ready for more, Flurry.” Twilight reprimanded. “Oh please, all my life ponies have told me how special I am and how I was meant to do great things, but the most I’ve ever done is show up at summits and chase off monsters. You weren’t even half my age when you started ruling all of Equestria!” Flurry Heart asserted pointing a hoof at her aunt in an accusing fashion. For the first time since the argument had started, Twilight faltered. “Flurry…there are still things you don’t understand.” “UGH! When are you just going to admit that neither of you are planning on ever letting me grow up, because this stupid job is all you have left!” Flurry Heart finished as she brought both hooves down in a final stomp that shook the room and caused the floor itself to crack as Twilight stepped back, looking as if she had just been struck. Outside the room, Sunset greatly regretted putting her weight on the door as the sudden earthquake level shaking quickly cost her all her balance. “Gah!” she screamed as she toppled forward into the room, which was now deathly silent. “Sunset?” Twilight stated in surprise. Before Sunset could offer an apology or an explanation, her body was enveloped in a yellow aura and lifted off the ground. Sunset was used to being far and away the most powerful magic user in the room. She could count on one of her old hands the amount of times somepony had been able to simply throw her around with their own magic. Still, it had happened enough for the analyst in Sunset to note that the magic of each pony had a unique feel to it when it enveloped you. Princess Celestia’s magic was warm and washed over you, much like the sunlight. Twilight’s magic was perfectly controlled and soothing, her years of magical mastery immediately evident. Flurry Heart’s magic…was nothing like that. Sunset remembered the time Princess Celestia had taught her how to swim at one of the lakes near Canterlot when she was just a filly. She had nearly drowned the first time she stepped into water that went above her head. Being wrapped in Flurry Heart’s magic felt a lot like drowning. The magic was oppressive and smothering. The power immense, but raw and unrefined. It felt as though she could be crushed at any moment. “Don’t you teach your servants not to spy Auntie?” Flurry Heart asked Twilight, barely acknowledging the pony she held captive in her horn’s grasp as she brought the unicorn closer. “I don’t know what kind of castle you’re running if the help thinks it’s perfectly okay to eavesdrop on a PRIVATE conversation.” Sunset felt as though she might lose what little lunch she had at the moment as she was flipped and spun in a way she was absolutely certain wasn’t necessary, almost as if the younger princess was showing off. Twilight came back to her senses upon seeing the display. “She’s not a servant; she’s my friend. I would appreciate it if you set her down,” Twilight said, making it clear that the suggestion wasn’t optional. “…Fine,” Flurry Heart huffed as she roughly deposited Sunset onto the floor. “Gowch!” Sunset cried, landing in a heap right before both princesses. As she dizzily got back to her hooves she wondered if she had ever taken so much abuse in the human world. Equestria sure seemed to like acquainting her with the floor. “Flurry Heart, this is Sunset Shimmer, my new assistant,” Twilight introduced in an attempt to put the scene they had just created behind them. Flurry Heart gave Sunset a curious once over but said nothing. A flash of something passed through her eyes upon hearing Sunset’s name. “She’s going to be working closely with me from now on,” Twilight continued, dropping the not so subtle hint that it would behoove her niece to get used to the unicorn. “Whatever, I’m going to get some fresh air,” Flurry Heart responded, her attitude unchanged but not willing to air any of her grievances to a complete stranger. Flurry Heart promptly turned around and walked out of the throne room. The alicorn’s exit was just as well to Sunset, who had just about all she could take of her bad attitude without losing her own temper. “So, that was the beautiful Princess of Privilege?” Sunset spat out. Perhaps it did bother her that such a pony had been simply born with everything she had always dreamed of. Just a bit. Sunset turned to Twilight, only to be met with a cross expression that was undoubtedly directed at her. “Flurry was right about one thing. Is there any particular reason you felt it was acceptable to violate our privacy?” Twilight said, for the very first time using her height to intimidate the pony before her. Sunset silently gulped, somehow having forgotten that she had been caught red hoofed. “Okay, I know this looks kind of bad, but I was actually on my way to see you.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she lowered her head to meet Sunset’s face. “So, when you found me, you figured it would be best to just wait? By the door? While peeking inside?” Sunset Shimmer was an accomplished liar. Another unsavory skill she had mastered in her darker days. It was possible that she could have weaved a convincing and believable story to fool almost anypony that questioned her. But that didn’t matter now, because she couldn’t bring herself to lie to Twilight, and, even if she could, nopony was more likely to see right through her. “I was worried about you, Twi,” Sunset confessed, her cyan eyes looking directly into violet ones. “I heard about where you were this morning, so I came to see you. Then, I heard shouting, and I needed to see if you were alright. I know I shouldn’t have stuck my muzzle into your business, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry,” Sunset finished as she turned her gaze to the floor. Twilight was quickly discovering that Sunset was a pony she couldn’t stay mad at. The amber pony wasn’t perfect, but she had one of the largest hearts of anypony Twilight had ever met. Besides, there was hardly any point in staying mad at somepony who always punished herself more than anypony else ever could. With a small smile, Twilight’s hoof found its way under Sunset’s chin and guided her eyes back into her own. “It’s alright. I forgive you.” Sunset met Twilight’s soft smile with her own. A moment of understanding passing between them. To Sunset’s dismay, the moment ended, and the weight of the world retook its place upon Twilight’s shoulders as she lowered her hoof, leaving a familiar cold feeling upon the place it once rested. Twilight sighed. “I need to apologize to you now, Sunset. For the way Flurry Heart acted.” Sunset couldn’t repress the frown that made its way onto her face at the mention of the other alicorn, but she wasn’t about to let anypony take responsibility for somepony else’s actions. “You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. If anything, I think she owes you an apology.” “You don’t understand, Sunset. Flurry Heart’s just going through a lot right now,” Twilight defended, love for her niece clearly taking precedence over any pain inflicted. Sunset couldn’t believe Twilight was actually defending the terror, family or not. How could anypony be excused for behaving in such a manor? “You can’t be serious, Twi,” Sunset began, her famous temper starting to take over. “She’s a complete brat! She seems to think that having all that power gives her the right to walk all over everypony else. She’s arrogant, stuck up, spoiled, entitled, ungrateful, and thinks she somehow knows it all. It’s hard to believe she’s even a princess! She’s just…she’s, well she’s…” Sunset trailed off and her anger quickly abated as she began to actually process what she was saying. “She’s…just like me,” Sunset breathed out. Sunset ran the conversation she had overheard through her head once more, this time without being clouded by her anger. “She’s…desperate to prove herself, and she’s lonely.” Twilight couldn’t quite make out what Sunset was saying under her breath, but she didn’t believe she had the time to dwell on it. “I need to go after her, Sunset.” “No!” Twilight arched her head back in surprise at the sudden exclamation. “No?” “You chasing after her is probably only going to make her blow up again,” Sunset reasoned as she brought herself out of her own thoughts. “Let me talk to her.” “You?” Twilight asked in surprise. “Sunset, she just met you. If you can even call that a meeting.” “I know, but I really think I can get through to her,” Sunset pleaded, hoping she was doing the right thing here. “You trust me, right?” Sunset asked, remembering the discussion they had in the palace garden, the day she had come back. Twilight seemed to be remembering as well. She took a moment to respond, wrestling with her doubts and fears. “I do.” Finding Flurry Heart wasn’t hard. Apparently, this was something of a routine at the castle. Flurry Heart would come for an unexpected visit, a nasty argument would unfold, and finally, Flurry would storm out and come to this spot to cool off. Sunset found herself walking onto a large outdoor circular platform made of stone that gave a perfect view of the sun shining over Canterlot. The gentle breeze and barely audible rustle of the flora that decorated the platform’s stone railings being the only noise to break the silence. Flurry Heart was found leaning over the edge, looking out to the horizon. She seemed to be too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the new presence. “Hey,” Sunset called out loud enough for Flurry Heart to hear without also getting too close. It didn’t stop Flurry Heart from being startled as she jumped at the unexpected voice and quickly turned to face the pony who had called out to her, her guard fully raised. “You? What do you want?” Flurry Heart sneered out. “I wanted to talk to you,” Sunset explained, still not making any move to come closer. “Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have anything to say to you,” Flurry practically spat out. “Now, leave. That’s an order.” Sunset had known this would be taxing in a variety of ways, so she suppressed her anger at once again being treated like a simple servant that could be bossed around however the princess saw fit. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong hoof earlier and I was hoping we could get to know each other better.” Flurry Heart’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, clearly not used to her commands not being followed. “Well, thank you, but no thank you. I’m not really in the mood to talk, especially to my aunt’s new nosy assistant.” Flurry Heart said, fully intending for that to be the end of it as she turned away to resume her earlier position. Sunset had dearly hoped it wouldn’t come to this. She had hoped Flurry wouldn’t be just as much of a stuck-up snob as she had once been, but at this point it was almost like looking into a mirror. Flurry Heart simply wasn’t willing to listen to anypony, which meant that there was only one way to get through to her. Sunset took a steady breath and steeled her nerves. No matter how powerful she was, it was incredibly likely she was about to bite off more than she could chew. “Alright, so you’re not in the mood to talk,” Sunset began to the alicorn that was now set on ignoring her completely. “Then…fight me.” Author's Note And here we have the first chapter completely written from scratch after the publication of the first chapter. We also have my rendition of Flurry Heart. I knew I wanted to include her before I even started writing this story, but as the Flurry Heart in the show is only ever depicted as a small baby not even capable of speech, writing her was almost like making an OC. All I had to work off of was a design. As you can see she's kind of a brat right now. Not without reason of course, and she'll be our first unfiltered look into exactly what's up with the royal family. As always I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave whatever thoughts you might have. Chapter 6: Clash of Shimmering HeartsThe stone circle, illuminated by the midday sun, seemed to completely still, as even the breeze paused in shock of the bold declaration. Flurry Heart quickly turned back to her, this time sporting a baffled look that seemed to both wonder if she had heard what Sunset had just said right and questioned if this unicorn was completely insane. Sunset couldn’t blame her. She was wondering the same thing. She may very well have been the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, but she was still picking a fight with an alicorn. Simply put, she was completely out of her league. “You heard me. Let’s have a magic duel, right now. Just you and me.” Yeah, she was crazy. Completely mental. A bout of insanity no doubt brought on by a combination of anger, stress, and roughly twenty-four hours without sleep. There was, however, a method to the madness. Sunset still clearly remembered what she used to be like. She couldn’t forget. She would never allow herself to forget. She remembered what it felt like to think you had all the power and answers. To be so deep in your own head that you weren’t willing to listen to anypony except yourself. She had been like that until she was forced to confront the fact that the reality was otherwise. She needed to be humbled before she could grow. Flurry Heart needed to be taken down a few pegs before she would actually be ready to hear what anypony had to say. The only problem was, there were only four ponies on the planet that could possibly discipline her. Perhaps less, if Flurry’s boasting was to be believed. Twilight certainly would never lay a hoof on her unless she was absolutely forced to, and Sunset wasn’t willing to let it come to that. The world didn’t need another Sunset Shimmer. That left the job to her. A woefully underequipped and unprepared unicorn that may have been completely out of her mind. “You’re kidding?” Flurry Heart scoffed out once the shock of Sunset’s brashness had passed. “You do realize who you’re talking to, right?” Well, there was no point in backing down now. Sunset had made her bed and she was going to lie in it. “Of course. I’m talking to a self-absorbed little brat who needs to be put in her place.” The insult did its job and ensured that there would be no turning back, as Flurry Heart scowled and left the railing to approach the unicorn. “Okay, little pony. I’ll fight you. I REALLY felt like hitting something anyway. Just be ready for when auntie has to scrape you off the castle.” Sunset held her ground and didn’t back down as the alicorn stepped up to face her. Flurry Heart made certain to get as close as possible, ensuring she could look down on the unicorn before her. Flurry Heart was certainly not as massive as Twilight, nor did she radiate the same amount of power and authority. Unfortunately, she still towered over Sunset by an entire head and neck. Whatever Flurry lacked in presence she made up for in menace. Twilight Sparkle was undoubtedly the most powerful pony on the planet now, but Sunset knew she would never hurt her. There was no telling what Flurry Heart was capable of at this point. All the terror she wasn’t showing on the outside, she was certainly feeling on the inside. “Standard magic dueling rules then,” Sunset managed to get out in a thankfully even tone. “First pony to either forfeit or be incapacitated loses.” Flurry Heart simply nodded before she began walking away to take her place on the other side of the platform. As Sunset did the same, she quickly went over her plan in her head. Sunset may have been crazy, but she wasn’t suicidal. She never would have proposed a duel without an idea of how to win. Unfortunately, her victory relied on a few assumptions of Flurry’s history and character to work, but Sunset had always fancied herself a good judge of character. The deck was incredibly stacked against her at the moment. During her twenty-four-hour stay in Twilight’s lab, she had been able to confirm that her abilities had indeed been enhanced by whatever changed her magic. Her already incredible power had increased, and her mana reserves were now significantly greater. She probably never would have been able to apply herself to so much lab work as long as she did otherwise. Be that as it may, she was still no alicorn. Simply smothering Flurry Heart’s magic with her own as she would have normally been able to do wasn’t an option. From the brief seconds Sunset had felt Flurry Heart’s magic, she could tell that she’d never be able to match such raw power. Nor could she hope to physically overpower or outlast her earth pony build, obviously. Not to mention, the alicorn could freely fly without expending energy on any sort of levitation spell, giving her the movement advantage. As far as statistics go, Sunset was outmatched in every category. And to top it all off, she was going into this duel already tired. Her only hope was the other things she had learned from her brief interaction with Flurry Heart’s magic. For all her power, the alicorn was no master of the magic arts. More than likely, a result of being able to solely rely on brute strength and spending the majority of her life in an empire comprised of crystal earth ponies. If Sunset had to guess, most of Flurry Heart’s training would have come from Cadenza, who Sunset knew from personal experience was only an average mage herself. She had found absolutely no evidence of any sort of advanced magical training in Flurry Heart’s technique. Sunset, on the other hoof, was as close as one could get to embodying magic without literally being Twilight Sparkle. “I’ll give you one chance to back down before I flatten you! As fun as it would be, I really don’t feel like explaining to Aunt Twilight why I had to make paste out of you!” Flurry Heart shouted from the other side of the platform once they had taken their positions. Sunset merely ground her hooves into the floor and took a casting stance in response. “Fine, have it your way,” Flurry Heart muttered under her breath as she began collecting magic in her horn. Sunset cast a quick timer spell in the center of their impromptu arena, an orb of magic that would change color and burst in three seconds, signaling the start of the duel. Sunset took a deep breath in hopes of calming whatever nerves she could. Both mares tensed as the orb began the process of changing colors. Three…Two…One… The instant the light flashed out of existence; Flurry Heart unleashed a large concentrated stream of yellow concussive energy in Sunset’s direction. Sunset barely got a shield spell up before the beam washed over her, for all the good it did. The shield managed to weather the attack, but Sunset was still pushed back several feet, her hooves grinding on the stone floor, searching for traction. This unbalanced interaction made Sunset firmly resolve to only directly block Flurry’s attacks when absolutely necessary. Flurry Heart followed this attack with a constant volley of several shorter blasts, nowhere near as long or powerful as the first, but still plenty destructive. Sunset was forced on the defensive as she rapidly teleported around the platform to avoid the incoming shots that hammered her side of the arena. “Are you just going to run away the whole time, or do you plan on actually fighting me at some point!” Flurry Heart taunted in between her unrelenting shots. Sunset’s moment of opportunity came when Flurry Heart ceased her assault to ready another concentrated shot of energy. The spell she now had in mind would be near alicorn level magic, but it could be the only way to break Flurry’s defenses. Sheer adrenaline forced her body past any exhaustion as she focused. Flurry Heart readied her attack and immediately launched a large orb of magical energy in Sunset’s direction. Rather than put up a shield spell, Sunset focused her horn on the space in front of her and concentrated all of her power into it. A hole, no bigger than a coffee table, materialized right in front of the unicorn and completely swallowed the ball of yellow energy. “What in th-GAH!” Flurry Heart shouted in shock and pain as somehow her own attack rammed into her and knocked her back into the hard-stone rails that guarded the edge of the platform, burying her in rubble and dust. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that her localized portals had worked. With Flurry temporarily dazed, Sunset had only a few moments to enact the next part of her plan as she focused her horn skyward. A dome of energy briefly flashed over the platform before disappearing from sight. Not a moment too soon, as Flurry rushed from the cloud her impact had created intent on simply running Sunset over. Physical brutality was greatly discouraged among dueling unicorns, but, as far as Sunset knew, there was no rule saying you couldn’t simply beat your opponent into submission. Flurry Heart intended to take full advantage of this loophole as she charged Sunset at full speed. Sunset found herself to be in luck, for as devastating as any one of Flurry Heart’s attacks would have been to be struck by, they were all incredibly linear and predictable. A simple slip spell cast on the ground along with a hop to get out of the way was all it took this time to send Flurry Heart sprawling. The alicorn ungracefully crashed onto her stomach as her chin banged onto the stone floor. Frustration was clearly beginning to set in, Flurry growling at Sunset from her position on the floor. “Good,” Sunset thought. “The angrier she gets, the more likely she is to mess up.” Sunset was surprised at how well it was going. Her magical abilities were now back to full strength, if not better than before, and she had trained some with Twilight, but it had still been years since she had actually fought anyone with her magic. Before Sunset could get too comfortable with her brief victories, Flurry Heart decided to take a more unorthodox approach as she slammed her hooves into the ground. The shock sent Sunset off balance long enough for Flurry to get to her hooves and deliver a quick shoulder bash to the amber mare sending her bouncing across the floor. Sunset felt the air almost completely leave her body as she tumbled away from Flurry Heart, only coming to a stop as slid into the guard rails. Simply breathing felt difficult after such a direct hit from the large pony. “Not so hot now, are you?” Flurry Heart taunted, enjoying having the upper hand for once. Fortunately for Sunset, this gave her the time she needed to get her bearings. “Okay, REALLY can’t afford to take any more shots like that,” SunsetInternally noted, as she quickly stumbled back into a battle-ready stance. She needed to reassert control of the fight and quickly. For the first time since the duel started, Sunset launched an attack of her own. Flurry effortlessly blocked the small beam with her own horn, slapping it away. “Your first actual attack and that was it? Aunt Twilight’s standards must have REALLY dropped,” Flurry Heart mocked. Sunset couldn’t suppress the sneer that made its way onto her face at the remark. Sunset growled before firing a small ball of energy. Flurry Heart scoffed before proceeding to block the next attack in the same manner as the first. Only this attack exploded in a flash of light when Flurry struck it with her horn. “AGH!” Flurry Heart screamed, once more taken off guard and sent into a stumble, as she was completely blinded by the flash of light that went off right in her face. Sunset took full advantage of this moment and unleashed a giant red blast of magic at her full power, carving through the floor and totally consuming the alicorn, sending her flying all the way to the opposite side of the platform. “Whoa,” Sunset muttered to herself, caught off guard by the amount of power she had just displayed. Sunset found herself actually worrying that she might have overdone it as she watched Flurry Heart crash ungracefully onto the floor in a manner that had to be painful. Fortunately, Flurry’s earth pony physiology was more than up to the task as the alicorn quickly began to stir with no debilitating injuries. “Alright, you hit a lot harder than I thought, little pony!” Flurry Heart huffed out as she picked herself off the ground, now sporting a variety of scuffs and bruises. “But I hope you know It’s still going to take a lot more than that to take me down!” Flurry Heart finished as she flared her wings in a threatening manner. Sunset prepared herself because she knew she’d only get one shot at this. She liked to practice her spells more before deploying them on the field, but there was simply no other way she’d be able to defeat the alicorn head to head. A personalized sealing spell was her best bet. Magical energy started to collect in her horn, causing it to glow bright red. This, fortunately, gave off the appearance that she was simply preparing for her next attack. Flurry Heart had clearly had enough of trying to fight Sunset on her terms and readied her wings to take flight. Flurry knew that once she was airborne it would be next to impossible for the unicorn to force her into any more uncomfortable situations and she’d have complete control of their current arena. She had only remained grounded for as long as she had because she was convinced she could end the fight quicker that way. Seeing as that wasn’t the case, there was no point in holding back any longer. Without any further delay, Flurry Heart launched herself directly into the air. She turned her attention back to her target as she flapped her wings to gain altitude. The princess had to admit, this unicorn had given her more of a workout than any pony or monster ever had, but it was time to end things right- A sudden searing pain passed through the alicorn as her entire body seized up. An electric shock took hold of Flurry Heart’s body as her back touched the invisible barrier Sunset had set up at the beginning of the duel. Flurry Heart did not make a single sound as the shock left her completely immobile, even removing her ability to speak. Sunset watched as the alicorn plummeted to the ground. Her strategy having led to this exact moment. The paralysis charm on her barrier would only last a few more seconds once Flurry hit the ground, giving her a clear shot at the alicorn’s horn. She’d have to time it just right. Sunset saw Flurry Heart hit the stone, back first, landing in such a way that her head was facing away from her. Flurry Heart twitched, regaining her senses, and exposing her horn in the process. She had one shot. Unfortunately, Sunset never got a chance to take it. Flurry Heart vanished in a bright flash of yellow light as her horn spontaneously sparked with power. To say Flurry had teleported would technically be correct, but, in Sunset’s personal opinion, it was not an accurate way to describe Flurry Heart’s crude technique. Teleportation was a highly advanced magic skill that only a few unicorns could manage to perform, and even fewer could perform in quick succession. The expert control of one’s magic needed to seamlessly convert a pony’s mass into energy and shift it through space took some unicorns years to develop. What Flurry Heart had done was more akin to forcing herself through space with an indescribable amount of power. Like shoving the square block through the circle hole of a small foal’s toy. However messy the technique, Sunset couldn’t deny that it got results. It also left her royally bucked. Flurry Heart violently flashed into existence right before Sunset, the surprise causing the unicorn to rear back onto her hind legs. Before the energy surrounding her had even fully dispersed, Flurry Heart pounced onto Sunset, pinning her onto her back with her full weight, her forelegs held down beneath Flurry’s hooves in a spread-eagle position. Sunset tried to use her hind legs to shove Flurry’s weight off, but her strength was simply no match for that of an alicorn’s. Flurry Heart had her completely trapped, and the fact was not lost on the alicorn as she smiled down at her prey. “Didn’t know I could do that trick too, did you? Game over, I win.” Sunset couldn't help but scoff at Flurry's statement. “You call that magic? I’ve seen yaks do the Pony Cotillion with more grace than you cast spells with,” Sunset mocked, grinning through the pain Flurry’s weight on her forelegs was causing. Sunset was many things, but a quitter was not one of them. She couldn’t move, but she could talk. “What!? I have more magic in my tail than you have in your entire body!” Flurry Heart shouted down at the unicorn who had clearly touched a nerve. “Exactly. You have all that power, and yet you have no idea how to use it. Honestly, it’s a waste,” Sunset said egging Flurry on. Flurry Heart’s eyes filled with rage and her horn sparked with power as she forced her weight down even harder. Sunset dearly hoped her gamble paid off, or she might not live to see another day. “What would YOU know about magic!?” Flurry Heart shouted, lowering her head down to be directly in Sunset’s face. “Checkmate,” Sunset thought as a victorious smirk made its way onto her face. “Let me show you,” Sunset said as she tilted her head up and touched her horn to Flurry Heart’s releasing the spell she had been holding in all that time. The discharge of power presenting itself in a blinding flash of white light. When the light cleared, there was no visible change to the platform beyond the cracks and scorch marks already present from previous attacks. Sunset still laid in the same spot as before, and Flurry Heart still stood over her, completely unchanged. Flurry Heart was the first to react, raising her head, intent on making the unicorn pay for trying to trick her. She stuck her horn downward, planning on knocking the impudent mare out cold with her most powerful blast of magic yet. Sunset recoiled, closing her eyes and bracing for the attack. They stayed in that position for several seconds before they realized that nothing had happened. “What’s going on?!” Flurry heart exclaimed while frantically shaking her head. “I can’t use my magic!” Sunset felt every muscle in her body untense as she let out a massive sigh of relief. She watched in amusement as Flurry Heart strained with all her might to force magic out of her horn, the duel now completely forgotten in the face of this crisis. Sunset was no longer a vindictive pony that took pleasure in dominating others, but nopony threw Sunset Shimmer around and got away with it. Sunset put an abrupt end to Flurry Heart’s failed attempts to call forth her magic as she seized the alicorn in her own magic and raised Flurry off her. “You can’t use your magic anymore. Game over, I win.” Sunset smugly stated while making sure to turn and twist her captive in all the ways she had been thrown about earlier. Sunset punctuated her victory by roughly dropping Flurry Heart onto the ground in front of her. “Y-You took my magic!?” Flurry Heart panicked as she clutched her horn in her hooves, not even bothering to pick herself off the floor as she questioned the unicorn. Looking into the alicorn’s frightened eyes convinced Sunset that she might have taken things a bit too far. “No no, don’t worry! It’s completely temporary,” Sunset quickly assured her. “It’s just a disarming spell I came up with.” “…You can do things like that?” Flurry Heart questioned; her panic now replaced with curiosity. “Of course!” Sunset answered in earnest, excited to talk about her favorite subject. “Magic can do all sorts of things.” “Like…all those tricks you did when we were fighting?” Flurry Heart asked despite most likely already knowing the answer. Sunset nodded her head with a smile. She was quite proud of all she had done under so much pressure. Flurry Heart paused for a second before asking, “…Can you teach me how to do things like that?” This was a turn Sunset wasn’t expecting. “I mean, yeah I could, but Twilight could probably teach you more than I can.” Flurry Heart glanced down in sadness. “Aunt Twilight doesn’t really have time for me. Running all of Equestria and her school makes her too busy. Especially ever since Dad died,” she finished barely above a whisper. Sunset probably should have been glad that her plan to set Flurry Heart straight had successfully gone on to its next stage, but it was impossible to be happy when the alicorn looked so much like a lost little filly. Sunset used her magic to pick Flurry Heart up and clean her of any dust she had taken during their battle. “There, good as new. I'll tell you what. I’ll teach you, but only if you talk to me like I wanted to begin with.” Flurry Heart looked away. “Okay…and…I’m sorry. I just wanted to be alone. I didn’t want to hurt you. At least not badly,” Flurry Heart muttered with a shameful countenance. Twilight’s niece really did remind Sunset of herself. First with her horrible attitude, and, now that the fragile façade had been shattered, the lost uncertainty made the resemblance even more uncanny. “Take a seat, Flurry Heart. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” “So, you knew my mom?” Flurry Heart asked in an astonished voice, unable to believe what she was hearing. “In a way, we were raised together,” Sunset explained. “Princess Celestia found us both when we were young and took us in.” “So, you and my mom were like family?” Flurry stated, believing herself to understand the picture Sunset was painting. Sunset chuckled mirthlessly. “No, no we weren’t. I HATED your mother, Flurry. Like I’ve never hated anypony before. It sounds silly now, but back then I honestly thought she was trying to steal my entire life, right out from under me. “I still remember the day Princess Celestia introduced me to her. I was young and I’d already been living with Princess Celestia for a few years. She was the closest thing to family I’d ever had. Then, one day this upstart pegasus from some town in the middle of nowhere grows a horn, Celestia ADOPTS her, and she starts living in the castle so she can learn how to be a princess. All in a single day,” Sunset finished with a joyless smile as she took in the setting sun over Canterlot by the edge of the platform. Flurry Heart seemed to be at a loss for what to make of Sunset’s tale. “I-I’m sorry that happened to you.” “Don’t be. From what I hear, your mother made a pretty great princess after all. All I was ever good for was almost starting a war until your aunt beat some sense into me.” Flurry Heart choose to be silent, once again not sure how to respond to the unicorn’s self-depreciation. Sunset shook her head, realizing she was getting off-topic. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you all this so you could feel sorry for me. I told you this because, well, I see a lot of myself in you, Flurry.” “…Oh,” Flurry muttered, unsure what to make of the comparison. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Flurry. I wish I could take them all back, but I can’t. I don’t want you to make those same mistakes,” Sunset said in earnest. “What do you mean?” Flurry Heart asked, her tone tense at some of the implications. “Well, for starters, you’re pushing everypony away,” Sunset began. “They pushed me away first!” Flurry Heart huffed out. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I’m pretty sure I thought the exact same thing once. You know they love you, right?” Sunset picked up. “Yeah.” “And, you love them too, don’t you?” Sunset continued. “Of course!” “Then never forget that. No matter what, make sure to hold onto the ponies you love. Trust me, Flurry, there’s nothing worse than being all alone.” Sunset finished, still looking into the beautiful orange sky. “What if you don’t have a choice?” Flurry tentatively ventured out. Sunset raised an eyebrow at whatever Flurry was getting at. “What do you mean?” “I mean…my Dad died. Almost thirty years ago. I loved him more than anything, and…now he’s gone and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Flurry Heart choked out, tears building in her eyes. “I know Mom misses him too. She won’t say it or even talk about him anymore, but I can see it in everything she does. She works as much as she can, rarely leaves the castle, and the only way I can ever get to see her is by forcing her to deal with me. Aunt Twilight’s barely any better.” Sunset knew this went deep, but actually hearing about it still left a deep pit in her stomach. “I have to admit, that’s pretty bad.” “You’re telling me,” Flurry Heart mumbled as she slumped over. “Still, you’re going about this the wrong way,” Sunset quickly amended. “Lashing out all the time and looking for things to bury your feelings in isn’t going to bring them any closer. And especially believe me when I say it’s not going to convince anypony to give you a kingdom. Deep down, I think you know that.” “So, what do I do?” Sunset couldn’t believe how small Flurry Heart looked in that moment of total vulnerability. The alicorn that physically towered over her now closely resembled a filly looking up to her for guidance. “Well…you work it out. Maybe you’ve got the right idea by fighting your mother and Twilight all the time. You’re just fighting them the wrong way. You need them, and they need you. I know that. Make sure they know it too,” “Where do I even start?” Flurry questioned. “We’ll figure it out,” Sunset answered. “We?” Sunset smiled at the princess. “Of course, that’s the most important thing about solving these problems. Never do it alone. That’s what friends are for.” “I…I don’t really have many friends. Not anymore at least,” Flurry Heart said staring out into space. “Well, you have one more in me now.” “Thank you…Sunset?” Flurry Heart stated before a look of displeasure crossed her face. “No, that doesn’t sound right. Maybe…Miss. Shimmer?” “DOCTOR Shimmer!” “…what?” “Sorry, force of habit.” Flurry Heart took a long moment of consideration, a look of contemplation etched across her face. When Flurry Heart next spoke, she appeared far shyer than Sunset had ever seen her. “So, you and my mom were raised together, right?” “Yeah, that’s pretty much right.” Flurry Heart began to twiddle her hooves. “So…in a way, you were almost like sisters,” “I…suppose you could say that.” “So…would you, I don’t know, mind if…maybe I called you…Aunt Sunset?” Flurry Heart finished; the last words of the question spoken in a rush. Sunset turned the title over in her head. As a pony with no known family, and any chance of ever finding them long gone, she had never imagined she’d be an aunt to anypony. The thought of being addressed as such by Flurry Heart didn’t feel all that unpleasant. “Well, if you don’t mind calling somepony who is technically several decades younger than you an aunt, I guess I wouldn’t object to it,” Sunset said. “Aunt Sunset it is then.” The two mares stayed silent for a bit after that, content watching the sun finish sinking below the horizon, guided by a large purple alicorn. “Aunt Sunset?” “Yeah, Flurry?” “Is…is it okay if I hug you?” “Come here, kiddo.” The two ponies scooted closer together as Flurry Heart wrapped a pastel pink wing around Sunset and Sunset placed a foreleg around Flurry’s lower back. As the sky turned to night and the future seemed uncertain, the embrace provided a moment of absolute peace that nothing could disrupt. “WHAT IN EQUESTRIA HAPPENED HERE!?” Almost nothing. Sunset and Flurry Heart quickly separated in order to turn around and look at the large lavender alicorn descending onto the platform in a state of panic. It only now occurred to the two mares that they had yet to consider the collateral damage of their heated battle. Flurry Heart noted that it was entirely possible that the blasts of magic she had been throwing around willy-nilly might have destroyed a few precious statues, and walls, and perhaps a good chunk of the railing. Sunset was forced to entertain that her ultimate blast of magic power had completely destroyed the decorative stone floor. And, to be frank, the plants didn’t stand a chance. The fact that both mares looked like they had been run over by several carriages was just icing on the cake. “Well!? Does anypony want to tell me why I no longer have a viewing tower?” Twilight ground out. It had been quite some time since Sunset was required to smooth talk her way out of having destroyed a section of the castle. She was definitely out of practice. Thankfully, Flurry Heart seemed more than willing to pick up the slack. “We were just…practicing our gardening?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “REALLY aggressive gardening…with magic.” Okay, so the kid could use some work. “Flurry and I were just getting a feel for each other’s magic, Twilight. I guess things got a little out of hoof.” Twilight looked over both ponies, first examining Flurry Heart’s slightly singed fur, then turning to Sunset who was developing a number of pronounced bruises. “You don’t say,” Twilight remarked dryly. “Yeah!” Flurry Heart said excitedly as she shot up, Twilight’s sarcasm completely lost on her. “Aunt Sunset even promised to teach me some super-advanced magic!” “Aunt Sunset?” Twilight asked in visible confusion, looking past her niece to the still seated unicorn who only offered her a casual shrug for explanation. Her unanswered question aside, Flurry Heart’s attitude had noticeably improved from before. Twilight hadn’t seen her niece so excited in some time. She supposed, one tower was a small price to pay for her family’s happiness. “Well, so long as nopony was hurt too badly, I guess we can put this mess behind us.” Twilight was caught off guard when Flurry Heart rushed forward and hugged her, clutching onto her in a way that reminded her of when her niece was much smaller. It only took a few seconds for Twilight to return the affection, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the embrace. “Aunt Twilight, I’m really sorry. About all those things I said to you,” Flurry Heart gently said without letting go of Twilight. “It’s okay, Flurry,” Twilight reassured her. “I love you, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry Heart whispered. “I love you too, Flurry, with all my heart,” Twilight whispered back. After a few more seconds of enjoying the moment, the two princesses separated. They took several more seconds to simply look at each other as if really seeing the pony in front of them for the first time in a while. It was a stretch to say that all their issues had been resolved, but it was a start. “So, since Aunt Sunset is going to be teaching me magic now, you don’t mind if I swing by the castle every week or so, do you?” Flurry Heart picked up with a somewhat bashful look. Twilight would definitely need to interrogate Sunset about what exactly she had missed that led to all these developments, but she could tell that really wasn’t important right now. “Flurry honey, you’re welcome around the castle at any time.” Flurry Heart released a breath she had not been aware she was holding, apparently needing to hear those words. The relief was unfortunately short-lived. “Before we get ahead of ourselves though, I believe there’s a pony who really needs to know you’re okay right now,” Twilight prompted with a knowing look. Flurry Heart’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly at the prospect. “Ok, that’s fair, I guess.” “For now, though, you can spend the night here. Why don’t you go clean yourself up and we can catch up in the private library,” Twilight offered. Flurry Heart seemed to positively beam at the prospect. “You mean it? O-Okay, I’ll go wait for you.” The alicorn nearly tripped over herself walking around Twilight trying to rush into the castle. “Hold on!” Sunset called out, having just remembered something important as she finally got up and joined the other two mares. Flurry Heart stopped, clearly antsy at being held up. “I almost forgot to unblock your magic,” said Sunset as her horn lit up, casting a quick counterspell. Flurry Heart’s horn lit up again with yellow magic, her full power instantly returned to her. “Okay, you have to teach me how to do that. I’ll see you later, Aunt Sunset,” Flurry Heart waved as she finally retreated inside. Sunset couldn’t help but smile as she watched the alicorn rush off. “Well, she can be a bit prickly, but Spike was right, she’s a good pony.” “Remind you of anypony?” Twilight not so subtly hinted with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Sunset rolled her eyes and gently knocked one of her hooves against Twilight’s leg, unfortunately, unable to get anywhere near her shoulders. “In all seriousness though, thank you Sunset. I think you really helped her, and you helped me too. This whole fiasco has helped me realize that I've been neglecting some pretty important things. I guess that shows you’ll make a pretty good teacher,” Twilight remarked. Sunset was jolted to her senses by the statement. “Oh yeah, I guess I did kind of completely agree to that, didn’t I?” Sunset was certainly not a pony to blow off a commitment, but such a large and unfamiliar one would take some doing. She needed to get started right away if she wanted to be ready for Flurry Heart’s first lesson. “Okay, if I get started right now, I should be able to draft up a rough course plan by Tuesday. I just need to get-” Sunset’s pace was immediately stopped as a large purple wing extended itself to block her path. “Just where do you think you’re going?” Sunset looked at the appendage with annoyance. “Twilight, I need to get to work.” “You know…” Twilight began as though Sunset had not said anything, “I ran into a certain changeling earlier today. He was pretty irritated that, apparently, somepony wasn’t in her room when she should have been.” Sunset was not a fan of the direction this conversation was headed. “Apparently, this pony was careless enough to spend an entire day holed up in a lab. Then, instead of getting some sleep like she should have, she decided to spend the next day picking a fight with an alicorn of all things. I bet she must look just awful right now,” Twilight continued, her voice becoming stern and her eyes narrowing as they looked down on the cornered unicorn. “I don’t suppose you know this pony, do you Sunset?” Sunset began to weigh her odds. What were the chances she could take down two alicorns in one day? Right, less than nonexistent. Perhaps a quick teleport to the lab? No, Twilight could easily follow her, and her head felt like it would explode if she tried. Playing dumb it was. “Whoever this pony is, it sounds like you should really go find her,” Sunset started to say as she tried to slip under Twilight’s wing. Twilight quickly placed her full body in Sunset’s path cutting off any escape as she began to advance on the beaten-down mare. “Bedtime, Sunset, now.” Sunset began to back away from the suddenly imposing alicorn. “You can’t do this, Twilight. I have rights!” “Not in my Equestria you don’t,” Twilight firmly stated as she picked Sunset up in her magenta magic. “This is an abuse of power,” Sunset complained Twilight rolled her eyes at Sunset’s childishness. “Oh, hush.” Using her magic Twilight placed the small mare onto her back, using her wings to prevent her from either falling or escaping. Not that there was much risk of Sunset escaping. Nearly two days without sleep and a battle with an adult alicorn had clearly sapped almost all of Sunset’s strength. “You just get some sleep, and I’ll take you to your room.” Sunset really wanted to fight against being treated like some sort of small foal, incapable of even tucking herself in, but any small resistance that she had within her left the moment she was placed upon Twilight’s back. Apparently, Twilight was soft. Softer than she had ever imagined. Not that that was something she had ever imagined. Honest. The soft coat of the large alicorn combined with support from her warm blanket-like wings and hair rivaled any bed Sunset had ever slept in. Was Celestia ever this soft? Sunset vaguely remembered being carried in a similar manner as a filly. Whatever the case, Sunset couldn’t imagine anything comparing to what she was feeling right now as she began to drift off and snuggled into Twilight’s back which smelled vaguely of lavender. Realization of what she was doing snapped Sunset out of her bliss like state. She really needed to get out of here before things got weird. Sunset’s hopes of escaping were again quickly quashed as Twilight began moving. The soft rocking of her perch being the death knell to her resistance. A small yawn escaped Sunset’s mouth before she fell victim to sleep’s pull and cuddled into her makeshift bed. Twilight couldn’t stop herself from thinking the entire thing was adorable. Twilight carefully exited Sunset’s room, making absolutely certain not to make any noise as she guided the door closed. Another day down. Countless more to go. Still, they seemed to be getting more bearable lately. All that was left was to go see Flurry Heart before bed. It really had been a while since they had last had an actual conversation. One that didn’t involve them screaming at each other. Twilight was rather looking forward to it. She could have the chefs prepare a meal for them. Maybe they could even read together, just like they used to before everything was so complicated. “Twilight,” a voice whispered from behind her. To the day, she was Twilight Sparkle, new age ruler of Equestria, but at night she was just Twilight, so she felt only a little shame at jumping in surprise at the voice in the dark hall. “Spike! You scared me,” Twilight whisper shouted after she turned to the source of the voice. “Sorry about that. I needed to talk to you,” Spike explained. “It can’t wait until morning?” Twilight questioned, curious as to what her oldest friend could want this late. “I just got news from Ember. A couple of old dragons longing for, ‘the old days’ are making a big fuss right now, and she needs my help calming everything down. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, so I came to say goodbye,” Spike informed her. Spike leaving to do his duty was almost always hard these days, but right now it was downright unbearable. “Spike, you can’t go. I need you!” Twilight knew she was being selfish, but just once she felt she was allowed to be. Of all times, something like this had to happen now. “Look, it’ll probably only take a few days, so I probably won’t be able to make the trip to Ponyville with you, but I’ll still be able to make it there,” Spike said in an attempt to calm an oncoming panic attack. “Then let’s just postpone the trip until you can. You said it’ll only be a few days, right?” Twilight said suddenly looking desperate. Spike had known Twilight for a century by now. Nopony knew her better than he did and as much as he didn’t like it, he knew that he’d have to put his foot down on this one. “Twilight, no. It took you months to get the time off for this trip, we can’t put it off any longer. You and I both know she doesn’t have much time left.” Twilight said nothing, merely averting her gaze so Spike wouldn’t see her glistening eyes. It hurt Spike to say it just as much as it would hurt Twilight to hear it, but it was something she needed to hear. “Pinkie Pie needs you, Twilight.” Author's Note Suprise update! With a confession. Originally the previous chapter was supposed to contain the fight scene, but I found it made the chapter obscenely large. So, I did what all creators do when they make to much. I split it in half and sold it to you separately which hopefully explains this sudden update. Everyone seemed eager to see it go down in any case. This was my first time writing both an action and fight scene, so please don't be shy to tell me what you think. Did you enjoy it? Was it what you were hoping for? Anything I could do better? How about the rest of the chapter? Whatever the case, I'm positive I have created the first Sunset vs. Flurry scene in history, so there's that. Chapter 7: Going on a TripIn all her years living in Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer was hard pressed to remember a more perfect day. The birds were gently chirping, the breeze was just the right speed, and the sun was shining directly overhead, bathing everything in a warm light. “More tea, Sunset?” offered an angelic voice Sunset had not heard in a long time. “oh, yes, thank you, Princess,” Sunset answered, coming back to the world before her. The two ponies had taken the beautiful day as an opportunity to enjoy a picnic in one of the grassy fields of Canterlot…or, at least that’s what Sunset assumed they were here for. Honestly, she couldn’t really remember how she got here. “Is everything to your liking, Sunset?” Sunset had to pull herself back to the present for the second time, “Y-yeah, I think so.” “Are you sure? Is it exactly how you remember it?” Sunset raised an eyebrow and took the time to take in her surroundings. There was that old warped tree they usually ate under and she could see the buildings of Canterlot in the distance from the hill they were sitting on. There was the exam building, the old park area off to the side, and the bakery that she had gone into on a few occasions. Sunset couldn’t for the life of her remember who it was that ran the place, but she remembered thinking he was nice. It seemed to be the city she had grown up in, yet the longer she stared at it the less real it seemed to be. “Memory is a peculiar thing, Sunset. It seems that no matter how hard we try to hold onto the past, some things will inevitably fade away,” the pony sitting across from her continued. “I don’t understand. Where are we, Princess Celestia?” Sunset asked her old mentor as she began to really think about her current position. “Don’t you recognize it? We’re in the place you always come to when you wish to be at peace. I believe it’s best described as your, ‘happy place’.” Well, that was helpful. Typical Celestia. Sunset shifted her gaze to fully look upon Celestia. It was odd. Aside from a few details that stuck out, the distant city seemed to resemble a painting almost. A vague approximation of something frozen in time, meant to be looked upon but not touched. Even the surrounding area had a hazy quality about it. Not Celestia though. Every detail of her towering figure was defined and sharp. The white of her coat, the shape of her horn, her sparkling magenta eyes, and the majestic splendor of her mane and tail. Sunset could even make out the decorative engravings in her crown. Such a meaningless detail and yet one she could instantly recall. “What is this? Where’s Twilight?” Sunset asked beginning to panic as the logical portion of her brain began to piece together the impossibility of her situation. “Be at peace, Sunset Shimmer. That is what you are here for, is it not?” Celestia assured her. “We are in one of your most cherished memories.” “So, I’m dreaming?” Sunset asked the pony that appeared to be Celestia. “Well, yes,” Celestia chuckled. “Then that means, none of this is real,” Sunset sighed, surprised at just how disappointed the reality made her. “It was,” Celestia offered her. Sunset took in the sight once more. “And now it’s all gone. I’ll never see it again.” “That’s one way to look at it.” “Is it strange? That I miss it? I wasn’t exactly a nice pony when I lived here. I didn’t have any friends, family, or reason to care about it beyond the fact that I lived here,” Sunset asked. The dream Celestia gave her a gentle smile. “I don’t think so. This place is a part of you. Just as the human world is now a part of you. Good or bad, it is not easy to let go of the things that define us.” Sunset knew it was probably meaningless to ask what was essentially a part of herself questions she didn’t know the answers to, but it was comforting. Which made sense, seeing as this was apparently her, “happy place.” Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Sunset slowly moved in closer to Celestia. No doubt sensing her desire, the alicorn extended a wing to take the pony into her embrace. It wasn’t real, but it was nice all the same. Being together like this again. She missed it more than she could describe. They stayed like that for some time before Celestia broke the silence. “It seems our time is at an end once again, Sunset.” Sunset shifted to look up at her teacher’s face. “It’s time to wake up, Sunset.” “Wake up.” “Wake up!” “WAKE UP!” Sunset’s room shook as though an earthquake had passed through. “GAAAHHH!” Sunset screamed as she shot out from under her sheets and unsteadily perched on the bed’s headboard, trying to put some space between her and whatever it was that blew out her ears. “It’s about time! I was beginning to think you’d never get out of bed.” Discord said at the foot of her bed as he turned off the megaphone in his hand which was ringing with feedback. “Discord!?” Sunset choked out, neither recovered from the abrupt awakening nor used to the Lord of Chaos just popping in for a visit. “Well, I’m pleased to see you remembered me this time.” “What are you doing in my room!?” Sunset shouted as she hopped down. “Waking you up of course. Wasn’t that obvious?” Discord replied with a shrug. Discord suddenly popped next to her wearing a doctor’s uniform. “You were such a bright filly when I last saw you. I do hope dear Flurry Heart didn’t damage that brilliant little mind of yours in the scuffle,” Discord rambled as he shined a flashlight into Sunset’s eye. Sunset quickly turned away from the draconequus who seemed determined to render her both blind and deaf. “I MEAN, what are you doing invading my room? And how do you even know about all that stuff with Flurry Heart?” Discord vanished once more and reappeared in the center of the room, this time reclining in a lawn chair with sunglasses and a bag of popcorn. “Why, I had front row seats to your little epic battle with the young princess. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite sure if you’d be able to pull it off, but I was TOTALLY rooting for you!” Discord finished while waving a small flag with Sunset’s cutie mark printed on it. Sunset was finding that once you got past the parts about him being an ancient god-like being, Discord was just incredibly annoying. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show.” Discord threw his head back and let out a full out cackle. “Enjoy the show? That little spectacle was the most spectacular display I’ve seen in years! Oh, I knew you were a riot Sunset, but you’re almost making ME feel inadequate here. Not even back in Equestria for more than a week and you go and pick a fight with a PRINCESS!” Discord choked out before falling out of his chair in a complete laughing fit. Sunset could only pout as she wondered what sort of choices had led to her being laughed at by the lord of chaos in her own bedroom. Eventually, Discord managed to pull himself together and stood back up, wiping a tear from his eye. “Honestly, little sunspot. I’d forgotten just how much fun you were.” “So, are you here for any reason besides scaring me half to death and heckling me about yesterday?” Sunset asked as she was beginning to lose patience. “Well, to be honest, I was hoping we could do lunch. An old friend taught me that nothing fosters bonds of everlasting friendship like a few cups of tea. Besides, I’d imagine you’d be rather famished after all that excitement and sleeping for, oh, let’s see…twenty hours straight,” Discord said as he looked at a pocket watch that was very clearly broken. “You mean it’s midafternoon!?” Sunset gasped as she hopped off her bed. “I’m going to be late helping Twilight in the lab!” Sunset rushed past Discord and quickly threw the door open with her magic in order to make a dash for the job she was currently neglecting. She ran for all of five seconds before she rammed into the foot of her bed, somehow still in her room despite running out the door. “Now hold on just a minute, little sunspot. You didn’t even give me a chance to finish.” Discord chuckled from his new position atop the bed, looking down at the dazed unicorn on the floor. “In light of recent events, Twilight has seen fit to give you some time off. In fact, I believe she took great care to inform the castle staff that you were not to be disturbed under ANY circumstances. Fortunately, I’M not part of the castle staff.” Sunset shook herself back to reality, positive that she now had the concussion Discord had joked about earlier. “Well, tell Twilight I’m grateful, but I can’t spend the entire day doing nothing. I need to get busy.” “Oh, riiigghhht. You’ve decided to take young Flurry Heart under your wing. Figuratively speaking of course. Wait, is the whole, ‘no wings’ thing still a sore subject for you?” Discord rambled off, placing a hand to his chin and averting his gaze. Sunset saw this as an opportunity to make her escape, before she incurred any more injuries from her close proximity to Discord, as she began to inch her way towards the still open door. Before Sunset had even made it halfway, the door was slammed shut by Discord who had spontaneously materialized behind the open door. “All the more reason for us to catch up!” Discord picked up exactly where he left off as he leaned against the door with one arm. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” Discord waved off as he caught sight of the annoyed glare he was getting. “Trust me, you’d only be wasting your time running all the way down there. Seeing as you apparently can’t be trusted to look after yourself, Twilight took it upon herself to magically seal all the labs in the castle until she was convinced you were well rested and have read her five hundred page guide on, ‘Time management’.” Discord snapped his fingers and materialized an unreasonably large hardcover book that landed before Sunset with the weight of a carriage full of yaks. Putting aside any questions about whether or not Discord had exaggerated the size of the book, knowing Twilight it could sadly go either way, Sunset pushed forward. Twilight’s concern was sweet, but she would not be babied. “I’ll just break the seals then.” “I’m sure you could. So is Twilight, seeing as she put in her own alarm system for when you try.” “You think I can’t find a way around it?” “Maybe. Maybe not. Still, there’s no reason breaking and entering has to be done on an empty stomach,” Discord asserted while crossing his mismatched arms in a victorious fashion. Sunset’s retort was cut off by the unreasonably loud growling of her stomach. A light blush colored her face as she was forced to internally admit that Discord had a point. The last thing she had eaten was a measly sandwich. “Perhaps a little louder next time, Sunset. They probably didn’t hear you in Manehattan,” Discord mocked while holding an ear horn to his head. Sunset, of all ponies, wasn’t one to look down on a reformed creature. This wasn’t just a disgruntled student, or a fellow mean-spirited unicorn she was dealing with though. This was Discord. A creature that went down in the history books as one of the greatest threats Equestria had ever faced, and Twilight had told her all about her experiences with him. Even after his change of heart his history was checkered, to say the least. Given his history and her experiences with him thus far, Sunset felt she had the right to be cautious of the peculiar draconequus. Still, Twilight did consider him a friend, in spite of all he had done, and she could hardly claim to understand the magic of friendship if she wasn’t at least willing to give him a chance. “Alright, Discord. We can have lunch,” Sunset conceded. Discord’s reaction to this was, of course, the same as anypony’s. He pulled off his larger horn and blew into it like a party horn, causing fireworks to shoot out all over her room. Fortunately, nothing seemed to catch fire. “Oh, we’re going to have so much fun, Sunset! Tell me, what were you thinking? Fast food? Fancy cuisine? Maybe something exotic, hmm?” Discord rambled off as he snapped a dining table into the room and outfitted himself and Sunset with matching bibs. Sunset used her magic to take off the bib before she responded. “Actually, I was thinking we’d just get something to eat in the castle.” “UGH! Fine! If you want to be boring about it,” Discord pouted before snapping his fingers. Before Sunset knew it, the scenery of her room had changed to the main dining hall within the castle. Rather than feeling as though they had moved to a new location, as was the case with normal teleportation, Discord’s magic seemed to make the room shift into something else around them. Sunset surmised that it must have just been how Chaos magic worked. A form of magic nopony in Equestria had the slightest understanding of. “We need to actually order something first, Discord,” Sunset informed him, noticing he seemed to have skipped them straight to the dining table at a time where there were no meals scheduled. “Not to worry, Sunset,” Discord assured her as he snapped his fingers once again. A small green dragon with short horns and a long snout the size of an average mare wearing a chef’s uniform and hat flashed into the room. Rather than panic, as most creatures would if they suddenly found themselves pulled into a completely different location at the drop of a hat, the dragon merely narrowed his eyes and started blowing smoke through his nose. “Discord,” he growled out through gritted teeth. Discord met the open hostility with a smile as he casually leaned back onto his chair. “Chef Sizzle! Long time, no see. I’m here dining with my friend, Sunset, and was hoping we could request your services for some of your delightful cooking.” Sunset sheepishly waved at the dragon when he turned his gaze to her. Seeing her, fortunately, seemed to abate some of Sizzle’s ire, though he maintained an air of annoyance. “I don’t suppose you intend to actually eat the food I prepare for you this time, do you, Discord?” the dragon asked with an impatient tap of his foot. Discord shrugged in response. “I’ll think about it this time. My usual, please.” Sunset couldn’t help but feel bad for the face palming dragon who had clearly been through this exact situation numerous times. “I’ll just have whatever you think is good,” Sunset offered. She’d never been particularly picky about what sort of food she ate and the chance to flex his culinary skills usually cheered the chef up. “Your food will be ready shortly,” the dragon sighed. “Wonderful!” Discord celebrated before quickly snapping the dragon chef away. Hopefully to the kitchen. “Now then, what do you say we take this opportunity to catch up on all the wonderful little details that have happened in our lives?” Discord said while leaning onto the table with both arms. It was a bit of a personal question, but it made sense in a way. Getting to know each other is how you become friends. “What do you want to know?” Sunset was surprised when her view of Discord was impeded…by Discord. His head coming over the back of her chair and filling her vision as he once again completely disregarded her personal space. “Well, you see, It’s been keeping me up at night lately, and I just HAVE to know…” Discord began in his usual jovial demeanor before his eyes narrowed and his voice took on a serious tone Sunset had never heard until now, “What’s on the other side of the mirror?” The doors to Twilight Sparkle’s throne room flew open as several creatures filtered out, all looking quite content with themselves. Twilight slumped into her throne, thoroughly worn out from the day’s activities. “Please, tell me that was the last of them,” she sighed out. “I believe so, your highness. The building permits have been dealt with, preparations for the royal Swanifying are taken care of, and all cases of civil dispute have officially been put to rest,” Twilight’s yellow furred personal unicorn secretary, Stellar Report, listed off with a small smile. “You’re done.” Twilight only allowed herself to sink further into her chair. Her schedule was now clear for the week. An entire week without meetings, decrees, and somecreature needing her to rush to their aid the second something went wrong. She had even been able to finish early due to her postponing today’s after class lab work. Ordinarily, she should have been happy to finally have some time to herself, and in truth she was at least happy to be finished with settling petty arguments. Unfortunately, having no more work to do also meant she was one step closer to the moment she was dreading. She’d finish packing tonight and then she’d be off to Ponyville for the week to say… “Is something wrong your majesty?” Twilight quickly blinked the moisture from her eyes. “I’m fine, Stellar. Just taking it in,” Twilight responded in a perfectly even tone, developed by years of ruling Equestria. “Well, if it’s all the same to you, your majesty, I believe I’ll check out now. Have a good week,” the young mare waved as she followed the path out of the room. Twilight didn’t bother to suppress the sigh now that she was alone. True to his word, Spike had departed just before she had raised the sun. He had always been the most devoted creature Twilight had ever had the privilege to know. It came as no surprise that he’d rush over to help his friends at a moment’s notice. Her baby dragon was all grown up now, and Twilight couldn’t be prouder of the dragon he had become. It brought her some comfort knowing that she had managed to do right by him in the end. Having to play the role of both mother and big sister to a child of an entirely different species was complicated, to say the least, and Twilight had often worried she was failing him in how she raised the little drake. Looking at him now, though, was all it took to assure her that he turned out just fine. He was strong, smart, kind, and had countless friends. He didn’t need her watching over him anymore. He didn’t need her anymore. Tired of the thoughts that seemed to plague her more and more these days, Twilight rose from her throne to go for a walk around the castle. Twilight needed something to occupy herself. She briefly considered taking some time to tend her private garden, but quickly dismissed the idea. In her current mood, she really wasn’t up for seeing the statue she kept there. Perhaps a trip to the royal library would provide her with some peace. Assuming she could find something new and interesting to read. After all these years she had gone through the entire royal collection. Somehow, she doubted anything of substance had been added since her last visit. The authors of modern literature weren’t bad, but they were certainly no A.K. Yearling. Perhaps that was simply her nostalgia talking though. That really left her with only one option that was certain to lift her spirits. She could and probably should check up on Sunset. Not for the first time did Twilight wonder if she was making a huge mistake. Things were beginning to progress past the point of no return. Perhaps they already had. After all, Twilight wasn’t sure how she’d react if, one day, Sunset came to find her place was still in the human world. She hadn’t even been thinking clearly when she’d made the offer to Sunset in the first place. The entire ordeal still left her feeling as though she had deceived Sunset, at least in some manner. There was no point in denying it. She was one of the smartest ponies in the history of all Equestria. The simple fact that so much time had gone by in Equestria since Sunset had last been here couldn’t have just slipped her mind. Yet, Twilight had neglected to inform her of such crucial information until she had already arrived, despite having ample opportunity to do so beforehand. Why? That, Twilight wasn’t entirely sure of, but she didn’t like the reasons she had been able to come up with so far. One thing Twilight did know was that it had been foolish of her to think she could somehow both hold Sunset close and at arm’s length at the same time. Every day with her here had been special. She was feeling things she had rarely felt in years. Being able to honestly laugh and smile, talk with somepony that truly understood her, and didn’t look at her as some sort of divine figure that couldn’t be interacted with like everypony else. Every day they got closer and every day ensured saying goodbye would hurt that much more. Yes, perhaps she had made a terrible terrible mistake. Perhaps she was too greedy. Had she been stronger she could have held her tongue and Sunset would have stayed in the human world. In the human world she would have been preserved. At least for a few centuries. Like a piece in a museum. Locked away, beyond her reach, able to be seen and known but never touched. Just like the rest of Equestria. Every decade or so she could receive messages from her, and they could have gone on like that for generations. Best friends at a distance. “Until the journal ran out of pages. What then?” A cold, logical, selfish part of her brain reminded her. “It probably wouldn’t even get that far. Eventually, she would have outgrown you, just like everypony else.” Twilight paused in the middle of the hallway, closing her eyes in an attempt to shut out the voice it felt like she had been hearing more and more often these past few years. “You know I’m right. You’re going to lose her no matter what you do. Just like you’re losing them. Why waste time trying to hold onto something you can never keep? You were right to simply take what you wanted.” Once Twilight was sure her treacherous thoughts had passed, she continued on her aimless walk throughout the castle. Really, keeping Sunset in the human world would have just been another form of selfishness on her part, and it was naïve to think that a pony as intelligent as Sunset wouldn’t have eventually thought to return without her coercion. Still, the logic did nothing to lessen her own doubt in regard to the purity of her intentions. How she had perhaps taken advantage of her friend’s vulnerability. Omitted truths that may have dissuaded her from coming back. It was just, after Applejack had…well, she had just been so desperate for a friend. Now she was here, and every day she was less sure she’d be able to let her go when the time came. Perhaps she had made a terrible mistake indeed. Twilight looked up to find herself before the door to Sunset’s room. The princess nearly stepped back in surprise. It seemed no matter what she did, something about the little unicorn drew the princess to her. In a way, it was nothing new. All those decades ago, chasing after her to a strange alien world. Pulling her out of that hole she had created for herself because for anypony that bothered to look it was easy to see there was so much worth loving if she was willing to open her heart. Next to Starlight, Twilight was tempted to call Sunset her greatest success, but it wouldn’t have been true. Sunset’s redemption wasn’t her success, nor was it the success of her human friends. Sunset was the one who spent everyday striving to be a better person, a better pony. All Twilight had done was give her a push in the right direction. It was funny. Sunset was actually quite unique among her foes turned friends. From her experience, most creatures acted out because they had never experienced friendship and were unwilling to try any way that wasn’t the one they were used to. Even after they had experienced the magic, they struggled to truly understand it. More often than not slipping up numerous times and falling back into their old ways. Discord came to her mind rather quickly when thinking of these unfortunate hiccups on the road to becoming a better creature. Sunset, on the other hoof, started out as she herself had. Unwilling to give friendship a chance because of some narrow-minded belief that she knew a better way. The real difference, however, came when Sunset committed to studying friendship. Celestia had once told her that she shouldn’t have been surprised that Sunset had done what she always did when applying herself to a task. To be blunt, she excelled. Perhaps it was because Sunset already had a firm understanding of social workings from her time spent manipulating people, or maybe, as Celestia said, Sunset was just naturally gifted. Whatever the case, Sunset just…got it. Honesty, generosity, loyalty, kindness, laughter, it all came so naturally to her that it had taken Twilight by surprise. Friendship hadn’t been easy for Twilight. She still remembered that very clearly. The lessons she had learned were often painful. They had taken time and effort and she was learning new things all the time while making plenty of mistakes along the way. As the Princess of Friendship, Twilight had been convinced that it was just how friendship was. Sunset had thrown a wrench into that notion. In less than a year, the once arrogant and prideful girl understood more than most ponies. Progress that had taken Twilight years, Sunset rivaled in just a few months. Not to mention, that was all with the added obstacles of everyone being naturally resentful and distrusting of her. Twilight still remembered when she first realized Sunset’s understanding of friendship could rival…no, surpass her own in some areas. When the human world’s Trixie had trapped them under the stage, all she had been able to do was sulk in the corner. Sunset was the one who stepped up and brought everyone together, recognizing an issue that had blindsided her. “Sunset? Are you in there?” Twilight called out as she rapped on the door. No response. Tentatively, Twilight peeked into the room to see if Sunset had risen. After going without sleep for two days, and exhausting all her magic, it was possible Sunset was still resting. The room appeared to be completely empty, save for, bizarrely, an overturned lawn chair. Twilight would question the reasons behind that later. Sunset clearly wasn’t here. It was good Sunset had gotten up. The unicorn certainly needed a rest, but it would probably be overdoing it by now. That unfortunately still left Twilight with no idea where Sunset was if she wanted to check up on her. If Sunset was up and about, one of the first things she would be expected to do was head to the labs. She was nothing if not studious, and she took her promises very seriously. None of the alarms Twilight had decided to place on the entrances in case Sunset had decided to start overworking herself all over again had been tripped however. It was possible Sunset had simply found a way around them. If anypony could, it was her, but it seemed unlikely unless somepony were to tell here about the wards ahead of time. That really only left two obvious places. The castle library, or the dining hall. Given it had been several hours since Sunset had last eaten, Twilight was willing to bet the mare she was looking for would adhere to her stomach first. Besides, Twilight was feeling somewhat peckish herself at the moment. With a destination in mind, Twilight began her journey to the main castle dining hall. It didn’t take long for her thoughts to drift back to the pony she was in search of. It was truly ironic. Sunset had spent years envying Celestia’s new prized pupil. A purple unicorn with more raw magical ability than the sun princess had ever seen. Envy turned to hatred when Sunset had found that Twilight had gone on to accomplish everything she had ever dreamed of. Now though, Twilight couldn’t help but feel small pangs of jealousy at the effortlessness Sunset handled the subject of friendship with. The subject she was supposed to be the princess of. Sunset wasn’t perfect of course. She could be hot headed and impulsive, especially under stress. Her deep-seated doubts and insecurities still flared up every so often, and, as Twilight was reminded yesterday when the unicorn had elected to spy on her, Sunset’s solutions to problems weren’t always the most honest ones. Twilight had nearly busted a gut that time Sunset had told her that her first solution to getting a key out of a closed Canterlot High School in order to give children toys for the holidays was breaking and entering of all things. In the end though, those were just her flaws. Everypony had them. Twilight certainly was in no position to judge somepony off of how often they messed up. What mattered was whether they were willing to better themselves and Sunset always was. Twilight’s internal evaluation of her friend came to a halt as she finally approached the doors to the dining hall which would hopefully lead her to the unicorn that consumed her thoughts. With no reason for pause Twilight used her magic to quickly swing open the doors. “So, you’re saying the creatures on the other side of the mirror look exactly like this?” “No, that’s too short, and they don’t have muzzles.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” “Look, just let me draw it!” “And waste my perfectly profitable art degree? Never!” Had Twilight known she was going to run into her new assistant and the Lord of Chaos fighting over an absurdly large pencil she might have reconsidered entering the room. “Discord, you expect me to believe you have an art degree when you can’t even draw a straight line?” Sunset said as she finally wrenched the pencil out of Discord’s grip. Discord, who was now dressed as a stereotypical french artist, crossed his arms in a childlike pout. “Of course I can! Straight lines are just boring.” “Just, look. The humans in the other world look something like…this!” Sunset pronounced as she drew a quick sketch of an average biped onto one of the many sheets of paper scattered around the room. Discord had to admit, Sunset was a pretty good artist. Of course, he didn’t have to admit such a thing out loud. “Well, I think my version looked better.” “Better!? It was completely wrong!” Sunset shouted at the petulant lord of chaos. “Unlike your bland piece, mine had SOUL!” “Yours looked like something that might eat my soul!” “Well, it’d be awfully hard to consume something that doesn’t exist, now wouldn’t it?” The heated argument was interrupted by a loud cough from an observing alicorn that had seen enough of the foalish bickering. “Twilight!” Discord shouted in greeting. “FINALLY, somepony with taste. Quick, come here and tell us which one of these you think is better. Mine, or old Ms. know it all’s over there.” Twilight’s view was quickly blocked by two sketches. One appeared to be a very basic but neat sketch of a featureless human. The other…well, let’s just say Twilight now owed the Bugbear an apology for thinking it was the most unnatural thing she had ever seen. “There’s a few bits in it for you if you pick the right one,” Discord whispered conspiratorially into Twilight’s ear before nudging her twice with his elbow. “If you’re going to bribe the ruler of all Equestria, I think you should offer something a bit more valuable than the bits you picked out of her couch cushions,” Sunset mocked, having overheard Discord’s horribly unsubtle attempt at cheating. “Well, I was going to offer her your life savings, but I figured Twilight would appreciate having enough bits to buy a half decent lunch.” Discord coolly returned Sunset opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by Twilight as she shoved the pictures away. “Enough you two. Can’t you get along?” Twilight was met with matching confused faces. “I thought we were getting along.” Discord replied while scratching the top of his head. Now it was Twilight’s turn to be confused. “…You were?” Discord popped next to Sunset in order to wrap an arm around her shoulders. “But of course! After an absolutly delightful lunch, me and little sunspot are thick as thieves again!” “He’s pretty annoying, but once you get past that, he’s not so bad,” Sunset offered up. “…okay then,” was all Twilight could really offer in response. They seemed to certainly have an abrasive friendship. Although, this had to be something of a new record. Only two meetings and already friends with Discord. Pretty Impressive. “So, I’m assuming you came here to check up on your new pet? I assure you she’s doing just fine; I’ve taken excellent care of her,” Discord said as he condescendingly patted Sunset on the head. Suppressing a light blush, Twilight powered through Discord’s teasing. “Uhm, well, yes. Thank you, Discord.” Sunset was slightly peeved at Twilight’s lack of a refusal to Discord’s insinuation. It only added to the bone she had to pick with Twilight. “So, Princess. Discord here told me you’ve put foal safety locks on all the labs. What’s that about?” Sunset asked, not bothering to mask her irritation in the slightest. Twilight had seen this coming of course. She just wished it had come later when they weren’t in a public region of the castle. Or at least not in front of Discord who had already prepared himself a bag of popcorn. “I did it for your own good, Sunset.” “Well, thank you for your concern, Twilight, but I don’t need you foalsitting me. I’ll be more careful from now on,” Sunset responded in an even tone. Twilight sighed, thankful Sunset was willing to be civil about this. “You’re right, Sunset. I’ll take them off. Just promise me you won’t do anything that reckless again. That includes fighting ponies that could incinerate you.” “Alright, Twi. I promise I won’t do anything like that again unless I have to.” “Sunseeet,” Twilight growled out, catching the loophole in Sunset’s promise almost immediately. “Sorry, Twi. That’s the best you’re getting out of me,” Sunset stated with finality. “…ugh, Fine.” Twilight huffed as her horn momentarily flashed, indicating the disappearance of her wards and seals. This relatively peaceful resolution left one relatively disappointed draconequus. “What! That’s it! I hang around the castle all this time, and THIS is the show I get!? What a rip!” Discord whined as he threw his popcorn down onto the floor. “Sorry to disappoint you, Discord,” Twilight said with an inflection that indicated she was not sorry in the least. “Hang on. You said you wanted to, ‘catch up’. You mean you only hung out with me because you wanted to see me argue with Twilight?” Sunset asked in a tone that honestly sounded hurt. Quickly realizing his lack of tact, Discord amended his statement. “Oh, no no no no no! I truly meant every word I said earlier. It’s just, well just look at what happened the last few times you had a dispute with a princess! All the peace and harmony Twilight and her friends have filled Equestria with over the years is nice and all, but it gets a bit boring, you see.” Had Twilight been paying more attention, she might have noticed the mischievous smile that crossed Discord’s face as he went on with his explanation. “I suppose I was just hoping for a small dose of good chaos before Twilight left on her trip to Ponyville.” “Her what?” Sunset asked, her attention now fully focused on this new information she was unaware of until now. “You mean you didn’t know? Twilight is heading off to her old clopping ground, Ponyville, tomorrow afternoon. You see-” Discord’s energetic explanation was abruptly cut off by his creative rendering of a human being getting unceremoniously crammed into his mouth by a magenta magic. He could consider it payback for the last time he popped in unannounced. “It’s a personal matter, Sunset. I haven’t officially announced it to ANYpony,” Twilight finished while sending a glare at Discord for his bad eavesdropping habits. “Well, I figured that it was open to discussion, seeing as we’re all friends here, and you’ve told me that you shouldn’t keep things from your friends, isn’t that right?” Discord responded without missing a beat. The sound not coming from his mouth, but rather his hand which he was moving like a mouth and somehow perfectly producing his voice with it. Twilight was now perfectly aware Discord was playing at something. She just hadn’t a clue what it was. Discord took a moment to completely swallow his art before continuing to talk in a more normal fashion. As normal as Discord could be in any case. “Come to think of it, I don’t believe you’ve been outside of Canterlot yet. Tell me, Sunset. Have you ever been to Ponyville before? “Only once really. There wasn’t much time to take in the sights though. I had to keep everypony from seeing nearly identical copies of Dash and Twilight,” Sunset recounted. “Well then, that is a story you simply must tell me another time, but I just had a BRILLIANT idea!” Discord said as a flickering lightbulb appeared over his head. “Since you won’t have much to do around the castle with Twilight gone, why don’t YOU go with her? Get a more comprehensive feel for your homeland and all that rousing excitement.” “I don’t really think that’s my decision to make,” Sunset said, unsure about going outside of Canterlot when she had barely gotten used to the city itself. “No. It isn’t,” Twilight affirmed harshly. “Oh, come on. I’m certain Pinkie Pie would appreciate the chance to meet one more new face,” Discord coolly asserted against the ever-increasing glare Twilight was shooting him. “You can’t tell me you actually WANT to go all alone,” Discord finished while placing his hands upon the area where his hips were. Probably. “Pinkie Pie!? You mean she’s still-” Sunset began before quickly silencing herself. “Indeed, she is. Though it’s…difficult...to say for how much longer,” Discord answered the unfinished question, his tone uncharacteristically somber. Now Discord had done it. There was no ignoring this now. Twilight had hoped that the issue would never even come up, but Discord seemed determined to drag this into the light for whatever reason. Twilight had sincerely thought he was beyond playing mean spirited games to hurt her, but she couldn’t think of any other reason he couldn’t just let her make peace with this in private. “Twilight…I-” “Just…leave it, Sunset. Please,” Twilight begged the unicorn who was still coming to terms with the information she had just learned. “I…I don’t know if I can,” Sunset told Twilight at a loss for how to react. Pinkie was one of her best friends. Her best friend, really. In her heart, she knew Twilight’s Pinkie and her Pinkie weren’t the same, but it didn’t feel right to just sit here while she was… Her train of thought was cut off by Twilight, who’s face now harbored a great number of emotions, from sadness to anger. “Alright then. If you want to come, then be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be in my room. I’m leaving with or without you.” Twilight quickly stormed out of the room, only turning back to say, “Thanks a lot, Discord,” before slamming the doors shut on her way out leaving a cringing draconequus and a hopelessly lost unicorn in her wake. The two creatures sat in total silence, unsure of what to do next. “Would you believe she took that better than I thought she would?” Author's Note Here with a new update! This is mostly a transitional chapter, so hopefully it's not too boring, but something has to connect point A to point B. Discord's back so hopefully that made this chapter a little more fun. We're off to Ponyville next time dear readers! Chapter 8: Welcome to Ponyville“If you want to come, then be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be in my room. I’m leaving with or without you…” The harsh words had echoed through Sunset’s mind for the rest of the day and kept her from sleeping soundly that night. She didn’t see Twilight again for the rest of the day after that; Not even for dinner, which they had traditionally been eating together since the day after she arrived. The waiter had told her that Twilight retired early to see to some last-minute preparations. Given that the princess was planning to be outside Canterlot for the better part of a week, it wasn’t exactly unbelievable, but Sunset couldn’t help wondering if it was the entire truth, or if Twilight just didn’t want to have to see her. Now, Sunset was physically ready. It wasn’t hard to be. Rarity would have no doubt thrown a fit over it, but Sunset still had scarcely anything more to her name than what she initially came back with. Packing was easy when you had nothing to pack. One might think that spending all those years in the human world would have made Sunset more self-conscious, and perhaps it had in some respects, but she was still content to wear nothing aside from her own coat if the rest of pony kind still allowed it. A small saddlebag containing a few necessities was all that was required IF she were to decide to go with Twilight to Ponyville. There was roughly an hour left before she needed to make her final decision. The first question Sunset had asked herself was whether she even wanted to go to begin with. She had only recently become comfortable in Canterlot. Rushing off to an entirely different town so soon filled her with trepidation. At the very least, Sunset didn’t struggle with that particular dilemma for long. Where would she be now if she let such foolish worries stop her? She was Sunset Shimmer. Good or bad, she had never been deterred by something simply because it made her uncomfortable. The second, much more difficult, question would be if she was willing to see her best friend, or rather somepony incredibly like her best friend, at the very end. Sunset wasn’t clueless. The implications of all the time that had past were not lost on her. She had initially assumed, however, that all the pony counterparts of the people she had known were…well, gone. It was an unfortunate reality, but she couldn’t claim to be close enough to any of them on this side to truly mourn. And yet, against all odds, Pinkie was still here. Still keeping the party going. Figures. If anypony were to endure, it would be Pinkamena Diane Pie. Pinkie was an earth pony on this side. That earth pony endurance mixed with Pinkie’s endless energy was bound to ensure a long life. Long, but not eternal. Pinkie would be over a century old by now if Sunset had to guess. Extraordinary for almost anypony, but only one type of pony could live forever. Even if Discord hadn’t more or less plainly told her, it wasn’t difficult to read the mood. Sunset had never imagined what her own end would entail. She had far too much to strive for and achieve. Far too much to do. And at one point, she intended to be every bit as eternal as Celestia. Fat chance of that now though, it seemed. So, for perhaps the first time in her life, Sunset confronted her own mortality. When she was finally at the end, what would she want? She supposed she’d want to be told that it had all been worthwhile, and she wanted somepony to care. This Pinkie was not her Pinkie, but she was still Pinkie. That meant she deserved to have as many ponies, dragons, griffins, and whatever other sort of creatures there were in the world tell her just how much better her life made everypony else’s. That should have settled it. Unfortunately, there was still one large purple issue. Twilight’s words had told her to come, or at least told her the option was open. It’s not like anypony could stop her if she wanted to go to begin with. Ponyville was a relatively short train ride away if Sunset recalled correctly. Possibly shorter if the trains and railways had advanced at all. The problem was that Twilight’s face and tone had told her an altogether different story. It was the face of a pony that wanted nothing more than to be left alone. It was a face Sunset could remember on herself at many points in her own life. An offer only extended as a curtesy, but, in reality, it was expected for you to steer clear. Could she really go if Twilight didn’t want her around? Would she be disrupting something she had no business even being involved in? Would Twilight hate her if she went anyway? The thought of Twilight hating her made Sunset feel like she might throw up. Twilight had always been the one Sunset could count on to always be there for her. Maybe not in person, who could blame a pony for getting stuck in a time loop nightmare, but whenever the world turned its back on her, Twilight never did. Not when she had been broken and helpless in a crater. All of Canterlot High was ready to tear her limb from limb, but Twilight took her hand. When Anon-A-Miss had convinced even her friends that she had gone back to her old ways, Twilight helped her through it. When Wallflower Blush used a magic artifact to erase all the good she had done, and no one was willing to even give her a chance, Twilight helped her fix it. And now, she was here in Equestria. Truly feeling like her life had a direction for the first time in years because of her. Truly living because of her. The only reason she had ever lived at all was because of her. Because before the chance Twilight had given her, she had had no idea what living even was. There was no point denying it. Twilight was special to her. In a way that was honestly difficult to describe. Sunset just didn’t know if she could bare to jeopardize their bond. Sunset took a moment to look at the clock in her room. Thirty minutes now. A long sigh passed through Sunset’s mouth before she levitated her saddlebag, preemptively packed for the journey, into her lap. After a quick search, she found what she was looking for. The geode she had always worn in the human world still fit perfectly around her neck, even as a pony. Sunset had always found it peculiar that the magical rock wound up in her saddlebag after she was returned to her true form, but that was just one more bizarre feature Star Swirl seemed to have packed into the mirror. She supposed she should have just been grateful it didn’t vanish into nothingness like her clothes did. In retrospect, she probably should have picked a cheaper pair of boots, jacket, and skirt on the day she came back. Who knows if she’d ever get those back? Sunset pawed at the magic rock that now hung suspended from her neck, a rough approximation of her nervous habit in the human world that she could no longer perform on account of no longer having fingers. Sunset had intended to experiment with the geode. She may have had a very detailed understanding of it in the human world, but she had never used it in Equestria. Unfortunately, between getting adjusted to Equestria again, helping Twilight in the lab, and unravelling the mystery of her own magic, her geode had simply been forgotten. Twenty minutes now. Sunset wondered if, perhaps, she was just overthinking things. If she really wanted, she could go to Ponyville on her own time now that Twilight wouldn’t be in need of her services for a while. Let Twilight have her privacy and still do right by this world’s Pinkie. Maybe it was best if she just gave Twilight her space. Sunset was so wrapped up in her internal dilemma that she didn’t notice the gentle glow of the geode she was now wearing. As if pulled from thin air, a fragment of a memory burst unbidden into Sunset’s brain. “Trust me, Sunset. The very last thing Twilight needs right now is space.” Ten minutes left. Twilight had just finished reorganizing and reshelving all of the books in her room…for the seventh time. Time seemed to be going painfully slow and far too fast all at once. Twilight would have likely worn a hole in the floor were it not made of solid tile. “Is she coming? Should I go check on her?” Twilight thought to herself in a nervous state she had rarely worn herself into since her youth. “It’s almost time to leave. Doh, if she actually wanted to come, she would have probably been here by now. Ohhh, Why WOULD she want to come? I was a real jerk yesterday. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with me either. Why would she want to even be friends with me at all after yesterday? Why would she even want to stay here at all!?” Twilight paused her thoughts to perform the calming exercise Cadance had taught her so long ago. IT…WASN’T…WORKING! Five minutes left. “I should just go. Clearly, she doesn’t want to come. Who would? But what if she does show up? Sunset’s always had the cool girl laidback vibe about her. Showing up fashionably late could be just like her. What if I leave and she finds nopony here and thinks I ditched her? What if she thinks I don’t care about our friendship!? What if she leaves me!? I don’t know if I can do this alone!” “You should get used to it. That’s what you’re meant to be, isn’t it? It’s your destiny. Whether it’s today, or a thousand years from now, you’ll be all alone. Apart from everypony else. Forever frozen in time.” Twilight could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Even her own thoughts had betrayed her. Maybe it was the truth. Someday it would be just her. Forever. One minute left. Maybe it was time to just accept it. Everypony she knew was leaving, and nopony was com- The doors to Twilight’s room burst open, an exhausted unicorn fumbling through. Sunset looked like she had just finished participating in the Running of the Leaves with how heavily she was breathing, but that hardly mattered because she was here. She was really here! “S-Sunset! You came!” “huff…yeah…I did…listen, Twi…I know you don’t-” Whatever Sunset was preparing to say was abruptly cut off as Twilight lunged forward and picked Sunset up in her forelegs, trapping her in a desperate embrace. “You really came. I’m so glad you’re here,” Twilight sighed as she pulled Sunset in closer. Deep down, Sunset somehow always knew it would end this way. Crushed to death in a hug. Pinkie was always the most likely culprit, her and her penchant for rib shattering surprise embraces. After her, it was Applejack. The farmer wasn’t as touchy, but when she was feeling affectionate, she just didn’t know her own strength. Spike had become a more recent addition to Sunset’s list of creatures to watch out for, now that he had proven his new size wasn’t just for show. Some part of Sunset had even dared hope it would be Celestia, giving her the mother of all welcome home hugs. Sunset had never suspected Twilight would be the pony to do her in. Now, she realized that had only made her the biggest threat. Twilight rarely displayed the earth pony muscle that all alicorns were naturally gifted with, but Sunset could say for absolute certain that it was there, and it was there in spades. “Twi-ghk-light! Happy…see…you…toooo.” Fortunately for Sunset, Twilight wanted to waste no more time in apologizing. Unfortunately for Sunset, Twilight was not entirely ready to break contact as she sat down and readjusted her hold on the unicorn to hold Sunset suspended in front of her by her underarms in the same manner Spike once had. “I’m so sorry for the way I acted yesterday, Sunset. I want you to know that your friendship means the world to me and I would be happy to have you come to Ponyville with me. I mean, if you still want to,” Twilight finished, giving her a bashful but sincere smile. In spite of needing to scramble for the air she had already been low on, and recovering from nearly blacking out, Sunset heard most of what Twilight had said. “It’s…huff…okay.” The smile Twilight gave her in response could light up a room all by itself. “Now, put me down. Now.” Twilight’s genuine smile faltered and became significantly more nervous as she obeyed Sunset’s request and gently lowered her to the floor. Now that Sunset had mostly recovered from her near-death experience and was firmly on her own hooves, she could actually take a good look at Twilight. “You’re not wearing your princess regalia,” Sunset noted upon seeing Twilight completely bare for the first time since she had been back in Equestria and the first time ever as the large alicorn she had become. No crown, no breast plate, not even any shoes. Just Twilight. Twilight seemed to curl in on herself in embarrassment, crossing her hind legs and idly tracing circles on the ground as she looked away with a light blush on her face. “Oh, Well, i-it’s just…I thought that since I’m technically on vacation, and we’re just going to Ponyville, I guess I figured I could go without it for a little while.” Twilight turned her head back to halfway meet Sunset’s eyes. “It…it doesn’t look weird, does it? I can put it back on if you think it looks weird.” Sunset couldn’t suppress the snort that made its way through her nose. Only Twilight of all ponies would worry about looking funny when she was easily the most beautiful mare in Equestria. Seeing Twilight begin to panic at her reaction helped spur Sunset to dispel her worries. “You look fine, Twilight. Personally, I think you look better this way. Not that you can’t pull off the royal princess look, but I think I prefer being able to see the real you.” Twilight still appeared to be unsure of herself, but Sunset’s words did the trick as she stopped trying to retract inward. “Besides, it’s nice to see the great Princess Twilight is willing to go stark naked like the rest of us common folk. Builds a real connection with us bare flanked ponies when she really exposes herself,” Sunset teased. A fresh blush found its way onto Twilight’s face at the remark. “doh, Suunseeet,” Twilight whined. “I’m just messing with you, Twi. You look great. Really.” Twilight was brought out of her mounting embarrassment by a sparkling object that danced around Sunset’s neck as she moved. “Is that what I think it is!?” Twilight asked in sudden excitement, kneeling down to get a closer look. “Huh, this old thing? Yeah, it’s the geode I told you about in our journal. Have I really never shown it to you before?” “Not that I can remember. I’ve always wanted to get a closer look at one of these. From what you’ve told me, their magic is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” Twilight said her eyes fully focused on the necklace. “Well, I’ve been meaning to do some tests on it since I got here, and you did say you’d like to try your hoof at being my assistant, so, if you want, we could go over it together sometime,” Sunset offered. “Sounds like a date!” Twilight nodded in excitement. “Uhm, yeah…a date.” “Come to think of it, you don’t suppose your geode is responsible for the change in your magic, do you?” Twilight asked bringing Sunset back to the topic at hand. “It’s possible. We’d have to research it to be sure, but I don’t think that’s it.” “Oh, why not?” “Well, you remember the other you?” Sunset said while gesturing her hoof at Twilight. Twilight’s face took on the slightly uneasy expression it usually did when confronted with her human counterpart. Sunset couldn’t understand how Twilight lived in a magical world with bizarre monsters, supernatural phenomenon, and beings with unfathomable power, but she still had trouble wrapping her head around the idea that there was another version of her running around. Quickly remembering that wasn’t really the point, Sunset cut to the chase. “Well, she has one of these too. Remember that time we all came over to your old castle? Her magic was still the same as yours. I’m thinking it has to be something else.” “Okay, that makes sense,” Twilight admitted while noting how impressive it was such a small detail didn’t escape Sunset’s notice. Celestia certainly knew how to pick them. “So, shouldn’t we be heading out if we’re going to catch a train to Ponyville?” Sunset asked, realizing that they already had been talking for some time. “Who said anything about taking the train?” Twilight asked somewhat cheekily as she pulled her single suitcase over to her. “Well, I mean, how else are we going to get all the way to Ponyville?” Twilight gave her a smug smile as her horn’s glow started to intensify. The outskirts of Ponyville were home to many woodland creatures. Each of them prospering in the wild reserves left to them by a kind and shy pegasus who ensured that no matter how much Equestria grew, nopony would ever harm or disturb the sanctity of the lands they called home. On most days a favorite grazing spot in these parts was a moderately sized hill that overlooked the south side of Ponyville. In this spot, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and even the occasional friendly bear would lounge about in the undisturbed tranquility. Unfortunately, today the peace was completely shattered by a bright flash of light giving way to the sudden appearance of two ponies. One tall and imposing, the other short and VERY loud. “What the-!? Where are-!? JEEZ, Twilight! Warn a girl the next time you’re gonna do that!” Sunset ranted, successfully scaring off what few animals remained after the large burst of light. Evidently, Twilight had teleported them both clear out of Canterlot all the way to the outskirts of a city. Such a large jump with such little preparation. Guess that went to show just who the embodiment of magic was. “Would you stop laughing already!” Sunset shouted at Twilight who was clearly taking a great deal of pleasure at having thoroughly shocked and discombobulated her friend. “hehehe, I’m sorry, it’s just…did you know that when you get excited, your entire face turns red?” Twilight pointed out before falling back into a cacophony of giggles. Were you near the flustered unicorn at that moment you could probably swear you heard something boiling. As quickly as it had come, Sunset’s rage simmered out as she noted that she had not heard Twilight give such an unrestrained genuine laugh since before she had come back. Twilight’s laughter began to infect her as both mares wound up giggling on the hill. “Okay, Princess, very funny, but I do expect a warning the next time we go somewhere.” “You have my word,” Twilight responded with a mock bow that only served to cause them both to chuckle. Sunset turned to finally take in the sight of the town they had arrived nearby. Her knowledge of Ponyville was, admittedly, very sparse, most of her knowledge being based upon the depictions she had seen in books and maps. Not counting the times she had occasionally looked down upon it from Canterlot, she had only really seen it once. Back when she, alongside Rainbow and the human Twilight, just so happened to stumble into a hidden portal to Equestria on a desert island. However brief her visit, it was enough for her to know that this place could not possibly be Ponyville. “Um, Twilight? Did you take us to the right place?” Ponyville was an old town, but that was pretty much all that had been remarkable about it, outside its fairly close proximity to Canterlot. A sleepy old town filled with average everyday ponies living in average everyday homes. Cozy and peaceful but small and subdued. What Sunset was looking upon, was clearly a city. FAR larger than Ponyville could have possibly been. Certainly not on the same caliber as Manehattan, with significantly more subdued buildings and abundant flora, but there were structures of all kinds as far as the eye could see. “Yes, this is definitely the place,” Twilight affirmed while giving Sunset a knowing glance. “I guess it might look a bit different these days, huh?” “Different? Yeah, I guess that’s one way to put it.” “Come on. I can show you around,” Twilight said as she began made her way down the hill towards an entryway arch. Sunset followed Twilight into the city, passing a greeting sign just before entering the town proper. “Welcome to Ponyville. The Birthplace of Friendship,” Sunset read off the sign aloud. It seemed everything except her own eyes were telling her that this was indeed Ponyville. “Hey everycreature, the Princess is back!” a passing pegasus shouted upon catching sight of Twilight walking into town. Sunset watched from a distance as Twilight was quickly surrounded by every single pony, kirin, yak, and changeling in a fifty-foot radius. Sunset had known such fanatics to be unbearable nuisances when they would crawl over each other to speak with Celestia. Usually just desperate to get something from her or showing a complete and total disregard for her privacy and personal space. To Sunset’s surprise, the crowd that assembled around Twilight seemed content to leave Twilight some breathing room and quickly settled next to each other as opposed to battling for the right to speak to her first. They still seemed to look at her with a degree of reverence, as though she was a deity among mortals, which was not entirely untrue, but their respect seemed to outweigh any ideas about taking advantage of her presence, simply waiting for the princess to speak. “Greetings everycreature! It’s wonderful to see you all again,” Twilight addressed the crowd in what Sunset could only assume was Twilight’s royal voice. “I would like you to all know that I’ll be staying in Ponyville for the next few days, but I ask that you please don’t treat me any different than you would any other creature. Please, carry on.” As though she had cast a spell, the crowd surrounding her quickly broke apart and returned to their daily activities, many of them shouting words of gratitude or praise before leaving. Some creatures stuck around to receive an autograph or to ask a question, and a few more that Twilight seemed to know said a few words to her personally. All things considered; it was a rather subdued welcoming party for royalty. How Equestria had changed. “So, what’s the plan here, Twi?” Sunset asked her friend, noticing that she really had no idea where they were going. She hadn’t really known her way around the place before, but now that it was roughly three times the size it once was she was practically navigating a maze. “Well, I thought we could just spend the rest of the day looking around Ponyville. It’s a bit soon to do anything else, and since you’ve never really been here, you could probably use the tour. There’s a lot to show you around here.” Sunset suppressed a sigh of relief, thankful that visiting Pinkie wouldn’t be something they were doing immediately. Having a little more time to prepare herself was certainly appreciated. “So, where are we…” Sunset began before her words quickly tapered off. Sunset had to lift her head up in order to take in the full sight of the statue before her. If Sunset had to guess, the entire thing was roughly the height of a small house. Sunset found herself staring directly into the eyes of the young Twilight she had once known. Her younger self permanently posed in an eternal stone stance. The craftsmanship was remarkable. As far as Sunset could tell, even the wings of the stone likeness were perfectly detailed. Not to mention, that was just the Twilight portion of the statue. Five other strikingly familiar ponies stood behind the stone Twilight, as if they were faithfully supporting their princess. Sunset was pulled away from the piece of art by the hitch she heard in Twilight’s breath. Whatever intensity she was previously looking upon the statue with was nothing compared to Twilight’s own gaze. The world seemed to fade from her perception as she lost herself in the immortalized figures of her friends. Unsure of what else to do, Sunset placed her hoof upon Twilight’s upper leg in an attempt to ground the princess, not for the first time cursing her inability to reach any higher. The contact seemed to bring Twillight back to reality, prompting her to look down at the unicorn by her side. “S-sorry, Sunset. I just got a little…distracted.” Sunset knew now that they’d have to talk about this eventually, but now hardly seemed the time given what they were here to do in the first place, so instead Sunset began to lead Twilight in a different direction. “It’s fine, Twilight. So, I was wondering if there were any good bookstores in Ponyville. I really need to stock up on some supplies before Flurry Heart’s next visit and I was hoping you could show me a few good places to look.” The mention of books did not bring the level of unrestrained excitement it usually did to the princess, but it seemed to successfully divert Twilight’s attention. “Oh, yes actually. I think I know just the place. Come on, Sunset.” It didn’t escape Sunset’s notice that Twilight looked back at the statue and didn’t take her eyes off of it until it was well out of view. When Twilight said she knew a place, she had apparently meant places. Plural. They all also happened to be on opposite parts of town. On the bright side, Twilight had not been kidding about knowing where to find things within town. Twilight’s familiarity with Ponyville still persisting to this day. Sunset was well supplied and ready for whatever tasks she might need to accomplish once she returned home. Supplies for Flurry’s lessons, lab equipment, even materials for her part time hobby of constructing new age technology, and of course, books. Lots of books. If Twilight knew how to find anything it was books. The downside was that after making several trips around this unreasonably large town, Sunset’s hooves felt ready to fall off. Thankfully, Twilight had seen fit to teleport anything they purchased and their luggage to some other location. Where? Sunset had no idea, but she really didn’t care so long as she didn’t have to carry it. She was running on fumes as is and Twilight STILL had several places left in Ponyville she wanted to visit. “Hurry up, Sunset! We’re not even halfway there. If we hurry, we can make it to the Ponyville library before it closes!” “I’m going as fast as I can, Twilight! Not all of us have longer legs than a grown stallion! The ENTIRE stallion!” Sunset snapped as she blew a damp strand of hair out of her face. Sunset didn’t generally like to think of herself as out of shape, but she had to admit, cardio was not her strong suit. Twilight came to a stop upon realizing that Sunset wasn’t keeping pace with her. “Why can’t we just teleport there anyway?” Sunset huffed, thankful for the reprieve. “Well, apparently popping in and out of existence all the time can be seen as, ‘incredibly disruptive’ and, ‘dangerously startling’ to young and elderly creatures, so we’re not supposed to teleport outside of emergencies and, ‘non-public’ places,” Twilight explained with a small pout as she recalled a firm lecture she had been given some time ago. “Besides, walking is good exercise,” Twilight pointed out in a more upbeat tone. “Twilight, I lived with Princess Celestia for years and I know for a fact that she ate cake every day of the week. I seriously doubt you actually need to exercise.” Twilight only rolled her eyes in response. Clearly, they needed to speed things up. There were books waiting for her. Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of it when the ground decided to up and leave her. “Wha- Hey! Twilight, put me down right now! I mean it!” Twilight gave no indication that she had heard what Sunset had just screamed and instead turned away from the unicorn she was holding suspended in mid-air with her magic. The magic expertly guided Sunset over to Twilight and firmly seated her upon the alicorn’s back. “There. Now we’ll make it around town faster and you can stop complaining.” This was an entirely new level of humiliation for Sunset Shimmer, which was really saying something considering she had once walked on all fours through a crowded street in the human world. In Equestria, riding horseback was meant for either small foals who needed to be carried by their parents or…well, that wasn’t really relevant at the moment. Sunset was a grown mare, currently in the middle of the street seated on the back of the ruler of the entire nation. “Twilight! What are you doing!?” Sunset not so quietly whispered into the ear of her unrequested ride, her face quickly turning scarlet. “You were too tired to walk, so I decided to carry you. It’s the only other way we’re going to get around to every place before night-time,” Twilight calmly explained as she began to quickly trot, taking away Sunset’s chance to abandon ship. “I didn’t ask for you to carry me! Do you have any idea how degrading this is!?” Sunset strained out, doing her best to hide behind Twilight’s mane while struggling to stay steady. “I really don’t see what your problem is. You seemed pretty comfortable up there the last time I carried you.” Sunset’s blush somehow managed to intensify even further, making its way beyond her face. “I was barely conscious, Twilight! I probably could have fallen asleep on a rock!” The mischievous smirk Twilight donned could have made Discord himself proud. “Would you have cuddled the rock too?” Sunset had no idea what she had done to deserve this. Clearly Twilight was intent on humiliating her to death. Resigned to her fate, Sunset could only make small noises of embarrassment as she tried to make herself as small as possible. If there was any advantage to being carted around a bustling town like a small filly, it was that it gave her the time and focus to really take in the sights of Ponyville. Remarkably, despite the major increase in size, some of the spirit of the once small town still remained. The most obvious piece being Sweet Apple Acres. The large fields and pastures were hard to miss as were the ponies working the land who eagerly waved at Twilight. Apparently, they were Big Macintosh and some pony named Sugar Belle’s grandchildren. Applejack’s great nieces and nephews. Twilight even seemed perfectly happy to talk about them. As for the buildings, while far more diverse and numerous than they had probably once been, they were still suprisingly subdued and down to earth. Aside from major public places, such as the library or city hall, no building went above three stories and some of the houses even still had hay roofs. It was comforting in a way to know that while the town had changed greatly over the decades, some of what once was still remained. Of course, it was undeniable that things had still certainly changed. Sunset was finding that much of that change had something to do with what was likely the reason Ponville had seen such an increase in size and population. It seemed that much of the city was now something of a tribute to Twilight and her friends. Fortunately, their faces weren’t plastered on every corner, but their influence was unmistakable. Ponyville had certainly never had such a large dedicated library when she had last lived in Equestria. Everywhere Sunset looked had some sort of establishment that marked the influence of Twilight’s friends. There were bakeries and party shops for Pinkie Pie. There seemed to be at least one Carousel Boutique in every major section of Ponyville. The new pet shops could only be Fluttershy’s influence. Sports chains that sold equipment and collective memorabilia had Dash written all over it, and of course Sweet Apple Acres seemed to have only expanded its reach with establishments that specialized in Apple products. Ponyville almost seemed to have franchised the heroes that had dwelled in it. The town now marketing itself around the history and influence of Twilight and her friends. Sunset had even seen somepony selling dolls of them meant for little fillies. Honestly, a little pony toy? Who would have thought of such a thing? Sunset was confident that this change was likely the root cause of Ponyville’s rapid expanse. She wondered how Twilight must have felt about the town she had called home for so long becoming what it was today. Her entire life, now a display. “Hey, Twi?” “Yes, Sunset?” “Do you ever miss the way things used to be?” “All the time.” Sunset was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer but didn’t feel the need to push any further. “So, where are we actually going to be staying?” Sunset asked. She had seen a number of inns, though Twilight didn’t seem to pay any of them much mind. “The Castle of Friendship.” “So, you still use your old castle every now and again?” “The citizens of Ponyville use it more than I do now, but I still keep a few spaces in there for trips like these. It’s…nice to come home every now and again,” Twilight vaguely explained. Sunset felt as though she knew what Twilight meant, though one part of Twilight’s answer stuck out to her. “What do you mean Ponyville uses it more than you?” “Well, it’s mostly a museum now.” A museum? Sunset certainly wasn’t expecting that. “They turned your old home into a tourist attraction?” “Yeah. It made sense, really. Even when I lived there, there was way more space than any one pony needed. So, when…a friend…asked me about it, I let them use my old castle. It was better than letting the place just collect dust, and, I mean, who doesn’t love a good museum, right?” Twilight said with enthusiasm that only sounded partially genuine. Sunset couldn’t find any immediate fault in Twilight’s logic, so she allowed the issue to pass. Right now, she had had just about enough sightseeing for one day. “I don’t know about you, Twi, but I’m ready to turn in. It’d also be nice to get back on my own hooves again.” “No pony was forcing you to sit up there the whole time, Sunset,” Twilight reminded her. “You could have gotten off as soon as we got to the library, or any of the other places we went to really.” “W-well, I just didn’t want to have to get back on as soon as we left is all. It was embarrassing enough the first time,” Sunset indignantly stated. “Uh-huh. I think you secretly just like having somepony carrying you around. You didn’t say anything about it until just now,” Twilight practically sung at her. Ok, so perhaps Sunset found that it was a little nice be ferried from place to place, getting the chance to rest her hooves and take in the sights. It was a nice view and it appeared that Twilight was just as soft without sleep deprivation clouding her thoughts. Sunset would die a painful death before she admitted any of that, however. “Can we please just get going?” Sunset huffed, desperate to get out of this conversation. “Okay, we’ll just get something to eat and then we’ll head to the castle,” Twilight conceded. “Great, there’s a diner right over there,” Sunset sighed in relief. Twilight placed a hoof to her chin in thought. “I don’t know. I think I’d prefer a hayburger myself.” Sunset could not believe what she was hearing. “What!? You’re kidding me. That place is practically on the other side of town, Twilight!” “I know that, but it’s been awhile since I last had one.” “Then we can go there tomorrow,” Sunset pleaded, trying to both figuratively and literally shake sense into the alicorn. “It’s almost time for the sun to set and I’m ready for bed,” Sunset tried to reason. “It’s not like you’ve had any problems sleeping where you are right now,” Twilight pointed out. “You’re being really difficult right now, Twi.” “Look, when you carry me all over town, you can decide where we go.” “You’re literally twice my size!” Rather than continue with the argument, Twilight seemed to decide to continue on her chosen course as she began to march away from the diner within reach. Sunset was really beginning to wish Twilight was as easy to steer as the horses in the human world. “Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder if…” Sunset idly thought as she considered her next move. The exact level of similarity between the intelligent ponies of Equestria and their counterparts in the human world had never really been tested, especially considering she was the only one with the knowledge to test such a thing. Was it just the general shape that was similar between them or were there other commonalities? “If I remember correctly, most of AJ’s horses really enjoyed being scratched, riiiggght here,” Sunset internally monologued as she used her right foreleg to give a firm stroke just behind Twilight’s ear. The result was nearly instantaneous. Twilight’s stride came to a dead halt as Sunset heard a gasp and felt a shiver run through Twilight’s body. Sunset gave a few more strokes to the same spot to make certain it wasn’t merely a surprise response. Twilight reacted in a similar manor as before, only this time breathing a sigh of content and leaning into the touch. If anything, it seemed the soothing techniques were significantly more effective on Equestrian ponies as Twilight practically melted into the sensation and became completely docile. Hold on. Was that purring? Sunset swore with all her heart she was a changed pony, but, every so often, her old habits would surface as just this once she allowed one of her old trademark evil grins to take its place upon her muzzle. How foolish Twilight was to sit her in a position of such power and authority now that Applejack had taught her all the weaknesses of their kind. “Now, let’s see. If I remember this correctly, you shift your weight…here, and then you place pressure…there,” Sunset instructed herself as she recalled the way to steer without reigns, idly petting Twilight all the while. Sure enough, the disoriented Twilight actually began to move in the prompted direction towards the diner. There were a few stumbles as Sunset tried to remember the exact movements she wanted and she needed to occasionally stroke the proper spots to keep Twilight agreeable, but overall the journey went rather smoothly as Sunset steered her alicorn into the diner. “Ho, Twilight!” Sunset called to her steed as they arrived at their destination, shifting her weight to get the pony to stop. The other creatures in the diner gave a great number of strange looks at what appeared to be some small unicorn driving their sovereign ruler into a public eating establishment. Sunset couldn’t care less right now. She had just broken new ground in the study of pony physiology, and she’d get to go to bed soon. Absolutely nothing could ruin this for her right now. “Sunset…what did you just do to me?” a tense voice directly ahead of her growled out. Oh…right. She was going to have to actually explain this now. Somehow in between her scientific fascination and the utter rush of having complete control, it had completely slipped her mind. Fortunately, as one of the smartest unicorns in all Equestria and a master of reading other ponies, Sunset would undoubtedly know exactly what to say in this delicate situation. “Table for two, please.” So, it turns out the Castle of Friendship was still a rather long way away. “Twilight! Come on! How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” “You can say it until the sun goes out, Sunset. You’re still walking yourself to the castle.” It’s true what they say. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. After a somewhat tense dining experience, Sunset had been indefinitely suspended from riding the alicorn express. It may not have been dignified, but it was certainly efficient. Now, she was forced to once again rely on her unbearably tiny legs. At this point, Sunset probably could have simply teleported herself over to the castle, but part of her knew on some level that she deserved to walk. Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t try and sweet talk her way out of this. “Don’t you think you’re making too big a deal out of this?” “Manipulating your friends to get what you want isn’t a big deal?” Twilight responded in a warning tone. “Okay, maybe when you put it like that, but is it really manipulation if you enjoyed it?” Twilight increased her speed to try and put more distance between them. “I did NOT enjoy that!” “What if I offered to do it again?” Sunset teased. Twilight’s ungraceful stumble and fresh blush gave Sunset all the answer she needed as she took the opportunity to catch up. In all likelihood, that little exchange had probably done little more than dig Sunset into a deeper hole, but the unicorn could only think it had been worth it. Twilight was unreasonably adorable when she was flustered. “You’re awful,” Twilight pouted the moment Sunset reached her. “Only to the ponies I care about,” Sunset offered, deciding Twilight had had enough. The Castle of Friendship finally coming within reach. A resigned sigh escaped Twilight’s lips. “What am I going to do with you?” It seemed like staying angry at Sunset really was, simply put, an impossible task; Twilight’s ire fading faster than the light of day as she subconsciously guided the sun below the horizon, ending the day. A small smile graced Twilight's lips as the castle doors came within reach. It was hard to believe, but being with Sunset had made today bearable. Fun even. As her magic took hold of the doors to her old home, Twilight couldn't help but feel that it was nice to have somepony by her side through this. For the first time in far too long, she didn't feel so alone. Author's Note Ah, a special Valentine's day update for everyone out there. How appropriate. I've restrained myself so far, but it's time for some real Sunlight action. The romance tag warned you all. So, for those of you who enjoy this stuff, enjoy the fluff, and enjoy the slices of life. I'm afraid it won't always be so carefree. Chapter 9: Old Old FriendSunset didn’t know what to expect when Twilight had told her that her old castle had been converted into a historical showcase. Most museums she had known in both Equestria and the human world were dedicated to things like old bones and documents. Stuff that could be interesting to learn about but was mostly far removed from anything you were personally familiar with. This made the Ponyville Museum of Friendship, as the banners hanging outside referred to it, all the more surreal. From wall to wall, pictures, and statues of ponies no different from the ones you’d see outside your own window decorated the halls. Several ponies she immediately recognized. Some she was able to place likely identities through conjecture. Then, there were ones she had absolutely no clue as to who they could be without reading the information written next to some of the exhibits. Regardless, the castle felt like less of a museum and more of a palace of memories. An extremely elaborate scrapbook. Sunset knew that was understating it. The majority of the exhibits may have only recounted history from the last one hundred years, but there was no denying that those hundred years had been the most exciting century in over a thousand. It was certainly enough to easily fill an entire museum with. Still, most museums didn’t typically pay homage to things like, “Rainbow Dash’s first participant sticker”. The contrast between Sunset and Twilight, walking through the halls of the castle, was night and day. Sunset’s gaze moved over every corner of the castle, doing her best to take in every detail of the repurposed castle, her eyes finding a new object of interest every step of the way. Twilight, just a few paces ahead of her, was unnaturally stiff. Her eyes never once shifting from directly ahead, as though she was forcing her body to remain locked in place, constantly battling the temptation to avert her gaze. Sunset couldn’t claim to know every detail of Twilight’s old castle, but she was significantly more familiar with the layout than she had been with Ponyville as a whole. The memories of the times she had spent within these walls came surprisingly easily. Memories made from urgent visits and friendly excursions, back when the mirror had been easily accessible, and time made more sense. In her mind’s eye, she could still picture the castle as it had once been. See the once overly spacious halls before they were completely filled with tributes to modern-day heroes. Eventually, the two mares entered a large circular room. The chamber that had once housed the cutie map if she recalled correctly. “Wow, they really went all out on this place, huh?” Sunset muttered upon seeing the chamber’s new centerpiece. Had Sunset not known better, the colorful recreation could have easily passed for the real thing. Taking up the center of the room, sectioned off by a number of guard walls and rails, was an exact recreation of the Tree of Harmony. Whoever designed the ornate sculpture had even managed to somehow produce an ethereal glow that cast a soft light over the room. “This is my favorite part of the museum,” Twilight idly commented next to Sunset. “The Tree of Harmony still exists, of course, but I’ll always remember it this way. A symbol of harmony that connects all of the elements to one another.” Sunset had to wonder if Twilight really meant to vocalize her thoughts, or she had simply been too lost in her own memories to stop them from coming through. Whatever the case, Sunset didn’t feel any need to respond as Twilight looked upon the tree, lost in thoughts, all alone. The alicorn princess looked absolutely breathtaking in the soft light cast by the Tree of Harmony, her figure sparkling in the luminescence. Looking up at Twilight from her position beside her, Sunset had to wonder if this was how the rest of Equestria saw Twilight now. A divine and untouchable symbol of harmony. Did anypony see any further than that, however? Did they even bother to look? Sunset didn’t think so. Perhaps it was a bit self-absorbed, but she was beginning to think she was one of the few ponies that could look beyond the majesty. One of the few ponies that cared enough to look in any case, because, once you did, it wasn’t very hard to see. Her eyes. All you had to do was look into those brilliant violet eyes. They were constantly filled with sadness and longing. No matter the time of day. No matter her mood. Even her most genuine smile could not completely erase the ever-present look in her eyes. Always reaching out for something. Always. Those eyes that were now longingly looking up at a tree that was now little more than a memory, more consumed in silent emotion than Sunset had ever seen them. Her mane ceasing to blow in the magical wind that carried it and falling over her as a light veil, almost as though it was too worn out to keep up the appearance. In that moment, Twilight seemed more untouchable than ever, and yet, strangely, never more beautiful. “Beautiful? Where did that come from?” Sunset wondered, broken from her own trance by the odd thought. Sure, Twilight was undeniably pretty. She always had been but calling her beautiful just seemed…strange. “Are you alright, Sunset?” Twilight asked the now uncomfortable looking unicorn, who quickly diverted her face to hide the light blush upon her muzzle, with marked concern. “I’m fine, Twilight. Please, don’t worry about me,” Sunset quickly responded while internally berating herself. “Just great. Like she doesn’t have enough on her mind as is.” Sunset was brought out of her mental discourse by the warm sensation of Twilight gently nuzzling her back to reality. “Gah! Twilight! I told you not to do that!” Sunset indignantly shouted at the offending mare, doing her best to extend her pitiful height in a failed attempt to be more assertive. “No, you told me not to do it in the middle of Canterlot. We’re not in Canterlot. We’re all alone in a closed museum,” Twilight cheekily responded. “Yeah, figures that’s the sort of place you’d want to get all affectionate in,” Sunset petulantly jabbed, her hoof gently rubbing the area Twilight had made contact with. “Just follow me. The private wing we’ll be staying in is just through the Pillars’ hall,” Twilight chuckled as she moved to go through a set of doors conveniently labeled, “The Pillars of Equestria”. “And, Sunset,” Twilight began once Sunset had moved to follow her. “Yeah, Twi?” “Don’t ever ask me not to worry about you.” The room Sunset had been given was directly across from Twilight’s. Evidently, this was the same hall Twilight had stayed in when she had lived here. Carefully preserved and blocked off from the general public specifically for Twilight’s occasional stays in Ponyville. Naturally, Twilight took her old room. Sunset’s own room was of a similar variety. Nothing too flashy, lacking any hint of a personal touch, but plenty adequate for the few days they would be staying. Sunset had also found out where exactly Twilight had been sending the items they had been buying all day, or at least her portion of it when she had to practically blast her door open. The sizeable collection of books and equipment had been teleported directly into her room and barricaded the door closed. To her credit, Twilight could still play the part of ashamed filly rather well, even as Equestria’s largest alicorn, and it stood to reason that even the element of magic could only be so precise. The fact that Twilight had landed their items in the proper rooms in spite of not having set hoof in the castle for some time was rather impressive. That didn’t change the fact that Sunset would now need to buy some new beakers to replace the ones she had just gotten. None of that mattered at the moment though, as Sunset settled into her bed for an early night’s rest. The museum opened early in the morning and Sunset happened to agree with Twilight’s desire to set out before the building they were staying in was filled with random creatures, regardless of how private the hall they were staying in was. More importantly, tomorrow would be the day they did what they had come to do in the first place. Sunset didn’t have the faintest idea of what to expect. It made sense that this wasn’t something that could be put off for another day longer if the bits she had gleaned from the various conversations she’d been present for were any indication. Still, nothing could prepare her for this. She could only imagine what Twilight was feeling right now. Pinkie only looked like one of her closest friends, but she actually was one of Twilight’s. Not counting on any pleasant sleep tonight, Sunset could only steel herself for tomorrow. There was no telling what the next day would bring, but she knew what needed to be done. Ordinarily, raising the sun gave Twilight a rush of energy that left her ready to face the very day she had just made. The magic that came from moving the heavenly bodies filling her being. Today, the surge of energy felt like little more than a drop in the ocean of dread that was finally catching up with her. Today was the beginning of the end. Once the sun was in place, Twilight turned from the window to look over her nightstand. Some flowers, balloons, and an utterly mangled piece of paper that was supposed to contain all the things she wanted to say adorned the surface. Twilight probably should have known that putting the meaning of all their years onto a simple piece of parchment was going to be impossible, but she needed to try something in order to organize the thoughts that wouldn’t still inside her head. This could very well be the last time she ever had the chance to tell her dear friend anything she had left to say. It almost certainly was. So, why did she have no idea what to say? Twilight used her magic to dispose of the messy nervous scribbles in a small puff of fire and smoke. The evidence to the restless night she had, now gone forever. Ready or not, it was time to depart. Taking the gifts in her magic, Twilight set out for the last thing she needed to grab before leaving the castle. Sunset’s open door told Twilight that her friend had already risen from her slumber and was somewhere else in the castle. Fortunately, Twilight didn’t need to worry about looking for the unicorn as they had promised to meet each other in the main hall before retiring last night. Sure enough, Twilight caught sight of the amber unicorn as soon as she entered the area, staring intently at one of the more extravagant exhibits. “She told me she was proud of you, you know?” Twilight said in order to both introduce herself to the oblivious mare and attempt to soothe the emotions she could see in Sunset’s posture. “I don’t know if I ever told you that. It was right after you destroyed the memory stone. I figured she deserved to know how it all turned out after she helped us fix everything, and it just slipped out once we started talking.” Sunset looked away from the life-sized statue of Princess Celestia she had been boring a hole into, her attention now focused on the words Twilight was saying. “I don’t think I ever said anything because I hoped you’d get to hear it from her one day,” Twilight finished, making certain to give Sunset her space for now. Through their journal and the journal she had been given by Celestia, Twilight was likely the only creature that knew all the intricacies of Sunset’s strained relationship with the sun princess. It had taken some time, but eventually, Sunset had opened up to her about her feelings for their old teacher. Apparently, she had never talked about it with anypony else. Not even her human friends. “I’ve been gone a long time, Twilight. Do you think she still remembers me?” The vulnerable look in Sunset’s cyan eyes captured Twilight’s own. Sunset was a naturally guarded pony. Twilight knew that more than anypony. Fully willing to listen and help others as much as she could, but all too often holding her own feelings close to her heart. Seeing her drop those defenses let Twilight know exactly how much her next words could mean. “I’m certain she does,” Twilight said with complete sincerity. In truth, she had not been in contact with Celestia and Luna much herself these past years. An occasional letter being the usual form of communication between them. Ruling Equestria left her far too busy to make many visits and the former princesses seemed more than content to spend their retirement outside of Canterlot. Regardless, she couldn’t forget the interest Celestia had taken in Sunset’s activities after her first trip to the human world. Twilight didn’t know what to make of it at the time, but, in hindsight, Celestia’s actions closely resembled those of an estranged mother. Never getting too close, but desperate to know if their child was still okay. Sunset took one more look at the collection of tributes to the ponies of the recent past. “I hope at least one pony remembers me,” Sunset muttered under her breath so quietly Twilight barely heard it and it was likely she wasn’t supposed to. “Are you ready to go?” Sunset picked up, her demeanor changing so quickly the shift in moods nearly gave Twilight emotional whiplash. Twilight was tempted to press whatever issue they had just soundly steered away from, but they did need to get going, and now that Sunset’s walls were back in place, it was unlikely she’d be able to get anything out of her without the proper amount of time. “Yes, I think so,” Twilight responded, answering Sunset’s question with perhaps the biggest lie she had ever told. No, she wasn’t ready. She’d probably never be ready if she was given all the time in the world. Ironically, that was exactly what she had. It’s just nopony else did. A gentle pressure on her leg alerted Twilight to Sunset’s presence. Twilight looked down to see the unicorn had placed a hoof on her in an attempt to steady her. Surprisingly, it worked. “Hey, Twi. Whatever happens, I just want you to know, I’ll be there for you,” Sunset said with such conviction, Twilight could almost believe it. If only such a thing could be true. “Thank you, Sunset.” With no more time to lose, the two ponies made their way to the front entrance, a fated meeting waiting for them beyond the castle doors. “Aunt Twilight!” Sunset had thought Twilight to be the new unquestioned power throughout Equestria, but to be frank, when faced with the colorful curly-haired legion of earth ponies that had practically spilled out the front door of the eccentric modest house, she didn’t stand a chance. Fearing for her own safety, Sunset quickly backed away from the bouncy herd of ponies that was completely consuming Twilight. Technically, she wasn’t breaking her promise. She was still there for Twilight. Just not in range of any danger. Emotional support and all that. A tall and thin roughly middle-aged aged stallion with peach yellow fur, green eyes, and a curly light pink mane accomplished the, quite frankly, astounding feat of lifting Twilight off the ground in a backbreaking hug with strength that didn’t suit his otherwise lithe figure, the three other ponies surrounding them chipping in with embraces of their own. Sunset let out a rather ungraceful snort at the sight of Twilight being manhandled by this small army of ponies that were clearly overjoyed to see the alicorn. Apparently, alicorns also had super hearing in addition to their numerous other abilities, Twilight’s betrayed and vengeful glare quickly turning to her. Sunset probably should have been worried about some form of retribution for just how quickly she had left Twilight out to dry, only to laugh at her in the end, but it was remarkably hard to be intimidated by a pony that was being handled like an oversized stuffed animal. Besides, it was nice to see somepony else get thrown around every once and awhile. “Hey,” a quiet unemotional voice said from just behind her. Sunset nearly leapt out of her own fur at the unexpected monotone voice that crept up just behind her. “Are you here with Princess Twilight?” the unexpected pony asked in a tone no different than before, his eyes looking her over with apparent disinterest. Sunset could only nod an affirmation in response as she turned to look at this strange stout stallion. A dreary gray pony in a black sweater with a matching black bowl cut mane. “My name’s Mudstone. It’s nice to meet you,” the odd pony said while extending his hoof. “Oh, uhm, hey. You surprised me there. Sunset Shimmer, nice to meet you too,” Sunset responded, shaking his hoof. “So, do you know Pinkie Pie?” “Technically, she’s my aunt. So, yes.” The wires quickly connected in Sunset’s brain. “You’re Maud’s son?” Sunset gasped in astonishment. It made perfect sense. She knew of only one other person that was just that dry. Mudstone gave a wordless response in the form of a simple nod. Sunset vaguely recalled her Pinkie telling her about Maud getting a boyfriend at some point, though the bigger issue was how hard Pinkie took the news. It had only just now hit Sunset. Here she was meeting the descendants of the pony counterparts of the humans she knew in another dimension. In a way, perhaps giving her a preview of her friends own fates. What a life she was living. “We should reconvene with the others soon. The greetings generally only last three minutes. Although, as it has been a longer than average gap since our last family gathering, my cousins may exceed the normal timeframe,” the dull earth pony informed her in a dialect that was somehow both verbose and stagnant. Lack of emotion aside, Mudstone’s assertion was remarkably accurate as the crowd of ponies finally backed away from Twilight who looked noticeably more ruffled than before. Apparently, being sparkly and in an eternal breeze didn’t stop a mane from getting frizzy. “It’s good to see you too all too, Cheese,” Twilight sincerely replied once she had gotten steady, even affectionately ruffling his already messy hair with her hoof, her wings extending to drape over two of the ponies that had just been smothering her in affection. Sunset noted that the two bore a resemblance to the stallion Twilight was talking to, and the mare, in particular, was nearly an identical yellow copy of Pinkie Pike. In fact, aside from the mare standing faithfully next to the pony Twilight had identified as, “Cheese”, every pony present bore a striking resemblance to the pink mare they had come to see. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was looking at Pinkie’s family. Her children and likely a wife, judging by how close the other orange mare was standing next to Cheese. One big happy family, including, “Aunt” Twilight. The alicorn seamlessly fitting in with ponies around her as though they were blood. “Would you believe Mrs. doubty pants over here thought you were actually going to be late?” Cheese said while placing a foreleg around the neck of the mare next to him. “I told her, ‘Sweetie, Aunt Twilight hasn’t been late to a single thing in my entire life, there’s no way she’s going to start today.’” The mare Sunset was now almost completely certain was the wife of this energetic pink-haired stallion playfully pushed him off of her in response. “Oh, stop. You know I just wanted to make sure the tea wasn’t cold by the time she arrived.” “You should still know better than to question Aunt Twilight’s impeccable timing, dear.” “Say, who’s your friend Aunt Twilight?” The yellow Pinkie questioned, bringing all attention to Sunset. Ordinarily, Sunset wasn’t the shy sort, but the surrealness of the situation and the sudden shift in attention left her without much of a response. “This is Sunset Shimmer. She’s a friend of mine that’s been accompanying me on my stay in Ponyville,” Twilight thankfully picked up for her, no doubt noticing her hesitation. “Do you know our mom?” The young light pink, nearly white, pony still wrapped in Twilight’s other wing asked, not accusingly, but certainly curious as to why a unicorn he had never seen before was here. Regardless of his intention, it managed to put Sunset in an awkward spot. “Well, kind of, I mean I met your mom in person this one time a few years ago, which I guess was a few decades ago here, but I know someo-er, I mean somepony that’s a lot like your mom…and now that I’m actually hearing everything I’m saying, I think I’m just going to stop talking,” Sunset finished rather pathetically. Her story wasn’t one you could skip the details of it seemed. The awkward silence that followed couldn’t have masked the sound of a quill dropping. “Weeeellll, I’m not going to pretend I understood a lick of what you just said, but any friend of Aunt Twilight’s is welcome in our family. Name’s Cheese Pie, but most creatures just call me Cheese,” Cheese introduced, bounding over to Sunset with an astounding amount of elasticity and showing off his pie-shaped cutie mark filled with cheese. “Those two over there are my little brother and sister, String Cheese and Lemon Pie, twins if you haven’t guessed, that beautiful mare over there is my wife, Pumpkin Pie, also known as Pumpkin Spice, and you’ve already met cousin Mudstone,” Cheese introduced with a surprising amount of agility for somepony his age, zipping around to each pony as he introduced them before coming back to Sunset with an extended hoof and a large grin. “If you stick around long enough, I can probably introduce you to the rest of the family!” This pony was most certainly related to Pinkie Pie. Sunset took his hoof in greeting, now only slightly overwhelmed by the amount of energy in the area. A few more hoof shakes and personal introductions filled the area shortly after before a foreboding silence overtook the area. “How is she?” Twilight broke the silence, mustering the courage to ask the question everypony knew was coming. “She’s…asleep right now. She sleeps a lot now,” Lemon Pie offered up as an ice breaker that both answered the question but didn’t tell Twilight what she had actually asked. The oppressive feeling of sadness that blanketed the area and smothered the previously abundant joyous energy could be felt by everypony present. Even Mudstone seemed to sag slightly, his emotions for once showing through in reaction to the heavy conversation. “The doctor says she’s got around a month left. Maybe more, maybe less. We can’t really say for sure. He says it’ll be peaceful,” String Cheese followed up, giving the definitive answer Twilight was likely waiting for, tacking on the last sentence in a rush, likely for both his own and Twilight’s sake. “Can we go in and see her now?” Twilight asked, a hollowness in her voice. “Of course you can. She’s…well she’s been waiting for you. I think she’ll be really glad to see you,” Cheese affirmed while moving over to the door to the house. “We’ll all wait out here while you see her.” The stallion gingerly pulled open the door, which seemed to creak in every way imaginable as he beckoned them into a place that may as well have been Tartarus for how intimidating the entryway felt. “Twilight?” Sunset prompted her friend, a series of unspoken questions filling the air. Twilight looked down upon her with glassy pleading eyes. Understanding the mostly silent conversation, Sunset took her place at Twilight’s side. A shaky hoofstep towards the house marked the beginning of the end. The inside of the house could only be described as quaint. The building was neither overly spacious nor overly cramped. It was likely due to the countless movies she had been exposed to in the human world, but Sunset had expected the atmosphere of the house to be much drearier. On the contrary, what awaited them was…just a house. The walls were almost overly colorful, no doubt due to the tastes of the pony who lived there. Every room appeared to be well kept, and the lighting was a far cry from the oppressive shadows that typically framed someone’s final moments in a dramatic movie or soap opera. The only things that stood out at all were the various mementos scattered about the house. Pictures, ribbons, trophies, old drawings, and the odd rubber chicken. Nothing gave away the fact that this was likely to be the location of a pony’s last breath beyond the unnatural silence of the building. The floorboards creaked with each step, the only noise that filled the well-worn house as Twilight and Sunset moved through the halls. For a brief moment, Sunset wondered if they were really supposed to simply wander around the house until they stumbled over Pinkie’s room, but even if Twilight didn’t know where she was leading them to, there was no missing the shrine that had been erected in the living room. A mountain of flowers, photos, and mementos filled a corner of the living room. A monument to Pinkie Pie. There were so many. Counting them all could take all day if anypony were to try. It was incredibly likely the entire town had been here at one point or another. Sunset broke off from Twilight, taking their own gifts into her magic, and looked in wonder at the display that overflowed with sentimentality. There was an old framed photo of a younger Pinkie Pie holding two newborn foals with a note at the bottom. To our all-time favorite foal sitter – Love, Pumpkin and Pound Cake Several bouquets of flowers composed the body of the structure, each with their own notes. Thanks for teaching us all how to laugh – Love, Smolder and Ocellus To the best party pony to ever live in Ponyville – With Love, Apple Bloom and the entire Apple family Thank you, for all that you’ve done for the creatures of the world – Thorax and the Changeling Kingdom There were far too many to read them all and many of them said the same things in different words, but each one radiated with genuine gratitude and love. Words of adoration from various ponies, words of commendation from other kingdoms, and even a number of awards for a life well-lived. As many as there were, however, some stuck out more than others. A hoofmade scrapbook with a picture of an adorable newborn foal on the cover. I’ll love you forever and always, Aunt Pinkie – Flurry Heart Some sort of strange giant horned helmet with a note attached to one of the horns. Pink Pony will always be official honorary yak. – Yaks of Yakyakistan What appeared to be a potted flower, but upon closer inspection, somehow had petals made of balloons. To the only friend who could make me look boring in comparison – your friend, Discord Most elaborately, a golden necklace that contained a crystal balloon. The jewelry’s design reminded Sunset of Twilight’s crown. In honor of the Element of Laughter. Thank you for showing us both all of the little things there are to do in this world – Celestia and Luna Even the retired Princesses had come out to pay tribute to the humble party planner it seemed. Sunset had recognized Cadenza’s hornwriting and signature among the cards as well. What a life a pony must have lived, for every alicorn in Equestria to pay their respects to them instead of the other way around. Realizing she was getting sidetracked, Sunset placed the flowers and balloons into the pile and pulled herself away from the mound of remembrance. The dead silence of the room standing out now that her attention was no longer lost in countless tokens of love and gratitude. Twilight was sitting by what appeared to be a bed, moved into the living room for ease of access. She was perfectly still, only the motions of her breathing giving any indication that the alicorn was more than a statue. The sunlight of the early day casting a ray of light over the quiet scene. Tentatively, Sunset approached the bed to sit next to Twilight, still unmoving in her dutiful post. Sunset’s breath hitched upon finally taking in the sight. More accurately, the lack of a sight. If a pony were to take a quick glance over the room, they may have very well missed what laid in the most prominent piece of furniture. Buried so deeply in the covers and cushions of the bed, only the top of their head was visible. The pale pink pony laid mostly still, lost in a light sleep, the only movements being her slow shallow breathing, accompanied by a faint wheezing sound. Sunset had only properly met the Pinkie of this world once before. She had served her and her ponified friends chocolate fondue. It was a short and unimpactful interaction, but it was how she knew for certain what the Pinkie Pie of this world was meant to look like. The pony she was looking upon now was both undeniably Pinkie Pie and yet looked nothing like how Pinkie Pie should. The small amount of curly hair and pink fur was all it took to identify the resting figure, but it was all just…off. Her coat was still pink, but also thin and dull. her mane was still its unmistakable shape, but lacked the barely restrained energy and color that defined it, now droopy and gray, only a few strands of hair daring to cling onto their color. In all the years she had known her, Sunset had never known something that could take the life out of Pinkie Pie. Certainly, she was just as capable of becoming sad or disappointed as anypony, or anybody in this case, but even those rare fits had a certain unique energy to them that only Pinkie could achieve. Here it seemed that there was just no energy at all, and with a heavy heart, Sunset found the one thing in the world even Pinkie Pie could not weather forever. Time. “Shouldn’t we wake her up?” Sunset ventured out to the still motionless Twilight. Coming all the way to Ponyville would be rather pointless if all they did was watch her sleep, but Twilight didn’t seem prepared to do anything more than look down on the sleeping old mare with a strangely blank face. Twilight seemed to come back to her senses with a start that indicated she had only just remembered where she was and that she wasn’t alone in the room. “Right…you’re right. I just…need a second.” Twilight felt a sudden warmth and pressure just above her hoof. She found Sunset’s fetlock intertwined with her own. Sunset’s eyes locked on hers as she looked down at her. A small, wordless, gesture, and yet it gave Twilight the strength to move forward. “Pinkie…Pinkie Pie,” Twilight gently called out to the sleeping bundle she had been so focused on. It took several attempts, and a steady rise in volume, but eventually, the slumbering mare’s eyes fluttered open. Sunset noted that even Pinkie’s eyes looked duller than they ought to have. “…Twilight? Is that you?” Pinkie Pie gently called out in a hoarse voice that gave away the old earth pony’s age by sound alone. Twilight noticeably gulped. “…Yes, Pinkie. It’s me. I came to see you.” Pinkie Pie finally shifted around to face them, revealing more of herself from under the blanket, her body shaking with the effort. Out from under the blanket, Sunset could tell that Pinkie’s body was thinner than it should have been. Skinny and sunken in at places in a way that was typical of old ponies, but so bizarre to see on Pinkie. Her Pinkie Pie had always been the biggest personality in any room, and she had no reason to believe this Pinkie was any different. yet, the wrinkles and sagging skin made her look so incredibly small. Smaller than she had probably ever been. Once Pinkie had managed to fully turn over to face them, she extended a shaky hoof in Twilight’s direction. Twilight gingerly took Pinkies hoof into her free foreleg, as if reading exactly what the pink pony meant by the gesture. At the contact, Pinkie’s eyes seemed to regain some of their lost color and a surge of energy previously lost seemed to pulse through her, a smile slowly stretching across her face. “It really is you, Twilight. Sorry…I just kind of have this dream a lot. I wanted to make sure. I guess I kind of figured. Usually…the rest of the girls are here too,” Pinkie said with a contented sigh. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to get here, Pinkie.” “Don’t be silly, Twilight. I know you’re a really busy pony. You’ve got a lot more to do than spend all day worrying about me,” Pinkie Pie said before ending her sentence with a yawn. “Don’t say that, Pinkie. Nothing is more important to me than you. Nothing in the entire world,” Twilight said with a sincerity that was as certain as saying the sky was blue. “Aw, thanks Twilight. I love you too. I’m really glad you came. I wanted to see you…just one more time,” Pinkie sighed, turning onto her back and closing her eyes. The peace and stillness that overcame Pinkie nearly caused Sunset to worry that the old pink pony had passed on right there. Fortunately, at the cost of a small heart attack, Pinkie suddenly began to stir, struggling to pull herself into a sitting position. Seeing the obvious difficulty, Twilight lifted Pinkie into her magic and gently laid her into a more upright position against her bed’s headboard. Pinkie finally managed to get a broader look at the room from her new position. “Woah, maybe I’m dreaming after all. That or the doctor was right about not eating cupcakes at my age. You see Sunset Shimmer here too, right Twilight?” The somber atmosphere around Twilight was finally broken as Pinkie’s innocent comment brought her to giggles. “Don’t worry, Pinkie. She’s real.” “Uhm, hey there,” Sunset awkwardly introduced herself, figuring that she needed to say something after the attention had shifted to her. “Wow, you sure wear a hundred years A LOT better than I do,” Pinkie joked Sunset scratched her head with a hoof, trying to work out the easiest way to say it. “Oh, well, it’s a funny story actually. You see-” “Time between the human world and the pony world are all mixed up because of Twilight’s fancy portal machine, so even though it’s only been a few years for you, it’s been a lot of time here, and now you’re back because you’re trying to work out what you wanna do with your life, but it’s super difficult because you don’t feel like you belong anywhere anymore?!” Pinkie quickly rambled off in a surprisingly energetic fashion. “So, this Pinkie can do that too? Great. Guess that saves me the trouble of explaining. I could really do without having my deep-seated insecurities aired out though,” Sunset thought in surprise, but not as surprised as most ponies would have been, given this exact thing had happened to her before. “Uhm, yeah. More or less. You just guessed all that right off the cuff, huh?” “Well, not ALL of it. Twilight talks about you, sometimes,” Pinkie replied with a sly smile. “Oh? What sort of things does she talk about?” Sunset asked, curious to know what her oldest friend liked to say about her to other ponies. Twilight felt alarm bells go off in her head at the direction this discussion was heading. “Oh, lots of stuff really, like-” “HEY! I have an idea! Let’s talk about something else!” Twilight interrupted in a manner that only made Sunset more curious. “No, wait, I want to hear this,” Sunset asserted. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s mostly good things, and only half of it is embarrassing for one of or both of you,” Pinkie waved off in a manner that only served to make Sunset far more anxious about the matter. “Besides, right now we should probably be using this time to-” Pinkie stopped; her sentence cut off by a sudden coughing fit. Her body wracked with each hack, looking as though her very being could collapse with each shock, and an unpleasant wet sound accompanying each one. Twilight rushed over to Pinkie, and gently lifted her back with one of her large forelegs, holding her steady as the moment passed. “Pinkie, I-!" “It’s ok, Twilight. I’m okay, really.” “Pinkie, you’re-!” “I know. It’s okay.” For the first time, Twilight allowed her grief to overcome her features. “Pinkie…please.” Any future words Twilight might have had were silenced by a shaky pink hoof placing itself onto her cheek. “We don’t have much time left, Twi. I want to make the most of it.” “Yes, of course. I’ll be in Ponyville all week. I’ll spend every day with you, I promise. Maybe I can even visit after I have to go back to Canterlot. I’m just a teleport away after all. Whatever you want, Pinkie.” “I’d really like that, Twilight.” Sunset believed she could feel the sorrow emanating from the princess as she brought Pinkie’s old body closer and gently nuzzled her before carefully laying her back down. The rest of the day passed uneventfully after that. They just…talked. Going over stories both new and old, reminiscing about the past and talking about the present. Times of excitement and calm peaceful days of simple everyday fun. Sunset mostly listened, only rarely contributing the odd comment on occasion, content to let Twilight enjoy Pinkie’s company. Sunset listened to the storied history of two of Equestria’s greatest heroes. She listened to the first time the two had ever met, Pinkie throwing Twilight an unwelcome welcome party. The time Twilight had made a fool of herself trying to disprove Pinkie’s ridiculous, “Pinkie sense”. The time the two banded together to solve a railway mystery. The tale of a trivia contest gone horribly wrong and then horribly right. Sunset heard the story of how Twilight had officiated Pinkie Pie’s wedding to one Cheese Sandwich. The hectic birth of Pinkie’s first foal, Twilight having practically run herself into the ground to be there. The holidays spent together as a family. Even after all this time, Pinkie Pie could still draw out the most genuine and heartfelt smiles from Twilight, her eyes lighting up in a way Sunset had never seen them. Stories of adventure, discovery, and particularly fun parties passed between the two old mares until the day itself grew old. Pinkie Pie yawned, exhaustion finally catching up to her. “I think it’s time for Mom’s nap,” Cheese said, coming into the room to check on the mares. “Don’t be…silly, Little Cheese. I…could…go all…day,” Pinkie yawned, her body betraying her. “It’s alright, Pinkie. We’ll come back tomorrow, I promise,” Twilight vowed, nuzzling the pony who was half asleep. “That’s right. Come on, Aunt Twilight. I’ve got some tasty treats you can take with you before you go,” Cheese said, Twilight walking over to him to be led out. Sunset got up and made to follow the ponies out but was stopped by a sudden noise. “Sunset, wait.” Sunset turned around at the sudden call to see Pinkie staring at her, a sudden burst of energy keeping her awake for a moment longer. “Uhm, yes Pinkie Pie? Do you need anything?” Sunset asked in audible confusion, having no idea what the Pink Pony could want from her at the moment. “Just wanted to give you some words of wisdom, from an old party pony,” Pinkie explained. Sunset internally questioned the logistics behind receiving an elder’s wisdom from a pony that was most certainly born after her but didn’t bother to voice such trivial details. “Life’s short, Sunset. Whatever you do, don’t let it pass you by. Keep the ponies you love close,” Pinkie Pie said in an almost cryptic manner. Sunset wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but Pinkie wasn’t done. “One more thing. I won’t make you promise anything, but please…look out for her. I may not be as smart as you or Twilight, but I know everypony needs somepony…even her. Especially…her,” Pinkie finished, her strength finally giving out as her eyelids began to close. Wordlessly, Sunset walked over to the old mare and used her magic to tuck Pinkie in just before sleep finally overcame her. “Keep the ponies you love close?” Sunset muttered to herself now that she was alone, wondering what exactly Pinkie was getting at. She honestly had no clue. Eventually, Sunset found herself back in her guest room at the Castle/Museum of Friendship. The day was finished, and the night had come again. Unlike yesterday, she had done very little physical activity, so it was somewhat surprising that she still found herself wholly exhausted. The amber pony would have thrown herself upon her bed were it not for the faint glow emanating from her saddlebag, laying haphazardly across the floor. Curious, Sunset trotted over to take a look at the cause of the sudden light show. It only took a few seconds to determine the journal she had kept close to her person since her arrival was the cause of the disturbance. Quickly, Sunset opened the book to see what sort of message she had received. Hiya, Sunset. It’s your best party pal forever, Pinkie Pie here! Am I doing this magic texting thing right? I mean, I know I watched you do it a few times with Twilight, your Twilight, not our Twilight, or is our Twilight also your Twilight now? Actually, we were friends with your Twilight first, so maybe she’s our Twilight? But what does that make our Twilight? Okay, now my head hurts. Well, I’m just going to assume I’m doing this right because you can’t exactly tell me if I’m not. How’s your first day back in magic pony land going? Did you learn any cool new magic tricks? Also, how’s pony Twilight doing right now? Tell her I said hi if you get the chance. Anyway, we all really miss you, but also hope you’re having tons of fun. Love, Pinkie Pie “First day? what is she-” Sunset questioned before failing to stop herself from smacking her face with her hoof. As a side note, hooves are a lot harder than hands. Somehow, she had completely forgotten the time imbalance between the two worlds despite being confronted with it every day. She had been back in Equestria for over a week, but to Pinkie and her friends, it hadn’t even been a full two days yet. To top it off, they had no idea of the fact. Quickly rummaging around, Sunset found a quill to respond. Hey, Pinkie. Don’t worry, you’re doing fine. All you have to do is write down what you want to say. I’m doing good. I miss you all too. Love, Sunset Shimmer The message was bare-bones, to say the least. It contained nothing untrue, but if omission counts as a lie, then she was fibbing through her teeth. Sunset couldn’t even say why she hadn’t broken the truth to her best friend. Perhaps she was too tired to discuss it at the moment? “No, I’m just doing what Sunset Shimmer does best. Running away from my problems.” Sunset still had no idea what to make of the problem posed by the disconnect between her and her best friends. How should she respond to it? How would they respond to it? What would she even do about it once she acknowledged it? Sunset had no idea, and, like a coward, she had skirted around the issue, gave a response that barely acknowledged Pinkie, and answered almost none of her questions. Sunset knew that once Pinkie finally caught up to her, she’d have to give a better explanation, but how could she even begin to tell her about all that had happened? About her life. About her studies. About Twilight. Sunset’s thoughts hung on the last word. Twilight. Pinkie had asked about Twilight. How she was doing. How was Twilight doing? She had seemed fine after they had left Pinkie’s house, but if Twilight was good at anything these days, it was burying her feelings. Pony Pinkie’s last words to her echoed in her mind with startling clarity. Shoving all her other numerous issues to the side, Sunset vowed to do right by at least one friend tonight. If there was ever a night where Twilight might need sompony to talk to, it was tonight. It was a pitifully short walk from her room to Twilight’s. A few mere feet were all that separated their doors. Somehow, that short distance was all it took for Sunset to start coming up with second thoughts. Twilight really had seemed fine. They had eaten dinner and come back together, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They had bid each other good night not ten minutes ago. What if all Sunset was doing was bothering Twilight over nothing? Or worse. Opening wounds that didn’t need to be opened. Standing before the princess’s door, Sunset realized she really had absolutely no game plan here. What would she even do once she got inside? Start dragging all these issues into the light in hopes of accomplishing something? Maybe she should just leave well enough alone? Sunset’s doubts were interrupted by a strange faint sound. It was certainly coming from within Twilight’s room. Sunset leaned her ear closer to the door to make sure she wasn’t simply imagining things. Now more clearly, she heard the frantic gasping sounds that could only come from a living being. Sunset considered peeking inside to see what exactly Twilight was doing but remembered she had already made the mistake of violating Twilight’s privacy once already. Twilight trusted her. She would never do anything to jeopardize that trust again if she could help it. Instead, Sunset steeled her nerves and gently knocked on the door. Almost immediately a sharp and clearly audible gasp made its way to her. “Hey, Twilight! Are you alright!?” Sunset called out shortly after making her presence known. “I-I’m fine, Sunset!” Twilight called out in a shaky voice that immediately let Sunset know that statement was a load of pony feathers. “You don’t sound fine, Twi. Do you want to talk?” “No no, that’s alright. Just go back to bed.” Sunset shook her head. “I’m not going to be able to get any sleep if I know something’s wrong, and I didn’t do anything about it.” “I said, I’m FINE!” Twilight yelled back, anger now seeping into her voice in an attempt to mask the obvious uneasiness. Sunset had vowed to respect Twilight’s privacy. She would not go behind her back to seek information about her without her knowledge. Now that Twilight knew she was here, that was no longer an issue. “Okay, Twilight. I’m coming in now!” Sunset called as a fair warning. “WHAT!? N-no, wait!” Before Twilight had a chance to do anything that would prevent her from entering the room, Sunset flung the door open. Twilight stumbled backward from her position on her bed, away from the uninvited unicorn, quickly turning to hide herself. It didn’t matter in the slightest. Those brief few seconds were all it took for Sunset to see the tear marks marring Twilight’s face, moisture still present in her eyes. “Get out!” Twilight shouted from her cowering position that did not at all befit the ruler of an entire kingdom. “You’re crying,” Sunset gently said, barely above a whisper. “…I told you not to come in,” Twilight muttered, fragile anger gone from her tone now that there was no hiding her secret. “Twilight…please. Talk to me,” Sunset prompted, steadily making her way to the bed. Twilight seemed to curl in on herself even further, waiting several seconds as though willing Sunset to go away. “She’s…she’s dying, Sunset,” Twilight muttered under her breath. With that, it was as though a dam had broken. “She’s dying and there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s NEVER anything I can do about it!” Fresh sobs began to wrack through Twilight’s body with even greater intensity than before. “Every single day, I wake up and they’re even further away! First Starlight, then Mom and Dad, then Rarity, Shining Armor, Fluttershy, and Rainbow! Sunburst, Fizzlepop, Trixie, Star Swirl, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Moondancer, everypony who used to live in Ponyville, even most of my old students! Th-They’re…They’re all just gone.” Twilight didn’t say anything right after the barely audible declaration, too overcome with the tears she had been holding back for what must have been years now. Several minutes passed by as Twilight cried her aching heart out. Sunset listened to Twilight vent, unsure of what to do that could make things better. Likely, there wasn’t anything that would make things better. Nothing that was within her power. So, Sunset listened as Twilight sobbed, her cries of anguish eventually turning into sniffles. “Pinkie’s all I have left, Sunset,” Twilight eventually picked up, her tone completely defeated. “She’s the last piece of the pony I was. Soon, she’ll be gone, and I’ll still be here. I’ll always be here, forever. Only everypony else is taking the best parts of me with them and leaving nothing behind. Flurry was right. That stupid crown is all I have left.” What could Sunset say? That she wouldn’t leave her? She couldn’t even say for certain where she’d be next year, let alone for the rest of her life, and if she could, it didn’t change that she was still as mortal as everypony else. “Applejack…she passed away a few weeks before you started writing me again,” Twilight called out, interrupting Sunset’s thoughts. “I just couldn’t take being alone anymore. That’s why I tricked you into coming here…I’m sorry.” Now Sunset was totally lost. “W-What, are you talking about, Twilight?” “The portal machine. I could have told you everything before you came here. Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it. I knew you probably wouldn’t come back if you knew, so I didn’t tell you.” Sunset paused at Twilight’s admission, a guilty plead tangled up in an emotional web of loss and sorrow. “Would you stop me? If I said I wanted to go back, right now, back to my friends, would you let me?” Sunset asked, her face expressionless. Twilight finally turned back to her, looking completely crestfallen. A far cry from the radiant leader she appeared as for the rest of Equestria, her large size now contrasted by her slumping shoulders and tear-stained face. Even her mane had given up the illusion and fell around her in a messy blanket. “…Yes, o-of course. A-as soon as we get back to Canterlot, I’ll-” “When you asked me to come back, did you really think I could be happy here? That it would be better for me to be here? Or was this always about you?” Sunset followed up, cutting Twilight off. Her question cutting but the tone still neutral. “W-what? Sunset, I…yes, of course, I thought that this would be good for you. I never would have suggested it otherwise. I was selfish, Sunset. I thought of myself, and it was wrong, but please believe me when I say I would never do anything to hurt you. Never.” The room was silent for a few seconds after that, the tension inside Twilight building. “I know you wouldn’t. I think we both just needed to hear it,” Sunset sighed, finally approaching Twilight’s bed and pulling herself on top to be face to face with the alicorn. Sunset’s horn shone red, and a small handkerchief materialized out of thin air. An old spell, one of the first Princess Celestia had ever taught her, for those first few nights in the castle when she was just a filly in a world she didn’t understand. Twilight didn’t move away from the cloth as Sunset used it to clean her face of the remaining tears and fluids, but her visible flinch gave away her discomfort at the sudden intimacy. “I can clean my own face, Sunset,” Twilight said, voice still shaky, but noticeably more relaxed at the change in atmosphere. “Oh, zip it, Sparkle. If you want to parade me around town on your back like a little filly, then you’re just going to have to deal with it. Plus, I’ve seen your table manners. I have to strongly disagree with the assertion that you can clean your own face.” The foal like pout did nothing to make Twilight look more mature, but she made no more complaints as Sunset meticulously cleaned her face. “Things haven’t been easy for you, have they?” Sunset asked as she finished, returning the cloth back to the ether from whence it came. “Is it that obvious?” Twilight asked in a valiant attempt at humor that lost its mirth halfway through. “Yeah, yeah, it kind of was. You may look like Celestia now, Twilight, but you’re not half as good at pretending nothing in the world bothers you.” Noticing the absolutely horrid state of affairs Twilight’s mane had become, Sunset performed a slightly more advanced spell and summoned a hairbrush into her magic. Twilight gave the unicorn a look that said, ‘seriously?’ to which Sunset responded with her own look of, ‘yes, seriously’, and a quick motion of her hoof that said, ‘now lay down, you’re a wreck.’ Twilight adopted a prone position on the mattress, so Sunset could get to untangling the mess that was the carpet of hair Twilight now called her mane. Sunset was making this up as she went along, but she knew what Twilight needed to hear next. “So, I was thinking that when we get back to Canterlot, we could try some new modifications I thought up to the equipment we use.” Twilight’s head swiveled to face her so fast, Sunset had to focus in order to keep the brush from getting lost in the sea of dark purple hair. “Does that mean…?” “Yes, Twilight. I’m staying. I’m not going to pretend I have it all figured out, but I know I like being here. I like using magic. I like learning about new magic. I like the new friends I’ve made here, and I really like spending time with you.” “I really like spending time with you too. You’re probably-OW!” Sunset violently yanked her way through a particularly tangled section of hair. A tangle that could not have possibly been formed from the last few minutes. “Ok, seriously. What am I looking at here? Has nopony ever taught you how to brush your mane? This thing is practically its own jungle when you don’t have all the sparkles and impossible breezes distracting you.” “Hey! Give me a-GAH!-break. It’s not easy-ECK!-keeping up this much hair. I don’t usually have to brush it all myself.” “The great and powerful Princess Twilight Sparkle. Ruler of all Equestria. Keeper of the sun and moon. Embodiment of magic…can’t even do her own mane,” Sunset counted off, finishing her statement with a particularly rough brush that finally took care of the most difficult tangles. “YAH! Ok, you’re doing that on purpose!” “I might be enjoying it a little, but trust me, manes like this require a firm touch. Don’t worry, we’re almost done, your majesty.” The brushing sensations got noticeably more pleasant after the tangles had been properly removed. The brush sliding smoothly through the remainder of her mane in a steady rhythm that felt remarkably like a massage. Twilight almost began to feel herself drift off before the sensation abruptly stopped. “There, all done. You’re fit to rule again, Princess,” Sunset concluded, with a twirl of her tool for good measure. “What? You don’t want to preen my wings too?” Twilight teased from her prone position, flaring out the wing behind Sunset. “I think you’ve been pampered enough.” A comfortable silence fell over the room, neither pony seeing any reason to break it until Twilight spoke up. “I really am sorry, Sunset.” Sunset rolled her eyes at the sincerity. Twilight honestly worried too much. “Look, Twi. Whatever it is you think I should be mad at you about, it’s water under the bridge. If you can forgive me for literally trying to kill you, I think I can forgive you for a little underhanded coercion in a situation with no consequences.” Twilight didn’t seem entirely satisfied with Sunset’s answer, but that was expected at this point. So long as she understood there were no hard feelings, nothing else mattered. “I want you to promise me something, Twilight,” Sunset suddenly began. “yes?” “Clearly, we both have some things to work out, and I doubt either of us have any idea where to start, but as long as we’re together I want us to help each other to find out.” “I…I think I’d like that, Sunset.” “You realize that means no more bottling all this stuff up inside until it explodes, right? I can’t promise I’ll have all the answers, but I want you to talk to me when something’s bothering you.” “You realize that goes both ways, right?” Twilight said, looking back at Sunset with a knowing glance. “Yeah, it does,” Sunset conceded. “Alright, I promise,” Twilight vowed, laying her chin across her crossed forelimbs in a resting position “Good,” Sunset said, getting up from her seated position and walking over to give Twilight a nuzzle. “H-hey! I thought you didn’t like that!” Twilight said in a surprised voice, blushing at the unexpected contact. “Well, It’s different when I do it. Goodnight, Twi,” Sunset called, deciding to take her leave now that there wasn’t much else to be done tonight. “W-wait!” Twilight called out in a pleading tone that even surprised herself. “Yeah, Twi?” “Maybe…maybe you could stay with me? Just for tonight. I…I don’t want to be alone right now,” Twilight confessed. “O-ok, yeah, sure,” Sunset decided, surprised but happy that Twilight was already being more open with her. She’d just need a few minutes to grab some spare pillows from the other rooms. Twilight’s sudden shifting to make more room on the bed immediately keyed Sunset in on how Twilight had something a bit more intimate in mind for sleeping arrangements. “O-okay then. It’s only weird if you make it weird, Sunset,” Sunset internally coached herself, laying down next to Twilight. Several seconds went by as both mares laid in the silent dimly lit room. Sunset suddenly didn’t feel so tired. “So…do you have anything to read in here?” “I thought you’d never ask!” Gradually, the night passed, the two ponies passing the time with reading and casual conversation until sleep inevitably caught up to them, exhaustion overcoming any conscious problems with intimacy. They had ultimately ended up curled against each other over a messy wrinkled bed with two or three books left in random places. It was the best night’s sleep Twilight had in years. Author's Note I've got a rather supersized update for you. There's a lot of meat in this chapter. This is probably the first time I've ever really tried to do some emotionally charged scenes, so I hope I did a good job. Any thoughts, critiques, and general opinions would be appreciated as we've reached something of a milestone for this story. The end's still a ways off, but we're definitely making progress now. In any case, please, enjoy. Until next time, dear readers. Chapter 10: Remembering“We’re very sorry sweetie, you seem like a wonderful little filly, really, but we just don’t think we’d be able to properly care for somepony with your…unique abilities. Right, Honey?” a sky-blue unicorn mare said, motioning to her husband. “I can’t feel my face,” the stallion next to her said in a daze, completely unaware of what was happening around him, his face blackened with soot, what remained of his mane burning on certain ends. “…Right. We’re sorry, Sunset, but we just don’t think we’re the right ponies for you. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere though. Can we see the next foal, please?” the mare finished turning to the gray broad-shouldered mare sitting across the table from her. The gray furred earth pony gave a long-suffering sigh at the predictable result, readjusting her glasses in a poor attempt to mask her irritation. “Of course. Sunset, wait outside please.” “Yes, ma’am,” a dejected unicorn filly muttered, gingerly picking up the book she had brought to the room in her cyan magic, taking extra care not to put too much power into her magic. “The others aren’t like her, are they?” Sunset heard the blue unicorn whisper to her caregiver before she was even fully out of the room. “No. You’ll almost certainly find the other foals here far more manageable.” Sunset felt the tears welling up in her eyes before the next foal was even through the door. She had blown it. Again. Looking out the window of her second-story room in the dormitory she saw the unicorn couple she had met with earlier hail a carriage, a young pegasus colt walking happily between them. She watched their carriage depart until it rode out of the field of her view as if she was seeing her future ride away from her. “That was the fourth family this month, Sunset.” “I know, Mrs. Pen,” Sunset responded without even turning away from the view. “Do you? There are only so many ponies out there looking for somepony to add to their household. Even fewer that are willing to even see you anymore with how little control you have over your own magic. If you can’t get a handle on this soon, well, it’s difficult to say what will happen to you,” Mrs. Pen reprimanded, readjusting her ill-fitting glasses. “I’m trying,” Sunset responded, barely above a whisper. “Then you need to try harder. Your sixth birthday is only a few months away, Sunset,” the gray mare finished, leaving Sunset to stew in her thoughts. It wasn’t fair. It REALLY wasn’t fair. Sunset walked over to her bed and pulled out the two books on magic she kept stored underneath. The only two that she had been able to procure from the meager selection offered at Canterlot’s most run-down orphanage. Sunset briefly used her small hooves to flip through the pages she had memorized through sheer repetition in some unrealistic hope that she would find some crucial key component she had missed all those times before. She didn’t. Useless. It was all so USELESS! A loud crash rang through the room, both books angrily flung into the far wall with an excessive amount of force, courtesy of cyan magic. It was likely the books were now damaged beyond repair, but Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to care. It wasn’t as though they had ever been useful to anypony. Simple beginner level instructions meant for foals that could barely levitate anything heavier than the books themselves. Not a freakish filly that couldn’t use her own magic without destroying anything she touched. Maybe if she could just get somepony to teach her how to control her magic or at least some books on more advanced magic, she could learn to suppress her power. Then she could be like the other foals. Then, maybe sompony would actually want her. Maybe she could have a family. And maybe she could rule all of Equestria on top of it. It was about as likely as the rest of her old fantasies. The fact was that she didn’t have any of those things. Nopony in this part of Canterlot could teach her, and it was unlikely her, “caretakers” would be willing to part with the money for such a service any more than they were willing to give her some more advanced books that were written sometime this century. Even as young as she was, Sunset found it ridiculous how eager they seemed to be to get rid of her, but nopony wanted to put in the effort to help her. Sunset had spent as long as she could remember in this orphanage, and every day it seemed it would be where she would spend her entire childhood. Soon, she’d be past the desirable age for adoption and it’d only get more and more unlikely anypony would so much as look at her. If only she didn’t have so much stupid magic. Maybe she’d actually have a chance to get out of this place. Maybe her parents, whoever they were, wouldn’t have left her here to begin with. A wet feeling along her muzzle brought Sunset back to reality. At some point, she had started crying without even realizing it. The stream was quickly stemmed by a small foreleg roughly rubbing the tears away. Self-pity had never helped anypony. She had shed enough tears to know that by now. All she could do was practice and hope. Sunset made sure to clean any sign she had been crying off her face before she left for her favorite spot out back. A quiet area where her magic couldn’t hurt anypony while she learned to suppress it. She just had to keep practicing. Keep hoping. It was all she had. Sunset awoke with a start, her breaths coming heavily before quickly settling into a more sedated pace. Her mind catching up to the reality of the dark bedroom. That had been…interesting. Dreams were nothing new to her by any means. Sunset had thought herself intimately familiar with them in all their forms. Fantasies, memories, nightmares, but this had been something different. Dreaming of an old memory wasn’t uncommon. Sunset had experienced several dreams recounting her storied life when she closed her eyes to sleep. In all her years though, she had never dreamt anything so…vivid. Something so real and clear it was as though she was living through it all over again. So completely grounded and accurate in its details Sunset was positive she’d never have been able to recall such an old memory with such startling clarity if she tried right now. There had been nothing to indicate it had even been a dream. No inconsistent images or nonsensical imagery and events she’d need a trained psychiatrist to decipher the meaning of. Just a moment where she had been forced back into a different time from a different life. Most curiously of all, she had felt it. Rather than playing an observer, she had experienced all the harrowing emotions that came with that experience. It was like she had been a lost little filly all over again. A faint red glow that likely would have only been noticeable in the dim room’s dark lighting caught Sunset’s attention now that her mind had fully shaken off sleep’s embrace. The light faded as Sunset looked towards its only possible source. The Geode. The magic stone she had owned for roughly ten years had just been glowing of its own accord. Sunset had enough experience with the magical rock to know that such an occurrence wasn’t normal. Glowing meant magic. Magic that was being used for something. It had been years since the geode had used its magic without her first calling on it. Not to mention that in all the years she had owned it, Sunset had never known its magic to affect her own memories. Sunset was torn between her excitement at the new magical development and worry at the prospect of the geode going out of control once again for some unknown reason. Either way, the study of the geode in Equestria had just moved up significantly on her to-do list. Now that the strange phenomenon had been noted, Sunset had time to take note of the rest of her body. Looking down in the direction of the Geode, she could see that she was laying on her side in a rather comfortable bed. A typical situation for somepony waking up in the middle of the night. What was most certainly not typical was the long purple limb that was draped over her. The small oscillations of a soft pressure against her back accompanied by a faint snoring sound managed to eradicate whatever drowsiness remained in Sunset’s now fully alert mind. Last night’s events quickly rushed back to her. It appeared she was still in Twilight’s bedroom. In Twilight’s bed. In a position with the reigning monarch of the land that most creatures would agree was more intimate than most friends would engage in. Sunset felt her face heat up the longer she lingered on just how close the two had gotten in their sleep, a nagging voice in her mind annoyingly dwelling on just how unbelievably soft Twilight was. For both their sakes, Sunset made to put some distance between them, doing her best to scoot out from under her foreleg and off the bed. Twilight gave an audible whine of protest at the departing presence and quickly scooped Sunset into a far firmer and even more intimate hold than the one they had been in previously. Sunset was utterly helpless against the alicorn’s vastly superior strength and could only softly squeak in surprise as she was helplessly captured against the chest of the sleeping alicorn in a gentle but solid grip, Twilight wrapping around her smaller frame in a cradle. Sunset’s small blush flared up tenfold at the unexpected embrace. Twilight had wrapped both her forelegs around her in a way that firmly pinned her own forelegs against her sides. By all accounts, she was completely helpless. Unable to do any more than squirm around in Twilight’s hold. At this point, it was hard to imagine anything more embarrassing than her current situation. “mhm…where are you going, Smarty Pants? We still have to organize the candy library’s catalog,” Twilight yawned out in her sleep. “Of course, this situation could always get MORE embarrassing,” Sunset thought through the mortified expression she now wore. This was just outrageous. She was one of the most powerful and gifted unicorns Equestria had ever seen. One of the few ponies to have learned directly from Princess Celestia herself. One of the few ponies to have traveled between worlds. She had studied both magic and science across those worlds for years. Battled and studied magic most ponies had never even seen before. She once had plans to rule the entire world for Celestia’s sake! Now, look at her. Reduced to a purple princess’s snuggle toy! As if the universe couldn’t wait a second longer to rub salt into the wound, Twilight stirred once again to full-on cuddle her. “Did you do something different with your mane, Smarty Pants?” Twilight mumbled unconsciously in whatever blissful dream she was having, “I like it. So…warm,” Twilight sighed nuzzling into Sunset’s mane for good measure. Sunset prayed for whatever deity was listening to strike her down right now. Sadly, the universe wasn’t feeling very merciful at the moment, and Sunset continued to be wrapped in the unyielding, though admittedly still unbelievably soft, embrace. For a brief moment, Sunset considered just submitting and going back to sleep. Things truly couldn’t get any worse at this point. The visible clock on the far wall put a stop to that idea. Like everypony else, Sunset approximated the time of day by the sun’s light. Initially, she had assumed the night’s sky meant it was still time to sleep. Problem was, the pony responsible for the sun’s light was soundly asleep right behind her, and, according to the time, the sun was due to rise nearly an hour ago. The keeper of the sun had overslept. “Hey, Twilight…Twilight!” Sunset called out to the slumbering alicorn. Twilight gave no visual indication that she had even heard the relatively loud calls for her. The princess seemed to be a very sound sleeper, and from her current position, Sunset had no other way of rousing her. Sunset mentally went through the list of spells she could use to get out of her current situation. She may not have had any use of her limbs, but she could always depend on her horn with the right amount of focus and determination. As if sensing this, Twilight shifted her weight to lie more on her stomach, practically crushing the unicorn under her own weight and destroying any complex train of thought. “GAH…Twilight!? Get…off…of…me! Can’t…breath!” No matter how soft Twilight’s coat was, it did nothing to lessen what must have been over a hundred pounds of fur, muscle, and feathers, all doing its part to smother the poor mare that was barely half her size. Why did Twilight have to get so big? For her part, embarrassment had finally taken a backseat to rage. There was only so much of this Sunset could take before losing her cool, and, with a strength previously unknown to her, Sunset lifted Twilight up enough to speak clearly. The time for tact was over. “Hey, Twilight! Is that a quesadilla under your pillow!?” The result was insultingly instantaneous. Twilight shot up with frightening speed, still not letting go of her substitute Smarty Pants. “NOT THE CHEESE!” Twilight’s eyes darted around in a panic, desperate to spot the danger and cowering like a cornered mouse. Such a strong reaction out of such a ridiculous phobia. Sometimes, Twilight made it really hard for Sunset to believe she had been so soundly defeated by this complete dork. “Calm down, Twilight. It’s okay. You’re safe.” “Wha-Sunset?! Who…Where…?” “Just breath.” Twilight took Sunset’s advice without question and performed her usual exercises to calm herself. “Better?” “Yeah…I think so.” “Great…now I can’t believe I have to keep telling you this, but please put me down.” Twilight’s adorable nervous chuckle was almost enough for Sunset to immediately forgive being treated like a toy. Almost. Twilight gently set the unicorn down in front of her, trying her best not to stare at just how disheveled Sunset appeared to be. She didn’t do a very good job. “What?” “Oh, uhm nothing…it’s just…. Well, you look a little…” Twilight trailed off, reaching a hoof out to smooth one of the many strands of Sunset’s mane, each jutting out in one of countless nonsensical directions. Her efforts were received with little success and an ever more agitated Sunset Shimmer. “You know what. Maybe if I just…” Twilight rambled before effortlessly replicating the spell she had seen Sunset use last night to summon a brush to aid her. The gesture was met with immediate rejection, Sunset quickly backing away from the prospect. “Oh no. I’m not letting you anywhere near my mane after what you did to yours.” “Wha-come on, Sunset.” “Not happening, Twilight” Twilight visibly frowned at Sunset’s stubborn refusal. “Hey, I’m just trying to help. Your mane and fur are all out of place.” “Well, that’s what happens when you’re run over by an alicorn twice your size,” Sunset bit back. Twilight seemed to have forgotten that Sunset had a spell for this exact situation. A little magic and she’d be perfectly presentable. Sunset prepared to cast the spell before the look on Twilight’s face stopped her. The princess seemed surprisingly dejected at having her help refused, disappointment clear in her expression. Whatever threats her mane might have faced, it would be worth it to get rid of the sad look on Twilight’s face. “Alright, fine…just, try to keep it how I like it. I’ve got a certain style to maintain,” Sunset conceded, slowly scooting back into Twilight’s range. The look on Twilight’s face made whatever bad mane day she might end up having worth it. “There’s something you should probably do before you start, though.” “Oh, what’s that?” “The sun, Twilight.” “It’s been an entire hour now. Shouldn’t we be worried, Dad?” A young earth pony asked the pegasus putting the finishing touches on today’s pastries. “Nah, don’t you worry, son. Princess Twilight’s probably just overslept again. Though it has been a few decades since she’s done something like this.” His father’s assurance brought little comfort to his son, as he looked out in worry to the still pitch-black sky at an hour where the sun should have been fully risen. Surely something so unnatural couldn’t simply be the result of something so mundane. “Say, can you ask your Aunt Pumpkin if she remembers where we put the single-colored sprinkles? All I have here is rainbow sprinkles.” “How can you be so calm about this, Dad? The sun’s missing!” “Calm down now. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. You’ll see. Any second now the sun’s going to shoot right up.” As if on cue, a faint and hysterical distant scream echoed through the air, just before the moon fell and the sun shot straight into the sky at an unreasonable speed, practically blinding anycreature watching with a sudden surge of daylight. “Told ya.” The Sun now risen, however abruptly, and with both ponies in a presentable state, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle had decided to eat out for breakfast. One of the modest diners found throughout Ponyville being perfectly capable of fulfilling their needs. “So, what’s next after breakfast?” Sunset asked, though she already had a good idea of what Twilight had planned. “I was thinking we could head straight to Pinkie’s after we’re done here. If that’s all right with you,” Twilight responded in between bites of her food. “Whatever you want, Twi,” Sunset assured her, idly stirring her food. “Is something on your mind, Sunset?” Twilight asked. Sunset nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden change in conversation. “Huh? Oh, no. Don’t worry about me.” Twilight raised an eyebrow in a manner that clearly indicated she didn’t buy what the pony in front of her was selling. “Sunset, you promised we weren’t going to do this sort of thing anymore.” Sunset had to wonder when exactly Twilight had gotten so good at reading her. She hadn’t been particularly obvious that her mind was elsewhere at the moment, but the alicorn sitting across from her had easily picked it out. Never mind that she had a point. If she wanted Twilight to let her in, she’d have to do the same, even if it wasn’t particularly important. “I had a weird dream last night. That’s all,” Sunset conceded “What kind of dream?” Twilight prodded, not having any noticeable reaction to this information in particular. “A magic one.” Twilight cocked her head in confusion. “What exactly is a ‘magic’ dream?” “Something to do with this,” Sunset sighed, bringing her geode up with her hoof to give Twilight a clear view. “It felt like I was reliving one of my memories, and when I woke up this was doing…something,” Sunset finished lamely, not sure how to describe what she was talking about. “I take it that’s not normal,” Twilight commented, unfortunately, unfamiliar with the magic Sunset and her friends possessed. Sunset shifted the geode to look at it herself. “Well, no. It’s supposed to let me see the memories and emotions of other people, and presumably ponies, but it’s never made me see my own before.” “Well, it’s never been in Equestria for longer than a few hours before,” Twilight pointed out. “Who knows what sort of effect the magic of this world could be having on magic that’s been altered by the human world. We’ll probably need to study it before we understand exactly how it works in Equestria.” Twilight’s face smoothly shifted from analytical to concerned. “Until then, are you sure you should still be wearing it? If its magic is acting outside of your control, maybe it’d be safer to put it away until we determine it’s safe.” “Well, the best way to understand developing magic is to experience it,” Sunset shrugged. The clearly unhappy expression on Twilight’s face led Sunset to quickly elaborate on her thought process. “What I mean is, there’s no reason to think the magic in the geode is dangerous, and it’d be easier to learn how the magic is changing if I have first-hoof experience.” Twilight was well aware Sunset preferred a more active approach when it came to magic, in contrast to her own preferences for books and careful study, but it didn’t make Twilight any happier about the idea of Sunset using herself as a lab rat. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.” “Twi, when am I ever not careful? That’s rhetorical by the way.” The two briefly resumed polishing off their breakfasts before a sudden thought struck Twilight, and her gaze lingered on the magic stone hanging from Sunset’s neck. “Hold on…how’d you know I was afraid of….” Twilight started, quickly losing her nerve as she trailed off, unable to finish her question, mouth refusing to cooperate and a fresh blush falling over her face. “You mean quesadillas?” Sunset finished in an off-handed manner, not even bothering to stop eating. It didn’t help that she couldn’t have possibly been any louder without shouting in Twilight’s opinion. “Yes…that,” Twilight forced out, embarrassment being momentarily superseded by indignance. “I’ve never actually told anypony that. Not even my friends. How’d you know about it?” she questioned, her tone not necessarily accusing, but still skeptical. “Oh, well it was actually just a guess,” Sunset casually responded, still barely giving Twilight any more attention than necessary. “A guess?!” Twilight shouted loud enough for everypony else to take notice. Quickly realizing she was drawing attention, Twilight sank into their booth in embarrassment before pressing on in a strained whisper. “You’re telling me you just guessed one of my deepest and darkest secret fears!?” “Are we still talking about a dish made of cheese and tortillas?” The look Twilight shot her was surprisingly frosty and convinced Sunset to take this conversation at least a little seriously. “Look, I didn’t raid your mind if that’s what you’re thinking,” Sunset clarified. “As a wise man once said, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. You don’t actually think I would do that to you, do you?” Sunset asked. Twilight quickly shook off her intensity. “No, no of course you wouldn’t. I’m sorry. It was just a little strange. So, you really just guessed it by pure luck, huh?” “I didn’t say that.” Twilight’s annoyance came back as fast as it had left. Sunset was messing with her again now, and she always seemed to know how to press her buttons. “Can you stop toying with me already and just tell me how you knew?” “Okay okay,” Sunset conceded, deciding to cut Twilight a break. “I didn’t exactly know, but I had a pretty good reference.” “A reference?” “You’re not the only Twilight I know, Twilight.” Twilight took on an astonished look as the pieces came together for her. “You two have a lot more in common than just looking like each other. I knew you were afraid of, heh, quesadillas because she absolutely flipped this one time when we had lunch at this Mexican place.” Sunset quickly became engrossed in recounting her findings, to the point she missed Twilight’s drooping expression. “I knew about her fear of ladybugs, for instance, because you told me they freak you out. It’s amazing how similar you both are despite growing up in totally different worlds. You both have the same reading preferences, the same nervous ticks, the same awkward smile, the same sparkle in your eyes when you get excited, heck, you even both have the exact same laugh!” Sunset listed off in obvious excitements. “So…we’re both just copies of each other?” Twilight said, a slight waver in her voice that somepony paying close attention might be able to catch. “What? Oh, no!” Sunset waved off. “That’s the best part. Despite all these inexplicable constants, there are so many facets of your personality that are also totally unique to you!” “…Like what?” “Well, for starters, the other Twilight is a MUCH better dancer.” “Wha-Hey! You of all ponies should know how hard it is getting the hang of moving around on two legs!” Twilight snapped. “I’m also the only one who knows that your little dance performance at the Fall Formal would have looked JUST as ridiculous if you were still on four legs,” Sunset shot back with a smirk. Twilight slumped back into her seat in defeat. “Is there anything else that’s different?” “Well, you’re both total worrywarts, but somehow she doesn’t Twilight nearly as hard as you do-” “I still can’t believe that saying caught on.” Twilight pouted “-and I’m pretty sure she could out-science both of us.” “So, she’s really just a better version of me then.” Twilight sighed. “No, she's a different version of you,” Sunset amended “She doesn’t know half as much about magic as a certain pony I know for instance. She’s no Princess of Friendship either. She’s not as confident, efficient, or experienced, and, between you and me, I don’t think she could handle a whole kingdom.” Sunset gave Twilight a small smile as she said this. “I think each world has its own take on things. They all look similar at first, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same. They’re like snowflakes. It might be difficult to tell them apart at first, but, once you look a little closer, no two are exactly alike. Each one has a structure that’s all its own, and that’s what makes it beautiful. Whether it’s a world or a Twilight Sparkle.” “You really think so?” Sunset only gave a simple nod in response. Twilight seemed to ponder Sunset’s words until a letter materialized just in front of her, completely redirecting her attention. “It’s from Spike. He says his work in the Dragon Lands is finished and he’ll be here before the sun sets…assuming I remember to lower it…funny,” Twilight informed Sunset while simultaneously skimming over the letter. “What was that about anyway? For as long as you must have been doing this, I wouldn’t think you of all ponies wouldn’t have a routine down by now,” Sunset asked with legitimate curiosity. “Well, I have attendants at the castle to make sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen, but I usually don’t need them. I don’t normally sleep through the entire night.” “What do you mean?” “I just don’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time. That’s all. It’s been that way for a few years. I’m not sure why I overslept this time in particular. I guess I’ll just have to be more careful from now on.” Twilight said, her own confusion evident. Functioning off only a hoof full of hours at a time was certainly feasible for an alicorn, but Sunset still didn’t think it sounded terribly healthy for anypony to get so little rest. Especially when the day demanded so much of her. She’d have to look into it more when they got home. “We can see about getting you an alarm clock later, Twi. We should probably get going soon. We don’t want to keep Pinkie waiting too long.” “You’re right, let’s go, Sunset,” Twilight stated, a determination overtaking her. Not a single moment would be wasted if she had anything to say about it. “Check, please!” “This one is my grandson and my great-niece at the Hearth’s Warming Pie family reunion at the rock farm.” Pinkie Pie said, pointing to one of the pictures in the photo album she was showing to Sunset. “They’re making their first Hearth’s Warming dolls.” Sunset craned her head to make sure she was seeing the photo correctly “Are those…rocks?” “What else are you going to use on a rock farm, Sun Shim?” Pinkie giggled, tapping Sunset’s muzzle. “Wasn’t that the year Limestone and Rainbow got into that big competition to see who could make the largest rock sculpture?” Twilight commented from just behind Sunset, watching along as Pinkie walked them through her house of memories Pinkie giggled at the memory. “Yeah. Poor Rainbow couldn’t tell a mineral from a mint, but you know Rainbow…” “She never backed down from a challenge,” Pinkie and Twilight said in perfect synch, punctuating it with laughter. “We sure had some good times didn’t we, Twilight” Pinkie lamented, eyes going glassy, flipping through the pages of the album. “Yeah. We did.” Twilight confirmed. Pinkie closed the album, finished with her stories. “It’s been a pretty wild ride. Lots of parties, cakes, and smiles, but also a lot of problems and stuff that just wasn’t a lot of fun. Lots of hellos and ‘nice to meet ya’s and just as many goodbyes.” “Yeah.” “Hey, Sunset?” Pinkie said as she turned to her new friend. “Yeah, Pinkie?” “You know me, right? A different me.” “Yeah, I do,” Sunset answered, unsure of where Pinkie was headed with this. “What’s she like?” The unexpected interest in her counterpart caught Sunset by surprise. “Oh, uhm, well she’s a lot like you, actually.” Sunset took a moment to think of how to best describe Pinkie Pie in a few words. “She’s got a ton of energy and enthusiasm. Sometimes she’s a lot to handle, no offense-” “None taken.” “-but she always means well. She’s crazy and a little all over the place, but she always comes through when you need her. She’s never afraid to be herself, no matter what anyone thinks, and she’ll do anything to put a smile on her friend’s face. I’ve learned a lot from her…she’s my best friend.” Sunset’s description seemed to satisfy the old pink pony, a content smile stretching across her face. A thought struck Sunset. “You know, I can send messages to her. Is there anything you’d want to say to her?” “Nah, let her live her own life. She’ll do juuust fine,” Pinkie waved off. “It hasn’t been all fun and parties, but I think it’s better that way. After all, what good is laughter if you don’t know what it’s like to frown? Y’know, if I had to do it all over again, I don’t think I would change a thing.” Pinkie paused a moment before reconsidering. “Weeell, maybe I’d stop myself from eating all that expired frosting I found in the back of Mrs. Cake’s cupboards. That was a doozy and not the fun kind.” Every mare present let out a lighthearted chuckle at Pinkie’s joke. The party pony more lively today than she had been yesterday. Almost as if the company brought back some of the life that had been previously missing. Cheese picked then to make himself known to the mares. “Hey, Mom. Guess who’s here to see you?” “Spike!” Twilight shouted, bounding over to the dragon so fast Sunset felt a gust of wind at her departure. The dragon returned the enthusiasm, readily accepting the hug directed at him in a tight embrace. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. Those old dragons are a stubborn bunch, but I think everything worked out pretty well,” Spike announced. “I’m just happy you’re here,” Twilight responded, resting her head on his shoulder. Quickly enough, the two separated to move back with the other two mares in the room. “Thanks for keeping Twilight in line, Sunset. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,” Spike chuckled, expertly dodging the purple wing that swung at him. “Well, she’s been a bit of a hoof-full, but I managed alright,” Sunset shrugged “I’m right here you guys.” Spike slowly approached the bedside of the waiting pink pony, a subdued silence falling over the room. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite purple dragon,” Pinkie chuckled “Just out of the purple ones?” Spike asked halfheartedly, a small waver in his voice. “It’s great to see you, Spike.” Spike kneeled down and gently wrapped his arms around the old mare in a tender embrace, Pinkie doing her best to return the gesture despite his broad size. The two stayed in that position, content with each other’s presence. A full minute went by before Spike gently lowered Pinkie down and stepped away. “heh, all these old faces hanging around. I’d throw a party to celebrate if I was ten years younger.” “Come on, Pinkie. Everything’s a party when you’re here.” Rather than retreating to the castle, Twilight had decided to spend the night by Pinkie’s side. Spike, loyal to the end, stayed by her. The accommodations were not the most comfortable, but it didn’t seem to bother Twilight, Pinkie’s presence allowing the alicorn to seemingly sleep more comfortably on a mat of pillows than if she had been in her royal bed at Canterlot castle. Spike had taken up residence in a nearby armchair, drifting off some time ago while slumping into the cushions. The light of the house was dim at the late hour, everypony having turned in for the night with one exception. “Pinkie…Pinkie Pie,” a voice gently called out in faint hope of a response. “Need something, Sunset?” The quick response caught Sunset off guard, only barely managing to muffle her squeak of surprise so as not to wake Twilight or Spike. “You’re up?” “I had a feeling you might want to talk.” Sunset could only make out the silhouette of the pink pony in the dark, her expression hidden from view. “Well, shoot,” Pinkie prompted. “Oh! Well, I was kind of hoping you could elaborate…on the things you said last night I mean.” “I thought I was pretty straightforward.” “Well, yeah but I’m in a bit of a unique situation,” “You’ve got super awesome friends on both sides of the mirror and you’re still not even sure of what to make of your relationship with Celestia, right?” Sunset was torn between being grateful for the saved time and really wishing Pinkie wouldn’t do that. “Well, yeah. You told me to keep the ones I love close, and I get that, really, but how can I do that when some of them are always going to be a world away from me at any time?” There was a long pause after this question. For a brief moment, Sunset wondered if the old mare had drifted off to sleep on her until Pinkie broke the silence. “Do you miss your friends, Sunset?” Sunset knew the answer. She had known after her first day back. “Yes. It wasn’t like we saw each other every day anymore back in the human world but being here now…it’s harder than I thought it would be. That’s not even mentioning just how messed up time is now.” “That makes sense. Twilight said you all were like us. Like family…” Pinkie trailed off. “But you’re still here. Any special reason why?” Sunset didn’t answer this one, but she didn’t need to. Her own body betrayed her; eyes unable to avoid glancing back towards the sleeping alicorn. “Heh, figured as much.” “I can’t just leave her, Pinkie. Not now.” “That’s awful selfless of you, Sunset, but what about you?” “What about me?” “Yeah, what do you want?” “I have absolutely no idea. I know I like, no, love, magic, but I still don’t know what to do with that. I love my friends in the human world, but I don’t think I could be happy there. I thought I could find a place here, but now I’m just even more confused, and if I find it here, there might not be any place for them, and I don’t know if I could really be happy with that either. There’s just so much I don’t know anymore.” Sunset heard Pinkie fall into a mixture of giggles and coughs, her old body unable to keep up with her own mirth. “hehe…kaff…ha, oh boy. Sun Shim, you’re so much like Twilight it’s scary sometimes. I guess that’s the problem with being so smart. You always overthink everything,” Pinkie sighed. “I can’t tell you how to live your life, but if I’ve learned anything after all this time, it’s that following what you love is the best way to get to where you were meant to be. Sometimes you have to make it work, but if it’s something worth working for, you’ll get there. That’s all.” “That sounds sweet and everything, Pinkie, but I don’t know if you really get what I’m working with here,” Sunset stated, still unsure what Pinkie was getting at. “Maybe I don’t. I’m just a silly old pink pony after all. If half of what Twilight has told me about you is true though, you’re not going to let something trivial like time and space stop you, right? That doesn’t sound very Sunset Shimmer to me.” Sunset blinked. Pinkie’s words taking time to register. All this time, all these years, waiting for the answers to just fall into her lap. That really didn’t sound like her at all, did it? She was a problem solver. Someone who found solutions to things that weren’t the way they should have been. It’s how she had always been. Young, old, human, pony, good, bad, it had never changed. Not until recently. “Thanks, Pinkie. I think I get it now. I wonder if my Pinkie will ever be any good at sagely wisdom. Good night,” Sunset waved, trotting back over to take her place situated next to Twilight’s own makeshift bed. Pinkie leaned back, exhaustion becoming nearly impossible to push off any longer. “Yep, they’ll do just fine.” The rest of the week followed a fairly predictable pattern from thereon. Twilight would wake up, eat breakfast, and spend the rest of the day with Pinkie Pie. Sunset and Spike usually accompanying her throughout the entire day, becoming something of a royal entourage. It would have been quite monotonous were the pony they spent so much time with anypony else. Fortunately, no day spent with Pinkie Pie could ever be classified as boring, regardless of her old age. Barring that, Sunset still couldn’t find it in herself to be bothered by the repetitive schedule so long as it made Twilight happy. Or at least more at ease. However, having established a rhythm to her day meant that it was still surprising to have that rhythm suddenly disrupted. “You don’t want me to go with you?” Sunset asked. “I mean I wouldn’t put it like that per-say,” Twilight stuttered with a nervous look and a circular wave of her hoof.” Sunset was confused more than anything else, but if this was what Twilight wanted… “Alright, Twilight. If you don’t want me there, then that’s fine.” Twilight looked surprisingly panicked at her response “No! That’s not it at all. It’s not that I don’t want you there. You just can’t be there is all.” “You’re not making any sense, Twi.” Twilight breathed a sigh to collect her thoughts. “Look, this is the last day we’ll be in Ponyville before we have to return to Canterlot. You’ve been by my side this entire time, and it means more to me than you know, but just once I need to speak to her alone.” “Oh, Okay.” “Look, I know it doesn’t make any sense, but-wait? Okay?” “Yeah. She’s one of your best friends. It makes sense you’d want some time for just the two of you. I get it,” Sunset assured. Twilight was beginning to feel pretty silly for expecting Sunset to…well she wasn’t sure what she expected Sunset to do, but it had worried her all the same. “Thank you, Sunset. I’ve got a few…errands…to run, so I need to leave now. I’m sure Spike can help you if you need to find your way around town.” “Trust me, she’ll be in good claws,” Spike assured from behind them, flashing a thumbs up. “Alright, I’ll see you both later tonight.” Twilight bid, quickly rushing out of the room and presumably out of the castle, more in an effort to keep up her own determination than to get anywhere on time. “Does she ever just, I don’t know, settle down?” Sunset chuckled “Not as long as I’ve known her. Twilight’s always moving,” Spike affirmed. “Guess it’s just you and me today then, huh?” “Looks like it.” “So, what should we do today?” “You ever play Ogres & Oubliettes?” “Is that a video game?” “Board game actually.” “Hmmm, maybe later. I was thinking it might be nice to see more of Ponyville.” Spike felt that was reasonable enough, seeing as this was Sunset’s first time really seeing the city. “Anywhere in particular you had in mind?” “Well, there is one place I’ve always wanted to see for myself. Twilight talked about it a lot in our journal.” “Just name it, Sunset.” The rushing waterfalls could be heard in the distance as pony and dragon neared what was easily the largest structure in Ponyville outside of the castle. “So, remind me again why you couldn’t walk here on your own?” Spike asked over his shoulder. “Well, objectively speaking, it’s efficient. You knew where this place was, and we move faster this way,” Sunset listed off. “Besides, I’ve realized something. If you and Twilight are going to get ridiculously big, I might as well take advantage of it.” Sunset had to imagine she looked somewhat ridiculous, perched on Spike’s back in a convenient piggyback. It was nowhere near as comfortable or maneuverable as the Twilight express, but it still beat walking the whole way. “You mean Twilight’s been letting you ride her!?” “Forcing me to really, but yeah. You’re not jealous, are you?” “Oh extremely. Traveling by pony is only the most comfortable method of transportation in Equestria. Twilight used to give me rides all the time when I was little. Then one day she throws her back out and suddenly I’m, ‘too heavy’ to carry. Been stuck moving on my own ever since,” Spike sighed. “Guess being big isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” “Yeah, well, there have to be some perks to being a squirt I guess.” Sunset couldn’t direct Spike as she could Twilight, but, on the bright side, she didn’t feel nearly as bad about smacking him. “Ow, hey!” Spike yelped, his laughter giving away his faked injury “Friends aren’t supposed to hit each other, Sunset!” “So, what are you going to do about it? Tell Twilight on me?” “You think I won’t? I could probably convince her you need a friendship lecture. A long friendship lecture.” Sunset actually felt her heart skip a beat. “You wouldn’t.” “Try me, Sunspot.” The relatively young drake was surprisingly good at intimidation tactics. Something he must have picked up dealing with Twilight. He was in for a rude awakening though if he thought Sunset would be as much of a pushover. She was easily five times as petty as his usual prey. “If I’m going down, you better believe I’m taking you with me, dragon boy. You’re not being very friendly yourself right now.” “Okay okay, truce.” Spike waved of. “Besides, we’re here.” Sunset looked up at the sprawling fields and crystal-clear waters in wonder. Simply spotting the building from afar didn’t do the grounds justice. The place was positively bustling with life and vibrancy. Easily the largest assortment of creatures she had ever seen, even including Canterlot. Some were playing and relaxing in the fields, others were studying in their own group of friends, there were even a few creatures swimming about in the waters surrounding the building which had a constant flow of busy students moving in and out at all times. Laughter and friendly chatter filled the air alongside kites and any creature with wings. This place was quite possibly the personification of the utopia Twilight had turned Equestria into. It was, quite simply, breathtaking. “Sunset Shimmer, welcome to the School of Friendship.” Author's Note And we're back! Sorry for the brief break, but life caught up to me for a bit and, as I'm sure you're all aware, everything's a bit crazy right now. Fortunately, that has actually given me the time to finish the next chapter. At the moment, I'm hoping for at least two chapters a month. I hope you'll all understand weekly updates are great, but also demanding, so they can't always happen. As for the story itself, It's probably the chapter I've tossed around the most for no other reason than I wasn't entirely satisfied with it, but it's a bit of a transition chapter in the end. I still hope it gives you something to enjoy right now. Chapter 12: Learning to TeachThe brief excursion to Ponyville came to a rather uneventful end when all was said and done. As reigning monarch and the primary overseer of Equestria’s most prestigious school for learning and studying magic, Twilight could not afford to prolong her stay any longer. Her duty and her people demanded as much from her. So, regardless of her own emotions, Twilight returned to Canterlot exactly one week after her departure. Once it had been confirmed that Canterlot was still standing and the castle had not burned down in her absence, she once again donned the golden regalia of royalty and shifted back into her role as the wise level-headed leader of a great nation. The agenda after such an emotionally taxing and draining week? Business as usual. The days after were thoroughly ordinary, as though the week prior had never happened at all and life simply kept moving forward. Sunset, having accompanied Twilight all the while, was amazed at her friend’s ability to hold her head so high after scarcely looking any sturdier than glass just days before, returning from her final day alone with Pinkie Pie on the verge of crumbling to pieces. It was an act, of course, but it was convincing enough that Sunset doubted anypony that didn’t know better could manage to see through it. It was certainly not something Sunset could ever imagine the Twilight she once knew being able to pull off. Not with how she had worn her emotions on her sleeve, instead of burying them in her heart. It was all just a part of the job, Sunset understood that better than most ponies, but one had to wonder what sort of toll it took on a pony. To never really be yourself to the world. Then again, maybe it helped to keep busy at times like these. Sunset had always found that worked for her at the very least. It was how she found herself cooped up in her room with several projects on standby. “Let’s see, today we have a modern Equestrian history textbook for study on recent world events, The Canterlot Chronicle for current events, a book on quantum magical theory for recent developments in the understanding of magical energy, and a Neigh York Times best-selling fantasy epic…for fun,” Sunset chuckled, laying all four items open on her bed in front of her for what she liked to call, “optimized speed reading”. Reading just one book at a time was terribly inefficient, especially for a pony that had several decades of missed advancements to catch up on. This way, she’d be caught up by Hearth’s Warming…assuming that was still a thing. Apparently, they had completely replaced the Summer Sun Celebration, so anything was possible at this point. Sunset turned to the first book in line and flipped to a point in history that was relatively recent. “Okay, so, on the tenth year of Princess Twilight’s reign the inaugural Equus games were held in the Crystal Empire. This event marked the first time in recorded history all neighboring major kingdoms came together to pit their best athletes against one another in friendly competition. This was another major turning point in Equestria’s relationship with foreign nations and is often seen as a key factor in the subsequent mass immigrations,” Sunset recited off of the page, quickly memorizing the information and turning her attention to more recent news. Generally, it was never anything particularly exciting, but the human world had taught her that a slow news day was usually a good thing. A steady knock on her door brought Sunset out of her midday information crunch session. “It’s open! Come in!” Sunset called, swapping over to the next piece of written information in line. Sunset’s door creaked open to reveal a familiar blue changeling advisor, as stiff and dignified as she had ever seen him. “Hello, Cercus,” Sunset greeted “Ms. Shimmer,” Cercus nodded in return. Aside from a slight eye twitch, Sunset managed to suppress her offense at once again being denied the respect of the title she had rightfully earned through years of grueling study and work. She had learned that every time she gave him a reaction, he won, and Sunset Shimmer did not lose. “I’m sort of busy right now. Does Twilight need something?” Sunset asked, already knowing that Cercus never stopped by just for a simple visit. “I’m afraid not. I’m actually here on behalf of…good heavens! What happened in here!” Cercus exclaimed, for the first time expressing legitimate disbelief. Sunset had almost assumed that Cercus’s face simply wasn’t capable of doing emotions, making his shock come as a shock to her. “Uhm, are you okay? Cercus? Is something wrong?” Cercus, to his credit, quickly shook off the brief lapse in composure. “Is something wrong? Well, I do say something is most definitely wrong with the completely disastrous state of your chambers, Ms. Shimmer.” “What? It’s not that bad…is it?” Sunset argued or at least tried to. She hadn’t actually paid much attention to her surroundings, far too engrossed in her work. “Shall I start with the tower of books scraping the ceiling in the corner, threatening to collapse at any moment, the copious amounts of paper, quills, and ink scattered about, or that monstrosity of wires currently perched upon your desk as a starting point for why it is indeed, ‘that bad,’” Cercus admonished, certainly having a way of making a grown mare feel like a filly. Sunset had always been a touch unstoppable when she really got going. It wasn’t like she meant to be so disorganized; it just always kind of happened. “Seeing as you share so many of her majesty’s interests, I had hoped you would also share her impeccable penchant for cleanliness and organization, but it seems that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Cercus sighed “Okay, I get it. I’m a bit of a mess. I’ll clean it up later,” Sunset pouted. So, she wasn’t as organized as Twilight. What pony was? Sunset knew only one person that came close, and she was also named Twilight. “Indeed, you will. We can hardly have somepony in the same wing as her highness living in such an uncouth manner,” Cercus said, basically ordering her to clean her room in an overly verbose fashion. “However, that will have to come after you have fulfilled your obligations.” “Obligations?” Sunset thought. If Twilight didn’t need her for anything, what other obligations did she really have? Noticing Sunset’s perplexed look, Cercus decided to clarify. “Ms. Shimmer, Princess Flurry Heart is expecting your presence.” Okay, so it wasn’t as though she meant to let Flurry Heart’s promised magic lessons slip her mind. She had even written out some, admittedly rough, ideas bought some supplies, and brushed up on some older material. It had just been a rather exciting week was all, and there was just so much going on, and, in her defense, she had never actually established any sort of schedule to work off of. How was she supposed to know Flurry Heart would pick today to drop by and expect her first lesson? Apparently, she was rather excited about it, at least according to her changeling friend, so postponing it now was likely not in her best interest. It was never a good idea to get on a Princess’s bad side, and Sunset was trying to kick her nasty habit of doing just that. More importantly, however, was that this was most likely her best chance to really connect with Flurry and build upon the relationship she literally fought to establish. Sunset couldn’t quite explain why, but something in her deeply wanted Flurry to like her and to help her, at least in some way. So, Sunset decided to keep doing what she had already been doing with Flurry Heart. She’d wing it. She found a nice quiet unoccupied lab in the lower levels of the castle, sent Cercus to direct Flurry Heart over to her, and tried to form a game plan while she waited. How hard could teaching be anyway? Surely, she must have picked up something from all those years in school. “Oh, who am I kidding,” Sunset sighed, slamming her face down on the table she was sitting at. “I don’t know the first thing about being a good teacher. I’ve always been a student. I don’t know how to teach magic to little foals, let alone a Princess!” Had she really managed to fail before she even began? It had just seemed like the right decision at the time. Something to get Flurry to open up to her. Somehow, she hadn’t prepared for when she’d actually have to make good on it. “Okay,” Sunset thought, trying to evaluate her situation. “You can’t go Twilighting now. There’s still time to figure this out.” Suddenly, the door to the lab sprang open to make way for Equestria’s newest Princess who was practically bouncing with every step. “Aunt Sunset, I’m here!” Flurry practically sang. “Aaaannnd, time’s up,” Sunset internally mourned “You would not believe what it takes to commute here from the Crystal Empire, but it’ll all be worth it soon,” Flurry Heart said, making her way to the lab table to stand opposite to Sunset. “I’m so excited! I can’t believe I’m finally going to learn some real sorcery! So, what are you going to teach me first? Maybe, how to turn stone into gold? Or, how about, how to summon a giant cupcake!? No, wait, how about, how to punch a hole into another dimension!?” Flurry rambled, now leaning on the table with both hooves and getting closer to Sunset with each idea. Sunset gulped. “Well, actually, Flurry, I think it would be best if we started a little smaller than that. I don’t know if you’re ready for anything quite that…intense,” Sunset settled on. Apparently, the assertion that Flurry was “excited” was a rather large understatement. Flurry Heart backed off; her excitement contained but still incredibly apparent in her eyes. “Okay, what can you teach me?” That was an incredibly good question. What could she teach Flurry Heart? Certainly, she knew plenty of magic. Tons of it, in fact. Sunset found that with a little refreshing all of her magical knowledge remained relatively intact despite being cut off from the means of practicing it for so long. Now she had been back long enough to pick up some new things and craft some new spells in addition to all the old ones. Yes, she had knowledge of transfiguration spells, energy manipulation spells, illusion spells, spatial distortion spells, magical construct spells, and even some black magic pilfered from Celestia’s restricted section, though it was safe to say she probably wouldn’t be needing those. She knew the spells, but how did she pass that on? Where to even start? Perhaps the same place she had started? But that was a lifetime ago, and Flurry was no filly. Sunset was beginning to regret not thinking about asking Twilight for advice at some point. She had plenty of experience teaching. Probably learned all about it from… “Celestia!” Sunset internally shouted, her old teacher and guide’s name bursting into her brain. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. If she wanted to be a teacher, she’d have to think like one. She just needed to think like Celestia. What would Celestia do? Probably assess her student. Find out exactly what she was working with. “Flurry, before we try anything, maybe you could tell me some of what you already know about magic. It might help to gauge where you currently stand,” Sunset suggested. “Oh, yeah. I can do that,” Flurry said, taking a few steps back and taking a moment to think about it. Sunset internally breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, at least she didn’t fall apart right out of the gate. “Well, I guess you already know I’m pretty good at blasting things. I’m pretty good at making shields, not that I ever really need them, and, uhm, I guess I can throw some pretty heavy stuff around…Oh, and I can teleport!” Flurry listed off after a decent amount of thinking. Sunset blinked. “…That’s it?” “Well, yeah?” Flurry Heart responded unsure what to make of Sunset’s reaction. Sunset knew Flurry wasn’t exactly a scholar, but she hadn’t expected…well, this. Flurry’s knowledge of magic would have only barely gotten her through magic kindergarten. Cadenza may not have been much of a mage, Celestia being more interested in training her for her duties as a princess which tended to focus more on etiquette than sorcery, but she still must have had more to offer than this. And, even if she hadn’t, surely, they could have found some other pony to teach her something. The Crystal Empire may not have had many unicorns, but there was no reason a tutor couldn’t be found for Flurry Heart given the connections they must have had. Sunset just couldn’t think of any good reason for Flurry to be so inexperienced after all this time. “Is…is something wrong, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry Heart asked, becoming concerned by Sunset’s silence. “Well…Flurry, that’s not really a lot to go off of,” Sunset confessed. The spark in Flurry Heart’s eyes finally went out and she sunk towards the floor. “Yeah, I know.” “Well, what sort of magical schooling have you had before this?” Sunset tried, almost afraid of the answer. “Well…my dad taught me some stuff. Enough to protect myself, if I needed it. Not that I usually need it,” Flurry nearly murmured. “So, you’ve never really had any sort of formal education in magic?” Sunset asked, not really needing an answer anymore but holding out for something. Flurry Heart chuckled a broken sort of sound that was laced with something Sunset couldn’t quite identify. “Are you kidding? Who would teach me? No pony who isn’t living under a rock would want the job of trying to train the Princess of Explosions.” Flurry Heart began pacing back and forth, working herself into a fervor that reminded Sunset of the first time she had seen the Princess. “I mean, good luck getting somepony to travel all the way out to the Crystal Empire just to try their hoof at a ticking timebomb with wings! Just come on down and see if you can so much as survive the Princess who’s most widely known for nearly destroying her own kingdom while she was still in diapers,” Flurry Heart vented. “Uhm…what?” Sunset muttered. “Oh? Didn’t anypony tell you? I kind of destroyed the ancient artifact that the entire Crystal Empire depends on for survival right after I was born and came closer to wiping it and all the other Princesses out than Sombra ever did. I mean, I was so young I don’t really even remember it, but that’s okay because no pony else will ever let me forget!” Flurry explained with a smile that would have been sweet were it not unbelievably strained. Sunset at this point knew that she probably needed to do something to help calm the Princess down. “Flurry, maybe-” “Okay, so it turns out that normal unicorns just aren’t qualified to teach magic to an alicorn that had enough magic to level a castle when they were a newborn, and Dad tried but he was a soldier, not a wizard,” Flurry continued, cutting Sunset off. “But that’s okay, because your Aunt is the literal embodiment of magic, so if anypony could help you, she can! Oh, no, wait…she’s the ruler of all Equestria. That means it’s her job to raise the sun, lower the moon, babysit snotty nobles and bureaucrats, pass laws, oversee finances, and basically look after every tiny little thing in Equestria so that everything doesn’t fall apart, and whatever little free time she wrestles from that she’ll spend teaching magic to a new generation of foals that aren’t you! “Then, that just leaves Mom…” Flurry Heart sighed, finally winding down. “Yeah, she’s pretty busy too. Ruling the Crystal Empire is a big job, and every year there’s more love, which means the Empire gets bigger, which means more love, which just means more work. But really, I just don’t think she wants to teach me, and I don’t really know why,” Flurry finished her tirade, her excitement spent, leaving her in a melancholic state. Sunset listened to the entire episode from her seat, processing all that she had heard. Flurry Heart certainly didn’t hold anything back once she got going, and, just like her Aunt, she must have kept it bottled up inside until it all just spilled out. “It’s okay though, I guess,” Flurry began, once again pulling Sunset back to the present. “It’s not like it really matters whether I learn magic or not. Equestria’s already got all the Princesses it needs and it’s not like those are going anywhere. It’s been years since a real bad guy popped up, and they didn’t really need me for those either. All I really do is show up for a few festivals or summits and look pretty. Manage things like the Trader’s Exchange. “I guess, maybe I just…” Flurry started, now looking hopelessly dejected completely by her own doing. “maybe this was a mistake,” Flurry sighed and simply turned around to leave. Snapping to attention, Sunset made her move, igniting her horn and warping herself right between Flurry and the exit. “Flurry, wait!” Sunset shouted. Aside from a startled look, Flurry immediately complied and ceased her movement. Sunset realized she really needed to stop getting herself into situations without any clear idea of what she was going to do once she got there. “Okay…I’m not going to pretend I completely understand what you’re going through,” Sunset slowly began, practically stretching it out as long as possible in hopes the right thing to say would come to her. “Come on Shimmer, think. Clearly, this kid needs somepony right now. You may not be worth much as a teacher or anything else, but after all this time you have to know at least something about being a good friend,” Sunset internally lectured herself. The human world may not have had the most magic to study, but it did teach her how to understand people. Sometimes what someone needs the most is for someone to be there and just try to understand, to empathize. “…but,” Sunset finally continued, “I want you to know that there’s nothing wrong with wanting more out of your life.” Flurry blinked, unsure what to make of that statement. “So, maybe you don’t necessarily need to learn magic, but it’s something you want for yourself. I get it,” Sunset finished. Flurry Heart shifted uncomfortably in place. “I don’t know. Where do I even start at this point? I don’t even really know what I’m doing.” “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Flurry,” Sunset smiled, her own confidence building, “I almost never have any idea what I’m doing.” “Really?” Flurry Heart asked in awe as though she had just been let in on some great truth. “Really,” Sunset nodded in confirmation. “And that’s okay because we figure it out. Just like I’m going to figure out how to teach you magic and when we’re done, you’re going to be one of the greatest spell casters Equestria has ever seen.” Flurry Heart's eyes began to once again sparkle in excitement. “You really mean it?” “Absolutely,” Sunset said with complete confidence that she was actually beginning to feel. If nothing else, it had given her an idea of how to go about this. Flurry Heart was special, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. That meant it would take a special approach to really bring out the best in her. An approach that she was actually somewhat familiar with. “Just follow me, Flurry, and we’re going to begin your very first lesson,” Sunset announced turning around to head for the door. “So, why are we in the kitchen now?” Flurry asked in bewilderment as she watched her newly appointed teacher raid her Aunt’s cupboard, setting aside what looked to be some very expensive china. “Well, assuming some things never change, nothing is more flimsy than expensive porcelain,” Sunset offhandedly responded, not really clarifying anything for the Princess. “I don’t really see what that has to do with magic,” Flurry said in complete confusion. Sunset finished her task of placing the most decorative and delicate dishes, glasses, and cups she could find on a nearby counter-top and turned to face Flurry Heart. “Alright, so as best as you can, tell me what you think magic is?” “Oh, uhm, well…” Flurry Heart stuttered, not expecting to be put on the spot so soon, “It’s like…an energy, right? Some sort of force inside me that I can use to…do stuff?” Flurry Heart summarized to the best of her ability. Sunset gave Flurry an encouraging smile. It was a bit of a rough explanation, but that was to be expected. All things considered; Flurry was on the right track. “That’s right. In its most basic form, magic is just energy. All ponies possess some form of that energy and they can manipulate it to do all sorts of different things. Now, before we can do anything with that energy you need to be able to control it.” “I can control it!” Flurry Heart interjected defensively. “You can manage it,” Sunset corrected. “Trust me, there’s a difference between suppressing your power and controlling it. Now, for most ponies control isn’t an issue. They’re born with the magic they need to coincide with their talents and rarely run into any issues. Some other ponies though…well, they get a bit more than that. And you, well, you’ve got a lot more. That means it’s extremely important you can control your magic. Out of control magic can be dangerous and unpredictable. You could hurt somepony else or yourself if you let it get away from you,” Sunset laid out for the sake of being clear. It was unlikely Flurry Heart didn’t know some of this, but it would help build-up to what she was getting at. Flurry Heart simply nodded to show her understanding. “However, it’s also important to remember that that magic is still a part of you, just as much as your horn or tail. That means that you can control it and, when you do, you’ll be able to do amazing things, so let’s get started,” Sunset finished Sunset’s motivational speech seemed to have successfully invigorated the Princess who flared her wings out in excitement. “Alright, let’s do this. I’m ready for anything you can throw at me.” Sunset grinned at her student’s excitement. “Well, okay then. Flurry Heart, for your first lesson, I want you… “to pick up that teacup!” “Alri-wait, what!?” Flurry Heart began only to quickly stumble in shock. Flurry did a quick double-take, first at Sunset and then the plain teacup she was pointing her hoof at. “Seriously? You want me, with all my magic,” Flurry Heart said pointing at herself, “to pick up… that teacup,” shifting her foreleg to the offending china, “and that’s it?” Sunset just nodded her head in response. Flurry Heart squinted her eyes in suspicion. Was Sunset just messing with her? After all that build-up, all that was expected of her was to lift a simple cup? What would that accomplish? What was she honestly expected to learn from that? That she could pick up a cup? Big deal, she did that every breakfast. Okay, sure she didn’t know how to turn water into cider, but she could certainly lift a dinky little cup. She wasn’t that inept. Heck, she could lift a lot more than one cup. Something like a large boulder or a train. Not just some cup! Honestly beginning to feel somewhat insulted, Flurry ignited her horn in a gentle yellow glow and plucked the cup off the counter and brought it over to herself before turning to Sunset. “There, happy?” Sunset nodded. “Yes. Now catch.” “Catch wha-Gah?!” Flurry Heart began to question before she had to leap to catch a plate that flew off the table and narrowly missed colliding with the floor, bringing it back up with her magic alongside the cup she already held. “What are you doing!? You can’t just throw around Aunt Twilight’s things like that, and I am NOT going to take the blame for breaking her expensive tea sets…again.” “Then you better not drop these,” Sunset called out, tossing another few cups and glasses her way. “Yah! Cut it out!” “Alright, now these.” “Wah!” “Good. You think Twilight needs this kettle?” “Grrr! Would you just-!” “Now these are just tacky.” Flurry Heart could actually feel sweat beginning to drip down her forehead from having to quickly focus on so many different delicate little objects at once, now having the better part of the kitchen cupboards floating around her like some sort of table set solar system. What was even the point of this? “Just one more,” Sunset announced, a single teacup in her magic which she casually tossed like all the rest in Flurry Heart’s direction. Time seemed to slow down as the cup hurled towards Flurry Heart, a final meteor looking to destroy the delicate balance of her world. No big deal though, right? It was just one little teacup? She could hold that, no problem. Did it every day. She just had to hold one more insignificant little teacup. Flurry’s horn pulsed with power as she extended her magic to stop the falling cup in place saving it from a grizzly fate and preserving her Aunt’s pristine kitchen. Nothing to it. Then, Flurry lost it. Her horn sparked with a surge of power and, even as she felt it getting away from her, she could do nothing to stop it. A force greater than any normal unicorn could possibly muster went out to each object Flurry Heart held in her magical grip. The noise of shattering glass and porcelain practically encapsulating her as everything she held instantly gave way to her immense force. Hundreds of sharp jagged shards hung above her, just waiting for gravity to bring them down upon her, and, with her concentration already broken, there was little chance she could stop them. And so, Flurry instead chose to simply shut her eyes and brace for the inevitable unpleasant sensation of being rained upon by the razor-like pieces. Seconds passed and the feeling never came. Flurry carefully opened one eye to see why she wasn’t currently an alicorn pincushion and was mesmerized. Each individual piece of broken glass and china was completely suspended in mid-air in a bright red aura. Flurry looked to Sunset who stood calmly to the side, her horn bathed in magic, and an almost confident look on her face, not a single hint of strain anywhere. The pieces began to float away from her and with very little fan fair started piecing themselves back together. It took less than a minute before every shattered item was restored to its full glory and gently rested back onto the table. “Wow,” Flurry Heart breathed, unable to find any other words to describe the pure feat of magical precision she had just witnessed. “That’s why it’s so important for you to learn how to control your magic. You’re stronger than most creatures could ever dream of, but that also means a single lapse in power could be all it takes for something to end up in pieces,” Sunset lectured now that her demonstration was over. “Okay, that makes sense,” Flurry huffed, finally finding her own voice once again now that the majesty had passed. It also gave her a chance to find her ire. “But you really couldn’t get that point across without chucking dishes at me!?” Sometimes, Sunset forgot just how large of a pony Flurry Heart really was. Her attitude generally didn’t do much to enforce her stature and Sunset generally hung around with larger creatures. When Flurry got up and personal like she currently was, however, it was tough to ignore just how much she towered over her. Sunset gave a nervous chuckle. “Well, I just thought it would be a more impactful lesson. Besides, you were completely safe the entire time. I’d never let anything hurt you.” Flurry took on a rather deadpan expression. “You blasted me with a laser not two weeks ago.” “Hey, that was completely different! Fine, so I’m still figuring this teacher thing out, okay? The important thing is you’ve learned something.” Flurry Heart conceded and nodded her head. However it happened, there was no denying that she had lost control, and over simple levitation no less. If the same thing were to happen in the midst of performing an actual spell…well, the specifics were probably best left to the imagination. She just didn’t have the control over her magic that she needed, especially when compared to Sunset. It seemed to be practically second nature to her. “So, I need to get better control over my magic. How can I do that?” Sunset glanced back over to the countertop supporting the newly repaired china. “You know what they say. Practice makes perfect.” Several hours passed as Flurry Heart performed simple exercises with Sunset sitting by, honing her focus until it would eventually take no focus at all. The goal being to finally claim absolute mastery over the incredible power that resided within her. It was tedious work, but it gave ample time for casual conversation. “So basically, she spent the entire trip mapping out local wind patterns, which would have been fine if the windsurfing competition hadn’t ended over an hour ago. Dash still won first place though,” Sunset wrapped up, sitting behind Flurry and filling the silence with stories from a different world. “So, Aunt Twilight being a huge nerd is like some sort of universal constant?” Flurry Heart commented in the middle of stacking everything in the kitchen into a sort of pyramid. “At least in the universes I’ve seen, which is admittedly only two, but nothing’s contradicted it yet.” “Say, there’s gotta be a me in that world too, right? What’s she like?” Flurry asked out of curiosity, rearranging her pyramid into more of a statue. Sunset pondered the question. “I don’t really know. I didn’t see Cadenza in that world very often. I remember Twilight babysitting you a few times, but you were just a year old at the time. Even now she can’t be that old.” “Well, I sure hope her mom is less overbearing than mine was,” Flurry muttered. Sunset raised an eyebrow at Flurry’s apparent bitterness. Even back when she despised Cadenza with a fiery passion, she couldn’t deny that she had a way with foals. Sunset may have never acknowledged her as Princess material, but she was practically born to be a mother. It was just a wonder how Cadenza could have ended up with such a rocky relationship with her own flesh and blood. “Say, did everything work out okay after you went home?” Sunset asked. “Yeah, sure. We just did our usual routine. I got back, she hugged me, I got grounded for a few days, and then it was back to business as usual,” Flurry Heart responded offhandedly. “How much did you tell her about what happened here, exactly?” Sunset couldn’t help herself from asking. “Not much. We didn’t talk too long when I got back. Royal duties and everything. We had dinner together that night though. That was nice.” “So, you didn’t mention our little, you know…” Sunset prompted with a wave of her hoof. “Oh, no way! Mom would freak if she knew I got into a real fight over here. It’s bad enough when I chase off a bunch of timber wolves or something. ‘Oh Flurry, what am I going to do with you. It’s like you can’t even leave the castle without getting into trouble,’” Flurry said, presumably doing her best Cadance impression. “I’m sure she’s just concerned,” Sunset tried to reassure her. “Maybe, but it’s gotta be the most suffocating thing in the entire world. Most of my old friends are playing bingo and I’m still getting sent to my room for staying out too late. Who knows how she’d react if I told her I finally found a real magic teacher?” Flurry stated, rearranging her statue into yet another different form. “So…you haven’t told her about me?” Sunset said with a mix of emotions that was hard to identify. “No, I…oh? OH!” Flurry Heart said in realization, nearly ruining her craft as a result before quickly recatching it in her magic with a small amount of strain. “You haven’t seen Mom in a really long time, have you? I didn’t even think about that. I’m really sorry. I’ll bring it up the next time I see her, I promise,” Flurry reassured. “Uhm, well, thank you, Flurry, but maybe we actually should hold off on that for a little while?” Sunset stuttered with no small hint of shame, tapping her hooves together. Flurry glanced back at her, perplexed. “So, you don’t want Mom to know you’re finally back after spending so long in that weird mirror world?” Sunset suddenly found it difficult to keep a straight gaze and averted her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want her to know I’m back. I’m just not so sure how well she might take the news that…I’m back.” “That doesn’t make any sense, Aunt Sunset.” Sunset sighed. “Right…well, remember how I told you that I wasn’t always a very nice pony?” Flurry, at last, put the finishing touches on her makeshift sculpture and turned around to properly face Sunset. “Yeah. But you said you’ve changed. What’s the big deal?” “Well, I never really got the chance to apologize to her for…everything,” Sunset confessed. It wasn’t like she had meant to completely bury her past transgressions against the Princess of Love. The opportunity to make amends had simply never presented itself on a silver platter like her chance to apologize to Celestia had. Okay, it sounded pretty horrible when it was worded that way. Sadly, it was just something that was easy to forget about, what with her return trips being so infrequent and Cadenza taking up residence all the way in the mythical Crystal Empire, and it was easier to simply make peace with leaving well enough alone than it was to attempt to make things right. The last piece of the old her that remained in any world. “Come on, Aunt Sunset. It couldn’t have been that bad,” Flurry offered as a way of comfort. Sunset gave Flurry a face that was all the alicorn needed to doubt her own words. “Could it?” Flurry asked. “I was a bully, Flurry. I used all the power I had to step all over everypony else because I was just that insecure. Anypony I felt even slightly threatened by or jealous of I’d do my best to knock them down. There was no pony I was more jealous of than your Mother…at least not for a while,” Sunset admitted, all of the shame and regret she had spent years banishing coming back to her in a single instant “You really bullied a Princess?” Flurry Heart asked, the concept almost foreign to her. Plenty of ponies over the years may have had some less than flattering words to say about her and the tabloids and newspapers gave her their fair share of slander, but no pony had ever been so brave as to actually pick on her. Sunset gave a sad chuckle. “It actually wasn’t very hard. She didn’t know the first thing about that horn she had on her head when she first moved into the castle, and she wasn’t the type of pony to sink to my level anyway. Besides, I may not have been a Princess, but being ‘Celestia’s pet’ offers you a lot of protection. I took advantage of that and did my best to make your mom’s life as miserable as possible.” “What’d you do?” Sunset sat back and ran through the long list of mean-spirited pranks she had put Cadenza through over the years, picking out her “greatest hits”. “When she first moved into the castle, I tried to get her to leave by scaring her with some dumb ghost story about an old groundskeeper that prowled the halls at night for Princesses to eat. It was just some old bed sheet and a rake, but it still got her to run all the way to Celestia’s room. “There was also that time I filled her saddlebag with fish, so all the swans attacked her during the Royal Swanifying.” “That does explain why she shivers every time she hears a honking sound,” Flurry Heart commented “I cast a truth spell on her once, when she had to give a speech in front of every student at Canterlot Academy. Turns out matchmakers have some opinions that you shouldn’t say in front of an entire student body. “Also, one time at the Grand Galloping Gala I hooked her dress onto a catering cart when she wasn’t looking. Ripped the entire thing off, right in front of every high society member in Canterlot. To be honest, I still don’t really get why she was so embarrassed about it, but she wouldn’t come out of her room for nearly a week afterward.” “Okay!” Flurry Heart interrupted, having heard enough. “I’m starting to understand why Mom might be less than thrilled to have you back in her life.” Sunset thought that was an understatement. Of course, Flurry didn’t know any of the cruel things she had said. The doubts and insecurities she had sowed and abused for years. Facing Celestia again all those years ago wasn’t easy, but she had her will to save her friends giving her the strength to overpower her own cowardice, and, for as strained as their relationship had become in the end, there were a lot of good times too. Moments that were irreplaceably special to her and she dared to hope they were special to Celestia as well. She and Cadenza had nothing like that. Nothing Sunset could remember as even so much as a positive interaction. She had absolutely no one to blame but herself, of course. Cadenza had practically been a saint, dealing with her for so long without absolutely snapping and she always tried to at least be cordial, even in the face of all her torment when her only crime was existing. She was simply her first and most tortured victim. How could she even begin to approach her after all this time? How would Cadenza even react? Just imagine the little devil who antagonized you at every opportunity and vanished decades ago suddenly reemerging to pick up where she left off like some sort of curse, and the first thing she does upon her return is assault your daughter. At this point, maybe the right thing to do was to have the decency to stay out of Cadenza’s life altogether. Sunset was brought out of her inner conflict by Flurry Heart walking over to sit next to her. “My mom’s a pretty forgiving pony. I can’t remember a time she ever really held a grudge,” Flurry Heart put out there in a thinly veiled attempt to ease Sunset’s worries. Sunset nodded in agreement. That’s just not the type of pony she knew Cadenza to be either. “Besides, if I’m gonna call you ‘Aunt Sunset’ then that makes us all kind of like family…right?” Flurry Heart asked. Sunset looked over to her new student at the sudden personal question. True, she had agreed to that nickname, yet another thing she didn’t think very hard about at the time, because it seemed harmless enough. She hadn’t really given much thought to the meaning of it. Looking into Flurry’s hopeful eyes was all it took to know that the youngest Princess took such matters to heart. “Yeah…I guess it kind of does,” Sunset conceded, not having the heart to say otherwise and any doubt being eased the second she saw Flurry’s face light up. “Right! And family shouldn’t avoid each other…or fight…so, I’m sure you and mom can still smooth things over if you give it a chance. Plus, I’ll make sure she doesn’t execute you or anything,” Flurry promised in a way that, bless her soul, she must have thought was reassuring. “Well, we’ll see…just, give me some time…and thanks,” Sunset said, some part of her feeling touched. Flurry Heart leaned over and gave Sunset a light nuzzle. Sunset was past making a fuss about how affectionate Princess’s seemed to be and just let it play out, maybe even returning the motion somewhat. “Huh? I have to admit, that’s pretty impressive,” Sunset commented finally seeing the finished version of Flurry’s work. It was an alicorn constructed out of nothing more than materials found in the kitchen with nothing holding it together aside from careful balance. “Yeah, I had to get creative at some points, but I think it adds charm, y’know?” “Who knew you could make wings out of those?” Sunset marveled at what seemed to be a physical impossibility by all accounts. The gently fading light that poured through the window served as a reminder that it was getting late. “That’s probably enough practice for today. Do you feel like you’re any better at controlling your magic yet?” Sunset asked, getting to her hooves. As though it was meant to be her response, Flurry’s horn ignited and the meticulously constructed alicorn statue disassembled itself and quickly returned all its parts to their proper residence leaving only a smug Princess as the sole alicorn in the room. “Okay, then. That’ll be all for today. We’ll pick up where we left off the next time you’re in Canterlot.” Flurry Heart stood up to follow Sunset out of the room. “Oh, I’m not leaving yet. It’s kinda been a while since I’ve been here on good terms. I thought I might stick around for a bit.” Sunset nodded as the two of them walked into the castle hall. That would give them a little more time. Scheduling was probably going to be a bit of a hassle given just how far away the Crystal Empire was. “In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow. Twilight’s going to need me, so we’ll have to start a bit late. Speaking of which I should probably track her down,” Sunset said, noticing she hadn’t actually seen Twilight at all today. Taking a vacation from ruling a kingdom meant you came back to a sizeable workload, but she should have been fairly free at around this hour. “If you’re looking for Aunt Twilight at this time, she’s probably in her garden,” Flurry said, still keeping step with Sunset as they aimlessly walked down the castle halls. “Which one?” Sunset asked. The castle had plenty of decorative gardens on just about every side of the castle, each meticulously maintained by diligent staff. “Her garden. It’s the little one she keeps up herself.” “Twilight gardens?” Sunset asked in surprise. That was certainly news to her. It wasn’t really the sort of hobby she would have imagined her taking an interest in. “Yeah. She keeps a little space in the castle just for her. She says it helps her to destress. I guess it must work. She’s in there almost every day. Personally, I don’t know how you could relax with that freaky statue around. Maybe I don’t really get art, but I just find it really creepy.” That certainly explained where Twilight disappeared to around this time every day. You would think Equestria’s largest alicorn would be easier to keep track of. “Could you take me there, Flurry?” Sunset asked. It was a perfect time and place to touch base with Twilight. She had started making it a point to make more time just for the two of them ever since they had returned to Canterlot. It wasn’t much, but it was what she had to offer right now. Flurry nodded casually. “Sure. It’s not that far from here actually. Just follow me.” Sunset stepped back to let Flurry lead the way to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s secret garden. Sunset still couldn’t quite picture Twilight as a gardener, but maybe it was just one of those things you picked up over the years. Flurry stopped briefly to look back at Sunset just after they began moving. “Oh, Aunt Sunset. It’s probably only fair I tell you now, when Aunt Twilight is in the garden she gets kind of…weird.” Author's Note Hello! Back again, and much sooner than last time. Recently this story has managed to achieve three hundred likes, which I don't know why, but just feels like a milestone for me. I tried not to have any real expectations on how successful my first real story would be, but I'm very happy with the turnout all the same. So all I'm really trying to say is, thank you.😊 Today we're finally doing something considerably less depressing. It's bonding time. As always thoughts and opinions are welcome. However, more importantly, I'd like to take this chance to ask for some more focused reader feedback now that we're closing in on 100K words. That came faster than I expected. Initially I just kind of figured I'd write and it would take as much space as it needed, and I'm still willing to do so, but I'd really hate to bore my audience. What I'm really asking right now is how is the pace of the story for you guys at this point? Is there anything you would prefer I change about it, do I spin my wheels too much, or is the speed we're going at good as is? Either way, there's still plenty of story left to travel, but I don't want things to start feeling bloated, so I'll take any feedback into consideration. Chapter 13: Flowers and Feeling“Weird?” Sunset repeated in confusion. Flurry Heart started to move forward again, continuing after her brief pause. “Yeah, weird. Like, ‘even for Aunt Twilight’ kinda weird.” “What, does she garden without a checklist?” Sunset asked, not really understanding what oddities Twilight could possibly get up to in such a mundane setting. Flurry bit her lip, clearly thinking about how to explain it. “It’s just…like how she acts, you know? Like she’s on a completely different planet or wavelength or something when she’s in there. It’s basically impossible to tell what’s going on in her head.” “Well, that doesn’t seem that strange,” Sunset said in response. It wasn’t exactly typical behavior for her friend, but Flurry did mention that Twilight kept the garden as a means of relieving tension. It made sense for her to get lost in her own head every now and then with all that must be on her mind. “Trust me. There’s just something different about her. That’s also not even the weirdest part. Sometimes, she just starts talking when she thinks no pony’s around,” Flurry said, clarifying as best she could. “Lots of ponies talk to themselves, Flurry,” Sunset threw out in Twilight’s defense. Flurry was clearly having trouble describing what she meant, but nothing she had stated so far really seemed that far out of the ordinary. A little strange maybe, but you’d have a difficult time finding something about Twilight Sparkle that wasn’t at least a little strange. “That’s just it though. She’s not really even talking to herself. It’s like she’s having a conversation with somepony who’s just not there,” Flurry said in a lowered voice. Okay, Sunset had to admit, that was sort of odd. Not something you’d expect out of somepony unless they had a couple of screws loose. Surely there must have been a good explanation for it. Maybe it was just some unique form of coping with all the stress she had to endure from ruling the kingdom on a day to day basis. “Well, I guess you’ll see for yourself. She’ll be just through here,” Flurry announced, stopping just before a set of double doors that were relatively small in comparison to the other ones found throughout the castle. Small stained-glass windows on either side were the only things indicating that the door led to any place of importance. The small amount of sunlight that filtered through indicated that the area beyond led outdoors but was inconspicuous enough that you could simply walk by it every day and pay it no mind. “Are you sure she’s in there?” Sunset asked her guide, some small part of her becoming ever so slightly anxious. “If the door’s unlocked, she’s in there,” Flurry answered with absolute certainty. Tentatively, Sunset reached out with her magic to grab the door’s handles and pulled with just enough force to jar the door open. The gentle click and creak of the door’s mechanisms confirming that the entryway was indeed unbarred. “Okay, I’ll just be going then,” Flurry announced, almost too quickly. “Don’t you want to talk to Twilight?” Sunset asked, surprised at just how eager Flurry seemed to be about rushing off after all her complaints about never being able to capture her family’s attention. Flurry Heart quickly shook her head in denial. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just catch up with you both at dinner. Besides, I really wouldn’t want to intrude on your quality time together or anything.” With that, Flurry turned to briskly walk further down the hallway, muttering under her breath, “Plus, the less time I have to spend looking at that freakish lawn ornament the better.” Sunset watched her new pupil disappear around the corner with a puzzled expression. If only something in Equestria could be straightforward for once. Turning her gaze back to the doors before her, Sunset gripped the handles in her magic a second time. As Flurry had said, she’d just have to see whatever peculiarities lied within for herself. With a gentle push, the plain doors slowly opened. A sudden surge of daylight shining through the opened entryway forced Sunset to avert her gaze as she entered. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, Sunset took in her immediate surroundings. Flurry had mentioned that it was just a small garden, kept up only by Twilight herself, and yet Sunset was still taken aback by just how contained it was. Maybe she was just too used to everything in the castle being needlessly grand and extravagant, always taking up far more space than was ever needed, so it was almost shocking to find something so…simple. Judging by the tall windowless stone walls that encapsulated the relatively modest area, Twilight’s garden couldn’t have been much bigger than a large suburban backyard. Taking a few steps forward on the cobblestone path that separated the various hedges, bushes, and flower beds, Sunset admired the collection of flora that decorated the ground and walls. The greenery wasn’t as tidy and well-kept as what could be found in the much larger gardens around the castle, but it was all certainly well cared for. It gave the garden a cozier feeling in Sunset’s personal opinion. The palace gardens were beautiful, but they were almost too nice in a way. Every hedge being without flaw and every flower being tucked in a tediously perfect place made them all feel almost sterile. Twilight obviously lacked the time and precision necessary to see to such borderline microscopic details, but that just made everything seem so much more natural. More wild and free. A snipping sound pulled Sunset away from the bed of daisies she had been caught up in admiring. She turned to see that only slightly further into the garden, faintly obscured by the rose bush she was currently pruning, was the mare she had been longing to see. The sun reflecting off her golden regalia and shimmering mane created a breathtaking vision that completely drowned out her surroundings. In a room full of vibrant tulips and elegant begonias, it all paled next to her radiance. Sunset found herself almost mesmerized, unable to look at anything other than the Princess. Completely consumed in her mundane task, and yet not even present at the same time. Her mind a great enigma constantly spinning with unknown questions, knowledge, and desires, trapped just beneath those violet eyes you could spend an eternity getting lost in. Sunset blew a heavy breath through her nose and tried to focus. It must have been a warmer day than she had initially thought. Her face was practically burning up out here. The heat must be getting to her. It was probably best to get a move on. “Twilight!” Sunset called out to her oldest friend, taking a few steps closer so she was only a few short feet away. Strangely, Twilight gave no indication she had even registered her presence, her vision remaining completely focused on the garden scissors she was using to trim the rose bushes before her. Sunset took on a perplexed expression. There was no possible way Twilight hadn’t heard her. The walled-off nature of the environment made it almost deathly silent. Not even the wind was capable of disturbing the serenity. The only noise present was the trickling sound of water from a nearby bird fountain and the constant snipping sounds of Twilight’s own scissors, neither of which were anywhere near loud enough to obscure her voice. “Hey, Twilight!” Sunset tried again, not quite screaming, but still louder than you would typically need to speak in order to be heard in an empty room. Once again Twilight failed to react to her call, the only indication she had registered any outside feedback being a twitch of her ear. Sunset failed to suppress an annoyed frown as she moved to be right beside Twilight. Patience wasn’t something she was ever particularly good with, nor was being more or less completely ignored. It was undoubtedly unintentional on Twilight’s part. This must have been what Flurry was referring to when she mentioned Twilight’s tendency to space out. It was almost impressive to be lost so deep in thought. One really could only imagine just what she could be thinking about, but, in Sunset’s opinion, it was time to come back down to earth. Sunset’s horn bathed itself in magic, the perfect spell in mind for making sure Twilight heard her no matter how far away she was. All it took was a little magic to the vocal cords. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” “YAH!” Twilight cried, her hair standing on end, and her entire body recoiling like an oversized cat. The shears she had been using were flung into some distant corner followed by an unfortunate shattering sound. Well, if nothing else, she had certainly gotten Twilight’s attention. “Sunset!” Twilight rounded on her, her previously sleek appearance now more than a little frazzled. “Sorry,” Sunset apologized, doing her best to swallow any amusement she might have felt at her poor friend’s disheveled appearance. “I was just trying to get your attention.” “By giving me a heart attack!?” “Hey, if you were a little easier to get a hold of, I wouldn’t need to go that far,” Sunset waved off, using her magic to adjust Twilight’s crown so it sat back in its proper position. A leader needed to look her best after all. Twilight growled and pulled away to pick up a nearby watering can. “Well, excuse me for wanting just a little bit of time to myself so I can finally hear myself think. Might as well give that up too.” Sunset winced at the surprisingly scathing tone laced into her voice. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to catch up after all. Twilight had a point. She had to sacrifice most of her time every day to the needs and whims of others. Here she was cutting into what precious little she actually had for herself. There was probably a reason she didn’t even know this place existed before today. “Oh, right. I didn’t mean to…I mean, I…I’m sorry, I’ll talk to you some other time,” Sunset stumbled over herself slinking back, trying to find a good way to quickly excuse herself after being so thoughtless in her approach. “Wait, no!” Twilight panicked, dropping her watering can. Her mood shifting almost instantly, any trace of annoyance gone. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that…please, don’t go,” Twilight practically begged, desperation that seemed to manifest from practically nowhere bubbling to the surface. “Calm down, Twi. I’m not going anywhere, okay?” Sunset recovered, trotting back over to Twilight’s side. “I actually only came here to check on you.” “Oh, heh, well, here I am,” Twilight awkwardly smiled. Sunset decided that it would be best to push past that particular scene and tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Sooo, when exactly did you take an interest in all this?” she asked, motioning around to the wide array of flowers that surrounded them. Looking back the way she came in, she could see that Twilight had assembled quite a collection. It was unlikely such a diverse selection of plant life was acquired overnight or as part of a passing fancy. No, it would likely take years of work to cultivate and nurture all this on one’s lonesome. Twilight took a moment to look over all she had created before responding. It had been so long ago since she had started working on this place. A private little sanctuary. “It just sort of happened,” Twilight answered, pacing away to look over a set of lilies. “You grew all this on a whim?” Sunset asked. Sunset didn’t want to belittle one of her closest friends’ hobbies, but there had to be more to the story than that. Maybe she didn’t know everything about Twilight, but she liked to think she knew her better than most. Gardening for its own sake just didn’t fall in line with her interests. Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know. The idea just came to me one day. It was so empty in here before. It just seemed so…lonely. Then, one day I tried planting some sunflowers and ended up connecting with a different part of myself.” “A different part of yourself?” Sunset repeated, her curiosity evident. “I’m an alicorn, Sunset,” Twilight answered as though that somehow answered all her questions and wasn’t the most obvious thing in Equestria. “I hadn’t noticed, Princess,” Sunset responded, placing plenty of emphasis on the title. Twilight turned back with an amused expression. “Yeah, I guess the whole wing and horn combo is pretty hard to miss.” Twilight flared out her wings to their full extent, Sunset actually feeling a strong gust of wind from the simple action. “I mean, look at these things. How could you ever forget them? You’ve basically gotta change your entire lifestyle just to account for their presence. You have to sleep a certain way, bathe a certain way, remember to keep them tucked in at all times so they don’t snag on anything, and don’t even get me started on grooming them.” “heh, I can only imagine,” Sunset commented. There was a time she would have been bitter beyond all measure at Twilight’s simple complaints in regard to the stature she could never have, but now…well, she didn’t sound bitter. “It’s easy to forget that being an alicorn is about more than just growing a new set of wings,” Twilight continued after once again pressing her wings back against her sides, compacting her astounding wingspan to a far more manageable size. “An alicorn is the combined essence of all three pony tribes, not just unicorns and pegasai. I’ve always been a unicorn, and I learned how to fly like a pegasus, but I’m an earth pony now too,” Twilight explained, using her hoof to gently cup a single lily. Sunset could have sworn the flower brightened at Twilight’s touch, as though new life had been pumped into it from her mere presence. Twilight eyed the flower, taking in the small fragile life she had created. “It’s honestly kind of strange. Unicorn magic can be used to grow things too, but it just doesn’t feel the same. There’s something special about using your own hooves and connecting with new life. It’s not something I could really appreciate before.” Sunset couldn’t claim to really understand the feeling that Twilight was referring too, but she was, after all, just a unicorn. The green hoof of an earth pony was a concept that was practically lost on her, but if it brought Twilight some measure of peace, then it was undoubtedly a good thing, and she really didn’t need to be an earth pony to appreciate the beauty of blooming flowers. Sunset followed Twilight’s lead and took a closer look at the flowers and bushes surrounding her. She had seen most of them before in books she had read, but there was a distinct difference in illustrations on a page and the genuine articles. Old paper didn’t smell half as nice for starters. “How long have you been working on this? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen some of these in person before,” Sunset marveled at some of the exotic flora that most definitely did not grow anywhere near Canterlot. “To be honest, I don’t really remember. A few decades maybe?” Twilight offhandedly answered, now tending to another part of the garden and unaware Sunset had begun to stray away from her. “Every now and then something will catch my eye when I’m on a diplomatic mission or providing a public service, and I’ll bring some back here.” Sunset worked her way towards the back where the more extravagant plants seemed to be kept. Hydrangeas, lilacs, plumeria, there was even a cherry blossom tree. It was almost a wonder Flurry seemed so against coming in here. Even as a pony with no particular interest in botany, she couldn’t see what could take away from some of what was blossoming here. “You know, I always wondered where you disappeared to sometimes. I was almost beginning to think…" Sunset began before pausing. In the midst of her tour, she had quickly found herself at the backwall of the garden. It was possible she would have simply walked right into it had the long shadow she had walked under not caught her attention; the bright light of the sun overhead being strangely blocked out by some peculiar shape. Sunset looked forward to find herself eye level with some sort of strange podium just in front of the wall, wedged in between the hedges that lined the garden perimeter. Sunset was surprised at how she had managed to miss the stone construct until now, so absorbed in her immediate surroundings that she paid no mind to it until she was right before it. Immediately, Sunset registered that something was off. A sudden chill running through her that made her fur stand on end. Sunset turned her gaze upward and immediately felt her breath leave her. Hate. Hate was something she knew very well…or at least, she had thought she did. She had hated before. Hated others, hated the world, hated herself. She had embraced it. Nearly been completely consumed by it. She had thought she understood everything there was to know about hating something, but the cold unflinching eyes that bore into her made her think that she didn’t know the first thing about the word. Eyes that held a burning inferno of rage and animosity great enough to consume everything in its path and even still would never be satisfied. All else was but a dying ember in comparison to the raw fury etched into the face that lunged out at her, ready and willing to do anything and everything it could to rip her apart. As illogical as it was, Sunset quickly backed away from the monstrosity, gasping in shock and even fear, actually tripping over herself and falling backwards. Were the large demon she was retreating from any more than stone it would almost certainly have descended upon her now as she helplessly laid in the dirt. “Sunset?” Twilight called in concern, her cries and the thud of her fall being clearly audible in the otherwise silent space. In a matter of seconds, along with a bright flash, Twilight was right beside her and helping her to her hooves. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” “I-I’m fine,” Sunset stuttered out, her breathing still far too shallow for her liking. It was, after all, just a statue. There was no reason for her to act like a scared little filly. “I was just surprised.” Twilight quickly caught on to the cause of her dear friend’s sudden scare. Her gaze shifting over to the garden’s sole piece of decor. “Oh, I probably should have warned you. I’ve picked up some very, um…unique decorations over the years.” Sunset, now firmly back on her hooves, squinted her eyes in suspicion at the princess. Twilight likely would have been far better off simply skipping over the actual cause for her concern. Surely, Twilight didn’t actually think she could lie to her, did she? Clearly she did, as that’s exactly what she had just tried to do. It wasn’t even necessarily that she was bad at it, but she had certainly picked the very last pony in Equestria you would want to try and be dishonest too. Sunset knew lies, and, more importantly, she knew Twilight. That brief pause that was dedicated to thinking up a quick cover and the uncomfortable look on her face as she said it was all Sunset needed to know Twilight wasn’t being completely honest. Sunset looked back to the strange statue now that her initial shock had finally passed. To be frank, the entire thing was still completely hideous at a second glance, but there was more to it than the raging, practically rabid, monster lunging out in some sort of desperate assault. Just behind it was a cowering centaur that actually looked…familiar. “Lord Tirek?” The wide-eyed look Twilight took on, reminiscent of a deer caught in headlights, let Sunset know she was on the right track. Not that it did much to clarify the mountain of questions currently piling up “Oh, y-you’ve heard of him?” Twilight stammered out, now visibly shaken. Clearly at a loss for where this was going or what her reaction should be. “Celestia’s library had some books that mentioned him. He tried to conquer Equestria and steal our magic. He was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes,” Sunset recited from memory. “He escaped and blew up your house,” Sunset finished looking up to Twilight. Twilight almost seemed to start visibly sweating. “I told you that story, huh?” Sunset nodded and pressed her advantage. “Yeah, you did. Makes it kind of odd you’d want a statue of him. Sure, he’s the star of a pretty awsome video game series, but I don’t know if that would make up for destruction of personal property.” “Well, I…You see, the thing is…I mean…” “Twilight,” Sunset said, cutting Twilight off before she could stumble any further. “There’s something you’re not telling me here.” Twilight went from nervous to panicked at the calm declaration and began backing away. “W-what!? N-no, I’m not…it’s not what you think!” Sunset tilted her head in confusion at the overreaction. She wasn’t sure of it before, but these moments they had been having really didn’t match with the standard Twilight freak out, which rarely happened anymore for that matter. These moments of anxiety and borderline terror seemed…deeper somehow. “Twilight, it’s okay,” Sunset soothed, taking a few steps closer to Twilight. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to hide anything from me. That’s what we promised each other, isn’t it?” Twilight frantic eyes settled into ones of uncertainty at that. The memory of that night came back to her in an instant. However, this was never something she had considered when she made that promise. Sunset found a new reason to hate Twilight’s newfound stature at that moment. It made it awfully difficult to comfort somepony when you were only eyelevel with their legs. “Look, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I won’t force you. I just want you to know that you always can,” Sunset settled on, hoping at least her words would reach Twilight. Twilight stood stiff for a moment, letting the sentiment sink in and turning it over in her head. Eventually, Twilight closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled a loud sigh. Sunset was almost startled when Twilight began to wordlessly approach her. She followed Twilight as she walked right by her to stop just in front of the outstretched stone forelegs of the pouncing stone monster. She met the same hate filled eyes that she herself had stared into. Only instead of fear, Twilight met her gaze with sorrow. “Chrysalis,” Twilight began before breaking eye contact to look up at the centaur cringing in terrified anticipation. “Tirek,” she went on, before shifting her gaze even higher to look upon a small ornament precariously perched on the Centaur’s shoulder that Sunset hadn’t paid any attention to until now. “…Cozy Glow,” Twilight sighed after a moment’s hesitation on that last name. A pony’s name. Sunset was beginning to understand what Flurry Heart found so unsettling. It seemed the more you looked at the stone effigy, the more twisted it got. Before there looked to at least be some sort of theme to the peculiar work of art. Lord Tirek, a magic devouring glutton, and this Chrysalis. Sunset knew that name. Twilight had mentioned her before in their journal. A changeling who ironically refused to change. Two villains. Initially, she would have guessed that perhaps the sculptor was using their likeness to illustrate some sort of deep message expressed through their posture. Artists liked vague nonsense like that, right? Then why was the final piece just some terrified little filly? A small child frozen in horror beside two tyrants. Maybe there was supposed to be some sort of deep complex message hidden in the juxtaposition? A message she couldn’t even begin to fathom. All it did for now was make her skin crawl. “Years ago, just before my coronation, these three joined forces for the sole purpose of toppling all of Equestria. Together, they came closer to succeeding than anything ever has before or since.” Sunset bit down to stop any questions from escaping her and interrupting Twilight’s history lesson. This was all news to her. Twilight had regaled her with many of her adventures over the years. Why was this the first she had ever heard of any of this or some sort of evil filly that had thrown her lot in with some of the worst villains in history? Ponies weren’t always saints, she was proof of that, but how could a child be capable of anything like what Twilight was describing. So much just didn’t add up. “We stopped them by calling forth the powers of harmony to strip them of their powers and undo the damage they had done. At the time, it was celebrated as my greatest triumph. Now…I’m not so sure,” Twilight sighed, lifting one of her hooves off the ground as though to reach out and touch the statue, but pausing just before making contact, uncertainty overtaking her. “That’s why you have this statue of them around?” Sunset ventured. Some sort of commemorative trophy made in her honor. Was that it? Twilight bowed her head in response, looking down at the ground. “This statue is them.” Those simple words sent a paralyzing chill through Sunset’s spine. “W-what?” she gasped, rationalizing that she had heard Twilight wrong. She must have. “This isn’t a garden, Sunset. It’s a prison,” Twilight sighed. Petrification. A state of magically suspended animation where living flesh and blood was completely replaced by cold unmoving stone. Sunset had read about such spells before. It took incredibly powerful magic to even attempt such a powerful and permanent curse. The feat was so rare and so irreversible that the only widely known instance of such a thing was Discord’s own stone imprisonment by the elements of harmony. That was Discord though. Sure, he wasn’t all bad, but such a drastic measure was simply the only way to contain somepony as powerful as he was. It was necessary. “The elements did this?” Sunset asked. It was certainly in their power. If the powers of harmony had deemed this fitting, then there must have been a good reason for it. “No. In their final act as the rulers of Equestria, Celestia and Luna encased them in stone for their crimes against ponykind to ensure they would never threaten the kingdom or anypony else ever again. It was…what they deserved,” Twilight settled on, only the final statement seemed to be directed more to herself than anypony else. “You don’t sound so sure about that,” Sunset immediately picked up, the heart of the issue finally within reach. “Maybe I’m not,” Twilight confessed, turning her eyes upwards to the looming sun. “I was so happy when the battle was finally over. Everypony was safe and I’d be able to finally take the throne like Celestia wanted. All that mattered was the fact that we won. I won. My greatest triumph.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed in anger, the anger she felt but had absolutely no idea what to direct it at. “That’s what the history books say at least, but the truth is that all this statue represents is my greatest failure. As a princess, as a teacher, and as a pony.” The bitter taste of self-loathing Twilight was emanating could have given Sunset a run for her money on her worst days. The amber unicorn took a step back in shock of Twilight’s sudden intensity. “Twilight…that-” “I’m supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, Sunset. So, why do I have to spend every day looking at this?” Twilight vented. “I used to wonder if just this once, Friendship wasn’t enough. That friendship somehow failed. Now I know the truth is that I wasn’t enough, and I failed friendship.” Sunset wanted to disagree with Twilight on instinct. If there was anypony who had no right to view themselves as a failure it was Twilight, but her better judgment kept her from blurting anything out. She now had a better picture of what was going on, but there was still so much she didn’t know about the situation, including the identity of one of the villains that were encased in stone. A pegasus filly she had never even heard of. Was it really possible for a child to be so dangerous and vile that such a punishment was warranted? Was there really no other option? It was hard to think so when her statue looked so small and frightened. Then, a chilling thought struck Sunset. One that made her blood run cold and caused her heart to skip a beat. A recent memory triggering a question that was far too awful to go unanswered. “Twilight…Discord…he said that he could see…everything…when he was trapped in stone. Can they…?” Sunset tried but couldn’t even finish the question. The idea was just far too unsettling. Being imprisoned in an immortal unmoving state was one thing, but to be aware all the while was not something Sunset had ever desired to consider. How Discord had not gone completely mad if he had truly been trapped in such a state was a mystery in its own right. Then again, maybe he had gone mad. It would certainly explain some of his behavior. And even if not, how could any other being take such a fate in as much stride. Twilight turned around completely this time, the question clear, even if unfinished. Twilight opened her mouth, but no words came out as she intended to respond but choked up on her own uncertainty. “I…don't know,” Twilight eventually managed to get out. The question had been a source of worry for her as well over the years, but the truth was that she really had no idea. If she had to guess, Celestia, Luna, and Discord had used a stone sleep spell to create their prison, but that was just a guess. She ultimately had no idea what magic had been used in the spell. She had never asked, so all she could really do is wonder herself. “Tirek and Chrysalis are sustained by ancient magic, older than most known kingdoms. I can’t say for certain, but it’s possible that they’re still…aware,” Twilight practically shuddered. “As far as I know, Cozy Glow was just an ordinary pegasus. The magic seal should have placed her in a dreamlike state. I don’t think she can see or hear us. I hope not at least.” An ordinary pegasus? That really was just an ordinary pegasus? An evil one, but still not some form of ancient evil or incorporeal mass of negative energy taking equine form. Just an ordinary pony no different from them. A pony named Cozy Glow. How could anypony fall so far? “So, you blame yourself then? For them being stuck like that?” Sunset guessed, trying to refocus on Twilight. Focus on the issue at hand. “How could I not? My job as a Princess was to spread the magic of friendship all over Equestria and beyond,” Twilight rationalized. “Just look at Discord. Time and again, I’ve seen the magic of friendship change even the coldest hearts into something amazing. I know it can reach anypony, so when it doesn’t, then it can only mean one thing. I’m the problem.” The gaping holes in Twilight’s logic were, quite frankly, massive, but Sunset knew that when you blamed yourself for something it was easy to ignore such things. Twilight had said that this had all taken place before her coronation. She had likely been stewing over this for decades at this point. What once seemed like a healthy environment for Twilight to channel her time and energy was now clearly a personal method of self-condemnation. “Twilight, it’s not your job to fix everything,” Sunset tried to throw out. “Yes, it is!” Twilight snapped with a surprising amount of intensity, only to immediately regret her outburst and shrink away in shame. “I…What good am I if I can’t?” Sunset shook her head. “Twilight, no. You have to know that’s not fair.” Twilight sighed in resignation, conceding the unfortunate truth of the matter. Some things were, and forever would be, beyond her control. Just because she accepted it though, didn’t mean she had to like it. “Maybe we should go somewhere else. It’s getting a little stuffy in here,” Sunset tastefully offered. In her opinion, it would do Twilight some good to get away from here. Dwelling on the past rarely led to anything positive, and, if she was to be honest with herself, she was eager to get away from…whatever that thing could be considered at this point. “…Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Twilight agreed without much coercion. She turned back to the statue one more time to wordlessly bid goodbye to her old friends before moving forward. Sunset stood still and let Twilight take the lead, watching her glide right past her on her way to the entrance, her current mood hard to place. She certainly wasn’t in high spirits, yet she didn’t seem down either. If anything at this point, she seemed almost empty. Too drained to express emotions of any sort be they positive or negative. If there was anything she hated more than seeing Twilight upset, it was this. Sunset turned to follow her but paused when a bright glint grabbed her attention. It seemed the overhead sun had deemed it fit to remind her of the precious stone she wore around her neck. The magic within it had been completely dormant since returning to Canterlot. In truth, she nearly forgot about it sometimes, with what little cause she had to use it now. Still, it held an ever-present place in the back of her mind. What new secrets could it now be hiding or better yet reveal? The ray of sun that reflected off the geode cast a soft pocket of light back to the place Twilight had stood only a moment ago, presenting itself as a small window of sunlight perched atop the snarling maw of the demon that had frightened her only a few short minutes ago. At that moment, an idea popped into her head. One so insane and so deranged, she nearly doubted it had come from herself at all. Without even thinking about it, her legs guided her closer to the forsaken monument. Her pace slow and stiff as she internally battled with herself. Part of her wanting nothing more than to turn away and never set eyes on the horrendous figures again and an even greater part of her being drawn in by some unseen compulsion. She once again locked eyes with her. Chrysalis. The thought that, against all appearances, those venomous eyes could still see and were set on her now was almost enough to break the spell she had placed upon herself and make her flee in the opposite direction. And yet, ironically, the idea that those enraged eyes could see pulled her in even closer. Her magic allowed her a window into the soul. Thoughts, memories, emotions, hopes, dreams, fears, fantasies, she could glimpse all of them with a simple touch. Peel back the surface and gaze into the truth of a person. It wasn’t a power she took lightly. In a sense, it could easily be perceived as one of the greatest violations you could possibly perform. Forcefully taking that which any person or pony held most precious. Had she been in possession of such a power in the days when her ambition had no limit, she had no doubt she would have turned it into a weapon of unparalleled cruelty and deceit. In a way, being gifted with such an ability had been her ultimate test. A way to prove that she honestly and truly had changed. The pony she once was would have never shown the restraint she had. The control to exercise her power in moderation and only for the benefit of those around her. More than anything, it proved to herself that she really was a different person, and no matter what happened she would never go back. The creature once known as Chrysalis hovered above her now, and she found herself in the very same position she’d been in when she had first encountered the statue. This time she did not scurry back in fear, but she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t feel uneasy beneath the stone’s cold shadow. The podium on which they stood held them all well above her eye level, but if she reached up now, she could just barely make contact with the fallen queen. What was she thinking? How had she already let herself go this far? She needed to get away. Far far away before she did something she’d regret. Sunset stayed rooted in place, moving neither further nor closer. What kept her there was unclear, even to the mare herself. Was it curiosity? Intrigue? Maybe even compassion? Some bizarre mixture of all of the above? Regardless, somewhere deep inside those stone shells were living beings. Was it possible to reach them? The many reasons why this was an absolutely terrible idea rushed through her mind in rapid succession. The magic of the geode had been acting strangely ever since arriving in this world. She could no longer claim to know exactly how it would affect her anymore. Even if her powers worked as intended, there was no telling what she could find in the deep dark corners of whatever lied within the stone. What was she even planning on doing with whatever she would learn from this? Who was to say it would even work at all? Was there some sort of line being crossed here? Was it right to dig into their hearts just to answer her own questions? Even if they were evil, that didn’t mean it was right to look inside when they had no way of doing much of anything. That was just it though. They were completely helpless like that, weren’t they? No matter whatever they had done before, and no matter how much they deserved it, the fact was they no longer had voices of their own. She could give a voice to the voiceless. Her powers could very well be the only line that could connect them and the rest of the world now, for better or worse. Or, maybe she’d just end up looking like an idiot rubbing herself all over a lifeless statue. There was really only one way to find out. Sunset slowly lifted a shaky foreleg, her hoof inching its way closer to a stone appendage. With some measure of annoyance, she noted that while Twilight had been roughly eye level with the thing, she’d have to extend herself as far as possible to even graze it. If only she were still human. She strained the three legs she had left to stand on to their maximum height and arched her back for every inch she could manage. Her skyward limb extended upward only to come up just short, not even an equestrian bit coin’s distance between them, but it was distance all the same. Contact. She needed contact. She just needed to reach a little further. Move a smidge closer. She strained even harder, trying to get something, anything, to extend just a bit more and give her the little extra height she needed. If only she still had toes to stand on or fingers to reach out with, she’d be there. Just a bit further. “Sunset?” The spell was broken, and Sunset returned to reality. Feeling almost like a foal with her hoof in the cookie jar, Sunset quickly whirled around to face Twilight, doing her best to play off any compromising position she may have been in. She’d rather not explain something even she didn’t understand herself. Twilight had already made it to the opposite side of the yard and looked back at her from beside the garden’s entrance. Thankfully, she was far enough away that she had likely missed most of what she had been doing. “Aren’t you coming?!” Twilight called from her end. “Yeah…just looking at something!” Sunset answered. She took a moment to glance back. She truly had no idea what had compelled her to try something like that, but now that her head was clearer it was probably for the best she didn’t go through with it. Something still didn’t sit right with her, but maybe that was a problem best saved for another time. There was plenty to deal with already. With only a moment’s hesitation, Sunset galloped over to Twilight and tried to forget about it. The only sound to penetrate the still air from that moment on was the opening and closing of a set of doors as the pair left the garden. Silence once again reigned supreme as the garden was left completely unoccupied. Time would pass and yet nothing would change until the next time Princess Twilight returned to tend her flowers. Everything was completely still. None more so than the lone statue that had remained in its spot for decades on end. Waiting. Author's Note Gonna be honest guys, I sat on this one for a while. This was the first chapter I really just couldn't get the way I really felt great about for awhile. For whatever reason, I just ended up turning this one around a lot. I don't think that comes through too much in the final product and I think every author has at least one piece of their puzzle that gives them trouble, but it definitely took me a bit to really at least settle on everything. I'm sure you'll all tell me what you think, and I always look forward to it. As for what's next? Well, Sunny and Twily time of course! Chapter 14: Old Dreams“You know, even after all this time, this view still takes my breath away.” Sunset felt the wind flow through her mane, a gentle but exhilarating breeze that you could only experience at the top of the world. Or rather, as close as you could get to it upon the balcony of the castle’s highest tower. Sunset could feel the rush of nostalgia that accompanied the gust of air. Thoughts and memories from another lifetime coming back to her in that single instant. It really had been a lifetime, hadn’t it? She honestly couldn’t remember exactly how many years it had been since she had last had the pleasure of gazing out at the evening sun from on high, framed by the mountains, hills, and valleys of Equestria. The rivers and lakes that ran through it all sparkling like crystals in the low light. No, she couldn’t remember how long it had been, but she remembered the feeling. The exhilaration, the freedom, the idea that, standing above it all, if she just let go then all her worries and problems would just fall away and she’d soar. A child’s fantasy, but she remembered it all so clearly like it was only yesterday she had stood in this exact spot. But it wasn’t yesterday, and technically, she had never really stood in this spot. As far as she could tell, it was in nearly the exact same position as the balcony Celestia had favored when raising the sun, yet that tower had been blown to smithereens long ago by a group of villains Sunset had a feeling she could probably identify at this point. The structure, stone, plaster, etchings, and color were no longer familiar to her. It was all newer, sleeker, and more modern. Different. Just like the view. Spotted in houses and villages that hadn’t been there nearly a century ago when she had last gazed upon it. It still made her feel out of place, but she couldn’t deny that it was just as alluring as it had been all those many moons ago. Much of what she had once loved about it remained, and a new quality she couldn’t place made it even more captivating. Perhaps, just because something had changed didn’t mean it wasn’t still beautiful. “There’s just nothing quite like this in the human world,” Sunset lamented. She was home, wasn’t she? She had been back and living in Equestria for the better part of a month now and yet that fact still hadn’t really sunk in. This was home, right? Twilight, who had led her to this spot to continue their discussion, gave a simple nod in response, not shifting her eyes from the distant horizon. “So, how have you been doing? I’m sorry we haven’t really seen too much of each other lately. You wouldn’t believe how much paperwork manages to pile up in just one week.” Sunset shook her head. “Actually, I think I have a pretty good idea. Princess Celestia’s desk was always buried in it. At least, I always assumed there was a desk in there somewhere,” Sunset quipped. Twilight gave a good-natured chuckle. “Okay, but really, what have you been up to? Please tell me it’s something more exciting than a fifty-page report on proposed tax policies.” “Here I thought you enjoyed reading.” “I enjoy learning. The only thing I learn there is how much some politicians think they can push it. Now quit stalling,” Twilight insisted, shifting her attention over to her companion with clearly visible interest. Sunset put a hoof to her chin. “Well, I did learn a few new methods to improve my security wards. I just need to wait for Discord’s next ‘visit’ to test them. I picked up a pretty great new book on the mechanics of shapeshifting. Communication with the changeling kingdom has really advanced our understanding of biological transfiguration…Oh, and I’m making some great progress on this new thing I’m working on. Wiring it has been a little tricky. I have to design a lot of my own parts now, but I should have a working prototype soon.” “Oh, anything else?” Twilight asked looking strangely concerned. “No, not really, I…why are you giving me that look?” “What look?” Sunset shifted her hoof to point at Twilight’s face so quickly she made contact with her muzzle. “That look. I know that look. That’s the, ‘I’m worried about you’ look. Princess Celestia used to give it to me all the time.” Twilight backed away, rubbing her muzzle. “It’s nothing bad. I guess I just couldn’t help but notice that you don’t really…do much.” Sunset raised an annoyed eyebrow to let Twilight know that she had a few seconds to explain herself before she got offended. “Okay, that was a poor choice of words. What I mean is, well, it seems like you tend to do a lot of the same things every day.” “I do not.” “Uh-huh. What did you do the day after we returned to Canterlot?” Twilight asked. “I picked up some new books from the library to study,” Sunset answered, with full confidence, not seeing the issue. If anything, she was learning new things every day at a rapid pace. “What about the day after that?” “Well, I returned those and rented some new ones.” “And what did you do yesterday?” “Well, I…gave those books back to the…library…and…studied some more,” Sunset answered again, only this time gradually deflating as Twilight’s insinuation dawned on her. Sunset mentally charted her course over the past week in her head only to find it was a woefully depressing straight line between her room and the castle library, with the occasional detour to the kitchen. To make matters worse, Twilight was now making a different, but equally infuriating, face. It was her trademark, ‘I just made an extremely good point and now I’m going to be all smug about it’ face. She really hated that face. “O-okay, so I’ve gotten into a routine. There’s nothing wrong with that.” “Of course not,” Twilight agreed. “I was just hoping that by now you could start branching out a little. Get out of the castle and-” “Make some new friends,” Sunset finished for her. It was funny how history tended to repeat itself. Just as she remembered standing high above the city in this very spot, she also clearly remembered being told something very similar by Twilight’s predecessor. “Exactly. I think it would be good for you to start forging some new connections. See what Equestria has to offer you that you can’t find in books,” Twilight prompted, fully aware of the irony that she would one day be the one to tell somepony else to stop reading so much and start living a little. “I went to Ponyville not even a week ago,” Sunset tried to deflect. “Yeah, for me,” Twilight emphasized by pointing a hoof at her face. “Now, it’s time to focus on you. What does Sunset Shimmer want?” Sunset leaned over the guard rail to face the city. “That’s not really important.” Twilight took a seat next to her friend in an attempt to be more eye-level with her. It didn’t help much, but the sentiment was appreciated. “It’s important to me.” Sunset felt a jolt run through her. “Well…I guess I just don’t really know. It all used to be so clear to me, but I guess I never really made a new plan when the old one fell through.” “What was your old plan?” Sunset waved a foreleg in dismissal. “Oh, just some silly filly’s dream. Something about owning a big castle, wearing a crown, and being loved and adored by everypony.” Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Oh, that long ago, huh?” “Yeah, guess I’ve just been kinda floating through life for a while now,” Sunset said, resting her chin upon the rail. “Sounds like you’re upset about more than just not having your own castle,” Twilight picked out. Sunset sighed. “It’s just…I don’t know, I always thought it’d be different. All these years and what do I really have to show for it? A cheap apartment and a handful of diplomas I never really wanted?” “And a bunch of friends that love and care about you,” Twilight gently reminded. Twilight’s earnest attempt to comfort her did little more than frustrate Sunset. Twilight was right. She did have that at least. That should have been enough, shouldn’t it? What did it say about her that it just wasn’t? “I know, I know. Still, I always figured I’d do something more. Be something more. I know I’ll never be a princess, but I can’t help feeling like I’m still falling short. Like I just don’t matter.” “Sunset, that’s ridiculous,” Twilight interjected. “Of course you matter. Just look at everything you’ve done. Everything you’ve accomplished. You’ve seen things no pony has seen before. You’ve saved the world. You’ve changed lives,” Twilight listed off. “Does it matter if I’m the only one who knows it happened?” “What?” Twilight asked in confusion. Sunset hated what she was about to say. Hated how it made her sound, but she had learned a long time ago that lying to herself was far worse. Even if the truth wasn’t pretty. “I came from nothing, Twi. So, all my life, the thing I’ve wanted more than anything was to be something. To matter. To stand out. I thought I had changed, but maybe you can really only change so much. The truth is that even after all this time, my ego still can’t handle the thought that nopony will remember me.” Twilight scooted closer and took the opportunity to place a wing around Sunset’s shoulders. It wasn’t often Sunset opened up so freely, so she vowed to always be there to lean on when her little unicorn needed support. “Remember when I blew up at you? The day I arrived?” Sunset brought up after adjusting herself to better fill out the wing Twilight had offered her. “Remember it? I thought you were going to set me on fire.” “I wasn’t going to set you on fire…maybe just singe you a little.” Sunset felt the gentle jostle of Twilight’s wing jerking her closer in a playful warning. “Well…” Sunset picked up, “I’ve had some time to think about why exactly I reacted that way. It wasn’t like I had really lost anything, and for a long time I had pretty much come to terms with the idea of spending the rest of my life outside of Equestria anyway.” “Equestria was still your home, Sunset. You grew up here. It makes sense that you’d miss it, even if you don’t think you should.” “No, that’s not it. At least not entirely. I don’t think I really got it myself until our trip to Ponyville. It hit me right after seeing the castle museum. Seeing all those ponies of my era immortalized like that. Reading about each of the ways that they made their impact. I left and Equestria just moved on…without me. I guess I just feel like somewhere along the line, I got left behind. I’ve always wanted to make an impact. Now I have to accept the fact that I haven’t. That probably sounds pretty self-centered, doesn’t it?” “Well, yeah.” Okay, so, it’d be pretty hypocritical to hold anything against Twilight for agreeing with her, but it would have been nice to be put down a bit more gently. Twilight smirked at the adorable pout Sunset clearly couldn’t suppress. “I’m only saying that because I’m no better than you are.” Sunset immediately pulled herself out from under Twilight's wing to face the alicorn. She had absolutley never heard anything so fundamentally wrong in her entire life. “Okay, how can you even try and get me to believe that? You’re basically the greatest pony to have ever lived.” Twilight was caught off guard by Sunset’s sheer conviction on that statement. “I really wouldn’t-” “No, no, no. Don’t even try to be humble about it. You’ve saved Equestria dozens of times, you earned the title of a Princess and got Princess Celestia to pass an over one thousand year reign onto you and changed the entire world for the better, you work yourself tirelessly day and night helping everyone, so it’s no wonder everypony from here to the end of Equus adores you. I adore you. How could I not? You’re…well, you’re…you’re…” You’re everything I always wished I was. It seemed that once again, Sunset Shimmer’s heart had run too far ahead of her brain. It hardly mattered that she never put it into words, the sentiment hung in the air clear as day. A tense moment of silence lingered over them as Sunset waited for Twilight’s reaction. Several apologies and explanations raced through her mind. It honestly wasn’t as though she resented Twilight. She didn’t. How could she? She owed her everything. No, the problem, as always, was her. The desire, the envy, the yearning, it was nowhere near as strong as it used to be. It would never control her again, that she was certain of, but it was still her, wasn’t it? Those feelings and desires hadn’t simply been born out of nothing and they didn’t simply return to nothing because she had come to her senses. She had buried them years ago though, and living in the human world, far away from Equestria, she was allowed to leave them that way. Forget about them. An unintended consequence of coming home it seemed, was that it gave her plenty of ways to dig it all back up. Twilight laughed. Of all the reactions she could have gotten, from shame to disappointment, Sunset had never expected Twilight to find humor in her inability to cope with mediocrity. “Am…am I missing something here?” Twilight bit down on her chuckles enough to give Sunset a proper response. “No. no more than anypony else at least. They all think I’m some flawless perfect princess when, really, I’m more selfish than anypony.” Sunset quickly opened her mouth to argue only to feel it forced shut by a magical pull. “Sunset, please, you might not even be here if I wasn’t, but that’s not really the point. The point is, I know exactly how you feel,” Twilight explained and released Sunset’s muzzle, having finally said her piece. “You do?” Sunset responded after making sure her jaw was under her control once again, an undertone of doubt she couldn’t suppress laced into her words. “Maybe ‘exactly’ is a bit of an exaggeration, but I do know what it’s like to feel lost, like everything and everpony’s leaving you behind, like life just didn’t turn out the way you thought it would,” Twilight said softly. The tail end of Twilight’s admission caught Sunset’s attention. In all the years they had known each other, she had never even thought to ask. “How did you think life would turn out?” Twilight blinked in response and turned to face the city below them once more. “I…don’t actually know. Just not like this, I guess. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself where I am today. Just, who would have ever thought I’d be in charge of all Equestria?” “Certainly not me.” “Hey!” “Did I say that out loud?” Sparing her companion an agitated growl and an annoyed glance, Twilight returned to her original train of thought. What was her plan before the wings and the crown? Had she even had one? She must have, right? It would have been completely unlike her not to have one. It had just been so long ago since it mattered. Still, some part of her still would have liked to remember. A librarian maybe? Or a historian? A great sorcerer? Yeah, that last one sounded okay. Maybe she could have been one of those. “Twi? Are you okay?” Sunset reached out, noticing Twilight’s face had fallen into a wistful expression. Twilight blinked harder than usual before responding, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Sunset moved back over to share the view beside Twilight, leaning against her in the best show of physical affection she could manage given the size difference. “I guess we’re both just a couple of mares with lots of issues then, huh?” Sunset chuckled Twilight looked down and smiled, sharing Sunset’s sense of bitter humor, “Well, at least some things never change, right?” That one got an honest laugh out of both of them for the first time that day and did the much-needed duty of lightening the mood. Sunset could only speak for herself, but she always felt lighter after these precious moments. Even if they didn’t necessarily resolve anything, it was so liberating to just talk about it with somepony who understood her. She had spent a lot of those last few years in the human world keeping these things to herself. She couldn’t fault any of her friends for it. They were always willing to listen, but they had their own lives to lead and they just couldn’t really understand. Not the way Twilight could. It seemed she had taken to leaning on her. Well, more than she already did before they could regularly see each other in person. Her tried and true rock. A metaphor that was now much more literal as Sunset noticed she was placing the majority of her weight onto the alicorn’s side. She really still wasn’t used to seeing Twilight as the bonafide goddess she had become, but maybe she could get used to it. Eventually. They sat there for several minutes simply taking the moment in, looking over all the creatures going about their individual lives, and being content in each other’s presence. It was the kind of moment you almost wished could last forever, which was why it pained Sunset to break it, but she had already put this particular discussion off for too long as is and it was time to set to work. “Twilight?” “Yeah?” “We need to talk. About Flurry Heart.” Twilight pulled away so fast Sunset had to flail around in order to keep her balance at the sudden loss of support. “Oh no. What did she do this time?” Twilight asked, quickly slipping back into work mode. “Uhm, What?” “She didn’t break anything, did she? Please tell me there wasn’t a fire this time. No, wait, don’t answer that. Just tell me if anypony is threatening to press charges.” Sunset took a brief moment to process that reaction. “Okay, no, nothing's on fire, and what? Flurry didn’t do anything wrong. We just had her first lesson today.” Twilight visibly untensed and let out a breath she had been holding, but still didn’t completely relax. “Oh, and how did that go?” Twilight asked with what Sunset believed to be an absurd amount of caution, almost as though she thought the answer would attack her. “It went fine. There were a few hurdles on both ends at first, but I’d say she was a model student.” That seemed to allow Twilight to finally relax and stop acting as if there was a disaster she needed to respond to. “That’s good. Actually, that’s great. Flurry’s had a bit of a rough history with instructors.” “Yeah, she mentioned that, but that’s not really what I wanted to talk about,” Sunset said, weaving her way to her point, fully aware of the potential minefield she was stepping into. “Is something wrong?” “Well…yes. I just can’t help but notice that Flurry seems a bit…maladjusted.” Twilight shifted around, clearly outside of her comfort zone once again. “I admit...she has some difficulty handling certain situations.” “Right, and she can be somewhat emotionally unstable,” Sunset piggybacked off of Twilight’s admission building her own confidence. “…Well, she is young.” “She qualifies as a senior citizen.” Twilight stared dumbfounded at her, evidently blanking on a response, which Sunset took as her cue to cut to the chase. “Twilight, I don’t think Flurry Heart has really been getting the guidance and attention she needs. Not from her teachers, not from her peers, and most importantly…not from you.” Twilight’s eyes widened, the pieces clicking together. “Wait a minute. Is this a parent-teacher conference?” “If it helps for you to think of it that way.” Twilight was honestly feeling slightly betrayed, but more so bewildered. “I thought you said she was a model student.” “She’s clearly trying her best which means, as her teacher, I’d be doing her a disservice to turn a blind eye to her problems,” Sunset asserted, and on that she vowed not to budge. “What problems exactly?” Twilight prompted, without necessarily looking forward to the answer. “Well, I figured we should probably start with her issues with emotional neglect.” “Her what?” “She’s lonely, Twilight. VERY lonely. She doesn’t feel like anypony’s giving her their time or attention, so she’s doing anything she can to get it. She practically latched onto me the moment I gave her an ounce of concern. Most ponies don’t call other ponies they just met family.” “Well, she has plenty of attendants, guards, and advisors she can talk to.” Sunset met that defense with a deadpan stare. “Remind me what you’re supposed to be the princess of again.” Twilight sighed in defeat. “Okay, point taken. What are you suggesting?” “I want you to help me teach her.” Twilight immediately backed up. “Sunset, I can’t-” “I know I know. You’re the busiest pony in the world. I get that, and I’m not asking you to take over, but Flurry loves you, she wants you to spend time with her, and I get the sense she always wanted to learn from you, the greatest spell caster Equestria has ever known.” “You think I’m the greatest?” “So, I’ll handle the heavy lifting. I’ll do the scheduling, lesson plans, and the majority of the teaching. I just want you to give her a lesson or two when she comes to Canterlot. Can you make time for that?” Sunset explained. Twilight sat back to ponder Sunset’s proposition, turning it over with all the scrutiny of a legislative proposal. It sounded simple enough. Mostly because it was. Every point Sunset had made was valid and her request was plenty generous. Even with her packed schedule, barring some unforeseen political disaster, it would be possible to make time for what was being asked of her, which wasn’t much all things considered. Sunset was essentially asking her to make time to spend with her niece. Something she intended to do anyway. And yet, she was hesitant. She couldn’t really say why, it was just a feeling she couldn’t quite shake. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Twilight asked. Sunset simply nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it,” Twilight committed with only a moment’s hesitation. Sunset gave her a gentle smile at that while internally sighing in relief. Today had shown her she may have been over her head in promising to take on the youngest Princess as her own protégé. True to her word, she planned on doing the lion’s share of the work, but it eased her worries to be able to fall back on Twilight, who must have been an incredibly experienced teacher by this point. A school of gifted unicorns was left in her care after all. “I guess Flurry’s not the only pony to get quickly attached,” Twilight mused. “Huh?” Twilight took Sunset’s dumbfounded expression as an invitation to elaborate. “You’re going through an awful lot of trouble for Flurry Heart, aren’t you?” “I guess I just want to see her happy,” Sunset shrugged. Twilight didn’t seem to see any reason to respond to that. Instead, content to simply offer up a small smile. There it was. That little sparkle. The unmistakable mark of genuine life and happiness in her eyes that was so frequently missing now. Even after all these years, Sunset still remembered the first time she had really noticed it. She had been lying in a hole battered and defeated, wallowing in her own misery. When Twilight found the kindness in herself to pull her up, it was the first time she had ever really looked at her. The first time she had looked into her eyes and saw it. The light of friendship and love she held inside her. That was when she had known for certain that she had been wrong. About everything. And for as much as she had tried to deny it, she knew that they had been right. Celestia…Cadenza…they had known all along. She was special. It had honestly worried her how that same sparkle was so often absent. It had been her first real clue that things weren’t quite right. It wasn’t gone. Just…buried. Hidden behind a cloud of a million emotions. It’s wasn’t as though Twilight didn’t smile often. She did, but you could always tell how real it was by whether or not it reached her eyes as it did right now. It was something truly special to put that little sparkle back where it belonged. Maybe one day, she dared to dream, she’d find a way to keep it there. Sunset tuned back into reality, only to notice Twilight had resumed her position at the balcony’s edge staring up at the clouds. Retaking her position next to her, Sunset tried her own hoof at cloud watching. The same place or not, this really did bring back memories. When she had been much younger, she and Celestia used to waste away time gazing at the clouds and picking out shapes. They weren’t usually more than puffy white splotches, but it had been just one of the countless little things they did together. Maybe that was part of the reason the idea of becoming a Princess had enamored her so. Staring at clouds was fine enough, but she couldn’t help but envy the Pegasi. Rather than look at the clouds, they could be among them, be like them, be free. She loved her horn, but even if she could only do it once, she wondered what it would be like to fly. It must have been something else. “Hey, Twi, can I ask you something?” Twilight turned to face her, that sparkle still in her eyes. “Sunset, you don’t have to ask for permission.” Sunset twiddled her hooves, her usual confidence alluding her. “Oh, right. Well, I was just curious, and I never really thought to ask before, but I was wondering if you could tell me what it’s like?” “What what’s like?” “Oh, y’know…flying.” Twilight blinked a few times in reaction. “Why would you want to know about that?” Sunset gave a nervous chuckle and shied away “I-it’s nothing. Just a stupid question that popped into my head is all. Just forget about it,” Sunset quickly tried to brush off in an extremely rare case of her nerve escaping her. Twilight quickly rose to her hooves and closed whatever distance Sunset had a chance to create. “Now hold on. It’s not stupid. Surprising, but definitely not stupid. “Flying is…flying is…,” Twilight trailed off shortly after starting. It had been a long time since somepony had asked her that question, back when she was a unicorn who had just grown wings, and she was fairly certain her description was incredibly lacking at the time anyway. “It’s like a different perspective,” she eventually settled on. “Being up there just lets you experience the world differently. Big things seem small and you can see how everything comes together. It’s like taking a step back to look at the full picture.” Sunset’s ever so slightly scrunched brow indicated that her description wasn’t really doing it for her. Fair enough really. That certainly wasn’t the way Rainbow Dash would have described it. It needed to be about twenty percent cooler for that. Besides, no matter how you phrased it, there wasn’t really any way you could really understand it without doing it. “If you’d like, I actually know a few spells that can simulate flight. They’re pretty advanced, but with your magical aptitude, you should be able to learn them pretty fast,” Twilight thought to offer. Sunset shook her head, not even taking the time to think about it. “Thanks, but I don’t think that’s necessary.” “Why not? If you’re really curious about what flying’s like, then the best way to understand it is to do it.” “But, that’s not really flying. It’s not the same as what real wings can give you.” Twilight tilted her head, not at all understanding Sunset’s meaning. Sunset couldn’t blame her. It didn’t really make any sense. She probably hadn’t been making sense since she made the mistake of trying to understand the nature of a pegasus from the perspective of a unicorn. That was just it. She was a unicorn. She wasn’t meant to know what it meant to fly. “It’s like you said, Twi. Unicorn magic can emulate those things, but it’s just not the same.” Twilight’s eyes widened in realization, Sunset’s meaning becoming crystal clear to her upon hearing her own paraphrased words. Whatever magic she could teach would only ever serve as a pale imitation of the real thing. She knew that better than anypony. There just wasn’t any way to explain it or fake it. Twilight felt an illogical disappointment with herself at failing to do the impossible. If she could lend Sunset the wings off her back to gift her with the experience she would, but she couldn’t...could she? Twilight noticeably perked up, an idea she considered borderline ingenious inspiring her. Sunset had to force herself not to back away in concern. She recognized that look. Her Twilight always got that look whenever she was inspired. A sudden and unexplained realization that nearly popped her glasses off. Things usually either blew up or went haywire when she got that look. Sunset coached herself into settling down. She was probably overreacting. Sure, a lot of things were common between Twilights, but the Princess didn’t usually share her counterpart’s predilection for radical ideas. There was no reason to worry. “Sunset! I know exactly what to do,” Twilight practically giggled with a mixture of excitement and pride, leaning down and getting close enough to put them nose to nose. Okay, maybe worry a little. In a less uncertain situation, Sunset might have been able to appreciate the way Twilight’s eyes were lit up. “Oh, what’s that, Twi?” Sunset asked with a bit of caution. “You want to know exactly what flying feels like, right?” Sunset nodded her head in response. That was what she wanted. There was no use denying it at this point. “Well, I can show you exactly what it feels like,” Twilight claimed, finally backing off and turning her flank to face her. “Hop on.” Okay, worry a lot. “I’m sorry. Can you please repeat that?” Sunset said in the slim hope that she misunderstood something. “Just climb on my back, and I’ll show you what flying is all about,” Twilight rephrased. Yeah, that was pretty much exactly what Sunset had thought she meant, and it still sounded just as crazy the second time. “And, uhm, how will that show me what it’s like, exactly?” Twilight either somehow didn’t notice or just didn’t mind Sunset’s rather blatant stalling. “Well, it’s a little unconventional, but if you want to see and feel exactly how a pegasus feels when soaring through the sky, why don’t I just bring you along for the ride? It’s actually pretty simple when you think about it. They do say experience is the best teacher. You’ll see and feel everything I do, and it's perfect weather for it.” “Twi, are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Twilight remained undeterred. “Come on. It’s basically the same as the last few times I carried you.” “Okay, first of all,” Sunset interjected, putting a hoof up, “I’ve never voluntarily put myself up there.” “You’ve never voluntarily gotten off either.” Sunset shot the alicorn a dirty look. When had Twilight become so cheeky? That was supposed to be her role in this relationship. “Second,” Sunset pushed on, putting her hoof down upon realizing she didn’t have any fingers to properly complete the gesture, “This sounds a little more dangerous than a walk through the street.” That remark finally seemed to dull Twilight’s enthusiasm in favor of looking somewhat offended. “What is that supposed to mean?” “It just means that I’m not really comfortable with what you’re suggesting,” Sunset stated without quite meeting Twilight’s eyes. “You think I could drop you, don't you!?” Twilight accused; this time very much full-out offended. “What? No! I just think there’s a possibility that the forces of gravity might eventually wrench me off your back and send me plummeting towards the ground at a fatal velocity.” “So, you do think I’m going to drop you!” “Not intentionally.” “But you think I will?” “I'm just saying that sort of situation leaves room for a lot of uncontrollable variables!” “Sunset!” “Okay! Maybe I’m a little afraid I’d fall. Happy?” “One of my best friends thinks I’d let something awful happen to her. That’s not really something to be happy about.” “It’s not like that!” Sunset practically groaned in frustration, “Look, can we just drop it? You don’t need to waste your time entertaining some silly filly’s fantasy in the first place.” “It’s not a waste of time if it makes you happy,” Twilight asserted with what Sunset saw as an unnecessary amount of resolve. “Why are you making such a big deal out of this, Twi?” Sunset sighed. It was just a silly question. It was never supposed to go this far, and she was never supposed to actually leave the ground. “It’s not a big deal. I can tell you want to see it for yourself, and I want to do this for you.” Twilight explained as if it was simple math. Sunset looked away from her, not sure what to do with the large well of confusing emotions only Twilight seemed to bring out. Especially this Twilight. For as similar as they could be, her Twilight was never this stubborn. Obsessive, compulsive, and resolved, sure, but not stubborn. Not like this. Not willing to butt heads and lock horns with her until one or both of them tapped out. To be honest, Twilight’s human counterpart was usually something of a pushover when it came to arguments. The Princess on the other hoof always gave as good as she got. As somepony that didn’t like to lose, she almost hated to admit that she found herself on the losing end of these spats as often as she won them. “Sunset, do you trust me?” Twilight asked, completely shattering her train of thought. “Twilight, that’s not fair,” Sunset all but whined. More than her vast intellect or eye for details, that was exactly the sort of thing that made arguments with Twilight so difficult. She played dirty. Okay, that was just bitterness talking. Twilight’s intentions were pure. They always were. It was unlikely she even knew it, but she always seemed to press exactly the right buttons in order to get her to fold like a scrap of paper. “What’s so unfair about it? I just want to know,” Twilight said, her tone oozing with sincerity, vulnerability, and even a twinge of trepidation. Sunset winced at it. “Of course I trust you, Twi. More than I trust anypony. As much as I’ve ever trusted anybody. How could I not trust you?” Strangely, Twilight’s face flooded with what could clearly be described as relief. Had she really expected any other answer? “Then please, Sunset, trust that I’ll protect you. No matter what happens, I’ll keep you safe. I promise,” Twilight placed a hoof over her heart and bowed in sincerity. “...Okay.” “Okay?” Twilight tilted her head. She was prepared for a multitude of responses, none of which were that one. “Yeah. You’re right. I trust you, so if you think this is a good idea, then I trust you.” Twilight was rendered speechless. Those words were exactly what she wanted to hear, but a part of her couldn't help wondering if she was still fit to hear them. “You’re going to need to help me out here, Twilight. I can’t make it all the way up there by myself,” Sunset spoke up after circling around her and motioning to Twilight’s hindlegs. Almost obediently, Twilight dropped down to her haunches to allow the smaller pony easy access. Sunset swiftly mounted her with a surprising degree of dexterity. She had to admit, she never expected AJ’s horseback riding lessons to come in handy on this side of the mirror, but it seemed to be quite applicable to alicorns. If you ignored the wings, horn, and the little fact that Twilight was an intelligent close personal friend, it was practically the same thing. “Okay, now what?” Sunset asked upon Twilight rising back to her full height. Perhaps she could manage to parlay her familiarity of the situation into the confidence she’d need to make it through what came next. “Oh…well, I guess we just do it?” Twilight said with all the certainty of somepony who was just amazed to have made it this far. Twilight lurched forward causing Sunset to momentarily struggle for balance. With mutual anxiety, the pair gingerly slid up to the balcony’s edge, Sunset left with little choice other than to follow Twilight’s lead. From her already high perch atop Equestria’s most vertically gifted mare, Sunset had a clear view over the balcony’s safety rails. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t describe herself as somepony with any particular fear of heights, but she also ordinarily wasn’t preparing to suspend herself hundreds of feet in the air with only a pair of lavender wings keeping her suspended in flight. She also wasn’t normally the type of pony to put herself in situations where she didn’t have at least some degree of control, but she’d be leaving it all to Twilight on this one. Some unease was perfectly understandable with how far she was venturing outside of her comfort zone, and maybe her memory was a little spotty, but she could swear they made this tower taller when they rebuilt it. “Okay, are you ready for this?” Twilight called back, propping herself up on the railing so that only her hind legs remained on the ground. An audible gulp was Sunset’s first response, followed by an almost imperceptible, “Uh-huh.” The nervousness in her voice and posture was impossible for Twilight to miss and only served to complement and enhance her own. Despite her initial enthusiasm about the idea, her own nerves were beginning to creep up on her and she didn’t even understand why. Flying was practically second nature to her now. She could almost do it in her sleep if she needed to. Something in her just couldn’t stop fretting. This needed to be perfect. Twilight’s wings fanned out in anticipation, an impressive wingspan on display. “Hold on tight,” Twilight advised, tensing her muscles and pulling all of her focus into the comforting words of an old friend. She didn’t need them. She hadn’t needed them for years, but it just helped her to remember them and hear Rainbow’s voice again. “C’mon, Twilight, wings up! Hey, watch your form. You’ve gotta really leap into it and catch the wind with those feathers! There we go! Now just relax and try to find your rhythm. Don’t tense up. Don’t go too soft either. you need to really flap those wings hard! Hey, you got it! Not bad for an egghead.” “Here we go,” Twilight whispered to herself before taking one great leap over the edge and into the wind. As gravity took hold, Sunset was reminded of what it felt like to be on a rollercoaster. The slow build-up that gave you all the time in the world to process where you were and exactly what was going to happen. A few brief seconds at the very peak to stare right into the fall with nowhere else to go. Then, finally, the sudden heart-stopping drop where any small delusions of control were unceremoniously ripped from you, and you were left to the total mercy of the ride. So far, flying felt a lot like falling, and unlike a rollercoaster, there were no rails to depend on. The sound of the rushing wind consumed her senses and time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. The earth seemed to be rushing to meet them all while they spent an eternity just falling. Though it seemed to draw on forever, just when Sunset was almost beginning to wonder if they were ever going to stop falling, Twilight shifted her wings and the pair were jolted in the opposite direction. Twilight expertly transferred her momentum into a gentle glide, ascending upwards at a steady pace, occasionally flapping her wings to maintain altitude and stability. It was a form of flying that was several times slower and more subdued than anything Rainbow would have ever liked, but she found that she honestly preferred this speed. Not to mention her passenger would likely appreciate a calmer pace as well, at least if the apparent shivering she could feel on her back and the sudden difficulty she was having breathing was any indication. “Hey, are you doing…alright…back there?” Twilight asked, inexplicably choked up and almost beginning to feel light-headed. “Y-yeah. I’m d-doing g-gr-great,” Sunset managed to stammer out, just thankful that they had finally stopped falling. “Okay…could you maybe…ease up…just a little bit? You’re holding on…pretty…tight,” Twilight managed to gasp out. “Tight” was something of an understatement. In her excitement, Sunset had latched onto the only thing she could find to brace herself on. That, unfortunately, happened to be Twilight’s neck, her forelegs wrapped around it in a vice-like death grip. Only now that the adrenaline was dying down could Sunset see that she was practically throttling her. Sunset immediately unwrapped herself from her friend’s airway, only to immediately regret doing so as she remembered exactly where she was. After a brief panic, she settled for a much more relaxed hold on Twilight to keep herself in place without nearly suffocating her. “S-sorry. I guess I wasn’t as prepared for that as I thought I was,” Sunset admitted, focusing on bringing down her own racing heart rate. “Don’t worry. I know it definitely takes some getting used to. It’s actually pretty relaxing once you do though.” “Really?” Sunset focused on Twilight’s voice. Much as she was ashamed to admit it, she wasn’t handling having her lifelong curiosity answered as well as she would have hoped. So far she hadn’t even found the courage to look down and see just how high up they really were, instead opting to stare into the evening sky to cope with what to her felt like sailing on nothing. “Oh, Absolutely. It took me a while to really get into it, but at this point, I probably would have gone crazy without it. There’s always just too much happening on the ground. Sometimes, I just need to get above it all.” Sunset found there was something surreal about having to duck a cloud. If that was any indication, they must have been quite high up by now. The air seemed to be cooler this far into the sky, but not uncomfortably so. Refreshing even. “You know, it helps if you loosen up. That was the first thing I had to learn after getting wings. Nothing that belongs in the air is as stiff as a rock,” Twilight advised in a tone of voice that indicated she was repeating something verbatim. “Somehow, I don’t think the pony without wings needs to worry about that,” Sunset excused. Sunset didn’t find anything particularly appealing about the idea of holding on any looser than she currently was. “Maybe, but I promise it gets a lot better when you learn to flow into it.” As if to drive home her point, Twilight began to pick up the pace with a single flap of her wings, turning her steady glide into a free-flowing dance through the nearby clouds. The sudden increase in speed somehow managed to come without the anticipated sudden jolt, Twilight cutting through the air with the ease and fluidity of a fish in the water. Twilight danced around the field of clouds with an elegance Sunset couldn’t claim to have ever associated with her. Twilight was sweet, gentle, and skilled, but elegant? No, not this Twilight. Not any Twilight. Not in a million years, she would have thought. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Twilight had proven her dead wrong. Effortlessly flowing from breeze to breeze, skimming the edges of the clouds so closely the vapors rippled alongside them, and yet she never once made contact. It became an elaborate dance of twists and turns through a forest of white so enthralling you could almost lose track of which direction was up and which was down. All the while no matter how sharp the turn, how steep the dive, or how sudden the lift was, the ease and fluidity of her movements never wavered. A borderline impossible mixture of freedom and control that nothing else Sunset had ever experienced could hope to measure up to. It was positively captivating, and with each passing second Sunset’s own worries and fears fell to the wayside, forgotten amidst their dance in the skies. The clouds were so close, Sunset could practically reach out and touch them, and once her inhibitions had faded enough, that was exactly what she did, extending a foreleg out as they flew by to run her hoof through the chilled vapors. “Well? Pretty fun once you get used to it, right?” The sound of Twilight’s voice pulled Sunset back to reality. The reality that she was a thousand feet high in the sky, and funnily enough, that didn’t bother her so much anymore. There probably wasn’t a safer pair of wings in all of Equus than the ones she was riding on. “Yeah, it’s…really something,” Sunset lamely settled on. It was just as she had suspected. There really was nothing else quite like this. The sights, the sounds, the feelings were like nothing she had ever experienced before, and no words she could think of could really quite describe it. To think, this was something other ponies got to do every day. “Hold on. I want to show you the best part.” “Best part? What do you mea-WHOA!?” In one quick motion, Twilight directed all her momentum straight up, driving them even higher skyward. Whereas before, the Princess had seen it fit to make a show of dancing as close to the edges of the clouds as physically possible, now she instead drove straight through them on her rise through the atmosphere. Higher and higher until they were met with a thin blanket of clouds that draped over the skies of Canterlot. With one final push, Twilight pierced through even that. A clear orange sky awaited them on the other side, nothing standing between them and the late afternoon heavens. Still surrounded by the thin wisps of the cloud she had just broken through, Twilight lowered them onto the fluffy platform below them, the physics-defying ability of the pegasi allowing her to stand atop them as though she were situated on solid ground. No sooner than they had touched down did Twilight’s horn ignite, and Sunset felt the relatively unfamiliar feeling of another pony’s magic being used to place a spell on her. “You can step off now if you want. That spell lets anycreature walk on clouds. It came in handy a few times before I could do it naturally.” So, that was a cloud-walking spell? Sunset had heard of them before. Surprisingly easy magic to cast, but she had never seen any reason to commit one to memory given her inability to get close enough to a cloud to even try walking on it. Funny, she didn’t really feel any different. At least she didn’t feel much like a pony that wouldn’t plummet straight through a cumulous if she tried standing on one. “Are you sure you cast that spell right?” Sunset asked without much thought. Twilight took on an amused look. “Should I be offended by that?” “Oh…right,” Sunset muttered out, feeling about as silly as somepony who just asked if the element of magic was capable of performing a basic spell should. Gingerly Sunset dismounted, not quite feeling brave enough to do it all at once and instead keeping a firm hold of her friend’s flank while she lowered her hind legs first. In hindsight, it was fortunate they were far out of anypony’s view because she was certain it was rather inappropriate all the ways she had handled and held a princess over the course of this day alone. Sunset tried not to show her surprise when her hoof made contact with the cloud and held in place. One by one she set each leg down and gradually came to terms with the idea of standing on air. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel all that different from the earth. Bouncier, but much more firm than you would imagine it to be. “See? There’s nothing to-oh, wow,” Twilight started before trailing off upon getting her first real look at Sunset since they had touched down. “What?” “N-nothing really. I guess I just got a teensy bit more excited down there than your mane could handle, but hey, I think windswept is actually a pretty good look on you.” “Bend down, Twi,” Sunset ordered. Twilight complied without any resistance, kneeling to give Sunset a better view of her reflection in the reflective chest plate she wore as part of her regalia. “Windswept” was being a bit generous, to say the least. She could probably pass for one of the main characters in those Japanese cartoons they had back in the human world. “Okay,” Sunset sighed, “You’re fixing this when we get back home.” Twilight had the decency to look abashed and nodded in agreement. Sunset took a few steps around without quite going anywhere, getting a feel for cloud walking. “What’s on this cloud that you wanted me to see anyway?” “It’s not about what’s on the cloud, Sunset. Come over here and you’ll see it,” Twilight answered, trotting over to the cloud’s edge and taking a prone position right by it. Sunset hesitated. If she wasn’t keen on heights before, she certainly wasn’t now after they had already gone who knows how high just to get up here. “Oh, come on,” Twilight smiled back at her with what seemed to be an almost barely contained mirth. “It’s fine. You’re not going to fall and if for some reason you somehow did, I’d catch you. There’s nothing to worry about.” Sunset smiled sheepishly. It was just being a bit silly at this point, and although her steps were somewhat more measured than usual, she made her own way over to sit beside Twilight at the edge of the sky. Wordlessly, Twilight shifted her gaze from her unicorn friend to the horizon, the motion of her head prompting Sunset to do the same. Finally, she saw it. She saw all of it. The castle, the hills, the mountains, the forests, the trees, the towns, the cities, the rivers, the ponds and lakes, the canyons and valleys, even the other clouds. It was Equestria. All of it. All at once and bathed in the golden orange light of the setting sun that shone off the kingdom in a way that made it look akin to heaven on earth. Right below them, she could see all of Canterlot. Shifting her eyes a little let her take in Ponyville and Cloudsdale hanging over it. If she really looked as far out as she could, she could make out a series of lights that would have been in the direction of Las Pegasus assuming her geography wasn’t too rusty. Then there were a handful of cities she had absolutely no recollection of. New ones that must have been established after her time. Logically, she couldn’t really see all of Equestria from up here, but she had never seen so much of it at once. It was new, fascinating, strange, and beautiful all at once, just looking over the world from above and taking it all in for what it truly was. “It sure beats the view from the tower, doesn’t it?” Twilight sighed, a rare air of content settling over her. Sunset turned her attention from the vast kingdom before her to a sight that was just as if not more captivating. Princess Twilight Sparkle at complete peace, overlooking the kingdom. Her kingdom. Sometimes she still tended to think of it as Celestia’s, but that age had come and gone now. “Do you come here often?” Twilight nodded. The now setting sun casting a warm glow on the Princess, who for once seemed to be able to lay the thoughts that must have constantly plagued her aside and only take in what was right in front of her. The tension she always carried loosened, her breathing was relaxed, and her eyes filled with what could best be described as a mixture of love and pride, though for what and in who she couldn’t tell. Regardless, she looked happy, and for as grand as the realm was, that was undoubtedly the most gratifying sight she had come across so far. “I can see why. It’s something pretty special. We even got here at the prettiest time of day,” Sunset remarked, a cheeky idea forming in her head. Twilight snorted. “At Sunset? Really?” “No. Twilight.” Author's Note Not much to say this time around I'm afraid. Just what is essentially quickly becoming my traditional, "sorry I vanished off the face of the Earth for several months because College enjoys consuming my free time so here's a big apology chapter" chapter. Hope it was a least somewhat worth the wait. Chapter 15: Set in StoneThe smell of smoke and ash permeated the midday air of the tiny corner on the outer rim of Canterlot. The large fires that had been ravaging the already somewhat run-down building had finally either burnt themselves out or were smothered into smoldering embers by the fireponies that had rushed to the scene with carriages of water in tow. The once chaotic scene that had been filled with the deafening sounds of panicked screams, rushing hooves, and screeching sirens were now replaced by the subtle sound of crackling embers and the bustle of a handful of officials overseeing the scene. The near-silence would only be broken, every so often, by the startling crash of a piece of the charred old building giving way and caving in on itself to kick up a cloud of ash and smoke. “I don’t think there’ll be much of a chance of salvaging anything from this one. Almost certainly gonna have to clear the whole lot after this mess,” One of the nearby firestallions commented, taking in the wreckage that had once been, at the very least, a recognizable building. “Yeah, well, that’s not too surprising. The first round of our guys who got here said the place was already half-way totaled when they arrived. Said it looked like a full-grown dragon had blasted the place,” the firestallion next to him explained. “What? No way. This was supposed to be an orphanage, right? You know, a place for little kids to stay. What around here could do something like that? Did they keep bombs in there or something?” “If you ask me, that’s a lot more believable than what I heard.” “Huh, what’s that?” “Well, you see that little filly over there?” he said, motioning over to a small unicorn, swaddled in a blanket, that seemed to be sectioned off all alone near the police officers investigating the scene, tears staining her face. “Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. I thought they’d already taken all the kids that lived here over to that newer place around the castle. Kind of an upgrade if you ask me. What’s that one still doing here?” “They have to keep her here. She did this.” “Oh, real funny, man.” “That’s not a joke. Or at least that’s what the officer who questioned the lady that used to run this place said.” “You’re kidding?” “I wish I was. Took them a while to calm her down enough to even question her, but apparently, that little girl was messing around with things she wasn’t supposed to. Some sort of magic book with some pretty technical stuff in it. Doesn’t even know how she got it, but whatever she was planning to do with it didn’t go right. Blew a hole straight through the abandoned west side, and the fire spread from there.” “That kid’s no older than my youngest one back home. You sure that lady has all her screws in right? No way that little girl did all this from a botched magic trick. I don’t know anypony who could do something like that if they tried.” “Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard. I didn’t buy it at first either, but according to the old lady, the kid’s some sort of freak.” It wasn’t supposed to go like this. It really really wasn’t supposed to go anything like this. It wasn’t even fair. She did the only thing she could think to do. It was the only option she had at this point. How could it all go so horribly wrong? The bitter tears flowed down Sunset’s cheeks like twin rivers and she couldn’t stop them if she wanted to. The sadness, anger, fear, regret, and loneliness she felt all mixed together inside of her to form a toxic cocktail that bubbled up inside of her and spilled over. The thin cover one of the fireponies had been kind enough to offer her did little to comfort her or keep the chilling feelings at bay. She had really done it this time. This was so much worse than her typical magical mishap, but what choice did she have? All those hours spent trying to guide herself through even a basic level of control were getting her nowhere. She had thought that, perhaps, if she pushed harder, tried something bolder, been more daring, then just maybe things would finally click. Maybe then she’d understand herself, her power, her place, the reason she was the way that she was…and then maybe they’d accept her. “…kid’s some sort of freak.” And maybe that was just a filly’s fantasy. Sunset turned away from the chattering ponies that seemed to be eyeing her like some sort of circus attraction. It wasn’t fair. She never asked for this. She never asked for all this stupid, useless, no good magic. She never asked to somehow wind up in the slummiest portion of Canterlot, where she was left no choice but to stumble her own way through even the most basic of skills. She never asked to not be normal. Now she’d pay for ever even trying to be. Where did she go from here? Like it was even up to her? Her home, if you could even call it that, was little more than ashes now and it was all her fault. What were they going to do with her now? They had obviously kept her here for a reason. Was she going to go from a figurative prison to a literal one now? Did they send ponies her age to prison? Is that why all the police were here now? It was an accident! She didn’t mean for any of this to happen. She just wanted somepony, anypony, to want her. The creaking of one of the old buildings alerted her to the collapse of yet another chunk of the orphanage that sent a plume of smoke high enough into the sky that it must have been visible from the other end of Canterlot. It was time to face facts. That was never going to happen. Not after this. She had hoped against hope that things would change. Now she was all out of hope, and she wept for the life that she would never have. No sooner than she had accepted that hard reality did a large shadow overtake her, blocking out the sun, and draping her in ever colder darkness. “Leave me alone,” Sunset whimpered without even turning to face whatever pony had approached her. “What’s wrong, my little pony?” a gentle voice laced with compassion asked her. Sunset had never heard anything like it. It was as though warmth had become a sound, and that alone convinced her to face the stranger. If it were possible to swallow your own heart, Sunset was pretty sure she had just done it. Ordinarily, adult ponies towered over her, but this pony went beyond simply being tall. She was absolutely gigantic in comparison to the small filly, to the point Sunset had to strain her neck just to glimpse her in her entire unmistakable glory. A coat as pure as the morning snow, fluffy white wings and a large sturdy horn, both together on a single pony, a golden crown that sparkled in the sunlight, and most telling of all, a sparkling mane of colors that danced in an eternal breeze. Sunset tripped over her own blanket backing away from the shining pony before her, landing hard on her back and smacking her head against the stone ground they stood upon, and yet so awe-inspiring was the sight before her that she barely even registered it. “Pr-pr-pr….” Sunset stuttered at a loss for words. “Goodness, are you alright, little one?” “Princess Celestia!?” Sunset managed to finally gasp out. This was bad. This was really bad. This was so much worse than she thought. What she did had actually managed to attract the attention of the princess? She had been thinking far too small when she was worried about them sending her to prison. No, the Princess wouldn’t get involved to deal with some common criminal. Whatever fate awaited her must have been something only the greatest dangers to the realm received. She’d be sentenced to Tartarus. Or worse, banished to the moon. Or even worse than that, turned to stone. Or maybe she’d even be turned to stone and banished to Moon Tartarus! “That was quite a fall you just took,” Celestia stated, approaching Sunset with a look of concern on her face. The only thing that registered in Sunset’s mind was the Princess closing in on her, and with little time to think, Sunset did the first thing she could think of. Grovel. “I…I’m sorry!” Sunset cried, throwing herself down onto her stomach and wrapping her hooves around Celestia’s foreleg, “I-It was an accident! I didn’t mean to! I just thought that if I could learn magic ponies would like me! I’ll never ever ever do it again, I promise! Please forgive me, Princess! Don’t send me to Moon Tartarus!” Celestia’s eyes shifted down to the clearly distraught filly clutching onto her leg in what had devolved into a series of barely comprehensible apologetic blubbers. She could tell without even looking that every other pony in the vicinity was staring at the scene they had just created. Princess Celestia makes a small orphan cry. The tabloids would just eat that one up. Sunset’s pleading continued unabated until the unicorn filly felt a strange soft sensation caressing her face. Sunset opened her eyes to catch sight of a small handkerchief suspended in a bright golden light swiftly moving to dry her tears. “It’s okay. There’s no need to cry. I’m not going to do any of that, I promise,” Celestia said, a calming air in her voice that resonated with the child attached to her. “R-really?” Sunset asked, the small filly looking up at her with some of the most innocent wide eyes the Sun Princess had ever seen. “Really. Now, the ground is no place for a young lady,” Celestia admonished in a way that somehow still managed to be comforting. One of the Princess’s alabaster wings unfurled from her side and aided Sunset in the process of getting back on her hooves, a control and dexterity to the appendage one would be surprised a wing could even have. The smooth feathers softly cupped Sunset’s face, gently turning her head in several different directions, the Princess checking over the young filly for any nasty scrapes or bruises with a tender touch Sunset couldn’t help but subconsciously lean into. Celestia released her hold when she was satisfied with the filly’s condition and Sunset fought the impulsive urge to chase after it. Celestia switched back to the soft cloth she still held suspended in her magic to clear away whatever dirt and moisture still stained her face before quickly dispelling the item. “Woah. How’d you do that?” Sunset asked, awestruck by such a simple trick. “That was magic,” Celestia explained, “It’s certainly something you’ll be able to do yourself once you’re a little older.” Words intended to set the little filly at ease instead had the opposite effect and caused her to dejectedly focus on the ground. Celestia decided to change her approach. “What’s your name?” “It’s Sunset…Sunset Shimmer, your highness,” Sunset answered after only a few moments of hesitation. “And how old are you, Sunset?” “I’m five…but I turn six next month,” Sunset tacked on in an attempt to appear more mature. “Well, Sunset, could you please tell me what happened here?” Celestia asked with an even tone and a gentle smile, motioning over to the ruins of what used to be her orphanage. “I’d be very much interested in hearing your side of the story.” Sunset stood at attention, surprised by the request. Most adult ponies never really cared what she had to say. “I-I…I did it, your majesty. It was an accident. There’s something wrong with me. I can’t control my horn like all the other fillies and colts can and it just keeps getting worse and worse. I thought that if I could teach myself magic, real magic, like the kind they learn from those fancy schools they have deeper into the city, I could learn how to control it. Instead, I just lost control again. I’m sorry.” Celestia contemplated this information, sizing up the small filly and the carnage of the scene. It seemed the reports she had received had been accurate after all. Not only was her presence here warranted, but in such a special circumstance it was absolutely necessary. It wasn’t every day a magical explosion rocked a portion of the city. It was almost difficult to believe what had initially been suspected to be some sort of attack on Canterlot was in actuality a little girl with far too much power on her hooves. Her own school’s senior students would find it difficult to recreate the level of raw magical energy this little filly had produced on accident. It almost reminded her of the mishaps Luna would have when she was barely old enough to walk. Such an incredible amount of power was simply too dangerous to be left unchecked. “Well, Sunset, I think it’s quite clear that we can’t allow this situation to repeat itself. It’s fortunate that nopony was hurt, but your inability to control your power presents a clear danger to both yourself and those around you.” Sunset’s heart sank. Celestia’s condemning words confirming what she had been afraid of. They saw her as a danger, and dangers didn’t get to have normal lives or even walk around free. “It seems clear to me that I have no other choice…” Sunset winced. Here it comes. “…but to formally invite you to study at my school.” “…what?” Sunset whispered, daring to think she had heard that right. Celestia’s school? As in Celestia’s School for gifted unicorns? The most prestigious school for magical study in all of Canterlot? Scratch that. All of Equestria. “You’ll be able to learn and study all you need to know about your magic there, and more if you desire.” “You mean they can teach me how to control it? They can make me like the other fillies?” Sunset gasped, praying that this wasn’t all some crazy dream. “You’ll be able to do that and much more, Sunset,” Celestia assured with a full perfect smile that would convince even the most cynical ponies to place their faith in the alicorn. “So, does this mean I’m not in trouble?” Celestia scoffed, “As far as I’m concerned, the only ponies at fault here are the ones who’ve neglected to give you the care and guidance you deserve. You have a very special gift, Sunset Shimmer. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.” It was as though a ray of sunshine had broken through the dark clouds of her sorrow, and with it, she found the courage to hope again. Hope that things could get better. Hope that a normal life was not out of her reach after all. No, more than that. So much more than that. Celestia herself had said it. She was special. “I’m going to learn magic,” Sunset stated as though she herself was having a hard time believing it, tears threatening to once again flow, only now the tears would be in joy. “I’m going to learn magic!” Celestia smiled at the small filly who looked to be restraining herself from bouncing around in excitement. “There is one more thing.” “More!?” Celestia nodded. “Seeing as how your case is so unique, I believe it would only be best for me to take you on as my own personal protégé at the school. I will be teaching and directing your studies personally.” If this was a dream, then by all that was right in the world, Sunset never wanted to wake up. Not only would she finally learn magic, not only would she attend the most renowned and respected institution in the land, but she would be learning directly from Princess Celestia herself. “But…wait,” Sunset stopped herself, reality knocking on her door at last, “Where will I live?” Sunset glanced at the ruined estate that while a lousy home was still the only one she had ever known. “Well, as my personal student, you’d be staying at the castle with me.” “The castle!?” Sunset gasped out, starting to feel nearly lightheaded. “If that’s alright with you, Sunset.” “Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!” Sunset squealed, no longer able to resist the urge to hug the leg of the Princess in pure happiness. Celestia watched the excited filly in bemusement. Certainly, this cute little girl would eventually grow to become something amazing. It must have been destiny itself that brought them together. There was no telling what fate could have in store for such a unique unicorn. Perhaps, Celestia dared to consider, this could even be the one she had been looking for. Sunset meanwhile was beside herself with glee, already fantasizing about the new life ahead of her that she never dared to dream of before. She imagined what her cutie mark might look like when she found it, she imagined the spells she’d learn, she imagined the things she’d accomplish, and she even dared to imagine the things she would do with the Princess. Why, this could practically be considered an adoption of sorts. Perhaps, in a way, she’d even be able to think of Celestia as her… Sunset opened her eyes and was immediately overcome with the groggy feeling of what it meant to sleep but not sleep well. Willing herself to sit up in her bed, she tried to shake the emotions that lingered from that fateful day. It wasn't all unpleasant. That memory had a notably happier ending than the last one she had been made to endure. At least for a while. It was one of the few she could recollect with just as much clarity without any magical influence. The glowing geode around her neck still burned with a bright radiating gleam, even in the early morning light that filled her room as if daring her to try and ignore it. Two forced strolls down memory lane was probably a sign after all. “I guess it’s about time I deal with you, isn’t it?” The hours Sunset had to wait for Twilight to finish with her royal obligations went by painfully slow. It seemed to take forever just to get to the slot of time that was always reserved for her and the Princess to toil around in her lab. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have bothered Twilight with something as simple as impromptu research, but she needed a mind just as sharp, if not sharper than her own to tackle this particular enigma. Fortunately, Twilight was more than happy to change their usual agenda and switch focus to the peculiar stone that had been acting up ever since her return. Excited even. Within an hour of asking, the pair were sequestered away in the Princess’s own personal lab, conducting any manner of tests and experiments they could think of that might give them some insight on the magic stone born of another world. “Well, that is…interesting,” Twilight concluded upon reading the numbers off the paper that they had recorded from the geode. “What does it say?” Sunset asked, unable to see what Twilight was reading and doing her best to suppress the annoyance of it once again being due to the sheer difference in their statures. “Well, I need to cross-reference it with some other data sets to be sure, but these values don’t seem right.” "Other data sets?" Without even giving her the chance to see them, Twilight moved over to the records section of the room in search of something else. Sunset huffed in annoyance. Typical Twilight. So absorbed in whatever she was doing that she tuned everything else out, and that was never more apparent than when something had really struck her interest. Ordinarily, it was cute, but when she was just as interested in the subject at hand it was more aggravating than anything else. “Twilight, what did it say?” Twilight didn’t even give her a response this time, instead opening and closing file cabinets in search of what she was looking for and evidently not having any luck. “What are you looking for, Twi?” Sunset asked after catching up to the alicorn. “Something I didn’t ever really think I’d need. It’s probably in one of the cabinets on the top row,” Twilight sighed in annoyance. Even she wasn’t quite tall enough to see up there, and she didn’t dare fly in here where there was both nowhere near enough room and the surroundings were far too delicate. “Hmm. I can get it,” Sunset stated with reasonable certainty. “What? How could you-GYAH!” Twilight gasped in surprise, shock, and complete and utter indignation as she heard a distinct magical pop and felt a weight land squarely on her back. Sunset hadn’t even had the courtesy to give her a fair warning before she teleported directly on top of her, using her as a platform to get a perfect view of the cabinets that were out of either of their individual reaches. “So, what am I looking for up here, Twi?” Sunset asked with the audacity to not even acknowledge what she had just done. “Funny, I don’t recall giving you permission to do that,” Twilight stiffly stated. “One of us needs to give permission now?” Sunset asked with a coyness that let Twilight know the unicorn knew exactly what she had just done. “You know, we do own stepladders,” Twilight huffed. “I know. Now, what am I looking for?” “…an old file. It’ll have your name written on it,” Twilight sighed in utter defeat. Sure, whatever. Use the ruler of all Equestria as a piece of property to grab things off the top shelf. Who needs dignity anyway? “Hey, Twi. Can you skootch over? It’s not in these.” Twilight didn’t even bother with a response and just shuffled to her left. Using her horn to search through the cabinets Sunset quickly discovered what she was looking for. A file that was for some reason labeled with her name and looked older than the average citizen was these days. “Got it,” Sunset announced, gingerly taking it into her magic and passing it down to Twilight. Twilight waited for Sunset to get down only to again be surprised when she instead adjusted her standing position into a sitting one and made herself at home. “Okay, so can you explain to me what this is about now?” Sunset asked, poking her head by Twilight’s for a perfect view of the papers the princess held in her magic. Twilight sighed. “This is a record of all the discoveries and findings you’ve made and reported to me on magic in the other world. I've never really had much of a use for it since I couldn’t actually get to any of the magic you encountered there, but just in case, I always made sure to write it all down. I guess it was a good thing I did.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to think. She remembered talking extensively to Twilight about her research on magic in the human world. She was the only person or pony who really appreciated it and cared what she had to say about it aside from her own Twilight and even then it was difficult for the bespectacled girl to grasp the concepts in ways that were second nature to her Equestrian counterpart. She could bounce ideas and theories off her, talk about the intricacies of the subject, and she could do the same for her in kind, but Sunset didn’t think Twilight would have bothered with keeping a record of the stuff. Like she had said, it had very little use in Equestria. It was why she hadn’t bothered taking any of her own research back with her. Twilight opened the file and shuffled through the papers contained within, most of which were old and faded with only a select few looking slightly more recent, though still dated. “Aha!” Twilight exclaimed in victory, apparently having found what she was looking for. “These are the energy readings you told me you took on your Geode while in the other world. You stopped taking them shortly after High School, but the data here should be plenty of basis for comparison,” she broke down while levitating the old paper next to the new data they had just collected. “Woah,” Sunset gasped, finally seeing exactly what Twilight was talking about. As she already knew, the readings she had taken remained largely the same throughout. An occasional fluctuation here or there, but that was to be expected. Everything pointed to the magic of the geode being stable which was the reason she had stopped bothering to take measurements in the first place. The new readings on the other hoof were several times higher. Almost exponentially so, and that was just about the only consistent thing as they were almost all over the place outside of that. “Woah is right. You’ve been walking around with enough magic on your neck to power a small town.” “But that doesn’t make any sense,” Sunset said, completely baffled, “The Geode’s magic only ever spiked when my friends and I were together and using their powers. They’re connected. If anything, the magic should be weaker now that we’re so far apart, not stronger.” Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, thinking the details over. “Sunset, can you tell me your theory on why you and your friends got these geodes again?” “Okay?” Sunset nodded, not really seeing what that had to do with anything, “Well, when we brought magic to a world that had no place for it, it tended to infect things like a virus that threw the entire system out of balance. So, I figured that in response to that imbalance, the magic of Equestria created the geodes. If the out-of-control magic was like an infection, then the geodes were like the antibodies. Their purpose was to absorb or destroy the rogue magic and rebalance the human world, which they did,” Sunset explained. “Right. That falls perfectly in line with the basic principles of harmony that govern the magic in Equestria. In the face of major imbalances that threaten the balance of harmony in Equestria, the forces of harmony respond by creating forces that can counteract those imbalances and reestablish stability. Like the tree of harmony, or the elements, or my old castle,” Twilight listed off. “Or you,” Sunset mused, the reality that she once wholeheartedly rejected now almost amusing to her. Her cutie mark was lodged right in the middle of the tree of harmony after all. There was no denying she was destiny’s child after that. “…Yes…like me,” Twilight repeated with a noticeable discomfort. Sunset made a mental note to not be so thoughtless on that subject again. “So, what does that have to do with the way the magic is acting now?” Sunset prompted, bringing the train of thought back around. “Well, it’s not much more than a theory at the moment, but your geode is a product of Equestrian magic that adapted to the human world to control rogue magic. Now, after all these years, you’ve brought that magic back to Equestria which would in itself disrupt the balance. It’s possible your geode is adapting to suit its new environment. It’s gone from having to exist in a world with only small select pools of magic to a now limitless supply.” “Which means it’s evolving,” Sunset concluded, unsure what to think of that. “That still doesn’t really explain why it has a new fascination with forcing me to reminisce.” “Hrm. This is more of a guess than a theory, but your geode’s specialty has always been about emotions, right?” “That’s about right. The rest of the girls got superpowers, I got the ability to give invasive therapy,” Sunset chuckled. Initially, she had been a little jealous of her friend’s much more flashy abilities, particularly Twilight’s own telekinetic powers, but in retrospect, that would have been awfully redundant now with her horn returned to her. “Then, maybe it’s possible that your geode is reacting to an imbalance. One that’s in you.” “You’re saying that I’m emotionally imbalanced?” Twilight winced. “maybe?” “...yeah, that sounds about right,” Sunset admitted. She wasn’t exactly the walking definition of having her life together. Twilight turned her head back to face Sunset with a questioning glance. “That doesn’t concern you at all?” “Twilight, I’ve been emotionally unstable all my life. Why does it matter that even my necklace is telling me about it? …okay, having said that out loud, it is a little concerning.” “What were the memories about?” Twilight suddenly asked. “Huh?” “The memories. You never actually told me what you saw. Maybe it would help you figure out what the geode is trying to tell you if we looked at what it was showing you. Is there some sort of link between them? Something they all have in common?” Sunset thought back. These realistic retellings always struck her when she was asleep. She had dreamt about her time before becoming Celestia’s student. She had dreamt about the day Celestia had found her and taken her in. Plus, now that she thought about it, that first dream she had after her encounter with Flurry didn’t seem all that natural either. The most common thread between them seemed to be… “Celestia,” Sunset whispered to herself. “What?” “Celestia, Twilight. They were always things that made me think of her,” Sunset explained, turning around all the potential meanings of that in her head. “Oh…okay,” Twilight responded halfheartedly, uncertain how to respond or deal with the uncertainty that brought her. Fortunately for her, Sunset was delving far too deep into her own personal musings at this point to pick up on it. Satisfied she had done all there was to do with the geode today and with plenty to now think about, Sunset directed some of her attention to the small stone, igniting her horn to pick it up off the lab table it now rested on and return it to her. Sunset didn’t fully snap back to attention until she felt the unusual tug of her magic being held back. “Hm?” Sunset muttered, turning up to see her geode held suspended in a combination of red and magenta magic. “Twilight, what are you doing?” “I think that’s something I should be asking you. Don’t tell me that after what we’ve just learned you’re just going to go back to wearing that thing like nothing’s happening. The level of magic it's outputting now isn't exactly safe,” Twilight tensely responded. Impudently, Sunset actually decided to try her luck with out muscling Twilight’s magic. Shockingly, she couldn’t overpower the element of magic. “Twilight, let go,” Sunset demanded, her voice taking on a warning edge. “Not until you tell me why I should. That thing could be dangerous. You can’t just ignore the fact that you’re running around with what could be a ticking timebomb of unstable magic. At the very least, we should contain it.” “That’s not really your decision to make. It’s mine. Now, Let…It…Go.” Sunset practically growled out, giving a sharp tug with her magic with each word with no notable result for her troubles. “No!” Twilight held fast, raising her own voice to match Sunset’s sudden intensity. “I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger anymore just because you want to play around with dangerous forces you don’t even understand.” “Is that what you think this is about?” Sunset gasped, clearly offended at the judgment. Rather than take a moment to think and talk about this, Sunset instead settled for the more brutish solution of ramping up the power on her horn which finally achieved at least the satisfaction of forcing Twilight to struggle in order to hold what was rightfully hers in place. “Grhm, Sunset, cut it out. You’re acting like a child,” Twilight accused, actually caught by surprise at the amount of power Sunset was pouring into this tug of war. “Just give it back, Twilight,” Sunset restated, not even the slightest interest in letting cooler heads prevail if it meant she might lose her geode. “It’s dangerous. I’m asking you to see that. You need to let it go!” Twilight pleaded. The very idea set Sunset off. “NO! It's what connects me to my friends!” A sharp gasp was the only sound that broke through the sudden crushing silence. Twilight’s magic immediately cut off, allowing Sunset to pull the necklace back to her and accomplish the most hollow victory she had ever received. “Sunset, I didn’t mean…I’m sorry,” Twilight stumbled, a pang of sharp stabbing guilt penetrating straight through her heart. Sunset fared no better. The very last thing she wanted to do was bring Twilight down like she just had. “No. No, please don’t apologize. I overreacted. I just…” Sunset struggled, trying to find the words to make this better. Some way to not ram right into what she knew was a very sensitive subject for Twilight. She really shouldn’t have gone off like that. If she were just better at thinking with her head before her heart she could have avoided this. “No, you didn’t. Your geode is important to you. I know that. I-I…I didn’t mean…I would never try to…I’m just…I’m sorry,” Twilight fumbled. Sunset was fresh out of words herself, so she settled for action. Twilight gasped as a set of forelegs wrapped around her neck and gently embraced her. Sunset pressed herself into the alicorn in the warmest hold she could manage, willing Twilight to know that it was all okay. “Don’t worry about it, Twi. You were just looking out for me. I guess I’m not used to that,” Sunset sighed, releasing Twilight after she felt the nerves of the alicorn still. Twilight found herself missing the embrace once it was over. It had been a long time since anypony had held her like that. She forced her way past the nostalgia to get her head on straight. “Well...since the magic is bonded to you there is a possibility it might actually be easier for you to hold onto it as it adapts to Equestria, but will you at least let me keep tabs on it? Just so we can make sure it’s absolutely safe?” Twilight rationalized, more to herself than anyone. “Sure, Twilight,” Sunset nodded in agreement more than happy to put this behind them. Twilight clearly still wasn’t completely on board with her decision, but that was a more than fair compromise. Sunset took the time to return the geode to its usual position around her neck, the weight of the stone giving her some comfort through nothing but its presence. Twilight’s worries were far from unfounded. Everything about the geodes were completely uncharted territory, but Sunset could never part with hers. It was her most prized possession, and she had always seen them as proof of her connection to her friends. No matter where their lives took them, these stones proved their bond because they had chosen them. All of them. Maybe it was a little sad that she needed a magic rock to give her validation, but she couldn’t help feeling like having it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she truly was one of them. Not just the devil girl everyone kept around because they pitied her. Concluding that they had accomplished everything they could today, Twilight set about tidying up the space they had used, making sure to properly reorganize anything that was even slightly out of place to ensure the lab would be just as pristine as it had been when they first arrived. She'd wouldn't be caught dead with a workspace that was anything less. From her perch atop the alicorn, Sunset looked to the light outside the windows to get a rough estimate of the time. She had told Flurry yesterday to wait in the nearby castle courtyard for her next lesson after she finished whatever lab work Twilight had in mind for today. Plans had changed since then, but Flurry should have still been waiting for her right about now. “Hey, Twi? You don’t have anything to do after this, do you?” “Nothing I absolutely have to do at least. Why?” Twilight responded, now splitting her attention between the conversation and rearranging a set of beakers. “Well, since you’re free, relatively speaking I mean, why don’t you help me with teaching Flurry Heart today?” Twilight froze, the beakers she held in her magic grasp nearly falling to an untimely demise had Sunset not taken it upon herself to catch them. “Today!?” “Yeah, why not? You did promise to help out.” “That was yesterday! I really thought you’d give me at least a little time to prepare. I don’t even have anything ready for her.” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Yeah…well, neither do I. I’m kind of hoping for you to bail me out on this one.” “You mean you didn’t even have a plan for what to teach her for more than a day?” “Honestly, I didn’t have a plan for what to teach her yesterday either.” Twilight had to resist the urge to facehoof. “Are you telling me you’ve just been making this whole thing up as you go?” “Why are you surprised? You know I’m no good at planning. My entire evil plan you stopped was just me winging it.” “It was pretty thrown together.” “Yeah, I know.” “I mean, brainwashed teenagers? Seriously?” “Really not the point, Twi.” “And come to think of it, why’d you destroy the dance if you needed to get my crown before the portal closed?” “They weren’t supposed to completely destroy-” “Plus, the whole thing was kind of a waste of time if you were just going to wrestle me for it.” “Well, if I had more than three days maybe I could have come up with a better plan. I had to improvise. It’s what I do when I’m backed into a corner, okay?” Sunset defended. “I can probably improvise another lesson if I need to, but I think it’d be better for you and Flurry to start getting accustomed to this now for your own sake.” “Is it really that important?” “I had to sit down for dinner with you two yesterday. Sitting between Adagio and Star Swirl probably would have been less awkward than that was. I’d say the sooner the better.” Twilight gave what was quickly becoming her trademark sigh of resignation. “Okay, where is she?” “The east side courtyard,” Sunset answered simply with a small smile. All things considered; she was proud of Twilight. She may not have been very good at interacting with her niece anymore, but she was clearly willing to do whatever it took to make things better, even if it wasn’t always comfortable. Resolutely, Twilight finished her task of tidying up and set off on their journey to Flurry Heart with all the unease of a pony headed to battle, both ponies set with their own forms of determination and moving as a unified front. “So, are you ever going to get off of me?” Author's Note Two chapters in a month? Sure why not. Turns out finishing and posting that last chapter reminded me just how much I enjoy writing this. As usual, don't be afraid to comment. To be honest, they're always what I look forward to the most. Up next...well, let's just say it'll be something of a magical showcase before our next big event. Chapter 16: Teaching to Learn“If everypony starts asking for rides, I want you to know that I will hold you personally responsible,” Twilight warned, having received what must have been a dozen awkward looks from passing staff members in the castle hallways. “You know, I can’t help but notice that it’s only ever a problem when I’m not the one being embarrassed,” Sunset commented, finally back on her own four hooves now that the courtyard was just around the corner. “That was completely different. It was practical. Besides, I thought you said it was, and I quote, ‘degrading’”. “What can I say? You showed me how wrong I was, Twi. It’s actually pretty awesome. It saves me from walking long distances, knows a bunch of cool tricks, can fly, comes with autopilot, and this baby never even needs me to pay for gas,” Sunset praised, with an affectionate rub to Twilight’s side as one would the hood of a nice car. Twilight’s cheeks turned beet red and her entire frame stiffened at the gesture. “Sunset, ‘this baby’ is not your personal means of transportation. In fact, if you recall, I am technically your boss,” Twilight ground out. “Sure you are, Twilight,” Sunset responded, with the condescending tone of somepony telling a small child what they wanted to hear. “What is that supposed to mean?” “What is what supposed to mean, Twilight?” Sunset responded innocently. Far too innocently. “That! Your tone. I don’t like it,” Twilight lamely stated, all too aware how childish that sounded after she had said it. “Honestly, your highness, I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. I, your devoted and loyal servant, was simply reaffirming your absolute authority over this humble mare,” Sunset stated with a sickening degree of pomp, even having the nerve to add in a walking bow at the end. “You’re messing with me,” Twilight managed to respond, her mouth straining to hold back what she knew was coming. “Your majesty, I’m offended at the insinuation.” Twilight could no longer suppress the snort of laughter. It was just far too ludicrous and yet scarily accurate to the nobles she dealt with on a daily basis, complete with fake sincerity. “Cut it out,” she giggled, giving Sunset a playful shove with her wing. Sunset stumbled her way back to the alicorn, shaking off a few purple feathers. She didn’t feel much need to add anything past that point, content to enjoy the harmonious sound. Making Twilight laugh was a mission accomplished in her book. Before either of them knew it, they stood before the arch that led out to the courtyard. Sunset hadn’t actually been back here until now, but she knew the place well. A large wide-open grassy space comparable to a football field in size. Despite its scope, it was completely boxed in by the castle structures surrounding it, almost completely hiding it from view unless you knew exactly what towers to look from. Secluded, spacious, and minimalistic in decor with the sole exception of a large fountain placed in the exact center of the courtyard. Celestia had always said it helped with establishing an air of tranquility. A perfect place to train a little filly with very little control of her own power. Or in this instance, a prodigious princess. Just as expected, Flurry Heart was there waiting for them, lying face-up on the rim of the fountain and amusing herself with a number of small stones that she was levitating above her. “Good, she’s been practicing. It looks like she’s improving already,” Sunset commented to her alicorn companion. “How can you tell?” Twilight asked, not sure what Sunset was referring to. “Well, you see those rocks she’s holding?” Sunset said, gesturing to the stones Flurry was orbiting around each other at impressive breakneck speeds. “Yeah?” “They’re not powder yet,” Sunset stated simply before walking ahead of Twilight to meet the younger princess. Twilight paused. Was that a joke? It didn’t sound like a joke, but it had to be one. Flurry may not have been a scholar of magic, but there was no way she was that inexperienced. “Hey, Flurry!” Sunset called out to her protégé as she approached her. “GAH!” Flurry yelped in surprise followed by the unmistakable crack and sprinkle of shattered stone. “Oh dear,” Twilight thought to herself. “bleck, oh gwoss, iths in ma mouf!” Flurry sputtered, trying to spit out the chunks of rock she had just sprinkled all over herself. Sunset watched Flurry sputter and spew. She certainly wasn’t the most graceful Princess she had ever interacted with. “Ghuah…didn’t anypony ever teach you not to sneak up on them like that, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry gagged. “I came in through the front entrance,” Sunset plainly stated. “…well, you still should know better than to startle a princess,” Flurry petulantly stated, crossing her hooves and turning in a way that Sunset imagined was meant to look refined but didn’t do much for a pony covered in dirt. Sunset rolled her eyes and used her magic to summon a few tools to at least clean Flurry up. Twilight carefully followed up behind Sunset at a much more measured pace, taking in the interaction between her niece and close friend. She had yet to really get a chance to see their dynamic in action, but if watching Sunset visibly baby Flurry didn’t tell her all she needed to know about their relationship at this point, she didn’t know what would. Satisfied with her appearance, Sunset stepped back to resume her role as the instructor. “Okay, Flurry. Today I actually have a bit of a surprise for you.” Flurry’s focus was set on Sunset now, hanging on her every word and noticeably perking up at the mention of a surprise. “Really, what is it!? Is it like some sort of super awesome magical artifact? Or like a super mega spell?” Flurry asked, clearly setting her expectations at the sky. “…no,” Sunset settled on after a few seconds of processing that, “It’s actually something I think will be very crucial to your studies going forward. As much as it pains me to admit it, your abilities exceed mine. There’s going to be things I can’t teach you about your power. I can show you how to get there, but I have no idea where the limits of your magic lie. You’d need the best for that.” “Oh…” Flurry muttered, not sure where this was leading. “So, I decided I’d just get the best,” Sunset announced, motioning outwards to direct Flurry’s attention to just outside her field of vision. Somehow, she had completely missed the tall purple alicorn with the flowing mane standing several feet behind and to the left of Sunset. “Hi,” Twilight awkwardly waved in the back, giving what she hoped was a winning smile. Sunset looked back to see Twilight was both straggling much further behind her than she initially thought and was doing that thing she did when she was nervous where she showed off every tooth she had. Good start. “Aunt Twilight? What are you doing over there?” Flurry asked. Twilight waved a hoof. “Oh, you know. I was just…hanging around. Just thought I’d come out here and ‘chill’ with you guys for a bit. My homies.” Flurry blinked in response. Sunset facehoofed. Was it possible for words to cause you physical pain? Sunset felt it must have been, because that hurt. She thought she had started this off with such a nice speech too. Switching tactics from treating this like a surgical procedure to instead treating it like removing a band-aid, Sunset used her magic to quite literally drag Twilight to her side. “Flurry, we’ve had a talk and we’ve decided that from now on it would be best for Twilight to have a hoof in your lessons,” Sunset announced, waving a foreleg to introduce the alicorn that skidded to a stop right beside her. Seconds passed as Flurry and Twilight awkwardly stared at each other. “Say something,” Sunset whispered through her teeth at Twilight who was still holding an unnaturally wide smile. “ahem…um, right! That’s right! Sunset believes you could benefit from some additional instruction. From me. I’m the additional instruction. Heh,” Twilight stitched together before resuming her smile and darting her eyes over to Sunset in search of some indication that she wasn’t totally blowing it. Sunset took pity on the poor Princess and signaled that it was “good enough” with a nod. A little awkward, if she was being really generous, but it should get things moving. Flurry’s lip trembled and her eye began to twitch in a way Sunset was positive she had seen before. “Are…you…KIDDING ME!?” Sunset had to admit, blistering fury was not the direction she expected this to go. She also didn’t expect Flurry to literally leap from her seat on the fountain and start advancing on Twilight like a tiger stalking its prey. “Do you have ANY idea how many times over the years I’ve asked, practically begged, you for help!? Do you!?” Flurry almost barked at her aunt who had little choice but to back up. “Flurry I—” “Don’t bother trying to remember. I know I lost count YEARS ago. I do remember every excuse you gave me though. Every time, it was always ‘Flurry, I’m too busy’ or ‘Flurry, your mother can teach you’ or ‘Flurry, you don’t have time for that’.” Sunset was too shocked to properly react as she watched the outraged alicorn back her aunt into a corner. “Flurry, please calm down. I know I haven’t—” “No! I’m not done!” Flurry interrupted once again before Twilight could get a word in edgewise. “I even tried to enroll in that stupid school of yours, but you didn’t have anything to say at all when Mom decided the Crystal Empire just couldn’t survive without its poster princess for more than a month! Of course, it’s not like ANY of your ‘oh so important duties’ ever stopped you from having time to give to that sunrise-colored bookworm you adore so much!” “Flurry, that’s not fai—” “BUT, do you know the best part? For a while there, I ACTUALLY BELIEVED you couldn’t teach me! Poor Princess Twilight’s holding the world on her shoulders after all. Who has time for family when they’re sooo important? But, surprise surprise, I guess I just wasn’t important enough. All that needed to happen was for somepony you actually respect to ask you and that packed schedule cleared right up!” Sunset noticed Flurry had practically backed Twilight into a wall and decided enough was enough. Flurry put herself right into Twilight’s face as she prepared to give her grand finish. “You wanna know what I think?! I think you jus-OW! OW OW OW!” Flurry shouted; her big finish cut short by a stinging pain. “That’s enough, Flurry,” Sunset stated with no room for argument, her horn surging with blazing red power. “Okay, okay! Just please stop! Not the ear! Not the ear!” Flurry whimpered, immediately cowed by the red aura jerking on her sensitive appendage. Sunset released Flurry Heart’s ear, trusting that would at least get her to think about her next action before she said something she’d regret. “Yow, why’d you have to twist it too?” Flurry muttered, rubbing the sore spot. “You’re lucky I let you keep it at all after that outburst,” Sunset calmly stated. Flurry gulped in fear. She was used to being chewed out for her behavior. Desensitized to it even. Her mother or aunt raising their voices at her was practically routine at this point. Sunset wasn’t doing that. She was doing the thing her dad did. He only did it a hoof full of times in her entire life, but she always remembered the times he did it and made sure to never repeat the mistake again. No screaming, no righteous anger, not even a look of outrage. Just the clear picture that he was bitterly disappointed in her. “Is that how you treat all the ponies who try to help you? By going off on them with every single repressed emotion you have in you?” Sunset continued, stepping in front of the younger princess to look her in the eye. “Do you think that helps anypony?” “I—” “No. You had your chance to talk. Twilight came here with me to help you, Flurry. You and I both know she has a million different things to do, but she still came to you because I told her that you needed her. She’s not always going to have time for you or me, and I get that that isn’t fair to anypony, but what do you expect to accomplish by chasing her off anytime she wants to spend time with you? Well!?” At this point, Flurry’s eyes had actually started to glisten over as she shrunk further and further into herself in shame, but Sunset was far too invested in her own silent fury to take notice. Ultimately it was Twilight who came to Flurry’s rescue, placing herself between them to reign Sunset in. “Okay, I think we should all take a moment to calm down. Sunset, could you please give us a moment alone?” Sunset looked like she was considering saying something, but ultimately nodded and respected Twilight’s request, storming off to the fountain in a noticeably still prickly mood. Twilight sighed. She had to fix this, but it was broken so long ago. She turned to face her dejected niece, curled in on herself. Sunset’s words had clearly struck a chord. Twilight tried to think of the words she needed to say, but in the end, they never came. It made sense. If they were there, she probably would have said them a long time ago. Instead, she walked over to Flurry and took a seat beside her on the cool grass. Moments of uncomfortable silence passed. Twilight hoped and wished for the right thing to just come to her, but it still never did. Ultimately, it was Flurry who broke the silence. “What happened to us?” Twilight turned to look at Flurry and saw the eyes of a child staring back and it broke her heart because that was just another question she had no answer to. “When did things change so much?” Flurry rephrased. Twilight thought about it, and for once she realized she knew the answer. “When we didn’t.” Flurry shook her head. “Really? I don’t feel the same.” “...neither do I.” “Aunt Twilight? Are you…happy?” Flurry asked a seemingly simple question. Twilight turned away from Flurry Heart at the sudden query. Was she happy? How could she not be? She had everything most ponies only dared to dream of. A castle, a kingdom, limitless wealth and power, abilities beyond comprehension, the love and adoration of millions. Yet again, she knew the answer. “No. I’m not.” “I didn’t think so. I’m not happy much anymore either and Mom is downright miserable.” “I know.” Flurry sunk even lower. Questions she knew the answer to but had never had the guts to ask. There was just one more left. “Can we fix this? Do you think that…maybe...there’s a chance we can be happy again?” Flurry asked. The only question with an answer she wasn’t sure of. Twilight looked up towards the sky. She had asked that question herself before. She had never known the answer. She still didn’t know the answer now. “I don’t know, Flurry…” Flurry dropped her gaze. That was it then. “…but, I think I would like to try.” Flurry snapped up back to her Aunt to look her in the eyes. In them, she saw something she hadn’t seen in a long time. A little Sparkle. “Flurry, I’m sorry. Really, I am. I’ve spent a long time feeling sorry for myself because I felt so alone. I didn’t realize that because of that, I’ve been making you feel alone. You’re right. I’ve made a lot of excuses over the years. Reasons why I can’t teach you, why I can’t spend time with you. They weren’t lies, but they also weren’t the truth either. I didn’t have time for you because I didn’t try hard enough to make time. From now on, that’s going to change.” Flurry didn’t say anything in response. Instead, she latched onto Twilight in a desperate embrace. Twilight was stunned at first, not expecting Flurry to react so strongly. It had been decades since her niece had held onto her like this. Like a small foal who just wanted to be held. Twilight obliged and after a few seconds brought her forelegs up to hold her niece tight. “I’m sorry too,” Flurry whimpered. “Aunt Sunset was right. I like to blame you and Mom, but I’ve only ever made it harder for myself, haven’t I?” “Well, she’s blunt, but she has a way of making a point, doesn’t she?” Twilight nodded while stroking Flurry’s hair. “I’ve never been so scared in all my life,” Flurry admitted, “She must have been a terrifying bad guy.” Twilight laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you she was less threatening when she was evil?” They stayed like that for only a few more minutes, but to them, it felt like hours. Eventually, Flurry Heart pulled away. Twilight noted the tears in her eyes and reached a hoof up to wipe them away. She had her father’s eyes. Shiny’s eyes. Twilight realized she didn’t appreciate that enough. Some days it outright pained her, but not anymore. “I love you, Flurry. With all my heart.” “I love you too, Aunt Twily.” Twilight grinned. It had been a long time since she had last heard that nickname. The first words she had ever heard her speak. “Well, what do you say I give you a magic lesson?” Sunset watched Flurry and Twilight start to head this way from her position on the rim of the fountain and breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like Twilight had pulled it together after all. Of course she did. Only after cooling off did she start to worry if she was too hard on Flurry. Something in her just couldn’t stand seeing her treat Twilight like that. “Flurry…” Sunset began when the pair of princesses got within range. Sunset never got to finish that sentence as a wave of yellow magic washed over her and pulled her from her spot into the waiting forelegs of an apologetic princess. “I’m sorry. You were trying to do something for me, and I almost ruined it,” Flurry softly apologized as she wrapped Sunset in a firm hug. Firm to an alicorn that is. Sunset was not an alicorn. “Apology…accepted,” Sunset gasped feeling the air being squeezed from her lungs like toothpaste. Her forgiveness only made Flurry intensify her hold in joyful endearment, but to Sunset it felt like a Python had just decided to get serious. “Flurry…can’t…breathe,” Sunset begged. She looked over to Twilight and pleaded for salvation with her eyes only to find an amused alicorn looking back at her. Ah, there was her karma for leaving Twilight out to dry with the Pies and their love of rib-shattering hugs. It took longer than usual to get her this time. Thankfully, Twilight did take pity on her. “Flurry, Honey, you’re crushing her.” “Oh! Oops, Sorry, Aunt Sunset,” Flurry apologized while quickly letting go of the smaller unicorn, perhaps too quickly as Sunset fell to the floor gasping for air. “Sunset, are you alright?” Twilight asked, legitimately concerned now as she swiftly walked up next to Flurry to check on the downed pony. “huff…this family is going to be the death of me,” “She’s okay,” Flurry confirmed. “Don’t anypony rush to help me up or anything.” Twilight used her magic to pull the poor disgruntled unicorn to her side and set her on her hooves. Twilight then went the extra mile of using her hoof to smooth out the messy patches of her fur and mane that were rubbed out of place. Sunset didn’t exactly look happy, but she did nothing to stop her. “So, what can you teach me today?” Flurry Heart giddily asked, taking her position before them now that her two teachers were present. Twilight stepped up to answer. “Well, from what I’ve seen, you’ve been practicing with your magical dexterity, but there is still an underlying problem with power regulation. Knowing how to manipulate your magic isn’t a bad start, but you won’t be able to properly cast spells until you can confidently use the exact amount of power you need in any situation. Sudden fluctuations during spellcasting would be disastrous with your level of power.” “I can second that,” Sunset commented. Her geode had been so kind as to remind her of how her first attempts with unregulated magic went. “Okay, so how can I learn to do that?” Flurry asked. Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, thinking out loud to both herself and the ponies present. “You need to understand your power and be comfortable with it in all its forms. That means you need a way to use your power. All of it.” “All of it?! Isn’t that the exact opposite of what I’m supposed to do? Half the reason I’m doing this is so ponies stop worrying that I’m going to accidentally blow up Equestria,” Flurry balked at the suggestion. “And that’s the problem,” Twilight nodded, “You’re never going to be able to control your power if you’re afraid of it and what it can do.” Sunset remained silent throughout Twilight’s lecture, trusting she knew what was best in this circumstance, but she wasn’t certain she like the direction this was heading. “Ok, so let’s just say that you’re right and I do need to play around with my magic. How in the world am I supposed to do that? Do you have a few spare cities you’re not going to miss?” Flurry asked in what sounded like sarcasm at first, but upon closer inspection was an attempt to mask her discomfort. Twilight just smiled. “Giving you an outlet will definitely be challenging, but I do have an idea.” Sunset was practically sweating bullets at the scene she was watching unfold. She had always thought Twilight to be the most intelligent pony she knew. Even she never could quite match up to the amount of grey matter the Princess possessed. The only other person who matched up…was another Twilight. Yet, this brilliant idea of hers was certainly making her reevaluate, at the very least, the state of Twilight’s sanity. “So, just so we’re absolutely, positively, one hundred and ten percent clear, tell me what you want me to do again!” Flurry Heart shouted to the edge of the field several yards away from the fountain they stood in front of. “Hit me!” Twilight shouted back. “Aunt Sunset, you’ll bail me out if I get arrested for regicide, right?” “Flurry, my cell will be the one next to yours,” Sunset moaned, preparing her best possible shield spell just in case it might make a difference. Doubtful, given Flurry had practically shredded her defenses and she wasn’t delusional enough to believe Flurry had given anything close to her all with those attacks, but it couldn’t hurt to at least try to give Twilight some extra protection. “Remember, give it everything you have! Don’t hold anything back!” Twilight shouted at them. “Like, ‘everything’ everything?!” Flurry questioned, blatantly stalling. “Yes! Everything! There’s no point doing this if you don’t! Don’t worry, I can take it!” Twilight called back. “Ok,” Flurry muttered, drawing power into her horn. Twilight sensed the sharp increase in magical energy and readied her own horn in anticipation. Truth be told, she was almost a little excited. It had been a while since she had really had a chance to put her own power to the test. Very little offered her much of a challenge at the level she was at now. “Isn’t that enough?” Sunset asked Flurry whose horn was practically crackling like a storm from the amount of magical energy she was gathering. “She said everything!” Flurry grunted, pulling power from reserves inside her she had never dared to even touch before. Every drop of power that existed inside her was brought to the surface. Sunset gawked, beginning to consider the merits of preparing a shield for herself as well. Twilight could hardly see Flurry anymore, the magic beacon of her horn growing so luminescent that it blocked her from view. Judging by the way the air was swelling, Flurry was still building power even now. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind anymore that she had done Flurry Heart a great disservice. No other pony, save for Celestia herself, could have managed the full extent of Flurry’s strength. She, however, was more than ready for it. Twilight smiled in anticipation. A twenty-sided die clattered onto a table, the number five landing face up. “Uh-oh. Looks like another low roll. Captain Wuzz’s arrow ricochets off the armored knight’s shield and severs the ropes supporting the bridge, sending you falling into the canyon below,” Spike read out of the gamebook. “Again!? That’s the fifth time in a row! Just admit it. You’ve been rigging this game against me for over seventy years and one day I’m going to prove it!” “Discord, we’re on the same team.” “A convenient excuse for a treacherous wizard who wants the throne of Discordopolis all to himself. I’m onto you, Garbunkle,” Discord sneered across the table at the dragon in a wizard’s hat. “That doesn’t even make any sense. You know it takes both of us to break the Snake Sorcerer’s enchantment on the castle.” “So, that’s your game then? Use me to gain access to the palace before stabbing me in the back?” Discord accused, gesturing to his backside which had a dagger protruding out of it. “Like we’re going to make it that far with the way you’re rolling,” Spike muttered. “I heard tha…hang on a second. Do you feel that?” Discord asked. “Feel wha—“ *CRASH* “Woah!” Spike yelped as seemingly the entire castle shook, throwing him off his seat onto the floor and tossing their game of Ogres and Oubliettes around the room. “That,” Discord answered as though nothing spectacular had happened. “Hang on. Does that count as a roll? Oh, it’s a three. Whatever,” Discord shrugged, flapping his way over to a nearby castle window to look out in the direction of the magical surge. “What was that!?” Spike asked, picking himself up off the floor and fixing his hat. “That, my dear friend, was the sound of excitement. Garbunkle, we’ll have to put a pin in this game. Let’s go have a look at something a little more…chaotic.” Flurry Heart slumped down into a prone position, gasping in exhaustion. “Wow. What a rush. I’ve never…used…that much power before.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to be awestruck by first. The gaping chasm of dirt and grass that Flurry’s blast had carved through like a hot knife through butter or the smoking crater the chasm led to that used to be the position of one Princess of Friendship. A princess Sunset could no longer see. No sooner than she started worrying did Twilight emerge from the cloud of smoke, slightly worse for wear, but in one piece and borderline glowing with pride. “That was good, Flurry! Now, hit me again!” “WHAT!?” Sunset and Flurry shouted in unison. “This time, use as much power as I tell you to, okay!? You need to be able to control exactly how much you use!” Flurry shakily got back to her hooves and started to charge up her horn again. “Okay, sure. She shrugged off my best shot already anyway.” “Yeah. She did,” Sunset muttered, only now starting to appreciate that. Twilight was powerful. She knew that. She was the element of magic. She moves around the sun and moon. But nothing quite put things into perspective like watching her easily block an attack that would have obliterated the castle had she not been standing in front of it. Flurry and Twilight began to go back and forth, Flurry firing a shot at Twilight’s instruction that the Princess of Friendship would block with a simple shield spell. Twilight would coach Flurry on whether the attack was too hard or too soft until eventually, Flurry Heart began to hit the mark more consistently. From there, Twilight made things more complicated. Twilight would request certain patterns of shots, then certain patterns composed of shots with various amounts of power. Eventually, even Flurry Heart of all ponies had actually exhausted her own supply of magic and collapsed, panting from the extensive workout. Twilight teleported to her side with nothing to really show for the exchange beyond a light sweat that actually made her glow more than anything. “Good work today, Flurry. I think you’ve made some real progress today.” “I did? Then why do I feel so awful?” Flurry moaned. “That’s called being tired, Flurry,” Twilight informed her niece. “It’s something you’ll need to get used to.” “So, does this mean I’ll be ready to start learning spells and stuff soon?” “I’d say you’re well on your way, but no matter how gifted you are it’s not a fast or easy process. You have to keep that in mind,” Twilight cautioned. “Ugh. Okay. I still wish that I could at least see some more magic besides a carriage full of energy blasts,” Flurry complained, rolling over to lay on her side. “Maybe you can,” Sunset suggested. Twilight and Flurry both turned to look at her, questions written on their faces. “In my experience, it’s usually important to show examples of the concepts you teach. If Flurry Heart is going to learn to use powerful magic, she should be able to see powerful magic in action,” Sunset reasoned in a way that sounded akin to a sales pitch. “So, we should put on a magic show or something?” Twilight guessed, causing Flurry to recoil in displeasure at the idea of something so childish. “No. I had something a bit more exciting in mind,” Sunset smirked, the idea thrilling her. “How exciting exactly?” Twilight asked, still not seeing what Sunset was advocating for. “The sort of exciting that can only happen when two master class magic users are together,” Sunset said, sauntering up to Twilight. The clueless look on Twilight’s face told Sunset she’d have to spell this one out. “A duel, Twilight. Me and you.” “Cool!” Flurry exclaimed, shooting up from the ground with a renewed energy. “You’re gonna fight!?” “What?! No, we’re not!” Twilight denied immediately. “Come on, Twi, it’ll be fun,” Sunset waved off. “What’s ‘fun’ about beating each other up!” “Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll go easy on you.” “That’s not…what did you just say?” Twilight bristled, bending her head down to come face to face with the smug unicorn. “That’s funny,” Sunset said, bringing up a hoof to cup Twilight’s chin in a way that was reminiscent of their very first faceoff, “All these years I thought those were alicorn wings, not chicken wings.” Just for old times’ sake, she gave Twilight’s chin a gentle flick to punctuate her arrogance. Flurry Heart snorted in the background as Twilight stood stunned in shock, taking a brief few seconds to recompose. “Well, I have to admit, I forgot how good you used to be at making me want to hit you, but my ego’s not that fragile,” Twilight responded once she had recovered from the offense. “Yeah, I know,” Sunset admitted, not even bothering to deny she had done that solely to ruffle the Princess’s feathers. “Why do you want this anyway? Surely there are easier and less destructive ways to demonstrate the art of spellcasting,” Twilight said. “Not as epic though,” Flurry commented from the side. “Well, just look at you, Twi. You’re amazing. The very best at basically everything. Between you and every other pony that’s ever had a horn on their head, it’s absolutely no contest,” Sunset broke down. Twilight couldn’t beat down the shade of red that came over her face at the compliments and just hoped nopony would notice. “I’m not the best. I’ll never be the best. That doesn’t mean I can stop myself from wanting to be. And if I can’t be the best, then I at least want to be the best me, and that means I have to know how well I measure up to the best. To you,” Sunset explained. Twilight understood what Sunset was saying. She was the same. She always had been, but she still wasn’t sure she was exactly comfortable with the idea. “Sunset, I understand that, but I’m just not sure I can…” Twilight trailed off. “What?” Sunset asked, confused. “…hurt you,” Twilight admitted, turning her gaze to the side. “Twi, I’m not made of glass. I can handle getting a little roughed up. Just ask Flurry.” “Yep! I hit her really hard,” Flurry smiled. “Thanks, kiddo.” Twilight looked between the two, more concerned than convinced. “Look,” Sunset stated, trying a different approach, “how often do either of us really get to use any of the stuff we’ve spent years studying?” Twilight thought about it for a second and found the answer to be not nearly as often as she liked. Sitting on a throne for most of the day didn’t usually require much magic. “Wouldn’t it be nice to just cut loose? I mean, within reason of course. I am kind of expecting you not to incinerate me or anything, but I definitely want to see just how much you’ve got in that big beautiful brain of yours now,” Sunset honestly stated. When Sunset phrased it like that, it did sound pretty tempting. Her adrenaline was already flowing just from training Flurry and that was nothing more than shielding a bunch of mana. The chance to really show off what she could do against somepony that could at least contend with her skill was something she hadn’t had since… “If I went along with this, will you let me set the rules?” Sunset nodded. “Is that a yes?” “…alright. One duel.” Sunset smiled, feeling the anticipation and excitement that had been building within her take to new levels. How was it that Rainbow Dash would have described it again? “This is going to be so awesome!” Flurry cheered. Yeah, that was it. Author's Note I hope it shows that I honestly had a lot of fun writing this chapter because I did. Next chapter we get to see a little bit more of what Twily is capable of, and maybe Sunset will have one or two surprises of her own. Hope everyone looks forward to it. As always, don't ever be afraid to share your thoughts. Chapter 17: Twilight Against SunsetTwilight and Sunset stared each other down from opposite ends of the field, situated on the half of the courtyard that hadn’t yet been utterly demolished. Cyan eyes met violet ones. Sunset locked onto the Princess with a sharp focus while Twilight stared back uncertainly. A tense stillness filled the air with only the running water of the courtyard’s fountain breaking through the gentle breeze. Flurry watched on from the sidelines with bated breath, nearly shaking in excitement. Sunset steadied her breath in anticipation. She needed her full focus now. It wasn’t every day she was provided a chance to lock horns with a sorcerer of Twilight’s caliber. In fact, she had never really been afforded a chance like this until now. As arrogant as it made her sound, no unicorn had ever even come close to measuring up to her. That was just the truth of the matter. In her day, she was the unchallenged princess of Celestia’s school. It didn’t matter if the pony in question was her senior or junior. They were crushed just the same on the rare occurrence they dared to stand up to the pint-sized powerhouse of a filly. Now, while Sunset fully understood that wielding her power in such a manner had been beyond wrong, it still went to show just how much she had completely outclassed everypony else. It was almost ironic that more powerful unicorns emerged only after she fled Equestria. If what Twilight had written her was any indication, Starlight Glimmer’s magical ability could have very well surpassed her own. Then the great, but apparently not at all late, Star Swirl the Bearded had returned from limbo. She had even missed the talents of the new generation of unicorns if Luster Dawn was any indication. Now that the primes of all those unicorns had passed her by, her standing in Equestria wasn’t actually all that different from what it had been all those decades ago. Her mindset, on the other hoof, couldn’t have been more so. She had enjoyed the ease with which she had remained on top in the past. Relished it. For all the tireless hours of work, practice, and study she had put in, it had all only been for the solitary purpose of pushing others down and ensuring that she remained on top. Now, the same situation no longer held any appeal to her. Now, she worked to push herself. But what was an unnaturally strong unicorn to do for a challenge in a land that was currently short on prodigies? The obvious solution was to pick fights with royalty. Sunset could no longer suppress the smirk she had been attempting to bury under a poker face as she sized Twilight up. Just look at her. She could only imagine the fit she would have thrown over it had she only known. To think, that little purple twerp Celestia and Cadenza fawned over would one day grow to become a magnificent princess. Even staring straight at her now, it was a difficult sight to properly digest. Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful pony on the planet. It was funny how the truth could still sound wrong, but she was looking at just that. In a way, this had been a long time coming. Celestia’s faithful and fallen pupil, fated to do battle. In retrospect, it was almost a little disappointing that their first encounter all those years ago had involved so little magic. Both of them were taken out of the element that defined them. Two teenage girls rolling around on the ground over a prom crown was not quite the epic confrontation she had imagined in retrospect. Well, better late than never. While Sunset knew full well who the superior pony was between them, she had always wondered just how far she could push the princess. It was time to find out. “Here are the ground rules!” Twilight announced to her friend and soon-to-be opponent. “Rule one! Raw magic will be regulated to stun blasts only!” Sunset nodded her understanding. No blowing things, or each other, up. Got it. “Rule two! All areas outside of the courtyard are considered out of bounds!” Sunset nodded again. Keep it contained and subdued. “And, Rule three! The winner of this contest will only be decided by whoever successfully subdues their opponent!” Sunset confirmed her understanding one final time. It was pretty standard, all things considered. It seemed Twilight was opting for a ruleset that discouraged physical brutality, which was fine by her. This was meant to be a test of skill, and she was in no rush to take direct shots from an alicorn again. Still, Sunset knew subduing Twilight wouldn’t be easy. She doubted the trick she pulled on Flurry would work on Twilight. Guess she’d have to try and work something out. “Ready when you are, Princess!” Sunset called out to her, a gleam in her eye that Twilight hadn’t seen in many years. She had never imagined she’d be on the other side of that gaze again. The analyzing stare that was disassembling her with a glance, sizing her up, searching for faults and weaknesses. Anything that would give her an advantage and allow her the chance to take Twilight down. It was somewhat unnerving to have Sunset look at her like that again. Twilight tentatively assumed a battle-ready stance to mirror Sunset’s own, wordlessly conveying her intention to begin the contest of magic. It was far too late for second thoughts at this point. The battleground grew deathly silent in anticipation, neither alicorn nor unicorn daring to make the first move. Sunset begged Twilight to show her what she could do with just her eyes. Flurry could practically feel the tension in the air. Sunset crouched in anticipation while Twilight held stiff in trepidation. “Hm, do you think it would help to sound them off?” A new voice inquired from beside her. “Uncle Discord? Uncle Spike!?” Flurry turned to her side in surprise, the lanky draconequus and buff dragon standing beside her when they most certainly hadn’t been there before. Spike gave her a courteous wave with an expression that indicated he was not here by choice. “Well, only one way to find out,” Discord resolved, snapping an eagle claw. *DING*DING*DING* Twilight jumped at the bell and released a burst of magic that missed the unicorn facing her by a mile. Sunset raised an eyebrow at the shot that had practically been thrown away and held off on any sort of counterattack. That was not at all what she had been waiting for. Sensing Sunset was daring her to make another move, Twilight charged up her horn for a second time and fired another burst of magic, this one coming far closer, but still plainly missing the unicorn who didn’t move a muscle in reaction. If there was any doubt in Sunset’s mind before, it was firmly quashed now. Twilight wasn’t even trying to hit her. Sunset’s eyes narrowed in a harsh warning, sending a clear message to Twilight. Maybe Twilight wasn’t a fan of hurting her, but that was just a nice way of saying that she didn’t think she could handle it. Fine. If Twilight didn’t think she was up to anything an alicorn could dish out, she’d just have to show her why it wasn’t a good idea to take Sunset Shimmer lightly. “Okay, Twi. My turn,” Sunset warned. Twilight fidgeted, Sunset’s tone making her uneasy. She saw Sunset’s horn ignite with a red surge of magical energy and in nearly the same span release that energy as a crimson orb of crackling power flung directly at her. Twilight’s eyes shot open in shock. Both the power amassed and the speed at which it was collected and sent barreling at her taking her by surprise to the point where she nearly failed to throw up a shield in time. “GAH!” Twilight yelped, the orb ramming into her crude barrier like a vengeful drill. In theory, there shouldn’t have been a problem. The magic she now defended against wasn’t anywhere close to the sheer might of Flurry’s barrage that she had effortlessly fended off not even minutes prior, yet the difference in technique was astounding. Sunset had brought this magic together far faster, released it far quicker, and focused it to an absurd degree. While Flurry had simply sent waves of wild untamed magic at her in showers of energy that fell off as quickly as they arrived, Sunset had hit her with purpose and precision. She could feel the attack actively eating away at the pathetic last-minute shield spell she had thrown in front of it, and while Sunset may not have been an alicorn, her magic was still far beyond any unicorn. In conclusion, she didn’t stand a chance. Twilight’s shield shattered into pieces like glass, and the alicorn was flung back clean onto her rear, her crown knocked askew and falling over one eye. “Woah!” Flurry Heart gasped in astonishment, “Aunt Sunset just knocked Aunt Twilight onto her big fat butt!” Twilight sputtered to recover from the embarrassment, not even certain what to focus on. Eventually, she settled on the most important matter. “My butt’s not that big!” “Oh please, Twilight. You’re a sandwich away from Celestia,” Discord chuckled, bringing attention to his presence. Twilight’s face was an impressive mixture of surprise, shame, and frustration. “Discord!?” “What? Truthfully, it was an honest compliment. You turn every head in any room you leave.” “What are you doing here?” Twilight huffed, forcing herself to ignore his backhanded praises. She probably should have noticed before now. There were no bells in the courtyard. Discord shrugged his shoulders and fell back into a camping chair. “You didn’t really expect to blow up the castle without me coming to watch, did you?” “Yeah, I’m going to have to ask you to please not do that,” Spike requested from beside him. Judging by the large gashes of dirt missing, the castle landscapers were already going to be demanding a raise for this one. Discord materialized a pair of shades and placed them over his eyes, making it clear he was here to watch the show. “Now, a word of advice, Twilight. I suggest you start taking this little tussle a skosh more seriously. The little fireball packs a wallop.” Twilight gave the draconequus a disapproving stare but nodded a concession. Sunset had successfully wounded her pride. Twilight got back on all four hooves and turned back to face Sunset who was patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation. A seemingly honorable gesture was it not for the smug self-satisfied look that adorned the unicorn’s face. “So, did that get the point across, or do I have to knock you on your royal backside again?” Twilight brought up a hoof to straighten her crown back into its proper position, a fire now lit inside her. “Oh, believe me, Sunset. That won’t be happening again.” Sunset grinned back at her. It seemed Twilight had a competitive streak in her after all. Sunset was eager to put it to the test. “Okay, Twilight. Let’s play.” Sunset launched a scattershot of magic pellets in Twilight’s direction. Twilight effortlessly shielded the hail, this time completely prepared for the offensive, and quickly dropped her shield to send a counter beam at Sunset. The magic only found empty grass, Sunset warping out of the way just before the beam made contact. Twilight flicked her ears. A novice would no doubt be disoriented by the sudden loss of visual contact with their opponent, blindly guessing for one of the infinite potential positions the opposition would take upon reappearing. She, on the other hoof, knew that all she had to do was listen for the pop. Twilight turned around and fired a shot in the direction of the offending sound. “Ghk!?” a strangled voice gasped in shock as a current of magic passed through her and rendered her momentarily unable to move, leaving her to collapse on the ground in a heap. Sunset twitched, willing her body to respond to her again. Just like they had agreed upon, their magic could only be used to stun. No risk of permanent damage, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still an uncomfortable jolt of paralyzing energy. Twilight patiently watched Sunset struggle back onto her hooves, passing up the advantage and the chance to potentially secure her victory. “Okay, I guess that one was a little obvious,” Sunset groaned, still feeling the effects of Twilight’s magic. Alicorn magic was potent. That didn’t exactly come as a surprise, but it wasn’t something you could fully comprehend until you were on the receiving end of it. Amazingly, Sunset only now realized this was her first time really getting to taste it. Celestia had, of course, never laid a hoof on her, and Cadenza, heaven knows how had always been able to restrain herself from retaliating against even her nastiest antics. Even Flurry Heart had never actually managed to strike her in any way that wasn’t physical. Twilight was the first, and she wouldn’t complain if she was also the last. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked, her face quickly shifting into one of concern at seeing the difficulty Sunset was having, shaking off her attack. Did she overdo it? “Yeah…yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shocked. Being electrocuted has nothing on that.” “We can stop if you want,” Twilight suggested. Sunset scoffed. “You really think one hit is enough to take me out? I’m just getting warmed up,” Sunset boasted, her pride doing an amazing job of shaking her out of her daze or at least allowing her to appear as though it had. Twilight nodded and reassumed a more guarded position. Sunset began pacing around Twilight who held her ground. Catching Twilight off-guard earlier probably gave her more confidence than was strictly healthy. She was still the underdog in this fight. It wasn’t a position she was used to, but Sunset prided herself on her ability to adapt and get creative. She needed to fight smarter if she wanted to keep this competitive. Sunset fired a blast of magic directly in front of Twilight. Twilight stared, baffled at the simple analog alarm clock Sunset had materialized before her. She turned to the unicorn with a questioning glance only to catch a red flash as Sunset once again teleported out of sight. Twilight was left hopelessly confused. Sunset of all ponies wasn’t the type to make the same mistake twice and yet she immediately attempted the same move that had backfired on her once already. Surely, she realized that all she had to do was listen for… Twilight flinched as the clock in front of her began ringing at an obnoxious volume, shaking around in the grass as it filled the air with the clattering sound of metal. She folded her ears against her head in a desperate attempt to drown out the racket. How was she meant to hear anything when that thing was clattering awa…oh. Twilight felt the electrifying charge of Sunset’s magic strike her from behind and run straight through her. Twilight whipped around to look in the direction of the attack only to find nothing there. She grit her chattering teeth when, for a second time, she felt the unpleasant shock of Sunset’s magic course through her, this time with considerably more power than before. Enough to cause her to stumble as she turned again to catch nothing. Quickly growing tired of this game, Twilight covered herself in a dome of magic and swiftly brought a hoof down to smash the offending noise that was preventing her from hearing Sunset’s movements, the mechanism shattering into a sputtering heap. The sizzling sound of magic connecting with her barrier alerted Twilight to Sunset’s position. “Got you!” Twilight shouted in victory, whipping in her direction and grabbing hold of the amber unicorn in her magic. Sunset struggled to move in Twilight’s magenta-colored telekinetic grip but found absolutely no give for her efforts. Twilight had held her with magic before in a gentle touch Sunset had come to associate with her. That gentle touch had turned solid now, just as firm as stone. “You know, that was a pretty cheap trick,” Twilight commented, moving forward to stand in front of the immobile unicorn. “Are you kidding?” Sunset huffed, feebly trying to get any motion at all out of her body, but it seemed she wasn’t going anywhere so long as Twilight didn’t feel like allowing it. “What do you want me to do? Even that barely slowed you down. It was like trying to tranquilize an elephant,” Sunset growled, admittedly a little frustrated at the clear power discrepancy between them. She definitely didn’t go light on that second charge. Twilight frowned. “You know, you all really do wonders for my self-esteem.” Sunset didn’t even acknowledge that and continued her fight against Twilight’s magic to no avail. Surely, this couldn’t be over already? Yet, it seemed she had no way of overpowering Twilight’s magic no matter how hard she pushed. “Sunset, that’s not going to work,” Twilight confirmed for her, infuriatingly starting to take amusement in watching her valiant struggle. Sunset fumed at the injustice. It’s not like she could do something like this to Twilight. A lightbulb went off in her head. She couldn’t do something like this to Twilight and maybe her magic couldn’t directly overpower Twilight’s magic, but it certainly could still affect Twilight. “You know, Twi, I always wondered, isn’t it a bit of a pain having a mane that long? I mean, sure, you look pretty, but it seems like it’d get in the way a lot.” Twilight was caught by surprise at Sunset’s sudden choice of topic, a light red blush coloring her face. “Oh, uhm, well—” Twilight never got a chance to finish the sentence as before she knew it, a red magic aura had taken hold of her hair and jerked it directly over her face like a curtain. “Boy, Aunt Sunset sure fights pretty dirty,” Flurry Heart commented, watching the rather ungraceful sight of her Aunt Twilight stumbling around to remove her long shimmering mane from her view. “I know. Isn’t it a treat?” Discord cackled, shoving a mound of popcorn into his mouth. “It’s definitely effective,” Spike shook his head in second-hand embarrassment. Twilight was gifted in many ways. So many things just came to her naturally. Sadly, physical coordination was still not one of them. “Sunset, I can’t see!” Twilight complained, stumbling backward. “That’s the idea, Twilight,” Sunset said, using her own magic to keep Twilight’s mane problematic as she saw her opportunity in Twilight’s blind movements. With a precise aim, Sunset bathed the grassy patch behind Twilight in her magic, converting the terrain into an Icy sheet. Just as expected, the tall alicorn backed onto it and her hooves immediately flew out from under her. “YAH!” Twilight screamed, her balance thrown off beyond any hope of saving as she ungracefully crashed onto her back, her focus broken, setting her unicorn prisoner free. Sunset winced in momentary sympathy at the hard landing but pressed her advantage. She summoned a lasso to aid her and with practiced skill, wrangled all four of Twilight’s legs in it, tightening the hold with a firm pull. She really needed to thank Applejack for teaching her so many useful skills. In a matter of moments, with the help of a few sturdy knots, she had a successfully hogtied princess before her. Twilight stared at her from the ground in disbelief, the entire event happening so fast she didn’t know quite how to react to the indignity. Sunset looked at the sight before her and couldn’t help but feel that it was missing something. In an arrogant flourish, Sunset used her magic to materialize an apple in Twilight’s muzzle. Perfect. “Well, somepony’s getting a pay cut,” Spike nodded, doing his best to tune out the draconequus that was practically dying beside him. Twilight laid there in shock for a few moments, processing the entire situation. The thick rope that was meant to hold Twilight in place snapped apart like it was little more than cheap string. Sunset paled at the sight. Somehow, she had completely forgotten Twilight had been gifted with strength beyond any Earth Pony and now she had a very ticked alicorn bearing down on her. “Ptheck!” Twilight spat out the offending fruit that had been placed into her mouth upon returning to a vertical position and advanced on Sunset, intent on giving her a piece of her mind. Sunset backed away to put some more distance between them, but as always, her stubby legs didn’t measure up too well to Twilight’s. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?” “You’re only sorry I can get my hooves on you!” Twilight asserted, getting right into Sunset’s face causing the unicorn in front of her to trip over herself. Sunset had to admit, that wasn’t untrue. She’d definitely have to go with chains next time. “You have two choices, Sunset. You can forfeit now, or you can take what’s coming to you,” Twilight cautioned her, an edge to her voice. Sunset wouldn’t lie, she was a little intimidated. Twilight could be pretty feisty when pushed, in a way her human counterpart never was. Yet, it was an intensity that Sunset found to also be quite thrilling. “Come on, Princess, we both know that, if you want to win, you’re going to have to put me down,” Sunset defiantly stated, getting back on her hooves and putting herself muzzle to muzzle with the alicorn. Twilight smiled a confident smirk like she was hoping for that exact response. "Oh, I'm not going to put you down.” Sunset began to regret her bravado in record time when she saw Twilight begin to charge up an ominous-looking spell, a look in her eye that said she wasn’t going to hesitate in her movements any longer. Taking a page out of Trixie’s playbook, Sunset summoned a cluster of smoke bombs to cover her escape, bathing them both in a dark cloud. Sunset only managed to teleport a short distance back before Twilight cleared the area of all obstruction with a few flaps of her large wings. The gas was forcefully blown aside for Sunset to take in the sight of an unphased Twilight, her spell still charged and ready in her horn. Sunset took the offensive now, tapping deeper into her well of power than she had so far to launch a beam of energy at her. If Twilight was intent on holding that spell, it’d be difficult for her to manage a shield. Even the most advanced mage would be hard-pressed not to burn themselves out doing that. Her attack met only open-air, not even coming close to striking the Princess who vanished from her spot, and yet strangely hadn’t used any sort of teleportation to escape, given the clear lack of a magical discharge. Sunset darted her eyes around, desperately trying to catch the trick she was missing. “Looking for somepony?” Twilight’s voice asked from directly behind a baffled Sunset. Sunset jumped at the Princess who was within spitting distance of her now. “What!? How did you—” “A speed spell. It’s pretty useful when you have somewhere to be,” Twilight nonchalantly explained, still holding her first spell. Sunset knew she was in trouble now. A speed spell, like Accelero, was the kind of magic most ponies spent their lives training to be capable of. Even she had a pretty poor handle on it before she had abandoned her studies. To use it in combination with any other spell was practically impossible, yet here she was. Twilight took her opportunity and unleashed the spell she had been holding in all this time, striking Sunset in the back. Sunset felt the tingling sensation wash through her and quickly whipped around to face Twilight who had a satisfied look on her face. “What was that?” Sunset questioned, admittedly a little panicked at having unknown magic placed on her. “I just thought I’d lighten the mood,” Twilight joked. Sunset didn’t get it, but she had a feeling that it was just as eye-roll-inducing as Twilight’s jokes usually were. She tried to take a step forward only to not make any progress as her hoof somehow managed to just barely miss the ground. As did her other hooves. Sunset panicked at the realization that she no longer was in contact with the ground and tried to latch onto the grass to keep herself grounded. It was only after her knee-jerk reaction that she realized how futile that was. “I miss having hands,” Sunset lamented only realizing after she tried it that grabbing things wasn’t something hooves were particularly good for. Sunset slowly floated clean off the ground and stopped several feet into the air, stuck suspended and weightless with absolutely no control over herself. “Twilight, what is this!?” Sunset demanded, running low on options and attempting to paddle her way back down. “That, Sunset, was a gravity spell. Usually, gravity spells only shift the forces of gravity, but sometimes it’s useful to nullify the effects altogether,” Twilight explained while getting up close to the helpless unicorn dangling at eye level with her. “Normally, it’s used for things like transporting cargo or clearing debris, but it can also be a very effective and easy method for immobilizing another pony,” Twilight smiled, bringing a hoof up to cup Sunset’s chin and steady her in place so she could look her directly in the eye. “It’s just basic physics. No gravity means no way to produce motion. Unless…” Sunset noticed the playful smile on the alicorn and didn’t like what it meant. “Twilight, don’t you dar—” “They are acted upon by an outside force,” Twilight concluded, giving Sunset’s chin a gentle flick that, in her position, sent her into a mid-air backflip. Twilight watched Sunset spin. She really did enjoy physics and Sunset was being such an excellent example of inertia. Twilight had enough mercy to use a hoof to bring Sunset back to rest, the poor amber unicorn beginning to turn green and latching onto the offered limb with her own hooves, desperate to stop spinning. “I think I’m gonna be sick,” Sunset gagged, praying for her world to just hold still. “Well, you look pretty subdued to me, Sunset. I believe that makes me the winner,” Twilight stated as a matter of fact. Sunset glared at Twilight. “This isn’t over yet.” Twilight shook the foreleg Sunset was holding onto, easily waving the unicorn around with it. “You make a better balloon than a pony at this point, Sunset. It’s over.” Sunset frowned at first before her expression morphed into a smile. Twilight was so sure of herself now that she was leaving herself wide open. She knew just how to wipe that smug look off Twilight’s face and she had her to thank for the idea. Without a word, Sunset powered up her horn and blasted Twilight in the face faster than she could blink. Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. Somehow, she didn’t expect Sunset to still insist on fighting her even when she was practically immobile. She should have known better. “Not as long as I can still use my magic,” Sunset defiantly bit back. Twilight felt she should probably hurry up with a sealing spell. Just as Twilight prepared to ignite her horn, her crown was ripped right off her head and plummeted towards the ground at an unusual speed. “That can't be good,” Twilight murmured, looking down. “You know, Princess, I’m pretty fond of physics too,” Sunset mentioned, bringing her attention back to her supposedly helpless assistant who had a borderline evil look of triumph on her face. “I have to admit, using a gravity spell was very creative, but maybe you’re going in the wrong direction.” She attempted to lift her horn again for the spell only to find that simple task was now suddenly a decent struggle. “Sunset…what—” “If you really want to keep somepony down, Twilight, you need more gravity, not less,” Sunset pretended to idly explain, while Twilight began to shake considerably. “Maybe twice as much.” Twilight felt her hooves begin to slip out from under her like even the ground was trying to get out of her way. “Or maybe five times as much.” Twilight went to her knees, feeling as though an enormous weight was being slowly loaded onto her shoulders. One that she was not prepared to bear. “If you really want to be sure, you could even do ten times as much.” Twilight slammed onto the ground, belly first, squeezing the wind out of her, her long limbs splaying out to the side in a star formation and just as pinned down as the rest of her. “For a normal pony that is. For a big strong alicorn, I was thinking something along the lines of a hundred times as much.” Twilight’s chin, at last, met the ground, completely flattened onto the grass like a sticker slapped onto a notebook with a gasping “Oof!” “Ha, yes!” Sunset whooped, pumping a foreleg in celebration and quickly regretting it as she nearly sent herself into another spin. “Okay, I need to get down from here.” With Twilight currently indisposed, breaking her enchantment was a surprisingly simple matter. Without Twilight around to maintain and enforce it, a decent failsafe spell was enough to reestablish gravity’s effect on herself. “Whoa!” Sunset cried, landing with an uncomfortable thud in front of Twilight. “Ow. That’s going to hurt in the morning. Heh, gravity, am I right, Twilight?” “Very funny,” Twilight mumbled, her tone dripping with what Sunset guessed was sarcasm, but it was hard to tell given Twilight’s position made talking a bit more difficult than usual. “Well, Princess, It looks like I’m the one standing tall now,” Sunset boasted to her captive audience upon getting to her hooves. “First time for everything.” Sunset paused. “Okay, I walked into that one. Still, it doesn’t matter how tall you are when you’re stuck on the ground, does it?” Sunset smirked, leaning over Twilight who was shooting daggers at her, none too pleased at letting herself fall into this situation. Feeling a little playful, Sunset extended a hoof to give Twilight’s nose a gentle boop. “Oh, get all your fun in while you can,” Twilight growled. Sunset tilted her head in confusion. She had scarcely had the time to even process it herself, but as far as she could tell, Twilight was well and truly trapped. There was no way she could scrape together the focus to form a counterspell under such pressure while she was right in front of her. “You sound like you think you’re going somewhere.” Twilight didn’t even respond and immediately redoubled her efforts to raise herself, straining with an audible grunt. Sunset couldn’t believe it. Twilight was smarter than this. Surely, she didn’t think that was actually going to work. “Okay, Twilight, what do you think—” Sunset’s words were brought to an abrupt halt as Twilight successfully muscled up a foreleg and placed it back down in a weight-bearing position. “What the…” Sunset muttered in disbelief. Twilight successfully lifted her other foreleg bringing herself into a position to push herself up. Sunset could hardly believe her own eyes. Did she somehow mess up the gravity spell? It was pretty complicated magic. Twilight was visibly sweating now, but pushed on through, straining to bring herself into a crouching position, but successfully back on all four hooves. No. Sunset knew that couldn’t be it. She was better with her magic now than ever. She had shaken off any rust she had weeks ago. With a final groan of exertion, Twilight brought herself back to her full height. A height that towered over the unicorn before her. Her body shook with exertion, but it was a perfectly manageable discomfort, her alicorn strength enabling her to simply power straight through the limits of a normal pony. “H-how?” Sunset stuttered, backing away in disbelief. That momentary lapse in composure was all Twilight needed for a chance to shred Sunset’s spell, her horn igniting and releasing a gentle pulse of energy that left her feeling several worlds lighter. Twilight sighed a breath of relief, shifting her neck and shoulders around to relieve some of the tension that she had developed. She carried around a ton of it as it was, she certainly didn’t need more. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to finally get around to making another spa appointment. It had been quite a few months. “Are you kidding me?!” Sunset cried foul, childishly stamping a hoof. “What’s it going to take to at least slow you down?” Twilight looked Sunset dead in the eye. “More than that.” Sunset felt a chill run through her. That was something else. She had never heard Twilight be so…intense. Twilight’s horn ignited in a bright beacon of light that nearly blinded Sunset even from several feet away with its intensity. The ground itself began rumbling with the ferocity of an Earthquake that made Sunset stumble around just to keep her balance. The earth itself began to break apart to make way for tall glowing lavender crystal spires that erupted from the ground like a stream, carving their way from behind Twilight and wrapping around them like a snake. Sunset could do nothing more than watch as the wall of crystals wrapped around them, sealing them inside together in what was both a strategic move and a demonstration of Twilight’s might. Sunset gulped, not liking her odds with such little room to move, and tried to teleport outside the ring to put some distance between them and escape this prison. The very next thing Sunset felt was her head slamming into the crystal barrier with an almost cartoonish thunk, still very much on the inside. Her teleport only managed to take her to the rim of the ring and no farther before she figuratively and literally hit an impassible wall. She stumbled back, her vision splitting from how hard she had hit the crystal wall, a nasty headache in her future from the feel of it. She wasn’t going anywhere. No doubt exactly what Twilight wanted and a clear sign that the princess was looking to bring this to a close. Sunset took just a second to be impressed. A physical barrier that prevented magic from passing through it but didn’t require the constant energy input of the caster like that of an energy barrier. It was something she had never even seen before. It was incredible. It was…very bad news for her. She was trapped. Sunset sighed in resignation as she felt Twilight’s gaze upon her, and turned around, ready to face the music. Her heart almost couldn’t help skipping a beat at the sight that awaited her. The crystals' incandescent light cast an ethereal glow over them that made it clear who was in control. The stature, the way her mane flowed in an ever-increasing magical current, the surging light of her horn, and the focused look in Twilight’s eyes all made Sunset feel for the first time that she was up against not a talented friend, but a full-fledged Goddess. Sunset swallowed her amazement and ground her hooves into the dirt to root herself in place and summoned power into her own horn, creating a defiant red stain in the violet void she stood in. Going down without a fight was just never her style. Twilight stepped closer to Sunset, each step measured, and her focus unshakable. Sunset had surprised her more than once already. If she found a single chink in the armor, she would exploit it. Looking at Twilight now, Sunset saw no such weaknesses. Twilight had made certain that she was left with only one option. Simultaneously, Sunset and Twilight arched back and threw their horns forward unleashing their matching spells against each other where they collided in a mid-air clash of power. The thin streams of red and magenta energy mingled together in midair, dancing in a beautiful show of light. Twilight held fast, her face focused and unwavering. Sunset across from her gritting her teeth and pumping as much power into it as she had. All of it. Straining to put every last drop into it. She held Twilight in a standstill with sheer might, her magic daring to force Twilight’s back for a single instant that stood frozen in time. It didn’t last beyond that. Twilight’s magic consumed Sunset’s, driving straight through it like it was devouring its way to the amber unicorn, and in the span of a few seconds, it struck her horn and dissipated. Sunset felt her magic leave her the instant it happened like a clamp had been firmly snapped onto her outlet, leaving her magic with no way of flowing out into the world around her. Sunset fell forward gasping for air. She had lost. She laid on the grass, catching her breath as the crystal spires slowly retracted into the ground as if they had never been there at all. She had put everything into that last attack. It was her best, and it hadn’t been enough. Not even close. So long ago she would have been enraged at such a convincing defeat. Now, she could safely say that she had never felt so alive. She had no idea how she had gone so long without it. Her magic. To feel it, to use it, test it, push it, and challenge it. She had spent so long missing an essential piece of herself and now she was complete. Even if she fell short, how could she be disappointed? What else could happen when you aim for the untouchable sky? It just meant there was further to reach. More that was possible. Twilight was always good at showing her that. Sunset propped herself up to gaze at the victor. She took some pride in Twilight looking like she had been in a fight. On some level at least, she had challenged her. She was still missing her crown, her mane was frazzled and tangled in spots, and her coat was muddied with dirt and grass. It was strange how it did nothing at all too dull her beauty. If anything, Sunset found it enhanced it. The perfect pristine princess look wasn’t her. Not really. Granted, the battle-worn warrior look wasn’t exactly it either, though she could play the part well, yet it was closer to who she was at heart. A strong, capable, ingenious mare who just so happened to be the most powerful pony to ever exist. One who loved developing and using her talents just as much if not more than she did. Sunset saw Twilight's smile from where she laid, feeling the same rush of exercising those talents that she did. The same ignition of passion. She really was amazing. Author's Note Did I dedicate a whole chapter to Sunset and Twilight stumbling their way through a fight? Yes, yes I did. In related news, action is hard. Here's hoping it turned out decent. I kind of wanted the practice in a region that desperately has room for improvement while also demonstrating that Twily is basically unstoppable now. At the very least, I hope there's some fun in it. Anyway, I think we've been in Canterlot long enough, don't you? Chapter 18: Missing Things“That…Was…SO…AWESOME!” Flurry Heart was positively gushing in her chair at the small table on the castle patio their odd group had gathered around after the grand spectacle. “How did you even do that?” Flurry asked, leaning over to Twilight who sat beside her. “Where’d you even learn how to do that?” Flurry pressed on, leaning right into Twilight’s personal space who didn’t seem to know what to do with all the attention her niece was suddenly showering her with. “Can I do that!?” “Flurry, if you want the answers to your questions, maybe you should give Twilight time to answer some of them,” Spike advised from across the table, clearly amused at what he was seeing. “Oh, right. Sorry,” Flurry smiled innocently in embarrassment. “It’s just, I’ve never seen anything like that. You’ve never used magic like that before. I didn’t even know you could do all that stuff, Aunt Twilight.” “Well, you don’t spend years researching ancient tomes and studying magic without picking up a few hundred tricks,” Spike confirmed, knowing full well Twilight would try to downplay her own abilities. “A few, HUNDRED!?” Flurry’s eyes threatened to pop out of place. “If we’re lowballing it,” Spike nodded “B-but, how!? The Crystal Empire doesn’t have a ton of unicorns or anything, but most of the ones I met knew like a few dozen, tops. Even Dad didn’t know anywhere near that many,” Flurry said, struggling to wrap her head around the mere concept. “Flurry, remember what I told you about most ponies only having enough magic to go along with their special talents?” Sunset chimed in from the seat on Flurry’s other side, detecting a teachable moment. Flurry switched her attention to the smaller pony next to her, ready to soak up every detail she was given, and nodded. “You said that some ponies have the magic to go along with their special talents, and some have even more than they need. And I guess alicorns have even more than that.” Sunset gave Flurry a smile of pride. “That’s right, but there is one more thing you need to know. Your magic is meant to provide you with a means of using your special talent, but the type of magic you do is also influenced by that special talent. So, a unicorn with a special talent for baking might be proficient at spells that generate heat, or somepony with a special talent for music would be good at spells that manipulate sound,” Sunset explained, trying to keep it basic and understandable. “That sounds…limiting,” Flurry stated. “It’s…more like having a focus,” Sunset settled on after a moment of deciding how to phrase it. There was a time where she viewed other ponies as lesser by following the same train of thought Flurry was headed down, but Twilight had let her in on just how creative some unicorns could be with what they were given. “Different ponies with different talents specialize in different kinds of magic, but there are some ponies who don’t have a focus at all, like Twilight. “Her special talent is magic, which means she’s able to master magic in all its forms and uses. It’s very rare for anypony to have a special talent in magic, but judging by your ability and cutie mark, it looks like you take after your aunt,” Sunset finished, casting a glance at Flurry’s flank. The same six-pointed star that adorned Twilight’s flank rested on Flurry’s, embedded in a crystal heart. She wouldn’t consider herself adept at reading the meanings behind a pony’s cutie mark, but the element of magic didn’t wind up on just anypony. “So, you’re saying I’m like you and Aunt Twilight?” Flurry asked, the thought bringing more of a smile to her face the longer she lingered on it. “I’d say you have the potential to be just as good as your aunt,” Sunset nodded, gesturing past Flurry to the princess behind her. Flurry Heart jumped on Twilight, shaking her shoulders with her hooves. “Did you hear that, Aunt Twilight?! Do…do you really think I could ever be as great as you? I mean, I was hoping to get good, but…that’s a lot to hope for.” Twilight blushed at the admiration. When was the last time her niece had looked at her like she was the most amazing pony to ever walk the face of Equestria? “Of course you can, Flurry, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to get there. Sunset and I didn’t learn all those spells overnight. It took many years of practice and study for us to get to where we are now,” Twilight encouraged her niece while making certain Flurry understood the sheer magnitude of the task if she really wanted to pursue this. Flurry Heart nodded in earnest. “I’ll work super hard every day and I’ll listen to everything Aunt Sunset says, I promise!” Twilight felt her heart melt looking into Flurry’s giddy eyes. All these years and all they had both been through and yet they had never quite lost their innocence. “You’ll help me, right?” Flurry asked. She needed to know with absolute certainty. “Of course, Flurry. Anything you need. Anything at all,” Twilight nodded without hesitation, bringing Flurry in for a hug which the younger princess returned in equal measure. The sight brought a smile to Sunset and Spike’s faces. “My my, it seems you’ve become quite proficient at an altogether different sort of magic, little fireball,” Discord whispered into Sunset’s ear from just over her shoulder. Sunset didn’t know whether it was a good thing or not that she had gotten used to Discord’s habit of violating personal space without warning. “What do you mean?” she asked without even turning to face him. “Why it seems like just last week the royal family couldn’t so much as be in the same room without getting into a screaming contest, and now they’re all love and hugs,” Discord swooned. “It is quite the transformation you’ve managed here; I must say.” “I didn’t do anything special. They would have worked things out on their own eventually. I just wanted to help,” Sunset brushed off. Discord looked Sunset over, assessing just what he was looking at with careful consideration. Eventually, his puzzlement gave way to a small smirk, a genuine spark hidden inside it. “How you’ve changed.” Before Sunset had a chance to ask what he meant by that, Discord vanished in a flash and reappeared across the table, busying himself with the refreshments sitting on the table, acting as though he had been there the whole time and the exchange was little more than a construct of her own imagination. Flurry Heart pulled back from Twilight, keeping her forelegs on Twilight’s shoulders, an excited look in her eyes. “Okay, you have to tell me what sort of other super amazing stuff you can do! I mean, hundreds of spells!? There’s gotta be a bunch of cool tricks that only you know, right?” “Oh, I don’t know if I can really promise that they’re all that exciting,” Twilight tried to wave off. “Come on, they have to be great if you know them. You’re, like, the greatest sorcerer ever. Can’t you tell me about just one? Pleeease?” Flurry begged. “Well…maybe I can think of a few that are pretty neat,” Twilight admitted, just this once willing to show off if it meant Flurry would keep looking at her like she was her hero. Flurry sat back diligently, hanging onto Twilight’s every word. Twilight shuffled through her inner catalog. She needed something impressive but also something easy to understand. Something that almost no pony had ever heard of. Twilight narrowed down the perfect option. Oh, she’d love this. “You’re familiar with changeling magic, right?” Flurry nodded her head, confused now. “Kind of. The Crystal Empire does have the highest changeling population outside of the Changeling Kingdom. My friend, Spiracle, tried to explain it to me once. She said that it’s a totally different kind of magic from the kind ponies use.” “That’s true, but I may have found a method to replicate their magic a few years ago,” Twilight couldn’t help grinning. She wasn’t a show-off, but nothing made her giddier than the opportunity to talk about something she had learned. “You can do that!?” Flurry gasped, amazed. Sunset leaned forward to see past her, just as interested. Changelings as a species were still relatively new to her. She couldn’t imagine actually using their unique brand of magic that allowed them to effortlessly mimic any shape or form. Twilight looked away. “Well, sort of. It’s not exactly perfect. Changeling magic is too distinct for our magic to reproduce the exact same effects, but by studying and following its basic structure I was able to imitate their abilities. It can’t make an exact copy of anything, but it can allow you to take the forms and abilities of other creatures.” “So, you’re saying, if you wanted to, you could be a dragon, like Uncle Spike?” Flurry asked, reasonably sure she understood what Twilight was saying. Twilight paled. Discord scoffed, taking a break from his task of finding increasingly unorthodox ways to consume the snacks they had been provided to see this play out. “That was the first thing she tried,” Spike answered for her, the memory as clear as day to him even after so long. “She did it, but have you ever wondered what the alicorn equivalent of a dragon is? It’s big. Like, really big. Way too big for the building she was in when she did it and she hadn’t exactly figured out how to change back at the time either.” “It took five hours, Spike, the royal guard, and the castle’s entire supply of butter to get her out,” Discord laughed, wiping away a mirthful tear just thinking about it. Twilight sighed. That was a nice ten minutes of her niece thinking she wasn’t a total dork. “Wow, that has got to be the most amazing thing ever!” Flurry squealed. “Huh?” Twilight muttered; positive she hadn’t heard that right. “I mean, I’ve heard some really old stories about princesses and dragons, but I’ve never heard of a princess turning into one. That must make you, like, the coolest princess ever,” Flurry sighed. Twilight’s face flushed at the compliment. “Well, I imagine she’d have to be. She is the princess who’s rescued all of Equestria from certain destruction on at least a few dozen occasions,” Discord slipped in. “You don’t go down in the history books as one of the greatest heroes of all time without being at least a teensy bit ‘cool.’” “I wouldn’t go that far,” Twilight said, slightly embarrassed at having Discord of all creatures throwing genuine praise at her. “Why not? It’s happened so often it’s practically a badge of honor for all aspiring malcontents,” Discord asserted, snapping with eagle claws and changing into a black t-shirt with the bold white words “Twilight Sparkle hit me with a rainbow,” written on it. Sunset felt something on her and looked down to find she was wearing an identical shirt in her size. Sunset chuckled, finding the humor in it, and even sat up a little straighter to show it off. Ironically, Twilight was the one who didn’t care for the joke. Her horn lighting up and removing the shirt from her friend with an eye roll. “Not a fan of the design? I admit, I’m still working on it, but I’m thinking we could start a club. Oh, wouldn’t that be fun? I just need to ask Luna if she’s interested.” “You’re still going to do it even if I ask you not to, aren’t you?” Discord offered her a mischievous smile in response, giving Twilight all the answers she needed. “Aunt Twilight really used the Elements of Harmony on you?” Flurry whispered to Sunset once Twilight and Discord started bickering. This was news to her. Sunset had mentioned she used to be bad. Downright evil even, but not that evil. Sunset nodded a confirmation. Thinking about it didn’t really bother her like it used to. She had certainly deserved it at the time. “But I thought those were only for incredibly evil, downright apocalyptic, stuff.” “Yeah. They are,” Sunset nodded using her magic to levitate a cup of tea that sat on the table over to her. Her statement said it all. “Huh. What did it feel like?” Flurry asked, either brave or tactless enough to ask. Knowing her, it could have been either. Still, Sunset didn’t have a problem talking about it anymore. It was behind her now. Truth be told, there was only one thing about it that really still got to her, but that didn’t have much to do with her karmic smackdown at the hands of the elements. “Well, to be honest, it hurt. A lot. It was like being set on fire from the inside. It just burns and eats away at all the negative stuff inside you. I guess if that’s all you have in you, it leaves you feeling pretty empty when it’s done with you. That’s how I felt anyway,” Sunset recollected, the moment still coming back to her with vivid clarity. “So, it just sucked all the evil right out of you?” Flurry guessed. Sunset shook her head. “No. Not really. It just…gave me a reality check. I’m sure I could have just gotten up and done something cliché like swear revenge and run off to start the whole thing over again. It’s not like I didn’t think about it for a few seconds. But, when you’re humbled like that, it forces you to finally stop and take a real good look at yourself. You’re thinking clearly for the first time in who knows how long because you don’t have the power, plan, or delusions to help you ignore the things you shouldn’t have. It’s like you're finally being told, ‘you’re wrong, now here’s your chance to do what’s right.’” “Wow. I’ve never heard it described it that way,” Flurry Heart wondered, astonished. Sunset couldn’t help but notice Flurry’s fascination with the subject. “So, why are you so interested in the elements?” Flurry Heart glanced away, a nervous look on her face that indicated she was wondering if she had said too much. “It’s…kind of silly.” “Come on, kiddo. I’ve given you my entire backstory. You have to tell me,” Sunset prompted with a reassuring smile that said without words that she wouldn’t judge her. Flurry turned back to her. “Well, it’s just that every time some great big catastrophe strikes Equestria, the elements are usually what saves us. So, I just thought it might be important for me to try and learn all I could about them. You know, in case Equestria ever needs a brave hero to step up and save the day again.” Sunset smiled at Flurry. She could be remarkably innocent for her age. “It’s a little frustrating though,” Flurry huffed. “For such important world-saving tools, they’re not very well documented. All I could really find was all the times they’ve been used to save us, and I don’t really understand how they work at all. Apparently, they’re not even physical anymore or something. Not to mention, what they actually do is completely random whenever they’re used. They turn things to stone, banish them to the moon or who even knows where, strip them of their power, fix whatever was wrong with Auntie Luna and I didn’t even know that they were used on you too. Like, who knows what exactly the elements did in that case?” Sunset digested Flurry’s train of thought, listening to what she had to say. Sunset took a thoughtful sip from the cup she held in her red aura. Red aura. Red. Sunset squinted, staring deep into the cup she held in front of her like it held the answers to all her questions. Was it possible? Could it be that that was it? Was it really— “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask Auntie Celestia about it when I see her this week. She’s been around forever, so she has to know something.” Sunset heard glass shatter and snapped to attention. “What did you say?” “I said I was going to ask Auntie Celes…ti…ah…oh,” Flurry trailed off, putting together what she had just said and to who she had just said it. “You’re going to see her?” Sunset said, more of a statement than a question, still processing it. Flurry nodded, “Y-yeah. The train back to the Crystal Empire passes right by Silver Shoals. I like to stop by and visit them for a few days on my way back if they’re not off traveling or anything.” Silver Shoals. Sunset recognized that name. She had seen it on a few of the maps she had studied to familiarize herself with the current layout of the kingdom. It wasn’t exactly close to Canterlot, but it also wasn’t much more than a long train ride away. Sunset had always thought…well, she didn’t really know exactly what she thought, but she certainly didn’t think she’d be so…close. Had she really been so nearby this entire time? “Hey, why don’t you come with me?” “What!?” Sunset nearly choked herself on her own startled gasp, pulling all eyes at the table onto her. “Yeah, it’s perfect!” Flurry concluded, the gears in her head turning as she formulated what she no doubt thought was a flawless plan. “I know you want to see her again,” Flurry stated like it was a matter of fact. Sunset felt her heartbeat speed up a few tics. Had she said those words exactly to Flurry? She honestly couldn’t remember. Sure, she had thought them at some point, but she didn’t expect it to happen right now. Flurry Heart went on to explain, completely oblivious to the fidgeting unicorn beside her. “The Crystal Empire train will be here in a few days to pick me up. We can just hop on and be at Silver Shoals in a few hours. Auntie Celestia just loves surprises. She’ll probably flip when she sees you.” Sunset almost questioned whether they were talking about the same pony at this point. Princess Celestia? Loves surprises? Since when? “I can show you around the place, we’ll have a whole bunch of family bonding time, maybe get in a few bonus magic lessons,” Flurry not so subtly hinted with a nudge. “It’ll be like a little family reunion!” Before Sunset could give her opinion, Discord materialized between them, draping an arm around them both. “Did I just overhear plans for a road trip to the retirement home of the two sisters? Count me in!” Sunset, at this point, had fallen into an unresponsive state of shock at how quickly this was running away from her. “Aw yeah! Now it’s a party!” Flurry Heart cheered, pumping herself up even further. “It’s going to be so much fun, Aunt Sunset! Silver Shoals is a bit rustic, but the charming kind and not the hick kind. They have all sorts of little activities, seaside scenery, and these giftshops with the cutest little— “Flurry!” Sunset finally managed to force out. Flurry Heart paused her excitement, Sunset’s tone piercing straight through her fervor. It was a tone she knew all too well. It felt like she’d spent her whole life hearing it. It was the sound of somepony about to tell her something she didn’t want to hear. Sunset considered her next words carefully. She didn’t understand how alicorns could manage to look so fragile. They were practically deities in most senses. She had seen it first hoof in just the past few hours. How was it that looking into Flurry Heart’s wide hesitant eyes that she got the sense that something as simple as words would break her? “Flurry, I…appreciate the offer, really, it’s sweet of you to ask,” Sunset settled on at last. “But?” Flurry continued for her. It was the word that always came next. Sunset flinched. “But…I don’t really think that’s going to be possible right now.” “Why not?” Sunset swore she felt her heart twist. “Well, you see…it’s just…I don’t know if…” Sunset stumbled over herself, realizing all too late she didn’t have a real answer to that question. “…I just…can’t right now.” Flurry physically deflated, the disappointment sucking the wind from her sails. “oh…ok.” The sense of guilt was instantaneous. Flurry looked so crushed, and it was all her fault. Somehow, despite being out in the open air, Sunset felt suffocated now. All these eyes on her, pelting her with silent questions. Spike’s confusion, Discord’s curiosity, Twilight’s concern, and Flurry Heart’s disappointment. All of them, bearing down on her. Judging her even. “I-I’m sorry, I just remembered something important I need to do right now. I need to go,” Sunset excused herself, internally wincing at what she knew wasn’t a very convincing reason to leave, but she needed space and she needed it now. “I’ll see you all later,” she waved, hopping down from her seat and walking away at a normal speed, but her rigid movements gave away that she was forcing herself not to move any faster. The table of assorted creatures watched her go, an awkward silence settling over the table. The seconds ticked by until the screeching sound of a chair suddenly sliding back against a stone floor asserted itself. “I’m going to go talk to her,” Twilight stated, less of an explanation and more of a decree that was guaranteed to happen regardless of what anycreature thought. In less than a minute, their party of five had reduced itself to a party of three with the Princess of Equestria chasing after the conflicted unicorn, the sound of her carefully measured gold-plated hoof steps echoing through the air and steadily decreasing in volume with each passing moment. Spike and Discord turned towards each other, Discord, for once, uncharacteristically silent. Flurry Heart saw an entire conversation pass between them without a single word in just a few knowing looks. She would give anything to know what it was about. Sunset was surprisingly fast when she wanted to be. She wouldn’t have lost her crown to her all those moons ago if Sunset’s little legs weren’t capable of some serious speed when motivated. She couldn’t have had more than a minute head start, and yet, upon turning the corner into the castle, Twilight found no trace of her in the corridors. Twilight kept a steady pace as she followed after her. While more haste would have certainly been her first instinct at completely losing track of her friend, years of carefully conditioning herself to always maintain a certain level of self-control stopped her from rushing through. It wouldn’t do for the ruler of all Equestria to be seen running through the halls of her own castle in a panic. A princess didn’t lose control like that. Not even for a friend. Fortunately, tracking Sunset down wouldn’t be an impossible task for the ironic reason they had discussed only yesterday. The castle was an unreasonably large place. It could take all day to find somepony if you were to blindly search through it all, but out of the countless sections of the castle, Sunset frequented only a small hoof full of them, and only one of those places were of any use for somepony who wanted to be alone. She just needed to get there without being sidetracked. “Excuse me, Princess, but could I get your opinion on what color curtains you think would best suit the windows in the castle foyer?” Like clockwork. Twilight allowed herself the internal groan she could never display externally as she addressed the unicorn that had just approached her, not missing a step as she did so. “Blue. They match the current season.” “Do you have a particular shade in mind, Princess?” The unicorn pressed on, levitating a quill and notepad in front of herself. “Cobalt,” Twilight responded. That sounded fine, right? Distinguishing different shades of a singular color was always more Rarity’s specialty. Personally, she didn’t see much difference between a lot of them, but things moved faster if she gave a concise answer. “As you wish, your majesty,” the unicorn nodded before swiftly bowing away. Okay, now to— “Princess, I’m sorry to bother you, but the Califoalnia delegate has insisted you move tomorrow’s meeting time,” a female hippogriff informed her, seamlessly taking the place of the unicorn. “Okay, when is he available?” “uhm…during your lunch hour, Princess.” “…Put him down for that time, and please inform the kitchen staff that I’ll be skipping lunch. Again,” Twilight stated in a mostly even tone, though she noticed a touch of her irritation had slipped through. She’d have to watch that. “Of course, your majesty.” Maybe she should have taken a more roundabout path to Sunset. Some route less full of passing staff members in need of her input. “Your majesty—” If looks could kill, Cercus would require a funeral with the look Twilight shot his way. “I take it now is not a good time?” The blue changeling picked out, remarkably unphased for somepony that had just been given a non-verbal death threat. “Sorry, sorry,” Twilight profusely apologized, shying away. It was bad enough she had nearly lost her composure there, but she had also directed it at one of her most trusted advisors for nearly six decades now. A friend. One of the few she still had. “It’s rather unlike you to lose your temper. I take it that has something to do with Ms. Shimmer,” Cercus assessed, never one to beat around the bush. Twilight raised a brow. “She came through only a short while ago. She was in something of a rush. Completely brushed me off. It was rather rude. Not an unusual trait of hers, but ordinarily it’s far more charming. Something must be bothering her, no doubt,” Cercus explained. Twilight nodded, internally glad to have it confirmed she was following the right trail. “I need to talk to her. It’s important, but certain distractions keep popping up.” “Say no more, your majesty. I believe I can hold the line long enough. And please, do brace yourself for what you find,” Cercus said before falling back. Twilight didn’t know how he did it, but when Cercus said he’d do something it got done. The flow of creatures stopped after that, a rare reprieve that left her a clear path to her destination. Her private wing in the castle was as empty as it usually was when she arrived, giving a courteous nod to the guard pony and griffon who kept it that way as she passed through the large entrance doors. She liked it this way. Though the great castle of Canterlot officially belonged to her it rarely felt like it, as a proper home should. So many creatures of all races and backgrounds roamed the castle grounds and halls and used the amenities it provided just as much, if not, more than she did. Really, it felt more like the castle belonged to the citizens of Equestria itself on most days, and by extension so did she. Having at least a few spaces in the castle that she could truly call just her own was essential to her sanity. Her room, a private library, and a space for her keepsakes. It wasn’t much, especially for a princess, but it was hers. Everything precious to her was kept in this hall. The door to Sunset’s room sat at the far end of the hall. It gave Twilight some time to think as she passed by the other rooms. Few things got as strong of a reaction out of Sunset as Celestia did. It had always been an incredibly touchy subject for her, and that hadn’t really changed after all these years. In the back of her mind, Twilight noted that she had already traveled past the seven empty guest rooms on the side of her own room closest to the hallway entrance. Sunset and Celestia’s relationship was…complicated, to say the least. Sunset’s feelings towards Celestia had shifted drastically over the years from love to anger, to hate, to longing, to just plain confused. Celestia, on the other hoof, was much more difficult to say for certain. She always kept everything close to her chest, but even Celestia wasn’t perfect. Twilight knew that now. The mask she wore slipped every so often and it slipped even more often when Sunset was involved. There was something there. Something special. Twilight moved past her own room, her private library, and the rooms Spike and Flurry stayed in. Sunset had confided in her about her years with Celestia through their messages to each other, but never pushed it farther than that. Celestia clearly cared but seemed to think it’d be a crime to show it. Twilight had always remained impartial, but she had hoped that, someday, one of them would be bold enough to reach out. They never really did. It had taken a magical crisis just to get Sunset to see her again. She was certainly glad that they had at least had the opportunity to part on better terms, but they hadn’t really talked or said much more than what was necessary. Twilight, at last, found herself facing the door to Sunset’s room. Only as much as a few weeks ago she would have been plagued with doubts and second thoughts. Not today. Whatever they needed to work through, they’d do it together. That was the promise they had made to each other. “Sunset, are you in there?” Twilight called, knocking on the door with a hoof. The response Twilight received was a small squeak accompanied by the sound of paper rustling around. “Y-yeah, Twi. Did you need something?” Sunset’s voice answered her after what Twilight recognized as the all too familiar sound of a book being shut. Twilight had to hold in a sigh. “No, Sunset, I’m fine. Is it okay if I come in?” “…Yeah,” Sunset quietly answered her after a rather lengthy pause. Twilight figured that was as good of an invitation as any and pushed Sunset’s door open with her magic. “Sunset, I…” Twilight trailed off after only a few short steps into Sunset’s room. Only now did Twilight realize that she hadn’t really ever been to Sunset’s room before now. It was something straight out of one of her nightmares. “If I knew you were coming over, I would have tidied up a bit,” Sunset said with a half-hearted giggle from her seat upon her bed. She had meant to clean her room yesterday. Really, she had. Twilight almost couldn’t stomach it. Papers everywhere, some of them indecipherable scribbles, others complex and intricate, but scattered on every surface regardless. Her desk was like some form of intellectual abomination. Drawers that were either pulled open and jammed full of office supplies and scrap paper or crammed shut despite the protests of their limited volume. The top covered in notepads, crumpled balls of rejected thoughts, any kind of writing utensil known to ponykind, sheets of paper stitched together with tape, and instruments more fit for construction than study. Sunset’s bookshelves had to be the worst of all. Just texts shoved in wherever there was room. Thrown on top of the shelves in stacks if there wasn’t any. Some of them didn’t even so much as have the spines of the books facing outward. There was just no system! It didn’t make any sense. How could somepony so brilliant be so…so… “Twilight, are you feeling alright?” Sunset asked, noticing the Princess almost seemed to look faint. Twilight focused on Sunset’s voice and pulled together all of her willpower. Just this one time, she’d resist her compulsion to organize. Even if it drove her crazy. She just needed to breathe in, then out. “Ahem…fine. I’m fine. I just wanted to see if you needed any help with that important thing you had to do.” “What important thin…?” Sunset began to ask only to catch herself all too late. Shoot. Oh well, it was a flimsy excuse to begin with. The door to Sunset’s room closed shut behind Twilight, the gentle click of the door’s lock following soon after. “Do you want to talk about the real reason you left now?” Sunset sighed. “You wouldn’t…” Sunset paused, her usual response when someone confronted her about something she wasn’t keen on talking about. She had gotten so used to saying it in the human world she almost couldn’t help it. “I wouldn’t understand?” Twilight finished for her. Sunset winced. It sounded just as ridiculous as she feared. If Twilight didn’t understand, who would? “No. You probably know exactly what this is about.” “I have an idea, but I’d still like it if you explained it to me,” Twilight prompted, pacing around to the side of Sunset’s bed. Sunset bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. I guess I was just…scared.” “Scared of what?” “That’s…a long list, Twi.” Twilight pulled herself onto Sunset’s bed to sit beside her. She noticed something sticking out from under Sunset’s pillow. “Just start with what Flurry said.” Sunset buried her face in her hooves. “Ugh, I don’t even know how I’m going to make this up to her. She just got so excited and started coming up with all these crazy ideas. I didn’t know what to do.” “What exactly was so crazy about it?” “Huh?” Sunset muttered, looking at Twilight like she had just grown a second head. “I think it sounded kind of nice, didn’t it?” Nice? Sunset wondered what about dragging her into the lion’s den could possibly be nice. “It’s a cozy little town. Good food, nice creatures, great weather. It’s not a bad starting point for somepony that wants to see more of Equestria.” “If I didn’t know any better I’d say it almost sounds like you want me to go,” Sunset accused. “Well, would it really be so bad if you did?” Sunset pulled away from Twilight like the alicorn had just bitten her. “Twilight! Princess Celestia is over there!” “Is that a bad thing? Don’t you want to see her again?” Twilight asked like she couldn’t understand what the problem was. Sunset didn’t answer her. Pressing her lips together in a dissatisfied scowl. Twilight sighed. Her horn burst into magenta magic to latch onto the book Sunset had haphazardly shoved underneath her pillow before she had come in, yanking it out into the open. “H-hey!” Sunset cried, reaching for the book as it flew past her, missing it by only a hair’s width. “I thought this looked familiar,” Twilight said, taking in the sight of brown covered journal stamped with a sun-shaped mark. The same mark that adorned the flank of the unicorn next to her. She had written quite a few messages into it a long time ago, but she knew that wasn’t the majority of the journal’s contents. Thousands of words had been scrawled into the pages before she had ever even seen the book’s counterpart. Red magic enveloped Twilight’s magenta and Twilight allowed Sunset to pull it back to herself, the unicorn taking hold of the book with gentle care. “You miss her,” Twilight stated, not a question, just a simple observation. “Yes, I miss her, okay? Of course, I miss her. I never stopped missing her. Even when I spent every minute of every day thinking of how I was going to make her kneel before me, I missed her,” Sunset confessed, squeezing the journal to her chest. “Then why are you so afraid of seeing her again? You know she’s forgiven you for whatever it is that you’re worried about.” Sunset seemed to internally debate whether to share what was on her mind for a brief moment. “Just because I’ve missed her doesn’t mean she’s missed me.” Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. “You really think she doesn’t?” “Well…why would she?” Sunset asked. “I’m just being realistic. All those years were important to me, but what could they really mean to somepony like her? What are a few years other than small drops in the bucket to somepony that’s lived for over a thousand years?” “Sunset…just because she’s lived longer than other ponies doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the same things we do,” Twilight defended. She had always been the first to jump to the sun princess’s defense and old habits die hard. “I know, I know. I’m not saying she doesn’t, but I don’t want to delude myself. I’ve done enough of that for several lifetimes. What really makes me any different from the thousands of other ponies she’s known? I don’t want to go running to a pony that's surprised I’m somehow even alive expecting a hug from…from…” Sunset choked on her own words, the conclusion to her thought apparent, but her body refusing to allow it. “From your mother, Sunset?” Sunset recoiled even further than she already had from Twilight. How could she just put a label like that on it like it was no big deal? Celestia certainly never had. Twilight hopped off of Sunset’s bed to once again stand up tall. She had decided before she had even made it to Sunset’s room. She was tired of dancing around it with Sunset. She was tired of dancing around it with Celestia. “She’s your mother, Sunset,” Twilight softly restated. “No, she isn’t. She was my teacher, and I was her student. Just like countless unicorns before me and after,” Sunset bit back, refusing to accept the label and casting a pointed look at Twilight as the last word left her mouth. “Celestia taught me magic, Sunset. She taught me how to be a good student and a good teacher. She taught me things that helped shape me into a better pony. She was like a mother to me, but she wasn’t my mother. My mother tucked me into bed at night. My mother read to me until we both fell asleep on the couch. My mother held me when I was scared. My mother taught me how to swim, brush my mane, and take care of myself. My mother showed me what it meant to be responsible. What it meant to follow your dreams.” Sunset could have sworn she saw moisture collecting in the corner of Twilight’s eyes until it was blinked away and the alicorn turned towards her again. “What pony did that for you, Sunset?” Twilight locked eyes with Sunset and stared her down, letting her know that the question wasn’t rhetorical. “Twilight, stop looking at me like that,” Sunset practically whined. “It doesn’t matter what I think about Princess Celestia.” Twilight decided to change tracks. “Sunset, what makes you think that she doesn’t feel the same way you do? I know she’s…not the best at telling ponies things when they need to hear them, but—” “Twilight,” Sunset cut the alicorn off, levitating her old journal in her magic to stare at the cover. “Have you ever read what’s written in here? The parts that aren’t ours, I mean.” Twilight didn’t immediately respond, caught off guard by the sudden question. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I don’t really have much of a leg to stand on there with how many times I stole Cadenza’s diary when I was little. I’ve just always wondered.” Twilight couldn’t deny that she was tempted more than once before. Sunset had been such a mystery to her when they had first crossed paths. The idea that Celestia could have had a student aside from her, one taken before her, had mystified her. It probably shouldn’t have, but she wasn’t exactly the most perceptive pony in her youth. She had been plagued by endless questions about the unicorn. Who was she? Had Celestia purposefully kept them apart or had she simply been too self-absorbed to notice her like she failed to notice anypony else? How could they have turned out so differently? The thoughts ate away at her, and Celestia’s journal was exactly the sort of insight she had been craving. It would have been so easy. She could quite literally read Sunset like a book. She had come close to it on several occasions, but her conscience always won out in the end. She was glad it had. It was far more rewarding to have Sunset confide in her by choice and she could honestly say… “No, never.” Sunset perked up in amazement that gradually melted into endearment. Shaking her head, Sunset’s magic flipped open the journal and passed the book over to Twilight. “Here, read this. You have my full permission.” Twilight took the book into her own magic to find that Sunset had opened it to the very first page. The very first message ever written into its pages. Dear Sunset Shimmer: In the past you’ve told me that you would prefer not to celebrate your birthday, but I hope you will permit me this one gift. I realize that our time together is not as frequent as it once was when you were the little filly I took in as my very own student so many moons ago. My duties and your journey to become the young mare I know you will one day be have kept us apart and for that I am sorry. You’re growing up so fast, and I must confess that some days I worry that I’m not giving you the time and attention that you deserve. That is why I have created this gift especially for you, my most determined student. Any time you wish to speak with me, require my aid, or simply want to share something you’ve learned, all you need to do is write it down in the pages of this book and I will see it. The magic that links us now extends to the borders of Equestria and beyond. No matter where you are and no matter when, so long as we each hold one of these books, we will never truly be apart. Happy Birthday, Sunset. With Love, Princess Celestia. Twilight looked up when she finished reading. She knew the story of how Sunset had gotten her first journal, yet she had never read the message inscribed on the first page. It was touching, but she didn’t understand why Sunset wanted her to read it. “I used to wonder why I even took it with me in the first place when I ran away. Of all the things that I could have grabbed while the palace guards were trying to hunt me down, anything that might have been useful in another world I didn’t know the first thing about, and the only thing I thought to take with me was a magic book I didn’t even know would still work. I think I know now though. I thought that as long as I held onto that book, she’d still be with me. “But, where did it end up? With you. Because she threw it out with a bunch of other books that were cluttering up her library.” Twilight nearly smacked herself in the head. Even if that was how she had found it, she certainly didn’t need to tell Sunset it was basically a hand-me-down. “I left and she just moved on. I don’t blame her for that. I just know that she never really saw me the way I wanted her to see me. That’s why I’m so afraid of seeing her again. Because, even after all this time, I still want her to see me that way,” Sunset sighed as she fell back onto her bed. Twilight watched Sunset curl in on herself. If she had any reservations about what she needed to do, they were gone now. She just needed to get through to her first and she knew exactly where to start. “Sunset, I don’t have that book.” Sunset jumped back up, an unexplainable panic on her face. “What do you mean you ‘don’t have it?'” “I mean it’s not mine anymore. It never really was. I’m sorry I never told you. There was a lot happening at the time and I never really thought about how much it might mean to you. Celestia and Luna tried to make as little noise as possible when they stepped down. Once everything was official, they sort of just packed up and left. No farewell addresses, no ceremony, nothing. They were gone the day after my coronation, but they did say goodbye. “They wished me luck, assured me that they knew we were going to do an amazing job, and then Luna left. It was just me and Celestia. That was one of the only times I can ever remember her looking uncomfortable. I don’t think she really knew how to ask for something that she wanted for herself. First, she asked me if I even still had it. Then, she asked if she could take it with her. I had to look around a bit to find it, but I gave it to her and she hugged me, and then she was gone.” Sunset gave Twilight a blank stare, uncertain what her response should be. It didn’t change everything, but it did change something. “Sunset, I know better than anypony that Celestia isn’t a very easy pony to read. She does things that don’t really make sense and she never really tells you why she chose to do them that way…” Sunset almost couldn’t believe her ears. Twilight of all ponies was speaking of Princess Celestia in a way that was, well, not exactly negative, but certainly not positive either. “But, I’d bet anything that you were more than just a student to her. She missed you. She said it herself. Don’t you remember?” Sunset did remember. It felt like a lifetime ago now, but she remembered. It felt so nice to be together again, even if it was only a few short minutes. Twilight caught the flicker of fondness and longing that swam through Sunset’s eyes. “One more day.” “What?” Sunset looked up, pulled back to reality by Twilight’s strange statement. “You once told me that you’d do anything for just one more day together. I didn’t really understand it then, but I do now. You have that chance now, Sunset.” “Twilight, I…I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” “You might not ever be ready, Sunset. You also never know if you’ll always have this chance. Maybe you’ll make a home here. Or…maybe one day you’ll decide that what you need just isn’t in Equestria. All we know is that right now you have the chance to see her. I think you should take it.” Twilight was making sense now. Too much sense. Odds were that if she didn't feel completely comfortable talking to Celestia after over ten years of being away, she never would. If Twilight’s theory held water, even her own geode was telling her that this was eating away at her the longer she held it off. What was the worst that could really happen anyway? At the very least, if it all amounted to nothing, she’d have closure. Closure she’d never get cowering away in her room, running away from her problems instead of facing them like she always did. “That’d be two vacations in a month. Are you sure that’s the sort of employee they want around the castle?” Sunset joked, trying to shake off some of the nerves she felt boiling up. “I happen to be quite close with the pony in charge around here. I’m positive she won’t mind,” Twilight grinned at her, pleased to see Sunset was no longer outright rejecting the idea. “Do you think Flurry would still be alright with me tagging along?” Sunset asked, her composure slipping a little more. “Sunset, Flurry adores you. I’m almost getting a teensy bit worried she’s starting to like you better than me. She’ll be overjoyed to have you with her.” “Okay, okay. You don’t need to butter me up like that. You really think you can handle a few days without me?” Sunset asked with a teasing smile. “I…think I can manage,” Twilight responded with a chuckle, averting her eyes. Sunset gave a heavy sigh. Twilight had successfully convinced her to do yet another crazy thing. Well, Twilight had never steered her wrong before. “I guess I better tell Flurry to save me a seat, huh?” Author's Note Time to pay a visit to the sun and moon. Hard to believe it took this long, but here we come. We're on our way to a reunion that only promises to be interesting. Chapter 19: The Long Ride HomeSunset fidgeted from side to side. It was astounding how quickly the time went by when you’d give anything for more of it and yet the very second you actually wanted it to speed up it slowed down to an agonizing crawl. With Twilight’s encouragement, Sunset sought Flurry Heart out to accept the very same offer she rejected barely more than an hour before. It went about as well as Twilight had predicted. A brief apology, a short explanation, and another death hug from an overexcited alicorn who somehow forgot she could buck a mountain in two. Just like that, she had successfully bought herself a non-refundable ticket to Silver Shoals. The reality of it all only really hit her after the fact. She was going to see Princess Celestia again. Nearly a decade since the memory stone incident and she was going to see her again. She was going to see her again for more than just a casual grovel for help. She might have twilighted a little. Okay, so she might have twilighted a lot. She might have twilighted so much, Twilight Sparkle herself had told her that she was twilighting and had to sit her down and assure her that she was overreacting. That had helped, but it didn’t stop the next few days from rushing by her as she worried about the day fast approaching. Now, here she stood at Canterlot’s train station practically willing the train to get here faster as it seemed to be taking a lifetime just to arrive. Thankfully, two princesses, Equestria’s own Friendship Ambassador, and the Lord of Chaos all together in one of the largest cities in the kingdom necessitated the presence of the royal guard in order to keep the area clear of civilians because she doubted she would take well to the usual bustle of mass transit. Sunset felt a feathered wing drape over her back. Sunset nestled herself into place, unbelievably thankful for the distraction and to have something to bury her nervous energy into. “Take a breath, Sunset. Just breath in and let it out,” Twilight instructed, placing a hoof on her chest as she inhaled and pushing it out as she exhaled. Sunset mimicked her motion, pulling air in and pushing it out. She had no idea how, but it helped. “Thanks, Twi,” Sunset sighed. “Don’t mention it. I have plenty of experience,” Twilight chuckled. “Trust me, it’s going to be okay.” “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just…nervous. It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again. Now, I’m just going to pop in and spend the weekend? That’s kind of crazy, right? It’s not just me, is it? I mean that’s crazy?” Sunset rambled, the nerves catching up to her all over again. Twilight adjusted her hold on Sunset to pull her in closer. Some part of her wished she could go with Sunset. It would have only been right. Sunset had been there in her hour of need, yet she couldn’t even extend the same courtesy. She was needed here. She always was. All she could offer was the time to see them off and then…they’d be apart. “Alright, that’s the last of it. You know, unless there’s another carriage you need to unload,” Spike sighed, walking onto the loading area carrying what must have been several hundred pounds of luggage in his arms. All of it belonging to one pony. “Nope, that’s all of it, Uncle Spike. I packed light for this visit,” Flurry Heart remarked, a significantly smaller, but still hefty load on her back as well. “She’s joking, right?” Sunset asked, her alicorn companion. “No. She’s not,” Twilight answered with a deadpan stare. Flurry Heart’s ears twitched as she added her load to the pile. “What? I like to be prepared,” she directed at Sunset in response to her obvious disbelief. Spike scoffed. “For what? A department store opening?” “No! But what would I do if I was invited to a formal dinner, or a party, or if I saw somepony who was just really cute? Aunt Rarity always said it was crucial for a lady to have an accessory for every occasion and these curls don’t happen as naturally as I make them look.” Sunset shook her head. She had learned to love Flurry, she really had, but the girl was the absolute definition of spoiled. “Are you sure you don’t need any help, Spike?” Sunset asked the dragon who was now undertaking the tedious task of sorting Flurry’s bags. “Don’t worry about it, Sunset. Being a pack mule for ponies is my secondary occupation. How do you think I got this sweet figure?” Spike laughed off, flexing a bicep to prove his point. “Honestly, I can’t believe that’s the only thing you’re taking with you,” Flurry pointed at the worn-out saddlebag attached to Sunset’s side, her nose slightly crinkled in distaste. Sunset shrugged under Twilight’s wing, slightly embarrassed to have it pointed out. “Well, this is kind of all I own.” Flurry stared blankly at her. “Aunt Twilight doesn’t pay you enough to buy clothes?” Twilight removed her wing from Sunset in offense, leaving the unicorn feeling even more naked than before. “Hey! I pay her a very reasonable, mostly unbiassed amount,” Twilight asserted. Sunset patted Twilight’s side with a hoof to settle her down. “I just haven’t really gotten around to wardrobe shopping. It hasn’t exactly been a priority.” Flurry Heart’s face scrunched in thought before breaking into a smile. “Well, we can fix that easy enough. I mean, Silver Shoals isn’t the fashion capital of the world or anything, but there’s enough to work with there for a nice makeover.” Sunset gulped. Just like that, her reunion with Celestia had been bumped down to only the second thing she was most worried about. The sound of one of Flurry Heart’s suitcases popping open and knocking over a good chunk of Spike’s handiwork drew all the attention in the room, no doubt as intended. “Well, Flurry dear, it appears that everything is here and accounted for,” Discord said, stepping out of the case that was logically far too small for him to fit inside. The draconequus in question was wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt in preparation for their "vacation." Personally, Sunset wasn’t sure how to feel about Discord inviting himself along, but it wasn’t really her call to make. Flurry certainly seemed incredibly fond of him. “Thanks, Uncle Discord,” Flurry nodded in gratitude. “It’s no trouble at all for my most favorite princess. I would have been done sooner, but I got a bit turned around somewhere in between this and last year’s spring collection,” Discord waved off. A blaring horn alerted everyone present to the arrival of the train. The locomotive arrived only seconds after the sound, a multicolored train skidding to a screeching halt in front of the group with an almost deafening sound. How the train could be speeding almost off the tracks and only still arrive just on time was anypony’s guess. Sunset couldn’t quite tell if the reflective faceted exterior of the train was simply modeled after or legitimately made out of crystal, but it answered any question of the vehicle’s origin regardless. This was the Crystal Empire train they had been waiting for. The doors of the train slid open, allowing a colorful cascade of armored earth ponies and changelings to filter out. The armor they wore was unmistakably similar to the armor worn by the guards of Canterlot, only silver-plated as opposed to gold with the small but telling addition of a badge with Flurry Heart’s mark replacing the standard star emblem on the center of the chest plate. Like a well-oiled machine, Flurry Heart’s personal guard quickly set to work on loading their princess’s belongings into the passenger cars, as though this was a process they had gone through a million times before. More than likely, it was. “You know, it’s not too late for me to have Spike send a message ahead of you,” Twilight gently prodded one last time. Sunset held in a breath of exasperation. They were really still on this it seemed. “Twilight, it’s fine. You said you’ve told her about how the mirror works now before, so it’s not like this will come as a total surprise. Besides, Princess Celestia loves surprises…apparently,” Sunset justified once again. Twilight frowned. She couldn’t say she agreed with this approach. Certainly, she was a strong advocate of Sunset making this trip, and she wanted it to be done on Sunset’s terms. However she wanted to go about it was her decision and she’d honor that decision, but the insistence on not even notifying the former princesses of Sunset’s arrival seemed questionable at best. It was her own fault, but she had yet to even inform Celestia that her former student had been living with her in Equestria for the past month. She probably should have. They just didn’t talk as much as they used to. “Okay, if you’re sure that’s what you want,” Twilight nodded, her tone laced with uncertainty but willing to set it aside. Sunset heard the worry in Twilight’s voice. That was her limit. She owed her a real explanation, even if she didn’t really understand it herself. “Look, Twilight. I just want whatever I find over there to be…real.” “Real?” Twilight asked. Sunset recognized that didn’t explain much of anything. “It’s just…Princess Celestia isn’t really the type of pony to be upfront with you. She sets the terms, and she usually only tells you what she thinks you need to hear. She’s always the pony in control. I know it probably sounds a bit underhoofed, but I don’t want to just walk into a scene she’s set.” Twilight remained silent as she turned Sunset’s reasoning around in her head for a few seconds. “Alright, I understand,” Twilight nodded, her voice no longer carrying the questions it once did. Sunset had to suppress her surprise. She honestly expected at least a few objections after that. Before Sunset could come up with any questions of her own, Flurry Heart cut in between them practically bouncing on her hooves. “We’re all loaded up and ready to head out, Aunt Twilight! Are you ready to go, Aunt Sunset? We need to get moving before my guards get Uncle Spike going about how he became so ‘brave and glorious.’” “She’s right. That story takes at least half an hour,” Twilight chuckled. “Maybe if he goes light on the details,” Flurry grimaced, having heard the story in every variation at least a dozen times each. “Oh, he just likes the attention. Now, do you have everything you need before you go?” Twilight asked. Sunset smirked as she watched Twilight shift into doting mode. “Yes, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry nodded. “Okay, Flurry. Stay safe, remember to eat three square meals a day, or at least breakfast, and don’t stay up too late. It’ll mess up your internal schedule,” Twilight listed off. “Yes, Mom,” Flurry groaned. Twilight didn’t seem to pay Flurry Heart’s irritation any mind. Instead, she simply leaned over and gave Flurry a gentle goodbye peck on the cheek. Flurry Heart jumped back in complete offense, her face performing a spot-on impression of a tomato. “Ew! Oh gross! C’mon, Aunt Twilight, right where everypony can see!? I’m not five anymore!” “Take care, Flurry. Come back soon, okay? I love you,” Twilight stated as though Flurry hadn’t said anything at all. Flurry Heart huffed and began to walk towards the train. “Love you too,” she grumbled just loud enough for the ponies behind her to hear clearly. “Guess I better go too,” Sunset stated, seeing Flurry Heart board the crystal train. “Yeah…I guess so,” Twilight nodded. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll be back before you have time to miss me,” Sunset promised her, placing a comforting hoof on her leg. Twilight shook off any malaise she had unwillingly allowed herself to fall into. The last thing she wanted was for Sunset to be worrying about her through this. “You focus on what you need,” Twilight smiled. “You can tell me all about it when you get back,” Twilight assured her. “It’s a date,” Sunset vowed. “oh, uhm…of course!” Twilight awkwardly laughed. “Sooo, do I get a goodbye kiss too?” Sunset nudged Twilight, getting just one more tease in before she went. She preferred a cute flustered princess to a dejected one any day. Twilight rolled her eyes, an obvious light pink covering her cheeks that she turned her head to cover. Sunset couldn’t help the lighthearted chuckles that escaped her at the sight. Twilight always was a bit of a prude. A gentle sensation pressing itself onto the side of her cheek strangled the giggles in her throat. It was faint, warm, soft, and just the slightest bit damp. It was there for only a second, but time seemed to stall just so she could feel every detail of it before it pulled away with a nearly inaudible smack that may as well have been deafening to Sunset. Even after her mind told her it was gone, she could still feel it there, lingering like a ghost. Tingling like an electric buzz. The barest sensation, but it was the only thing she could feel now. She kissed her. Twilight had kissed her. “For luck,” Twilight told her, the mirth crystal clear in her voice were Sunset capable of listening to it. Sunset liked to toy with her. It was only fair she got to have a little fun of her own every now and then. “That’s odd. Ponies don’t usually change color when I’m not around,” Discord remarked, now present without warning as usual. “We really need to get you out of this dreadful heat. Come along, little fireball,” he stated, scooping Sunset up under one arm like she was just one more piece of luggage. Ordinarily, Sunset would have protested such treatment, but she hardly even seemed aware enough to do so at the moment. “Discord!” Twilight called out to the retreating draconequus. Discord turned his head back like it was on a swivel. “Fret not, your sparkliness. So long as I’m around, I guarantee not a microscopic drop of harm will fall upon their adorable little heads. Your darling niece and the little assistant you’re so entranced by will make it back to you safe and sound,” Discord winked. Discord’s words were of more of a comfort to Twilight than she realized they would be. It was silly really, but the assurance was nice all the same. The comfort was soon replaced by confusion, however, as Discord’s choice of words echoed through her brain. His phrasing struck her as odd. Discord was often odd, but he never did anything unintentionally. Twilight looked up, only to find that, in the brief window where she hadn’t been looking directly at him, the chaos spirit had vanished. Typical. Twilight sighed as the train’s horn blew once again, signaling that the large locomotive was now leaving. The engine pumped out smoke and fumes crawling its way out of the station and off to its next destination, quickly picking up speed until it was out of view and out of earshot. It would mostly be just her and her thoughts for a while now. “Alone again, Twilight.” “Aunt Sunset? Hey, Aunt Sunset? Are you okay?” “…I-I’m fine, Flurry,” “Are you sure? You’ve been a little out of it since Uncle Discord brought you onboard. Are you sick? You do look kinda red,” Flurry worried, reaching a foreleg over to check Sunset’s temperature. Sunset gently pushed Flurry’s hoof aside. “Really, Flurry. I’m alright,” Sunset assured her protégé, this time much more confident in her statement. Honestly, a peck. That was it. A simple unexpected meaningless peck was all it had taken to fry her circuits. To think, she’d been bold enough to mock Twilight for her modesty. It was like she’d never been kissed before. She’d probably never live that one down. “Okay, that’s good. I was a little worried you were having second thoughts,” Flurry confessed. “Sunset Shimmer turning tail and fleeing at the idea of actually having to face her beloved mentor for a genuine conversation? Perish the thought,” Discord scoffed across from them on his seat, waving his hand as if he was actually swatting away the idea. Sunset leaned back into her remarkably cushy seat. “Well, I won’t pretend I’m not nervous, but I promise I’m committed to this. It’s… something that needs to be done.” Sunset gauged Flurry’s reaction to her words in the seat next to her as she watched her concern morph into consideration. At some point along the way, this venture had become about more than just her and Celestia. It was about Flurry now too. The young alicorn looked up to her. Regardless of if she felt she was worthy or qualified, that was the reality. It was the situation she had willingly placed herself in when she agreed to be her teacher. It was her responsibility to set an example. Not that it was the same thing, but how could she possibly expect Flurry to follow her advice and work through her problems with her own family if she was too much of a coward to do the same with Celestia? Twilight had convinced her to give this a chance, but it was Flurry who now gave her the resolve she had. She very nearly fumbled her responsibility out of the gate when the youngest princess first reached out to her, but she wouldn’t do it again. “Sooo, are you comfortable? You can just ask if you need anything. Food, blankets, masseuses, this place has everything,” Flurry offered, her voice indicating she was attempting to impress. Sunset finally took a moment to actually take in the interior of the carriage. She hadn’t really paid much attention to her surroundings while she was still… processing. It was certainly lavish. Far more so than anything Twilight had for herself and innumerable tiers above her own standard of living. Spotless walls that mirrored the design of the crystal exterior, soft carpeting and window curtains that must have been made out of silk, velvet, or some other sort of expensive material, and seats so plush and soft you might sink into them if you weren’t careful. It was an impressive amount of luxury for what Sunset could only assume was the train’s typical passenger count of one, excluding Flurry’s guards and attendants that all kept to other cars as far as she could tell. “Taken with the décor? It’s a bit symmetrical for my tastes, but you can’t deny the comfort,” Discord sighed, sprawling over the seats he had all to himself. “It’s easily the nicest train I’ve ever been in,” Sunset offered honestly. A part-time job selling raw fish at the mall certainly never afforded her first class in anything. Flurry shifted in her seat to give Sunset a puzzled side-glance. “Really? I figured you’d be pretty used to stuff this nice, growing up with Auntie Celestia.” Sunset shrugged in response. “Not exactly. Though, if you asked most of the nobility, at the time, they’d tell you I still lived well above my station.” Flurry’s sour face at the mere mention of the aristocracy told Sunset that a century hadn’t done much to make the members of high society less obnoxious. It probably would have been wishful thinking to hope Twilight had improved even that aspect of Equestria. “Still, it wasn't like I was a member of the royal family or anything. I had to buy a ticket like anypony else the few times I actually left Canterlot,” Sunset explained, hoping time had given her enough maturity to not sound bitter about it. It would have been incomprehensibly spoiled of her. She lived in the royal palace, and that came with innumerable privileges. She was Celestia’s personal student, and that gave her even more on top of everything else. So what if she wasn’t literally treated like royalty? So what if she wasn’t part of their little family? Sunset was pulled out of a line of thought that was on the cusp of spiraling by an alicorn wing wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her into a side hug that was as informal as the pony the wing belonged to. “In that case, you just stick with me, Aunt Sunset. You’ll be riding in style to anywhere in Equestria,” Flurry offered, waving a foreleg in front of her. Discord gasped in over-the-top astonishment, clutching a lion paw to his chest. “My word, Princess. Aren’t you worried that allowing such liberal use of royal resources to a mere common pony would cause those stuffy upper-class patricians to think less of you?” Discord and Flurry paused for only a second before bursting out into simultaneous laughter. Sunset shifted her glance between the two as they giggled together over a punchline she didn’t have the slightest understanding of. Flurry Heart outright scoffed upon settling down, “Like that’s even possible.” “Well, who cares what those posturing peacocks think? Nopony who’s ever accomplished anything important did it by caring about their opinion,” Discord flicked his eagle hand in casual dismissal. “After all, why would Princess Cadance give you so many wonderful toys if you weren’t supposed to have a little fun with them?” “I imagine they make a nice substitute for her time,” Flurry Heart answered with a rather empty laugh. The atmosphere of the room chilled slightly at that; an awkward silence blanketing the room. Flurry had phrased it as a joke, but the undercurrent of venom just below the surface was palpable. Even Discord shifted slightly in discomfort. Flurry Heart sighed. “Sorry, that one slipped out. I guess old habits are hard to break.” “Well, far be it from me to hold the occasional misstep against anypony,” Discord shrugged off quickly. “Especially during such a momentous occasion as Sunset’s first real excursion outside of the castle.” Sunset had to admire the ease with which Discord managed to change the subject. She just wished it didn’t often involve shoving her on the spot. “H-hey, I’ve been outside of the castle before,” Sunset defended a bit too readily. “Oh, dear. My sincere apologies. What I meant to say is your first time outside of the castle without being on Twilight’s leash,” Discord smiled fiendishly at her. Sunset scowled at him. She couldn’t honestly say that she didn’t follow Twilight around like a lost puppy half the time. What else was she supposed to do in a completely alien world? Discord thoughtfully stroked his beard, pretending to reevaluate. “Then again, perhaps she’s the one on yours.” “Is this really the first time you’ve been outside of the city since coming home, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry jumped in before Sunset could question what exactly Discord was going on about. “…well, sort of,” Sunset settled on. Ponyville was more Canterlot adjacent than anything, and she didn’t feel like unpacking everything that went with bringing it up at the moment. “Well, in that case, you couldn’t have picked a nicer place to start. Probably why Auntie Celestia and Luna love it there so much. None of the noisy stifling bustle Canterlot and the Empire are filled to the absolute brim with.” “And plenty of space for Celestia to live out every mid-life crisis she’s repressed for over a thousand years,” Discord chimed in, once again not bothering to give any insight into what that was supposed to mean. “The only real problem is it’s a pretty long ride out to the coast no matter where you’re coming from. We’ve still got a few hours to kill before we get there,” Flurry sighed, falling back into her seat, antsy at just the idea of it. Flurry Heart no doubt wasn’t the type to be able to enjoy just sitting in one place for all that time. “….Buuut,” Flurry sang, pulling herself up out of the back of her seat, “I’ve never come out here with a magic expert before. Maybe you could—I don’t know—show me a thing or two while we wait?” Subtle, Flurry Heart was not. “Actually, Flurry, that does remind me of something I need to give you,” Sunset nodded, leaning over into the train isles to get into her saddlebag lain against her seat. Flurry stifled a squeal of excitement. “Here you go, Flurry,” Sunset said as she levitated the object she had pulled from her bag over to her. Flurry Heart took the offered impressively thick rectangle into her hooves and stared at the cover in confusion. “…Oh. This is… something.” “Indeed. Don't you normally have to wait until Hearth’s Warming to be disappointed by a book?” Discord snickered. Flurry shifted the novel around, feeling its weight. It was rather girthy. “This does look like something Aunt Twilight would read.” Flurry Heart squinted, taking a closer look at the cover. “Hang on a second. She WROTE this one!” “Fundamentals and Principles of Magic: A Comprehensive Guide,” Sunset recited the book’s title. “It’s... not exactly a thriller, but it is pretty good at filtering out all the meaningless fluff and repetition most other textbooks come with. You’ll learn a lot from it.” Flurry blanched. “You actually expect me to read this whole thing?” Sunset nodded. “B-but, that’s so boring! It’ll take ages just to make a dent in this thing! Can’t you teach me without Aunt Twilight’s lame books?” Sunset shook her head. She expected this. “Believe me, Flurry, I’m not a huge fan of this part of magic education either, but it’s still a part of it. Magic is complex and you need to understand how it works before you start messing with it. I mean, you wouldn’t want an electrician who didn’t know how electricity works, right?” Flurry cocked her head. “What are either of those things?” Sunset smacked a hoof to her forehead. That one was on her. “What I’m trying to say is that studying magic like this might not be exciting, but it is necessary. Casting spells, making potions, and all the other fun stuff that lets you get your hooves dirty is going to be a lot easier if you understand what you’re doing.” “Can’t you just tell me what I need to know?” Flurry meekly suggested. “I’ll teach you as much as I can, Kiddo, but I’m not always going to be around. Some things you’ll need to learn on your own,” Sunset answered. Some part of her would have even liked to be able to, but Flurry was still the Crystal Empire’s Princess at the end of the day. Flurry Heart stared at Sunset, and a wave of mingled unidentifiable emotions passed through her eyes. “Okay,” Flurry sighed with a slight frown pulling at her lips, “I’ll try things the Aunt Twilight way.” Flurry irritably flipped open the book in her hooves to the first page and started going over it, her agitation apparent, but at the very least, she seemed to be taking it in. Flurry was so different from her aunt, yet so similar at the same time. How they both handled their emotions was the greatest proof of that. Sunset, at last, turned away and pulled a book of her own out of her saddlebag. It was a long ride to Silver Shoals. No use letting that time go to waste. “You okay, Twi?” Spike’s question jostled Twilight out of her musings and back to the steady sway of the carriage carting them back to the castle. “huh?” Twilight eloquently responded. “You’ve been a little out of it,” Spike pointed out from his seat across from her. Twilight had hardly made a peep since they left the station. The lights had been on but nopony was home. Her movements and actions were mostly automated habits while Twilight herself was buried somewhere deep in her thoughts. Sadly, that wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence, but it had been getting less common until now. Twilight sat up ramrod straight, squaring her shoulders and tilting her chin ever so slightly upwards, just enough to be dignified, but not so much as to come off as snooty or be perceived as looking down on anypony. “I’m perfectly fine, Spike. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about,” Twilight assured him in a completely even tone that couldn’t have been more inoffensive. “The royal voice, Twilight? Seriously?” Spike rolled his eyes, thoroughly unimpressed. In all these years, Twilight had changed so much and not at all at the same time. If any creature were to be told what Twilight used to be like, they’d probably assume the lavender mare had come a long way when it came to dealing with stress. Anything would probably be seen as a marked improvement over borderline deranged neurotic fits. Sure, it’d be difficult to argue she hadn’t improved, but the truth was Twilight could still be as bad with stress as she ever was. She simply substituted her old coping mechanisms with more productive and socially acceptable ones. If Spike was honest, he always disliked this one much more. Twilight used to wind herself tighter than one of Rarity’s corsets, but at least she was herself when she did it. Not some regal mask. “I... I don't know what you mean,” Twilight stuttered, her composure already giving way to Spike’s blunt response. “The whole Princess routine. I get why you do it, but c’mon, you don’t need to do it around me,” Spike crossed his arms. Twilight battled with the idea of doubling down for a moment before finally throwing in the towel. There was no point in acting otherwise. Spike could read her better than anypony else. She sagged down into her seat with a familiar whine. “You really miss them, huh,” Spike stated with certainty. “More than I realized,” Twilight confessed. It was telling that she could even say that. She was never looking forward to it. She just didn’t expect to feel so… empty. “Why the surprise? That’s the entire reason you brought her here, isn’t it? To fill your hollow life.” Twilight grimaced involuntarily. That horrible nagging voice in the back of her head was back now. “Things have been pretty different lately,” Spike nodded. “They have?” Twilight blinked in bewilderment. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything they did differently. They still went through the days as they had for decades at this point. Lower the moon, Raise the sun. Tend to whatever meetings and issues sat on the schedule today. Teach her afternoon classes. Research magic that could benefit Equestria. More meetings. Then lower the sun and raise the moon. Find some way to squeeze public appearances, paperwork, time for her students, eating, sleeping, and basic hygiene in-between all that. Do it all flawlessly so this perfect little world kept moving. Free time if she worked hard enough for it and no emergencies happened to call her name. Then, do it all over again the next day. “You have,” Spike clarified, pointing a claw directly at her. Twilight gave him a puzzled look, uncertain how to take that claim. Spike took her silence as an invitation to elaborate. “That’s not a bad thing. I mean, how can it be? You were totally miserable before.” Twilight opened her mouth to protest out of defensive instinct only for absolutely nothing to come out. What could she say? That she wasn’t? Miserable was an understatement. “I guess all I’m trying to say is that you seem happier now. I was actually pretty worried about you for a while there. I guess most creatures probably didn’t even notice, but I could tell you've just been going through the motions,” Spike confessed. Twilight felt a pang of guilt course through her. How many creatures close to her had she neglected just because she was too wrapped up in her self-pity? “Spike, I…I’m sorry, I didn’t—” Spike put a claw up to silence the unnecessary apology. “Hey now. This isn’t about me. Really, I’m just sorry I couldn’t do more to help. All that really matters to me is that you’re not just letting the days pass by anymore.” Twilight found herself stunned by Spike’s truth. Had the days really stopped simply blending together? Monotonous as they all still were, she found she could pick out each one as its own unique and individual chapter in her life. If she tried to do the same for only a few months ago all she found was the meaningless constant empty static that came after happily ever after. When had she started living again? “It’s fine if you miss them. They make you happy,” Spike finished. And there was the answer. “Yeah, they do,” Twilight sighed, torn between the pleasant feelings and the empty longing. “Hey, it’s only a few days. Plus, you still have your faithful friendship ambassador,” Spike gestured to himself. “I do, don’t I?” Twilight smiled, his attempt to cheer her up finding its mark. No matter what, she could always count on Spike. And he was right. She felt so down now because it had felt so right before. How long had it been since she had known either feeling? Since she lived her life with something to look forward to? She’d make it through these next couple of days and then she and Sunset could talk about everything that had happened while they were apart. Sooner or later Flurry would be back and she’d show her all the wonderful things she loved about magic like she should have done long ago. Being alone was going to be hard, yes, but it wouldn't be forever. Spike smiled in satisfaction as Twilight’s disposition shifted. There was the Twilight he knew and loved. Spike’s genuine grin slowly morphed into a more mischievous visage. Of course, what was love without a little sibling teasing? “Plus, just think about it, once Sunset gets back you can give her a welcome home kiss too.” Sunset was pulled from the pages of her book by a steady weight settling onto her side, a rhythmic rumbling passing from it through her. She shifted her eyes to peek at the motionless princess leaning on her for support. Completely still and utterly silent aside from the whispers of her breath that accompanied the even rise and fall of her chest. Several quiet hours of heavy reading accompanied by the constant rocking of the train had successfully lulled Flurry to sleep. The book she had been diligently pushing through was now forgotten in her lap. Sunset couldn’t help the small smile that broke out across her face at the familiar sight. Well, familiar in a sense. She had never quite been on this side of it, but she knew first hoof how painfully dull those texts could be. Essential information that somehow managed to make itself sound as enthralling as watching the grass grow. She remembered doing the very same so many moons ago. Celestia had insisted on total mastery of the information. Countless hours and long nights were spent in the castle library pouring over it all until she could recite everything page by page. It was arduous work, especially for a young little filly, yet she persevered because she trusted the guidance of her mentor. She chased the nod of approval she received from the princess with every finished book. She coveted the faintest upturn of Celestia’s lips when she correctly answered a question in her class. Many days she’d read and read until she slumped over in her seat, exactly the way Flurry Heart was now, only to inexplicable awaken the next morning tucked into the bed in her chambers. Sunset sighed, brushing off the wave of nostalgia. Using her magic, she shifted Flurry Heart off of her and gently placed her against the windowsill onto a pillow she had conjured for her to lean against. Alicorn she may be, but Sunset doubted that made her immune to the crick in the neck she’d wake up with if she was left like she was. Silently, Sunset admired the princess as she slept. There was a softness to her sleeping features that wasn't there when she was awake. Whether she knew it or not, Flurry always seemed on guard, in a different but similar way to Twilight. Twilight buried her emotions while Flurry practically shouted them to the world just to get anypony to notice. Even so, she always seemed to be bracing herself for or against something. Desperate for affection yet scared to be hurt at the same time. Sunset placed a comforting hoof on Flurry’s side without much thought while she turned her attention forward. She had been feeling it for some time now. The burning nagging sensation you got when you were being watched. Discord was pretending to read through a newspaper to pass the time. Of course, the pages were upside down, but Sunset didn’t dare point that out or he would just make a bigger show out of it. Regardless, he certainly wasn’t fooling anypony with the two gaping holes cut into the middle of the paper for his mismatched eyes to stare straight at her through. Not that Sunset was fully convinced he even was trying to hide it. Making her uncomfortable and confused seemed to be a new favorite pastime of his, and she’d just about had it with his actions and statements he never bothered to explain. “Having fun?” Sunset asked as bluntly as she could. Sunset saw one of Discord’s brows raise in interest only to be quickly replaced by a gleam of delight. Discord crumpled the paper he had been holding between his paw and claws and tossed out a flock of origami paper cranes into the aisle that fluttered off to parts unknown. “Oh, more than you can imagine, little fireball, thanks to you.” Sunset shot him a look. Another offhanded remark that she could only guess the meaning of. Did he always have to be like this? “I’m glad I’ve been so entertaining to you.” “Oh, you’ve always been quite fascinating to me. A creature of chaos’s ideal pony if you will,” Discord smiled, almost sincerely. “And what does that mean?” Sunset asked point-blank. Discord put a lion paw to his chin, as though he was thinking about how to best put it when he already knew exactly what he was going to say. “You don’t make any sense.” Sunset forgot whatever she was or should have been feeling in favor of sheer and utter confusion beyond anything Discord had inflicted upon her so far. Discord merely took this as his cue to go on. “You never have. Ever since that very first day I took notice of you hiding away behind Celestia’s leg from my stone suit, you’ve been one great big contradiction.” “A contradiction?” Sunset repeated, still at a complete loss for where or even how to take that bizarre assessment. “Well, just think about it. What else would you call somepony so hopelessly desperate for love and acceptance that they believed the only solution was to push everypony else away. Somepony with a superiority complex the size of Equestria built to mask an inferiority complex just as large and twice as deep. Who so wanted nothing more than to be with her beloved mentor that she ran as far away as possible, clear out of this dimension,” Discord counted off one finger at a time. Discord’s words tore through her far more viscously than she had ever expected they could after all these years. His assessment was succinct, callous, and worst of all, accurate. She couldn’t deny a thing he said. Nopony had ever lain her bare so effortlessly. Everything wrong with her was just put out and tied up with a neat little bow. “But…” Discord interjected with a raised paw just before Sunset could trip off the edge of that precipice as she had done so often before, “You came back and I almost didn’t recognize you anymore. You had the same face, but I just kept seeing a pony who was always doing things Sunset Shimmer would never do. Engaging in pleasant conversation with strangers, offering to help just for the mere sake of it, and even putting other ponies besides herself first without even needing an ounce of credit for it. How you’ve changed,” Discord mused, cracking another smile, this one undoubtedly genuine. Discord shrugged a small concession before going on. “And yet, you still don’t make an ounce of sense. It’s one of the few things about you that hasn’t changed.” “Really?” Sunset asked, now more curious where he was going with this than anything. “Absolutely. Isn’t it odd how a pony whose very identity revolves around magic has grown so attached to a world that is better off without it? And it’s truly astonishing how perceptive you’ve become at understanding other creatures but sit you in front of a mirror and suddenly you’re completely clueless. Though the most perplexing of all has to be your hesitance to venture out into this crazy little land you used to call home, yet you’ve already catapulted yourself headlong into a connection you can’t take back.” Discord’s eyes darted over to the sleeping Princess Sunset’s hoof still laid on. Sunset followed him, her own eyes landing onto Flurry as she processed what Discord had just said. “Honestly, you just can’t write that kind of irony. Back in the day, Princess Cadance would have given just about anything to have you act halfway civil towards her, and now you’re doting on her only daughter,” Discord remarked with a laugh that only sounded half genuine. “You’ve no doubt spent a lot of time wondering if you could ever really stay here, but now I have to wonder, are you certain you’d be able to leave again?” Sunset responded to Discord with a wide-eyed stare. In just the span of a few seconds, the ordinarily outlandish draconequus had managed to unload mountains of things to consider and asked a question she had never thought to ask herself. A question that needed asking. Ever since Twilight had offered her this chance, the idea of leaving the life she had spent so long and worked so hard to build always felt so inherently wrong. No matter what logic said, the thought of leaving her best friends behind felt wrong. It still felt so completely wrong. But what about the alternative? What about leaving Equestria behind? It wouldn’t even be the first time she’d done it. How did that feel now? Sunset considered it for the first time. It felt… wrong. “I... don't know,” Sunset confessed, maybe to Discord, maybe to herself. Discord tilted his head at her answer, for once not giving anything away. The sound of the train’s horn ripped through the carriage, startling Sunset and jolting Flurry Heart groggily back to the world. “That’s our time,” Discord noted, shifting back into his usual demeanor. “Buh? Whuh? Are we here?” Flurry Heart yawned, stretching her limbs and wings out in whatever space she had available. “Yeah, it looks like we are,” Sunset mumbled, looking out the window to see that their train was already pulling into the station. Suddenly, a few hours felt all too short. “Good heavens, doesn’t the time just fly by when you’re having fun?” Discord chuckled, snatching a pocket watch that floated by on wings out of the air. “I should probably be on my way.” Flurry Heart shook off her drowsiness at that. “Huh? Aren’t you coming with us, Uncle Discord?” Discord’s normal carefree visage softened in response to the almost imperceptible warble in the question. “Just a few small errands to run first, my dear. It shouldn’t take more than an afternoon. You two can go on ahead. Just think of it as a lady’s day out. Discuss all the complicated topics even decades of marriage couldn’t allow me to comprehend.” “O-okay. Just don’t be gone too long,” Flurry nodded in understanding. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll be back in a snap.” Discord lifted an eagle claw and clicked his fingers. In an instant, the draconequus seemingly vanished in his typical flash. “What a guy,” Sunset stated aloud, not even remotely sure what feeling to attach to that sentiment. She could just never get a read on him. She was pretty sure they were friends. Maybe. At the very least he seemed to care enough about Twilight and Flurry to not be antagonizing her for its own sake. The only thing she could say for certain was that he was still pretty annoying. “Well, you ready, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry asked, pulling Sunset’s attention to her. “Auntie Celestia and Luna’s place is pretty much right by the coast, so it’s a bit of a hike. We should probably get moving.” Flurry Heart leaped onto her hooves. At least that gave her a little more time to steel herself. One more chance to build up her courage for a moment decades in the making. She was going to see Celestia. And they were going to talk. That was the goal. A real conversation this time. When was the last time they had had one of those? Falling to her knees and begging for help when she needed it most hardly counted. Neither did the tension-filled confrontations they had had so often just before she threw her whole life away. She didn’t have a clue what they were even going to talk about when she got there, but that was just as well. Not that she hadn’t tried to find the right words or come up with a speech or a plan that said and asked everything she needed to know ahead of time, but that was Twilight’s thing, not hers. She just needed the strength to face her, and she’d put it together from there. Sunset took a deep breath in and pushed it out before getting to her hooves. “Okay, Flurry. Let’s go visit Princess Celestia.” Author's Note This time of year is all about spooks and scares, so I decided I'd do the most frightening thing I could think of for me. Update my story! Well, I don't have any excuses I haven't used before (Aside from an unhealthy amount of time playing Metroid Dread), so I'll just try and keep the ball rolling now that it's going again. The next chapter comes with what I'm sure you've all been waiting for. Chapter 20: Pleasant SurprisesIf Sunset was forced to describe Silver Shoals in a single word, it would be... pleasant. It was a stark contrast to any portion of modern Equestria she had been exposed to thus far. Nothing at all like Canterlot, with its crowded streets and tall densely packed buildings, yet also nothing like Ponyville in its seemingly ever-expanding diversity. Everything here was all so open, so tranquil, so uniformly organized. Nothing in sight but green plains enclosed by rocky hills and valleys that were all spotted in simple wooden structures that had an obvious seaside motif. Each building matched in color but differed just enough to keep the scenery from becoming monotonous. The buildings themselves spread out in tasteful groups across the land and surrounding hilltops in no particular pattern, but still seeming deliberately set up to maintain a certain aesthetic appeal to any onlooking eyes. It was as if somepony had taken a portrait and decided to turn it into a town. If Sunset didn’t know any better, she’d assume that the weather here must have always been a perfect sunny sky filled with just enough clouds to keep the sun’s rays a pleasantly warm bath to the townsfolk down below. It was all so pleasant. That was the objective term Sunset was obligated to attach to the scenery. A perfect little plot of land far removed from the rest of Equestria that bordered the sea and probably never really changed. Not too big, not too small. Not too crowded, not too empty. Not too rural, not too urban. Just an all-around ideal location for settling down. Probably not the sort of location Sunset could ever see herself settling down in. Probably not the sort of location she would have ever imagined Princess Celestia settling down in either for that matter, but then again, she couldn’t say she had ever imagined what Princess Celestia retiring would have looked like in the first place. Even having known about it for years now, she still struggled with the concept that Princesses could retire. Though Flurry certainly seemed at home. Trotting along beside her, practically prancing over the dirt path that led them through town, Flurry had just waved a hoof in greeting at yet another passing pony. The youngest princess was actually rather popular around these parts. Sunset could fight past the worries silently stewing beneath the surface to appreciate that welcome change compared to Canterlot Castle. Sunset hadn’t dared mention it, but it certainly hadn't escaped her notice that most of Twilight’s staff generally avoided her if they could. No doubt an effect of the less than pleasant attitude Flurry carried herself with for Celestia knows how long. Typically crowded halls became suspiciously desolate corridors whenever the Princess of the Crystal Empire just so happened to be strolling through. However hard Flurry was trying to amend her behavior now, Sunset knew firsthoof that it took time for people to stop glancing at you like you were a ticking timebomb just waiting to go off whenever they thought you weren’t looking. However hard she tried to feign indifference, you hardly needed a magical necklace to tell that Flurry was far from immune to what other creatures thought of her. If anything, she was more sensitive to it than most. "Hey, Mr. Astern! You fight anymore sea monsters since I’ve been gone!?" Flurry playfully called out to an old bearded Earth pony in a sea captain's garb who gave Flurry a smirk and a wink in response. But here, Flurry practically received her own homecoming. Not a single creature they’d passed so far hadn’t at least offered a welcoming smile in greeting, and several had even gone so far as to stop Flurry to exchange a few quick pleasantries. Flurry, in return, was more comfortable and at ease than Sunset had ever seen her. Thankfully, Flurry had elected to only take along one of the dozens of carry-on bags Sunset had witnessed being crammed onto the train, so her protégé wasn’t quite as high maintenance as Rarity after all. However, the real shock came when she casually left her regalia behind on the train in favor of a less royal appearance. It wasn’t until Sunset had seen Flurry without all the traditional accessories of an Equestrian Princess that she noticed it was a sight she had never witnessed before. Twilight was, more often than not, dressed in the very same manner, but she wasn’t necessarily attached to it. Twilight tended to shed some of her regal armor when she was free of prying eyes. For meals, late nights in the office, and more recently she’d taken to losing the crown whenever it was just the two of them. Sometimes, she almost seemed relieved to get it off her. She couldn't recall ever seeing Flurry do the same. Not during the meals they’d had together, not during their private lessons over the past week, not during any period of the day, be it dawn or dusk. Sunset tried not to read too deeply into something that could have simply been nothing, but it stuck out all the same. If there was anything to it though, it didn’t apply here. "Oh, look over there, Aunt Sunset! That place makes the BEST haycakes! You have to try them at some point!" Flurry Heart eagerly pointed out to her, jabbing a foreleg in the direction of a quaint little restaurant they had just passed. At this rate, Sunset was confident she’d be able to find her way around this town solely through all the little points of interest Flurry kept recommending. "You really know your way around, huh?" Sunset nodded at Flurry with a subtle smile. It was cute seeing Flurry so eager. Even for a pony as expressive as Flurry tended to be, she wasn't usually this bouncy. "Oh yeah, I’m here a lot. It’s kind of a second home. Heh, I might consider making it my first home if they’d let me," Flurry giggled. "Really?" Sunset looked up to the alicorn beside her, the genuine interest in her tone signaling Flurry to continue. "Definitely," Flurry nodded without a trace of doubt. "It’s just so quiet here. No politics, no newspapers that print every unflattering expression you make. Back before I could come here by myself, I used to practically beg Uncle Discord to take me," Flurry reminisced. "You know, I didn’t know you two were so close," Sunset stated, seizing the opportunity to learn more about the curious relationship the two seemed to share. "You mean Uncle Discord?" Sunset simply nodded, choosing to forego any words that could wind up unflattering. "Well, when I was little, if it wasn’t Aunt Pinkie, he was usually the one spending time with me," Flurry shrugged like it was no big deal to have the literal spirit of disharmony babysit you. Sunset couldn’t keep the look of skepticism off her face. "Huh, I never pegged him as the nurturing type." Flurry smiled, finding Sunset’s disbelief amusing. "He always said that was just something Aunt Fluttershy beat into him. Besides, I didn’t exactly have a wide selection when it came to foalsitters, and when your mom and dad are as busy as mine were, you need one pretty often. Mom got by for a few years by exploiting my Crystaller. I don’t think anypony ever told Mr. Sunburst that childcare wasn’t actually part of the job description, but he eventually went to work for Mrs. Starlight. After that, there weren’t many ponies who were as okay with the possibility of being blown up at any given moment." "I guess being the only natural-born alicorn in Equestrian history does mean that nopony really knows how to take care of one," Sunset offered, an understanding of Flurry that she’d never considered before actually having met her. Flurry Heart shrugged. "Yeah, but we managed. Mom actually used to know a lot of ponies who were pretty used to taking on super dangerous tasks for even less reward than a standard babysitting fee. Sometimes it was Aunt Rainbow or Aunt Applejack. They actually co-foal sat one time, but… that didn’t really end well," Flurry shuddered slightly as she briefly relived the event. Sunset didn’t even want to know. "Anyway, it was Aunt Pinkie who usually picked up the slack, but even she couldn’t just rush off to the edge of the Kingdom all the time, so Uncle Discord just kinda, y’know, popped in." Sunset shook her head in disbelief. "And Cadenza was okay with that?" Prissy perfect goodie-goodie Mi Amore Cadenza, who’d never let the foals she sat for stay up a second past their curfew, was perfectly willing to entrust her one and only child to the Lord of Chaos for safekeeping? Flurry Heart grimaced, "Eh, kinda. Mom was pretty desperate at the time, and he had to pull Aunt Fluttershy in with him at first to get her to agree to it, but after that, he just kept coming back." "That does sound like Discord," Sunset admitted as neutrally as possible. He certainly kept coming back. Flurry just chuckled at Sunset’s cadence, well aware of how much of an acquired taste he was for most. The odd pair pressed on in silence following that, Flurry leading the way on their path and Sunset trusting her guidance and following along while taking in every sight she could as they passed by, privately trying to visualize Celestia in the setting now that her thoughts were, unfortunately, free to run wherever they pleased. Try as she might, she just couldn’t imagine it. Princess Celestia strolling down to the market and picking her own groceries off the shelves. Princess Celestia casually sitting outside some random café, sipping something besides some grossly over-priced brand of tea. Princess Celestia huddled up in the middle of the town square chatting and trading local gossip with the neighbors. Things anypony living in this town must have done nearly every day. Things princesses were above doing. Nothing about this place reminded her of her old mentor. Nothing she had even so much as heard about her since she’d ventured back through the mirror reminded her of the pony she once boasted about being so intimately familiar with… or at least, that she had liked to believe herself so intimately familiar with. If she was honest with herself, how well did she really know Princess Celestia? It wasn’t like she had known that she even had a sister. That she had always been mapping out this grand destiny for some lucky little filly with a cutie mark etched into the tree of harmony. Not even something as simple as how, apparently, she couldn’t act on stage to save her own flank. Was this really how Princess Celestia longed to spend her days? Maybe she didn’t really know the first thing about Celestia. Maybe she was just on a personal journey to encounter a complete stranger who had forgotten that she had ever even existed long ago. Mere blocks away from the reality she had always known deep down, pulled closer to it with each step. Flurry hummed, picking up on the nervous energy that was beginning to radiate from the unicorn beside her. "Aunt Sunset, are you feeling alright?" Flurry ventured to ask. Sunset's head snapped around, her wide eyes turned in Flurry’s direction. "Honestly, Flurry… I think I might throw up." Flurry Heart performed a comically quick shuffle away from the potential splash zone. "Oh, wow, uhm, okay. You know, we don’t really have to go straight to Auntie Celestia’s house right away. We could go get something to ea-er, actually, that doesn’t sound like such a great idea right now. Oh! They have a spa here! We could go there, or do some shopping, or heck, I know a couple of inns we could stay at for a day or two until you’re ready to—" Sunset pulled herself to a standstill and lifted a hoof, wordlessly signaling Flurry to stop. Flurry clamped her muzzle shut and waited for Sunset to get her bearings. True to her word, the amber unicorn looked positively queasy. It was an incredibly sudden unraveling for Flurry to behold for a pony that was ordinarily so collected, even until a matter of moments ago. Flurry had never seen her look so shaken. The idea of anything getting under her fur had seemed like a nearly foreign concept mere days ago. Aunt Sunset was cool and pretty much always had the answer to everything. She didn't even so much as flinch at the idea of going head to head with a Princess. But Auntie Celestia was a different matter entirely. She didn't know all the details, but she had picked up more than enough to know that by now. The signs had been there since she had this "genius" little idea. Still, she went ahead with it, and worst of all, she knew she was perhaps the least qualified Princess to handle any manner of emotional distress. Then again, the list of things she was qualified for probably couldn't fill out a post-it note. Sunset swallowed deeply, finally managing to bring her nausea down some. "Sorry, I just… needed a moment." "I-it’s fine. I mean, I’d be pretty nervous too if I hadn’t seen my mom in who knows how long." Whatever color had begun to make its valiant return to Sunset’s face raced off in sheer terror at Flurry’s liberal use of the "M" word. Sunset brought a hoof up to her mouth as a precaution. Flurry grimaced at her words having the exact opposite effect she intended. "S-sorry, I didn’t mean… What I was trying to say is… Okay, I’m not very good at this," Flurry conceded with a defeated laugh. For lack of a better idea, Sunset sharply inhaled a breath in and pushed it out, following the motions along with her foreleg. She repeated the action once or twice for insurance. "Oh, hey, Aunt Twilight showed you Mom’s breathing thing," Flurry commented in relief. "Y-yeah, it’s… much more effective than it has any right to be," Sunset confessed, feeling her stomach successfully settle. Some things just never changed. All these years and it still didn’t take much for anything related to Celestia to send her over the edge. "Are you going to be okay?" Flurry’s eyes glistened with concern. "I’m... fine, Flurry," Sunset assured her. Flurry had heard far too many ponies say they were fine when they weren’t to believe that. "I’m really sorry, Aunt Sunset," Flurry Heart sighed. The butterflies in Sunset’s stomach ceased their incessant fluttering to float in abject confusion. "Uhm, okay, what exactly do you have to apologize for?" Flurry gently smacked a hoof against the ground in front of her, kicking up a small cloud of dust that she chose to focus on over the pony in front of her. "Well, I'm the one who forced this on you. You said you weren’t ready, but I still pushed you into it. I just really wanted… I thought we could…" Flurry stumbled over her words, fumbling for the right ones, "I’m… not very good at thinking things through. I just thought that I could at least do this for you, but I can’t really help you or anycreature. I’m sure Aunt Twilight could help you if she was here, but you’re just stuck with me. Sorry," Flurry apologized with a wince that showed she believed every word. Sunset quirked an eyebrow. The sparkle really didn’t shimmer far from the star. "Flurry, that’s ridiculous." "It… is?" Flurry asked, seeming genuinely confused anypony could disagree with what she had said. "Yes, it is. I’m a grown mare, Flurry. I make my own poor decisions," Sunset flashed Flurry her most playfully reassuring smile. "No pony did anything other than giving me a chance to do something I needed to do a long time ago. And for what it’s worth, I think I might have turned tail a while ago if I didn’t have you," Sunset said with complete sincerity. It was true after all. Even now, Sunset felt better just having Flurry here to inspire her to act like the adult she was supposed to be. In situations where no words could ever truly suffice, it was invaluable to have somepony else to just… be there. "O-oh, uhm, no problem really," Flurry stuttered around with a bashful smile. Sunset dared to think she might have been getting good at this whole mentor thing. "But, we still don’t have to go straight there though if you need a bit more time," Flurry offered once more. Sunset shook her head in refusal, able to think a bit more clearly now. "No, I don’t think that would really help. I’ve been avoiding this for a while. If you gave me a thousand years to prepare, I’d probably still be shaking at the front door. But, I guess if I’ve learned anything in all that time, it’s that nothing really changes if you’re not willing to do anything that makes you uncomfortable." Flurry hummed in response, considering the sentiment. "I should probably ask though, exactly how close are we right now?" Flurry merely turned her gaze to the not-so-distant horizon they had been headed for. "You’re kidding," Sunset muttered. "Nope, they’re pretty much on the other side of this hill," Flurry stated, marching her way ahead. "I thought you said it was a long walk?" "…It was. We’ve been going for almost an hour." That told Sunset two things. One, her cardio had drastically improved from living in Equestria again, and two, she had really checked out back there. "There it is!" Flurry waved Sunset over as she reached the top and pointed a hoof to something in the distance Sunset couldn’t quite see yet. She could only hear the rhythmic squawks of the birds that flocked near the sea and confirmed they had indeed made it to the coast. Sunset’s measured steps pulled her up to a place beside Flurry where she instantly felt the cool ocean breeze whip her mane about. In the faintly orange-tinted light of the evening sun, Sunset at long last beheld what the most ancient pony in Equestria now called home. "…That’s it?" Sunset blinked as though it would cause her vision to correct itself and pick up whatever was missing. As it stood, there was nothing really there. Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. There was one thing there in the inconspicuous little valley bordered by the gently swaying waves of the sea. One singular thing. One little thing surrounded by plenty of nothing aside from grass, a painfully plain picket fence, and some small flower beds. A small wooden cottage that was scarcely two stories, and only stood out because there was absolutely nothing else around. "What? Were you expecting a castle?" Flurry playfully nudged Sunset. "…maybe?" Sunset answered, uncertain herself. Flurry giggled at the idea. "That’d be a bit much for this place, wouldn’t it?" Sunset shrugged. "That didn’t stop Twilight from planting one in the middle of the suburbs." Flurry opened her mouth to respond only to pause in contemplation. "Okay, touché. Still, I think what they have is pretty nice. Auntie Luna really likes that it’s not a marathon to make it to the kitchen anymore." "Yeah, it’s… pleasant," Sunset settled on. Just like everything else in this sleepy little town. So pleasant. "So, you ready?" Sunset jumped slightly at the question, ashamed she needed to be reminded that they were here for more than to look at the scenery. She was meant to go down there. She was meant to walk past that fence. She was meant to knock on that door. She was meant to find… something. Sunset took another deep breath, exhaling it slowly. It didn’t help quite as much this time. "I guess we’ll find out," Sunset sighed, and took her first step forward, taking the lead for the first time since they had arrived. "Though I have to admit, this is probably the last way I ever imagined it," Sunset confessed to Flurry Heart. Even looking dead at it, Sunset could not fathom Celestia actually living inside this middle-class abode, virtually indistinguishable from any other. It all seemed so surreal. A mailbox out by the open front gate for Celestia to come out and collect her own postage, which would likely include dozens of worthless advertisements and magazines. Shrubbery and beds of daisies framed the outside, which would require at least some toiling around in the dirt to maintain. It was like Celestia was no different from anypony else. Sunset and Flurry, at last, reached the front porch of the house, allowing Sunset to fully take in the well-worn wooden surface that indicated the house was far from new but still cared for. Sunset took the first step onto the stairs that would lead her up to the front door before she had time to give herself second thoughts. The wood creaking under her hoofsteps alone nearly made her recoil, but Sunset shut it out and rushed the steps until she had reached the top. "Hey, w-wait for me, Aunt Sunset!" Flurry called to her as she nearly tripped up the steps, picking up her own pace when the unicorn had managed to nearly leave her in the dust. Sunset paused to wait for Flurry, giving her an anxious smile in apology. "Sorry, I got a little excited." "Well, we made it," Flurry announced upon reaching Sunset, more to ward off the tension than anything else. Sunset glanced around, taking it in. She'd always figured she'd be surrounded by stained glass and tapestries rather than rocking chairs and wind chimes if this moment ever came, but here she was all the same. Years for her. Decades for anypony else. Now all that may have very well separated them was a plain wooden door. "Do you think they’re here?" Sunset couldn’t resist asking, maybe to stall for time, maybe because the silence that ordinarily would have been completely normal felt unnervingly eerie to her at the moment. "They should be. I know they’re in town right now, and they’re not usually out this late," Flurry stated as she walked up to the front door. "I guess we should probably just knock and find out." "Wait!" Sunset called out, her tone not harsh and only slightly unsteady, yet sharp enough to halt the alicorn who had already raised a hoof to rap on the door. Flurry slowly lowered the offending appendage and waited for Sunset to explain. "Let me do it. I think… I want to be the first thing she sees," Sunset confessed. Flurry took only a moment to process the request before her curious face shifted into an understanding smile. "Sure thing, Aunt Sunset." Flurry Heart stepped aside, making room for Sunset to take the lead before considering Sunset might have wanted a bit more than a few steps of space. "Oh, wait. Do you need me to… you know?" Flurry glanced back, making a gesture that indicated she could remove herself from the situation. She was fairly used to her mom and Aunt Twilight preferring she step out when handling more important matters. "No no, that’s not it," Sunset shook her head. "Believe me, this will be much easier with you by my side." Sunset stepped beside Flurry, taking her place before the door, which up close seemed to stretch to an impossibly imposing height. Flurry leaned her head down and in place of any words offered Sunset a nuzzle of encouragement. A gesture Sunset returned without hesitation. It was funny how long it had taken her to grow accustomed to her own world’s open displays of affection, but now it was what gave her the courage to push forward. After all, whether Celestia did or didn’t care for her as more than another student plucked from a sea of generations, whether she shared at least some of the same fondness for what could only account for the smallest fraction of her centuries-long lifetime, or whether she even remembered her at all, it wouldn’t change what she knew she already had. No matter the outcome, this would allow her to finally close that chapter of her life on her own terms in the way she always should have. As long as that was true, she could live with whatever this reunion held for her. With a hoof steadier than Sunset had ever believed she could possess at this moment, Sunset tapped on the door. One, two, three. The sounds of the impact practically echoed through the previously still air, almost deafening to the unicorn who had made them. The seconds that ticked by stretched into infinite spaces of time in which Sunset waited for some form of response. Just as Sunset was beginning to wonder whether she should try knocking again, questioning whether she’d even have the fortitude to do so, the inside of the cottage began to stir. Voices. Sunset couldn’t make out any of the words from outside, but she could still hear the ensuing conversation. Two ponies. Going back and forth, almost like bickering, though lacking any sort of edge. Both were too muffled for Sunset to make out most of the finer details, but the pitch alone of one of them sent a shockwave through Sunset's system. That very voice uttered one last statement, the last word before all went silent again. It didn’t take long for hoof steps to follow, starting low and drawing closer with each passing second until they were just behind the door. The door handle clicked, and Sunset felt her breath catch in her throat. Without even a moment’s hesitation, the door swung wide open. A towering alicorn, standing an entire head over even Flurry, with a perfectly white coat, light magenta eyes, and a long solid pink mane that softly hung in a ponytail around her neck like any other mane stepped through the doorway and immediately locked herself in place upon giving an almost imperceptible gasp as if a vacuum had just sucked the air from her lungs. Sunset’s subconscious battled with itself on whether to turn her head in embarrassment at the pony that was practically standing in front of her stark naked. It seemed almost scandalous to gaze at the pure white fur and bare hooves that were meant to be covered by no less than engraved gold and sparkling gems. But, at the same time, Sunset couldn’t have possibly looked away. Not when the pony before her was such a cluster of features she could never forget, and some she couldn’t recognize. Her eyes, the same bright crystal-clear radiant shade she had looked into countless times as a young filly, but they sparkled in a way she had never seen before. Her mane was the opposite. No sparkles, no physic defying wind, but so much pink, like the single stripe that had once highlighted it had consumed the other colors. Nothing but pink left in her still long, but no longer flowing mane. It was her. In a fraction of a hummingbird’s heartbeat, Sunset knew it must have been, and yet… it wasn’t. So familiar, so alien, so… Flurry Heart cast a glance at Sunset, who seemed to be frozen in a trance of some sort, just staring at Celestia like she was trying to see straight through her. She turned her head back to her Auntie Celestia, standing still enough to pass for one of her own statues and must have broken records for the quickest shift of expression from a carefree smile to a pony who was about to be run over by a speeding train that Flurry had ever seen. Celestia’s mouth hung slightly ajar as her eyes expanded in a way she didn’t know they were capable of. They had been standing like this for a least twenty seconds at this point. "Ahem," Flurry coughed, deciding that somepony needed to jolt this situation back to reality, and sadly she was the only option. "Hey, Auntie Celestia! I just thought I’d swing by, you know, since I was in the neighborhood, and you will never guess who I bumped into. Or, well, I guess you can. Y’know, cause she’s right here… in front of… you." Heaven help her, she was bombing this worse than Aunt Twilight doing stand-up. Flurry gave Sunset a firm nudge in the side. Sunset stumbled a bit, Flurry’s nudge being more of a jab, but it was an effective means to snap her back to reality, for all the good it did. Sunset refocused her eyes onto the surprisingly startled face that she hadn’t seen in so terribly long. The face she'd longed to see just once more. This was it. Face to face with Princess Celestia. So much to tell, so much she wanted to know, all the ways she had imagined this moment through all these years, and now that it was finally upon her… she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. "H-hi," Sunset said, picking up a hoof to politely wave. Celestia managed to regain some form of awareness from the simple meek greeting, bringing her jaw back up to give the most appropriate response that came to her at the moment. "H-hello." The awkward tension that had existed before somehow managed to triple when Sunset and Celestia resumed their staring contest. "Soooo," Flurry interjected again upon seeing this was going nowhere fast, "how have you been?" "F-fine. I… w-we’ve been just… fine," Celestia mumbled, her eyes never leaving the unicorn directly in front of her, the response practically automated. Celestia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, apparently trying to get some sort of handle on herself. When at last she reopened them, she pointedly avoided looking directly at either pony, a nervous, borderline unhinged, giggle crawling its way from her throat. "I-I’m sorry. Could you please give me a moment?" Celestia requested with a forced grin, and without waiting for any sort of answer, the former princess proceeded to shuffle back into the house before promptly slamming the door shut in front of them, creating a resounding smack. The piercing sound did the seemingly impossible task of shattering the spell Sunset had placed herself under. "P-princess Celestia, wait!" Sunset cried, desperately reaching a hoof out to the door despite knowing it was already too late. Sunset slumped back onto her haunches, lost and confused all over again. She didn’t have the slightest idea what had just happened. Had she just blown it all over again? Was that it? What was she supposed to do now? "Huh, maybe dropping by unannounced wasn’t the great idea I thought it was," Flurry’s brow furrowed in confusion. "I’ve never seen her act like that before." Sunset perked up. Flurry’s words struck a chord of realization that risked being forgotten and buried under the hailstorm of emotions simply seeing her face again had inspired. She had been so captivated by the mere sight of her, what was new, what was the same, that she’d nearly ignored the pony herself. "…Yeah. Neither have I." This entire trip… no. That didn’t do it justice. Her entire life, the fear that had always clawed at the back of her mind was that she’d receive no acknowledgment at all. That Celestia just wouldn’t care. That the hard truth was that their relationship didn’t… couldn’t extend beyond student and teacher. A fear that accumulated evidence drop by drop as the years went by until that fateful night. The night where Celestia had thrown her away. No. No, that wasn’t true, Sunset amended to herself. She had overstepped. Broken her trust, more than likely broken a few laws, by being there that night. Celestia was under no obligation to let that stand. Rather, her obligation was to ensure such secrets never found their way into hooves such as hers. Her banishment from the castle was justified. Perhaps you could even say she got off light for actions that could be viewed as treasonous through certain lenses… but it still hurt. That after everything, Celestia could just watch her go and never look back. Never try to find her. Never even write. That it seemed the only thing that had changed was just… having more time to dedicate to the more promising pupil Celestia had picked up a hoof full of years ago. The pupil Celestia never openly acknowledged during whatever increasingly spare time they had together. The pupil Sunset pretended not to notice. The pupil Celestia sent after her like she was more of a test than a problem. A steppingstone. Not an issue even worth dealing with personally. Even the journal that was supposed to always connect them from beyond the very edge of Equestria itself could be thrown out like an old lamp that was taking up space. But… she wanted it back, Sunset reminded herself. So many years dwelling on the uncertainties, too much of a coward to chase the answers, and maybe deep down already convinced of the conclusion. All of it upset by a new piece that threw several pre-convinced notions into question. A part that dared to give her reason to question... to hope. And now another. Celestia was not a pony Sunset had ever known to be swayed by her emotions. She was ashamed to recall that after some of their more heated arguments, near the end, she had wondered if she had any at all. Always strict, always in control, always expressing herself in only the utmost appropriate and respectful manner possible. Polite smiles when appropriate. Disapproving scowls when appropriate. Never once would Celestia lose herself to the heat of a moment. It had frustrated her to a childish degree, Sunset admitted. How in the twilight of their relationship, some days she’d just lose it, stomping, shouting, for harmony’s sake, she’d actually thrown things at her the night she was banished from the castle, and Celestia still never gave her an inch when it came to getting a reaction. That just didn’t seem to have ever changed. Not even when she had managed to pull her sorry traitorous flank back to Canterlot and into Celestia’s presence so she could beg for the help she so desperately needed to preserve her friend’s memories. She didn’t think Celestia had known she was coming. How could she have? Spike had been off somewhere else that day, she’d never really bothered to ask where, and Twilight certainly didn’t sound like she had given the Princess any sort of notice of their arrival. And yet, still, Celestia didn’t seem put off by her presence in the slightest, all while she’d been scared out of her fur. Those eternal seconds where Celestia had just… stared at her, not saying anything, not doing anything, not giving any indication whatsoever of what was going on inside her head were easily the most terrifying moments Sunset had ever lived through in her entire life. None of the ancient evil sirens and possessed teenagers even came close. She was still grateful, of course. Celestia didn’t hate her, she had at least let her know that. She’d helped her without condition. She never would have managed to save her friends without the invaluable resources she had allowed her access to. Access to the very types of books she had been banished for reading so many moons ago. And when it was time to depart, Celestia had given her some parting words that she could have only imagined hearing from her that morning. That was all Sunset could really ask for. A better ending to their otherwise tragic story ...But, Sunset knew deep down, no matter how hard she tried to change, she was a selfish pony at heart. A selfish pony that wished Celestia had more to say to her than just a few kind words to a repentant student. Who wished that when she had turned to leave again, even if on much better terms, Celestia tried to stop her. Maybe reach out and try to pull her back when it was all over, instead of once again just letting her go. It was such a silly self-centered desire. Had Celestia actually done any of that, Sunset had no idea if she would have even considered it. She had a life, friends who were as good as a family, a world, and a home where she was happy. Where she was accepted. That didn’t stop her from wishing Celestia had at least tried. She wanted a reaction. Something, anything, that told her that her presence in her life meant something. ...something that, for better or worse, she had finally received. "Uhm, Aunt Sunset, you still there?" Flurry asked, waving a wing up and down in front of Sunset’s face when the unicorn in question had simply sat down and went blank. "Y-yeah, I’m still here, Flurry," Sunset nodded, bringing a foreleg up to gently push Flurry’s wing out of her face so she could get back on her hooves. The last thing she wanted to do was go to pieces in front of her. "Oh, good. I was worried you were Aunt Twilight levels of spaced out for a bit there, and I’m kinda lost. I’m not really sure what to do at this point, and they’ve been making a lot of noise inside." "They have?" Sunset asked. "You mean you didn’t hear any of that? I mean, ponies call me a bull in a china shop, but it sounded like Auntie Celestia barreled over half her furniture after she shut the door. Then they started doing that thing, you know, where you’re speaking like you’re supposed to be whispering, but you're clearly talking way too loudly for that. They’ve been quiet for a while though." Sunset tilted her head in confusion, awestruck by the absurdity of what Flurry was saying. Long before Sunset had the chance to so much as process the information, the echo of hoofsteps just outside the door once again picked up, though they somehow managed to sound both heavier and lighter than before at the same time. Just as before, the door to the small cottage clicked and opened without pause to reveal an alicorn standing in the doorway. An alicorn Sunset instantly recognized, and yet barely knew, with eyes unwaveringly set on her. "…Princess Luna?" Author's Note Surprise! Guess who's still alive! I'm in my last semester of college over here, so I've been cramming a lot to make sure I can get out the door, but I haven't forgotten about this by any means. It just seems like it sometimes. I'd greatly appreciate any comments, especially for this part of the story. It does wonders for my motivation. Here's something I've been waiting a long time to get to. You've all probably noticed by now that Celestia, and Luna too, act and look a little bit different. At least as far as Sunset knows. Chapter 21: Missing PiecesLuna, Princess of the Night and all things beneath it. Formerly the infamous Nightmare Moon, the mythological boogeymare little foals checked under beds and inside empty closets for after the sunset. The Mare in the Moon. The guardian of dreams. Celestia’s… little sister. Sunset was aware that these were all little more than titles and basic trivia anypony could learn these days from a pre-school history book, but it was all she had now that she found herself on the receiving end of the dark alicorn’s piercing gaze. To say her knowledge of Equestria’s long-lost Princess was limited would be generous. The implication that the mare was more than a work of pure fiction only came from those first few weeks in the human realm. Vice Principal Luna’s mere existence raised a great many questions, but none pressing enough that they couldn’t be brushed aside in appreciation of the means to avoid unnecessary interaction with an alien world’s imitation of Celestia. As the years went by, her relationship with both heads of the school improved, which is to say she was no longer increasing their workload by being directly responsible for any weeping students who had been publicly humiliated or rampaging she-demons that tore open the front entrance. Their interactions were generally perfectly polite and cordial on any occasion they happened. It just never developed beyond that. Sunset was willing to accept responsibility for that. The fact was, she didn’t really want a deeper relationship with a Celestia that wasn’t… hers for lack of a better word, and Vice Principal Luna suffered the same fate by association. Not that knowing that Luna better would have meant she knew this Luna, but it would have at least been more than what she had to go off of right now. Myths, the majority of which were almost certainly not true, crumbs of information Twilight had dropped over the years, and the one other time she had ever seen Luna in person before this very moment. Truth be told, Sunset hardly noticed her throughout the whole memory stone affair. She was an unfamiliar presence by Celestia’s side, almost a shadow of sorts. She spoke up only one time. Sunset was honestly fuzzy on exactly what it was that she had said, but she remembered it was something that sounded horribly out of place from a voice that she had only ever heard bossing around teenagers. She’d seemed so serious and reserved. As terribly cliché and hokey as it sounded to even think, the sisters seemed like night and day. That distinction, at the very least, still seemed to remain intact. A dark glossy coat that contrasted Celestia’s soft white fur. The mark of a crescent moon against a tar-black splotch on her flank signified her allegiance to the night. A height that could be mistaken for short compared to Celestia or Twilight but loomed imposingly above almost anypony else. Crystal clear cyan eyes that weren’t outright cold, but hard and discerning, almost daring anypony in her sight to fool her. The only traits Sunset could remember had changed in all these years were the very same ones that now marked Celestia. The sisters had done away with nearly everything that would have once marked them as divine royalty, including their majestic flowing manes. How exactly that was possible, Sunset hadn’t the faintest idea, but Luna’s hair still clearly fell across her face and down her neck in long flowing locks that curled slightly at the ends as you would expect of any other pony. Perhaps the blue of her mane was even a shade or two lighter than before, though Sunset couldn’t remember well enough to say for certain. Under almost any other circumstance, Luna would have been an unknown, unpredictable, downright intimidating presence to be confronted with. She still was, but compared to her sister, Sunset was almost grateful to look at a pony she could at least think around. "H-hello. M-my name is Sunset Shimmer," Sunset managed to successfully stutter after a few seconds of Luna’s eyes running up and down her, showing no sign that she’d break the silence of her own accord. Ok, it probably wasn’t the best introduction. It was probably the most awkward introduction she could have given, but at least it was a real sentence, which was more than she had achieved before now. Luna’s eyes stopped to look Sunset directly into her own. "I know who you are." "o-oh? Oh!" Sunset eloquently replied to Luna’s even-toned statement that was neither warm nor condescending. Inflection that was impossible to place. "Sorry, I wasn’t sure you’d remember. I know it’s been a while." Luna gave her first true reaction in the form of an eyebrow lifting itself in response. "That’s putting it mildly." Sunset blanked on an appropriate response to that and simply defaulted to doing her best awkward smile. "You look well. Especially considering the circumstances," Luna commented, taking the lead of the gross approximation of a conversation they were having. Sunset couldn’t tell if that was meant to be an observation or a compliment, but she chose to assume the latter. "Th-thanks. A little mirror-based space-time distortion does wonders for the complexion, heh." There was no missing the groan of secondhand embarrassment coming from her right. "Oh jeez, when did you start taking ice-breaking tips from Aunt Twilight?" Flurry whispered beside her, though probably not quietly enough. Sunset grunted at Flurry’s standard lack of a filter but acknowledged that it would certainly help to stop so blatantly embarrassing herself. "Ahem, Princess Luna —" "It’s Luna." Sunset felt the rest of her carefully constructed thoughts scatter. Luna took Sunset’s befuddled expression as a request for an explanation. "I assume you’ve heard. That is a title my sister and I have not held in quite some time. Please, It’s just Luna now. It was difficult enough correcting ponies for the first twenty years," Luna nodded, a subtle upturn in the corner of her lips indicating that the last portion of the sentence was intended as a joke. Flurry Heart scoffed, openly joining the conversation, "Well, I’ve been a Princess all my life, and I still have trouble getting anypony to attach a title to my name." Luna’s poker face finally crumbled as she looked at her great niece with a subdued but soft smile. "It’ll catch on someday, dear. Have I ever told you how many years it took for them to stop referring to us as, 'Celestia and the other one?'" Flurry Heart chuckled and split away from Sunset to approach Luna now that she had been acknowledged, bounding over to leap into the receptive forelegs of her Auntie Luna. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, grateful just to be out of her crosshairs for the moment. "It’s great to see you again, Auntie Luna," Flurry hummed, leaning into the embrace. "You know Tia and I always enjoy your visits, though we weren’t expecting to see you again so soon. It’s only been a couple of weeks," Luna subtly inquired once the two had separated. Flurry glanced to the side at nothing in particular, "Well, y’know, since I pass through every time I go to Canterlot, it just seemed like it’d be a waste not to at least stop by now that I’m at Aunt Twilight’s so much." Luna eyed Flurry warily. "Oh? Is everything alright?" "Huh? Yeah, everything’s fine. Better than fine really," Flurry said, not following the reason for Luna’s unease. Luna paused for a breath, choosing her words carefully, "And Cadance is doing well?" Flurry tilted her head. "I guess so. Why… oh. Oh!" Flurry squeaked as the pieces clicked together, and she recalled why her words may be a reason for alarm. It wasn’t even that long ago, but she’d all but forgotten what her reason for running to Aunt Twilight had almost always been, for… years now if she thought about it. "No! no, things are fine between me and Mom. Or I guess as fine as they can be. Honest." Luna relaxed whatever small signs of alarm she had allowed to show. "Then should I take that to mean you’re being entrusted some great task that the very balance of all Equestria hinges upon? It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those," Luna joked with a smirk on her face and a tinge of curiosity beneath the surface. Flurry giggled. "No, Auntie, it’s nothing that serious… buuuuttt," Flurry sang, leaning in closer to Luna while lowering her voice as though she was about to reveal some great secret, "I do have a feeling that everypony’s about to start taking me a lot more seriously." "Really? Just what have you been up to?" Luna inquired, perfectly willing to play along with Flurry’s budding excitement. Flurry flipped her mane and puffed out her chest. "Weeellll, it’s nothing too special. I just may be studying to become a master sorceress under THE most powerful unicorn in Equestria." Sunset held in a breath, content to have been forgotten, not certain she liked where this was going. "Right, Aunt Sunset?" Flurry turned around to face her with a proud wink, dragging her back to the forefront of the situation whether she liked it or not. As she feared, Luna once again turned her steady eyes on her, silently mouthing the word 'Aunt?' "W-well, I don’t know about that, kiddo. I like to think I know my stuff, but I’m not so sure I’d go that far," Sunset tried to wave off. "Come on, Aunt Sunset, are you kidding? What other unicorn could beat up a Princess?" "Now, h-hold on! I-I wouldn’t say that’s exactly—" "You should have seen her, Auntie Luna. I mean, I was sore for DAYS afterwards." "Well, maybe things got a little out of hoof—" "Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever been hit even half that hard before." "Really, with context, it’s not as bad as—" "Not to mention what she did to Aunt Twilight." Sunset officially gave up. She appreciated Flurry’s obvious attempts at talking her up, but she wasn’t so certain failed student of your sister who returned to assault your friends and family was the first impression she wanted. She just hoped Luna wouldn’t get too much of the wrong idea. She was getting tired of being thrown around by alicorns if she was being honest. Luna hummed, "Well then, it seems my sister, and I are even further out of the loop than we thought. Of course, I’ve always suspected you had the potential, but the study of magic is no small pursuit. I’m a bit surprised Cadance would entrust those studies to some pony other than Twilight." Flurry giggled once again, this time with a noticeable tremble in her voice. "Oh, Aunt Twilight’s helping too, but you know how it is. The kingdom never rests and neither does she. I’m sure Mom will understand." Luna’s brows raised, though there was a distinct lack of surprise in her expression. "She 'will?' You haven’t told her?" "W-well, not yet! It’s something that just kinda happened, and it’s only been a few weeks. I-it’s not like I need to run every decision by her. I’m going to get around to it! We just need to work out how to break the news, is all. The situation miiight be a bit delicate. Mom and Aunt Sunset have… a bit of history," Flurry danced around the topic. Sunset frowned at being used as a scapegoat. It wasn’t untrue, but she’d hardly forgotten that Flurry seemed in no rush to break the news before she knew that. Luna, however, nodded her understanding. "I’ve heard the stories." "Stories?" Sunset piped up, her surprise getting the better of her. "Yes, Sunset… stories," Luna responded, full attention back on the amber mare if it had ever truly left. "I particularly remember the ones centered around Nightmare Night." Sunset cringed. "Wait, what about Nightmare Night?" Flurry tentatively asked, well aware she might regret knowing. Luna brought a hoof to her chin. "Celestia probably tells it better than I do, but I’ve been told that while Sunset wasn’t fond of most holidays as a filly, she always had a soft spot for Nightmare Night." Sunset knew where this was going. She wasn’t proud of it… at least, not anymore. "It was the one night a year where she was actually allowed to scare the manes off the other children and get candy for it instead of grounded. And every year she always saved one trick just for Cadance." "Like, what?" Flurry winced, an eternal victim to curiosity. Luna feigned difficulty trying to recall the details, "If I remember correctly, Tia said that just like with most things, she was very creative. It was never the same thing twice. Let’s see, there was the headless horse, the razor-teethed piano that chased her and her tutor around the music room, the exploding pumpkin filled with gelatin—" "Wha-? C’mon, how’s that one even scary!" "…well, they were on sale," Sunset couldn’t help adding. "—and Celestia was fairly certain that Cadance didn’t have a fear of clowns until after the year with the Jack in the box," Luna wrapped up. Flurry turned to face Sunset, disbelief written on her face, though thankfully devoid of anger. "Why is it the longer that I spend around you, the more I find you are solely responsible for all Mom’s irrational fears?" Sunset smiled nervously. She’d nearly forgotten about some of those herself. "Well, I did tell you I…" she trailed off midsentence, her initial train of thought rammed clean off the rails by a sudden realization. Sunset weaved past Flurry to approach the former princess of the night, apprehension and doubt shoved into the backseat by the sheer need to know. "Hold on. Princess Celestia told you all of that?" For the first time Sunset could ever recall seeing, Luna’s face shifted into one of transparent confusion. "Of course. Is… that a problem?" Luna asked, her tone a genuine one, maybe even bordering on concern. Sunset chewed on her answer. Was that a problem? There was so much to process already that she couldn’t begin to know more than just how it made her feel. And that strange stirring buzzing sensation that awoke inside her just now was nearly identical to the one she had from seeing her again, wide-eyed like she’d just seen a ghost. Sunset couldn’t tell if it was closer to good or bad, but it was there and it was only getting louder. The tales Luna had been passed on were far from flattering, but Sunset was beginning to feel that Celestia only keeping the very worst memories of her would still be worlds better than indifference. "No, of course not, Prin-er, I mean… Luna." Sunset shook her head, trying to consciously remind herself to drop the formality. It felt awkward, but she’d manage. It wasn’t like she ever called the current princesses by their title. Not unless she wanted to ruffle a few lavender feathers from time to time. Luna eyed her curiously but didn’t press whatever issue it was that Sunset had taken. Rather, she sighed in preparation. "Perhaps we should cut to the chase. I know you didn’t come all this way to see me." Sunset instinctively opened her mouth, not wanting to dismiss her, but couldn’t find a way to honestly deny what Luna had said. Coming into contact with Luna had been an afterthought, a side effect, of her self-imposed mission, and she honestly hadn’t given the former princess of the night much real thought. Luna seized Sunset’s silence as an opportunity to push further. "So, may I ask what exactly you want from my sister? I’d hope you didn’t come here just to give her a heart attack," Luna lowered her head to stare directly at Sunset, a sternness in her face surfacing from her formerly neutral expression. "N-No! No, I wouldn’t…. I’d never…. We-er, well, I just wanted… I want to talk to her," Sunset managed to slap together, wilting under Luna’s disapproval. "You know, it’s rude to show up unannounced. At the very least, we would have appreciated the courtesy of a notice about your arrival," Luna asserted, not letting up. It was looking more and more like this was another genius idea Sunset would need to file under the ever-growing list of poor decisions she had made in her life. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Celestia could be so thrown off, so shaken by… well, anything. She was Celestia. She didn’t falter and she didn’t fumble. Such things were for ponies who could afford to. …But maybe that wasn’t really fair of her if it ever had been. So much about Celestia had changed, there was no denying that any longer. Maybe she needed to stop approaching her like she couldn’t. "Hey, go easy on her, Aunt Luna!" Flurry cut in, rooting herself firmly by Sunset’s side to come to her rescue as she seemed to be scrambling to untangle her thoughts. "Besides, I was the one who dragged her into it, and the whole surprise part was my dumb idea. Trust me, this has been pretty hard on her." Sunset wanted to protest; her conscience was quick to note the half-truths that laid more blame at Flurry’s hooves than could ever be true, but she was stopped by Flurry’s glance over. The look in her eye implored her to just let her take this one. "Look, I know we really should have run it by you first, well now I do, but I think Aunt Sunset just really wants to spend time with her," Flurry implored. Sunset would have liked to say the uncomfortable pit in her stomach came from anything other than Flurry being more honest about it than she could be with herself. Luna seemed taken aback at first, before she sighed, allowing all other feelings to wash off her and leave only a resigned understanding. "Believe me, dear, I understand better than most. I believe there’s much to be said, but it’s not my place to say it." Sunset stepped up, desperate to seize whatever opportunity she could before it was gone again. She knew it was unlikely Luna’s opinion of her was particularly glowing, but she was willing to fall to her knees before her if that’s what it took. "I know I’m probably the very last pony she ever expected to see again… I don’t know if she even ever wanted to see me again, but… I’m here… I’m home now, and even before I was, I’ve never stopped thinking about her. About us. Please, Luna, could you talk to her for me? Tell her that I just want to see her… and after that, if she doesn’t want to see me, then… I’ll go," Sunset pleaded with a warble in her voice and wide eyes that bore her very soul. Luna appeared to resist the urge to step back in surprise, the raw desperation taking her off-guard. “N-No!” She yelped, losing her air of control for a fraction of a second before the realization of her slip overcame her and she quickly reasserted her composed demeanor, albeit softer than it had been before. "No. That won’t be necessary. Forgive me if I had overstated our grievances, however legitimate they may be. I can’t speak for my sister, but even so, I do not believe she would wish for you to leave." Sunset absorbed Luna’s words, that uncertain feeling that had been going wild within her, at last, revealing itself to be something that she thought she could confidently say wasn’t outright unpleasant. Anticipation perhaps. A lifetime of second-guessing herself forced her to turn the meaning of Luna’s sentiment over a dozen times more than was realistically necessary, looking for any hidden meaning or room to misinterpret it all into something more than it was meant to be. Flurry playfully nudged her in the side to discreetly get her attention, directing her towards her protégé’s giddy smile that confirmed the conclusion she was reluctant to entertain. This… wasn’t a bad thing. "R-really? Th-that’s… well, I’m glad to hear that," Sunset responded with a polite smile, careful to keep her emotions in check. "So, does that mean we can come in now? I should probably apologize for giving her a panic attack," Flurry confessed with a lighthearted chuckle. Sunset gave the youngest princess a reassuring pat with her hoof that told her to get in line. She turned her focus forward again to find that Luna did not share their enthusiasm. On the contrary, she seemed to be attempting to fill the void of anxious energy that had been left behind. "Yes, well, of course, you’re both welcome to come inside. Unfortunately, part of the reason I came to greet you is to tell you that you may have to wait… just a bit longer. Tia is… unavailable at the moment," Luna attempted to explain, clear embarrassment written across her face as she scrambled for the most delicate wording. Sunset’s face scrunched in confusion, too dumbfounded to appreciate the irony of Luna shrinking under her stare. "What do you mean she’s, 'unavailable?'" Luna heaved a heavy sigh, throwing in the metaphorical towel as she decided to just get it over with. "I mean she’s… not here." Luna was right. She was getting rusty. She dreaded the guaranteed look of smug self-satisfaction she always received when she was forced to admit that. Like she wasn’t allowed to be wrong every so often. Though, if she had to experience just how her skills had decayed, she would have greatly appreciated it if it could be at quite literally any other moment. Maybe she could have made it farther if she’d properly concentrated, but that wasn’t happening under the circumstances. All things considered; it was a horribly undignified exit for anypony. Much more undignified for the former ruler of Equestria. She’d ended up face first in the dirt and didn’t even successfully make it clear out of her own house’s line of sight for all her trouble. She had just been lucky that Luna was keeping them occupied enough to not notice her rather conspicuous scamper over the hilltops. Thankfully, whatever she lacked in spellcasting precision; she was able to make up for with raw adrenaline. Decades of globetrotting adventures and participation in any and every sport and athletic pursuit known to pony kind, some of which Luna described as completely unethical in their intensity, had imbued her with speed and stamina Rainbow Dash herself would sweat at. The very instant she was certain she was covered by the grassy mounds that surrounded her now compromised residence, she launched herself into a brisk trot, or a steady gallop to anypony else with shorter legs, less endurance, and more sense about them than she had at the moment. A white and pink blur was all most ponies could take in as she raced around the outskirts of town, roughly following a route that would avoid as many ponies as possible. Of course, in such a closely knit town, completely avoiding every pony was nigh impossible. A quick apology was all she could manage to give any unfortunate souls who were nudged out of her way as gently as she could manage as fast as she was going, leaving the poor bystanders to wonder what the mad mare was thinking as she haphazardly weaved through alleys and around posts and piers. The answer to that question was rather simple. She wasn’t. She needed to. Oh, she so desperately needed to. That was her entire reason for it all. To think. She needed space to think. Just a little time and a little space to get her head on straight and calm her racing heart down enough so she could at least start to figure out what to do. Someplace where she could fall apart and put herself back together again into somepony who still knew how to deal with things like this. She was aware that this may not be the best method of handling the situation. Actually, Luna plainly told her to her face that this seemed like a terrible idea. She liked to imagine she’d convinced her sister to go along with this half-baked plan through a well-reasoned and compelling rebuttal to all her concerns as she had once been so good at. She had enough sense still about her to know that begging until her sister caved and agreed to stall for time probably didn’t qualify as that. Still, it worked out, and she was able to put her plan of action into motion. Get away, get a grip, and think of something… Okay, so it wasn’t much of a plan, but she’d think of a better one once she got there. And get there Celestia did, in record time, her breath slightly labored as she skid slightly along the grass and slowed her pace down to a steady gait. The sound of the rough waves crashing against the cliffside comforted her with their sheer familiarity as Celestia made the trek to the cliff’s edge. It was such a splendidly simple spot. Just outside of town, but of little use to anypony else. There was nothing worth coming here for, beyond the sight of an exceptionally old lighthouse a dozen yards away that had been positioned there long before the town itself had been properly developed to warn of the steep jagged cliffside below. No seafaring vessel’s well-established routes even bothered with the place these days. However, for her, the isolation was an attraction all on its own. Celestia’s visits had once been more frequent, at a time when every pony was all too eager to associate with the former Princess of the sun. A welcome reprieve from the overbearing experience of an ancient alicorn trying her hardest to just live life. Even now, as her hooves brushed across the grass and she took her familiar position overlooking the turbulent sea that perfectly reflected the evening sunlight, it remained the first place she would think to go when she just needed to get away from it all. From here she could see just stay and bask in the warmth, pride, and comfort of the dusk’s light, finally able to appreciate the wonder of a day she didn’t have to hold up. There was something so unbelievably special about that. It was all still so new and wonderful. Somedays, when the wind was gentle, and the sky was nearly cloudless, days just like this one, she would venture out here just to see the Sun… set. Celestia’s knees gave out then and there. The air suddenly felt much heavier, and her breaths started to come in shudders as she had no choice but to collapse into a prone position, her pink ponytail spilling around her. That face. You’d think by now she’d have forgotten some of it. She hadn’t. How could she? There was a time when she couldn’t so much as close her eyes without seeing it, burned into her mind like a scar that never stopped aching. Sometimes, she didn’t even need to do that much, when the days had been long, the nights were old, and out of the corners of her weary vision, she could almost catch glimpses of her wandering the castle halls like she once used to. Sleep offered her little reprieve, but when had it ever? The pain faded as the years went by, numbed by time and healed by those close to her. It never really went away, but eventually, she felt she could live with doing the right thing and let her go. That was the end of it. Until it wasn’t. Brilliant crimson blended with golden streaks of yellow that were so fierce and wild yet so delicate in how precisely it all came together, right down to the adorable single curl that always fell past her horn and landed just between those bright eyes, only half a shade lighter than Luna’s and every bit as radiant. A short muzzle that still crinkled in the same way it always had when she was surprised, spotted in a small collection of faded freckles on her cheeks and along the bridge of her nose. Most ponies probably wouldn’t even notice them, but Celestia still remembered how Sunset used to loathe the imperfections for some reason she never could comprehend. It was all still there, just as she remembered. Back to haunt her. It shouldn’t have even been possible. She had a firm enough grasp on the mirror’s inner workings to understand how something like this could happen, but she never imagined it would. She shouldn’t have been… so young… so exactly the same. Like not one single day had gone by. Like a dam she had forgotten even existed had just given out, one look at that face and it all just came flooding to her. That face, and every other variation of it over the course of fifteen years before she lost it. She was drowning. She couldn’t take it. She just needed to get away and process it all. Only now, she was away, and she still didn’t know what she was meant to be doing. Should she cry? Should she laugh? Whichever she settled on, she was confident that once she started, she might not stop. *DING* *DING* *DING* Celestia’s ears perked up, the sheer absurdity of the obnoxious clanging was the only thing that allowed it to steal her attention away from the hurricane of emotions that had been flinging her about. A bell? A ship’s bell? What sort of creature would be reckless enough to bring their vessel around such treacherous terrain? You’d have to be insane to get this close to the cliffside when there was no space to dock for at least a mile. "Ahoy there!" …Oh. She knew that voice. "Land ho! Batten down the hatches! All hands on the poop deck! Shiver me timbers!" Celestia righted herself back onto her shaky hooves, both to look less disheveled and to get a better view of the wooden dinghy with an oversized bell crudely suspended on a pole, floating about the turbulent waters and being manned by a draconequus that clearly didn’t actually know what any of what he was saying meant. Discord himself was covered in a fishermen’s yellow raincoat and hat, gazing through a telescope at her while, no doubt, not needing it. Celestia simply stared with enlarged eyes, in no state of mind to actively conceal her bewilderment. "Prepare to drop anchor!" he called to his nonexistent crew in a phony accent she had no idea what it was supposed to be an imitation of. Discord dematerialized the telescope with a mere gesture and, in the same breath, snapped his eagle claws to summon a large anchor that defied gravity for half a second before plummeting straight through the hull of his boat. Discord locked eyes with her while a fountain of seawater sprang up from his tiny seacraft, and everything on it began to slowly submerge itself into the waves. Celestia could only blink as she watched the spirit wordlessly sink out of sight. A sparkling flash accompanied by a small puff of smoke went off practically in front of her nose. Celestia actually yelped, uncharacteristically startled, and stumbled backward only to catch her own tail underhoof and clumsily tumble onto her haunches. "Helllooo, Celestia," Discord grinned, wiggling his lion paw’s digits at her in mock greeting, "I always knew someday you’d ‘fall’ for me, but do try to control yourself." She felt her face flush in mortification. She knew it hardly mattered if she wasn’t picture perfect at every moment of the day anymore, but over a thousand years of habit wasn’t easy to break. Never mind the pure misfortune that the one creature to catch her falling all over herself was the one who’d probably laugh loudest and tell anyone willing to listen. "I must say, pink really is your color. I’d almost forgotten how well it suited you," Discord nodded, as Celestia’s face turned a shade that matched her mane. "Personally, I always found the old style a little tacky, and frankly excessive. Forming a synergetic bond with celestial bodies for a dye job was a bit much." Irrelevant small talk. That’s how he always liked to play it when he was up to something. Celestia didn’t believe for a second that he was here by pure coincidence, but she didn’t know how he factored into any of this. Ironically, however, she was practically grateful for his presence. Discord was obnoxious. Discord was distracting. Discord was familiar. She could deal with Discord. "Funny. And here I thought the word, 'excessive' wasn’t in your vocabulary," Celestia remarked, pulling herself up to stand tall in a front of confidence. "Yes, well, today has been just full of surprises, hasn’t it?" And just like that, anything even bordering on a decent mood was quashed. Ordinarily, she entertained his antics. Enjoyed them even, but if this was his idea of a game, he’d wish he played with somepony else. "Why are you here, Discord?" She nearly hissed. "Well, I would think that was obvious. What other reason would there be to come all the way to the edge of Equestria if not to see a good friend?" he responded without missing a beat. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" "What? It’s not like you stay in touch. You’ve both been quite adamant about embracing your roles as the Princess bumpkins. You never call… you never write," Discord waved, placing a slithering emphasis on the last word. Celestia stomped straight over to the lanky trickster, prepared to squeeze answers out of him if she had to. "I don’t have the patience for your games today, Discord. Was this your doing? Is this your idea of a joke!" she snapped in his face. Discord actually backed off in surprise at her outrage, not anticipating the raw emotion behind it. It looked like this had her more shaken than even he dared to imagine. "Now now, settle down. Please, Celestia, do you really believe that I would orchestrate this whole elaborate emotional affair just to buy myself a few chuckles?" Celestia’s stare only hardened. "Ok, I admit, that does sound like something that, once upon a time, in a season far far away, I might have found the teensiest bit hilarious, but trust me when I say that I’ve learned the difference between practical jokes and debilitating traumatic experiences. Honestly, I had nothing to do with it. My paw and claws are clean, see?" Discord pleaded, waving his sparkling mitts in front of her for effect. Celestia’s face softened as she reigned her emotions in. She realized she may have been looking for an outlet more than anything at the moment. It was the sort of mistake she thought had been lectured out of her a very very long time ago. Still, he knew something. "Then what are you doing here?" Celestia prompted again, softer this time, but with an edge to her tone that demanded honesty. Discord sighed, a rare sign of compliance. "Well, if you must know, I’m here to make sure YOU don’t blow this." "…excuse me?" "I realize you’ve never been good at these things, Celestia, but I was expecting a little more maturity from you. You could also stand to be more considerate. I had to rethink my entire entrance after you decided to make me chase you around town." Celestia latched onto her offense. "Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll try to maintain my composure the next time somepony I haven’t seen in eighty years just shows up at my front door! Perhaps you could have given me a warning since you seem so concerned!" She flung a foreleg out in pure exasperation. She knew she wasn’t taking this well, but how else could she be expected to take it!? Discord outright rolled his eyes. "Oh, Celestia, sarcasm is beneath you. Though the little fireball’s approach certainly does lack tact. I really thought Twilight would talk her out of it, but they both seemed to prefer you didn’t see this one coming." Twilight too? Okay, well… duh. Of course, Twilight was involved. She had the mirror; she had the only means of contact. But still, since when did Twilight… not tell her things? Why? How long? What now? "She might actually be worse at this than you are. Somepony really should have raised her better." Discord smirked upon receiving a growling snarl that would have sent Dragons and Griffons alike scampering away with their tails tucked between their legs. "I suggest you consider what you say very carefully, Discord. You have no idea what you’re talking about," Celestia seethed through gritted teeth, a cold fury previously unknown to even herself bubbling just beneath the surface. Most sensible beings would have headed the frigid warning. "Is that a fact?" Discord all but sneered, lunging his neck out to meet Celestia nearly nose to nose. Her fire was extinguished as soon as it was lit, buckling beneath the unnerving confidence Discord carried in those simple words. A subtle but suffocating shift in tone that unnerved even her. "One thousand years, Celestia. Do you know just how long that is? You’re one of the only ponies who might. Let me tell you, it’s a loooong time… or maybe not that long at all. Honestly, it all starts to bleed together after the first century or two." For all his rambling, the question was not without meaning. No pony knew what he meant better than she did. "Anyway, that’s roughly how long you used me as decoration for your backyard. I don’t think you’ve ever really appreciated just what that means," Discord carried on, pausing for effect. To be honest, she’d never really thought much of it. Discord himself gave such little gravity to it that it was easy to forget it ever happened at all. In an instant, he was gone. Then he was back, this time behind her, leaning over her shoulder. "Here, let me spell it out for you. I’ve… seen… it… all." Celestia whirled around and backed up to put some distance between them, realizing all too late that she had nowhere to go now that she was the one with her back to the cliffside. She was now just as cornered physically as she’d felt inside the moment she answered her own door. "Everything?" She asked, lacking anything resembling an adequate response. "That’s right," He reaffirmed, "There isn’t much else to do when you’re a hunk of marble other than watch all the little moments that prove that no matter how hard you pretend to be, you’re not perfect." "I never claimed to be," Celestia argued, suddenly feeling rather naked. "Mhm, I suppose not, though you’ve always played the part," Discord conceded, letting any remaining shadow of levity fall from his face. "…Even when she wanted you to be something else," "She needed something I couldn’t give her!" Celestia spat out, a bubble inside of her bursting, spewing the words. She couldn’t truthfully say Discord had meant it the way she had heard it, but she was far beyond caring at this point. "If you’d really seen us, you should know I can’t be… I wasn’t who she needed me to be," Celestia heaved, a suffocating weight flooding her chest. Discord's face fell into an expression that Celestia never, even in a thousand years, would have imagined he, of all creatures, would be directing at her. Pity. "Why not, Celestia?" Why not? Why not!? The simple question was absurd, and not in the way a lord of disharmony was meant to be. The answer was blindingly obvious, especially to anypony who’d seen her stumble through those years. She wasn’t… well, she couldn’t… she didn’t… she… Mismatched crimson eyes patiently watched the entire show unfold. Shock arrived first and was just as quickly drowned out by indignation tinged in regret. It was practically a reflex as her mind began to wander old familiar corridors. A quirked brow, so minuscule of a shift you’d miss it completely if you weren’t looking for it, was the first sign things weren’t quite as they were meant to be. It was as though she could no longer find something that she was so certain had always been there. It happened all within a few seconds, but to Celestia, it was likely a lifetime as confusion latched hold and she scrambled to find what she knew had to be there, all while her face melted into an expression of sheer disbelief. It was gone. Or she’d forgotten where it was. Whatever it was, she couldn’t honestly remember even that much. But how could that be possible? There was a time when she’d fed it through her brain like a mantra. A time when it clawed and scratched at her no matter how hard she tried to shut it out. And now that she looked back on it for the first time in… however long it had been… it just wasn’t there. She just didn’t remember… why not? "Problem, Celestia? It’s not like you of all ponies to forget something important," Discord sighed. His words alone carried the same amused, borderline mocking, framing they usually did, but his tone had an undercurrent of tenderness to it. "…unless it wasn’t really as important as you liked to believe." Maybe for the first time, that he could remember, even with their endless ancient lives, Celestia was speechless. Under any other circumstance, Discord could only imagine how tickled he’d be by the idea, but there was hardly any room for satisfaction in it now. Maybe it was sentimentality or maybe this was just more hard evidence of just how truly soft they’d made him, but seeing the once always proud and poised immortal princess crumple into a frazzled mess that stared at him with such uncertainty, drooping with all the elegance of a wilting flower, only left a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, it was what he was hoping for in a manner of speaking. Proof that this just might not be destined for disaster. After all, when in all these centuries had it ever been so painfully obvious what Celestia was feeling? "I wonder, have things changed so much that it just doesn’t matter anymore, or did it ever really matter in the first place?" Discord pondered, for once not entirely certain of the answer himself. "Please, Discord," Celestia softly all but begged, making no attempt to hide just how tired she felt. "No more riddles. Just… tell me why. Why now? I never imagined that…" she lacked the strength to even finish the thought. Discord gave a soft sigh as he crossed his arms. She was right about one thing. Dancing around it all was exhausting. She wanted a straight answer, so he’d give them to her. Even if he thought she should already know. "Because she loves you, Celestia." Discord suppressed the desire to scoff as Celestia’s eyes widened. "Why do you think she did anything she did? She felt special because YOU said she was special," Discord tapped a digit on Celestia’s nose for emphasis. "I suppose she’s hoping in some way, you still think she is." "Of course I do!" Celestia sprung forward with the declaration forcing Discord to step back. Raw desperation that couldn’t even so much as comprehend the idea that anypony could think otherwise. Discord blinked once or twice. "…Well, not that I don’t believe you, but I’m not really the one who needs to hear it." Discord jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. Celestia didn’t need to be told what lay in that direction. "She did come quite a long way just to see you, Celestia. I know the circumstances aren’t exactly ideal, but when are they ever when it comes to second chances?" Discord lamented. Just like that, Celestia felt time finally slow down ever so slightly, her heartbeat inching closer to its normal rhythm, and she was allowed to finally think. The hurricane of confused emotions certainly didn’t vanish, but they did fade, pushed into the background of her mind, still there, but no longer quite so deafening. Is that what this was? "What do I do?" Celestia asked, too consumed in herself to appreciate just how alien those words were to her tongue. Fortunately, Discord seemed plenty capable of expressing their shock for both of them. Frantically, he snapped a notepad into existence while delicately perching a pair of reading glasses on his snout, flipping through the pages of bullet points to see if he’d planned this far in advance. He did not. "…Eh, to be honest, delicate matters like this are a little outside of my wheelhouse. I was really just kind of hoping you’d figure it out once I convinced you to stop moping." For all the stress she’d endured in the span of just the past half hour, Celestia felt entitled to the scowl that fell over her face right then. Typical Discord. From insightful to clueless at the drop of a hat. Still, her irritation just couldn’t last. Her world had been turned completely upside down and now that it’d stopped spinning, she was only more aware that she still didn’t know what to do or where to start. She knew that she probably shouldn’t be standing around here. She could feel in her bones that it was a waste to be here every second longer. She had to go back. She WANTED to go back. "… I suppose this sounds a little rich coming from me, but you could try just listening to her?" Discord hesitantly supplied, not quite certain of the words himself. "Don’t try to control the situation, just this once. Just… be there and see where it goes… That sounds like something she would say, right?" Discord asked, turning his attention towards the sky, and Celestia knew the last remark likely wasn’t meant for her. Still, she heard the parts that were all too clearly. Just be there. It sounded easy the way he’d said it. Maybe it was. She certainly didn’t have any better ideas, which was slightly terrifying all on its own. The old Celestia never would have wound up in a situation as sorry as this one. Always prepared, always certain, completely unshakable… or at least so very good at pretending that she was. She… didn’t miss her if Celestia was honest, not really. She was gone, fallen apart, and scattered like dust over the years she was no longer being held together by pure necessity, and Celestia doubted she could ever find all her pieces again, even if she tried. Still, that unflinching shell of confidence might have been useful right about now. "You’re right," Celestia sighed straightening up enough to carry some semblance of dignity with her when she walked past Discord, taking some small satisfaction in the way he scrambled out of her path with a startled look like he genuinely didn’t believe she would ever say such a thing to him. For once, she was the one taking him by surprise, and she wasn’t even trying. She might as well hit him with one more. "Thank you. I think I needed to hear that," she confessed without pausing a step or even bothering to glance back. "…ahem, well, what are friends for?" Discord managed to reply. Celestia paused, halting the long steady march across the grassy fields that awaited her while a stream of wind passed by, as though it carried her thoughts along with it. Whatever she’d lost from her centuries of rule, some things were carved too deep to forget. Accepting things at face value was a luxury she was forced to learn she didn’t have. As the storm of her mind settled to less deafening turbulence, an often-indispensable clarity and perception reinserted itself. Suspicion would have been too harsh a word, but still, a feeling itched at the back of her mind. A peculiarity that stuck out just enough that she couldn’t simply ignore it. "It’s not like you to get so involved… even for a friend." Discord didn’t hesitate a second upon hearing the familiar tone. "Would you believe that you’re just special?" Celestia, at last, glanced back just enough for Discord to see just how much she believed that. There was the Celestia he knew. You never could get anything past her. "Fair enough. Let’s just say I’m keeping a promise… to an old friend," Discord admitted, a vulnerability that just this once asked that the answer be the end of it. Celestia nodded and picked up where she had left off. She’d waited long enough. Author's Note Well, good news is I got that degree. Bad news (in terms of free time) is that I am now employed. Which is great for me, but not great for writing as you can see from my continued inability to update within a four month period. So I'm just gonna have to ask you to bear with me from now on. I promise things will move, I still really love writing this, so don't be discouraged by long gaps things are moving, but it's probably not the last time one will happen. Anyway, onto the actual story itself, I present to you, Celestia! My Celestia at least. Been a bit nervous about this part if I'm honest, because I really wanted to try and show off a different variation of her than you might be used to seeing. One that's a little less burdened and a little less guarded. A little more subject to her emotions. She's just a bit more open now, whether she wants to be or not. Prologue: What Now?For as long as she could remember, Sunset Shimmer had always loved the gentle caress of the Sun’s light. Whether it had something to do with her personality, her vibrant coloration, or the shimmering celestial mark she had sported on her flank since she cast her very first spell, she couldn’t say. Regardless of why, she had always been drawn to the sun. Many of her happiest memories were accompanied by the beautiful ball of fire in the sky that outshines all the stars surrounding it. The day she had been taken in as Celestia’s very own personal student, the first mid-term she had passed with flying colors by quite literally blowing the roof off the building, private study sessions in the castle gardens, afternoon picnics with the princess, and, somewhat more recently, outdoor excursions with her best friends. During those simple and peaceful happy moments, the sun was always shining. In her vainer days, Sunset sometimes entertained the idea that the sun was shining just for her. So, it was unsurprising that Sunset liked to spend her reflective moments in the light of the star that once adorned her flank. She currently found herself sitting on a quiet bench, in the middle of a city park, lost in thought, on a cloudless bright sunny day. Only, for some time now it seemed as though the sun did not shine quite as often or as brightly as it once had. Stirring from her deep thoughts as the breeze picked up, Sunset took in the sight of the park grounds and let out a tired sigh. It wasn’t long before the question she had been wrestling unsuccessfully with for the past several minutes made itself known once again. “What now?” she asked the open air, not expecting but still, in spite of herself, hoping for some sort of response as she leaned back to look into the endless blue sky. It had been over ten years since she had first run away from the only real home she had ever known into a strange world of creatures who moved about on two legs. Eight years, since she had walked across the graduation stage and concluded the happiest year of her life. Now, it had been exactly two days since she had earned a doctorate in computer science and as someone who once dealt with a sudden drastic change in their own species, Sunset could safely say she had never felt more lost than she did right now. Sunset could only think of how ironic it was that she currently sat with a degree of certification few in this world achieved, yet all she could do was wish to return to the last year of high school where she had been her happiest. Sunset was sad, and perhaps a little ashamed, to admit that reality had completely blindsided her in the end. As smart as the young woman was, her genius did not typically lend itself well to long term thinking. Or perhaps, deep down a part of her had willed her to be ignorant of what was coming. The simple fact was that change is bound to happen, and, moreover, High school simply does not last forever. No sooner than the diplomas were put into their hands did their little group of friends start making their own futures. Rainbow Dash, of course, received a full-ride sports scholarship to some prestigious university that simply couldn’t wait to add her to their roster. She had long since gone pro. Pinkie, ever the sweet tooth, took up culinary school. Sunset couldn’t deny she had a real talent for making delicious treats, all be it, a little on the unhealthy side. It was only natural that she’d start her own bakery, bringing joy and laughter to whoever received her treats. Unsurprisingly, Applejack took to working at the farm full time just after graduation. Even after all this time, Sweet Apple Acres was still going strong. Rarity made arguably the biggest impact out of all of them, creating her own fashion lines that would become popular with both celebrities and everyday people. Sunset herself was the proud owner of quite a few of her pieces. Fluttershy, being the incorrigible animal lover she was, dedicated herself to becoming a Veterinarian, Sharing her kindness to any animal who might need it. And of course, the human version of Twilight Sparkle made her long-awaited splash at Everton. Graduating top of her class and going on to become an independent researcher. Her young age combined with her frequent breakthroughs prompting many to refer to her as the, “Princess of Science.” Sunset personally couldn’t manage to stop herself from rolling her eyes whenever she heard the title, but she had to admit it was at the very least appropriate. Something about Twilight Sparkles seemed to draw them to the title. However, perhaps the most interesting part of the spectacled Twilight’s college experience was her roommate. The answer to a question Sunset had long asked herself came in the form of a panicked phone call from Twilight, demanding to know how she had managed to clone herself, and why she kept such a scientific revelation from her. Just like that, several nights wondering where her human double had wound up, and perhaps a few arrogant thoughts that toyed with the idea that she was the only Sunset Shimmer in the multiverse, were put to rest. The confirmation of another Sunset Shimmer in this world also put a much deeper, more depressing matter to rest. She didn’t belong here. Not that that was news to Sunset. It was hard to forget she was living in a world she wasn’t born into between the cultural shock, human versions of ponies she had known or at least seen before, and having to fake documentation for someone that, by all rights, should not exist. Still, the presence of another her made it…official? "No, that’s not it," she thought to herself. It was more like it forced her to confront that whatever role she had in this world had been filled before she even arrived. Not that she had any idea what that role might be. At heart, Sunset was a scholar of magic. Her entire life was defined by it. Learning about it, making it, feeling it, possessing it. It was her greatest passion in any world. Only this world had no place for it to begin with. It was rather disheartening for Sunset to find that there was no degree or career to be found for a field of study the vast majority of the human race thought to be pure fiction. Even if there was for that matter, what little magic that had migrated to this world from her homeland of Equestria was either destroyed or contained by her and her friends years ago. Now, the only magic that remained in the human world resided within them. Sunset knew in her heart that it was better this way. Magic had been nothing but trouble for this world ever since she and Princess Twilight had unleashed it upon them. But still, sometimes she couldn’t help her guilty wish that they hadn’t done so good a job at snuffing it all out. Magic in the human world may have been crazy, unpredictable, frustrating and caused far more problems than it ever solved, but it also presented the kind of challenge Sunset craved above all else. Getting to learn about, understand, and develop a brand-new form of magic unknown to ponykind was the very thing she lived for. The thing the sun-shaped cutie mark on her flank told her she was destined for. Learning to understand the magic in the human world in tandem with the magic of friendship gave her purpose. But now she DID understand it, which just brought her back to the question she had been asking herself every day since she graduated high school. "What now?" She thought once more idly tapping her fingers on the bench as she sorted through the decisions that had led to her current state. Sunset Shimmer had never been one to sit idly by, so in lieu of a purpose, she had decided to make her own. As a natural-born student who had been in school for the majority of both her lives, she had elected to pursue higher education, as many young adults in this world did including some of her close friends. It seemed like a good way to learn more about what this world had to offer her while also satisfying Sunset’s own thirst for knowledge. Picking a discipline to study had actually been rather easy. If she could not pursue magic, then she would instead learn more about the means by which this species compensated for a lack of it. In a sense, technology was like the magic of the human world. The ability to instantly send messages from one side of the planet to the other seemed a lot like magic to her at the time anyway. Roughly eight years of rigorous study later and she could now officially be called Doctor Sunset Shimmer. Statistically speaking, the world was now her oyster. Her credentials could easily land her a secure well-paying gig that would never leave her wanting for money again. Wanting for satisfaction was another matter entirely. Try as she might, Sunset could not think of a single thing she could see herself happily doing for the rest of her life. If anything, all learning about the machines of this world had allowed her to do was theorize new ways to efficiently study magic. Magic that didn’t exist here. "So, was that it then?" she wondered as slumped in defeat. "Eight years utterly wasted? Eight years spent working tirelessly to find myself back in the exact same spot, asking the exact same question?" "What now?" A small self-deprecating voice in the back of her head Sunset had never quite been able to rid herself of, developed right around the time everything between her and Celestia started to fall apart, cruelly reminded her that it wouldn’t be the first time she wasted years of her life for nothing. For a moment, Sunset sat up and pondered if perhaps she could simply live with the path that she had chosen. It may not feel perfect, but it wouldn’t be terrible, right? A modest successful life, working a comfortable job. Several hours a day spent going about various tasks. She could handle that. Day in, day out. For the next several decades until she was too old to do it anymore, or too rich to care. Nothing to it. Every day, for the rest of her life, going about her bubble, doing the same non-magical mundane tasks, in the same non-magical mundane place, for the rest of her life. Every. Single. Day. Sunset found herself unable to suppress a groan of frustration. "I guess that answers that question," she thought to herself. Try as she might, she just couldn’t reconcile the typical human lifestyle with her future. Ponies were creatures of passion and purpose. Sunset even more so than the average member of her kind. To spend her time, her life, doing something that she simply had no real passion for could very well kill her. Well, perhaps that was being a bit dramatic, but the fact was that she couldn’t bear to spend her life pursuing something she wasn’t interested in. It was only through her innate desire for knowledge and understanding that she made it through the eight years of college education, and even that had worn on her numerous times. It was moments like this that made Sunset long for the simple days of High School, where her place was so clear. Even her lonely days as the villain of Canterlot High were beginning to look more appealing than her current situation. She may not have had any friends, but at least she knew what to do with herself. At least then, she had a purpose. With a shake of her head, Sunset dispelled those thoughts before they could go any further. “If only the girls were here,” Sunset spoke to no one in particular besides the gentle breeze. Her friends were always good at pointing her in the right direction when she needed it. Even if they couldn’t give her all the answers, just being around them made her feel like everything was okay. But things changed, and now occasions where they all got together were disappointingly few and far between. They had all moved on, and here she was still struggling to do the same. Sunset toyed with the geode still hanging around her neck after all these years; a habit she had developed not long after receiving the magic stone. She liked to think it made it easier for her to think. Taking the necklace in her palm, Sunset stared at the magic rock with her cutie mark inexplicably imprinted on it. Perhaps hoping that the magic contained within it, within her, could give her the answers she was seeking. "Heh, magic", she inwardly mused with a wry smile. It seemed to be the source of all her problems, and yet she always looked to it for solutions. The redhead was certain there was some sort of cosmic joke in the whole thing. "Wouldn’t it be great if there was some sort of magic item, I could just tell all my problems to and get answers in return?" Suddenly Sunset’s train of thought came to a grinding halt. It was then replaced with an overwhelming urge to slap herself upside the head. How was it that she had forgotten about her first friend and greatest teacher? A friend she could talk to at literally any time and place, with magic. A certified prodigy she may be, and yet too often did Sunset miss what was right under her own nose. Sunset knew it was somewhat naïve to expect her oldest friend to possess all the answers simply because she had helped guide her in the past, but if anybody (or rather anypony) could help her, it was the princess of friendship. And so, with a small flame of hope ignited in her chest, the amber skinned girl took in the relaxing landscape one more time, noting that for some reason the sun seemed just a little bit brighter, took a deep breath, and quickly rose from the bench she was sitting on to begin her journey home. The door to Sunset’s apartment opened as the owner of the residence marched in. The apartment in question was nicer than the one she had lived in during her days at Canterlot High although, in Sunset’s personal opinion, less homely. It did definitely make attending the Institute she had graduated from a great deal easier. As Sunset wandered about her home, making sure everything was in order, the rush of enthusiasm she had felt on her way over had dulled slightly to make way for a sudden flow of guilt. "How long has it been since I last wrote to Twilight?" Sunset pondered. "A year? A Year and a half?" It had certainly been a while since she had last sat down and given her friend an update on her status in the human world. She justified this with the no doubt packed schedules they both had acquired over the years. Earning a Doctorate in an ever-advancing science while providing for herself didn’t leave room for much else while Twilight no doubt had it ten times worse running an entire nation. Sunset still had a difficult time swallowing the fact that the dorky princess she knew now ruled all of Equestria. Valid as her reasons were, however, Sunset knew that she needed to do better by her friend in the future, and as the saying went, there was no time like the present. Stopping before her mattress, the former unicorn knelt down and heaved a small locked chest out from under the bed. After a quick sigh of exertion, she took out her keys and popped open the lid. Immediately she was greeted by the sight of her own cutie mark stylistically fused with the cutie mark of Princess Twilight Sparkle. A small smile made its way onto Sunset’s face as she briefly lost herself in a rush of fond memories at the sight of the journal’s cover. As quickly as it came her short trip down memory lane concluded. Sunset tucked the journal under her arm before closing and resealing the chest containing only her most irreplaceable possessions. After another quick trip around the house to acquire a means of writing in the journal, the young woman decided to make herself comfy on her living room sofa. “Now all I have to do is figure out what to write. I probably shouldn’t start off our first conversation in a while by dumping all my troubles onto her,” Sunset chuckled to herself. “Let’s just start by checking in.” Dear Princess Twilight: I hope things are going well in Equestria. It’s been a while since our last talk and I was hoping to catch up with you. Sincerely, your friend, Sunset Shimmer "And now comes the hardest part," Sunset thought as she slumped down into her seat. The waiting. Aside from a few exceptions around the time before she had graduated High School, Twilight had always been quick to give her a response. "Of course, that was then, and this is now." There was no telling what Twilight had gotten up to during their communication blackout. As the sole monarch of an entire kingdom and guardian of at least two celestial bodies, the princess undoubtedly had more important things to do than swap messages with her most distant pen pal. Who was to say that Twilight even still had her journal on hoof? For all she knew, it had gotten lost in a storage room in the castle, or buried under a mountain of the paperwork she had so often seen Princess Celestia burdened with, or perhaps the book had simply been- A flash of light alongside an unmistakable chime interrupted whatever doubts Sunset was having and caused her to shoot up from her position. Sunset quickly opened the journal to read whatever message Twilight had sent her. Sunset! Is that really you? I’ve missed you. I would be more than happy to tell you whatever you want to hear. Sunset couldn’t help quirking an eyebrow at the message she had received. She had to wonder if it was just her, but something about the message seemed off. Like Twilight couldn’t believe she was actually hearing from her fellow student. It hadn’t been that long, had it? For the second time that day, Sunset Shimmer felt the insuppressible urge to whack herself for her short-sightedness. How could she have forgotten about the time differences between this world and Equestria? She must have truly been rusty to forget such a basic factor in interdimensional travel. Whatever was long to Sunset must have been several times as much to Twilight given how much faster time passed in Equestria relative to the human world. For the second time that day, Sunset vowed to do better by her friend and picked up the conversation. I’ve missed you too, Twilight. I’ve just been pretty busy learning all about the machines they use in this world. It’s been a lot to take in, but I’d consider myself pretty good with them by now. I’ve graduated for the third (or is it technically the fourth; I never did find out where I stood with Princess Celestia) time in my life. Now I guess I just need to find a use for it all. This time there was no delay in the response. I’m glad to hear it, Sunset. If anypony could figure out the complexities of their strange machines, it’s you. I can’t help but notice that you seem a bit unsure of yourself. Is something wrong? Sunset figured if she was waiting for an invitation to sort out her problems, that was it. The next few pages of the journal were dedicated to explaining the predicament she now found herself in, trying her very best not to leave anything important out. Once she figured that everything that needed to be said was in the journal, she set down her pen and awaited whatever wisdom the alicorn had to give her. It sounds like you don’t know what you’re doing. This response was met with the slight twitch of a cyan eye. "Well, that was blunt." To be honest, Twilight, I don’t know what I’m doing. My whole life has revolved around magic for better or worse. Now that there’s none left to really study, I don’t know what to do with myself. It doesn’t help that there’s not really a huge market here for people who specialize in fairy tale acts. I’ve tried finding something else that gives me that same feeling of purpose, but no matter what I do it’s just not the same. What place is there for a magical prodigy in a world without magic? The next response was just as to the point as the last one. It doesn’t sound like there is one. Sunset’s spirit hit a new low at that. So that was it then? Even the Princess of Friendship couldn’t solve her identity crisis. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask the question that had been on her mind ever since she walked out of Pinkie Pie’s big graduation party. So, what now? The response the former unicorn was waiting for didn’t come as quickly as the ones before it. An entire minute went by before the next short series of words that would stun Sunset to her core scratched themselves onto the page. You could come back. "Come back? To Equestria!?" Sunset mentally screamed. She wanted to say the idea was unthinkable. Before Sunset pursued that train of thought any further, she had to be certain she understood exactly what Twilight was saying. You mean back to Equestria? Back to where I was born? Twilight’s responses were back to being near instantaneous now and she had her answer before she could even lower her pen. That’s exactly what I mean, Sunset. If it’s magic you’re looking for then there’s simply no place more filled with it than Equestria. With everything that’s happened since you’ve been living in the human world all this time, you’d never run out of new magic to study over here. Part of Sunset hated how true Twilight’s words were, but that didn’t mean her reservations weren’t still there. That’s just it though, Twilight. I’ve been living my life here for so long I barely remember what it feels like to properly be a pony. How can I just abandon everything I’ve made here to go back to the world I ran away from? And again, Twilight’s response was ready for her. I think I understand what you’re going through, Sunset. You’ve learned so much over there. You’ve made so many friends you cherish like family. It feels like it’s a part of who you are now. Once again Twilights words rang true. That’s exactly how she felt. But maybe you’ve already seen everything that world has to offer you. Maybe you’ve learned everything there is to learn from that world and its people. Done everything there is to do. You’ve made amends for your past actions and then some. You understand the magic of friendship better than anypony I know. You’ve done an incredible job of containing the magic we brought to that world, and you’ve thoroughly documented a form of magic never seen by pony kind. Twilight was for the most part recounting basic facts at this point, yet having it all laid out before her was sobering. She really had done all that, hadn’t she? But in that case, how could she leave this place behind after having done so much here? Sunset, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like your friends have all taken what they can from these lessons and moved on. Maybe it’s time you moved on too. Move on? It couldn’t be that easy, could it? Wasn’t that exactly what she had been trying to do all this time? Sunset scrunched her face in a fashion only someone wrestling with their own thoughts could achieve and decided to let Twilight finish her piece. When Princess Celestia and Princess Luna decided to retire and put me in charge of the kingdom, I was in a very similar position to you. I had made a life in Ponyville. I Learned so much from the people living there. It was where I belonged for so long. The idea of leaving for any reason was unthinkable to me. But things change. I changed. I was a princess, with a purpose to fulfill. I loved Ponyville with all my heart, but I had taken everything it had to give me, and I had given it everything I could. So, even though it was difficult to say goodbye to a place I had known for so long I had to move on. I had to say goodbye... Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sunset noticed that there was an awkward pause in the words as they wrote themselves onto the page at this point. As though it took the princess a great deal of concentration to continue on to the next part. I had to say goodbye to my friends. My family. And to be honest it hurt. A lot. But it was what was best. That didn’t mean that we weren’t friends anymore or that I was abandoning them. It just meant that we had our own paths to take and I needed to finish mine. I think it’s time you took the next step in your own path, Sunset. In Equestria. The place you were meant to be that has so much to offer you now. And I know you have a lot to offer it as well. But it’s your decision at the end of the day. Know that whatever you choose, I’ll support you, and I’m sure your friends will do the same. Sunset had to admit, she was moved. She had to briefly rub a forearm across her eyes to take care of the moisture that was threatening to escape. However, the doubtful part of her mind still had a few cards to play against considering this particular option. It wasn’t going down without a fight. Where would I stay? Twilight fired back immediately. In the castle at Canterlot of course. You of all ponies should know there’s far more space here than we could ever reasonably fill. Alright, next question. You don’t really expect me to just mooch off you, do you? And again, Twilight was ready. I’m sure we could find a use for you around the castle. How does royal lab assistant sound? It’d be a good way for you to get your hooves wet and reconnect with your pony side while you figure things out. You can start as soon as you arrive, and I can just put you on the castle payroll. So, she’d have a place of residence and a means of making a living. Of course. Fine then. Last question. What if it doesn’t work out? This time, Sunset barely had time to remove her pen from the paper before Twilight went on the offensive. If it doesn’t work out, you can just go back to the human world and pick up where you left off. Like I told you once before. The portal’s always open. That was strike three, Sunset’s doubts had just struck out. Twilight must have been in top form today. At this point, there was no good reason for Sunset to not at least think about it. That’s exactly what she told Twilight. Alright, let me talk it over with the girls. I’ll think about it. Without missing a beat, Twilight replied. That’s all that I ask. Sunset swore she could practically taste the smugness on her last response. With a grunt, she closed the journal. Attitude aside, a strange subtle feeling began to well up inside her. For the first time in years, it felt like she might have an answer to the question that plagued her every day. Maybe she finally knew… what now. Author's Note Greetings everyone. With the Gen 4 shows now over I realize I'm rather late to the fandom, but that's never a reason not to contribute in my opinion. Plus it means that now I can for the most part write all I want without worrying about any new canon ruining my fun. I would like to say that this is my first attempt at writing a real full on story, so I'm still very much learning as an author of any sort. It's a hobby of mine I've picked up now which means updates will come whenever, but hopefully they won't be too far apart. Thoughts, opinions, and constructive criticism are welcome and greatly encouraged. Anything you think I can do to make this a more enjoyable experience will be considered. Hopefully this will be the most exposition I ever cram into one chapter, but I needed to set the stage. As for the story itself, fair warning, I don't intend for it to be a sad story overall, but there will be some rather weighty themes tossed around. I still hope you'll all enjoy. Chapter 11: Letting Go“Well, howdy there, Twilight! The youngins said they’d seen you pass by not too long ago. I was wonderin’ if you’d swing by,” an elderly light-yellow mare with frizzy pink hair, held in place by a large bow, waved from her rocker just in front of the large farmhouse of the illustrious Sweet Apple Acres. The old mare leaned forward and carefully got onto all four hooves, taking a quick moment to steady herself, and began moving closer to the princess with a steadiness that didn’t betray her age. Twilight met the old mare halfway, pushing forward and leaning down to give her a hug, taking comfort in the warm pink cloth that adorned the old ponies’ neck. “Sorry if I kept you waiting, Apple Bloom.” “Aw, don’t worry about it none. We’re all just happy to have you come over,” Apple Bloom said, stepping back to look up at the large alicorn. “So, how is everypony? Is everything going all right?” Twilight asked in a conversational tone. “Oh, nothing too excitin’. We’re all buckling down for the comin’ harvest right now. The whole family is bandin’ together to make sure this is one of the best hauls we’ve ever had, just like Applejack would’ve wanted,” Apple Bloom stated resolutely. A heavy silence filled the air, the outdoor breeze being the only noise to take away from the stillness. “So, you’ve all been getting along alright…” Twilight ventured, her voice nearly failing her before she could finish. “Yeah, we’re doin’ alright. I don’t think any of us are quite used to it yet. Her not bein’ around and all. Last thing she’d want though is for us to lay around bein’ sad because of her, so we’re working harder than ever to make sure Sweet Apple Acres is still somethin’ to be proud of.” Twilight sighed. “Applejack was always proud of you, Apple Bloom. You know that.” Apple Bloom chuckled good-naturedly. “Course I do. That’s why we’ve got to make sure everything’s the way it ought to be. I may not be a young filly any-more, but I’ve still got plenty left to give. I promise you, Twilight, this year we’re gonna put this old farm on the map all-over again.” “Well, I guess if the Apples are good at anything, it’s telling the honest truth,” Twilight mused, infected by Apple Bloom’s own determination. “Anyhow, I think that’s enough about us. What about you?” “Me?” “Yeah, you. What have you been up to lately?” “Oh, nothing much. Same old, same old really,” Twilight waved off. “Come on now, don’t tell me a buncha old farm ponies live a more interestin’ life than the ruler of all Equestria,” Apple Bloom scoffed. “Surely there’s gotta be somethin’ worth talkin' about.” “Trust me, Apple Bloom. Life as royalty isn’t nearly as interesting as you would think. These days it’s mostly just meetings and decrees. Sometimes it’s a meeting about a decree or a decree about the meeting. You’d probably be bored senseless,” Twilight assured the old farm pony. “Really now? You’re telling me nothing special has happened since the last time you were here?” “I’m afraid not.” “No changes to your daily routine worth mentioning at all?” “Weeelll…I don’t know if I would say anything major has changed,” Twilight stuttered, a few things popping into her head due to Apple Bloom’s prodding. “Because from what I’ve heard, somethin’ very interesting’s happened to you lately,” Apple Bloom teased. “I guess there has bee-wait? What have you heard?” Twilight asked, legitimately dumbfounded as to what Apple Bloom was getting at. “Well, the rest of the family says they’ve seen you walkin’ around town with a special somepony,” Apple Bloom practically sang. “…what?” Twilight said in complete and utter confusion, her previous train of thought completely derailed. “I couldn't believe it at first, but just about everypony on the farm swears they’ve seen you and another pony getting all cozy together. Congrats, Twilight. I honestly wasn’t sure you had it in you, what with how long it took you to even stumble into a date with that one pegasus guard pony.” Apple Bloom’s voice was drowned out by Twilight’s own inner musings, repeatedly running over the previous day’s events to see what could lead anypony to tell Apple Bloom such a thing. How could she have found a special somepony? She certainly wasn’t aware of anything like that happening. All she done since getting here was spend time with Sunset, Pinkie, and eventually Spike. Nothing even remotely romantic had happened in her time here with anypony. “Apple Bloom, what are you talking about? I don’t have a special somepony,” Twilight interrupted once she was absolutely certain there was no pony she had been, “getting all cozy” with. Apple Bloom was the one who looked dumbfounded now, her head tilting in confusion. “You don’t? Just about the whole town is saying that every time they see you, you’re practically attached to this mare they’ve never seen before.” “They have?” Twilight asked, no less lost than she had been before. “Well, yeah. No offense, but you kind of stick out, Twilight. Apparently, you’ve been spending all your time with this pony. Real pretty thing from what they’ve told me. Little bit on the short side. Red and yellow mane with a Sun shaped cutie mark. That don’t sound familiar to you at all?” It all sounded incredibly familiar to Twilight, even ignoring that those traits were all remarkably distinct in their own right. Not that the descriptions did anything to lessen her own confusion. “Yeah, that was my friend, Sunset. She came with me to Ponyville. She’s my new assistant back in Canterlot,” Twilight explained, hoping that would be the end of whatever misunderstanding was going on here. “So, she’s just your assistant?” Apple Bloom asked, clearly skeptical. “Well, she’s not JUST my assistant. She’s also a close and trusted friend.” “Well, okay then,” Apple Bloom slowly responded, clearly not convinced, but willing to drop the subject. Twilight on the other hoof was not. “What? What have you heard? Somepony’s not spreading rumors about me again, are they? Honestly, how many decades need to go by before Equestria finds something more interesting to talk about than how much I weigh?” “Okay, Twilight I get it. You’re just friends. Seeing the two of you together all the time must have just confused them,” Apple Bloom cut in before Twilight could get too worked up over nothing. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t that just normal friend stuff?” “Yeah. I reckon it could be. We were just happy you found somepony nice to spend time with. Everypony said you seemed happy around her.” Twilight couldn’t deny that. Besides, she wasn’t here to squabble over misunderstandings. So, in spite of the feelings she couldn’t quite place, Twilight decided to let the matter go. “Anyway, today just so happens to be my last day in Ponyville before I return to Canterlot, and I just wanted to stop by before I left,” “Well, you know you’re always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight. You’re as good as family here,” Apple Bloom said, a bright smile on her face. “Thanks, Apple Bloom,” Twilight sighed, the sentiment hitting home. Sometimes it was nice to just feel like somepony who belonged. “Come on in. We got a whole bunch of new Apple recipes you can try out with the rest of the family,” Apple Bloom offered. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got a few other places to be today, and you all seem pretty busy right now,” Twilight tried to wave off. “C’mon. Everypony’s looking forward to seein’ you, and, knowing you, you probably haven’t eaten yet.” Apple Bloom’s words rang true as Twilight felt her stomach give a growl in yearning. It was entirely possible it would regret its enthusiasm as even an alicorn’s appetite was no match for an Apple’s, but, at the moment, the offer was far too appealing. “Alright, maybe just a small bite.” “Great! Just follow me. Sugar Apple’s baked a pie that’s guaranteed to blow your royal horseshoes right off.” “And down this hall are the classrooms where they teach each of the six main elements of friendship. I’m sure you know the ones,” Spike said, gesturing to the rooms on either side of the hall they were walking through. Sunset was free to look in on the lectures and class activities taking place in each room, as, unlike any school she had ever been to, each class in the school seemed to have an open-door policy. It was just one of the many ways the school exuded a feeling of openness and acceptance. “You know, I have to admit, I had my doubts when Twilight told me about this particular project of hers. Friendship didn’t seem like something you could learn from classrooms and textbooks. But, well, just look at this place. There must not be a single person here who’s not best friends with everyone in the same room,” Sunset marveled from just beside Spike, peeking into each classroom they passed and noting the upbeat energy each room gave off. “Well, that’s because it’s not just any old school. We learned that friendship isn’t something you can teach traditionally pretty fast. So instead this is a place that brings different creatures from all over the world together so they can learn with each other what Twilight learned with all of her friends.” As Sunset listened to Spike the two continued to walk through the school. Each hall leading to more classrooms, activities, and smiling faces happily going about their day. If not for her experienced companion, Sunset could have easily found herself completely lost in any one of the large halls contained in an even larger school. Though, for what it was worth, Sunset couldn’t think of a friendlier place to be lost in. Spike was doing his best to give her the rough crash course, but it was becoming clear that she’d never be able to see everything the school had to offer in a single day. Eventually, he led her past a series of busts and portraits. They seemed to be meant to honor the school staff if Sunset had to guess, which made sense. Most schools had something like that in her experience, so it wasn’t something Sunset paid much attention to. Twilight’s friends were there, a few assorted ponies she had no real way of identifying, and, out of the corner of her eye, Sunset spotted a picture of a middle-aged mare she would have bet all her bits was this world’s Trixie. “Pretty much everything in this school is inspired by something Twilight has learned while studying friendship. I guess you could say this is a place made by friendship,” Spike chuckled. They had now made their way outside of the building to an outdoor fountain that was clearly a favorite spot for many of the students. “So, in a way, there’s a little bit of each of Twilight’s friends in this school?” Sunset surmised, the pleasant thought striking her. “Yeah. Wouldn’t be much of a school of friendship if Twilight didn’t build it with her friends. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack…Starlight,” Spike trailed off, his eyes ever so slightly taking on a weary weight Sunset had seen every day in a pair of violet eyes. “…and Rarity. They’re all here.” Sunset was caught by surprise. It made sense that Spike would bear some of the same burdens as Twilight, but he had never let it show until now in a unique combination of fondness and longing. Fortunately, the relatively young dragon managed to quickly catch himself and shook off the melancholy he had briefly fallen victim to. “Oh, and I guess we’re here somewhere too,” Spike finished in a much more upbeat tone. “Me?” Sunset asked in surprise. “Well, yeah. You’re Twilight’s friend too, aren’t you?” Spike asked as though he was stating something as simple as calling the sky blue. “Didn’t she ask you about it when she was building it?” “I guess I never really thought about it much before now,” Sunset admitted, looking upon the school in yet another new light. “This place really is beautiful.” The longer she spent in this world, the more she couldn’t help but notice just how much better everything really was. Every race living in harmony, filled with places of kindness and understanding. It was like life itself was now a happy ending to a fairy tale. Not to say Equestria had ever been horrible under Celestia, but it was still nothing like this. Everyone was happy now. It almost seemed the only pony who wasn’t happy was… “Hey, Spike!” A nasally, almost masculine voice called out from directly above. Both pony and dragon looked up in time to see an orange blur flip down in front of them, landing with a surprising amount of poise. The tall, lanky, orange creature that just touched down before them was clearly a female dragon. Roughly Spike’s height if not a little shorter, but still towering over Sunset, much to her own irritation. “I thought you were busy helping out the Dragon Lord. You should have told me you’d be in town. Not like it’d be very hard for you to send a letter,” the dragon said, immediately adopting a relaxed posture that indicated familiarity. Spike rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Guess with everything that’s been going on it just kinda slipped my mind.” “Ah, don’t worry about it,” She brushed off, giving Spike a friendly light punch on the shoulder. “I know you’ve been a pretty busy dragon lately. Just thought I’d drop in and say hi.” “And when you say, ‘drop-in’ you mean it pretty literally,” Spike chuckled, “It’s great to see you, Smolder,” Spike finished, leaning in to hug the other dragon who Sunset saw surprisingly return the affection in kind. Even with all that she had seen so far, she had never known any dragon besides Spike to be the affectionate sort. “So, who’s your little friend?” Smolder asked upon separating from the other dragon. Sunset fought her ire at the, “little” comment. It wasn’t her fault everything in Equestria had grown so tall. Celestia herself had always told her she was only slightly below average height for a mare her age. “This is my friend, Sunset Shimmer. She’s Twilight’s new assistant,” Spike quickly introduced “Finally decided to replace you, huh?” “Oh, very funny. Sunset, this is my friend, Smolder. The School of Friendship’s guidance counselor.” Twilight felt her stomach gurgle in protest as she trudged her way through the Everfree Forest. It seemed that no matter how long she lived, how tall she got, or how many times she did it, she’d always fail to handle an entire Apple family feast. “Ohhh. Yep, still too much pie,” she groaned out to no one in particular. Fortunately, the Everfree Forest wasn’t too far from Sweet Apple Acres. It was a path she had tread countless times before now. What was once a hopelessly confusing maze of warped trees, clingy vines, and unknown terrors lurking in the distance was now just a casual stroll for the princess. Still, even after all these years, very few creatures dared to simply walk into the Everfree Forest. It was very much still the same old forest it had been when she and a ragtag team of radically different ponies dared to venture inside in search of the mythical Elements of Harmony those many moons ago. It was a place that didn’t change much. It was ironic how she now felt something of a kinship with the forest that had once filled her with so much uncertainty and trepidation. Even as the world moved forward, they stayed the same. Perhaps that had been part of the reason Celestia and Luna had decided to place their first castle here. “How sad when a lonely old forest is the only thing you can relate to,” a dark voice chuckled in the back of her mind. The errant thought surprised her. She had almost gotten used to her depressing thoughts running away from her, but she surprisingly hadn’t had any over the week she had been staying in Ponyville. Not until now. “Well, I guess if there’s anything you need to get used to, it’s being lonely, and you need to do it soon.” Twilight blocked out the voice as she always did and focused on her destination. The hollowed-out old tree she had been searching for at last came into view as did the old friend she had been longing to see. “Zecora!” Twilight shouted, rushing up to one of her oldest friends in an excitement fueled by the eagerness of seeing her and the prospect of filling the dreadful silence. “Ah, is that Princess Twilight Sparkle I see?! Forgive me, for my eyes are not what they used to be,” an old zebra called back, stepping away from her task of collecting some of the herbs surrounding her humble tree hut. “How have you been?” Twilight asked after a quick greeting hug. Zecora took a moment to shake her long black and white mane off of her aged face. “Aye, a little older and a little grayer since last we spoke, but do not worry; we Zebra are a hardy folk.” The old zebra’s statement was undoubtedly true. Despite her advanced age, Zecora could be considered a picture of health. Her sturdy body and active lifestyle guaranteeing her an exceptionally long life. Helped in no small part by her extensive knowledge of potions and otherworldly concoctions that kept her well and able. Zecora would persist for at least a few more good years yet. Still, time wore on her the same as anypony. New wrinkles, sagging skin, and aching pains accumulated in places where there had been none before, and her once mohawk like mane had grown out and now fell to her shoulders in a blanket of stripes. “So, tell me, old friend, what brings you all the way out to the Everfree? Surely, you did not travel all the way out here, just for me,” Zecora idly commented while she turned to finish her task. “Can’t I just stop by to visit a friend?” “I had just assumed that something important had brought you near. It has been quite a while since you’ve come all the way down here,” Zecora explained, her eyes not leaving her task of organizing the baskets she had filled with potential ingredients. Twilight winced at the blunt statement. Zecora clearly meant no offense in what she said. It was merely an observation, yet the implications that came with it were of no comfort. Had it really been that long? A magenta glow lifted the baskets into the air, saving the zebra the trouble of carrying them all into her humble abode. Twilight gave a heavy sigh. “You’re right. I came here…to say goodbye to somepony very special to me.” Silently, Zecora walked over to her hut and opened the door, gesturing inside. “Ah, now I understand why. You’ve come here to see poor Pinkie Pie,” Zecora picked up once Twilight had found her way inside, actually needing to duck in order to make it through the door. “Have you seen her?” Twilight asked in a neutral tone. Zecora nodded. “I have seen her as both a shaman and a friend. It is sad to say that her time...is at its end.” Twilight was silent for moment longer before looking directly at the aged zebra. “I don’t want to waste what I have left, Zecora. That’s why I’m here.” Twilight’s intensity surprised Zecora, but her meaning could not have been clearer. No pony was getting any younger. “I see. Then please, get comfortable while I make us some tea." “So, what can we do for you? You interested in becoming a student here?” the tall orange dragon that had been identified as Smolder asked with apparent interest. “Trust me, Smolder. You’re talking to one of the last ponies in all of Equestria that needs lessons in friendship,” Spike proudly interjected before Sunset could give a response. His surprisingly high praise bringing a shy blush to Sunset’s muzzle. “Ohhh, I getcha,” Smolder began with a wry smirk “So, is it a teaching job you’re after? Can’t say I know any openings off the top of my head, but I’m sure the headmare can find a job for you if you’re good enough to get the approval of Equestria’s own, ‘Friendship Ambassador’.” “Actually, I’m just here for the tour,” Sunset elaborated before things got too carried away. Smolder cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at the small mare before her as though she didn’t quite understand what she had just heard. “Sooo, you came to a school, just to look at it?” Smolder asked, waiting for any corrections or additions to what she had said. “Well, I guess it sounds kind of silly when you put it like that, but yeah. I’ve been going to school for most of my life, erm lives really, so I guess I just sort of enjoy the atmosphere,” Sunset explained Smolder nodded, surprisingly seeming to understand Sunset’s meaning. “I guess that kind of makes sense. It’s probably not my place to judge. I’ve been hanging around this place since old Spikey-wikey over here was yay high,” Smolder said, using her hand to demonstrate a height that only came up to her knee. “You’re not that much older than me, Smolder. You don’t always have to talk about me like I’m a little kid,” Spike huffed, somehow still being made out to be small after all these years. “C’mon, Spike, you know you’ll always be an adorably baby dragon to somecreatures,” Smolder teased the slightly taller dragon, leaning on his shoulder.” “I’ll say. I don’t think I’ll ever quite get used to, ‘Big Dragon Spike’,” Sunset chimed in. “Really? You didn’t seem to mind ‘Big Dragon Spike’ when you were freeloading a ride all the way over here,” Spike accused. “I’m not saying you don’t have your uses. I just have a hard time seeing you as anything other than a cute little dragon. Well, that or an adorable puppy,” Sunset cheekily responded. Smolder signaled for the two to stop their playful banter with a frantic wave of her hands “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down a bit. You are a PONY, right?” Sunset couldn’t repress the quizzical look she gave the dragon at such a sudden and bizarre question. “…Yeah. What else would I be?” “Well, you could be a changeling,” Spike offered unhelpfully. “So…how old are you exactly?” Smolder questioned while eying Sunset like a puzzle she was trying to piece together. “Well, I’m…” Sunset quickly began, only to trail off mid-sentence. How old was she? It wasn’t a question she had spent any real time dwelling on. Birthday parties for one, or two on the rare occasions Celestia wasn’t ridiculously busy, weren’t particularly enjoyable, so Sunset had soured on the whole birthday tradition rather early in life, and that disdain had only carried over to the human world. Her friends, especially Pinkie, had tried bringing her around on the concept, but it just wasn’t something she had ever managed to get into. Now, ordinarily, that wouldn’t have mattered. Age was, after all, just a number she had to keep track of. For a normal pony, person, or creature that is. She, on the other hoof, had grown into a young mare in Equestria. Then, the mirror had, for whatever reason, reduced her back into a teenage freshman, and boy was it ever fun living that particular stage of life a second time in an alien body. So, she grew up again. Now, she was back in Equestria after all these years, seemingly the same age as when she had last left. Working through her own negligence in keeping up with her birthdays and factoring in the magical shifts in age, Sunset gave Smolder her honest answer. “I have absolutely no idea.” Something told Smolder it would be best to drop the topic for now. She felt a headache just waiting for her if she tried wrapping her brain around this now. “Okay then, well, anyway is there anything I can help you with before I swing by the headmare’s office?” The mention of the headmare grabbed Sunset’s attention, her innate curiosity seizing her. Surely the pony who ran all this must have been something else entirely. To fill a position that had once been performed by the Princess of Friendship herself. Doubtlessly, only a pony Twilight trusted to the highest degree could be responsible for all this and they were doing a spectacular job from the look of things. The school’s headmare would probably be endlessly busy, but Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to pass up the opportunity. “I don’t suppose I could meet the headmare?” Twilight trotted along with carefully measured steps as she reached one of her few remaining destinations. The many animals that littered the open fields, small ponds, and rivers took note of the unfamiliar presence but made no moves beyond that. The air was still and the only audible sound was the crunch of the grass beneath the determined alicorn’s hoofsteps. It was a beautiful place, truly. The luscious green fields, the crystal-clear waters, the simplistic but tasteful architecture of the rocks, swings, and playsets. Even the sun seemed to naturally shine brighter on this particular spot, although it was hard to be sure what was and wasn’t natural around here at times. Anycreature could spend countless hours lazing about and enjoying the scenery, which only made it all the more bizarre that Twilight often avoided the place. One by one the animals cleared a path for the large unfamiliar pony that had invaded their sanctuary, forming crowds on the sideline to watch as she marched on a set path, seemingly pushing herself forward to her destination. Pushing was certainly an accurate term to describe what Twilight was doing right now. Every part of her being was screaming at her to turn around and flee from this wonderful place. To just forget about it entirely. Twilight suppressed those feelings. A useful skill she had developed in her decades of ruling. And instead, she tuned in to what her heart told her was right. She would have liked to believe that it had never led her astray before and right now it was telling her that this was the right thing to do. She finally came to stop before the new centerpiece of the animal sanctuary. “New” relatively speaking. The large commemorative statue had stood in this exact spot for ten years now as of just a few months ago. It was meant to celebrate the founder of the animal sanctuary. Twilight had commissioned it herself with the encouragement of a certain friend. Something to, "keep her memory alive” he had said. It was strange. Twilight had seen the statue before. She had been the one to approve the design even, but this could have very well been the first time she really looked at it. The statue wasn’t necessarily big, nor was it small, standing just a couple feet taller than Twilight herself. An intentional design choice in order to make it easy for the animals to play on. Twilight saw the soft but present cracks that had formed along the surface. The spots and patches that had begun to form along certain places as a sign of natural wear and tear. She saw the carefully chiseled features that formed such minute details as the textures of the statue’s feathers. It all came together to form the image of a young resting pegasus, laying amongst an assortment of stone animals and decorative flowers. There was a bear, seemingly watching over her, a beaver resting on her tail, an assortment of squirrels, raccoons, birds, and even a snake laying around her in a protective cocoon, and a familiar rabbit wrapped in her forelegs. The two forever sleeping in absolute peace. Twilight glanced down at the simple message engraved in the stone base on which they all laid. “In Loving Memory of Fluttershy” Somehow those simple words hit her harder than the statue itself and she quickly shifted her gaze back up to the stone memorial before she lost what little control she had over her emotions. She had come here with a purpose. She was looking for somepony and judging by the statue that had quite clearly been well cared for all these years, this was the most likely place to find him. Looking up, Twilight pushed down her feelings and called out in an even voice. “DISCORD!” Twilight stood in silence for a few moments, but, aside from a few animals scattering, nothing seemed to have changed. Perhaps it had been a bit of a long shot to simply hope he’d hear her calling out in a field, even this one. Or perhaps he had heard and simply didn’t want to talk to her. Dejected, Twilight turned around to put some distance between herself and this awful wonderful place. “You rang?” Twilight whipped around at an impressive speed to face the new voice. There Discord sat upon the statue, wrapped around the stone Fluttershy, having appeared from thin air when it was least expected. Typical. “Weeellll? Don’t tell me you disturbed the delightful tranquility of this preserve just to gawk,” Discord prompted, leaning on the statue in a way that gave him a better view of the alicorn before him. “I wasn’t sure you were here,” Twilight muttered. “Oh, I’m always here. Never take my ear off the place. Somepony has to look after her after all,” Discord stated, materializing a spray bottle and rag to quickly wipe down the facsimile of Fluttershy’s face. “Though the same can’t be said of you, now can it? What’s it been now? Six, seven, eight years since you’ve set a royal hoof in here?” Discord rattled off, flipping through a calendar. “I wanted to speak with you,” Twilight spoke up, hoping to regain control of the situation. “Obviously. I imagine you don’t run around shouting pony’s names into the sky just because you like the way they sound, do you?” Discord mocked. “Discord!” Twilight shouted, her patience quickly running out as it had already been devoured by her anxiety. He could just never make anything easy, could he? “Could you not be so, so…YOU for just a few minutes!? I’m trying to apologize!” Twilight yelled at the petulant draconequus. Discord tilted his head at the exclamation. “Oh? Is that all? Well, apology accepted. Now, as I was saying…” “Whu-buh…I haven’t even made the apology yet!” Twilight stammered. “Oh, blegh. Come now, we both know how this works. One of us happens to perform some trivial, completely minor, infraction like hurting the other's feelings or unleashing some sort of unspeakable evil upon the world, the other gets upset, we feel really bad about it, say we’re sorry, and because we are such good friends we let bygones be bygones. It’s just quicker to cut out the middle pony, don't you think?” “You can’t just cut out the middle of friendship, Discord,” Twilight asserted. Discord sighed and reclined into a more comfortable position. “If you must then.” Twilight blew out a breath and took a second to collect her thoughts, her original plan having been scattered to the wind as was typical when dealing with Discord. “The last time I saw you, I treated you in a way you shouldn’t treat a friend. I was going through a lot and I took it out on you. And, I’m sorry,” Twilight said in complete earnest. Discord shifted around uncomfortably, these straightforward pony things still not coming to him as naturally as they came to other creatures. “Yes…well, I suppose I may have been a touch more, mhm, duplicitous than was strictly necessary in my effort to…be a good friend, so I suppose that I am also…sorry,” Discord fumbled out, tapping his fingers together. Twilight smirked at Discord’s obvious discomfort. “You know, I told Sunset that even though you have a pretty strange way of showing it, you usually mean well. I guess I still forget that myself, sometimes.” “So, are we finally done with all this mushy heartwarming nonsense?” Discord asked in a way that was only half-serious. Twilight nodded. “Almost. I also wanted to thank you.” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Thank me?” “You were right. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I had come here alone. It’s still not easy, but it’s been…bearable, and I have you to thank for that,” Twilight confessed. “Well, I can’t exactly take all the credit, now can I? It hasn’t been me who’s been keeping you company all this time. Not that I didn’t consider it, of course, but even I have to admit I’m probably not the type of friend you’d want around in this sort of situation. One of the many valuable lessons she taught me was the importance of having different friends for different things,” Discord mused, idly rubbing the head of the statue. Twilight nodded her head in agreement. “They've been with me every second they could be. The only reason they’re not here now is because I asked them not to be.” “Amazing things, aren’t they? How these creatures that fade so fast know so much?” Discord mused, almost to himself, his focus now fully on the statue. “How do you do it?” Twilight let slip out of her mouth before she could stop herself, cringing the moment she heard it leave her. “Pardon?” Discord asked, his focus now fully back on her. Twilight considered trying to brush off the question she had kept herself from asking him through all these years for a multitude of reasons that had changed countless times, but, if she was honest with herself, what was the point in stopping now? Just to hold her tongue for another lifetime? “How do you do it?” She restated, “How do you just keep going on and on the same way, forever, like it doesn’t even matter that you’re the only thing in the entire world standing still?” Discord paused a moment and looked over his fellow immortal, tilting his head from side to side to take in her every aspect, studying her. In truth, Twilight looked old. Not in the traditional sense of course. No, physically she hadn’t aged a day in decades. Her coat and mane was lush and sleek, her skin didn’t have a wrinkle in sight, and her body was ten times stronger than any mare or stallions'. And yet, she still managed to look so very old. The way her shoulders slumped. The way her eyes drooped. The way her head hung when she wasn’t putting on a front for the masses who expected her to be their perfect regal princess. She looked tired. Just as tired as any other pony her age would, if not more. Discord laughed. Not his usual carefree laugh, filled with mirth and mischief, but an empty joyless laugh that one gave because it was the only reaction they could think to give. “You’re not like me, are you? Sometimes, I like to think you are, but you’re not,” Discord bluntly stated. “Wha-what do you mean?” Twilight asked, the direction of this conversation being one she had never anticipated. Discord sat up and sighed, dropping the jokes and the gags. Dropping the randomness and the insanity. Dropping the chaos to do something Twilight had only seen him do a hoof-full of times in all the years she had known him. Speak plainly. “We may both experience our time in Equestria without end, but we’re not the same. When I first met you, you were just a simple little unicorn, and your biggest concern on most days was keeping your supply cabinet full in case Celestia gave you a surprise test. You may have been, well, let’s just say a tad eccentric, but you were still just like everypony else,” Discord explained. “Then, you finished a simple spell, and, through some sort of magic destiny even I don’t fully comprehend, you grew wings and gained the ability to last forever,” Discord continued. “Suddenly, you weren’t like them anymore, but you still aren’t like me.” Discord stepped off the statue to approach the listening alicorn. “This is just who I am, Twilight. I’ve never known anything else. I know you’re looking for some sort of big secret or a patented method to dealing with eternity, but...that’s not something I can give you…I’m sorry.” Twilight felt her stomach sink. “No…no no no!” she shook her head in denial. “You loved them too! I know you did! You can’t tell me that this is just normal for you! That you can just move on and forget about them like they meant nothing! Like they didn't even matter! There has to be something! There…there has to be,” Twilight cried, her bottled up emotions once again threatening to spill over. “Of course they meant something, Twilight.” Discord chided, surprisingly soft, his demeanor subdued and understanding. “I do miss them. Not a day goes by where I don’t remember them. Rarity’s style, Applejack’s know-how, Rainbow Dash’s energy, Starlight’s understanding, Fluttershy’s…love. “But, I’ve lived for millennia without end. I don’t even remember my own beginning if there ever was one, and I don’t know if there will ever be an end. Friendship is new to me, Twilight, but forever is not,” Discord softly explained Twilight just stared down at the ground, the cold feeling that was taking hold of her momentarily bypassing all other emotions, and a dark feeling in the back of her mind felt as though it was taking hold. Was this really her destiny? To someday wander this land forever, truly alone. A hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She looked up into a pair of mismatched red eyes, warmer than she had ever seen them. “I…can’t truly understand what it’s like to be you…but…I will always be here,” Discord offered in his most reassuring tone. Twilight’s shoulders began to shake and her lips trembled, as though she herself was on the verge of an eruption. Before he could react, Twilight had lunged forward and wrapped herself around his waist in a desperate embrace, as though this was the one thing she had to cling on to that would prevent her from drowning. It took a moment for him to process the sudden action, but, eventually, Discord leaned down to return the hug, comforting Twilight in the only way he could. “So, you’re a guidance counselor here?” Sunset prodded her guide as they walked, or in one case flew, through the hallways of the school. “Sure am. Been one for a few years now,” Smolder replied, flying backwards to face Sunset. Sunset eyed orange dragon for a few seconds, still getting a feel for this new face. Unfortunately, her extended silence gave her away. “Go on, just say what I know you’re thinking,” Smolder said, cutting off Sunset’s train of thought. “huh, what do yo-” “C’mon, I’ve heard it from just about everycreature. You think it’s weird that a dragon of all things is the one doing this job, right? You’re definitely more subtle about it than most ponies, but I know that look,” Smolder deduced “W-well, that’s not exactly what I was getting at,” Sunset stammered, thrown off by Smolder’s blunt assertions. Smolder gave Sunset a smirk. “It’s fine. A dragon isn’t the first thing I thought of when I found out exactly what a, ‘guidance counselor’ was for either. I mean, sure ponies and dragons get along just fine now, but we’re still not exactly known for being the nurturing sort. Most creatures still think of dragons as tough, abrasive, no-nonsense creatures with sharp teeth who breath scorching fire. Probably not the type you want guiding sensitive kids through their problems and insecurities.” Sunset simply bit her tongue and waited for the dragon to continue, not sure how to respond without coming off as insulting in some way. “But just because that’s what they expect dragons to be doesn’t mean that’s what they have to be,” Spike chimed in from behind her. “Took the words right outta my maw,” Smolder winked, “Before I came to this school, I didn’t know how to be anything other than what I was supposed to be. Big scary dragons aren’t supposed to like tea parties, or makeup, or cute frilly dresses,” Smolder said as though it was a simple fact. “But you know what? I do like all that stuff!” Smolder remarked proudly “The most important lesson I ever learned was that all I have to be is me, and I learned that right here. So, a job helping other dragons, ponies, and whoever else express what they want to be just kinda made sense,” Smolder shrugged as though it were no big deal. “Plus, they threatened to kick her out if she kept lounging around campus without pulling her weight,” Spike snickered. “Hey! I coached!” Sunset tuned the ensuing conversation out, her thoughts directing inward. What Smolder had said made it all seem so simple. Be yourself. It was such a basic sentiment, but how could you really be expected to be yourself when you no longer really knew who that even was? A unicorn prodigy possessing a special talent for magic with a degree in computer science that could read minds and moonlighted as a human being for so long that she still sometimes forgets how to open a door. That sure sounded like somebo-er-pony, whatever, with a solid direction in life. It was something she just didn’t know anymore but needed to figure out. “And we’re here!” Smolder announced, breaking through Sunset’s internal musings. “huh?” “The headmare’s office. We’re here. Y’know, like you wanted?” Smolder clarified to the pony that for whatever reason seemed to be lost. “Well, no sense waiting around out here,” Smolder said before landing in front of the tall double doors they were now in front of and shoving them open. “All the new books have been added to the school library, the cafeteria menus are set for the next few months, and we’re right on schedule for next week’s field trip to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory…oh, hi, Smolder!” a light cyan changeling waved from the front of the large room’s desk. “Hey, Ocellus! Just dropping by to tell the boss the new textbook shipment arrived today, and I just so happened to bring a few tagalongs,” Smolder said An aged unicorn in a dress suit sitting behind the room’s desk turned her chair to focus on her guidance counselor. “Smolder, you know how busy we are this time of year. I’m more than happy to entertain visitors, but now really isn’t the best time.” Smolder raised her arms in defense. “I know. I know. Normally I would have told them to try again another day, but I had a feeling you just might be interested in these two,” Smolder mentioned before stepping out of the doorway to motion her companions into the room. From behind Spike, Sunset got her first real look at the pony in charge. She was certainly no spring chicken, but she sat with the poise and confidence that allowed her to wear her age with grace. Her unruly, almost sunrise colored, mane was bound in a somewhat messy bun that clearly indicated a preference for practicality over style and grace. “Spike? No pony told me you were expected to visit this week. You know I appreciate at least a three weeks’ advance notice on official visits from any members of the royal council,” The headmare calmly noted while magically readjusting her glasses and quickly jotting some notes down on a nearby clipboard. Spike visibly rolled his eyes, familiar with this methodical behavior. “Well, it’s not technically an, ‘official’ visit. You see, Twilight took some time to come down to Ponyville-“ “The Princess is in Ponyville too!?” the previously composed pony gasped, her glasses falling clear off her muzzle. Quickly levitating the spectacles back onto her face, the agitated mare began to rummage through the papers laid out on her desk. “Oh dear, she isn’t supposed to be here for our semi-annual checkup for another two months. I’m not even close to ready. Ugh, the classrooms still need to be cleaned, the hoofball field hasn’t been cut, and just LOOK at all this paperwork!” Smolder and the changeling named Ocellus shared a knowing glance, the latter buzzing over to supportively pat the mare on the back. Coming out from behind Spike, Sunset felt that there was something unmistakably familiar about the pony excitedly going through papers. Not in the sense that they had met before, they most certainly hadn’t, but her mannerisms undoubtedly reminded her of somepony. Spike sighed, internally wondering if he was somehow cursed. What were the chances of every unicorn he knew having some sort of irrational tic? Maybe it was the horn? It must stick into their brains or something. “Calm down, Luster. Twilight’s not here for that,” Spike clarified Luster paused her organizing fit to process what Spike had said and blew a sigh of relief. Twilight’s opinion certainly seemed to matter a great deal to this mare. “So, you’re here for pleasure, not business?” Spike nodded an affirmation. “In that case, what can I do for you, Spike?” Luster asked, leaning back into her seat. “Actually, I’m just here on behalf of my friend,” Spike said, motioning to Sunset. “She seemed pretty interested in meeting you, and I thought you might want to check out Princess Twilight’s new lab partner,” Smolder followed up “Say, isn’t helping the Princess with magic something you used to do?” Ocellus questioned Luster Luster, at last, turned her full attention to the new unicorn Spike had brought with him. “I see. If the Princess trusts you with a job like that, then you must be…” Luster began before trailing off. The headmare raised her glasses to sit up and look at Sunset. This time really look at her. A noticeable silence filled the room as Luster took in every aspect of the little unicorn, her eyes carefully scanning every detail. “Ocellus, Smolder…why don’t you both take a break to properly catch up with Spike while we get properly acquainted?” Luster suggested once she had confirmed something to herself. Ocellus and Smolder shared a curious glance, but took the message and steadily exited the room, stopping just outside the door. Spike was confused more than anything. The abrupt change in direction taking him by complete surprise. Logically there was absolutely no danger were he to simply step out, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy about so suddenly abandoning his friend. “It’s fine, Spike. Go spend some time with your friends,” Sunset assured him, clearly willing to play along with whatever the headmare had in mind. “Okay,” Spike slowly let out, making his way out of the room. “I’ll just be right around the corner if you need me,” he assured closing the doors to give the two unicorns their privacy. Silence once again took over the now much more empty room. Despite ushering the other occupants of the office out on such short notice, the headmare made no attempt to break the silence created by their absence. Sunset figured it would be up to her to make the first move if she wanted to get to the bottom of this now all too interesting pony. Introductions were always a good start to meeting a new face. “It’s nice to finally meet you. From what I’ve seen you’ve done a great job of running this school. My name’s-” “Sunset Shimmer, right?” Twilight checked her face in the shop window’s reflection to make certain she had cleaned up thoroughly enough. She needed to at least look presentable. Assured that she had erased all evidence from earlier, Twilight marched towards her ultimate destination. Pinkie Pie’s house in the distant corner of Ponyville getting closer with each step she took. Even now, for as much as she already valued their company, Twilight began to see just how much she had depended on Sunset and Spike for support, every step becoming a greater struggle the closer she got. But of course, why should that come as a surprise? She had always been completely worthless on her own, hadn’t she? What good was the Princess of Friendship without her friends? All she had ever done was depend on others. For power. For direction. For meaning. “You’ve defined yourself by your connection to others. Magic only exists if the other elements are around to create it, isn't that right? There is nothing without them, just like you’re nothing without them. Eventually, that’s all you will be,” Her awful thoughts seemed to laugh at her. Focusing on a clear goal was all that kept Twilight moving forward. The need to do this right. Not for herself, but for Pinkie. Even if, just this once, she had to face this alone. Down the street, standing beside the house's front door, Cheese waved her over from the front of the house, clearly waiting for her arrival and giving her a reason to hasten her approach. “Aunt Twilight! You’re here. Is no pony else with you?” he remarked, noticing Twilight’s sudden lack of company. “No, it’s just me.” “Oh, well that’s all Mom really needs. She’s been pretty lively ever since you started coming by. I don’t think I’ve seen her up this long in…” Cheese noted, pondering the answer only to realize he couldn’t find it. “Well, in any case, no point in keeping her waiting. I’ll keep watch out here while you ladies talk,” Cheese smiled while politely opening the door for Twilight. “Thank you,” Twilight stated simply “Are you feeling alright, Aunt Twilight?” Cheese suddenly questioned, catching on to Twilight’s less than excited mood. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. It’s just…been a long day is all,” Twilight assured him as convincingly as she could. “Well, alright. I’ll be right out here if you need me,” he nodded in return. Twilight entered the house, the door shutting behind her. The exact same sight as every other day greeting her upon entering the interior. It was odd how empty the small home felt now after all these years. Twilight still remembered how lively the place had once been. The clomping of little hoof steps no longer filled the halls. The idle chatter of friends and family no longer sounded through the walls. Even the accordion and whatever instrument Pinkie had on hoof musical duets that once rang through the entire house and beyond had long fallen silent. Such meaningless noises that you barely even thought about after hearing them. Now, gone forever. The ponies responsible for those sounds having long since moved on. All except for one. As Cheese had said, Pinkie Pie was up and wide awake, sitting in her bed going through yet another old photo album and humming a cheerful tune. “Oh, hiya, Twilight. Y’know, even I thought Cheese got just a teensy bit carried away with the photo ops at the time. I mean, who needs to preserve every little detail when I’ve got all the important bits right up here?” Pinkie confessed, gesturing to her noggin. “But, it’s like he always said, ‘Now, Sugar Cotton, you never know when you might wanna take a journey down ol’ memory lane,’” Pinkie said, doing her best impression of her late love. Closing the album with a contented sigh, Pinkie laid the book aside to place her full attention on Twilight. “Just the two of us today?” Pinkie asked. Twilight nodded. “Alright, so what do you talk about? Anything interesting you wanna say now that a certain somepony and somedragon aren’t around to hear it?” Pinkie said, wiggling her eyebrows. Twilight shook her head. “Actually, Pinkie…I wanted to talk about us.” “Well, lots of categories to choose from there. What’ll it be? Favorite adventures, favorite parties, favorite cakes, or maybe even your favorite made-up holiday?” “No, Pinkie. I mean I want to talk about…us. Before it’s too late…I want you to know just how much you mean to me,” Twilight sighed. Pinkie fell uncharacteristically silent, choosing to simply lock eyes with Twilight and wait. “We’ve been friends for a long time, haven’t we Pinkie?” Twilight began. “Almost longer than I can remember,” Pinkie softly helped along “Eighty-seven years, four months, and thirteen days,” Twilight stated with absolute certainty. “That’s how long it’s been since I first came to Ponyville. Since I first met you. Since I met my best friends. “Before I met you, I was so lost. I didn’t realize it, but I was. I used to think I could find the answer to all my problems in a library, and I didn’t know the first thing about being a good friend. You all changed my entire world. You showed me there was so much more to life than staying inside and studying all day,” Twilight said, walking over to take a seat by Pinkie’s bed. “The adventures, the events, the holidays, the retreats, the time we spent just hanging around each other, even each simple casual everyday conversation. All of it has made me the pony I am today. A better pony. At least, I like to think so,” Twilight confessed. Pinkie remained silent but made no attempt to hide her smile, shakily reaching an old hoof out for Twilight to take. Twilight took the offered limb in her own, now much larger one, without hesitation, and held on as firmly as she could, once again using her friend’s strength to push forward. “Whenever I close my eyes and think about my happiest moments, all I see are your faces. You and the girls gave me the best days I’ve ever had…and on my worst days, you were always there for me. Always. “I would have never made it anywhere near as far as I have without you; I wouldn’t be half the pony I am. In a way…you deserve these wings just as much as I do. Maybe more,” Twilight sighed, looking down in time to miss one of Pinkie’s very rare frowns. “I…I need you, Pinkie. I’ve always needed you. I don’t know what I’ll do without you. I…I don’t know what I am without you,” Twilight gasped, the reality seemingly beginning to physically choke her. This wasn’t the first time she had been through this. Not even close. So, why did it seem to get harder every time? How many more times could she do this before it completely destroyed her? Sit idly by as a piece of herself was ripped from her forever and left her evermore empty on the inside. “Maybe…maybe it’s not too late,” Twilight stuttered, a desperate thought clawing its way out from her mouth and into the open air. “Not too late for what?” Pinkie asked, confusion clear in her tone. Twilight brought her other foreleg up to clasp Pinkie’s hoof with both of her own. “I’m so powerful now, Pinkie. I’m capable of things I never even dreamed of before. I can move the sun and moon all on my own. I can jump from here to the other side of Equestria without breaking a sweat. I’ve discovered things about magic even Celestia and Star Swirl didn’t know,” Twilight recounted, desperation clear as the day itself on her face. “I don’t know how right now, but there has to be a way! Maybe I could use an aging spell? It wouldn’t last, but it would give us more time. If I just had a little more time then maybe…maybe I could save you,” Twilight pleaded, looking deep into Pinkie’s eyes, reaching, straining as far as possible for something to hold onto. Anything at all. Pinkie looked back at her with only sadness. “Oh, Twilight. I don’t need saving.” Nothing. There was absolutely nothing to be found in all these half-baked plans and last-minute dreams. “I love you, Twilight. I really do. I want you to know that,” Pinkie confessed with a maturity she had developed long ago, meaning every word. “Then don't leave. Please,” Twilight begged. “I’ve lived a long life, Twilight. A good life. I don’t have any regrets, and I don’t think a lot of creatures can really say that and mean it.” Pinkie sighed, sinking into her bed, letting weariness overtake her. "But...I’m ready to move on." Move on. Something Twilight could never do, to a place she could never go, whatever it may entail. The cruelty of it was bitter to the princess. “I miss them. My parents. My sisters. Our friends. My husband,” Pinkie lamented in a rare moment of true fragility. Twilight understood. Hated how much she understood. It was a feeling she’d never wish on her worst enemy. And, for as much as it would hurt, for as much as she didn’t want to, she knew that she’d have to let her go. For her sake. Twilight gently released Pinkie's hoof from her own, letting the pink pony pull back. “Okay, Pinkie. I understand.” Pinkie gazed upon Twilight with gentle but sad eyes. “I’m so sorry, Twilight. I’m not like you.” She was right. There was no pony in all the world that was quite like her. No pony at all. “That’s why I know you’ll be okay though,” Pinkie said, interrupting Twilight’s train of thought before it could go any further. “You’re so smart and strong. It’s why you got those wings. It probably doesn’t seem like it right now, but you’re going to be fine. I just know it.” Twilight looked back in wonder. How could Pinkie be so certain of something she herself didn’t believe? “How can you be so sure?” Pinkie chuckled. “Because I know you.” Sunset could have sworn she heard glass shatter. “W-what?” This reaction satisfied the headmare, her expression softening into a look of pleased satisfaction and genuine curiosity, her horn softly glowing to conjure up a chair on the front side of the desk in an effortless show of sorcery. “Please, have a seat. My name is Luster Dawn and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Luster said with a small hint of giddiness. Sunset couldn’t find the words to reply to this newest turn of events and, even if she could, it was unlikely she’d be able to force the words through her shock. The feeling of magic enveloped her, picking her up and placing her in the new seat. Sunset absent-mindedly noted the unparalleled control of Luster Dawn’s magic further enforced by the books and quills that were simultaneously levitated over to her desk and prepared for use. “Okay, so, first question. What’s it like traveling between dimensions? I’m already familiar with the basic principles of Star Swirl’s inter-dimensional gateways, but there are some things you can only learn through personal experience, you know?” Luster asked, writing down several notes in one of the books she had brought over. “Wait!” Sunset shouted finally pulling herself back to the present, her horn igniting and ripping away Luster’s books and utensils to set aside until she had at least a small inkling of what was going on. “Just…tell me how you know who I am.” Luster Dawn at least had the decency to look bashful, once again pushing up her spectacles. “Oh...Right. Sorry. Forgive me, I got a little carried away there. It’s just, Princess Twilight has told me so many things about you, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to actually meet you. I can't even imagine the discoveries you must have made living outside our dimension for so long.” “Twilight…told you about me?” Sunset murmured. For all intents and purposes, she had assumed that this world had forgotten about her entirely, her story lost to time. It wasn’t like anypony would have wanted to remember her. Luster nodded. “Back when I was Princess Twilight’s personal student, she used to tell me about the adventures she had with her closest friends. The ones about a strange parallel universe without magic where everycreature moves around on two legs always kind of stood out to me. Just imagine, a completely different world where everything is the same, but completely different…oh, erm, except I guess you don’t really have to imagine, do you?” So, Twilight tells stories about her? Well, there was nothing particularly wrong with that. It was comforting even, to know that Twilight valued those times enough to pass them on to those close to her. So, why did something just not sit right with her? “And you were able to pick me out at first glance, just from hearing a few stories?” Sunset questioned, setting aside any inner turmoil for now. Special as this Luster Dawn appeared to be, Sunset found it difficult to believe anypony had memory and deductive reasoning skills that good. “Well, I’d hardly say it was just, ‘a few’ stories. I was practically read several books on your adventures.” “My adventures?” Sunset asked, tilting her head at the implication. “Uh-huh. Everything from the magic plant lady to the crazy pop-rock band. And my mentor can be quite descriptive when she’s telling a story. Details are practically everything to her.” Sunset certainly couldn’t deny that. “You’re pretty much exactly like she said you were. Little on the short side, amber coat, fiery mane and tail, cute little muzzle, sparkling sea-green eyes, all fairly distinct features,” Luster listed off as though she were going through a checklist. “Pair that with your unique cutie mark and that peculiar necklace, and it was a pretty safe bet.” What was meant to be a friendly first-time meeting with a well-respected pony was quickly becoming more than Sunset bargained for. It was certainly far more overwhelming than she had imagined. As if sensing this, Luster Dawn seemed to back off, giving her fellow unicorn some room to breathe as she reorganized her own approach. “I’m sorry, again. It’s just…well, in a way I kind of feel like I already know you, even though I don’t.” Sunset found herself appreciating the sentiment. As unusual as the current situation was, it was flattering in a way to have sompony so interested in her. Besides, unusual was practically her M.O. at this point. A strange introduction should be foal's play at this point. “I guess this isn’t exactly the strangest thing to happen to me. Getting to know each other was the whole reason I wanted to meet you.” “Well, since I’ve prodded you so much, it’s probably only fair I give you a chance to ask your own questions,” Luster said, leaving an open invitation for Sunset to take the reins of the conversation. “So…you’re Twilight’s student,” Sunset stated simply, more for confirmation than anything else. It certainly made sense that Twilight would have kept up many of the practices Celestia had started, but it wasn’t something she could remember Twilight talking in great length about. Come to think of it, the longer she stayed in Equestria, the more she realized there were a lot of things Twilight didn’t talk much about in regard to her personal life. “That's right,” Luster confirmed with no small amount of pride. “I enrolled in her school when I was just a filly. Studied and worked hard until I was the top of her class, and, eventually, she took me under her wing.” “And you worked your way into running her school of friendship?” Sunset concluded; the career path seemingly obvious. “Well, you’re skipping over quite a bit there, but yes. That’s pretty much how I got to where I am today,” Luster confirmed. “But, now that we know why I’m here, what about you? What brings you back to this side of the mirror? The Princess never made it sound like you had any intention of coming back. Especially now. No doubt you’ve noticed…well, it’s been a while,” Luster asked, a proper way of wording her sentiment eluding her. “Yeah, it has been,” Sunset said, not sure what emotion to attach to that simple fact anymore. “I guess you could say I just got homesick,” she stated simply Her response was met with a nod, seemingly content with that answer for now, and thankfully not determined to pry for any information Sunset wasn’t willing to give. “In that case, how long can we expect you to be staying with us?” The unintentionally loaded question left Sunset without a definite response. She had never really thought about it much herself. “I guess I’ll be staying…until I find myself,” Sunset responded with a quick answer, internally wishing she had said something that didn’t make her sound like she was on some sort of spiritual journey. Surprisingly, Luster seemed to completely understand her meaning. Or perhaps it wasn’t surprising in the slightest, given the type of school she ran. “I see. Sometimes life doesn’t always go in the direction we thought it would. I certainly didn’t imagine I’d ever wind up teaching the magic of friendship.” Sunset blinked in surprise. “Really?” “Heh, a long time ago I didn’t imagine I’d ever even have friends. I didn’t really see the point. I was a bit…standoffish in my youth,” Luster confessed. “If Twilight’s told you as much about me as you say she has, you already know I’m the last pony qualified to judge somepony on that,” Sunset laughed off. “That’s probably why she told me all those stories. 'With enough work, even the most wayward filly can become the beautiful mare they were always meant to be,' Her words, not mine,” Luster quoted. “Twilight does always try to see the best in everypony, doesn’t she?” Sunset reminisced, the thought bringing a small smile to her face. “I only wish I could have done as much for her as she’s done for me,” Luster admitted, lost in her own well of emotions. “What do you mean?” Sunset asked. Luster seemed to only just now realize she had spoken that final sentence aloud. “O-oh, well it’s just…Well, it’s not really my place to say.” Perhaps she’d be overstepping her boundaries here, and perhaps it wasn’t really her business in the first place, but something in her gut told Sunset that this was a chance to learn more about all that she’d missed from a perspective that couldn’t be passed up. “Listen, I know I’ve been gone a long time. Maybe…maybe too long. The world’s changed and there’s so much I don’t know.” Sunset said, meeting Luster’s eyes, as upfront as she could possibly be. “But, what I do know is that Twilight’s my friend, and I want to help her. So, I would be incredibly grateful for anything you could tell me that might help me understand how to help her.” Luster bit her bottom lip; a million thoughts Sunset would never know rushed through her head in a matter of moments culminating in a small sigh. “Alright, I can bring you up to speed as best as I can if that'll help. I can't speak for anypony other than myself, but if it's a history lesson you need, I'm something of an expert.” Sunset couldn't suppress the grateful full smile that overcame her. Luster Dawn probably couldn't give her all of the answers, but she could give Sunset all she really needed. A way to start putting all the pieces together, and perhaps even a new confidant. Or better yet, a new friend. "Thank you," Sunset sighed. Luster simply nodded her head. "Is there anywhere, in particular, you would like for me to start? A lot can happen in a few decades." That was true enough. It was probably best not to waste time with anything that could easily be looked up in a modern history book. No, this was her chance to learn about her friend's life from as unbiased and unfiltered a source as possible. It was best to keep things personal. "Twilight's friends. I knew about them, but I didn't really know them. What they did, how they changed, where they ended up. I just know they meant a lot to her. Please, Could you tell me more about them?" “Thanks for coming to see me, Twilight. It means a lot,” Pinkie yawned, finally spent and signaling the close of their final day for just the two of them. The setting sun’s rays filtered through the windows. A sun that set at Twilight’s effortless command, giving her the illusion of control over the time and day. Twilight smiled. “It was my pleasure, Pinkie.” “You always had such a beautiful smile, Twilight. The best parts of my day were bringing it out.” Pinkie sighed at the face she had known for so long “I know. Those were the best parts of my day too,” Twilight chuckled. Pinkie’s eyes drooped closed and quickly flittered open, the old pink pony clearly fighting for every second of consciousness she could, but the battle ended the same as it always did, exhaustion overpowering everything else. “Y’know, sometimes when I close my eyes, I can see them,” Pinkie murmured. “Cheese, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Starlight, Fluttershy…Mom and Dad…Maud, Limestone, and Marble…Mr and Mrs. Cake…even Gummy. Everypony’s there…They all look so happy. I think they might be waiting for me,” Pinkie sighed as she snuggled into place. “I’m sure they’ll be very happy to see you,” Twilight soothed, her smile becoming just a bit more strained. “Hey, Twi?” “Yes…Pinkie Pie?” “Please, don’t forget to smile when I’m gone, okay? Just…do what makes you happy. You deserve to be happy,” Pinkie yawned. “…Okay,” Twilight agreed, only barely finding her voice. Pinkie smiled. “It’ll be okay, Twilight. You’ll see. You’ll…see.” And with those words, Pinkie, at last, plunged into sleep’s gentle embrace, her mind and voice once again fading from the world, and someday soon it would do so for the last time. Twilight’s smile faded with her, and a stream of silent tears began to flow to take its place on the face of the lonely alicorn who gently nuzzled the still pony in front of her. “Goodbye…Pinkie Pie.” Author's Note Hey there. It sure has been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've certainly learned my lesson. Don't make promises you can't keep. Especially seeing as I broke pretty much every deadline I made. Sorry about that. But, I am back, and I'm still committed to seeing this to the end, so hopefully, this will give you all something to enjoy with by far my longest chapter to date. (Consider it an apology for the large gap) As usual, feel free to give me any thoughts on the story or writing in general. I always greatly look forward to what you all have to say. Constructive criticism is also always welcome. This wraps up "fun" times in Ponyville for a while though, and we'll be moving things along next chapter which will hopefully come a little sooner than this one did.
Chapter 1: Moving On“And, that’s basically it.” Sunset finished as she concluded the tale explaining her current dilemma to her six best friends. Said best friends were of course not physically in the room at the moment, but that was one of the reasons human technology could be such a wonderful thing. Video chatting could never measure up to hanging out in person, but it made a very efficient means for staying in touch with each other after they had all gone their separate ways. “So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash started. “Twilight, as in royal Princess Twilight and not super-nerd Twilight- “ “Watch it!” interjected the mentioned nerd. “-has invited you back to magical pony land to see if you can find the purpose there you can’t find here,” Rainbow finished unperturbed. “Yeah, I guess that about sums it up,” confirmed Sunset while scratching the back of her head. Applejack was the next to contribute to the conversation, sporting a look that made it apparent she was trying to put everything together. “So, since you’re really a pony from Equestria, you reckon you’d find yourself more at home in a place with magic, bein' that your folk take to magic like ducks take to water, and we just don’t have none ah’ that here?” “well, Kind of,” Sunset answered. “Generally, all ponies contain some form of magic, but that usually only goes towards helping out with a pony’s special talent, which is represented by our cutie marks.” Seeing the collectively raised eyebrows on the faces of her friends, Sunset decided to elaborate further. “Cutie marks are these magic marks that everybody, or actually everypony, receive when they discover their special talent. They just sort of magically show up on our flanks when we figure out exactly what that is.” Sunset took a second to pull up her geode and gestured to the mark engraved on it. “This was my cutie mark, back when I lived in Equestria.” “Here I thought you were just running with a particular fashion theme,” Rarity idly commented. “Well anyway…” Sunset continued. “My cutie mark represents my affinity to and mastery of magic. The same as Princess Twilight’s along with a select few other unicorns.” “So, you’re saying that magic is what gives you that super-duper extra warm fuzzy bubbly feeling in your chest that I get when one of my pies puts a huge smile on someone’s face that nothing else in the whole wide world can replace?” Pinkie Pie rambled off in her typical hyperactive yet insightful manner. “That sounds like the feeling I get when I’m caring for animals,” Fluttershy spoke up. “Or when ay’m harvesting apples,” Applejack pitched in. “Or when I’m designing my next fashion line,” Rarity breathily interjected. It was then that Twilight decided to say her own opinion on the matter. “I think you should do it.” Shocked at the sudden declaration Sunset could only stutter out a quick, “w-what?” “I said...I think you should give it a try. If studying magic is what makes you happy, and there’s magic there while there’s none here, it doesn’t make any logical sense for you not to at least give it a shot.” Twilight finished with a quick readjustment of her ever-present glasses. Sunset was so taken off balance by her friend’s sudden conviction that her argument barely got off her tongue. “You guys, I can’t jus-“ “Sunset.” Whatever meager defense Sunset was prepared to give was quickly cut off by Rainbow Dash. “I’m gonna level with you. We haven’t always been the best friends to you.” If Twilight had taken her off guard, this next sudden change in direction left her completely speechless as Rainbow Dash went on. “Don’t give me that look. You know that between that whole Anon-a-miss mess and that thing with Wallflower, we’ve left you hanging more times than any of us are proud of. I’d like to think we’ve become better friends since then. That means that there’s absolutely no way we’re going to let you be miserable for our sake.” “Rainbow’s right Sunset,” Fluttershy cut in. “We’re your friends, and that means that we can tell when somethings been bothering you. If studying magic is what will make you happy, we’ll support you all the way.” At this point, Sunset was practically floored. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been, considering this was pretty much exactly what Princess Twilight told her was going to happen, yet the sheer amount of love and sincerity that was directed at her was staggering. What had she ever done to deserve these guys? Sunset’s composure was beginning to break as she felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. “But…how could I live over there, when you guys are all right here?” Rarity was the one prepared to answer this one, “Darling, forgive me for being curt, but we haven’t been, ‘right here’ for quite some time.” Rarity met Sunset’s eyes with a half-smile and a knowing look. “We’ve all gone on to bigger and better things. Rainbow’s bouncing around the country from game to game, I’m constantly moving around meeting people and looking for inspiration, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are positively buried in demand for their services, and Twilight’s locked away in her bunker doing her nerdy science things” “Ok, what do you people have against science!?” “The point is, we’re all in different places now,” Rarity picked up after a quick chuckle at Twilight’s expense. “And yet, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still friends,” Rarity finished with a full smile adorning her face now. Applejack nodded, “Rarity’s right sugar cube. It don’t matter if you’re here or in Equestria. We’ll always be your friends.” Sunset was reminded of the story Princess Twilight had told her yesterday about her departure from Ponyville. She couldn’t deny that they had a point. Still, there was a slight difference in moving between towns and moving between worlds. “Besides silly, if pony land isn’t your style anymore you can just come right back no problemo!” Pinkie exclaimed with a quick double fist pump. A long sigh erupted from Sunset as she accepted the truth behind her friends’ words. There really was no reason not to at least give it a shot. There were just a few matters to attend to beforehand. “What am I going to do about all the stuff in this apartment I can’t take with me?” Applejack tipped her hat at the question, “I reckon I can make some room at the farm for whatever’s yours while you’re away. What do you say we all get together and help ya move out? Then we’ll be able to give ya a right proper sendoff.” “I don’t suppose everyone is free next weekend?” Sunset sheepishly asked. A chorus of affirmations and promises met her question, even from Rarity and Rainbow. This time Sunset failed to suppress the tear that made its way down her cheek alongside the contrasting smile she was sporting. “You guys really are the best.” Sunset found herself unable to sleep that night, only able to stare blankly at the ceiling with all the thoughts bouncing around in her head. She settled for lying in bed until she wore herself out thinking of what she was preparing to do. She could scarcely believe she was going through with the entire thing to begin with. For as long as she could remember, going back to Equestria simply wasn’t an option. It wasn’t like she had never considered going back. In fact, during her first few years in this world when she was the scourge of Canterlot High, going back was ALL she thought about. Every action she took was just a means of getting closer to achieving the power she had been denied and returning to rub Celestia’s face all over it. At the time Sunset had been little better than a child throwing a tantrum because her mother had refused her. Then, Twilight had humbled her, stripped her of all her ambition and delusions of grandeur until all she was left with was a feeling of utter emptiness. She had given everything for magic and power. Forsaken bonds of any kind to attain the one thing that she was convinced would give her worth. In the end, it had all amounted to a lonely smoking crater. Twilight, on the other hand, had embraced the bonds of friendship she had dismissed as distractions and showed her a form of magic and power far beyond anything she could have ever imagined. She had shown Sunset another way. A better way. After the Fall Formal, she remained in the human world to both make amends for the lives she had trampled over and learn more about the magic of friendship she had foolishly dismissed. There was also the small matter of simply being too scared and ashamed to ever show her face to Princess Celestia again. The one who had taken her in at a young age when she had no one and raised her as one would a daughter. Sunset had long come to terms with how even in her darkest moments, everything she had done was little more than a misguided attempt to impress the Princess. Years of carefully laid plans dedicated to proving her worth to the only pony who had ever given her the time of day. Even after all this time, it still stung for her to think of the life she might have had if she had only listened to her teacher. But in the human world Sunset had gone above and beyond in her quest for redemption, saving them from magical terrors time and again as well as all of Earth and Equus on at least one occasion. Past actions can never be taken back, but it was hard to deny that, by now, Sunset Shimmer had done more good than bad. During a particular incident with a student named Wallflower Blush, she had even given a brief and long overdue apology to Princess Celestia. After that point, Sunset remained in the human world simply because she was comfortable there. Part of her still longed to spend time with the pony who raised her and she would always miss the ability to call upon the full might of her unicorn magic, but she had friends, magic to study, and a steady life. Uprooting that to run off to another world a second time was simply not appealing. Now the irony was, uprooting that life was exactly what she intended to do in just a few short days. Sunset wondered if she was crazy because of that. The fact was, ponies were creatures of purpose. No matter how long she walked like a human, it didn’t change that she was a pony. She needed a purpose and she no longer had one here. In truth, the idea of going back to Equestria after so long terrified her. Now that she was committed to the idea though, she was beginning to feel something else in addition to the terror. The feeling of excitement. She had been cut off from true Equestrian magic for so long that the idea of being able to work with an endless supply of it once again made her shiver in excitement. She could scarcely imagine all the new information and forms of magic available after Equestria had changed so much. The thought of commanding and creating new spells once she was reunited with her beloved horn was enough to cause the long-restrained unicorn’s eyes to glass over. She could fill a lifetime with it all for sure. Perhaps several. To top it off, that was only the magic aspect of returning to her homeland. Despite growing up in Equestria, Sunset had seen so very little of it, spending the majority of her life in Canterlot, learning about the outside world solely through her studies. This could be her chance to really see the world she came from. Then there were the people, or rather, the ponies. The ability to easily see Princess Celestia again was both heartening and nerve-racking. There was just so much left to tell and ask her. Then there was Twilight. The pony who changed her life. The idea of seeing her in person again stirred up all sorts of feelings Sunset couldn’t properly identify. It seemed they would be at the very least in close proximity to each other fairly often once she crossed over. Truth be told, Sunset had always wished they could spend more time together. Corresponding through the journals was a good compromise for the dimensional barrier issue, but it also made the distance between them very apparent. It was strange, feeling close to somepony who was always so far away. First thing tomorrow, she intended to write Twilight, to let her know she was taking her up on her offer, which would officially set their reunion in stone. Sunset began to wonder what Twilight was like these days. How much had she changed since their last meeting so many years ago? Had the weight of the crown gotten to her at all or was she still the same nerdy princess who freaked out over a particularly old book? Sunset found herself hoping she was still the same old Twilight but knew that realistically holding the throne for so long was bound to change anypony at least a little. She reminded herself that whatever Twilight was like now, the mare was still one of her best and oldest friends. Getting to spend time with her again was perhaps what Sunset was looking forward to the most out of the whole affair. These comforting thoughts were enough for Sunset to finally close her eyes with a tired yawn, in wait of the fast-approaching journey back to a long-departed home. Hazy images of a familiar landscape being watched over by a small purple alicorn flashed through her mind "Besides," she thought just before she drifted to sleep, "how much could anypony change in all that time?" The weekend arrived much too quickly for Sunset’s liking. One by one her friends all arrived to help load all of her belongings into Applejack’s truck. The amount of work that was actually required was surprisingly little. Even after all this time, the items Sunset could truly call her own were depressingly few. Several guitars she had collected, her electronic equipment complete with an admittedly sizable collection of video games, and various books and knickknacks she had used to personalize her living quarters composed the bulk of the moving items. The amount of stuff she would be taking with her was even more scant. Merely a small satchel containing whatever notes and keepsakes she couldn’t bear to part with, such as her first magical journal, given to her by Princess Celestia, and her Geode. With a final grunt, Applejack placed the last box into the back of the truck and turned to face Sunset without so much as a light sweat from the manual labor. “I believe that there's the last of it. You're ready to go Sunset,” Applejack told her redheaded friend as their gang began piling into either Applejack’s truck or Rainbow dash’s sports car. “Girls, wait!” Sunset cried out in alarm now that the moment she was anticipating was coming so near. The group paused what they were doing to hear what their friend had to say. “What if I’m making a mistake?” Sunset desperately asked her friends who were giving her their undivided attention. “What if I’m moving too fast? Maybe I’m being too rash with this whole thing? I mean, packing my whole life up in just a few days to go soul searching in another dimension is kind of crazy, right? With how I’ve been feeling, I just don’t know if I’m thinking clearly, and- “ The borderline hysterical tirade was cut off by Applejack placing a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Calm down now Sunset. This here’s a pretty big deal, but I hope you know that we wouldn’t let ya go through with anything we didn’t think would be good for ya’.” “Plus, you kinda already quit your part-time job and moved out of your apartment, so it’s a little late to be getting cold feet,” Rainbow interjected and was given a smack to the back of the head courtesy of Rarity for her troubles. Regardless, Sunset’s nerves had been cooled for the time being and she let out a long breath to calm herself down. “You’re right AJ. I trust you.” The peace lasted until she was suddenly crushed from behind in a tight hug and lifted off the ground by her hyperactive pink friend. “Besides, we still have to have your super special going away party!” Pinkie Pie shouted while still holding Sunset off the floor. The captive girl couldn’t suppress a laugh at the antics of her best friend. One wouldn’t think that Sunset’s more down to Earth cool girl slash nerd hybrid persona would mesh well with Pinkie’s hyperactive eccentric personality, but the two had developed a special bond even among their friends. “It’s not a party Pinkie. We’re just going to have lunch together,” Sunset clarified through her own giggles. “Silly Shimmy. Everything’s a party when you’re here,” Pinkie countered while actually managing to tighten her already firm grip on the redhead. Despite how her life may have currently been in serious danger due to a rapidly decreasing supply of oxygen, Sunset could only find herself savoring the moment as all her friends shared a laugh at her predicament. Soon, she would be far away from all of them, but the fact that she’d be able to hold moments like this in her heart no matter where she went made it all not seem so bad. Compared to some of their adventures in High School, the rest of their day together was rather uneventful. Sunset couldn’t have been happier for the fact. Just a peaceful day hanging out with her friends. It was so simple, yet so perfect at the same time. Sunset found herself thinking that if every day was like today, living without magic wouldn’t be so bad. Unfortunately, the day eventually came to an end as all good things must. After a lengthy drive that somehow still seemed all too short, Sunset found herself facing the place where it all began. Canterlot High School. So many things were different now, but Sunset found comfort in the fact that some things just never changed. All these years later and the school stood the same as it had the day she first came to this world. Fortunately, the school was completely deserted as a result of it being a weekday during the summer which would make what came next much easier. “I guess this is it,” Fluttershy said, her volume barely louder than a whisper. “Yeah, I guess it is,” Sunset muttered as she stood before the former base of the wondercolt statue, which was now adorned with a statue of a stone alicorn. The new statue was commissioned to celebrate their class's graduation (as well as to seal off the magic coming through the base from Equestria once Sunset and Twilight located the source of the rogue magic that had endlessly plagued the school). The idea to model the new statue after a mythical horse was Sunset’s way of paying tribute to the princesses who helped make her into the person she was today. The part of the statue that currently had Sunset’s attention, however, was the mirror embedded in the front of the statue's foundation. The inconspicuous reflective surface that occasionally served as a gateway between two entirely different worlds. There was no point in turning back now, but there was no way Sunset was going to leave without first saying goodbye. Sunset turned around to take one last look at her best friends…only to see that the composure they had all valiantly held onto since they had convinced her to give this a chance was finally coming undone. Each one of the girls was clearly struggling to hold back tears now that the moment was finally upon them, and the strength Sunset had been building up all afternoon was quickly failing her. “Girls, I don’t have to-“ Sunset started only to be cut off by Rarity. “No no. None of that now,” Rarity got out through sniffles. “If this is what will make you happy…then it’s what will make us happy as well.” Twilight stepped up and took both of Sunset’s hands in her own causing a strange warm feeling to wash through her. “It’s...it's okay Sunset. You’ve done so much for all of us, and especially for me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you, and I wouldn’t trade the time we spent together for anything in this world or the next,” Twilight spoke until she had to stop and take one of her hands to wipe away the tears building up in her eyes. Sunset noticed that the hand Twilight had let go of now felt strangely cold. Once Twilight had regained enough control of herself and readjusted her, after all these years, still ill-fitting glasses, she picked up her speech. “We’re really going to miss you. I’m really going to miss you. But…It’s time for you to move on,” she finished as she let go of Sunset’s other hand. Sunset didn’t know what to do next as she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to replace the lost warmth. In her heart, she knew Twilight was right, but the truth was that Sunset had simply never been good at letting things go. She met Twilight’s violet eyes wondering if this was how she really wanted this to end. “ARGH! That’s it, I can’t take it anymore!” The silence was mercilessly shattered as a pink blur rushed in and captured both Sunset and Twilight in a hug. Pinkie Pie was soon followed by the rest of the girls as they all collected into a massive group hug in front of the portal. Whatever semblance of composure remained gave out as the sound of tears mixed with laughter filled the air. A different but far more intense warmth filled Sunset as she was mercilessly smothered in affection from her dearest friends. Something about this moment just felt right to her, and for the first time in a long time, she truly felt at peace. Several minutes later, when the sorrowful and joyful sobs subsided the group hug finally broke up, and Sunset felt ready to face what came next. She removed her journal from her satchel and quickly scribbled in one more message. Twilight, I’m ready. “I love you girls,” Sunset said with a gentle smile on her face. “Well, we are pretty awesome.” “The feelings mutual darling.” “You take care now Sugercube.” “Say hello to all the cute animals for me.” “And don’t forget to thoroughly document all the data you collect in Equestria.” “And especially don’t forget to smile!” The journal lit up after this final chorus. The portal’s ready for you Sunset. "Guess it’s time to go," Sunset thought after she read the message. There was just one final thing to do. “Pinkie, I want you to have this,” Sunset said as she held her journal out to the bouncy pink-haired girl who now had a rare look of genuine shock on her face. “It won’t be of much use to me once I go through the portal, and I still want to keep in touch with you guys. You can all pass it around whenever you need to tell me something. I know it’s not the most efficient means of staying in contact, but it’ll do until I figure out something better.” Sunset explained Pinkie Pie seemed conflicted between taking the book and pulling her hands into herself. “Wouldn’t you rather someone a bit more careful keep this Sunset?” Pinkie asked with a sheepish look on her face. Sunset merely shook her head at the reservation that didn’t at all fit the hyperactive girl she had come to love. “I’m hoping that you’ll all get around to keeping it eventually, but I want my best friend to take first watch,” Sunset said as she placed the book into a pair of pink hands. Pinkie Pie resisted the urge to burst into tears a second time that day, instead settling for tightly hugging the book to her chest as if her very life depended on it. With the feeling of love fresh in her heart, Sunset walked over to the mirror’s surface and took in the sight of her own reflection. The face she saw had been her every day for the past several years. It would be strange not seeing it the next time she looked into a mirror. She looked back once again to her friends still standing behind her with supportive smiles on each of their teary-eyed faces. Sunset flashed a genuine smile of her own in return. Then, she pushed forward. Traveling through the portal was never an experience Sunset got used to, regardless of how many times she had crossed between worlds. It was chaotic, disorienting, blinding, and overloaded just about all of one’s senses. It also didn’t make for a very happy landing. This time, when Sunset Shimmer emerged from the portal, she was shot face-first onto the smooth floor and continued to slide several inches before coming to a dead stop. The sight lacked an ounce of dignity or grace as she laid there with her face glued to the floor and her rear end pointed skyward. “…owie” came the muffled groan of the unicorn returned to form. Determined to at least not look as ridiculous as she had when she met Starlight Glimmer, Sunset peeled herself off the tiled floor with an almost audible ‘shlap’ sound as she dizzily propped herself up onto her four new hooves. “Not my best landing, but not my worst landing either,” Sunset said in an attempt to console herself as she shook her head and took in the sight of the room she had arrived in. It was a rather dim and dreary room that wasn’t very well lit by the small windows in the rafters. It was most likely a tower storage area in the castle where the mirror was now kept based on the dark assorted shapes covered in tarps and the vaguely familiar architecture Sunset could make out. “Hello! Is anybod-er, I mean is anyPONY there?” Sunset asked with a raised voice. She hadn’t been expecting a welcoming party, but she had figured there’d be at least one pony here to greet her. Movement in the nearby shadows caught Sunset's attention as a large figure made its way to her. What seemed to be the sound of metal knocking against tile filled the air. The dark and oppressive atmosphere put Sunset more on guard than logic told her she should have been as she struggled to remember any spells that would be useful in a pinch. Eventually, the figure came close enough to take definitive shape, though aside from the small glint of metal regalia they were still cloaked in darkness. What features she could make out however were unmistakable. It was undoubtedly a pony. A very big pony. Easily twice the size of an average mare. It sported an extraordinarily long horn and if Sunset’s suspicions were right, the protrusions by its sides were likely wings. Large as the pony was, its limbs were also extremely lanky and defined. The last immediately notable feature was the enormous mane and tail that seemed to be flowing in some sort of ever-present breeze despite the fact that they were clearly indoors. Any one of those features would be remarkably distinguishing on their own, but there was only one pony Sunset Shimmer knew that possessed all of them. “Princess Celestia? Is that you?!” Sunset called out to the shadow standing just outside of the dim light cast by the room’s windows “I’m afraid not,” Came the even-toned response of the figure. That was certainly NOT the voice of Celestia. Sunset certainly did recognize the voice however, yet everything her eyes told her was pointing to an entirely different pony than the one she had just heard. The figure seemed to finally take pity on her as it took several steps forward into the light revealing itself in full to the fire maned unicorn staring in utter disbelief at what was before her. “Welcome to Equestria Sunset Shimmer. I've been waiting for you,” Said the towering lavender alicorn in the most regal tone Sunset had ever heard the voice she was hearing take. “…TWILIGHT!?” Author's Note First off, I'd like to thank everyone who read, followed, and favorited this story. Even my most optimistic expectations didn't match the positive reception the first chapter received. It's not every day your first story makes the featured page and garners over 100 upvotes. I sincerely hope I can keep it up, and please don't forget to give me feedback. It helps a lot. Now, I learned while writing this chapter that balancing interaction and dialog between 7 different characters at once is HARD. I'm not as comfortable with the dialog and mannerisms of the rest of the mane 6 as I am with our two main characters, so please let me know what you think of my writing for them so far. I guarantee you this will not be the last we see of them. Next chapter we'll finally be seeing a lot more of our favorite purple pony, so stay tuned.
Chapter 2: New Old FriendSunset Shimmer had always been on the short side compared to other mares. By no means was she comically small, but she had usually been shorter than nearly everypony in the room. It was something of a sore topic for the amber filly back during her days at Celestia’s school, when her ego had been far larger than any body could reasonably contain, only made more apparent by how she spent much of her time hanging around the largest pony in Equestria. Sunset believed the proper term for describing her attitude in the human world was a, “Napoleon complex.” Spending so many years in her more vertically gifted human form, in a world that allowed her to artificially extend her height even further with a nice pair of heeled boots or platform shoes, had long since made the small unicorn forget that particular insecurity. Now, as a changed pony, Sunset would have liked to say that she no longer had any issues regarding her size. However, the sheer towering figure of the lavender alicorn standing before her combined with the amber mare’s own lack of stature made the height difference between the two of them, in Sunset’s personal opinion,…absolutely ridiculous Sunset was brought out of her wide-eyed stare by the sound of muffled laughter emanating from the pony holding her captive gaze. “I can see you might need a moment. I guess I never mentioned the little growth spurt I had after taking the throne.” Twilight mused with barely suppressed laughter The alicorn’s words were enough to finally shake Sunset out of her silence as she violently pointed a hoof in Twilight’s direction. “Little growth spurt!? Twilight, you’re HUGE!” Sunset exclaimed before pulling her foreleg back to cover her mouth recognizing how what she had just said could very easily offend any mare. Fortunately, Twilight seemed to take no offense to the unicorn’s unintended sleight and instead let out another good-natured chuckle. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Sunset,” Twilight said in earnest before kneeling down to wrap her old friend in an embrace. To her credit, Sunset only took a few seconds to shake off the shock before she wrapped her own forelegs around Twilight’s neck to return the hug. “It’s great to see you too Twi.” They stayed in that position for a few minutes before Sunset decided that this friendly hug was going a bit long. “Hey, Twilight. You can let me go now.” “OH! Sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve seen you,” Twilight explained as she released her unicorn friend sporting an embarrassed blush on her face. “You…haven’t changed a bit.” For the first time since coming back to this world, Sunset took a moment to look herself over and quickly concluded that Twilight was right. She looked, as far as she could tell, exactly as she had the last time she had been on this side of the mirror. Admittedly, Sunset wasn’t entirely sure what to expect given the mirror’s strange habit of de-aging ponies traveling through the portal, but it seemed that her age as a human and as a pony finally matched up. Neat. Now, before she got into anything over here, Sunset decided it would be best to take stock of her current situation and clear up where exactly she stood in Equestria these days. “Sooo, exactly how long have I been gone?” Sunset asked the monarch before her. Twilight’s grimace at the question did not give her a good feeling about the answer she was about to receive. “What…exactly do you mean?” Twilight tentatively responded. “She’s stalling,” Sunset internally noted. “I must have been gone even longer than I thought.” Rather than point it out, Sunset decided to play along and further elaborate on what she wanted to know. “I mean, how much time has passed in Equestria since I was last here. I know that due to the temporal distortion between the dimensional planes more time has passed here than in the human world, but I haven’t had the time or tools I’d need to calculate the exact ratio between this world and theirs.” “Yeah, that’s what I thought you meant,” Twilight responded with the weak chuckle only somepony preparing for things to go sideways gave. Sunset decided to be merciful and ease the large alicorn’s obvious discomfort, “Listen Twi, I want you to give it to me straight. I’m a big pony, mentally I mean, and I can take whatever answer you dish out. How long’s it been? Thirty years? Forty even?” Sunset’s words had the opposite of the desired effect and only seemed to increase the lavender mare’s discomfort as she struggled to maintain eye contact with the out of touch unicorn before her. “Sunset, there are some…things…I have to tell you before I answer your question. It’s not really a big deal so I’m asking you not to freak out, but it might come as a biiit of a shock.” It seemed merely inheriting Celestia’s throne and stature did not immediately afford somepony the iron control of one’s nerves the sun princess was famous for. If anything, the large princess was beginning to look a LOT more like her old self as she clearly struggled with the message, she wanted to convey. “It’s okay Twilight. I promise that I won’t freak out,” Sunset vowed with a raised hoof both to hurry things along and help out her struggling friend. This seemed to finally put the lavender mare at ease enough to continue after putting a hoof to her chest and taking a deep breath. “Well, as you know, the mirror was created by Starswirl the Bearded as a gateway to worlds beyond our own. The mirror was designed to operate on a schedule that took advantage of a natural phenomenon that opened a portal between our world and the human world. That is until I created a machine that allowed the mirror to tear open a portal between the two worlds at any given time in order to aid you against the Sirens. It turns out that bending the rules of reality in such a way resulted in some…unintended consequences.” Twilight paused her explanation to give her audience a chance to absorb this information and continued when the amber unicorn prompted her with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t even realize it at first because the process was gradual, but time seemed to slow down in your world based upon your journal entries. Eventually, it got to the point where several years had passed in Equestria before you had even finished your last year of high school.” The full picture seemed to be sinking in for Sunset at this point whose face had taken on a neutral expression and in an even tone she stated, “So you’re saying that your portal machine further desynced the flows of time between the two worlds?” Twilight took a silent gulp before continuing, “Yes. I did some more research on the mirror after I noticed these anomalies and confirmed that the unnatural openings of the portals had thrown off the balance between the two worlds. The barrier eventually compensated for the additional portals and re-stabilized, but not before permanently shifting the ratio between time in Equestria and the human world.” “How much?” Sunset asked, tone still carefully neutral. The ruling princess of Equestria decided that it would be best not to drag this out any further and gave Sunset the answer she was looking for. “One year in the human world…is now equivalent to ten years in Equestria.” Sunset did the math in her head the second Twilight finished her sentence. “YOU MEAN I’VE BEEN GONE FOR OVER EIGHTY YEARS!?” Anyone watching the display would have likely found the sight of the princess of the entire realm cowering from a pony barely half her size rather hysterical. “You said you wouldn’t freak out!” Twilight yelled in a panic as she backed away from the fuming fireball before her. “Well, I lied!” Sunset screamed as she advanced on the retreating princess. “How am I only finding out about this now!?” The Lavender alicorn stopped her retreat beside a stone pillar she could take cover behind on the small chance Sunset’s temper went beyond heated words. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know exactly what was happening until after my coronation and your graduation.” Twilight explained in hopes of at least making her friend understand. “But you must have suspected SOMETHING before then!” Sunset countered clearly not deterred by the justification. “Apparently, you’ve had all the time in the world to turn this whole thing over!” The need to retreat behind the pillar was starting to seem like a much more likely possibility than previously thought as Sunset didn’t stop her advance. “Ok, so I did suspect something wasn’t right, but it just didn’t seem important at the time.” This was undoubtedly the wrong thing to say as Sunset’s temper reignited in full force. “Not important? NOT IMPORTANT!? How is it not important for me to know that while I’m fooling around in school all of Equestria is passing me by!?” Sunset yelled at the alicorn who had finally given in to the temptation to shy away behind the stone column. Knowing she had to make this right somehow Twilight did the only thing she could think of. She told the truth. “You’re right! I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t think you would ever come back to Equestria until you told me you weren’t satisfied in the human world. I didn’t want you to worry about something you couldn’t control while you were out there, living your life, so I never told you. I just wanted you to be happy!” This last earnest declaration managed to finally cut through Sunset’s rage and cooled her into a much more sedated state of burning irritation. With a long-suffering sigh, the amber unicorn ceased her march and instead fell back into a seated position. Noting the distinct lack of anything blowing up around her, Twilight tentatively poked her head around the pillar only to catch sight of a rather dejected amber unicorn sitting down and staring intently at the floor. Any fear for her own safety was quickly pushed aside as Twilight stepped out from behind her hiding place determined to provide her friend with whatever comfort she could. Slowly but resolutely Twilight Sparkle walked over and sat beside the mare who seemed lost in her thoughts at the moment. After a few more moments of consideration, Twilight extended her wing and carefully wrapped it around Sunset, holding her as the two sat in the dim light and silence of the storage room. After several minutes went by Twilight began to wonder if she should say something but she wasn’t sure if speaking now would help or set the unicorn off again. As if sensing her worried thoughts, Sunset answered the unspoken question for her, “Don’t worry. I think I've gotten the worst of it out of my system already. I’m not planning on doing anything treasonous at the moment.” “Well, that’s a relief.” Twilight laughed. "For a second there, I thought you might actually catch fire." Just like that, the tension melted away as the two mares laughed at the absurdity of the whole scene. The late evening found the pair sitting in one of the palace gardens enjoying a rather subdued tea party. Or at least, Twilight was enjoying a tea party. Sunset on the otherhoof seemed far more concerned with how many teacups she could juggle in her magic now that she had been reintroduced to her horn. “You having fun there?” Twilight asked her dining partner with an amused expression. Sunset at least had the decency to look abashed as she placed the majority of the royal china back onto the cart they came in on. “Sorry, it’s just been a while since I’ve been able to use my own magic. It’s like I’ve been missing a part of myself.” “I understand. Fingers are no substitute for a horn” Twilight responded while telekinetically taking a sip from her cup as if to make her point. “Eh, they’re not so bad once you get used to them,” Sunset shrugged. “It definitely got on my nerves when I’d think about something and it didn’t instantly happen though.” After a shared laugh, Sunset decided it was time to talk business as she leaned forward and laid her forelegs on the table. “So, tell me, your majesty, what exactly does, ‘Royal lab assistant’ entail? You were a bit scarce on the details earlier.” “So…Should I take that to mean you’re still interested in the position?” Twilight remarked as she set her own cup down onto the table. Sunset wondered if she was simply imagining the hopeful desperation that flickered in the alicorn’s eyes. “I went through a lot of trouble to get here princess. I think I should at least give this a chance,” Came Sunset’s resolute reply. “Well, as a teacher and scholar of magic I tend to do a lot of complex lab work in addition to my other duties. I need somepony who can help me with the types of experiments and research I do. You know, an assistant,” Twilight offhandedly clarified. “You don’t already have an assistant?” Sunset asked out of curiosity. Surely the ruler of Equestria for what had apparently been several decades would have no shortage of willing hooves. “I’m afraid not,” Twilight confirmed while shaking her head. “The type of work I generally get up to is very advanced, and there just aren’t a lot of unicorns with special talents in magic that can also keep up with an alicorn. Ever since my last student left Canterlot some time ago, I’ve had to make do on my own.” “Well, I’m flattered Twilight,” Sunset said, and she meant it. To be considered worthy of such an advanced position, even after all her time away, was humbling, but she couldn’t claim to be as confident in her abilities as she once was. “I just don’t know if I’m ready for all that. I’ve been out of the game for a while.” The alicorn reached over the table and placed her hoof over Sunset's own. “That’s okay Sunset. I’ll help you. We’ll have you doing magic better than ever in no time.” The gentle action stirred up the well of different feelings Sunset always seemed to get when Twilight was involved. Rather than linger on the what and why she pushed forward with her next few questions. “So, what about independent research? No offense Twi, but I’d like to perform my own experiments at some point if I’m going to be staying here.” The princess smiled at this, “You’ll have full access to the castle’s labs and resources as my assistant. What you do with them on your own time is your decision Sunset.” “So, you’re saying I pretty much have free reign whenever you don’t need me? That’s some employee benefit you’re offering me. There’s a lot of trust involved in that.” Sunset stated with a flick of her hoof. Even as Princess Celestia’s personal student, she was never given such freedom. Especially considering that she was banished from the castle specifically because she was researching materials she was not permitted to have. “What can I say? I trust you,” Twilight offered with a shrug in place of an explanation. “Besides, I’m actually pretty curious to see what sort of research you’ll get up to once you get back into the swing of things. Who knows, maybe I could be your assistant every now and then.” All things considered, it was a very generous offer. Then again, Sunset knew Twilight to be a very generous pony. Sunset couldn’t help but notice the strange dichotomy in the pony before her. It was like she was both the exact same and completely different at the same time. All the qualities that made Twilight worthy of the title bestowed upon her were still in place, but they were all tangled up in the form of this new regal and proper ruler. Twilight Sparkle was many things, but poised and graceful would have been some of the last words Sunset would have used to describe her. Yet here she sat, the mirror image of Celestia herself, the very picture of an experienced and composed ruler. “Your majesty,” interrupted one of the palace attendants in a refined accent. “Forgive me for intruding, but I believe the sun was due to set nearly a half-hour ago.” Twilight’s eyes widened so fast Sunset was surprised they didn’t pop right out of her head. “GAH! I LOST TRACK OF TIME!” the alicorn shouted loud enough for the majority of the garden to hear. Well, she was composed most of the time these days anyway. This time it was Sunset’s turn to do the comforting as she left her seat and made to place a supportive hoof on her friend’s back. “breathe Twilight,” encouraged the unicorn as the lavender princess proceeded to start heaving. “I’m fine, I’m TOTALLY fine, don’t worry,” choked out the alicorn once her short panic subsided. “Well, since you’re here, would you care to accompany me as I lower the sun and raise the moon?” offered the now, once again, perfectly composed princess. Sunset performed a mock bow in response. “I would be honored to join you, your highness.” Twilight couldn’t quite suppress the roll of her eyes as she used her horn to prepare a teleportation spell for both of them. “Hold on Twi, I think I’ve got this” declared Sunset with a raised hoof as her own horn started glowing. Then, with a red and magenta flash accompanied by a brief pop, both ponies were gone. Less than a second later a flash of magenta light on the tower balcony signaled the arrival of the majestic alicorn ruler of Equestria. This was followed by a flash of red that roughly deposited the small unicorn body of one Sunset Shimmer, who found herself making out with the floor for the second time that day. “Not…One…Word,” growled out the frazzled unicorn who to her credit did make the entire trip under her own power after several years without practice. This remarkable achievement did nothing to stifle the giggles of her royal companion who turned to face the sunlit sky. Sunset had barely gotten back onto her hooves before the sun began to descend, guided by the glowing horn of Twilight Sparkle. Sunset had seen Celestia lower the sun and raise the moon many times throughout her foalhood, and each time it was one of the most majestic sights she had ever seen. Seeing Twilight perform the same act was…different somehow. When Celestia had lowered the sun and raised the moon her eyes were always focused on the movements of the celestial bodies as they danced across the sky. Now, Sunset’s eyes were focused on Twilight as the lowering sun and rising moon illuminated her new figure in a dazzling light that made her look every bit the part of a divine being. It was utterly breathtaking. “That was beautiful, Twilight,” Sunset uttered in her now trance-like state. This prompted Twilight to face her with a small but genuine smile on her face. “Really? I figured you’d have seen this a hundred times before.” This seemed to snap the young mare back to reality. “O-Oh! Uhm...right! It’s just, y'know been a while and all.” Sunset stuttered out while wondering why she was tripping over herself to begin with. Preferring to take her mind off these things at the moment, the amber unicorn decided to make small talk. “So, it’s just you raising the sun and moon all by yourself these days, huh?” Right after the words left her mouth, Twilight’s demeanor took on a sudden shift. Several emotions Sunset had never seen before on the lavender pony made themselves at home. Whereas before Twilight could have easily passed for a goddess, now she suddenly looked almost weary. Her towering figure sagged ever so slightly, her eyes cast downward, and her voice took on an edge that sounded more worn out than it had been previously as she answered, “Yeah…it’s just me.” Whatever Sunset had done to bring about this sudden change in countenance she was desperate to undo. “Well, now that the moon’s up, how about you show me to where I’ll be staying?” she prompted hoping the task would pull Twilight out of this stupor. “…Of course. I’d be happy too. Just follow me.” Twilight instructed in a voice that was no longer melancholy but still sounded older than before. As she followed behind her friend, Sunset wondered what brought on such a shift in the princess. She could only imagine what could cause an immortal alicorn to suddenly look so very…tired. “And this is the private wing of the castle, where me and my guests sleep. You can spend the night here and I'll give you a full tour of the castle tomorrow.” Twilight finished as the pair of equines entered the hall containing the castle’s most secluded bedchambers. “Thanks, Twi, but you really don’t need to give me a tour. I used to live here, remember?” Sunset pointed out now that Twilight had finally come to a stop. “Oh, um…well, it’s just been a while since you’ve been here, and I figured…you see the castle’s been remodeled a few times since…” “At ease, your highness,” Sunset chuckled, feeling merciful enough to spare Twilight the trouble of working herself up over nothing. Thankfully, whatever had come over her on the tower balcony had faded and Twilight was back to being her usual self. If anything, she was acting even more like herself than she had been when they had first reunited. Sunset found herself thinking how nice it was, being able to spend time together again. “Besides, it’s like you said. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so it might be good to get a refresher on a few parts of the place. Although, is it just me, or does a lot of the castle look newer than I remember? I noticed a few new towers, but even the ones I remember look different.” Sunset remarked as she pondered how a castle several centuries-old could manage to look younger after several decades. “Well, it’s a funny story actually. You see, a while back some of the castle might have been…absolutely destroyed. Did I forget to mention that?” Twilight said with a sheepish smile on her face. “No, I don’t think it ever came up,” Sunset responded with a deadpan look on her face. “Exactly, how much of the castle was destroyed while I was gone?” Sunset asked with a quirked eyebrow. “Oh, not much, if I had to guess I’d say about…half. “Half!?” “Actually, now that I think about it, it might have been closer to three fourths.” “You managed to knock over most of the castle?” Sunset gawked at the information that her childhood home had for the most part been dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up. “Of course not, it wasn’t ME!” Twilight quickly defended. “It was a group of villains who were trying to destroy me,” Twilight explained as though the clarification was crucial. “Ok, I guess I’ll be needing that tour of the castle after all.” Sunset got out, though still processing how even the most timeless structure in Equestria had changed while she was away. If not even the castle of Canterlot was the same anymore, how much had the rest of Equestria changed? “Sunset, are you alright?” Twilight asked noticing her friend’s now distant behavior. “I-I’m fine Twilight, could you take me to my room now. I think I’m ready to turn in.” Sunset answered. Twilight wordlessly trotted over to the end of the hall with Sunset in tow and gestured to an ornate door. “Here we are. Just let me know if you need anything at all. My room is behind the large door in the center of the hall if you ever need me. You can’t miss it.” “Thanks, Twilight, I think this will be fine,” Sunset said, still slightly disconnected from the world around her. “Alright then, goodnight Sunset, I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Goodnight Twi.” Twilight began to depart in order to give her friend some privacy, but just before she left, she turned her head to face the unicorn behind her. “And Sunset, I’m glad you’re here.” As Twilight made her way out of the hall, Sunset couldn’t help but wonder what to make of Twilight now. Just like the rest of Equestria, there was so much about her she no longer knew. So familiar, but also so different. It was beginning to make her head hurt. Once Sunset managed to collect herself, she used her magic to open the door before her and was greeted with a sight she had not witnessed in a long time. Her living conditions had never been glamorous in the human world. Living by herself and surviving off her wits and whatever money she managed to earn from her various part-time jobs often meant that her standard of living was rarely above a single room apartment with some cheap furniture thrown in. What was before her now was undeniably lavish. The room was pristine and tastefully decorated. There was a door off to the side that likely contained the private bathroom, plenty of storage shelves for whatever books and trinkets she might wish to adorn her room with, and a study area for paper and book work. Nice as the overall area was, however, none of it mattered compared to the centerpiece of the room. A royal queen-sized bed positioned in the center of the back wall, decorated in the silkiest sheets and most lavish pillows Sunset had seen in ages. As if she didn’t have a moment to lose Sunset placed her saddlebag onto the floor, locked the door behind her, and hopped onto the waiting mattress. Had she been born a Pegasus, she imagined that this would have been what if felt like to lay upon a cloud. Everything was different now. Sunset knew that. She knew that eventually, she’d have to deal with exactly what that meant for her, her life, and her relationship with everyone and everypony she knew, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy a night on a bed that didn’t give her back pain. Author's Note And so here we are at the moment I'm sure a lot of people have been waiting for. Plenty of readers no doubt guessed where this was heading. I give you, Sunset Shimmer in the future! The concept came to me LONG before the specifics, so the actual mechanics of the mirror were easily the hardest thing to wrestle with so far, and to be honest likely will continue to be so. It's never really been dealt with in the show proper and likely never will be. Still, I had an idea for what I wanted to happen, where I wanted most of the characters to be, and what I wanted to do after. The only thing I didn't have, was an acceptable way to pass time. I couldn't come up with an acceptable time exchange ratio that wouldn't also mean an young adult Sunset left for the human world a while before Twilight was even born which I am 99.9% certain is not what happened. So hey, one day I figured, my story, my rules, PLOT DEVICE time! Twilight's machine she built in 5 minutes to negate half the conflict of the first movie actually had some drawbacks in this story. Figured it would also explain why out of nowhere Twilight starts doing so much while Sunset hasn't even made it through an entire year. It's not something I'll want to do often, but it seemed like the way to make everything move smoothly. tl;dr The story is about to shift into what it promised, next chapter. I hope you're all still enjoying, and if you're not be sure to tell me why either way. I'd hate to write things nobody enjoys. Can't promise I'll listen to all criticism, but I'll definitely consider it.
Chapter 3: Getting SettledAn insistent knocking at the door to her room jolted Sunset awake as the light of the early morning penetrated through the gaps of the curtains futilely trying to block out the light of the newly-risen sun. It was in the hazy half-dead state of, ‘not quite awake, but not quite asleep’ that she most got the wires between pony and human crossed up so in order to avoid yet another embarrassing incident that she would no doubt need to explain to anyone who either saw her roll out of bed on all fours or vainly try to keep herself upright on two hind legs. “Let’s see, can’t feel my fingers or toes, pointy thing coming out of my head, and I’m currently sleeping in a much nicer bed than I could ever afford,” Sunset mentally checked off. “Pony it is.” Ordinarily, Sunset would have considered simply ignoring the headache-inducing knocking and going back to her cloud-like royal bed, but the unicorn already had a strong feeling about who it was. It was likely in her best interest not to snub royalty just yet. “Keep your crown on, I’m coming!” came the half-shouted half growled affirmation that the mare was in fact getting out of bed. On the bright side, the knocking had finally stopped, though it did little to raise Sunset’s spirits as she trudged over to open the door. She was, as expected, greeted by a positively radiant Princess Twilight Sparkle complete with a winning smile that lived up to her last name. “Goooood morning, Sunset!” the princess practically sang. Apparently, Twilight was a morning pony now. Which made sense, given how the morning existed due to her, not that such a fact did anything for the amber pony’s less than excited mood. “…Blegh” spat the incredibly frazzled unicorn who was currently sporting bags under her eyes and a bird’s nest for a mane. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Apologized Twilight as she took in the sight of her disheveled friend. “Do you need a moment to freshen up?” Sunset took a moment to process the offer. “No,” came the curt reply as she strolled past Twilight into the castle hall without even bothering to fix her bed head. With a shrug, the princess rounded around to catch up. “I figured with that cutie mark of yours, you’d be a bit more of an early riser,” Twilight idly commented once she had caught up. “The name’s Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, not Sunrise,” the still agitated unicorn quipped as she padded down the hall, only growing more agitated when she realized she had to work overtime to keep up with Twilight’s stride. Internally she wondered if she’d ever get over the massive size increase. “What’s with the early wake-up call anyway princess? You must have only just raised the sun a few minutes ago.” “Well you see, I had to put a few things off due to your arrival yesterday, so I’m going to be extra busy today. I figured that if we got an early start we could squeeze in some breakfast and a little magic training. Just to bring you back to speed.” Explained Twilight. The thoughtfulness of the gesture was not lost on Sunset and she found her morning irritability quickly abating. “Thanks, Twi. Sorry, if I seemed a bit testy. I’m usually not all there until after breakfast. A frosting free breakfast that is,” Sunset shuddered, remembering a particularly painful morning with Pinkie Pie. Now that her head was a bit clearer, she could take advantage of a spell she had perfected during her early days at Celestia’s School. It proved rather useful in the past given the fire maned unicorn’s penchant for sleeping in. With a brief glow, her mane restored itself from a tangled mess to the more organized wildness she typically sported on a day to day basis. “Gotta say, it’s pretty great to be magic again,” thought the now much more presentable pony. “Teleportation and mane magic? It looks like you’re readjusting to your magic pretty quickly. I might have to make some adjustments to the exercise program I mapped out for us this morning,” Twilight commented, clearly already in the process of making mental altercations to her schedule. “We’ll workshop magic AFTER we get something to eat. I haven’t had Equestrian cuisine in ages,” Sunset said before trotting off in the direction of the castle’s dining area. Twilight had to admit that she never would have believed Sunset could consume her own body weight in pancakes were she not currently witnessing it with her own currently enlarged eyes. The princess just hoped she remembered to chew. “Twilight, whatever you’re paying your chef, it’s not enough,” Sunset managed to get out somewhere between the third and fourth plate she had levitated over to herself. Twilight let out a chuckle at the childlike glee of the grown mare. “I’ll be sure to let Chef Sizzle know you approve.” “Sizzle? That’s a bit strange for a pony name. Oh well, if he makes more food like this who cares what he’s called?” Sunset idly thought as she finished the last of the pancake stacks. “Let me tell you princess, human taste buds and pony taste buds are NOTHING alike. After living off of school lunches and microwaveable meals for ten years or so, these have got to be the second-best pancakes I’ve ever had.” “Only the second best? What’s the first?” Twilight prodded with a quirked brow, her curiosity needing to know the answer if the food she had borderline mauled was only second best. “Well, back when I was a filly, Princess Celestia used to get up every morning to make breakfast herself. We used to start every morning eating together, just the two of us. Sometimes it was the only time we saw each other, so even though she was always super busy, and I was still half asleep, we still made sure to start the day off together,” Sunset recounted as she lost herself in the nostalgia of pleasant foalhood memories, now years gone. Sunset knew she’d have to confront her mentor eventually while she was here. She promised herself that if she accomplished nothing else in Equestria, she’d at least do that. She wanted just one more day with the pony who was the closest thing she ever had to a mother. Yet, the courage to track the ancient alicorn down currently eluded her for whatever reason. It was just one of the many things she was too much of a coward to face at the moment. Not least of her current issues being the disconnect she had recently learned of between this world and the one she had called home until recently. As of now, Sunset had yet to really talk about what that meant beyond her shouting at Twilight, but she had certainly thought about it. The fact was, she could live a whole life here before her friends on the other side of the mirror even developed gray hairs. It certainly made long term communication with her friends a hassle. Sunset wondered if perhaps she should just call it quits and go back through the mirror. “But then what? I’d just be right back in the same place I started, and if my little panic attack yesterday taught me anything about myself, it’s that I’m not as unaffected by leaving Equestria behind as I thought I was,” Sunset rationalized in her head. It was the truth. Finding out that the Equestria she knew was more than likely almost completely gone was a sobering experience. Sunset considered herself lucky that all her meaningful relationships on this side of the mirror were to ponies who were immortal, but something about missing out on her entire generation left her feeling empty inside. For now, Sunset decided it would be best to take advantage of the one thing she had plenty of on this side of the mirror. Time. Time to figure out exactly what she wanted out of her life. These musings were interrupted by the lavender alicorn sitting across from her. “Well, now that you’ve had your fill, and about four other pony’s fill in addition to that, what do you say we head outside and get a feel for where your magic stands. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just muttered under your breath and say yes. Let’s get our magic on!” Sunset exclaimed with a raised hoof. “Alright, now for the final test, let’s try a growth spell.” “Seriously princess? I thought this was supposed to be a workout?” Sunset said with confidence as she stepped forward and rolled her neck. “Here’s a toned-down variant of a spell I created for one of my mid-terms.” The amber pony proceeded to unleash a controlled blast of magic on a simple daisy poking out of the private garden grounds. The flower began to glow with a stunning magical aura…before quickly fizzling out as the magic was absorbed into the stem, looking no different than it had before. Twilight made her way over to Sunset to console her. Growth magic was an advanced form of magic that relied on serious molecular manipulation for any size increase at all. It wasn’t surprising that it would take a few attempts to succeed. Let alone perform a personalized spell. “It’s alright, Sunset. You just need a lit-“ Twilight began, only to be interrupted by the ground violently shaking. The unsuspecting daisy suddenly erupted out of the ground like a giant beanstalk, twisting its way into the sky. Increasing in length and width as it climbed skyward, the once-simple flower didn’t stop growing until it was large and high enough to block out the sun. When all was said and done, the flower was the size of a small tower. “THAT’S your idea of a toned-down growth spell!?” Twilight shouted at her now all too content with herself companion. “Are you kidding?” Sunset responded with perhaps a touch of self-satisfaction. “The first time I used that spell, I destroyed the exam building and the tower next door.” “That was YOU!?” “Twi, I was doing magic while you were still in diapers. Anytime a building in Canterlot needed to be rebuilt and it wasn’t because of you, it was probably me,” elaborated Sunset who was perhaps a bit too proud of the fact. “HEY! I’ll have you know that I only destroyed the roof. Maybe a few walls, but NEVER an entire building,” Twilight argued by making the totally important distinction. Rather than squabble about who did or did not cause the most property damage in their youth Sunset decided to get her final grade from her impromptu instructor. “So, what do you think? Am I qualified to be your assistant?” “Sunset…" Twilight began, “Your raw magical ability is far beyond almost any non-alicorn I’ve ever seen. I can only think of a hoof-full of unicorns I’ve ever met that were capable of matching your power. I mean, I always knew you were strong, but I guess I never really thought about what that meant until now.” “Well, as much as the old me would have liked to take those compliments and run with them, I have to admit that it probably isn’t all me anymore,” Sunset confessed. To demonstrate her point, she used her magic to take hold of a nearby stone and levitated it over to them. “Have you ever noticed anything peculiar about my magic, Twilight?” Sunset asked as she floated the rock around where the alicorn could see it. Sensing Sunset was getting at something here, Twilight took a careful look at the reddish glow keeping the stone suspended in the air. No matter how long she stared however, she couldn’t see anything that stood out about the magic field compared to any other auras she had seen. “Sorry no, it looks perfectly normal to me.” Expecting that answer, for the most part, Sunset pushed on to what she hoped would make her point clear to the princess. “Alright, I know this was a long time ago, especially for you, but try to think back to when we first met. Think back to the night I stole your crown.” Now especially curious as to what Sunset was getting at by bringing up such old memories Twilight did her best to recall that night. “Let’s see, it was the middle of the night, and I was asleep. I heard a loud noise, and I woke up to see you there, with my crown. Then I chased you. I tried to use my magic to head you off by teleporting in front of you. Then, I think you ran right at me. I stood my ground, but there was a blinding flash of green light…or was it blue? Either way, you teleported just like I did and…WAIT!?” Twilight stopped herself mid-memory and took another hard look at the rock still floating in the air, this time noticing something was definitely off about what she was looking at. “Your magic! It’s red now! It used to be green. Or was it blue? Who cares!? It’s red now! How have I never noticed this!” Twilight began to rant. Sunset noticed that, as the ruler of Equestria, Twilight seemed to have moved past her full out panic attacks, yet she was still rather excitable when confronted with either an unexpected surprise or a chance for study. Just another way the more things change the more they stay the same with this new Twilight. Whatever the case, Sunset was also still a pony that liked to cut to the chase. “I mean, I know I’ve only seen your magic a hoof-full of times, and each of those times involved some sort of catastrophe, but I still think I would hav-mphf! Twilight’s babbling was unceremoniously silenced by a red, magic aura forcing her muzzle shut. Sunset found herself briefly wondering if forcibly silencing the monarch of the entire kingdom constituted some form of treason but rationalized it wouldn’t be the first time she had committed a crime against the state, and knowing Twilight it wouldn’t be the last time such an action was called for. “Yes, Twilight, my magic used to be a different color. Cyan to be specific, the same color as my eyes, but some time after traveling to the human world, it...changed. Now I’m going to let you talk but promise me you’ll be pertinent,” Sunset broke down for her fellow student. Her request was met with little more than a glare, clearly not appreciating being forcefully cut off. Fearing an overnight stay in the dungeon, Sunset decided to release her alicorn friend regardless of whether or not she accepted the terms set before her. “Well, as I was getting to before I was so rudely interrupted, do you have any idea what changed your magic?” Twilight questioned. “I’ve seen a ton of magic phenomenon, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony’s magic completely altered before.” “I don’t know what caused it exactly, but I do have some theories I’ve been dying to test out. I’ve never seen or heard of this happening before either and I was never able to explore why it happened or what it meant in the human world,” Sunset rattled off growing more excited by the second. The exercises she had performed this morning with Twilight had left her feeling more alive than she had in years, and now she already had a magical mystery to personally unravel two days into Equestria. She had forgotten exactly how much she loved what she used to do. It was like her entire world had a direction again, even if only briefly. Either Sunset’s enthusiasm was infecting the lavender mare by her side or she was becoming just as invested in the prospect of such untouched research as her friend. Both were likely possibilities given who it was. Regardless, Twilight was becoming positively giddy. “Sunset, we have to record this! Maybe we can narrow down the possible causes of this change. Do you remember when the first time you realized your magic had changed was?” Twilight finished this question by practically putting herself muzzle to muzzle with Sunset, which served to once again highlight just how much bigger Twilight was than her now. Sunset could feel her face heating up from the sudden invasion of her personal space and took a few steps back. Once she had regained her focus the answer to Twilight’s logical question came fairly easily. It was only briefly, and she had been much too focused on other things and excited to even have her magic back at all to properly give it attention, but it was impossible to forget the interactions she had on that day. “Yeah! It was when I came back to Equestria to get a replacement journal from you. I met your friendship student that day. Her name was Starlight Glimmer, wasn’t it?” The result of her question was instantaneous. Every ounce of excitement and enthusiasm Twilight Sparkle had been practically bursting with drained out of her in a matter of seconds. Her excited smile fell clean off her face and her eyes lost the sparkle they usually contained. “Yeah…yeah, it was,” Twilight answered like somepony who was currently a million miles away. “...Excuse me Sunset, but I need to go take care of some things right now. I’ll see you later,” Twilight finished as she turned away and spread her wings. Sunset panicked at the sudden change in tone “W-Wait a moment, Twilight, I-“ “We’ll talk later Sunset, I have to go.” As soon as the words left her mouth the princess pushed herself into the air and was gone, leaving a confused and distressed Sunset Shimmer in her wake. Sunset could only watch the alicorn fly off into the horizon until she lost sight of her. This was the second time she had seen Twilight undergo a complete change out of the blue. The change was short-lived and subtle enough yesterday that Sunset could almost convince herself she had simply imagined it, but even the most emotionally deaf pony in the world couldn’t ignore what had just happened. One moment the princess had been practically bouncing and the next she had looked completely lost. Then she flew off, with barely an excuse. “Something’s not right,” Sunset muttered to herself as she walked her way out of the garden. Sunset found herself aimlessly wandering the castle halls later that day. Before now, she had been kept to the more private areas of the palace, and she suspected Twilight had intentionally kept the staff’s presence light upon her return. With Twilight running off before they had actually set any terms for her position at the castle, Sunset found herself with little else to do than see how her old home had changed over the decades. The answer was like a lot of things so far, not a lot and completely at the exact same time. The general structure of the building seemed to have been preserved during reconstruction, making finding her way around easier than she had originally feared. She had taken the time pay a visit to the Chef mentioned this morning in order to offer her gratitude and was surprised by it being not a pony heading the castle diet these days, but a dragon. It certainly explained the name. It didn’t stop there however, for it seemed that the entire castle had undergone a change in management. Back during her youth, the castle had been exclusively occupied by various types of ponies. There were still quite a few ponies working here, such as the attendants that kept track of Twilight’s duties, but there were also just as many other species doing equal amounts of work around the castle. Ever since she had taken the time to actually look around the busier parts of the castle, she had seen griffons, yaks, dragons, creatures that were apparently an evolved form of changeling, hippogriffs, and one or two strange ponylike creatures called kirin. It was apparent that the castle had greatly diversified in her time away. Was all of Canterlot like this now? All of Equestria even? Sunset was by no means ever the kind of pony to discriminate against other species as she had known some ponies, particularly the upper class and high standing nobles, to do. No, back in her formative years all creatures had been equally below her, regardless of their race, and now she had long since realized that all that really mattered was how a creature looked on the inside. Equestria becoming more accepting of others wasn’t bad by any means. If anything, it seemed to indicate a great era of peace was upon them. The culture shock was simply getting to Sunset again. Everywhere she looked seemed to be a reminder of all she had missed. A reminder of all she could have been a part of but wasn’t. Still, Sunset thought as she entered a great hall, one she had walked through countless times as a foal, that it was perhaps a blessing in disguise. Sunset had never imagined she’d be welcomed in the castle again after her banishment, let alone living here again, but now it was like she had a fresh start. The walls and towers may not have been exactly as she remembered, but the creatures within them had also never heard the tale of Celestia’s little brat, who once terrorized Canterlot with her bad attitude and immense power. If she wanted, this could be the chance for a new start. She could make a new legacy in this castle, maybe in all Equestria, in a world where no one yet knew the name- “Sunset Shimmer!” Sunset rounded around to face whoever it was that somehow knew who she was. She barely had time to look up before she was scooped into the arms of some sort of hulking dragon. “Oh man, it really is you! Twilight said you’d be here, but I didn’t expect to just walk into you once I got back to Canterlot.” Whoever it was that was currently pleased to see her clearly didn’t know his own strength as his broad arms strangled the air right out of Sunset’s lungs. “I still can’t believe you’re even here! It’s great to see a familiar face these days. Or well, the pony version of a familiar face. Not that I don’t know what you look like as a pony, but I’m just a bit more used to your other look is all.” Every second the dragon rambled about their supposed history brought Sunset closer to asphyxiation. Fortunately, as a close friend of Pinkie Pie’s Sunset had plenty of experience with ‘Death by hug’. Still, unnaturally strong as Pinkie was, she didn’t quite possess Dragon muscle so Sunset figured the sooner she ended the embrace the better. “C-Can’t…breath. Talk…after…let…go,” Sunset choked out. Experience had taught her that short incomplete sentences were wiser when air was in short supply. Survival first, grammar later. “Oh! sorry about that. I was just excited to see you is all,” remarked the dragon who finally released his hold. Unfortunately for Sunset, this hugging beast didn’t feel compelled to completely release the mare just yet, and instead of putting her down, he merely readjusted his grip on her to one she had seen Rarity use when she was cooing at her pet cat. Being dangled off the ground by her underarms didn’t do Sunset’s dignity any favors, but it did at least give her a much clearer look at the face of her assailant now that she was being held eye level with him. He was roughly as tall as Twilight and his face was remarkably chiseled, but there certainly was something undeniably familiar about this dragon. But she didn’t even know any dragons aside from… “…Spike?” Sunset tentatively called out, halfway not believing her own guess. The now fully-grown drake responded with a half-smile and a restrained chuckle, “Yep, that’s what they call me.” Sunset didn’t think anything could shock her more than Twilight’s sudden turn from book horse to a goddess, but at least Twilight had pretty much always been noticeably taller than her before it got ridiculous. Spike had been a baby dragon when they’d met. Granted the only time she got a good look at him in that form was during the whole Spring Break debacle, but he was very clearly no larger than a foal. Then on the other side of the mirror, he was just a pup. He could fit into a backpack for Pete’s sake. She had held him in her arms. Now he was practically handling her like a doll. “This is so unfair,” Sunset made her frustrations known to the dragon. “Uhm, what?” Spike asked in understandable confusion expecting a different reaction to their first meeting in years. “I mean, I get that I’ve been gone a while, so I understand things are going to change. I could understand with Twilight because all that height is probably necessary for running things. I could get over all the huge new creatures roaming around the palace. But YOU Spike? Why is EVERYTHING so much bigger than me now!?” Sunset punctuated her rant with a futile kick of her hind legs that only served to make her sway back and forth in Spike’s grip. Just when Sunset didn’t believe she could feel any smaller, Spike burst into a full-on guffaw clearly finding her crisis hysterical. “HAHAHAHA! Oh man, Sunset. You haven’t changed a bit.” “Yeah yeah, laugh it up, dragon boy. Now put me down before I turn you into a house plant.” Spike thankfully did as requested and finally set the amber pony back on her own hooves, though to Sunset’s disdain it seemed to be more to wipe the tears of mirth from his eye than a reaction to the threat she had made. “It really is good to see you,” Spike said after he had finally gotten a handle on himself. It was a shame everypony Sunset knew was so genuine. It made holding her temper next to impossible no matter how justified she felt in her offense. “It’s good to see you too Spike. Just…go easy the next time you decide to hug me, alright?” The two of them fell into step with each other soon after, taking the walk as an opportunity to catch up. “So, friendship ambassador and royal advisor, huh? Must be a full-time job,” Sunset began while not shifting her eyes from what was in front of her. Spike rubbed the back of his head, somehow still not used to all those lofty titles being thrown around. “Oh, Twilight told you about all that, did she?” “Are you kidding?” Sunset started while turning to look at the hulking dragon walking beside her. “I know things about you that would make you want to curl up in a corner and die. Any chance Twilight got, she filled our journal with the escapades of her favorite assistant. Your favorite kind of gem, how much ice cream you managed to sneak out of the freezer, the stuffed animals you keep, how excited you got over a new comic book, and my personal favorite, Spike’s baby adventures. Twilight talks about you like a proud mom and an overbearing sister rolled into one. Honestly, it’s adorable.” Spike, unfortunately, wasn’t seeing the cute side of things and instead wanted to find himself a nice quiet corner to do exactly what Sunset said. Fortunately, he was far from defenseless if this was the game the unicorn wanted to play. “Oh, and I don’t suppose you actually think everything that you write in that journal stays there? You should know that as Twilight’s number one assistant, I got a front-row seat to all your little heart to hearts. Isn’t that right ‘Celestia’s little sunspot’?” Sunset’s face did an incredible imitation of her hair color as she quickly diverted her gaze elsewhere. “Touché Spike, touché.” “So, are you around the castle often?” Sunset decided to pry, curious to know just how much she’d be seeing of the dragon. “It honestly depends. Friendship problems aren’t things that have any sort of schedule so sometimes I’m around for a few months at a time and other times I’ll be away for just as long. Plus I’ve made a lot of friends around Equestria I need to go and visit every so often. I try my best, but, really, I don’t think I’m around as often as I’d like to be,” Spike explained. The subtle somber note at the end was not lost on Sunset. If anything, it seemed to be a running theme in this new Equestria. Still, it would be nice having a somewhat familiar friendly face around every once and awhile. “So, I take it you’re back from some Friendship ambassador business? Anything interesting come up?” Sunset prompted to continue the conversation. “Ah, not really. Once you’ve been around the block enough you actually find yourself reteaching the same friendship lessons. It’s still nice to help, but it gets a little predictable,” Spike answered before taking the reins of the conversation. “I was actually on my way to see Twilight. Court should be over by now, so we were going to have dinner together. I’m sure she’d want you to join us.” “I don’t know Spike. I think I messed up earlier. Maybe I should give her some space right now?” Sunset admitted. Spike’s tone once again shifted to a more somber inflection as he looked down at the pony walking beside him. “Trust me Sunset. The very last thing Twilight needs right now is space.” Whatever few doubts Sunset had that there was something going on she wasn’t privy to were quashed right there. It seemed Spike was all too aware of whatever it was that was bothering Twilight. Perhaps she could get what exactly out of him later. Now though, it was clear Twilight needed her. “Alright, Spike, lead the way then.” “It would be my pleasure,” his voice now back to the friendly chipper inflection that suited him. “Just so you know, Twilight was really happy you decided to come here. I haven’t seen her so excited in…years really.” This was a new change in mood Sunset had yet to experience since returning. This was tinged in a new emotion other than sadness. His voice now sounded, hopeful perhaps. Sunset knew she really needed to get to the bottom of all this now, but not before she allowed herself to enjoy a nice meal with some old friends. For now, the pair made their way to their waiting ruler content to enjoy each other’s peaceful company. “…So how long until we get there exactly?” “What? Those small legs of yours getting tired already?” “Oh, zip it. I’m seriously starting to consider the plant idea.” “Would you be less grumpy if I carried you? You’re pretty light really.” “I mean it, Spike. I remember the spell. I’d find you a nice windowsill and nopony would ever know.” The private dining room was surprisingly spartan, at least when compared to the rest of the castle. In contrast to the dining room she had eaten breakfast in that morning, the room Spike led her to was no bigger than an average house, and the center of the room contained a small round dining table akin to the ones used by small families. This was in stark contrast to the rectangular tables found throughout the castle, each capable of seating at least a moderately sized party. Everything about the dining room setup indicated that it was a place meant for Twilight and those close to her. Somewhere to escape the grandiose pomp of everyday royal life and be close to those around you. It was a place for friends. Princess Twilight Sparkle was already seated at the table when the two arrived, clearly awaiting somepony. Sunset noted that it was the first time she had seen Twilight without her crown on since coming back through the mirror. Perhaps it was simply nostalgia, but Sunset found herself thinking she preferred the lavender pony without it. “Spike! It’s good to see you,” Twilight said the instant she caught sight of the purple dragon as she quickly rose from her chair to embrace him. “It’s good to see you too, Twi,” Spike returned while wrapping his arms around her in a firm but gentle hug. “You’ll never believe who I ran into on my way here.” Twilight caught sight of the small amber unicorn hiding just out of view while looking over Spike’s shoulder. The earlier confidence Sunset had felt on her way here was gradually wearing down as the doubts from earlier reasserted themselves. Taking in the sight of the cozy room and touching moment between the two who were clearly family in all but blood left her feeling like more of an intruder than a guest. Twilight’s eyes flashed with surprise at her presence before settling into a welcoming smile. “Sunset, you’re here already. I was just about to send one of the guards to fetch you.” Knowing her presence was not only welcomed but planned did wonders for stilling Sunset’s nerves as she returned a smile of her own. “Well, Spike and I just sort of bumped into each other, so we thought we’d come see you together.” “In any case, I’m glad you’re both here. Come on, take a seat” Twilight gestured as she returned to her place at the table. Twilight seemed to have once again returned to her usual state since the last time Sunset had seen her. Whatever had happened earlier, she wouldn’t press for details just yet. Still, this would be a good chance to finalize their arrangements. “So, when exactly do I start?” Sunset questioned as she took her seat. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked back. “My job. As your assistant. We never actually got around to setting any terms,” Sunset clarified as a pony wheeled in a cart adorned with tonight’s meal. Clearly remembering her abrupt exit from earlier, Twilight’s face took on a faint blush as she sat up straighter. “Oh right, sorry. It just slipped my mind. I was actually thinking you could start as soon as tomorrow...if that’s alright with you, I mean.” Sunset found bashfulness both didn’t suit Twilight’s new figure in the slightest and was incredibly adorable at once. Just another thing to add to the list of perfect contradictions that was Twilight Sparkle. “That sounds perfect. I’ve been itching to get my hooves dirty.” Twilight’s face took on a relieved expression at Sunset’s enthusiasm. “Great, I usually work in the lab after I’ve finished teaching class at Celestia’s school. I’ll send for you when I'm finished.” “So, you run Celestia’s school now too? She really did give you everything,” Sunset prodded in a teasing manner. “Well, I didn’t have to run the school, but I enjoy it. Ruling Equestria is my duty, but magic is my passion. You understand, right?” “More than you could imagine.” “So, you’re going to be Twilight’s assistant? I didn’t know you were coming here to replace me,” Spike interjected with a false offense. This caused a round of good-natured chuckles to fill the table. “Come on Spike. You know that no matter what happens, you’ll always be my number one assistant.” The rest of the evening was rather peaceful. Sunset couldn’t remember the last time she had dinner with anyone or anypony besides herself. It made her realize just how lonely she had gotten in the human world. Even when her friends had been able to see her regularly, she had spent most nights alone. No one to talk to over a meal or bid her goodnight. Talking, sharing stories, laughing at jokes, all by the gentle candlelight. It was really something special. For the first time, Sunset allowed herself to wonder if she belonged here. Author's Note Not too much to say this time. Just the beginning of Sunset familiarizing herself with Equestria again as well as the people who now live there. Also, Spike is here now. I needed to make good on his character tag. We'll be seeing him a fair bit from now on, so hopefully I've done him justice. Nuance is something I believe a lot of witters struggle with, but I hope I've done a good enough job so far without shoving it in everyone's face. Again, please don't be afraid to give me feedback, even if it's just to slap me about my terrible grammar. I want this to be as enjoyable to read as it is to write. Final small note, there's only going to be one more chapter after this one before updates slow down a bit. I penned the rough draft of the first five chapters before publishing the story which is why I've been able to update every few days. Just wanted to give everyone a fair warning.
Chapter 4: Brave New World“The Modern Magic by Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset read off the cover of the book she had been handed. “It’s one of Equestria’s best sellers,” offered the hippogriff librarian sitting at the front desk as she readjusted her glasses. Sunset figured if she was really going to catch up on several missed decades of magical study, she couldn’t be picky about where the information came from. “Alright, I’ll take it. Check it out with the rest of the books, please.” “My pleasure. It’s so nice to have somegriff take an interest in these old books. Aside from the princess, you’re the only one who ever comes here regularly,” the middle-aged hippogriff responded as she checked out the latest collection of books Sunset Shimmer had decided to read through. Experimentation and observation were Sunset’s preferred methods of learning new magic, but she wasn’t averse to some old-fashioned textbook learning when the situation called for it. Within a few days, she had made record progress reading through the stacks of books she picked up from the castle library. “Well, it’d be a shame for nopony to make use of your impeccable organization system, Sky Quill.” Sunset said with earnest to one of her new friends within the castle. It seemed the possession of flight and hand like claws made for a deadly book organizing combination. There was no shelf in the castle Sky Quill couldn’t reach. Nopony short of an alicorn could even hope to do the job better. Before Sunset could even bid the kindly hippogriff goodbye a stiff blue skinned changeling in a tailored tuxedo approached them sporting a typical look of indifference. “I figured I’d find you roaming about here. Princess Twilight requests your assistance, Ms. Shimmer.” By now, Sunset knew that he referred to her as such simply to try and get a rise out of her. It always worked. “That’s DOCTOR Shimmer to you, Cercus. I didn’t spend countless sleepless nights studying my flank off to be called, ‘Ms.’ Shimmer.” “Until you can provide me with your degree or an answer to your place of study beyond, ‘It’s complicated’ I’m afraid I will not be able to oblige,” Cercus responded without a single change in inflection. As far as Sunset could tell, the changeling’s expression had yet to change even once since she had met him, but she swore she could see the mockery behind his purple eyes. Cercus was something akin to the Kibitz of modern Equestria. One of Twilight’s most trusted attendants and advisors who made sure that the princess had her crown on straight before she left her chambers. More recently, he served as Sunset’s keeper. Tracking her down whenever Twilight was in need of her, helping her become accustomed to the castle, and keeping whatever tabs on her he felt was necessary. All things considered; he was a real stick in the mud. He was also her first new friend in the castle. Once you moved past the sarcasm and dry humor, there was a changeling who seemed to genuinely care. At least, that’s what Sunset thought she was seeing behind the blank mask he called a face. In any case, she could think of worse creatures to hold her leash. “Whatever. You said Twilight needs me?” Sunset picked up, moving past their typical banter. “Indeed. Her majesty is about to begin her daily research. On that note, I would advise you to rehearse your defense spells while on your way. Today’s research appeared particularly dubious,” Cercus informed her. “It’s one of those days then,” Sunset thought as she began to make her way out of the library. “Alright, I’ll see you both later. I hope anyway.” Sunset wasn’t quite sure what Twilight had meant when she said she needed a unicorn powerful enough to keep up with her and her experiments, but after the third castle shaking explosion of the day she was fairly certain that she simply needed a unicorn strong enough to survive her scientific exploits. So far, her own shield spells had been proficient enough to endure the experiments, but the amber mare still wondered how comfortable she was spending her days hanging around ground zero. “Khoff…kaff…well, it seems like griffin feathers weren’t the stabilizing agent I was hoping for," Twilight choked out, her face now blackened with soot and her wind-swept hair now more hurricane-swept. “Really? Was it the violent gurgling or the explosion that tipped you off?” Sunset said with perhaps a small hint of irritation at nearly being unmade for the third time that day. “I didn’t bring you here to sass me, Sunset.” Twilight responded with perhaps a dash of frustration at exploding for the third time that day followed by her new assistant berating her. Sunset couldn’t suppress the roll of her eyes, though she didn’t try very hard. “I’m starting to think you brought me here as some sort of belated revenge for stealing your crown.” By now Twilight had managed to clean herself up with a little magical aid as she turned to face her companion. “Oh, like YOU’RE the one getting blown up? Can you please just give me the data we collected from that trial?” Figuring she had heckled Twilight enough, and internally acknowledging it was somewhat hypocritical to accost Twilight when her own hooves on approach had led to plenty of explosions in her time, she cooperated with her request as she approached the machine that should have recorded the magical reading from the experiment. Sunset noted that the machine was likely the most current Equestrian technology available at the time, several decades after her own, yet it still seemed primitive in comparison to the devices of the human world, only giving vague numbers and graphs in response. Perhaps she’d take it upon herself to upgrade some of the equipment. Those years of college education might end up being good for something after all. “It looks like the repulsion spell matrix is still rejecting the weather magic elements in the mixture. As far as I can tell, all the griffon feathers managed to do was delay the feedback, but that just made a bigger explosion,” Sunset interpreted from the readings on the screen. Twilight let out a sigh at the predictable result. “I had hoped outsourcing to the magic of another species would solve the issues we’ve been having, but it looks like the weather protection potion is just going to have to wait another day. Hopefully we’ll be able to work out the kinks before the storm season starts. What do you say we break for now?” “I think that sounds like a great idea,” Sunset responded. Magic was great, and she’d be lying if she said the past few days she had spent as Twilight’s assistant hadn’t been wonderful. Getting to toy around with all the advancements in magic and read all the books she had missed out on had been wonderful. To be a unicorn without magic was like being a pegasus without flying. It was like she was finally whole again. Still, there was only so much of nearly being incinerated a pony could take for one day. “Well, come on,” Twilight beckoned as she opened the laboratory door. “I was thinking I could show you around Canterlot today.” That declaration managed to instantly shatter Sunset’s brief relief. “Oh, you don’t need to do that, Twilight. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of other things to take care of besides showing me around,” Sunset said in an attempt to wave her off. “Actually, I’ve cleared my schedule for this.” Twilight offhandedly stated as she guided Sunset through the door and the two entered into the hallway. “I’ve been meaning to show you around for a while now. “ “Come on, the sole ruler of all Equestria can’t be using her precious free time to play tour guide. Surely, we can think of something more meaningful to do than wander around Canterlot,” Sunset tried to justify in an attempt to get out of the trip that was seeming less and less optional by the second. Right as she finished, a long slender alicorn leg placed itself directly into her path, stopping her in her tracks. At least twice a day, Sunset was confronted with just how annoying it was that Twilight was so much bigger than her now. “Sunset…” Twilight began. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’ve been doing. You’ve been here for almost a week now, and not once have you left the castle. Now, I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but I think it’s time you got outside and refamiliarized yourself with the city you grew up in.” “That’s just it, Twi. That isn’t the city I grew up in,” Sunset confessed. “I know it’s the same place, but now everypony and building are like complete strangers to me. At least the castle is still the same general shape, even if a lot of it’s changed, but every time I look down at Canterlot I can barely even recognize the place.” She finished while slumping over slightly. Twilight seemed to consider this for a minute. She had already figured that Sunset was having trouble readjusting to life in Equestria. She had taken to her renewed studies with an exceptional vigor and she had no trouble making friends with the palace staff despite their differing species, but it was difficult to miss the way the amber unicorn would avoid even gazing upon the city below and lost herself in books and murals that recounted the past. It was the main reason she had felt the need to organize this particular excursion. Ordinarily, she rarely left the castle herself these days for the sole purpose of seeing the sights, but if it meant making Sunset more at home in this world it would be well worth the time. Besides, making occasional appearances in town was generally good for public spirit, and perhaps with a friend by her side she’d actually enjoy it. Spike was always on her case about getting out more anyway. “I think that it would be good for you to explore the city. Things have changed, but you of all ponies should know that change doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” Twilight rationalized while bending her head down to be eyelevel with Sunset. “So, what do you say we go down there and spend some time together looking around? It would mean a lot to me.” It was then that Sunset knew that this was certainly not an optional event. Twilight’s words told her that she was fully able to refuse. Logically, she could turn the princess down and that would be the end of it. She could lock herself in her room and read the copy of Advanced Magical Transmutation she picked up from the castle library today. All she had to do was crush Twilight’s spirit as she looked upon her with those hopeful violet eyes. And that was why there was just no choice. “Alright, just let me pack a saddlebag and we’ll go sightseeing,” Sunset sighed in defeat. The toothy smile and excited glint in Twilight’s eyes were all it took for Sunset to know she had made the right choice. “So, if I mapped this out right, which I did, we should be able to take in every notable sight in Canterlot before dinner,” Twilight explained as she looked over her masterfully organized checklist. Sunset couldn’t help smiling at the sight. It seemed that some things really did never change. “Of course, I had to account for your significantly slower walking speed. I may have to carry you between a few stops if we want to keep up with the timetable” And just like that, the novelty was over for her. “Hey, Twilight, can I see that checklist?” “Oh, here you go, Sunset,” Twilight said as she passed the list suspended in her magic into the red magic of her friend. “Did you want to see something?” “Something like that…” Sunset remarked. The checklist promptly caught fire in the red aura surrounding it and was reduced to ashes within seconds. Sunset tried to feel guilty about the look of sheer and utter betrayal carved into Twilight’s face. She really did. “This is supposed to be a relaxing trip to the city, Twilight, not a speed run,” Sunset explained to the distraught princess. “Let’s just explore the city at our own pace, okay?” Twilight’s eye twitched in response. “It took me HOURS to map out that route, Sunset!” “Look, I’ll buy you something to make it up to you, ok?” Sunset said in an attempt to pacify her agitated friend. “With what money? I’m the one who gave you those bits.” Twilight deadpanned; her earlier excitement now cooled into mere irritation. “Come to think of it, can you really ever buy me anything when all your money comes from me?” Sunset sighed in response. “Look, what’s important is that we see the city, and have a good time. We don’t have to see it all at once. I’ll be here long enough to see it all eventually.” “Alright, but I’m never trusting you with another checklist again,” Twilight relented as the two approached the inner ring of Canterlot that surrounded the castle. It seemed the diversity contained within the castle really was just the new reality of the world. pegasi, griffin, changeling, dragon, and hippogriff children could be seen playing with each other in the sky as soon as one was within the city. Earth ponies, yaks, kirin, and even a few zebras could be seen mulling about the streets openly conversing. Several creatures actually stopped to happily wave at them as they passed by. It was all so…different. “So, this really is what Equastria is like now?” Sunset muttered to herself as she stopped before a fountain modeled after a Griffin. “What do you mean?” Twilight inquired as she strolled up next to the distracted unicorn. Sunset broke her gaze from the world around her to look into the eyes of the only remnant of the world she used to know. “I mean, look at all this…the people. They’re all talking to each other. They’re just enjoying themselves. No one’s even running over each other to see you like they used to do with Princess Celestia. You remember what Canterlot used to be like, right? A busy city where everypony had somewhere to be and nopony had time to chat, especially with anypony that wasn’t rich or famous. Back when I lived here, most ponies would walk right over you if you fell over on the sidewalk.” Sunset broke eye contact to look as a large Yak stomped by carrying a litter of foals and hippogriff fledglings upon its back. “And look at all these…creatures. I’ve never even seen some of these species in person before I came back. When I was a foal it was rare for anypony that wasn’t a unicorn to live this close to the castle. It was rare for other types of ponies to live here at all. Now, you have dragons, and these colorful changelings, and a whole ton of things walking around like they’ve always been here,” Sunset finished clearly trying to wrap her head around the entire thing as she looked into the water of the fountain and stared at her reflection. “Is…is it all like this now?” Sunset felt a gentle wing wrap around her back in a manner that reminded her of her old teacher. “Does it bother you? How much everything’s changed?” Sunset subconsciously shifted further into the wing upon her back, as she did when she was an upset filly, longing for something familiar to take solace in. “No…I mean it doesn’t. It shouldn’t. Right?” Sunset tried her best to put her hoof on exactly what she was feeling. “Everyone’s happier now. I can see it in their eyes. I should be happy too, but it’s like…” “Everycreature’s happy without you,” Twilight offered. “Yeah…” Sunset sighed. “It’s funny, I came back to this world because I didn’t have a place in the human world. Now I’m back and there’s not a place for me here anymore either. Maybe if I had stayed here in the first place, I could have been part of the reason everyone’s so happy, just like you. Now, I’m just a piece of a different time. It makes me wonder if I belong anywhere at all,” Sunset finished with a look that gave away just how lost she felt. “That’s why you make a place,” Twilight cut in after a few moments of silence. “Huh?” “That’s what’s you came here for, right? That’s what’s so beautiful about Equestria now. You said it yourself, Equestria wasn’t always like this. Everycreature here is only here because they’ve found a place here. If I know anything about you, Sunset Shimmer, it’s that you’re not the type of pony who gives up. I know you’ll find where you belong, and I’ll help you until you do.” Twilight punctuated her speech with a gentle squeeze with her wing. “Where I belong?” Sunset thought to herself, wondering what such a thing would even entail. Still, she couldn’t very well be acting aloof and unloading all her problems on Twilight the entire trip when they were supposed to be having fun. “Thanks Twi, I can always count on you. Now, let’s get to sightseeing. What’s the most popular place in Canterlot these days?” Sunset asked. “Well, these days, that would probably be the marketplace. It’s where everycreature in Equestria comes to sell their goods.” Twilight said “Well, let’s go see what we can find then.” Sunset offered with a newfound enthusiasm. The two mares walked off, side by side amongst the assorted crowd of happy creatures and new buildings, Twilight’s wing still draped over Sunset. “Sunset! Sunset, look!” Twilight all but shouted into the amber mare’s face. “A first edition copy of Canterlot Cantabiles, volume one…VOLUME…ONE!” “I thought you said they didn’t get good until around the thirty first volume?” Sunset calmly questioned, by now far too used to Twilight’s overzealous fascination with books to be taken off guard by the enthusiasm. “While it’s true, I personally prefer the pieces in volume thirty-one onward, this book is beyond classic, and it’s in good condition. I’ve been looking for a first edition to complete my collection for ages, and now it’s mine!” Twilight concluded with a grin that was only slightly unsettling. “So, how about you? Find anything interesting?” “Well, I did pick up some books about classic magical theory, a few igneous statues I got from those dragons over there, you know to tie my room together, and best of all, this crystal amulet.” Sunset listed off before floating the amulet between the two of them. “It’s made of a rare type of sapphire that’s supposed to be super conductive towards magic, and best of all…I think it’s cursed,” Sunset said with far too much glee for somepony possessing a potentially dangerous artifact. Not that such information was any more unappealing to the alicorn than it was to the unicorn. “Oooh, what kind of curse! Are we talking an ancient spell or some sort of magic booby trap?” “I don’t know, but the kirin who sold it to me was happy to get rid of it, so you know it’s gotta be good.” Sunset stated as she floated the amulet back into her saddlebag for future study. “I think that’s everything that interests me, what about you? Ready to head back?” “I think so, I just…” Twilight trailed off as her eyes locked onto a small booth in the distance being manned by a brown earth pony stallion with a slicked back mane and an assortment of gems for a cutie mark. As far as Sunset could tell, his booth was filled with an assortment of dull antiques, assorted gems, and rusty metal trinkets, but clearly something on the table had caught the princess’s eye. “Excuse me sir,” Twilight called out to the stallion as she walked up to his booth, “Is that a Fire Ruby you have there?” “Ah, fair Princess Twilight, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to have a pony of your standing grace my booth. Why yes, this is a Fire Ruby, and a rather fine cut I might add.” The Earth pony said in a somewhat overdone salespony voice. Sunset walked beside Twilight as he finished and took note of the gem that had drawn Twilight over. It certainly looked to be a rather fine ruby, though the golden metal necklace it was attached to had seen better days. “Why, rumor has it that this ruby used to belong to the famed fashion designer and element of generosity herself, lady Rarity. As generous in death as she was in life, it was among her worldly possessions distributed to the less fortunate by order of her will. Whether there’s any truth to that story…well I suppose only you could say, Princess. Be that as it may, it has come into my possession after I made a trade with a rather strange changeling in Appleloosa,” the stallion finished. “Is there anything you would be willing to trade for it now?” Twilight asked with a hint of longing laced into her voice that did not go unnoticed by the ponies present. “Well, as you may have noticed by my cutie mark, I’m something of a collector of rare gems. Potentially historic as this ruby may be, I already possess a fair amount of Fire Rubies. I suppose I could part with it for a gem that I do not contain in my collection. Perhaps…something contained in the royal treasury?” The Earth pony proposed while resting his chin upon his hoof. “The nerve of this guy!” Sunset internally fumed. “The savior and ruler of all Equestria, several times over, bothers to come over to this dinky little booth, and he still has the gall to try and squeeze her for all she’s worth.” “I’m afraid I don’t have anything like that on me right now. Isn’t there something else you would be willing to trade for it? I have quite a few rare books,” Twilight offered. “I’m afraid not, your majesty. I don’t have any particular interest in that sort of… uhm, treasure,” the stallion spat out, clearly not placing the same level of value on the offered items as the royal pony before him. “I-I see. We’ll leave you be then. Come on Sunset.” Twilight said clearly crestfallen as she turned to leave with her head hung low. “Wait!” Sunset called out. “How about this?” Sunset levitated the amulet she had purchased earlier from her saddlebag and placed it on the table. The Earth pony practically hopped out of his seat. “Is that, a Baby Blue Sapphire amulet?” Sunset had to admit, presenting the amulet she had just received was something of a long shot, but she took the earth pony’s reaction to be a good sign. “Why, this has to be around sixty carats. I’ve never seen one this big before. And such a perfect cut as well. How on Earth did you manage to get a hold of such a specimen?” The now drooling stallion asked as his eyes glassed over. “Well, I haven’t tested it yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s cursed-” Sunset began. “Nothing a trip to the local shaman can’t fix.” The stallion said as he cut her off with a wave of his hoof. “Now, hold on a second.” Twilight cut in. “Sunset you can’t jus-” “Why not?” Sunset asked. “It’s my amulet, which means I get to trade it for whatever I want, and right now, I want that ruby.” “So, do we have a deal?” Sunset prompted the still mesmerized stallion. “What? Yeah sure, take it,” the stallion said without so much as looking up to chuck the ruby in their direction. “Pleasure doing business,” Sunset responded sweetly to the pony she knew had barely heard a word she said as she took the ruby in her magic and trotted off. The two made it out of the marketplace before Twilight broke the silence between them. “What was that? Sunset, you didn’t need to give up your things just so I could get what I wanted.” “Twilight, I had that thing for twenty minutes tops. Don’t make a big deal out of it. That ruby clearly meant something to you, so I got it. Speaking of which, here you go.” Sunset said before levitating the gem in front of Twilight’s face. Sunset always knew Twilight was far too self-sacrificing for her own good. Ever since they had that heart to heart in Pinkie’s kitchen during the siren attack. A pony that just gave and gave, but never did anything for herself. It was another thing that reminded the unicorn far too much of the Sun Princess she had inherited the throne from. Well, Sunset resolved that as long as she was around, that was going to change. It was about time somepony did something for Twilight, and if it had to be her, so be it. This particular incident also helped with another matter. Sunset couldn’t claim to know the full details just yet, but it brought her a fair bit closer to putting together the puzzle Twilight had been unknowingly presenting her with for the past several days. As usual though, it could wait for now. “Sunset I…thank you” Twilight said as she relented and took the ruby into her own magic before tenderly placing it into her own saddlebag. “Don’t mention it, Twi. That’s what friends are for.” Sunset proclaimed now feeling particularly proud of herself for making the princess happy. Sunset’s pride was short lived however, as Twilight did something she had not anticipated. The towering lavender alicorn leaned her head down and gave Sunset a gentle nuzzle as thanks for her act of generosity. Sunset’s cheeks flushed a bright red at the action. Nopony had ever nuzzled her, aside from Princess Celestia. She had been a mere filly the last time she willingly let it happen. It happened under strong protest when she was a grown mare. To have such an embarrassingly tender action done to her in the middle of the city could have killed her. “ahem, um, well this has been…just great, but I think I’m ready to go home, please,” Sunset forced out through her embarrassment. Something Sunset had said seemed to please Twilight even more than she had been previously. “Yes, let’s go home. The chefs should be just about finished preparing dinner, and I need to lower the sun soon.” “Sounds good. I could really use a shower right now. Can we take the short way back this time?” Twilight merely smiled in response as her horn started glowing. Sunset found Spike diligently setting the table as she walked into the dining room. She was fairly certain they had plenty of hooves around the castle who could have performed such a mundane task, but the unicorn figured that after a lifetime spent looking out for Twilight, old habits must have died hard for the ~~little~~ big drake. “Hey Sunset, how was your trip?” Spike asked the mare who was trotting over to take her seat. Sunset only briefly wondered how he knew about their little excursion in Canterlot before surmising that Twilight probably ran everything by her advisor before she did it. “Oh, it was good, great even. Twilight seemed to enjoy it.” “Yeah, she’s a lot happier whenever you’re around,” Spike offhandedly stated before giving a slight grimace. Perhaps he had said too much there? Fortunately, years of diplomatic experience had taught Spike to simply not draw attention to any potentially awkward slip ups. “Dinner should be ready in a few minutes and Twilight should be here after she finishes raising the moon.” Sunset saw an opportunity after she had taken her seat. Spike had been present for most of the week she had been here after their reunion, but she had never gotten him alone after that. Her days of manipulation and twisting the situation to her benefit were long behind her, but the skills she had acquired from those days would always remain. Now was a perfect time to probe Spike for information. “So, Twilight rules day and night all by herself now. That must have been something to get used to?” Sunset ventured out to see if Spike would take the bait. People or ponies, it was a safe bet that when someone was forced to hold onto something for a while, they’d vent to anyone who offered to listen. “Well, it wasn’t supposed to be just Twilight running things when she took over for Celestia and Luna, but…I guess that’s the way things were always going to end up.” Spike confessed as he took his own seat, clearly starting to lose himself in his own head. Sunset was walking a thin line here between coercion and trickery, and Spike was her friend. She really didn’t want to resort to her old ways in order to get what she wanted, she’d have simply used her powers to take the information otherwise, but she needed more to go on if she was going to help Twilight through whatever she was going through. “What do you mean?” She pressed on. Spike took a moment to respond. “Well, the thing is-” “Sorry it took me so long. There was a minor dispute in the west wing of the castle. You would not believe how territorial the maids can get,” Twilight interrupted as she took her seat. “Ponyfeathers!” Sunset internally cursed at being interrupted just before her question was answered. “Hey Twi, no worries. We were just waiting for you.” Sunset expertly recovered without a trace of worry, her experience as a supervillain once again coming in handy. “Dinner should be here soon,” Spike offered, thankfully also having dropped the previous subject. Speaking of which, the doors chose then to fly open as a griffin wheeled in a cart topped with an assortment of side dishes and a large silver platter covered by a traditional domed lid. “apologies for the wait madame,” the griffin who spoke in what Sunset could only ascribe to be a rough French accent. “You know how particular the chef can be, but dinner is served.” “Actually, I’d say you were right on time,” Twilight assured the griffin as he placed everything onto the table and made his exit. “Aw finally, I’m starving.” Spike exclaimed as he leaned forward in anticipation. “What are we having for dinner?” “Well-” Twilight began as she used her magenta magic to begin lifting the lid. “SURPRISE!” The lid was suddenly flung into parts unknown by an explosion of smoke and confetti that left all at the dinner table in coughing fits. “You’re having the Lord of Chaos for dinner!” exclaimed a tall lanky amalgamation of animal parts striking the pose of one basking in the spotlight and standing in place of what should have been dinner. “DISCORD!” Both Twilight and Spike shouted in unanimous shock. “Discord,” Sunset whispered under her breath, hardly believing her eyes. It wasn’t like Twilight had never mentioned him through her journal. On the contrary, some days she complained about him. A lot. Still, there was something different about meeting an ancient evil in person instead of simply hearing everything about them second hand. Reformed or not. “The one and only…well unless you count those guys,” Discord said while gesturing to five identical copies of himself playing cards at a poker table that was suddenly in the room. The one holding his cards backwards had the courtesy to wave. “Not that it’s not good to see you, Discord, but you seriously couldn’t have just written ahead of time, or at least used the door like everypony else?” Spike questioned with a cross expression that was perhaps a little ticked that his food had been randomly replaced with a god of disharmony. “Well I suppose I COULD have done that, but then I’d miss the delightful look on your faces when I popped in for a visit. I even took pictures,” Discord remarked while flashing the unflattering photos to the dragon. “Besides, between keeping up the animal sanctuary, spreading a dash of light-hearted chaos to keep me going, and enjoying my visit to the Crystal Empire, all simultaneously I might add…” Discord paused his spiel to give his poker playing doubles a wink. “I’m afraid I’m quite booked these days,” he finished while putting on a pair of reading glasses and opening a day planner that exploded with all manner of items from Slinkys to trick dice. Suddenly Discord vanished from the table before reappearing next to Twilight and wrapping a lion arm around her shoulders. “Still, I always make time to visit my good friends.” “Well, you know you’re welcome to join us at any time, Discord. Though next time we’d appreciate it if your grand entrance doesn’t get rid of the meal the chefs worked so hard on,” Twilight said while giving the draconequus a disapproving look that she had long learned had no real effect on him but was far too ingrained in their relationship to ever stop. “Well, can you blame me? It took those slowpokes forever to get that stuff out here, and I got hungry in there. You’ll be happy to know however, that it WAS delicious.” Discord punctuated this statement by sucking the tips of his eagle hand clean. “You ate the food!” Spike exclaimed now wholly disappointed. “Oh relax,” Discord said in what appeared to be an attempt to placate his audience. “I saved a little for my two friends,” he finished while producing an apple in his lion paw. With a snap of his other hand the apple vanished, and two apples reappeared…both lodged firmly in the mouths of a surprised Twilight and Spike in what may or may not have been a move to silence them. “Now then…” Discord began as he pulled himself onto the table and quite literally slithered over to where Sunset was sitting, the amber unicorn still speechless and now considering the benefits of teleporting out of the castle. “Why is it that nopony told me YOU were back in town?” he questioned as he finally reached the mare and positioned himself to be as face to face with her as possible. Sunset used her magic to pull her chair a few feet back from the chaotic being with no concept of personal space before carefully responding, “Excuse me?” “I’m sorry, perhaps I’m mistaken. You ARE Sunset Shimmer are you not?” Discord asked while repositioning himself to lay on the table like somepony who wanted to be painted. “Oh!” Sunset exclaimed, believing herself to have finally understood the situation though it did nothing to make her feel more comfortable. “So, Twilight has told you about me?” Discord placed a hand to his chin. “Yes, if memory serves, she has mentioned you once or twice, but that’s not where I know you from. We’ve met a few times before if you recall.” Now Sunset was really confused. “I’m sorry, and please don’t take any offense to this, uhm Mr. Discord, sir, but I’ve never met you before.” “OH! How cruel!” Discord exclaimed as he rolled onto his back and clutched his heart. “We finally see each other once again for the first time in years and she doesn’t even remember me. What a horrid fate!” Suddenly Discord was behind Sunset’s chair wrapping his head around the back to face her. “Seriously though, you don’t remember me? Even just a smidge?” Sunset now at a complete loss for words merely shook her head in a small panic hoping she wouldn’t be on the receiving end of some serious chaos magic for offending the lord of chaos and disharmony. All levity and jovial nature drained from the draconequus as he took on an unamused expression. “You remember the palace maze gardens? The ones you used to study in so nopony would bother you?” Sunset nodded an affirmation. “How about the statue of me? The one you always used to make faces at when you were little?” “Oh…” Sunset tentatively responded finally putting the pieces together. “So, you could see all that? I guess I should apologize.” “Oh, no need dear girl!” Discord said coming back to life as he smacked the back of her chair and left Sunset flailing to stay stable. “Through all those lonely centuries spent trapped in stone, YOU were the most interesting thing to happen to the castle in decades.” Just when Sunset didn’t think she could get any more confused this strange creature proved why he was the physical manifestation of chaos. “When you have nothing to do but stand around all day as a hunk of solid rock, the most entertainment you get is watching the boring dull lives of ponies unfold before you. Watching Celestia was entertaining for a few years, but after old Luna got blasted to the moon, it just got really sad most of the time,” Discord explained while conjuring a statue base to pose on as he weaved his story. “But that all changed when you came into her life. A bad tempered, lonely little filly, with way too much power for her small little body, and a desire for more, desperate to be loved by anypony or anything. Oh, things got so exciting when Celestia took you in,” Discord finished practically bouncing from his seated position on the base. “Why, I had such high hopes for you, little fireball. In a few years’ time, your temper and bad attitude would have broken the seal on me all by itself. I was going to make you my general of chaos.” Discord finished while placing a general’s hat onto the mare. “Oh, but then…” Discord continued producing a hanky. “Then, you just up and vanished. Off through some strange mirror into parts unknown. Celestia and I were so devastated. You should have seen her. It was Luna all over again, so very tragic.” Discord said as he wiped several tears and blew his nose into the hanky. “Oh, Great,” Sunset thought internally. “I had almost forgotten what crushing guilt and self-loathing felt like.” “But none of that matters, because you’re finally back home little sunspot,” Discord picked back up with his arms splayed out. “Although…there is one thing I just can’t figure out.” Discord invaded Sunset’s personal space once again to look her over. “All this happened, assuming I have my years straight, nearly a hundred years ago.” Discord pondered as he took hold of Sunset’s face in one hand while studying her through a magnifying glass with the other. “Exactly what kind of moisturizer are you using these days?” “Discord! Enough!” Princess Twilight Sparkle interjected with a loud bang upon the table. Thankfully she seemed to have dislodged Discord’s makeshift gag, though Spike seemed to still be having trouble. “What? I’m just having fun with an old friend. Is that so wrong?” Discord defended himself as he picked Sunset up in a one-armed hug. Sunset was beyond grateful when a magenta magic surrounded her and pulled her away from the touchy draconequus’ grip. “The way you were doing it? Yes, it is. I expect better from you, Discord, now either apologize or leave.” Twilight demanded as she set Sunset down beside her and used her magic to dislodge the apple Spike was still struggling with. To his credit, Discord managed to look genuinely ashamed. “doh, alright. I’m sorry. Sometimes I still get carried away with all the fun. What do you say, Sunset, friends?” As Discord said this, he remained across the table, but a dismembered eagle hand popped in front of her and extended itself in what seemed to be a handshake. Sunset warily eyed the hand, unsure of what to do until it disappeared of its own accord. “You know what? We’ll work on it later. Much as I’d love to stay for dessert, I actually came here to deliver a message from the Crystal Empire.” Twilight Sparkle immediately shifted into collected ruler mode as she heard the news. “There’s not any trouble, is there?” “Oh no, don’t worry, nothing serious. I just came to warn you that your dear niece is on her way to pay a visit. You know how she is.” Discord waved off. “Oh,” Twilight muttered, disengaging from ruler mode and shifting into distraught relative. Part of her almost wished Sombra was back again now. “Now, I really must be off. You know how the rabbits get if you leave them be too long. We’ll all talk later. Bye now!” Discord finished as he vanished in a puff of smoke and the room returned to the state it had been in before, food included. “Well, at least he’s not totally evil,” Spike remarked upon seeing that tonight’s dinner had not actually been lost. “Sunset, are you all right?” Twilight questioned the unicorn who had not said a word in some time. “Oh me? I just got through a meeting with the all-powerful lord of chaos who just completely deconstructed me and threw my greatest regrets back into my face, on top of just being generally freaky. All things considered; I’m doing great!” Sunset finished while flashing Twilight a toothy smile that said she was most certainly not doing great. Twilight had to admit, she was doing better than some ponies did upon first experiencing Discord. “I’m sorry about that. Discord usually means well, but he has a pretty funny way of showing it.” She sighed, trying to put the past few minutes behind her. All in all, it had still been a good day for Twilight Sparkle. All she wanted now though was to settle down and enjoy a meal with the pony and dragon she cared for. “Well, let’s eat.” Author's Note And now we finally get our first real look at modern Equestria. That means we're nearing the end of the first act. Starting next chapter, things are going to get...interesting. Also, how about that Discord? How many people were expecting him? Talk about a real writing challenge. Putting a character that conveys himself largely through random actions into just words is not easy, but I hope I did a good job. I'm planning on him dropping in now and again so please tell me what you think. As always, don't be afraid to give me your honest thoughts and I hope you're all still enjoying so far.
Chapter 5: Caught in a FlurryThe castle of Canterlot was well known for being the most regal and pristine place in all of Equestria. Under the dutiful watch of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and now Princess Twilight Sparkle the castle stood as a timeless beacon of peace, harmony, and order to all who looked upon it. However, certain creatures could rightfully tell you that the castle was rarely as peaceful within its walls as it first appeared outside of them. “Hey! Watch it!” “Sorry, Spike! I’m kinda juggling a lot right now.” One of the many labs within the castle, usually occupied by Princes Twilight Sparkle, was currently in a state of total disarray as countless objects floated about, suspended in a red magical aura. “I can see that. You know that some of that stuff belongs on the ground, right?” Spike asked as he ducked a passing bookshelf. “I’m multitasking,” Sunset Shimmer waved off as she sat at a table, tinkering with a small strange device. “Did you know that the waves produced by magic in Equestria bear an incredibly similar resemblance to the waves comprising the electromagnetic spectrum?” Spike had to admit, as somepony who had been practically raised by Twilight Sparkle, he didn’t think there was any level of nerd left in the world that could possibly leave him clueless. He was wrong. “Sunset…what the hay are you talking about?” Spike questioned, at a loss for understanding any of the words that had left the unicorn’s mouth. “Look at this!” Sunset exclaimed as she quickly turned around, looking incredibly frazzled, and levitated the device she had been working on into Spike’s face. “I somewhat modeled it after the cell phones of the human world. Isn’t it great?” Spike had known more magical prodigies than your average pony. Each one of them were very dear to him in some way or another. In spite of that, he couldn’t deny there tended to be a common theme surrounding them. The theme being…they were all slightly nuts. “Well gee, I’m sure I could tell you, if I had any idea what it actually is.” Spike found himself worrying when the unicorn took on a blank expression, clearly processing what Spike had just said. Sunset remained unresponsive for a few more seconds before violently shaking her head, which only served to further mess up her already unruly mane. “Right, getting ahead of myself. You know those big machines Twilight keeps in all her labs to collect data from her experiments?” Sunset questioned, once she managed to reorganize her thoughts. Spike wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but he knew that this would go smoother if he played along. “Yeah, why?” “Well, this is the same as those, but smaller and better!” Sunset explained as she bounced in her seat and floated the machine around Spike’s head. “It can take all the same readings as those machines, but it also organizes, labels, and saves any data it records. Plus, since it’s portable, you don’t even need to be in a lab setting to use it! Right now, there’s just the one I made, but with a little time I can make even more so that you can share your findings with other creatures!” Spike had to admit, from the bits he understood, Sunset’s invention sounded impressive. He’d hauled around enough of those large machines Twilight used to appreciate a more compact design. Still, he didn’t need to be getting distracted from the reason he came here in the first place. “That sounds great, Sunset, but do you know how long you’ve been in here?” Spike questioned while trying his best not to glance at the pile of empty coffee cups lying in the corner. Again, Sunset seemed to have short-circuited as she deciphered what Spike was saying. “Well, I started this weekend, as soon as the sun came up.” The dragon scratched the back of his head, all too aware of where this was headed. “Yeah…and then the sun came back down…and now it’s up again.” “…Oh” The entire lab came to a halt as the magic guiding everything around the room fizzled out and roughly deposited the contents of the room onto the floor in a resounding crash. “Ms. Shimmer, I understand you’re free to use your weekends however you wish, but we would all appreciate it if you took care when pursuing your personal interests,” Cercus admonished the pony hunched over before him. “I told you, it’s Doc-oh, forget it,” Sunset huffed out as she collapsed onto the table Spike had practically carried her to after injecting her with a hard dose of reality. The changeling had apparently seen fit to get the mare some fresh air and food before sending her off to bed. Personally though, Sunset felt he just wanted an opportunity to lecture her. “What in the world were you slaving away on for so long anyway?” the Changeling asked. Sunset sat up enough to answer the changeling’s question. “Well, at first I just wanted to perform a few basic performance tests on my magic. It turns out that whatever happened to me also gave me A LOT more stamina. I guess I got carried away after that,” Sunset finished lamely as she began to focus on the sandwich that had been prepared for her. “If it makes you feel any better, Twilight used to do this sort of thing all the time. If the entire day didn’t literally depend on her, I’m pretty sure she still would.” Spike offered as a roundabout comfort. The mention of the alicorn princess certainly did manage to grab Sunset’s attention. “Where is Twilight anyway? I’m surprised she didn’t drag me out of that room herself.” Spike’s obvious look of discomfort caused an uneasy feeling to rise up within her chest. Cercus on the other hoof was not one to beat around the bush. “Her majesty was attending a funeral. I believe it was for a pony named Moondancer. Sir Spike had recently returned from the service, before I sent him to coax you out of your nest.” “Moondancer?” Sunset thought, now more alert. She could swear she’d heard that name from somewhere before. “Perhaps Twilight mentioned her in the journal? Or, perhaps I met her counterpart in the human world? No, it feels like it was before that.” “The princess spends an unfortunate amount of time at events like those, I’m afraid,” Cercus continued, unaware of the thoughts bouncing around in Sunset’s head. The rare change in inflection that came from the changeling was enough to bring her back to reality. “Was Twilight friends with this Moondancer?” Sunset asked, her curiosity giving her the strength to pry. “Yeah, she was. She was one of her oldest friends actually. They met when they were both going to Celestia’s school,” Spike chimed in. “Things got sort of complicated after that, but they were pretty good friends, in the end,” Spike finished, with a depressing finality. The brief synopsis answered Sunset’s question of where she had heard the name before. Being Princess Celestia’s personal student meant she heard the name of many of the other students that went there at least once. To think that some of the unicorns from all those years ago were still around. Sunset couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had been locked away in the lab while all this was happening. “When will Twilight be back?” “She should already be back by now. She needs to be here for when Flurry Heart arrives,” Spike answered. This presented Sunset with a much more lighthearted topic to pursue. Twilight hadn’t written much about her niece in the journal, but it was evident that she had adored the newborn foal. A foal that was no longer a foal. There was absolutely no telling what the first natural born alicorn in Equestrian history had grown up to be. Sunset told herself she wasn’t the least bit bitter about somepony simply being born with the wings she had worked for years, and failed, to attain. She had come too far and done too much to let such petty jealousy get under her skin. It really didn’t bother her. Nope, not at all. “So, what’s Twilight’s niece like anyway?” Sunset asked, in hopes of quashing any treacherous thoughts. “Oh boy, where to start?” Spike sighed, somehow made weary by the mere thought of the newest princess. “Flurry is…she can be difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I love her and so does Twilight, but lately she’s just been a lot to handle. Anytime she comes for a sudden, ‘visit’, it usually means she’s trying to get space from home.” “Yes, there’s nothing quite like an eighty-year-old teenager,” Cercus bluntly added in, with a small drop of annoyance. If the changeling was deterred or intimidated in any way by Spike’s glare, he didn’t show it. “Look, Flurry’s a good pony at heart. She’s just got some things to work through right now,” Spike defended, “I’m sure you’ll be able to tell for yourself when you meet her.” “At a later date, once you’ve gotten the rest you’ve been neglecting,” Cercus cut in, apparently shifting into nanny mode. Sunset, being the grown mare she was, stuck her tongue out at the changeling. “Fine, mom,” Sunset spat out as she hopped off her chair. “I’ll go get some shut eye. Good day everyone.” Cercus turned to look at Spike with a raised brow. “Everyone?” “It’s…an out of town saying.” Sunset wondered how unsightly she must have appeared trudging down the hall, when even the yaks in the palace gave her a wide berth. It seemed she had been living in the castle long enough for the staff to know to be wary of a tired Sunset Shimmer. Kind as they all were, they still had a good sense of self preservation. As Sunset worked her way around the castle, her thoughts drifted to her royal host. It didn’t seem right to lock herself away again without at least offering whatever comfort she could provide. There was a lot to Twilight that Sunset couldn’t relate to anymore, but she liked to think she had gotten pretty good at understanding. Her mind had been made up before she had even left the garden. She’d find Twilight, let her know she was there for her, and then pass out. It seemed like a good plan at the time. Only problem was, she had absolutely no idea where Twilight was at the moment. Thirty minutes of trotting around the castle halls had so far bore no fruit. The throne room was the last immediately obvious location the unicorn could think of after exhausting the more likely options, but as far as Sunset knew there was no particular reason for Twilight to be there at the moment, as court typically didn’t happen on this day of the week. Still, there was nothing to lose from peaking inside. As Sunset approached the large door that guarded the entrance to the throne room, she began to hear noises emanating from inside. It seemed her gamble had paid off. “-can’t keep doing this!” Sunset stopped just before the door after hearing the muffled but still understandable raised voice coming from within. The voice was undoubtedly Twilight’s, but it was far more forceful than Sunset had ever heard it. Like a parent reprimanding their child. “Why not? It’s not like I have anything else better to do!” The second voice was not one Sunset could ever remember hearing in her lifetime, and yet something in the way it spoke was all too familiar. “You know that’s not what I meant!” It didn’t take a genius to figure out that there was a private argument going on within the throne room. The polite thing to do would have been to respect their privacy and come back to see Twilight some other time. So of course, Sunset used her magic to silently jar the door open just enough to peek inside. A changed pony Sunset may have been, but old habits were hard to break. Concern for her friends usually took precedence over more mundane ethics. The throne room predictably contained only two ponies. Twilight stood at the bottom of the stairs to her throne looking every bit the part of a stern queen. Her eyes were unflinchingly locked on the pony standing before her. The identity of this pony was easy to deduce. There were only so many alicorns in Equestria and Sunset had met all but one. This alicorn was not quite as tall as Twilight, but she was easily larger than most stallions, comparable to Luna if Sunset was remembering their very brief encounter accurately. Her hair did not possess the ethereal quality of Twilight’s, but it was distinct all the same. Long light purple hair that was split by strands of blue cascaded in curls down to her chest to compliment her pastel pink fur. Silver regalia modeled in the same fashion as the other princess’s completed the look, her chest plate adorned with what appeared to be a blue crystal heart. Pulling it all together was her cutie mark. A blue heart placed over a six pointed star. All things considered, the alicorn that must have been Flurry Heart was the very picture of beauty. Or rather, she would have been if not for the deep scowl that was currently etched across her face. “I thought that maybe you’d be HAPPY to see me,” Flurry Heart ground out, clearly not willing to back down from this confrontation. Twilight visibly softened at this but held her ground. “You know I’m always happy to see you, Flurry. I just wish seeing you didn’t always mean you running away from your problems. Everypony’s worried about you.” Flurry Heart snorted at Twilight’s concerned statement and turned around to begin pacing in the throne room. “Worried? About what? The pony with a crown but no kingdom? The spare alicorn that’s never ever going to be needed? The princess with no title? I’m sorry if my absence took away everypony’s favorite castle ornament!” Twilight’s expression hardened again. “Your MOTHER is worried about you, Flurry. It seems like every time you come here; I get a letter from Cadance about how you stormed out after a fight.” Flurry Heart stopped and stomped the floor, the sound reverberating off the walls. “Well, tell her not to worry. I could level half of Equestria if I wanted to, not that that seems to matter to anypony.” “That doesn’t make you invincible, Flurry, and that’s not the point!” Twilight shouted, clearly approaching the limits of her patience. “Whatever your problem is, this isn’t the way to deal with it.” Something in Flurry Heart seemed to snap as she quickly turned back to face Twilight. “How should I deal with it then? Should I completely throw myself into some mindless task, so I can shut everypony else out, just like you and Mom!” Flurry Heart started to advance on Twilight, who stood motionless holding Flurry’s gaze. “Or, maybe you’d both prefer it if I ran around Equestria on some meaningless, ‘friendship’ missions. That way you can feel like you did your jobs without having to actually deal with me.” “Flurry, what on Equus has gotten into you?” Twilight asked, her stern tone now mixed with concern. “What’s gotten into me? Maybe, I just find it a little unfair that, aside from you, I’m the most powerful pony in Equestria, but the only thing I’m good for is smiling and waving! I need more. I deserve more!” Flurry Heart demanded, punctuating each statement with another stomp as she got to Twilight. “Talking like that just proves you’re not ready for more, Flurry.” Twilight reprimanded. “Oh please, all my life ponies have told me how special I am and how I was meant to do great things, but the most I’ve ever done is show up at summits and chase off monsters. You weren’t even half my age when you started ruling all of Equestria!” Flurry Heart asserted pointing a hoof at her aunt in an accusing fashion. For the first time since the argument had started, Twilight faltered. “Flurry…there are still things you don’t understand.” “UGH! When are you just going to admit that neither of you are planning on ever letting me grow up, because this stupid job is all you have left!” Flurry Heart finished as she brought both hooves down in a final stomp that shook the room and caused the floor itself to crack as Twilight stepped back, looking as if she had just been struck. Outside the room, Sunset greatly regretted putting her weight on the door as the sudden earthquake level shaking quickly cost her all her balance. “Gah!” she screamed as she toppled forward into the room, which was now deathly silent. “Sunset?” Twilight stated in surprise. Before Sunset could offer an apology or an explanation, her body was enveloped in a yellow aura and lifted off the ground. Sunset was used to being far and away the most powerful magic user in the room. She could count on one of her old hands the amount of times somepony had been able to simply throw her around with their own magic. Still, it had happened enough for the analyst in Sunset to note that the magic of each pony had a unique feel to it when it enveloped you. Princess Celestia’s magic was warm and washed over you, much like the sunlight. Twilight’s magic was perfectly controlled and soothing, her years of magical mastery immediately evident. Flurry Heart’s magic…was nothing like that. Sunset remembered the time Princess Celestia had taught her how to swim at one of the lakes near Canterlot when she was just a filly. She had nearly drowned the first time she stepped into water that went above her head. Being wrapped in Flurry Heart’s magic felt a lot like drowning. The magic was oppressive and smothering. The power immense, but raw and unrefined. It felt as though she could be crushed at any moment. “Don’t you teach your servants not to spy Auntie?” Flurry Heart asked Twilight, barely acknowledging the pony she held captive in her horn’s grasp as she brought the unicorn closer. “I don’t know what kind of castle you’re running if the help thinks it’s perfectly okay to eavesdrop on a PRIVATE conversation.” Sunset felt as though she might lose what little lunch she had at the moment as she was flipped and spun in a way she was absolutely certain wasn’t necessary, almost as if the younger princess was showing off. Twilight came back to her senses upon seeing the display. “She’s not a servant; she’s my friend. I would appreciate it if you set her down,” Twilight said, making it clear that the suggestion wasn’t optional. “…Fine,” Flurry Heart huffed as she roughly deposited Sunset onto the floor. “Gowch!” Sunset cried, landing in a heap right before both princesses. As she dizzily got back to her hooves she wondered if she had ever taken so much abuse in the human world. Equestria sure seemed to like acquainting her with the floor. “Flurry Heart, this is Sunset Shimmer, my new assistant,” Twilight introduced in an attempt to put the scene they had just created behind them. Flurry Heart gave Sunset a curious once over but said nothing. A flash of something passed through her eyes upon hearing Sunset’s name. “She’s going to be working closely with me from now on,” Twilight continued, dropping the not so subtle hint that it would behoove her niece to get used to the unicorn. “Whatever, I’m going to get some fresh air,” Flurry Heart responded, her attitude unchanged but not willing to air any of her grievances to a complete stranger. Flurry Heart promptly turned around and walked out of the throne room. The alicorn’s exit was just as well to Sunset, who had just about all she could take of her bad attitude without losing her own temper. “So, that was the beautiful Princess of Privilege?” Sunset spat out. Perhaps it did bother her that such a pony had been simply born with everything she had always dreamed of. Just a bit. Sunset turned to Twilight, only to be met with a cross expression that was undoubtedly directed at her. “Flurry was right about one thing. Is there any particular reason you felt it was acceptable to violate our privacy?” Twilight said, for the very first time using her height to intimidate the pony before her. Sunset silently gulped, somehow having forgotten that she had been caught red hoofed. “Okay, I know this looks kind of bad, but I was actually on my way to see you.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she lowered her head to meet Sunset’s face. “So, when you found me, you figured it would be best to just wait? By the door? While peeking inside?” Sunset Shimmer was an accomplished liar. Another unsavory skill she had mastered in her darker days. It was possible that she could have weaved a convincing and believable story to fool almost anypony that questioned her. But that didn’t matter now, because she couldn’t bring herself to lie to Twilight, and, even if she could, nopony was more likely to see right through her. “I was worried about you, Twi,” Sunset confessed, her cyan eyes looking directly into violet ones. “I heard about where you were this morning, so I came to see you. Then, I heard shouting, and I needed to see if you were alright. I know I shouldn’t have stuck my muzzle into your business, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry,” Sunset finished as she turned her gaze to the floor. Twilight was quickly discovering that Sunset was a pony she couldn’t stay mad at. The amber pony wasn’t perfect, but she had one of the largest hearts of anypony Twilight had ever met. Besides, there was hardly any point in staying mad at somepony who always punished herself more than anypony else ever could. With a small smile, Twilight’s hoof found its way under Sunset’s chin and guided her eyes back into her own. “It’s alright. I forgive you.” Sunset met Twilight’s soft smile with her own. A moment of understanding passing between them. To Sunset’s dismay, the moment ended, and the weight of the world retook its place upon Twilight’s shoulders as she lowered her hoof, leaving a familiar cold feeling upon the place it once rested. Twilight sighed. “I need to apologize to you now, Sunset. For the way Flurry Heart acted.” Sunset couldn’t repress the frown that made its way onto her face at the mention of the other alicorn, but she wasn’t about to let anypony take responsibility for somepony else’s actions. “You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. If anything, I think she owes you an apology.” “You don’t understand, Sunset. Flurry Heart’s just going through a lot right now,” Twilight defended, love for her niece clearly taking precedence over any pain inflicted. Sunset couldn’t believe Twilight was actually defending the terror, family or not. How could anypony be excused for behaving in such a manor? “You can’t be serious, Twi,” Sunset began, her famous temper starting to take over. “She’s a complete brat! She seems to think that having all that power gives her the right to walk all over everypony else. She’s arrogant, stuck up, spoiled, entitled, ungrateful, and thinks she somehow knows it all. It’s hard to believe she’s even a princess! She’s just…she’s, well she’s…” Sunset trailed off and her anger quickly abated as she began to actually process what she was saying. “She’s…just like me,” Sunset breathed out. Sunset ran the conversation she had overheard through her head once more, this time without being clouded by her anger. “She’s…desperate to prove herself, and she’s lonely.” Twilight couldn’t quite make out what Sunset was saying under her breath, but she didn’t believe she had the time to dwell on it. “I need to go after her, Sunset.” “No!” Twilight arched her head back in surprise at the sudden exclamation. “No?” “You chasing after her is probably only going to make her blow up again,” Sunset reasoned as she brought herself out of her own thoughts. “Let me talk to her.” “You?” Twilight asked in surprise. “Sunset, she just met you. If you can even call that a meeting.” “I know, but I really think I can get through to her,” Sunset pleaded, hoping she was doing the right thing here. “You trust me, right?” Sunset asked, remembering the discussion they had in the palace garden, the day she had come back. Twilight seemed to be remembering as well. She took a moment to respond, wrestling with her doubts and fears. “I do.” Finding Flurry Heart wasn’t hard. Apparently, this was something of a routine at the castle. Flurry Heart would come for an unexpected visit, a nasty argument would unfold, and finally, Flurry would storm out and come to this spot to cool off. Sunset found herself walking onto a large outdoor circular platform made of stone that gave a perfect view of the sun shining over Canterlot. The gentle breeze and barely audible rustle of the flora that decorated the platform’s stone railings being the only noise to break the silence. Flurry Heart was found leaning over the edge, looking out to the horizon. She seemed to be too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the new presence. “Hey,” Sunset called out loud enough for Flurry Heart to hear without also getting too close. It didn’t stop Flurry Heart from being startled as she jumped at the unexpected voice and quickly turned to face the pony who had called out to her, her guard fully raised. “You? What do you want?” Flurry Heart sneered out. “I wanted to talk to you,” Sunset explained, still not making any move to come closer. “Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have anything to say to you,” Flurry practically spat out. “Now, leave. That’s an order.” Sunset had known this would be taxing in a variety of ways, so she suppressed her anger at once again being treated like a simple servant that could be bossed around however the princess saw fit. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong hoof earlier and I was hoping we could get to know each other better.” Flurry Heart’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, clearly not used to her commands not being followed. “Well, thank you, but no thank you. I’m not really in the mood to talk, especially to my aunt’s new nosy assistant.” Flurry Heart said, fully intending for that to be the end of it as she turned away to resume her earlier position. Sunset had dearly hoped it wouldn’t come to this. She had hoped Flurry wouldn’t be just as much of a stuck-up snob as she had once been, but at this point it was almost like looking into a mirror. Flurry Heart simply wasn’t willing to listen to anypony, which meant that there was only one way to get through to her. Sunset took a steady breath and steeled her nerves. No matter how powerful she was, it was incredibly likely she was about to bite off more than she could chew. “Alright, so you’re not in the mood to talk,” Sunset began to the alicorn that was now set on ignoring her completely. “Then…fight me.” Author's Note And here we have the first chapter completely written from scratch after the publication of the first chapter. We also have my rendition of Flurry Heart. I knew I wanted to include her before I even started writing this story, but as the Flurry Heart in the show is only ever depicted as a small baby not even capable of speech, writing her was almost like making an OC. All I had to work off of was a design. As you can see she's kind of a brat right now. Not without reason of course, and she'll be our first unfiltered look into exactly what's up with the royal family. As always I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave whatever thoughts you might have.
Chapter 6: Clash of Shimmering HeartsThe stone circle, illuminated by the midday sun, seemed to completely still, as even the breeze paused in shock of the bold declaration. Flurry Heart quickly turned back to her, this time sporting a baffled look that seemed to both wonder if she had heard what Sunset had just said right and questioned if this unicorn was completely insane. Sunset couldn’t blame her. She was wondering the same thing. She may very well have been the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, but she was still picking a fight with an alicorn. Simply put, she was completely out of her league. “You heard me. Let’s have a magic duel, right now. Just you and me.” Yeah, she was crazy. Completely mental. A bout of insanity no doubt brought on by a combination of anger, stress, and roughly twenty-four hours without sleep. There was, however, a method to the madness. Sunset still clearly remembered what she used to be like. She couldn’t forget. She would never allow herself to forget. She remembered what it felt like to think you had all the power and answers. To be so deep in your own head that you weren’t willing to listen to anypony except yourself. She had been like that until she was forced to confront the fact that the reality was otherwise. She needed to be humbled before she could grow. Flurry Heart needed to be taken down a few pegs before she would actually be ready to hear what anypony had to say. The only problem was, there were only four ponies on the planet that could possibly discipline her. Perhaps less, if Flurry’s boasting was to be believed. Twilight certainly would never lay a hoof on her unless she was absolutely forced to, and Sunset wasn’t willing to let it come to that. The world didn’t need another Sunset Shimmer. That left the job to her. A woefully underequipped and unprepared unicorn that may have been completely out of her mind. “You’re kidding?” Flurry Heart scoffed out once the shock of Sunset’s brashness had passed. “You do realize who you’re talking to, right?” Well, there was no point in backing down now. Sunset had made her bed and she was going to lie in it. “Of course. I’m talking to a self-absorbed little brat who needs to be put in her place.” The insult did its job and ensured that there would be no turning back, as Flurry Heart scowled and left the railing to approach the unicorn. “Okay, little pony. I’ll fight you. I REALLY felt like hitting something anyway. Just be ready for when auntie has to scrape you off the castle.” Sunset held her ground and didn’t back down as the alicorn stepped up to face her. Flurry Heart made certain to get as close as possible, ensuring she could look down on the unicorn before her. Flurry Heart was certainly not as massive as Twilight, nor did she radiate the same amount of power and authority. Unfortunately, she still towered over Sunset by an entire head and neck. Whatever Flurry lacked in presence she made up for in menace. Twilight Sparkle was undoubtedly the most powerful pony on the planet now, but Sunset knew she would never hurt her. There was no telling what Flurry Heart was capable of at this point. All the terror she wasn’t showing on the outside, she was certainly feeling on the inside. “Standard magic dueling rules then,” Sunset managed to get out in a thankfully even tone. “First pony to either forfeit or be incapacitated loses.” Flurry Heart simply nodded before she began walking away to take her place on the other side of the platform. As Sunset did the same, she quickly went over her plan in her head. Sunset may have been crazy, but she wasn’t suicidal. She never would have proposed a duel without an idea of how to win. Unfortunately, her victory relied on a few assumptions of Flurry’s history and character to work, but Sunset had always fancied herself a good judge of character. The deck was incredibly stacked against her at the moment. During her twenty-four-hour stay in Twilight’s lab, she had been able to confirm that her abilities had indeed been enhanced by whatever changed her magic. Her already incredible power had increased, and her mana reserves were now significantly greater. She probably never would have been able to apply herself to so much lab work as long as she did otherwise. Be that as it may, she was still no alicorn. Simply smothering Flurry Heart’s magic with her own as she would have normally been able to do wasn’t an option. From the brief seconds Sunset had felt Flurry Heart’s magic, she could tell that she’d never be able to match such raw power. Nor could she hope to physically overpower or outlast her earth pony build, obviously. Not to mention, the alicorn could freely fly without expending energy on any sort of levitation spell, giving her the movement advantage. As far as statistics go, Sunset was outmatched in every category. And to top it all off, she was going into this duel already tired. Her only hope was the other things she had learned from her brief interaction with Flurry Heart’s magic. For all her power, the alicorn was no master of the magic arts. More than likely, a result of being able to solely rely on brute strength and spending the majority of her life in an empire comprised of crystal earth ponies. If Sunset had to guess, most of Flurry Heart’s training would have come from Cadenza, who Sunset knew from personal experience was only an average mage herself. She had found absolutely no evidence of any sort of advanced magical training in Flurry Heart’s technique. Sunset, on the other hoof, was as close as one could get to embodying magic without literally being Twilight Sparkle. “I’ll give you one chance to back down before I flatten you! As fun as it would be, I really don’t feel like explaining to Aunt Twilight why I had to make paste out of you!” Flurry Heart shouted from the other side of the platform once they had taken their positions. Sunset merely ground her hooves into the floor and took a casting stance in response. “Fine, have it your way,” Flurry Heart muttered under her breath as she began collecting magic in her horn. Sunset cast a quick timer spell in the center of their impromptu arena, an orb of magic that would change color and burst in three seconds, signaling the start of the duel. Sunset took a deep breath in hopes of calming whatever nerves she could. Both mares tensed as the orb began the process of changing colors. Three…Two…One… The instant the light flashed out of existence; Flurry Heart unleashed a large concentrated stream of yellow concussive energy in Sunset’s direction. Sunset barely got a shield spell up before the beam washed over her, for all the good it did. The shield managed to weather the attack, but Sunset was still pushed back several feet, her hooves grinding on the stone floor, searching for traction. This unbalanced interaction made Sunset firmly resolve to only directly block Flurry’s attacks when absolutely necessary. Flurry Heart followed this attack with a constant volley of several shorter blasts, nowhere near as long or powerful as the first, but still plenty destructive. Sunset was forced on the defensive as she rapidly teleported around the platform to avoid the incoming shots that hammered her side of the arena. “Are you just going to run away the whole time, or do you plan on actually fighting me at some point!” Flurry Heart taunted in between her unrelenting shots. Sunset’s moment of opportunity came when Flurry Heart ceased her assault to ready another concentrated shot of energy. The spell she now had in mind would be near alicorn level magic, but it could be the only way to break Flurry’s defenses. Sheer adrenaline forced her body past any exhaustion as she focused. Flurry Heart readied her attack and immediately launched a large orb of magical energy in Sunset’s direction. Rather than put up a shield spell, Sunset focused her horn on the space in front of her and concentrated all of her power into it. A hole, no bigger than a coffee table, materialized right in front of the unicorn and completely swallowed the ball of yellow energy. “What in th-GAH!” Flurry Heart shouted in shock and pain as somehow her own attack rammed into her and knocked her back into the hard-stone rails that guarded the edge of the platform, burying her in rubble and dust. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that her localized portals had worked. With Flurry temporarily dazed, Sunset had only a few moments to enact the next part of her plan as she focused her horn skyward. A dome of energy briefly flashed over the platform before disappearing from sight. Not a moment too soon, as Flurry rushed from the cloud her impact had created intent on simply running Sunset over. Physical brutality was greatly discouraged among dueling unicorns, but, as far as Sunset knew, there was no rule saying you couldn’t simply beat your opponent into submission. Flurry Heart intended to take full advantage of this loophole as she charged Sunset at full speed. Sunset found herself to be in luck, for as devastating as any one of Flurry Heart’s attacks would have been to be struck by, they were all incredibly linear and predictable. A simple slip spell cast on the ground along with a hop to get out of the way was all it took this time to send Flurry Heart sprawling. The alicorn ungracefully crashed onto her stomach as her chin banged onto the stone floor. Frustration was clearly beginning to set in, Flurry growling at Sunset from her position on the floor. “Good,” Sunset thought. “The angrier she gets, the more likely she is to mess up.” Sunset was surprised at how well it was going. Her magical abilities were now back to full strength, if not better than before, and she had trained some with Twilight, but it had still been years since she had actually fought anyone with her magic. Before Sunset could get too comfortable with her brief victories, Flurry Heart decided to take a more unorthodox approach as she slammed her hooves into the ground. The shock sent Sunset off balance long enough for Flurry to get to her hooves and deliver a quick shoulder bash to the amber mare sending her bouncing across the floor. Sunset felt the air almost completely leave her body as she tumbled away from Flurry Heart, only coming to a stop as slid into the guard rails. Simply breathing felt difficult after such a direct hit from the large pony. “Not so hot now, are you?” Flurry Heart taunted, enjoying having the upper hand for once. Fortunately for Sunset, this gave her the time she needed to get her bearings. “Okay, REALLY can’t afford to take any more shots like that,” SunsetInternally noted, as she quickly stumbled back into a battle-ready stance. She needed to reassert control of the fight and quickly. For the first time since the duel started, Sunset launched an attack of her own. Flurry effortlessly blocked the small beam with her own horn, slapping it away. “Your first actual attack and that was it? Aunt Twilight’s standards must have REALLY dropped,” Flurry Heart mocked. Sunset couldn’t suppress the sneer that made its way onto her face at the remark. Sunset growled before firing a small ball of energy. Flurry Heart scoffed before proceeding to block the next attack in the same manner as the first. Only this attack exploded in a flash of light when Flurry struck it with her horn. “AGH!” Flurry Heart screamed, once more taken off guard and sent into a stumble, as she was completely blinded by the flash of light that went off right in her face. Sunset took full advantage of this moment and unleashed a giant red blast of magic at her full power, carving through the floor and totally consuming the alicorn, sending her flying all the way to the opposite side of the platform. “Whoa,” Sunset muttered to herself, caught off guard by the amount of power she had just displayed. Sunset found herself actually worrying that she might have overdone it as she watched Flurry Heart crash ungracefully onto the floor in a manner that had to be painful. Fortunately, Flurry’s earth pony physiology was more than up to the task as the alicorn quickly began to stir with no debilitating injuries. “Alright, you hit a lot harder than I thought, little pony!” Flurry Heart huffed out as she picked herself off the ground, now sporting a variety of scuffs and bruises. “But I hope you know It’s still going to take a lot more than that to take me down!” Flurry Heart finished as she flared her wings in a threatening manner. Sunset prepared herself because she knew she’d only get one shot at this. She liked to practice her spells more before deploying them on the field, but there was simply no other way she’d be able to defeat the alicorn head to head. A personalized sealing spell was her best bet. Magical energy started to collect in her horn, causing it to glow bright red. This, fortunately, gave off the appearance that she was simply preparing for her next attack. Flurry Heart had clearly had enough of trying to fight Sunset on her terms and readied her wings to take flight. Flurry knew that once she was airborne it would be next to impossible for the unicorn to force her into any more uncomfortable situations and she’d have complete control of their current arena. She had only remained grounded for as long as she had because she was convinced she could end the fight quicker that way. Seeing as that wasn’t the case, there was no point in holding back any longer. Without any further delay, Flurry Heart launched herself directly into the air. She turned her attention back to her target as she flapped her wings to gain altitude. The princess had to admit, this unicorn had given her more of a workout than any pony or monster ever had, but it was time to end things right- A sudden searing pain passed through the alicorn as her entire body seized up. An electric shock took hold of Flurry Heart’s body as her back touched the invisible barrier Sunset had set up at the beginning of the duel. Flurry Heart did not make a single sound as the shock left her completely immobile, even removing her ability to speak. Sunset watched as the alicorn plummeted to the ground. Her strategy having led to this exact moment. The paralysis charm on her barrier would only last a few more seconds once Flurry hit the ground, giving her a clear shot at the alicorn’s horn. She’d have to time it just right. Sunset saw Flurry Heart hit the stone, back first, landing in such a way that her head was facing away from her. Flurry Heart twitched, regaining her senses, and exposing her horn in the process. She had one shot. Unfortunately, Sunset never got a chance to take it. Flurry Heart vanished in a bright flash of yellow light as her horn spontaneously sparked with power. To say Flurry had teleported would technically be correct, but, in Sunset’s personal opinion, it was not an accurate way to describe Flurry Heart’s crude technique. Teleportation was a highly advanced magic skill that only a few unicorns could manage to perform, and even fewer could perform in quick succession. The expert control of one’s magic needed to seamlessly convert a pony’s mass into energy and shift it through space took some unicorns years to develop. What Flurry Heart had done was more akin to forcing herself through space with an indescribable amount of power. Like shoving the square block through the circle hole of a small foal’s toy. However messy the technique, Sunset couldn’t deny that it got results. It also left her royally bucked. Flurry Heart violently flashed into existence right before Sunset, the surprise causing the unicorn to rear back onto her hind legs. Before the energy surrounding her had even fully dispersed, Flurry Heart pounced onto Sunset, pinning her onto her back with her full weight, her forelegs held down beneath Flurry’s hooves in a spread-eagle position. Sunset tried to use her hind legs to shove Flurry’s weight off, but her strength was simply no match for that of an alicorn’s. Flurry Heart had her completely trapped, and the fact was not lost on the alicorn as she smiled down at her prey. “Didn’t know I could do that trick too, did you? Game over, I win.” Sunset couldn't help but scoff at Flurry's statement. “You call that magic? I’ve seen yaks do the Pony Cotillion with more grace than you cast spells with,” Sunset mocked, grinning through the pain Flurry’s weight on her forelegs was causing. Sunset was many things, but a quitter was not one of them. She couldn’t move, but she could talk. “What!? I have more magic in my tail than you have in your entire body!” Flurry Heart shouted down at the unicorn who had clearly touched a nerve. “Exactly. You have all that power, and yet you have no idea how to use it. Honestly, it’s a waste,” Sunset said egging Flurry on. Flurry Heart’s eyes filled with rage and her horn sparked with power as she forced her weight down even harder. Sunset dearly hoped her gamble paid off, or she might not live to see another day. “What would YOU know about magic!?” Flurry Heart shouted, lowering her head down to be directly in Sunset’s face. “Checkmate,” Sunset thought as a victorious smirk made its way onto her face. “Let me show you,” Sunset said as she tilted her head up and touched her horn to Flurry Heart’s releasing the spell she had been holding in all that time. The discharge of power presenting itself in a blinding flash of white light. When the light cleared, there was no visible change to the platform beyond the cracks and scorch marks already present from previous attacks. Sunset still laid in the same spot as before, and Flurry Heart still stood over her, completely unchanged. Flurry Heart was the first to react, raising her head, intent on making the unicorn pay for trying to trick her. She stuck her horn downward, planning on knocking the impudent mare out cold with her most powerful blast of magic yet. Sunset recoiled, closing her eyes and bracing for the attack. They stayed in that position for several seconds before they realized that nothing had happened. “What’s going on?!” Flurry heart exclaimed while frantically shaking her head. “I can’t use my magic!” Sunset felt every muscle in her body untense as she let out a massive sigh of relief. She watched in amusement as Flurry Heart strained with all her might to force magic out of her horn, the duel now completely forgotten in the face of this crisis. Sunset was no longer a vindictive pony that took pleasure in dominating others, but nopony threw Sunset Shimmer around and got away with it. Sunset put an abrupt end to Flurry Heart’s failed attempts to call forth her magic as she seized the alicorn in her own magic and raised Flurry off her. “You can’t use your magic anymore. Game over, I win.” Sunset smugly stated while making sure to turn and twist her captive in all the ways she had been thrown about earlier. Sunset punctuated her victory by roughly dropping Flurry Heart onto the ground in front of her. “Y-You took my magic!?” Flurry Heart panicked as she clutched her horn in her hooves, not even bothering to pick herself off the floor as she questioned the unicorn. Looking into the alicorn’s frightened eyes convinced Sunset that she might have taken things a bit too far. “No no, don’t worry! It’s completely temporary,” Sunset quickly assured her. “It’s just a disarming spell I came up with.” “…You can do things like that?” Flurry Heart questioned; her panic now replaced with curiosity. “Of course!” Sunset answered in earnest, excited to talk about her favorite subject. “Magic can do all sorts of things.” “Like…all those tricks you did when we were fighting?” Flurry Heart asked despite most likely already knowing the answer. Sunset nodded her head with a smile. She was quite proud of all she had done under so much pressure. Flurry Heart paused for a second before asking, “…Can you teach me how to do things like that?” This was a turn Sunset wasn’t expecting. “I mean, yeah I could, but Twilight could probably teach you more than I can.” Flurry Heart glanced down in sadness. “Aunt Twilight doesn’t really have time for me. Running all of Equestria and her school makes her too busy. Especially ever since Dad died,” she finished barely above a whisper. Sunset probably should have been glad that her plan to set Flurry Heart straight had successfully gone on to its next stage, but it was impossible to be happy when the alicorn looked so much like a lost little filly. Sunset used her magic to pick Flurry Heart up and clean her of any dust she had taken during their battle. “There, good as new. I'll tell you what. I’ll teach you, but only if you talk to me like I wanted to begin with.” Flurry Heart looked away. “Okay…and…I’m sorry. I just wanted to be alone. I didn’t want to hurt you. At least not badly,” Flurry Heart muttered with a shameful countenance. Twilight’s niece really did remind Sunset of herself. First with her horrible attitude, and, now that the fragile façade had been shattered, the lost uncertainty made the resemblance even more uncanny. “Take a seat, Flurry Heart. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” “So, you knew my mom?” Flurry Heart asked in an astonished voice, unable to believe what she was hearing. “In a way, we were raised together,” Sunset explained. “Princess Celestia found us both when we were young and took us in.” “So, you and my mom were like family?” Flurry stated, believing herself to understand the picture Sunset was painting. Sunset chuckled mirthlessly. “No, no we weren’t. I HATED your mother, Flurry. Like I’ve never hated anypony before. It sounds silly now, but back then I honestly thought she was trying to steal my entire life, right out from under me. “I still remember the day Princess Celestia introduced me to her. I was young and I’d already been living with Princess Celestia for a few years. She was the closest thing to family I’d ever had. Then, one day this upstart pegasus from some town in the middle of nowhere grows a horn, Celestia ADOPTS her, and she starts living in the castle so she can learn how to be a princess. All in a single day,” Sunset finished with a joyless smile as she took in the setting sun over Canterlot by the edge of the platform. Flurry Heart seemed to be at a loss for what to make of Sunset’s tale. “I-I’m sorry that happened to you.” “Don’t be. From what I hear, your mother made a pretty great princess after all. All I was ever good for was almost starting a war until your aunt beat some sense into me.” Flurry Heart choose to be silent, once again not sure how to respond to the unicorn’s self-depreciation. Sunset shook her head, realizing she was getting off-topic. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you all this so you could feel sorry for me. I told you this because, well, I see a lot of myself in you, Flurry.” “…Oh,” Flurry muttered, unsure what to make of the comparison. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Flurry. I wish I could take them all back, but I can’t. I don’t want you to make those same mistakes,” Sunset said in earnest. “What do you mean?” Flurry Heart asked, her tone tense at some of the implications. “Well, for starters, you’re pushing everypony away,” Sunset began. “They pushed me away first!” Flurry Heart huffed out. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I’m pretty sure I thought the exact same thing once. You know they love you, right?” Sunset picked up. “Yeah.” “And, you love them too, don’t you?” Sunset continued. “Of course!” “Then never forget that. No matter what, make sure to hold onto the ponies you love. Trust me, Flurry, there’s nothing worse than being all alone.” Sunset finished, still looking into the beautiful orange sky. “What if you don’t have a choice?” Flurry tentatively ventured out. Sunset raised an eyebrow at whatever Flurry was getting at. “What do you mean?” “I mean…my Dad died. Almost thirty years ago. I loved him more than anything, and…now he’s gone and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Flurry Heart choked out, tears building in her eyes. “I know Mom misses him too. She won’t say it or even talk about him anymore, but I can see it in everything she does. She works as much as she can, rarely leaves the castle, and the only way I can ever get to see her is by forcing her to deal with me. Aunt Twilight’s barely any better.” Sunset knew this went deep, but actually hearing about it still left a deep pit in her stomach. “I have to admit, that’s pretty bad.” “You’re telling me,” Flurry Heart mumbled as she slumped over. “Still, you’re going about this the wrong way,” Sunset quickly amended. “Lashing out all the time and looking for things to bury your feelings in isn’t going to bring them any closer. And especially believe me when I say it’s not going to convince anypony to give you a kingdom. Deep down, I think you know that.” “So, what do I do?” Sunset couldn’t believe how small Flurry Heart looked in that moment of total vulnerability. The alicorn that physically towered over her now closely resembled a filly looking up to her for guidance. “Well…you work it out. Maybe you’ve got the right idea by fighting your mother and Twilight all the time. You’re just fighting them the wrong way. You need them, and they need you. I know that. Make sure they know it too,” “Where do I even start?” Flurry questioned. “We’ll figure it out,” Sunset answered. “We?” Sunset smiled at the princess. “Of course, that’s the most important thing about solving these problems. Never do it alone. That’s what friends are for.” “I…I don’t really have many friends. Not anymore at least,” Flurry Heart said staring out into space. “Well, you have one more in me now.” “Thank you…Sunset?” Flurry Heart stated before a look of displeasure crossed her face. “No, that doesn’t sound right. Maybe…Miss. Shimmer?” “DOCTOR Shimmer!” “…what?” “Sorry, force of habit.” Flurry Heart took a long moment of consideration, a look of contemplation etched across her face. When Flurry Heart next spoke, she appeared far shyer than Sunset had ever seen her. “So, you and my mom were raised together, right?” “Yeah, that’s pretty much right.” Flurry Heart began to twiddle her hooves. “So…in a way, you were almost like sisters,” “I…suppose you could say that.” “So…would you, I don’t know, mind if…maybe I called you…Aunt Sunset?” Flurry Heart finished; the last words of the question spoken in a rush. Sunset turned the title over in her head. As a pony with no known family, and any chance of ever finding them long gone, she had never imagined she’d be an aunt to anypony. The thought of being addressed as such by Flurry Heart didn’t feel all that unpleasant. “Well, if you don’t mind calling somepony who is technically several decades younger than you an aunt, I guess I wouldn’t object to it,” Sunset said. “Aunt Sunset it is then.” The two mares stayed silent for a bit after that, content watching the sun finish sinking below the horizon, guided by a large purple alicorn. “Aunt Sunset?” “Yeah, Flurry?” “Is…is it okay if I hug you?” “Come here, kiddo.” The two ponies scooted closer together as Flurry Heart wrapped a pastel pink wing around Sunset and Sunset placed a foreleg around Flurry’s lower back. As the sky turned to night and the future seemed uncertain, the embrace provided a moment of absolute peace that nothing could disrupt. “WHAT IN EQUESTRIA HAPPENED HERE!?” Almost nothing. Sunset and Flurry Heart quickly separated in order to turn around and look at the large lavender alicorn descending onto the platform in a state of panic. It only now occurred to the two mares that they had yet to consider the collateral damage of their heated battle. Flurry Heart noted that it was entirely possible that the blasts of magic she had been throwing around willy-nilly might have destroyed a few precious statues, and walls, and perhaps a good chunk of the railing. Sunset was forced to entertain that her ultimate blast of magic power had completely destroyed the decorative stone floor. And, to be frank, the plants didn’t stand a chance. The fact that both mares looked like they had been run over by several carriages was just icing on the cake. “Well!? Does anypony want to tell me why I no longer have a viewing tower?” Twilight ground out. It had been quite some time since Sunset was required to smooth talk her way out of having destroyed a section of the castle. She was definitely out of practice. Thankfully, Flurry Heart seemed more than willing to pick up the slack. “We were just…practicing our gardening?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “REALLY aggressive gardening…with magic.” Okay, so the kid could use some work. “Flurry and I were just getting a feel for each other’s magic, Twilight. I guess things got a little out of hoof.” Twilight looked over both ponies, first examining Flurry Heart’s slightly singed fur, then turning to Sunset who was developing a number of pronounced bruises. “You don’t say,” Twilight remarked dryly. “Yeah!” Flurry Heart said excitedly as she shot up, Twilight’s sarcasm completely lost on her. “Aunt Sunset even promised to teach me some super-advanced magic!” “Aunt Sunset?” Twilight asked in visible confusion, looking past her niece to the still seated unicorn who only offered her a casual shrug for explanation. Her unanswered question aside, Flurry Heart’s attitude had noticeably improved from before. Twilight hadn’t seen her niece so excited in some time. She supposed, one tower was a small price to pay for her family’s happiness. “Well, so long as nopony was hurt too badly, I guess we can put this mess behind us.” Twilight was caught off guard when Flurry Heart rushed forward and hugged her, clutching onto her in a way that reminded her of when her niece was much smaller. It only took a few seconds for Twilight to return the affection, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the embrace. “Aunt Twilight, I’m really sorry. About all those things I said to you,” Flurry Heart gently said without letting go of Twilight. “It’s okay, Flurry,” Twilight reassured her. “I love you, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry Heart whispered. “I love you too, Flurry, with all my heart,” Twilight whispered back. After a few more seconds of enjoying the moment, the two princesses separated. They took several more seconds to simply look at each other as if really seeing the pony in front of them for the first time in a while. It was a stretch to say that all their issues had been resolved, but it was a start. “So, since Aunt Sunset is going to be teaching me magic now, you don’t mind if I swing by the castle every week or so, do you?” Flurry Heart picked up with a somewhat bashful look. Twilight would definitely need to interrogate Sunset about what exactly she had missed that led to all these developments, but she could tell that really wasn’t important right now. “Flurry honey, you’re welcome around the castle at any time.” Flurry Heart released a breath she had not been aware she was holding, apparently needing to hear those words. The relief was unfortunately short-lived. “Before we get ahead of ourselves though, I believe there’s a pony who really needs to know you’re okay right now,” Twilight prompted with a knowing look. Flurry Heart’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly at the prospect. “Ok, that’s fair, I guess.” “For now, though, you can spend the night here. Why don’t you go clean yourself up and we can catch up in the private library,” Twilight offered. Flurry Heart seemed to positively beam at the prospect. “You mean it? O-Okay, I’ll go wait for you.” The alicorn nearly tripped over herself walking around Twilight trying to rush into the castle. “Hold on!” Sunset called out, having just remembered something important as she finally got up and joined the other two mares. Flurry Heart stopped, clearly antsy at being held up. “I almost forgot to unblock your magic,” said Sunset as her horn lit up, casting a quick counterspell. Flurry Heart’s horn lit up again with yellow magic, her full power instantly returned to her. “Okay, you have to teach me how to do that. I’ll see you later, Aunt Sunset,” Flurry Heart waved as she finally retreated inside. Sunset couldn’t help but smile as she watched the alicorn rush off. “Well, she can be a bit prickly, but Spike was right, she’s a good pony.” “Remind you of anypony?” Twilight not so subtly hinted with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Sunset rolled her eyes and gently knocked one of her hooves against Twilight’s leg, unfortunately, unable to get anywhere near her shoulders. “In all seriousness though, thank you Sunset. I think you really helped her, and you helped me too. This whole fiasco has helped me realize that I've been neglecting some pretty important things. I guess that shows you’ll make a pretty good teacher,” Twilight remarked. Sunset was jolted to her senses by the statement. “Oh yeah, I guess I did kind of completely agree to that, didn’t I?” Sunset was certainly not a pony to blow off a commitment, but such a large and unfamiliar one would take some doing. She needed to get started right away if she wanted to be ready for Flurry Heart’s first lesson. “Okay, if I get started right now, I should be able to draft up a rough course plan by Tuesday. I just need to get-” Sunset’s pace was immediately stopped as a large purple wing extended itself to block her path. “Just where do you think you’re going?” Sunset looked at the appendage with annoyance. “Twilight, I need to get to work.” “You know…” Twilight began as though Sunset had not said anything, “I ran into a certain changeling earlier today. He was pretty irritated that, apparently, somepony wasn’t in her room when she should have been.” Sunset was not a fan of the direction this conversation was headed. “Apparently, this pony was careless enough to spend an entire day holed up in a lab. Then, instead of getting some sleep like she should have, she decided to spend the next day picking a fight with an alicorn of all things. I bet she must look just awful right now,” Twilight continued, her voice becoming stern and her eyes narrowing as they looked down on the cornered unicorn. “I don’t suppose you know this pony, do you Sunset?” Sunset began to weigh her odds. What were the chances she could take down two alicorns in one day? Right, less than nonexistent. Perhaps a quick teleport to the lab? No, Twilight could easily follow her, and her head felt like it would explode if she tried. Playing dumb it was. “Whoever this pony is, it sounds like you should really go find her,” Sunset started to say as she tried to slip under Twilight’s wing. Twilight quickly placed her full body in Sunset’s path cutting off any escape as she began to advance on the beaten-down mare. “Bedtime, Sunset, now.” Sunset began to back away from the suddenly imposing alicorn. “You can’t do this, Twilight. I have rights!” “Not in my Equestria you don’t,” Twilight firmly stated as she picked Sunset up in her magenta magic. “This is an abuse of power,” Sunset complained Twilight rolled her eyes at Sunset’s childishness. “Oh, hush.” Using her magic Twilight placed the small mare onto her back, using her wings to prevent her from either falling or escaping. Not that there was much risk of Sunset escaping. Nearly two days without sleep and a battle with an adult alicorn had clearly sapped almost all of Sunset’s strength. “You just get some sleep, and I’ll take you to your room.” Sunset really wanted to fight against being treated like some sort of small foal, incapable of even tucking herself in, but any small resistance that she had within her left the moment she was placed upon Twilight’s back. Apparently, Twilight was soft. Softer than she had ever imagined. Not that that was something she had ever imagined. Honest. The soft coat of the large alicorn combined with support from her warm blanket-like wings and hair rivaled any bed Sunset had ever slept in. Was Celestia ever this soft? Sunset vaguely remembered being carried in a similar manner as a filly. Whatever the case, Sunset couldn’t imagine anything comparing to what she was feeling right now as she began to drift off and snuggled into Twilight’s back which smelled vaguely of lavender. Realization of what she was doing snapped Sunset out of her bliss like state. She really needed to get out of here before things got weird. Sunset’s hopes of escaping were again quickly quashed as Twilight began moving. The soft rocking of her perch being the death knell to her resistance. A small yawn escaped Sunset’s mouth before she fell victim to sleep’s pull and cuddled into her makeshift bed. Twilight couldn’t stop herself from thinking the entire thing was adorable. Twilight carefully exited Sunset’s room, making absolutely certain not to make any noise as she guided the door closed. Another day down. Countless more to go. Still, they seemed to be getting more bearable lately. All that was left was to go see Flurry Heart before bed. It really had been a while since they had last had an actual conversation. One that didn’t involve them screaming at each other. Twilight was rather looking forward to it. She could have the chefs prepare a meal for them. Maybe they could even read together, just like they used to before everything was so complicated. “Twilight,” a voice whispered from behind her. To the day, she was Twilight Sparkle, new age ruler of Equestria, but at night she was just Twilight, so she felt only a little shame at jumping in surprise at the voice in the dark hall. “Spike! You scared me,” Twilight whisper shouted after she turned to the source of the voice. “Sorry about that. I needed to talk to you,” Spike explained. “It can’t wait until morning?” Twilight questioned, curious as to what her oldest friend could want this late. “I just got news from Ember. A couple of old dragons longing for, ‘the old days’ are making a big fuss right now, and she needs my help calming everything down. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, so I came to say goodbye,” Spike informed her. Spike leaving to do his duty was almost always hard these days, but right now it was downright unbearable. “Spike, you can’t go. I need you!” Twilight knew she was being selfish, but just once she felt she was allowed to be. Of all times, something like this had to happen now. “Look, it’ll probably only take a few days, so I probably won’t be able to make the trip to Ponyville with you, but I’ll still be able to make it there,” Spike said in an attempt to calm an oncoming panic attack. “Then let’s just postpone the trip until you can. You said it’ll only be a few days, right?” Twilight said suddenly looking desperate. Spike had known Twilight for a century by now. Nopony knew her better than he did and as much as he didn’t like it, he knew that he’d have to put his foot down on this one. “Twilight, no. It took you months to get the time off for this trip, we can’t put it off any longer. You and I both know she doesn’t have much time left.” Twilight said nothing, merely averting her gaze so Spike wouldn’t see her glistening eyes. It hurt Spike to say it just as much as it would hurt Twilight to hear it, but it was something she needed to hear. “Pinkie Pie needs you, Twilight.” Author's Note Suprise update! With a confession. Originally the previous chapter was supposed to contain the fight scene, but I found it made the chapter obscenely large. So, I did what all creators do when they make to much. I split it in half and sold it to you separately which hopefully explains this sudden update. Everyone seemed eager to see it go down in any case. This was my first time writing both an action and fight scene, so please don't be shy to tell me what you think. Did you enjoy it? Was it what you were hoping for? Anything I could do better? How about the rest of the chapter? Whatever the case, I'm positive I have created the first Sunset vs. Flurry scene in history, so there's that.
Chapter 7: Going on a TripIn all her years living in Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer was hard pressed to remember a more perfect day. The birds were gently chirping, the breeze was just the right speed, and the sun was shining directly overhead, bathing everything in a warm light. “More tea, Sunset?” offered an angelic voice Sunset had not heard in a long time. “oh, yes, thank you, Princess,” Sunset answered, coming back to the world before her. The two ponies had taken the beautiful day as an opportunity to enjoy a picnic in one of the grassy fields of Canterlot…or, at least that’s what Sunset assumed they were here for. Honestly, she couldn’t really remember how she got here. “Is everything to your liking, Sunset?” Sunset had to pull herself back to the present for the second time, “Y-yeah, I think so.” “Are you sure? Is it exactly how you remember it?” Sunset raised an eyebrow and took the time to take in her surroundings. There was that old warped tree they usually ate under and she could see the buildings of Canterlot in the distance from the hill they were sitting on. There was the exam building, the old park area off to the side, and the bakery that she had gone into on a few occasions. Sunset couldn’t for the life of her remember who it was that ran the place, but she remembered thinking he was nice. It seemed to be the city she had grown up in, yet the longer she stared at it the less real it seemed to be. “Memory is a peculiar thing, Sunset. It seems that no matter how hard we try to hold onto the past, some things will inevitably fade away,” the pony sitting across from her continued. “I don’t understand. Where are we, Princess Celestia?” Sunset asked her old mentor as she began to really think about her current position. “Don’t you recognize it? We’re in the place you always come to when you wish to be at peace. I believe it’s best described as your, ‘happy place’.” Well, that was helpful. Typical Celestia. Sunset shifted her gaze to fully look upon Celestia. It was odd. Aside from a few details that stuck out, the distant city seemed to resemble a painting almost. A vague approximation of something frozen in time, meant to be looked upon but not touched. Even the surrounding area had a hazy quality about it. Not Celestia though. Every detail of her towering figure was defined and sharp. The white of her coat, the shape of her horn, her sparkling magenta eyes, and the majestic splendor of her mane and tail. Sunset could even make out the decorative engravings in her crown. Such a meaningless detail and yet one she could instantly recall. “What is this? Where’s Twilight?” Sunset asked beginning to panic as the logical portion of her brain began to piece together the impossibility of her situation. “Be at peace, Sunset Shimmer. That is what you are here for, is it not?” Celestia assured her. “We are in one of your most cherished memories.” “So, I’m dreaming?” Sunset asked the pony that appeared to be Celestia. “Well, yes,” Celestia chuckled. “Then that means, none of this is real,” Sunset sighed, surprised at just how disappointed the reality made her. “It was,” Celestia offered her. Sunset took in the sight once more. “And now it’s all gone. I’ll never see it again.” “That’s one way to look at it.” “Is it strange? That I miss it? I wasn’t exactly a nice pony when I lived here. I didn’t have any friends, family, or reason to care about it beyond the fact that I lived here,” Sunset asked. The dream Celestia gave her a gentle smile. “I don’t think so. This place is a part of you. Just as the human world is now a part of you. Good or bad, it is not easy to let go of the things that define us.” Sunset knew it was probably meaningless to ask what was essentially a part of herself questions she didn’t know the answers to, but it was comforting. Which made sense, seeing as this was apparently her, “happy place.” Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Sunset slowly moved in closer to Celestia. No doubt sensing her desire, the alicorn extended a wing to take the pony into her embrace. It wasn’t real, but it was nice all the same. Being together like this again. She missed it more than she could describe. They stayed like that for some time before Celestia broke the silence. “It seems our time is at an end once again, Sunset.” Sunset shifted to look up at her teacher’s face. “It’s time to wake up, Sunset.” “Wake up.” “Wake up!” “WAKE UP!” Sunset’s room shook as though an earthquake had passed through. “GAAAHHH!” Sunset screamed as she shot out from under her sheets and unsteadily perched on the bed’s headboard, trying to put some space between her and whatever it was that blew out her ears. “It’s about time! I was beginning to think you’d never get out of bed.” Discord said at the foot of her bed as he turned off the megaphone in his hand which was ringing with feedback. “Discord!?” Sunset choked out, neither recovered from the abrupt awakening nor used to the Lord of Chaos just popping in for a visit. “Well, I’m pleased to see you remembered me this time.” “What are you doing in my room!?” Sunset shouted as she hopped down. “Waking you up of course. Wasn’t that obvious?” Discord replied with a shrug. Discord suddenly popped next to her wearing a doctor’s uniform. “You were such a bright filly when I last saw you. I do hope dear Flurry Heart didn’t damage that brilliant little mind of yours in the scuffle,” Discord rambled as he shined a flashlight into Sunset’s eye. Sunset quickly turned away from the draconequus who seemed determined to render her both blind and deaf. “I MEAN, what are you doing invading my room? And how do you even know about all that stuff with Flurry Heart?” Discord vanished once more and reappeared in the center of the room, this time reclining in a lawn chair with sunglasses and a bag of popcorn. “Why, I had front row seats to your little epic battle with the young princess. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite sure if you’d be able to pull it off, but I was TOTALLY rooting for you!” Discord finished while waving a small flag with Sunset’s cutie mark printed on it. Sunset was finding that once you got past the parts about him being an ancient god-like being, Discord was just incredibly annoying. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show.” Discord threw his head back and let out a full out cackle. “Enjoy the show? That little spectacle was the most spectacular display I’ve seen in years! Oh, I knew you were a riot Sunset, but you’re almost making ME feel inadequate here. Not even back in Equestria for more than a week and you go and pick a fight with a PRINCESS!” Discord choked out before falling out of his chair in a complete laughing fit. Sunset could only pout as she wondered what sort of choices had led to her being laughed at by the lord of chaos in her own bedroom. Eventually, Discord managed to pull himself together and stood back up, wiping a tear from his eye. “Honestly, little sunspot. I’d forgotten just how much fun you were.” “So, are you here for any reason besides scaring me half to death and heckling me about yesterday?” Sunset asked as she was beginning to lose patience. “Well, to be honest, I was hoping we could do lunch. An old friend taught me that nothing fosters bonds of everlasting friendship like a few cups of tea. Besides, I’d imagine you’d be rather famished after all that excitement and sleeping for, oh, let’s see…twenty hours straight,” Discord said as he looked at a pocket watch that was very clearly broken. “You mean it’s midafternoon!?” Sunset gasped as she hopped off her bed. “I’m going to be late helping Twilight in the lab!” Sunset rushed past Discord and quickly threw the door open with her magic in order to make a dash for the job she was currently neglecting. She ran for all of five seconds before she rammed into the foot of her bed, somehow still in her room despite running out the door. “Now hold on just a minute, little sunspot. You didn’t even give me a chance to finish.” Discord chuckled from his new position atop the bed, looking down at the dazed unicorn on the floor. “In light of recent events, Twilight has seen fit to give you some time off. In fact, I believe she took great care to inform the castle staff that you were not to be disturbed under ANY circumstances. Fortunately, I’M not part of the castle staff.” Sunset shook herself back to reality, positive that she now had the concussion Discord had joked about earlier. “Well, tell Twilight I’m grateful, but I can’t spend the entire day doing nothing. I need to get busy.” “Oh, riiigghhht. You’ve decided to take young Flurry Heart under your wing. Figuratively speaking of course. Wait, is the whole, ‘no wings’ thing still a sore subject for you?” Discord rambled off, placing a hand to his chin and averting his gaze. Sunset saw this as an opportunity to make her escape, before she incurred any more injuries from her close proximity to Discord, as she began to inch her way towards the still open door. Before Sunset had even made it halfway, the door was slammed shut by Discord who had spontaneously materialized behind the open door. “All the more reason for us to catch up!” Discord picked up exactly where he left off as he leaned against the door with one arm. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” Discord waved off as he caught sight of the annoyed glare he was getting. “Trust me, you’d only be wasting your time running all the way down there. Seeing as you apparently can’t be trusted to look after yourself, Twilight took it upon herself to magically seal all the labs in the castle until she was convinced you were well rested and have read her five hundred page guide on, ‘Time management’.” Discord snapped his fingers and materialized an unreasonably large hardcover book that landed before Sunset with the weight of a carriage full of yaks. Putting aside any questions about whether or not Discord had exaggerated the size of the book, knowing Twilight it could sadly go either way, Sunset pushed forward. Twilight’s concern was sweet, but she would not be babied. “I’ll just break the seals then.” “I’m sure you could. So is Twilight, seeing as she put in her own alarm system for when you try.” “You think I can’t find a way around it?” “Maybe. Maybe not. Still, there’s no reason breaking and entering has to be done on an empty stomach,” Discord asserted while crossing his mismatched arms in a victorious fashion. Sunset’s retort was cut off by the unreasonably loud growling of her stomach. A light blush colored her face as she was forced to internally admit that Discord had a point. The last thing she had eaten was a measly sandwich. “Perhaps a little louder next time, Sunset. They probably didn’t hear you in Manehattan,” Discord mocked while holding an ear horn to his head. Sunset, of all ponies, wasn’t one to look down on a reformed creature. This wasn’t just a disgruntled student, or a fellow mean-spirited unicorn she was dealing with though. This was Discord. A creature that went down in the history books as one of the greatest threats Equestria had ever faced, and Twilight had told her all about her experiences with him. Even after his change of heart his history was checkered, to say the least. Given his history and her experiences with him thus far, Sunset felt she had the right to be cautious of the peculiar draconequus. Still, Twilight did consider him a friend, in spite of all he had done, and she could hardly claim to understand the magic of friendship if she wasn’t at least willing to give him a chance. “Alright, Discord. We can have lunch,” Sunset conceded. Discord’s reaction to this was, of course, the same as anypony’s. He pulled off his larger horn and blew into it like a party horn, causing fireworks to shoot out all over her room. Fortunately, nothing seemed to catch fire. “Oh, we’re going to have so much fun, Sunset! Tell me, what were you thinking? Fast food? Fancy cuisine? Maybe something exotic, hmm?” Discord rambled off as he snapped a dining table into the room and outfitted himself and Sunset with matching bibs. Sunset used her magic to take off the bib before she responded. “Actually, I was thinking we’d just get something to eat in the castle.” “UGH! Fine! If you want to be boring about it,” Discord pouted before snapping his fingers. Before Sunset knew it, the scenery of her room had changed to the main dining hall within the castle. Rather than feeling as though they had moved to a new location, as was the case with normal teleportation, Discord’s magic seemed to make the room shift into something else around them. Sunset surmised that it must have just been how Chaos magic worked. A form of magic nopony in Equestria had the slightest understanding of. “We need to actually order something first, Discord,” Sunset informed him, noticing he seemed to have skipped them straight to the dining table at a time where there were no meals scheduled. “Not to worry, Sunset,” Discord assured her as he snapped his fingers once again. A small green dragon with short horns and a long snout the size of an average mare wearing a chef’s uniform and hat flashed into the room. Rather than panic, as most creatures would if they suddenly found themselves pulled into a completely different location at the drop of a hat, the dragon merely narrowed his eyes and started blowing smoke through his nose. “Discord,” he growled out through gritted teeth. Discord met the open hostility with a smile as he casually leaned back onto his chair. “Chef Sizzle! Long time, no see. I’m here dining with my friend, Sunset, and was hoping we could request your services for some of your delightful cooking.” Sunset sheepishly waved at the dragon when he turned his gaze to her. Seeing her, fortunately, seemed to abate some of Sizzle’s ire, though he maintained an air of annoyance. “I don’t suppose you intend to actually eat the food I prepare for you this time, do you, Discord?” the dragon asked with an impatient tap of his foot. Discord shrugged in response. “I’ll think about it this time. My usual, please.” Sunset couldn’t help but feel bad for the face palming dragon who had clearly been through this exact situation numerous times. “I’ll just have whatever you think is good,” Sunset offered. She’d never been particularly picky about what sort of food she ate and the chance to flex his culinary skills usually cheered the chef up. “Your food will be ready shortly,” the dragon sighed. “Wonderful!” Discord celebrated before quickly snapping the dragon chef away. Hopefully to the kitchen. “Now then, what do you say we take this opportunity to catch up on all the wonderful little details that have happened in our lives?” Discord said while leaning onto the table with both arms. It was a bit of a personal question, but it made sense in a way. Getting to know each other is how you become friends. “What do you want to know?” Sunset was surprised when her view of Discord was impeded…by Discord. His head coming over the back of her chair and filling her vision as he once again completely disregarded her personal space. “Well, you see, It’s been keeping me up at night lately, and I just HAVE to know…” Discord began in his usual jovial demeanor before his eyes narrowed and his voice took on a serious tone Sunset had never heard until now, “What’s on the other side of the mirror?” The doors to Twilight Sparkle’s throne room flew open as several creatures filtered out, all looking quite content with themselves. Twilight slumped into her throne, thoroughly worn out from the day’s activities. “Please, tell me that was the last of them,” she sighed out. “I believe so, your highness. The building permits have been dealt with, preparations for the royal Swanifying are taken care of, and all cases of civil dispute have officially been put to rest,” Twilight’s yellow furred personal unicorn secretary, Stellar Report, listed off with a small smile. “You’re done.” Twilight only allowed herself to sink further into her chair. Her schedule was now clear for the week. An entire week without meetings, decrees, and somecreature needing her to rush to their aid the second something went wrong. She had even been able to finish early due to her postponing today’s after class lab work. Ordinarily, she should have been happy to finally have some time to herself, and in truth she was at least happy to be finished with settling petty arguments. Unfortunately, having no more work to do also meant she was one step closer to the moment she was dreading. She’d finish packing tonight and then she’d be off to Ponyville for the week to say… “Is something wrong your majesty?” Twilight quickly blinked the moisture from her eyes. “I’m fine, Stellar. Just taking it in,” Twilight responded in a perfectly even tone, developed by years of ruling Equestria. “Well, if it’s all the same to you, your majesty, I believe I’ll check out now. Have a good week,” the young mare waved as she followed the path out of the room. Twilight didn’t bother to suppress the sigh now that she was alone. True to his word, Spike had departed just before she had raised the sun. He had always been the most devoted creature Twilight had ever had the privilege to know. It came as no surprise that he’d rush over to help his friends at a moment’s notice. Her baby dragon was all grown up now, and Twilight couldn’t be prouder of the dragon he had become. It brought her some comfort knowing that she had managed to do right by him in the end. Having to play the role of both mother and big sister to a child of an entirely different species was complicated, to say the least, and Twilight had often worried she was failing him in how she raised the little drake. Looking at him now, though, was all it took to assure her that he turned out just fine. He was strong, smart, kind, and had countless friends. He didn’t need her watching over him anymore. He didn’t need her anymore. Tired of the thoughts that seemed to plague her more and more these days, Twilight rose from her throne to go for a walk around the castle. Twilight needed something to occupy herself. She briefly considered taking some time to tend her private garden, but quickly dismissed the idea. In her current mood, she really wasn’t up for seeing the statue she kept there. Perhaps a trip to the royal library would provide her with some peace. Assuming she could find something new and interesting to read. After all these years she had gone through the entire royal collection. Somehow, she doubted anything of substance had been added since her last visit. The authors of modern literature weren’t bad, but they were certainly no A.K. Yearling. Perhaps that was simply her nostalgia talking though. That really left her with only one option that was certain to lift her spirits. She could and probably should check up on Sunset. Not for the first time did Twilight wonder if she was making a huge mistake. Things were beginning to progress past the point of no return. Perhaps they already had. After all, Twilight wasn’t sure how she’d react if, one day, Sunset came to find her place was still in the human world. She hadn’t even been thinking clearly when she’d made the offer to Sunset in the first place. The entire ordeal still left her feeling as though she had deceived Sunset, at least in some manner. There was no point in denying it. She was one of the smartest ponies in the history of all Equestria. The simple fact that so much time had gone by in Equestria since Sunset had last been here couldn’t have just slipped her mind. Yet, Twilight had neglected to inform her of such crucial information until she had already arrived, despite having ample opportunity to do so beforehand. Why? That, Twilight wasn’t entirely sure of, but she didn’t like the reasons she had been able to come up with so far. One thing Twilight did know was that it had been foolish of her to think she could somehow both hold Sunset close and at arm’s length at the same time. Every day with her here had been special. She was feeling things she had rarely felt in years. Being able to honestly laugh and smile, talk with somepony that truly understood her, and didn’t look at her as some sort of divine figure that couldn’t be interacted with like everypony else. Every day they got closer and every day ensured saying goodbye would hurt that much more. Yes, perhaps she had made a terrible terrible mistake. Perhaps she was too greedy. Had she been stronger she could have held her tongue and Sunset would have stayed in the human world. In the human world she would have been preserved. At least for a few centuries. Like a piece in a museum. Locked away, beyond her reach, able to be seen and known but never touched. Just like the rest of Equestria. Every decade or so she could receive messages from her, and they could have gone on like that for generations. Best friends at a distance. “Until the journal ran out of pages. What then?” A cold, logical, selfish part of her brain reminded her. “It probably wouldn’t even get that far. Eventually, she would have outgrown you, just like everypony else.” Twilight paused in the middle of the hallway, closing her eyes in an attempt to shut out the voice it felt like she had been hearing more and more often these past few years. “You know I’m right. You’re going to lose her no matter what you do. Just like you’re losing them. Why waste time trying to hold onto something you can never keep? You were right to simply take what you wanted.” Once Twilight was sure her treacherous thoughts had passed, she continued on her aimless walk throughout the castle. Really, keeping Sunset in the human world would have just been another form of selfishness on her part, and it was naïve to think that a pony as intelligent as Sunset wouldn’t have eventually thought to return without her coercion. Still, the logic did nothing to lessen her own doubt in regard to the purity of her intentions. How she had perhaps taken advantage of her friend’s vulnerability. Omitted truths that may have dissuaded her from coming back. It was just, after Applejack had…well, she had just been so desperate for a friend. Now she was here, and every day she was less sure she’d be able to let her go when the time came. Perhaps she had made a terrible mistake indeed. Twilight looked up to find herself before the door to Sunset’s room. The princess nearly stepped back in surprise. It seemed no matter what she did, something about the little unicorn drew the princess to her. In a way, it was nothing new. All those decades ago, chasing after her to a strange alien world. Pulling her out of that hole she had created for herself because for anypony that bothered to look it was easy to see there was so much worth loving if she was willing to open her heart. Next to Starlight, Twilight was tempted to call Sunset her greatest success, but it wouldn’t have been true. Sunset’s redemption wasn’t her success, nor was it the success of her human friends. Sunset was the one who spent everyday striving to be a better person, a better pony. All Twilight had done was give her a push in the right direction. It was funny. Sunset was actually quite unique among her foes turned friends. From her experience, most creatures acted out because they had never experienced friendship and were unwilling to try any way that wasn’t the one they were used to. Even after they had experienced the magic, they struggled to truly understand it. More often than not slipping up numerous times and falling back into their old ways. Discord came to her mind rather quickly when thinking of these unfortunate hiccups on the road to becoming a better creature. Sunset, on the other hoof, started out as she herself had. Unwilling to give friendship a chance because of some narrow-minded belief that she knew a better way. The real difference, however, came when Sunset committed to studying friendship. Celestia had once told her that she shouldn’t have been surprised that Sunset had done what she always did when applying herself to a task. To be blunt, she excelled. Perhaps it was because Sunset already had a firm understanding of social workings from her time spent manipulating people, or maybe, as Celestia said, Sunset was just naturally gifted. Whatever the case, Sunset just…got it. Honesty, generosity, loyalty, kindness, laughter, it all came so naturally to her that it had taken Twilight by surprise. Friendship hadn’t been easy for Twilight. She still remembered that very clearly. The lessons she had learned were often painful. They had taken time and effort and she was learning new things all the time while making plenty of mistakes along the way. As the Princess of Friendship, Twilight had been convinced that it was just how friendship was. Sunset had thrown a wrench into that notion. In less than a year, the once arrogant and prideful girl understood more than most ponies. Progress that had taken Twilight years, Sunset rivaled in just a few months. Not to mention, that was all with the added obstacles of everyone being naturally resentful and distrusting of her. Twilight still remembered when she first realized Sunset’s understanding of friendship could rival…no, surpass her own in some areas. When the human world’s Trixie had trapped them under the stage, all she had been able to do was sulk in the corner. Sunset was the one who stepped up and brought everyone together, recognizing an issue that had blindsided her. “Sunset? Are you in there?” Twilight called out as she rapped on the door. No response. Tentatively, Twilight peeked into the room to see if Sunset had risen. After going without sleep for two days, and exhausting all her magic, it was possible Sunset was still resting. The room appeared to be completely empty, save for, bizarrely, an overturned lawn chair. Twilight would question the reasons behind that later. Sunset clearly wasn’t here. It was good Sunset had gotten up. The unicorn certainly needed a rest, but it would probably be overdoing it by now. That unfortunately still left Twilight with no idea where Sunset was if she wanted to check up on her. If Sunset was up and about, one of the first things she would be expected to do was head to the labs. She was nothing if not studious, and she took her promises very seriously. None of the alarms Twilight had decided to place on the entrances in case Sunset had decided to start overworking herself all over again had been tripped however. It was possible Sunset had simply found a way around them. If anypony could, it was her, but it seemed unlikely unless somepony were to tell here about the wards ahead of time. That really only left two obvious places. The castle library, or the dining hall. Given it had been several hours since Sunset had last eaten, Twilight was willing to bet the mare she was looking for would adhere to her stomach first. Besides, Twilight was feeling somewhat peckish herself at the moment. With a destination in mind, Twilight began her journey to the main castle dining hall. It didn’t take long for her thoughts to drift back to the pony she was in search of. It was truly ironic. Sunset had spent years envying Celestia’s new prized pupil. A purple unicorn with more raw magical ability than the sun princess had ever seen. Envy turned to hatred when Sunset had found that Twilight had gone on to accomplish everything she had ever dreamed of. Now though, Twilight couldn’t help but feel small pangs of jealousy at the effortlessness Sunset handled the subject of friendship with. The subject she was supposed to be the princess of. Sunset wasn’t perfect of course. She could be hot headed and impulsive, especially under stress. Her deep-seated doubts and insecurities still flared up every so often, and, as Twilight was reminded yesterday when the unicorn had elected to spy on her, Sunset’s solutions to problems weren’t always the most honest ones. Twilight had nearly busted a gut that time Sunset had told her that her first solution to getting a key out of a closed Canterlot High School in order to give children toys for the holidays was breaking and entering of all things. In the end though, those were just her flaws. Everypony had them. Twilight certainly was in no position to judge somepony off of how often they messed up. What mattered was whether they were willing to better themselves and Sunset always was. Twilight’s internal evaluation of her friend came to a halt as she finally approached the doors to the dining hall which would hopefully lead her to the unicorn that consumed her thoughts. With no reason for pause Twilight used her magic to quickly swing open the doors. “So, you’re saying the creatures on the other side of the mirror look exactly like this?” “No, that’s too short, and they don’t have muzzles.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” “Look, just let me draw it!” “And waste my perfectly profitable art degree? Never!” Had Twilight known she was going to run into her new assistant and the Lord of Chaos fighting over an absurdly large pencil she might have reconsidered entering the room. “Discord, you expect me to believe you have an art degree when you can’t even draw a straight line?” Sunset said as she finally wrenched the pencil out of Discord’s grip. Discord, who was now dressed as a stereotypical french artist, crossed his arms in a childlike pout. “Of course I can! Straight lines are just boring.” “Just, look. The humans in the other world look something like…this!” Sunset pronounced as she drew a quick sketch of an average biped onto one of the many sheets of paper scattered around the room. Discord had to admit, Sunset was a pretty good artist. Of course, he didn’t have to admit such a thing out loud. “Well, I think my version looked better.” “Better!? It was completely wrong!” Sunset shouted at the petulant lord of chaos. “Unlike your bland piece, mine had SOUL!” “Yours looked like something that might eat my soul!” “Well, it’d be awfully hard to consume something that doesn’t exist, now wouldn’t it?” The heated argument was interrupted by a loud cough from an observing alicorn that had seen enough of the foalish bickering. “Twilight!” Discord shouted in greeting. “FINALLY, somepony with taste. Quick, come here and tell us which one of these you think is better. Mine, or old Ms. know it all’s over there.” Twilight’s view was quickly blocked by two sketches. One appeared to be a very basic but neat sketch of a featureless human. The other…well, let’s just say Twilight now owed the Bugbear an apology for thinking it was the most unnatural thing she had ever seen. “There’s a few bits in it for you if you pick the right one,” Discord whispered conspiratorially into Twilight’s ear before nudging her twice with his elbow. “If you’re going to bribe the ruler of all Equestria, I think you should offer something a bit more valuable than the bits you picked out of her couch cushions,” Sunset mocked, having overheard Discord’s horribly unsubtle attempt at cheating. “Well, I was going to offer her your life savings, but I figured Twilight would appreciate having enough bits to buy a half decent lunch.” Discord coolly returned Sunset opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by Twilight as she shoved the pictures away. “Enough you two. Can’t you get along?” Twilight was met with matching confused faces. “I thought we were getting along.” Discord replied while scratching the top of his head. Now it was Twilight’s turn to be confused. “…You were?” Discord popped next to Sunset in order to wrap an arm around her shoulders. “But of course! After an absolutly delightful lunch, me and little sunspot are thick as thieves again!” “He’s pretty annoying, but once you get past that, he’s not so bad,” Sunset offered up. “…okay then,” was all Twilight could really offer in response. They seemed to certainly have an abrasive friendship. Although, this had to be something of a new record. Only two meetings and already friends with Discord. Pretty Impressive. “So, I’m assuming you came here to check up on your new pet? I assure you she’s doing just fine; I’ve taken excellent care of her,” Discord said as he condescendingly patted Sunset on the head. Suppressing a light blush, Twilight powered through Discord’s teasing. “Uhm, well, yes. Thank you, Discord.” Sunset was slightly peeved at Twilight’s lack of a refusal to Discord’s insinuation. It only added to the bone she had to pick with Twilight. “So, Princess. Discord here told me you’ve put foal safety locks on all the labs. What’s that about?” Sunset asked, not bothering to mask her irritation in the slightest. Twilight had seen this coming of course. She just wished it had come later when they weren’t in a public region of the castle. Or at least not in front of Discord who had already prepared himself a bag of popcorn. “I did it for your own good, Sunset.” “Well, thank you for your concern, Twilight, but I don’t need you foalsitting me. I’ll be more careful from now on,” Sunset responded in an even tone. Twilight sighed, thankful Sunset was willing to be civil about this. “You’re right, Sunset. I’ll take them off. Just promise me you won’t do anything that reckless again. That includes fighting ponies that could incinerate you.” “Alright, Twi. I promise I won’t do anything like that again unless I have to.” “Sunseeet,” Twilight growled out, catching the loophole in Sunset’s promise almost immediately. “Sorry, Twi. That’s the best you’re getting out of me,” Sunset stated with finality. “…ugh, Fine.” Twilight huffed as her horn momentarily flashed, indicating the disappearance of her wards and seals. This relatively peaceful resolution left one relatively disappointed draconequus. “What! That’s it! I hang around the castle all this time, and THIS is the show I get!? What a rip!” Discord whined as he threw his popcorn down onto the floor. “Sorry to disappoint you, Discord,” Twilight said with an inflection that indicated she was not sorry in the least. “Hang on. You said you wanted to, ‘catch up’. You mean you only hung out with me because you wanted to see me argue with Twilight?” Sunset asked in a tone that honestly sounded hurt. Quickly realizing his lack of tact, Discord amended his statement. “Oh, no no no no no! I truly meant every word I said earlier. It’s just, well just look at what happened the last few times you had a dispute with a princess! All the peace and harmony Twilight and her friends have filled Equestria with over the years is nice and all, but it gets a bit boring, you see.” Had Twilight been paying more attention, she might have noticed the mischievous smile that crossed Discord’s face as he went on with his explanation. “I suppose I was just hoping for a small dose of good chaos before Twilight left on her trip to Ponyville.” “Her what?” Sunset asked, her attention now fully focused on this new information she was unaware of until now. “You mean you didn’t know? Twilight is heading off to her old clopping ground, Ponyville, tomorrow afternoon. You see-” Discord’s energetic explanation was abruptly cut off by his creative rendering of a human being getting unceremoniously crammed into his mouth by a magenta magic. He could consider it payback for the last time he popped in unannounced. “It’s a personal matter, Sunset. I haven’t officially announced it to ANYpony,” Twilight finished while sending a glare at Discord for his bad eavesdropping habits. “Well, I figured that it was open to discussion, seeing as we’re all friends here, and you’ve told me that you shouldn’t keep things from your friends, isn’t that right?” Discord responded without missing a beat. The sound not coming from his mouth, but rather his hand which he was moving like a mouth and somehow perfectly producing his voice with it. Twilight was now perfectly aware Discord was playing at something. She just hadn’t a clue what it was. Discord took a moment to completely swallow his art before continuing to talk in a more normal fashion. As normal as Discord could be in any case. “Come to think of it, I don’t believe you’ve been outside of Canterlot yet. Tell me, Sunset. Have you ever been to Ponyville before? “Only once really. There wasn’t much time to take in the sights though. I had to keep everypony from seeing nearly identical copies of Dash and Twilight,” Sunset recounted. “Well then, that is a story you simply must tell me another time, but I just had a BRILLIANT idea!” Discord said as a flickering lightbulb appeared over his head. “Since you won’t have much to do around the castle with Twilight gone, why don’t YOU go with her? Get a more comprehensive feel for your homeland and all that rousing excitement.” “I don’t really think that’s my decision to make,” Sunset said, unsure about going outside of Canterlot when she had barely gotten used to the city itself. “No. It isn’t,” Twilight affirmed harshly. “Oh, come on. I’m certain Pinkie Pie would appreciate the chance to meet one more new face,” Discord coolly asserted against the ever-increasing glare Twilight was shooting him. “You can’t tell me you actually WANT to go all alone,” Discord finished while placing his hands upon the area where his hips were. Probably. “Pinkie Pie!? You mean she’s still-” Sunset began before quickly silencing herself. “Indeed, she is. Though it’s…difficult...to say for how much longer,” Discord answered the unfinished question, his tone uncharacteristically somber. Now Discord had done it. There was no ignoring this now. Twilight had hoped that the issue would never even come up, but Discord seemed determined to drag this into the light for whatever reason. Twilight had sincerely thought he was beyond playing mean spirited games to hurt her, but she couldn’t think of any other reason he couldn’t just let her make peace with this in private. “Twilight…I-” “Just…leave it, Sunset. Please,” Twilight begged the unicorn who was still coming to terms with the information she had just learned. “I…I don’t know if I can,” Sunset told Twilight at a loss for how to react. Pinkie was one of her best friends. Her best friend, really. In her heart, she knew Twilight’s Pinkie and her Pinkie weren’t the same, but it didn’t feel right to just sit here while she was… Her train of thought was cut off by Twilight, who’s face now harbored a great number of emotions, from sadness to anger. “Alright then. If you want to come, then be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be in my room. I’m leaving with or without you.” Twilight quickly stormed out of the room, only turning back to say, “Thanks a lot, Discord,” before slamming the doors shut on her way out leaving a cringing draconequus and a hopelessly lost unicorn in her wake. The two creatures sat in total silence, unsure of what to do next. “Would you believe she took that better than I thought she would?” Author's Note Here with a new update! This is mostly a transitional chapter, so hopefully it's not too boring, but something has to connect point A to point B. Discord's back so hopefully that made this chapter a little more fun. We're off to Ponyville next time dear readers!
Chapter 8: Welcome to Ponyville“If you want to come, then be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be in my room. I’m leaving with or without you…” The harsh words had echoed through Sunset’s mind for the rest of the day and kept her from sleeping soundly that night. She didn’t see Twilight again for the rest of the day after that; Not even for dinner, which they had traditionally been eating together since the day after she arrived. The waiter had told her that Twilight retired early to see to some last-minute preparations. Given that the princess was planning to be outside Canterlot for the better part of a week, it wasn’t exactly unbelievable, but Sunset couldn’t help wondering if it was the entire truth, or if Twilight just didn’t want to have to see her. Now, Sunset was physically ready. It wasn’t hard to be. Rarity would have no doubt thrown a fit over it, but Sunset still had scarcely anything more to her name than what she initially came back with. Packing was easy when you had nothing to pack. One might think that spending all those years in the human world would have made Sunset more self-conscious, and perhaps it had in some respects, but she was still content to wear nothing aside from her own coat if the rest of pony kind still allowed it. A small saddlebag containing a few necessities was all that was required IF she were to decide to go with Twilight to Ponyville. There was roughly an hour left before she needed to make her final decision. The first question Sunset had asked herself was whether she even wanted to go to begin with. She had only recently become comfortable in Canterlot. Rushing off to an entirely different town so soon filled her with trepidation. At the very least, Sunset didn’t struggle with that particular dilemma for long. Where would she be now if she let such foolish worries stop her? She was Sunset Shimmer. Good or bad, she had never been deterred by something simply because it made her uncomfortable. The second, much more difficult, question would be if she was willing to see her best friend, or rather somepony incredibly like her best friend, at the very end. Sunset wasn’t clueless. The implications of all the time that had past were not lost on her. She had initially assumed, however, that all the pony counterparts of the people she had known were…well, gone. It was an unfortunate reality, but she couldn’t claim to be close enough to any of them on this side to truly mourn. And yet, against all odds, Pinkie was still here. Still keeping the party going. Figures. If anypony were to endure, it would be Pinkamena Diane Pie. Pinkie was an earth pony on this side. That earth pony endurance mixed with Pinkie’s endless energy was bound to ensure a long life. Long, but not eternal. Pinkie would be over a century old by now if Sunset had to guess. Extraordinary for almost anypony, but only one type of pony could live forever. Even if Discord hadn’t more or less plainly told her, it wasn’t difficult to read the mood. Sunset had never imagined what her own end would entail. She had far too much to strive for and achieve. Far too much to do. And at one point, she intended to be every bit as eternal as Celestia. Fat chance of that now though, it seemed. So, for perhaps the first time in her life, Sunset confronted her own mortality. When she was finally at the end, what would she want? She supposed she’d want to be told that it had all been worthwhile, and she wanted somepony to care. This Pinkie was not her Pinkie, but she was still Pinkie. That meant she deserved to have as many ponies, dragons, griffins, and whatever other sort of creatures there were in the world tell her just how much better her life made everypony else’s. That should have settled it. Unfortunately, there was still one large purple issue. Twilight’s words had told her to come, or at least told her the option was open. It’s not like anypony could stop her if she wanted to go to begin with. Ponyville was a relatively short train ride away if Sunset recalled correctly. Possibly shorter if the trains and railways had advanced at all. The problem was that Twilight’s face and tone had told her an altogether different story. It was the face of a pony that wanted nothing more than to be left alone. It was a face Sunset could remember on herself at many points in her own life. An offer only extended as a curtesy, but, in reality, it was expected for you to steer clear. Could she really go if Twilight didn’t want her around? Would she be disrupting something she had no business even being involved in? Would Twilight hate her if she went anyway? The thought of Twilight hating her made Sunset feel like she might throw up. Twilight had always been the one Sunset could count on to always be there for her. Maybe not in person, who could blame a pony for getting stuck in a time loop nightmare, but whenever the world turned its back on her, Twilight never did. Not when she had been broken and helpless in a crater. All of Canterlot High was ready to tear her limb from limb, but Twilight took her hand. When Anon-A-Miss had convinced even her friends that she had gone back to her old ways, Twilight helped her through it. When Wallflower Blush used a magic artifact to erase all the good she had done, and no one was willing to even give her a chance, Twilight helped her fix it. And now, she was here in Equestria. Truly feeling like her life had a direction for the first time in years because of her. Truly living because of her. The only reason she had ever lived at all was because of her. Because before the chance Twilight had given her, she had had no idea what living even was. There was no point denying it. Twilight was special to her. In a way that was honestly difficult to describe. Sunset just didn’t know if she could bare to jeopardize their bond. Sunset took a moment to look at the clock in her room. Thirty minutes now. A long sigh passed through Sunset’s mouth before she levitated her saddlebag, preemptively packed for the journey, into her lap. After a quick search, she found what she was looking for. The geode she had always worn in the human world still fit perfectly around her neck, even as a pony. Sunset had always found it peculiar that the magical rock wound up in her saddlebag after she was returned to her true form, but that was just one more bizarre feature Star Swirl seemed to have packed into the mirror. She supposed she should have just been grateful it didn’t vanish into nothingness like her clothes did. In retrospect, she probably should have picked a cheaper pair of boots, jacket, and skirt on the day she came back. Who knows if she’d ever get those back? Sunset pawed at the magic rock that now hung suspended from her neck, a rough approximation of her nervous habit in the human world that she could no longer perform on account of no longer having fingers. Sunset had intended to experiment with the geode. She may have had a very detailed understanding of it in the human world, but she had never used it in Equestria. Unfortunately, between getting adjusted to Equestria again, helping Twilight in the lab, and unravelling the mystery of her own magic, her geode had simply been forgotten. Twenty minutes now. Sunset wondered if, perhaps, she was just overthinking things. If she really wanted, she could go to Ponyville on her own time now that Twilight wouldn’t be in need of her services for a while. Let Twilight have her privacy and still do right by this world’s Pinkie. Maybe it was best if she just gave Twilight her space. Sunset was so wrapped up in her internal dilemma that she didn’t notice the gentle glow of the geode she was now wearing. As if pulled from thin air, a fragment of a memory burst unbidden into Sunset’s brain. “Trust me, Sunset. The very last thing Twilight needs right now is space.” Ten minutes left. Twilight had just finished reorganizing and reshelving all of the books in her room…for the seventh time. Time seemed to be going painfully slow and far too fast all at once. Twilight would have likely worn a hole in the floor were it not made of solid tile. “Is she coming? Should I go check on her?” Twilight thought to herself in a nervous state she had rarely worn herself into since her youth. “It’s almost time to leave. Doh, if she actually wanted to come, she would have probably been here by now. Ohhh, Why WOULD she want to come? I was a real jerk yesterday. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with me either. Why would she want to even be friends with me at all after yesterday? Why would she even want to stay here at all!?” Twilight paused her thoughts to perform the calming exercise Cadance had taught her so long ago. IT…WASN’T…WORKING! Five minutes left. “I should just go. Clearly, she doesn’t want to come. Who would? But what if she does show up? Sunset’s always had the cool girl laidback vibe about her. Showing up fashionably late could be just like her. What if I leave and she finds nopony here and thinks I ditched her? What if she thinks I don’t care about our friendship!? What if she leaves me!? I don’t know if I can do this alone!” “You should get used to it. That’s what you’re meant to be, isn’t it? It’s your destiny. Whether it’s today, or a thousand years from now, you’ll be all alone. Apart from everypony else. Forever frozen in time.” Twilight could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Even her own thoughts had betrayed her. Maybe it was the truth. Someday it would be just her. Forever. One minute left. Maybe it was time to just accept it. Everypony she knew was leaving, and nopony was com- The doors to Twilight’s room burst open, an exhausted unicorn fumbling through. Sunset looked like she had just finished participating in the Running of the Leaves with how heavily she was breathing, but that hardly mattered because she was here. She was really here! “S-Sunset! You came!” “huff…yeah…I did…listen, Twi…I know you don’t-” Whatever Sunset was preparing to say was abruptly cut off as Twilight lunged forward and picked Sunset up in her forelegs, trapping her in a desperate embrace. “You really came. I’m so glad you’re here,” Twilight sighed as she pulled Sunset in closer. Deep down, Sunset somehow always knew it would end this way. Crushed to death in a hug. Pinkie was always the most likely culprit, her and her penchant for rib shattering surprise embraces. After her, it was Applejack. The farmer wasn’t as touchy, but when she was feeling affectionate, she just didn’t know her own strength. Spike had become a more recent addition to Sunset’s list of creatures to watch out for, now that he had proven his new size wasn’t just for show. Some part of Sunset had even dared hope it would be Celestia, giving her the mother of all welcome home hugs. Sunset had never suspected Twilight would be the pony to do her in. Now, she realized that had only made her the biggest threat. Twilight rarely displayed the earth pony muscle that all alicorns were naturally gifted with, but Sunset could say for absolute certain that it was there, and it was there in spades. “Twi-ghk-light! Happy…see…you…toooo.” Fortunately for Sunset, Twilight wanted to waste no more time in apologizing. Unfortunately for Sunset, Twilight was not entirely ready to break contact as she sat down and readjusted her hold on the unicorn to hold Sunset suspended in front of her by her underarms in the same manner Spike once had. “I’m so sorry for the way I acted yesterday, Sunset. I want you to know that your friendship means the world to me and I would be happy to have you come to Ponyville with me. I mean, if you still want to,” Twilight finished, giving her a bashful but sincere smile. In spite of needing to scramble for the air she had already been low on, and recovering from nearly blacking out, Sunset heard most of what Twilight had said. “It’s…huff…okay.” The smile Twilight gave her in response could light up a room all by itself. “Now, put me down. Now.” Twilight’s genuine smile faltered and became significantly more nervous as she obeyed Sunset’s request and gently lowered her to the floor. Now that Sunset had mostly recovered from her near-death experience and was firmly on her own hooves, she could actually take a good look at Twilight. “You’re not wearing your princess regalia,” Sunset noted upon seeing Twilight completely bare for the first time since she had been back in Equestria and the first time ever as the large alicorn she had become. No crown, no breast plate, not even any shoes. Just Twilight. Twilight seemed to curl in on herself in embarrassment, crossing her hind legs and idly tracing circles on the ground as she looked away with a light blush on her face. “Oh, Well, i-it’s just…I thought that since I’m technically on vacation, and we’re just going to Ponyville, I guess I figured I could go without it for a little while.” Twilight turned her head back to halfway meet Sunset’s eyes. “It…it doesn’t look weird, does it? I can put it back on if you think it looks weird.” Sunset couldn’t suppress the snort that made its way through her nose. Only Twilight of all ponies would worry about looking funny when she was easily the most beautiful mare in Equestria. Seeing Twilight begin to panic at her reaction helped spur Sunset to dispel her worries. “You look fine, Twilight. Personally, I think you look better this way. Not that you can’t pull off the royal princess look, but I think I prefer being able to see the real you.” Twilight still appeared to be unsure of herself, but Sunset’s words did the trick as she stopped trying to retract inward. “Besides, it’s nice to see the great Princess Twilight is willing to go stark naked like the rest of us common folk. Builds a real connection with us bare flanked ponies when she really exposes herself,” Sunset teased. A fresh blush found its way onto Twilight’s face at the remark. “doh, Suunseeet,” Twilight whined. “I’m just messing with you, Twi. You look great. Really.” Twilight was brought out of her mounting embarrassment by a sparkling object that danced around Sunset’s neck as she moved. “Is that what I think it is!?” Twilight asked in sudden excitement, kneeling down to get a closer look. “Huh, this old thing? Yeah, it’s the geode I told you about in our journal. Have I really never shown it to you before?” “Not that I can remember. I’ve always wanted to get a closer look at one of these. From what you’ve told me, their magic is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” Twilight said her eyes fully focused on the necklace. “Well, I’ve been meaning to do some tests on it since I got here, and you did say you’d like to try your hoof at being my assistant, so, if you want, we could go over it together sometime,” Sunset offered. “Sounds like a date!” Twilight nodded in excitement. “Uhm, yeah…a date.” “Come to think of it, you don’t suppose your geode is responsible for the change in your magic, do you?” Twilight asked bringing Sunset back to the topic at hand. “It’s possible. We’d have to research it to be sure, but I don’t think that’s it.” “Oh, why not?” “Well, you remember the other you?” Sunset said while gesturing her hoof at Twilight. Twilight’s face took on the slightly uneasy expression it usually did when confronted with her human counterpart. Sunset couldn’t understand how Twilight lived in a magical world with bizarre monsters, supernatural phenomenon, and beings with unfathomable power, but she still had trouble wrapping her head around the idea that there was another version of her running around. Quickly remembering that wasn’t really the point, Sunset cut to the chase. “Well, she has one of these too. Remember that time we all came over to your old castle? Her magic was still the same as yours. I’m thinking it has to be something else.” “Okay, that makes sense,” Twilight admitted while noting how impressive it was such a small detail didn’t escape Sunset’s notice. Celestia certainly knew how to pick them. “So, shouldn’t we be heading out if we’re going to catch a train to Ponyville?” Sunset asked, realizing that they already had been talking for some time. “Who said anything about taking the train?” Twilight asked somewhat cheekily as she pulled her single suitcase over to her. “Well, I mean, how else are we going to get all the way to Ponyville?” Twilight gave her a smug smile as her horn’s glow started to intensify. The outskirts of Ponyville were home to many woodland creatures. Each of them prospering in the wild reserves left to them by a kind and shy pegasus who ensured that no matter how much Equestria grew, nopony would ever harm or disturb the sanctity of the lands they called home. On most days a favorite grazing spot in these parts was a moderately sized hill that overlooked the south side of Ponyville. In this spot, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and even the occasional friendly bear would lounge about in the undisturbed tranquility. Unfortunately, today the peace was completely shattered by a bright flash of light giving way to the sudden appearance of two ponies. One tall and imposing, the other short and VERY loud. “What the-!? Where are-!? JEEZ, Twilight! Warn a girl the next time you’re gonna do that!” Sunset ranted, successfully scaring off what few animals remained after the large burst of light. Evidently, Twilight had teleported them both clear out of Canterlot all the way to the outskirts of a city. Such a large jump with such little preparation. Guess that went to show just who the embodiment of magic was. “Would you stop laughing already!” Sunset shouted at Twilight who was clearly taking a great deal of pleasure at having thoroughly shocked and discombobulated her friend. “hehehe, I’m sorry, it’s just…did you know that when you get excited, your entire face turns red?” Twilight pointed out before falling back into a cacophony of giggles. Were you near the flustered unicorn at that moment you could probably swear you heard something boiling. As quickly as it had come, Sunset’s rage simmered out as she noted that she had not heard Twilight give such an unrestrained genuine laugh since before she had come back. Twilight’s laughter began to infect her as both mares wound up giggling on the hill. “Okay, Princess, very funny, but I do expect a warning the next time we go somewhere.” “You have my word,” Twilight responded with a mock bow that only served to cause them both to chuckle. Sunset turned to finally take in the sight of the town they had arrived nearby. Her knowledge of Ponyville was, admittedly, very sparse, most of her knowledge being based upon the depictions she had seen in books and maps. Not counting the times she had occasionally looked down upon it from Canterlot, she had only really seen it once. Back when she, alongside Rainbow and the human Twilight, just so happened to stumble into a hidden portal to Equestria on a desert island. However brief her visit, it was enough for her to know that this place could not possibly be Ponyville. “Um, Twilight? Did you take us to the right place?” Ponyville was an old town, but that was pretty much all that had been remarkable about it, outside its fairly close proximity to Canterlot. A sleepy old town filled with average everyday ponies living in average everyday homes. Cozy and peaceful but small and subdued. What Sunset was looking upon, was clearly a city. FAR larger than Ponyville could have possibly been. Certainly not on the same caliber as Manehattan, with significantly more subdued buildings and abundant flora, but there were structures of all kinds as far as the eye could see. “Yes, this is definitely the place,” Twilight affirmed while giving Sunset a knowing glance. “I guess it might look a bit different these days, huh?” “Different? Yeah, I guess that’s one way to put it.” “Come on. I can show you around,” Twilight said as she began made her way down the hill towards an entryway arch. Sunset followed Twilight into the city, passing a greeting sign just before entering the town proper. “Welcome to Ponyville. The Birthplace of Friendship,” Sunset read off the sign aloud. It seemed everything except her own eyes were telling her that this was indeed Ponyville. “Hey everycreature, the Princess is back!” a passing pegasus shouted upon catching sight of Twilight walking into town. Sunset watched from a distance as Twilight was quickly surrounded by every single pony, kirin, yak, and changeling in a fifty-foot radius. Sunset had known such fanatics to be unbearable nuisances when they would crawl over each other to speak with Celestia. Usually just desperate to get something from her or showing a complete and total disregard for her privacy and personal space. To Sunset’s surprise, the crowd that assembled around Twilight seemed content to leave Twilight some breathing room and quickly settled next to each other as opposed to battling for the right to speak to her first. They still seemed to look at her with a degree of reverence, as though she was a deity among mortals, which was not entirely untrue, but their respect seemed to outweigh any ideas about taking advantage of her presence, simply waiting for the princess to speak. “Greetings everycreature! It’s wonderful to see you all again,” Twilight addressed the crowd in what Sunset could only assume was Twilight’s royal voice. “I would like you to all know that I’ll be staying in Ponyville for the next few days, but I ask that you please don’t treat me any different than you would any other creature. Please, carry on.” As though she had cast a spell, the crowd surrounding her quickly broke apart and returned to their daily activities, many of them shouting words of gratitude or praise before leaving. Some creatures stuck around to receive an autograph or to ask a question, and a few more that Twilight seemed to know said a few words to her personally. All things considered; it was a rather subdued welcoming party for royalty. How Equestria had changed. “So, what’s the plan here, Twi?” Sunset asked her friend, noticing that she really had no idea where they were going. She hadn’t really known her way around the place before, but now that it was roughly three times the size it once was she was practically navigating a maze. “Well, I thought we could just spend the rest of the day looking around Ponyville. It’s a bit soon to do anything else, and since you’ve never really been here, you could probably use the tour. There’s a lot to show you around here.” Sunset suppressed a sigh of relief, thankful that visiting Pinkie wouldn’t be something they were doing immediately. Having a little more time to prepare herself was certainly appreciated. “So, where are we…” Sunset began before her words quickly tapered off. Sunset had to lift her head up in order to take in the full sight of the statue before her. If Sunset had to guess, the entire thing was roughly the height of a small house. Sunset found herself staring directly into the eyes of the young Twilight she had once known. Her younger self permanently posed in an eternal stone stance. The craftsmanship was remarkable. As far as Sunset could tell, even the wings of the stone likeness were perfectly detailed. Not to mention, that was just the Twilight portion of the statue. Five other strikingly familiar ponies stood behind the stone Twilight, as if they were faithfully supporting their princess. Sunset was pulled away from the piece of art by the hitch she heard in Twilight’s breath. Whatever intensity she was previously looking upon the statue with was nothing compared to Twilight’s own gaze. The world seemed to fade from her perception as she lost herself in the immortalized figures of her friends. Unsure of what else to do, Sunset placed her hoof upon Twilight’s upper leg in an attempt to ground the princess, not for the first time cursing her inability to reach any higher. The contact seemed to bring Twillight back to reality, prompting her to look down at the unicorn by her side. “S-sorry, Sunset. I just got a little…distracted.” Sunset knew now that they’d have to talk about this eventually, but now hardly seemed the time given what they were here to do in the first place, so instead Sunset began to lead Twilight in a different direction. “It’s fine, Twilight. So, I was wondering if there were any good bookstores in Ponyville. I really need to stock up on some supplies before Flurry Heart’s next visit and I was hoping you could show me a few good places to look.” The mention of books did not bring the level of unrestrained excitement it usually did to the princess, but it seemed to successfully divert Twilight’s attention. “Oh, yes actually. I think I know just the place. Come on, Sunset.” It didn’t escape Sunset’s notice that Twilight looked back at the statue and didn’t take her eyes off of it until it was well out of view. When Twilight said she knew a place, she had apparently meant places. Plural. They all also happened to be on opposite parts of town. On the bright side, Twilight had not been kidding about knowing where to find things within town. Twilight’s familiarity with Ponyville still persisting to this day. Sunset was well supplied and ready for whatever tasks she might need to accomplish once she returned home. Supplies for Flurry’s lessons, lab equipment, even materials for her part time hobby of constructing new age technology, and of course, books. Lots of books. If Twilight knew how to find anything it was books. The downside was that after making several trips around this unreasonably large town, Sunset’s hooves felt ready to fall off. Thankfully, Twilight had seen fit to teleport anything they purchased and their luggage to some other location. Where? Sunset had no idea, but she really didn’t care so long as she didn’t have to carry it. She was running on fumes as is and Twilight STILL had several places left in Ponyville she wanted to visit. “Hurry up, Sunset! We’re not even halfway there. If we hurry, we can make it to the Ponyville library before it closes!” “I’m going as fast as I can, Twilight! Not all of us have longer legs than a grown stallion! The ENTIRE stallion!” Sunset snapped as she blew a damp strand of hair out of her face. Sunset didn’t generally like to think of herself as out of shape, but she had to admit, cardio was not her strong suit. Twilight came to a stop upon realizing that Sunset wasn’t keeping pace with her. “Why can’t we just teleport there anyway?” Sunset huffed, thankful for the reprieve. “Well, apparently popping in and out of existence all the time can be seen as, ‘incredibly disruptive’ and, ‘dangerously startling’ to young and elderly creatures, so we’re not supposed to teleport outside of emergencies and, ‘non-public’ places,” Twilight explained with a small pout as she recalled a firm lecture she had been given some time ago. “Besides, walking is good exercise,” Twilight pointed out in a more upbeat tone. “Twilight, I lived with Princess Celestia for years and I know for a fact that she ate cake every day of the week. I seriously doubt you actually need to exercise.” Twilight only rolled her eyes in response. Clearly, they needed to speed things up. There were books waiting for her. Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of it when the ground decided to up and leave her. “Wha- Hey! Twilight, put me down right now! I mean it!” Twilight gave no indication that she had heard what Sunset had just screamed and instead turned away from the unicorn she was holding suspended in mid-air with her magic. The magic expertly guided Sunset over to Twilight and firmly seated her upon the alicorn’s back. “There. Now we’ll make it around town faster and you can stop complaining.” This was an entirely new level of humiliation for Sunset Shimmer, which was really saying something considering she had once walked on all fours through a crowded street in the human world. In Equestria, riding horseback was meant for either small foals who needed to be carried by their parents or…well, that wasn’t really relevant at the moment. Sunset was a grown mare, currently in the middle of the street seated on the back of the ruler of the entire nation. “Twilight! What are you doing!?” Sunset not so quietly whispered into the ear of her unrequested ride, her face quickly turning scarlet. “You were too tired to walk, so I decided to carry you. It’s the only other way we’re going to get around to every place before night-time,” Twilight calmly explained as she began to quickly trot, taking away Sunset’s chance to abandon ship. “I didn’t ask for you to carry me! Do you have any idea how degrading this is!?” Sunset strained out, doing her best to hide behind Twilight’s mane while struggling to stay steady. “I really don’t see what your problem is. You seemed pretty comfortable up there the last time I carried you.” Sunset’s blush somehow managed to intensify even further, making its way beyond her face. “I was barely conscious, Twilight! I probably could have fallen asleep on a rock!” The mischievous smirk Twilight donned could have made Discord himself proud. “Would you have cuddled the rock too?” Sunset had no idea what she had done to deserve this. Clearly Twilight was intent on humiliating her to death. Resigned to her fate, Sunset could only make small noises of embarrassment as she tried to make herself as small as possible. If there was any advantage to being carted around a bustling town like a small filly, it was that it gave her the time and focus to really take in the sights of Ponyville. Remarkably, despite the major increase in size, some of the spirit of the once small town still remained. The most obvious piece being Sweet Apple Acres. The large fields and pastures were hard to miss as were the ponies working the land who eagerly waved at Twilight. Apparently, they were Big Macintosh and some pony named Sugar Belle’s grandchildren. Applejack’s great nieces and nephews. Twilight even seemed perfectly happy to talk about them. As for the buildings, while far more diverse and numerous than they had probably once been, they were still suprisingly subdued and down to earth. Aside from major public places, such as the library or city hall, no building went above three stories and some of the houses even still had hay roofs. It was comforting in a way to know that while the town had changed greatly over the decades, some of what once was still remained. Of course, it was undeniable that things had still certainly changed. Sunset was finding that much of that change had something to do with what was likely the reason Ponville had seen such an increase in size and population. It seemed that much of the city was now something of a tribute to Twilight and her friends. Fortunately, their faces weren’t plastered on every corner, but their influence was unmistakable. Ponyville had certainly never had such a large dedicated library when she had last lived in Equestria. Everywhere Sunset looked had some sort of establishment that marked the influence of Twilight’s friends. There were bakeries and party shops for Pinkie Pie. There seemed to be at least one Carousel Boutique in every major section of Ponyville. The new pet shops could only be Fluttershy’s influence. Sports chains that sold equipment and collective memorabilia had Dash written all over it, and of course Sweet Apple Acres seemed to have only expanded its reach with establishments that specialized in Apple products. Ponyville almost seemed to have franchised the heroes that had dwelled in it. The town now marketing itself around the history and influence of Twilight and her friends. Sunset had even seen somepony selling dolls of them meant for little fillies. Honestly, a little pony toy? Who would have thought of such a thing? Sunset was confident that this change was likely the root cause of Ponyville’s rapid expanse. She wondered how Twilight must have felt about the town she had called home for so long becoming what it was today. Her entire life, now a display. “Hey, Twi?” “Yes, Sunset?” “Do you ever miss the way things used to be?” “All the time.” Sunset was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer but didn’t feel the need to push any further. “So, where are we actually going to be staying?” Sunset asked. She had seen a number of inns, though Twilight didn’t seem to pay any of them much mind. “The Castle of Friendship.” “So, you still use your old castle every now and again?” “The citizens of Ponyville use it more than I do now, but I still keep a few spaces in there for trips like these. It’s…nice to come home every now and again,” Twilight vaguely explained. Sunset felt as though she knew what Twilight meant, though one part of Twilight’s answer stuck out to her. “What do you mean Ponyville uses it more than you?” “Well, it’s mostly a museum now.” A museum? Sunset certainly wasn’t expecting that. “They turned your old home into a tourist attraction?” “Yeah. It made sense, really. Even when I lived there, there was way more space than any one pony needed. So, when…a friend…asked me about it, I let them use my old castle. It was better than letting the place just collect dust, and, I mean, who doesn’t love a good museum, right?” Twilight said with enthusiasm that only sounded partially genuine. Sunset couldn’t find any immediate fault in Twilight’s logic, so she allowed the issue to pass. Right now, she had had just about enough sightseeing for one day. “I don’t know about you, Twi, but I’m ready to turn in. It’d also be nice to get back on my own hooves again.” “No pony was forcing you to sit up there the whole time, Sunset,” Twilight reminded her. “You could have gotten off as soon as we got to the library, or any of the other places we went to really.” “W-well, I just didn’t want to have to get back on as soon as we left is all. It was embarrassing enough the first time,” Sunset indignantly stated. “Uh-huh. I think you secretly just like having somepony carrying you around. You didn’t say anything about it until just now,” Twilight practically sung at her. Ok, so perhaps Sunset found that it was a little nice be ferried from place to place, getting the chance to rest her hooves and take in the sights. It was a nice view and it appeared that Twilight was just as soft without sleep deprivation clouding her thoughts. Sunset would die a painful death before she admitted any of that, however. “Can we please just get going?” Sunset huffed, desperate to get out of this conversation. “Okay, we’ll just get something to eat and then we’ll head to the castle,” Twilight conceded. “Great, there’s a diner right over there,” Sunset sighed in relief. Twilight placed a hoof to her chin in thought. “I don’t know. I think I’d prefer a hayburger myself.” Sunset could not believe what she was hearing. “What!? You’re kidding me. That place is practically on the other side of town, Twilight!” “I know that, but it’s been awhile since I last had one.” “Then we can go there tomorrow,” Sunset pleaded, trying to both figuratively and literally shake sense into the alicorn. “It’s almost time for the sun to set and I’m ready for bed,” Sunset tried to reason. “It’s not like you’ve had any problems sleeping where you are right now,” Twilight pointed out. “You’re being really difficult right now, Twi.” “Look, when you carry me all over town, you can decide where we go.” “You’re literally twice my size!” Rather than continue with the argument, Twilight seemed to decide to continue on her chosen course as she began to march away from the diner within reach. Sunset was really beginning to wish Twilight was as easy to steer as the horses in the human world. “Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder if…” Sunset idly thought as she considered her next move. The exact level of similarity between the intelligent ponies of Equestria and their counterparts in the human world had never really been tested, especially considering she was the only one with the knowledge to test such a thing. Was it just the general shape that was similar between them or were there other commonalities? “If I remember correctly, most of AJ’s horses really enjoyed being scratched, riiiggght here,” Sunset internally monologued as she used her right foreleg to give a firm stroke just behind Twilight’s ear. The result was nearly instantaneous. Twilight’s stride came to a dead halt as Sunset heard a gasp and felt a shiver run through Twilight’s body. Sunset gave a few more strokes to the same spot to make certain it wasn’t merely a surprise response. Twilight reacted in a similar manor as before, only this time breathing a sigh of content and leaning into the touch. If anything, it seemed the soothing techniques were significantly more effective on Equestrian ponies as Twilight practically melted into the sensation and became completely docile. Hold on. Was that purring? Sunset swore with all her heart she was a changed pony, but, every so often, her old habits would surface as just this once she allowed one of her old trademark evil grins to take its place upon her muzzle. How foolish Twilight was to sit her in a position of such power and authority now that Applejack had taught her all the weaknesses of their kind. “Now, let’s see. If I remember this correctly, you shift your weight…here, and then you place pressure…there,” Sunset instructed herself as she recalled the way to steer without reigns, idly petting Twilight all the while. Sure enough, the disoriented Twilight actually began to move in the prompted direction towards the diner. There were a few stumbles as Sunset tried to remember the exact movements she wanted and she needed to occasionally stroke the proper spots to keep Twilight agreeable, but overall the journey went rather smoothly as Sunset steered her alicorn into the diner. “Ho, Twilight!” Sunset called to her steed as they arrived at their destination, shifting her weight to get the pony to stop. The other creatures in the diner gave a great number of strange looks at what appeared to be some small unicorn driving their sovereign ruler into a public eating establishment. Sunset couldn’t care less right now. She had just broken new ground in the study of pony physiology, and she’d get to go to bed soon. Absolutely nothing could ruin this for her right now. “Sunset…what did you just do to me?” a tense voice directly ahead of her growled out. Oh…right. She was going to have to actually explain this now. Somehow in between her scientific fascination and the utter rush of having complete control, it had completely slipped her mind. Fortunately, as one of the smartest unicorns in all Equestria and a master of reading other ponies, Sunset would undoubtedly know exactly what to say in this delicate situation. “Table for two, please.” So, it turns out the Castle of Friendship was still a rather long way away. “Twilight! Come on! How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” “You can say it until the sun goes out, Sunset. You’re still walking yourself to the castle.” It’s true what they say. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. After a somewhat tense dining experience, Sunset had been indefinitely suspended from riding the alicorn express. It may not have been dignified, but it was certainly efficient. Now, she was forced to once again rely on her unbearably tiny legs. At this point, Sunset probably could have simply teleported herself over to the castle, but part of her knew on some level that she deserved to walk. Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t try and sweet talk her way out of this. “Don’t you think you’re making too big a deal out of this?” “Manipulating your friends to get what you want isn’t a big deal?” Twilight responded in a warning tone. “Okay, maybe when you put it like that, but is it really manipulation if you enjoyed it?” Twilight increased her speed to try and put more distance between them. “I did NOT enjoy that!” “What if I offered to do it again?” Sunset teased. Twilight’s ungraceful stumble and fresh blush gave Sunset all the answer she needed as she took the opportunity to catch up. In all likelihood, that little exchange had probably done little more than dig Sunset into a deeper hole, but the unicorn could only think it had been worth it. Twilight was unreasonably adorable when she was flustered. “You’re awful,” Twilight pouted the moment Sunset reached her. “Only to the ponies I care about,” Sunset offered, deciding Twilight had had enough. The Castle of Friendship finally coming within reach. A resigned sigh escaped Twilight’s lips. “What am I going to do with you?” It seemed like staying angry at Sunset really was, simply put, an impossible task; Twilight’s ire fading faster than the light of day as she subconsciously guided the sun below the horizon, ending the day. A small smile graced Twilight's lips as the castle doors came within reach. It was hard to believe, but being with Sunset had made today bearable. Fun even. As her magic took hold of the doors to her old home, Twilight couldn't help but feel that it was nice to have somepony by her side through this. For the first time in far too long, she didn't feel so alone. Author's Note Ah, a special Valentine's day update for everyone out there. How appropriate. I've restrained myself so far, but it's time for some real Sunlight action. The romance tag warned you all. So, for those of you who enjoy this stuff, enjoy the fluff, and enjoy the slices of life. I'm afraid it won't always be so carefree.
Chapter 9: Old Old FriendSunset didn’t know what to expect when Twilight had told her that her old castle had been converted into a historical showcase. Most museums she had known in both Equestria and the human world were dedicated to things like old bones and documents. Stuff that could be interesting to learn about but was mostly far removed from anything you were personally familiar with. This made the Ponyville Museum of Friendship, as the banners hanging outside referred to it, all the more surreal. From wall to wall, pictures, and statues of ponies no different from the ones you’d see outside your own window decorated the halls. Several ponies she immediately recognized. Some she was able to place likely identities through conjecture. Then, there were ones she had absolutely no clue as to who they could be without reading the information written next to some of the exhibits. Regardless, the castle felt like less of a museum and more of a palace of memories. An extremely elaborate scrapbook. Sunset knew that was understating it. The majority of the exhibits may have only recounted history from the last one hundred years, but there was no denying that those hundred years had been the most exciting century in over a thousand. It was certainly enough to easily fill an entire museum with. Still, most museums didn’t typically pay homage to things like, “Rainbow Dash’s first participant sticker”. The contrast between Sunset and Twilight, walking through the halls of the castle, was night and day. Sunset’s gaze moved over every corner of the castle, doing her best to take in every detail of the repurposed castle, her eyes finding a new object of interest every step of the way. Twilight, just a few paces ahead of her, was unnaturally stiff. Her eyes never once shifting from directly ahead, as though she was forcing her body to remain locked in place, constantly battling the temptation to avert her gaze. Sunset couldn’t claim to know every detail of Twilight’s old castle, but she was significantly more familiar with the layout than she had been with Ponyville as a whole. The memories of the times she had spent within these walls came surprisingly easily. Memories made from urgent visits and friendly excursions, back when the mirror had been easily accessible, and time made more sense. In her mind’s eye, she could still picture the castle as it had once been. See the once overly spacious halls before they were completely filled with tributes to modern-day heroes. Eventually, the two mares entered a large circular room. The chamber that had once housed the cutie map if she recalled correctly. “Wow, they really went all out on this place, huh?” Sunset muttered upon seeing the chamber’s new centerpiece. Had Sunset not known better, the colorful recreation could have easily passed for the real thing. Taking up the center of the room, sectioned off by a number of guard walls and rails, was an exact recreation of the Tree of Harmony. Whoever designed the ornate sculpture had even managed to somehow produce an ethereal glow that cast a soft light over the room. “This is my favorite part of the museum,” Twilight idly commented next to Sunset. “The Tree of Harmony still exists, of course, but I’ll always remember it this way. A symbol of harmony that connects all of the elements to one another.” Sunset had to wonder if Twilight really meant to vocalize her thoughts, or she had simply been too lost in her own memories to stop them from coming through. Whatever the case, Sunset didn’t feel any need to respond as Twilight looked upon the tree, lost in thoughts, all alone. The alicorn princess looked absolutely breathtaking in the soft light cast by the Tree of Harmony, her figure sparkling in the luminescence. Looking up at Twilight from her position beside her, Sunset had to wonder if this was how the rest of Equestria saw Twilight now. A divine and untouchable symbol of harmony. Did anypony see any further than that, however? Did they even bother to look? Sunset didn’t think so. Perhaps it was a bit self-absorbed, but she was beginning to think she was one of the few ponies that could look beyond the majesty. One of the few ponies that cared enough to look in any case, because, once you did, it wasn’t very hard to see. Her eyes. All you had to do was look into those brilliant violet eyes. They were constantly filled with sadness and longing. No matter the time of day. No matter her mood. Even her most genuine smile could not completely erase the ever-present look in her eyes. Always reaching out for something. Always. Those eyes that were now longingly looking up at a tree that was now little more than a memory, more consumed in silent emotion than Sunset had ever seen them. Her mane ceasing to blow in the magical wind that carried it and falling over her as a light veil, almost as though it was too worn out to keep up the appearance. In that moment, Twilight seemed more untouchable than ever, and yet, strangely, never more beautiful. “Beautiful? Where did that come from?” Sunset wondered, broken from her own trance by the odd thought. Sure, Twilight was undeniably pretty. She always had been but calling her beautiful just seemed…strange. “Are you alright, Sunset?” Twilight asked the now uncomfortable looking unicorn, who quickly diverted her face to hide the light blush upon her muzzle, with marked concern. “I’m fine, Twilight. Please, don’t worry about me,” Sunset quickly responded while internally berating herself. “Just great. Like she doesn’t have enough on her mind as is.” Sunset was brought out of her mental discourse by the warm sensation of Twilight gently nuzzling her back to reality. “Gah! Twilight! I told you not to do that!” Sunset indignantly shouted at the offending mare, doing her best to extend her pitiful height in a failed attempt to be more assertive. “No, you told me not to do it in the middle of Canterlot. We’re not in Canterlot. We’re all alone in a closed museum,” Twilight cheekily responded. “Yeah, figures that’s the sort of place you’d want to get all affectionate in,” Sunset petulantly jabbed, her hoof gently rubbing the area Twilight had made contact with. “Just follow me. The private wing we’ll be staying in is just through the Pillars’ hall,” Twilight chuckled as she moved to go through a set of doors conveniently labeled, “The Pillars of Equestria”. “And, Sunset,” Twilight began once Sunset had moved to follow her. “Yeah, Twi?” “Don’t ever ask me not to worry about you.” The room Sunset had been given was directly across from Twilight’s. Evidently, this was the same hall Twilight had stayed in when she had lived here. Carefully preserved and blocked off from the general public specifically for Twilight’s occasional stays in Ponyville. Naturally, Twilight took her old room. Sunset’s own room was of a similar variety. Nothing too flashy, lacking any hint of a personal touch, but plenty adequate for the few days they would be staying. Sunset had also found out where exactly Twilight had been sending the items they had been buying all day, or at least her portion of it when she had to practically blast her door open. The sizeable collection of books and equipment had been teleported directly into her room and barricaded the door closed. To her credit, Twilight could still play the part of ashamed filly rather well, even as Equestria’s largest alicorn, and it stood to reason that even the element of magic could only be so precise. The fact that Twilight had landed their items in the proper rooms in spite of not having set hoof in the castle for some time was rather impressive. That didn’t change the fact that Sunset would now need to buy some new beakers to replace the ones she had just gotten. None of that mattered at the moment though, as Sunset settled into her bed for an early night’s rest. The museum opened early in the morning and Sunset happened to agree with Twilight’s desire to set out before the building they were staying in was filled with random creatures, regardless of how private the hall they were staying in was. More importantly, tomorrow would be the day they did what they had come to do in the first place. Sunset didn’t have the faintest idea of what to expect. It made sense that this wasn’t something that could be put off for another day longer if the bits she had gleaned from the various conversations she’d been present for were any indication. Still, nothing could prepare her for this. She could only imagine what Twilight was feeling right now. Pinkie only looked like one of her closest friends, but she actually was one of Twilight’s. Not counting on any pleasant sleep tonight, Sunset could only steel herself for tomorrow. There was no telling what the next day would bring, but she knew what needed to be done. Ordinarily, raising the sun gave Twilight a rush of energy that left her ready to face the very day she had just made. The magic that came from moving the heavenly bodies filling her being. Today, the surge of energy felt like little more than a drop in the ocean of dread that was finally catching up with her. Today was the beginning of the end. Once the sun was in place, Twilight turned from the window to look over her nightstand. Some flowers, balloons, and an utterly mangled piece of paper that was supposed to contain all the things she wanted to say adorned the surface. Twilight probably should have known that putting the meaning of all their years onto a simple piece of parchment was going to be impossible, but she needed to try something in order to organize the thoughts that wouldn’t still inside her head. This could very well be the last time she ever had the chance to tell her dear friend anything she had left to say. It almost certainly was. So, why did she have no idea what to say? Twilight used her magic to dispose of the messy nervous scribbles in a small puff of fire and smoke. The evidence to the restless night she had, now gone forever. Ready or not, it was time to depart. Taking the gifts in her magic, Twilight set out for the last thing she needed to grab before leaving the castle. Sunset’s open door told Twilight that her friend had already risen from her slumber and was somewhere else in the castle. Fortunately, Twilight didn’t need to worry about looking for the unicorn as they had promised to meet each other in the main hall before retiring last night. Sure enough, Twilight caught sight of the amber unicorn as soon as she entered the area, staring intently at one of the more extravagant exhibits. “She told me she was proud of you, you know?” Twilight said in order to both introduce herself to the oblivious mare and attempt to soothe the emotions she could see in Sunset’s posture. “I don’t know if I ever told you that. It was right after you destroyed the memory stone. I figured she deserved to know how it all turned out after she helped us fix everything, and it just slipped out once we started talking.” Sunset looked away from the life-sized statue of Princess Celestia she had been boring a hole into, her attention now focused on the words Twilight was saying. “I don’t think I ever said anything because I hoped you’d get to hear it from her one day,” Twilight finished, making certain to give Sunset her space for now. Through their journal and the journal she had been given by Celestia, Twilight was likely the only creature that knew all the intricacies of Sunset’s strained relationship with the sun princess. It had taken some time, but eventually, Sunset had opened up to her about her feelings for their old teacher. Apparently, she had never talked about it with anypony else. Not even her human friends. “I’ve been gone a long time, Twilight. Do you think she still remembers me?” The vulnerable look in Sunset’s cyan eyes captured Twilight’s own. Sunset was a naturally guarded pony. Twilight knew that more than anypony. Fully willing to listen and help others as much as she could, but all too often holding her own feelings close to her heart. Seeing her drop those defenses let Twilight know exactly how much her next words could mean. “I’m certain she does,” Twilight said with complete sincerity. In truth, she had not been in contact with Celestia and Luna much herself these past years. An occasional letter being the usual form of communication between them. Ruling Equestria left her far too busy to make many visits and the former princesses seemed more than content to spend their retirement outside of Canterlot. Regardless, she couldn’t forget the interest Celestia had taken in Sunset’s activities after her first trip to the human world. Twilight didn’t know what to make of it at the time, but, in hindsight, Celestia’s actions closely resembled those of an estranged mother. Never getting too close, but desperate to know if their child was still okay. Sunset took one more look at the collection of tributes to the ponies of the recent past. “I hope at least one pony remembers me,” Sunset muttered under her breath so quietly Twilight barely heard it and it was likely she wasn’t supposed to. “Are you ready to go?” Sunset picked up, her demeanor changing so quickly the shift in moods nearly gave Twilight emotional whiplash. Twilight was tempted to press whatever issue they had just soundly steered away from, but they did need to get going, and now that Sunset’s walls were back in place, it was unlikely she’d be able to get anything out of her without the proper amount of time. “Yes, I think so,” Twilight responded, answering Sunset’s question with perhaps the biggest lie she had ever told. No, she wasn’t ready. She’d probably never be ready if she was given all the time in the world. Ironically, that was exactly what she had. It’s just nopony else did. A gentle pressure on her leg alerted Twilight to Sunset’s presence. Twilight looked down to see the unicorn had placed a hoof on her in an attempt to steady her. Surprisingly, it worked. “Hey, Twi. Whatever happens, I just want you to know, I’ll be there for you,” Sunset said with such conviction, Twilight could almost believe it. If only such a thing could be true. “Thank you, Sunset.” With no more time to lose, the two ponies made their way to the front entrance, a fated meeting waiting for them beyond the castle doors. “Aunt Twilight!” Sunset had thought Twilight to be the new unquestioned power throughout Equestria, but to be frank, when faced with the colorful curly-haired legion of earth ponies that had practically spilled out the front door of the eccentric modest house, she didn’t stand a chance. Fearing for her own safety, Sunset quickly backed away from the bouncy herd of ponies that was completely consuming Twilight. Technically, she wasn’t breaking her promise. She was still there for Twilight. Just not in range of any danger. Emotional support and all that. A tall and thin roughly middle-aged aged stallion with peach yellow fur, green eyes, and a curly light pink mane accomplished the, quite frankly, astounding feat of lifting Twilight off the ground in a backbreaking hug with strength that didn’t suit his otherwise lithe figure, the three other ponies surrounding them chipping in with embraces of their own. Sunset let out a rather ungraceful snort at the sight of Twilight being manhandled by this small army of ponies that were clearly overjoyed to see the alicorn. Apparently, alicorns also had super hearing in addition to their numerous other abilities, Twilight’s betrayed and vengeful glare quickly turning to her. Sunset probably should have been worried about some form of retribution for just how quickly she had left Twilight out to dry, only to laugh at her in the end, but it was remarkably hard to be intimidated by a pony that was being handled like an oversized stuffed animal. Besides, it was nice to see somepony else get thrown around every once and awhile. “Hey,” a quiet unemotional voice said from just behind her. Sunset nearly leapt out of her own fur at the unexpected monotone voice that crept up just behind her. “Are you here with Princess Twilight?” the unexpected pony asked in a tone no different than before, his eyes looking her over with apparent disinterest. Sunset could only nod an affirmation in response as she turned to look at this strange stout stallion. A dreary gray pony in a black sweater with a matching black bowl cut mane. “My name’s Mudstone. It’s nice to meet you,” the odd pony said while extending his hoof. “Oh, uhm, hey. You surprised me there. Sunset Shimmer, nice to meet you too,” Sunset responded, shaking his hoof. “So, do you know Pinkie Pie?” “Technically, she’s my aunt. So, yes.” The wires quickly connected in Sunset’s brain. “You’re Maud’s son?” Sunset gasped in astonishment. It made perfect sense. She knew of only one other person that was just that dry. Mudstone gave a wordless response in the form of a simple nod. Sunset vaguely recalled her Pinkie telling her about Maud getting a boyfriend at some point, though the bigger issue was how hard Pinkie took the news. It had only just now hit Sunset. Here she was meeting the descendants of the pony counterparts of the humans she knew in another dimension. In a way, perhaps giving her a preview of her friends own fates. What a life she was living. “We should reconvene with the others soon. The greetings generally only last three minutes. Although, as it has been a longer than average gap since our last family gathering, my cousins may exceed the normal timeframe,” the dull earth pony informed her in a dialect that was somehow both verbose and stagnant. Lack of emotion aside, Mudstone’s assertion was remarkably accurate as the crowd of ponies finally backed away from Twilight who looked noticeably more ruffled than before. Apparently, being sparkly and in an eternal breeze didn’t stop a mane from getting frizzy. “It’s good to see you too all too, Cheese,” Twilight sincerely replied once she had gotten steady, even affectionately ruffling his already messy hair with her hoof, her wings extending to drape over two of the ponies that had just been smothering her in affection. Sunset noted that the two bore a resemblance to the stallion Twilight was talking to, and the mare, in particular, was nearly an identical yellow copy of Pinkie Pike. In fact, aside from the mare standing faithfully next to the pony Twilight had identified as, “Cheese”, every pony present bore a striking resemblance to the pink mare they had come to see. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was looking at Pinkie’s family. Her children and likely a wife, judging by how close the other orange mare was standing next to Cheese. One big happy family, including, “Aunt” Twilight. The alicorn seamlessly fitting in with ponies around her as though they were blood. “Would you believe Mrs. doubty pants over here thought you were actually going to be late?” Cheese said while placing a foreleg around the neck of the mare next to him. “I told her, ‘Sweetie, Aunt Twilight hasn’t been late to a single thing in my entire life, there’s no way she’s going to start today.’” The mare Sunset was now almost completely certain was the wife of this energetic pink-haired stallion playfully pushed him off of her in response. “Oh, stop. You know I just wanted to make sure the tea wasn’t cold by the time she arrived.” “You should still know better than to question Aunt Twilight’s impeccable timing, dear.” “Say, who’s your friend Aunt Twilight?” The yellow Pinkie questioned, bringing all attention to Sunset. Ordinarily, Sunset wasn’t the shy sort, but the surrealness of the situation and the sudden shift in attention left her without much of a response. “This is Sunset Shimmer. She’s a friend of mine that’s been accompanying me on my stay in Ponyville,” Twilight thankfully picked up for her, no doubt noticing her hesitation. “Do you know our mom?” The young light pink, nearly white, pony still wrapped in Twilight’s other wing asked, not accusingly, but certainly curious as to why a unicorn he had never seen before was here. Regardless of his intention, it managed to put Sunset in an awkward spot. “Well, kind of, I mean I met your mom in person this one time a few years ago, which I guess was a few decades ago here, but I know someo-er, I mean somepony that’s a lot like your mom…and now that I’m actually hearing everything I’m saying, I think I’m just going to stop talking,” Sunset finished rather pathetically. Her story wasn’t one you could skip the details of it seemed. The awkward silence that followed couldn’t have masked the sound of a quill dropping. “Weeeellll, I’m not going to pretend I understood a lick of what you just said, but any friend of Aunt Twilight’s is welcome in our family. Name’s Cheese Pie, but most creatures just call me Cheese,” Cheese introduced, bounding over to Sunset with an astounding amount of elasticity and showing off his pie-shaped cutie mark filled with cheese. “Those two over there are my little brother and sister, String Cheese and Lemon Pie, twins if you haven’t guessed, that beautiful mare over there is my wife, Pumpkin Pie, also known as Pumpkin Spice, and you’ve already met cousin Mudstone,” Cheese introduced with a surprising amount of agility for somepony his age, zipping around to each pony as he introduced them before coming back to Sunset with an extended hoof and a large grin. “If you stick around long enough, I can probably introduce you to the rest of the family!” This pony was most certainly related to Pinkie Pie. Sunset took his hoof in greeting, now only slightly overwhelmed by the amount of energy in the area. A few more hoof shakes and personal introductions filled the area shortly after before a foreboding silence overtook the area. “How is she?” Twilight broke the silence, mustering the courage to ask the question everypony knew was coming. “She’s…asleep right now. She sleeps a lot now,” Lemon Pie offered up as an ice breaker that both answered the question but didn’t tell Twilight what she had actually asked. The oppressive feeling of sadness that blanketed the area and smothered the previously abundant joyous energy could be felt by everypony present. Even Mudstone seemed to sag slightly, his emotions for once showing through in reaction to the heavy conversation. “The doctor says she’s got around a month left. Maybe more, maybe less. We can’t really say for sure. He says it’ll be peaceful,” String Cheese followed up, giving the definitive answer Twilight was likely waiting for, tacking on the last sentence in a rush, likely for both his own and Twilight’s sake. “Can we go in and see her now?” Twilight asked, a hollowness in her voice. “Of course you can. She’s…well she’s been waiting for you. I think she’ll be really glad to see you,” Cheese affirmed while moving over to the door to the house. “We’ll all wait out here while you see her.” The stallion gingerly pulled open the door, which seemed to creak in every way imaginable as he beckoned them into a place that may as well have been Tartarus for how intimidating the entryway felt. “Twilight?” Sunset prompted her friend, a series of unspoken questions filling the air. Twilight looked down upon her with glassy pleading eyes. Understanding the mostly silent conversation, Sunset took her place at Twilight’s side. A shaky hoofstep towards the house marked the beginning of the end. The inside of the house could only be described as quaint. The building was neither overly spacious nor overly cramped. It was likely due to the countless movies she had been exposed to in the human world, but Sunset had expected the atmosphere of the house to be much drearier. On the contrary, what awaited them was…just a house. The walls were almost overly colorful, no doubt due to the tastes of the pony who lived there. Every room appeared to be well kept, and the lighting was a far cry from the oppressive shadows that typically framed someone’s final moments in a dramatic movie or soap opera. The only things that stood out at all were the various mementos scattered about the house. Pictures, ribbons, trophies, old drawings, and the odd rubber chicken. Nothing gave away the fact that this was likely to be the location of a pony’s last breath beyond the unnatural silence of the building. The floorboards creaked with each step, the only noise that filled the well-worn house as Twilight and Sunset moved through the halls. For a brief moment, Sunset wondered if they were really supposed to simply wander around the house until they stumbled over Pinkie’s room, but even if Twilight didn’t know where she was leading them to, there was no missing the shrine that had been erected in the living room. A mountain of flowers, photos, and mementos filled a corner of the living room. A monument to Pinkie Pie. There were so many. Counting them all could take all day if anypony were to try. It was incredibly likely the entire town had been here at one point or another. Sunset broke off from Twilight, taking their own gifts into her magic, and looked in wonder at the display that overflowed with sentimentality. There was an old framed photo of a younger Pinkie Pie holding two newborn foals with a note at the bottom. To our all-time favorite foal sitter – Love, Pumpkin and Pound Cake Several bouquets of flowers composed the body of the structure, each with their own notes. Thanks for teaching us all how to laugh – Love, Smolder and Ocellus To the best party pony to ever live in Ponyville – With Love, Apple Bloom and the entire Apple family Thank you, for all that you’ve done for the creatures of the world – Thorax and the Changeling Kingdom There were far too many to read them all and many of them said the same things in different words, but each one radiated with genuine gratitude and love. Words of adoration from various ponies, words of commendation from other kingdoms, and even a number of awards for a life well-lived. As many as there were, however, some stuck out more than others. A hoofmade scrapbook with a picture of an adorable newborn foal on the cover. I’ll love you forever and always, Aunt Pinkie – Flurry Heart Some sort of strange giant horned helmet with a note attached to one of the horns. Pink Pony will always be official honorary yak. – Yaks of Yakyakistan What appeared to be a potted flower, but upon closer inspection, somehow had petals made of balloons. To the only friend who could make me look boring in comparison – your friend, Discord Most elaborately, a golden necklace that contained a crystal balloon. The jewelry’s design reminded Sunset of Twilight’s crown. In honor of the Element of Laughter. Thank you for showing us both all of the little things there are to do in this world – Celestia and Luna Even the retired Princesses had come out to pay tribute to the humble party planner it seemed. Sunset had recognized Cadenza’s hornwriting and signature among the cards as well. What a life a pony must have lived, for every alicorn in Equestria to pay their respects to them instead of the other way around. Realizing she was getting sidetracked, Sunset placed the flowers and balloons into the pile and pulled herself away from the mound of remembrance. The dead silence of the room standing out now that her attention was no longer lost in countless tokens of love and gratitude. Twilight was sitting by what appeared to be a bed, moved into the living room for ease of access. She was perfectly still, only the motions of her breathing giving any indication that the alicorn was more than a statue. The sunlight of the early day casting a ray of light over the quiet scene. Tentatively, Sunset approached the bed to sit next to Twilight, still unmoving in her dutiful post. Sunset’s breath hitched upon finally taking in the sight. More accurately, the lack of a sight. If a pony were to take a quick glance over the room, they may have very well missed what laid in the most prominent piece of furniture. Buried so deeply in the covers and cushions of the bed, only the top of their head was visible. The pale pink pony laid mostly still, lost in a light sleep, the only movements being her slow shallow breathing, accompanied by a faint wheezing sound. Sunset had only properly met the Pinkie of this world once before. She had served her and her ponified friends chocolate fondue. It was a short and unimpactful interaction, but it was how she knew for certain what the Pinkie Pie of this world was meant to look like. The pony she was looking upon now was both undeniably Pinkie Pie and yet looked nothing like how Pinkie Pie should. The small amount of curly hair and pink fur was all it took to identify the resting figure, but it was all just…off. Her coat was still pink, but also thin and dull. her mane was still its unmistakable shape, but lacked the barely restrained energy and color that defined it, now droopy and gray, only a few strands of hair daring to cling onto their color. In all the years she had known her, Sunset had never known something that could take the life out of Pinkie Pie. Certainly, she was just as capable of becoming sad or disappointed as anypony, or anybody in this case, but even those rare fits had a certain unique energy to them that only Pinkie could achieve. Here it seemed that there was just no energy at all, and with a heavy heart, Sunset found the one thing in the world even Pinkie Pie could not weather forever. Time. “Shouldn’t we wake her up?” Sunset ventured out to the still motionless Twilight. Coming all the way to Ponyville would be rather pointless if all they did was watch her sleep, but Twilight didn’t seem prepared to do anything more than look down on the sleeping old mare with a strangely blank face. Twilight seemed to come back to her senses with a start that indicated she had only just remembered where she was and that she wasn’t alone in the room. “Right…you’re right. I just…need a second.” Twilight felt a sudden warmth and pressure just above her hoof. She found Sunset’s fetlock intertwined with her own. Sunset’s eyes locked on hers as she looked down at her. A small, wordless, gesture, and yet it gave Twilight the strength to move forward. “Pinkie…Pinkie Pie,” Twilight gently called out to the sleeping bundle she had been so focused on. It took several attempts, and a steady rise in volume, but eventually, the slumbering mare’s eyes fluttered open. Sunset noted that even Pinkie’s eyes looked duller than they ought to have. “…Twilight? Is that you?” Pinkie Pie gently called out in a hoarse voice that gave away the old earth pony’s age by sound alone. Twilight noticeably gulped. “…Yes, Pinkie. It’s me. I came to see you.” Pinkie Pie finally shifted around to face them, revealing more of herself from under the blanket, her body shaking with the effort. Out from under the blanket, Sunset could tell that Pinkie’s body was thinner than it should have been. Skinny and sunken in at places in a way that was typical of old ponies, but so bizarre to see on Pinkie. Her Pinkie Pie had always been the biggest personality in any room, and she had no reason to believe this Pinkie was any different. yet, the wrinkles and sagging skin made her look so incredibly small. Smaller than she had probably ever been. Once Pinkie had managed to fully turn over to face them, she extended a shaky hoof in Twilight’s direction. Twilight gingerly took Pinkies hoof into her free foreleg, as if reading exactly what the pink pony meant by the gesture. At the contact, Pinkie’s eyes seemed to regain some of their lost color and a surge of energy previously lost seemed to pulse through her, a smile slowly stretching across her face. “It really is you, Twilight. Sorry…I just kind of have this dream a lot. I wanted to make sure. I guess I kind of figured. Usually…the rest of the girls are here too,” Pinkie said with a contented sigh. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to get here, Pinkie.” “Don’t be silly, Twilight. I know you’re a really busy pony. You’ve got a lot more to do than spend all day worrying about me,” Pinkie Pie said before ending her sentence with a yawn. “Don’t say that, Pinkie. Nothing is more important to me than you. Nothing in the entire world,” Twilight said with a sincerity that was as certain as saying the sky was blue. “Aw, thanks Twilight. I love you too. I’m really glad you came. I wanted to see you…just one more time,” Pinkie sighed, turning onto her back and closing her eyes. The peace and stillness that overcame Pinkie nearly caused Sunset to worry that the old pink pony had passed on right there. Fortunately, at the cost of a small heart attack, Pinkie suddenly began to stir, struggling to pull herself into a sitting position. Seeing the obvious difficulty, Twilight lifted Pinkie into her magic and gently laid her into a more upright position against her bed’s headboard. Pinkie finally managed to get a broader look at the room from her new position. “Woah, maybe I’m dreaming after all. That or the doctor was right about not eating cupcakes at my age. You see Sunset Shimmer here too, right Twilight?” The somber atmosphere around Twilight was finally broken as Pinkie’s innocent comment brought her to giggles. “Don’t worry, Pinkie. She’s real.” “Uhm, hey there,” Sunset awkwardly introduced herself, figuring that she needed to say something after the attention had shifted to her. “Wow, you sure wear a hundred years A LOT better than I do,” Pinkie joked Sunset scratched her head with a hoof, trying to work out the easiest way to say it. “Oh, well, it’s a funny story actually. You see-” “Time between the human world and the pony world are all mixed up because of Twilight’s fancy portal machine, so even though it’s only been a few years for you, it’s been a lot of time here, and now you’re back because you’re trying to work out what you wanna do with your life, but it’s super difficult because you don’t feel like you belong anywhere anymore?!” Pinkie quickly rambled off in a surprisingly energetic fashion. “So, this Pinkie can do that too? Great. Guess that saves me the trouble of explaining. I could really do without having my deep-seated insecurities aired out though,” Sunset thought in surprise, but not as surprised as most ponies would have been, given this exact thing had happened to her before. “Uhm, yeah. More or less. You just guessed all that right off the cuff, huh?” “Well, not ALL of it. Twilight talks about you, sometimes,” Pinkie replied with a sly smile. “Oh? What sort of things does she talk about?” Sunset asked, curious to know what her oldest friend liked to say about her to other ponies. Twilight felt alarm bells go off in her head at the direction this discussion was heading. “Oh, lots of stuff really, like-” “HEY! I have an idea! Let’s talk about something else!” Twilight interrupted in a manner that only made Sunset more curious. “No, wait, I want to hear this,” Sunset asserted. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s mostly good things, and only half of it is embarrassing for one of or both of you,” Pinkie waved off in a manner that only served to make Sunset far more anxious about the matter. “Besides, right now we should probably be using this time to-” Pinkie stopped; her sentence cut off by a sudden coughing fit. Her body wracked with each hack, looking as though her very being could collapse with each shock, and an unpleasant wet sound accompanying each one. Twilight rushed over to Pinkie, and gently lifted her back with one of her large forelegs, holding her steady as the moment passed. “Pinkie, I-!" “It’s ok, Twilight. I’m okay, really.” “Pinkie, you’re-!” “I know. It’s okay.” For the first time, Twilight allowed her grief to overcome her features. “Pinkie…please.” Any future words Twilight might have had were silenced by a shaky pink hoof placing itself onto her cheek. “We don’t have much time left, Twi. I want to make the most of it.” “Yes, of course. I’ll be in Ponyville all week. I’ll spend every day with you, I promise. Maybe I can even visit after I have to go back to Canterlot. I’m just a teleport away after all. Whatever you want, Pinkie.” “I’d really like that, Twilight.” Sunset believed she could feel the sorrow emanating from the princess as she brought Pinkie’s old body closer and gently nuzzled her before carefully laying her back down. The rest of the day passed uneventfully after that. They just…talked. Going over stories both new and old, reminiscing about the past and talking about the present. Times of excitement and calm peaceful days of simple everyday fun. Sunset mostly listened, only rarely contributing the odd comment on occasion, content to let Twilight enjoy Pinkie’s company. Sunset listened to the storied history of two of Equestria’s greatest heroes. She listened to the first time the two had ever met, Pinkie throwing Twilight an unwelcome welcome party. The time Twilight had made a fool of herself trying to disprove Pinkie’s ridiculous, “Pinkie sense”. The time the two banded together to solve a railway mystery. The tale of a trivia contest gone horribly wrong and then horribly right. Sunset heard the story of how Twilight had officiated Pinkie Pie’s wedding to one Cheese Sandwich. The hectic birth of Pinkie’s first foal, Twilight having practically run herself into the ground to be there. The holidays spent together as a family. Even after all this time, Pinkie Pie could still draw out the most genuine and heartfelt smiles from Twilight, her eyes lighting up in a way Sunset had never seen them. Stories of adventure, discovery, and particularly fun parties passed between the two old mares until the day itself grew old. Pinkie Pie yawned, exhaustion finally catching up to her. “I think it’s time for Mom’s nap,” Cheese said, coming into the room to check on the mares. “Don’t be…silly, Little Cheese. I…could…go all…day,” Pinkie yawned, her body betraying her. “It’s alright, Pinkie. We’ll come back tomorrow, I promise,” Twilight vowed, nuzzling the pony who was half asleep. “That’s right. Come on, Aunt Twilight. I’ve got some tasty treats you can take with you before you go,” Cheese said, Twilight walking over to him to be led out. Sunset got up and made to follow the ponies out but was stopped by a sudden noise. “Sunset, wait.” Sunset turned around at the sudden call to see Pinkie staring at her, a sudden burst of energy keeping her awake for a moment longer. “Uhm, yes Pinkie Pie? Do you need anything?” Sunset asked in audible confusion, having no idea what the Pink Pony could want from her at the moment. “Just wanted to give you some words of wisdom, from an old party pony,” Pinkie explained. Sunset internally questioned the logistics behind receiving an elder’s wisdom from a pony that was most certainly born after her but didn’t bother to voice such trivial details. “Life’s short, Sunset. Whatever you do, don’t let it pass you by. Keep the ponies you love close,” Pinkie Pie said in an almost cryptic manner. Sunset wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but Pinkie wasn’t done. “One more thing. I won’t make you promise anything, but please…look out for her. I may not be as smart as you or Twilight, but I know everypony needs somepony…even her. Especially…her,” Pinkie finished, her strength finally giving out as her eyelids began to close. Wordlessly, Sunset walked over to the old mare and used her magic to tuck Pinkie in just before sleep finally overcame her. “Keep the ponies you love close?” Sunset muttered to herself now that she was alone, wondering what exactly Pinkie was getting at. She honestly had no clue. Eventually, Sunset found herself back in her guest room at the Castle/Museum of Friendship. The day was finished, and the night had come again. Unlike yesterday, she had done very little physical activity, so it was somewhat surprising that she still found herself wholly exhausted. The amber pony would have thrown herself upon her bed were it not for the faint glow emanating from her saddlebag, laying haphazardly across the floor. Curious, Sunset trotted over to take a look at the cause of the sudden light show. It only took a few seconds to determine the journal she had kept close to her person since her arrival was the cause of the disturbance. Quickly, Sunset opened the book to see what sort of message she had received. Hiya, Sunset. It’s your best party pal forever, Pinkie Pie here! Am I doing this magic texting thing right? I mean, I know I watched you do it a few times with Twilight, your Twilight, not our Twilight, or is our Twilight also your Twilight now? Actually, we were friends with your Twilight first, so maybe she’s our Twilight? But what does that make our Twilight? Okay, now my head hurts. Well, I’m just going to assume I’m doing this right because you can’t exactly tell me if I’m not. How’s your first day back in magic pony land going? Did you learn any cool new magic tricks? Also, how’s pony Twilight doing right now? Tell her I said hi if you get the chance. Anyway, we all really miss you, but also hope you’re having tons of fun. Love, Pinkie Pie “First day? what is she-” Sunset questioned before failing to stop herself from smacking her face with her hoof. As a side note, hooves are a lot harder than hands. Somehow, she had completely forgotten the time imbalance between the two worlds despite being confronted with it every day. She had been back in Equestria for over a week, but to Pinkie and her friends, it hadn’t even been a full two days yet. To top it off, they had no idea of the fact. Quickly rummaging around, Sunset found a quill to respond. Hey, Pinkie. Don’t worry, you’re doing fine. All you have to do is write down what you want to say. I’m doing good. I miss you all too. Love, Sunset Shimmer The message was bare-bones, to say the least. It contained nothing untrue, but if omission counts as a lie, then she was fibbing through her teeth. Sunset couldn’t even say why she hadn’t broken the truth to her best friend. Perhaps she was too tired to discuss it at the moment? “No, I’m just doing what Sunset Shimmer does best. Running away from my problems.” Sunset still had no idea what to make of the problem posed by the disconnect between her and her best friends. How should she respond to it? How would they respond to it? What would she even do about it once she acknowledged it? Sunset had no idea, and, like a coward, she had skirted around the issue, gave a response that barely acknowledged Pinkie, and answered almost none of her questions. Sunset knew that once Pinkie finally caught up to her, she’d have to give a better explanation, but how could she even begin to tell her about all that had happened? About her life. About her studies. About Twilight. Sunset’s thoughts hung on the last word. Twilight. Pinkie had asked about Twilight. How she was doing. How was Twilight doing? She had seemed fine after they had left Pinkie’s house, but if Twilight was good at anything these days, it was burying her feelings. Pony Pinkie’s last words to her echoed in her mind with startling clarity. Shoving all her other numerous issues to the side, Sunset vowed to do right by at least one friend tonight. If there was ever a night where Twilight might need sompony to talk to, it was tonight. It was a pitifully short walk from her room to Twilight’s. A few mere feet were all that separated their doors. Somehow, that short distance was all it took for Sunset to start coming up with second thoughts. Twilight really had seemed fine. They had eaten dinner and come back together, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They had bid each other good night not ten minutes ago. What if all Sunset was doing was bothering Twilight over nothing? Or worse. Opening wounds that didn’t need to be opened. Standing before the princess’s door, Sunset realized she really had absolutely no game plan here. What would she even do once she got inside? Start dragging all these issues into the light in hopes of accomplishing something? Maybe she should just leave well enough alone? Sunset’s doubts were interrupted by a strange faint sound. It was certainly coming from within Twilight’s room. Sunset leaned her ear closer to the door to make sure she wasn’t simply imagining things. Now more clearly, she heard the frantic gasping sounds that could only come from a living being. Sunset considered peeking inside to see what exactly Twilight was doing but remembered she had already made the mistake of violating Twilight’s privacy once already. Twilight trusted her. She would never do anything to jeopardize that trust again if she could help it. Instead, Sunset steeled her nerves and gently knocked on the door. Almost immediately a sharp and clearly audible gasp made its way to her. “Hey, Twilight! Are you alright!?” Sunset called out shortly after making her presence known. “I-I’m fine, Sunset!” Twilight called out in a shaky voice that immediately let Sunset know that statement was a load of pony feathers. “You don’t sound fine, Twi. Do you want to talk?” “No no, that’s alright. Just go back to bed.” Sunset shook her head. “I’m not going to be able to get any sleep if I know something’s wrong, and I didn’t do anything about it.” “I said, I’m FINE!” Twilight yelled back, anger now seeping into her voice in an attempt to mask the obvious uneasiness. Sunset had vowed to respect Twilight’s privacy. She would not go behind her back to seek information about her without her knowledge. Now that Twilight knew she was here, that was no longer an issue. “Okay, Twilight. I’m coming in now!” Sunset called as a fair warning. “WHAT!? N-no, wait!” Before Twilight had a chance to do anything that would prevent her from entering the room, Sunset flung the door open. Twilight stumbled backward from her position on her bed, away from the uninvited unicorn, quickly turning to hide herself. It didn’t matter in the slightest. Those brief few seconds were all it took for Sunset to see the tear marks marring Twilight’s face, moisture still present in her eyes. “Get out!” Twilight shouted from her cowering position that did not at all befit the ruler of an entire kingdom. “You’re crying,” Sunset gently said, barely above a whisper. “…I told you not to come in,” Twilight muttered, fragile anger gone from her tone now that there was no hiding her secret. “Twilight…please. Talk to me,” Sunset prompted, steadily making her way to the bed. Twilight seemed to curl in on herself even further, waiting several seconds as though willing Sunset to go away. “She’s…she’s dying, Sunset,” Twilight muttered under her breath. With that, it was as though a dam had broken. “She’s dying and there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s NEVER anything I can do about it!” Fresh sobs began to wrack through Twilight’s body with even greater intensity than before. “Every single day, I wake up and they’re even further away! First Starlight, then Mom and Dad, then Rarity, Shining Armor, Fluttershy, and Rainbow! Sunburst, Fizzlepop, Trixie, Star Swirl, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Moondancer, everypony who used to live in Ponyville, even most of my old students! Th-They’re…They’re all just gone.” Twilight didn’t say anything right after the barely audible declaration, too overcome with the tears she had been holding back for what must have been years now. Several minutes passed by as Twilight cried her aching heart out. Sunset listened to Twilight vent, unsure of what to do that could make things better. Likely, there wasn’t anything that would make things better. Nothing that was within her power. So, Sunset listened as Twilight sobbed, her cries of anguish eventually turning into sniffles. “Pinkie’s all I have left, Sunset,” Twilight eventually picked up, her tone completely defeated. “She’s the last piece of the pony I was. Soon, she’ll be gone, and I’ll still be here. I’ll always be here, forever. Only everypony else is taking the best parts of me with them and leaving nothing behind. Flurry was right. That stupid crown is all I have left.” What could Sunset say? That she wouldn’t leave her? She couldn’t even say for certain where she’d be next year, let alone for the rest of her life, and if she could, it didn’t change that she was still as mortal as everypony else. “Applejack…she passed away a few weeks before you started writing me again,” Twilight called out, interrupting Sunset’s thoughts. “I just couldn’t take being alone anymore. That’s why I tricked you into coming here…I’m sorry.” Now Sunset was totally lost. “W-What, are you talking about, Twilight?” “The portal machine. I could have told you everything before you came here. Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it. I knew you probably wouldn’t come back if you knew, so I didn’t tell you.” Sunset paused at Twilight’s admission, a guilty plead tangled up in an emotional web of loss and sorrow. “Would you stop me? If I said I wanted to go back, right now, back to my friends, would you let me?” Sunset asked, her face expressionless. Twilight finally turned back to her, looking completely crestfallen. A far cry from the radiant leader she appeared as for the rest of Equestria, her large size now contrasted by her slumping shoulders and tear-stained face. Even her mane had given up the illusion and fell around her in a messy blanket. “…Yes, o-of course. A-as soon as we get back to Canterlot, I’ll-” “When you asked me to come back, did you really think I could be happy here? That it would be better for me to be here? Or was this always about you?” Sunset followed up, cutting Twilight off. Her question cutting but the tone still neutral. “W-what? Sunset, I…yes, of course, I thought that this would be good for you. I never would have suggested it otherwise. I was selfish, Sunset. I thought of myself, and it was wrong, but please believe me when I say I would never do anything to hurt you. Never.” The room was silent for a few seconds after that, the tension inside Twilight building. “I know you wouldn’t. I think we both just needed to hear it,” Sunset sighed, finally approaching Twilight’s bed and pulling herself on top to be face to face with the alicorn. Sunset’s horn shone red, and a small handkerchief materialized out of thin air. An old spell, one of the first Princess Celestia had ever taught her, for those first few nights in the castle when she was just a filly in a world she didn’t understand. Twilight didn’t move away from the cloth as Sunset used it to clean her face of the remaining tears and fluids, but her visible flinch gave away her discomfort at the sudden intimacy. “I can clean my own face, Sunset,” Twilight said, voice still shaky, but noticeably more relaxed at the change in atmosphere. “Oh, zip it, Sparkle. If you want to parade me around town on your back like a little filly, then you’re just going to have to deal with it. Plus, I’ve seen your table manners. I have to strongly disagree with the assertion that you can clean your own face.” The foal like pout did nothing to make Twilight look more mature, but she made no more complaints as Sunset meticulously cleaned her face. “Things haven’t been easy for you, have they?” Sunset asked as she finished, returning the cloth back to the ether from whence it came. “Is it that obvious?” Twilight asked in a valiant attempt at humor that lost its mirth halfway through. “Yeah, yeah, it kind of was. You may look like Celestia now, Twilight, but you’re not half as good at pretending nothing in the world bothers you.” Noticing the absolutely horrid state of affairs Twilight’s mane had become, Sunset performed a slightly more advanced spell and summoned a hairbrush into her magic. Twilight gave the unicorn a look that said, ‘seriously?’ to which Sunset responded with her own look of, ‘yes, seriously’, and a quick motion of her hoof that said, ‘now lay down, you’re a wreck.’ Twilight adopted a prone position on the mattress, so Sunset could get to untangling the mess that was the carpet of hair Twilight now called her mane. Sunset was making this up as she went along, but she knew what Twilight needed to hear next. “So, I was thinking that when we get back to Canterlot, we could try some new modifications I thought up to the equipment we use.” Twilight’s head swiveled to face her so fast, Sunset had to focus in order to keep the brush from getting lost in the sea of dark purple hair. “Does that mean…?” “Yes, Twilight. I’m staying. I’m not going to pretend I have it all figured out, but I know I like being here. I like using magic. I like learning about new magic. I like the new friends I’ve made here, and I really like spending time with you.” “I really like spending time with you too. You’re probably-OW!” Sunset violently yanked her way through a particularly tangled section of hair. A tangle that could not have possibly been formed from the last few minutes. “Ok, seriously. What am I looking at here? Has nopony ever taught you how to brush your mane? This thing is practically its own jungle when you don’t have all the sparkles and impossible breezes distracting you.” “Hey! Give me a-GAH!-break. It’s not easy-ECK!-keeping up this much hair. I don’t usually have to brush it all myself.” “The great and powerful Princess Twilight Sparkle. Ruler of all Equestria. Keeper of the sun and moon. Embodiment of magic…can’t even do her own mane,” Sunset counted off, finishing her statement with a particularly rough brush that finally took care of the most difficult tangles. “YAH! Ok, you’re doing that on purpose!” “I might be enjoying it a little, but trust me, manes like this require a firm touch. Don’t worry, we’re almost done, your majesty.” The brushing sensations got noticeably more pleasant after the tangles had been properly removed. The brush sliding smoothly through the remainder of her mane in a steady rhythm that felt remarkably like a massage. Twilight almost began to feel herself drift off before the sensation abruptly stopped. “There, all done. You’re fit to rule again, Princess,” Sunset concluded, with a twirl of her tool for good measure. “What? You don’t want to preen my wings too?” Twilight teased from her prone position, flaring out the wing behind Sunset. “I think you’ve been pampered enough.” A comfortable silence fell over the room, neither pony seeing any reason to break it until Twilight spoke up. “I really am sorry, Sunset.” Sunset rolled her eyes at the sincerity. Twilight honestly worried too much. “Look, Twi. Whatever it is you think I should be mad at you about, it’s water under the bridge. If you can forgive me for literally trying to kill you, I think I can forgive you for a little underhanded coercion in a situation with no consequences.” Twilight didn’t seem entirely satisfied with Sunset’s answer, but that was expected at this point. So long as she understood there were no hard feelings, nothing else mattered. “I want you to promise me something, Twilight,” Sunset suddenly began. “yes?” “Clearly, we both have some things to work out, and I doubt either of us have any idea where to start, but as long as we’re together I want us to help each other to find out.” “I…I think I’d like that, Sunset.” “You realize that means no more bottling all this stuff up inside until it explodes, right? I can’t promise I’ll have all the answers, but I want you to talk to me when something’s bothering you.” “You realize that goes both ways, right?” Twilight said, looking back at Sunset with a knowing glance. “Yeah, it does,” Sunset conceded. “Alright, I promise,” Twilight vowed, laying her chin across her crossed forelimbs in a resting position “Good,” Sunset said, getting up from her seated position and walking over to give Twilight a nuzzle. “H-hey! I thought you didn’t like that!” Twilight said in a surprised voice, blushing at the unexpected contact. “Well, It’s different when I do it. Goodnight, Twi,” Sunset called, deciding to take her leave now that there wasn’t much else to be done tonight. “W-wait!” Twilight called out in a pleading tone that even surprised herself. “Yeah, Twi?” “Maybe…maybe you could stay with me? Just for tonight. I…I don’t want to be alone right now,” Twilight confessed. “O-ok, yeah, sure,” Sunset decided, surprised but happy that Twilight was already being more open with her. She’d just need a few minutes to grab some spare pillows from the other rooms. Twilight’s sudden shifting to make more room on the bed immediately keyed Sunset in on how Twilight had something a bit more intimate in mind for sleeping arrangements. “O-okay then. It’s only weird if you make it weird, Sunset,” Sunset internally coached herself, laying down next to Twilight. Several seconds went by as both mares laid in the silent dimly lit room. Sunset suddenly didn’t feel so tired. “So…do you have anything to read in here?” “I thought you’d never ask!” Gradually, the night passed, the two ponies passing the time with reading and casual conversation until sleep inevitably caught up to them, exhaustion overcoming any conscious problems with intimacy. They had ultimately ended up curled against each other over a messy wrinkled bed with two or three books left in random places. It was the best night’s sleep Twilight had in years. Author's Note I've got a rather supersized update for you. There's a lot of meat in this chapter. This is probably the first time I've ever really tried to do some emotionally charged scenes, so I hope I did a good job. Any thoughts, critiques, and general opinions would be appreciated as we've reached something of a milestone for this story. The end's still a ways off, but we're definitely making progress now. In any case, please, enjoy. Until next time, dear readers.
Chapter 10: Remembering“We’re very sorry sweetie, you seem like a wonderful little filly, really, but we just don’t think we’d be able to properly care for somepony with your…unique abilities. Right, Honey?” a sky-blue unicorn mare said, motioning to her husband. “I can’t feel my face,” the stallion next to her said in a daze, completely unaware of what was happening around him, his face blackened with soot, what remained of his mane burning on certain ends. “…Right. We’re sorry, Sunset, but we just don’t think we’re the right ponies for you. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere though. Can we see the next foal, please?” the mare finished turning to the gray broad-shouldered mare sitting across the table from her. The gray furred earth pony gave a long-suffering sigh at the predictable result, readjusting her glasses in a poor attempt to mask her irritation. “Of course. Sunset, wait outside please.” “Yes, ma’am,” a dejected unicorn filly muttered, gingerly picking up the book she had brought to the room in her cyan magic, taking extra care not to put too much power into her magic. “The others aren’t like her, are they?” Sunset heard the blue unicorn whisper to her caregiver before she was even fully out of the room. “No. You’ll almost certainly find the other foals here far more manageable.” Sunset felt the tears welling up in her eyes before the next foal was even through the door. She had blown it. Again. Looking out the window of her second-story room in the dormitory she saw the unicorn couple she had met with earlier hail a carriage, a young pegasus colt walking happily between them. She watched their carriage depart until it rode out of the field of her view as if she was seeing her future ride away from her. “That was the fourth family this month, Sunset.” “I know, Mrs. Pen,” Sunset responded without even turning away from the view. “Do you? There are only so many ponies out there looking for somepony to add to their household. Even fewer that are willing to even see you anymore with how little control you have over your own magic. If you can’t get a handle on this soon, well, it’s difficult to say what will happen to you,” Mrs. Pen reprimanded, readjusting her ill-fitting glasses. “I’m trying,” Sunset responded, barely above a whisper. “Then you need to try harder. Your sixth birthday is only a few months away, Sunset,” the gray mare finished, leaving Sunset to stew in her thoughts. It wasn’t fair. It REALLY wasn’t fair. Sunset walked over to her bed and pulled out the two books on magic she kept stored underneath. The only two that she had been able to procure from the meager selection offered at Canterlot’s most run-down orphanage. Sunset briefly used her small hooves to flip through the pages she had memorized through sheer repetition in some unrealistic hope that she would find some crucial key component she had missed all those times before. She didn’t. Useless. It was all so USELESS! A loud crash rang through the room, both books angrily flung into the far wall with an excessive amount of force, courtesy of cyan magic. It was likely the books were now damaged beyond repair, but Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to care. It wasn’t as though they had ever been useful to anypony. Simple beginner level instructions meant for foals that could barely levitate anything heavier than the books themselves. Not a freakish filly that couldn’t use her own magic without destroying anything she touched. Maybe if she could just get somepony to teach her how to control her magic or at least some books on more advanced magic, she could learn to suppress her power. Then she could be like the other foals. Then, maybe sompony would actually want her. Maybe she could have a family. And maybe she could rule all of Equestria on top of it. It was about as likely as the rest of her old fantasies. The fact was that she didn’t have any of those things. Nopony in this part of Canterlot could teach her, and it was unlikely her, “caretakers” would be willing to part with the money for such a service any more than they were willing to give her some more advanced books that were written sometime this century. Even as young as she was, Sunset found it ridiculous how eager they seemed to be to get rid of her, but nopony wanted to put in the effort to help her. Sunset had spent as long as she could remember in this orphanage, and every day it seemed it would be where she would spend her entire childhood. Soon, she’d be past the desirable age for adoption and it’d only get more and more unlikely anypony would so much as look at her. If only she didn’t have so much stupid magic. Maybe she’d actually have a chance to get out of this place. Maybe her parents, whoever they were, wouldn’t have left her here to begin with. A wet feeling along her muzzle brought Sunset back to reality. At some point, she had started crying without even realizing it. The stream was quickly stemmed by a small foreleg roughly rubbing the tears away. Self-pity had never helped anypony. She had shed enough tears to know that by now. All she could do was practice and hope. Sunset made sure to clean any sign she had been crying off her face before she left for her favorite spot out back. A quiet area where her magic couldn’t hurt anypony while she learned to suppress it. She just had to keep practicing. Keep hoping. It was all she had. Sunset awoke with a start, her breaths coming heavily before quickly settling into a more sedated pace. Her mind catching up to the reality of the dark bedroom. That had been…interesting. Dreams were nothing new to her by any means. Sunset had thought herself intimately familiar with them in all their forms. Fantasies, memories, nightmares, but this had been something different. Dreaming of an old memory wasn’t uncommon. Sunset had experienced several dreams recounting her storied life when she closed her eyes to sleep. In all her years though, she had never dreamt anything so…vivid. Something so real and clear it was as though she was living through it all over again. So completely grounded and accurate in its details Sunset was positive she’d never have been able to recall such an old memory with such startling clarity if she tried right now. There had been nothing to indicate it had even been a dream. No inconsistent images or nonsensical imagery and events she’d need a trained psychiatrist to decipher the meaning of. Just a moment where she had been forced back into a different time from a different life. Most curiously of all, she had felt it. Rather than playing an observer, she had experienced all the harrowing emotions that came with that experience. It was like she had been a lost little filly all over again. A faint red glow that likely would have only been noticeable in the dim room’s dark lighting caught Sunset’s attention now that her mind had fully shaken off sleep’s embrace. The light faded as Sunset looked towards its only possible source. The Geode. The magic stone she had owned for roughly ten years had just been glowing of its own accord. Sunset had enough experience with the magical rock to know that such an occurrence wasn’t normal. Glowing meant magic. Magic that was being used for something. It had been years since the geode had used its magic without her first calling on it. Not to mention that in all the years she had owned it, Sunset had never known its magic to affect her own memories. Sunset was torn between her excitement at the new magical development and worry at the prospect of the geode going out of control once again for some unknown reason. Either way, the study of the geode in Equestria had just moved up significantly on her to-do list. Now that the strange phenomenon had been noted, Sunset had time to take note of the rest of her body. Looking down in the direction of the Geode, she could see that she was laying on her side in a rather comfortable bed. A typical situation for somepony waking up in the middle of the night. What was most certainly not typical was the long purple limb that was draped over her. The small oscillations of a soft pressure against her back accompanied by a faint snoring sound managed to eradicate whatever drowsiness remained in Sunset’s now fully alert mind. Last night’s events quickly rushed back to her. It appeared she was still in Twilight’s bedroom. In Twilight’s bed. In a position with the reigning monarch of the land that most creatures would agree was more intimate than most friends would engage in. Sunset felt her face heat up the longer she lingered on just how close the two had gotten in their sleep, a nagging voice in her mind annoyingly dwelling on just how unbelievably soft Twilight was. For both their sakes, Sunset made to put some distance between them, doing her best to scoot out from under her foreleg and off the bed. Twilight gave an audible whine of protest at the departing presence and quickly scooped Sunset into a far firmer and even more intimate hold than the one they had been in previously. Sunset was utterly helpless against the alicorn’s vastly superior strength and could only softly squeak in surprise as she was helplessly captured against the chest of the sleeping alicorn in a gentle but solid grip, Twilight wrapping around her smaller frame in a cradle. Sunset’s small blush flared up tenfold at the unexpected embrace. Twilight had wrapped both her forelegs around her in a way that firmly pinned her own forelegs against her sides. By all accounts, she was completely helpless. Unable to do any more than squirm around in Twilight’s hold. At this point, it was hard to imagine anything more embarrassing than her current situation. “mhm…where are you going, Smarty Pants? We still have to organize the candy library’s catalog,” Twilight yawned out in her sleep. “Of course, this situation could always get MORE embarrassing,” Sunset thought through the mortified expression she now wore. This was just outrageous. She was one of the most powerful and gifted unicorns Equestria had ever seen. One of the few ponies to have learned directly from Princess Celestia herself. One of the few ponies to have traveled between worlds. She had studied both magic and science across those worlds for years. Battled and studied magic most ponies had never even seen before. She once had plans to rule the entire world for Celestia’s sake! Now, look at her. Reduced to a purple princess’s snuggle toy! As if the universe couldn’t wait a second longer to rub salt into the wound, Twilight stirred once again to full-on cuddle her. “Did you do something different with your mane, Smarty Pants?” Twilight mumbled unconsciously in whatever blissful dream she was having, “I like it. So…warm,” Twilight sighed nuzzling into Sunset’s mane for good measure. Sunset prayed for whatever deity was listening to strike her down right now. Sadly, the universe wasn’t feeling very merciful at the moment, and Sunset continued to be wrapped in the unyielding, though admittedly still unbelievably soft, embrace. For a brief moment, Sunset considered just submitting and going back to sleep. Things truly couldn’t get any worse at this point. The visible clock on the far wall put a stop to that idea. Like everypony else, Sunset approximated the time of day by the sun’s light. Initially, she had assumed the night’s sky meant it was still time to sleep. Problem was, the pony responsible for the sun’s light was soundly asleep right behind her, and, according to the time, the sun was due to rise nearly an hour ago. The keeper of the sun had overslept. “Hey, Twilight…Twilight!” Sunset called out to the slumbering alicorn. Twilight gave no visual indication that she had even heard the relatively loud calls for her. The princess seemed to be a very sound sleeper, and from her current position, Sunset had no other way of rousing her. Sunset mentally went through the list of spells she could use to get out of her current situation. She may not have had any use of her limbs, but she could always depend on her horn with the right amount of focus and determination. As if sensing this, Twilight shifted her weight to lie more on her stomach, practically crushing the unicorn under her own weight and destroying any complex train of thought. “GAH…Twilight!? Get…off…of…me! Can’t…breath!” No matter how soft Twilight’s coat was, it did nothing to lessen what must have been over a hundred pounds of fur, muscle, and feathers, all doing its part to smother the poor mare that was barely half her size. Why did Twilight have to get so big? For her part, embarrassment had finally taken a backseat to rage. There was only so much of this Sunset could take before losing her cool, and, with a strength previously unknown to her, Sunset lifted Twilight up enough to speak clearly. The time for tact was over. “Hey, Twilight! Is that a quesadilla under your pillow!?” The result was insultingly instantaneous. Twilight shot up with frightening speed, still not letting go of her substitute Smarty Pants. “NOT THE CHEESE!” Twilight’s eyes darted around in a panic, desperate to spot the danger and cowering like a cornered mouse. Such a strong reaction out of such a ridiculous phobia. Sometimes, Twilight made it really hard for Sunset to believe she had been so soundly defeated by this complete dork. “Calm down, Twilight. It’s okay. You’re safe.” “Wha-Sunset?! Who…Where…?” “Just breath.” Twilight took Sunset’s advice without question and performed her usual exercises to calm herself. “Better?” “Yeah…I think so.” “Great…now I can’t believe I have to keep telling you this, but please put me down.” Twilight’s adorable nervous chuckle was almost enough for Sunset to immediately forgive being treated like a toy. Almost. Twilight gently set the unicorn down in front of her, trying her best not to stare at just how disheveled Sunset appeared to be. She didn’t do a very good job. “What?” “Oh, uhm nothing…it’s just…. Well, you look a little…” Twilight trailed off, reaching a hoof out to smooth one of the many strands of Sunset’s mane, each jutting out in one of countless nonsensical directions. Her efforts were received with little success and an ever more agitated Sunset Shimmer. “You know what. Maybe if I just…” Twilight rambled before effortlessly replicating the spell she had seen Sunset use last night to summon a brush to aid her. The gesture was met with immediate rejection, Sunset quickly backing away from the prospect. “Oh no. I’m not letting you anywhere near my mane after what you did to yours.” “Wha-come on, Sunset.” “Not happening, Twilight” Twilight visibly frowned at Sunset’s stubborn refusal. “Hey, I’m just trying to help. Your mane and fur are all out of place.” “Well, that’s what happens when you’re run over by an alicorn twice your size,” Sunset bit back. Twilight seemed to have forgotten that Sunset had a spell for this exact situation. A little magic and she’d be perfectly presentable. Sunset prepared to cast the spell before the look on Twilight’s face stopped her. The princess seemed surprisingly dejected at having her help refused, disappointment clear in her expression. Whatever threats her mane might have faced, it would be worth it to get rid of the sad look on Twilight’s face. “Alright, fine…just, try to keep it how I like it. I’ve got a certain style to maintain,” Sunset conceded, slowly scooting back into Twilight’s range. The look on Twilight’s face made whatever bad mane day she might end up having worth it. “There’s something you should probably do before you start, though.” “Oh, what’s that?” “The sun, Twilight.” “It’s been an entire hour now. Shouldn’t we be worried, Dad?” A young earth pony asked the pegasus putting the finishing touches on today’s pastries. “Nah, don’t you worry, son. Princess Twilight’s probably just overslept again. Though it has been a few decades since she’s done something like this.” His father’s assurance brought little comfort to his son, as he looked out in worry to the still pitch-black sky at an hour where the sun should have been fully risen. Surely something so unnatural couldn’t simply be the result of something so mundane. “Say, can you ask your Aunt Pumpkin if she remembers where we put the single-colored sprinkles? All I have here is rainbow sprinkles.” “How can you be so calm about this, Dad? The sun’s missing!” “Calm down now. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. You’ll see. Any second now the sun’s going to shoot right up.” As if on cue, a faint and hysterical distant scream echoed through the air, just before the moon fell and the sun shot straight into the sky at an unreasonable speed, practically blinding anycreature watching with a sudden surge of daylight. “Told ya.” The Sun now risen, however abruptly, and with both ponies in a presentable state, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle had decided to eat out for breakfast. One of the modest diners found throughout Ponyville being perfectly capable of fulfilling their needs. “So, what’s next after breakfast?” Sunset asked, though she already had a good idea of what Twilight had planned. “I was thinking we could head straight to Pinkie’s after we’re done here. If that’s all right with you,” Twilight responded in between bites of her food. “Whatever you want, Twi,” Sunset assured her, idly stirring her food. “Is something on your mind, Sunset?” Twilight asked. Sunset nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden change in conversation. “Huh? Oh, no. Don’t worry about me.” Twilight raised an eyebrow in a manner that clearly indicated she didn’t buy what the pony in front of her was selling. “Sunset, you promised we weren’t going to do this sort of thing anymore.” Sunset had to wonder when exactly Twilight had gotten so good at reading her. She hadn’t been particularly obvious that her mind was elsewhere at the moment, but the alicorn sitting across from her had easily picked it out. Never mind that she had a point. If she wanted Twilight to let her in, she’d have to do the same, even if it wasn’t particularly important. “I had a weird dream last night. That’s all,” Sunset conceded “What kind of dream?” Twilight prodded, not having any noticeable reaction to this information in particular. “A magic one.” Twilight cocked her head in confusion. “What exactly is a ‘magic’ dream?” “Something to do with this,” Sunset sighed, bringing her geode up with her hoof to give Twilight a clear view. “It felt like I was reliving one of my memories, and when I woke up this was doing…something,” Sunset finished lamely, not sure how to describe what she was talking about. “I take it that’s not normal,” Twilight commented, unfortunately, unfamiliar with the magic Sunset and her friends possessed. Sunset shifted the geode to look at it herself. “Well, no. It’s supposed to let me see the memories and emotions of other people, and presumably ponies, but it’s never made me see my own before.” “Well, it’s never been in Equestria for longer than a few hours before,” Twilight pointed out. “Who knows what sort of effect the magic of this world could be having on magic that’s been altered by the human world. We’ll probably need to study it before we understand exactly how it works in Equestria.” Twilight’s face smoothly shifted from analytical to concerned. “Until then, are you sure you should still be wearing it? If its magic is acting outside of your control, maybe it’d be safer to put it away until we determine it’s safe.” “Well, the best way to understand developing magic is to experience it,” Sunset shrugged. The clearly unhappy expression on Twilight’s face led Sunset to quickly elaborate on her thought process. “What I mean is, there’s no reason to think the magic in the geode is dangerous, and it’d be easier to learn how the magic is changing if I have first-hoof experience.” Twilight was well aware Sunset preferred a more active approach when it came to magic, in contrast to her own preferences for books and careful study, but it didn’t make Twilight any happier about the idea of Sunset using herself as a lab rat. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.” “Twi, when am I ever not careful? That’s rhetorical by the way.” The two briefly resumed polishing off their breakfasts before a sudden thought struck Twilight, and her gaze lingered on the magic stone hanging from Sunset’s neck. “Hold on…how’d you know I was afraid of….” Twilight started, quickly losing her nerve as she trailed off, unable to finish her question, mouth refusing to cooperate and a fresh blush falling over her face. “You mean quesadillas?” Sunset finished in an off-handed manner, not even bothering to stop eating. It didn’t help that she couldn’t have possibly been any louder without shouting in Twilight’s opinion. “Yes…that,” Twilight forced out, embarrassment being momentarily superseded by indignance. “I’ve never actually told anypony that. Not even my friends. How’d you know about it?” she questioned, her tone not necessarily accusing, but still skeptical. “Oh, well it was actually just a guess,” Sunset casually responded, still barely giving Twilight any more attention than necessary. “A guess?!” Twilight shouted loud enough for everypony else to take notice. Quickly realizing she was drawing attention, Twilight sank into their booth in embarrassment before pressing on in a strained whisper. “You’re telling me you just guessed one of my deepest and darkest secret fears!?” “Are we still talking about a dish made of cheese and tortillas?” The look Twilight shot her was surprisingly frosty and convinced Sunset to take this conversation at least a little seriously. “Look, I didn’t raid your mind if that’s what you’re thinking,” Sunset clarified. “As a wise man once said, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. You don’t actually think I would do that to you, do you?” Sunset asked. Twilight quickly shook off her intensity. “No, no of course you wouldn’t. I’m sorry. It was just a little strange. So, you really just guessed it by pure luck, huh?” “I didn’t say that.” Twilight’s annoyance came back as fast as it had left. Sunset was messing with her again now, and she always seemed to know how to press her buttons. “Can you stop toying with me already and just tell me how you knew?” “Okay okay,” Sunset conceded, deciding to cut Twilight a break. “I didn’t exactly know, but I had a pretty good reference.” “A reference?” “You’re not the only Twilight I know, Twilight.” Twilight took on an astonished look as the pieces came together for her. “You two have a lot more in common than just looking like each other. I knew you were afraid of, heh, quesadillas because she absolutely flipped this one time when we had lunch at this Mexican place.” Sunset quickly became engrossed in recounting her findings, to the point she missed Twilight’s drooping expression. “I knew about her fear of ladybugs, for instance, because you told me they freak you out. It’s amazing how similar you both are despite growing up in totally different worlds. You both have the same reading preferences, the same nervous ticks, the same awkward smile, the same sparkle in your eyes when you get excited, heck, you even both have the exact same laugh!” Sunset listed off in obvious excitements. “So…we’re both just copies of each other?” Twilight said, a slight waver in her voice that somepony paying close attention might be able to catch. “What? Oh, no!” Sunset waved off. “That’s the best part. Despite all these inexplicable constants, there are so many facets of your personality that are also totally unique to you!” “…Like what?” “Well, for starters, the other Twilight is a MUCH better dancer.” “Wha-Hey! You of all ponies should know how hard it is getting the hang of moving around on two legs!” Twilight snapped. “I’m also the only one who knows that your little dance performance at the Fall Formal would have looked JUST as ridiculous if you were still on four legs,” Sunset shot back with a smirk. Twilight slumped back into her seat in defeat. “Is there anything else that’s different?” “Well, you’re both total worrywarts, but somehow she doesn’t Twilight nearly as hard as you do-” “I still can’t believe that saying caught on.” Twilight pouted “-and I’m pretty sure she could out-science both of us.” “So, she’s really just a better version of me then.” Twilight sighed. “No, she's a different version of you,” Sunset amended “She doesn’t know half as much about magic as a certain pony I know for instance. She’s no Princess of Friendship either. She’s not as confident, efficient, or experienced, and, between you and me, I don’t think she could handle a whole kingdom.” Sunset gave Twilight a small smile as she said this. “I think each world has its own take on things. They all look similar at first, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same. They’re like snowflakes. It might be difficult to tell them apart at first, but, once you look a little closer, no two are exactly alike. Each one has a structure that’s all its own, and that’s what makes it beautiful. Whether it’s a world or a Twilight Sparkle.” “You really think so?” Sunset only gave a simple nod in response. Twilight seemed to ponder Sunset’s words until a letter materialized just in front of her, completely redirecting her attention. “It’s from Spike. He says his work in the Dragon Lands is finished and he’ll be here before the sun sets…assuming I remember to lower it…funny,” Twilight informed Sunset while simultaneously skimming over the letter. “What was that about anyway? For as long as you must have been doing this, I wouldn’t think you of all ponies wouldn’t have a routine down by now,” Sunset asked with legitimate curiosity. “Well, I have attendants at the castle to make sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen, but I usually don’t need them. I don’t normally sleep through the entire night.” “What do you mean?” “I just don’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time. That’s all. It’s been that way for a few years. I’m not sure why I overslept this time in particular. I guess I’ll just have to be more careful from now on.” Twilight said, her own confusion evident. Functioning off only a hoof full of hours at a time was certainly feasible for an alicorn, but Sunset still didn’t think it sounded terribly healthy for anypony to get so little rest. Especially when the day demanded so much of her. She’d have to look into it more when they got home. “We can see about getting you an alarm clock later, Twi. We should probably get going soon. We don’t want to keep Pinkie waiting too long.” “You’re right, let’s go, Sunset,” Twilight stated, a determination overtaking her. Not a single moment would be wasted if she had anything to say about it. “Check, please!” “This one is my grandson and my great-niece at the Hearth’s Warming Pie family reunion at the rock farm.” Pinkie Pie said, pointing to one of the pictures in the photo album she was showing to Sunset. “They’re making their first Hearth’s Warming dolls.” Sunset craned her head to make sure she was seeing the photo correctly “Are those…rocks?” “What else are you going to use on a rock farm, Sun Shim?” Pinkie giggled, tapping Sunset’s muzzle. “Wasn’t that the year Limestone and Rainbow got into that big competition to see who could make the largest rock sculpture?” Twilight commented from just behind Sunset, watching along as Pinkie walked them through her house of memories Pinkie giggled at the memory. “Yeah. Poor Rainbow couldn’t tell a mineral from a mint, but you know Rainbow…” “She never backed down from a challenge,” Pinkie and Twilight said in perfect synch, punctuating it with laughter. “We sure had some good times didn’t we, Twilight” Pinkie lamented, eyes going glassy, flipping through the pages of the album. “Yeah. We did.” Twilight confirmed. Pinkie closed the album, finished with her stories. “It’s been a pretty wild ride. Lots of parties, cakes, and smiles, but also a lot of problems and stuff that just wasn’t a lot of fun. Lots of hellos and ‘nice to meet ya’s and just as many goodbyes.” “Yeah.” “Hey, Sunset?” Pinkie said as she turned to her new friend. “Yeah, Pinkie?” “You know me, right? A different me.” “Yeah, I do,” Sunset answered, unsure of where Pinkie was headed with this. “What’s she like?” The unexpected interest in her counterpart caught Sunset by surprise. “Oh, uhm, well she’s a lot like you, actually.” Sunset took a moment to think of how to best describe Pinkie Pie in a few words. “She’s got a ton of energy and enthusiasm. Sometimes she’s a lot to handle, no offense-” “None taken.” “-but she always means well. She’s crazy and a little all over the place, but she always comes through when you need her. She’s never afraid to be herself, no matter what anyone thinks, and she’ll do anything to put a smile on her friend’s face. I’ve learned a lot from her…she’s my best friend.” Sunset’s description seemed to satisfy the old pink pony, a content smile stretching across her face. A thought struck Sunset. “You know, I can send messages to her. Is there anything you’d want to say to her?” “Nah, let her live her own life. She’ll do juuust fine,” Pinkie waved off. “It hasn’t been all fun and parties, but I think it’s better that way. After all, what good is laughter if you don’t know what it’s like to frown? Y’know, if I had to do it all over again, I don’t think I would change a thing.” Pinkie paused a moment before reconsidering. “Weeell, maybe I’d stop myself from eating all that expired frosting I found in the back of Mrs. Cake’s cupboards. That was a doozy and not the fun kind.” Every mare present let out a lighthearted chuckle at Pinkie’s joke. The party pony more lively today than she had been yesterday. Almost as if the company brought back some of the life that had been previously missing. Cheese picked then to make himself known to the mares. “Hey, Mom. Guess who’s here to see you?” “Spike!” Twilight shouted, bounding over to the dragon so fast Sunset felt a gust of wind at her departure. The dragon returned the enthusiasm, readily accepting the hug directed at him in a tight embrace. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. Those old dragons are a stubborn bunch, but I think everything worked out pretty well,” Spike announced. “I’m just happy you’re here,” Twilight responded, resting her head on his shoulder. Quickly enough, the two separated to move back with the other two mares in the room. “Thanks for keeping Twilight in line, Sunset. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,” Spike chuckled, expertly dodging the purple wing that swung at him. “Well, she’s been a bit of a hoof-full, but I managed alright,” Sunset shrugged “I’m right here you guys.” Spike slowly approached the bedside of the waiting pink pony, a subdued silence falling over the room. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite purple dragon,” Pinkie chuckled “Just out of the purple ones?” Spike asked halfheartedly, a small waver in his voice. “It’s great to see you, Spike.” Spike kneeled down and gently wrapped his arms around the old mare in a tender embrace, Pinkie doing her best to return the gesture despite his broad size. The two stayed in that position, content with each other’s presence. A full minute went by before Spike gently lowered Pinkie down and stepped away. “heh, all these old faces hanging around. I’d throw a party to celebrate if I was ten years younger.” “Come on, Pinkie. Everything’s a party when you’re here.” Rather than retreating to the castle, Twilight had decided to spend the night by Pinkie’s side. Spike, loyal to the end, stayed by her. The accommodations were not the most comfortable, but it didn’t seem to bother Twilight, Pinkie’s presence allowing the alicorn to seemingly sleep more comfortably on a mat of pillows than if she had been in her royal bed at Canterlot castle. Spike had taken up residence in a nearby armchair, drifting off some time ago while slumping into the cushions. The light of the house was dim at the late hour, everypony having turned in for the night with one exception. “Pinkie…Pinkie Pie,” a voice gently called out in faint hope of a response. “Need something, Sunset?” The quick response caught Sunset off guard, only barely managing to muffle her squeak of surprise so as not to wake Twilight or Spike. “You’re up?” “I had a feeling you might want to talk.” Sunset could only make out the silhouette of the pink pony in the dark, her expression hidden from view. “Well, shoot,” Pinkie prompted. “Oh! Well, I was kind of hoping you could elaborate…on the things you said last night I mean.” “I thought I was pretty straightforward.” “Well, yeah but I’m in a bit of a unique situation,” “You’ve got super awesome friends on both sides of the mirror and you’re still not even sure of what to make of your relationship with Celestia, right?” Sunset was torn between being grateful for the saved time and really wishing Pinkie wouldn’t do that. “Well, yeah. You told me to keep the ones I love close, and I get that, really, but how can I do that when some of them are always going to be a world away from me at any time?” There was a long pause after this question. For a brief moment, Sunset wondered if the old mare had drifted off to sleep on her until Pinkie broke the silence. “Do you miss your friends, Sunset?” Sunset knew the answer. She had known after her first day back. “Yes. It wasn’t like we saw each other every day anymore back in the human world but being here now…it’s harder than I thought it would be. That’s not even mentioning just how messed up time is now.” “That makes sense. Twilight said you all were like us. Like family…” Pinkie trailed off. “But you’re still here. Any special reason why?” Sunset didn’t answer this one, but she didn’t need to. Her own body betrayed her; eyes unable to avoid glancing back towards the sleeping alicorn. “Heh, figured as much.” “I can’t just leave her, Pinkie. Not now.” “That’s awful selfless of you, Sunset, but what about you?” “What about me?” “Yeah, what do you want?” “I have absolutely no idea. I know I like, no, love, magic, but I still don’t know what to do with that. I love my friends in the human world, but I don’t think I could be happy there. I thought I could find a place here, but now I’m just even more confused, and if I find it here, there might not be any place for them, and I don’t know if I could really be happy with that either. There’s just so much I don’t know anymore.” Sunset heard Pinkie fall into a mixture of giggles and coughs, her old body unable to keep up with her own mirth. “hehe…kaff…ha, oh boy. Sun Shim, you’re so much like Twilight it’s scary sometimes. I guess that’s the problem with being so smart. You always overthink everything,” Pinkie sighed. “I can’t tell you how to live your life, but if I’ve learned anything after all this time, it’s that following what you love is the best way to get to where you were meant to be. Sometimes you have to make it work, but if it’s something worth working for, you’ll get there. That’s all.” “That sounds sweet and everything, Pinkie, but I don’t know if you really get what I’m working with here,” Sunset stated, still unsure what Pinkie was getting at. “Maybe I don’t. I’m just a silly old pink pony after all. If half of what Twilight has told me about you is true though, you’re not going to let something trivial like time and space stop you, right? That doesn’t sound very Sunset Shimmer to me.” Sunset blinked. Pinkie’s words taking time to register. All this time, all these years, waiting for the answers to just fall into her lap. That really didn’t sound like her at all, did it? She was a problem solver. Someone who found solutions to things that weren’t the way they should have been. It’s how she had always been. Young, old, human, pony, good, bad, it had never changed. Not until recently. “Thanks, Pinkie. I think I get it now. I wonder if my Pinkie will ever be any good at sagely wisdom. Good night,” Sunset waved, trotting back over to take her place situated next to Twilight’s own makeshift bed. Pinkie leaned back, exhaustion becoming nearly impossible to push off any longer. “Yep, they’ll do just fine.” The rest of the week followed a fairly predictable pattern from thereon. Twilight would wake up, eat breakfast, and spend the rest of the day with Pinkie Pie. Sunset and Spike usually accompanying her throughout the entire day, becoming something of a royal entourage. It would have been quite monotonous were the pony they spent so much time with anypony else. Fortunately, no day spent with Pinkie Pie could ever be classified as boring, regardless of her old age. Barring that, Sunset still couldn’t find it in herself to be bothered by the repetitive schedule so long as it made Twilight happy. Or at least more at ease. However, having established a rhythm to her day meant that it was still surprising to have that rhythm suddenly disrupted. “You don’t want me to go with you?” Sunset asked. “I mean I wouldn’t put it like that per-say,” Twilight stuttered with a nervous look and a circular wave of her hoof.” Sunset was confused more than anything else, but if this was what Twilight wanted… “Alright, Twilight. If you don’t want me there, then that’s fine.” Twilight looked surprisingly panicked at her response “No! That’s not it at all. It’s not that I don’t want you there. You just can’t be there is all.” “You’re not making any sense, Twi.” Twilight breathed a sigh to collect her thoughts. “Look, this is the last day we’ll be in Ponyville before we have to return to Canterlot. You’ve been by my side this entire time, and it means more to me than you know, but just once I need to speak to her alone.” “Oh, Okay.” “Look, I know it doesn’t make any sense, but-wait? Okay?” “Yeah. She’s one of your best friends. It makes sense you’d want some time for just the two of you. I get it,” Sunset assured. Twilight was beginning to feel pretty silly for expecting Sunset to…well she wasn’t sure what she expected Sunset to do, but it had worried her all the same. “Thank you, Sunset. I’ve got a few…errands…to run, so I need to leave now. I’m sure Spike can help you if you need to find your way around town.” “Trust me, she’ll be in good claws,” Spike assured from behind them, flashing a thumbs up. “Alright, I’ll see you both later tonight.” Twilight bid, quickly rushing out of the room and presumably out of the castle, more in an effort to keep up her own determination than to get anywhere on time. “Does she ever just, I don’t know, settle down?” Sunset chuckled “Not as long as I’ve known her. Twilight’s always moving,” Spike affirmed. “Guess it’s just you and me today then, huh?” “Looks like it.” “So, what should we do today?” “You ever play Ogres & Oubliettes?” “Is that a video game?” “Board game actually.” “Hmmm, maybe later. I was thinking it might be nice to see more of Ponyville.” Spike felt that was reasonable enough, seeing as this was Sunset’s first time really seeing the city. “Anywhere in particular you had in mind?” “Well, there is one place I’ve always wanted to see for myself. Twilight talked about it a lot in our journal.” “Just name it, Sunset.” The rushing waterfalls could be heard in the distance as pony and dragon neared what was easily the largest structure in Ponyville outside of the castle. “So, remind me again why you couldn’t walk here on your own?” Spike asked over his shoulder. “Well, objectively speaking, it’s efficient. You knew where this place was, and we move faster this way,” Sunset listed off. “Besides, I’ve realized something. If you and Twilight are going to get ridiculously big, I might as well take advantage of it.” Sunset had to imagine she looked somewhat ridiculous, perched on Spike’s back in a convenient piggyback. It was nowhere near as comfortable or maneuverable as the Twilight express, but it still beat walking the whole way. “You mean Twilight’s been letting you ride her!?” “Forcing me to really, but yeah. You’re not jealous, are you?” “Oh extremely. Traveling by pony is only the most comfortable method of transportation in Equestria. Twilight used to give me rides all the time when I was little. Then one day she throws her back out and suddenly I’m, ‘too heavy’ to carry. Been stuck moving on my own ever since,” Spike sighed. “Guess being big isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” “Yeah, well, there have to be some perks to being a squirt I guess.” Sunset couldn’t direct Spike as she could Twilight, but, on the bright side, she didn’t feel nearly as bad about smacking him. “Ow, hey!” Spike yelped, his laughter giving away his faked injury “Friends aren’t supposed to hit each other, Sunset!” “So, what are you going to do about it? Tell Twilight on me?” “You think I won’t? I could probably convince her you need a friendship lecture. A long friendship lecture.” Sunset actually felt her heart skip a beat. “You wouldn’t.” “Try me, Sunspot.” The relatively young drake was surprisingly good at intimidation tactics. Something he must have picked up dealing with Twilight. He was in for a rude awakening though if he thought Sunset would be as much of a pushover. She was easily five times as petty as his usual prey. “If I’m going down, you better believe I’m taking you with me, dragon boy. You’re not being very friendly yourself right now.” “Okay okay, truce.” Spike waved of. “Besides, we’re here.” Sunset looked up at the sprawling fields and crystal-clear waters in wonder. Simply spotting the building from afar didn’t do the grounds justice. The place was positively bustling with life and vibrancy. Easily the largest assortment of creatures she had ever seen, even including Canterlot. Some were playing and relaxing in the fields, others were studying in their own group of friends, there were even a few creatures swimming about in the waters surrounding the building which had a constant flow of busy students moving in and out at all times. Laughter and friendly chatter filled the air alongside kites and any creature with wings. This place was quite possibly the personification of the utopia Twilight had turned Equestria into. It was, quite simply, breathtaking. “Sunset Shimmer, welcome to the School of Friendship.” Author's Note And we're back! Sorry for the brief break, but life caught up to me for a bit and, as I'm sure you're all aware, everything's a bit crazy right now. Fortunately, that has actually given me the time to finish the next chapter. At the moment, I'm hoping for at least two chapters a month. I hope you'll all understand weekly updates are great, but also demanding, so they can't always happen. As for the story itself, It's probably the chapter I've tossed around the most for no other reason than I wasn't entirely satisfied with it, but it's a bit of a transition chapter in the end. I still hope it gives you something to enjoy right now.
Chapter 12: Learning to TeachThe brief excursion to Ponyville came to a rather uneventful end when all was said and done. As reigning monarch and the primary overseer of Equestria’s most prestigious school for learning and studying magic, Twilight could not afford to prolong her stay any longer. Her duty and her people demanded as much from her. So, regardless of her own emotions, Twilight returned to Canterlot exactly one week after her departure. Once it had been confirmed that Canterlot was still standing and the castle had not burned down in her absence, she once again donned the golden regalia of royalty and shifted back into her role as the wise level-headed leader of a great nation. The agenda after such an emotionally taxing and draining week? Business as usual. The days after were thoroughly ordinary, as though the week prior had never happened at all and life simply kept moving forward. Sunset, having accompanied Twilight all the while, was amazed at her friend’s ability to hold her head so high after scarcely looking any sturdier than glass just days before, returning from her final day alone with Pinkie Pie on the verge of crumbling to pieces. It was an act, of course, but it was convincing enough that Sunset doubted anypony that didn’t know better could manage to see through it. It was certainly not something Sunset could ever imagine the Twilight she once knew being able to pull off. Not with how she had worn her emotions on her sleeve, instead of burying them in her heart. It was all just a part of the job, Sunset understood that better than most ponies, but one had to wonder what sort of toll it took on a pony. To never really be yourself to the world. Then again, maybe it helped to keep busy at times like these. Sunset had always found that worked for her at the very least. It was how she found herself cooped up in her room with several projects on standby. “Let’s see, today we have a modern Equestrian history textbook for study on recent world events, The Canterlot Chronicle for current events, a book on quantum magical theory for recent developments in the understanding of magical energy, and a Neigh York Times best-selling fantasy epic…for fun,” Sunset chuckled, laying all four items open on her bed in front of her for what she liked to call, “optimized speed reading”. Reading just one book at a time was terribly inefficient, especially for a pony that had several decades of missed advancements to catch up on. This way, she’d be caught up by Hearth’s Warming…assuming that was still a thing. Apparently, they had completely replaced the Summer Sun Celebration, so anything was possible at this point. Sunset turned to the first book in line and flipped to a point in history that was relatively recent. “Okay, so, on the tenth year of Princess Twilight’s reign the inaugural Equus games were held in the Crystal Empire. This event marked the first time in recorded history all neighboring major kingdoms came together to pit their best athletes against one another in friendly competition. This was another major turning point in Equestria’s relationship with foreign nations and is often seen as a key factor in the subsequent mass immigrations,” Sunset recited off of the page, quickly memorizing the information and turning her attention to more recent news. Generally, it was never anything particularly exciting, but the human world had taught her that a slow news day was usually a good thing. A steady knock on her door brought Sunset out of her midday information crunch session. “It’s open! Come in!” Sunset called, swapping over to the next piece of written information in line. Sunset’s door creaked open to reveal a familiar blue changeling advisor, as stiff and dignified as she had ever seen him. “Hello, Cercus,” Sunset greeted “Ms. Shimmer,” Cercus nodded in return. Aside from a slight eye twitch, Sunset managed to suppress her offense at once again being denied the respect of the title she had rightfully earned through years of grueling study and work. She had learned that every time she gave him a reaction, he won, and Sunset Shimmer did not lose. “I’m sort of busy right now. Does Twilight need something?” Sunset asked, already knowing that Cercus never stopped by just for a simple visit. “I’m afraid not. I’m actually here on behalf of…good heavens! What happened in here!” Cercus exclaimed, for the first time expressing legitimate disbelief. Sunset had almost assumed that Cercus’s face simply wasn’t capable of doing emotions, making his shock come as a shock to her. “Uhm, are you okay? Cercus? Is something wrong?” Cercus, to his credit, quickly shook off the brief lapse in composure. “Is something wrong? Well, I do say something is most definitely wrong with the completely disastrous state of your chambers, Ms. Shimmer.” “What? It’s not that bad…is it?” Sunset argued or at least tried to. She hadn’t actually paid much attention to her surroundings, far too engrossed in her work. “Shall I start with the tower of books scraping the ceiling in the corner, threatening to collapse at any moment, the copious amounts of paper, quills, and ink scattered about, or that monstrosity of wires currently perched upon your desk as a starting point for why it is indeed, ‘that bad,’” Cercus admonished, certainly having a way of making a grown mare feel like a filly. Sunset had always been a touch unstoppable when she really got going. It wasn’t like she meant to be so disorganized; it just always kind of happened. “Seeing as you share so many of her majesty’s interests, I had hoped you would also share her impeccable penchant for cleanliness and organization, but it seems that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Cercus sighed “Okay, I get it. I’m a bit of a mess. I’ll clean it up later,” Sunset pouted. So, she wasn’t as organized as Twilight. What pony was? Sunset knew only one person that came close, and she was also named Twilight. “Indeed, you will. We can hardly have somepony in the same wing as her highness living in such an uncouth manner,” Cercus said, basically ordering her to clean her room in an overly verbose fashion. “However, that will have to come after you have fulfilled your obligations.” “Obligations?” Sunset thought. If Twilight didn’t need her for anything, what other obligations did she really have? Noticing Sunset’s perplexed look, Cercus decided to clarify. “Ms. Shimmer, Princess Flurry Heart is expecting your presence.” Okay, so it wasn’t as though she meant to let Flurry Heart’s promised magic lessons slip her mind. She had even written out some, admittedly rough, ideas bought some supplies, and brushed up on some older material. It had just been a rather exciting week was all, and there was just so much going on, and, in her defense, she had never actually established any sort of schedule to work off of. How was she supposed to know Flurry Heart would pick today to drop by and expect her first lesson? Apparently, she was rather excited about it, at least according to her changeling friend, so postponing it now was likely not in her best interest. It was never a good idea to get on a Princess’s bad side, and Sunset was trying to kick her nasty habit of doing just that. More importantly, however, was that this was most likely her best chance to really connect with Flurry and build upon the relationship she literally fought to establish. Sunset couldn’t quite explain why, but something in her deeply wanted Flurry to like her and to help her, at least in some way. So, Sunset decided to keep doing what she had already been doing with Flurry Heart. She’d wing it. She found a nice quiet unoccupied lab in the lower levels of the castle, sent Cercus to direct Flurry Heart over to her, and tried to form a game plan while she waited. How hard could teaching be anyway? Surely, she must have picked up something from all those years in school. “Oh, who am I kidding,” Sunset sighed, slamming her face down on the table she was sitting at. “I don’t know the first thing about being a good teacher. I’ve always been a student. I don’t know how to teach magic to little foals, let alone a Princess!” Had she really managed to fail before she even began? It had just seemed like the right decision at the time. Something to get Flurry to open up to her. Somehow, she hadn’t prepared for when she’d actually have to make good on it. “Okay,” Sunset thought, trying to evaluate her situation. “You can’t go Twilighting now. There’s still time to figure this out.” Suddenly, the door to the lab sprang open to make way for Equestria’s newest Princess who was practically bouncing with every step. “Aunt Sunset, I’m here!” Flurry practically sang. “Aaaannnd, time’s up,” Sunset internally mourned “You would not believe what it takes to commute here from the Crystal Empire, but it’ll all be worth it soon,” Flurry Heart said, making her way to the lab table to stand opposite to Sunset. “I’m so excited! I can’t believe I’m finally going to learn some real sorcery! So, what are you going to teach me first? Maybe, how to turn stone into gold? Or, how about, how to summon a giant cupcake!? No, wait, how about, how to punch a hole into another dimension!?” Flurry rambled, now leaning on the table with both hooves and getting closer to Sunset with each idea. Sunset gulped. “Well, actually, Flurry, I think it would be best if we started a little smaller than that. I don’t know if you’re ready for anything quite that…intense,” Sunset settled on. Apparently, the assertion that Flurry was “excited” was a rather large understatement. Flurry Heart backed off; her excitement contained but still incredibly apparent in her eyes. “Okay, what can you teach me?” That was an incredibly good question. What could she teach Flurry Heart? Certainly, she knew plenty of magic. Tons of it, in fact. Sunset found that with a little refreshing all of her magical knowledge remained relatively intact despite being cut off from the means of practicing it for so long. Now she had been back long enough to pick up some new things and craft some new spells in addition to all the old ones. Yes, she had knowledge of transfiguration spells, energy manipulation spells, illusion spells, spatial distortion spells, magical construct spells, and even some black magic pilfered from Celestia’s restricted section, though it was safe to say she probably wouldn’t be needing those. She knew the spells, but how did she pass that on? Where to even start? Perhaps the same place she had started? But that was a lifetime ago, and Flurry was no filly. Sunset was beginning to regret not thinking about asking Twilight for advice at some point. She had plenty of experience teaching. Probably learned all about it from… “Celestia!” Sunset internally shouted, her old teacher and guide’s name bursting into her brain. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. If she wanted to be a teacher, she’d have to think like one. She just needed to think like Celestia. What would Celestia do? Probably assess her student. Find out exactly what she was working with. “Flurry, before we try anything, maybe you could tell me some of what you already know about magic. It might help to gauge where you currently stand,” Sunset suggested. “Oh, yeah. I can do that,” Flurry said, taking a few steps back and taking a moment to think about it. Sunset internally breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, at least she didn’t fall apart right out of the gate. “Well, I guess you already know I’m pretty good at blasting things. I’m pretty good at making shields, not that I ever really need them, and, uhm, I guess I can throw some pretty heavy stuff around…Oh, and I can teleport!” Flurry listed off after a decent amount of thinking. Sunset blinked. “…That’s it?” “Well, yeah?” Flurry Heart responded unsure what to make of Sunset’s reaction. Sunset knew Flurry wasn’t exactly a scholar, but she hadn’t expected…well, this. Flurry’s knowledge of magic would have only barely gotten her through magic kindergarten. Cadenza may not have been much of a mage, Celestia being more interested in training her for her duties as a princess which tended to focus more on etiquette than sorcery, but she still must have had more to offer than this. And, even if she hadn’t, surely, they could have found some other pony to teach her something. The Crystal Empire may not have had many unicorns, but there was no reason a tutor couldn’t be found for Flurry Heart given the connections they must have had. Sunset just couldn’t think of any good reason for Flurry to be so inexperienced after all this time. “Is…is something wrong, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry Heart asked, becoming concerned by Sunset’s silence. “Well…Flurry, that’s not really a lot to go off of,” Sunset confessed. The spark in Flurry Heart’s eyes finally went out and she sunk towards the floor. “Yeah, I know.” “Well, what sort of magical schooling have you had before this?” Sunset tried, almost afraid of the answer. “Well…my dad taught me some stuff. Enough to protect myself, if I needed it. Not that I usually need it,” Flurry nearly murmured. “So, you’ve never really had any sort of formal education in magic?” Sunset asked, not really needing an answer anymore but holding out for something. Flurry Heart chuckled a broken sort of sound that was laced with something Sunset couldn’t quite identify. “Are you kidding? Who would teach me? No pony who isn’t living under a rock would want the job of trying to train the Princess of Explosions.” Flurry Heart began pacing back and forth, working herself into a fervor that reminded Sunset of the first time she had seen the Princess. “I mean, good luck getting somepony to travel all the way out to the Crystal Empire just to try their hoof at a ticking timebomb with wings! Just come on down and see if you can so much as survive the Princess who’s most widely known for nearly destroying her own kingdom while she was still in diapers,” Flurry Heart vented. “Uhm…what?” Sunset muttered. “Oh? Didn’t anypony tell you? I kind of destroyed the ancient artifact that the entire Crystal Empire depends on for survival right after I was born and came closer to wiping it and all the other Princesses out than Sombra ever did. I mean, I was so young I don’t really even remember it, but that’s okay because no pony else will ever let me forget!” Flurry explained with a smile that would have been sweet were it not unbelievably strained. Sunset at this point knew that she probably needed to do something to help calm the Princess down. “Flurry, maybe-” “Okay, so it turns out that normal unicorns just aren’t qualified to teach magic to an alicorn that had enough magic to level a castle when they were a newborn, and Dad tried but he was a soldier, not a wizard,” Flurry continued, cutting Sunset off. “But that’s okay, because your Aunt is the literal embodiment of magic, so if anypony could help you, she can! Oh, no, wait…she’s the ruler of all Equestria. That means it’s her job to raise the sun, lower the moon, babysit snotty nobles and bureaucrats, pass laws, oversee finances, and basically look after every tiny little thing in Equestria so that everything doesn’t fall apart, and whatever little free time she wrestles from that she’ll spend teaching magic to a new generation of foals that aren’t you! “Then, that just leaves Mom…” Flurry Heart sighed, finally winding down. “Yeah, she’s pretty busy too. Ruling the Crystal Empire is a big job, and every year there’s more love, which means the Empire gets bigger, which means more love, which just means more work. But really, I just don’t think she wants to teach me, and I don’t really know why,” Flurry finished her tirade, her excitement spent, leaving her in a melancholic state. Sunset listened to the entire episode from her seat, processing all that she had heard. Flurry Heart certainly didn’t hold anything back once she got going, and, just like her Aunt, she must have kept it bottled up inside until it all just spilled out. “It’s okay though, I guess,” Flurry began, once again pulling Sunset back to the present. “It’s not like it really matters whether I learn magic or not. Equestria’s already got all the Princesses it needs and it’s not like those are going anywhere. It’s been years since a real bad guy popped up, and they didn’t really need me for those either. All I really do is show up for a few festivals or summits and look pretty. Manage things like the Trader’s Exchange. “I guess, maybe I just…” Flurry started, now looking hopelessly dejected completely by her own doing. “maybe this was a mistake,” Flurry sighed and simply turned around to leave. Snapping to attention, Sunset made her move, igniting her horn and warping herself right between Flurry and the exit. “Flurry, wait!” Sunset shouted. Aside from a startled look, Flurry immediately complied and ceased her movement. Sunset realized she really needed to stop getting herself into situations without any clear idea of what she was going to do once she got there. “Okay…I’m not going to pretend I completely understand what you’re going through,” Sunset slowly began, practically stretching it out as long as possible in hopes the right thing to say would come to her. “Come on Shimmer, think. Clearly, this kid needs somepony right now. You may not be worth much as a teacher or anything else, but after all this time you have to know at least something about being a good friend,” Sunset internally lectured herself. The human world may not have had the most magic to study, but it did teach her how to understand people. Sometimes what someone needs the most is for someone to be there and just try to understand, to empathize. “…but,” Sunset finally continued, “I want you to know that there’s nothing wrong with wanting more out of your life.” Flurry blinked, unsure what to make of that statement. “So, maybe you don’t necessarily need to learn magic, but it’s something you want for yourself. I get it,” Sunset finished. Flurry Heart shifted uncomfortably in place. “I don’t know. Where do I even start at this point? I don’t even really know what I’m doing.” “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Flurry,” Sunset smiled, her own confidence building, “I almost never have any idea what I’m doing.” “Really?” Flurry Heart asked in awe as though she had just been let in on some great truth. “Really,” Sunset nodded in confirmation. “And that’s okay because we figure it out. Just like I’m going to figure out how to teach you magic and when we’re done, you’re going to be one of the greatest spell casters Equestria has ever seen.” Flurry Heart's eyes began to once again sparkle in excitement. “You really mean it?” “Absolutely,” Sunset said with complete confidence that she was actually beginning to feel. If nothing else, it had given her an idea of how to go about this. Flurry Heart was special, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. That meant it would take a special approach to really bring out the best in her. An approach that she was actually somewhat familiar with. “Just follow me, Flurry, and we’re going to begin your very first lesson,” Sunset announced turning around to head for the door. “So, why are we in the kitchen now?” Flurry asked in bewilderment as she watched her newly appointed teacher raid her Aunt’s cupboard, setting aside what looked to be some very expensive china. “Well, assuming some things never change, nothing is more flimsy than expensive porcelain,” Sunset offhandedly responded, not really clarifying anything for the Princess. “I don’t really see what that has to do with magic,” Flurry said in complete confusion. Sunset finished her task of placing the most decorative and delicate dishes, glasses, and cups she could find on a nearby counter-top and turned to face Flurry Heart. “Alright, so as best as you can, tell me what you think magic is?” “Oh, uhm, well…” Flurry Heart stuttered, not expecting to be put on the spot so soon, “It’s like…an energy, right? Some sort of force inside me that I can use to…do stuff?” Flurry Heart summarized to the best of her ability. Sunset gave Flurry an encouraging smile. It was a bit of a rough explanation, but that was to be expected. All things considered; Flurry was on the right track. “That’s right. In its most basic form, magic is just energy. All ponies possess some form of that energy and they can manipulate it to do all sorts of different things. Now, before we can do anything with that energy you need to be able to control it.” “I can control it!” Flurry Heart interjected defensively. “You can manage it,” Sunset corrected. “Trust me, there’s a difference between suppressing your power and controlling it. Now, for most ponies control isn’t an issue. They’re born with the magic they need to coincide with their talents and rarely run into any issues. Some other ponies though…well, they get a bit more than that. And you, well, you’ve got a lot more. That means it’s extremely important you can control your magic. Out of control magic can be dangerous and unpredictable. You could hurt somepony else or yourself if you let it get away from you,” Sunset laid out for the sake of being clear. It was unlikely Flurry Heart didn’t know some of this, but it would help build-up to what she was getting at. Flurry Heart simply nodded to show her understanding. “However, it’s also important to remember that that magic is still a part of you, just as much as your horn or tail. That means that you can control it and, when you do, you’ll be able to do amazing things, so let’s get started,” Sunset finished Sunset’s motivational speech seemed to have successfully invigorated the Princess who flared her wings out in excitement. “Alright, let’s do this. I’m ready for anything you can throw at me.” Sunset grinned at her student’s excitement. “Well, okay then. Flurry Heart, for your first lesson, I want you… “to pick up that teacup!” “Alri-wait, what!?” Flurry Heart began only to quickly stumble in shock. Flurry did a quick double-take, first at Sunset and then the plain teacup she was pointing her hoof at. “Seriously? You want me, with all my magic,” Flurry Heart said pointing at herself, “to pick up… that teacup,” shifting her foreleg to the offending china, “and that’s it?” Sunset just nodded her head in response. Flurry Heart squinted her eyes in suspicion. Was Sunset just messing with her? After all that build-up, all that was expected of her was to lift a simple cup? What would that accomplish? What was she honestly expected to learn from that? That she could pick up a cup? Big deal, she did that every breakfast. Okay, sure she didn’t know how to turn water into cider, but she could certainly lift a dinky little cup. She wasn’t that inept. Heck, she could lift a lot more than one cup. Something like a large boulder or a train. Not just some cup! Honestly beginning to feel somewhat insulted, Flurry ignited her horn in a gentle yellow glow and plucked the cup off the counter and brought it over to herself before turning to Sunset. “There, happy?” Sunset nodded. “Yes. Now catch.” “Catch wha-Gah?!” Flurry Heart began to question before she had to leap to catch a plate that flew off the table and narrowly missed colliding with the floor, bringing it back up with her magic alongside the cup she already held. “What are you doing!? You can’t just throw around Aunt Twilight’s things like that, and I am NOT going to take the blame for breaking her expensive tea sets…again.” “Then you better not drop these,” Sunset called out, tossing another few cups and glasses her way. “Yah! Cut it out!” “Alright, now these.” “Wah!” “Good. You think Twilight needs this kettle?” “Grrr! Would you just-!” “Now these are just tacky.” Flurry Heart could actually feel sweat beginning to drip down her forehead from having to quickly focus on so many different delicate little objects at once, now having the better part of the kitchen cupboards floating around her like some sort of table set solar system. What was even the point of this? “Just one more,” Sunset announced, a single teacup in her magic which she casually tossed like all the rest in Flurry Heart’s direction. Time seemed to slow down as the cup hurled towards Flurry Heart, a final meteor looking to destroy the delicate balance of her world. No big deal though, right? It was just one little teacup? She could hold that, no problem. Did it every day. She just had to hold one more insignificant little teacup. Flurry’s horn pulsed with power as she extended her magic to stop the falling cup in place saving it from a grizzly fate and preserving her Aunt’s pristine kitchen. Nothing to it. Then, Flurry lost it. Her horn sparked with a surge of power and, even as she felt it getting away from her, she could do nothing to stop it. A force greater than any normal unicorn could possibly muster went out to each object Flurry Heart held in her magical grip. The noise of shattering glass and porcelain practically encapsulating her as everything she held instantly gave way to her immense force. Hundreds of sharp jagged shards hung above her, just waiting for gravity to bring them down upon her, and, with her concentration already broken, there was little chance she could stop them. And so, Flurry instead chose to simply shut her eyes and brace for the inevitable unpleasant sensation of being rained upon by the razor-like pieces. Seconds passed and the feeling never came. Flurry carefully opened one eye to see why she wasn’t currently an alicorn pincushion and was mesmerized. Each individual piece of broken glass and china was completely suspended in mid-air in a bright red aura. Flurry looked to Sunset who stood calmly to the side, her horn bathed in magic, and an almost confident look on her face, not a single hint of strain anywhere. The pieces began to float away from her and with very little fan fair started piecing themselves back together. It took less than a minute before every shattered item was restored to its full glory and gently rested back onto the table. “Wow,” Flurry Heart breathed, unable to find any other words to describe the pure feat of magical precision she had just witnessed. “That’s why it’s so important for you to learn how to control your magic. You’re stronger than most creatures could ever dream of, but that also means a single lapse in power could be all it takes for something to end up in pieces,” Sunset lectured now that her demonstration was over. “Okay, that makes sense,” Flurry huffed, finally finding her own voice once again now that the majesty had passed. It also gave her a chance to find her ire. “But you really couldn’t get that point across without chucking dishes at me!?” Sometimes, Sunset forgot just how large of a pony Flurry Heart really was. Her attitude generally didn’t do much to enforce her stature and Sunset generally hung around with larger creatures. When Flurry got up and personal like she currently was, however, it was tough to ignore just how much she towered over her. Sunset gave a nervous chuckle. “Well, I just thought it would be a more impactful lesson. Besides, you were completely safe the entire time. I’d never let anything hurt you.” Flurry took on a rather deadpan expression. “You blasted me with a laser not two weeks ago.” “Hey, that was completely different! Fine, so I’m still figuring this teacher thing out, okay? The important thing is you’ve learned something.” Flurry Heart conceded and nodded her head. However it happened, there was no denying that she had lost control, and over simple levitation no less. If the same thing were to happen in the midst of performing an actual spell…well, the specifics were probably best left to the imagination. She just didn’t have the control over her magic that she needed, especially when compared to Sunset. It seemed to be practically second nature to her. “So, I need to get better control over my magic. How can I do that?” Sunset glanced back over to the countertop supporting the newly repaired china. “You know what they say. Practice makes perfect.” Several hours passed as Flurry Heart performed simple exercises with Sunset sitting by, honing her focus until it would eventually take no focus at all. The goal being to finally claim absolute mastery over the incredible power that resided within her. It was tedious work, but it gave ample time for casual conversation. “So basically, she spent the entire trip mapping out local wind patterns, which would have been fine if the windsurfing competition hadn’t ended over an hour ago. Dash still won first place though,” Sunset wrapped up, sitting behind Flurry and filling the silence with stories from a different world. “So, Aunt Twilight being a huge nerd is like some sort of universal constant?” Flurry Heart commented in the middle of stacking everything in the kitchen into a sort of pyramid. “At least in the universes I’ve seen, which is admittedly only two, but nothing’s contradicted it yet.” “Say, there’s gotta be a me in that world too, right? What’s she like?” Flurry asked out of curiosity, rearranging her pyramid into more of a statue. Sunset pondered the question. “I don’t really know. I didn’t see Cadenza in that world very often. I remember Twilight babysitting you a few times, but you were just a year old at the time. Even now she can’t be that old.” “Well, I sure hope her mom is less overbearing than mine was,” Flurry muttered. Sunset raised an eyebrow at Flurry’s apparent bitterness. Even back when she despised Cadenza with a fiery passion, she couldn’t deny that she had a way with foals. Sunset may have never acknowledged her as Princess material, but she was practically born to be a mother. It was just a wonder how Cadenza could have ended up with such a rocky relationship with her own flesh and blood. “Say, did everything work out okay after you went home?” Sunset asked. “Yeah, sure. We just did our usual routine. I got back, she hugged me, I got grounded for a few days, and then it was back to business as usual,” Flurry Heart responded offhandedly. “How much did you tell her about what happened here, exactly?” Sunset couldn’t help herself from asking. “Not much. We didn’t talk too long when I got back. Royal duties and everything. We had dinner together that night though. That was nice.” “So, you didn’t mention our little, you know…” Sunset prompted with a wave of her hoof. “Oh, no way! Mom would freak if she knew I got into a real fight over here. It’s bad enough when I chase off a bunch of timber wolves or something. ‘Oh Flurry, what am I going to do with you. It’s like you can’t even leave the castle without getting into trouble,’” Flurry said, presumably doing her best Cadance impression. “I’m sure she’s just concerned,” Sunset tried to reassure her. “Maybe, but it’s gotta be the most suffocating thing in the entire world. Most of my old friends are playing bingo and I’m still getting sent to my room for staying out too late. Who knows how she’d react if I told her I finally found a real magic teacher?” Flurry stated, rearranging her statue into yet another different form. “So…you haven’t told her about me?” Sunset said with a mix of emotions that was hard to identify. “No, I…oh? OH!” Flurry Heart said in realization, nearly ruining her craft as a result before quickly recatching it in her magic with a small amount of strain. “You haven’t seen Mom in a really long time, have you? I didn’t even think about that. I’m really sorry. I’ll bring it up the next time I see her, I promise,” Flurry reassured. “Uhm, well, thank you, Flurry, but maybe we actually should hold off on that for a little while?” Sunset stuttered with no small hint of shame, tapping her hooves together. Flurry glanced back at her, perplexed. “So, you don’t want Mom to know you’re finally back after spending so long in that weird mirror world?” Sunset suddenly found it difficult to keep a straight gaze and averted her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want her to know I’m back. I’m just not so sure how well she might take the news that…I’m back.” “That doesn’t make any sense, Aunt Sunset.” Sunset sighed. “Right…well, remember how I told you that I wasn’t always a very nice pony?” Flurry, at last, put the finishing touches on her makeshift sculpture and turned around to properly face Sunset. “Yeah. But you said you’ve changed. What’s the big deal?” “Well, I never really got the chance to apologize to her for…everything,” Sunset confessed. It wasn’t like she had meant to completely bury her past transgressions against the Princess of Love. The opportunity to make amends had simply never presented itself on a silver platter like her chance to apologize to Celestia had. Okay, it sounded pretty horrible when it was worded that way. Sadly, it was just something that was easy to forget about, what with her return trips being so infrequent and Cadenza taking up residence all the way in the mythical Crystal Empire, and it was easier to simply make peace with leaving well enough alone than it was to attempt to make things right. The last piece of the old her that remained in any world. “Come on, Aunt Sunset. It couldn’t have been that bad,” Flurry offered as a way of comfort. Sunset gave Flurry a face that was all the alicorn needed to doubt her own words. “Could it?” Flurry asked. “I was a bully, Flurry. I used all the power I had to step all over everypony else because I was just that insecure. Anypony I felt even slightly threatened by or jealous of I’d do my best to knock them down. There was no pony I was more jealous of than your Mother…at least not for a while,” Sunset admitted, all of the shame and regret she had spent years banishing coming back to her in a single instant “You really bullied a Princess?” Flurry Heart asked, the concept almost foreign to her. Plenty of ponies over the years may have had some less than flattering words to say about her and the tabloids and newspapers gave her their fair share of slander, but no pony had ever been so brave as to actually pick on her. Sunset gave a sad chuckle. “It actually wasn’t very hard. She didn’t know the first thing about that horn she had on her head when she first moved into the castle, and she wasn’t the type of pony to sink to my level anyway. Besides, I may not have been a Princess, but being ‘Celestia’s pet’ offers you a lot of protection. I took advantage of that and did my best to make your mom’s life as miserable as possible.” “What’d you do?” Sunset sat back and ran through the long list of mean-spirited pranks she had put Cadenza through over the years, picking out her “greatest hits”. “When she first moved into the castle, I tried to get her to leave by scaring her with some dumb ghost story about an old groundskeeper that prowled the halls at night for Princesses to eat. It was just some old bed sheet and a rake, but it still got her to run all the way to Celestia’s room. “There was also that time I filled her saddlebag with fish, so all the swans attacked her during the Royal Swanifying.” “That does explain why she shivers every time she hears a honking sound,” Flurry Heart commented “I cast a truth spell on her once, when she had to give a speech in front of every student at Canterlot Academy. Turns out matchmakers have some opinions that you shouldn’t say in front of an entire student body. “Also, one time at the Grand Galloping Gala I hooked her dress onto a catering cart when she wasn’t looking. Ripped the entire thing off, right in front of every high society member in Canterlot. To be honest, I still don’t really get why she was so embarrassed about it, but she wouldn’t come out of her room for nearly a week afterward.” “Okay!” Flurry Heart interrupted, having heard enough. “I’m starting to understand why Mom might be less than thrilled to have you back in her life.” Sunset thought that was an understatement. Of course, Flurry didn’t know any of the cruel things she had said. The doubts and insecurities she had sowed and abused for years. Facing Celestia again all those years ago wasn’t easy, but she had her will to save her friends giving her the strength to overpower her own cowardice, and, for as strained as their relationship had become in the end, there were a lot of good times too. Moments that were irreplaceably special to her and she dared to hope they were special to Celestia as well. She and Cadenza had nothing like that. Nothing Sunset could remember as even so much as a positive interaction. She had absolutely no one to blame but herself, of course. Cadenza had practically been a saint, dealing with her for so long without absolutely snapping and she always tried to at least be cordial, even in the face of all her torment when her only crime was existing. She was simply her first and most tortured victim. How could she even begin to approach her after all this time? How would Cadenza even react? Just imagine the little devil who antagonized you at every opportunity and vanished decades ago suddenly reemerging to pick up where she left off like some sort of curse, and the first thing she does upon her return is assault your daughter. At this point, maybe the right thing to do was to have the decency to stay out of Cadenza’s life altogether. Sunset was brought out of her inner conflict by Flurry Heart walking over to sit next to her. “My mom’s a pretty forgiving pony. I can’t remember a time she ever really held a grudge,” Flurry Heart put out there in a thinly veiled attempt to ease Sunset’s worries. Sunset nodded in agreement. That’s just not the type of pony she knew Cadenza to be either. “Besides, if I’m gonna call you ‘Aunt Sunset’ then that makes us all kind of like family…right?” Flurry Heart asked. Sunset looked over to her new student at the sudden personal question. True, she had agreed to that nickname, yet another thing she didn’t think very hard about at the time, because it seemed harmless enough. She hadn’t really given much thought to the meaning of it. Looking into Flurry’s hopeful eyes was all it took to know that the youngest Princess took such matters to heart. “Yeah…I guess it kind of does,” Sunset conceded, not having the heart to say otherwise and any doubt being eased the second she saw Flurry’s face light up. “Right! And family shouldn’t avoid each other…or fight…so, I’m sure you and mom can still smooth things over if you give it a chance. Plus, I’ll make sure she doesn’t execute you or anything,” Flurry promised in a way that, bless her soul, she must have thought was reassuring. “Well, we’ll see…just, give me some time…and thanks,” Sunset said, some part of her feeling touched. Flurry Heart leaned over and gave Sunset a light nuzzle. Sunset was past making a fuss about how affectionate Princess’s seemed to be and just let it play out, maybe even returning the motion somewhat. “Huh? I have to admit, that’s pretty impressive,” Sunset commented finally seeing the finished version of Flurry’s work. It was an alicorn constructed out of nothing more than materials found in the kitchen with nothing holding it together aside from careful balance. “Yeah, I had to get creative at some points, but I think it adds charm, y’know?” “Who knew you could make wings out of those?” Sunset marveled at what seemed to be a physical impossibility by all accounts. The gently fading light that poured through the window served as a reminder that it was getting late. “That’s probably enough practice for today. Do you feel like you’re any better at controlling your magic yet?” Sunset asked, getting to her hooves. As though it was meant to be her response, Flurry’s horn ignited and the meticulously constructed alicorn statue disassembled itself and quickly returned all its parts to their proper residence leaving only a smug Princess as the sole alicorn in the room. “Okay, then. That’ll be all for today. We’ll pick up where we left off the next time you’re in Canterlot.” Flurry Heart stood up to follow Sunset out of the room. “Oh, I’m not leaving yet. It’s kinda been a while since I’ve been here on good terms. I thought I might stick around for a bit.” Sunset nodded as the two of them walked into the castle hall. That would give them a little more time. Scheduling was probably going to be a bit of a hassle given just how far away the Crystal Empire was. “In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow. Twilight’s going to need me, so we’ll have to start a bit late. Speaking of which I should probably track her down,” Sunset said, noticing she hadn’t actually seen Twilight at all today. Taking a vacation from ruling a kingdom meant you came back to a sizeable workload, but she should have been fairly free at around this hour. “If you’re looking for Aunt Twilight at this time, she’s probably in her garden,” Flurry said, still keeping step with Sunset as they aimlessly walked down the castle halls. “Which one?” Sunset asked. The castle had plenty of decorative gardens on just about every side of the castle, each meticulously maintained by diligent staff. “Her garden. It’s the little one she keeps up herself.” “Twilight gardens?” Sunset asked in surprise. That was certainly news to her. It wasn’t really the sort of hobby she would have imagined her taking an interest in. “Yeah. She keeps a little space in the castle just for her. She says it helps her to destress. I guess it must work. She’s in there almost every day. Personally, I don’t know how you could relax with that freaky statue around. Maybe I don’t really get art, but I just find it really creepy.” That certainly explained where Twilight disappeared to around this time every day. You would think Equestria’s largest alicorn would be easier to keep track of. “Could you take me there, Flurry?” Sunset asked. It was a perfect time and place to touch base with Twilight. She had started making it a point to make more time just for the two of them ever since they had returned to Canterlot. It wasn’t much, but it was what she had to offer right now. Flurry nodded casually. “Sure. It’s not that far from here actually. Just follow me.” Sunset stepped back to let Flurry lead the way to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s secret garden. Sunset still couldn’t quite picture Twilight as a gardener, but maybe it was just one of those things you picked up over the years. Flurry stopped briefly to look back at Sunset just after they began moving. “Oh, Aunt Sunset. It’s probably only fair I tell you now, when Aunt Twilight is in the garden she gets kind of…weird.” Author's Note Hello! Back again, and much sooner than last time. Recently this story has managed to achieve three hundred likes, which I don't know why, but just feels like a milestone for me. I tried not to have any real expectations on how successful my first real story would be, but I'm very happy with the turnout all the same. So all I'm really trying to say is, thank you.😊 Today we're finally doing something considerably less depressing. It's bonding time. As always thoughts and opinions are welcome. However, more importantly, I'd like to take this chance to ask for some more focused reader feedback now that we're closing in on 100K words. That came faster than I expected. Initially I just kind of figured I'd write and it would take as much space as it needed, and I'm still willing to do so, but I'd really hate to bore my audience. What I'm really asking right now is how is the pace of the story for you guys at this point? Is there anything you would prefer I change about it, do I spin my wheels too much, or is the speed we're going at good as is? Either way, there's still plenty of story left to travel, but I don't want things to start feeling bloated, so I'll take any feedback into consideration.
Chapter 13: Flowers and Feeling“Weird?” Sunset repeated in confusion. Flurry Heart started to move forward again, continuing after her brief pause. “Yeah, weird. Like, ‘even for Aunt Twilight’ kinda weird.” “What, does she garden without a checklist?” Sunset asked, not really understanding what oddities Twilight could possibly get up to in such a mundane setting. Flurry bit her lip, clearly thinking about how to explain it. “It’s just…like how she acts, you know? Like she’s on a completely different planet or wavelength or something when she’s in there. It’s basically impossible to tell what’s going on in her head.” “Well, that doesn’t seem that strange,” Sunset said in response. It wasn’t exactly typical behavior for her friend, but Flurry did mention that Twilight kept the garden as a means of relieving tension. It made sense for her to get lost in her own head every now and then with all that must be on her mind. “Trust me. There’s just something different about her. That’s also not even the weirdest part. Sometimes, she just starts talking when she thinks no pony’s around,” Flurry said, clarifying as best she could. “Lots of ponies talk to themselves, Flurry,” Sunset threw out in Twilight’s defense. Flurry was clearly having trouble describing what she meant, but nothing she had stated so far really seemed that far out of the ordinary. A little strange maybe, but you’d have a difficult time finding something about Twilight Sparkle that wasn’t at least a little strange. “That’s just it though. She’s not really even talking to herself. It’s like she’s having a conversation with somepony who’s just not there,” Flurry said in a lowered voice. Okay, Sunset had to admit, that was sort of odd. Not something you’d expect out of somepony unless they had a couple of screws loose. Surely there must have been a good explanation for it. Maybe it was just some unique form of coping with all the stress she had to endure from ruling the kingdom on a day to day basis. “Well, I guess you’ll see for yourself. She’ll be just through here,” Flurry announced, stopping just before a set of double doors that were relatively small in comparison to the other ones found throughout the castle. Small stained-glass windows on either side were the only things indicating that the door led to any place of importance. The small amount of sunlight that filtered through indicated that the area beyond led outdoors but was inconspicuous enough that you could simply walk by it every day and pay it no mind. “Are you sure she’s in there?” Sunset asked her guide, some small part of her becoming ever so slightly anxious. “If the door’s unlocked, she’s in there,” Flurry answered with absolute certainty. Tentatively, Sunset reached out with her magic to grab the door’s handles and pulled with just enough force to jar the door open. The gentle click and creak of the door’s mechanisms confirming that the entryway was indeed unbarred. “Okay, I’ll just be going then,” Flurry announced, almost too quickly. “Don’t you want to talk to Twilight?” Sunset asked, surprised at just how eager Flurry seemed to be about rushing off after all her complaints about never being able to capture her family’s attention. Flurry Heart quickly shook her head in denial. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just catch up with you both at dinner. Besides, I really wouldn’t want to intrude on your quality time together or anything.” With that, Flurry turned to briskly walk further down the hallway, muttering under her breath, “Plus, the less time I have to spend looking at that freakish lawn ornament the better.” Sunset watched her new pupil disappear around the corner with a puzzled expression. If only something in Equestria could be straightforward for once. Turning her gaze back to the doors before her, Sunset gripped the handles in her magic a second time. As Flurry had said, she’d just have to see whatever peculiarities lied within for herself. With a gentle push, the plain doors slowly opened. A sudden surge of daylight shining through the opened entryway forced Sunset to avert her gaze as she entered. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, Sunset took in her immediate surroundings. Flurry had mentioned that it was just a small garden, kept up only by Twilight herself, and yet Sunset was still taken aback by just how contained it was. Maybe she was just too used to everything in the castle being needlessly grand and extravagant, always taking up far more space than was ever needed, so it was almost shocking to find something so…simple. Judging by the tall windowless stone walls that encapsulated the relatively modest area, Twilight’s garden couldn’t have been much bigger than a large suburban backyard. Taking a few steps forward on the cobblestone path that separated the various hedges, bushes, and flower beds, Sunset admired the collection of flora that decorated the ground and walls. The greenery wasn’t as tidy and well-kept as what could be found in the much larger gardens around the castle, but it was all certainly well cared for. It gave the garden a cozier feeling in Sunset’s personal opinion. The palace gardens were beautiful, but they were almost too nice in a way. Every hedge being without flaw and every flower being tucked in a tediously perfect place made them all feel almost sterile. Twilight obviously lacked the time and precision necessary to see to such borderline microscopic details, but that just made everything seem so much more natural. More wild and free. A snipping sound pulled Sunset away from the bed of daisies she had been caught up in admiring. She turned to see that only slightly further into the garden, faintly obscured by the rose bush she was currently pruning, was the mare she had been longing to see. The sun reflecting off her golden regalia and shimmering mane created a breathtaking vision that completely drowned out her surroundings. In a room full of vibrant tulips and elegant begonias, it all paled next to her radiance. Sunset found herself almost mesmerized, unable to look at anything other than the Princess. Completely consumed in her mundane task, and yet not even present at the same time. Her mind a great enigma constantly spinning with unknown questions, knowledge, and desires, trapped just beneath those violet eyes you could spend an eternity getting lost in. Sunset blew a heavy breath through her nose and tried to focus. It must have been a warmer day than she had initially thought. Her face was practically burning up out here. The heat must be getting to her. It was probably best to get a move on. “Twilight!” Sunset called out to her oldest friend, taking a few steps closer so she was only a few short feet away. Strangely, Twilight gave no indication she had even registered her presence, her vision remaining completely focused on the garden scissors she was using to trim the rose bushes before her. Sunset took on a perplexed expression. There was no possible way Twilight hadn’t heard her. The walled-off nature of the environment made it almost deathly silent. Not even the wind was capable of disturbing the serenity. The only noise present was the trickling sound of water from a nearby bird fountain and the constant snipping sounds of Twilight’s own scissors, neither of which were anywhere near loud enough to obscure her voice. “Hey, Twilight!” Sunset tried again, not quite screaming, but still louder than you would typically need to speak in order to be heard in an empty room. Once again Twilight failed to react to her call, the only indication she had registered any outside feedback being a twitch of her ear. Sunset failed to suppress an annoyed frown as she moved to be right beside Twilight. Patience wasn’t something she was ever particularly good with, nor was being more or less completely ignored. It was undoubtedly unintentional on Twilight’s part. This must have been what Flurry was referring to when she mentioned Twilight’s tendency to space out. It was almost impressive to be lost so deep in thought. One really could only imagine just what she could be thinking about, but, in Sunset’s opinion, it was time to come back down to earth. Sunset’s horn bathed itself in magic, the perfect spell in mind for making sure Twilight heard her no matter how far away she was. All it took was a little magic to the vocal cords. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” “YAH!” Twilight cried, her hair standing on end, and her entire body recoiling like an oversized cat. The shears she had been using were flung into some distant corner followed by an unfortunate shattering sound. Well, if nothing else, she had certainly gotten Twilight’s attention. “Sunset!” Twilight rounded on her, her previously sleek appearance now more than a little frazzled. “Sorry,” Sunset apologized, doing her best to swallow any amusement she might have felt at her poor friend’s disheveled appearance. “I was just trying to get your attention.” “By giving me a heart attack!?” “Hey, if you were a little easier to get a hold of, I wouldn’t need to go that far,” Sunset waved off, using her magic to adjust Twilight’s crown so it sat back in its proper position. A leader needed to look her best after all. Twilight growled and pulled away to pick up a nearby watering can. “Well, excuse me for wanting just a little bit of time to myself so I can finally hear myself think. Might as well give that up too.” Sunset winced at the surprisingly scathing tone laced into her voice. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to catch up after all. Twilight had a point. She had to sacrifice most of her time every day to the needs and whims of others. Here she was cutting into what precious little she actually had for herself. There was probably a reason she didn’t even know this place existed before today. “Oh, right. I didn’t mean to…I mean, I…I’m sorry, I’ll talk to you some other time,” Sunset stumbled over herself slinking back, trying to find a good way to quickly excuse herself after being so thoughtless in her approach. “Wait, no!” Twilight panicked, dropping her watering can. Her mood shifting almost instantly, any trace of annoyance gone. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that…please, don’t go,” Twilight practically begged, desperation that seemed to manifest from practically nowhere bubbling to the surface. “Calm down, Twi. I’m not going anywhere, okay?” Sunset recovered, trotting back over to Twilight’s side. “I actually only came here to check on you.” “Oh, heh, well, here I am,” Twilight awkwardly smiled. Sunset decided that it would be best to push past that particular scene and tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Sooo, when exactly did you take an interest in all this?” she asked, motioning around to the wide array of flowers that surrounded them. Looking back the way she came in, she could see that Twilight had assembled quite a collection. It was unlikely such a diverse selection of plant life was acquired overnight or as part of a passing fancy. No, it would likely take years of work to cultivate and nurture all this on one’s lonesome. Twilight took a moment to look over all she had created before responding. It had been so long ago since she had started working on this place. A private little sanctuary. “It just sort of happened,” Twilight answered, pacing away to look over a set of lilies. “You grew all this on a whim?” Sunset asked. Sunset didn’t want to belittle one of her closest friends’ hobbies, but there had to be more to the story than that. Maybe she didn’t know everything about Twilight, but she liked to think she knew her better than most. Gardening for its own sake just didn’t fall in line with her interests. Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know. The idea just came to me one day. It was so empty in here before. It just seemed so…lonely. Then, one day I tried planting some sunflowers and ended up connecting with a different part of myself.” “A different part of yourself?” Sunset repeated, her curiosity evident. “I’m an alicorn, Sunset,” Twilight answered as though that somehow answered all her questions and wasn’t the most obvious thing in Equestria. “I hadn’t noticed, Princess,” Sunset responded, placing plenty of emphasis on the title. Twilight turned back with an amused expression. “Yeah, I guess the whole wing and horn combo is pretty hard to miss.” Twilight flared out her wings to their full extent, Sunset actually feeling a strong gust of wind from the simple action. “I mean, look at these things. How could you ever forget them? You’ve basically gotta change your entire lifestyle just to account for their presence. You have to sleep a certain way, bathe a certain way, remember to keep them tucked in at all times so they don’t snag on anything, and don’t even get me started on grooming them.” “heh, I can only imagine,” Sunset commented. There was a time she would have been bitter beyond all measure at Twilight’s simple complaints in regard to the stature she could never have, but now…well, she didn’t sound bitter. “It’s easy to forget that being an alicorn is about more than just growing a new set of wings,” Twilight continued after once again pressing her wings back against her sides, compacting her astounding wingspan to a far more manageable size. “An alicorn is the combined essence of all three pony tribes, not just unicorns and pegasai. I’ve always been a unicorn, and I learned how to fly like a pegasus, but I’m an earth pony now too,” Twilight explained, using her hoof to gently cup a single lily. Sunset could have sworn the flower brightened at Twilight’s touch, as though new life had been pumped into it from her mere presence. Twilight eyed the flower, taking in the small fragile life she had created. “It’s honestly kind of strange. Unicorn magic can be used to grow things too, but it just doesn’t feel the same. There’s something special about using your own hooves and connecting with new life. It’s not something I could really appreciate before.” Sunset couldn’t claim to really understand the feeling that Twilight was referring too, but she was, after all, just a unicorn. The green hoof of an earth pony was a concept that was practically lost on her, but if it brought Twilight some measure of peace, then it was undoubtedly a good thing, and she really didn’t need to be an earth pony to appreciate the beauty of blooming flowers. Sunset followed Twilight’s lead and took a closer look at the flowers and bushes surrounding her. She had seen most of them before in books she had read, but there was a distinct difference in illustrations on a page and the genuine articles. Old paper didn’t smell half as nice for starters. “How long have you been working on this? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen some of these in person before,” Sunset marveled at some of the exotic flora that most definitely did not grow anywhere near Canterlot. “To be honest, I don’t really remember. A few decades maybe?” Twilight offhandedly answered, now tending to another part of the garden and unaware Sunset had begun to stray away from her. “Every now and then something will catch my eye when I’m on a diplomatic mission or providing a public service, and I’ll bring some back here.” Sunset worked her way towards the back where the more extravagant plants seemed to be kept. Hydrangeas, lilacs, plumeria, there was even a cherry blossom tree. It was almost a wonder Flurry seemed so against coming in here. Even as a pony with no particular interest in botany, she couldn’t see what could take away from some of what was blossoming here. “You know, I always wondered where you disappeared to sometimes. I was almost beginning to think…" Sunset began before pausing. In the midst of her tour, she had quickly found herself at the backwall of the garden. It was possible she would have simply walked right into it had the long shadow she had walked under not caught her attention; the bright light of the sun overhead being strangely blocked out by some peculiar shape. Sunset looked forward to find herself eye level with some sort of strange podium just in front of the wall, wedged in between the hedges that lined the garden perimeter. Sunset was surprised at how she had managed to miss the stone construct until now, so absorbed in her immediate surroundings that she paid no mind to it until she was right before it. Immediately, Sunset registered that something was off. A sudden chill running through her that made her fur stand on end. Sunset turned her gaze upward and immediately felt her breath leave her. Hate. Hate was something she knew very well…or at least, she had thought she did. She had hated before. Hated others, hated the world, hated herself. She had embraced it. Nearly been completely consumed by it. She had thought she understood everything there was to know about hating something, but the cold unflinching eyes that bore into her made her think that she didn’t know the first thing about the word. Eyes that held a burning inferno of rage and animosity great enough to consume everything in its path and even still would never be satisfied. All else was but a dying ember in comparison to the raw fury etched into the face that lunged out at her, ready and willing to do anything and everything it could to rip her apart. As illogical as it was, Sunset quickly backed away from the monstrosity, gasping in shock and even fear, actually tripping over herself and falling backwards. Were the large demon she was retreating from any more than stone it would almost certainly have descended upon her now as she helplessly laid in the dirt. “Sunset?” Twilight called in concern, her cries and the thud of her fall being clearly audible in the otherwise silent space. In a matter of seconds, along with a bright flash, Twilight was right beside her and helping her to her hooves. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” “I-I’m fine,” Sunset stuttered out, her breathing still far too shallow for her liking. It was, after all, just a statue. There was no reason for her to act like a scared little filly. “I was just surprised.” Twilight quickly caught on to the cause of her dear friend’s sudden scare. Her gaze shifting over to the garden’s sole piece of decor. “Oh, I probably should have warned you. I’ve picked up some very, um…unique decorations over the years.” Sunset, now firmly back on her hooves, squinted her eyes in suspicion at the princess. Twilight likely would have been far better off simply skipping over the actual cause for her concern. Surely, Twilight didn’t actually think she could lie to her, did she? Clearly she did, as that’s exactly what she had just tried to do. It wasn’t even necessarily that she was bad at it, but she had certainly picked the very last pony in Equestria you would want to try and be dishonest too. Sunset knew lies, and, more importantly, she knew Twilight. That brief pause that was dedicated to thinking up a quick cover and the uncomfortable look on her face as she said it was all Sunset needed to know Twilight wasn’t being completely honest. Sunset looked back to the strange statue now that her initial shock had finally passed. To be frank, the entire thing was still completely hideous at a second glance, but there was more to it than the raging, practically rabid, monster lunging out in some sort of desperate assault. Just behind it was a cowering centaur that actually looked…familiar. “Lord Tirek?” The wide-eyed look Twilight took on, reminiscent of a deer caught in headlights, let Sunset know she was on the right track. Not that it did much to clarify the mountain of questions currently piling up “Oh, y-you’ve heard of him?” Twilight stammered out, now visibly shaken. Clearly at a loss for where this was going or what her reaction should be. “Celestia’s library had some books that mentioned him. He tried to conquer Equestria and steal our magic. He was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes,” Sunset recited from memory. “He escaped and blew up your house,” Sunset finished looking up to Twilight. Twilight almost seemed to start visibly sweating. “I told you that story, huh?” Sunset nodded and pressed her advantage. “Yeah, you did. Makes it kind of odd you’d want a statue of him. Sure, he’s the star of a pretty awsome video game series, but I don’t know if that would make up for destruction of personal property.” “Well, I…You see, the thing is…I mean…” “Twilight,” Sunset said, cutting Twilight off before she could stumble any further. “There’s something you’re not telling me here.” Twilight went from nervous to panicked at the calm declaration and began backing away. “W-what!? N-no, I’m not…it’s not what you think!” Sunset tilted her head in confusion at the overreaction. She wasn’t sure of it before, but these moments they had been having really didn’t match with the standard Twilight freak out, which rarely happened anymore for that matter. These moments of anxiety and borderline terror seemed…deeper somehow. “Twilight, it’s okay,” Sunset soothed, taking a few steps closer to Twilight. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to hide anything from me. That’s what we promised each other, isn’t it?” Twilight frantic eyes settled into ones of uncertainty at that. The memory of that night came back to her in an instant. However, this was never something she had considered when she made that promise. Sunset found a new reason to hate Twilight’s newfound stature at that moment. It made it awfully difficult to comfort somepony when you were only eyelevel with their legs. “Look, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I won’t force you. I just want you to know that you always can,” Sunset settled on, hoping at least her words would reach Twilight. Twilight stood stiff for a moment, letting the sentiment sink in and turning it over in her head. Eventually, Twilight closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled a loud sigh. Sunset was almost startled when Twilight began to wordlessly approach her. She followed Twilight as she walked right by her to stop just in front of the outstretched stone forelegs of the pouncing stone monster. She met the same hate filled eyes that she herself had stared into. Only instead of fear, Twilight met her gaze with sorrow. “Chrysalis,” Twilight began before breaking eye contact to look up at the centaur cringing in terrified anticipation. “Tirek,” she went on, before shifting her gaze even higher to look upon a small ornament precariously perched on the Centaur’s shoulder that Sunset hadn’t paid any attention to until now. “…Cozy Glow,” Twilight sighed after a moment’s hesitation on that last name. A pony’s name. Sunset was beginning to understand what Flurry Heart found so unsettling. It seemed the more you looked at the stone effigy, the more twisted it got. Before there looked to at least be some sort of theme to the peculiar work of art. Lord Tirek, a magic devouring glutton, and this Chrysalis. Sunset knew that name. Twilight had mentioned her before in their journal. A changeling who ironically refused to change. Two villains. Initially, she would have guessed that perhaps the sculptor was using their likeness to illustrate some sort of deep message expressed through their posture. Artists liked vague nonsense like that, right? Then why was the final piece just some terrified little filly? A small child frozen in horror beside two tyrants. Maybe there was supposed to be some sort of deep complex message hidden in the juxtaposition? A message she couldn’t even begin to fathom. All it did for now was make her skin crawl. “Years ago, just before my coronation, these three joined forces for the sole purpose of toppling all of Equestria. Together, they came closer to succeeding than anything ever has before or since.” Sunset bit down to stop any questions from escaping her and interrupting Twilight’s history lesson. This was all news to her. Twilight had regaled her with many of her adventures over the years. Why was this the first she had ever heard of any of this or some sort of evil filly that had thrown her lot in with some of the worst villains in history? Ponies weren’t always saints, she was proof of that, but how could a child be capable of anything like what Twilight was describing. So much just didn’t add up. “We stopped them by calling forth the powers of harmony to strip them of their powers and undo the damage they had done. At the time, it was celebrated as my greatest triumph. Now…I’m not so sure,” Twilight sighed, lifting one of her hooves off the ground as though to reach out and touch the statue, but pausing just before making contact, uncertainty overtaking her. “That’s why you have this statue of them around?” Sunset ventured. Some sort of commemorative trophy made in her honor. Was that it? Twilight bowed her head in response, looking down at the ground. “This statue is them.” Those simple words sent a paralyzing chill through Sunset’s spine. “W-what?” she gasped, rationalizing that she had heard Twilight wrong. She must have. “This isn’t a garden, Sunset. It’s a prison,” Twilight sighed. Petrification. A state of magically suspended animation where living flesh and blood was completely replaced by cold unmoving stone. Sunset had read about such spells before. It took incredibly powerful magic to even attempt such a powerful and permanent curse. The feat was so rare and so irreversible that the only widely known instance of such a thing was Discord’s own stone imprisonment by the elements of harmony. That was Discord though. Sure, he wasn’t all bad, but such a drastic measure was simply the only way to contain somepony as powerful as he was. It was necessary. “The elements did this?” Sunset asked. It was certainly in their power. If the powers of harmony had deemed this fitting, then there must have been a good reason for it. “No. In their final act as the rulers of Equestria, Celestia and Luna encased them in stone for their crimes against ponykind to ensure they would never threaten the kingdom or anypony else ever again. It was…what they deserved,” Twilight settled on, only the final statement seemed to be directed more to herself than anypony else. “You don’t sound so sure about that,” Sunset immediately picked up, the heart of the issue finally within reach. “Maybe I’m not,” Twilight confessed, turning her eyes upwards to the looming sun. “I was so happy when the battle was finally over. Everypony was safe and I’d be able to finally take the throne like Celestia wanted. All that mattered was the fact that we won. I won. My greatest triumph.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed in anger, the anger she felt but had absolutely no idea what to direct it at. “That’s what the history books say at least, but the truth is that all this statue represents is my greatest failure. As a princess, as a teacher, and as a pony.” The bitter taste of self-loathing Twilight was emanating could have given Sunset a run for her money on her worst days. The amber unicorn took a step back in shock of Twilight’s sudden intensity. “Twilight…that-” “I’m supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, Sunset. So, why do I have to spend every day looking at this?” Twilight vented. “I used to wonder if just this once, Friendship wasn’t enough. That friendship somehow failed. Now I know the truth is that I wasn’t enough, and I failed friendship.” Sunset wanted to disagree with Twilight on instinct. If there was anypony who had no right to view themselves as a failure it was Twilight, but her better judgment kept her from blurting anything out. She now had a better picture of what was going on, but there was still so much she didn’t know about the situation, including the identity of one of the villains that were encased in stone. A pegasus filly she had never even heard of. Was it really possible for a child to be so dangerous and vile that such a punishment was warranted? Was there really no other option? It was hard to think so when her statue looked so small and frightened. Then, a chilling thought struck Sunset. One that made her blood run cold and caused her heart to skip a beat. A recent memory triggering a question that was far too awful to go unanswered. “Twilight…Discord…he said that he could see…everything…when he was trapped in stone. Can they…?” Sunset tried but couldn’t even finish the question. The idea was just far too unsettling. Being imprisoned in an immortal unmoving state was one thing, but to be aware all the while was not something Sunset had ever desired to consider. How Discord had not gone completely mad if he had truly been trapped in such a state was a mystery in its own right. Then again, maybe he had gone mad. It would certainly explain some of his behavior. And even if not, how could any other being take such a fate in as much stride. Twilight turned around completely this time, the question clear, even if unfinished. Twilight opened her mouth, but no words came out as she intended to respond but choked up on her own uncertainty. “I…don't know,” Twilight eventually managed to get out. The question had been a source of worry for her as well over the years, but the truth was that she really had no idea. If she had to guess, Celestia, Luna, and Discord had used a stone sleep spell to create their prison, but that was just a guess. She ultimately had no idea what magic had been used in the spell. She had never asked, so all she could really do is wonder herself. “Tirek and Chrysalis are sustained by ancient magic, older than most known kingdoms. I can’t say for certain, but it’s possible that they’re still…aware,” Twilight practically shuddered. “As far as I know, Cozy Glow was just an ordinary pegasus. The magic seal should have placed her in a dreamlike state. I don’t think she can see or hear us. I hope not at least.” An ordinary pegasus? That really was just an ordinary pegasus? An evil one, but still not some form of ancient evil or incorporeal mass of negative energy taking equine form. Just an ordinary pony no different from them. A pony named Cozy Glow. How could anypony fall so far? “So, you blame yourself then? For them being stuck like that?” Sunset guessed, trying to refocus on Twilight. Focus on the issue at hand. “How could I not? My job as a Princess was to spread the magic of friendship all over Equestria and beyond,” Twilight rationalized. “Just look at Discord. Time and again, I’ve seen the magic of friendship change even the coldest hearts into something amazing. I know it can reach anypony, so when it doesn’t, then it can only mean one thing. I’m the problem.” The gaping holes in Twilight’s logic were, quite frankly, massive, but Sunset knew that when you blamed yourself for something it was easy to ignore such things. Twilight had said that this had all taken place before her coronation. She had likely been stewing over this for decades at this point. What once seemed like a healthy environment for Twilight to channel her time and energy was now clearly a personal method of self-condemnation. “Twilight, it’s not your job to fix everything,” Sunset tried to throw out. “Yes, it is!” Twilight snapped with a surprising amount of intensity, only to immediately regret her outburst and shrink away in shame. “I…What good am I if I can’t?” Sunset shook her head. “Twilight, no. You have to know that’s not fair.” Twilight sighed in resignation, conceding the unfortunate truth of the matter. Some things were, and forever would be, beyond her control. Just because she accepted it though, didn’t mean she had to like it. “Maybe we should go somewhere else. It’s getting a little stuffy in here,” Sunset tastefully offered. In her opinion, it would do Twilight some good to get away from here. Dwelling on the past rarely led to anything positive, and, if she was to be honest with herself, she was eager to get away from…whatever that thing could be considered at this point. “…Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Twilight agreed without much coercion. She turned back to the statue one more time to wordlessly bid goodbye to her old friends before moving forward. Sunset stood still and let Twilight take the lead, watching her glide right past her on her way to the entrance, her current mood hard to place. She certainly wasn’t in high spirits, yet she didn’t seem down either. If anything at this point, she seemed almost empty. Too drained to express emotions of any sort be they positive or negative. If there was anything she hated more than seeing Twilight upset, it was this. Sunset turned to follow her but paused when a bright glint grabbed her attention. It seemed the overhead sun had deemed it fit to remind her of the precious stone she wore around her neck. The magic within it had been completely dormant since returning to Canterlot. In truth, she nearly forgot about it sometimes, with what little cause she had to use it now. Still, it held an ever-present place in the back of her mind. What new secrets could it now be hiding or better yet reveal? The ray of sun that reflected off the geode cast a soft pocket of light back to the place Twilight had stood only a moment ago, presenting itself as a small window of sunlight perched atop the snarling maw of the demon that had frightened her only a few short minutes ago. At that moment, an idea popped into her head. One so insane and so deranged, she nearly doubted it had come from herself at all. Without even thinking about it, her legs guided her closer to the forsaken monument. Her pace slow and stiff as she internally battled with herself. Part of her wanting nothing more than to turn away and never set eyes on the horrendous figures again and an even greater part of her being drawn in by some unseen compulsion. She once again locked eyes with her. Chrysalis. The thought that, against all appearances, those venomous eyes could still see and were set on her now was almost enough to break the spell she had placed upon herself and make her flee in the opposite direction. And yet, ironically, the idea that those enraged eyes could see pulled her in even closer. Her magic allowed her a window into the soul. Thoughts, memories, emotions, hopes, dreams, fears, fantasies, she could glimpse all of them with a simple touch. Peel back the surface and gaze into the truth of a person. It wasn’t a power she took lightly. In a sense, it could easily be perceived as one of the greatest violations you could possibly perform. Forcefully taking that which any person or pony held most precious. Had she been in possession of such a power in the days when her ambition had no limit, she had no doubt she would have turned it into a weapon of unparalleled cruelty and deceit. In a way, being gifted with such an ability had been her ultimate test. A way to prove that she honestly and truly had changed. The pony she once was would have never shown the restraint she had. The control to exercise her power in moderation and only for the benefit of those around her. More than anything, it proved to herself that she really was a different person, and no matter what happened she would never go back. The creature once known as Chrysalis hovered above her now, and she found herself in the very same position she’d been in when she had first encountered the statue. This time she did not scurry back in fear, but she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t feel uneasy beneath the stone’s cold shadow. The podium on which they stood held them all well above her eye level, but if she reached up now, she could just barely make contact with the fallen queen. What was she thinking? How had she already let herself go this far? She needed to get away. Far far away before she did something she’d regret. Sunset stayed rooted in place, moving neither further nor closer. What kept her there was unclear, even to the mare herself. Was it curiosity? Intrigue? Maybe even compassion? Some bizarre mixture of all of the above? Regardless, somewhere deep inside those stone shells were living beings. Was it possible to reach them? The many reasons why this was an absolutely terrible idea rushed through her mind in rapid succession. The magic of the geode had been acting strangely ever since arriving in this world. She could no longer claim to know exactly how it would affect her anymore. Even if her powers worked as intended, there was no telling what she could find in the deep dark corners of whatever lied within the stone. What was she even planning on doing with whatever she would learn from this? Who was to say it would even work at all? Was there some sort of line being crossed here? Was it right to dig into their hearts just to answer her own questions? Even if they were evil, that didn’t mean it was right to look inside when they had no way of doing much of anything. That was just it though. They were completely helpless like that, weren’t they? No matter whatever they had done before, and no matter how much they deserved it, the fact was they no longer had voices of their own. She could give a voice to the voiceless. Her powers could very well be the only line that could connect them and the rest of the world now, for better or worse. Or, maybe she’d just end up looking like an idiot rubbing herself all over a lifeless statue. There was really only one way to find out. Sunset slowly lifted a shaky foreleg, her hoof inching its way closer to a stone appendage. With some measure of annoyance, she noted that while Twilight had been roughly eye level with the thing, she’d have to extend herself as far as possible to even graze it. If only she were still human. She strained the three legs she had left to stand on to their maximum height and arched her back for every inch she could manage. Her skyward limb extended upward only to come up just short, not even an equestrian bit coin’s distance between them, but it was distance all the same. Contact. She needed contact. She just needed to reach a little further. Move a smidge closer. She strained even harder, trying to get something, anything, to extend just a bit more and give her the little extra height she needed. If only she still had toes to stand on or fingers to reach out with, she’d be there. Just a bit further. “Sunset?” The spell was broken, and Sunset returned to reality. Feeling almost like a foal with her hoof in the cookie jar, Sunset quickly whirled around to face Twilight, doing her best to play off any compromising position she may have been in. She’d rather not explain something even she didn’t understand herself. Twilight had already made it to the opposite side of the yard and looked back at her from beside the garden’s entrance. Thankfully, she was far enough away that she had likely missed most of what she had been doing. “Aren’t you coming?!” Twilight called from her end. “Yeah…just looking at something!” Sunset answered. She took a moment to glance back. She truly had no idea what had compelled her to try something like that, but now that her head was clearer it was probably for the best she didn’t go through with it. Something still didn’t sit right with her, but maybe that was a problem best saved for another time. There was plenty to deal with already. With only a moment’s hesitation, Sunset galloped over to Twilight and tried to forget about it. The only sound to penetrate the still air from that moment on was the opening and closing of a set of doors as the pair left the garden. Silence once again reigned supreme as the garden was left completely unoccupied. Time would pass and yet nothing would change until the next time Princess Twilight returned to tend her flowers. Everything was completely still. None more so than the lone statue that had remained in its spot for decades on end. Waiting. Author's Note Gonna be honest guys, I sat on this one for a while. This was the first chapter I really just couldn't get the way I really felt great about for awhile. For whatever reason, I just ended up turning this one around a lot. I don't think that comes through too much in the final product and I think every author has at least one piece of their puzzle that gives them trouble, but it definitely took me a bit to really at least settle on everything. I'm sure you'll all tell me what you think, and I always look forward to it. As for what's next? Well, Sunny and Twily time of course!
Chapter 14: Old Dreams“You know, even after all this time, this view still takes my breath away.” Sunset felt the wind flow through her mane, a gentle but exhilarating breeze that you could only experience at the top of the world. Or rather, as close as you could get to it upon the balcony of the castle’s highest tower. Sunset could feel the rush of nostalgia that accompanied the gust of air. Thoughts and memories from another lifetime coming back to her in that single instant. It really had been a lifetime, hadn’t it? She honestly couldn’t remember exactly how many years it had been since she had last had the pleasure of gazing out at the evening sun from on high, framed by the mountains, hills, and valleys of Equestria. The rivers and lakes that ran through it all sparkling like crystals in the low light. No, she couldn’t remember how long it had been, but she remembered the feeling. The exhilaration, the freedom, the idea that, standing above it all, if she just let go then all her worries and problems would just fall away and she’d soar. A child’s fantasy, but she remembered it all so clearly like it was only yesterday she had stood in this exact spot. But it wasn’t yesterday, and technically, she had never really stood in this spot. As far as she could tell, it was in nearly the exact same position as the balcony Celestia had favored when raising the sun, yet that tower had been blown to smithereens long ago by a group of villains Sunset had a feeling she could probably identify at this point. The structure, stone, plaster, etchings, and color were no longer familiar to her. It was all newer, sleeker, and more modern. Different. Just like the view. Spotted in houses and villages that hadn’t been there nearly a century ago when she had last gazed upon it. It still made her feel out of place, but she couldn’t deny that it was just as alluring as it had been all those many moons ago. Much of what she had once loved about it remained, and a new quality she couldn’t place made it even more captivating. Perhaps, just because something had changed didn’t mean it wasn’t still beautiful. “There’s just nothing quite like this in the human world,” Sunset lamented. She was home, wasn’t she? She had been back and living in Equestria for the better part of a month now and yet that fact still hadn’t really sunk in. This was home, right? Twilight, who had led her to this spot to continue their discussion, gave a simple nod in response, not shifting her eyes from the distant horizon. “So, how have you been doing? I’m sorry we haven’t really seen too much of each other lately. You wouldn’t believe how much paperwork manages to pile up in just one week.” Sunset shook her head. “Actually, I think I have a pretty good idea. Princess Celestia’s desk was always buried in it. At least, I always assumed there was a desk in there somewhere,” Sunset quipped. Twilight gave a good-natured chuckle. “Okay, but really, what have you been up to? Please tell me it’s something more exciting than a fifty-page report on proposed tax policies.” “Here I thought you enjoyed reading.” “I enjoy learning. The only thing I learn there is how much some politicians think they can push it. Now quit stalling,” Twilight insisted, shifting her attention over to her companion with clearly visible interest. Sunset put a hoof to her chin. “Well, I did learn a few new methods to improve my security wards. I just need to wait for Discord’s next ‘visit’ to test them. I picked up a pretty great new book on the mechanics of shapeshifting. Communication with the changeling kingdom has really advanced our understanding of biological transfiguration…Oh, and I’m making some great progress on this new thing I’m working on. Wiring it has been a little tricky. I have to design a lot of my own parts now, but I should have a working prototype soon.” “Oh, anything else?” Twilight asked looking strangely concerned. “No, not really, I…why are you giving me that look?” “What look?” Sunset shifted her hoof to point at Twilight’s face so quickly she made contact with her muzzle. “That look. I know that look. That’s the, ‘I’m worried about you’ look. Princess Celestia used to give it to me all the time.” Twilight backed away, rubbing her muzzle. “It’s nothing bad. I guess I just couldn’t help but notice that you don’t really…do much.” Sunset raised an annoyed eyebrow to let Twilight know that she had a few seconds to explain herself before she got offended. “Okay, that was a poor choice of words. What I mean is, well, it seems like you tend to do a lot of the same things every day.” “I do not.” “Uh-huh. What did you do the day after we returned to Canterlot?” Twilight asked. “I picked up some new books from the library to study,” Sunset answered, with full confidence, not seeing the issue. If anything, she was learning new things every day at a rapid pace. “What about the day after that?” “Well, I returned those and rented some new ones.” “And what did you do yesterday?” “Well, I…gave those books back to the…library…and…studied some more,” Sunset answered again, only this time gradually deflating as Twilight’s insinuation dawned on her. Sunset mentally charted her course over the past week in her head only to find it was a woefully depressing straight line between her room and the castle library, with the occasional detour to the kitchen. To make matters worse, Twilight was now making a different, but equally infuriating, face. It was her trademark, ‘I just made an extremely good point and now I’m going to be all smug about it’ face. She really hated that face. “O-okay, so I’ve gotten into a routine. There’s nothing wrong with that.” “Of course not,” Twilight agreed. “I was just hoping that by now you could start branching out a little. Get out of the castle and-” “Make some new friends,” Sunset finished for her. It was funny how history tended to repeat itself. Just as she remembered standing high above the city in this very spot, she also clearly remembered being told something very similar by Twilight’s predecessor. “Exactly. I think it would be good for you to start forging some new connections. See what Equestria has to offer you that you can’t find in books,” Twilight prompted, fully aware of the irony that she would one day be the one to tell somepony else to stop reading so much and start living a little. “I went to Ponyville not even a week ago,” Sunset tried to deflect. “Yeah, for me,” Twilight emphasized by pointing a hoof at her face. “Now, it’s time to focus on you. What does Sunset Shimmer want?” Sunset leaned over the guard rail to face the city. “That’s not really important.” Twilight took a seat next to her friend in an attempt to be more eye-level with her. It didn’t help much, but the sentiment was appreciated. “It’s important to me.” Sunset felt a jolt run through her. “Well…I guess I just don’t really know. It all used to be so clear to me, but I guess I never really made a new plan when the old one fell through.” “What was your old plan?” Sunset waved a foreleg in dismissal. “Oh, just some silly filly’s dream. Something about owning a big castle, wearing a crown, and being loved and adored by everypony.” Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Oh, that long ago, huh?” “Yeah, guess I’ve just been kinda floating through life for a while now,” Sunset said, resting her chin upon the rail. “Sounds like you’re upset about more than just not having your own castle,” Twilight picked out. Sunset sighed. “It’s just…I don’t know, I always thought it’d be different. All these years and what do I really have to show for it? A cheap apartment and a handful of diplomas I never really wanted?” “And a bunch of friends that love and care about you,” Twilight gently reminded. Twilight’s earnest attempt to comfort her did little more than frustrate Sunset. Twilight was right. She did have that at least. That should have been enough, shouldn’t it? What did it say about her that it just wasn’t? “I know, I know. Still, I always figured I’d do something more. Be something more. I know I’ll never be a princess, but I can’t help feeling like I’m still falling short. Like I just don’t matter.” “Sunset, that’s ridiculous,” Twilight interjected. “Of course you matter. Just look at everything you’ve done. Everything you’ve accomplished. You’ve seen things no pony has seen before. You’ve saved the world. You’ve changed lives,” Twilight listed off. “Does it matter if I’m the only one who knows it happened?” “What?” Twilight asked in confusion. Sunset hated what she was about to say. Hated how it made her sound, but she had learned a long time ago that lying to herself was far worse. Even if the truth wasn’t pretty. “I came from nothing, Twi. So, all my life, the thing I’ve wanted more than anything was to be something. To matter. To stand out. I thought I had changed, but maybe you can really only change so much. The truth is that even after all this time, my ego still can’t handle the thought that nopony will remember me.” Twilight scooted closer and took the opportunity to place a wing around Sunset’s shoulders. It wasn’t often Sunset opened up so freely, so she vowed to always be there to lean on when her little unicorn needed support. “Remember when I blew up at you? The day I arrived?” Sunset brought up after adjusting herself to better fill out the wing Twilight had offered her. “Remember it? I thought you were going to set me on fire.” “I wasn’t going to set you on fire…maybe just singe you a little.” Sunset felt the gentle jostle of Twilight’s wing jerking her closer in a playful warning. “Well…” Sunset picked up, “I’ve had some time to think about why exactly I reacted that way. It wasn’t like I had really lost anything, and for a long time I had pretty much come to terms with the idea of spending the rest of my life outside of Equestria anyway.” “Equestria was still your home, Sunset. You grew up here. It makes sense that you’d miss it, even if you don’t think you should.” “No, that’s not it. At least not entirely. I don’t think I really got it myself until our trip to Ponyville. It hit me right after seeing the castle museum. Seeing all those ponies of my era immortalized like that. Reading about each of the ways that they made their impact. I left and Equestria just moved on…without me. I guess I just feel like somewhere along the line, I got left behind. I’ve always wanted to make an impact. Now I have to accept the fact that I haven’t. That probably sounds pretty self-centered, doesn’t it?” “Well, yeah.” Okay, so, it’d be pretty hypocritical to hold anything against Twilight for agreeing with her, but it would have been nice to be put down a bit more gently. Twilight smirked at the adorable pout Sunset clearly couldn’t suppress. “I’m only saying that because I’m no better than you are.” Sunset immediately pulled herself out from under Twilight's wing to face the alicorn. She had absolutley never heard anything so fundamentally wrong in her entire life. “Okay, how can you even try and get me to believe that? You’re basically the greatest pony to have ever lived.” Twilight was caught off guard by Sunset’s sheer conviction on that statement. “I really wouldn’t-” “No, no, no. Don’t even try to be humble about it. You’ve saved Equestria dozens of times, you earned the title of a Princess and got Princess Celestia to pass an over one thousand year reign onto you and changed the entire world for the better, you work yourself tirelessly day and night helping everyone, so it’s no wonder everypony from here to the end of Equus adores you. I adore you. How could I not? You’re…well, you’re…you’re…” You’re everything I always wished I was. It seemed that once again, Sunset Shimmer’s heart had run too far ahead of her brain. It hardly mattered that she never put it into words, the sentiment hung in the air clear as day. A tense moment of silence lingered over them as Sunset waited for Twilight’s reaction. Several apologies and explanations raced through her mind. It honestly wasn’t as though she resented Twilight. She didn’t. How could she? She owed her everything. No, the problem, as always, was her. The desire, the envy, the yearning, it was nowhere near as strong as it used to be. It would never control her again, that she was certain of, but it was still her, wasn’t it? Those feelings and desires hadn’t simply been born out of nothing and they didn’t simply return to nothing because she had come to her senses. She had buried them years ago though, and living in the human world, far away from Equestria, she was allowed to leave them that way. Forget about them. An unintended consequence of coming home it seemed, was that it gave her plenty of ways to dig it all back up. Twilight laughed. Of all the reactions she could have gotten, from shame to disappointment, Sunset had never expected Twilight to find humor in her inability to cope with mediocrity. “Am…am I missing something here?” Twilight bit down on her chuckles enough to give Sunset a proper response. “No. no more than anypony else at least. They all think I’m some flawless perfect princess when, really, I’m more selfish than anypony.” Sunset quickly opened her mouth to argue only to feel it forced shut by a magical pull. “Sunset, please, you might not even be here if I wasn’t, but that’s not really the point. The point is, I know exactly how you feel,” Twilight explained and released Sunset’s muzzle, having finally said her piece. “You do?” Sunset responded after making sure her jaw was under her control once again, an undertone of doubt she couldn’t suppress laced into her words. “Maybe ‘exactly’ is a bit of an exaggeration, but I do know what it’s like to feel lost, like everything and everpony’s leaving you behind, like life just didn’t turn out the way you thought it would,” Twilight said softly. The tail end of Twilight’s admission caught Sunset’s attention. In all the years they had known each other, she had never even thought to ask. “How did you think life would turn out?” Twilight blinked in response and turned to face the city below them once more. “I…don’t actually know. Just not like this, I guess. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself where I am today. Just, who would have ever thought I’d be in charge of all Equestria?” “Certainly not me.” “Hey!” “Did I say that out loud?” Sparing her companion an agitated growl and an annoyed glance, Twilight returned to her original train of thought. What was her plan before the wings and the crown? Had she even had one? She must have, right? It would have been completely unlike her not to have one. It had just been so long ago since it mattered. Still, some part of her still would have liked to remember. A librarian maybe? Or a historian? A great sorcerer? Yeah, that last one sounded okay. Maybe she could have been one of those. “Twi? Are you okay?” Sunset reached out, noticing Twilight’s face had fallen into a wistful expression. Twilight blinked harder than usual before responding, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Sunset moved back over to share the view beside Twilight, leaning against her in the best show of physical affection she could manage given the size difference. “I guess we’re both just a couple of mares with lots of issues then, huh?” Sunset chuckled Twilight looked down and smiled, sharing Sunset’s sense of bitter humor, “Well, at least some things never change, right?” That one got an honest laugh out of both of them for the first time that day and did the much-needed duty of lightening the mood. Sunset could only speak for herself, but she always felt lighter after these precious moments. Even if they didn’t necessarily resolve anything, it was so liberating to just talk about it with somepony who understood her. She had spent a lot of those last few years in the human world keeping these things to herself. She couldn’t fault any of her friends for it. They were always willing to listen, but they had their own lives to lead and they just couldn’t really understand. Not the way Twilight could. It seemed she had taken to leaning on her. Well, more than she already did before they could regularly see each other in person. Her tried and true rock. A metaphor that was now much more literal as Sunset noticed she was placing the majority of her weight onto the alicorn’s side. She really still wasn’t used to seeing Twilight as the bonafide goddess she had become, but maybe she could get used to it. Eventually. They sat there for several minutes simply taking the moment in, looking over all the creatures going about their individual lives, and being content in each other’s presence. It was the kind of moment you almost wished could last forever, which was why it pained Sunset to break it, but she had already put this particular discussion off for too long as is and it was time to set to work. “Twilight?” “Yeah?” “We need to talk. About Flurry Heart.” Twilight pulled away so fast Sunset had to flail around in order to keep her balance at the sudden loss of support. “Oh no. What did she do this time?” Twilight asked, quickly slipping back into work mode. “Uhm, What?” “She didn’t break anything, did she? Please tell me there wasn’t a fire this time. No, wait, don’t answer that. Just tell me if anypony is threatening to press charges.” Sunset took a brief moment to process that reaction. “Okay, no, nothing's on fire, and what? Flurry didn’t do anything wrong. We just had her first lesson today.” Twilight visibly untensed and let out a breath she had been holding, but still didn’t completely relax. “Oh, and how did that go?” Twilight asked with what Sunset believed to be an absurd amount of caution, almost as though she thought the answer would attack her. “It went fine. There were a few hurdles on both ends at first, but I’d say she was a model student.” That seemed to allow Twilight to finally relax and stop acting as if there was a disaster she needed to respond to. “That’s good. Actually, that’s great. Flurry’s had a bit of a rough history with instructors.” “Yeah, she mentioned that, but that’s not really what I wanted to talk about,” Sunset said, weaving her way to her point, fully aware of the potential minefield she was stepping into. “Is something wrong?” “Well…yes. I just can’t help but notice that Flurry seems a bit…maladjusted.” Twilight shifted around, clearly outside of her comfort zone once again. “I admit...she has some difficulty handling certain situations.” “Right, and she can be somewhat emotionally unstable,” Sunset piggybacked off of Twilight’s admission building her own confidence. “…Well, she is young.” “She qualifies as a senior citizen.” Twilight stared dumbfounded at her, evidently blanking on a response, which Sunset took as her cue to cut to the chase. “Twilight, I don’t think Flurry Heart has really been getting the guidance and attention she needs. Not from her teachers, not from her peers, and most importantly…not from you.” Twilight’s eyes widened, the pieces clicking together. “Wait a minute. Is this a parent-teacher conference?” “If it helps for you to think of it that way.” Twilight was honestly feeling slightly betrayed, but more so bewildered. “I thought you said she was a model student.” “She’s clearly trying her best which means, as her teacher, I’d be doing her a disservice to turn a blind eye to her problems,” Sunset asserted, and on that she vowed not to budge. “What problems exactly?” Twilight prompted, without necessarily looking forward to the answer. “Well, I figured we should probably start with her issues with emotional neglect.” “Her what?” “She’s lonely, Twilight. VERY lonely. She doesn’t feel like anypony’s giving her their time or attention, so she’s doing anything she can to get it. She practically latched onto me the moment I gave her an ounce of concern. Most ponies don’t call other ponies they just met family.” “Well, she has plenty of attendants, guards, and advisors she can talk to.” Sunset met that defense with a deadpan stare. “Remind me what you’re supposed to be the princess of again.” Twilight sighed in defeat. “Okay, point taken. What are you suggesting?” “I want you to help me teach her.” Twilight immediately backed up. “Sunset, I can’t-” “I know I know. You’re the busiest pony in the world. I get that, and I’m not asking you to take over, but Flurry loves you, she wants you to spend time with her, and I get the sense she always wanted to learn from you, the greatest spell caster Equestria has ever known.” “You think I’m the greatest?” “So, I’ll handle the heavy lifting. I’ll do the scheduling, lesson plans, and the majority of the teaching. I just want you to give her a lesson or two when she comes to Canterlot. Can you make time for that?” Sunset explained. Twilight sat back to ponder Sunset’s proposition, turning it over with all the scrutiny of a legislative proposal. It sounded simple enough. Mostly because it was. Every point Sunset had made was valid and her request was plenty generous. Even with her packed schedule, barring some unforeseen political disaster, it would be possible to make time for what was being asked of her, which wasn’t much all things considered. Sunset was essentially asking her to make time to spend with her niece. Something she intended to do anyway. And yet, she was hesitant. She couldn’t really say why, it was just a feeling she couldn’t quite shake. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Twilight asked. Sunset simply nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it,” Twilight committed with only a moment’s hesitation. Sunset gave her a gentle smile at that while internally sighing in relief. Today had shown her she may have been over her head in promising to take on the youngest Princess as her own protégé. True to her word, she planned on doing the lion’s share of the work, but it eased her worries to be able to fall back on Twilight, who must have been an incredibly experienced teacher by this point. A school of gifted unicorns was left in her care after all. “I guess Flurry’s not the only pony to get quickly attached,” Twilight mused. “Huh?” Twilight took Sunset’s dumbfounded expression as an invitation to elaborate. “You’re going through an awful lot of trouble for Flurry Heart, aren’t you?” “I guess I just want to see her happy,” Sunset shrugged. Twilight didn’t seem to see any reason to respond to that. Instead, content to simply offer up a small smile. There it was. That little sparkle. The unmistakable mark of genuine life and happiness in her eyes that was so frequently missing now. Even after all these years, Sunset still remembered the first time she had really noticed it. She had been lying in a hole battered and defeated, wallowing in her own misery. When Twilight found the kindness in herself to pull her up, it was the first time she had ever really looked at her. The first time she had looked into her eyes and saw it. The light of friendship and love she held inside her. That was when she had known for certain that she had been wrong. About everything. And for as much as she had tried to deny it, she knew that they had been right. Celestia…Cadenza…they had known all along. She was special. It had honestly worried her how that same sparkle was so often absent. It had been her first real clue that things weren’t quite right. It wasn’t gone. Just…buried. Hidden behind a cloud of a million emotions. It’s wasn’t as though Twilight didn’t smile often. She did, but you could always tell how real it was by whether or not it reached her eyes as it did right now. It was something truly special to put that little sparkle back where it belonged. Maybe one day, she dared to dream, she’d find a way to keep it there. Sunset tuned back into reality, only to notice Twilight had resumed her position at the balcony’s edge staring up at the clouds. Retaking her position next to her, Sunset tried her own hoof at cloud watching. The same place or not, this really did bring back memories. When she had been much younger, she and Celestia used to waste away time gazing at the clouds and picking out shapes. They weren’t usually more than puffy white splotches, but it had been just one of the countless little things they did together. Maybe that was part of the reason the idea of becoming a Princess had enamored her so. Staring at clouds was fine enough, but she couldn’t help but envy the Pegasi. Rather than look at the clouds, they could be among them, be like them, be free. She loved her horn, but even if she could only do it once, she wondered what it would be like to fly. It must have been something else. “Hey, Twi, can I ask you something?” Twilight turned to face her, that sparkle still in her eyes. “Sunset, you don’t have to ask for permission.” Sunset twiddled her hooves, her usual confidence alluding her. “Oh, right. Well, I was just curious, and I never really thought to ask before, but I was wondering if you could tell me what it’s like?” “What what’s like?” “Oh, y’know…flying.” Twilight blinked a few times in reaction. “Why would you want to know about that?” Sunset gave a nervous chuckle and shied away “I-it’s nothing. Just a stupid question that popped into my head is all. Just forget about it,” Sunset quickly tried to brush off in an extremely rare case of her nerve escaping her. Twilight quickly rose to her hooves and closed whatever distance Sunset had a chance to create. “Now hold on. It’s not stupid. Surprising, but definitely not stupid. “Flying is…flying is…,” Twilight trailed off shortly after starting. It had been a long time since somepony had asked her that question, back when she was a unicorn who had just grown wings, and she was fairly certain her description was incredibly lacking at the time anyway. “It’s like a different perspective,” she eventually settled on. “Being up there just lets you experience the world differently. Big things seem small and you can see how everything comes together. It’s like taking a step back to look at the full picture.” Sunset’s ever so slightly scrunched brow indicated that her description wasn’t really doing it for her. Fair enough really. That certainly wasn’t the way Rainbow Dash would have described it. It needed to be about twenty percent cooler for that. Besides, no matter how you phrased it, there wasn’t really any way you could really understand it without doing it. “If you’d like, I actually know a few spells that can simulate flight. They’re pretty advanced, but with your magical aptitude, you should be able to learn them pretty fast,” Twilight thought to offer. Sunset shook her head, not even taking the time to think about it. “Thanks, but I don’t think that’s necessary.” “Why not? If you’re really curious about what flying’s like, then the best way to understand it is to do it.” “But, that’s not really flying. It’s not the same as what real wings can give you.” Twilight tilted her head, not at all understanding Sunset’s meaning. Sunset couldn’t blame her. It didn’t really make any sense. She probably hadn’t been making sense since she made the mistake of trying to understand the nature of a pegasus from the perspective of a unicorn. That was just it. She was a unicorn. She wasn’t meant to know what it meant to fly. “It’s like you said, Twi. Unicorn magic can emulate those things, but it’s just not the same.” Twilight’s eyes widened in realization, Sunset’s meaning becoming crystal clear to her upon hearing her own paraphrased words. Whatever magic she could teach would only ever serve as a pale imitation of the real thing. She knew that better than anypony. There just wasn’t any way to explain it or fake it. Twilight felt an illogical disappointment with herself at failing to do the impossible. If she could lend Sunset the wings off her back to gift her with the experience she would, but she couldn’t...could she? Twilight noticeably perked up, an idea she considered borderline ingenious inspiring her. Sunset had to force herself not to back away in concern. She recognized that look. Her Twilight always got that look whenever she was inspired. A sudden and unexplained realization that nearly popped her glasses off. Things usually either blew up or went haywire when she got that look. Sunset coached herself into settling down. She was probably overreacting. Sure, a lot of things were common between Twilights, but the Princess didn’t usually share her counterpart’s predilection for radical ideas. There was no reason to worry. “Sunset! I know exactly what to do,” Twilight practically giggled with a mixture of excitement and pride, leaning down and getting close enough to put them nose to nose. Okay, maybe worry a little. In a less uncertain situation, Sunset might have been able to appreciate the way Twilight’s eyes were lit up. “Oh, what’s that, Twi?” Sunset asked with a bit of caution. “You want to know exactly what flying feels like, right?” Sunset nodded her head in response. That was what she wanted. There was no use denying it at this point. “Well, I can show you exactly what it feels like,” Twilight claimed, finally backing off and turning her flank to face her. “Hop on.” Okay, worry a lot. “I’m sorry. Can you please repeat that?” Sunset said in the slim hope that she misunderstood something. “Just climb on my back, and I’ll show you what flying is all about,” Twilight rephrased. Yeah, that was pretty much exactly what Sunset had thought she meant, and it still sounded just as crazy the second time. “And, uhm, how will that show me what it’s like, exactly?” Twilight either somehow didn’t notice or just didn’t mind Sunset’s rather blatant stalling. “Well, it’s a little unconventional, but if you want to see and feel exactly how a pegasus feels when soaring through the sky, why don’t I just bring you along for the ride? It’s actually pretty simple when you think about it. They do say experience is the best teacher. You’ll see and feel everything I do, and it's perfect weather for it.” “Twi, are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Twilight remained undeterred. “Come on. It’s basically the same as the last few times I carried you.” “Okay, first of all,” Sunset interjected, putting a hoof up, “I’ve never voluntarily put myself up there.” “You’ve never voluntarily gotten off either.” Sunset shot the alicorn a dirty look. When had Twilight become so cheeky? That was supposed to be her role in this relationship. “Second,” Sunset pushed on, putting her hoof down upon realizing she didn’t have any fingers to properly complete the gesture, “This sounds a little more dangerous than a walk through the street.” That remark finally seemed to dull Twilight’s enthusiasm in favor of looking somewhat offended. “What is that supposed to mean?” “It just means that I’m not really comfortable with what you’re suggesting,” Sunset stated without quite meeting Twilight’s eyes. “You think I could drop you, don't you!?” Twilight accused; this time very much full-out offended. “What? No! I just think there’s a possibility that the forces of gravity might eventually wrench me off your back and send me plummeting towards the ground at a fatal velocity.” “So, you do think I’m going to drop you!” “Not intentionally.” “But you think I will?” “I'm just saying that sort of situation leaves room for a lot of uncontrollable variables!” “Sunset!” “Okay! Maybe I’m a little afraid I’d fall. Happy?” “One of my best friends thinks I’d let something awful happen to her. That’s not really something to be happy about.” “It’s not like that!” Sunset practically groaned in frustration, “Look, can we just drop it? You don’t need to waste your time entertaining some silly filly’s fantasy in the first place.” “It’s not a waste of time if it makes you happy,” Twilight asserted with what Sunset saw as an unnecessary amount of resolve. “Why are you making such a big deal out of this, Twi?” Sunset sighed. It was just a silly question. It was never supposed to go this far, and she was never supposed to actually leave the ground. “It’s not a big deal. I can tell you want to see it for yourself, and I want to do this for you.” Twilight explained as if it was simple math. Sunset looked away from her, not sure what to do with the large well of confusing emotions only Twilight seemed to bring out. Especially this Twilight. For as similar as they could be, her Twilight was never this stubborn. Obsessive, compulsive, and resolved, sure, but not stubborn. Not like this. Not willing to butt heads and lock horns with her until one or both of them tapped out. To be honest, Twilight’s human counterpart was usually something of a pushover when it came to arguments. The Princess on the other hoof always gave as good as she got. As somepony that didn’t like to lose, she almost hated to admit that she found herself on the losing end of these spats as often as she won them. “Sunset, do you trust me?” Twilight asked, completely shattering her train of thought. “Twilight, that’s not fair,” Sunset all but whined. More than her vast intellect or eye for details, that was exactly the sort of thing that made arguments with Twilight so difficult. She played dirty. Okay, that was just bitterness talking. Twilight’s intentions were pure. They always were. It was unlikely she even knew it, but she always seemed to press exactly the right buttons in order to get her to fold like a scrap of paper. “What’s so unfair about it? I just want to know,” Twilight said, her tone oozing with sincerity, vulnerability, and even a twinge of trepidation. Sunset winced at it. “Of course I trust you, Twi. More than I trust anypony. As much as I’ve ever trusted anybody. How could I not trust you?” Strangely, Twilight’s face flooded with what could clearly be described as relief. Had she really expected any other answer? “Then please, Sunset, trust that I’ll protect you. No matter what happens, I’ll keep you safe. I promise,” Twilight placed a hoof over her heart and bowed in sincerity. “...Okay.” “Okay?” Twilight tilted her head. She was prepared for a multitude of responses, none of which were that one. “Yeah. You’re right. I trust you, so if you think this is a good idea, then I trust you.” Twilight was rendered speechless. Those words were exactly what she wanted to hear, but a part of her couldn't help wondering if she was still fit to hear them. “You’re going to need to help me out here, Twilight. I can’t make it all the way up there by myself,” Sunset spoke up after circling around her and motioning to Twilight’s hindlegs. Almost obediently, Twilight dropped down to her haunches to allow the smaller pony easy access. Sunset swiftly mounted her with a surprising degree of dexterity. She had to admit, she never expected AJ’s horseback riding lessons to come in handy on this side of the mirror, but it seemed to be quite applicable to alicorns. If you ignored the wings, horn, and the little fact that Twilight was an intelligent close personal friend, it was practically the same thing. “Okay, now what?” Sunset asked upon Twilight rising back to her full height. Perhaps she could manage to parlay her familiarity of the situation into the confidence she’d need to make it through what came next. “Oh…well, I guess we just do it?” Twilight said with all the certainty of somepony who was just amazed to have made it this far. Twilight lurched forward causing Sunset to momentarily struggle for balance. With mutual anxiety, the pair gingerly slid up to the balcony’s edge, Sunset left with little choice other than to follow Twilight’s lead. From her already high perch atop Equestria’s most vertically gifted mare, Sunset had a clear view over the balcony’s safety rails. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t describe herself as somepony with any particular fear of heights, but she also ordinarily wasn’t preparing to suspend herself hundreds of feet in the air with only a pair of lavender wings keeping her suspended in flight. She also wasn’t normally the type of pony to put herself in situations where she didn’t have at least some degree of control, but she’d be leaving it all to Twilight on this one. Some unease was perfectly understandable with how far she was venturing outside of her comfort zone, and maybe her memory was a little spotty, but she could swear they made this tower taller when they rebuilt it. “Okay, are you ready for this?” Twilight called back, propping herself up on the railing so that only her hind legs remained on the ground. An audible gulp was Sunset’s first response, followed by an almost imperceptible, “Uh-huh.” The nervousness in her voice and posture was impossible for Twilight to miss and only served to complement and enhance her own. Despite her initial enthusiasm about the idea, her own nerves were beginning to creep up on her and she didn’t even understand why. Flying was practically second nature to her now. She could almost do it in her sleep if she needed to. Something in her just couldn’t stop fretting. This needed to be perfect. Twilight’s wings fanned out in anticipation, an impressive wingspan on display. “Hold on tight,” Twilight advised, tensing her muscles and pulling all of her focus into the comforting words of an old friend. She didn’t need them. She hadn’t needed them for years, but it just helped her to remember them and hear Rainbow’s voice again. “C’mon, Twilight, wings up! Hey, watch your form. You’ve gotta really leap into it and catch the wind with those feathers! There we go! Now just relax and try to find your rhythm. Don’t tense up. Don’t go too soft either. you need to really flap those wings hard! Hey, you got it! Not bad for an egghead.” “Here we go,” Twilight whispered to herself before taking one great leap over the edge and into the wind. As gravity took hold, Sunset was reminded of what it felt like to be on a rollercoaster. The slow build-up that gave you all the time in the world to process where you were and exactly what was going to happen. A few brief seconds at the very peak to stare right into the fall with nowhere else to go. Then, finally, the sudden heart-stopping drop where any small delusions of control were unceremoniously ripped from you, and you were left to the total mercy of the ride. So far, flying felt a lot like falling, and unlike a rollercoaster, there were no rails to depend on. The sound of the rushing wind consumed her senses and time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. The earth seemed to be rushing to meet them all while they spent an eternity just falling. Though it seemed to draw on forever, just when Sunset was almost beginning to wonder if they were ever going to stop falling, Twilight shifted her wings and the pair were jolted in the opposite direction. Twilight expertly transferred her momentum into a gentle glide, ascending upwards at a steady pace, occasionally flapping her wings to maintain altitude and stability. It was a form of flying that was several times slower and more subdued than anything Rainbow would have ever liked, but she found that she honestly preferred this speed. Not to mention her passenger would likely appreciate a calmer pace as well, at least if the apparent shivering she could feel on her back and the sudden difficulty she was having breathing was any indication. “Hey, are you doing…alright…back there?” Twilight asked, inexplicably choked up and almost beginning to feel light-headed. “Y-yeah. I’m d-doing g-gr-great,” Sunset managed to stammer out, just thankful that they had finally stopped falling. “Okay…could you maybe…ease up…just a little bit? You’re holding on…pretty…tight,” Twilight managed to gasp out. “Tight” was something of an understatement. In her excitement, Sunset had latched onto the only thing she could find to brace herself on. That, unfortunately, happened to be Twilight’s neck, her forelegs wrapped around it in a vice-like death grip. Only now that the adrenaline was dying down could Sunset see that she was practically throttling her. Sunset immediately unwrapped herself from her friend’s airway, only to immediately regret doing so as she remembered exactly where she was. After a brief panic, she settled for a much more relaxed hold on Twilight to keep herself in place without nearly suffocating her. “S-sorry. I guess I wasn’t as prepared for that as I thought I was,” Sunset admitted, focusing on bringing down her own racing heart rate. “Don’t worry. I know it definitely takes some getting used to. It’s actually pretty relaxing once you do though.” “Really?” Sunset focused on Twilight’s voice. Much as she was ashamed to admit it, she wasn’t handling having her lifelong curiosity answered as well as she would have hoped. So far she hadn’t even found the courage to look down and see just how high up they really were, instead opting to stare into the evening sky to cope with what to her felt like sailing on nothing. “Oh, Absolutely. It took me a while to really get into it, but at this point, I probably would have gone crazy without it. There’s always just too much happening on the ground. Sometimes, I just need to get above it all.” Sunset found there was something surreal about having to duck a cloud. If that was any indication, they must have been quite high up by now. The air seemed to be cooler this far into the sky, but not uncomfortably so. Refreshing even. “You know, it helps if you loosen up. That was the first thing I had to learn after getting wings. Nothing that belongs in the air is as stiff as a rock,” Twilight advised in a tone of voice that indicated she was repeating something verbatim. “Somehow, I don’t think the pony without wings needs to worry about that,” Sunset excused. Sunset didn’t find anything particularly appealing about the idea of holding on any looser than she currently was. “Maybe, but I promise it gets a lot better when you learn to flow into it.” As if to drive home her point, Twilight began to pick up the pace with a single flap of her wings, turning her steady glide into a free-flowing dance through the nearby clouds. The sudden increase in speed somehow managed to come without the anticipated sudden jolt, Twilight cutting through the air with the ease and fluidity of a fish in the water. Twilight danced around the field of clouds with an elegance Sunset couldn’t claim to have ever associated with her. Twilight was sweet, gentle, and skilled, but elegant? No, not this Twilight. Not any Twilight. Not in a million years, she would have thought. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Twilight had proven her dead wrong. Effortlessly flowing from breeze to breeze, skimming the edges of the clouds so closely the vapors rippled alongside them, and yet she never once made contact. It became an elaborate dance of twists and turns through a forest of white so enthralling you could almost lose track of which direction was up and which was down. All the while no matter how sharp the turn, how steep the dive, or how sudden the lift was, the ease and fluidity of her movements never wavered. A borderline impossible mixture of freedom and control that nothing else Sunset had ever experienced could hope to measure up to. It was positively captivating, and with each passing second Sunset’s own worries and fears fell to the wayside, forgotten amidst their dance in the skies. The clouds were so close, Sunset could practically reach out and touch them, and once her inhibitions had faded enough, that was exactly what she did, extending a foreleg out as they flew by to run her hoof through the chilled vapors. “Well? Pretty fun once you get used to it, right?” The sound of Twilight’s voice pulled Sunset back to reality. The reality that she was a thousand feet high in the sky, and funnily enough, that didn’t bother her so much anymore. There probably wasn’t a safer pair of wings in all of Equus than the ones she was riding on. “Yeah, it’s…really something,” Sunset lamely settled on. It was just as she had suspected. There really was nothing else quite like this. The sights, the sounds, the feelings were like nothing she had ever experienced before, and no words she could think of could really quite describe it. To think, this was something other ponies got to do every day. “Hold on. I want to show you the best part.” “Best part? What do you mea-WHOA!?” In one quick motion, Twilight directed all her momentum straight up, driving them even higher skyward. Whereas before, the Princess had seen it fit to make a show of dancing as close to the edges of the clouds as physically possible, now she instead drove straight through them on her rise through the atmosphere. Higher and higher until they were met with a thin blanket of clouds that draped over the skies of Canterlot. With one final push, Twilight pierced through even that. A clear orange sky awaited them on the other side, nothing standing between them and the late afternoon heavens. Still surrounded by the thin wisps of the cloud she had just broken through, Twilight lowered them onto the fluffy platform below them, the physics-defying ability of the pegasi allowing her to stand atop them as though she were situated on solid ground. No sooner than they had touched down did Twilight’s horn ignite, and Sunset felt the relatively unfamiliar feeling of another pony’s magic being used to place a spell on her. “You can step off now if you want. That spell lets anycreature walk on clouds. It came in handy a few times before I could do it naturally.” So, that was a cloud-walking spell? Sunset had heard of them before. Surprisingly easy magic to cast, but she had never seen any reason to commit one to memory given her inability to get close enough to a cloud to even try walking on it. Funny, she didn’t really feel any different. At least she didn’t feel much like a pony that wouldn’t plummet straight through a cumulous if she tried standing on one. “Are you sure you cast that spell right?” Sunset asked without much thought. Twilight took on an amused look. “Should I be offended by that?” “Oh…right,” Sunset muttered out, feeling about as silly as somepony who just asked if the element of magic was capable of performing a basic spell should. Gingerly Sunset dismounted, not quite feeling brave enough to do it all at once and instead keeping a firm hold of her friend’s flank while she lowered her hind legs first. In hindsight, it was fortunate they were far out of anypony’s view because she was certain it was rather inappropriate all the ways she had handled and held a princess over the course of this day alone. Sunset tried not to show her surprise when her hoof made contact with the cloud and held in place. One by one she set each leg down and gradually came to terms with the idea of standing on air. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel all that different from the earth. Bouncier, but much more firm than you would imagine it to be. “See? There’s nothing to-oh, wow,” Twilight started before trailing off upon getting her first real look at Sunset since they had touched down. “What?” “N-nothing really. I guess I just got a teensy bit more excited down there than your mane could handle, but hey, I think windswept is actually a pretty good look on you.” “Bend down, Twi,” Sunset ordered. Twilight complied without any resistance, kneeling to give Sunset a better view of her reflection in the reflective chest plate she wore as part of her regalia. “Windswept” was being a bit generous, to say the least. She could probably pass for one of the main characters in those Japanese cartoons they had back in the human world. “Okay,” Sunset sighed, “You’re fixing this when we get back home.” Twilight had the decency to look abashed and nodded in agreement. Sunset took a few steps around without quite going anywhere, getting a feel for cloud walking. “What’s on this cloud that you wanted me to see anyway?” “It’s not about what’s on the cloud, Sunset. Come over here and you’ll see it,” Twilight answered, trotting over to the cloud’s edge and taking a prone position right by it. Sunset hesitated. If she wasn’t keen on heights before, she certainly wasn’t now after they had already gone who knows how high just to get up here. “Oh, come on,” Twilight smiled back at her with what seemed to be an almost barely contained mirth. “It’s fine. You’re not going to fall and if for some reason you somehow did, I’d catch you. There’s nothing to worry about.” Sunset smiled sheepishly. It was just being a bit silly at this point, and although her steps were somewhat more measured than usual, she made her own way over to sit beside Twilight at the edge of the sky. Wordlessly, Twilight shifted her gaze from her unicorn friend to the horizon, the motion of her head prompting Sunset to do the same. Finally, she saw it. She saw all of it. The castle, the hills, the mountains, the forests, the trees, the towns, the cities, the rivers, the ponds and lakes, the canyons and valleys, even the other clouds. It was Equestria. All of it. All at once and bathed in the golden orange light of the setting sun that shone off the kingdom in a way that made it look akin to heaven on earth. Right below them, she could see all of Canterlot. Shifting her eyes a little let her take in Ponyville and Cloudsdale hanging over it. If she really looked as far out as she could, she could make out a series of lights that would have been in the direction of Las Pegasus assuming her geography wasn’t too rusty. Then there were a handful of cities she had absolutely no recollection of. New ones that must have been established after her time. Logically, she couldn’t really see all of Equestria from up here, but she had never seen so much of it at once. It was new, fascinating, strange, and beautiful all at once, just looking over the world from above and taking it all in for what it truly was. “It sure beats the view from the tower, doesn’t it?” Twilight sighed, a rare air of content settling over her. Sunset turned her attention from the vast kingdom before her to a sight that was just as if not more captivating. Princess Twilight Sparkle at complete peace, overlooking the kingdom. Her kingdom. Sometimes she still tended to think of it as Celestia’s, but that age had come and gone now. “Do you come here often?” Twilight nodded. The now setting sun casting a warm glow on the Princess, who for once seemed to be able to lay the thoughts that must have constantly plagued her aside and only take in what was right in front of her. The tension she always carried loosened, her breathing was relaxed, and her eyes filled with what could best be described as a mixture of love and pride, though for what and in who she couldn’t tell. Regardless, she looked happy, and for as grand as the realm was, that was undoubtedly the most gratifying sight she had come across so far. “I can see why. It’s something pretty special. We even got here at the prettiest time of day,” Sunset remarked, a cheeky idea forming in her head. Twilight snorted. “At Sunset? Really?” “No. Twilight.” Author's Note Not much to say this time around I'm afraid. Just what is essentially quickly becoming my traditional, "sorry I vanished off the face of the Earth for several months because College enjoys consuming my free time so here's a big apology chapter" chapter. Hope it was a least somewhat worth the wait.
Chapter 15: Set in StoneThe smell of smoke and ash permeated the midday air of the tiny corner on the outer rim of Canterlot. The large fires that had been ravaging the already somewhat run-down building had finally either burnt themselves out or were smothered into smoldering embers by the fireponies that had rushed to the scene with carriages of water in tow. The once chaotic scene that had been filled with the deafening sounds of panicked screams, rushing hooves, and screeching sirens were now replaced by the subtle sound of crackling embers and the bustle of a handful of officials overseeing the scene. The near-silence would only be broken, every so often, by the startling crash of a piece of the charred old building giving way and caving in on itself to kick up a cloud of ash and smoke. “I don’t think there’ll be much of a chance of salvaging anything from this one. Almost certainly gonna have to clear the whole lot after this mess,” One of the nearby firestallions commented, taking in the wreckage that had once been, at the very least, a recognizable building. “Yeah, well, that’s not too surprising. The first round of our guys who got here said the place was already half-way totaled when they arrived. Said it looked like a full-grown dragon had blasted the place,” the firestallion next to him explained. “What? No way. This was supposed to be an orphanage, right? You know, a place for little kids to stay. What around here could do something like that? Did they keep bombs in there or something?” “If you ask me, that’s a lot more believable than what I heard.” “Huh, what’s that?” “Well, you see that little filly over there?” he said, motioning over to a small unicorn, swaddled in a blanket, that seemed to be sectioned off all alone near the police officers investigating the scene, tears staining her face. “Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. I thought they’d already taken all the kids that lived here over to that newer place around the castle. Kind of an upgrade if you ask me. What’s that one still doing here?” “They have to keep her here. She did this.” “Oh, real funny, man.” “That’s not a joke. Or at least that’s what the officer who questioned the lady that used to run this place said.” “You’re kidding?” “I wish I was. Took them a while to calm her down enough to even question her, but apparently, that little girl was messing around with things she wasn’t supposed to. Some sort of magic book with some pretty technical stuff in it. Doesn’t even know how she got it, but whatever she was planning to do with it didn’t go right. Blew a hole straight through the abandoned west side, and the fire spread from there.” “That kid’s no older than my youngest one back home. You sure that lady has all her screws in right? No way that little girl did all this from a botched magic trick. I don’t know anypony who could do something like that if they tried.” “Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard. I didn’t buy it at first either, but according to the old lady, the kid’s some sort of freak.” It wasn’t supposed to go like this. It really really wasn’t supposed to go anything like this. It wasn’t even fair. She did the only thing she could think to do. It was the only option she had at this point. How could it all go so horribly wrong? The bitter tears flowed down Sunset’s cheeks like twin rivers and she couldn’t stop them if she wanted to. The sadness, anger, fear, regret, and loneliness she felt all mixed together inside of her to form a toxic cocktail that bubbled up inside of her and spilled over. The thin cover one of the fireponies had been kind enough to offer her did little to comfort her or keep the chilling feelings at bay. She had really done it this time. This was so much worse than her typical magical mishap, but what choice did she have? All those hours spent trying to guide herself through even a basic level of control were getting her nowhere. She had thought that, perhaps, if she pushed harder, tried something bolder, been more daring, then just maybe things would finally click. Maybe then she’d understand herself, her power, her place, the reason she was the way that she was…and then maybe they’d accept her. “…kid’s some sort of freak.” And maybe that was just a filly’s fantasy. Sunset turned away from the chattering ponies that seemed to be eyeing her like some sort of circus attraction. It wasn’t fair. She never asked for this. She never asked for all this stupid, useless, no good magic. She never asked to somehow wind up in the slummiest portion of Canterlot, where she was left no choice but to stumble her own way through even the most basic of skills. She never asked to not be normal. Now she’d pay for ever even trying to be. Where did she go from here? Like it was even up to her? Her home, if you could even call it that, was little more than ashes now and it was all her fault. What were they going to do with her now? They had obviously kept her here for a reason. Was she going to go from a figurative prison to a literal one now? Did they send ponies her age to prison? Is that why all the police were here now? It was an accident! She didn’t mean for any of this to happen. She just wanted somepony, anypony, to want her. The creaking of one of the old buildings alerted her to the collapse of yet another chunk of the orphanage that sent a plume of smoke high enough into the sky that it must have been visible from the other end of Canterlot. It was time to face facts. That was never going to happen. Not after this. She had hoped against hope that things would change. Now she was all out of hope, and she wept for the life that she would never have. No sooner than she had accepted that hard reality did a large shadow overtake her, blocking out the sun, and draping her in ever colder darkness. “Leave me alone,” Sunset whimpered without even turning to face whatever pony had approached her. “What’s wrong, my little pony?” a gentle voice laced with compassion asked her. Sunset had never heard anything like it. It was as though warmth had become a sound, and that alone convinced her to face the stranger. If it were possible to swallow your own heart, Sunset was pretty sure she had just done it. Ordinarily, adult ponies towered over her, but this pony went beyond simply being tall. She was absolutely gigantic in comparison to the small filly, to the point Sunset had to strain her neck just to glimpse her in her entire unmistakable glory. A coat as pure as the morning snow, fluffy white wings and a large sturdy horn, both together on a single pony, a golden crown that sparkled in the sunlight, and most telling of all, a sparkling mane of colors that danced in an eternal breeze. Sunset tripped over her own blanket backing away from the shining pony before her, landing hard on her back and smacking her head against the stone ground they stood upon, and yet so awe-inspiring was the sight before her that she barely even registered it. “Pr-pr-pr….” Sunset stuttered at a loss for words. “Goodness, are you alright, little one?” “Princess Celestia!?” Sunset managed to finally gasp out. This was bad. This was really bad. This was so much worse than she thought. What she did had actually managed to attract the attention of the princess? She had been thinking far too small when she was worried about them sending her to prison. No, the Princess wouldn’t get involved to deal with some common criminal. Whatever fate awaited her must have been something only the greatest dangers to the realm received. She’d be sentenced to Tartarus. Or worse, banished to the moon. Or even worse than that, turned to stone. Or maybe she’d even be turned to stone and banished to Moon Tartarus! “That was quite a fall you just took,” Celestia stated, approaching Sunset with a look of concern on her face. The only thing that registered in Sunset’s mind was the Princess closing in on her, and with little time to think, Sunset did the first thing she could think of. Grovel. “I…I’m sorry!” Sunset cried, throwing herself down onto her stomach and wrapping her hooves around Celestia’s foreleg, “I-It was an accident! I didn’t mean to! I just thought that if I could learn magic ponies would like me! I’ll never ever ever do it again, I promise! Please forgive me, Princess! Don’t send me to Moon Tartarus!” Celestia’s eyes shifted down to the clearly distraught filly clutching onto her leg in what had devolved into a series of barely comprehensible apologetic blubbers. She could tell without even looking that every other pony in the vicinity was staring at the scene they had just created. Princess Celestia makes a small orphan cry. The tabloids would just eat that one up. Sunset’s pleading continued unabated until the unicorn filly felt a strange soft sensation caressing her face. Sunset opened her eyes to catch sight of a small handkerchief suspended in a bright golden light swiftly moving to dry her tears. “It’s okay. There’s no need to cry. I’m not going to do any of that, I promise,” Celestia said, a calming air in her voice that resonated with the child attached to her. “R-really?” Sunset asked, the small filly looking up at her with some of the most innocent wide eyes the Sun Princess had ever seen. “Really. Now, the ground is no place for a young lady,” Celestia admonished in a way that somehow still managed to be comforting. One of the Princess’s alabaster wings unfurled from her side and aided Sunset in the process of getting back on her hooves, a control and dexterity to the appendage one would be surprised a wing could even have. The smooth feathers softly cupped Sunset’s face, gently turning her head in several different directions, the Princess checking over the young filly for any nasty scrapes or bruises with a tender touch Sunset couldn’t help but subconsciously lean into. Celestia released her hold when she was satisfied with the filly’s condition and Sunset fought the impulsive urge to chase after it. Celestia switched back to the soft cloth she still held suspended in her magic to clear away whatever dirt and moisture still stained her face before quickly dispelling the item. “Woah. How’d you do that?” Sunset asked, awestruck by such a simple trick. “That was magic,” Celestia explained, “It’s certainly something you’ll be able to do yourself once you’re a little older.” Words intended to set the little filly at ease instead had the opposite effect and caused her to dejectedly focus on the ground. Celestia decided to change her approach. “What’s your name?” “It’s Sunset…Sunset Shimmer, your highness,” Sunset answered after only a few moments of hesitation. “And how old are you, Sunset?” “I’m five…but I turn six next month,” Sunset tacked on in an attempt to appear more mature. “Well, Sunset, could you please tell me what happened here?” Celestia asked with an even tone and a gentle smile, motioning over to the ruins of what used to be her orphanage. “I’d be very much interested in hearing your side of the story.” Sunset stood at attention, surprised by the request. Most adult ponies never really cared what she had to say. “I-I…I did it, your majesty. It was an accident. There’s something wrong with me. I can’t control my horn like all the other fillies and colts can and it just keeps getting worse and worse. I thought that if I could teach myself magic, real magic, like the kind they learn from those fancy schools they have deeper into the city, I could learn how to control it. Instead, I just lost control again. I’m sorry.” Celestia contemplated this information, sizing up the small filly and the carnage of the scene. It seemed the reports she had received had been accurate after all. Not only was her presence here warranted, but in such a special circumstance it was absolutely necessary. It wasn’t every day a magical explosion rocked a portion of the city. It was almost difficult to believe what had initially been suspected to be some sort of attack on Canterlot was in actuality a little girl with far too much power on her hooves. Her own school’s senior students would find it difficult to recreate the level of raw magical energy this little filly had produced on accident. It almost reminded her of the mishaps Luna would have when she was barely old enough to walk. Such an incredible amount of power was simply too dangerous to be left unchecked. “Well, Sunset, I think it’s quite clear that we can’t allow this situation to repeat itself. It’s fortunate that nopony was hurt, but your inability to control your power presents a clear danger to both yourself and those around you.” Sunset’s heart sank. Celestia’s condemning words confirming what she had been afraid of. They saw her as a danger, and dangers didn’t get to have normal lives or even walk around free. “It seems clear to me that I have no other choice…” Sunset winced. Here it comes. “…but to formally invite you to study at my school.” “…what?” Sunset whispered, daring to think she had heard that right. Celestia’s school? As in Celestia’s School for gifted unicorns? The most prestigious school for magical study in all of Canterlot? Scratch that. All of Equestria. “You’ll be able to learn and study all you need to know about your magic there, and more if you desire.” “You mean they can teach me how to control it? They can make me like the other fillies?” Sunset gasped, praying that this wasn’t all some crazy dream. “You’ll be able to do that and much more, Sunset,” Celestia assured with a full perfect smile that would convince even the most cynical ponies to place their faith in the alicorn. “So, does this mean I’m not in trouble?” Celestia scoffed, “As far as I’m concerned, the only ponies at fault here are the ones who’ve neglected to give you the care and guidance you deserve. You have a very special gift, Sunset Shimmer. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.” It was as though a ray of sunshine had broken through the dark clouds of her sorrow, and with it, she found the courage to hope again. Hope that things could get better. Hope that a normal life was not out of her reach after all. No, more than that. So much more than that. Celestia herself had said it. She was special. “I’m going to learn magic,” Sunset stated as though she herself was having a hard time believing it, tears threatening to once again flow, only now the tears would be in joy. “I’m going to learn magic!” Celestia smiled at the small filly who looked to be restraining herself from bouncing around in excitement. “There is one more thing.” “More!?” Celestia nodded. “Seeing as how your case is so unique, I believe it would only be best for me to take you on as my own personal protégé at the school. I will be teaching and directing your studies personally.” If this was a dream, then by all that was right in the world, Sunset never wanted to wake up. Not only would she finally learn magic, not only would she attend the most renowned and respected institution in the land, but she would be learning directly from Princess Celestia herself. “But…wait,” Sunset stopped herself, reality knocking on her door at last, “Where will I live?” Sunset glanced at the ruined estate that while a lousy home was still the only one she had ever known. “Well, as my personal student, you’d be staying at the castle with me.” “The castle!?” Sunset gasped out, starting to feel nearly lightheaded. “If that’s alright with you, Sunset.” “Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!” Sunset squealed, no longer able to resist the urge to hug the leg of the Princess in pure happiness. Celestia watched the excited filly in bemusement. Certainly, this cute little girl would eventually grow to become something amazing. It must have been destiny itself that brought them together. There was no telling what fate could have in store for such a unique unicorn. Perhaps, Celestia dared to consider, this could even be the one she had been looking for. Sunset meanwhile was beside herself with glee, already fantasizing about the new life ahead of her that she never dared to dream of before. She imagined what her cutie mark might look like when she found it, she imagined the spells she’d learn, she imagined the things she’d accomplish, and she even dared to imagine the things she would do with the Princess. Why, this could practically be considered an adoption of sorts. Perhaps, in a way, she’d even be able to think of Celestia as her… Sunset opened her eyes and was immediately overcome with the groggy feeling of what it meant to sleep but not sleep well. Willing herself to sit up in her bed, she tried to shake the emotions that lingered from that fateful day. It wasn't all unpleasant. That memory had a notably happier ending than the last one she had been made to endure. At least for a while. It was one of the few she could recollect with just as much clarity without any magical influence. The glowing geode around her neck still burned with a bright radiating gleam, even in the early morning light that filled her room as if daring her to try and ignore it. Two forced strolls down memory lane was probably a sign after all. “I guess it’s about time I deal with you, isn’t it?” The hours Sunset had to wait for Twilight to finish with her royal obligations went by painfully slow. It seemed to take forever just to get to the slot of time that was always reserved for her and the Princess to toil around in her lab. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have bothered Twilight with something as simple as impromptu research, but she needed a mind just as sharp, if not sharper than her own to tackle this particular enigma. Fortunately, Twilight was more than happy to change their usual agenda and switch focus to the peculiar stone that had been acting up ever since her return. Excited even. Within an hour of asking, the pair were sequestered away in the Princess’s own personal lab, conducting any manner of tests and experiments they could think of that might give them some insight on the magic stone born of another world. “Well, that is…interesting,” Twilight concluded upon reading the numbers off the paper that they had recorded from the geode. “What does it say?” Sunset asked, unable to see what Twilight was reading and doing her best to suppress the annoyance of it once again being due to the sheer difference in their statures. “Well, I need to cross-reference it with some other data sets to be sure, but these values don’t seem right.” "Other data sets?" Without even giving her the chance to see them, Twilight moved over to the records section of the room in search of something else. Sunset huffed in annoyance. Typical Twilight. So absorbed in whatever she was doing that she tuned everything else out, and that was never more apparent than when something had really struck her interest. Ordinarily, it was cute, but when she was just as interested in the subject at hand it was more aggravating than anything else. “Twilight, what did it say?” Twilight didn’t even give her a response this time, instead opening and closing file cabinets in search of what she was looking for and evidently not having any luck. “What are you looking for, Twi?” Sunset asked after catching up to the alicorn. “Something I didn’t ever really think I’d need. It’s probably in one of the cabinets on the top row,” Twilight sighed in annoyance. Even she wasn’t quite tall enough to see up there, and she didn’t dare fly in here where there was both nowhere near enough room and the surroundings were far too delicate. “Hmm. I can get it,” Sunset stated with reasonable certainty. “What? How could you-GYAH!” Twilight gasped in surprise, shock, and complete and utter indignation as she heard a distinct magical pop and felt a weight land squarely on her back. Sunset hadn’t even had the courtesy to give her a fair warning before she teleported directly on top of her, using her as a platform to get a perfect view of the cabinets that were out of either of their individual reaches. “So, what am I looking for up here, Twi?” Sunset asked with the audacity to not even acknowledge what she had just done. “Funny, I don’t recall giving you permission to do that,” Twilight stiffly stated. “One of us needs to give permission now?” Sunset asked with a coyness that let Twilight know the unicorn knew exactly what she had just done. “You know, we do own stepladders,” Twilight huffed. “I know. Now, what am I looking for?” “…an old file. It’ll have your name written on it,” Twilight sighed in utter defeat. Sure, whatever. Use the ruler of all Equestria as a piece of property to grab things off the top shelf. Who needs dignity anyway? “Hey, Twi. Can you skootch over? It’s not in these.” Twilight didn’t even bother with a response and just shuffled to her left. Using her horn to search through the cabinets Sunset quickly discovered what she was looking for. A file that was for some reason labeled with her name and looked older than the average citizen was these days. “Got it,” Sunset announced, gingerly taking it into her magic and passing it down to Twilight. Twilight waited for Sunset to get down only to again be surprised when she instead adjusted her standing position into a sitting one and made herself at home. “Okay, so can you explain to me what this is about now?” Sunset asked, poking her head by Twilight’s for a perfect view of the papers the princess held in her magic. Twilight sighed. “This is a record of all the discoveries and findings you’ve made and reported to me on magic in the other world. I've never really had much of a use for it since I couldn’t actually get to any of the magic you encountered there, but just in case, I always made sure to write it all down. I guess it was a good thing I did.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to think. She remembered talking extensively to Twilight about her research on magic in the human world. She was the only person or pony who really appreciated it and cared what she had to say about it aside from her own Twilight and even then it was difficult for the bespectacled girl to grasp the concepts in ways that were second nature to her Equestrian counterpart. She could bounce ideas and theories off her, talk about the intricacies of the subject, and she could do the same for her in kind, but Sunset didn’t think Twilight would have bothered with keeping a record of the stuff. Like she had said, it had very little use in Equestria. It was why she hadn’t bothered taking any of her own research back with her. Twilight opened the file and shuffled through the papers contained within, most of which were old and faded with only a select few looking slightly more recent, though still dated. “Aha!” Twilight exclaimed in victory, apparently having found what she was looking for. “These are the energy readings you told me you took on your Geode while in the other world. You stopped taking them shortly after High School, but the data here should be plenty of basis for comparison,” she broke down while levitating the old paper next to the new data they had just collected. “Woah,” Sunset gasped, finally seeing exactly what Twilight was talking about. As she already knew, the readings she had taken remained largely the same throughout. An occasional fluctuation here or there, but that was to be expected. Everything pointed to the magic of the geode being stable which was the reason she had stopped bothering to take measurements in the first place. The new readings on the other hoof were several times higher. Almost exponentially so, and that was just about the only consistent thing as they were almost all over the place outside of that. “Woah is right. You’ve been walking around with enough magic on your neck to power a small town.” “But that doesn’t make any sense,” Sunset said, completely baffled, “The Geode’s magic only ever spiked when my friends and I were together and using their powers. They’re connected. If anything, the magic should be weaker now that we’re so far apart, not stronger.” Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, thinking the details over. “Sunset, can you tell me your theory on why you and your friends got these geodes again?” “Okay?” Sunset nodded, not really seeing what that had to do with anything, “Well, when we brought magic to a world that had no place for it, it tended to infect things like a virus that threw the entire system out of balance. So, I figured that in response to that imbalance, the magic of Equestria created the geodes. If the out-of-control magic was like an infection, then the geodes were like the antibodies. Their purpose was to absorb or destroy the rogue magic and rebalance the human world, which they did,” Sunset explained. “Right. That falls perfectly in line with the basic principles of harmony that govern the magic in Equestria. In the face of major imbalances that threaten the balance of harmony in Equestria, the forces of harmony respond by creating forces that can counteract those imbalances and reestablish stability. Like the tree of harmony, or the elements, or my old castle,” Twilight listed off. “Or you,” Sunset mused, the reality that she once wholeheartedly rejected now almost amusing to her. Her cutie mark was lodged right in the middle of the tree of harmony after all. There was no denying she was destiny’s child after that. “…Yes…like me,” Twilight repeated with a noticeable discomfort. Sunset made a mental note to not be so thoughtless on that subject again. “So, what does that have to do with the way the magic is acting now?” Sunset prompted, bringing the train of thought back around. “Well, it’s not much more than a theory at the moment, but your geode is a product of Equestrian magic that adapted to the human world to control rogue magic. Now, after all these years, you’ve brought that magic back to Equestria which would in itself disrupt the balance. It’s possible your geode is adapting to suit its new environment. It’s gone from having to exist in a world with only small select pools of magic to a now limitless supply.” “Which means it’s evolving,” Sunset concluded, unsure what to think of that. “That still doesn’t really explain why it has a new fascination with forcing me to reminisce.” “Hrm. This is more of a guess than a theory, but your geode’s specialty has always been about emotions, right?” “That’s about right. The rest of the girls got superpowers, I got the ability to give invasive therapy,” Sunset chuckled. Initially, she had been a little jealous of her friend’s much more flashy abilities, particularly Twilight’s own telekinetic powers, but in retrospect, that would have been awfully redundant now with her horn returned to her. “Then, maybe it’s possible that your geode is reacting to an imbalance. One that’s in you.” “You’re saying that I’m emotionally imbalanced?” Twilight winced. “maybe?” “...yeah, that sounds about right,” Sunset admitted. She wasn’t exactly the walking definition of having her life together. Twilight turned her head back to face Sunset with a questioning glance. “That doesn’t concern you at all?” “Twilight, I’ve been emotionally unstable all my life. Why does it matter that even my necklace is telling me about it? …okay, having said that out loud, it is a little concerning.” “What were the memories about?” Twilight suddenly asked. “Huh?” “The memories. You never actually told me what you saw. Maybe it would help you figure out what the geode is trying to tell you if we looked at what it was showing you. Is there some sort of link between them? Something they all have in common?” Sunset thought back. These realistic retellings always struck her when she was asleep. She had dreamt about her time before becoming Celestia’s student. She had dreamt about the day Celestia had found her and taken her in. Plus, now that she thought about it, that first dream she had after her encounter with Flurry didn’t seem all that natural either. The most common thread between them seemed to be… “Celestia,” Sunset whispered to herself. “What?” “Celestia, Twilight. They were always things that made me think of her,” Sunset explained, turning around all the potential meanings of that in her head. “Oh…okay,” Twilight responded halfheartedly, uncertain how to respond or deal with the uncertainty that brought her. Fortunately for her, Sunset was delving far too deep into her own personal musings at this point to pick up on it. Satisfied she had done all there was to do with the geode today and with plenty to now think about, Sunset directed some of her attention to the small stone, igniting her horn to pick it up off the lab table it now rested on and return it to her. Sunset didn’t fully snap back to attention until she felt the unusual tug of her magic being held back. “Hm?” Sunset muttered, turning up to see her geode held suspended in a combination of red and magenta magic. “Twilight, what are you doing?” “I think that’s something I should be asking you. Don’t tell me that after what we’ve just learned you’re just going to go back to wearing that thing like nothing’s happening. The level of magic it's outputting now isn't exactly safe,” Twilight tensely responded. Impudently, Sunset actually decided to try her luck with out muscling Twilight’s magic. Shockingly, she couldn’t overpower the element of magic. “Twilight, let go,” Sunset demanded, her voice taking on a warning edge. “Not until you tell me why I should. That thing could be dangerous. You can’t just ignore the fact that you’re running around with what could be a ticking timebomb of unstable magic. At the very least, we should contain it.” “That’s not really your decision to make. It’s mine. Now, Let…It…Go.” Sunset practically growled out, giving a sharp tug with her magic with each word with no notable result for her troubles. “No!” Twilight held fast, raising her own voice to match Sunset’s sudden intensity. “I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger anymore just because you want to play around with dangerous forces you don’t even understand.” “Is that what you think this is about?” Sunset gasped, clearly offended at the judgment. Rather than take a moment to think and talk about this, Sunset instead settled for the more brutish solution of ramping up the power on her horn which finally achieved at least the satisfaction of forcing Twilight to struggle in order to hold what was rightfully hers in place. “Grhm, Sunset, cut it out. You’re acting like a child,” Twilight accused, actually caught by surprise at the amount of power Sunset was pouring into this tug of war. “Just give it back, Twilight,” Sunset restated, not even the slightest interest in letting cooler heads prevail if it meant she might lose her geode. “It’s dangerous. I’m asking you to see that. You need to let it go!” Twilight pleaded. The very idea set Sunset off. “NO! It's what connects me to my friends!” A sharp gasp was the only sound that broke through the sudden crushing silence. Twilight’s magic immediately cut off, allowing Sunset to pull the necklace back to her and accomplish the most hollow victory she had ever received. “Sunset, I didn’t mean…I’m sorry,” Twilight stumbled, a pang of sharp stabbing guilt penetrating straight through her heart. Sunset fared no better. The very last thing she wanted to do was bring Twilight down like she just had. “No. No, please don’t apologize. I overreacted. I just…” Sunset struggled, trying to find the words to make this better. Some way to not ram right into what she knew was a very sensitive subject for Twilight. She really shouldn’t have gone off like that. If she were just better at thinking with her head before her heart she could have avoided this. “No, you didn’t. Your geode is important to you. I know that. I-I…I didn’t mean…I would never try to…I’m just…I’m sorry,” Twilight fumbled. Sunset was fresh out of words herself, so she settled for action. Twilight gasped as a set of forelegs wrapped around her neck and gently embraced her. Sunset pressed herself into the alicorn in the warmest hold she could manage, willing Twilight to know that it was all okay. “Don’t worry about it, Twi. You were just looking out for me. I guess I’m not used to that,” Sunset sighed, releasing Twilight after she felt the nerves of the alicorn still. Twilight found herself missing the embrace once it was over. It had been a long time since anypony had held her like that. She forced her way past the nostalgia to get her head on straight. “Well...since the magic is bonded to you there is a possibility it might actually be easier for you to hold onto it as it adapts to Equestria, but will you at least let me keep tabs on it? Just so we can make sure it’s absolutely safe?” Twilight rationalized, more to herself than anyone. “Sure, Twilight,” Sunset nodded in agreement more than happy to put this behind them. Twilight clearly still wasn’t completely on board with her decision, but that was a more than fair compromise. Sunset took the time to return the geode to its usual position around her neck, the weight of the stone giving her some comfort through nothing but its presence. Twilight’s worries were far from unfounded. Everything about the geodes were completely uncharted territory, but Sunset could never part with hers. It was her most prized possession, and she had always seen them as proof of her connection to her friends. No matter where their lives took them, these stones proved their bond because they had chosen them. All of them. Maybe it was a little sad that she needed a magic rock to give her validation, but she couldn’t help feeling like having it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she truly was one of them. Not just the devil girl everyone kept around because they pitied her. Concluding that they had accomplished everything they could today, Twilight set about tidying up the space they had used, making sure to properly reorganize anything that was even slightly out of place to ensure the lab would be just as pristine as it had been when they first arrived. She'd wouldn't be caught dead with a workspace that was anything less. From her perch atop the alicorn, Sunset looked to the light outside the windows to get a rough estimate of the time. She had told Flurry yesterday to wait in the nearby castle courtyard for her next lesson after she finished whatever lab work Twilight had in mind for today. Plans had changed since then, but Flurry should have still been waiting for her right about now. “Hey, Twi? You don’t have anything to do after this, do you?” “Nothing I absolutely have to do at least. Why?” Twilight responded, now splitting her attention between the conversation and rearranging a set of beakers. “Well, since you’re free, relatively speaking I mean, why don’t you help me with teaching Flurry Heart today?” Twilight froze, the beakers she held in her magic grasp nearly falling to an untimely demise had Sunset not taken it upon herself to catch them. “Today!?” “Yeah, why not? You did promise to help out.” “That was yesterday! I really thought you’d give me at least a little time to prepare. I don’t even have anything ready for her.” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Yeah…well, neither do I. I’m kind of hoping for you to bail me out on this one.” “You mean you didn’t even have a plan for what to teach her for more than a day?” “Honestly, I didn’t have a plan for what to teach her yesterday either.” Twilight had to resist the urge to facehoof. “Are you telling me you’ve just been making this whole thing up as you go?” “Why are you surprised? You know I’m no good at planning. My entire evil plan you stopped was just me winging it.” “It was pretty thrown together.” “Yeah, I know.” “I mean, brainwashed teenagers? Seriously?” “Really not the point, Twi.” “And come to think of it, why’d you destroy the dance if you needed to get my crown before the portal closed?” “They weren’t supposed to completely destroy-” “Plus, the whole thing was kind of a waste of time if you were just going to wrestle me for it.” “Well, if I had more than three days maybe I could have come up with a better plan. I had to improvise. It’s what I do when I’m backed into a corner, okay?” Sunset defended. “I can probably improvise another lesson if I need to, but I think it’d be better for you and Flurry to start getting accustomed to this now for your own sake.” “Is it really that important?” “I had to sit down for dinner with you two yesterday. Sitting between Adagio and Star Swirl probably would have been less awkward than that was. I’d say the sooner the better.” Twilight gave what was quickly becoming her trademark sigh of resignation. “Okay, where is she?” “The east side courtyard,” Sunset answered simply with a small smile. All things considered; she was proud of Twilight. She may not have been very good at interacting with her niece anymore, but she was clearly willing to do whatever it took to make things better, even if it wasn’t always comfortable. Resolutely, Twilight finished her task of tidying up and set off on their journey to Flurry Heart with all the unease of a pony headed to battle, both ponies set with their own forms of determination and moving as a unified front. “So, are you ever going to get off of me?” Author's Note Two chapters in a month? Sure why not. Turns out finishing and posting that last chapter reminded me just how much I enjoy writing this. As usual, don't be afraid to comment. To be honest, they're always what I look forward to the most. Up next...well, let's just say it'll be something of a magical showcase before our next big event.
Chapter 16: Teaching to Learn“If everypony starts asking for rides, I want you to know that I will hold you personally responsible,” Twilight warned, having received what must have been a dozen awkward looks from passing staff members in the castle hallways. “You know, I can’t help but notice that it’s only ever a problem when I’m not the one being embarrassed,” Sunset commented, finally back on her own four hooves now that the courtyard was just around the corner. “That was completely different. It was practical. Besides, I thought you said it was, and I quote, ‘degrading’”. “What can I say? You showed me how wrong I was, Twi. It’s actually pretty awesome. It saves me from walking long distances, knows a bunch of cool tricks, can fly, comes with autopilot, and this baby never even needs me to pay for gas,” Sunset praised, with an affectionate rub to Twilight’s side as one would the hood of a nice car. Twilight’s cheeks turned beet red and her entire frame stiffened at the gesture. “Sunset, ‘this baby’ is not your personal means of transportation. In fact, if you recall, I am technically your boss,” Twilight ground out. “Sure you are, Twilight,” Sunset responded, with the condescending tone of somepony telling a small child what they wanted to hear. “What is that supposed to mean?” “What is what supposed to mean, Twilight?” Sunset responded innocently. Far too innocently. “That! Your tone. I don’t like it,” Twilight lamely stated, all too aware how childish that sounded after she had said it. “Honestly, your highness, I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. I, your devoted and loyal servant, was simply reaffirming your absolute authority over this humble mare,” Sunset stated with a sickening degree of pomp, even having the nerve to add in a walking bow at the end. “You’re messing with me,” Twilight managed to respond, her mouth straining to hold back what she knew was coming. “Your majesty, I’m offended at the insinuation.” Twilight could no longer suppress the snort of laughter. It was just far too ludicrous and yet scarily accurate to the nobles she dealt with on a daily basis, complete with fake sincerity. “Cut it out,” she giggled, giving Sunset a playful shove with her wing. Sunset stumbled her way back to the alicorn, shaking off a few purple feathers. She didn’t feel much need to add anything past that point, content to enjoy the harmonious sound. Making Twilight laugh was a mission accomplished in her book. Before either of them knew it, they stood before the arch that led out to the courtyard. Sunset hadn’t actually been back here until now, but she knew the place well. A large wide-open grassy space comparable to a football field in size. Despite its scope, it was completely boxed in by the castle structures surrounding it, almost completely hiding it from view unless you knew exactly what towers to look from. Secluded, spacious, and minimalistic in decor with the sole exception of a large fountain placed in the exact center of the courtyard. Celestia had always said it helped with establishing an air of tranquility. A perfect place to train a little filly with very little control of her own power. Or in this instance, a prodigious princess. Just as expected, Flurry Heart was there waiting for them, lying face-up on the rim of the fountain and amusing herself with a number of small stones that she was levitating above her. “Good, she’s been practicing. It looks like she’s improving already,” Sunset commented to her alicorn companion. “How can you tell?” Twilight asked, not sure what Sunset was referring to. “Well, you see those rocks she’s holding?” Sunset said, gesturing to the stones Flurry was orbiting around each other at impressive breakneck speeds. “Yeah?” “They’re not powder yet,” Sunset stated simply before walking ahead of Twilight to meet the younger princess. Twilight paused. Was that a joke? It didn’t sound like a joke, but it had to be one. Flurry may not have been a scholar of magic, but there was no way she was that inexperienced. “Hey, Flurry!” Sunset called out to her protégé as she approached her. “GAH!” Flurry yelped in surprise followed by the unmistakable crack and sprinkle of shattered stone. “Oh dear,” Twilight thought to herself. “bleck, oh gwoss, iths in ma mouf!” Flurry sputtered, trying to spit out the chunks of rock she had just sprinkled all over herself. Sunset watched Flurry sputter and spew. She certainly wasn’t the most graceful Princess she had ever interacted with. “Ghuah…didn’t anypony ever teach you not to sneak up on them like that, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry gagged. “I came in through the front entrance,” Sunset plainly stated. “…well, you still should know better than to startle a princess,” Flurry petulantly stated, crossing her hooves and turning in a way that Sunset imagined was meant to look refined but didn’t do much for a pony covered in dirt. Sunset rolled her eyes and used her magic to summon a few tools to at least clean Flurry up. Twilight carefully followed up behind Sunset at a much more measured pace, taking in the interaction between her niece and close friend. She had yet to really get a chance to see their dynamic in action, but if watching Sunset visibly baby Flurry didn’t tell her all she needed to know about their relationship at this point, she didn’t know what would. Satisfied with her appearance, Sunset stepped back to resume her role as the instructor. “Okay, Flurry. Today I actually have a bit of a surprise for you.” Flurry’s focus was set on Sunset now, hanging on her every word and noticeably perking up at the mention of a surprise. “Really, what is it!? Is it like some sort of super awesome magical artifact? Or like a super mega spell?” Flurry asked, clearly setting her expectations at the sky. “…no,” Sunset settled on after a few seconds of processing that, “It’s actually something I think will be very crucial to your studies going forward. As much as it pains me to admit it, your abilities exceed mine. There’s going to be things I can’t teach you about your power. I can show you how to get there, but I have no idea where the limits of your magic lie. You’d need the best for that.” “Oh…” Flurry muttered, not sure where this was leading. “So, I decided I’d just get the best,” Sunset announced, motioning outwards to direct Flurry’s attention to just outside her field of vision. Somehow, she had completely missed the tall purple alicorn with the flowing mane standing several feet behind and to the left of Sunset. “Hi,” Twilight awkwardly waved in the back, giving what she hoped was a winning smile. Sunset looked back to see Twilight was both straggling much further behind her than she initially thought and was doing that thing she did when she was nervous where she showed off every tooth she had. Good start. “Aunt Twilight? What are you doing over there?” Flurry asked. Twilight waved a hoof. “Oh, you know. I was just…hanging around. Just thought I’d come out here and ‘chill’ with you guys for a bit. My homies.” Flurry blinked in response. Sunset facehoofed. Was it possible for words to cause you physical pain? Sunset felt it must have been, because that hurt. She thought she had started this off with such a nice speech too. Switching tactics from treating this like a surgical procedure to instead treating it like removing a band-aid, Sunset used her magic to quite literally drag Twilight to her side. “Flurry, we’ve had a talk and we’ve decided that from now on it would be best for Twilight to have a hoof in your lessons,” Sunset announced, waving a foreleg to introduce the alicorn that skidded to a stop right beside her. Seconds passed as Flurry and Twilight awkwardly stared at each other. “Say something,” Sunset whispered through her teeth at Twilight who was still holding an unnaturally wide smile. “ahem…um, right! That’s right! Sunset believes you could benefit from some additional instruction. From me. I’m the additional instruction. Heh,” Twilight stitched together before resuming her smile and darting her eyes over to Sunset in search of some indication that she wasn’t totally blowing it. Sunset took pity on the poor Princess and signaled that it was “good enough” with a nod. A little awkward, if she was being really generous, but it should get things moving. Flurry’s lip trembled and her eye began to twitch in a way Sunset was positive she had seen before. “Are…you…KIDDING ME!?” Sunset had to admit, blistering fury was not the direction she expected this to go. She also didn’t expect Flurry to literally leap from her seat on the fountain and start advancing on Twilight like a tiger stalking its prey. “Do you have ANY idea how many times over the years I’ve asked, practically begged, you for help!? Do you!?” Flurry almost barked at her aunt who had little choice but to back up. “Flurry I—” “Don’t bother trying to remember. I know I lost count YEARS ago. I do remember every excuse you gave me though. Every time, it was always ‘Flurry, I’m too busy’ or ‘Flurry, your mother can teach you’ or ‘Flurry, you don’t have time for that’.” Sunset was too shocked to properly react as she watched the outraged alicorn back her aunt into a corner. “Flurry, please calm down. I know I haven’t—” “No! I’m not done!” Flurry interrupted once again before Twilight could get a word in edgewise. “I even tried to enroll in that stupid school of yours, but you didn’t have anything to say at all when Mom decided the Crystal Empire just couldn’t survive without its poster princess for more than a month! Of course, it’s not like ANY of your ‘oh so important duties’ ever stopped you from having time to give to that sunrise-colored bookworm you adore so much!” “Flurry, that’s not fai—” “BUT, do you know the best part? For a while there, I ACTUALLY BELIEVED you couldn’t teach me! Poor Princess Twilight’s holding the world on her shoulders after all. Who has time for family when they’re sooo important? But, surprise surprise, I guess I just wasn’t important enough. All that needed to happen was for somepony you actually respect to ask you and that packed schedule cleared right up!” Sunset noticed Flurry had practically backed Twilight into a wall and decided enough was enough. Flurry put herself right into Twilight’s face as she prepared to give her grand finish. “You wanna know what I think?! I think you jus-OW! OW OW OW!” Flurry shouted; her big finish cut short by a stinging pain. “That’s enough, Flurry,” Sunset stated with no room for argument, her horn surging with blazing red power. “Okay, okay! Just please stop! Not the ear! Not the ear!” Flurry whimpered, immediately cowed by the red aura jerking on her sensitive appendage. Sunset released Flurry Heart’s ear, trusting that would at least get her to think about her next action before she said something she’d regret. “Yow, why’d you have to twist it too?” Flurry muttered, rubbing the sore spot. “You’re lucky I let you keep it at all after that outburst,” Sunset calmly stated. Flurry gulped in fear. She was used to being chewed out for her behavior. Desensitized to it even. Her mother or aunt raising their voices at her was practically routine at this point. Sunset wasn’t doing that. She was doing the thing her dad did. He only did it a hoof full of times in her entire life, but she always remembered the times he did it and made sure to never repeat the mistake again. No screaming, no righteous anger, not even a look of outrage. Just the clear picture that he was bitterly disappointed in her. “Is that how you treat all the ponies who try to help you? By going off on them with every single repressed emotion you have in you?” Sunset continued, stepping in front of the younger princess to look her in the eye. “Do you think that helps anypony?” “I—” “No. You had your chance to talk. Twilight came here with me to help you, Flurry. You and I both know she has a million different things to do, but she still came to you because I told her that you needed her. She’s not always going to have time for you or me, and I get that that isn’t fair to anypony, but what do you expect to accomplish by chasing her off anytime she wants to spend time with you? Well!?” At this point, Flurry’s eyes had actually started to glisten over as she shrunk further and further into herself in shame, but Sunset was far too invested in her own silent fury to take notice. Ultimately it was Twilight who came to Flurry’s rescue, placing herself between them to reign Sunset in. “Okay, I think we should all take a moment to calm down. Sunset, could you please give us a moment alone?” Sunset looked like she was considering saying something, but ultimately nodded and respected Twilight’s request, storming off to the fountain in a noticeably still prickly mood. Twilight sighed. She had to fix this, but it was broken so long ago. She turned to face her dejected niece, curled in on herself. Sunset’s words had clearly struck a chord. Twilight tried to think of the words she needed to say, but in the end, they never came. It made sense. If they were there, she probably would have said them a long time ago. Instead, she walked over to Flurry and took a seat beside her on the cool grass. Moments of uncomfortable silence passed. Twilight hoped and wished for the right thing to just come to her, but it still never did. Ultimately, it was Flurry who broke the silence. “What happened to us?” Twilight turned to look at Flurry and saw the eyes of a child staring back and it broke her heart because that was just another question she had no answer to. “When did things change so much?” Flurry rephrased. Twilight thought about it, and for once she realized she knew the answer. “When we didn’t.” Flurry shook her head. “Really? I don’t feel the same.” “...neither do I.” “Aunt Twilight? Are you…happy?” Flurry asked a seemingly simple question. Twilight turned away from Flurry Heart at the sudden query. Was she happy? How could she not be? She had everything most ponies only dared to dream of. A castle, a kingdom, limitless wealth and power, abilities beyond comprehension, the love and adoration of millions. Yet again, she knew the answer. “No. I’m not.” “I didn’t think so. I’m not happy much anymore either and Mom is downright miserable.” “I know.” Flurry sunk even lower. Questions she knew the answer to but had never had the guts to ask. There was just one more left. “Can we fix this? Do you think that…maybe...there’s a chance we can be happy again?” Flurry asked. The only question with an answer she wasn’t sure of. Twilight looked up towards the sky. She had asked that question herself before. She had never known the answer. She still didn’t know the answer now. “I don’t know, Flurry…” Flurry dropped her gaze. That was it then. “…but, I think I would like to try.” Flurry snapped up back to her Aunt to look her in the eyes. In them, she saw something she hadn’t seen in a long time. A little Sparkle. “Flurry, I’m sorry. Really, I am. I’ve spent a long time feeling sorry for myself because I felt so alone. I didn’t realize that because of that, I’ve been making you feel alone. You’re right. I’ve made a lot of excuses over the years. Reasons why I can’t teach you, why I can’t spend time with you. They weren’t lies, but they also weren’t the truth either. I didn’t have time for you because I didn’t try hard enough to make time. From now on, that’s going to change.” Flurry didn’t say anything in response. Instead, she latched onto Twilight in a desperate embrace. Twilight was stunned at first, not expecting Flurry to react so strongly. It had been decades since her niece had held onto her like this. Like a small foal who just wanted to be held. Twilight obliged and after a few seconds brought her forelegs up to hold her niece tight. “I’m sorry too,” Flurry whimpered. “Aunt Sunset was right. I like to blame you and Mom, but I’ve only ever made it harder for myself, haven’t I?” “Well, she’s blunt, but she has a way of making a point, doesn’t she?” Twilight nodded while stroking Flurry’s hair. “I’ve never been so scared in all my life,” Flurry admitted, “She must have been a terrifying bad guy.” Twilight laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you she was less threatening when she was evil?” They stayed like that for only a few more minutes, but to them, it felt like hours. Eventually, Flurry Heart pulled away. Twilight noted the tears in her eyes and reached a hoof up to wipe them away. She had her father’s eyes. Shiny’s eyes. Twilight realized she didn’t appreciate that enough. Some days it outright pained her, but not anymore. “I love you, Flurry. With all my heart.” “I love you too, Aunt Twily.” Twilight grinned. It had been a long time since she had last heard that nickname. The first words she had ever heard her speak. “Well, what do you say I give you a magic lesson?” Sunset watched Flurry and Twilight start to head this way from her position on the rim of the fountain and breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like Twilight had pulled it together after all. Of course she did. Only after cooling off did she start to worry if she was too hard on Flurry. Something in her just couldn’t stand seeing her treat Twilight like that. “Flurry…” Sunset began when the pair of princesses got within range. Sunset never got to finish that sentence as a wave of yellow magic washed over her and pulled her from her spot into the waiting forelegs of an apologetic princess. “I’m sorry. You were trying to do something for me, and I almost ruined it,” Flurry softly apologized as she wrapped Sunset in a firm hug. Firm to an alicorn that is. Sunset was not an alicorn. “Apology…accepted,” Sunset gasped feeling the air being squeezed from her lungs like toothpaste. Her forgiveness only made Flurry intensify her hold in joyful endearment, but to Sunset it felt like a Python had just decided to get serious. “Flurry…can’t…breathe,” Sunset begged. She looked over to Twilight and pleaded for salvation with her eyes only to find an amused alicorn looking back at her. Ah, there was her karma for leaving Twilight out to dry with the Pies and their love of rib-shattering hugs. It took longer than usual to get her this time. Thankfully, Twilight did take pity on her. “Flurry, Honey, you’re crushing her.” “Oh! Oops, Sorry, Aunt Sunset,” Flurry apologized while quickly letting go of the smaller unicorn, perhaps too quickly as Sunset fell to the floor gasping for air. “Sunset, are you alright?” Twilight asked, legitimately concerned now as she swiftly walked up next to Flurry to check on the downed pony. “huff…this family is going to be the death of me,” “She’s okay,” Flurry confirmed. “Don’t anypony rush to help me up or anything.” Twilight used her magic to pull the poor disgruntled unicorn to her side and set her on her hooves. Twilight then went the extra mile of using her hoof to smooth out the messy patches of her fur and mane that were rubbed out of place. Sunset didn’t exactly look happy, but she did nothing to stop her. “So, what can you teach me today?” Flurry Heart giddily asked, taking her position before them now that her two teachers were present. Twilight stepped up to answer. “Well, from what I’ve seen, you’ve been practicing with your magical dexterity, but there is still an underlying problem with power regulation. Knowing how to manipulate your magic isn’t a bad start, but you won’t be able to properly cast spells until you can confidently use the exact amount of power you need in any situation. Sudden fluctuations during spellcasting would be disastrous with your level of power.” “I can second that,” Sunset commented. Her geode had been so kind as to remind her of how her first attempts with unregulated magic went. “Okay, so how can I learn to do that?” Flurry asked. Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, thinking out loud to both herself and the ponies present. “You need to understand your power and be comfortable with it in all its forms. That means you need a way to use your power. All of it.” “All of it?! Isn’t that the exact opposite of what I’m supposed to do? Half the reason I’m doing this is so ponies stop worrying that I’m going to accidentally blow up Equestria,” Flurry balked at the suggestion. “And that’s the problem,” Twilight nodded, “You’re never going to be able to control your power if you’re afraid of it and what it can do.” Sunset remained silent throughout Twilight’s lecture, trusting she knew what was best in this circumstance, but she wasn’t certain she like the direction this was heading. “Ok, so let’s just say that you’re right and I do need to play around with my magic. How in the world am I supposed to do that? Do you have a few spare cities you’re not going to miss?” Flurry asked in what sounded like sarcasm at first, but upon closer inspection was an attempt to mask her discomfort. Twilight just smiled. “Giving you an outlet will definitely be challenging, but I do have an idea.” Sunset was practically sweating bullets at the scene she was watching unfold. She had always thought Twilight to be the most intelligent pony she knew. Even she never could quite match up to the amount of grey matter the Princess possessed. The only other person who matched up…was another Twilight. Yet, this brilliant idea of hers was certainly making her reevaluate, at the very least, the state of Twilight’s sanity. “So, just so we’re absolutely, positively, one hundred and ten percent clear, tell me what you want me to do again!” Flurry Heart shouted to the edge of the field several yards away from the fountain they stood in front of. “Hit me!” Twilight shouted back. “Aunt Sunset, you’ll bail me out if I get arrested for regicide, right?” “Flurry, my cell will be the one next to yours,” Sunset moaned, preparing her best possible shield spell just in case it might make a difference. Doubtful, given Flurry had practically shredded her defenses and she wasn’t delusional enough to believe Flurry had given anything close to her all with those attacks, but it couldn’t hurt to at least try to give Twilight some extra protection. “Remember, give it everything you have! Don’t hold anything back!” Twilight shouted at them. “Like, ‘everything’ everything?!” Flurry questioned, blatantly stalling. “Yes! Everything! There’s no point doing this if you don’t! Don’t worry, I can take it!” Twilight called back. “Ok,” Flurry muttered, drawing power into her horn. Twilight sensed the sharp increase in magical energy and readied her own horn in anticipation. Truth be told, she was almost a little excited. It had been a while since she had really had a chance to put her own power to the test. Very little offered her much of a challenge at the level she was at now. “Isn’t that enough?” Sunset asked Flurry whose horn was practically crackling like a storm from the amount of magical energy she was gathering. “She said everything!” Flurry grunted, pulling power from reserves inside her she had never dared to even touch before. Every drop of power that existed inside her was brought to the surface. Sunset gawked, beginning to consider the merits of preparing a shield for herself as well. Twilight could hardly see Flurry anymore, the magic beacon of her horn growing so luminescent that it blocked her from view. Judging by the way the air was swelling, Flurry was still building power even now. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind anymore that she had done Flurry Heart a great disservice. No other pony, save for Celestia herself, could have managed the full extent of Flurry’s strength. She, however, was more than ready for it. Twilight smiled in anticipation. A twenty-sided die clattered onto a table, the number five landing face up. “Uh-oh. Looks like another low roll. Captain Wuzz’s arrow ricochets off the armored knight’s shield and severs the ropes supporting the bridge, sending you falling into the canyon below,” Spike read out of the gamebook. “Again!? That’s the fifth time in a row! Just admit it. You’ve been rigging this game against me for over seventy years and one day I’m going to prove it!” “Discord, we’re on the same team.” “A convenient excuse for a treacherous wizard who wants the throne of Discordopolis all to himself. I’m onto you, Garbunkle,” Discord sneered across the table at the dragon in a wizard’s hat. “That doesn’t even make any sense. You know it takes both of us to break the Snake Sorcerer’s enchantment on the castle.” “So, that’s your game then? Use me to gain access to the palace before stabbing me in the back?” Discord accused, gesturing to his backside which had a dagger protruding out of it. “Like we’re going to make it that far with the way you’re rolling,” Spike muttered. “I heard tha…hang on a second. Do you feel that?” Discord asked. “Feel wha—“ *CRASH* “Woah!” Spike yelped as seemingly the entire castle shook, throwing him off his seat onto the floor and tossing their game of Ogres and Oubliettes around the room. “That,” Discord answered as though nothing spectacular had happened. “Hang on. Does that count as a roll? Oh, it’s a three. Whatever,” Discord shrugged, flapping his way over to a nearby castle window to look out in the direction of the magical surge. “What was that!?” Spike asked, picking himself up off the floor and fixing his hat. “That, my dear friend, was the sound of excitement. Garbunkle, we’ll have to put a pin in this game. Let’s go have a look at something a little more…chaotic.” Flurry Heart slumped down into a prone position, gasping in exhaustion. “Wow. What a rush. I’ve never…used…that much power before.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to be awestruck by first. The gaping chasm of dirt and grass that Flurry’s blast had carved through like a hot knife through butter or the smoking crater the chasm led to that used to be the position of one Princess of Friendship. A princess Sunset could no longer see. No sooner than she started worrying did Twilight emerge from the cloud of smoke, slightly worse for wear, but in one piece and borderline glowing with pride. “That was good, Flurry! Now, hit me again!” “WHAT!?” Sunset and Flurry shouted in unison. “This time, use as much power as I tell you to, okay!? You need to be able to control exactly how much you use!” Flurry shakily got back to her hooves and started to charge up her horn again. “Okay, sure. She shrugged off my best shot already anyway.” “Yeah. She did,” Sunset muttered, only now starting to appreciate that. Twilight was powerful. She knew that. She was the element of magic. She moves around the sun and moon. But nothing quite put things into perspective like watching her easily block an attack that would have obliterated the castle had she not been standing in front of it. Flurry and Twilight began to go back and forth, Flurry firing a shot at Twilight’s instruction that the Princess of Friendship would block with a simple shield spell. Twilight would coach Flurry on whether the attack was too hard or too soft until eventually, Flurry Heart began to hit the mark more consistently. From there, Twilight made things more complicated. Twilight would request certain patterns of shots, then certain patterns composed of shots with various amounts of power. Eventually, even Flurry Heart of all ponies had actually exhausted her own supply of magic and collapsed, panting from the extensive workout. Twilight teleported to her side with nothing to really show for the exchange beyond a light sweat that actually made her glow more than anything. “Good work today, Flurry. I think you’ve made some real progress today.” “I did? Then why do I feel so awful?” Flurry moaned. “That’s called being tired, Flurry,” Twilight informed her niece. “It’s something you’ll need to get used to.” “So, does this mean I’ll be ready to start learning spells and stuff soon?” “I’d say you’re well on your way, but no matter how gifted you are it’s not a fast or easy process. You have to keep that in mind,” Twilight cautioned. “Ugh. Okay. I still wish that I could at least see some more magic besides a carriage full of energy blasts,” Flurry complained, rolling over to lay on her side. “Maybe you can,” Sunset suggested. Twilight and Flurry both turned to look at her, questions written on their faces. “In my experience, it’s usually important to show examples of the concepts you teach. If Flurry Heart is going to learn to use powerful magic, she should be able to see powerful magic in action,” Sunset reasoned in a way that sounded akin to a sales pitch. “So, we should put on a magic show or something?” Twilight guessed, causing Flurry to recoil in displeasure at the idea of something so childish. “No. I had something a bit more exciting in mind,” Sunset smirked, the idea thrilling her. “How exciting exactly?” Twilight asked, still not seeing what Sunset was advocating for. “The sort of exciting that can only happen when two master class magic users are together,” Sunset said, sauntering up to Twilight. The clueless look on Twilight’s face told Sunset she’d have to spell this one out. “A duel, Twilight. Me and you.” “Cool!” Flurry exclaimed, shooting up from the ground with a renewed energy. “You’re gonna fight!?” “What?! No, we’re not!” Twilight denied immediately. “Come on, Twi, it’ll be fun,” Sunset waved off. “What’s ‘fun’ about beating each other up!” “Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll go easy on you.” “That’s not…what did you just say?” Twilight bristled, bending her head down to come face to face with the smug unicorn. “That’s funny,” Sunset said, bringing up a hoof to cup Twilight’s chin in a way that was reminiscent of their very first faceoff, “All these years I thought those were alicorn wings, not chicken wings.” Just for old times’ sake, she gave Twilight’s chin a gentle flick to punctuate her arrogance. Flurry Heart snorted in the background as Twilight stood stunned in shock, taking a brief few seconds to recompose. “Well, I have to admit, I forgot how good you used to be at making me want to hit you, but my ego’s not that fragile,” Twilight responded once she had recovered from the offense. “Yeah, I know,” Sunset admitted, not even bothering to deny she had done that solely to ruffle the Princess’s feathers. “Why do you want this anyway? Surely there are easier and less destructive ways to demonstrate the art of spellcasting,” Twilight said. “Not as epic though,” Flurry commented from the side. “Well, just look at you, Twi. You’re amazing. The very best at basically everything. Between you and every other pony that’s ever had a horn on their head, it’s absolutely no contest,” Sunset broke down. Twilight couldn’t beat down the shade of red that came over her face at the compliments and just hoped nopony would notice. “I’m not the best. I’ll never be the best. That doesn’t mean I can stop myself from wanting to be. And if I can’t be the best, then I at least want to be the best me, and that means I have to know how well I measure up to the best. To you,” Sunset explained. Twilight understood what Sunset was saying. She was the same. She always had been, but she still wasn’t sure she was exactly comfortable with the idea. “Sunset, I understand that, but I’m just not sure I can…” Twilight trailed off. “What?” Sunset asked, confused. “…hurt you,” Twilight admitted, turning her gaze to the side. “Twi, I’m not made of glass. I can handle getting a little roughed up. Just ask Flurry.” “Yep! I hit her really hard,” Flurry smiled. “Thanks, kiddo.” Twilight looked between the two, more concerned than convinced. “Look,” Sunset stated, trying a different approach, “how often do either of us really get to use any of the stuff we’ve spent years studying?” Twilight thought about it for a second and found the answer to be not nearly as often as she liked. Sitting on a throne for most of the day didn’t usually require much magic. “Wouldn’t it be nice to just cut loose? I mean, within reason of course. I am kind of expecting you not to incinerate me or anything, but I definitely want to see just how much you’ve got in that big beautiful brain of yours now,” Sunset honestly stated. When Sunset phrased it like that, it did sound pretty tempting. Her adrenaline was already flowing just from training Flurry and that was nothing more than shielding a bunch of mana. The chance to really show off what she could do against somepony that could at least contend with her skill was something she hadn’t had since… “If I went along with this, will you let me set the rules?” Sunset nodded. “Is that a yes?” “…alright. One duel.” Sunset smiled, feeling the anticipation and excitement that had been building within her take to new levels. How was it that Rainbow Dash would have described it again? “This is going to be so awesome!” Flurry cheered. Yeah, that was it. Author's Note I hope it shows that I honestly had a lot of fun writing this chapter because I did. Next chapter we get to see a little bit more of what Twily is capable of, and maybe Sunset will have one or two surprises of her own. Hope everyone looks forward to it. As always, don't ever be afraid to share your thoughts.
Chapter 17: Twilight Against SunsetTwilight and Sunset stared each other down from opposite ends of the field, situated on the half of the courtyard that hadn’t yet been utterly demolished. Cyan eyes met violet ones. Sunset locked onto the Princess with a sharp focus while Twilight stared back uncertainly. A tense stillness filled the air with only the running water of the courtyard’s fountain breaking through the gentle breeze. Flurry watched on from the sidelines with bated breath, nearly shaking in excitement. Sunset steadied her breath in anticipation. She needed her full focus now. It wasn’t every day she was provided a chance to lock horns with a sorcerer of Twilight’s caliber. In fact, she had never really been afforded a chance like this until now. As arrogant as it made her sound, no unicorn had ever even come close to measuring up to her. That was just the truth of the matter. In her day, she was the unchallenged princess of Celestia’s school. It didn’t matter if the pony in question was her senior or junior. They were crushed just the same on the rare occurrence they dared to stand up to the pint-sized powerhouse of a filly. Now, while Sunset fully understood that wielding her power in such a manner had been beyond wrong, it still went to show just how much she had completely outclassed everypony else. It was almost ironic that more powerful unicorns emerged only after she fled Equestria. If what Twilight had written her was any indication, Starlight Glimmer’s magical ability could have very well surpassed her own. Then the great, but apparently not at all late, Star Swirl the Bearded had returned from limbo. She had even missed the talents of the new generation of unicorns if Luster Dawn was any indication. Now that the primes of all those unicorns had passed her by, her standing in Equestria wasn’t actually all that different from what it had been all those decades ago. Her mindset, on the other hoof, couldn’t have been more so. She had enjoyed the ease with which she had remained on top in the past. Relished it. For all the tireless hours of work, practice, and study she had put in, it had all only been for the solitary purpose of pushing others down and ensuring that she remained on top. Now, the same situation no longer held any appeal to her. Now, she worked to push herself. But what was an unnaturally strong unicorn to do for a challenge in a land that was currently short on prodigies? The obvious solution was to pick fights with royalty. Sunset could no longer suppress the smirk she had been attempting to bury under a poker face as she sized Twilight up. Just look at her. She could only imagine the fit she would have thrown over it had she only known. To think, that little purple twerp Celestia and Cadenza fawned over would one day grow to become a magnificent princess. Even staring straight at her now, it was a difficult sight to properly digest. Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful pony on the planet. It was funny how the truth could still sound wrong, but she was looking at just that. In a way, this had been a long time coming. Celestia’s faithful and fallen pupil, fated to do battle. In retrospect, it was almost a little disappointing that their first encounter all those years ago had involved so little magic. Both of them were taken out of the element that defined them. Two teenage girls rolling around on the ground over a prom crown was not quite the epic confrontation she had imagined in retrospect. Well, better late than never. While Sunset knew full well who the superior pony was between them, she had always wondered just how far she could push the princess. It was time to find out. “Here are the ground rules!” Twilight announced to her friend and soon-to-be opponent. “Rule one! Raw magic will be regulated to stun blasts only!” Sunset nodded her understanding. No blowing things, or each other, up. Got it. “Rule two! All areas outside of the courtyard are considered out of bounds!” Sunset nodded again. Keep it contained and subdued. “And, Rule three! The winner of this contest will only be decided by whoever successfully subdues their opponent!” Sunset confirmed her understanding one final time. It was pretty standard, all things considered. It seemed Twilight was opting for a ruleset that discouraged physical brutality, which was fine by her. This was meant to be a test of skill, and she was in no rush to take direct shots from an alicorn again. Still, Sunset knew subduing Twilight wouldn’t be easy. She doubted the trick she pulled on Flurry would work on Twilight. Guess she’d have to try and work something out. “Ready when you are, Princess!” Sunset called out to her, a gleam in her eye that Twilight hadn’t seen in many years. She had never imagined she’d be on the other side of that gaze again. The analyzing stare that was disassembling her with a glance, sizing her up, searching for faults and weaknesses. Anything that would give her an advantage and allow her the chance to take Twilight down. It was somewhat unnerving to have Sunset look at her like that again. Twilight tentatively assumed a battle-ready stance to mirror Sunset’s own, wordlessly conveying her intention to begin the contest of magic. It was far too late for second thoughts at this point. The battleground grew deathly silent in anticipation, neither alicorn nor unicorn daring to make the first move. Sunset begged Twilight to show her what she could do with just her eyes. Flurry could practically feel the tension in the air. Sunset crouched in anticipation while Twilight held stiff in trepidation. “Hm, do you think it would help to sound them off?” A new voice inquired from beside her. “Uncle Discord? Uncle Spike!?” Flurry turned to her side in surprise, the lanky draconequus and buff dragon standing beside her when they most certainly hadn’t been there before. Spike gave her a courteous wave with an expression that indicated he was not here by choice. “Well, only one way to find out,” Discord resolved, snapping an eagle claw. *DING*DING*DING* Twilight jumped at the bell and released a burst of magic that missed the unicorn facing her by a mile. Sunset raised an eyebrow at the shot that had practically been thrown away and held off on any sort of counterattack. That was not at all what she had been waiting for. Sensing Sunset was daring her to make another move, Twilight charged up her horn for a second time and fired another burst of magic, this one coming far closer, but still plainly missing the unicorn who didn’t move a muscle in reaction. If there was any doubt in Sunset’s mind before, it was firmly quashed now. Twilight wasn’t even trying to hit her. Sunset’s eyes narrowed in a harsh warning, sending a clear message to Twilight. Maybe Twilight wasn’t a fan of hurting her, but that was just a nice way of saying that she didn’t think she could handle it. Fine. If Twilight didn’t think she was up to anything an alicorn could dish out, she’d just have to show her why it wasn’t a good idea to take Sunset Shimmer lightly. “Okay, Twi. My turn,” Sunset warned. Twilight fidgeted, Sunset’s tone making her uneasy. She saw Sunset’s horn ignite with a red surge of magical energy and in nearly the same span release that energy as a crimson orb of crackling power flung directly at her. Twilight’s eyes shot open in shock. Both the power amassed and the speed at which it was collected and sent barreling at her taking her by surprise to the point where she nearly failed to throw up a shield in time. “GAH!” Twilight yelped, the orb ramming into her crude barrier like a vengeful drill. In theory, there shouldn’t have been a problem. The magic she now defended against wasn’t anywhere close to the sheer might of Flurry’s barrage that she had effortlessly fended off not even minutes prior, yet the difference in technique was astounding. Sunset had brought this magic together far faster, released it far quicker, and focused it to an absurd degree. While Flurry had simply sent waves of wild untamed magic at her in showers of energy that fell off as quickly as they arrived, Sunset had hit her with purpose and precision. She could feel the attack actively eating away at the pathetic last-minute shield spell she had thrown in front of it, and while Sunset may not have been an alicorn, her magic was still far beyond any unicorn. In conclusion, she didn’t stand a chance. Twilight’s shield shattered into pieces like glass, and the alicorn was flung back clean onto her rear, her crown knocked askew and falling over one eye. “Woah!” Flurry Heart gasped in astonishment, “Aunt Sunset just knocked Aunt Twilight onto her big fat butt!” Twilight sputtered to recover from the embarrassment, not even certain what to focus on. Eventually, she settled on the most important matter. “My butt’s not that big!” “Oh please, Twilight. You’re a sandwich away from Celestia,” Discord chuckled, bringing attention to his presence. Twilight’s face was an impressive mixture of surprise, shame, and frustration. “Discord!?” “What? Truthfully, it was an honest compliment. You turn every head in any room you leave.” “What are you doing here?” Twilight huffed, forcing herself to ignore his backhanded praises. She probably should have noticed before now. There were no bells in the courtyard. Discord shrugged his shoulders and fell back into a camping chair. “You didn’t really expect to blow up the castle without me coming to watch, did you?” “Yeah, I’m going to have to ask you to please not do that,” Spike requested from beside him. Judging by the large gashes of dirt missing, the castle landscapers were already going to be demanding a raise for this one. Discord materialized a pair of shades and placed them over his eyes, making it clear he was here to watch the show. “Now, a word of advice, Twilight. I suggest you start taking this little tussle a skosh more seriously. The little fireball packs a wallop.” Twilight gave the draconequus a disapproving stare but nodded a concession. Sunset had successfully wounded her pride. Twilight got back on all four hooves and turned back to face Sunset who was patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation. A seemingly honorable gesture was it not for the smug self-satisfied look that adorned the unicorn’s face. “So, did that get the point across, or do I have to knock you on your royal backside again?” Twilight brought up a hoof to straighten her crown back into its proper position, a fire now lit inside her. “Oh, believe me, Sunset. That won’t be happening again.” Sunset grinned back at her. It seemed Twilight had a competitive streak in her after all. Sunset was eager to put it to the test. “Okay, Twilight. Let’s play.” Sunset launched a scattershot of magic pellets in Twilight’s direction. Twilight effortlessly shielded the hail, this time completely prepared for the offensive, and quickly dropped her shield to send a counter beam at Sunset. The magic only found empty grass, Sunset warping out of the way just before the beam made contact. Twilight flicked her ears. A novice would no doubt be disoriented by the sudden loss of visual contact with their opponent, blindly guessing for one of the infinite potential positions the opposition would take upon reappearing. She, on the other hoof, knew that all she had to do was listen for the pop. Twilight turned around and fired a shot in the direction of the offending sound. “Ghk!?” a strangled voice gasped in shock as a current of magic passed through her and rendered her momentarily unable to move, leaving her to collapse on the ground in a heap. Sunset twitched, willing her body to respond to her again. Just like they had agreed upon, their magic could only be used to stun. No risk of permanent damage, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still an uncomfortable jolt of paralyzing energy. Twilight patiently watched Sunset struggle back onto her hooves, passing up the advantage and the chance to potentially secure her victory. “Okay, I guess that one was a little obvious,” Sunset groaned, still feeling the effects of Twilight’s magic. Alicorn magic was potent. That didn’t exactly come as a surprise, but it wasn’t something you could fully comprehend until you were on the receiving end of it. Amazingly, Sunset only now realized this was her first time really getting to taste it. Celestia had, of course, never laid a hoof on her, and Cadenza, heaven knows how had always been able to restrain herself from retaliating against even her nastiest antics. Even Flurry Heart had never actually managed to strike her in any way that wasn’t physical. Twilight was the first, and she wouldn’t complain if she was also the last. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked, her face quickly shifting into one of concern at seeing the difficulty Sunset was having, shaking off her attack. Did she overdo it? “Yeah…yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shocked. Being electrocuted has nothing on that.” “We can stop if you want,” Twilight suggested. Sunset scoffed. “You really think one hit is enough to take me out? I’m just getting warmed up,” Sunset boasted, her pride doing an amazing job of shaking her out of her daze or at least allowing her to appear as though it had. Twilight nodded and reassumed a more guarded position. Sunset began pacing around Twilight who held her ground. Catching Twilight off-guard earlier probably gave her more confidence than was strictly healthy. She was still the underdog in this fight. It wasn’t a position she was used to, but Sunset prided herself on her ability to adapt and get creative. She needed to fight smarter if she wanted to keep this competitive. Sunset fired a blast of magic directly in front of Twilight. Twilight stared, baffled at the simple analog alarm clock Sunset had materialized before her. She turned to the unicorn with a questioning glance only to catch a red flash as Sunset once again teleported out of sight. Twilight was left hopelessly confused. Sunset of all ponies wasn’t the type to make the same mistake twice and yet she immediately attempted the same move that had backfired on her once already. Surely, she realized that all she had to do was listen for… Twilight flinched as the clock in front of her began ringing at an obnoxious volume, shaking around in the grass as it filled the air with the clattering sound of metal. She folded her ears against her head in a desperate attempt to drown out the racket. How was she meant to hear anything when that thing was clattering awa…oh. Twilight felt the electrifying charge of Sunset’s magic strike her from behind and run straight through her. Twilight whipped around to look in the direction of the attack only to find nothing there. She grit her chattering teeth when, for a second time, she felt the unpleasant shock of Sunset’s magic course through her, this time with considerably more power than before. Enough to cause her to stumble as she turned again to catch nothing. Quickly growing tired of this game, Twilight covered herself in a dome of magic and swiftly brought a hoof down to smash the offending noise that was preventing her from hearing Sunset’s movements, the mechanism shattering into a sputtering heap. The sizzling sound of magic connecting with her barrier alerted Twilight to Sunset’s position. “Got you!” Twilight shouted in victory, whipping in her direction and grabbing hold of the amber unicorn in her magic. Sunset struggled to move in Twilight’s magenta-colored telekinetic grip but found absolutely no give for her efforts. Twilight had held her with magic before in a gentle touch Sunset had come to associate with her. That gentle touch had turned solid now, just as firm as stone. “You know, that was a pretty cheap trick,” Twilight commented, moving forward to stand in front of the immobile unicorn. “Are you kidding?” Sunset huffed, feebly trying to get any motion at all out of her body, but it seemed she wasn’t going anywhere so long as Twilight didn’t feel like allowing it. “What do you want me to do? Even that barely slowed you down. It was like trying to tranquilize an elephant,” Sunset growled, admittedly a little frustrated at the clear power discrepancy between them. She definitely didn’t go light on that second charge. Twilight frowned. “You know, you all really do wonders for my self-esteem.” Sunset didn’t even acknowledge that and continued her fight against Twilight’s magic to no avail. Surely, this couldn’t be over already? Yet, it seemed she had no way of overpowering Twilight’s magic no matter how hard she pushed. “Sunset, that’s not going to work,” Twilight confirmed for her, infuriatingly starting to take amusement in watching her valiant struggle. Sunset fumed at the injustice. It’s not like she could do something like this to Twilight. A lightbulb went off in her head. She couldn’t do something like this to Twilight and maybe her magic couldn’t directly overpower Twilight’s magic, but it certainly could still affect Twilight. “You know, Twi, I always wondered, isn’t it a bit of a pain having a mane that long? I mean, sure, you look pretty, but it seems like it’d get in the way a lot.” Twilight was caught by surprise at Sunset’s sudden choice of topic, a light red blush coloring her face. “Oh, uhm, well—” Twilight never got a chance to finish the sentence as before she knew it, a red magic aura had taken hold of her hair and jerked it directly over her face like a curtain. “Boy, Aunt Sunset sure fights pretty dirty,” Flurry Heart commented, watching the rather ungraceful sight of her Aunt Twilight stumbling around to remove her long shimmering mane from her view. “I know. Isn’t it a treat?” Discord cackled, shoving a mound of popcorn into his mouth. “It’s definitely effective,” Spike shook his head in second-hand embarrassment. Twilight was gifted in many ways. So many things just came to her naturally. Sadly, physical coordination was still not one of them. “Sunset, I can’t see!” Twilight complained, stumbling backward. “That’s the idea, Twilight,” Sunset said, using her own magic to keep Twilight’s mane problematic as she saw her opportunity in Twilight’s blind movements. With a precise aim, Sunset bathed the grassy patch behind Twilight in her magic, converting the terrain into an Icy sheet. Just as expected, the tall alicorn backed onto it and her hooves immediately flew out from under her. “YAH!” Twilight screamed, her balance thrown off beyond any hope of saving as she ungracefully crashed onto her back, her focus broken, setting her unicorn prisoner free. Sunset winced in momentary sympathy at the hard landing but pressed her advantage. She summoned a lasso to aid her and with practiced skill, wrangled all four of Twilight’s legs in it, tightening the hold with a firm pull. She really needed to thank Applejack for teaching her so many useful skills. In a matter of moments, with the help of a few sturdy knots, she had a successfully hogtied princess before her. Twilight stared at her from the ground in disbelief, the entire event happening so fast she didn’t know quite how to react to the indignity. Sunset looked at the sight before her and couldn’t help but feel that it was missing something. In an arrogant flourish, Sunset used her magic to materialize an apple in Twilight’s muzzle. Perfect. “Well, somepony’s getting a pay cut,” Spike nodded, doing his best to tune out the draconequus that was practically dying beside him. Twilight laid there in shock for a few moments, processing the entire situation. The thick rope that was meant to hold Twilight in place snapped apart like it was little more than cheap string. Sunset paled at the sight. Somehow, she had completely forgotten Twilight had been gifted with strength beyond any Earth Pony and now she had a very ticked alicorn bearing down on her. “Ptheck!” Twilight spat out the offending fruit that had been placed into her mouth upon returning to a vertical position and advanced on Sunset, intent on giving her a piece of her mind. Sunset backed away to put some more distance between them, but as always, her stubby legs didn’t measure up too well to Twilight’s. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?” “You’re only sorry I can get my hooves on you!” Twilight asserted, getting right into Sunset’s face causing the unicorn in front of her to trip over herself. Sunset had to admit, that wasn’t untrue. She’d definitely have to go with chains next time. “You have two choices, Sunset. You can forfeit now, or you can take what’s coming to you,” Twilight cautioned her, an edge to her voice. Sunset wouldn’t lie, she was a little intimidated. Twilight could be pretty feisty when pushed, in a way her human counterpart never was. Yet, it was an intensity that Sunset found to also be quite thrilling. “Come on, Princess, we both know that, if you want to win, you’re going to have to put me down,” Sunset defiantly stated, getting back on her hooves and putting herself muzzle to muzzle with the alicorn. Twilight smiled a confident smirk like she was hoping for that exact response. "Oh, I'm not going to put you down.” Sunset began to regret her bravado in record time when she saw Twilight begin to charge up an ominous-looking spell, a look in her eye that said she wasn’t going to hesitate in her movements any longer. Taking a page out of Trixie’s playbook, Sunset summoned a cluster of smoke bombs to cover her escape, bathing them both in a dark cloud. Sunset only managed to teleport a short distance back before Twilight cleared the area of all obstruction with a few flaps of her large wings. The gas was forcefully blown aside for Sunset to take in the sight of an unphased Twilight, her spell still charged and ready in her horn. Sunset took the offensive now, tapping deeper into her well of power than she had so far to launch a beam of energy at her. If Twilight was intent on holding that spell, it’d be difficult for her to manage a shield. Even the most advanced mage would be hard-pressed not to burn themselves out doing that. Her attack met only open-air, not even coming close to striking the Princess who vanished from her spot, and yet strangely hadn’t used any sort of teleportation to escape, given the clear lack of a magical discharge. Sunset darted her eyes around, desperately trying to catch the trick she was missing. “Looking for somepony?” Twilight’s voice asked from directly behind a baffled Sunset. Sunset jumped at the Princess who was within spitting distance of her now. “What!? How did you—” “A speed spell. It’s pretty useful when you have somewhere to be,” Twilight nonchalantly explained, still holding her first spell. Sunset knew she was in trouble now. A speed spell, like Accelero, was the kind of magic most ponies spent their lives training to be capable of. Even she had a pretty poor handle on it before she had abandoned her studies. To use it in combination with any other spell was practically impossible, yet here she was. Twilight took her opportunity and unleashed the spell she had been holding in all this time, striking Sunset in the back. Sunset felt the tingling sensation wash through her and quickly whipped around to face Twilight who had a satisfied look on her face. “What was that?” Sunset questioned, admittedly a little panicked at having unknown magic placed on her. “I just thought I’d lighten the mood,” Twilight joked. Sunset didn’t get it, but she had a feeling that it was just as eye-roll-inducing as Twilight’s jokes usually were. She tried to take a step forward only to not make any progress as her hoof somehow managed to just barely miss the ground. As did her other hooves. Sunset panicked at the realization that she no longer was in contact with the ground and tried to latch onto the grass to keep herself grounded. It was only after her knee-jerk reaction that she realized how futile that was. “I miss having hands,” Sunset lamented only realizing after she tried it that grabbing things wasn’t something hooves were particularly good for. Sunset slowly floated clean off the ground and stopped several feet into the air, stuck suspended and weightless with absolutely no control over herself. “Twilight, what is this!?” Sunset demanded, running low on options and attempting to paddle her way back down. “That, Sunset, was a gravity spell. Usually, gravity spells only shift the forces of gravity, but sometimes it’s useful to nullify the effects altogether,” Twilight explained while getting up close to the helpless unicorn dangling at eye level with her. “Normally, it’s used for things like transporting cargo or clearing debris, but it can also be a very effective and easy method for immobilizing another pony,” Twilight smiled, bringing a hoof up to cup Sunset’s chin and steady her in place so she could look her directly in the eye. “It’s just basic physics. No gravity means no way to produce motion. Unless…” Sunset noticed the playful smile on the alicorn and didn’t like what it meant. “Twilight, don’t you dar—” “They are acted upon by an outside force,” Twilight concluded, giving Sunset’s chin a gentle flick that, in her position, sent her into a mid-air backflip. Twilight watched Sunset spin. She really did enjoy physics and Sunset was being such an excellent example of inertia. Twilight had enough mercy to use a hoof to bring Sunset back to rest, the poor amber unicorn beginning to turn green and latching onto the offered limb with her own hooves, desperate to stop spinning. “I think I’m gonna be sick,” Sunset gagged, praying for her world to just hold still. “Well, you look pretty subdued to me, Sunset. I believe that makes me the winner,” Twilight stated as a matter of fact. Sunset glared at Twilight. “This isn’t over yet.” Twilight shook the foreleg Sunset was holding onto, easily waving the unicorn around with it. “You make a better balloon than a pony at this point, Sunset. It’s over.” Sunset frowned at first before her expression morphed into a smile. Twilight was so sure of herself now that she was leaving herself wide open. She knew just how to wipe that smug look off Twilight’s face and she had her to thank for the idea. Without a word, Sunset powered up her horn and blasted Twilight in the face faster than she could blink. Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. Somehow, she didn’t expect Sunset to still insist on fighting her even when she was practically immobile. She should have known better. “Not as long as I can still use my magic,” Sunset defiantly bit back. Twilight felt she should probably hurry up with a sealing spell. Just as Twilight prepared to ignite her horn, her crown was ripped right off her head and plummeted towards the ground at an unusual speed. “That can't be good,” Twilight murmured, looking down. “You know, Princess, I’m pretty fond of physics too,” Sunset mentioned, bringing her attention back to her supposedly helpless assistant who had a borderline evil look of triumph on her face. “I have to admit, using a gravity spell was very creative, but maybe you’re going in the wrong direction.” She attempted to lift her horn again for the spell only to find that simple task was now suddenly a decent struggle. “Sunset…what—” “If you really want to keep somepony down, Twilight, you need more gravity, not less,” Sunset pretended to idly explain, while Twilight began to shake considerably. “Maybe twice as much.” Twilight felt her hooves begin to slip out from under her like even the ground was trying to get out of her way. “Or maybe five times as much.” Twilight went to her knees, feeling as though an enormous weight was being slowly loaded onto her shoulders. One that she was not prepared to bear. “If you really want to be sure, you could even do ten times as much.” Twilight slammed onto the ground, belly first, squeezing the wind out of her, her long limbs splaying out to the side in a star formation and just as pinned down as the rest of her. “For a normal pony that is. For a big strong alicorn, I was thinking something along the lines of a hundred times as much.” Twilight’s chin, at last, met the ground, completely flattened onto the grass like a sticker slapped onto a notebook with a gasping “Oof!” “Ha, yes!” Sunset whooped, pumping a foreleg in celebration and quickly regretting it as she nearly sent herself into another spin. “Okay, I need to get down from here.” With Twilight currently indisposed, breaking her enchantment was a surprisingly simple matter. Without Twilight around to maintain and enforce it, a decent failsafe spell was enough to reestablish gravity’s effect on herself. “Whoa!” Sunset cried, landing with an uncomfortable thud in front of Twilight. “Ow. That’s going to hurt in the morning. Heh, gravity, am I right, Twilight?” “Very funny,” Twilight mumbled, her tone dripping with what Sunset guessed was sarcasm, but it was hard to tell given Twilight’s position made talking a bit more difficult than usual. “Well, Princess, It looks like I’m the one standing tall now,” Sunset boasted to her captive audience upon getting to her hooves. “First time for everything.” Sunset paused. “Okay, I walked into that one. Still, it doesn’t matter how tall you are when you’re stuck on the ground, does it?” Sunset smirked, leaning over Twilight who was shooting daggers at her, none too pleased at letting herself fall into this situation. Feeling a little playful, Sunset extended a hoof to give Twilight’s nose a gentle boop. “Oh, get all your fun in while you can,” Twilight growled. Sunset tilted her head in confusion. She had scarcely had the time to even process it herself, but as far as she could tell, Twilight was well and truly trapped. There was no way she could scrape together the focus to form a counterspell under such pressure while she was right in front of her. “You sound like you think you’re going somewhere.” Twilight didn’t even respond and immediately redoubled her efforts to raise herself, straining with an audible grunt. Sunset couldn’t believe it. Twilight was smarter than this. Surely, she didn’t think that was actually going to work. “Okay, Twilight, what do you think—” Sunset’s words were brought to an abrupt halt as Twilight successfully muscled up a foreleg and placed it back down in a weight-bearing position. “What the…” Sunset muttered in disbelief. Twilight successfully lifted her other foreleg bringing herself into a position to push herself up. Sunset could hardly believe her own eyes. Did she somehow mess up the gravity spell? It was pretty complicated magic. Twilight was visibly sweating now, but pushed on through, straining to bring herself into a crouching position, but successfully back on all four hooves. No. Sunset knew that couldn’t be it. She was better with her magic now than ever. She had shaken off any rust she had weeks ago. With a final groan of exertion, Twilight brought herself back to her full height. A height that towered over the unicorn before her. Her body shook with exertion, but it was a perfectly manageable discomfort, her alicorn strength enabling her to simply power straight through the limits of a normal pony. “H-how?” Sunset stuttered, backing away in disbelief. That momentary lapse in composure was all Twilight needed for a chance to shred Sunset’s spell, her horn igniting and releasing a gentle pulse of energy that left her feeling several worlds lighter. Twilight sighed a breath of relief, shifting her neck and shoulders around to relieve some of the tension that she had developed. She carried around a ton of it as it was, she certainly didn’t need more. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to finally get around to making another spa appointment. It had been quite a few months. “Are you kidding me?!” Sunset cried foul, childishly stamping a hoof. “What’s it going to take to at least slow you down?” Twilight looked Sunset dead in the eye. “More than that.” Sunset felt a chill run through her. That was something else. She had never heard Twilight be so…intense. Twilight’s horn ignited in a bright beacon of light that nearly blinded Sunset even from several feet away with its intensity. The ground itself began rumbling with the ferocity of an Earthquake that made Sunset stumble around just to keep her balance. The earth itself began to break apart to make way for tall glowing lavender crystal spires that erupted from the ground like a stream, carving their way from behind Twilight and wrapping around them like a snake. Sunset could do nothing more than watch as the wall of crystals wrapped around them, sealing them inside together in what was both a strategic move and a demonstration of Twilight’s might. Sunset gulped, not liking her odds with such little room to move, and tried to teleport outside the ring to put some distance between them and escape this prison. The very next thing Sunset felt was her head slamming into the crystal barrier with an almost cartoonish thunk, still very much on the inside. Her teleport only managed to take her to the rim of the ring and no farther before she figuratively and literally hit an impassible wall. She stumbled back, her vision splitting from how hard she had hit the crystal wall, a nasty headache in her future from the feel of it. She wasn’t going anywhere. No doubt exactly what Twilight wanted and a clear sign that the princess was looking to bring this to a close. Sunset took just a second to be impressed. A physical barrier that prevented magic from passing through it but didn’t require the constant energy input of the caster like that of an energy barrier. It was something she had never even seen before. It was incredible. It was…very bad news for her. She was trapped. Sunset sighed in resignation as she felt Twilight’s gaze upon her, and turned around, ready to face the music. Her heart almost couldn’t help skipping a beat at the sight that awaited her. The crystals' incandescent light cast an ethereal glow over them that made it clear who was in control. The stature, the way her mane flowed in an ever-increasing magical current, the surging light of her horn, and the focused look in Twilight’s eyes all made Sunset feel for the first time that she was up against not a talented friend, but a full-fledged Goddess. Sunset swallowed her amazement and ground her hooves into the dirt to root herself in place and summoned power into her own horn, creating a defiant red stain in the violet void she stood in. Going down without a fight was just never her style. Twilight stepped closer to Sunset, each step measured, and her focus unshakable. Sunset had surprised her more than once already. If she found a single chink in the armor, she would exploit it. Looking at Twilight now, Sunset saw no such weaknesses. Twilight had made certain that she was left with only one option. Simultaneously, Sunset and Twilight arched back and threw their horns forward unleashing their matching spells against each other where they collided in a mid-air clash of power. The thin streams of red and magenta energy mingled together in midair, dancing in a beautiful show of light. Twilight held fast, her face focused and unwavering. Sunset across from her gritting her teeth and pumping as much power into it as she had. All of it. Straining to put every last drop into it. She held Twilight in a standstill with sheer might, her magic daring to force Twilight’s back for a single instant that stood frozen in time. It didn’t last beyond that. Twilight’s magic consumed Sunset’s, driving straight through it like it was devouring its way to the amber unicorn, and in the span of a few seconds, it struck her horn and dissipated. Sunset felt her magic leave her the instant it happened like a clamp had been firmly snapped onto her outlet, leaving her magic with no way of flowing out into the world around her. Sunset fell forward gasping for air. She had lost. She laid on the grass, catching her breath as the crystal spires slowly retracted into the ground as if they had never been there at all. She had put everything into that last attack. It was her best, and it hadn’t been enough. Not even close. So long ago she would have been enraged at such a convincing defeat. Now, she could safely say that she had never felt so alive. She had no idea how she had gone so long without it. Her magic. To feel it, to use it, test it, push it, and challenge it. She had spent so long missing an essential piece of herself and now she was complete. Even if she fell short, how could she be disappointed? What else could happen when you aim for the untouchable sky? It just meant there was further to reach. More that was possible. Twilight was always good at showing her that. Sunset propped herself up to gaze at the victor. She took some pride in Twilight looking like she had been in a fight. On some level at least, she had challenged her. She was still missing her crown, her mane was frazzled and tangled in spots, and her coat was muddied with dirt and grass. It was strange how it did nothing at all too dull her beauty. If anything, Sunset found it enhanced it. The perfect pristine princess look wasn’t her. Not really. Granted, the battle-worn warrior look wasn’t exactly it either, though she could play the part well, yet it was closer to who she was at heart. A strong, capable, ingenious mare who just so happened to be the most powerful pony to ever exist. One who loved developing and using her talents just as much if not more than she did. Sunset saw Twilight's smile from where she laid, feeling the same rush of exercising those talents that she did. The same ignition of passion. She really was amazing. Author's Note Did I dedicate a whole chapter to Sunset and Twilight stumbling their way through a fight? Yes, yes I did. In related news, action is hard. Here's hoping it turned out decent. I kind of wanted the practice in a region that desperately has room for improvement while also demonstrating that Twily is basically unstoppable now. At the very least, I hope there's some fun in it. Anyway, I think we've been in Canterlot long enough, don't you?
Chapter 18: Missing Things“That…Was…SO…AWESOME!” Flurry Heart was positively gushing in her chair at the small table on the castle patio their odd group had gathered around after the grand spectacle. “How did you even do that?” Flurry asked, leaning over to Twilight who sat beside her. “Where’d you even learn how to do that?” Flurry pressed on, leaning right into Twilight’s personal space who didn’t seem to know what to do with all the attention her niece was suddenly showering her with. “Can I do that!?” “Flurry, if you want the answers to your questions, maybe you should give Twilight time to answer some of them,” Spike advised from across the table, clearly amused at what he was seeing. “Oh, right. Sorry,” Flurry smiled innocently in embarrassment. “It’s just, I’ve never seen anything like that. You’ve never used magic like that before. I didn’t even know you could do all that stuff, Aunt Twilight.” “Well, you don’t spend years researching ancient tomes and studying magic without picking up a few hundred tricks,” Spike confirmed, knowing full well Twilight would try to downplay her own abilities. “A few, HUNDRED!?” Flurry’s eyes threatened to pop out of place. “If we’re lowballing it,” Spike nodded “B-but, how!? The Crystal Empire doesn’t have a ton of unicorns or anything, but most of the ones I met knew like a few dozen, tops. Even Dad didn’t know anywhere near that many,” Flurry said, struggling to wrap her head around the mere concept. “Flurry, remember what I told you about most ponies only having enough magic to go along with their special talents?” Sunset chimed in from the seat on Flurry’s other side, detecting a teachable moment. Flurry switched her attention to the smaller pony next to her, ready to soak up every detail she was given, and nodded. “You said that some ponies have the magic to go along with their special talents, and some have even more than they need. And I guess alicorns have even more than that.” Sunset gave Flurry a smile of pride. “That’s right, but there is one more thing you need to know. Your magic is meant to provide you with a means of using your special talent, but the type of magic you do is also influenced by that special talent. So, a unicorn with a special talent for baking might be proficient at spells that generate heat, or somepony with a special talent for music would be good at spells that manipulate sound,” Sunset explained, trying to keep it basic and understandable. “That sounds…limiting,” Flurry stated. “It’s…more like having a focus,” Sunset settled on after a moment of deciding how to phrase it. There was a time where she viewed other ponies as lesser by following the same train of thought Flurry was headed down, but Twilight had let her in on just how creative some unicorns could be with what they were given. “Different ponies with different talents specialize in different kinds of magic, but there are some ponies who don’t have a focus at all, like Twilight. “Her special talent is magic, which means she’s able to master magic in all its forms and uses. It’s very rare for anypony to have a special talent in magic, but judging by your ability and cutie mark, it looks like you take after your aunt,” Sunset finished, casting a glance at Flurry’s flank. The same six-pointed star that adorned Twilight’s flank rested on Flurry’s, embedded in a crystal heart. She wouldn’t consider herself adept at reading the meanings behind a pony’s cutie mark, but the element of magic didn’t wind up on just anypony. “So, you’re saying I’m like you and Aunt Twilight?” Flurry asked, the thought bringing more of a smile to her face the longer she lingered on it. “I’d say you have the potential to be just as good as your aunt,” Sunset nodded, gesturing past Flurry to the princess behind her. Flurry Heart jumped on Twilight, shaking her shoulders with her hooves. “Did you hear that, Aunt Twilight?! Do…do you really think I could ever be as great as you? I mean, I was hoping to get good, but…that’s a lot to hope for.” Twilight blushed at the admiration. When was the last time her niece had looked at her like she was the most amazing pony to ever walk the face of Equestria? “Of course you can, Flurry, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to get there. Sunset and I didn’t learn all those spells overnight. It took many years of practice and study for us to get to where we are now,” Twilight encouraged her niece while making certain Flurry understood the sheer magnitude of the task if she really wanted to pursue this. Flurry Heart nodded in earnest. “I’ll work super hard every day and I’ll listen to everything Aunt Sunset says, I promise!” Twilight felt her heart melt looking into Flurry’s giddy eyes. All these years and all they had both been through and yet they had never quite lost their innocence. “You’ll help me, right?” Flurry asked. She needed to know with absolute certainty. “Of course, Flurry. Anything you need. Anything at all,” Twilight nodded without hesitation, bringing Flurry in for a hug which the younger princess returned in equal measure. The sight brought a smile to Sunset and Spike’s faces. “My my, it seems you’ve become quite proficient at an altogether different sort of magic, little fireball,” Discord whispered into Sunset’s ear from just over her shoulder. Sunset didn’t know whether it was a good thing or not that she had gotten used to Discord’s habit of violating personal space without warning. “What do you mean?” she asked without even turning to face him. “Why it seems like just last week the royal family couldn’t so much as be in the same room without getting into a screaming contest, and now they’re all love and hugs,” Discord swooned. “It is quite the transformation you’ve managed here; I must say.” “I didn’t do anything special. They would have worked things out on their own eventually. I just wanted to help,” Sunset brushed off. Discord looked Sunset over, assessing just what he was looking at with careful consideration. Eventually, his puzzlement gave way to a small smirk, a genuine spark hidden inside it. “How you’ve changed.” Before Sunset had a chance to ask what he meant by that, Discord vanished in a flash and reappeared across the table, busying himself with the refreshments sitting on the table, acting as though he had been there the whole time and the exchange was little more than a construct of her own imagination. Flurry Heart pulled back from Twilight, keeping her forelegs on Twilight’s shoulders, an excited look in her eyes. “Okay, you have to tell me what sort of other super amazing stuff you can do! I mean, hundreds of spells!? There’s gotta be a bunch of cool tricks that only you know, right?” “Oh, I don’t know if I can really promise that they’re all that exciting,” Twilight tried to wave off. “Come on, they have to be great if you know them. You’re, like, the greatest sorcerer ever. Can’t you tell me about just one? Pleeease?” Flurry begged. “Well…maybe I can think of a few that are pretty neat,” Twilight admitted, just this once willing to show off if it meant Flurry would keep looking at her like she was her hero. Flurry sat back diligently, hanging onto Twilight’s every word. Twilight shuffled through her inner catalog. She needed something impressive but also something easy to understand. Something that almost no pony had ever heard of. Twilight narrowed down the perfect option. Oh, she’d love this. “You’re familiar with changeling magic, right?” Flurry nodded her head, confused now. “Kind of. The Crystal Empire does have the highest changeling population outside of the Changeling Kingdom. My friend, Spiracle, tried to explain it to me once. She said that it’s a totally different kind of magic from the kind ponies use.” “That’s true, but I may have found a method to replicate their magic a few years ago,” Twilight couldn’t help grinning. She wasn’t a show-off, but nothing made her giddier than the opportunity to talk about something she had learned. “You can do that!?” Flurry gasped, amazed. Sunset leaned forward to see past her, just as interested. Changelings as a species were still relatively new to her. She couldn’t imagine actually using their unique brand of magic that allowed them to effortlessly mimic any shape or form. Twilight looked away. “Well, sort of. It’s not exactly perfect. Changeling magic is too distinct for our magic to reproduce the exact same effects, but by studying and following its basic structure I was able to imitate their abilities. It can’t make an exact copy of anything, but it can allow you to take the forms and abilities of other creatures.” “So, you’re saying, if you wanted to, you could be a dragon, like Uncle Spike?” Flurry asked, reasonably sure she understood what Twilight was saying. Twilight paled. Discord scoffed, taking a break from his task of finding increasingly unorthodox ways to consume the snacks they had been provided to see this play out. “That was the first thing she tried,” Spike answered for her, the memory as clear as day to him even after so long. “She did it, but have you ever wondered what the alicorn equivalent of a dragon is? It’s big. Like, really big. Way too big for the building she was in when she did it and she hadn’t exactly figured out how to change back at the time either.” “It took five hours, Spike, the royal guard, and the castle’s entire supply of butter to get her out,” Discord laughed, wiping away a mirthful tear just thinking about it. Twilight sighed. That was a nice ten minutes of her niece thinking she wasn’t a total dork. “Wow, that has got to be the most amazing thing ever!” Flurry squealed. “Huh?” Twilight muttered; positive she hadn’t heard that right. “I mean, I’ve heard some really old stories about princesses and dragons, but I’ve never heard of a princess turning into one. That must make you, like, the coolest princess ever,” Flurry sighed. Twilight’s face flushed at the compliment. “Well, I imagine she’d have to be. She is the princess who’s rescued all of Equestria from certain destruction on at least a few dozen occasions,” Discord slipped in. “You don’t go down in the history books as one of the greatest heroes of all time without being at least a teensy bit ‘cool.’” “I wouldn’t go that far,” Twilight said, slightly embarrassed at having Discord of all creatures throwing genuine praise at her. “Why not? It’s happened so often it’s practically a badge of honor for all aspiring malcontents,” Discord asserted, snapping with eagle claws and changing into a black t-shirt with the bold white words “Twilight Sparkle hit me with a rainbow,” written on it. Sunset felt something on her and looked down to find she was wearing an identical shirt in her size. Sunset chuckled, finding the humor in it, and even sat up a little straighter to show it off. Ironically, Twilight was the one who didn’t care for the joke. Her horn lighting up and removing the shirt from her friend with an eye roll. “Not a fan of the design? I admit, I’m still working on it, but I’m thinking we could start a club. Oh, wouldn’t that be fun? I just need to ask Luna if she’s interested.” “You’re still going to do it even if I ask you not to, aren’t you?” Discord offered her a mischievous smile in response, giving Twilight all the answers she needed. “Aunt Twilight really used the Elements of Harmony on you?” Flurry whispered to Sunset once Twilight and Discord started bickering. This was news to her. Sunset had mentioned she used to be bad. Downright evil even, but not that evil. Sunset nodded a confirmation. Thinking about it didn’t really bother her like it used to. She had certainly deserved it at the time. “But I thought those were only for incredibly evil, downright apocalyptic, stuff.” “Yeah. They are,” Sunset nodded using her magic to levitate a cup of tea that sat on the table over to her. Her statement said it all. “Huh. What did it feel like?” Flurry asked, either brave or tactless enough to ask. Knowing her, it could have been either. Still, Sunset didn’t have a problem talking about it anymore. It was behind her now. Truth be told, there was only one thing about it that really still got to her, but that didn’t have much to do with her karmic smackdown at the hands of the elements. “Well, to be honest, it hurt. A lot. It was like being set on fire from the inside. It just burns and eats away at all the negative stuff inside you. I guess if that’s all you have in you, it leaves you feeling pretty empty when it’s done with you. That’s how I felt anyway,” Sunset recollected, the moment still coming back to her with vivid clarity. “So, it just sucked all the evil right out of you?” Flurry guessed. Sunset shook her head. “No. Not really. It just…gave me a reality check. I’m sure I could have just gotten up and done something cliché like swear revenge and run off to start the whole thing over again. It’s not like I didn’t think about it for a few seconds. But, when you’re humbled like that, it forces you to finally stop and take a real good look at yourself. You’re thinking clearly for the first time in who knows how long because you don’t have the power, plan, or delusions to help you ignore the things you shouldn’t have. It’s like you're finally being told, ‘you’re wrong, now here’s your chance to do what’s right.’” “Wow. I’ve never heard it described it that way,” Flurry Heart wondered, astonished. Sunset couldn’t help but notice Flurry’s fascination with the subject. “So, why are you so interested in the elements?” Flurry Heart glanced away, a nervous look on her face that indicated she was wondering if she had said too much. “It’s…kind of silly.” “Come on, kiddo. I’ve given you my entire backstory. You have to tell me,” Sunset prompted with a reassuring smile that said without words that she wouldn’t judge her. Flurry turned back to her. “Well, it’s just that every time some great big catastrophe strikes Equestria, the elements are usually what saves us. So, I just thought it might be important for me to try and learn all I could about them. You know, in case Equestria ever needs a brave hero to step up and save the day again.” Sunset smiled at Flurry. She could be remarkably innocent for her age. “It’s a little frustrating though,” Flurry huffed. “For such important world-saving tools, they’re not very well documented. All I could really find was all the times they’ve been used to save us, and I don’t really understand how they work at all. Apparently, they’re not even physical anymore or something. Not to mention, what they actually do is completely random whenever they’re used. They turn things to stone, banish them to the moon or who even knows where, strip them of their power, fix whatever was wrong with Auntie Luna and I didn’t even know that they were used on you too. Like, who knows what exactly the elements did in that case?” Sunset digested Flurry’s train of thought, listening to what she had to say. Sunset took a thoughtful sip from the cup she held in her red aura. Red aura. Red. Sunset squinted, staring deep into the cup she held in front of her like it held the answers to all her questions. Was it possible? Could it be that that was it? Was it really— “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask Auntie Celestia about it when I see her this week. She’s been around forever, so she has to know something.” Sunset heard glass shatter and snapped to attention. “What did you say?” “I said I was going to ask Auntie Celes…ti…ah…oh,” Flurry trailed off, putting together what she had just said and to who she had just said it. “You’re going to see her?” Sunset said, more of a statement than a question, still processing it. Flurry nodded, “Y-yeah. The train back to the Crystal Empire passes right by Silver Shoals. I like to stop by and visit them for a few days on my way back if they’re not off traveling or anything.” Silver Shoals. Sunset recognized that name. She had seen it on a few of the maps she had studied to familiarize herself with the current layout of the kingdom. It wasn’t exactly close to Canterlot, but it also wasn’t much more than a long train ride away. Sunset had always thought…well, she didn’t really know exactly what she thought, but she certainly didn’t think she’d be so…close. Had she really been so nearby this entire time? “Hey, why don’t you come with me?” “What!?” Sunset nearly choked herself on her own startled gasp, pulling all eyes at the table onto her. “Yeah, it’s perfect!” Flurry concluded, the gears in her head turning as she formulated what she no doubt thought was a flawless plan. “I know you want to see her again,” Flurry stated like it was a matter of fact. Sunset felt her heartbeat speed up a few tics. Had she said those words exactly to Flurry? She honestly couldn’t remember. Sure, she had thought them at some point, but she didn’t expect it to happen right now. Flurry Heart went on to explain, completely oblivious to the fidgeting unicorn beside her. “The Crystal Empire train will be here in a few days to pick me up. We can just hop on and be at Silver Shoals in a few hours. Auntie Celestia just loves surprises. She’ll probably flip when she sees you.” Sunset almost questioned whether they were talking about the same pony at this point. Princess Celestia? Loves surprises? Since when? “I can show you around the place, we’ll have a whole bunch of family bonding time, maybe get in a few bonus magic lessons,” Flurry not so subtly hinted with a nudge. “It’ll be like a little family reunion!” Before Sunset could give her opinion, Discord materialized between them, draping an arm around them both. “Did I just overhear plans for a road trip to the retirement home of the two sisters? Count me in!” Sunset, at this point, had fallen into an unresponsive state of shock at how quickly this was running away from her. “Aw yeah! Now it’s a party!” Flurry Heart cheered, pumping herself up even further. “It’s going to be so much fun, Aunt Sunset! Silver Shoals is a bit rustic, but the charming kind and not the hick kind. They have all sorts of little activities, seaside scenery, and these giftshops with the cutest little— “Flurry!” Sunset finally managed to force out. Flurry Heart paused her excitement, Sunset’s tone piercing straight through her fervor. It was a tone she knew all too well. It felt like she’d spent her whole life hearing it. It was the sound of somepony about to tell her something she didn’t want to hear. Sunset considered her next words carefully. She didn’t understand how alicorns could manage to look so fragile. They were practically deities in most senses. She had seen it first hoof in just the past few hours. How was it that looking into Flurry Heart’s wide hesitant eyes that she got the sense that something as simple as words would break her? “Flurry, I…appreciate the offer, really, it’s sweet of you to ask,” Sunset settled on at last. “But?” Flurry continued for her. It was the word that always came next. Sunset flinched. “But…I don’t really think that’s going to be possible right now.” “Why not?” Sunset swore she felt her heart twist. “Well, you see…it’s just…I don’t know if…” Sunset stumbled over herself, realizing all too late she didn’t have a real answer to that question. “…I just…can’t right now.” Flurry physically deflated, the disappointment sucking the wind from her sails. “oh…ok.” The sense of guilt was instantaneous. Flurry looked so crushed, and it was all her fault. Somehow, despite being out in the open air, Sunset felt suffocated now. All these eyes on her, pelting her with silent questions. Spike’s confusion, Discord’s curiosity, Twilight’s concern, and Flurry Heart’s disappointment. All of them, bearing down on her. Judging her even. “I-I’m sorry, I just remembered something important I need to do right now. I need to go,” Sunset excused herself, internally wincing at what she knew wasn’t a very convincing reason to leave, but she needed space and she needed it now. “I’ll see you all later,” she waved, hopping down from her seat and walking away at a normal speed, but her rigid movements gave away that she was forcing herself not to move any faster. The table of assorted creatures watched her go, an awkward silence settling over the table. The seconds ticked by until the screeching sound of a chair suddenly sliding back against a stone floor asserted itself. “I’m going to go talk to her,” Twilight stated, less of an explanation and more of a decree that was guaranteed to happen regardless of what anycreature thought. In less than a minute, their party of five had reduced itself to a party of three with the Princess of Equestria chasing after the conflicted unicorn, the sound of her carefully measured gold-plated hoof steps echoing through the air and steadily decreasing in volume with each passing moment. Spike and Discord turned towards each other, Discord, for once, uncharacteristically silent. Flurry Heart saw an entire conversation pass between them without a single word in just a few knowing looks. She would give anything to know what it was about. Sunset was surprisingly fast when she wanted to be. She wouldn’t have lost her crown to her all those moons ago if Sunset’s little legs weren’t capable of some serious speed when motivated. She couldn’t have had more than a minute head start, and yet, upon turning the corner into the castle, Twilight found no trace of her in the corridors. Twilight kept a steady pace as she followed after her. While more haste would have certainly been her first instinct at completely losing track of her friend, years of carefully conditioning herself to always maintain a certain level of self-control stopped her from rushing through. It wouldn’t do for the ruler of all Equestria to be seen running through the halls of her own castle in a panic. A princess didn’t lose control like that. Not even for a friend. Fortunately, tracking Sunset down wouldn’t be an impossible task for the ironic reason they had discussed only yesterday. The castle was an unreasonably large place. It could take all day to find somepony if you were to blindly search through it all, but out of the countless sections of the castle, Sunset frequented only a small hoof full of them, and only one of those places were of any use for somepony who wanted to be alone. She just needed to get there without being sidetracked. “Excuse me, Princess, but could I get your opinion on what color curtains you think would best suit the windows in the castle foyer?” Like clockwork. Twilight allowed herself the internal groan she could never display externally as she addressed the unicorn that had just approached her, not missing a step as she did so. “Blue. They match the current season.” “Do you have a particular shade in mind, Princess?” The unicorn pressed on, levitating a quill and notepad in front of herself. “Cobalt,” Twilight responded. That sounded fine, right? Distinguishing different shades of a singular color was always more Rarity’s specialty. Personally, she didn’t see much difference between a lot of them, but things moved faster if she gave a concise answer. “As you wish, your majesty,” the unicorn nodded before swiftly bowing away. Okay, now to— “Princess, I’m sorry to bother you, but the Califoalnia delegate has insisted you move tomorrow’s meeting time,” a female hippogriff informed her, seamlessly taking the place of the unicorn. “Okay, when is he available?” “uhm…during your lunch hour, Princess.” “…Put him down for that time, and please inform the kitchen staff that I’ll be skipping lunch. Again,” Twilight stated in a mostly even tone, though she noticed a touch of her irritation had slipped through. She’d have to watch that. “Of course, your majesty.” Maybe she should have taken a more roundabout path to Sunset. Some route less full of passing staff members in need of her input. “Your majesty—” If looks could kill, Cercus would require a funeral with the look Twilight shot his way. “I take it now is not a good time?” The blue changeling picked out, remarkably unphased for somepony that had just been given a non-verbal death threat. “Sorry, sorry,” Twilight profusely apologized, shying away. It was bad enough she had nearly lost her composure there, but she had also directed it at one of her most trusted advisors for nearly six decades now. A friend. One of the few she still had. “It’s rather unlike you to lose your temper. I take it that has something to do with Ms. Shimmer,” Cercus assessed, never one to beat around the bush. Twilight raised a brow. “She came through only a short while ago. She was in something of a rush. Completely brushed me off. It was rather rude. Not an unusual trait of hers, but ordinarily it’s far more charming. Something must be bothering her, no doubt,” Cercus explained. Twilight nodded, internally glad to have it confirmed she was following the right trail. “I need to talk to her. It’s important, but certain distractions keep popping up.” “Say no more, your majesty. I believe I can hold the line long enough. And please, do brace yourself for what you find,” Cercus said before falling back. Twilight didn’t know how he did it, but when Cercus said he’d do something it got done. The flow of creatures stopped after that, a rare reprieve that left her a clear path to her destination. Her private wing in the castle was as empty as it usually was when she arrived, giving a courteous nod to the guard pony and griffon who kept it that way as she passed through the large entrance doors. She liked it this way. Though the great castle of Canterlot officially belonged to her it rarely felt like it, as a proper home should. So many creatures of all races and backgrounds roamed the castle grounds and halls and used the amenities it provided just as much, if not, more than she did. Really, it felt more like the castle belonged to the citizens of Equestria itself on most days, and by extension so did she. Having at least a few spaces in the castle that she could truly call just her own was essential to her sanity. Her room, a private library, and a space for her keepsakes. It wasn’t much, especially for a princess, but it was hers. Everything precious to her was kept in this hall. The door to Sunset’s room sat at the far end of the hall. It gave Twilight some time to think as she passed by the other rooms. Few things got as strong of a reaction out of Sunset as Celestia did. It had always been an incredibly touchy subject for her, and that hadn’t really changed after all these years. In the back of her mind, Twilight noted that she had already traveled past the seven empty guest rooms on the side of her own room closest to the hallway entrance. Sunset and Celestia’s relationship was…complicated, to say the least. Sunset’s feelings towards Celestia had shifted drastically over the years from love to anger, to hate, to longing, to just plain confused. Celestia, on the other hoof, was much more difficult to say for certain. She always kept everything close to her chest, but even Celestia wasn’t perfect. Twilight knew that now. The mask she wore slipped every so often and it slipped even more often when Sunset was involved. There was something there. Something special. Twilight moved past her own room, her private library, and the rooms Spike and Flurry stayed in. Sunset had confided in her about her years with Celestia through their messages to each other, but never pushed it farther than that. Celestia clearly cared but seemed to think it’d be a crime to show it. Twilight had always remained impartial, but she had hoped that, someday, one of them would be bold enough to reach out. They never really did. It had taken a magical crisis just to get Sunset to see her again. She was certainly glad that they had at least had the opportunity to part on better terms, but they hadn’t really talked or said much more than what was necessary. Twilight, at last, found herself facing the door to Sunset’s room. Only as much as a few weeks ago she would have been plagued with doubts and second thoughts. Not today. Whatever they needed to work through, they’d do it together. That was the promise they had made to each other. “Sunset, are you in there?” Twilight called, knocking on the door with a hoof. The response Twilight received was a small squeak accompanied by the sound of paper rustling around. “Y-yeah, Twi. Did you need something?” Sunset’s voice answered her after what Twilight recognized as the all too familiar sound of a book being shut. Twilight had to hold in a sigh. “No, Sunset, I’m fine. Is it okay if I come in?” “…Yeah,” Sunset quietly answered her after a rather lengthy pause. Twilight figured that was as good of an invitation as any and pushed Sunset’s door open with her magic. “Sunset, I…” Twilight trailed off after only a few short steps into Sunset’s room. Only now did Twilight realize that she hadn’t really ever been to Sunset’s room before now. It was something straight out of one of her nightmares. “If I knew you were coming over, I would have tidied up a bit,” Sunset said with a half-hearted giggle from her seat upon her bed. She had meant to clean her room yesterday. Really, she had. Twilight almost couldn’t stomach it. Papers everywhere, some of them indecipherable scribbles, others complex and intricate, but scattered on every surface regardless. Her desk was like some form of intellectual abomination. Drawers that were either pulled open and jammed full of office supplies and scrap paper or crammed shut despite the protests of their limited volume. The top covered in notepads, crumpled balls of rejected thoughts, any kind of writing utensil known to ponykind, sheets of paper stitched together with tape, and instruments more fit for construction than study. Sunset’s bookshelves had to be the worst of all. Just texts shoved in wherever there was room. Thrown on top of the shelves in stacks if there wasn’t any. Some of them didn’t even so much as have the spines of the books facing outward. There was just no system! It didn’t make any sense. How could somepony so brilliant be so…so… “Twilight, are you feeling alright?” Sunset asked, noticing the Princess almost seemed to look faint. Twilight focused on Sunset’s voice and pulled together all of her willpower. Just this one time, she’d resist her compulsion to organize. Even if it drove her crazy. She just needed to breathe in, then out. “Ahem…fine. I’m fine. I just wanted to see if you needed any help with that important thing you had to do.” “What important thin…?” Sunset began to ask only to catch herself all too late. Shoot. Oh well, it was a flimsy excuse to begin with. The door to Sunset’s room closed shut behind Twilight, the gentle click of the door’s lock following soon after. “Do you want to talk about the real reason you left now?” Sunset sighed. “You wouldn’t…” Sunset paused, her usual response when someone confronted her about something she wasn’t keen on talking about. She had gotten so used to saying it in the human world she almost couldn’t help it. “I wouldn’t understand?” Twilight finished for her. Sunset winced. It sounded just as ridiculous as she feared. If Twilight didn’t understand, who would? “No. You probably know exactly what this is about.” “I have an idea, but I’d still like it if you explained it to me,” Twilight prompted, pacing around to the side of Sunset’s bed. Sunset bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. I guess I was just…scared.” “Scared of what?” “That’s…a long list, Twi.” Twilight pulled herself onto Sunset’s bed to sit beside her. She noticed something sticking out from under Sunset’s pillow. “Just start with what Flurry said.” Sunset buried her face in her hooves. “Ugh, I don’t even know how I’m going to make this up to her. She just got so excited and started coming up with all these crazy ideas. I didn’t know what to do.” “What exactly was so crazy about it?” “Huh?” Sunset muttered, looking at Twilight like she had just grown a second head. “I think it sounded kind of nice, didn’t it?” Nice? Sunset wondered what about dragging her into the lion’s den could possibly be nice. “It’s a cozy little town. Good food, nice creatures, great weather. It’s not a bad starting point for somepony that wants to see more of Equestria.” “If I didn’t know any better I’d say it almost sounds like you want me to go,” Sunset accused. “Well, would it really be so bad if you did?” Sunset pulled away from Twilight like the alicorn had just bitten her. “Twilight! Princess Celestia is over there!” “Is that a bad thing? Don’t you want to see her again?” Twilight asked like she couldn’t understand what the problem was. Sunset didn’t answer her. Pressing her lips together in a dissatisfied scowl. Twilight sighed. Her horn burst into magenta magic to latch onto the book Sunset had haphazardly shoved underneath her pillow before she had come in, yanking it out into the open. “H-hey!” Sunset cried, reaching for the book as it flew past her, missing it by only a hair’s width. “I thought this looked familiar,” Twilight said, taking in the sight of brown covered journal stamped with a sun-shaped mark. The same mark that adorned the flank of the unicorn next to her. She had written quite a few messages into it a long time ago, but she knew that wasn’t the majority of the journal’s contents. Thousands of words had been scrawled into the pages before she had ever even seen the book’s counterpart. Red magic enveloped Twilight’s magenta and Twilight allowed Sunset to pull it back to herself, the unicorn taking hold of the book with gentle care. “You miss her,” Twilight stated, not a question, just a simple observation. “Yes, I miss her, okay? Of course, I miss her. I never stopped missing her. Even when I spent every minute of every day thinking of how I was going to make her kneel before me, I missed her,” Sunset confessed, squeezing the journal to her chest. “Then why are you so afraid of seeing her again? You know she’s forgiven you for whatever it is that you’re worried about.” Sunset seemed to internally debate whether to share what was on her mind for a brief moment. “Just because I’ve missed her doesn’t mean she’s missed me.” Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. “You really think she doesn’t?” “Well…why would she?” Sunset asked. “I’m just being realistic. All those years were important to me, but what could they really mean to somepony like her? What are a few years other than small drops in the bucket to somepony that’s lived for over a thousand years?” “Sunset…just because she’s lived longer than other ponies doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the same things we do,” Twilight defended. She had always been the first to jump to the sun princess’s defense and old habits die hard. “I know, I know. I’m not saying she doesn’t, but I don’t want to delude myself. I’ve done enough of that for several lifetimes. What really makes me any different from the thousands of other ponies she’s known? I don’t want to go running to a pony that's surprised I’m somehow even alive expecting a hug from…from…” Sunset choked on her own words, the conclusion to her thought apparent, but her body refusing to allow it. “From your mother, Sunset?” Sunset recoiled even further than she already had from Twilight. How could she just put a label like that on it like it was no big deal? Celestia certainly never had. Twilight hopped off of Sunset’s bed to once again stand up tall. She had decided before she had even made it to Sunset’s room. She was tired of dancing around it with Sunset. She was tired of dancing around it with Celestia. “She’s your mother, Sunset,” Twilight softly restated. “No, she isn’t. She was my teacher, and I was her student. Just like countless unicorns before me and after,” Sunset bit back, refusing to accept the label and casting a pointed look at Twilight as the last word left her mouth. “Celestia taught me magic, Sunset. She taught me how to be a good student and a good teacher. She taught me things that helped shape me into a better pony. She was like a mother to me, but she wasn’t my mother. My mother tucked me into bed at night. My mother read to me until we both fell asleep on the couch. My mother held me when I was scared. My mother taught me how to swim, brush my mane, and take care of myself. My mother showed me what it meant to be responsible. What it meant to follow your dreams.” Sunset could have sworn she saw moisture collecting in the corner of Twilight’s eyes until it was blinked away and the alicorn turned towards her again. “What pony did that for you, Sunset?” Twilight locked eyes with Sunset and stared her down, letting her know that the question wasn’t rhetorical. “Twilight, stop looking at me like that,” Sunset practically whined. “It doesn’t matter what I think about Princess Celestia.” Twilight decided to change tracks. “Sunset, what makes you think that she doesn’t feel the same way you do? I know she’s…not the best at telling ponies things when they need to hear them, but—” “Twilight,” Sunset cut the alicorn off, levitating her old journal in her magic to stare at the cover. “Have you ever read what’s written in here? The parts that aren’t ours, I mean.” Twilight didn’t immediately respond, caught off guard by the sudden question. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I don’t really have much of a leg to stand on there with how many times I stole Cadenza’s diary when I was little. I’ve just always wondered.” Twilight couldn’t deny that she was tempted more than once before. Sunset had been such a mystery to her when they had first crossed paths. The idea that Celestia could have had a student aside from her, one taken before her, had mystified her. It probably shouldn’t have, but she wasn’t exactly the most perceptive pony in her youth. She had been plagued by endless questions about the unicorn. Who was she? Had Celestia purposefully kept them apart or had she simply been too self-absorbed to notice her like she failed to notice anypony else? How could they have turned out so differently? The thoughts ate away at her, and Celestia’s journal was exactly the sort of insight she had been craving. It would have been so easy. She could quite literally read Sunset like a book. She had come close to it on several occasions, but her conscience always won out in the end. She was glad it had. It was far more rewarding to have Sunset confide in her by choice and she could honestly say… “No, never.” Sunset perked up in amazement that gradually melted into endearment. Shaking her head, Sunset’s magic flipped open the journal and passed the book over to Twilight. “Here, read this. You have my full permission.” Twilight took the book into her own magic to find that Sunset had opened it to the very first page. The very first message ever written into its pages. Dear Sunset Shimmer: In the past you’ve told me that you would prefer not to celebrate your birthday, but I hope you will permit me this one gift. I realize that our time together is not as frequent as it once was when you were the little filly I took in as my very own student so many moons ago. My duties and your journey to become the young mare I know you will one day be have kept us apart and for that I am sorry. You’re growing up so fast, and I must confess that some days I worry that I’m not giving you the time and attention that you deserve. That is why I have created this gift especially for you, my most determined student. Any time you wish to speak with me, require my aid, or simply want to share something you’ve learned, all you need to do is write it down in the pages of this book and I will see it. The magic that links us now extends to the borders of Equestria and beyond. No matter where you are and no matter when, so long as we each hold one of these books, we will never truly be apart. Happy Birthday, Sunset. With Love, Princess Celestia. Twilight looked up when she finished reading. She knew the story of how Sunset had gotten her first journal, yet she had never read the message inscribed on the first page. It was touching, but she didn’t understand why Sunset wanted her to read it. “I used to wonder why I even took it with me in the first place when I ran away. Of all the things that I could have grabbed while the palace guards were trying to hunt me down, anything that might have been useful in another world I didn’t know the first thing about, and the only thing I thought to take with me was a magic book I didn’t even know would still work. I think I know now though. I thought that as long as I held onto that book, she’d still be with me. “But, where did it end up? With you. Because she threw it out with a bunch of other books that were cluttering up her library.” Twilight nearly smacked herself in the head. Even if that was how she had found it, she certainly didn’t need to tell Sunset it was basically a hand-me-down. “I left and she just moved on. I don’t blame her for that. I just know that she never really saw me the way I wanted her to see me. That’s why I’m so afraid of seeing her again. Because, even after all this time, I still want her to see me that way,” Sunset sighed as she fell back onto her bed. Twilight watched Sunset curl in on herself. If she had any reservations about what she needed to do, they were gone now. She just needed to get through to her first and she knew exactly where to start. “Sunset, I don’t have that book.” Sunset jumped back up, an unexplainable panic on her face. “What do you mean you ‘don’t have it?'” “I mean it’s not mine anymore. It never really was. I’m sorry I never told you. There was a lot happening at the time and I never really thought about how much it might mean to you. Celestia and Luna tried to make as little noise as possible when they stepped down. Once everything was official, they sort of just packed up and left. No farewell addresses, no ceremony, nothing. They were gone the day after my coronation, but they did say goodbye. “They wished me luck, assured me that they knew we were going to do an amazing job, and then Luna left. It was just me and Celestia. That was one of the only times I can ever remember her looking uncomfortable. I don’t think she really knew how to ask for something that she wanted for herself. First, she asked me if I even still had it. Then, she asked if she could take it with her. I had to look around a bit to find it, but I gave it to her and she hugged me, and then she was gone.” Sunset gave Twilight a blank stare, uncertain what her response should be. It didn’t change everything, but it did change something. “Sunset, I know better than anypony that Celestia isn’t a very easy pony to read. She does things that don’t really make sense and she never really tells you why she chose to do them that way…” Sunset almost couldn’t believe her ears. Twilight of all ponies was speaking of Princess Celestia in a way that was, well, not exactly negative, but certainly not positive either. “But, I’d bet anything that you were more than just a student to her. She missed you. She said it herself. Don’t you remember?” Sunset did remember. It felt like a lifetime ago now, but she remembered. It felt so nice to be together again, even if it was only a few short minutes. Twilight caught the flicker of fondness and longing that swam through Sunset’s eyes. “One more day.” “What?” Sunset looked up, pulled back to reality by Twilight’s strange statement. “You once told me that you’d do anything for just one more day together. I didn’t really understand it then, but I do now. You have that chance now, Sunset.” “Twilight, I…I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” “You might not ever be ready, Sunset. You also never know if you’ll always have this chance. Maybe you’ll make a home here. Or…maybe one day you’ll decide that what you need just isn’t in Equestria. All we know is that right now you have the chance to see her. I think you should take it.” Twilight was making sense now. Too much sense. Odds were that if she didn't feel completely comfortable talking to Celestia after over ten years of being away, she never would. If Twilight’s theory held water, even her own geode was telling her that this was eating away at her the longer she held it off. What was the worst that could really happen anyway? At the very least, if it all amounted to nothing, she’d have closure. Closure she’d never get cowering away in her room, running away from her problems instead of facing them like she always did. “That’d be two vacations in a month. Are you sure that’s the sort of employee they want around the castle?” Sunset joked, trying to shake off some of the nerves she felt boiling up. “I happen to be quite close with the pony in charge around here. I’m positive she won’t mind,” Twilight grinned at her, pleased to see Sunset was no longer outright rejecting the idea. “Do you think Flurry would still be alright with me tagging along?” Sunset asked, her composure slipping a little more. “Sunset, Flurry adores you. I’m almost getting a teensy bit worried she’s starting to like you better than me. She’ll be overjoyed to have you with her.” “Okay, okay. You don’t need to butter me up like that. You really think you can handle a few days without me?” Sunset asked with a teasing smile. “I…think I can manage,” Twilight responded with a chuckle, averting her eyes. Sunset gave a heavy sigh. Twilight had successfully convinced her to do yet another crazy thing. Well, Twilight had never steered her wrong before. “I guess I better tell Flurry to save me a seat, huh?” Author's Note Time to pay a visit to the sun and moon. Hard to believe it took this long, but here we come. We're on our way to a reunion that only promises to be interesting.
Chapter 19: The Long Ride HomeSunset fidgeted from side to side. It was astounding how quickly the time went by when you’d give anything for more of it and yet the very second you actually wanted it to speed up it slowed down to an agonizing crawl. With Twilight’s encouragement, Sunset sought Flurry Heart out to accept the very same offer she rejected barely more than an hour before. It went about as well as Twilight had predicted. A brief apology, a short explanation, and another death hug from an overexcited alicorn who somehow forgot she could buck a mountain in two. Just like that, she had successfully bought herself a non-refundable ticket to Silver Shoals. The reality of it all only really hit her after the fact. She was going to see Princess Celestia again. Nearly a decade since the memory stone incident and she was going to see her again. She was going to see her again for more than just a casual grovel for help. She might have twilighted a little. Okay, so she might have twilighted a lot. She might have twilighted so much, Twilight Sparkle herself had told her that she was twilighting and had to sit her down and assure her that she was overreacting. That had helped, but it didn’t stop the next few days from rushing by her as she worried about the day fast approaching. Now, here she stood at Canterlot’s train station practically willing the train to get here faster as it seemed to be taking a lifetime just to arrive. Thankfully, two princesses, Equestria’s own Friendship Ambassador, and the Lord of Chaos all together in one of the largest cities in the kingdom necessitated the presence of the royal guard in order to keep the area clear of civilians because she doubted she would take well to the usual bustle of mass transit. Sunset felt a feathered wing drape over her back. Sunset nestled herself into place, unbelievably thankful for the distraction and to have something to bury her nervous energy into. “Take a breath, Sunset. Just breath in and let it out,” Twilight instructed, placing a hoof on her chest as she inhaled and pushing it out as she exhaled. Sunset mimicked her motion, pulling air in and pushing it out. She had no idea how, but it helped. “Thanks, Twi,” Sunset sighed. “Don’t mention it. I have plenty of experience,” Twilight chuckled. “Trust me, it’s going to be okay.” “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just…nervous. It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again. Now, I’m just going to pop in and spend the weekend? That’s kind of crazy, right? It’s not just me, is it? I mean that’s crazy?” Sunset rambled, the nerves catching up to her all over again. Twilight adjusted her hold on Sunset to pull her in closer. Some part of her wished she could go with Sunset. It would have only been right. Sunset had been there in her hour of need, yet she couldn’t even extend the same courtesy. She was needed here. She always was. All she could offer was the time to see them off and then…they’d be apart. “Alright, that’s the last of it. You know, unless there’s another carriage you need to unload,” Spike sighed, walking onto the loading area carrying what must have been several hundred pounds of luggage in his arms. All of it belonging to one pony. “Nope, that’s all of it, Uncle Spike. I packed light for this visit,” Flurry Heart remarked, a significantly smaller, but still hefty load on her back as well. “She’s joking, right?” Sunset asked, her alicorn companion. “No. She’s not,” Twilight answered with a deadpan stare. Flurry Heart’s ears twitched as she added her load to the pile. “What? I like to be prepared,” she directed at Sunset in response to her obvious disbelief. Spike scoffed. “For what? A department store opening?” “No! But what would I do if I was invited to a formal dinner, or a party, or if I saw somepony who was just really cute? Aunt Rarity always said it was crucial for a lady to have an accessory for every occasion and these curls don’t happen as naturally as I make them look.” Sunset shook her head. She had learned to love Flurry, she really had, but the girl was the absolute definition of spoiled. “Are you sure you don’t need any help, Spike?” Sunset asked the dragon who was now undertaking the tedious task of sorting Flurry’s bags. “Don’t worry about it, Sunset. Being a pack mule for ponies is my secondary occupation. How do you think I got this sweet figure?” Spike laughed off, flexing a bicep to prove his point. “Honestly, I can’t believe that’s the only thing you’re taking with you,” Flurry pointed at the worn-out saddlebag attached to Sunset’s side, her nose slightly crinkled in distaste. Sunset shrugged under Twilight’s wing, slightly embarrassed to have it pointed out. “Well, this is kind of all I own.” Flurry stared blankly at her. “Aunt Twilight doesn’t pay you enough to buy clothes?” Twilight removed her wing from Sunset in offense, leaving the unicorn feeling even more naked than before. “Hey! I pay her a very reasonable, mostly unbiassed amount,” Twilight asserted. Sunset patted Twilight’s side with a hoof to settle her down. “I just haven’t really gotten around to wardrobe shopping. It hasn’t exactly been a priority.” Flurry Heart’s face scrunched in thought before breaking into a smile. “Well, we can fix that easy enough. I mean, Silver Shoals isn’t the fashion capital of the world or anything, but there’s enough to work with there for a nice makeover.” Sunset gulped. Just like that, her reunion with Celestia had been bumped down to only the second thing she was most worried about. The sound of one of Flurry Heart’s suitcases popping open and knocking over a good chunk of Spike’s handiwork drew all the attention in the room, no doubt as intended. “Well, Flurry dear, it appears that everything is here and accounted for,” Discord said, stepping out of the case that was logically far too small for him to fit inside. The draconequus in question was wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt in preparation for their "vacation." Personally, Sunset wasn’t sure how to feel about Discord inviting himself along, but it wasn’t really her call to make. Flurry certainly seemed incredibly fond of him. “Thanks, Uncle Discord,” Flurry nodded in gratitude. “It’s no trouble at all for my most favorite princess. I would have been done sooner, but I got a bit turned around somewhere in between this and last year’s spring collection,” Discord waved off. A blaring horn alerted everyone present to the arrival of the train. The locomotive arrived only seconds after the sound, a multicolored train skidding to a screeching halt in front of the group with an almost deafening sound. How the train could be speeding almost off the tracks and only still arrive just on time was anypony’s guess. Sunset couldn’t quite tell if the reflective faceted exterior of the train was simply modeled after or legitimately made out of crystal, but it answered any question of the vehicle’s origin regardless. This was the Crystal Empire train they had been waiting for. The doors of the train slid open, allowing a colorful cascade of armored earth ponies and changelings to filter out. The armor they wore was unmistakably similar to the armor worn by the guards of Canterlot, only silver-plated as opposed to gold with the small but telling addition of a badge with Flurry Heart’s mark replacing the standard star emblem on the center of the chest plate. Like a well-oiled machine, Flurry Heart’s personal guard quickly set to work on loading their princess’s belongings into the passenger cars, as though this was a process they had gone through a million times before. More than likely, it was. “You know, it’s not too late for me to have Spike send a message ahead of you,” Twilight gently prodded one last time. Sunset held in a breath of exasperation. They were really still on this it seemed. “Twilight, it’s fine. You said you’ve told her about how the mirror works now before, so it’s not like this will come as a total surprise. Besides, Princess Celestia loves surprises…apparently,” Sunset justified once again. Twilight frowned. She couldn’t say she agreed with this approach. Certainly, she was a strong advocate of Sunset making this trip, and she wanted it to be done on Sunset’s terms. However she wanted to go about it was her decision and she’d honor that decision, but the insistence on not even notifying the former princesses of Sunset’s arrival seemed questionable at best. It was her own fault, but she had yet to even inform Celestia that her former student had been living with her in Equestria for the past month. She probably should have. They just didn’t talk as much as they used to. “Okay, if you’re sure that’s what you want,” Twilight nodded, her tone laced with uncertainty but willing to set it aside. Sunset heard the worry in Twilight’s voice. That was her limit. She owed her a real explanation, even if she didn’t really understand it herself. “Look, Twilight. I just want whatever I find over there to be…real.” “Real?” Twilight asked. Sunset recognized that didn’t explain much of anything. “It’s just…Princess Celestia isn’t really the type of pony to be upfront with you. She sets the terms, and she usually only tells you what she thinks you need to hear. She’s always the pony in control. I know it probably sounds a bit underhoofed, but I don’t want to just walk into a scene she’s set.” Twilight remained silent as she turned Sunset’s reasoning around in her head for a few seconds. “Alright, I understand,” Twilight nodded, her voice no longer carrying the questions it once did. Sunset had to suppress her surprise. She honestly expected at least a few objections after that. Before Sunset could come up with any questions of her own, Flurry Heart cut in between them practically bouncing on her hooves. “We’re all loaded up and ready to head out, Aunt Twilight! Are you ready to go, Aunt Sunset? We need to get moving before my guards get Uncle Spike going about how he became so ‘brave and glorious.’” “She’s right. That story takes at least half an hour,” Twilight chuckled. “Maybe if he goes light on the details,” Flurry grimaced, having heard the story in every variation at least a dozen times each. “Oh, he just likes the attention. Now, do you have everything you need before you go?” Twilight asked. Sunset smirked as she watched Twilight shift into doting mode. “Yes, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry nodded. “Okay, Flurry. Stay safe, remember to eat three square meals a day, or at least breakfast, and don’t stay up too late. It’ll mess up your internal schedule,” Twilight listed off. “Yes, Mom,” Flurry groaned. Twilight didn’t seem to pay Flurry Heart’s irritation any mind. Instead, she simply leaned over and gave Flurry a gentle goodbye peck on the cheek. Flurry Heart jumped back in complete offense, her face performing a spot-on impression of a tomato. “Ew! Oh gross! C’mon, Aunt Twilight, right where everypony can see!? I’m not five anymore!” “Take care, Flurry. Come back soon, okay? I love you,” Twilight stated as though Flurry hadn’t said anything at all. Flurry Heart huffed and began to walk towards the train. “Love you too,” she grumbled just loud enough for the ponies behind her to hear clearly. “Guess I better go too,” Sunset stated, seeing Flurry Heart board the crystal train. “Yeah…I guess so,” Twilight nodded. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll be back before you have time to miss me,” Sunset promised her, placing a comforting hoof on her leg. Twilight shook off any malaise she had unwillingly allowed herself to fall into. The last thing she wanted was for Sunset to be worrying about her through this. “You focus on what you need,” Twilight smiled. “You can tell me all about it when you get back,” Twilight assured her. “It’s a date,” Sunset vowed. “oh, uhm…of course!” Twilight awkwardly laughed. “Sooo, do I get a goodbye kiss too?” Sunset nudged Twilight, getting just one more tease in before she went. She preferred a cute flustered princess to a dejected one any day. Twilight rolled her eyes, an obvious light pink covering her cheeks that she turned her head to cover. Sunset couldn’t help the lighthearted chuckles that escaped her at the sight. Twilight always was a bit of a prude. A gentle sensation pressing itself onto the side of her cheek strangled the giggles in her throat. It was faint, warm, soft, and just the slightest bit damp. It was there for only a second, but time seemed to stall just so she could feel every detail of it before it pulled away with a nearly inaudible smack that may as well have been deafening to Sunset. Even after her mind told her it was gone, she could still feel it there, lingering like a ghost. Tingling like an electric buzz. The barest sensation, but it was the only thing she could feel now. She kissed her. Twilight had kissed her. “For luck,” Twilight told her, the mirth crystal clear in her voice were Sunset capable of listening to it. Sunset liked to toy with her. It was only fair she got to have a little fun of her own every now and then. “That’s odd. Ponies don’t usually change color when I’m not around,” Discord remarked, now present without warning as usual. “We really need to get you out of this dreadful heat. Come along, little fireball,” he stated, scooping Sunset up under one arm like she was just one more piece of luggage. Ordinarily, Sunset would have protested such treatment, but she hardly even seemed aware enough to do so at the moment. “Discord!” Twilight called out to the retreating draconequus. Discord turned his head back like it was on a swivel. “Fret not, your sparkliness. So long as I’m around, I guarantee not a microscopic drop of harm will fall upon their adorable little heads. Your darling niece and the little assistant you’re so entranced by will make it back to you safe and sound,” Discord winked. Discord’s words were of more of a comfort to Twilight than she realized they would be. It was silly really, but the assurance was nice all the same. The comfort was soon replaced by confusion, however, as Discord’s choice of words echoed through her brain. His phrasing struck her as odd. Discord was often odd, but he never did anything unintentionally. Twilight looked up, only to find that, in the brief window where she hadn’t been looking directly at him, the chaos spirit had vanished. Typical. Twilight sighed as the train’s horn blew once again, signaling that the large locomotive was now leaving. The engine pumped out smoke and fumes crawling its way out of the station and off to its next destination, quickly picking up speed until it was out of view and out of earshot. It would mostly be just her and her thoughts for a while now. “Alone again, Twilight.” “Aunt Sunset? Hey, Aunt Sunset? Are you okay?” “…I-I’m fine, Flurry,” “Are you sure? You’ve been a little out of it since Uncle Discord brought you onboard. Are you sick? You do look kinda red,” Flurry worried, reaching a foreleg over to check Sunset’s temperature. Sunset gently pushed Flurry’s hoof aside. “Really, Flurry. I’m alright,” Sunset assured her protégé, this time much more confident in her statement. Honestly, a peck. That was it. A simple unexpected meaningless peck was all it had taken to fry her circuits. To think, she’d been bold enough to mock Twilight for her modesty. It was like she’d never been kissed before. She’d probably never live that one down. “Okay, that’s good. I was a little worried you were having second thoughts,” Flurry confessed. “Sunset Shimmer turning tail and fleeing at the idea of actually having to face her beloved mentor for a genuine conversation? Perish the thought,” Discord scoffed across from them on his seat, waving his hand as if he was actually swatting away the idea. Sunset leaned back into her remarkably cushy seat. “Well, I won’t pretend I’m not nervous, but I promise I’m committed to this. It’s… something that needs to be done.” Sunset gauged Flurry’s reaction to her words in the seat next to her as she watched her concern morph into consideration. At some point along the way, this venture had become about more than just her and Celestia. It was about Flurry now too. The young alicorn looked up to her. Regardless of if she felt she was worthy or qualified, that was the reality. It was the situation she had willingly placed herself in when she agreed to be her teacher. It was her responsibility to set an example. Not that it was the same thing, but how could she possibly expect Flurry to follow her advice and work through her problems with her own family if she was too much of a coward to do the same with Celestia? Twilight had convinced her to give this a chance, but it was Flurry who now gave her the resolve she had. She very nearly fumbled her responsibility out of the gate when the youngest princess first reached out to her, but she wouldn’t do it again. “Sooo, are you comfortable? You can just ask if you need anything. Food, blankets, masseuses, this place has everything,” Flurry offered, her voice indicating she was attempting to impress. Sunset finally took a moment to actually take in the interior of the carriage. She hadn’t really paid much attention to her surroundings while she was still… processing. It was certainly lavish. Far more so than anything Twilight had for herself and innumerable tiers above her own standard of living. Spotless walls that mirrored the design of the crystal exterior, soft carpeting and window curtains that must have been made out of silk, velvet, or some other sort of expensive material, and seats so plush and soft you might sink into them if you weren’t careful. It was an impressive amount of luxury for what Sunset could only assume was the train’s typical passenger count of one, excluding Flurry’s guards and attendants that all kept to other cars as far as she could tell. “Taken with the décor? It’s a bit symmetrical for my tastes, but you can’t deny the comfort,” Discord sighed, sprawling over the seats he had all to himself. “It’s easily the nicest train I’ve ever been in,” Sunset offered honestly. A part-time job selling raw fish at the mall certainly never afforded her first class in anything. Flurry shifted in her seat to give Sunset a puzzled side-glance. “Really? I figured you’d be pretty used to stuff this nice, growing up with Auntie Celestia.” Sunset shrugged in response. “Not exactly. Though, if you asked most of the nobility, at the time, they’d tell you I still lived well above my station.” Flurry’s sour face at the mere mention of the aristocracy told Sunset that a century hadn’t done much to make the members of high society less obnoxious. It probably would have been wishful thinking to hope Twilight had improved even that aspect of Equestria. “Still, it wasn't like I was a member of the royal family or anything. I had to buy a ticket like anypony else the few times I actually left Canterlot,” Sunset explained, hoping time had given her enough maturity to not sound bitter about it. It would have been incomprehensibly spoiled of her. She lived in the royal palace, and that came with innumerable privileges. She was Celestia’s personal student, and that gave her even more on top of everything else. So what if she wasn’t literally treated like royalty? So what if she wasn’t part of their little family? Sunset was pulled out of a line of thought that was on the cusp of spiraling by an alicorn wing wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her into a side hug that was as informal as the pony the wing belonged to. “In that case, you just stick with me, Aunt Sunset. You’ll be riding in style to anywhere in Equestria,” Flurry offered, waving a foreleg in front of her. Discord gasped in over-the-top astonishment, clutching a lion paw to his chest. “My word, Princess. Aren’t you worried that allowing such liberal use of royal resources to a mere common pony would cause those stuffy upper-class patricians to think less of you?” Discord and Flurry paused for only a second before bursting out into simultaneous laughter. Sunset shifted her glance between the two as they giggled together over a punchline she didn’t have the slightest understanding of. Flurry Heart outright scoffed upon settling down, “Like that’s even possible.” “Well, who cares what those posturing peacocks think? Nopony who’s ever accomplished anything important did it by caring about their opinion,” Discord flicked his eagle hand in casual dismissal. “After all, why would Princess Cadance give you so many wonderful toys if you weren’t supposed to have a little fun with them?” “I imagine they make a nice substitute for her time,” Flurry Heart answered with a rather empty laugh. The atmosphere of the room chilled slightly at that; an awkward silence blanketing the room. Flurry had phrased it as a joke, but the undercurrent of venom just below the surface was palpable. Even Discord shifted slightly in discomfort. Flurry Heart sighed. “Sorry, that one slipped out. I guess old habits are hard to break.” “Well, far be it from me to hold the occasional misstep against anypony,” Discord shrugged off quickly. “Especially during such a momentous occasion as Sunset’s first real excursion outside of the castle.” Sunset had to admire the ease with which Discord managed to change the subject. She just wished it didn’t often involve shoving her on the spot. “H-hey, I’ve been outside of the castle before,” Sunset defended a bit too readily. “Oh, dear. My sincere apologies. What I meant to say is your first time outside of the castle without being on Twilight’s leash,” Discord smiled fiendishly at her. Sunset scowled at him. She couldn’t honestly say that she didn’t follow Twilight around like a lost puppy half the time. What else was she supposed to do in a completely alien world? Discord thoughtfully stroked his beard, pretending to reevaluate. “Then again, perhaps she’s the one on yours.” “Is this really the first time you’ve been outside of the city since coming home, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry jumped in before Sunset could question what exactly Discord was going on about. “…well, sort of,” Sunset settled on. Ponyville was more Canterlot adjacent than anything, and she didn’t feel like unpacking everything that went with bringing it up at the moment. “Well, in that case, you couldn’t have picked a nicer place to start. Probably why Auntie Celestia and Luna love it there so much. None of the noisy stifling bustle Canterlot and the Empire are filled to the absolute brim with.” “And plenty of space for Celestia to live out every mid-life crisis she’s repressed for over a thousand years,” Discord chimed in, once again not bothering to give any insight into what that was supposed to mean. “The only real problem is it’s a pretty long ride out to the coast no matter where you’re coming from. We’ve still got a few hours to kill before we get there,” Flurry sighed, falling back into her seat, antsy at just the idea of it. Flurry Heart no doubt wasn’t the type to be able to enjoy just sitting in one place for all that time. “….Buuut,” Flurry sang, pulling herself up out of the back of her seat, “I’ve never come out here with a magic expert before. Maybe you could—I don’t know—show me a thing or two while we wait?” Subtle, Flurry Heart was not. “Actually, Flurry, that does remind me of something I need to give you,” Sunset nodded, leaning over into the train isles to get into her saddlebag lain against her seat. Flurry stifled a squeal of excitement. “Here you go, Flurry,” Sunset said as she levitated the object she had pulled from her bag over to her. Flurry Heart took the offered impressively thick rectangle into her hooves and stared at the cover in confusion. “…Oh. This is… something.” “Indeed. Don't you normally have to wait until Hearth’s Warming to be disappointed by a book?” Discord snickered. Flurry shifted the novel around, feeling its weight. It was rather girthy. “This does look like something Aunt Twilight would read.” Flurry Heart squinted, taking a closer look at the cover. “Hang on a second. She WROTE this one!” “Fundamentals and Principles of Magic: A Comprehensive Guide,” Sunset recited the book’s title. “It’s... not exactly a thriller, but it is pretty good at filtering out all the meaningless fluff and repetition most other textbooks come with. You’ll learn a lot from it.” Flurry blanched. “You actually expect me to read this whole thing?” Sunset nodded. “B-but, that’s so boring! It’ll take ages just to make a dent in this thing! Can’t you teach me without Aunt Twilight’s lame books?” Sunset shook her head. She expected this. “Believe me, Flurry, I’m not a huge fan of this part of magic education either, but it’s still a part of it. Magic is complex and you need to understand how it works before you start messing with it. I mean, you wouldn’t want an electrician who didn’t know how electricity works, right?” Flurry cocked her head. “What are either of those things?” Sunset smacked a hoof to her forehead. That one was on her. “What I’m trying to say is that studying magic like this might not be exciting, but it is necessary. Casting spells, making potions, and all the other fun stuff that lets you get your hooves dirty is going to be a lot easier if you understand what you’re doing.” “Can’t you just tell me what I need to know?” Flurry meekly suggested. “I’ll teach you as much as I can, Kiddo, but I’m not always going to be around. Some things you’ll need to learn on your own,” Sunset answered. Some part of her would have even liked to be able to, but Flurry was still the Crystal Empire’s Princess at the end of the day. Flurry Heart stared at Sunset, and a wave of mingled unidentifiable emotions passed through her eyes. “Okay,” Flurry sighed with a slight frown pulling at her lips, “I’ll try things the Aunt Twilight way.” Flurry irritably flipped open the book in her hooves to the first page and started going over it, her agitation apparent, but at the very least, she seemed to be taking it in. Flurry was so different from her aunt, yet so similar at the same time. How they both handled their emotions was the greatest proof of that. Sunset, at last, turned away and pulled a book of her own out of her saddlebag. It was a long ride to Silver Shoals. No use letting that time go to waste. “You okay, Twi?” Spike’s question jostled Twilight out of her musings and back to the steady sway of the carriage carting them back to the castle. “huh?” Twilight eloquently responded. “You’ve been a little out of it,” Spike pointed out from his seat across from her. Twilight had hardly made a peep since they left the station. The lights had been on but nopony was home. Her movements and actions were mostly automated habits while Twilight herself was buried somewhere deep in her thoughts. Sadly, that wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence, but it had been getting less common until now. Twilight sat up ramrod straight, squaring her shoulders and tilting her chin ever so slightly upwards, just enough to be dignified, but not so much as to come off as snooty or be perceived as looking down on anypony. “I’m perfectly fine, Spike. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about,” Twilight assured him in a completely even tone that couldn’t have been more inoffensive. “The royal voice, Twilight? Seriously?” Spike rolled his eyes, thoroughly unimpressed. In all these years, Twilight had changed so much and not at all at the same time. If any creature were to be told what Twilight used to be like, they’d probably assume the lavender mare had come a long way when it came to dealing with stress. Anything would probably be seen as a marked improvement over borderline deranged neurotic fits. Sure, it’d be difficult to argue she hadn’t improved, but the truth was Twilight could still be as bad with stress as she ever was. She simply substituted her old coping mechanisms with more productive and socially acceptable ones. If Spike was honest, he always disliked this one much more. Twilight used to wind herself tighter than one of Rarity’s corsets, but at least she was herself when she did it. Not some regal mask. “I... I don't know what you mean,” Twilight stuttered, her composure already giving way to Spike’s blunt response. “The whole Princess routine. I get why you do it, but c’mon, you don’t need to do it around me,” Spike crossed his arms. Twilight battled with the idea of doubling down for a moment before finally throwing in the towel. There was no point in acting otherwise. Spike could read her better than anypony else. She sagged down into her seat with a familiar whine. “You really miss them, huh,” Spike stated with certainty. “More than I realized,” Twilight confessed. It was telling that she could even say that. She was never looking forward to it. She just didn’t expect to feel so… empty. “Why the surprise? That’s the entire reason you brought her here, isn’t it? To fill your hollow life.” Twilight grimaced involuntarily. That horrible nagging voice in the back of her head was back now. “Things have been pretty different lately,” Spike nodded. “They have?” Twilight blinked in bewilderment. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything they did differently. They still went through the days as they had for decades at this point. Lower the moon, Raise the sun. Tend to whatever meetings and issues sat on the schedule today. Teach her afternoon classes. Research magic that could benefit Equestria. More meetings. Then lower the sun and raise the moon. Find some way to squeeze public appearances, paperwork, time for her students, eating, sleeping, and basic hygiene in-between all that. Do it all flawlessly so this perfect little world kept moving. Free time if she worked hard enough for it and no emergencies happened to call her name. Then, do it all over again the next day. “You have,” Spike clarified, pointing a claw directly at her. Twilight gave him a puzzled look, uncertain how to take that claim. Spike took her silence as an invitation to elaborate. “That’s not a bad thing. I mean, how can it be? You were totally miserable before.” Twilight opened her mouth to protest out of defensive instinct only for absolutely nothing to come out. What could she say? That she wasn’t? Miserable was an understatement. “I guess all I’m trying to say is that you seem happier now. I was actually pretty worried about you for a while there. I guess most creatures probably didn’t even notice, but I could tell you've just been going through the motions,” Spike confessed. Twilight felt a pang of guilt course through her. How many creatures close to her had she neglected just because she was too wrapped up in her self-pity? “Spike, I…I’m sorry, I didn’t—” Spike put a claw up to silence the unnecessary apology. “Hey now. This isn’t about me. Really, I’m just sorry I couldn’t do more to help. All that really matters to me is that you’re not just letting the days pass by anymore.” Twilight found herself stunned by Spike’s truth. Had the days really stopped simply blending together? Monotonous as they all still were, she found she could pick out each one as its own unique and individual chapter in her life. If she tried to do the same for only a few months ago all she found was the meaningless constant empty static that came after happily ever after. When had she started living again? “It’s fine if you miss them. They make you happy,” Spike finished. And there was the answer. “Yeah, they do,” Twilight sighed, torn between the pleasant feelings and the empty longing. “Hey, it’s only a few days. Plus, you still have your faithful friendship ambassador,” Spike gestured to himself. “I do, don’t I?” Twilight smiled, his attempt to cheer her up finding its mark. No matter what, she could always count on Spike. And he was right. She felt so down now because it had felt so right before. How long had it been since she had known either feeling? Since she lived her life with something to look forward to? She’d make it through these next couple of days and then she and Sunset could talk about everything that had happened while they were apart. Sooner or later Flurry would be back and she’d show her all the wonderful things she loved about magic like she should have done long ago. Being alone was going to be hard, yes, but it wouldn't be forever. Spike smiled in satisfaction as Twilight’s disposition shifted. There was the Twilight he knew and loved. Spike’s genuine grin slowly morphed into a more mischievous visage. Of course, what was love without a little sibling teasing? “Plus, just think about it, once Sunset gets back you can give her a welcome home kiss too.” Sunset was pulled from the pages of her book by a steady weight settling onto her side, a rhythmic rumbling passing from it through her. She shifted her eyes to peek at the motionless princess leaning on her for support. Completely still and utterly silent aside from the whispers of her breath that accompanied the even rise and fall of her chest. Several quiet hours of heavy reading accompanied by the constant rocking of the train had successfully lulled Flurry to sleep. The book she had been diligently pushing through was now forgotten in her lap. Sunset couldn’t help the small smile that broke out across her face at the familiar sight. Well, familiar in a sense. She had never quite been on this side of it, but she knew first hoof how painfully dull those texts could be. Essential information that somehow managed to make itself sound as enthralling as watching the grass grow. She remembered doing the very same so many moons ago. Celestia had insisted on total mastery of the information. Countless hours and long nights were spent in the castle library pouring over it all until she could recite everything page by page. It was arduous work, especially for a young little filly, yet she persevered because she trusted the guidance of her mentor. She chased the nod of approval she received from the princess with every finished book. She coveted the faintest upturn of Celestia’s lips when she correctly answered a question in her class. Many days she’d read and read until she slumped over in her seat, exactly the way Flurry Heart was now, only to inexplicable awaken the next morning tucked into the bed in her chambers. Sunset sighed, brushing off the wave of nostalgia. Using her magic, she shifted Flurry Heart off of her and gently placed her against the windowsill onto a pillow she had conjured for her to lean against. Alicorn she may be, but Sunset doubted that made her immune to the crick in the neck she’d wake up with if she was left like she was. Silently, Sunset admired the princess as she slept. There was a softness to her sleeping features that wasn't there when she was awake. Whether she knew it or not, Flurry always seemed on guard, in a different but similar way to Twilight. Twilight buried her emotions while Flurry practically shouted them to the world just to get anypony to notice. Even so, she always seemed to be bracing herself for or against something. Desperate for affection yet scared to be hurt at the same time. Sunset placed a comforting hoof on Flurry’s side without much thought while she turned her attention forward. She had been feeling it for some time now. The burning nagging sensation you got when you were being watched. Discord was pretending to read through a newspaper to pass the time. Of course, the pages were upside down, but Sunset didn’t dare point that out or he would just make a bigger show out of it. Regardless, he certainly wasn’t fooling anypony with the two gaping holes cut into the middle of the paper for his mismatched eyes to stare straight at her through. Not that Sunset was fully convinced he even was trying to hide it. Making her uncomfortable and confused seemed to be a new favorite pastime of his, and she’d just about had it with his actions and statements he never bothered to explain. “Having fun?” Sunset asked as bluntly as she could. Sunset saw one of Discord’s brows raise in interest only to be quickly replaced by a gleam of delight. Discord crumpled the paper he had been holding between his paw and claws and tossed out a flock of origami paper cranes into the aisle that fluttered off to parts unknown. “Oh, more than you can imagine, little fireball, thanks to you.” Sunset shot him a look. Another offhanded remark that she could only guess the meaning of. Did he always have to be like this? “I’m glad I’ve been so entertaining to you.” “Oh, you’ve always been quite fascinating to me. A creature of chaos’s ideal pony if you will,” Discord smiled, almost sincerely. “And what does that mean?” Sunset asked point-blank. Discord put a lion paw to his chin, as though he was thinking about how to best put it when he already knew exactly what he was going to say. “You don’t make any sense.” Sunset forgot whatever she was or should have been feeling in favor of sheer and utter confusion beyond anything Discord had inflicted upon her so far. Discord merely took this as his cue to go on. “You never have. Ever since that very first day I took notice of you hiding away behind Celestia’s leg from my stone suit, you’ve been one great big contradiction.” “A contradiction?” Sunset repeated, still at a complete loss for where or even how to take that bizarre assessment. “Well, just think about it. What else would you call somepony so hopelessly desperate for love and acceptance that they believed the only solution was to push everypony else away. Somepony with a superiority complex the size of Equestria built to mask an inferiority complex just as large and twice as deep. Who so wanted nothing more than to be with her beloved mentor that she ran as far away as possible, clear out of this dimension,” Discord counted off one finger at a time. Discord’s words tore through her far more viscously than she had ever expected they could after all these years. His assessment was succinct, callous, and worst of all, accurate. She couldn’t deny a thing he said. Nopony had ever lain her bare so effortlessly. Everything wrong with her was just put out and tied up with a neat little bow. “But…” Discord interjected with a raised paw just before Sunset could trip off the edge of that precipice as she had done so often before, “You came back and I almost didn’t recognize you anymore. You had the same face, but I just kept seeing a pony who was always doing things Sunset Shimmer would never do. Engaging in pleasant conversation with strangers, offering to help just for the mere sake of it, and even putting other ponies besides herself first without even needing an ounce of credit for it. How you’ve changed,” Discord mused, cracking another smile, this one undoubtedly genuine. Discord shrugged a small concession before going on. “And yet, you still don’t make an ounce of sense. It’s one of the few things about you that hasn’t changed.” “Really?” Sunset asked, now more curious where he was going with this than anything. “Absolutely. Isn’t it odd how a pony whose very identity revolves around magic has grown so attached to a world that is better off without it? And it’s truly astonishing how perceptive you’ve become at understanding other creatures but sit you in front of a mirror and suddenly you’re completely clueless. Though the most perplexing of all has to be your hesitance to venture out into this crazy little land you used to call home, yet you’ve already catapulted yourself headlong into a connection you can’t take back.” Discord’s eyes darted over to the sleeping Princess Sunset’s hoof still laid on. Sunset followed him, her own eyes landing onto Flurry as she processed what Discord had just said. “Honestly, you just can’t write that kind of irony. Back in the day, Princess Cadance would have given just about anything to have you act halfway civil towards her, and now you’re doting on her only daughter,” Discord remarked with a laugh that only sounded half genuine. “You’ve no doubt spent a lot of time wondering if you could ever really stay here, but now I have to wonder, are you certain you’d be able to leave again?” Sunset responded to Discord with a wide-eyed stare. In just the span of a few seconds, the ordinarily outlandish draconequus had managed to unload mountains of things to consider and asked a question she had never thought to ask herself. A question that needed asking. Ever since Twilight had offered her this chance, the idea of leaving the life she had spent so long and worked so hard to build always felt so inherently wrong. No matter what logic said, the thought of leaving her best friends behind felt wrong. It still felt so completely wrong. But what about the alternative? What about leaving Equestria behind? It wouldn’t even be the first time she’d done it. How did that feel now? Sunset considered it for the first time. It felt… wrong. “I... don't know,” Sunset confessed, maybe to Discord, maybe to herself. Discord tilted his head at her answer, for once not giving anything away. The sound of the train’s horn ripped through the carriage, startling Sunset and jolting Flurry Heart groggily back to the world. “That’s our time,” Discord noted, shifting back into his usual demeanor. “Buh? Whuh? Are we here?” Flurry Heart yawned, stretching her limbs and wings out in whatever space she had available. “Yeah, it looks like we are,” Sunset mumbled, looking out the window to see that their train was already pulling into the station. Suddenly, a few hours felt all too short. “Good heavens, doesn’t the time just fly by when you’re having fun?” Discord chuckled, snatching a pocket watch that floated by on wings out of the air. “I should probably be on my way.” Flurry Heart shook off her drowsiness at that. “Huh? Aren’t you coming with us, Uncle Discord?” Discord’s normal carefree visage softened in response to the almost imperceptible warble in the question. “Just a few small errands to run first, my dear. It shouldn’t take more than an afternoon. You two can go on ahead. Just think of it as a lady’s day out. Discuss all the complicated topics even decades of marriage couldn’t allow me to comprehend.” “O-okay. Just don’t be gone too long,” Flurry nodded in understanding. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll be back in a snap.” Discord lifted an eagle claw and clicked his fingers. In an instant, the draconequus seemingly vanished in his typical flash. “What a guy,” Sunset stated aloud, not even remotely sure what feeling to attach to that sentiment. She could just never get a read on him. She was pretty sure they were friends. Maybe. At the very least he seemed to care enough about Twilight and Flurry to not be antagonizing her for its own sake. The only thing she could say for certain was that he was still pretty annoying. “Well, you ready, Aunt Sunset?” Flurry asked, pulling Sunset’s attention to her. “Auntie Celestia and Luna’s place is pretty much right by the coast, so it’s a bit of a hike. We should probably get moving.” Flurry Heart leaped onto her hooves. At least that gave her a little more time to steel herself. One more chance to build up her courage for a moment decades in the making. She was going to see Celestia. And they were going to talk. That was the goal. A real conversation this time. When was the last time they had had one of those? Falling to her knees and begging for help when she needed it most hardly counted. Neither did the tension-filled confrontations they had had so often just before she threw her whole life away. She didn’t have a clue what they were even going to talk about when she got there, but that was just as well. Not that she hadn’t tried to find the right words or come up with a speech or a plan that said and asked everything she needed to know ahead of time, but that was Twilight’s thing, not hers. She just needed the strength to face her, and she’d put it together from there. Sunset took a deep breath in and pushed it out before getting to her hooves. “Okay, Flurry. Let’s go visit Princess Celestia.” Author's Note This time of year is all about spooks and scares, so I decided I'd do the most frightening thing I could think of for me. Update my story! Well, I don't have any excuses I haven't used before (Aside from an unhealthy amount of time playing Metroid Dread), so I'll just try and keep the ball rolling now that it's going again. The next chapter comes with what I'm sure you've all been waiting for.
Chapter 20: Pleasant SurprisesIf Sunset was forced to describe Silver Shoals in a single word, it would be... pleasant. It was a stark contrast to any portion of modern Equestria she had been exposed to thus far. Nothing at all like Canterlot, with its crowded streets and tall densely packed buildings, yet also nothing like Ponyville in its seemingly ever-expanding diversity. Everything here was all so open, so tranquil, so uniformly organized. Nothing in sight but green plains enclosed by rocky hills and valleys that were all spotted in simple wooden structures that had an obvious seaside motif. Each building matched in color but differed just enough to keep the scenery from becoming monotonous. The buildings themselves spread out in tasteful groups across the land and surrounding hilltops in no particular pattern, but still seeming deliberately set up to maintain a certain aesthetic appeal to any onlooking eyes. It was as if somepony had taken a portrait and decided to turn it into a town. If Sunset didn’t know any better, she’d assume that the weather here must have always been a perfect sunny sky filled with just enough clouds to keep the sun’s rays a pleasantly warm bath to the townsfolk down below. It was all so pleasant. That was the objective term Sunset was obligated to attach to the scenery. A perfect little plot of land far removed from the rest of Equestria that bordered the sea and probably never really changed. Not too big, not too small. Not too crowded, not too empty. Not too rural, not too urban. Just an all-around ideal location for settling down. Probably not the sort of location Sunset could ever see herself settling down in. Probably not the sort of location she would have ever imagined Princess Celestia settling down in either for that matter, but then again, she couldn’t say she had ever imagined what Princess Celestia retiring would have looked like in the first place. Even having known about it for years now, she still struggled with the concept that Princesses could retire. Though Flurry certainly seemed at home. Trotting along beside her, practically prancing over the dirt path that led them through town, Flurry had just waved a hoof in greeting at yet another passing pony. The youngest princess was actually rather popular around these parts. Sunset could fight past the worries silently stewing beneath the surface to appreciate that welcome change compared to Canterlot Castle. Sunset hadn’t dared mention it, but it certainly hadn't escaped her notice that most of Twilight’s staff generally avoided her if they could. No doubt an effect of the less than pleasant attitude Flurry carried herself with for Celestia knows how long. Typically crowded halls became suspiciously desolate corridors whenever the Princess of the Crystal Empire just so happened to be strolling through. However hard Flurry was trying to amend her behavior now, Sunset knew firsthoof that it took time for people to stop glancing at you like you were a ticking timebomb just waiting to go off whenever they thought you weren’t looking. However hard she tried to feign indifference, you hardly needed a magical necklace to tell that Flurry was far from immune to what other creatures thought of her. If anything, she was more sensitive to it than most. "Hey, Mr. Astern! You fight anymore sea monsters since I’ve been gone!?" Flurry playfully called out to an old bearded Earth pony in a sea captain's garb who gave Flurry a smirk and a wink in response. But here, Flurry practically received her own homecoming. Not a single creature they’d passed so far hadn’t at least offered a welcoming smile in greeting, and several had even gone so far as to stop Flurry to exchange a few quick pleasantries. Flurry, in return, was more comfortable and at ease than Sunset had ever seen her. Thankfully, Flurry had elected to only take along one of the dozens of carry-on bags Sunset had witnessed being crammed onto the train, so her protégé wasn’t quite as high maintenance as Rarity after all. However, the real shock came when she casually left her regalia behind on the train in favor of a less royal appearance. It wasn’t until Sunset had seen Flurry without all the traditional accessories of an Equestrian Princess that she noticed it was a sight she had never witnessed before. Twilight was, more often than not, dressed in the very same manner, but she wasn’t necessarily attached to it. Twilight tended to shed some of her regal armor when she was free of prying eyes. For meals, late nights in the office, and more recently she’d taken to losing the crown whenever it was just the two of them. Sometimes, she almost seemed relieved to get it off her. She couldn't recall ever seeing Flurry do the same. Not during the meals they’d had together, not during their private lessons over the past week, not during any period of the day, be it dawn or dusk. Sunset tried not to read too deeply into something that could have simply been nothing, but it stuck out all the same. If there was anything to it though, it didn’t apply here. "Oh, look over there, Aunt Sunset! That place makes the BEST haycakes! You have to try them at some point!" Flurry Heart eagerly pointed out to her, jabbing a foreleg in the direction of a quaint little restaurant they had just passed. At this rate, Sunset was confident she’d be able to find her way around this town solely through all the little points of interest Flurry kept recommending. "You really know your way around, huh?" Sunset nodded at Flurry with a subtle smile. It was cute seeing Flurry so eager. Even for a pony as expressive as Flurry tended to be, she wasn't usually this bouncy. "Oh yeah, I’m here a lot. It’s kind of a second home. Heh, I might consider making it my first home if they’d let me," Flurry giggled. "Really?" Sunset looked up to the alicorn beside her, the genuine interest in her tone signaling Flurry to continue. "Definitely," Flurry nodded without a trace of doubt. "It’s just so quiet here. No politics, no newspapers that print every unflattering expression you make. Back before I could come here by myself, I used to practically beg Uncle Discord to take me," Flurry reminisced. "You know, I didn’t know you two were so close," Sunset stated, seizing the opportunity to learn more about the curious relationship the two seemed to share. "You mean Uncle Discord?" Sunset simply nodded, choosing to forego any words that could wind up unflattering. "Well, when I was little, if it wasn’t Aunt Pinkie, he was usually the one spending time with me," Flurry shrugged like it was no big deal to have the literal spirit of disharmony babysit you. Sunset couldn’t keep the look of skepticism off her face. "Huh, I never pegged him as the nurturing type." Flurry smiled, finding Sunset’s disbelief amusing. "He always said that was just something Aunt Fluttershy beat into him. Besides, I didn’t exactly have a wide selection when it came to foalsitters, and when your mom and dad are as busy as mine were, you need one pretty often. Mom got by for a few years by exploiting my Crystaller. I don’t think anypony ever told Mr. Sunburst that childcare wasn’t actually part of the job description, but he eventually went to work for Mrs. Starlight. After that, there weren’t many ponies who were as okay with the possibility of being blown up at any given moment." "I guess being the only natural-born alicorn in Equestrian history does mean that nopony really knows how to take care of one," Sunset offered, an understanding of Flurry that she’d never considered before actually having met her. Flurry Heart shrugged. "Yeah, but we managed. Mom actually used to know a lot of ponies who were pretty used to taking on super dangerous tasks for even less reward than a standard babysitting fee. Sometimes it was Aunt Rainbow or Aunt Applejack. They actually co-foal sat one time, but… that didn’t really end well," Flurry shuddered slightly as she briefly relived the event. Sunset didn’t even want to know. "Anyway, it was Aunt Pinkie who usually picked up the slack, but even she couldn’t just rush off to the edge of the Kingdom all the time, so Uncle Discord just kinda, y’know, popped in." Sunset shook her head in disbelief. "And Cadenza was okay with that?" Prissy perfect goodie-goodie Mi Amore Cadenza, who’d never let the foals she sat for stay up a second past their curfew, was perfectly willing to entrust her one and only child to the Lord of Chaos for safekeeping? Flurry Heart grimaced, "Eh, kinda. Mom was pretty desperate at the time, and he had to pull Aunt Fluttershy in with him at first to get her to agree to it, but after that, he just kept coming back." "That does sound like Discord," Sunset admitted as neutrally as possible. He certainly kept coming back. Flurry just chuckled at Sunset’s cadence, well aware of how much of an acquired taste he was for most. The odd pair pressed on in silence following that, Flurry leading the way on their path and Sunset trusting her guidance and following along while taking in every sight she could as they passed by, privately trying to visualize Celestia in the setting now that her thoughts were, unfortunately, free to run wherever they pleased. Try as she might, she just couldn’t imagine it. Princess Celestia strolling down to the market and picking her own groceries off the shelves. Princess Celestia casually sitting outside some random café, sipping something besides some grossly over-priced brand of tea. Princess Celestia huddled up in the middle of the town square chatting and trading local gossip with the neighbors. Things anypony living in this town must have done nearly every day. Things princesses were above doing. Nothing about this place reminded her of her old mentor. Nothing she had even so much as heard about her since she’d ventured back through the mirror reminded her of the pony she once boasted about being so intimately familiar with… or at least, that she had liked to believe herself so intimately familiar with. If she was honest with herself, how well did she really know Princess Celestia? It wasn’t like she had known that she even had a sister. That she had always been mapping out this grand destiny for some lucky little filly with a cutie mark etched into the tree of harmony. Not even something as simple as how, apparently, she couldn’t act on stage to save her own flank. Was this really how Princess Celestia longed to spend her days? Maybe she didn’t really know the first thing about Celestia. Maybe she was just on a personal journey to encounter a complete stranger who had forgotten that she had ever even existed long ago. Mere blocks away from the reality she had always known deep down, pulled closer to it with each step. Flurry hummed, picking up on the nervous energy that was beginning to radiate from the unicorn beside her. "Aunt Sunset, are you feeling alright?" Flurry ventured to ask. Sunset's head snapped around, her wide eyes turned in Flurry’s direction. "Honestly, Flurry… I think I might throw up." Flurry Heart performed a comically quick shuffle away from the potential splash zone. "Oh, wow, uhm, okay. You know, we don’t really have to go straight to Auntie Celestia’s house right away. We could go get something to ea-er, actually, that doesn’t sound like such a great idea right now. Oh! They have a spa here! We could go there, or do some shopping, or heck, I know a couple of inns we could stay at for a day or two until you’re ready to—" Sunset pulled herself to a standstill and lifted a hoof, wordlessly signaling Flurry to stop. Flurry clamped her muzzle shut and waited for Sunset to get her bearings. True to her word, the amber unicorn looked positively queasy. It was an incredibly sudden unraveling for Flurry to behold for a pony that was ordinarily so collected, even until a matter of moments ago. Flurry had never seen her look so shaken. The idea of anything getting under her fur had seemed like a nearly foreign concept mere days ago. Aunt Sunset was cool and pretty much always had the answer to everything. She didn't even so much as flinch at the idea of going head to head with a Princess. But Auntie Celestia was a different matter entirely. She didn't know all the details, but she had picked up more than enough to know that by now. The signs had been there since she had this "genius" little idea. Still, she went ahead with it, and worst of all, she knew she was perhaps the least qualified Princess to handle any manner of emotional distress. Then again, the list of things she was qualified for probably couldn't fill out a post-it note. Sunset swallowed deeply, finally managing to bring her nausea down some. "Sorry, I just… needed a moment." "I-it’s fine. I mean, I’d be pretty nervous too if I hadn’t seen my mom in who knows how long." Whatever color had begun to make its valiant return to Sunset’s face raced off in sheer terror at Flurry’s liberal use of the "M" word. Sunset brought a hoof up to her mouth as a precaution. Flurry grimaced at her words having the exact opposite effect she intended. "S-sorry, I didn’t mean… What I was trying to say is… Okay, I’m not very good at this," Flurry conceded with a defeated laugh. For lack of a better idea, Sunset sharply inhaled a breath in and pushed it out, following the motions along with her foreleg. She repeated the action once or twice for insurance. "Oh, hey, Aunt Twilight showed you Mom’s breathing thing," Flurry commented in relief. "Y-yeah, it’s… much more effective than it has any right to be," Sunset confessed, feeling her stomach successfully settle. Some things just never changed. All these years and it still didn’t take much for anything related to Celestia to send her over the edge. "Are you going to be okay?" Flurry’s eyes glistened with concern. "I’m... fine, Flurry," Sunset assured her. Flurry had heard far too many ponies say they were fine when they weren’t to believe that. "I’m really sorry, Aunt Sunset," Flurry Heart sighed. The butterflies in Sunset’s stomach ceased their incessant fluttering to float in abject confusion. "Uhm, okay, what exactly do you have to apologize for?" Flurry gently smacked a hoof against the ground in front of her, kicking up a small cloud of dust that she chose to focus on over the pony in front of her. "Well, I'm the one who forced this on you. You said you weren’t ready, but I still pushed you into it. I just really wanted… I thought we could…" Flurry stumbled over her words, fumbling for the right ones, "I’m… not very good at thinking things through. I just thought that I could at least do this for you, but I can’t really help you or anycreature. I’m sure Aunt Twilight could help you if she was here, but you’re just stuck with me. Sorry," Flurry apologized with a wince that showed she believed every word. Sunset quirked an eyebrow. The sparkle really didn’t shimmer far from the star. "Flurry, that’s ridiculous." "It… is?" Flurry asked, seeming genuinely confused anypony could disagree with what she had said. "Yes, it is. I’m a grown mare, Flurry. I make my own poor decisions," Sunset flashed Flurry her most playfully reassuring smile. "No pony did anything other than giving me a chance to do something I needed to do a long time ago. And for what it’s worth, I think I might have turned tail a while ago if I didn’t have you," Sunset said with complete sincerity. It was true after all. Even now, Sunset felt better just having Flurry here to inspire her to act like the adult she was supposed to be. In situations where no words could ever truly suffice, it was invaluable to have somepony else to just… be there. "O-oh, uhm, no problem really," Flurry stuttered around with a bashful smile. Sunset dared to think she might have been getting good at this whole mentor thing. "But, we still don’t have to go straight there though if you need a bit more time," Flurry offered once more. Sunset shook her head in refusal, able to think a bit more clearly now. "No, I don’t think that would really help. I’ve been avoiding this for a while. If you gave me a thousand years to prepare, I’d probably still be shaking at the front door. But, I guess if I’ve learned anything in all that time, it’s that nothing really changes if you’re not willing to do anything that makes you uncomfortable." Flurry hummed in response, considering the sentiment. "I should probably ask though, exactly how close are we right now?" Flurry merely turned her gaze to the not-so-distant horizon they had been headed for. "You’re kidding," Sunset muttered. "Nope, they’re pretty much on the other side of this hill," Flurry stated, marching her way ahead. "I thought you said it was a long walk?" "…It was. We’ve been going for almost an hour." That told Sunset two things. One, her cardio had drastically improved from living in Equestria again, and two, she had really checked out back there. "There it is!" Flurry waved Sunset over as she reached the top and pointed a hoof to something in the distance Sunset couldn’t quite see yet. She could only hear the rhythmic squawks of the birds that flocked near the sea and confirmed they had indeed made it to the coast. Sunset’s measured steps pulled her up to a place beside Flurry where she instantly felt the cool ocean breeze whip her mane about. In the faintly orange-tinted light of the evening sun, Sunset at long last beheld what the most ancient pony in Equestria now called home. "…That’s it?" Sunset blinked as though it would cause her vision to correct itself and pick up whatever was missing. As it stood, there was nothing really there. Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. There was one thing there in the inconspicuous little valley bordered by the gently swaying waves of the sea. One singular thing. One little thing surrounded by plenty of nothing aside from grass, a painfully plain picket fence, and some small flower beds. A small wooden cottage that was scarcely two stories, and only stood out because there was absolutely nothing else around. "What? Were you expecting a castle?" Flurry playfully nudged Sunset. "…maybe?" Sunset answered, uncertain herself. Flurry giggled at the idea. "That’d be a bit much for this place, wouldn’t it?" Sunset shrugged. "That didn’t stop Twilight from planting one in the middle of the suburbs." Flurry opened her mouth to respond only to pause in contemplation. "Okay, touché. Still, I think what they have is pretty nice. Auntie Luna really likes that it’s not a marathon to make it to the kitchen anymore." "Yeah, it’s… pleasant," Sunset settled on. Just like everything else in this sleepy little town. So pleasant. "So, you ready?" Sunset jumped slightly at the question, ashamed she needed to be reminded that they were here for more than to look at the scenery. She was meant to go down there. She was meant to walk past that fence. She was meant to knock on that door. She was meant to find… something. Sunset took another deep breath, exhaling it slowly. It didn’t help quite as much this time. "I guess we’ll find out," Sunset sighed, and took her first step forward, taking the lead for the first time since they had arrived. "Though I have to admit, this is probably the last way I ever imagined it," Sunset confessed to Flurry Heart. Even looking dead at it, Sunset could not fathom Celestia actually living inside this middle-class abode, virtually indistinguishable from any other. It all seemed so surreal. A mailbox out by the open front gate for Celestia to come out and collect her own postage, which would likely include dozens of worthless advertisements and magazines. Shrubbery and beds of daisies framed the outside, which would require at least some toiling around in the dirt to maintain. It was like Celestia was no different from anypony else. Sunset and Flurry, at last, reached the front porch of the house, allowing Sunset to fully take in the well-worn wooden surface that indicated the house was far from new but still cared for. Sunset took the first step onto the stairs that would lead her up to the front door before she had time to give herself second thoughts. The wood creaking under her hoofsteps alone nearly made her recoil, but Sunset shut it out and rushed the steps until she had reached the top. "Hey, w-wait for me, Aunt Sunset!" Flurry called to her as she nearly tripped up the steps, picking up her own pace when the unicorn had managed to nearly leave her in the dust. Sunset paused to wait for Flurry, giving her an anxious smile in apology. "Sorry, I got a little excited." "Well, we made it," Flurry announced upon reaching Sunset, more to ward off the tension than anything else. Sunset glanced around, taking it in. She'd always figured she'd be surrounded by stained glass and tapestries rather than rocking chairs and wind chimes if this moment ever came, but here she was all the same. Years for her. Decades for anypony else. Now all that may have very well separated them was a plain wooden door. "Do you think they’re here?" Sunset couldn’t resist asking, maybe to stall for time, maybe because the silence that ordinarily would have been completely normal felt unnervingly eerie to her at the moment. "They should be. I know they’re in town right now, and they’re not usually out this late," Flurry stated as she walked up to the front door. "I guess we should probably just knock and find out." "Wait!" Sunset called out, her tone not harsh and only slightly unsteady, yet sharp enough to halt the alicorn who had already raised a hoof to rap on the door. Flurry slowly lowered the offending appendage and waited for Sunset to explain. "Let me do it. I think… I want to be the first thing she sees," Sunset confessed. Flurry took only a moment to process the request before her curious face shifted into an understanding smile. "Sure thing, Aunt Sunset." Flurry Heart stepped aside, making room for Sunset to take the lead before considering Sunset might have wanted a bit more than a few steps of space. "Oh, wait. Do you need me to… you know?" Flurry glanced back, making a gesture that indicated she could remove herself from the situation. She was fairly used to her mom and Aunt Twilight preferring she step out when handling more important matters. "No no, that’s not it," Sunset shook her head. "Believe me, this will be much easier with you by my side." Sunset stepped beside Flurry, taking her place before the door, which up close seemed to stretch to an impossibly imposing height. Flurry leaned her head down and in place of any words offered Sunset a nuzzle of encouragement. A gesture Sunset returned without hesitation. It was funny how long it had taken her to grow accustomed to her own world’s open displays of affection, but now it was what gave her the courage to push forward. After all, whether Celestia did or didn’t care for her as more than another student plucked from a sea of generations, whether she shared at least some of the same fondness for what could only account for the smallest fraction of her centuries-long lifetime, or whether she even remembered her at all, it wouldn’t change what she knew she already had. No matter the outcome, this would allow her to finally close that chapter of her life on her own terms in the way she always should have. As long as that was true, she could live with whatever this reunion held for her. With a hoof steadier than Sunset had ever believed she could possess at this moment, Sunset tapped on the door. One, two, three. The sounds of the impact practically echoed through the previously still air, almost deafening to the unicorn who had made them. The seconds that ticked by stretched into infinite spaces of time in which Sunset waited for some form of response. Just as Sunset was beginning to wonder whether she should try knocking again, questioning whether she’d even have the fortitude to do so, the inside of the cottage began to stir. Voices. Sunset couldn’t make out any of the words from outside, but she could still hear the ensuing conversation. Two ponies. Going back and forth, almost like bickering, though lacking any sort of edge. Both were too muffled for Sunset to make out most of the finer details, but the pitch alone of one of them sent a shockwave through Sunset's system. That very voice uttered one last statement, the last word before all went silent again. It didn’t take long for hoof steps to follow, starting low and drawing closer with each passing second until they were just behind the door. The door handle clicked, and Sunset felt her breath catch in her throat. Without even a moment’s hesitation, the door swung wide open. A towering alicorn, standing an entire head over even Flurry, with a perfectly white coat, light magenta eyes, and a long solid pink mane that softly hung in a ponytail around her neck like any other mane stepped through the doorway and immediately locked herself in place upon giving an almost imperceptible gasp as if a vacuum had just sucked the air from her lungs. Sunset’s subconscious battled with itself on whether to turn her head in embarrassment at the pony that was practically standing in front of her stark naked. It seemed almost scandalous to gaze at the pure white fur and bare hooves that were meant to be covered by no less than engraved gold and sparkling gems. But, at the same time, Sunset couldn’t have possibly looked away. Not when the pony before her was such a cluster of features she could never forget, and some she couldn’t recognize. Her eyes, the same bright crystal-clear radiant shade she had looked into countless times as a young filly, but they sparkled in a way she had never seen before. Her mane was the opposite. No sparkles, no physic defying wind, but so much pink, like the single stripe that had once highlighted it had consumed the other colors. Nothing but pink left in her still long, but no longer flowing mane. It was her. In a fraction of a hummingbird’s heartbeat, Sunset knew it must have been, and yet… it wasn’t. So familiar, so alien, so… Flurry Heart cast a glance at Sunset, who seemed to be frozen in a trance of some sort, just staring at Celestia like she was trying to see straight through her. She turned her head back to her Auntie Celestia, standing still enough to pass for one of her own statues and must have broken records for the quickest shift of expression from a carefree smile to a pony who was about to be run over by a speeding train that Flurry had ever seen. Celestia’s mouth hung slightly ajar as her eyes expanded in a way she didn’t know they were capable of. They had been standing like this for a least twenty seconds at this point. "Ahem," Flurry coughed, deciding that somepony needed to jolt this situation back to reality, and sadly she was the only option. "Hey, Auntie Celestia! I just thought I’d swing by, you know, since I was in the neighborhood, and you will never guess who I bumped into. Or, well, I guess you can. Y’know, cause she’s right here… in front of… you." Heaven help her, she was bombing this worse than Aunt Twilight doing stand-up. Flurry gave Sunset a firm nudge in the side. Sunset stumbled a bit, Flurry’s nudge being more of a jab, but it was an effective means to snap her back to reality, for all the good it did. Sunset refocused her eyes onto the surprisingly startled face that she hadn’t seen in so terribly long. The face she'd longed to see just once more. This was it. Face to face with Princess Celestia. So much to tell, so much she wanted to know, all the ways she had imagined this moment through all these years, and now that it was finally upon her… she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. "H-hi," Sunset said, picking up a hoof to politely wave. Celestia managed to regain some form of awareness from the simple meek greeting, bringing her jaw back up to give the most appropriate response that came to her at the moment. "H-hello." The awkward tension that had existed before somehow managed to triple when Sunset and Celestia resumed their staring contest. "Soooo," Flurry interjected again upon seeing this was going nowhere fast, "how have you been?" "F-fine. I… w-we’ve been just… fine," Celestia mumbled, her eyes never leaving the unicorn directly in front of her, the response practically automated. Celestia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, apparently trying to get some sort of handle on herself. When at last she reopened them, she pointedly avoided looking directly at either pony, a nervous, borderline unhinged, giggle crawling its way from her throat. "I-I’m sorry. Could you please give me a moment?" Celestia requested with a forced grin, and without waiting for any sort of answer, the former princess proceeded to shuffle back into the house before promptly slamming the door shut in front of them, creating a resounding smack. The piercing sound did the seemingly impossible task of shattering the spell Sunset had placed herself under. "P-princess Celestia, wait!" Sunset cried, desperately reaching a hoof out to the door despite knowing it was already too late. Sunset slumped back onto her haunches, lost and confused all over again. She didn’t have the slightest idea what had just happened. Had she just blown it all over again? Was that it? What was she supposed to do now? "Huh, maybe dropping by unannounced wasn’t the great idea I thought it was," Flurry’s brow furrowed in confusion. "I’ve never seen her act like that before." Sunset perked up. Flurry’s words struck a chord of realization that risked being forgotten and buried under the hailstorm of emotions simply seeing her face again had inspired. She had been so captivated by the mere sight of her, what was new, what was the same, that she’d nearly ignored the pony herself. "…Yeah. Neither have I." This entire trip… no. That didn’t do it justice. Her entire life, the fear that had always clawed at the back of her mind was that she’d receive no acknowledgment at all. That Celestia just wouldn’t care. That the hard truth was that their relationship didn’t… couldn’t extend beyond student and teacher. A fear that accumulated evidence drop by drop as the years went by until that fateful night. The night where Celestia had thrown her away. No. No, that wasn’t true, Sunset amended to herself. She had overstepped. Broken her trust, more than likely broken a few laws, by being there that night. Celestia was under no obligation to let that stand. Rather, her obligation was to ensure such secrets never found their way into hooves such as hers. Her banishment from the castle was justified. Perhaps you could even say she got off light for actions that could be viewed as treasonous through certain lenses… but it still hurt. That after everything, Celestia could just watch her go and never look back. Never try to find her. Never even write. That it seemed the only thing that had changed was just… having more time to dedicate to the more promising pupil Celestia had picked up a hoof full of years ago. The pupil Celestia never openly acknowledged during whatever increasingly spare time they had together. The pupil Sunset pretended not to notice. The pupil Celestia sent after her like she was more of a test than a problem. A steppingstone. Not an issue even worth dealing with personally. Even the journal that was supposed to always connect them from beyond the very edge of Equestria itself could be thrown out like an old lamp that was taking up space. But… she wanted it back, Sunset reminded herself. So many years dwelling on the uncertainties, too much of a coward to chase the answers, and maybe deep down already convinced of the conclusion. All of it upset by a new piece that threw several pre-convinced notions into question. A part that dared to give her reason to question... to hope. And now another. Celestia was not a pony Sunset had ever known to be swayed by her emotions. She was ashamed to recall that after some of their more heated arguments, near the end, she had wondered if she had any at all. Always strict, always in control, always expressing herself in only the utmost appropriate and respectful manner possible. Polite smiles when appropriate. Disapproving scowls when appropriate. Never once would Celestia lose herself to the heat of a moment. It had frustrated her to a childish degree, Sunset admitted. How in the twilight of their relationship, some days she’d just lose it, stomping, shouting, for harmony’s sake, she’d actually thrown things at her the night she was banished from the castle, and Celestia still never gave her an inch when it came to getting a reaction. That just didn’t seem to have ever changed. Not even when she had managed to pull her sorry traitorous flank back to Canterlot and into Celestia’s presence so she could beg for the help she so desperately needed to preserve her friend’s memories. She didn’t think Celestia had known she was coming. How could she have? Spike had been off somewhere else that day, she’d never really bothered to ask where, and Twilight certainly didn’t sound like she had given the Princess any sort of notice of their arrival. And yet, still, Celestia didn’t seem put off by her presence in the slightest, all while she’d been scared out of her fur. Those eternal seconds where Celestia had just… stared at her, not saying anything, not doing anything, not giving any indication whatsoever of what was going on inside her head were easily the most terrifying moments Sunset had ever lived through in her entire life. None of the ancient evil sirens and possessed teenagers even came close. She was still grateful, of course. Celestia didn’t hate her, she had at least let her know that. She’d helped her without condition. She never would have managed to save her friends without the invaluable resources she had allowed her access to. Access to the very types of books she had been banished for reading so many moons ago. And when it was time to depart, Celestia had given her some parting words that she could have only imagined hearing from her that morning. That was all Sunset could really ask for. A better ending to their otherwise tragic story ...But, Sunset knew deep down, no matter how hard she tried to change, she was a selfish pony at heart. A selfish pony that wished Celestia had more to say to her than just a few kind words to a repentant student. Who wished that when she had turned to leave again, even if on much better terms, Celestia tried to stop her. Maybe reach out and try to pull her back when it was all over, instead of once again just letting her go. It was such a silly self-centered desire. Had Celestia actually done any of that, Sunset had no idea if she would have even considered it. She had a life, friends who were as good as a family, a world, and a home where she was happy. Where she was accepted. That didn’t stop her from wishing Celestia had at least tried. She wanted a reaction. Something, anything, that told her that her presence in her life meant something. ...something that, for better or worse, she had finally received. "Uhm, Aunt Sunset, you still there?" Flurry asked, waving a wing up and down in front of Sunset’s face when the unicorn in question had simply sat down and went blank. "Y-yeah, I’m still here, Flurry," Sunset nodded, bringing a foreleg up to gently push Flurry’s wing out of her face so she could get back on her hooves. The last thing she wanted to do was go to pieces in front of her. "Oh, good. I was worried you were Aunt Twilight levels of spaced out for a bit there, and I’m kinda lost. I’m not really sure what to do at this point, and they’ve been making a lot of noise inside." "They have?" Sunset asked. "You mean you didn’t hear any of that? I mean, ponies call me a bull in a china shop, but it sounded like Auntie Celestia barreled over half her furniture after she shut the door. Then they started doing that thing, you know, where you’re speaking like you’re supposed to be whispering, but you're clearly talking way too loudly for that. They’ve been quiet for a while though." Sunset tilted her head in confusion, awestruck by the absurdity of what Flurry was saying. Long before Sunset had the chance to so much as process the information, the echo of hoofsteps just outside the door once again picked up, though they somehow managed to sound both heavier and lighter than before at the same time. Just as before, the door to the small cottage clicked and opened without pause to reveal an alicorn standing in the doorway. An alicorn Sunset instantly recognized, and yet barely knew, with eyes unwaveringly set on her. "…Princess Luna?" Author's Note Surprise! Guess who's still alive! I'm in my last semester of college over here, so I've been cramming a lot to make sure I can get out the door, but I haven't forgotten about this by any means. It just seems like it sometimes. I'd greatly appreciate any comments, especially for this part of the story. It does wonders for my motivation. Here's something I've been waiting a long time to get to. You've all probably noticed by now that Celestia, and Luna too, act and look a little bit different. At least as far as Sunset knows.
Chapter 21: Missing PiecesLuna, Princess of the Night and all things beneath it. Formerly the infamous Nightmare Moon, the mythological boogeymare little foals checked under beds and inside empty closets for after the sunset. The Mare in the Moon. The guardian of dreams. Celestia’s… little sister. Sunset was aware that these were all little more than titles and basic trivia anypony could learn these days from a pre-school history book, but it was all she had now that she found herself on the receiving end of the dark alicorn’s piercing gaze. To say her knowledge of Equestria’s long-lost Princess was limited would be generous. The implication that the mare was more than a work of pure fiction only came from those first few weeks in the human realm. Vice Principal Luna’s mere existence raised a great many questions, but none pressing enough that they couldn’t be brushed aside in appreciation of the means to avoid unnecessary interaction with an alien world’s imitation of Celestia. As the years went by, her relationship with both heads of the school improved, which is to say she was no longer increasing their workload by being directly responsible for any weeping students who had been publicly humiliated or rampaging she-demons that tore open the front entrance. Their interactions were generally perfectly polite and cordial on any occasion they happened. It just never developed beyond that. Sunset was willing to accept responsibility for that. The fact was, she didn’t really want a deeper relationship with a Celestia that wasn’t… hers for lack of a better word, and Vice Principal Luna suffered the same fate by association. Not that knowing that Luna better would have meant she knew this Luna, but it would have at least been more than what she had to go off of right now. Myths, the majority of which were almost certainly not true, crumbs of information Twilight had dropped over the years, and the one other time she had ever seen Luna in person before this very moment. Truth be told, Sunset hardly noticed her throughout the whole memory stone affair. She was an unfamiliar presence by Celestia’s side, almost a shadow of sorts. She spoke up only one time. Sunset was honestly fuzzy on exactly what it was that she had said, but she remembered it was something that sounded horribly out of place from a voice that she had only ever heard bossing around teenagers. She’d seemed so serious and reserved. As terribly cliché and hokey as it sounded to even think, the sisters seemed like night and day. That distinction, at the very least, still seemed to remain intact. A dark glossy coat that contrasted Celestia’s soft white fur. The mark of a crescent moon against a tar-black splotch on her flank signified her allegiance to the night. A height that could be mistaken for short compared to Celestia or Twilight but loomed imposingly above almost anypony else. Crystal clear cyan eyes that weren’t outright cold, but hard and discerning, almost daring anypony in her sight to fool her. The only traits Sunset could remember had changed in all these years were the very same ones that now marked Celestia. The sisters had done away with nearly everything that would have once marked them as divine royalty, including their majestic flowing manes. How exactly that was possible, Sunset hadn’t the faintest idea, but Luna’s hair still clearly fell across her face and down her neck in long flowing locks that curled slightly at the ends as you would expect of any other pony. Perhaps the blue of her mane was even a shade or two lighter than before, though Sunset couldn’t remember well enough to say for certain. Under almost any other circumstance, Luna would have been an unknown, unpredictable, downright intimidating presence to be confronted with. She still was, but compared to her sister, Sunset was almost grateful to look at a pony she could at least think around. "H-hello. M-my name is Sunset Shimmer," Sunset managed to successfully stutter after a few seconds of Luna’s eyes running up and down her, showing no sign that she’d break the silence of her own accord. Ok, it probably wasn’t the best introduction. It was probably the most awkward introduction she could have given, but at least it was a real sentence, which was more than she had achieved before now. Luna’s eyes stopped to look Sunset directly into her own. "I know who you are." "o-oh? Oh!" Sunset eloquently replied to Luna’s even-toned statement that was neither warm nor condescending. Inflection that was impossible to place. "Sorry, I wasn’t sure you’d remember. I know it’s been a while." Luna gave her first true reaction in the form of an eyebrow lifting itself in response. "That’s putting it mildly." Sunset blanked on an appropriate response to that and simply defaulted to doing her best awkward smile. "You look well. Especially considering the circumstances," Luna commented, taking the lead of the gross approximation of a conversation they were having. Sunset couldn’t tell if that was meant to be an observation or a compliment, but she chose to assume the latter. "Th-thanks. A little mirror-based space-time distortion does wonders for the complexion, heh." There was no missing the groan of secondhand embarrassment coming from her right. "Oh jeez, when did you start taking ice-breaking tips from Aunt Twilight?" Flurry whispered beside her, though probably not quietly enough. Sunset grunted at Flurry’s standard lack of a filter but acknowledged that it would certainly help to stop so blatantly embarrassing herself. "Ahem, Princess Luna —" "It’s Luna." Sunset felt the rest of her carefully constructed thoughts scatter. Luna took Sunset’s befuddled expression as a request for an explanation. "I assume you’ve heard. That is a title my sister and I have not held in quite some time. Please, It’s just Luna now. It was difficult enough correcting ponies for the first twenty years," Luna nodded, a subtle upturn in the corner of her lips indicating that the last portion of the sentence was intended as a joke. Flurry Heart scoffed, openly joining the conversation, "Well, I’ve been a Princess all my life, and I still have trouble getting anypony to attach a title to my name." Luna’s poker face finally crumbled as she looked at her great niece with a subdued but soft smile. "It’ll catch on someday, dear. Have I ever told you how many years it took for them to stop referring to us as, 'Celestia and the other one?'" Flurry Heart chuckled and split away from Sunset to approach Luna now that she had been acknowledged, bounding over to leap into the receptive forelegs of her Auntie Luna. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, grateful just to be out of her crosshairs for the moment. "It’s great to see you again, Auntie Luna," Flurry hummed, leaning into the embrace. "You know Tia and I always enjoy your visits, though we weren’t expecting to see you again so soon. It’s only been a couple of weeks," Luna subtly inquired once the two had separated. Flurry glanced to the side at nothing in particular, "Well, y’know, since I pass through every time I go to Canterlot, it just seemed like it’d be a waste not to at least stop by now that I’m at Aunt Twilight’s so much." Luna eyed Flurry warily. "Oh? Is everything alright?" "Huh? Yeah, everything’s fine. Better than fine really," Flurry said, not following the reason for Luna’s unease. Luna paused for a breath, choosing her words carefully, "And Cadance is doing well?" Flurry tilted her head. "I guess so. Why… oh. Oh!" Flurry squeaked as the pieces clicked together, and she recalled why her words may be a reason for alarm. It wasn’t even that long ago, but she’d all but forgotten what her reason for running to Aunt Twilight had almost always been, for… years now if she thought about it. "No! no, things are fine between me and Mom. Or I guess as fine as they can be. Honest." Luna relaxed whatever small signs of alarm she had allowed to show. "Then should I take that to mean you’re being entrusted some great task that the very balance of all Equestria hinges upon? It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those," Luna joked with a smirk on her face and a tinge of curiosity beneath the surface. Flurry giggled. "No, Auntie, it’s nothing that serious… buuuuttt," Flurry sang, leaning in closer to Luna while lowering her voice as though she was about to reveal some great secret, "I do have a feeling that everypony’s about to start taking me a lot more seriously." "Really? Just what have you been up to?" Luna inquired, perfectly willing to play along with Flurry’s budding excitement. Flurry flipped her mane and puffed out her chest. "Weeellll, it’s nothing too special. I just may be studying to become a master sorceress under THE most powerful unicorn in Equestria." Sunset held in a breath, content to have been forgotten, not certain she liked where this was going. "Right, Aunt Sunset?" Flurry turned around to face her with a proud wink, dragging her back to the forefront of the situation whether she liked it or not. As she feared, Luna once again turned her steady eyes on her, silently mouthing the word 'Aunt?' "W-well, I don’t know about that, kiddo. I like to think I know my stuff, but I’m not so sure I’d go that far," Sunset tried to wave off. "Come on, Aunt Sunset, are you kidding? What other unicorn could beat up a Princess?" "Now, h-hold on! I-I wouldn’t say that’s exactly—" "You should have seen her, Auntie Luna. I mean, I was sore for DAYS afterwards." "Well, maybe things got a little out of hoof—" "Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever been hit even half that hard before." "Really, with context, it’s not as bad as—" "Not to mention what she did to Aunt Twilight." Sunset officially gave up. She appreciated Flurry’s obvious attempts at talking her up, but she wasn’t so certain failed student of your sister who returned to assault your friends and family was the first impression she wanted. She just hoped Luna wouldn’t get too much of the wrong idea. She was getting tired of being thrown around by alicorns if she was being honest. Luna hummed, "Well then, it seems my sister, and I are even further out of the loop than we thought. Of course, I’ve always suspected you had the potential, but the study of magic is no small pursuit. I’m a bit surprised Cadance would entrust those studies to some pony other than Twilight." Flurry giggled once again, this time with a noticeable tremble in her voice. "Oh, Aunt Twilight’s helping too, but you know how it is. The kingdom never rests and neither does she. I’m sure Mom will understand." Luna’s brows raised, though there was a distinct lack of surprise in her expression. "She 'will?' You haven’t told her?" "W-well, not yet! It’s something that just kinda happened, and it’s only been a few weeks. I-it’s not like I need to run every decision by her. I’m going to get around to it! We just need to work out how to break the news, is all. The situation miiight be a bit delicate. Mom and Aunt Sunset have… a bit of history," Flurry danced around the topic. Sunset frowned at being used as a scapegoat. It wasn’t untrue, but she’d hardly forgotten that Flurry seemed in no rush to break the news before she knew that. Luna, however, nodded her understanding. "I’ve heard the stories." "Stories?" Sunset piped up, her surprise getting the better of her. "Yes, Sunset… stories," Luna responded, full attention back on the amber mare if it had ever truly left. "I particularly remember the ones centered around Nightmare Night." Sunset cringed. "Wait, what about Nightmare Night?" Flurry tentatively asked, well aware she might regret knowing. Luna brought a hoof to her chin. "Celestia probably tells it better than I do, but I’ve been told that while Sunset wasn’t fond of most holidays as a filly, she always had a soft spot for Nightmare Night." Sunset knew where this was going. She wasn’t proud of it… at least, not anymore. "It was the one night a year where she was actually allowed to scare the manes off the other children and get candy for it instead of grounded. And every year she always saved one trick just for Cadance." "Like, what?" Flurry winced, an eternal victim to curiosity. Luna feigned difficulty trying to recall the details, "If I remember correctly, Tia said that just like with most things, she was very creative. It was never the same thing twice. Let’s see, there was the headless horse, the razor-teethed piano that chased her and her tutor around the music room, the exploding pumpkin filled with gelatin—" "Wha-? C’mon, how’s that one even scary!" "…well, they were on sale," Sunset couldn’t help adding. "—and Celestia was fairly certain that Cadance didn’t have a fear of clowns until after the year with the Jack in the box," Luna wrapped up. Flurry turned to face Sunset, disbelief written on her face, though thankfully devoid of anger. "Why is it the longer that I spend around you, the more I find you are solely responsible for all Mom’s irrational fears?" Sunset smiled nervously. She’d nearly forgotten about some of those herself. "Well, I did tell you I…" she trailed off midsentence, her initial train of thought rammed clean off the rails by a sudden realization. Sunset weaved past Flurry to approach the former princess of the night, apprehension and doubt shoved into the backseat by the sheer need to know. "Hold on. Princess Celestia told you all of that?" For the first time Sunset could ever recall seeing, Luna’s face shifted into one of transparent confusion. "Of course. Is… that a problem?" Luna asked, her tone a genuine one, maybe even bordering on concern. Sunset chewed on her answer. Was that a problem? There was so much to process already that she couldn’t begin to know more than just how it made her feel. And that strange stirring buzzing sensation that awoke inside her just now was nearly identical to the one she had from seeing her again, wide-eyed like she’d just seen a ghost. Sunset couldn’t tell if it was closer to good or bad, but it was there and it was only getting louder. The tales Luna had been passed on were far from flattering, but Sunset was beginning to feel that Celestia only keeping the very worst memories of her would still be worlds better than indifference. "No, of course not, Prin-er, I mean… Luna." Sunset shook her head, trying to consciously remind herself to drop the formality. It felt awkward, but she’d manage. It wasn’t like she ever called the current princesses by their title. Not unless she wanted to ruffle a few lavender feathers from time to time. Luna eyed her curiously but didn’t press whatever issue it was that Sunset had taken. Rather, she sighed in preparation. "Perhaps we should cut to the chase. I know you didn’t come all this way to see me." Sunset instinctively opened her mouth, not wanting to dismiss her, but couldn’t find a way to honestly deny what Luna had said. Coming into contact with Luna had been an afterthought, a side effect, of her self-imposed mission, and she honestly hadn’t given the former princess of the night much real thought. Luna seized Sunset’s silence as an opportunity to push further. "So, may I ask what exactly you want from my sister? I’d hope you didn’t come here just to give her a heart attack," Luna lowered her head to stare directly at Sunset, a sternness in her face surfacing from her formerly neutral expression. "N-No! No, I wouldn’t…. I’d never…. We-er, well, I just wanted… I want to talk to her," Sunset managed to slap together, wilting under Luna’s disapproval. "You know, it’s rude to show up unannounced. At the very least, we would have appreciated the courtesy of a notice about your arrival," Luna asserted, not letting up. It was looking more and more like this was another genius idea Sunset would need to file under the ever-growing list of poor decisions she had made in her life. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Celestia could be so thrown off, so shaken by… well, anything. She was Celestia. She didn’t falter and she didn’t fumble. Such things were for ponies who could afford to. …But maybe that wasn’t really fair of her if it ever had been. So much about Celestia had changed, there was no denying that any longer. Maybe she needed to stop approaching her like she couldn’t. "Hey, go easy on her, Aunt Luna!" Flurry cut in, rooting herself firmly by Sunset’s side to come to her rescue as she seemed to be scrambling to untangle her thoughts. "Besides, I was the one who dragged her into it, and the whole surprise part was my dumb idea. Trust me, this has been pretty hard on her." Sunset wanted to protest; her conscience was quick to note the half-truths that laid more blame at Flurry’s hooves than could ever be true, but she was stopped by Flurry’s glance over. The look in her eye implored her to just let her take this one. "Look, I know we really should have run it by you first, well now I do, but I think Aunt Sunset just really wants to spend time with her," Flurry implored. Sunset would have liked to say the uncomfortable pit in her stomach came from anything other than Flurry being more honest about it than she could be with herself. Luna seemed taken aback at first, before she sighed, allowing all other feelings to wash off her and leave only a resigned understanding. "Believe me, dear, I understand better than most. I believe there’s much to be said, but it’s not my place to say it." Sunset stepped up, desperate to seize whatever opportunity she could before it was gone again. She knew it was unlikely Luna’s opinion of her was particularly glowing, but she was willing to fall to her knees before her if that’s what it took. "I know I’m probably the very last pony she ever expected to see again… I don’t know if she even ever wanted to see me again, but… I’m here… I’m home now, and even before I was, I’ve never stopped thinking about her. About us. Please, Luna, could you talk to her for me? Tell her that I just want to see her… and after that, if she doesn’t want to see me, then… I’ll go," Sunset pleaded with a warble in her voice and wide eyes that bore her very soul. Luna appeared to resist the urge to step back in surprise, the raw desperation taking her off-guard. “N-No!” She yelped, losing her air of control for a fraction of a second before the realization of her slip overcame her and she quickly reasserted her composed demeanor, albeit softer than it had been before. "No. That won’t be necessary. Forgive me if I had overstated our grievances, however legitimate they may be. I can’t speak for my sister, but even so, I do not believe she would wish for you to leave." Sunset absorbed Luna’s words, that uncertain feeling that had been going wild within her, at last, revealing itself to be something that she thought she could confidently say wasn’t outright unpleasant. Anticipation perhaps. A lifetime of second-guessing herself forced her to turn the meaning of Luna’s sentiment over a dozen times more than was realistically necessary, looking for any hidden meaning or room to misinterpret it all into something more than it was meant to be. Flurry playfully nudged her in the side to discreetly get her attention, directing her towards her protégé’s giddy smile that confirmed the conclusion she was reluctant to entertain. This… wasn’t a bad thing. "R-really? Th-that’s… well, I’m glad to hear that," Sunset responded with a polite smile, careful to keep her emotions in check. "So, does that mean we can come in now? I should probably apologize for giving her a panic attack," Flurry confessed with a lighthearted chuckle. Sunset gave the youngest princess a reassuring pat with her hoof that told her to get in line. She turned her focus forward again to find that Luna did not share their enthusiasm. On the contrary, she seemed to be attempting to fill the void of anxious energy that had been left behind. "Yes, well, of course, you’re both welcome to come inside. Unfortunately, part of the reason I came to greet you is to tell you that you may have to wait… just a bit longer. Tia is… unavailable at the moment," Luna attempted to explain, clear embarrassment written across her face as she scrambled for the most delicate wording. Sunset’s face scrunched in confusion, too dumbfounded to appreciate the irony of Luna shrinking under her stare. "What do you mean she’s, 'unavailable?'" Luna heaved a heavy sigh, throwing in the metaphorical towel as she decided to just get it over with. "I mean she’s… not here." Luna was right. She was getting rusty. She dreaded the guaranteed look of smug self-satisfaction she always received when she was forced to admit that. Like she wasn’t allowed to be wrong every so often. Though, if she had to experience just how her skills had decayed, she would have greatly appreciated it if it could be at quite literally any other moment. Maybe she could have made it farther if she’d properly concentrated, but that wasn’t happening under the circumstances. All things considered; it was a horribly undignified exit for anypony. Much more undignified for the former ruler of Equestria. She’d ended up face first in the dirt and didn’t even successfully make it clear out of her own house’s line of sight for all her trouble. She had just been lucky that Luna was keeping them occupied enough to not notice her rather conspicuous scamper over the hilltops. Thankfully, whatever she lacked in spellcasting precision; she was able to make up for with raw adrenaline. Decades of globetrotting adventures and participation in any and every sport and athletic pursuit known to pony kind, some of which Luna described as completely unethical in their intensity, had imbued her with speed and stamina Rainbow Dash herself would sweat at. The very instant she was certain she was covered by the grassy mounds that surrounded her now compromised residence, she launched herself into a brisk trot, or a steady gallop to anypony else with shorter legs, less endurance, and more sense about them than she had at the moment. A white and pink blur was all most ponies could take in as she raced around the outskirts of town, roughly following a route that would avoid as many ponies as possible. Of course, in such a closely knit town, completely avoiding every pony was nigh impossible. A quick apology was all she could manage to give any unfortunate souls who were nudged out of her way as gently as she could manage as fast as she was going, leaving the poor bystanders to wonder what the mad mare was thinking as she haphazardly weaved through alleys and around posts and piers. The answer to that question was rather simple. She wasn’t. She needed to. Oh, she so desperately needed to. That was her entire reason for it all. To think. She needed space to think. Just a little time and a little space to get her head on straight and calm her racing heart down enough so she could at least start to figure out what to do. Someplace where she could fall apart and put herself back together again into somepony who still knew how to deal with things like this. She was aware that this may not be the best method of handling the situation. Actually, Luna plainly told her to her face that this seemed like a terrible idea. She liked to imagine she’d convinced her sister to go along with this half-baked plan through a well-reasoned and compelling rebuttal to all her concerns as she had once been so good at. She had enough sense still about her to know that begging until her sister caved and agreed to stall for time probably didn’t qualify as that. Still, it worked out, and she was able to put her plan of action into motion. Get away, get a grip, and think of something… Okay, so it wasn’t much of a plan, but she’d think of a better one once she got there. And get there Celestia did, in record time, her breath slightly labored as she skid slightly along the grass and slowed her pace down to a steady gait. The sound of the rough waves crashing against the cliffside comforted her with their sheer familiarity as Celestia made the trek to the cliff’s edge. It was such a splendidly simple spot. Just outside of town, but of little use to anypony else. There was nothing worth coming here for, beyond the sight of an exceptionally old lighthouse a dozen yards away that had been positioned there long before the town itself had been properly developed to warn of the steep jagged cliffside below. No seafaring vessel’s well-established routes even bothered with the place these days. However, for her, the isolation was an attraction all on its own. Celestia’s visits had once been more frequent, at a time when every pony was all too eager to associate with the former Princess of the sun. A welcome reprieve from the overbearing experience of an ancient alicorn trying her hardest to just live life. Even now, as her hooves brushed across the grass and she took her familiar position overlooking the turbulent sea that perfectly reflected the evening sunlight, it remained the first place she would think to go when she just needed to get away from it all. From here she could see just stay and bask in the warmth, pride, and comfort of the dusk’s light, finally able to appreciate the wonder of a day she didn’t have to hold up. There was something so unbelievably special about that. It was all still so new and wonderful. Somedays, when the wind was gentle, and the sky was nearly cloudless, days just like this one, she would venture out here just to see the Sun… set. Celestia’s knees gave out then and there. The air suddenly felt much heavier, and her breaths started to come in shudders as she had no choice but to collapse into a prone position, her pink ponytail spilling around her. That face. You’d think by now she’d have forgotten some of it. She hadn’t. How could she? There was a time when she couldn’t so much as close her eyes without seeing it, burned into her mind like a scar that never stopped aching. Sometimes, she didn’t even need to do that much, when the days had been long, the nights were old, and out of the corners of her weary vision, she could almost catch glimpses of her wandering the castle halls like she once used to. Sleep offered her little reprieve, but when had it ever? The pain faded as the years went by, numbed by time and healed by those close to her. It never really went away, but eventually, she felt she could live with doing the right thing and let her go. That was the end of it. Until it wasn’t. Brilliant crimson blended with golden streaks of yellow that were so fierce and wild yet so delicate in how precisely it all came together, right down to the adorable single curl that always fell past her horn and landed just between those bright eyes, only half a shade lighter than Luna’s and every bit as radiant. A short muzzle that still crinkled in the same way it always had when she was surprised, spotted in a small collection of faded freckles on her cheeks and along the bridge of her nose. Most ponies probably wouldn’t even notice them, but Celestia still remembered how Sunset used to loathe the imperfections for some reason she never could comprehend. It was all still there, just as she remembered. Back to haunt her. It shouldn’t have even been possible. She had a firm enough grasp on the mirror’s inner workings to understand how something like this could happen, but she never imagined it would. She shouldn’t have been… so young… so exactly the same. Like not one single day had gone by. Like a dam she had forgotten even existed had just given out, one look at that face and it all just came flooding to her. That face, and every other variation of it over the course of fifteen years before she lost it. She was drowning. She couldn’t take it. She just needed to get away and process it all. Only now, she was away, and she still didn’t know what she was meant to be doing. Should she cry? Should she laugh? Whichever she settled on, she was confident that once she started, she might not stop. *DING* *DING* *DING* Celestia’s ears perked up, the sheer absurdity of the obnoxious clanging was the only thing that allowed it to steal her attention away from the hurricane of emotions that had been flinging her about. A bell? A ship’s bell? What sort of creature would be reckless enough to bring their vessel around such treacherous terrain? You’d have to be insane to get this close to the cliffside when there was no space to dock for at least a mile. "Ahoy there!" …Oh. She knew that voice. "Land ho! Batten down the hatches! All hands on the poop deck! Shiver me timbers!" Celestia righted herself back onto her shaky hooves, both to look less disheveled and to get a better view of the wooden dinghy with an oversized bell crudely suspended on a pole, floating about the turbulent waters and being manned by a draconequus that clearly didn’t actually know what any of what he was saying meant. Discord himself was covered in a fishermen’s yellow raincoat and hat, gazing through a telescope at her while, no doubt, not needing it. Celestia simply stared with enlarged eyes, in no state of mind to actively conceal her bewilderment. "Prepare to drop anchor!" he called to his nonexistent crew in a phony accent she had no idea what it was supposed to be an imitation of. Discord dematerialized the telescope with a mere gesture and, in the same breath, snapped his eagle claws to summon a large anchor that defied gravity for half a second before plummeting straight through the hull of his boat. Discord locked eyes with her while a fountain of seawater sprang up from his tiny seacraft, and everything on it began to slowly submerge itself into the waves. Celestia could only blink as she watched the spirit wordlessly sink out of sight. A sparkling flash accompanied by a small puff of smoke went off practically in front of her nose. Celestia actually yelped, uncharacteristically startled, and stumbled backward only to catch her own tail underhoof and clumsily tumble onto her haunches. "Helllooo, Celestia," Discord grinned, wiggling his lion paw’s digits at her in mock greeting, "I always knew someday you’d ‘fall’ for me, but do try to control yourself." She felt her face flush in mortification. She knew it hardly mattered if she wasn’t picture perfect at every moment of the day anymore, but over a thousand years of habit wasn’t easy to break. Never mind the pure misfortune that the one creature to catch her falling all over herself was the one who’d probably laugh loudest and tell anyone willing to listen. "I must say, pink really is your color. I’d almost forgotten how well it suited you," Discord nodded, as Celestia’s face turned a shade that matched her mane. "Personally, I always found the old style a little tacky, and frankly excessive. Forming a synergetic bond with celestial bodies for a dye job was a bit much." Irrelevant small talk. That’s how he always liked to play it when he was up to something. Celestia didn’t believe for a second that he was here by pure coincidence, but she didn’t know how he factored into any of this. Ironically, however, she was practically grateful for his presence. Discord was obnoxious. Discord was distracting. Discord was familiar. She could deal with Discord. "Funny. And here I thought the word, 'excessive' wasn’t in your vocabulary," Celestia remarked, pulling herself up to stand tall in a front of confidence. "Yes, well, today has been just full of surprises, hasn’t it?" And just like that, anything even bordering on a decent mood was quashed. Ordinarily, she entertained his antics. Enjoyed them even, but if this was his idea of a game, he’d wish he played with somepony else. "Why are you here, Discord?" She nearly hissed. "Well, I would think that was obvious. What other reason would there be to come all the way to the edge of Equestria if not to see a good friend?" he responded without missing a beat. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" "What? It’s not like you stay in touch. You’ve both been quite adamant about embracing your roles as the Princess bumpkins. You never call… you never write," Discord waved, placing a slithering emphasis on the last word. Celestia stomped straight over to the lanky trickster, prepared to squeeze answers out of him if she had to. "I don’t have the patience for your games today, Discord. Was this your doing? Is this your idea of a joke!" she snapped in his face. Discord actually backed off in surprise at her outrage, not anticipating the raw emotion behind it. It looked like this had her more shaken than even he dared to imagine. "Now now, settle down. Please, Celestia, do you really believe that I would orchestrate this whole elaborate emotional affair just to buy myself a few chuckles?" Celestia’s stare only hardened. "Ok, I admit, that does sound like something that, once upon a time, in a season far far away, I might have found the teensiest bit hilarious, but trust me when I say that I’ve learned the difference between practical jokes and debilitating traumatic experiences. Honestly, I had nothing to do with it. My paw and claws are clean, see?" Discord pleaded, waving his sparkling mitts in front of her for effect. Celestia’s face softened as she reigned her emotions in. She realized she may have been looking for an outlet more than anything at the moment. It was the sort of mistake she thought had been lectured out of her a very very long time ago. Still, he knew something. "Then what are you doing here?" Celestia prompted again, softer this time, but with an edge to her tone that demanded honesty. Discord sighed, a rare sign of compliance. "Well, if you must know, I’m here to make sure YOU don’t blow this." "…excuse me?" "I realize you’ve never been good at these things, Celestia, but I was expecting a little more maturity from you. You could also stand to be more considerate. I had to rethink my entire entrance after you decided to make me chase you around town." Celestia latched onto her offense. "Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll try to maintain my composure the next time somepony I haven’t seen in eighty years just shows up at my front door! Perhaps you could have given me a warning since you seem so concerned!" She flung a foreleg out in pure exasperation. She knew she wasn’t taking this well, but how else could she be expected to take it!? Discord outright rolled his eyes. "Oh, Celestia, sarcasm is beneath you. Though the little fireball’s approach certainly does lack tact. I really thought Twilight would talk her out of it, but they both seemed to prefer you didn’t see this one coming." Twilight too? Okay, well… duh. Of course, Twilight was involved. She had the mirror; she had the only means of contact. But still, since when did Twilight… not tell her things? Why? How long? What now? "She might actually be worse at this than you are. Somepony really should have raised her better." Discord smirked upon receiving a growling snarl that would have sent Dragons and Griffons alike scampering away with their tails tucked between their legs. "I suggest you consider what you say very carefully, Discord. You have no idea what you’re talking about," Celestia seethed through gritted teeth, a cold fury previously unknown to even herself bubbling just beneath the surface. Most sensible beings would have headed the frigid warning. "Is that a fact?" Discord all but sneered, lunging his neck out to meet Celestia nearly nose to nose. Her fire was extinguished as soon as it was lit, buckling beneath the unnerving confidence Discord carried in those simple words. A subtle but suffocating shift in tone that unnerved even her. "One thousand years, Celestia. Do you know just how long that is? You’re one of the only ponies who might. Let me tell you, it’s a loooong time… or maybe not that long at all. Honestly, it all starts to bleed together after the first century or two." For all his rambling, the question was not without meaning. No pony knew what he meant better than she did. "Anyway, that’s roughly how long you used me as decoration for your backyard. I don’t think you’ve ever really appreciated just what that means," Discord carried on, pausing for effect. To be honest, she’d never really thought much of it. Discord himself gave such little gravity to it that it was easy to forget it ever happened at all. In an instant, he was gone. Then he was back, this time behind her, leaning over her shoulder. "Here, let me spell it out for you. I’ve… seen… it… all." Celestia whirled around and backed up to put some distance between them, realizing all too late that she had nowhere to go now that she was the one with her back to the cliffside. She was now just as cornered physically as she’d felt inside the moment she answered her own door. "Everything?" She asked, lacking anything resembling an adequate response. "That’s right," He reaffirmed, "There isn’t much else to do when you’re a hunk of marble other than watch all the little moments that prove that no matter how hard you pretend to be, you’re not perfect." "I never claimed to be," Celestia argued, suddenly feeling rather naked. "Mhm, I suppose not, though you’ve always played the part," Discord conceded, letting any remaining shadow of levity fall from his face. "…Even when she wanted you to be something else," "She needed something I couldn’t give her!" Celestia spat out, a bubble inside of her bursting, spewing the words. She couldn’t truthfully say Discord had meant it the way she had heard it, but she was far beyond caring at this point. "If you’d really seen us, you should know I can’t be… I wasn’t who she needed me to be," Celestia heaved, a suffocating weight flooding her chest. Discord's face fell into an expression that Celestia never, even in a thousand years, would have imagined he, of all creatures, would be directing at her. Pity. "Why not, Celestia?" Why not? Why not!? The simple question was absurd, and not in the way a lord of disharmony was meant to be. The answer was blindingly obvious, especially to anypony who’d seen her stumble through those years. She wasn’t… well, she couldn’t… she didn’t… she… Mismatched crimson eyes patiently watched the entire show unfold. Shock arrived first and was just as quickly drowned out by indignation tinged in regret. It was practically a reflex as her mind began to wander old familiar corridors. A quirked brow, so minuscule of a shift you’d miss it completely if you weren’t looking for it, was the first sign things weren’t quite as they were meant to be. It was as though she could no longer find something that she was so certain had always been there. It happened all within a few seconds, but to Celestia, it was likely a lifetime as confusion latched hold and she scrambled to find what she knew had to be there, all while her face melted into an expression of sheer disbelief. It was gone. Or she’d forgotten where it was. Whatever it was, she couldn’t honestly remember even that much. But how could that be possible? There was a time when she’d fed it through her brain like a mantra. A time when it clawed and scratched at her no matter how hard she tried to shut it out. And now that she looked back on it for the first time in… however long it had been… it just wasn’t there. She just didn’t remember… why not? "Problem, Celestia? It’s not like you of all ponies to forget something important," Discord sighed. His words alone carried the same amused, borderline mocking, framing they usually did, but his tone had an undercurrent of tenderness to it. "…unless it wasn’t really as important as you liked to believe." Maybe for the first time, that he could remember, even with their endless ancient lives, Celestia was speechless. Under any other circumstance, Discord could only imagine how tickled he’d be by the idea, but there was hardly any room for satisfaction in it now. Maybe it was sentimentality or maybe this was just more hard evidence of just how truly soft they’d made him, but seeing the once always proud and poised immortal princess crumple into a frazzled mess that stared at him with such uncertainty, drooping with all the elegance of a wilting flower, only left a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, it was what he was hoping for in a manner of speaking. Proof that this just might not be destined for disaster. After all, when in all these centuries had it ever been so painfully obvious what Celestia was feeling? "I wonder, have things changed so much that it just doesn’t matter anymore, or did it ever really matter in the first place?" Discord pondered, for once not entirely certain of the answer himself. "Please, Discord," Celestia softly all but begged, making no attempt to hide just how tired she felt. "No more riddles. Just… tell me why. Why now? I never imagined that…" she lacked the strength to even finish the thought. Discord gave a soft sigh as he crossed his arms. She was right about one thing. Dancing around it all was exhausting. She wanted a straight answer, so he’d give them to her. Even if he thought she should already know. "Because she loves you, Celestia." Discord suppressed the desire to scoff as Celestia’s eyes widened. "Why do you think she did anything she did? She felt special because YOU said she was special," Discord tapped a digit on Celestia’s nose for emphasis. "I suppose she’s hoping in some way, you still think she is." "Of course I do!" Celestia sprung forward with the declaration forcing Discord to step back. Raw desperation that couldn’t even so much as comprehend the idea that anypony could think otherwise. Discord blinked once or twice. "…Well, not that I don’t believe you, but I’m not really the one who needs to hear it." Discord jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. Celestia didn’t need to be told what lay in that direction. "She did come quite a long way just to see you, Celestia. I know the circumstances aren’t exactly ideal, but when are they ever when it comes to second chances?" Discord lamented. Just like that, Celestia felt time finally slow down ever so slightly, her heartbeat inching closer to its normal rhythm, and she was allowed to finally think. The hurricane of confused emotions certainly didn’t vanish, but they did fade, pushed into the background of her mind, still there, but no longer quite so deafening. Is that what this was? "What do I do?" Celestia asked, too consumed in herself to appreciate just how alien those words were to her tongue. Fortunately, Discord seemed plenty capable of expressing their shock for both of them. Frantically, he snapped a notepad into existence while delicately perching a pair of reading glasses on his snout, flipping through the pages of bullet points to see if he’d planned this far in advance. He did not. "…Eh, to be honest, delicate matters like this are a little outside of my wheelhouse. I was really just kind of hoping you’d figure it out once I convinced you to stop moping." For all the stress she’d endured in the span of just the past half hour, Celestia felt entitled to the scowl that fell over her face right then. Typical Discord. From insightful to clueless at the drop of a hat. Still, her irritation just couldn’t last. Her world had been turned completely upside down and now that it’d stopped spinning, she was only more aware that she still didn’t know what to do or where to start. She knew that she probably shouldn’t be standing around here. She could feel in her bones that it was a waste to be here every second longer. She had to go back. She WANTED to go back. "… I suppose this sounds a little rich coming from me, but you could try just listening to her?" Discord hesitantly supplied, not quite certain of the words himself. "Don’t try to control the situation, just this once. Just… be there and see where it goes… That sounds like something she would say, right?" Discord asked, turning his attention towards the sky, and Celestia knew the last remark likely wasn’t meant for her. Still, she heard the parts that were all too clearly. Just be there. It sounded easy the way he’d said it. Maybe it was. She certainly didn’t have any better ideas, which was slightly terrifying all on its own. The old Celestia never would have wound up in a situation as sorry as this one. Always prepared, always certain, completely unshakable… or at least so very good at pretending that she was. She… didn’t miss her if Celestia was honest, not really. She was gone, fallen apart, and scattered like dust over the years she was no longer being held together by pure necessity, and Celestia doubted she could ever find all her pieces again, even if she tried. Still, that unflinching shell of confidence might have been useful right about now. "You’re right," Celestia sighed straightening up enough to carry some semblance of dignity with her when she walked past Discord, taking some small satisfaction in the way he scrambled out of her path with a startled look like he genuinely didn’t believe she would ever say such a thing to him. For once, she was the one taking him by surprise, and she wasn’t even trying. She might as well hit him with one more. "Thank you. I think I needed to hear that," she confessed without pausing a step or even bothering to glance back. "…ahem, well, what are friends for?" Discord managed to reply. Celestia paused, halting the long steady march across the grassy fields that awaited her while a stream of wind passed by, as though it carried her thoughts along with it. Whatever she’d lost from her centuries of rule, some things were carved too deep to forget. Accepting things at face value was a luxury she was forced to learn she didn’t have. As the storm of her mind settled to less deafening turbulence, an often-indispensable clarity and perception reinserted itself. Suspicion would have been too harsh a word, but still, a feeling itched at the back of her mind. A peculiarity that stuck out just enough that she couldn’t simply ignore it. "It’s not like you to get so involved… even for a friend." Discord didn’t hesitate a second upon hearing the familiar tone. "Would you believe that you’re just special?" Celestia, at last, glanced back just enough for Discord to see just how much she believed that. There was the Celestia he knew. You never could get anything past her. "Fair enough. Let’s just say I’m keeping a promise… to an old friend," Discord admitted, a vulnerability that just this once asked that the answer be the end of it. Celestia nodded and picked up where she had left off. She’d waited long enough. Author's Note Well, good news is I got that degree. Bad news (in terms of free time) is that I am now employed. Which is great for me, but not great for writing as you can see from my continued inability to update within a four month period. So I'm just gonna have to ask you to bear with me from now on. I promise things will move, I still really love writing this, so don't be discouraged by long gaps things are moving, but it's probably not the last time one will happen. Anyway, onto the actual story itself, I present to you, Celestia! My Celestia at least. Been a bit nervous about this part if I'm honest, because I really wanted to try and show off a different variation of her than you might be used to seeing. One that's a little less burdened and a little less guarded. A little more subject to her emotions. She's just a bit more open now, whether she wants to be or not.
Prologue: What Now?For as long as she could remember, Sunset Shimmer had always loved the gentle caress of the Sun’s light. Whether it had something to do with her personality, her vibrant coloration, or the shimmering celestial mark she had sported on her flank since she cast her very first spell, she couldn’t say. Regardless of why, she had always been drawn to the sun. Many of her happiest memories were accompanied by the beautiful ball of fire in the sky that outshines all the stars surrounding it. The day she had been taken in as Celestia’s very own personal student, the first mid-term she had passed with flying colors by quite literally blowing the roof off the building, private study sessions in the castle gardens, afternoon picnics with the princess, and, somewhat more recently, outdoor excursions with her best friends. During those simple and peaceful happy moments, the sun was always shining. In her vainer days, Sunset sometimes entertained the idea that the sun was shining just for her. So, it was unsurprising that Sunset liked to spend her reflective moments in the light of the star that once adorned her flank. She currently found herself sitting on a quiet bench, in the middle of a city park, lost in thought, on a cloudless bright sunny day. Only, for some time now it seemed as though the sun did not shine quite as often or as brightly as it once had. Stirring from her deep thoughts as the breeze picked up, Sunset took in the sight of the park grounds and let out a tired sigh. It wasn’t long before the question she had been wrestling unsuccessfully with for the past several minutes made itself known once again. “What now?” she asked the open air, not expecting but still, in spite of herself, hoping for some sort of response as she leaned back to look into the endless blue sky. It had been over ten years since she had first run away from the only real home she had ever known into a strange world of creatures who moved about on two legs. Eight years, since she had walked across the graduation stage and concluded the happiest year of her life. Now, it had been exactly two days since she had earned a doctorate in computer science and as someone who once dealt with a sudden drastic change in their own species, Sunset could safely say she had never felt more lost than she did right now. Sunset could only think of how ironic it was that she currently sat with a degree of certification few in this world achieved, yet all she could do was wish to return to the last year of high school where she had been her happiest. Sunset was sad, and perhaps a little ashamed, to admit that reality had completely blindsided her in the end. As smart as the young woman was, her genius did not typically lend itself well to long term thinking. Or perhaps, deep down a part of her had willed her to be ignorant of what was coming. The simple fact was that change is bound to happen, and, moreover, High school simply does not last forever. No sooner than the diplomas were put into their hands did their little group of friends start making their own futures. Rainbow Dash, of course, received a full-ride sports scholarship to some prestigious university that simply couldn’t wait to add her to their roster. She had long since gone pro. Pinkie, ever the sweet tooth, took up culinary school. Sunset couldn’t deny she had a real talent for making delicious treats, all be it, a little on the unhealthy side. It was only natural that she’d start her own bakery, bringing joy and laughter to whoever received her treats. Unsurprisingly, Applejack took to working at the farm full time just after graduation. Even after all this time, Sweet Apple Acres was still going strong. Rarity made arguably the biggest impact out of all of them, creating her own fashion lines that would become popular with both celebrities and everyday people. Sunset herself was the proud owner of quite a few of her pieces. Fluttershy, being the incorrigible animal lover she was, dedicated herself to becoming a Veterinarian, Sharing her kindness to any animal who might need it. And of course, the human version of Twilight Sparkle made her long-awaited splash at Everton. Graduating top of her class and going on to become an independent researcher. Her young age combined with her frequent breakthroughs prompting many to refer to her as the, “Princess of Science.” Sunset personally couldn’t manage to stop herself from rolling her eyes whenever she heard the title, but she had to admit it was at the very least appropriate. Something about Twilight Sparkles seemed to draw them to the title. However, perhaps the most interesting part of the spectacled Twilight’s college experience was her roommate. The answer to a question Sunset had long asked herself came in the form of a panicked phone call from Twilight, demanding to know how she had managed to clone herself, and why she kept such a scientific revelation from her. Just like that, several nights wondering where her human double had wound up, and perhaps a few arrogant thoughts that toyed with the idea that she was the only Sunset Shimmer in the multiverse, were put to rest. The confirmation of another Sunset Shimmer in this world also put a much deeper, more depressing matter to rest. She didn’t belong here. Not that that was news to Sunset. It was hard to forget she was living in a world she wasn’t born into between the cultural shock, human versions of ponies she had known or at least seen before, and having to fake documentation for someone that, by all rights, should not exist. Still, the presence of another her made it…official? "No, that’s not it," she thought to herself. It was more like it forced her to confront that whatever role she had in this world had been filled before she even arrived. Not that she had any idea what that role might be. At heart, Sunset was a scholar of magic. Her entire life was defined by it. Learning about it, making it, feeling it, possessing it. It was her greatest passion in any world. Only this world had no place for it to begin with. It was rather disheartening for Sunset to find that there was no degree or career to be found for a field of study the vast majority of the human race thought to be pure fiction. Even if there was for that matter, what little magic that had migrated to this world from her homeland of Equestria was either destroyed or contained by her and her friends years ago. Now, the only magic that remained in the human world resided within them. Sunset knew in her heart that it was better this way. Magic had been nothing but trouble for this world ever since she and Princess Twilight had unleashed it upon them. But still, sometimes she couldn’t help her guilty wish that they hadn’t done so good a job at snuffing it all out. Magic in the human world may have been crazy, unpredictable, frustrating and caused far more problems than it ever solved, but it also presented the kind of challenge Sunset craved above all else. Getting to learn about, understand, and develop a brand-new form of magic unknown to ponykind was the very thing she lived for. The thing the sun-shaped cutie mark on her flank told her she was destined for. Learning to understand the magic in the human world in tandem with the magic of friendship gave her purpose. But now she DID understand it, which just brought her back to the question she had been asking herself every day since she graduated high school. "What now?" She thought once more idly tapping her fingers on the bench as she sorted through the decisions that had led to her current state. Sunset Shimmer had never been one to sit idly by, so in lieu of a purpose, she had decided to make her own. As a natural-born student who had been in school for the majority of both her lives, she had elected to pursue higher education, as many young adults in this world did including some of her close friends. It seemed like a good way to learn more about what this world had to offer her while also satisfying Sunset’s own thirst for knowledge. Picking a discipline to study had actually been rather easy. If she could not pursue magic, then she would instead learn more about the means by which this species compensated for a lack of it. In a sense, technology was like the magic of the human world. The ability to instantly send messages from one side of the planet to the other seemed a lot like magic to her at the time anyway. Roughly eight years of rigorous study later and she could now officially be called Doctor Sunset Shimmer. Statistically speaking, the world was now her oyster. Her credentials could easily land her a secure well-paying gig that would never leave her wanting for money again. Wanting for satisfaction was another matter entirely. Try as she might, Sunset could not think of a single thing she could see herself happily doing for the rest of her life. If anything, all learning about the machines of this world had allowed her to do was theorize new ways to efficiently study magic. Magic that didn’t exist here. "So, was that it then?" she wondered as slumped in defeat. "Eight years utterly wasted? Eight years spent working tirelessly to find myself back in the exact same spot, asking the exact same question?" "What now?" A small self-deprecating voice in the back of her head Sunset had never quite been able to rid herself of, developed right around the time everything between her and Celestia started to fall apart, cruelly reminded her that it wouldn’t be the first time she wasted years of her life for nothing. For a moment, Sunset sat up and pondered if perhaps she could simply live with the path that she had chosen. It may not feel perfect, but it wouldn’t be terrible, right? A modest successful life, working a comfortable job. Several hours a day spent going about various tasks. She could handle that. Day in, day out. For the next several decades until she was too old to do it anymore, or too rich to care. Nothing to it. Every day, for the rest of her life, going about her bubble, doing the same non-magical mundane tasks, in the same non-magical mundane place, for the rest of her life. Every. Single. Day. Sunset found herself unable to suppress a groan of frustration. "I guess that answers that question," she thought to herself. Try as she might, she just couldn’t reconcile the typical human lifestyle with her future. Ponies were creatures of passion and purpose. Sunset even more so than the average member of her kind. To spend her time, her life, doing something that she simply had no real passion for could very well kill her. Well, perhaps that was being a bit dramatic, but the fact was that she couldn’t bear to spend her life pursuing something she wasn’t interested in. It was only through her innate desire for knowledge and understanding that she made it through the eight years of college education, and even that had worn on her numerous times. It was moments like this that made Sunset long for the simple days of High School, where her place was so clear. Even her lonely days as the villain of Canterlot High were beginning to look more appealing than her current situation. She may not have had any friends, but at least she knew what to do with herself. At least then, she had a purpose. With a shake of her head, Sunset dispelled those thoughts before they could go any further. “If only the girls were here,” Sunset spoke to no one in particular besides the gentle breeze. Her friends were always good at pointing her in the right direction when she needed it. Even if they couldn’t give her all the answers, just being around them made her feel like everything was okay. But things changed, and now occasions where they all got together were disappointingly few and far between. They had all moved on, and here she was still struggling to do the same. Sunset toyed with the geode still hanging around her neck after all these years; a habit she had developed not long after receiving the magic stone. She liked to think it made it easier for her to think. Taking the necklace in her palm, Sunset stared at the magic rock with her cutie mark inexplicably imprinted on it. Perhaps hoping that the magic contained within it, within her, could give her the answers she was seeking. "Heh, magic", she inwardly mused with a wry smile. It seemed to be the source of all her problems, and yet she always looked to it for solutions. The redhead was certain there was some sort of cosmic joke in the whole thing. "Wouldn’t it be great if there was some sort of magic item, I could just tell all my problems to and get answers in return?" Suddenly Sunset’s train of thought came to a grinding halt. It was then replaced with an overwhelming urge to slap herself upside the head. How was it that she had forgotten about her first friend and greatest teacher? A friend she could talk to at literally any time and place, with magic. A certified prodigy she may be, and yet too often did Sunset miss what was right under her own nose. Sunset knew it was somewhat naïve to expect her oldest friend to possess all the answers simply because she had helped guide her in the past, but if anybody (or rather anypony) could help her, it was the princess of friendship. And so, with a small flame of hope ignited in her chest, the amber skinned girl took in the relaxing landscape one more time, noting that for some reason the sun seemed just a little bit brighter, took a deep breath, and quickly rose from the bench she was sitting on to begin her journey home. The door to Sunset’s apartment opened as the owner of the residence marched in. The apartment in question was nicer than the one she had lived in during her days at Canterlot High although, in Sunset’s personal opinion, less homely. It did definitely make attending the Institute she had graduated from a great deal easier. As Sunset wandered about her home, making sure everything was in order, the rush of enthusiasm she had felt on her way over had dulled slightly to make way for a sudden flow of guilt. "How long has it been since I last wrote to Twilight?" Sunset pondered. "A year? A Year and a half?" It had certainly been a while since she had last sat down and given her friend an update on her status in the human world. She justified this with the no doubt packed schedules they both had acquired over the years. Earning a Doctorate in an ever-advancing science while providing for herself didn’t leave room for much else while Twilight no doubt had it ten times worse running an entire nation. Sunset still had a difficult time swallowing the fact that the dorky princess she knew now ruled all of Equestria. Valid as her reasons were, however, Sunset knew that she needed to do better by her friend in the future, and as the saying went, there was no time like the present. Stopping before her mattress, the former unicorn knelt down and heaved a small locked chest out from under the bed. After a quick sigh of exertion, she took out her keys and popped open the lid. Immediately she was greeted by the sight of her own cutie mark stylistically fused with the cutie mark of Princess Twilight Sparkle. A small smile made its way onto Sunset’s face as she briefly lost herself in a rush of fond memories at the sight of the journal’s cover. As quickly as it came her short trip down memory lane concluded. Sunset tucked the journal under her arm before closing and resealing the chest containing only her most irreplaceable possessions. After another quick trip around the house to acquire a means of writing in the journal, the young woman decided to make herself comfy on her living room sofa. “Now all I have to do is figure out what to write. I probably shouldn’t start off our first conversation in a while by dumping all my troubles onto her,” Sunset chuckled to herself. “Let’s just start by checking in.” Dear Princess Twilight: I hope things are going well in Equestria. It’s been a while since our last talk and I was hoping to catch up with you. Sincerely, your friend, Sunset Shimmer "And now comes the hardest part," Sunset thought as she slumped down into her seat. The waiting. Aside from a few exceptions around the time before she had graduated High School, Twilight had always been quick to give her a response. "Of course, that was then, and this is now." There was no telling what Twilight had gotten up to during their communication blackout. As the sole monarch of an entire kingdom and guardian of at least two celestial bodies, the princess undoubtedly had more important things to do than swap messages with her most distant pen pal. Who was to say that Twilight even still had her journal on hoof? For all she knew, it had gotten lost in a storage room in the castle, or buried under a mountain of the paperwork she had so often seen Princess Celestia burdened with, or perhaps the book had simply been- A flash of light alongside an unmistakable chime interrupted whatever doubts Sunset was having and caused her to shoot up from her position. Sunset quickly opened the journal to read whatever message Twilight had sent her. Sunset! Is that really you? I’ve missed you. I would be more than happy to tell you whatever you want to hear. Sunset couldn’t help quirking an eyebrow at the message she had received. She had to wonder if it was just her, but something about the message seemed off. Like Twilight couldn’t believe she was actually hearing from her fellow student. It hadn’t been that long, had it? For the second time that day, Sunset Shimmer felt the insuppressible urge to whack herself for her short-sightedness. How could she have forgotten about the time differences between this world and Equestria? She must have truly been rusty to forget such a basic factor in interdimensional travel. Whatever was long to Sunset must have been several times as much to Twilight given how much faster time passed in Equestria relative to the human world. For the second time that day, Sunset vowed to do better by her friend and picked up the conversation. I’ve missed you too, Twilight. I’ve just been pretty busy learning all about the machines they use in this world. It’s been a lot to take in, but I’d consider myself pretty good with them by now. I’ve graduated for the third (or is it technically the fourth; I never did find out where I stood with Princess Celestia) time in my life. Now I guess I just need to find a use for it all. This time there was no delay in the response. I’m glad to hear it, Sunset. If anypony could figure out the complexities of their strange machines, it’s you. I can’t help but notice that you seem a bit unsure of yourself. Is something wrong? Sunset figured if she was waiting for an invitation to sort out her problems, that was it. The next few pages of the journal were dedicated to explaining the predicament she now found herself in, trying her very best not to leave anything important out. Once she figured that everything that needed to be said was in the journal, she set down her pen and awaited whatever wisdom the alicorn had to give her. It sounds like you don’t know what you’re doing. This response was met with the slight twitch of a cyan eye. "Well, that was blunt." To be honest, Twilight, I don’t know what I’m doing. My whole life has revolved around magic for better or worse. Now that there’s none left to really study, I don’t know what to do with myself. It doesn’t help that there’s not really a huge market here for people who specialize in fairy tale acts. I’ve tried finding something else that gives me that same feeling of purpose, but no matter what I do it’s just not the same. What place is there for a magical prodigy in a world without magic? The next response was just as to the point as the last one. It doesn’t sound like there is one. Sunset’s spirit hit a new low at that. So that was it then? Even the Princess of Friendship couldn’t solve her identity crisis. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask the question that had been on her mind ever since she walked out of Pinkie Pie’s big graduation party. So, what now? The response the former unicorn was waiting for didn’t come as quickly as the ones before it. An entire minute went by before the next short series of words that would stun Sunset to her core scratched themselves onto the page. You could come back. "Come back? To Equestria!?" Sunset mentally screamed. She wanted to say the idea was unthinkable. Before Sunset pursued that train of thought any further, she had to be certain she understood exactly what Twilight was saying. You mean back to Equestria? Back to where I was born? Twilight’s responses were back to being near instantaneous now and she had her answer before she could even lower her pen. That’s exactly what I mean, Sunset. If it’s magic you’re looking for then there’s simply no place more filled with it than Equestria. With everything that’s happened since you’ve been living in the human world all this time, you’d never run out of new magic to study over here. Part of Sunset hated how true Twilight’s words were, but that didn’t mean her reservations weren’t still there. That’s just it though, Twilight. I’ve been living my life here for so long I barely remember what it feels like to properly be a pony. How can I just abandon everything I’ve made here to go back to the world I ran away from? And again, Twilight’s response was ready for her. I think I understand what you’re going through, Sunset. You’ve learned so much over there. You’ve made so many friends you cherish like family. It feels like it’s a part of who you are now. Once again Twilights words rang true. That’s exactly how she felt. But maybe you’ve already seen everything that world has to offer you. Maybe you’ve learned everything there is to learn from that world and its people. Done everything there is to do. You’ve made amends for your past actions and then some. You understand the magic of friendship better than anypony I know. You’ve done an incredible job of containing the magic we brought to that world, and you’ve thoroughly documented a form of magic never seen by pony kind. Twilight was for the most part recounting basic facts at this point, yet having it all laid out before her was sobering. She really had done all that, hadn’t she? But in that case, how could she leave this place behind after having done so much here? Sunset, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like your friends have all taken what they can from these lessons and moved on. Maybe it’s time you moved on too. Move on? It couldn’t be that easy, could it? Wasn’t that exactly what she had been trying to do all this time? Sunset scrunched her face in a fashion only someone wrestling with their own thoughts could achieve and decided to let Twilight finish her piece. When Princess Celestia and Princess Luna decided to retire and put me in charge of the kingdom, I was in a very similar position to you. I had made a life in Ponyville. I Learned so much from the people living there. It was where I belonged for so long. The idea of leaving for any reason was unthinkable to me. But things change. I changed. I was a princess, with a purpose to fulfill. I loved Ponyville with all my heart, but I had taken everything it had to give me, and I had given it everything I could. So, even though it was difficult to say goodbye to a place I had known for so long I had to move on. I had to say goodbye... Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sunset noticed that there was an awkward pause in the words as they wrote themselves onto the page at this point. As though it took the princess a great deal of concentration to continue on to the next part. I had to say goodbye to my friends. My family. And to be honest it hurt. A lot. But it was what was best. That didn’t mean that we weren’t friends anymore or that I was abandoning them. It just meant that we had our own paths to take and I needed to finish mine. I think it’s time you took the next step in your own path, Sunset. In Equestria. The place you were meant to be that has so much to offer you now. And I know you have a lot to offer it as well. But it’s your decision at the end of the day. Know that whatever you choose, I’ll support you, and I’m sure your friends will do the same. Sunset had to admit, she was moved. She had to briefly rub a forearm across her eyes to take care of the moisture that was threatening to escape. However, the doubtful part of her mind still had a few cards to play against considering this particular option. It wasn’t going down without a fight. Where would I stay? Twilight fired back immediately. In the castle at Canterlot of course. You of all ponies should know there’s far more space here than we could ever reasonably fill. Alright, next question. You don’t really expect me to just mooch off you, do you? And again, Twilight was ready. I’m sure we could find a use for you around the castle. How does royal lab assistant sound? It’d be a good way for you to get your hooves wet and reconnect with your pony side while you figure things out. You can start as soon as you arrive, and I can just put you on the castle payroll. So, she’d have a place of residence and a means of making a living. Of course. Fine then. Last question. What if it doesn’t work out? This time, Sunset barely had time to remove her pen from the paper before Twilight went on the offensive. If it doesn’t work out, you can just go back to the human world and pick up where you left off. Like I told you once before. The portal’s always open. That was strike three, Sunset’s doubts had just struck out. Twilight must have been in top form today. At this point, there was no good reason for Sunset to not at least think about it. That’s exactly what she told Twilight. Alright, let me talk it over with the girls. I’ll think about it. Without missing a beat, Twilight replied. That’s all that I ask. Sunset swore she could practically taste the smugness on her last response. With a grunt, she closed the journal. Attitude aside, a strange subtle feeling began to well up inside her. For the first time in years, it felt like she might have an answer to the question that plagued her every day. Maybe she finally knew… what now. Author's Note Greetings everyone. With the Gen 4 shows now over I realize I'm rather late to the fandom, but that's never a reason not to contribute in my opinion. Plus it means that now I can for the most part write all I want without worrying about any new canon ruining my fun. I would like to say that this is my first attempt at writing a real full on story, so I'm still very much learning as an author of any sort. It's a hobby of mine I've picked up now which means updates will come whenever, but hopefully they won't be too far apart. Thoughts, opinions, and constructive criticism are welcome and greatly encouraged. Anything you think I can do to make this a more enjoyable experience will be considered. Hopefully this will be the most exposition I ever cram into one chapter, but I needed to set the stage. As for the story itself, fair warning, I don't intend for it to be a sad story overall, but there will be some rather weighty themes tossed around. I still hope you'll all enjoy.
Chapter 11: Letting Go“Well, howdy there, Twilight! The youngins said they’d seen you pass by not too long ago. I was wonderin’ if you’d swing by,” an elderly light-yellow mare with frizzy pink hair, held in place by a large bow, waved from her rocker just in front of the large farmhouse of the illustrious Sweet Apple Acres. The old mare leaned forward and carefully got onto all four hooves, taking a quick moment to steady herself, and began moving closer to the princess with a steadiness that didn’t betray her age. Twilight met the old mare halfway, pushing forward and leaning down to give her a hug, taking comfort in the warm pink cloth that adorned the old ponies’ neck. “Sorry if I kept you waiting, Apple Bloom.” “Aw, don’t worry about it none. We’re all just happy to have you come over,” Apple Bloom said, stepping back to look up at the large alicorn. “So, how is everypony? Is everything going all right?” Twilight asked in a conversational tone. “Oh, nothing too excitin’. We’re all buckling down for the comin’ harvest right now. The whole family is bandin’ together to make sure this is one of the best hauls we’ve ever had, just like Applejack would’ve wanted,” Apple Bloom stated resolutely. A heavy silence filled the air, the outdoor breeze being the only noise to take away from the stillness. “So, you’ve all been getting along alright…” Twilight ventured, her voice nearly failing her before she could finish. “Yeah, we’re doin’ alright. I don’t think any of us are quite used to it yet. Her not bein’ around and all. Last thing she’d want though is for us to lay around bein’ sad because of her, so we’re working harder than ever to make sure Sweet Apple Acres is still somethin’ to be proud of.” Twilight sighed. “Applejack was always proud of you, Apple Bloom. You know that.” Apple Bloom chuckled good-naturedly. “Course I do. That’s why we’ve got to make sure everything’s the way it ought to be. I may not be a young filly any-more, but I’ve still got plenty left to give. I promise you, Twilight, this year we’re gonna put this old farm on the map all-over again.” “Well, I guess if the Apples are good at anything, it’s telling the honest truth,” Twilight mused, infected by Apple Bloom’s own determination. “Anyhow, I think that’s enough about us. What about you?” “Me?” “Yeah, you. What have you been up to lately?” “Oh, nothing much. Same old, same old really,” Twilight waved off. “Come on now, don’t tell me a buncha old farm ponies live a more interestin’ life than the ruler of all Equestria,” Apple Bloom scoffed. “Surely there’s gotta be somethin’ worth talkin' about.” “Trust me, Apple Bloom. Life as royalty isn’t nearly as interesting as you would think. These days it’s mostly just meetings and decrees. Sometimes it’s a meeting about a decree or a decree about the meeting. You’d probably be bored senseless,” Twilight assured the old farm pony. “Really now? You’re telling me nothing special has happened since the last time you were here?” “I’m afraid not.” “No changes to your daily routine worth mentioning at all?” “Weeelll…I don’t know if I would say anything major has changed,” Twilight stuttered, a few things popping into her head due to Apple Bloom’s prodding. “Because from what I’ve heard, somethin’ very interesting’s happened to you lately,” Apple Bloom teased. “I guess there has bee-wait? What have you heard?” Twilight asked, legitimately dumbfounded as to what Apple Bloom was getting at. “Well, the rest of the family says they’ve seen you walkin’ around town with a special somepony,” Apple Bloom practically sang. “…what?” Twilight said in complete and utter confusion, her previous train of thought completely derailed. “I couldn't believe it at first, but just about everypony on the farm swears they’ve seen you and another pony getting all cozy together. Congrats, Twilight. I honestly wasn’t sure you had it in you, what with how long it took you to even stumble into a date with that one pegasus guard pony.” Apple Bloom’s voice was drowned out by Twilight’s own inner musings, repeatedly running over the previous day’s events to see what could lead anypony to tell Apple Bloom such a thing. How could she have found a special somepony? She certainly wasn’t aware of anything like that happening. All she done since getting here was spend time with Sunset, Pinkie, and eventually Spike. Nothing even remotely romantic had happened in her time here with anypony. “Apple Bloom, what are you talking about? I don’t have a special somepony,” Twilight interrupted once she was absolutely certain there was no pony she had been, “getting all cozy” with. Apple Bloom was the one who looked dumbfounded now, her head tilting in confusion. “You don’t? Just about the whole town is saying that every time they see you, you’re practically attached to this mare they’ve never seen before.” “They have?” Twilight asked, no less lost than she had been before. “Well, yeah. No offense, but you kind of stick out, Twilight. Apparently, you’ve been spending all your time with this pony. Real pretty thing from what they’ve told me. Little bit on the short side. Red and yellow mane with a Sun shaped cutie mark. That don’t sound familiar to you at all?” It all sounded incredibly familiar to Twilight, even ignoring that those traits were all remarkably distinct in their own right. Not that the descriptions did anything to lessen her own confusion. “Yeah, that was my friend, Sunset. She came with me to Ponyville. She’s my new assistant back in Canterlot,” Twilight explained, hoping that would be the end of whatever misunderstanding was going on here. “So, she’s just your assistant?” Apple Bloom asked, clearly skeptical. “Well, she’s not JUST my assistant. She’s also a close and trusted friend.” “Well, okay then,” Apple Bloom slowly responded, clearly not convinced, but willing to drop the subject. Twilight on the other hoof was not. “What? What have you heard? Somepony’s not spreading rumors about me again, are they? Honestly, how many decades need to go by before Equestria finds something more interesting to talk about than how much I weigh?” “Okay, Twilight I get it. You’re just friends. Seeing the two of you together all the time must have just confused them,” Apple Bloom cut in before Twilight could get too worked up over nothing. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t that just normal friend stuff?” “Yeah. I reckon it could be. We were just happy you found somepony nice to spend time with. Everypony said you seemed happy around her.” Twilight couldn’t deny that. Besides, she wasn’t here to squabble over misunderstandings. So, in spite of the feelings she couldn’t quite place, Twilight decided to let the matter go. “Anyway, today just so happens to be my last day in Ponyville before I return to Canterlot, and I just wanted to stop by before I left,” “Well, you know you’re always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight. You’re as good as family here,” Apple Bloom said, a bright smile on her face. “Thanks, Apple Bloom,” Twilight sighed, the sentiment hitting home. Sometimes it was nice to just feel like somepony who belonged. “Come on in. We got a whole bunch of new Apple recipes you can try out with the rest of the family,” Apple Bloom offered. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got a few other places to be today, and you all seem pretty busy right now,” Twilight tried to wave off. “C’mon. Everypony’s looking forward to seein’ you, and, knowing you, you probably haven’t eaten yet.” Apple Bloom’s words rang true as Twilight felt her stomach give a growl in yearning. It was entirely possible it would regret its enthusiasm as even an alicorn’s appetite was no match for an Apple’s, but, at the moment, the offer was far too appealing. “Alright, maybe just a small bite.” “Great! Just follow me. Sugar Apple’s baked a pie that’s guaranteed to blow your royal horseshoes right off.” “And down this hall are the classrooms where they teach each of the six main elements of friendship. I’m sure you know the ones,” Spike said, gesturing to the rooms on either side of the hall they were walking through. Sunset was free to look in on the lectures and class activities taking place in each room, as, unlike any school she had ever been to, each class in the school seemed to have an open-door policy. It was just one of the many ways the school exuded a feeling of openness and acceptance. “You know, I have to admit, I had my doubts when Twilight told me about this particular project of hers. Friendship didn’t seem like something you could learn from classrooms and textbooks. But, well, just look at this place. There must not be a single person here who’s not best friends with everyone in the same room,” Sunset marveled from just beside Spike, peeking into each classroom they passed and noting the upbeat energy each room gave off. “Well, that’s because it’s not just any old school. We learned that friendship isn’t something you can teach traditionally pretty fast. So instead this is a place that brings different creatures from all over the world together so they can learn with each other what Twilight learned with all of her friends.” As Sunset listened to Spike the two continued to walk through the school. Each hall leading to more classrooms, activities, and smiling faces happily going about their day. If not for her experienced companion, Sunset could have easily found herself completely lost in any one of the large halls contained in an even larger school. Though, for what it was worth, Sunset couldn’t think of a friendlier place to be lost in. Spike was doing his best to give her the rough crash course, but it was becoming clear that she’d never be able to see everything the school had to offer in a single day. Eventually, he led her past a series of busts and portraits. They seemed to be meant to honor the school staff if Sunset had to guess, which made sense. Most schools had something like that in her experience, so it wasn’t something Sunset paid much attention to. Twilight’s friends were there, a few assorted ponies she had no real way of identifying, and, out of the corner of her eye, Sunset spotted a picture of a middle-aged mare she would have bet all her bits was this world’s Trixie. “Pretty much everything in this school is inspired by something Twilight has learned while studying friendship. I guess you could say this is a place made by friendship,” Spike chuckled. They had now made their way outside of the building to an outdoor fountain that was clearly a favorite spot for many of the students. “So, in a way, there’s a little bit of each of Twilight’s friends in this school?” Sunset surmised, the pleasant thought striking her. “Yeah. Wouldn’t be much of a school of friendship if Twilight didn’t build it with her friends. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack…Starlight,” Spike trailed off, his eyes ever so slightly taking on a weary weight Sunset had seen every day in a pair of violet eyes. “…and Rarity. They’re all here.” Sunset was caught by surprise. It made sense that Spike would bear some of the same burdens as Twilight, but he had never let it show until now in a unique combination of fondness and longing. Fortunately, the relatively young dragon managed to quickly catch himself and shook off the melancholy he had briefly fallen victim to. “Oh, and I guess we’re here somewhere too,” Spike finished in a much more upbeat tone. “Me?” Sunset asked in surprise. “Well, yeah. You’re Twilight’s friend too, aren’t you?” Spike asked as though he was stating something as simple as calling the sky blue. “Didn’t she ask you about it when she was building it?” “I guess I never really thought about it much before now,” Sunset admitted, looking upon the school in yet another new light. “This place really is beautiful.” The longer she spent in this world, the more she couldn’t help but notice just how much better everything really was. Every race living in harmony, filled with places of kindness and understanding. It was like life itself was now a happy ending to a fairy tale. Not to say Equestria had ever been horrible under Celestia, but it was still nothing like this. Everyone was happy now. It almost seemed the only pony who wasn’t happy was… “Hey, Spike!” A nasally, almost masculine voice called out from directly above. Both pony and dragon looked up in time to see an orange blur flip down in front of them, landing with a surprising amount of poise. The tall, lanky, orange creature that just touched down before them was clearly a female dragon. Roughly Spike’s height if not a little shorter, but still towering over Sunset, much to her own irritation. “I thought you were busy helping out the Dragon Lord. You should have told me you’d be in town. Not like it’d be very hard for you to send a letter,” the dragon said, immediately adopting a relaxed posture that indicated familiarity. Spike rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Guess with everything that’s been going on it just kinda slipped my mind.” “Ah, don’t worry about it,” She brushed off, giving Spike a friendly light punch on the shoulder. “I know you’ve been a pretty busy dragon lately. Just thought I’d drop in and say hi.” “And when you say, ‘drop-in’ you mean it pretty literally,” Spike chuckled, “It’s great to see you, Smolder,” Spike finished, leaning in to hug the other dragon who Sunset saw surprisingly return the affection in kind. Even with all that she had seen so far, she had never known any dragon besides Spike to be the affectionate sort. “So, who’s your little friend?” Smolder asked upon separating from the other dragon. Sunset fought her ire at the, “little” comment. It wasn’t her fault everything in Equestria had grown so tall. Celestia herself had always told her she was only slightly below average height for a mare her age. “This is my friend, Sunset Shimmer. She’s Twilight’s new assistant,” Spike quickly introduced “Finally decided to replace you, huh?” “Oh, very funny. Sunset, this is my friend, Smolder. The School of Friendship’s guidance counselor.” Twilight felt her stomach gurgle in protest as she trudged her way through the Everfree Forest. It seemed that no matter how long she lived, how tall she got, or how many times she did it, she’d always fail to handle an entire Apple family feast. “Ohhh. Yep, still too much pie,” she groaned out to no one in particular. Fortunately, the Everfree Forest wasn’t too far from Sweet Apple Acres. It was a path she had tread countless times before now. What was once a hopelessly confusing maze of warped trees, clingy vines, and unknown terrors lurking in the distance was now just a casual stroll for the princess. Still, even after all these years, very few creatures dared to simply walk into the Everfree Forest. It was very much still the same old forest it had been when she and a ragtag team of radically different ponies dared to venture inside in search of the mythical Elements of Harmony those many moons ago. It was a place that didn’t change much. It was ironic how she now felt something of a kinship with the forest that had once filled her with so much uncertainty and trepidation. Even as the world moved forward, they stayed the same. Perhaps that had been part of the reason Celestia and Luna had decided to place their first castle here. “How sad when a lonely old forest is the only thing you can relate to,” a dark voice chuckled in the back of her mind. The errant thought surprised her. She had almost gotten used to her depressing thoughts running away from her, but she surprisingly hadn’t had any over the week she had been staying in Ponyville. Not until now. “Well, I guess if there’s anything you need to get used to, it’s being lonely, and you need to do it soon.” Twilight blocked out the voice as she always did and focused on her destination. The hollowed-out old tree she had been searching for at last came into view as did the old friend she had been longing to see. “Zecora!” Twilight shouted, rushing up to one of her oldest friends in an excitement fueled by the eagerness of seeing her and the prospect of filling the dreadful silence. “Ah, is that Princess Twilight Sparkle I see?! Forgive me, for my eyes are not what they used to be,” an old zebra called back, stepping away from her task of collecting some of the herbs surrounding her humble tree hut. “How have you been?” Twilight asked after a quick greeting hug. Zecora took a moment to shake her long black and white mane off of her aged face. “Aye, a little older and a little grayer since last we spoke, but do not worry; we Zebra are a hardy folk.” The old zebra’s statement was undoubtedly true. Despite her advanced age, Zecora could be considered a picture of health. Her sturdy body and active lifestyle guaranteeing her an exceptionally long life. Helped in no small part by her extensive knowledge of potions and otherworldly concoctions that kept her well and able. Zecora would persist for at least a few more good years yet. Still, time wore on her the same as anypony. New wrinkles, sagging skin, and aching pains accumulated in places where there had been none before, and her once mohawk like mane had grown out and now fell to her shoulders in a blanket of stripes. “So, tell me, old friend, what brings you all the way out to the Everfree? Surely, you did not travel all the way out here, just for me,” Zecora idly commented while she turned to finish her task. “Can’t I just stop by to visit a friend?” “I had just assumed that something important had brought you near. It has been quite a while since you’ve come all the way down here,” Zecora explained, her eyes not leaving her task of organizing the baskets she had filled with potential ingredients. Twilight winced at the blunt statement. Zecora clearly meant no offense in what she said. It was merely an observation, yet the implications that came with it were of no comfort. Had it really been that long? A magenta glow lifted the baskets into the air, saving the zebra the trouble of carrying them all into her humble abode. Twilight gave a heavy sigh. “You’re right. I came here…to say goodbye to somepony very special to me.” Silently, Zecora walked over to her hut and opened the door, gesturing inside. “Ah, now I understand why. You’ve come here to see poor Pinkie Pie,” Zecora picked up once Twilight had found her way inside, actually needing to duck in order to make it through the door. “Have you seen her?” Twilight asked in a neutral tone. Zecora nodded. “I have seen her as both a shaman and a friend. It is sad to say that her time...is at its end.” Twilight was silent for moment longer before looking directly at the aged zebra. “I don’t want to waste what I have left, Zecora. That’s why I’m here.” Twilight’s intensity surprised Zecora, but her meaning could not have been clearer. No pony was getting any younger. “I see. Then please, get comfortable while I make us some tea." “So, what can we do for you? You interested in becoming a student here?” the tall orange dragon that had been identified as Smolder asked with apparent interest. “Trust me, Smolder. You’re talking to one of the last ponies in all of Equestria that needs lessons in friendship,” Spike proudly interjected before Sunset could give a response. His surprisingly high praise bringing a shy blush to Sunset’s muzzle. “Ohhh, I getcha,” Smolder began with a wry smirk “So, is it a teaching job you’re after? Can’t say I know any openings off the top of my head, but I’m sure the headmare can find a job for you if you’re good enough to get the approval of Equestria’s own, ‘Friendship Ambassador’.” “Actually, I’m just here for the tour,” Sunset elaborated before things got too carried away. Smolder cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at the small mare before her as though she didn’t quite understand what she had just heard. “Sooo, you came to a school, just to look at it?” Smolder asked, waiting for any corrections or additions to what she had said. “Well, I guess it sounds kind of silly when you put it like that, but yeah. I’ve been going to school for most of my life, erm lives really, so I guess I just sort of enjoy the atmosphere,” Sunset explained Smolder nodded, surprisingly seeming to understand Sunset’s meaning. “I guess that kind of makes sense. It’s probably not my place to judge. I’ve been hanging around this place since old Spikey-wikey over here was yay high,” Smolder said, using her hand to demonstrate a height that only came up to her knee. “You’re not that much older than me, Smolder. You don’t always have to talk about me like I’m a little kid,” Spike huffed, somehow still being made out to be small after all these years. “C’mon, Spike, you know you’ll always be an adorably baby dragon to somecreatures,” Smolder teased the slightly taller dragon, leaning on his shoulder.” “I’ll say. I don’t think I’ll ever quite get used to, ‘Big Dragon Spike’,” Sunset chimed in. “Really? You didn’t seem to mind ‘Big Dragon Spike’ when you were freeloading a ride all the way over here,” Spike accused. “I’m not saying you don’t have your uses. I just have a hard time seeing you as anything other than a cute little dragon. Well, that or an adorable puppy,” Sunset cheekily responded. Smolder signaled for the two to stop their playful banter with a frantic wave of her hands “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down a bit. You are a PONY, right?” Sunset couldn’t repress the quizzical look she gave the dragon at such a sudden and bizarre question. “…Yeah. What else would I be?” “Well, you could be a changeling,” Spike offered unhelpfully. “So…how old are you exactly?” Smolder questioned while eying Sunset like a puzzle she was trying to piece together. “Well, I’m…” Sunset quickly began, only to trail off mid-sentence. How old was she? It wasn’t a question she had spent any real time dwelling on. Birthday parties for one, or two on the rare occasions Celestia wasn’t ridiculously busy, weren’t particularly enjoyable, so Sunset had soured on the whole birthday tradition rather early in life, and that disdain had only carried over to the human world. Her friends, especially Pinkie, had tried bringing her around on the concept, but it just wasn’t something she had ever managed to get into. Now, ordinarily, that wouldn’t have mattered. Age was, after all, just a number she had to keep track of. For a normal pony, person, or creature that is. She, on the other hoof, had grown into a young mare in Equestria. Then, the mirror had, for whatever reason, reduced her back into a teenage freshman, and boy was it ever fun living that particular stage of life a second time in an alien body. So, she grew up again. Now, she was back in Equestria after all these years, seemingly the same age as when she had last left. Working through her own negligence in keeping up with her birthdays and factoring in the magical shifts in age, Sunset gave Smolder her honest answer. “I have absolutely no idea.” Something told Smolder it would be best to drop the topic for now. She felt a headache just waiting for her if she tried wrapping her brain around this now. “Okay then, well, anyway is there anything I can help you with before I swing by the headmare’s office?” The mention of the headmare grabbed Sunset’s attention, her innate curiosity seizing her. Surely the pony who ran all this must have been something else entirely. To fill a position that had once been performed by the Princess of Friendship herself. Doubtlessly, only a pony Twilight trusted to the highest degree could be responsible for all this and they were doing a spectacular job from the look of things. The school’s headmare would probably be endlessly busy, but Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to pass up the opportunity. “I don’t suppose I could meet the headmare?” Twilight trotted along with carefully measured steps as she reached one of her few remaining destinations. The many animals that littered the open fields, small ponds, and rivers took note of the unfamiliar presence but made no moves beyond that. The air was still and the only audible sound was the crunch of the grass beneath the determined alicorn’s hoofsteps. It was a beautiful place, truly. The luscious green fields, the crystal-clear waters, the simplistic but tasteful architecture of the rocks, swings, and playsets. Even the sun seemed to naturally shine brighter on this particular spot, although it was hard to be sure what was and wasn’t natural around here at times. Anycreature could spend countless hours lazing about and enjoying the scenery, which only made it all the more bizarre that Twilight often avoided the place. One by one the animals cleared a path for the large unfamiliar pony that had invaded their sanctuary, forming crowds on the sideline to watch as she marched on a set path, seemingly pushing herself forward to her destination. Pushing was certainly an accurate term to describe what Twilight was doing right now. Every part of her being was screaming at her to turn around and flee from this wonderful place. To just forget about it entirely. Twilight suppressed those feelings. A useful skill she had developed in her decades of ruling. And instead, she tuned in to what her heart told her was right. She would have liked to believe that it had never led her astray before and right now it was telling her that this was the right thing to do. She finally came to stop before the new centerpiece of the animal sanctuary. “New” relatively speaking. The large commemorative statue had stood in this exact spot for ten years now as of just a few months ago. It was meant to celebrate the founder of the animal sanctuary. Twilight had commissioned it herself with the encouragement of a certain friend. Something to, "keep her memory alive” he had said. It was strange. Twilight had seen the statue before. She had been the one to approve the design even, but this could have very well been the first time she really looked at it. The statue wasn’t necessarily big, nor was it small, standing just a couple feet taller than Twilight herself. An intentional design choice in order to make it easy for the animals to play on. Twilight saw the soft but present cracks that had formed along the surface. The spots and patches that had begun to form along certain places as a sign of natural wear and tear. She saw the carefully chiseled features that formed such minute details as the textures of the statue’s feathers. It all came together to form the image of a young resting pegasus, laying amongst an assortment of stone animals and decorative flowers. There was a bear, seemingly watching over her, a beaver resting on her tail, an assortment of squirrels, raccoons, birds, and even a snake laying around her in a protective cocoon, and a familiar rabbit wrapped in her forelegs. The two forever sleeping in absolute peace. Twilight glanced down at the simple message engraved in the stone base on which they all laid. “In Loving Memory of Fluttershy” Somehow those simple words hit her harder than the statue itself and she quickly shifted her gaze back up to the stone memorial before she lost what little control she had over her emotions. She had come here with a purpose. She was looking for somepony and judging by the statue that had quite clearly been well cared for all these years, this was the most likely place to find him. Looking up, Twilight pushed down her feelings and called out in an even voice. “DISCORD!” Twilight stood in silence for a few moments, but, aside from a few animals scattering, nothing seemed to have changed. Perhaps it had been a bit of a long shot to simply hope he’d hear her calling out in a field, even this one. Or perhaps he had heard and simply didn’t want to talk to her. Dejected, Twilight turned around to put some distance between herself and this awful wonderful place. “You rang?” Twilight whipped around at an impressive speed to face the new voice. There Discord sat upon the statue, wrapped around the stone Fluttershy, having appeared from thin air when it was least expected. Typical. “Weeellll? Don’t tell me you disturbed the delightful tranquility of this preserve just to gawk,” Discord prompted, leaning on the statue in a way that gave him a better view of the alicorn before him. “I wasn’t sure you were here,” Twilight muttered. “Oh, I’m always here. Never take my ear off the place. Somepony has to look after her after all,” Discord stated, materializing a spray bottle and rag to quickly wipe down the facsimile of Fluttershy’s face. “Though the same can’t be said of you, now can it? What’s it been now? Six, seven, eight years since you’ve set a royal hoof in here?” Discord rattled off, flipping through a calendar. “I wanted to speak with you,” Twilight spoke up, hoping to regain control of the situation. “Obviously. I imagine you don’t run around shouting pony’s names into the sky just because you like the way they sound, do you?” Discord mocked. “Discord!” Twilight shouted, her patience quickly running out as it had already been devoured by her anxiety. He could just never make anything easy, could he? “Could you not be so, so…YOU for just a few minutes!? I’m trying to apologize!” Twilight yelled at the petulant draconequus. Discord tilted his head at the exclamation. “Oh? Is that all? Well, apology accepted. Now, as I was saying…” “Whu-buh…I haven’t even made the apology yet!” Twilight stammered. “Oh, blegh. Come now, we both know how this works. One of us happens to perform some trivial, completely minor, infraction like hurting the other's feelings or unleashing some sort of unspeakable evil upon the world, the other gets upset, we feel really bad about it, say we’re sorry, and because we are such good friends we let bygones be bygones. It’s just quicker to cut out the middle pony, don't you think?” “You can’t just cut out the middle of friendship, Discord,” Twilight asserted. Discord sighed and reclined into a more comfortable position. “If you must then.” Twilight blew out a breath and took a second to collect her thoughts, her original plan having been scattered to the wind as was typical when dealing with Discord. “The last time I saw you, I treated you in a way you shouldn’t treat a friend. I was going through a lot and I took it out on you. And, I’m sorry,” Twilight said in complete earnest. Discord shifted around uncomfortably, these straightforward pony things still not coming to him as naturally as they came to other creatures. “Yes…well, I suppose I may have been a touch more, mhm, duplicitous than was strictly necessary in my effort to…be a good friend, so I suppose that I am also…sorry,” Discord fumbled out, tapping his fingers together. Twilight smirked at Discord’s obvious discomfort. “You know, I told Sunset that even though you have a pretty strange way of showing it, you usually mean well. I guess I still forget that myself, sometimes.” “So, are we finally done with all this mushy heartwarming nonsense?” Discord asked in a way that was only half-serious. Twilight nodded. “Almost. I also wanted to thank you.” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Thank me?” “You were right. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I had come here alone. It’s still not easy, but it’s been…bearable, and I have you to thank for that,” Twilight confessed. “Well, I can’t exactly take all the credit, now can I? It hasn’t been me who’s been keeping you company all this time. Not that I didn’t consider it, of course, but even I have to admit I’m probably not the type of friend you’d want around in this sort of situation. One of the many valuable lessons she taught me was the importance of having different friends for different things,” Discord mused, idly rubbing the head of the statue. Twilight nodded her head in agreement. “They've been with me every second they could be. The only reason they’re not here now is because I asked them not to be.” “Amazing things, aren’t they? How these creatures that fade so fast know so much?” Discord mused, almost to himself, his focus now fully on the statue. “How do you do it?” Twilight let slip out of her mouth before she could stop herself, cringing the moment she heard it leave her. “Pardon?” Discord asked, his focus now fully back on her. Twilight considered trying to brush off the question she had kept herself from asking him through all these years for a multitude of reasons that had changed countless times, but, if she was honest with herself, what was the point in stopping now? Just to hold her tongue for another lifetime? “How do you do it?” She restated, “How do you just keep going on and on the same way, forever, like it doesn’t even matter that you’re the only thing in the entire world standing still?” Discord paused a moment and looked over his fellow immortal, tilting his head from side to side to take in her every aspect, studying her. In truth, Twilight looked old. Not in the traditional sense of course. No, physically she hadn’t aged a day in decades. Her coat and mane was lush and sleek, her skin didn’t have a wrinkle in sight, and her body was ten times stronger than any mare or stallions'. And yet, she still managed to look so very old. The way her shoulders slumped. The way her eyes drooped. The way her head hung when she wasn’t putting on a front for the masses who expected her to be their perfect regal princess. She looked tired. Just as tired as any other pony her age would, if not more. Discord laughed. Not his usual carefree laugh, filled with mirth and mischief, but an empty joyless laugh that one gave because it was the only reaction they could think to give. “You’re not like me, are you? Sometimes, I like to think you are, but you’re not,” Discord bluntly stated. “Wha-what do you mean?” Twilight asked, the direction of this conversation being one she had never anticipated. Discord sat up and sighed, dropping the jokes and the gags. Dropping the randomness and the insanity. Dropping the chaos to do something Twilight had only seen him do a hoof-full of times in all the years she had known him. Speak plainly. “We may both experience our time in Equestria without end, but we’re not the same. When I first met you, you were just a simple little unicorn, and your biggest concern on most days was keeping your supply cabinet full in case Celestia gave you a surprise test. You may have been, well, let’s just say a tad eccentric, but you were still just like everypony else,” Discord explained. “Then, you finished a simple spell, and, through some sort of magic destiny even I don’t fully comprehend, you grew wings and gained the ability to last forever,” Discord continued. “Suddenly, you weren’t like them anymore, but you still aren’t like me.” Discord stepped off the statue to approach the listening alicorn. “This is just who I am, Twilight. I’ve never known anything else. I know you’re looking for some sort of big secret or a patented method to dealing with eternity, but...that’s not something I can give you…I’m sorry.” Twilight felt her stomach sink. “No…no no no!” she shook her head in denial. “You loved them too! I know you did! You can’t tell me that this is just normal for you! That you can just move on and forget about them like they meant nothing! Like they didn't even matter! There has to be something! There…there has to be,” Twilight cried, her bottled up emotions once again threatening to spill over. “Of course they meant something, Twilight.” Discord chided, surprisingly soft, his demeanor subdued and understanding. “I do miss them. Not a day goes by where I don’t remember them. Rarity’s style, Applejack’s know-how, Rainbow Dash’s energy, Starlight’s understanding, Fluttershy’s…love. “But, I’ve lived for millennia without end. I don’t even remember my own beginning if there ever was one, and I don’t know if there will ever be an end. Friendship is new to me, Twilight, but forever is not,” Discord softly explained Twilight just stared down at the ground, the cold feeling that was taking hold of her momentarily bypassing all other emotions, and a dark feeling in the back of her mind felt as though it was taking hold. Was this really her destiny? To someday wander this land forever, truly alone. A hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She looked up into a pair of mismatched red eyes, warmer than she had ever seen them. “I…can’t truly understand what it’s like to be you…but…I will always be here,” Discord offered in his most reassuring tone. Twilight’s shoulders began to shake and her lips trembled, as though she herself was on the verge of an eruption. Before he could react, Twilight had lunged forward and wrapped herself around his waist in a desperate embrace, as though this was the one thing she had to cling on to that would prevent her from drowning. It took a moment for him to process the sudden action, but, eventually, Discord leaned down to return the hug, comforting Twilight in the only way he could. “So, you’re a guidance counselor here?” Sunset prodded her guide as they walked, or in one case flew, through the hallways of the school. “Sure am. Been one for a few years now,” Smolder replied, flying backwards to face Sunset. Sunset eyed orange dragon for a few seconds, still getting a feel for this new face. Unfortunately, her extended silence gave her away. “Go on, just say what I know you’re thinking,” Smolder said, cutting off Sunset’s train of thought. “huh, what do yo-” “C’mon, I’ve heard it from just about everycreature. You think it’s weird that a dragon of all things is the one doing this job, right? You’re definitely more subtle about it than most ponies, but I know that look,” Smolder deduced “W-well, that’s not exactly what I was getting at,” Sunset stammered, thrown off by Smolder’s blunt assertions. Smolder gave Sunset a smirk. “It’s fine. A dragon isn’t the first thing I thought of when I found out exactly what a, ‘guidance counselor’ was for either. I mean, sure ponies and dragons get along just fine now, but we’re still not exactly known for being the nurturing sort. Most creatures still think of dragons as tough, abrasive, no-nonsense creatures with sharp teeth who breath scorching fire. Probably not the type you want guiding sensitive kids through their problems and insecurities.” Sunset simply bit her tongue and waited for the dragon to continue, not sure how to respond without coming off as insulting in some way. “But just because that’s what they expect dragons to be doesn’t mean that’s what they have to be,” Spike chimed in from behind her. “Took the words right outta my maw,” Smolder winked, “Before I came to this school, I didn’t know how to be anything other than what I was supposed to be. Big scary dragons aren’t supposed to like tea parties, or makeup, or cute frilly dresses,” Smolder said as though it was a simple fact. “But you know what? I do like all that stuff!” Smolder remarked proudly “The most important lesson I ever learned was that all I have to be is me, and I learned that right here. So, a job helping other dragons, ponies, and whoever else express what they want to be just kinda made sense,” Smolder shrugged as though it were no big deal. “Plus, they threatened to kick her out if she kept lounging around campus without pulling her weight,” Spike snickered. “Hey! I coached!” Sunset tuned the ensuing conversation out, her thoughts directing inward. What Smolder had said made it all seem so simple. Be yourself. It was such a basic sentiment, but how could you really be expected to be yourself when you no longer really knew who that even was? A unicorn prodigy possessing a special talent for magic with a degree in computer science that could read minds and moonlighted as a human being for so long that she still sometimes forgets how to open a door. That sure sounded like somebo-er-pony, whatever, with a solid direction in life. It was something she just didn’t know anymore but needed to figure out. “And we’re here!” Smolder announced, breaking through Sunset’s internal musings. “huh?” “The headmare’s office. We’re here. Y’know, like you wanted?” Smolder clarified to the pony that for whatever reason seemed to be lost. “Well, no sense waiting around out here,” Smolder said before landing in front of the tall double doors they were now in front of and shoving them open. “All the new books have been added to the school library, the cafeteria menus are set for the next few months, and we’re right on schedule for next week’s field trip to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory…oh, hi, Smolder!” a light cyan changeling waved from the front of the large room’s desk. “Hey, Ocellus! Just dropping by to tell the boss the new textbook shipment arrived today, and I just so happened to bring a few tagalongs,” Smolder said An aged unicorn in a dress suit sitting behind the room’s desk turned her chair to focus on her guidance counselor. “Smolder, you know how busy we are this time of year. I’m more than happy to entertain visitors, but now really isn’t the best time.” Smolder raised her arms in defense. “I know. I know. Normally I would have told them to try again another day, but I had a feeling you just might be interested in these two,” Smolder mentioned before stepping out of the doorway to motion her companions into the room. From behind Spike, Sunset got her first real look at the pony in charge. She was certainly no spring chicken, but she sat with the poise and confidence that allowed her to wear her age with grace. Her unruly, almost sunrise colored, mane was bound in a somewhat messy bun that clearly indicated a preference for practicality over style and grace. “Spike? No pony told me you were expected to visit this week. You know I appreciate at least a three weeks’ advance notice on official visits from any members of the royal council,” The headmare calmly noted while magically readjusting her glasses and quickly jotting some notes down on a nearby clipboard. Spike visibly rolled his eyes, familiar with this methodical behavior. “Well, it’s not technically an, ‘official’ visit. You see, Twilight took some time to come down to Ponyville-“ “The Princess is in Ponyville too!?” the previously composed pony gasped, her glasses falling clear off her muzzle. Quickly levitating the spectacles back onto her face, the agitated mare began to rummage through the papers laid out on her desk. “Oh dear, she isn’t supposed to be here for our semi-annual checkup for another two months. I’m not even close to ready. Ugh, the classrooms still need to be cleaned, the hoofball field hasn’t been cut, and just LOOK at all this paperwork!” Smolder and the changeling named Ocellus shared a knowing glance, the latter buzzing over to supportively pat the mare on the back. Coming out from behind Spike, Sunset felt that there was something unmistakably familiar about the pony excitedly going through papers. Not in the sense that they had met before, they most certainly hadn’t, but her mannerisms undoubtedly reminded her of somepony. Spike sighed, internally wondering if he was somehow cursed. What were the chances of every unicorn he knew having some sort of irrational tic? Maybe it was the horn? It must stick into their brains or something. “Calm down, Luster. Twilight’s not here for that,” Spike clarified Luster paused her organizing fit to process what Spike had said and blew a sigh of relief. Twilight’s opinion certainly seemed to matter a great deal to this mare. “So, you’re here for pleasure, not business?” Spike nodded an affirmation. “In that case, what can I do for you, Spike?” Luster asked, leaning back into her seat. “Actually, I’m just here on behalf of my friend,” Spike said, motioning to Sunset. “She seemed pretty interested in meeting you, and I thought you might want to check out Princess Twilight’s new lab partner,” Smolder followed up “Say, isn’t helping the Princess with magic something you used to do?” Ocellus questioned Luster Luster, at last, turned her full attention to the new unicorn Spike had brought with him. “I see. If the Princess trusts you with a job like that, then you must be…” Luster began before trailing off. The headmare raised her glasses to sit up and look at Sunset. This time really look at her. A noticeable silence filled the room as Luster took in every aspect of the little unicorn, her eyes carefully scanning every detail. “Ocellus, Smolder…why don’t you both take a break to properly catch up with Spike while we get properly acquainted?” Luster suggested once she had confirmed something to herself. Ocellus and Smolder shared a curious glance, but took the message and steadily exited the room, stopping just outside the door. Spike was confused more than anything. The abrupt change in direction taking him by complete surprise. Logically there was absolutely no danger were he to simply step out, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy about so suddenly abandoning his friend. “It’s fine, Spike. Go spend some time with your friends,” Sunset assured him, clearly willing to play along with whatever the headmare had in mind. “Okay,” Spike slowly let out, making his way out of the room. “I’ll just be right around the corner if you need me,” he assured closing the doors to give the two unicorns their privacy. Silence once again took over the now much more empty room. Despite ushering the other occupants of the office out on such short notice, the headmare made no attempt to break the silence created by their absence. Sunset figured it would be up to her to make the first move if she wanted to get to the bottom of this now all too interesting pony. Introductions were always a good start to meeting a new face. “It’s nice to finally meet you. From what I’ve seen you’ve done a great job of running this school. My name’s-” “Sunset Shimmer, right?” Twilight checked her face in the shop window’s reflection to make certain she had cleaned up thoroughly enough. She needed to at least look presentable. Assured that she had erased all evidence from earlier, Twilight marched towards her ultimate destination. Pinkie Pie’s house in the distant corner of Ponyville getting closer with each step she took. Even now, for as much as she already valued their company, Twilight began to see just how much she had depended on Sunset and Spike for support, every step becoming a greater struggle the closer she got. But of course, why should that come as a surprise? She had always been completely worthless on her own, hadn’t she? What good was the Princess of Friendship without her friends? All she had ever done was depend on others. For power. For direction. For meaning. “You’ve defined yourself by your connection to others. Magic only exists if the other elements are around to create it, isn't that right? There is nothing without them, just like you’re nothing without them. Eventually, that’s all you will be,” Her awful thoughts seemed to laugh at her. Focusing on a clear goal was all that kept Twilight moving forward. The need to do this right. Not for herself, but for Pinkie. Even if, just this once, she had to face this alone. Down the street, standing beside the house's front door, Cheese waved her over from the front of the house, clearly waiting for her arrival and giving her a reason to hasten her approach. “Aunt Twilight! You’re here. Is no pony else with you?” he remarked, noticing Twilight’s sudden lack of company. “No, it’s just me.” “Oh, well that’s all Mom really needs. She’s been pretty lively ever since you started coming by. I don’t think I’ve seen her up this long in…” Cheese noted, pondering the answer only to realize he couldn’t find it. “Well, in any case, no point in keeping her waiting. I’ll keep watch out here while you ladies talk,” Cheese smiled while politely opening the door for Twilight. “Thank you,” Twilight stated simply “Are you feeling alright, Aunt Twilight?” Cheese suddenly questioned, catching on to Twilight’s less than excited mood. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. It’s just…been a long day is all,” Twilight assured him as convincingly as she could. “Well, alright. I’ll be right out here if you need me,” he nodded in return. Twilight entered the house, the door shutting behind her. The exact same sight as every other day greeting her upon entering the interior. It was odd how empty the small home felt now after all these years. Twilight still remembered how lively the place had once been. The clomping of little hoof steps no longer filled the halls. The idle chatter of friends and family no longer sounded through the walls. Even the accordion and whatever instrument Pinkie had on hoof musical duets that once rang through the entire house and beyond had long fallen silent. Such meaningless noises that you barely even thought about after hearing them. Now, gone forever. The ponies responsible for those sounds having long since moved on. All except for one. As Cheese had said, Pinkie Pie was up and wide awake, sitting in her bed going through yet another old photo album and humming a cheerful tune. “Oh, hiya, Twilight. Y’know, even I thought Cheese got just a teensy bit carried away with the photo ops at the time. I mean, who needs to preserve every little detail when I’ve got all the important bits right up here?” Pinkie confessed, gesturing to her noggin. “But, it’s like he always said, ‘Now, Sugar Cotton, you never know when you might wanna take a journey down ol’ memory lane,’” Pinkie said, doing her best impression of her late love. Closing the album with a contented sigh, Pinkie laid the book aside to place her full attention on Twilight. “Just the two of us today?” Pinkie asked. Twilight nodded. “Alright, so what do you talk about? Anything interesting you wanna say now that a certain somepony and somedragon aren’t around to hear it?” Pinkie said, wiggling her eyebrows. Twilight shook her head. “Actually, Pinkie…I wanted to talk about us.” “Well, lots of categories to choose from there. What’ll it be? Favorite adventures, favorite parties, favorite cakes, or maybe even your favorite made-up holiday?” “No, Pinkie. I mean I want to talk about…us. Before it’s too late…I want you to know just how much you mean to me,” Twilight sighed. Pinkie fell uncharacteristically silent, choosing to simply lock eyes with Twilight and wait. “We’ve been friends for a long time, haven’t we Pinkie?” Twilight began. “Almost longer than I can remember,” Pinkie softly helped along “Eighty-seven years, four months, and thirteen days,” Twilight stated with absolute certainty. “That’s how long it’s been since I first came to Ponyville. Since I first met you. Since I met my best friends. “Before I met you, I was so lost. I didn’t realize it, but I was. I used to think I could find the answer to all my problems in a library, and I didn’t know the first thing about being a good friend. You all changed my entire world. You showed me there was so much more to life than staying inside and studying all day,” Twilight said, walking over to take a seat by Pinkie’s bed. “The adventures, the events, the holidays, the retreats, the time we spent just hanging around each other, even each simple casual everyday conversation. All of it has made me the pony I am today. A better pony. At least, I like to think so,” Twilight confessed. Pinkie remained silent but made no attempt to hide her smile, shakily reaching an old hoof out for Twilight to take. Twilight took the offered limb in her own, now much larger one, without hesitation, and held on as firmly as she could, once again using her friend’s strength to push forward. “Whenever I close my eyes and think about my happiest moments, all I see are your faces. You and the girls gave me the best days I’ve ever had…and on my worst days, you were always there for me. Always. “I would have never made it anywhere near as far as I have without you; I wouldn’t be half the pony I am. In a way…you deserve these wings just as much as I do. Maybe more,” Twilight sighed, looking down in time to miss one of Pinkie’s very rare frowns. “I…I need you, Pinkie. I’ve always needed you. I don’t know what I’ll do without you. I…I don’t know what I am without you,” Twilight gasped, the reality seemingly beginning to physically choke her. This wasn’t the first time she had been through this. Not even close. So, why did it seem to get harder every time? How many more times could she do this before it completely destroyed her? Sit idly by as a piece of herself was ripped from her forever and left her evermore empty on the inside. “Maybe…maybe it’s not too late,” Twilight stuttered, a desperate thought clawing its way out from her mouth and into the open air. “Not too late for what?” Pinkie asked, confusion clear in her tone. Twilight brought her other foreleg up to clasp Pinkie’s hoof with both of her own. “I’m so powerful now, Pinkie. I’m capable of things I never even dreamed of before. I can move the sun and moon all on my own. I can jump from here to the other side of Equestria without breaking a sweat. I’ve discovered things about magic even Celestia and Star Swirl didn’t know,” Twilight recounted, desperation clear as the day itself on her face. “I don’t know how right now, but there has to be a way! Maybe I could use an aging spell? It wouldn’t last, but it would give us more time. If I just had a little more time then maybe…maybe I could save you,” Twilight pleaded, looking deep into Pinkie’s eyes, reaching, straining as far as possible for something to hold onto. Anything at all. Pinkie looked back at her with only sadness. “Oh, Twilight. I don’t need saving.” Nothing. There was absolutely nothing to be found in all these half-baked plans and last-minute dreams. “I love you, Twilight. I really do. I want you to know that,” Pinkie confessed with a maturity she had developed long ago, meaning every word. “Then don't leave. Please,” Twilight begged. “I’ve lived a long life, Twilight. A good life. I don’t have any regrets, and I don’t think a lot of creatures can really say that and mean it.” Pinkie sighed, sinking into her bed, letting weariness overtake her. "But...I’m ready to move on." Move on. Something Twilight could never do, to a place she could never go, whatever it may entail. The cruelty of it was bitter to the princess. “I miss them. My parents. My sisters. Our friends. My husband,” Pinkie lamented in a rare moment of true fragility. Twilight understood. Hated how much she understood. It was a feeling she’d never wish on her worst enemy. And, for as much as it would hurt, for as much as she didn’t want to, she knew that she’d have to let her go. For her sake. Twilight gently released Pinkie's hoof from her own, letting the pink pony pull back. “Okay, Pinkie. I understand.” Pinkie gazed upon Twilight with gentle but sad eyes. “I’m so sorry, Twilight. I’m not like you.” She was right. There was no pony in all the world that was quite like her. No pony at all. “That’s why I know you’ll be okay though,” Pinkie said, interrupting Twilight’s train of thought before it could go any further. “You’re so smart and strong. It’s why you got those wings. It probably doesn’t seem like it right now, but you’re going to be fine. I just know it.” Twilight looked back in wonder. How could Pinkie be so certain of something she herself didn’t believe? “How can you be so sure?” Pinkie chuckled. “Because I know you.” Sunset could have sworn she heard glass shatter. “W-what?” This reaction satisfied the headmare, her expression softening into a look of pleased satisfaction and genuine curiosity, her horn softly glowing to conjure up a chair on the front side of the desk in an effortless show of sorcery. “Please, have a seat. My name is Luster Dawn and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Luster said with a small hint of giddiness. Sunset couldn’t find the words to reply to this newest turn of events and, even if she could, it was unlikely she’d be able to force the words through her shock. The feeling of magic enveloped her, picking her up and placing her in the new seat. Sunset absent-mindedly noted the unparalleled control of Luster Dawn’s magic further enforced by the books and quills that were simultaneously levitated over to her desk and prepared for use. “Okay, so, first question. What’s it like traveling between dimensions? I’m already familiar with the basic principles of Star Swirl’s inter-dimensional gateways, but there are some things you can only learn through personal experience, you know?” Luster asked, writing down several notes in one of the books she had brought over. “Wait!” Sunset shouted finally pulling herself back to the present, her horn igniting and ripping away Luster’s books and utensils to set aside until she had at least a small inkling of what was going on. “Just…tell me how you know who I am.” Luster Dawn at least had the decency to look bashful, once again pushing up her spectacles. “Oh...Right. Sorry. Forgive me, I got a little carried away there. It’s just, Princess Twilight has told me so many things about you, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to actually meet you. I can't even imagine the discoveries you must have made living outside our dimension for so long.” “Twilight…told you about me?” Sunset murmured. For all intents and purposes, she had assumed that this world had forgotten about her entirely, her story lost to time. It wasn’t like anypony would have wanted to remember her. Luster nodded. “Back when I was Princess Twilight’s personal student, she used to tell me about the adventures she had with her closest friends. The ones about a strange parallel universe without magic where everycreature moves around on two legs always kind of stood out to me. Just imagine, a completely different world where everything is the same, but completely different…oh, erm, except I guess you don’t really have to imagine, do you?” So, Twilight tells stories about her? Well, there was nothing particularly wrong with that. It was comforting even, to know that Twilight valued those times enough to pass them on to those close to her. So, why did something just not sit right with her? “And you were able to pick me out at first glance, just from hearing a few stories?” Sunset questioned, setting aside any inner turmoil for now. Special as this Luster Dawn appeared to be, Sunset found it difficult to believe anypony had memory and deductive reasoning skills that good. “Well, I’d hardly say it was just, ‘a few’ stories. I was practically read several books on your adventures.” “My adventures?” Sunset asked, tilting her head at the implication. “Uh-huh. Everything from the magic plant lady to the crazy pop-rock band. And my mentor can be quite descriptive when she’s telling a story. Details are practically everything to her.” Sunset certainly couldn’t deny that. “You’re pretty much exactly like she said you were. Little on the short side, amber coat, fiery mane and tail, cute little muzzle, sparkling sea-green eyes, all fairly distinct features,” Luster listed off as though she were going through a checklist. “Pair that with your unique cutie mark and that peculiar necklace, and it was a pretty safe bet.” What was meant to be a friendly first-time meeting with a well-respected pony was quickly becoming more than Sunset bargained for. It was certainly far more overwhelming than she had imagined. As if sensing this, Luster Dawn seemed to back off, giving her fellow unicorn some room to breathe as she reorganized her own approach. “I’m sorry, again. It’s just…well, in a way I kind of feel like I already know you, even though I don’t.” Sunset found herself appreciating the sentiment. As unusual as the current situation was, it was flattering in a way to have sompony so interested in her. Besides, unusual was practically her M.O. at this point. A strange introduction should be foal's play at this point. “I guess this isn’t exactly the strangest thing to happen to me. Getting to know each other was the whole reason I wanted to meet you.” “Well, since I’ve prodded you so much, it’s probably only fair I give you a chance to ask your own questions,” Luster said, leaving an open invitation for Sunset to take the reins of the conversation. “So…you’re Twilight’s student,” Sunset stated simply, more for confirmation than anything else. It certainly made sense that Twilight would have kept up many of the practices Celestia had started, but it wasn’t something she could remember Twilight talking in great length about. Come to think of it, the longer she stayed in Equestria, the more she realized there were a lot of things Twilight didn’t talk much about in regard to her personal life. “That's right,” Luster confirmed with no small amount of pride. “I enrolled in her school when I was just a filly. Studied and worked hard until I was the top of her class, and, eventually, she took me under her wing.” “And you worked your way into running her school of friendship?” Sunset concluded; the career path seemingly obvious. “Well, you’re skipping over quite a bit there, but yes. That’s pretty much how I got to where I am today,” Luster confirmed. “But, now that we know why I’m here, what about you? What brings you back to this side of the mirror? The Princess never made it sound like you had any intention of coming back. Especially now. No doubt you’ve noticed…well, it’s been a while,” Luster asked, a proper way of wording her sentiment eluding her. “Yeah, it has been,” Sunset said, not sure what emotion to attach to that simple fact anymore. “I guess you could say I just got homesick,” she stated simply Her response was met with a nod, seemingly content with that answer for now, and thankfully not determined to pry for any information Sunset wasn’t willing to give. “In that case, how long can we expect you to be staying with us?” The unintentionally loaded question left Sunset without a definite response. She had never really thought about it much herself. “I guess I’ll be staying…until I find myself,” Sunset responded with a quick answer, internally wishing she had said something that didn’t make her sound like she was on some sort of spiritual journey. Surprisingly, Luster seemed to completely understand her meaning. Or perhaps it wasn’t surprising in the slightest, given the type of school she ran. “I see. Sometimes life doesn’t always go in the direction we thought it would. I certainly didn’t imagine I’d ever wind up teaching the magic of friendship.” Sunset blinked in surprise. “Really?” “Heh, a long time ago I didn’t imagine I’d ever even have friends. I didn’t really see the point. I was a bit…standoffish in my youth,” Luster confessed. “If Twilight’s told you as much about me as you say she has, you already know I’m the last pony qualified to judge somepony on that,” Sunset laughed off. “That’s probably why she told me all those stories. 'With enough work, even the most wayward filly can become the beautiful mare they were always meant to be,' Her words, not mine,” Luster quoted. “Twilight does always try to see the best in everypony, doesn’t she?” Sunset reminisced, the thought bringing a small smile to her face. “I only wish I could have done as much for her as she’s done for me,” Luster admitted, lost in her own well of emotions. “What do you mean?” Sunset asked. Luster seemed to only just now realize she had spoken that final sentence aloud. “O-oh, well it’s just…Well, it’s not really my place to say.” Perhaps she’d be overstepping her boundaries here, and perhaps it wasn’t really her business in the first place, but something in her gut told Sunset that this was a chance to learn more about all that she’d missed from a perspective that couldn’t be passed up. “Listen, I know I’ve been gone a long time. Maybe…maybe too long. The world’s changed and there’s so much I don’t know.” Sunset said, meeting Luster’s eyes, as upfront as she could possibly be. “But, what I do know is that Twilight’s my friend, and I want to help her. So, I would be incredibly grateful for anything you could tell me that might help me understand how to help her.” Luster bit her bottom lip; a million thoughts Sunset would never know rushed through her head in a matter of moments culminating in a small sigh. “Alright, I can bring you up to speed as best as I can if that'll help. I can't speak for anypony other than myself, but if it's a history lesson you need, I'm something of an expert.” Sunset couldn't suppress the grateful full smile that overcame her. Luster Dawn probably couldn't give her all of the answers, but she could give Sunset all she really needed. A way to start putting all the pieces together, and perhaps even a new confidant. Or better yet, a new friend. "Thank you," Sunset sighed. Luster simply nodded her head. "Is there anywhere, in particular, you would like for me to start? A lot can happen in a few decades." That was true enough. It was probably best not to waste time with anything that could easily be looked up in a modern history book. No, this was her chance to learn about her friend's life from as unbiased and unfiltered a source as possible. It was best to keep things personal. "Twilight's friends. I knew about them, but I didn't really know them. What they did, how they changed, where they ended up. I just know they meant a lot to her. Please, Could you tell me more about them?" “Thanks for coming to see me, Twilight. It means a lot,” Pinkie yawned, finally spent and signaling the close of their final day for just the two of them. The setting sun’s rays filtered through the windows. A sun that set at Twilight’s effortless command, giving her the illusion of control over the time and day. Twilight smiled. “It was my pleasure, Pinkie.” “You always had such a beautiful smile, Twilight. The best parts of my day were bringing it out.” Pinkie sighed at the face she had known for so long “I know. Those were the best parts of my day too,” Twilight chuckled. Pinkie’s eyes drooped closed and quickly flittered open, the old pink pony clearly fighting for every second of consciousness she could, but the battle ended the same as it always did, exhaustion overpowering everything else. “Y’know, sometimes when I close my eyes, I can see them,” Pinkie murmured. “Cheese, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Starlight, Fluttershy…Mom and Dad…Maud, Limestone, and Marble…Mr and Mrs. Cake…even Gummy. Everypony’s there…They all look so happy. I think they might be waiting for me,” Pinkie sighed as she snuggled into place. “I’m sure they’ll be very happy to see you,” Twilight soothed, her smile becoming just a bit more strained. “Hey, Twi?” “Yes…Pinkie Pie?” “Please, don’t forget to smile when I’m gone, okay? Just…do what makes you happy. You deserve to be happy,” Pinkie yawned. “…Okay,” Twilight agreed, only barely finding her voice. Pinkie smiled. “It’ll be okay, Twilight. You’ll see. You’ll…see.” And with those words, Pinkie, at last, plunged into sleep’s gentle embrace, her mind and voice once again fading from the world, and someday soon it would do so for the last time. Twilight’s smile faded with her, and a stream of silent tears began to flow to take its place on the face of the lonely alicorn who gently nuzzled the still pony in front of her. “Goodbye…Pinkie Pie.” Author's Note Hey there. It sure has been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've certainly learned my lesson. Don't make promises you can't keep. Especially seeing as I broke pretty much every deadline I made. Sorry about that. But, I am back, and I'm still committed to seeing this to the end, so hopefully, this will give you all something to enjoy with by far my longest chapter to date. (Consider it an apology for the large gap) As usual, feel free to give me any thoughts on the story or writing in general. I always greatly look forward to what you all have to say. Constructive criticism is also always welcome. This wraps up "fun" times in Ponyville for a while though, and we'll be moving things along next chapter which will hopefully come a little sooner than this one did.
