"-- WOAHHH-AH-AAAHHHHHH!"
Floommph.
Dazedly, Sunset Shimmer shook her head, then fought her way out of the pile of pillows that had been thoughtfully stacked at the Equestria end of the mirror portal, located as usual in the spare-auxiliary-backup reading room in Twilight's Friendship Castle.
"You know," the flame-maned pony said, mostly to herself, "we really need to add some kind of inertial dampening spell on this end. I mean, it's not like we're lacking for magic on this side."
"Maybe you'll have time and we can do it together?" suggested Princess Twilight Sparkle, a smile on her face, as she trotted in through the door.
"Hey, Twilight!" Sunset said, waving. She teetered unsteadily on her hind legs for a moment before she remembered, and then, landing on all fours, willingly exchanged a hug with the lavender alicorn. Then Sunset looked around at the castle, at Twilight, at her own familiar-yet-unfamiliar pony shape...
"Wow. It's great being back here again. Thanks for the invitation."
"Not a problem. Like I said in the journal, I'd been hoping the two of us could spend some "us time" together, just hanging out when there isn't some kind of big catastrophe going on. Maybe we'll even manage it this time, huh?"
"Hey, I'm game." Sunset grinned. "So, whaddaya want to do first?"
"Well, why don't I show you around the castle? And along the way I can show you the guest room Spike's made up for you."
"Yeah, that might be a good idea... Starlight mentioned how complicated this place can be to get around in."
"Oh, I don't know where she gets that idea! It always makes perfect sense to me."
"That's... probably why it's your castle, Twilight." Sunset grinned. "Lead on!"
Twilight did so, showing Sunset the guest room, then Twilight's own room, then the swimming pool, then the kitchen and dining room, then the main library, then the auxiliary main library, and finally the foyer and the room with the map table, surrounded by the seven throne-like chairs.
All of which apparently lay in a straight line, the way Twilight trotted along the corridors. Sunset was half-tempted to unravel a ball of thread as they went. She was certain it would not be so simple for her.
They sat down at the map table, with Twilight graciously offering Sunset her own chair while Twilight herself sat on Applejack's. Sunset gazed around the room, and then at the map table, with its holographic image of all the known lands of Equus.
"This is... impressive," she said, with feeling. "I mean, I'm from Equestria and I think this is impressive."
"Yeah. It took me some time to get used to the castle at first," Twilight admitted. "But I got over it. And now it really feels like home."
"I guess ponies can get used to just about anything, huh?" Sunset said a little somberly. "I mean, I've gotten used to CHS and living in the human world. But still... it's great knowing I have this place to fall back on, if anything happens..."
"Sunset," Twilight said, smiling sympathetically, "you know, any time you want to come visit you don't need an invitation. We're friends! There'll always be a guest room here with your name on it. Any time!"
"Thanks, Twilight. That means a lot."
And then Sunset's gaze fell on a painting on the wall behind Twilight. It depicted a large, sunny room, with a checkered marble floor and tall arched windows that looked out on an expanse of blue, cloud-filled sky. An elegant red-canopied bed stood to one side, with a teddy bear resting against the pillows. Near the windows was a wide table, with a semicircular couch beneath the windows and comfortable seating on the near side.
And in the middle of the room was a small lavender filly with a toy-box, gazing around wide-eyed at everything.
"Okay..." Sunset said, grinning at Twilight, "I know we're friends and everything, Twilight, but that is borderline creepy. Why do you have a painting of my old room at the Palace, with you as a filly in it?"
Twilight blinked, and looked at the painting herself. "That was your room?"
"Well, yeah. Back when I was Princess Celestia's student."
"But... that was my room, too!"
Sunset stared at her. "No way."
"Yeah! When I was little, my magic was kind of out of control, so Princess Celestia had me live at the Palace for a while before I started at her School. And that's a painting of me, around the time I first moved in."
"Woah." Getting up, Sunset trotted over to stare at the familiar room. "You know, I guess that makes sense. The Princess giving you the same room, I mean. It was close to the Royal Suite and all. And if you were that young when you started, she'd have wanted to keep an eye on you."
"Oh, yeah. I was a hoof-full back then!" Twilight joined her in smiling up at the painting, recalling her own memories of that time.
"I don't suppose..." Sunset began, uncertainly, "that it's..."
Twilight nodded. "The room's still there. And it's pretty much the same, too. The Princess has kept it reserved... I think on the off chance I might come back and visit some day."
"Gosh..." Sunset said. "You know, I wouldn't mind seeing it again sometime!"
"Well, why don't we? It's your visit, after all."
"But Twilight... that's all the way in Canterlot!"
"So?" Twilight grinned. "You're not in a hurry, are you?"
"No. I've got the whole weekend ahead of me, on the other side."
"Then come on! Let's go catch the train!"
"Uh... okay!" Sunset agreed, hurrying to follow as Twilight headed for the door. "Hey, wait up!"
Unfortunately, when they arrived at the Ponyville train station they found the midday train to Canterlot had just departed, only a few minutes prior.
But Twilight wasn't worried. She looked at Sunset, a smug expression on her face. "Last one to Canterlot station buys the popcorn!" she dared. And then fired up her horn, and vanished in a blaze of teleportation.
Sunset gave her a whole five seconds head-start. And then casually lit up her own horn and teleported as well. She wasn't worried. Teleportation was one of the first spells she'd ever learned as a pony.
And she'd never had to buy the popcorn in her life.
When they'd both appeared at the train station in Canterlot -- with Sunset a good three seconds ahead of Twilight owing to some multi-pathing refraction tricks she knew -- they bought popcorn at the pushcart in the station waiting room. And then Sunset glanced back at the ponies carrying their own sacks of popcorn onto the train loading up on the platform.
"Hey... they let you eat on the train now? That used to be a real no-no!"
"Yeah," Twilight nodded. "Oh, that's right, you don't know the story. Well, it was shortly after Princess Luna started feeling comfortable appearing in public again. Princess Celestia took her on a train ride, since Luna seemed to like travelling by train. She invited me along as well, which is how I know. And well... no one had told Luna about the no-eating rule. So she's sitting there with a bag of popcorn, and the conductor comes by..." Twilight giggled hysterically. "I mean, really! The poor conductor is standing there, with Luna looking at him the way she does, not even realizing anything's wrong, and it's like..."
Sunset nodded. "... are you gonna tell Princess Luna she can't eat popcorn on the train? Oh, I can just imagine!" She laughed as well. "So, what happened?"
"What else?" Twilight shrugged. "He punched our tickets, wished us a pleasant trip, and went on as if nothing was wrong. And shortly after that, the no-eating rule was amended to a no-littering rule. And the pushcart was moved to the waiting room."
"So I guess some good came out of you defeating Nightmare Moon after all?" Sunset smiled. "I wish I could've seen that."
"Come on!" Twilight said. "Let's head over to the Palace... by the scenic route!"
They strolled across the parkland near the station, then through the Royal Gardens, finally arriving at the steps of the Palace itself.
And here Twilight waved Sunset on ahead, before turning to head off a different way. "I'll meet you up there," she said. "You know the way, right? There's just something I need to check on, real quick."
"Sure, but..."
Twilight was already trotting away, a pony on a mission. Shrugging, Sunset turned and headed up the stairs. When she nervously approached the guards at the entrance, they came to attention.
"Welcome back, Miss Shimmer," the senior guard said.
"Thanks," she said, self-consciously. "It's nice to be back."
It was the same with the guards upstairs at the door leading to the Royal Wing: they came to attention, welcomed Sunset by name. And the serving ponies, as she passed them in the corridors, they bobbed and curtseyed, smiling pleasantly at her. It all made Sunset feel a little uncomfortable... but it was the nice kind of uncomfortable, which made it all right.
Sunset finally reached the door of the room, and hesitantly pushed her way through it.
And felt like years had fallen away, like she was walking into the room for the very first time. Brilliant sunlight was streaming through the windows. The canopied bed was freshly made-up. And there was a familiar scent in the air, a mixture of starch, old wood and tile, and just the tiniest hint of something like vanilla that she'd never been able to identify precisely.
It was home.
Sunset shut her eyes, breathing it all in. She felt as if all her cares had been left in a heap outside the door, leaving her with nothing but a sense of absolute contentment.
"Why..." she whispered. "Why did I ever give this up?"
Hearing a cautious hoofstep behind her, Sunset pulled herself together and swung round.
"Thanks, Twilight."
The lavender alicorn nodded. "It's your room, as much as it is mine. I wanted you to be able to enjoy it, with no distractions. And I also wanted you to see how much you're welcome here again. That the guards and housekeepers are honestly pleased to see you. And not just 'cause you're with me."
"Did I mention you're a really good friend?" Sunset asked. Then she looked around the room. "This place must bring back memories for you, too."
"Oh, it does!" Twilight agreed. "I remember when I first walked in here myself. It kind of blew me away, knowing that I was going to be living in the Royal Palace, learning from the Princess herself. I went over to the window, to look out..." So saying, she trotted over to the semi-circular couch behind the table, and hopped up on it, hooking her forelegs over the back. Sunset did likewise, and together they looked out at the familiar sight: a huge expanse of Equestria spread out before them, all the way to the distant hills of Appleloosa far to the south. In the near distance to the left they could see Ponyville, and looking more closely, they could see Twilight's own tree-like crystal castle standing close by it.
"Looking at all this, I just felt like... uhh..." Twilight paused, trying to find words.
"... like a Princess yourself?" Sunset suggested. "Like the world was full of possibilities, and all you had to do was reach out for them?" She waved a forehoof grandly. "Summon them? Command them to exist?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Twilight nodded. "You too?"
"Oh, yeah. This kind of view... you can't think small thoughts, with a view like this. I think that's one reason the Princess gave us this room." She smiled at Twilight. "So, what did you do next?"
"I bounced on the bed."
"You did not."
"Did too. Eight times! I bounced on anything springy when I was little. Dad always joked I was part kangaroo... from his side of the family."
"And then... lemme guess... you noticed the books."
"Did I!" Hopping down from the couch, Twilight crossed to the small bookcase, and rummaged amongst the volumes with a hoof. "These were some of my favorites, growing up!"
"Mine too." Sunset tugged a favorite collection of nonsense poems out of the shelf and stared at it fondly. "I've never really been a bookworm like you, Twilight. But I think just having these books here, I wound up reading every single one of them. And whoever put this collection together knew what they were doing. There's a little bit of everything... but only just a taste, just enough to wet your curiosity so you want to explore the rest yourself."
"Like I really needed encouragement?" Twilight said. "And hey, did you notice the balcony over here?" She pointed with a hoof.
"Sure did." They crossed to the porch doors, to the right of the bed, and Twilight swung them open with her magic. Beyond was a small hemicircular balcony with an excellent view of the Royal Gardens. The hedge-lined paths below were buzzing with insects visiting the many flower-beds, and small hummingbirds that zipped back and forth amongst the feeders here and there.
"At night," Twilight said, "when the guards turned down the lamps in the ballroom downstairs, I could see fireflies, flitting about. All... over... the place!" She gestured sweepingly with a hoof, grinning at the memory. "It was like the gardens were a huge ocean, reflecting a totally different sky!"
"Nice," Sunset agreed. "I didn't actually come out here at night much, myself. I tended to be a night-owl; I'd stay up late reading and working on spells until I conked out. But I did like to come out here during the day, whenever there was a cool breeze, just to sit and read a bit."
She glanced around.
"Don't tell anypony," she said, "but I used to fish off this balcony."
"Wait... what?"
"Oh, yeah!" Sunset nodded. "Had my fishing pole, had the hat to wear, had the tackle-box, the whole nine yards. I was determined to do it properly. I'd set up the pole, right here..." She pointed to a small chip in the balcony railing, which made a natural rest. "And then I'd settle down with a good book, and read while I fished."
"But..." Twilight objected, "there are no fish down there. Not even an ornamental koi pond."
"So?" Sunset shrugged. "Like that made any difference to a smarty-pants little filly, like I was? The point was, I fished, Twilight. Didn't matter if I caught anything. It was one of the most relaxing games I knew of." She grinned mysteriously. "And then... one day... I actually caught something!"
"You did?" Twilight stared at her.
"Yep. There was a tug on the line, and surprised as anypony, I grabbed the pole and reeled it in. Took quite a struggle, but I landed it."
"And...?"
Sunset laughed. "It was one of those little paper fortune fish! You know, the kind that curl up when you blow on them? I don't know, maybe one of the guards stuck it on there and tugged the line as a joke. But you never saw a filly more proud than I was. I had caught... a... fish! When it was completely impossible!" She shook her head. "Oh, I'm sure I was absolutely insufferable for days after that!"
Suddenly looking thoughtful, Sunset turned back to the room.
"Hey... you never know..."
Crossing to the dresser, she tugged open the bottom drawer with her magic, reached into the back and pulled out a small flat box. Opening it, she nodded, and then showed Twilight. Lying on a bed of cotton there was a small red paper fish, rather wrinkled and curled at the edges, with a large rip near the mouth.
"Voila," Sunset said proudly. "The one that didn't get away."
Twilight stared at it. "I never knew that box was there. It was there all the time I was here... I never knew..."
Sunset shrugged. "You had other things to focus on. No big deal. Nice to see it's still here. I'd forgotten all about it myself, until just now. Thanks for reminding me!"
"You're welcome," Twilight said, still shaking her head. She looked around at the room. "You know, I have so many good memories of this place," she said. "And some of the best were the time I spent with Cadance."
"Princess Cadance?" Sunset stared at her. "As in rules-the-Crystal-Empire Princess Cadance?"
"Yeah. She was my foal-sitter, when I was living here."
"Name dropper."
"Ha! She stayed in the room right next door," Twilight said, pointing, "and kept an eye on me while Celestia was busy running the country. And she read Spike and me stories at night, and played games with us, and kept us out of trouble... oh! She was the best foal-sitter, ever..."
"Wow. When I was here, she was just starting as a student, like I was. And she was so nice to me, way more than I deserved. Helped me fit right in and everything." Sunset's face fell. "And then I was so preoccupied with my studies that I... kind of pushed her away. And after that, I ran off through the mirror. I haven't spoken to her since."
"Well, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again," Twilight suggested. "If you had a little more time, we could always take a trip to the Crystal Empire and surprise her. It's a ways north, but not that far by rail."
"Maybe... next visit," Sunset said, uneasily. "I'm still finding my hooves here, so to speak. But yeah... I'd like to reconnect with her. And maybe try to make up for being such a lousy friend, back then."
Then she brightened up, grinning at Twilight.
"Oh, and speaking of pleasant memories, one of my favorites was being awakened by Princess Celestia every morning!"
Twilight stared at her. Then she gestured towards the sunlight streaming through the windows. "Oh, you mean by the Sun coming up outside?"
"No." Sunset grinned. "I mean by the Princess herself."
"Now who's the name-dropper?"
"No, really! I tended to be a late riser anyway, and left to myself I'd have stayed in bed until noon. So Celestia swung by to collect me, every morning, and took me down to breakfast with her. And she didn't seem to mind it at all. It's almost like she couldn't get enough of our time together. It was... amazingly cool! She even made pancakes for us, with little smiley faces!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope. True story. She said she enjoyed doing it. That it was a way of showing she cared." Sunset sighed. "I really miss that..."
"Oh! Well, then," Twilight said proudly. "That'll make the next part of our tour even better! Come on!"
Bemused, Sunset followed Twilight out through the door and down the corridor. Then down another. Then down three flights of stairs. And along another corridor. Sunset quickly lost count, as they kept delving deeper into the bowels of the Palace, trotting along corridors no pony had visited in seemingly ages...
... and just as that was starting to seem familiar, Twilight came to a halt before a large pair of doors.
"Don't tell me," Sunset said. "The Vault, right?"
"Yep!" Twilight said proudly. "It's where Celestia brought me, to practice my magic, for safety's sake."
"Me too, but..."
"You remember how to open it?"
"Sure. You stare at the doors until you could pick them out of a police line-up, and then they open themselves."
"Go on, then!"
Snorting in amusement, Sunset set her hooves, and gazed fixedly at the doors, detailing every crack, every dent, every blemish in her thoughts, until nothing else was occupying her mind...
... and the doors swept open, soundlessly and effortlessly.
"Wow..." Twilight said. "Even I couldn't do it that fast."
Sunset smirked. "Remember, I used to be a bit of a show-off, back then."
Together, the two ponies stepped through into the space beyond, which was blank, brilliantly white, and utterly featureless, apart from the hint of a surface beneath their hooves. Behind them, the doors swung closed, and then vanished.
"I loved this place," Twilight said. "I could blow off steam here. I could really let myself go, and nopony could get hurt. And I passed so many tests here! Woo hoo!"
"Only you, Twilight!" Sunset said, rolling her eyes. Then she frowned. "As for myself... I hated tests!"
"Uh, Sunset?"
"Every time I came here, it's like I was being put on trial." Sunset lit her horn, and cast an intricate geometric illusion -- wheels within wheels, whirring and clicking and ticking. "And no matter how much I studied, no matter how well I did, it was never enough! When I was by myself, working on my studies, I felt free to experiment, to take chances -- I felt I was really learning."
"Sunset..."
"But when I came in here... I felt I had to get it right. Every... single... time! No excuses! A perfect score or zero!" In frustration, she waved a hoof, dismissing the illusion. "You might have enjoyed Celestia testing you in here, Twilight..." she said, crossly.
"Sunset..." Twilight hissed anxiously.
"... but every time I came in here, I felt like the one pony in the world who really understood me, who really cared about me, was trying to see if she could break me! Without mercy or pity! Like she wanted me to fail! I hated that!"
"Sunset!" Twilight shouted, wide-eyed.
"What, Twilight?" Sunset shot back. "What? We're in here, in the Vault! Nothing can get in, nothing can get out, until we open those doors again. And nopony can hear us!"
Twilight's voice was a frightened whisper.
"She can."
"What?"
Twilight shook her head. "Don't you know what the Vault is, Sunset?"
"Some kind of... magic-proof room?"
"No! It's her. It's Princess Celestia! It's a projection of her magic, a safe-space she created for us, so that you and I could practice our magic in here without risk, and learn to control it. So, when we're in here..."
Sunset's eyes went wide, getting it. "She's all around us... watching us and protecting us... and listening to us..."
Her mouth fell open. Her eyes welled with tears.
"I'm sorry... I never realized. No, I never asked. I'm... I'm just so sorry!"
Turning, Sunset hurriedly summoned the doors and then galloped through them, almost before they'd opened wide enough for her.
Twilight stared after her. And then she looked up, speaking to the softly glowing, comforting openness all around her.
"I'm sorry, too, Princess. I really screwed this up, didn't I?" She grimaced miserably. "I'll go after her, talk to her."
Gritting her teeth, Twilight set off at a run.
And the doors swung softly, regretfully shut behind her.
On a hunch, Twilight headed back to their room. Not seeing Sunset in it, she played another hunch.
And looked under the bed.
"Hi, Sunset."
"Hey, Twilight," Sunset said, smiling weakly, and sounding a little squashed.
"How did you..."
"Oh, it's not as easy as when I was a filly," Sunset replied. "But I managed."
"Okay if I join you?"
"Sure."
With some effort, Twilight managed to squeeze in under the bedframe. Then, feeling uncomfortably compressed, she lit her horn and cast a levitation spell, lifting the entire bed by six inches.
"Thanks," Sunset said. "I actually wasn't sure if this old bed could take being lifted like that. Didn't want to mess anything else up..."
"Oh, I've fixed this bed enough times to know what it'll take."
"Fixed it?"
"I'm the one who bounces on things, remember?"
"Ah." Sunset nodded.
"Sunset," Twilight said, "I'm sorry. I could see how uncomfortable you still felt, and I thought this would help. Visiting your old room, talking about what we have in common. And I thought visiting the Vault would help too. That's why I went to ask Celestia if she'd mind projecting it for us. I didn't know how you really felt about it. And then... I made the classic blunder..."
"Getting involved in a land-war in Saddle Arabia?"
"No. Assuming that just because I know something, everypony else knows it, as well. Even I didn't know the truth about the Vault at first. But eventually, I figured it out."
"Not your fault," Sunset sighed. "I was just being hot-headed like usual, running my mouth without thinking. And in the process hurting the ponies who care about me the most."
"I'm sure the Princess understands. She always does."
"Yeah, she does, doesn't she? And I repay that by running away... again."
"Well... this time you ran back here, to your old room," Twilight pointed out. "Where she'd be sure to find you. It's how I found you so fast, after all."
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Sunset smiled sadly. "Maybe I'm finally learning, just a little bit. But I still have a lot of regrets I need to let go of. It's one reason I haven't come back more often."
She sighed. And then pounded the floor with a hoof.
"Take my advice, Twilight. Never hold stuff in. Never choke things back and say nothing. Because sooner or later, you'll come across something -- an old room, an old toy, an old friend... an old grudge -- and it'll all come out in a rush and you won't be able to stop it. You won't be able to hold it in any longer. And you'll hurt somepony, in ways you may not be able to fix so easily."
"I hear you," Twilight said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "And... if you ever need somepony to talk with, Sunset, about anything... I'm only a journal-note away."
"Thanks, Twilight."
"No problem, roomie!" Twilight grinned. Then she glanced around. "So... we gonna hang out here under the bed all weekend?"
"No! What would we do that for? I needed some space to come to my senses, and I've done that. So... let's go apologize properly to the Princess. And then let's go do something fun again, like the roommates we are."
"Absolutely! And I think I know just the thing..."
Later, the two of them were sitting on a bench overlooking the grassy quad beside the Library Annex of the School, eating ice-cream cones. And staring up at the tall, minaret-like tower across the way
"You lived there," Sunset finally asked. "Willingly?"
Twilight nodded. "Uh, huh. Believe it or not."
"I climbed it once, on a bet. In my day, it was basically a four-story storage closet."
Twilight shrugged. "What can I say? It had books, and research equipment. And it was out of the way, so I could be by myself while I studied. It took a while, but Spike and I eventually cleaned it up and made it a home. And thankfully nopony official came to chase us away..."
"I sense the Princess's hoof on the scale there," Sunset said.
"Probably. But then again, left to myself I might have puttered away up there for years, maybe even forever. Until the Princess finally responded to one of my letters by sending me off to Ponyville." She smiled. "And that's when the fun really started..."
Sunset nodded, and took a huge bite of ice-cream, wincing at the resulting brain-freeze.
"She looked after both of us," she finally said. "Way more than we realized -- or ever thanked her for."
"Yep."
The two of them finished their cones in silence. Then Sunset looked at Twilight with a grin.
"And even though we went to the School at completely different times... you're the best roommate a pony could ask for, Twilight."
"Thanks, Sunset. You too!"
"You're welcome. And hey, you know what? I haven't seen a whole lot of Ponyville yet this trip... and the day's still young. Whaddaya say?"
"It's your visit," Twilight agreed. "Let's go!"
"Last one to the station," Sunset warned, "buys the popcorn!"
Smirking, she allowed Twilight a six-second lead this time...
... and still beat her there, by a whole half-second.
The End
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.
Author's Note
While this story stands on its own, if you're curious, it does reference events from two previous stories about Twilight and Sunset's respective school days:
