Chapters I had just turned onto the highway toward AJ's farm, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Dash was smiling. I downshifted and gunned the motor, the V8 growling.
"Let's see what this thing can do." I said. Within a couple of seconds we were doing sixty, the supercharger whining at high revs. I shifted into third and all Hell broke loose. I heard sirens from behind. I looked in my rear view mirror, and saw a Highway Patrol car. I knew that the 2011 Dodge Charger was not stock, and that I could never hope to get away, so I pulled off and cut the motor.
"Well, this should be good." Dash said in amusement. I rolled my eyes and opened the window.
"Do you know how fast you were going, ma'am?" the officer asked as he approached my window. I looked at his badge, his name being Sergeant S. Armor.
“Yes, Sergeant Armor. I was doing a hundred and ten in a sixty-five zone. I understand that it is against the law, and will gladly accept the fine.” I replied, handing him my license and registration. He looked at me, incredulous, but took my license and registration anyway. I heard him mutter something about teenagers, despite him not looking much older than Dash and I.
“Now, Miss Shimmer. Don’t do it again, because you can lose your driving privileges.” he said, handing my license and registration back. “You girls have a pleasant evening.” He walked back to his patrol car and pulled off. I turned the key and took off afterward, not breaching the sixty-five mile per hour speed limit all the way there.
About an hour later, we pulled up to the long dirt road leading up to Sweet Apple Acres, bordered by apple orchards on both sides. I felt the tires slip a bit on a patch of unmelted ice, and corrected accordingly. I pulled up to see Rarity’s Mercedes S65 AMG, Pinkie Pie’s Audi RS4 and Fluttershy’s Toyota Prius all parked outside next to Applejack’s old Ford F-100 pickup. I knew that it meant all our friends were here already.
I saw Pinkie Pie wave at us from the front door of the farmhouse and I revved the engine in response, causing Rarity, AJ and Fluttershy to come running out of the house. AJ was staring in awe at the Camaro ZL1. I parked next to Rarity’s S65 and revved the engine again, causing the alarms of all the vehicles parked outside to trigger, apart from AJ’s truck because it didn’t have one. AJ, Dash and I laughed after Dash and I climbed out, seeing the other three scramble around, trying to fish out their keys from their bags.
“Where the hay did you get that car, Sunset? It’s awesome.” AJ asked.
“I bought it a few days ago.” I replied nonchalantly. “Six liter supercharged LS6, putting out between five hundred and six hundred horsepower to the wheels.”
“How can you be so casual about it? That’s a lotta money.” she asked in shock.
“Let’s get out of this cold and I’ll explain.” I replied. AJ nodded and turned toward the house, the rest of us following her. We got to her living room and we all sat down, at which time I explained everything the way I had done two days ago for Dash. The other girls were just as, if not more, shocked as Dash was, especially when I told them how much I have in my investment account.
“How many bits do you have left?” Fluttershy asked, before hiding behind the curtain of her hair. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is?”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I had about three hundred in total, and only sold off about a hundred of them, so that means I have two hundred left.” I replied.
“How come you never told us, darling?” Rarity asked.
“I was afraid of how you would react. You see, most of Equestria operates on barter, so money isn’t all that important there. I was afraid that if you knew how much money I had, you would treat me differently, or not wanna be friends anymore.” I replied. “Money still doesn’t have all that much importance in my life.”
“Sunset, just ‘cause ya have more’n three hundred thousand dollars ta yer name, doesn’t make you any less our friend. Ah just wish we could’ve been there for ya durin’ that whole Anon-A-Miss fiasco.” Applejack said, downcast, the others nodding in agreement.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s water under the bridge now.” I said, cringing as I said it. I could see that the others had cringed as well, Fluttershy almost crying. “Sorry. Bad choice of words.”
“Anyway.” Dash said. “Sunset and I have something happier to tell you.” I could tell she was trying to steer the conversation away from the awkward topic.
“Two things, actually.” I said, Dash looking at me confusedly. I motioned toward my phone and she got the message. “First off, as of yesterday, I am unofficially Equestria’s newest princess.” The others all gasped, apart from Dash, who held up the picture she took of me hugging my mother.
“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. Youhavetoletmethrowyouacongratulaionsonbecomingaprincessparty.” Pinkie said, not pausing in between for air.
“What was that, Pinkie?” I asked.
“I said, you have to let me throw you a ‘congratulations on becoming a princess party’.” she replied.
“Oh, that makes sense now.” I said. “But, it’ll have to wait until I get back from Equestria. I need to go there for an official coronation.” Pinkie nodded her head in understanding.
“Makes sense.” Pinkie said.
“That reminds me. Can I ask you to house sit for me AJ? I’m leaving tomorrow and Dash is going with. We’ll get to why in a second.” I asked.
“Ah’m sure that won’t be an issue.” Applejack replied.
“Thanks. Can you organize to meet us at the portal tomorrow morning at around nine?”
“Ah will.” she replied. “Now, what other news do y’all have?”
“Well, Dash and I are in a relationship.” I blurted, nerves getting the better of me.
Author's Note
First chapter of the sequel. YAY!
There was silence as the girls tried to process what I had just said. I started to shrink in my seat, unsure of how they would react. Pinkie was the first to recover.
“Ohmygosh. I’m so happy for you guys.” she said, causing Fluttershy and Rarity to snap out of it and congratulate us as well. Applejack on the other hand took a little longer.
“Lemme get this straight. Y’all are in a relationship. Have been for a couple days, Ah presume. Y’all didn’t tell us y’all felt that way about girls before this.” Applejack said, to which Dash and I nodded. “Are y’all sure it ain’t too soon after that whole thing?”
“AJ, we appreciate the concern, but I assure you that we have thoroughly thought about it.” I replied, Dash nodding in agreement. “Besides, her parents and my mother seem to approve.”
“Well, as long as y’all are happy, Ah’m happy.” she said, nodding her head. “Now, who’s up for a little party?” She cracked open a bottle of cider and passed it down the line. When she handed me one, I politely declined, knowing that I would have to be sober for the long drive back to my apartment. I saw Dash declining one as well, opting instead for a glass of apple juice. She poured one for the both of us and handed me mine. Applejack raised her bottle. “To Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer. May they have many happy years together.” We all raised our glasses and cheered.
We got out of Applejack’s house just before the sun began to set. I fished my keys out of my pocket and hit the unlock button on my key fob. Dash and I climbed in, I turned the key and the V8 roared to life once again. Applejack walked up to the driver side window, and I rolled it down.
“Let me know when y’all get home safe, alright?” she asked. I nodded and took out my phone, having gotten everyone’s numbers again. She nodded and stepped back. I threw the car into reverse and backed up. I then shifted to first, revved the motor twice, and managed to do a rolling burnout, causing Applejack to cheer. I honked the horn and proceeded on the long trek home.
“Hey Dash.” I said, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.
“Mmhmm.” she murmured in reply.
“You don’t mind if we stop at the mall, do you? Gotta stock up on some things for when AJ is house sitting for us.” I asked
“I’ve got no problem with that.” she replied. I nodded and downshifted, with a new purpose in my features.
I got to the turn off that led to the mall, signalled and exited the highway. A couple minutes later, we arrived at the mall. I eventually found an open parking space within walking distance of the entrance, pulled into it and cut the engine.
“Right,” I said, grabbing my wallet from the glove box. “Let’s get it done.” Dash nodded and climbed out of the car. I followed suit and we walked hand in hand into the mall. I had a mental checklist drawn up of what we would need, and I decided to start with groceries. I led Dash over to the supermarket.
A couple of minutes later, Dash and I were hauling bags loaded with various food items to my car. I had at least thought of taking my keys out of my pocket beforehand. We got to the car and I hit the trunk release button on my key fob. Dash and I deposited the bags and went back inside. We stopped at the smoothie bar and ordered. I got myself a Carribean Fusion and Dash went for a Strawberry and Peach. I paid for the drinks once they were finished and we turned to go and find a seat. We didn’t get very far. Gilda and her cronies, the Diamond Dogs were standing where we needed to walk.
“Hey, Anon-a-Bitch. I thought I spied you walking through the mall earlier.” Gilda said, pushing off of the table she was leaning on and advancing on me, her lackeys two paces behind her. “I see you have stopped posting and deleted the account, but I still gotta make you pay.” Her lackeys laughed.
“Leave her alone, Gilda.” Dash leaped to my defence.
“No way, Dash. This bitch is gonna pay for posting that embarrassing photo, even if I have to go through you first.” Dash didn’t answer. She just moved in front of me in a protective movement.
“When I give the signal, run like a bat out of hell. I’ll meet you by the car.” she said to me, then turned to Gilda. She nodded to me and yelled, “YOU WILL NOT HARM HER!!”
I stayed a little longer than was necessary, and saw Dash’s fist connect with Gilda’s jaw. Gilda went down, but her lackeys surrounded Dash. I turned around as Dash disappeared beneath the Diamond Dogs. I ran, tears falling from my eyes. I heard mall security yelling, but I was too far away to hear what they said. I got to the exit and carried on running to my car. I fumbled with the key when I got there, and when I finally got a hold on them, I shakily hit the unlock button on the key fob.
I continued to cry while I was waiting for Dash to come out. A couple of minutes later, I had managed to stop crying, but my body was still wracked with sobs. Dash came out after I had regained some semblance of my composure, and I saw how badly banged up she was. She had several bruises on her face, a split lip, and she was cradling one of her ribs. I didn’t say anything. I just started my car and backed out of the parking space. I put the car in first gear and headed toward the hospital.
A couple minutes later, we arrived at Canterlot general. I parked the car, climbed out and went to help Dash out.
“This is unnecessary, Sunset. I’ll be fine.” Dash complained, but winced when she moved to get out. I leveled a deadpan expression at her.
“You are most certainly not fine, Dash.” I said.
“Okay fine.” she pouted, but I could tell she was secretly relieved to be getting medical attention. We walked to the front entrance and went straight to the emergency department.
An hour later, we came out of the hospital. Dash had received four stitches for her split lip, an ice pack for her black eye and her ribs were wrapped in bandages. Her rips weren’t broken, just badly bruised.
“Well, there go my plans for tonight.” she said, breathing a heavy sigh, then wincing afterward.
“I won’t ask, that way, it can still be a surprise.” I said in amusement. Dash just shook her head and carried on walking. We got to my car and I hit the unlock button on the key fob. I helped Dash climb in then went around to the driver’s side and climbed in. I started the car, backed out of the parking space, and set off toward my apartment.
We arrived half an hour later. I helped Dash out of the car and handed her the key to the apartment.
“Go on up. I’ve got this.” I said, motioning toward the stuff in the trunk. She nodded, and slowly walked off. I opened the trunk and began taking bags out when one of the neighbor’s kids saw me. He ran over.
“Hey miss. Can I help you with those?” he asked. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded. He grabbed some of the bags that I had already taken out and waited for me to take the rest. I did so, closed the trunk and walked to the stairs, the boy following me. I got up to my apartment to see that Dash had left the door open for me to get in with the groceries. I walked inside to see Dash had put the kettle on for tea. I took my wallet out of my pocket and pulled out a crisp, twenty dollar bill and handed it to the boy.
“Thanks for your help, kiddo, but I can handle the rest.” I said.
“Gee, thanks miss.” the boy beamed in response.
I then walked out after him to go get the rest of the stuff I had gotten. When I got back to the apartment, I saw Dash holding a steaming mug, but there was no scent of coffee in the air. I saw a mug of tea waiting for me on the kitchen island.
“So, I see you decided to go for a cup of tea. Why the sudden change, babe?” I asked, walking up to her and giving her a hug.
“Is there a problem with drinking tea every now and then?” she argued playfully. I held up my arms in mock defeat.
“No, not at all.” I replied with a chuckle.
“Well, I think I’m gonna turn in after this. It’s been a long day.” Dash said, yawning.
“I’ll join you soon, babe. Just gotta set the Ponystation up.” I said, kissing her forehead, my height advantage over her making it easy to do so. She just nodded and headed toward the bedroom.
About half an hour later, I walked into the bedroom to see that Dash had fallen asleep already. I could hear her whimpering in her sleep, pain obvious in her features. I kicked off my shoes and climbed in next to her just like that. I cuddled up to her in such a way that she was spoonwise to me, and so I didn’t hurt her more. I moved her fringe, kissed her forehead again and laid my head on the pillow.
“Good night, babe. Thanks for standing up for me today.” I said as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
I woke up to the sound of Dash snoring, every exhale one of pain. I felt bad that she had to step up for me like that. I kissed her on the cheek, eliciting a small, pained smile from her face. I got up and went to the kitchen to get started on some breakfast. When I was about halfway done with breakfast, I heard a thud and a pained yelp coming from the bathroom. I left everything and went to see what had happened.
A couple seconds later, I got to the bathroom to see Dash with her back against the shower door, struggling to stand up. She looked at me with pleading eyes, and I understood what she was trying to say. I nodded and walked over to her. I held out my hand, which she readily accepted, and proceeded to help her up. She came up a bit fast, and I had to catch her, but the catch ended in a living embrace.
"Did you plan this?" I quietly asked her.
"Maybe." she said vaguely, chuckling to herself. The chuckle ended in a pained inhale. "I think I should forego the shower, just for today."
"I think that may be a good idea." I said in sympathy. "Breakfast is almost ready in any case. Are you gonna have tea or coffee this morning?"
"I think I'm gonna go for some tea for once." she replied.
"Alright. Just wash up. I'll meet you in the kitchen." I said, turning to leave. I stopped and looked at Dash over my shoulder. "Oh, and Dash…?"
"Yeah, Sunset?" Dash replied.
"I love you." I finished and walked out.
A couple of minutes later, we had finished eating. I set to work cleaning up while Dash went to get changed. We were approaching the time we had told AJ to meet us at the statue. After I had cleaned up, I walked to the bedroom to see that Dash was only dressed from the waist down. The sight of her chest, clad only in a white sports bra and her bare and made me freeze, blushing a deep crimson.
"Enjoying the view?" Dash asked playfully. I just gulped and nodded. Dash laughed, which elicited a small wince of pain from her lips. I decided to get changed right in front of her, stripping down teasingly slowly, eliciting a gasp from my girlfriend. I giggled and started to get dressed.
Fifteen minutes later, Dash and I were ready to go. I grabbed my keys from a bowl on the kitchen island, threw on my jacket, and exited the apartment, Dash following suit. I locked the door behind us and we walked to the car, Dash holding her ribs. I could tell she was in quite a bit of pain, and I was a bit worried about the effect the portal would have on her. Twilight said that no problems would arise from it, but I was a bit skeptical. Portal magic wasn't a study that was frequently done in Equestria. I didn't dwell on it. We got to the car and I hit the unlock button on the key fob. I helped Dash climb in, her wincing in pain when her back caught on the Recaro seat. I climbed in afterward and we set off for the portal.
A couple minutes later, we arrived at CHS. AJ was sitting on one of the benches near the statue, and waved at us as we stopped. I cut the engine, climbed out and helped Dash out. We walked up to AJ and she suddenly stopped walking, a look of concern on her face.
"What the hay happened?" she asked as we approached. I looked at Dash and she nodded.
"After we left your place yesterday, we went to the mall to do a bit of shopping. We got it done and went to the smoothie bar to get something to drink. Gilda was waiting for me, spouting something about revenge. She would have succeeded if it weren't for Dash." I said, to which AJ nodded.
“Well, she is the Element of Loyalty. It makes sense that she would wanna protect ya.” AJ said, to which Dash nodded.
“Anyway, Dash and I had best be off.” I said, handing AJ my car and apartment keys.
“Are y’all sure it’s safe fer Dash to go through?” AJ asked in concern.
“Twilight said there shouldn’t be any repercussions, but I’m a bit skeptical.” I replied.
“Well, good luck.” she said, giving us each a hug, careful not to hurt Dash. We nodded and walked toward the portal, AJ walking with us. I turned to Dash.
“It may hurt, but when you’re going through, bend over a bit. It’ll bring your body closer to the centre of gravity you will have on the other side.” I said. Dash nodded and walked up to the portal. She held out her hand for me to take, obviously a little whatever the cool version of scared was, and we walked through together.
I opened my eyes to see crystal above and below me. I looked over to Dash and saw that she was struggling. She was overwhelmed by pain, being in a new place and not really knowing how to stand, and she was hyperventilating, obviously freaking out.
“Dash, listen to me. You’re okay. We made it.” I said soothingly. She visibly calmed down enough to open her eyes. When she laid eyes on me, her eyes went even wider in shock and awe. “What’s wrong?” I asked, crossing my forelegs in self-doubt. She shook her head, trying to get rid of a few errant thoughts.
“I don’t know how it is possible, but your original form is even cuter.” she said, blushing. The comment made me blush as well. It was then that I looked at her a little better. She had the same colour fur as her counterpart and had the same rainbow mane, except the colours were reversed. Her cutie mark was different though. Where her counterpart had a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt, she had a soccer ball in a goal with rainbow wreaths around it.
“Well, that settles it. You don’t have many similarities to your counterpart.” I said.
“Well, you guys are early.” Princess Twilight said, coming up behind us. She was obviously engrossed in a book while walking, because it took awhile for her to register what was in front of her. I heard her gasp, and turned to see her staring at me in shock.
“Surprise.” I said, flapping my wings in discomfort.
“How the…? You know what, it’s not my place to question Princess Celestia’s judgement.” she said. “ Have you guys thought of a way for us to differentiate between the two Dashes?”
“Not yet, but…”
“Just call me Snowflake. It was given to me by my grandmother when I was young because I was tiny and delicate, and it kinda stuck.” Dash said, interrupting me.
“That’s adorable. Snowflake, huh. Has a nice ring to it.” I said with a chuckle.
“Shut up.” she grumbled, turning her head away, but not before I saw the blush that made the fur on her cheeks look more purple than cyan. She regained her composure and turned to Twilight. “Is there a spell to lessen the pain so I can try to stand?”
“Sorry, Snowflake. I forgot about that.” I said. I lit up my horn, Snowflake’s body being enveloped in the same teal aura that surrounded my horn. She breathed out a sigh of blissful relief. When I was done, I walked up to her and offered her a hoof. She took it and I helped her up. She gave her wings a test flap, finding that the pain was significantly less than before. As soon as she did that, she took to the air, showing a finesse fitting a Wonderbolt.
“Snowflake, be careful. You don’t have enough experience with wings. You’re going to…” Princess Twilight started. As she did, Snowflake crashed into one of the bookshelves. “...crash.” I ran to where she had landed, lifted the books that had landed on top of her with my magic, worried that she may have hurt herself again. As I lifted the books, she burst out, taking to the air again.
“That was fun.” she said, no pain evident on her face. My anger flared up, turning my aura from teal to crimson.
“That was not funny! I was worried that you’d hurt yourself again!” I yelled.
“Awe. I’m touched that my marefriend worries about me.” she said with a wink. My anger melted away in an instant. There was no way I could stay mad at her.
“I hear someone is having fun without us?” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up to us. The others seemed to take my ascension more in stride.
“I can tell we have much to discuss, darling.” Rarity said.
“Yip.” I said, turning to address the entire room. “I think we should head to the throne room. I’ll explain everything when we get there.” There was a chorus of agreement as we all turned to walk off, Dash and Snowflake getting into a race to see who could get there the fastest.
We arrived at the throne room to see that Dash and Snowflake had already gotten there, and were talking about the many different awesome things they had done in their lives. The others took their seats around the table and I stood close to the door with Snowflake. I was about to start talking when I heard a knocking on the door. Twilight told whoever was on the other side to come in. The door opened with a yellow aura and Celestia and Luna walked in. Celestia came up to me and wrapped me in a warm embrace. I opened my eyes to see my Aunt nod to me. Celestia then went to Snowflake and embraced her.
“Pardon the intrusion, and thank you for the invite, Twilight.” Celestia said, Taking a sweat offered to her by Rainbow Dash. Luna took Applejack’s seat, having been offered it. “I take it you have established a way to differentiate between the two Dashes?”
“Yeah. I asked to be called Snowflake. It was a nickname given to me by my Grandmother.” Snowflake said.
“Understandable. I always loved that nickname.” Dash said, blushing.
“Well, lookie here. Dash does have a soft side.” Applejack said, causing both Snowflake and Dash to blush, the latter even harder than before. We all laughed at that. It was then that the seriousness of the situation came crashing down on the entire room.
“Now, as some of you may or may not know,” I started, looking at Snowflake. She nodded at me and smiled. I found solace in that single smile. I took a deep breath, and continued. “A couple of weeks ago, I tried to end my life.” This caused most of the ponies in the room to gasp. Snowflake nodded.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy said, bringing fresh tears to my eyes. She got up off her seat and came around to embrace me.
“I’ll take over from here, seeing as Sunset is unable to continue.” Snowflake said, embracing me as well. “A couple of months ago, the CMC on our side started a blog on MyStable called Anon-A-Miss, and started spreading secrets. It started with only Rarity’s, Applejack’s and my own, but gradually, it escalated. We started out not believing it was Sunset, but it became harder to ignore. The profile was done with her colors, and a silhouette of her as the display picture. Looking back at it now, we were foolish to think it was her. The old Sunset was a lot more subtle with her bullying.”
“So, basically what we had here with them. They started a gossip column in the Foal Free Press under the name of Gabby Gums.” Rarity said, and Twilight nodded.
“But, a whole lot worse.” Twilight said.
“About three weeks ago, Sunset sent us all a text saying ‘goodbye forever’ and I knew something was wrong. I found her half an hour after that, and as I approached her, she jumped off of a bridge.” Snowflake continued, her eyes tearing up, from the sniffs that I could hear. I opened my eyes to see Celestia with an angry look in her eyes, horn starting to flare with magic. I caught her attention and shook my head. She understood, and backed off.
“Fast forwarding to three days ago, Sunset and I met up with Twilight and Princess Celestia to discuss what had happened. I’ll let Princess Celestia tell you all what happened there.” Dash said, looking to the princess. She nodded and Dash continued. “To finish off, I have one announcement to make. Sunset and I are dating now. We had both harbored hidden feelings for one another, and we never realised that we felt the same about each other until then.” I could see Pinkie starting to rise from her seat, pulling a party cannon out from nowhere. Twilight gave her an intense look that told her not to do it. Her mane deflated a little as she pushed the party cannon away again and sat down.
Celestia then got up and cleared her throat.
“Now, this may be a bit of a shock to you, my little ponies, but it is one hundred percent true. If you don’t believe me, you may ask my sister.” she started, looking at her sister. Luna nodded and Celestia continued. “Sunset is not only one of my students, but my only daughter as well.”
That plain statement of facts brought the entire room to silence. Broken only by Pinkie gasping in a way that only she could. There was a silence in which you could hear a pin drop. One did, and it was deafening.
“WHAT!?!?” Everypony present, apart from Luna, Twilight, Snowflake and myself yelled in unison, creating a deafening chorus that reverberated off of the crystal walls of the throne room. The resulting sound forced my ears flat.
“‘Tis true, friends. I have seen my sister’s dreams.” Luna said. The others seemed placated.
“That is one of the reasons why I had slept over there that day. I wanted to make sure that my daughter was indeed okay.” Celestia said, looking at me. I ended my embrace with Snowflake and Fluttershy and went to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace, full of love.
“I still don’t think I’ve earned these.” I said, raising my wings, looking at them out of the corners of my eyes. Celestia put a hoof under my chin and brought my head up to look at her.
“But you have earned it. The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all. You have overcome your obstacles to become the pony you are today.” Celestia said. “You have proven worthy of the title, Princess Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Compassion.”
Everypony in the room started bowing, even Twilight, Celestia and Luna. I was at a loss for words.
“The official coronation and announcement of my daughter’s return will be in three days time.” Celestia announced, she then turned to Snowflake and I. “I do hope that you will stay until then.”
“Of course we will, mom.” I said, a smile on my face. Snowflake nodded in agreement.
“Will you be coming to Canterlot with us, or staying here in Ponyville?” Luna asked us.
“Your room in the castle is as you left it.” Celestia added hopefully.
“I think Snowflake and I will spend the day in Ponyville, and be in Canterlot a little bit later.” I said. “Besides, Snowflake and I need to get some flying practice in, and I can’t think of a better teacher than Equestria’s Best Flyer.” I winked at Dash.
“Aww yeah. New flying buddies.” Dash said, doing a little celebratory jig in mid air, causing everypony present to laugh.
I walked Celestia and Luna to the train station, with Snowflake and Dash accompanying me. We were going to one of the nearest fields for flying practice afterwards. I couldn’t help but squirm under the looks of shock. I could tell Snowflake was going through the same thing. It took all my willpower not to teleport us all there. The whole way there, I was internally praying that we would just get there. My prayers were answered, as we had finally arrived.
“Well, this is where we leave you.” Celestia said.
“We shall see you later.” Luna said, giving us each a warm embrace in turn, before boarding the train. I turned to Celestia, wrapping her in an embrace of my own.
“Don’t be silly, Sunset. We are going to see each other later.” Celesia chuckled, but she returned the embrace lovingly.
“I know. I just wanted to show my mother that I love her.” I whispered, only audible enough for her to hear. She chuckled again.
“I need to go now.” Celestia said, reluctant to break the embrace. I broke away first, a stray tear leaking from my eye. Celestia wiped it away with one of her wings. She turned away and started boarding the train.
“Love you, mom.” I said as she disappeared into the Royal Box Car. Whether she heard me or not, I would never know. I watched the train leave the station, then turned to Dash and Snowflake. “Now, where are we gonna go for the flying lesson?”
“Follow me.” Dash said, taking to the air and heading toward the Everfree Forest. As we approached, I saw Dash veer away from the looming forest toward a large field broken by a crystal blue lake.
“Great spot, Dash.” I said, to which she visibly beamed.
“Thanks. This is where I practice most of my new moves, before showing them to anypony else.” she replied.
A few hours later, Snowflake, Dash and I were sitting on a cloud, our lesson done. Snowflake had taken the least amount of time to learn, and by the time we were done, was doing complex flight patterns done by the Wonderbolts. I, on the other hand, struggled. I was naturally a fast learner, but flight was something I had only dreamt of. I had read the many theory books on flight, but it could never have prepared me for how difficult actual flight was.
“I have a new respect for Pegasi. I never thought flight would be so difficult to master.” I said to no one in particular.
“Well, you were faster to pick it up than Twilight was.” Dash said, matter-of-factly.
“No, really?” I asked in surprise.
“Totally. You crashed a whole lot less than she did.” Dash replied. “Between you and me, she crashed a total of fifty times just on the first day.” That caused both Snowflake and I to snicker.
“I had no idea she was that bad. Now I know. I only crashed thirty-five times before I got the hang of it.” I said. “And you, Snowflake, were a natural.” That last statement caused Snowflake to blush, turning her cheeks a light shade of purple.
“I can see that you two love birds need some alone time.” Dash said. “See you guys tomorrow.” She took off and flew away, leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake. I shook my head and turned to Snowflake.
“So, what do you wanna do now?” I asked her.
“Well, I’ve never made out with a pony before.” she replied, a hint of her blush returning.
“Come here you silly mare.” I said with a chuckle. I pulled her in close and our lips met. It felt funny to be making out with someone in a pony body after more than three years of being a human, but I soon got used to it. Snowflake melted into the kiss, so I probed her lips with my tongue, to which she obliged and opened her mouth. Our tongues were soon tangled in an intense wrestling match of passion. I briefly heard a moan issuing from her, causing me to smile a little bit. Almost a full minute later, we reluctantly broke apart for air, panting.
“Well, that was an experience.” Snowflake said, looking at me lovingly.
“Did you enjoy it?” I asked her.
“Definitely. I could get used to this.” she replied. I saw the sun starting to sink.
“I think we should head back to Ponyville and say goodbye to our friends so we can head to Canterlot.” I said, getting up and stretching my wings. “Race you to the Castle of Friendship.” I took off, leaving a red and gold contrail and a stunned Snowflake behind. When I turned to look back, Snowflake shot past at a speed that Dash would have been proud of.
“Keep up, slowpoke.” she said as she blew by. I pumped my wings harder, then tucked them to make my form more streamline. I caught up in no time at all, and we arrived . The door opened as we got there, Spike walking out holding a bag of trash. Snowflake was heading past him, but I was on a collision course. I lit up my horn and teleported past him. “Hey, that’s cheating.”
“It was either that or end up colliding with Spike.” I said, walking up to Snowflake. “If you want, you can have the win.”
“It’s okay. The point is, I had fun with my marefriend. Anypony who says differently can suck it.” she replied.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Snowflake?” I said with a chuckle. “And you're starting to sound like a local.”
“When in Roam.” she replied with a chuckle. “Let’s find the others.” she turned and walked away, heading to the throne room. I followed her.
A half hour later, our goodbyes over with, we took off, heading toward the train station. I was steadily getting used to everypony staring at me in either shock or awe, or a weird combination of the two. We arrived to see that the train had already arrived, and was preparing to depart. I went to the ticket booth.
“Two for Canterlot.” I said.
“Sunset Shimmer, correct?” the clerk asked.
“Uhh. Yeah.” I replied in confusion.
“Princess Celestia has requested a Royal Car for you and your marefriend. Please board at your earliest convenience.” he said.
“Uhm, Thanks.” I said in embarrassment, at a loss for anything else to say to the clerk. I turned and walked to where Snowflake was waiting for me. “It would seem my mother has arranged a Royal Car for us.” I said.
“Awesome. Let’s go before the train leaves.” Snowflake replied. I just shook my head as we boarded the train. We departed, heading toward Canterlot and a new beginning for me.
We arrived at Canterlot about an hour later. I looked over to Snowflake, who had fallen asleep seconds after we had gotten onto the train. I booped her nose, her scrunching it up.
“Five more minutes mom.” she said. I chuckled.
“We’re here, Snowflake.” I said into her ear. Her ear flapped in acknowledgement. She opened those beautiful cerise eyes.
“How long was I out?” she asked.
“Just under an hour.” I replied. “We’d better head on off the train, before it leaves with us on it.” I got up and made my way to the door. I looked back to see that Snowflake hadn’t followed, so I lit up my horn and dragged her out. I set her down next to me and we set off toward the castle.
We got to the castle just as my aunt had finished raising the moon, the sky full of stars even more breathtaking than usual. I knew that she had done her best with it to celebrate my return. The thought of it made me blush. We walked into the throne room to see Celestia talking to one of the guards.
“We have updated the flame retarding spells, as you requested.” I heard him say as we approached.
“Thank you very much. Dismissed.” Celestia said with a chuckle when she saw my disdainful expression. I heard Snowflake snicker next to me.
"Mom." I said, not eager for the conversation that was bound to ensue.
"What? I'm just being cautious." she replied with a chuckle.
"You know the last time that happened was when I got my cutie mark." I said.
"Now I gotta hear the story." Snowflake said, barely contained mirth in her voice.
"I'd be delighted." Celestia replied. "It happened during her entrance exam. The examiner brought out a Dragon egg for her to try to hatch. Unbeknownst to the examiners at the time, Sunset had read up on the entrance exam, and on what was required to hatch a Dragon egg. She got to the exam, and nerves had set in. She poured a little too much mana into the spell and set the entire building alite. She got her cutie Mark right then and there. The sun symbolizes how hot the flame could have gotten if I had not stepped in. I didn't show it at the time, but I was proud of her accomplishment."
I didn't know what to say. Snowflake was giggling. I was devastated.
"Sounds like she was quite the trouble maker." Snowflake said with a very uncharacteristic giggle.
“Oh, she was.” Celestia replied with a chuckle. To my horror, she lit up her horn, and a photo album appeared in her yellow aura. I recognized it instantly. The next hour was spent with Celestia showing Snowflake my entire history. “This one was taken shortly after she was born.”
“That’s adorable. Look at the tiny little hooves and horn.” Snowflake said.
“I know right?” Celestia said, looking at me with a loving look.
“If this is the embarrassment I get for being good, I think I’d prefer being evil.” I said jokingly, causing Celestia to smile and Snowflake to giggle. Snowflake came up to me and gave me a peck on the cheek.
“Don’t worry, Sunny. I still love you. No amount of magic or embarrassment will ever change that.” Snowflake said.
“I know, Snowflake.” I said, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
“Well, dinner should be ready right about…” Celestia started when there was a knock at the door. She opened it to see that it was one of the chefs. “...now.” She got up and walked out of the throne room, heading for the dining room. Snowflake and I followed closely behind. I marveled at the sight of the castle not being very different from when I was here last. Celestia noticed my starstruck expression and giggled.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the dining room. Luna was already there, eagerly awaiting us so that the meal could be served. We sat down and the chefs came out, baring trays laden with all of my favorites, in many different colored auras. Snowflake looked intimidated by the sheer amount of it. There were hay burgers, hay fries, daisy sandwiches, and a whole host of other dishes. I giggled at the expression on Snowflake’s face.
“Yes, Snowflake. In this form, all of these are edible.” I said. Dash flashed me a grateful look and dug into a hay burger. Her eyes went wide as she chewed, reveling in the new sensation dancing on her tongue. She swallowed, then began eating faster. “Slow down. You’re gonna get a stomach ache.” Celestia and Luna giggled at the sight, but I was mortified at the sight of my marefriend gulping down the food with very little chewing, in utter disregard for what she might go through later. I facehoofed, shook my head, and carried on eating.
“You may want to save room for dessert, Snowflake.” Luna said, an amused expression on her face.
“There’s dessert?” Snowflake asked after swallowing her last mouthful.
“There always is.” I replied.
“Awesome.” Snowflake said, helping herself to more food. I facehoofed again, lit up my horn, and levitated the plate away from her. “Hey, no fair.”
“I think it’s fair that you save some for the rest of us, and save room for dessert.” I said.
“Okay, fine.” Snowflake hesitantly said. I nodded, pushed my plate away, and awaited dessert.
A few hours later, Snowflake and I made our way up to my bedroom. When we got there, I pushed open the door, and Snowflake took in the sight. My bedroom in the castle wasn’t nearly as big as hers, but it more than made up for it in comfort. The bed could sleep five ponies along the width. It had an en-suite bathroom with a hot tub as well as all the other basic necessities. Snowflake flew over to the bed, flopped down, and promptly fell asleep in a position that didn’t look very comfortable. I shook my head, climbed into the bed next to her, and promptly fell asleep as well.
I opened my eyes to a sight I had seen before. It was Sugar Cube Corner, in the middle of a blizzard. Snowflake and the others were sitting at the usual booth, and I was standing by the door, clutching the journal that had a link to Princess Twilight. I gulped, steeled my nerves, and walked over to them.
Author's Note
Sorry the new chapter took so long guys. I've been struggling with my depression, and it was hindering my writing ability. Special thanks toMr-Astounding and JimmyHook19
I walked up to the girls, them too busy with their conversation to notice me walking up to them. As I got closer, I could see Dash stop her conversation, and stare at me with intense hatred. I could feel my heart shatter at the sight of it.
“What do you want, Shimmer?” she asked in a hostile tone of voice. I didn’t react. I just stood there, not knowing what to do.
“I asked, what do you want?” Dash said, raising her voice a bit more, causing me to flinch.
“Please, just stop and listen to me, I’m begging you.” I replied, on the verge of tears.
“No. You’re nothing but a liar.” she said.
“Snowflake, please stop?” I asked, my voice a whisper, quaking with unspent emotion.
“Don’t call me that!” Dash yelled, barely controlled rage written in her features.
“Why should we stop? You’re the one who stole everyone’s secrets.” Rarity said, her voice full of scorn.
“Stop.” I said, a little louder, a firmer grip on the emotions bubbling to the surface.
“Yeah. And posted them online.” Pinkie agreed.
“Stop.” I practically yelled. I heard my voice mix with another.
“STOP!!” the newcomer yelled. The vision dissipated before my eyes, and I then realised it was another nightmare.
“Who’s there?” I called out to the abyss. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light, and from it, out stepped Luna.
“Peace, child. We are not here to hurt you.” Luna said, seeing the panic in my eyes.
“Then why give me these nightmares?” I asked with little enthusiasm, knowing deep down, I was wrong.
“We did not give you these nightmares, Sunset Shimmer.” she replied with a smile. “Though these dreams have been plaguing you oft of late.” Her smile was replaced by a look of curious concern as she said that. I nodded and began to break down again. Luna came up to me and wrapped me in a warm embrace. I just continued to sob while she held me.
“I just feel like everything that happened was a lie. Dash saving me, the girls seeing sense and the error of their ways, Mom forgiving me, her making me an alicorn, and Dash and I.” I said once I managed to tone down the sobbing. “I still don’t feel as though I’ve done enough to deserve my friends, my crown, my mother’s forgiveness and Dash’s love.”
“Firstly, here she is Snowflake, not Dash. Secondly, Snowflake does indeed love you, I saw her dreams before this, but don’t tell her. Thirdly, Celestia has really missed you. She still faults herself for the pony you became.” Luna replied once I had finished my little bit of a monologue. “Whatever happens, Sunset Shimmer, know that you are never alone. You have your Mom, Twilight and I on this end of the portal, and on the other end, you have your friends. And if Snowflake didn’t love you, she wouldn’t have travelled to another dimension with you.” She came up to me and wrapped me in another embrace. Once we broke away, she started to fade away, and I knew that I was waking up.
I opened my eyes to see that Snowflake had turned over in her sleep, and was now facing me, a cute smile on her face while she still lay sleeping. I giggled softly and gave her a light kiss on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open, and I was suddenly staring into her beautiful cerise eyes.
“Now that’s a wake up call. Morning babe.” she said, returning the kiss I had given her.
“Good morning. How’d you sleep?” I asked.
“Like a foal.” she said with another uncharacteristic giggle.
“Wow. Not even a day in Equestria, and you already sound like a local.” I giggled
“Well, is it a crime to want to get along with everypony in my marefriend’s world?” she asked with a teasing tone.
“Of course not, you silly mare.” I replied, booping her on the nose. “Come on. Let’s go see if the chefs have started preparing breakfast yet.”
We got to the dining room some twenty minutes later to see my mother sitting at the table happily munching on pancakes, not a chef to be seen. There were three plates sitting with pancakes on them, waiting to be eaten, but my Aunt had yet to arrive.
"Where's Aunt Luna?" I asked as Snowflake and I sat down to eat.
"Oh, she'll be along." my Mother said. Just then, the door to the balcony burst open, and in walked Luna. She looked tired, but smiled when she saw me. I smiled back and continued chewing my triple berry surprise pancakes.
"So, what have you two got planned for today?" my Mother asked after swallowing her mouthful of pancakes.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a light bit of a tour to show Snowflake my favourite hangouts. And maybe a trip back to Ponyville." I replied.
"What are you going there for?" I heard Twilight saying from beyond the door. A second later she emerged, followed by Everypony else I knew from this side.
"Yeah, we're already here, silly." Pinkie Pie said after bouncing up to us and wrapping Snowflake and I in a tight embrace.
"Pinkie. Air." I tried saying, struggling for oxygen.
"Oopsie doopsie." she replied, releasing us. I heard my Mother giggling in the background.
"You have come a long way, my child." she said before getting up to leave. I looked over to where her and Luna had just disappeared.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
"Well, darling. We are here to help plan your coronation." Rarity said, taking a quill and a bit of parchment out of her saddlebags and writing something down.
"I have already got part of your gown completed, just got to put in the finishing touches."
"And AJ and I are in charge of the feast afterward." Pinkie said animatedly. Hell, everything she does is animated.
"Uhh, Pinkie. Ah'm sure she already knew that." Applejack said.
"I know that, silly. I was talking to the readers." Pinkie replied.
"The readers? Actually, ya know what? Ah'm not gonna ask." Applejack said, causing all of us to laugh.
Author's Note
Hey guys. Sorry this one took so long to be released, got very busy. Big thank you once again to my proofreaders, JimmyHook19 and Mr-Astounding for the awesome work they did editing this story so far. I also wanna give a massive shout-out to THERDSTORYWHISPERER , whose constant support, no matter how dissappointed I may be with the chapter outcome, always compliments them. Anyway, please leave a like and comment. Creative Criticism is welcome.
Author's Note
This one took too damn long to come. Hope you enjoy it.
Coronation Part 1
Sitting still for prolonged periods of time had never been an easy feat for me, but it was even more so while Rarity was fitting my dress. She had spent hours on end, making all sorts of alterations and such, and it was beginning to make me antsy. Snowflake had patiently sat beside me the whole way, which surprised both Rarity and I.
“Rarity,” I said, trying to keep the exasperation from my voice. “How much longer? I can’t take it anymore.” She looked at me, a smile on her face.
“Won’t be much longer now, darling.” She said, turning back to her sewing machine.
“Uh. You said that an hour ago.” I said, rolling my eyes. Snowflake giggled.
“You can’t rush perfection, darling.” Rarity replied, tutting.
“Perfection takes forever.” I said, the barely contained exasperation leaking into my voice, causing Snowflake to laugh. I ended up laughing with her.
“Oh hush, both of you.” Rarity said in a playful manner. She finished up with the sewing machine and came back to where I was sitting. “Stand up, darling." I did as she asked and stood. She put the dress back on and proceeded to check everything. She nodded, went to a nearby dresser, and pulled out a golden tiara with my Cutie Mark on it, with a matching set of shoes. She popped the tiara on my head as I put on the shoes.
"Right," she said, taking a moment to inspect her work. She nodded and brought one of the mirrors over in her blue aura. "What do you think, darling?"
"It looks amazing." I breathed in awe. I stared at the cutie mark on my tiara. It was made from a fusion of topaz and ruby gemstones, clearly Twilight's work. "But it still feels so surreal." I looked down, a lone tear falling down my muzzle. Snowflake saw it, and immediately enveloped me in a warm and loving embrace. Rarity looked at me in sympathy.
"Do you want to talk about it, Sunset?" she asked, joining the embrace from the other side. I nodded and sighed.
"Just the other day, I was alone, regretting my every action. No friends, no family. I didn't know what else to do." I started, tears now starting to fall freely. "I don't know if Twilight told you about this."
"No. She only told us that you had been deeply hurt." Rarity replied.
"I see. Well, she was right about that, but she left out quite a bit." I said with a dad sigh.
"I understand why. It is your story to tell, Sunset. She did not want to overstep her boundaries. If you want to, you can tell me." Rarity replied. I nodded and looked at Snowflake. She nodded with a sweet smile on her face. I steeled my resolve, and proceeded to tell Rarity everything.
I had just gotten back home after checking up on Sunset's apartment, making sure that her mail made it to her desk. Everything was fine, apart from the scrunched up note I had in my hand.
It was quite a shock to see it, and I damn near lost my temper when I saw it. It was a note, written in Gilda's distinctive chicken scratch. I read it once before scrunching it up.
'I know where you live now, she demon. Beware.' the note read.
"What is that girl's problem." I asked no one in particular as I put my old Ford F100 in park. "Ah don't understand it."
I climbed out and headed inside, out of the chill morning air. I looked over at the barn where Sunset's Camaro was sitting under a dust cover.
"Ah should probably start you up, get those fluids runnin'." I took the keys out of my pocket, removed the dust cover, hit unlock on the key fob, and climbed in. The motor turned over once before it came to life with a throaty growl. I nodded, put it in first gear, and took off for a bit of a drive to let the battery charge.
I had just finished telling Rarity the story, and she was in shock. Equestria never had any suicides. There was always a magical cure for mental ailments, but I had no such luxury.
"That's why this all feels so surreal. It is difficult to believe that I am alive, have a marefriend, have my mother back, and am becoming a princess." I said, looking over at Snowflake. "I probably wouldn't be here now if it weren't for Snowflake."
Snowflake blushed at that, and kissed me deeply. I returned the kiss willingly. Rarity shook her head and stood up.
"Ahem. Right. Why don't you go see if one of the other girls' need any help? Let me finish up here." she said, taking the dress off in her blue aura. I nodded and lit up my horn, and gasped in surprise. Instead of my regular teal aura, it was a deep red, almost crimson in color.
"Well, that's new. It was teal just a second ago." I said in surprise.
"I know." Snowflake said, just as surprised.
"Maybe Celestia or Twilight will be able to tell you why it changed." Rarity said. I nodded and walked to the door, Snowflake and Rarity following close behind. Rarity gave us each a hug once we were out the door.
"Goodbye for now, Rares." I said with a smile.
"See you soon." Snowflake added. Rarity nodded and we turned to leave. Our next stop was Sweet Apple Acres to see if Pinkie and Applejack needed any help with the food.
"Hey, Snowflake." I said. She turned her head to look at me.
"Mhm." she mumbled.
"What would I do without you." I finished, giving her a peck on the cheek. She blushed.
"Same as me without you." she replied. We continued walking, close enough together that our wings touched.
I had just gotten off the phone to the girls. We needed to discuss the whole thing with Gilda. I shook my head and went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks.
A couple of minutes later, I heard Pinkie's Audi coming up the drive, followed by the sound of a horn. I went outside to see that she had picked Fluttershy and Rarity up as well. She parked up next to my truck and climbed out, Fluttershy and Rarity following suit.
"Hey girls. Come inside. Ah have snacks and drinks ready." I said as they approached. They nodded and walked in, leaving their coats and shoes in the foyer. I followed them to the living room and sat down. "Now, where do Ah begin."
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. It was quarter to seven in the morning when I arrived at Sunset's apartment. Nothing was out of the ordinary when I pulled up to the parking lot in Sunset's Camaro. I took the Camaro because my truck wouldn't start and Big Mac had taken his out early to take some fresh apples to market.
I parked up in Sunset's spot and hopped out, hitting the lock button on the key fob after closing the door, and headed up to Sunset's apartment. What I saw when I got up to Sunset's apartment made me do a double take.
In front of the door, sitting in a lotus position (yes, I know about such things), was Gilda. She looked up at the sound of my footsteps and smiled. She didn't use her regular grin that put me on edge. Instead, it was a genuine smile full of curiosity.
"Uh. Hey there, Gilda." I said as I approached. "At wasn't expectin' you here."
"I know. I wasn't planning on being here today, but something seems a bit off. I need some answers." she replied. I nodded and unlocked the door to Sunset's apartment. I entered and beckoned for her to follow. We sat down at the kitchen island.
"What do ya wanna know?" I asked, putting Sunset's keys on the island.
"Firstly," she replied. "I wanna know what is going on with this Anon-A-Miss thing. Is it her or not?"
"Well ah can answer that right now. No she ain't. First and second week of winter break, she was in the hospital. She tried ta off herself." I replied. Gilda looked as if she had been punched in the gut. I know the feeling. It's how I felt when I found out. She took a breath and continued.
Okay then, secondly. If it ain't her, then who?" she asked. This was not expected. Now, as the Element of Honesty, I was being forced to lie. There was no way I was going to tell her that the CMC were Anon-A-Miss.
"We ain't found out yet. They stopped posting, and took down the page, so I think it's over now." I replied, hoping she wouldn't catch onto my lie. She nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer.
"Okay. Third and final question. Dash and Shimmer?" she asked.
"They're now in a relationship. Dash apparently had feelings for Sunset before the whole Anon-A-Miss thing. Ah think the feelings were mutual for Sunset." I said, hopefully not pissing her off. She just nodded, a deep, thoughtful look on her face.
"Is there a way for me to contact her? I wanna apologize for what I did." she asked hopefully.
"There is, but it would have to go through Princess Twilight, and she was pretty miffed the last time ah saw her. It'll have ta wait 'till she gets back from Equestria."
She deflated a bit, getting a downcast look on her face. I took her hand tentatively in mine. She looked up and I smiled.
"Don't worry about it now. Ah'm sure she'll forgive ya, just like she did fer us." I reassured her. I thought I saw her blush a bit, but it was gone before I could be sure. She cleared her throat and stood up.
"Thank you, Applejack. I need to get going now." she said suddenly. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote something on it. "Here is my number. Call or text me when Sunset is back." I took the piece of paper from her and she left, closing the door behind her.
I set the book down on a nearby table and began translating, using what I could remember about old Ponish. Twilight was next to me, furiously scribbling down notes on a piece of parchment with the quill she had in her raspberry aura.
"From what I can see, Starswirl did some extensive research on this." Twilight said, stop scribbling.
"Yeah. I have a rough translation of this paragraph here." I said, tapping the paragraph with my quill. "It says 'If a unicorn or alicorn suffers immense mental and emotional strain, their magic aura color changes to that of the last thing they saw before doing something irrational.' That may explain some things."
Everyone gulped at that. I looked at the page, and saw that there was more on the page, but it was completely illegible.
"There is no use dwelling on it now, Sunset. We must get back to the palace to finish preparations for your coronation." Celestia started. Before I could open my mouth to protest, she walked up to me and wrapped me in a warm embrace. "I am glad we found out what happened, and I couldn't be prouder of you, my little filly."
The last remark made me blush a bit, but I made no move to push her away. All I knew was that it was going to be extremely difficult to say goodbye in a few days time.
A half hour later, we walked in to see that the main hall had been decorated with banners and streamers in my color scheme, the banners emblazoned with my two-tone sun Cutie Mark. We walked on into the throne room, and set about getting the final decor done.
I parked my Mercedes outside Sugar Cube Corner and climbed out, hitting the lock button on my key fob. I had gotten a phone call from Applejack saying to meet her and the others here, but wouldn't say why. I noticed that Sunset's Camaro was parked in front of Fluttershy's Prius, and thought it was odd for Applejack to be driving it instead of her truck. I shook my head and walked in.
Author's Note
Hey guys. Sorry this one came so late. I have been unable thus far to sort out my Wi-Fi issue, so I can only post updates as I get data on my cellphone. Any way, I hope you enjoy it. I will try (not promising anything) to have the next one up tomorrow.
Remember to like and follow, and don't be afraid to comment. Creative criticism will always be welcom.
I walked into Sugar Cube Corner, and did a bit of a double take at what I saw. Sitting at one of the booths in the back was AJ, with none other than Gilda herself. I was the first one to arrive, I walked up to them and cleared my throat.
"Applejack, darling," I started as I got nearer. "Not to be rude or anything, but what is she doing here?"
She turned to look at me. "Hey Rarity," she said with a smile that set my cheeks aflush. I cleared my throat. "Gilda is here for a reason. Let's wait fer the others ta get here before Ah explain." She motioned for me to take a seat next to her on the bench.
I took up the proffered seat just as the others arrived. Fluttershy and Pinkie took the open seats across from Applejack and I, right next to Gilda.
"Would anyone like to explain why Gilda is here? I thought she hated Sunset." Fluttershy said, earning a look of reprieve from Gilda, causing Fluttershy to flinch and hide behind her hair.
"She's here because Ah invited her, and because she has somethin' ta say." Applejack replied, looking at Gilda. "Now's the time."
Gilda nodded, gulped, then took a deep breath.
The final preparations done, Snowflake and I set out to my room to get ready for the coronation. I looked at my reflection in the mirror as Rarity was putting the final touches on the dress. The yellow and red flowing gradient accentuated with rubies, followed by the matching tiara with my cutie mark emblazoned with rubies and topaz. I couldn’t help the lone tear that was falling down my muzzle. Rarity looked up and smiled, slightly concerned.
“Are you alright, darling?” She asked, wiping the tear away with a kerchief.
“I’m okay, Rarity,” I replied with a smile of my own. “It still feels a bit surreal. That’s all.:
“You’re telling me.” Snowflake said from where she was waiting for her dress, one that I was told matched a dress made for Rainbow Dash for the Grand Galloping Gala, with a few tweaks. “My marefriend is a princess now.” That caused Rarity and I to giggle.
“Never pegged you for a sap, Snowflake.” I said, teasingly. She blushed and stuck her tongue out at me. Rarity finished with the tiara, and turned her attention to Snowflake.
“Right. Time to get you ready, and make you look fabulous!” Rarity said with a flourish, making Snowflake gulp. I giggled and waited for Rarity to finish.
I looked at Gilda, not believing what I was hearing. “You mean to tell me that you actually had doubts about Sunset being Anon-A-Miss?!” I yelled out, my newly discovered temper flaring again.
“Yes. That’s what I said, Fluttershy.” Gilda replied, flinching a bit at my harsh tone.
“And you still decided it was a good idea to join in on the bullying?!” I asked, my voice rising to a small shout.
“Not my finest moments. I know…” Gilda replied, looking genuinely sorry for what she did to Sunset. “I was angry. It looked a lot like what she used to do, before Princess Twilight came.”
“She has a point, Flutters,” Applejack said, looking at me sadly. “We thought the same thing, remember?” I just nodded, looking away sadly.
“I’m sorry, Gilda. It's been a rough couple of days.” I said, looking at Gilda.
“No worries, Fluttershy. I can understand that.” Gilda replied, looking back at me with a wan smile. I smiled back and turned to look back at Applejack.
“Anywho, Gilda here wanted to speak to Sunset, to apologize for what she did, but Ah warned her off because of a certain pissed off purple pony princess and Sunset’s mom.” Applejack said, causing Gilda to look away sadly and the rest of us to look on in concern.
“If Sunset forgives you, then so will Twilight and Celestia, darling.” Rarity said to Gilda, reaching out a hand comfortingly.
“I know- wait…” Gilda started. “Celestia?! As in Principal Celestia?!?!”
“Principal Celestia’s pony counterpart.” Pinkie piped up from her spot before we could say anything. “She’s this super, mega, ultra Princess in charge of the sun and the day in Equestria, where Sunset and Twilight are from.”
“I see…” Gilda replied, a thoughtful look on her face. The look was replaced by one of shock in a matter of seconds. “I BULLIED A PRINCESS?!?!” I cringed away from the sudden yelling, causing Gilda to look in my direction in embarrassment. “Sorry Flutters.”
“It’s okay, Gilda.” I replied.
“Eyup, pretty much did,.” Applejack replied to Gilda’s yelled question. “It shocked us when we learned about it too.”
“Shit.” Gilda responded to that, slamming her fist on the table. “Shit shit shit! I gotta talk to her now.”
“You’ll have to wait for her to return for that, Gilda.” I told her gently.
“I know,” She replied. “I just hope she can forgive me, and Dash too, for roughing her up the way we did before they left…”
“You. Did. WHAT?!?!” We all yelled in unison, causing Gilda to flinch, on the verge of tears. I gasped, knowing the signs of someone beating themselves up. “You feel like you messed up badly already, don’t you?” Gilda nodded, looking down. I could see the tears falling already.
“Fucked up badly would be a better way of saying it, Flutters.” She replied. Rarity rested her hand comfortingly on Gilda’s arm, Gilda smiling gratefully.
“Well, now we wait.” I said, looking out the window. “I need to get going. It's story time at the shelter now.”
“Yeah, and Big Mac needs muh help on the farm.”Applejack said, getting up from her seat. “Good thing Cammy is good in the cold. Old faithful wouldn’t start this mornin’”
“It was nice to talk to you like this, Gilda darling.” Rarity said, looking at her with a smile. “This is a side of you I have yet to see, afterall.”
“Likewise, Rarity.” Gilda said, politely and with a genuine smile. “I guess I’ll see you all around.” We all walked to the door, Pinkie walking out after us, but hanging back, her shift starting soon.
“See you around, Gilda.” I said, hitting the unlock button on my key fob and getting behind the wheel of my Prius.
Author's Note
Finally! An update! Sorry it took so long everypony. The next chapter will cover the actual coronation, without any POV shifts to the others. Thank you for being patient with me while I struggled to get this done
