It was mid-morning by the time Sunset finally awoke. She sat up and stretched, yawning in the morning sunlight streaming through her window. She hadn’t slept that well in a long time. And she had the ‘snoozing’ princess over in the corner to thank for it.
“Your book has been vibrating,” said Luna, breaking the façade of sleep immediately. Sunset smirked, even though it was sad that Luna couldn’t sleep.
“Thanks for last night, I haven’t slept so well in ages,” said Sunset, getting out of bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she walked across her bedroom.
“What did you do last night?” Rarity asked, walking into Sunset’s bedroom with a takeaway coffee cup in her hand.
“I do have coffee downstairs, you know,” said Sunset, taking the offered cup from her friend.
“But darling, that’s instant,” said Rarity, acting as though Sunset had suggested drinking mud.
“There’s nothing wrong with instant,” said Sunset.
“Okay then, I’ll just take it back,” said Rarity, reaching for the cup.
“No, no! Thanks for the coffee, Rarity,” said Sunset, smiling at her friend and taking a sip.
“You’re welcome. I had to get you up somehow,” said Rarity. “Darling, you were sleeping the day away.”
“Well, I needed it,” said Sunset. “I feel great.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you have looked simply wretched lately,” said Rarity.
“Thanks,” said Sunset with a snort.
“So, what helped you sleep?” asked Rarity. “A certain Equestrian princess, perhaps?”
“Yeah, actually,” said Sunset, then blushed when Rarity smirked. “Oh, not like that! Princess Luna has the power to dreamwalk, so she stopped my nightmare and then turned it into a good dream.”
“That’s a useful power,” said Rarity, smiling at the princess. “Thank you for helping dear Sunset, Princess Luna.”
“It brings me great joy,” said Luna. “My sister makes her ponies smile with her tricks and kind presence, I make them smile by making their dreams sweeter.”
Sunset sat down at her desk and opened the book, sipping at her coffee while she turned the pages. Many of the pages towards the front were now tear-spotted, but hopefully there would be no tears this morning. She felt good, better than she had in a long time. It was amazing what a good night’s sleep could do.
When she finally got to the newest message, Sunset had to chuckle at the irony. Here she was, worrying about her past, and Twilight was starting a new project.
“Dear Sunset Shimmer,
After discussing it with Celestia, I have decided to start a project that will benefit not only my studies but also your friendship lesson. It is a cultural exchange program, in which the human versions of my friends will exchange messages containing information about your world with my friends. I think I mentioned this before. Have you talked to your friends about it yet? Let me know what they think about my idea. Also, what do you think of the idea? I don’t think you got a chance to tell me, what with everything that’s been happening. Completely understandable, of course, but I’m really eager to start this new project so could you get back to me as soon as possible with the answer? Please?
Yours in friendship,
Twilight Sparkle”
The next letter read simply:
“Another late sleeper, huh? I can relate.”
Sunset chuckled at Twilight’s latest message, then turned to Rarity, who had a strange smile on her face.
“I know that look,” Rarity trilled.
“W-what?” Sunset asked, blushing.
“Someone’s crushing on the pony princess,” Rarity teased.
“N-no I’m not,” Sunset protested. “I’m just happy because she’s giving me something good to focus on.”
“Don’t worry, dear, your secret is safe with me,” said Rarity. “Now, what has our darling royal friend sent to you that’s got you smiling like a lovestruck schoolgirl? Unless it’s too private to share, that is.”
“Uh, no, it’s not too private,” said Sunset, wishing she could stop blushing. “Twilight has suggested that my new friends can exchange letters with Twilight’s pony friends and find out about each other’s worlds. Using a book like we do.”
“Ooh, that sounds like a marvellous idea,” said Rarity. “I could learn about pony fashion, what materials they use, the latest trends, how clothes work on small horses, what purpose clothes serve in that society.” Sunset smiled as Rarity began to pace around the room while listing off ideas on her fingers.
“Well, looks like I can tell Twilight that you agree to it,” said Sunset.
“Yes!” Rarity cried, her big blue eyes sparkling. “I love that idea! When do we start?”
“As soon as I talk to the other girls about it and Twilight arranges a way to get the magical journals over here,” said Sunset.
“Well, then, come on! Everyone else is downstairs in the kitchen,” said Rarity. “And don’t worry, your parents are at work so there’s nobody to overhear us talking about magical ponies in a different dimension.”
“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” said Sunset, laughing at Rarity’s eagerness.
The other four girls were sitting around the kitchen table, tucking into a large plate of pancakes which Pinkie Pie was still busily cooking up. Sunset wondered who was going to get stuck with the washing up. Maybe they’d draw straws for it.
“Morning, girls,” said Sunset.
“Hi, Sunset!” Pinkie called out, waving to her. “There’s plenty of pancakes if you’re hungry.”
“I can see that,” said Sunset, laughing. She took a seat at the table and began pulling pancakes onto the plate that had been left out for her. She spooned whipped cream onto them, then drizzled them with some syrup. Popping a forkful into her mouth, Sunset moaned blissfully. Pinkie was such a good cook.
“Well, you sure look happy, sugarcube,” said Applejack, chuckling. “Have a nice night?”
“Yes, I had a great night’s sleep,” said Sunset.
“That’s wonderful to hear,” said Fluttershy. “Sometimes, all you need is a good night’s sleep to make the world seem better.”
“Even if you do wake up in the middle of the day,” said Applejack.
“Hey, not everyone wakes up with the rooster,” said Rainbow. Applejack elbowed her, but they both laughed.
“So,” said Sunset as she polished off her first plate of pancakes, “I received a message from the princess yesterday but I was kind of distracted. She’s come up with an idea for transferring information about our different worlds to each other.”
“And I think it’s a marvellous idea,” said Rarity.
“How would we do that?” asked Rainbow.
“Well, each of you would get a journal like the one Twilight and I have,” said Sunset. “You’d be able to write messages to your pony counterparts.”
“That sounds lovely,” said Fluttershy. “A world where animals can talk… oh, I can’t wait to find out how things work there!”
“And my pony counterpart can tell me how it feels to fly,” said Rainbow. “And give me some pointers just in case we figure out a way to make my wings appear whenever I want them to.”
“I dunno if my pony counterpart would be able to teach me anything,” said Applejack. “Well, maybe how they farm over there. Must be different without any farming machinery.”
“What about you, Pinkie?” asked Sunset, turning to Pinkie who had been silent this whole time.
“I love it!” Pinkie cried, jumping up in the air as confetti exploded behind her. “We can talk about parties, and come up with ideas for even more parties, and she can give me some sweet new recipes!”
“Excellent,” said Sunset. “I’ll let Twilight know that you’re all excited about the idea.”
“When will it start, do you think?” asked Rarity.
“Well, after I tell her, she’ll have to enchant the journals and then we’ll have to figure out a good time for her to come over and hand out the journals,” said Sunset. She felt a thrill of excitement at the thought of Twilight coming to see her. Well, and to see her friends, but Twilight would be here again.
“The weekend would be a good time,” said Applejack. “Though it might be a bit weird, seeing a bunch of students meeting outside the school.”
“Why not after school one day?” asked Sunset.
“Nah, I’ve got farm chores,” said Applejack.
“Soccer,” said Rainbow.
“And the rest of us work,” said Rarity. “Sorry, Sunset.”
“No, it’s okay,” said Sunset, even though she was disappointed.
“Maybe she could arrive on a Friday afternoon and then we could hand out the books on a Saturday?” asked Fluttershy.
“That might work,” said Sunset. “And she could leave Monday morning. It’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about the portal closing now.”
“That does make things a lot easier,” said Rarity. Sunset frowned at the hidden meaning in those words, but Rarity just smiled.
“Well, I’ll let her know after breakfast,” said Sunset, feeling excitement rush through her at the prospect of seeing the Equestrian princess again.
With the taste of coffee and maple syrup still dancing on her tongue, Sunset sat down at her desk after breakfast and turned to a new page to write a message to her favourite princess.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I’ve discussed it with my friends, and they’ve all agreed to your plan. They’re looking forward to discussing things with their pony counterparts. And thank you for giving me a distraction. When will you be here to give out the enchanted books?
Your student,
Sunset Shimmer”
The answer came through so quickly that Sunset knew that Twilight must have been waiting for it by the book.
“Dear Sunset,
That’s great news! Now I can enchant the books, which will take a while as it means enchanting ten books to work between dimensions. That’s a pretty huge project, but I’m sure I can do it. I may need to ask the princess for help. Sorry, that’s just me thinking while I write. I do that sometimes. Anyway, once I’ve got the books enchanted, I’ll let you know and then we can arrange a time to meet. I’m so excited!
Yours in friendship,
Twilight Sparkle”
Sunset grinned as she read Twilight’s message, then closed the book and sat back with a smile. Twilight was coming. She didn’t know when just yet, but she was coming. And that was all that mattered.
“It is good to distract yourself with a new project,” said Luna. Sunset turned to smile at the dark-skinned woman.
“What was your project?” asked Sunset.
“You mean apart from fixing my skies?” Luna chuckled. “Sister tried, but she is no artist. That was always me.”
“I look forward to getting to see your night sky,” said Sunset. “I didn’t get a good chance to look at it last time I was in Equestria.”
“Now, now, don’t think about that mistake,” said Luna. “You must think about the future, and what you can do to avoid making those mistakes again.” She got up from her chair and walked over to lay a hand on Sunset’s shoulder.
“I wasn’t,” said Sunset with a smile. “I really mean it, though. The night sky was nice when I lived in Equestria, but I always thought that it could be more beautiful.”
“I have heard quite a few ponies commenting on my night,” said Luna. “They say that it is beautiful. If only my younger self knew that someday, things would change.”
“Hey, now you’re the one thinking about your mistakes,” said Sunset. “What is your project?”
“Helping ponies with their nightmares,” said Luna. “My sister tries to get me to help her with paperwork or hearing petitions, but I am more interested in the emotional health of my little ponies. I guard them when they sleep, but I also hold night court.”
“Do you also fight the real dangers that lurk at night?” asked Sunset.
“My night guard does that,” said Luna. “And, as part of my new project, I am going to stay here until the nightmares no longer plague you.”
“That might take a while,” said Sunset. “What about your night court, though?”
“Hardly anypony comes there, anyway,” said Luna. “And this is the project that is closest to my heart. No longer the Nightmare, I am now trying to be the Guardian of Dreams.”
“That sounds wonderful,” said Sunset. “Maybe someday I’ll be more than just a she-demon, too.”
“I know you will,” said Luna. “Twilight Sparkle is quite good at helping people, I know that she can help you too.”
“I hope so,” said Sunset. She really hoped so.