“Then it's unanimous.”
Sunset allowed herself an audible sigh of relief as seven hands were held aloft in the meeting room. Adagio Dazzle blinked slowly, a look of dull surprise on her face, as though she didn't quite comprehend the result before her. It didn't take very long for her haughty composure to reassert itself, but there was still a moment of grim satisfaction Sunset took in the siren's apparent disbelief. Of course she hadn't expected the Rainbooms to help. Why would they? There was nothing in it for them except peace of mind. Even if Adagio thought she understood it intellectually she didn't truly grasp the meaning of kindness.
The irony continued to strike her, eliciting a sardonic smile.
She cast a glance around the room, a pride she didn't know she had welling up inside as she surveyed her friends. Even Rainbow Dash, tough as she talked, didn't like the idea of leaving a living being to die, and it showed in her conflicted face. Meanwhile on the other side, Sonata and Aria wore looks of near identical relief, even if the latter still seemed to be amused at some hidden joke others present weren't party to.
“...well then! I'd say that about decides that!” said Rarity, lilting tone cutting into the atmosphere. “But, ah...hm. What precisely will you DO, Princess?” She stared pointedly at the alicorn, who even now had closed one eye, staring at the Dazzlings and tenting her fingers as she thought. Adagio's defiant demeanor seemed to waver just for a moment of wariness, confidence shaken. Sunset found herself looking at the diminished young woman with a renewed sense of understanding. She knew that feeling very well; half expecting every good turn to be flipped on its head with no warning, even if you were reasonably sure the ponies--er, people--were on the level. Distantly she wondered if there were a way to reassure Adagio, since among the three she seemed to be the only one with that defensive posture still active.
But if she knew anything about being proud (and boy did she), Adagio would take offense to the action, whatever the intent. Pity didn't do anypony any good, and in that at least she was reasonably sure she and the siren had common ground.
“Yes, Princess...” Adagio managed to layer a measure of scorn Sunset was previously unaware was possible on the title, “...What will you do with us? Somehow I doubt you'll just let us just wander upstream wherever we please when we go back.”
Twilight was silent a moment before responding. “No, I won't. I can put you up in my castle for a little bit while we figure out what we can do. I don't know what will happen when we go back to the other side.” She straightened up, an inquisitive look on her face. “Now then. Your native forms are the...scaly creatures we saw back during the band battle, right? How large would you say you are?”
“Not much larger than the average pony, as memory serves. Perhaps a large stallion would be a good comparison?” Aria mused, one hand to her chin. “It's been awhile since last we've actually seen a pony in the flesh, so...” She waved a hand dismissively.
“What if Twilight has a POOL in her castle! Then they could just dive into it and chill out until they could find a BIIIIIIG tank!”
“Pinkie, that's...”
“Hold up, hold up. We can discuss the particulars later. For now let's just...uh, get out of here.” Aria waved her hands with a half-lidded expression. “I'm not really down to spend any more time in this shop of horrors than is strictly necessary.” A fresh round of shuddering agreed with her.
Outside, the assembly quickly found the searing light of summer oppressive with no shade nearby to take cover in. Sunset envied Applejack her hat as the farmer, seemingly untroubled by the heat, spoke.
“Well, that was all we were all needed for, yeah? I guess we call this meetin' adjourned here.” At a raised eyebrow from Rarity, she continued. “I mean, the specifics aren't really anything you or I or any of the rest of us can help with, right? I don't know about you but I do have things to get done back on the farm.”
“We can take it from here, girls.” Sunset assured the others, fanning herself with a hand as she took her jacket off (What had possessed her to wear a heavy faux-leather jacket at the height of summer she had no idea).
“You sure? We could go with you to the portal at least...if only to make sure they play nice until then.” Rainbow glared daggers at nearby Sonata, who seemed more concerned with trying to keep herself cool than actually answering any perceived challenge.
“Please. We might not be in top form, but you couldn't take us on a good day, Rainbrat.” Adagio sneered, clearly unimpressed.
“YOU WANNA TRY ME, CREAM PUFF?!”
“Alright, break it up. You'll never see each other again after this, Rainbow. Relax.” Sunset stepped in, hands on either side. “And you: dial it back. We literally just decided to help you, don't give us a reason to change our minds.”
Rainbow reluctantly lowered her fists as the siren sniffed and turned away. The unicorn grimaced. This was fine. She could handle this. They only had to...what did they have to do? She folded her arms, brow furrowed.
“Twilight, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure, Sunset. What's the matter?”
She pulled the alicorn closer and whispered, “Are we gonna go back right now right now?”
“I mean, I planned on that, if that's what you're asking. You said it, they're living on borrowed time as is.”
“Okay Twi, but do you have any kind of plan for what happens once we go through the portal?”
Twilight frowned. “If you mean how are we gonna take care of the sirens, then I'm thinking about it, yes.”
“I see you've already assumed I'm in on these shenanigans.” Sunset observed wryly.
“I have! I...I might not be able to handle this alone, Sunset. Please?” The pleading tone in her voice made Sunset's heart ache.
“Joking, Twi. I guess if we're gonna do it, let's--”
They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat loudly, making them turn about simultaneously. Aria seemed to be the culprit, the phantom smile lurking at the corners of her mouth once more.
“If you two are done with your cloak and dagger,” Adagio spoke airily, “shall we make for your portal?”
Sunset gave her the stinkeye as she turned to her friends. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. Uh, again. I was hoping we could spend a little more time together...” She was taken aback when the native Twilight took her hand, a doleful expression on her face.
“I-it's my turn to take your journal, so...I'll write later this evening, alright?”
“R-right. I'll be waiting for it.”
She looked past the spectacled girl to the others, each of them looking at her with concerned expressions (with the usual exception of Pinkie Pie, who seemed quite cheery). “Guys. We'll be fine. Don't look so down. I'll send word once we've got everything settled, okay?” The uneasy nods that answered her didn't do much for her mood. As she released Twilight and turned back to the Dazzlings, she found a trepidation of her own blooming in her chest. How much trouble would these three be...?
“Fluttershy, do you have the journal with you right now?” Twilight's voice broke into her thoughts.
“Oh! A-ah, yes. I brought it with me in case Sunset needed it back...” The demure girl produced the tome from her bag, handing it off to the alicorn, who promptly handed it off to Sunset.
“Write a note for Spike, please? You're faster than I am.”
“Also, I don't write with my lips so my writing is legible!”
“Sunset!”
Sunset snickered as she opened the book, noting a convenient pen used to mark the current page. “Alright, Princess. What do you want said?”
Twilight raised a hand, taking a deep breath before beginning in her best didactic voice:
“Dear Spike, we've come upon a change of plans and we need to come back through the portal. We're bringing...” She stopped, considering. “We're bringing the Dazzlings with us, so please be ready for five.”
Sunset closed the book, the contents buzzing slightly as the message went cross-dimensional. “Just gonna rip that bandage right off, huh?”
Twilight smiled sheepishly. “He'd know as soon as we came through anyway. We might as well tell him ahead of time so he has time to ready himself.”
“Fair enough.” Sunset nodded, handing the journal back to Fluttershy, who in turn passed it to 'Sci-Twi' (the unicorn privately felt Dash's assigned nickname was a bit demeaning, even if it was admittedly accurate). She lavender skinned girl took the volume gingerly, as though it were something delicate that needed careful handling even as she stared at Sunset with a mournful expression.
Sunset gave her a winning smile in return, but the confidence didn't quite reach her mind.
Spike, assistant extraordinaire to Twilight Sparkle, Hero of the Crystal Empire, Ponyville's resident dragon and all-around cool dude found to his irritation that his pillow was making an unpleasant buzzing sound, rousing him from a sleep that had only just gotten comfortable. He stretched, noting with a combination of annoyance and amusement that his basket felt strangely cramped; he'd have to ask Twilight to measure him again when she got back.
Speaking of Twilight, he thought to himself....from beneath his pillow he pulled the unwieldy tome bearing the golden sun of Princess Celestia. A dull glow issued from between the pages, signifying a message to read. But why would she send a message at this hour...? He blinked as the thoughts arranged themselves: There might be some kind of time difference, like how when he sent mail from the Crystal Empire to the Princess he had to be mindful it wasn't too late in the day. Spike quirked his brow as he supposed also that it could just be something very important; it was good he kept the journal nearby when he slept! He would make a point to reward himself for his foresight later (ideally when Twilight wasn't looking) as he clambered out of his sleeping spot to find a lantern.
He found a candle first, and with a soft breath from the dragon whelp it cast a briefly emerald and then orange glow on the pages as he blinked at the change in lighting. He frowned as the words became clear on the page.
...They wanted to do WHAT?
Spike put claw to chin, brow furrowed. What could Twilight be thinking? What would Princess Celestia say--wait a moment, he realized. Princess Celestia didn't even know that Twilight had gone to the other side, or if she did she'd sent no word of it good or ill to him.
Spike paused. Twilight wouldn't do something like this without consulting the Princess, or at least reasoning that it was what she would do. If there was one thing about his elder 'sister' he could count on it was that she modeled her actions on the solar diarch's when it came to weighty decisions (sometimes even when she couldn't make it stick). Alternatively, that she got incredibly upset when things were misfiled in the library.
Either way, Princess Celestia would want to know; he'd apologize to Twilight later if he had to. Grabbing a nearby quill and inkwell, he scribed a quick note down and blew a flicker of heat across it, the parchment disintegrating and flowing away through the window. Conjuration breath was the best kind of mail, Spike decided. Literally, there could be no cooler way to send and receive postage.
Alright, that was one thing done; had to get that portal open now. He hopped down from his stool and barely made it out the door before a queasy upwelling in his stomach prompted a burp, which produced a scrap of parchment seemingly hastily torn from a larger scroll
Spike grimaced, grabbing it from the air. Celestia's normally immaculately flowing script looked rushed and sloppy; it read “I'll be there soon.”
A cold lump formed in Spike's stomach. Uh oh. He knew those sorts of notes. He might be doing more than apologizing later.
“I better get that door open...” he muttered aloud as he scrambled for the portal machine.
The Wondercolt stood impassively in the searing heat before Canterlot High, the school grounds now empty for the sake of taking shelter from the sun. Sunset could feel sweat starting to dampen her clothes and privately determined that whatever the mirror would do to her this time would be worth being able to cast a local temperature cantrip again (a talent she hadn't known she missed so much before her sabbatical in Equestria). The Dazzlings seemed to be doing even worse, which made a backward sort of sense if one considered their true nature as sea creatures (though what that meant for their human forms was a mystery to the unicorn).
“Alright. I'll go through first, as soon as we're sure it's working. After that the Dazzlings can come in whatever order they feel like, and Sunset, you'll be last.” Twilight really did have a gift for directing ponies, she mused. She sounded like a team captain, or a supervisor. Given that she was a Princess this probably shouldn't have stood out to Sunset but at the same time, Twilight was also very hard on herself and constantly stressing over relatively minor details. In Sunset's experience, leadership required a certain ability to make decisions on the run, and Twilight rarely seemed able to do so. Still, she had 'earned her wings' so to speak, so there must have been something there.
Sunset shrugged to herself as the rest of her party arrayed themselves before the glass, itself giving off an unpleasantly strong heat.
“So you mean to tell me that our ticket back to Equestria has always been this mirror?” Aria wondered aloud, a certain mirth in her voice.
“Yes. At our discretion, anyway.” Sunset amended, personally deciding that the sirens probably didn't need to know about the thirty moons clause.
“Hah...now that's irony.” the violet Dazzling smiled, tired, sunken eyes doing nothing to disguise the glint of dry humor in them.
Sunset went to ask about the irony just as the portal flashed, a gleam of light passing over it unnaturally quickly. Their images swam for a moment as the door stabilized, like a pond where the ripples had died.
Twilight nodded and took a bracing breath. “Okay, looks good. Any questions before we go through? They'll have to be short ones.”
“It really was that easy? No tricks, no ritual? No tearing apart the fabric of reality to forcibly thread a needle through a nightmarish hellscape of unrivaled horror and depravity where space and time are at best suggestions? NO ASTRONOMICAN?” Sonata exclaimed. Sunset briefly wondered what movies she'd watched recently, but decided she could ask later.
Aria sighed and pushed her comrade forward. “You first, fluffwit.”
“What? Why me? I don't wanna go first. It looks icky...” The blue haired girl shivered, staring at the quietly menacing glass.
Adagio turned to Sunset and Twilight and stared at them pointedly. “I know you won't let us go completely freely, but this isn't some kind of trap, right? You're not going to just clap us in chains and throw us in a cell, are you? After everything we've been through...” She paused, vulnerability briefly breaking through her facade.
The pair glanced at one another. A silent communique passed between them, and Sunset spoke.
“We promise. We can't just let you go, but we're not going to put you behind bars. You have our word.”
Adagio peered at the pair closely...but seemed to find what she wanted, a proud smile back on her face. “Good. Let's get this over with; it's entirely too hot here.”
Mutual nods of agreement came from Sunset and Twilight as the latter stepped for the portal. “Alright, you three. Follow after me.” And with a disturbing, metallic keening, she was gone, the surface rippling only slightly before settling behind her.
“Wow, that is kinda icky.” Aria noted with a grimace before shoving Sonata forward. The blue siren fell with a cry into the door, and in a flash she too was gone. “See you on the other side, 'Dagi.” One more ripple, and another Dazzling through.
Adagio stepped to the mirror, placing her hand on the surface and recoiling with a shiver of disgust. “This sensation is...eugh.” She glanced at Sunset one more time before nodding, squeezing her eyes shut and striding forward.
“And then there was one.” Sunset muttered to herself, looking about one more time for observers before walking to the glass. She hesitated, the memory of her trip through only yesterday fresh in her mind. Nothing for it but to get it over with, she mused, and stepped into just the sort of hellish pandemonium Sonata had described.
Sunset tumbled through the other side to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes as a gasp of pain escaped her lungs. The cool sensation of stone on her cheek helped to calm her down and bring her out of the near sensory overload, giving her a moment to breathe before she heard a voice clearing her throat above her.
She twisted around and stared up, surprise rendering her dull as she stared at the impassive, stony face of Princess Celestia.
“P-Princess? What are--why are you here?” Sunset stuttered, scrambling to her hooves as she cast around the library. There was Twilight, a miserable expression on her face. Flanking her were two guards in full armor, and behind them three globes hovered, each the size of a melon with a misty substance swirling within. Spike was standing by the doorway, slumped and guilty.
“...Are you hurt, Sunset?” Celestia's voice seemed kind, but there was a subtle edge to it, as though concern was fighting with ire.
“N-no...what's going on? What happened to--”
“The sirens you two brought back from exile are currently being held in detainment until further notice.” The eldest Princess's gaze bore down on the unicorn, making her feel small, bringing to mind every single transgression against even minor rules she'd ever made. She seemed to take up the entire grand library, her presence filling every gap, shadows cast by her mane's radiance somehow abyssal. “We have much to discuss, Sunset Shimmer.”
Oh boy. Full-name ultimatums.
“Please sit down. You too, Twilight.” Celestia settled down across the largest table in the room, the furniture still laughably small for her as her mane whipped around her face in a phantom wind. She remained quiet as the lavender alicorn took up a spot next to Sunset, sweat on her brow as the princess seemed to bore holes into them with her eyes alone. A part of the unicorn's mind flared up indignantly; she was a grown mare and didn't deserve to be treated like some errant schoolfilly. She scowled at the diarch; the urge to rail against her was strong, but even as she considered it a powerful guilt nagged at its heels. Did she really have any place contradicting--
“Now then,” Celestia interrupted her thoughts. “Will you tell me what happened?” Phrased as a question, spoken as a command.
“We...the Dazzlings approached us while we were on the other side of the mirror. They needed help. They were dying. Since we'd broken their pendants, they couldn't get the energy they needed to survive.” Twilight spoke, her voice tentative, as though she were slowly feeling out the appropriate path to take in the conversation. Sunset bristled in her seat at the implication that they needed to. “We decided that they needed to be helped. It was...the right thing to do.”
“Anything to add, Sunset?” The alicorn's eyes settled on her, inscrutable and featureless.
“No. That sums it up well enough.” Sunset kept her tone carefully neutral, but she couldn't disguise the beginnings of a glower on her face. Celestia's gaze lingered on her for a moment before returning to Twilight.
“Why were you on the other side to begin with?”
“I...I...” The youngest princess faltered; another surge of resentful anger bloomed in Sunset's chest.
“Does she need your permission to visit friends?”
The Princess glanced at Sunset, her eyes widening only slightly in surprise for the briefest moment before settling into the unreadable neutral once more. “Twilight can speak for herself. Moreover, as a Princess of the realm a sudden absence from which there is always the potential she might not return safely is of paramount importance and concern. If she's to leave, the other rulers of this land need to know.” Her voice carried an icy calm as she finished, turning back to her student. “Twilight Sparkle is more than just herself now, for better or for worse. She would do well to remember that.”
Twilight seemed to wilt, despondent as she crumbled in her seat. Celestia continued, apparently unaware or unconcerned with the lavender mare as she addressed the other student. “Don't think I can't see how angry you are. Say your piece.”
“My piece? You're treating us like foals who've broken a window!” Sunset snarled, the venom in her tone almost taking her by surprise. “We found ponies who needed help, and we decided to help them! It was the right thing to do!”
“You did 'the right thing', knowingly bringing back to our nation a trio of known troublemakers and sources of disharmony and conflict and putting the populace at risk?” Celestia queried, the dryness in her voice making the unicorn even angrier.
“It wasn't like we were going to let them roam wherever they wanted!”
“Were they going to stay here, then? In Ponyville, a provincial town with only one small body of water? In Twilight's home, perhaps after installing a pool?” There was a note of humor in the alicorn's words, serving only to fan Sunset's rage.
“We would've figured something out!”
“Sunset, please. Enough.” The mirth was gone, replaced by a dismissive tone; the Princess had shifted into finality. “The fact of it is, you two have endangered our nation without the input of or even bothering to notify either of the other leaders of Equestria, namely my sister and I. You might have had the best intentions, but the safety of my little ponies comes before all else.” She nodded to her guards, who snapped a salute and turned to go, but not before sparing Twilight a sympathetic glance. With them went the three swirling spheres, which must have contained the sirens. Sunset wasn't certain, but she could feel eyes peering at her from them. They seemed accusing.
“For what it's worth, though...” Celestia's entire demeanor changed, the quiet menace gone, replaced by a warm (if tired) affection. “...I'm proud of you both.”
The pair looked up, surprise on their faces.
“You shouldn't have brought them here without consulting us first, that much is true. It wasn't your decision alone to make, least of all you, Sunset.” The unicorn folded her forelimbs in response, scowl on her face. “But when you were faced with three creatures that truly needed help, you still went out of your way to do so. They were your enemies, and could threaten your home and people, but you still helped them.” She smiled as she finished. “I'm glad you did. It was a hard choice to make, but you erred on the side of mercy. I would expect no less from you.”
“...what's gonna happen to the sirens?” Twilight asked, confused.
“I'm taking them to...a more secure location.” Celestia's smile turned wan as she answered. “Make no mistake, I don't plan on dumping them in a cell to rot. Or sending them to the moon, which is a thing I'm told ponies fear I do on a regular basis.” She shook her head, perplexed at the notion. “We will treat the sirens and place them on observation while we decide what to do with them, have a proper dialogue on how we proceed.”
Sunset frowned. “We just promised we wouldn't just put them in cages...”
The Princess fixed her with another stare. “That may be, but it was a promise you made without any kind of weight or authority, Sunset Shimmer. You can apologize to them yourselves in the future for your lack of foresight.” The amber mare looked away, chagrin creeping up on her as Celestia continued. “I will send word once we have a time and date set to convene to work this matter out. For now, it's far too early for me to be up and about, though I expect Luna will be pleasantly surprised to find me awake, if she's not still roaming herself. Have a good night, you two.”
“W-wait!” Twilight exclaimed. “We promised, Princess! We can't just--”
“Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia cut her off, voice stern. “We're done discussing this tonight.” She paused, eyes softening at the sudden shock and misery on the young alicorn's face, tears at the corners of her eyes. “...Get some sleep, Twilight. We can talk about this when we're all more rested and less...heated. Good bye.” And with that, she turned to go, her always faithful personal guards walking alongside as she left the library.
Sunset watched her go, scowl rapidly morphing into a rictus of pure anger. As soon as she heard the double-doors of the castle close she roared, a torrent of cyan magic picking up and hurling loose books, stools and chairs with a tempestuous din in all directions. Light filled the library and refracted from the stone walls, creating a chaotic flash that only really served to blind Sunset momentarily, interrupting her tantrum. Twilight jumped in surprise, despondency giving way to alarm as she covered her head with her hooves on the floor. Spike made an impressive sliding dive for the table with an alarmed cry.
As the dust started to settle, the unicorn blinked rapidly, trying to get her eyes to readjust more quickly as she heaved breaths in barely suppressed fury.
“S-Sunset...” Twilight's eyes appeared over the edge of the table, timidly checking to make sure she wasn't about to explode again. The amber mare's heart sank; she had done it again. Twice in one day?
“So much for self-control,” she mused aloud bitterly, turning away from her host, falling on her rump and heaving a sigh. She cast her eyes about, surveying the damage; mostly superficial, she judged. A few scattered books, papers that would need swept, a broken stool, a chip in one of the walls... “I'll clean this up. Let me just--”
“Let me help, at least.” Spike crawled out from under the table, sheepish. “I'm sorry, guys. I didn't expect her to come in like that all menacing and...uh, princess-y.” He shrugged at the look Sunset gave him. “She just scooped up the sirens (weird-looking, by the way) in those spheres like they were dolls before I knew what was happening.”
“Why did you tell her what we were doing, anyway?” Sunset queried, annoyed.
“You didn't specify not to, and it seemed like the sort of thing she'd want to know about.” Spike frowned as he began picking up scattered books. “Even if you had, you gotta admit it would seem pretty bad when she found out. She would've found out sooner or later, Sunset. Probably the former, if we're being honest.” He looked at her pointedly as he placed the stack of books on a nearby desk.
Sunset gaped. “Okay, yeah that might seem kinda bad, but we were gonna handle it. Uh, somehow. Still no call to come here and treat us like little foals. She lets Discord, legendary spirit of chaos, roam free and we get chewed out for bringing a trio of comparative annoyances back? Twilight's supposed to be her equal, at least. She can't just...talk to her like a kid like that. Can she?”
Spike stopped and made a moue, nodding. “I mean, when you put it like that it seems unreasonable, but she's Twilight's senior by like a bajillion years so I guess she can? I'unno.” He shrugged. “Was that your plan, anyway? Try to reform them or something?”
“I mean...sorta?” Sunset rubbed the back of her head, looking away from the dragon whelp. “They didn't really seem interested in 'reforming' per se, but...alright, so we were making it up on the run, but still.” She blinked. “Don't tell me you've never done it.”
“I can honestly say I've never attempted to redeem a former villain on the run with no plan.”
“That's not what I--UGH.” Sunset threw up her hooves and began collecting debris and rearranging the still intact furniture into neat piles for repairs, channeling frustration into work. She spared a glance at Twilight, who sat, head bowed in silence. A small seed of guilt gnawed at her at the sight. “...Twilight? Are you gonna be okay?”
The alicorn turned to the amber mare with the most obviously false smile she'd ever seen, making Sunset's heart jump to her throat. “I'm...I'm fine. I'll be fine.” She paused, and looked at Spike. “I'm sorry, Sunset, Spike. I'm going to bed. I'll make it up to you, I promise.” The dragon nodded in understanding as she walked sedately from the library, silent as she went.
Sunset watched her go, a hoof out to follow. She turned to her companion. “What happened? She's acting like this is the first time she's ever been scolded by the Princess.”
Spike tapped his chin as he answered grimly, “Every time Princess Celestia chides Twilight, she gets that way. I'm told the first time she she repeatedly ignored warnings not to stay up all night reading and Celestia reprimanded her, she spent hours in her room wailing that the Princess was going to send her away and that she was a bad pony. I was just a baby then, so I don't remember it, but I sure believe it.”
“You're kidding.”
“I wish I were.” Spike sighed as he grabbed a broom from the nearest closet. “You gotta understand, Sunset. Princess Celestia was, for a long time, Twilight's entire world. Her everything was about making the Princess proud. She's gotten a lot better since we moved to Ponyville, but...” He shrugged. “Well, there it is. Just give her a little time. She might be glum for the next few days, but she'll get over it. Believe me when I say she isn't going to listen to any amount of reassurance from me.”
Sunset hesitated. “If you say so.”
She resumed cleaning, but her attention was elsewhere for the rest of the night.
I love how Celestia's first real counter-point is to emphasize Twilight's importance as a Princess and leader of Equestria, then follow up each and every point with an undertone of how Celestia is clearly her superior and should be deferred to in all matters. Seems like changing relationship dynamics don't change.
I think Celestia deserves real chastisement. What does she even know about the sirens and HOW LONG has it been? She didn't exactly rush to clap Nightmare Moon in chains when she returned? Now, to be fair, we don't know what NMM actually did besides directly attempting to take out Celestia and/or usurp the throne, but there was clearly something fear worthy like say actually putting her plans for endless night in motion. What's more is that she abuses Twilight for not acting "like a Princess" and then treats her like a child who did something she shouldn't have done and/or was told not to do. You can't hold someone to a standard and simultaneously not grant them the rights and privileges thereof and somehow claim that you are being fair. And then to claim that they did the right thing (Twilight and Sunset), but she should lock them up for past offenses that no-one remembers and the vague potential for harm, without even talking to them.
Also, Celestia was notified even if Twilight and Sunset didn't do so specifically. Do they notify Twilight when they do something or know something that might endanger the country? I think not.
I was kinda hoping that Sunset would smack Celestia upside the head for whatever it's worth. Heck they haven't even had that chat she promised yet.
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Ironically, Princess Celestia is acting almost as rashly and inappropriately as she claims that Twilight is. Excuse while I just indefinitely lock up the creatures you brought back because they were dying.
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Changeing relationship dynamics isn't an instant thing. Twilight is still her junior and Celestia has had to make hard choices in the past. SO their relationships in't simple or completely one of equals. Also Twilight did make a decision that effect all of Equestria with out consulting her fellow princesses, if Twilight is to be the Equal of Celestia and Luna they need to make important calls as a team. Celestia did however make it clear she thought Twilight made the wrong choice, for the right reason.
Again I have to object. Twilight is royalty. She absolutely should have the authority to make an agreement like that. The location she was bringing them to is her property, possibly even considered her demesne. And I'm pretty sure Celestia has named her a peer in the show. If Celestia was queen this might make sense. She's not. She shares authority.
7167176 In theory, Celestia refers to herself as "Princess" most likely as others have written, so as to not alienate her sister, and to not take a singular royal title, putting herself above a sister who has already had confidence and self-assurance issues about her place in the world and her worth as a pony. That said, however, she was the absolute ruler in all but name for at least a thousand years. She would have gotten very used to having everything her own way.
Now, suddenly, she not only gets her sister back, but within a couple of years, her latest student becomes an alicorn, and her last student apparently follows in Twilight's hoofsteps and becomes an alicorn herself. Not to mention Cadence. Even though she's nominally one among equals, she's still got a thousand years of totally autocratic rule to fall back on, and a lifetime of expectation that her opinion is the only one that matters.
Maybe her reaction was too much. Maybe someone needs to sit her down and get her to admit that she needs to work on her people skills, as well as the concept of "equal sharing means equal sharing." But no matter how intelligent or wise she may or may not be, it's not unreasonable for her to not realize she's behaving like a Queen instead of a Princess. Odds are, she'll keep behaving like that around the others until someone gets mad enough to call her on it. The problem is that it won't help if it's Sunset. She's already too used to blocking out Sunset's "angry voice." So even if Sunset realizes Celestia needs to share more, she likely won't be able to make the point herself.
Ironically, this could be a good thing for Sunset. If she realizes she has the answer, but Celestia won't listen to her because of past history, then maybe instead of confronting the problem head-on (like she prefers, and usually with violent responses,) maybe she needs to make a plan, and find someone she can "position" to make the point to Celestia without it having to be her. No matter how it turns out, the fact that Sunset tried that hard to make Celestia consider Sunset's point of view will likely punch through the ingrained behavior and make Celestia actually consider the younger pony's position.
atm im waiting for sunset to snap at celestia and say im done with you
7166909
Re: Romance: I'm working on smoothing it out some, definitely. This is the first story I've written where it's meant to be a focus, so I hope you'll bear with me as we go. Onward and upward, hopefully!
7169072 Two reasons: First and most frankly, I don't like her or how she was handled in the show. The writers took a fantastic villain that made me worry for the heroes like none that came before her and gave her what was in my opinion an incredibly unsatisfactory Freudian excuse and backstory. Hence, the AU tag . She may not appear in this story at all, and the only ideas I have for her are difficult for me to execute with the level of skill I have (not that lacking skill has stopped me before bahahahah)
7168277 I hope you enjoy the rest of it moving forward; it's a labor of love and I'm trying to improve as I go. As ever, constructive critique is helpful!
To build upon what has been said by all commentators thus far (and I value each and every comment, make no mistake):
I'm gonna be going over older chapters with the benefit of hindsight and clear critique and tidying up things from a formatting perspective (nyeh heh). I'll also be doing some MINOR revisions as I go. I repeat, MINOR. The important bits of the story will NOT be changing, just word choice and little structural things. If you've already read up to this point, then you need not worry you're missing anything.
You know, if you think about it, does Celestia really have any right to be mad that the Sirens were returned to Equestria? We were told that, however many years ago, the solution to the Sirens was "Let's dump them into another dimension where they can be someone else's problem." Shouldn't that other dimension (as represented by the Rainbooms and Sci-Twi) have the right to say "You know what? Here's your problem back at you... next time, find somewhere else to dump your trash."
I'm almost surprised angry Sunset didn't throw that back in Celestia's face.
To be honest both sides had points during the argument and I could see where they were coming from. It helps that Celestia is only planning a temporary imprisonment of the sirens instead of letting them rot in a dungeon. Looking forward to whatever happens next.
7169930 Wow okay, I did not remember that detail. Now, I'm rather disappointed that it wasn't brought up again and I kind of hope someone (somepony? All this interdimensional travel is scrambling my brain) at least acknowledges it.
In other news, I'm super happy that this story updated again and I enjoyed the chapter. I look forward to the next one!
Perhaps this will get us back on to the original point of the story, but concluding this subplot like this leaves some interesting room for the Sunset/Twilight dynamic to explore. Twilight and Sunset's reactions to being admonished by Celestia form an interesting point of comparison. Twilight hates to disappoint her mentor, but Sunset isn't willing to take this perceived insult standing, no matter how correct Celestia may be. And although Twilight may be her equal, it's true that Twilight's decision lacked forethought and could very well have been dangerous. If you decide to pursue it further, comparing and contrasting the ways the Twilight and Sunset react to Celestia could be really interesting, especially in the context of their growing relationship. Excited to see where this leads, although making a plan for the story from here on out would be highly recommended.
7182565
Eh. Okay.
That's kind of a lame background story in my opinion, not to mention major abuse of power by Starswirl.
In any case, I can never remember if the comics are considered canon to the show or not. I feel like they might not be, but I recall there being some kind of official statement. Also, this story does have an AU tag, so that might not be relevant regardless.
7183570 I treat the comics as elastic-canon for the purposes of the this story. The AU tag is a wonderful little gray bar that lets me cherry-pick the interesting bits from the existing narratives and leave behind things I don't consider good storytelling or interesting. Authorship is awesome like that; you get to be a god of your own little realm (to a point anyway).
In any case, the comics sometimes have good bones hidden inside, so I look to them for seeds, rather than cleaving to them specifically. I may explore the story of the Sirens in a later chapter (or perhaps another story altogether), but for now that Starswirl banished them because they represented a threat is the only real exposition that's strictly necessary.
7183623
That's not my definition of AU, which I think reasonable to be certain. AU, to me, means that your story deviates beyond some relatively fixed point in canon (e.g. Nightmare Moon not defeated by Twilight Sparkle + Friends) and then moves along to the logical conclusions. It does not generally mean that you took a whole storyline, indiscriminately crossed out events you disliked/didn't want, and then just continued the story as usual minus those things. I'd call that sloppy.
That's my least favorite part about the comics. I like continuity and sensible stuff. Not that they aren't fun to read, but I don't really think of them as canon in general. I'd rather read novels, even relatively short ones. Of course, comics are a bit easier to sell to kids and don't require the same degree of reading skill or imagination.
P.S.
I have yet to read the exact details of the results of the Sirens' attempts at music making in Canterlot, although the second MLP comic bundle has provided me with a means. I stand by my opinion that Starswirl's actions were probably an abuse of power.
It does seem like it's falling apart as you follow with this plotline, so yeah, careful planning can be quite helpful at times.
Holy shit all these people complaining about Celestia who was the most sane and rational character in this chapter. The Sirens were a hugethreat to Equestria. Bringing them back without warning the senior rulers of Equestria, no matter if Twilight is royalty or not, constitutes a massive breach of trust and question of judgement. Twilight may -also- be a princess but she is an absolute rookie who is still learning the ropes, you don't hand someone a crown and say "Okay you're just as qualified as the person who's been doing this for thousands of years, you twenty-something you."
Fuck people, dial it back. Celestia handled this well, and moreover, she handled it nicely. Twilight and Sunset essentially committed treason and Celestia not only took over handling the difficult situation for them they aren't equipped to deal with mentally or logistically, but told them she was PROUD of them, while also reminding them they are not in a position where they have the experience and wisdom to make decisions -this- big on their own.
She didn't refer to Twilight as 'Princess' to say "We're equals and you can make your own decisions" then start bashing her or something. She referred to her as 'Princess' to say "You have a responsibility to millions of ponies. Your decisions and actions affect them all, it's not just about how you feel about things personally." Because it's not. Leadership isn't about YOU, it's about what's good for everyone who you're placed in charge of. Twilight has the power of royalty and still thinks of herself purely as an individual, which is dangerous. Because this is her transition period, where she learns what it means to be truly royal. The sacrifice and burden of the mantle of leadership is not something people like those complaining actually understand, they only think that they do.
Celestia handled this better than a human leader would have, and better than almost any other fictional monarch with even the slightest shred of realism. She turned this heinous situation into a teaching moment, and reinforced what she saw was good about it, rather than just punishing them for doing wrong (WHICH THEY DID DO). Stern, loving, forgiving. In a situation where Twilight and Sunset's decision endangered an entire nation, and potentially the whole fucking world.
7186070
AU means Alternate Universe, not "Normal Universe up to some defined point." Alternate Universe can change anything they want, as much or as little as they want. Twilight can be a dude, Sunset could have stayed in Equestria, Nightmare Moon could have won, Twilight Velvet could have been the previous Element of Magic, all of the above, whatever.
As for Comic Canon status, the last I heard (I haven't bothered to check if this changed ever) is that the show is canon with the comics but the comics are not canon with the show. This was said by the head editor of the comics at the time so...
"party to?" You mean *privy?
Like last chapter, one too many "she"
Starting to think you might want a pre-reader, but hey, your mistakes are very minor and very few.I have to say, I imagined something like this scenario. I'm really glad Spike did the right thing here, because tbh I was becoming fairly concerned about Twilight's decision. I mean, she took a matter of Equestrian security to the discretion of her non-Equestrian friends; she's usually more rational than that. Perhaps we'll find out what's got her so distracted here soon.
In any case, I can't help wondering what's going to play out between our dual protagonists in the next little while. I really hope it's something good. I've been dying to see them finally have a proper discussion/confession/romantic time. For Celestia's sake Twilight needs the fuk already
Sunset: "We promised them not to lock them up"
Celestia: "Shut up Sunset, you have no authority, you should've thought about that"
Twilight: "But we promised"
Celestia: "Shut up Twilight, you didn't use your authority under my exact command, even though I told you we are equals"
Twilight: *cowers*
Sunset: "Hey! Twilight-"
Celestia: "Shut up Sunset, even though it's clear that Twilight can barely function under the thought of disappointing me and I just told her what she did was wrong, she can speak for herself. Besides, she can't make any decisions about herself without consulting us because she's a princess, and she can't make any political decisions because she needs to consult us."
Sunset: "But the sirens were dying!"
Celestia: "And? They were banished for their crimes. They might be powerless and served a thousand year banishment, got royal permission to return, and are in the hooves of the only ponies who have handled any villains in the past few years, but it's not safe. Now shut up and we'll talk about this when you agree with me. Now I'm going to talk with Luna. How's Discord by the way?"
Celestia's actions were completely in the wrong here. The validity of her decision on whether the Sirens are dangerous or not is completely irrelevant (and hypocritical due to letting Luna and Discord out without punishment). She tells Twilight she's an equal yet completely shuts her down, denying her any power while at the same time expecting her to keep her informed of her personal life at all times. Then she shuts down everything Sunset says as Sunset having no authority, even though it was Twilight's decision as well...
7640531 Got to agree with this guy.
There is no arguement for Celestia being 'in the right' in this situation. Especially after Twilight, a Princess of Equestria, made a promise and then Celestia broke it. <--- That alone right there, would cripple most agreements and political stands with Equestria and the Princesses, as it shows they do not honor agreements and promises.
Also with Celestia talking down to a fellow princess, someone who is her equal. She even said as much earlier in the story. That also has MAJOR backlash against Celestia as a person and as a Ruler. Especially since she is meant to be kind and loving mother to all, and an equal to the other Princesses.
NOTHING Celestia did was in the right. She didn't even get all the information. She just came in, said they were going to go torture the Sirens till they die a slow and painful death, and just left.
The Astronomicon? Ha! Filthy heretics like you Sirens can't see the light of the God-Emperor!
But you see Celestia, they asked six humans if it was okay to bring a potential threat to pony world! Surely, the high school girls from earth were the only ones that needed to be consulted on this matter
I just hate how Celestia handled this