Equestria's newest alicorn awoke to find herself sprawled out in a pile of blankets that smelled like chickens, with two warm bodies pressed uncomfortably tightly to either side of her. Gingerly opening bleary eyes and wincing as the mother of all headaches assaulted her, Sunset Shimmer gradually took stock of her situation.
Somepony had dumped her, Starlight Glimmer, and Trixie in a wagon full of hay, with smelly blankets under them. "What the—?"
"Awake yet, sugarcube?" Sunset turned to see Applejack staring at her, a broad grin on her face.
Sunset shook her head. "AJ, what the hell—"
"Y'all was takin' a mite longer t' wake up than ever'pony else," Applejack said. "Twilight ain't up t' teleportin' nopony nowhere today, Mrs. Cake needed y'all outta Sugar Cube Corner so they could clean up, an' ever'pony else is busy cleanin' up Ponyville after last night's party got way outta hoof, so..." Applejack rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Twilight said t' jes' dump y'all in a wagon out back until y'all woke up."
Sunset gave her a flat stare. "Seriously?"
Applejack shrugged. "Ain't like nopony else had any better ideas. Weren't really noplace t' put a buncha drunk, silly—"
"Okay, okay, I get it," Sunset said, waving her off with a hoof.
"Ugh," Trixie complained as she woke up. "Where am I and why does it smell like frickin' chickens?" After a pause, she added, in a high, nasal tone, "Whyyyyyy am I in a smelly wagon with Starlight Glimmer and an alicorn I only just met?"
"Well, whatever we did," Sunset said with a smirk, unable to resist, "apparently the chickens didn't survive." At Trixie's horrified and nauseated expression, Sunset burst out laughing. "We passed out drunk at the party," she said. "They tossed us in a wagon out back to get us out of the way."
Trixie blinked at that. "How...considerate," she said sourly. She smacked her lips, then frowned. "Trixie's mouth is dry and tastes like...stale marshmallows..."
"Next time, don't spend all night eating Twilight Sparkle," Sunset said with as straight a face as she could manage.
Trixie glared at her. "Sunset Shimmer, has anypony ever told you you're absolutely demented?"
"It comes up from time to time," Sunset said wryly. With a strained groan, she levered herself out of the wagon, landing behind it on unsteady hooves. Looking around to make sure she had some privacy, she squatted down behind the wagon.
"Sunset Shimmer, what are you—are you peeing back there?!" Trixie shrieked.
"Well I'm damn sure not watering the grass," Sunset said.
"Just...but...UGH! That's disgusting!"
"Yeah, well, I hadda pee really bad, and I don't think I can make it to a toilet," Sunset replied as she trotted out from behind the wagon, using her magic to straighten her mane and tail.
Trixie started to protest, then stopped, frowning. "Fair point," she said as she, too, clambered out of the wagon and found a private spot to relieve her bladder.
"Morning Sunset! Morning Trixie!" Pinkie Pie called out cheerfully as she trotted up to the wagon. "Glad to see you're finally—" She paused, frowning as her nose wrinkled in disgust. "What smells like chickens and pee?"
"SHE DID IT FIRST!" Trixie proclaimed, pointing a hoof at Sunset. Sunset facehoofed.
"Good morning, Pinkie," Sunset said. "That was some party last night."
"Want some covfefe, jefe?" Pinkie Pie asked, offering Sunset a steaming mug. Sunset peered into it, her muzzle wrinkling; it smelled like coffee, only the smell was overpowering and a bit off; whatever it was, it was a murky orange color and looked slightly rancid.
"Uhh...no thanks?" Sunset said, backing away slowly.
Pinkie sighed. "Yeah...nopony ever wants covfefe," she said, carelessly tossing the stuff into the nearest bush.
It shriveled up and died instantly. Sunset stared at it. "Uhh..."
"Should...should we be worried that Starlight's still asleep?" Trixie asked.
"Oh, umm..." Pinkie shuffled her hooves. "I think she like, maybe drank a lot more than you two? So...maybe don't wake her up. I mean, you know what Starlight's first reaction to any situation is..."
Trixie grimaced. "Yes, let's...let's let her sleep."
"So," Sunset said, looking around, "this is Ponyville after an all-night bender, huh?" The town was, frankly, trashed; listless, restless ponies were shuffling around, not saying much to each other as they cleaned up the mess in the streets.
"Yeah, this is why we don't have all-night drunken parties all that often," Pinkie said, her ears pinned back. "I mean, especially not after that one New Year's party where DJ-P0N3 managed to get the whole town stoned on hendrix weed..."
Sunset blinked. "Wow."
Pinkie's ears perked up as the thud of of heavily-shod hooves on dirt road, accompanied by the heavy thump and creaking of a landing chariot, sounded nearby. Her head whipped around, and she espied two white-coated, gold-armored Pegasus Guards approaching, pulling a golden chariot. "Damn. The Hokuten!"
Sunset rubbed her eyes, ears folding down. "Huh? What—"
Pinkie Pie suddenly took off like a shot, calling back over her shoulder, "Don't blame me, blame yourself or Celestia!"
Sunset stared after her. "Uhh...wha—?"
"Your Highness," one of the guards said, drawing Sunset's attention. She turned around, blinking confusedly as she scanned the surrounding area.
"Twilight? I don't...I don't see her anywhere, but—"
"Not Princess Twilight," the other guard said. "You. Princess Celestia sent us to collect you and bring you to Canterlot."
Sunset blinked. "Oh. Umm..." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm...I just woke up and I'm a little hung over and very confused. Why does Princess Celestia want me to come to Canterlot?"
The guards looked at each other uncertainly. "She didn't say," one said. "She only said to bring you to Canterlot, and that you will be free to return to Ponyville at dusk if you desire."
Sunset grimaced. "Uhh..."
"Go ahead, go," Trixie said, waving a hoof. "I'll let everypony know where you went."
"Thanks," Sunset said. She looked herself over, her nose wrinkling. "I'm kind of a mess, though. And...well, I smell like chickens and pee..."
"Her Majesty's summons was urgent," one of the guards said. "You can freshen up at the castle once we arrive."
"Well...okay." Still confused, Sunset climbed into the chariot; a minute later, they were off to Canterlot. Just as they took off, Sunset could see Starlight Glimmer stir from her slumber below.
* * * * *
Upon arriving at Canterlot Castle, Sunset Shimmer was set upon by a trio of maids, who whisked her away for a luxurious lavender bath, a thorough grooming, and fitting for an expensive silk gown. Bewildered, she suffered through it with all the grace and collected poise of a terrier being chased by a Roomba. Halfway through the fitting, Princess Celestia appeared. "Your Highness, what—what's going on here?"
Princess Celestia smiled. "Oh, just a little ceremony in your honor," she said. "Luna told me about the..." She smirked. "Party Ponyville threw you last night. But it just wouldn't do to not give you your proper dues here in Canterlot."
Sunset frowned. "What do you—"
The door opened, and three unicorns trotted in. Sunset's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and it had nothing to do with the copious amounts of booze she'd chugged at the party.
The older of the two stallions had a pale yellow coat; his orange mane, styled in a Trojan mohawk, was shot through with silver and grey, and he'd grown a scrub of silvery-orange beard since Sunset had last seen him. The mare at his side, older than Sunset and with discernible laugh lines, had a burnt orange coat, a short dark red mane, and cream-white hooves.
The younger stallion's coat was almost the same color as Sunset's, but his hooves and a streak along his muzzle were the same cream-white as the older mare's. His bright red mane was wild and forward-swept; a chest-length tuft of beard hung from his chin, and round-rimmed glasses perched atop his muzzle. He wore a dark blue-green cape spangled with stars and fastened with a shiny crystal brooch.
Sunset shook her head in disbelief. "M-mom?! Dad?! Sunburst?!"
Sunburst smiled. "Hey sis," he said. "Been a while, huh?"
Well, I certainly didn't expect that twist at the end.
Hey Sunset! Good luck explaining to Starlight about how the best friend she went crazy because he left her was your brother.
Aaaaand jaw drop from me.
>three week old meme
oh please no, don't turn into that.
I wonder, what if Sunset was part of the reason Sunburst got accepted to the school despite being a bit underpowered and part of why he didn't right was Sunset's disappearence
8296585
Chill. The one and only reason that's there is because I had a stray thought of Pinkie Pie rhyming "covfefe" with "jefe" and thought it was funny.
HOLY CRAP.......Sunburst and Sunset are brother and sister, I did not see that coming at all, I always thought Sunset was an Orphan that Celestia adopted as her daughter.
8296585
He didn't. He parodied it.
I have to admit, none of this surprises me, but I actually did get a laugh at covfefe. Carry on.
Sunset needs a newspaper... and fast!
Old meme alert... you have been warned...
Sunset's family..
8296623
I have seen this same twist, but also one where Sunset is Sunburst's gender flipped duplicate he created as a prom date but became her own pony.
It took me a second to remember what it's from, but the Final Fantasy Tactics reference killed me, especially since it fits in some twisted way (now I'm imagining Sunset Belouve).
No, that's Rarity who's the marshmallow
Yeah, I prefer Sunset being an only child.
But I'll see where this fic takes the idea of her and Sunburst being related.
8296724
What's that story called?
Just curious, but did you envision Sunset and Sunburst as siblings yourself, or did you get the idea from someone else? Because I know of at least one author who used it before you did.
Oh wow,
Also, nice work.
8296789
More than one other story has done it, people keep expecting me to do it...I'll do it here and there, if I feel like it. I mean, it's not the WORST headcanon idea...
8296621
And? It's still the most annoying thing. Think about someone reading this a year from now, it's just random nonsense at that point. Any time I'm reading something and I see memes, it's a big red flag, and I've been enjoying this story too much to not say something when this shows signs of becoming that.
8296816
Hardly. I probably won't use it myself, but I rather like it.
8296825
Because works of fiction should never reference things that readers won't understand years down the road, right?
Aaaand now the family shows up. And Sunset has to explain her way out of a mess roughly the size of Kentucky.
8296890
it's generally bad form to include things with fleeting relevance, yes. There's a difference between "this is so standard I can't imagine someone not understanding it" and "this is so fleeting it'll be a dead joke in a week and forgotten in a month". You know which this is. Sure, you read things like Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and see references to things that simply aren't common knowledge anymore, but that's because the nature of the world has fundamentally changed in a way he couldn't reasonably have predicted, not because he wrote about things with no relevance whatsoever.
I do appreciate your leading question to try and lay a trap about how MLP isn't going to be relevant forever though. A plus recognition that yes, this is a relatively fleeting topic. not nearly so fleeting as a meme though.
8296585
Your profile pic is weapons grade adorable.
Damn Twilight.
I adore Sunset here, I truly do.
Ah, this again.
I dunno, the fic you wrote got a decent reaction.
Wow.
What did you do?
You worry me.
Dun Dun Duuun!
This will be an interesting family reunion. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of Sunset and Sunburst being siblings, but I admit it can work if done right; and you do a lot of ideas right.
-"Now that you have a hangover, smell like piss, and are utterly confused, let's re-introduce you to your family that last heard you were dead"
fukn biatch
obligational.
~best part off bacon up,
is covfefe in your cup!~
Well she's probably not going to be the Princess of Class, or Princess of Propriety at least.
8296825
At least in this case in a few years it'll just look like Pinkie being silly with rhymes. I'd rather it not be a thing, but it got a slight chuckle and didn't hurt the rest of the story.
8296772
It is called the Sunsplit series by Masterweaver. 4 stories and counting.
Here's the link to the first story.
I should be surprised that you went with the Sunset is Sunburst's older sister fanon...but really, I don't care one way or the other unless you explain it poorly.
8297351
Well, in the "blooper" reel for Rainbow Rocks, it shows Pinkie swapping places with human Pinkie, and winking at the camera.
I'd argue that the covfefe comment kinda proves that the Pinkie currently in Ponyville is Sunset's friend. If so, and Sunset gets enough brain cells working to figure it out, I can see a very panicky conversation in her future.
Ah, the joys of the hangover. Never experienced one myself, but the stories I've heard...anyway, Sunset's got some explaining to do.
So, how many tanning booths, bankruptcy filings, and/or radioactive materials go into making covfefe?
In any case, this reunion should be quite a sight to see.
I love the 'Sunset and Sunburst are siblings' fanon, and kinda hope it'd be made actual canon.
I am not at all surprised that Sunburst is Sunset's brother. Mostly because that's a very popular head canon going around
Well, nice to see you're for that headcanon idea regarding Sunset and Sunburst. I can only imagine what'll happen when Sunset and Starlight realize the other connection they have besides being former villains. How exactly do you plan to explain why they didn't know that beforehand?
Btw, do you intend to have Sunset try to get her brother with a certain unicorn?
8299792
Hahahah, you actually think I plan these things out that far ahead of time. That's adorable!
OTOH, covfefe does wake you up: enough of it and you'll have trouble sleeping for days.
8333555
Yeah, what the hell is 'covfefe'? Apparently it's got something to do with Donald Trumpet, but...I'm Australian, not American, and I don't care about politics whatsoever.
Or social media.
I wonder if Hasbro will ever make Sunburst & Sunset being siblings be canon so that those who think of them as such in their own head canon can be happy about it.
Brilliant!
I see what you did there with covfefe
covfefe :The mighty and terrible god of internet typos. The mysterious and all-knowing overlord of the Twitter trolls, and Pepe is his prophet. On this the 30th day of May, he was summoned by the orange king to begin his reign of terror over the lawless wasteland of cyberspace. And it shall be that no blogger, no profile, no Twitter egg shall know peace in the hereafter until they have bowed in reverence and fear at the glorious might of Covfefe.
Got to love those FFT references. Good job, got a great laugh out of me.
8360334
Here you go. All about Covfefe.
8612039
.......I DONT GET IT!
8693191
What's not to get from the KnowYourMeme thing? It started as a typo, was then transformed into a memed pun for coffee, cocaine (the top two puns). And Trump after deleted it, turned around and left a troll comment. But in Mythril Moth's usage of it, it's usually for coffee.
I would love to hear three drunk poners singing a sad ballad about a potato while enjoying a hot cup of covfefe.
8711322
I'd love to snuggle with 3 drunk mares singing a sad ballad about a potato ... Then post it up on YouTube.
WOTL? nice