Chapter Three - Kindness is It's Own Reward
“Okay, let me make sure I understand all of this.” Sunrunner flashed her coltfriend an incredulous look as she repeated, “They all thought that Zecora had cursed them, just because she’d said something to them that sounded vaguely like a threat? No wonder she only comes into town once a month.”
“Hey, don’t be too harsh on them. Twilight was the longest holdout on that, even if she eventually gave in to everypony else’s hysteria.” Quiver frowned, unhappy at painting his friends in a negative light. “As for the rest, they were less afraid of Zecora because she was a zebra and more afraid of her because she lives out in the Everfree. They’ve warmed up to her quite a bit since then.”
The pegasus made a rueful expression. “Still, stuff like that’s probably why you shouldn’t meet your heroes. Nopony’s perfect.”
“Yeah, but they admit to it, and try to be better.” Quiver smiled. “That’s all you can ask for in anypony, really.”
A nod as the three continued along. “So, I’m guessing Sour hasn’t met her yet, but what about you, Quivs?”
“I’ve seen her once or twice, but we haven’t really interacted much.” The stallion managed a regretful look as he admitted, “What can I say? I’m still getting over being my shy little self.”
The pegasus smiled. “You’re better at it than you used to be. Anyway, is there anything I should know about the next pony we’re going to meet?” At Sour’s smirk, she rolled her eyes. “Or I’m going to meet. Whichever.”
Quiver laughed as the three approached a lone cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, the surroundings making it look as if it came out of a story book. “Only that Fluttershy’s one of the sweetest ponies in the world. You’ll love her.”
The sounds of something very large thrashing about caught their attention, and the trio made a mad dash to the other side of the cottage to find Fluttershy seemingly locked in combat with a full-grown bear, her rear hooves firmly planted on his back and her forehooves looped around his arms as she applied pressure with all her might. Exertion was on the mare’s face and a snarl on the bear’s, and it looked like she wasn’t just in a fight with the bear, but winning, before the snarl faded from the bear’s muzzle and he contentedly moaned in relief.
“Whew! Feeling better, Harry?” The bear nodded and let out a pleased growl as Fluttershy climbed off his back. “Well you be careful about where you sleep from now on. It’s getting harder and harder to work out the kinks in your back.” As her animal friend settled himself into a sitting position, she noticed her guests. “Oh! I’m sorry I didn’t notice you earlier, Quiver! I was a little occupied.”
“So I’ve noticed.” As the yellow pegasus approached, he explained, “I hope you don’t mind me dropping in, but Sour wanted to get a better idea of the lay of the land, and I have a guest who wanted to meet you. Fluttershy, this is Sunrunner.”
Fluttershy’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh my goodness!” She put on a nervous smile and offered a hoof. “It’s very nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much!”
“And so have I, though what you did with Harry almost made me question it.” Sunrunner accepted the hoof in greeting and smiled. “It’s an honor, ma’am.”
“You don’t need to be that formal.” A few familiar footfalls sounded, and she turned around to find a curious bear examining their guests. “Harry, this is Sour Sweet and Sunrunner. Sour is Quiver’s cousin and Twilight’s new bodyguard, and she’ll be living here in Ponyville for the foreseeable future. And Sunrunner is Quiver’s marefriend.” She paused, then turned back to the pair. “Oh dear, that wasn’t too presumptive, was it?”
At Sunrunner’s smile, Quiver laughed reassuringly. “No, I don’t think so.” He then turned to the bear and said, “Hey Harry. You feeling okay?”
The bear’s response was to smile and take the stallion into a warm hug, which prompted a laugh from him and surprise from his two companions. Fluttershy, for her part, wasn’t surprised, and turned to the pair of mares and asked, “Are the three of you in a rush? I wouldn’t mind having you here for tea.”
Sour shrugged, which prompted Sunrunner to remark, “Tea sounds fine to me, thank you.”
Fluttershy happily nodded, then led the way into her cottage. Harry released Quiver from his grip and followed his friend inside, leaving Quiver to turn back and laugh. “What can I say? He’s a hugger.”
That prompted a laugh from his cousin, a proud smile on her face as she watched him go. Before she could follow herself, however, she turned back to find an odd expression on her fellow soldier’s face. “Warbler? You still with us?”
Sunrunner turned to her, then shook herself out of her reverie. “Sorry. Just a little surprised by the positive reception I’ve been getting. They can’t be that excited to meet me after hearing about me just last night, can they?”
“Hey, this is Ponyville. Strange is normal around here.”
As she entered the cottage with her comrade, Sunrunner nonetheless found herself quietly wondering just what would cause four ponies to act the way they did. Applejack and Fluttershy’s reactions seemed natural, but Pinkie Pie going so far as to drag a princess to meet her? Her instincts told her there was a reason. She just wished that she knew what.
Though again, perhaps she was simply being too suspicious. Not everypony was up to something, after all.
-
“And here we are.” Rarity pulled back the curtain with a dramatic flourish to reveal three ponnequins, each one adorned by a gown. “As I said, I had some alternatives ready in case, but I do hope that you’re pleased with what you see.”
Primrose Thorn examined the three gowns with a critical eye. They were identical in terms of color, a deep emerald green for the areas which kept close to her breast and abdomen while the skirted sections were a fine scarlet, and their designs all suggested a rose in bloom. Each, however, varied in its details, as one was low-cut and exposed much of her shoulders, while another was designed in such a way that most of the torso was concealed while the forelegs were completely bare. The third was somewhere in the middle, and included long boots over the forelegs. All of them could be easily accented with jewelry and other accessories. She gently stroked one with her hoof, and raised an eyebrow at the familiar feel of silk. “Pleased? No. I’m not pleased.” She turned on the fashionista and scowled, “I’m disgusted! My instructions were to make the dress evocative of a red rose in bloom! How are ponies supposed to see that, unless they have their heads upside down?!” She tossed her head to one side and ordered, “I won’t take any of these! Make me another one, this time with the colors swapped!”
Rarity frowned. “Very well. I’ve plenty of leftover materials, but it will take me a while.”
“Fine, just be quick about it!”
The ivory unicorn frowned and went off to her work, the three dresses carried behind her in her magic. As the door closed behind her, the one stallion present smirked. “I kinda liked that first one.”
“That’s sweet of you, Brick, but this isn’t about what you want, is it?” Primrose took on a wicked grin. “It’s about what I want.”
Brick Wall chuckled. “And I guess this gives Roxy and Hot Trail more time to find that fag Quiver and get him to come to the reunion, doesn’t it?”
The mare’s grin was joined by a cruel gleam in her eye. She somehow doubted that he’d need much persuading. Quiver Quill was always a light touch, after all.”
-
“I’m sorry this is a little light, but I wasn’t expecting company.”
Sunrunner smiled sympathetically at Fluttershy’s apology as cups and saucers were passed out. “If it helps you feel any better, I didn’t expect to sit down and have tea with a bear.” She turned to the ursa in question and grinned. “Not that you aren’t good company, Harry. I’ve had a better time with you than I have with most ponies.”
Harry smiled as he claimed a cup and saucer of his own, and Quiver and Sour laughed at the remark. Fluttershy giggled herself as she poured some tea. “Well, I’m glad that you like him, and very glad to see you. Especially after everything Quiver said about you last night.”
The flame-haired pegasus grinned at her old friend. “Yeah, I’ve been getting that impression. Would love to know what went down to inspire so much sharing.”
The stallion grinned back. “You will. I promise.”
“Holding you to that.” Her attention went back to her host as Fluttershy settled into her seat with her own cup, the rabbit beside her nibbling away at some biscotti. “Anyway, this is a lovely place. Surprisingly roomy, too.”
“Well, having lots of room is good for all of my little animal friends, especially when they need some tender love and care.”
A curious look crossed her face. “So, you’re a vet when you’re not saving Equestria from some ancient mostly-forgotten evil?”
“Oh no, but I do work with Ponyville’s veterinarian in my actual job.” Fluttershy smiled proudly as she explained, “I’m employed as Ponyville’s wildlife conservation officer. I look after many of the wild animals that live on the outskirts of the Everfree, help out with the animal-related tasks during Winter Wrap-Up, that sort of thing. If a vet isn’t absolutely needed, then I step in. It’s a quiet life, but it’s a happy one, and I have plenty to keep me busy.” She blushed nervously as she admitted, “That being said, the fewer adventures I go on, the better.”
“More time for the Pony Tones that way.” At his two associates’ curious glances, Quiver explained, “It’s a local acapella group. They recently went from a quartet to a quintet, after Fluttershy joined.”
“Well, I’m still easing into it.”
Sour’s eyes lit up with interest. “Easing or not, this is the first I’m hearing about it. There a story there?”
“Oh, there isn’t much of one. I’m just glad that Quiver was there, or…” A knock sounded at the door, and she called, “It’s open!”
The front door swung open to reveal a familiar unicorn filly, a well-groomed Persian cat at her side. “Sorry to bug you, Fluttershy, but…” Her eyes darted to the yellow pegasus’ company. “Oh, Mister Quiver Quill!”
“Hi Sweetie Belle. Hello Opalescence.” The cat approached and contentedly rubbed up against him as Quiver made introductions. “Runnie, this is Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister. Sweetie Belle, meet Sunrunner.”
“Oh my gosh!” The filly rushed up to the flame-haired pegasus with enthusiasm. “It’s great to meet you! We all heard so much about you last night!”
Sunrunner chuckled. “So I’m gathering. But what brought you by? Is Opalescence ill?”
The filly shook her head. “I think Rarity just wanted the two of us out of her mane while she tended to her client.” She turned to Quiver and explained, “It’s that Primrose mare you mentioned. She didn’t seem that bad, but…”
“But better safe than sorry. And trust me, she is that bad.” Quiver frowned as he turned to his marefriend. “Sorry Runnie. I guess you’re definitely not going to be seeing Rarity this visit.”
She shrugged. “Eh, I get the next best thing.” She then turned her attention to Sweetie Belle and noted, “Guess you spend a lot of time in your big sister’s shadow, huh?”
“Yeah, kinda.” The filly sat down as a snake came along and offered her a cup. “Oh, thank you Rupert.” She accepted it with her hooves and continued, “Rarity’s a great sister, but our relationship has its ups and downs.”
“I can sympathize.” Sunrunner smiled sadly. “At least you guys still have the chance to talk to one another. Trust me, that makes a big difference.” At the concerned looks from the filly and Fluttershy, she explained, “Sorry. Lost touch with a relative a long time ago. Been hoping for the chance to see them again, but after so long…”
“Hey, don’t lose that.” She turned to her fellow solider in surprise as Sour smiled. “Life finds a way.”
Sweetie Belle frowned as she snuck a glance at her bare flank. “It takes its sweet time, though.”
Quiver grinned. “It’s worth it in the end, though.” He turned to his marefriend and explained, “Sweetie Belle wasn’t quite as lucky as us in regards to getting her cutie mark. She, Apple Bloom and another filly named Scootaloo got bullied about it so much, they even started their own little group to try and earn their marks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And that was about a year ago.”
The flame-haired mare grimaced in sympathy, then turned to the filly. “At least that bullying won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Yeah, but it would’ve been nice if we’d have gotten our cutie marks in the bargain.”
Sunrunner considered that, then grinned. “Well, you want some advice?” The filly looked up at her hopefully. “Play to your strengths. If you’re good at something, and enjoy doing it, then focus on developing it. That’s how it worked out for Quivs.”
“Yeah, but…” The filly turned shy as she admitted, “The only things I seem to be good at are singing and getting into trouble. But I don’t really like the idea of being a professional singer, and who wants a cutie mark in trouble-making?”
Quiver frowned. “Sadly, you don’t really need a cutie mark for that. Thankfully, most who do that sort of thing grow out of it with time.” He gave her a curious look and added, “But why not want to be a professional singer?”
The filly shrugged. “I guess I’m a little scared of not measuring up. Or not really standing out.” She smiled nervously and added. “You have an older sister like mine, it’s easy to get stuck in their shadow.”
The stallion gave her a teasing grin and noted, “Well, there’s one area where you’ve got Rarity beat.” The grin grew as he continued, “Or am I misreading things between you and Button Mash?”
Sweetie Belle’s blush and smile told them everything, even as Sunrunner resisted the urge to beg for more.
-
It had been a long time since Sunset Shimmer had felt this anxious about anything. The last time she’d felt anything like this was when she’d taken the entrance exam to the School for Gifted Unicorns, and even that paled in comparison.
The knock on her apartment door distracted her from her thoughts, and she jumped to her feet to answer it. She greeted her guest with a smile. “Hey. Glad you could make it.”
Flash Sentry smiled back. “I’m glad that I could find this place, and somewhere to park.” He entered and set aside his coat, then glanced around. “Wow. Definitely a step up from your old place.”
“Less spacious anyway.” She led him over to her couch and motioned for him to sit down. “Anyway, something big’s come up, and I need to talk about it with someone.”
“And the girls aren’t available because they’re busy making fools of themselves on the street in banana suits?” At her surprised look, Flash explained, “It’s already making the rounds on MyStable.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess people figure there’s a difference between posting a private secret and posting a video of someone doing something in public.” She leaned back into her seat and pulled her hands into her lap. “But yeah, they’re busy, and it’ll be a little awkward talking to anyone else for advice about this.”
“Even Principal Celestia?”
“Especially Principal Celestia. I trust her, and I know she’s there for me, but I feel like this is something I need to work out without her or Vice Principal Luna. Especially after her finally letting me in on more of the truth.” She frowned and admitted, “I know I’m not exactly the sort who should be pointing fingers over keeping secrets, but…”
“Hey, you don’t need to defend yourself to me. You let me in on the truth the first chance you got, and I appreciate that.” Flash smiled encouragingly and admitted, “Made me glad I extended that olive branch.”
The flame-haired girl grinned. “Yeah, well, you needed to know after everything happened with Twilight.”
A sad smile crossed the young man’s face. “I did. Thanks again for that.” He shook his head and carried on, “Anyway, what’s going on? You didn’t tell me anything specific about what you needed to talk about.”
“It’s news from back home. Twilight’s…” A loud series of knocks sounded from Sunset’s door, and she held up a hand in apology to Flash before getting back to her feet to answer it. She opened the door, and looked in surprise at her new visitors. “What are you three doing here?”
Despite her outward confidence, Photo Finish’s voice betrayed her anxious nerves as she and her two friends stood at the door. “Ve…vish to talk. May ve come in?”
Sunset regarded them with a tiny bit of suspicion, and quietly thought to herself that she should’ve expected them to confront her at some point given what had happened the previous month. That they were doing so here rather than at school raised some red flags, but worst case, she did have ways to get help. If nothing else, Flash would have her back. “Alright, come on in.”
“Danke.” Photo led her two associates inside, and paused once they gave Sunset enough room to close the door behind them. “Flash Sentry.”
Flash was far more surprised to see the three of them than they were to see him. “What are you three doing here? How did you even know Sunset would be here?”
“Her address is in the school directory.” Pixel Pizazz raised a hand and continued to tick things off with her fingers. “Plus we’ve been keeping an eye on her since last month, where she goes after school and stuff. We didn’t know exactly where she lived for certain until today, though.”
“Yeah, nice place.” Violet Blurr finished slipping off her jacket and setting it on a nearby coatrack as she turned to Sunset and asked, “How can you afford a place like this?”
“I don’t. Principal Celestia owns it.” Sunset made her way back to sit with Flash as she explained, “She’s been letting me live here since a week after the Fall Formal. I’m probably lucky that she doesn’t have me living under the same roof, otherwise things would be awkward.” She gestured towards waiting seats and invited them to sit. “Now, you three had something to say?”
“Ya.” Photo Finish was somber as she collected herself. “Sunset, I vill not pretend to be anything but satisfied at vhat happened to you zhe night of zhe Fall Formal. You vere zhe bitch long before zhat night, and everything zhat happened.” She took a breath to steady herself, sat up straight, and firmly declared, “But vhat happened last month has put things in perspective. Ve… I… vish to apologize properly, for any ill-treatment you may have received from us.”
Sunset regarded that, then crossed her arms and remarked, “You could’ve done that at school. There’s something else going on here.”
“Well, yeah, but we figured you’d want something from us before we came to you asking for anything, and this was probably something you’d want to talk about privately.” Violet glanced towards Flash and reasoned, “Whatever it is, I’m guessing you’re already in the know.”
Flash crossed his arms in turn. “You guessed right, but it’s not up to me to decide if the three of you should be. What’s stopping you from blabbing about what Sunset might tell you?”
“Zhat is a fair question.” Photo Finish took off her glasses, and looked up at Sunset with her dark indigo eyes and admitted, “Sunset, I am normally zhe one to be capturing moments in time, bringing out zhe best in those I capture on film. Rarely am I forced to look inward, at how terrible I can be. I vas not blasted into a crater, but I still did things I am not proud of, und I vish to make amends.”
“Plus something tells us that if we blabbed, people would think we’re as crazy as those guys who chase after UFOs or Bigfoot.” Violet cupped her hands together in her lap and quietly pleaded, “We saw those two ponies that day last month, and Photo and I were both at the Fall Formal. We all know something weird’s going on at Canterlot High, and of the five of us in this room, you two know the most about it. We get it if you don’t think you can trust us, but that isn’t going to stop us from wanting to know the truth.”
Sunset considered the problem before her. On the one hand, she had no firm reason to trust them to keep her secrets. On the other, Photo Finish was being genuine, and the first step towards having trust was giving it. Maybe taking another chance was a good idea. “Alright, I’ll tell you what’s going on.” She rose to her feet and explained, “But I can do it much better in the next room. Follow me.”
The three girls, now more curious than anxious, followed Sunset into what had previously been an office but now looked like the beginnings of an entertainment room, the television having been joined by a small home entertainment system. Flash followed and asked, “They get the special treatment?”
“Only because I didn’t make a ‘special treatment’ until just a little while ago.” Sunset had plugged her laptop into the television via an HDMI cable, and as everything booted up, she explained, “I figured something like this might happen, so I thought I’d save myself some trouble and put together a little presentation for anyone I brought in on the truth.” She smiled and admitted, “Rarity and Vinyl helped.”
After a minute or so, everything was ready, and the television screen was filled with the image of Sunset sitting down inside of her living room. The video file then started, and the Sunset on the screen smiled. “Hi there. If you’re seeing this, then that means I’ve decided to bring you in on the truth about what happened at Canterlot High the night of the Fall Formal. If that’s the case, then I hope you don’t betray that trust, otherwise I’m going to feel very foolish. Before we begin, there’s a couple things I need to cover.” Graphics appeared beside Sunset in the recording as she continued, illustrating her point. “First off, a brief lesson in quantum mechanics. One idea related to it, known as the ‘many worlds interpretation’, suggests that the world we live in is just one of a potentially infinite number of alternative, parallel worlds that coexist alongside of one another, where any number of different scenarios could have occurred. It’s been explored in science fiction and fantasy for decades, but there’s never been any widespread proof.” The graphics disappeared as the recorded Sunset admitted, “But it’s the truth. I come from one of those alternative worlds, and it’s one very different from the one you’ve grown up in.”
Sunset watched their eyes light up with wonder as the recording continued, and found herself thinking back on what she’d left behind in her original world, and wondering herself on what was to come. Her eyes wandered towards Flash, who gave her a sympathetic smile, and she found herself with a small sense of relief. If nothing else, she had something to take her mind off her main issue for a little while. But after a few minutes, the presentation ended, and she turned to her three gobsmacked guests and leaned back against an empty wall. “Well, any questions?”
Violet was the first to recover herself as she raised a finger. “Okay, let me recap. In the base of the Wondercolt statue, on the side facing the school, is a portal connected to an alternate universe where, instead of humans, there’s a multitude of sapient creatures, some we’d consider livestock and the rest we’d consider mythical, ruling the planet.” At her host’s nod, she continued, “And you came from there, and have been living here for, what, almost three years now?”
Sunset nodded again. “Yep.”
Pixel was next to speak as she picked up where her friend left off. “And you’re really a pony? A cute little unicorn pony?”
Another nod as their host held a hand at about half her height. “Somewhere around three and a half feet tall at the top of my head. Little more if you include my horn.”
The fashionista suddenly turned pale as she looked to the young man in their company. “Please tell me…”
Flash rolled his eyes. “Saw that coming.”
“Can you blame her?” Sunset smirked at her guest. “No, Flash and I never had sex. I had a lot of reasons for latching onto him, and getting carnal wasn’t one of them. And even if we had, it wouldn’t count as bestiality.” She then smiled reassuringly at Flash and admitted, “Besides, I know he’s not the kind to go chasing after a girl just for a little action. His parents raised him better than that.”
Flash smiled back in gratitude as Pixel gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, can’t blame me for wondering.” She opted to move on. “But what about those two ponies we saw at school last month? That video said the portal only opens for a few days every two and a half years or so, and that it transforms ponies into humans.”
Violet nodded as she added questions of her own. “Yeah, and who were they? One of them kinda looked like Princess Twilight, but that couldn’t have been her, right?”
Sunset pointed to the second of the two. “First off, Violet? That pony looked like Twilight because she was Twilight, just not the one who came here and defeated me at the Fall Formal.” Before either could speak up, the flame-haired girl stopped them and said, “Potentially infinite number of worlds in the multiverse, remember? That Twilight came from a third such world, and likely fought her own version of me at her own version of the Fall Formal. Heck, from what the Twilight we know was able to gather, she might’ve been a little further ahead than we are.”
“And the other pony? The bigger one?”
“Her name’s Crystal Faire. She comes from a fourth world, and she’s been traveling the multiverse making certain that the really bad stuff doesn’t happen, stuff that the locals either couldn’t handle on their own or would have a much harder time with.” Sunset opted against mentioning exactly how the multiverse-traveling alicorn was related to Twilight, but couldn’t resist an embarrassed grin as she admitted, “Apparently, mine and my friends’ lives being endangered by a living force of dark magic was enough to justify overriding the safeties and coming here.”
“Not that anyone’s complaining.”
Sunset nodded at Flash’s remark, then turned back to her guests. “Any more questions?”
“Vhy come here?” Photo’s head rose slowly to face Sunset as she continued, “Vhy just up und leave a world such as zhat?”
The flame-haired girl turned downcast. “Spite, mostly. Spite and short-sighted foolishness from a hotheaded idiot who thought she had no good reason to stay.” Sunset crossed her arms over her chest and admitted, “I’m not really sure what I regret more, the fact that I did it or the fact that it took me two and a half years just to realize how terrible a mistake I’d made.”
“But didn’t you have anything tying you to your home?” Photo’s eyes were still exposed as she looked at Sunset in shock. “No friends? No family?”
Sunset shook her head. “Making friends was the least of my concerns back then. And as for family, well…”
Flash approached and laid a comforting hand upon her shoulder, then turned to the three and explained, “Sunset was orphaned years before she came to this world, and she’d pretty much broken off contact with what family she had left.”
“An aunt, an uncle, and a cousin who thought of me like I was her sister.” She steeled herself as she admitted, “And that’s part of why Flash is here. I needed the opinion of someone I could trust, and I knew everyone else was caught up with something right now.”
“And that’s got something to do with your family?”
Sunset nodded at Pixel’s guess. “Twilight and I have been keeping touch since the Fall Formal. Believe it or not, she and I are friends now. Have been for a while. Anyway, she said that she’d do what she could to try and track down my relatives, and today, she’s managed it.” A nervous smile formed as she explained, “She found my cousin.”
Photo Finish rose to her feet with a gasp, her more familiar energy now clear in her actions. “Zis iz wunderbar! Vhy are you acting so nervous?! Do you not vant to see zis cousin again?!”
“It’s not that simple.” The flame-haired girl slumped and explained, “The last time I saw her was right before I left to take the entrance exam for the School for Gifted Unicorns. I left her in tears.” Her expression got even worse as she admitted, “Despite that, she wrote me letters. Letters I never answered. And then I jumped through a magic mirror just to spite my mentor and get as far away from her and…”
“Um Gottes willen!” She rushed towards Sunset, brushed away Flash’s hand from her shoulders and slapped the girl across the face before taking hold of her shoulders and shouting, “Get a hold of yourself! You act as though zhe vorld has already ended, but zhis has barely begun!” She calmed herself and donned her sunglasses. “Sunset Shimmer, do you think you are zhe only person who has ever made mistakes?”
“Well no, of course not, but…”
“But nothink! Zis cousin you speak of, she wrote to you for so long after zhe two of you parted ways! You should have answered her, yes, but the fact that she kept on trying to keep in touch shows that she forgave your lapse in judgment! Now, do you vant to see her again?” As Sunset’s nod, the aspiring photographer noted, “Zhen do not waste your time, or hers! Seize this chance! Reconnect! Make amends!”
Stunned silence was the response to Photo Finish’s outburst, until Flash let out a low whistle. “Wow. Not that I wouldn’t say the same thing, but…”
The bespectacled fashionista waved a dismissive hand. “Bah. Photo Finish has never been in quite zhat position, but I have seen it too many times in movies und TV shows. It has gotten boring.” She turned back to Sunset and noted, “Besides, you beat off zis thing which tried to harm you, yes?”
Sunset crossed her arms confidently. “We killed it.”
“Und zis iz somehow more daunting?” Now Photo Finish crossed her arms. “You have befriended zhe girls whom you tried to kill, und mended fences vith many others. Vhat is one more? Now go and make your arrangements. Ve vill talk more once you are done.”
Sunset smiled, then turned and walked towards her bedroom. Once the door closed behind her, Flash turned to Photo Finish. “Guess you did my job for me.”
The young woman waved a dismissive hand through the air. “She vould have done it anyvay. Besides, I am doing her zhe favor.” She smirked as she turned to her two friends and admitted, “As glad as I am zhat Sunset is no longer zhe bitch, she has been taking too long in regaining her confidence, and in remembering vhat she has.” A knock sounded at the door, and she gestured, “Flash, you should probably answer zhat.”
Flash smiled with both respect and gratitude as he complied. “Yes ma’am.” He opened the door, and some relief came into his smile as he recognized the two girls on the other side. “Hey guys.”
“Hi Flash!” Pinkie Pie grinned as she stepped into the apartment and slipped off her winter coat, Fluttershy close behind. “We came as soon as we could get away from what we were doing! Everyone else…” Her eyes landed on Sunset’s other guests. “Oh, hi you three? What’cha doing here?”
“We just got read in on Sunset’s big secret.” Violet noticed the concerned expression on Fluttershy’s face and flashed a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’re not gonna blab to anyone. It’s safe with us.”
“Ya, Photo Finish has secrets of her own.” The photographer crossed her arms in defiance. “None shall pry zhem from me any easier zis one.”
“Oh, well…” Fluttershy’s train of thought was derailed as Pinkie approached the trio. “Um, Pinkie?”
The party planner had a critical look in her eye as she looked Photo Finish up and down. “Just what kind of secrets are you keeping?”
The response was curt and to the point. “If I told you, zhey would no longer be secrets, ya?”
Pinkie responded with a satisfied nod. “Ya!” She then dashed over to Sunset’s cabinets and retrieved a tin, then dashed back. “Anyway, congrats on being in on the secret! Have some celebratory cookies!”
Pixel looked at the contents of the tin to find a number of sugar cookies with some concern. “How do you know…?”
Sunset’s voice shouted out an answer from her bedroom. “Pinkie baked them! You’re good!” She then emerged, her expression more at ease than before, and greeted her friends. “Hey girls. Everyone else coming?”
“They have a few things to sort out, but yes.” Fluttershy turned hopeful as she asked, “Any word yet?”
The flame-haired girl flashed an optimistic smile. “We’ll see.”
-
Soft hoof-falls sounded within Golden Oak Library as Twilight anxiously paced back and forth. Spike stepped into her path with a groan and said, “Twilight, you gotta calm down, or you’ll wear a hole in the floor. Again.”
“I know, Spike.” The alicorn took a deep breath, but that barely took the edge off her unease. “But so much could go wrong and…” A knock sounded at the door, and she groaned. “We’re open!”
“I know!” A familiar orange pegasus entered the library with a relaxed air about him. “I just figured it’d be polite to knock.” Flash Sentry stopped as he got a good look at his marefriend. “Oh no, Shining Armor’s warned me about this. What’s going on?”
Twilight took another deep breath, and felt slightly easier. “You remember everything about Sunset Shimmer, right?” At her coltfriend’s nod, she continued, “Well, here’s something you probably didn’t know. Your classmate from the academy, Sunrunner, is her cousin.”
Flash’s ease was quickly replaced with shock. “Seriously? How long…?”
“Not long enough to seriously consider the idea that you and her knew one another before last night.”
Her embarrassed tone was obvious, and Flash quickly raised a wing to her muzzle to put her at ease. “Well, in your defense, it’s not like everypony in the Royal Guard knows one another. But what’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that Sunrunner’s in town now, and Twilight’s just sent word off to Sunset about it.” Spike stepped forward and explained, “Twilight’s just worrying herself over not having heard back yet.”
Flash nodded and gained a teasing grin. “Hence the early stages of her going ‘Twily-nanas’.”
“I am not –!” She fumed and admitted, “Fine, maybe I’m getting worked up too much, but still, I’m worried. Sunset might not get the message in time, or something could happen in the human world that’ll keep her from arranging a meeting, or she might get cold feet at the last second, or…”
“Or things could work out alright.” The stallion grinned and noted, “That does happen every once in a while.” A strange buzzing filled his ears, and he looked about. “What’s that supposed to be?”
Twilight’s attention turned to the message journal, and she swiftly took it up in her magic. Relief flooded her features as she read the newest message. “Flash, you might just be on to something.” She set the journal down, then turned to her able assistant. “Spike, can you go to Sugar Cube Corner and relay a message to Pinkie? Ask her to tell Sunrunner to come here sometime between eleven and noon. The closer to the former, the better.”
Spike nodded and dashed off, and Flash smiled. “Guess it’s a good thing I decided to drop in, though something tells me you won’t be able to join me and Basey at the arcade.”
“Afraid not, sorry.” Twilight grinned and noted, “But we’ll have plenty of time later. Knowing Pinkie, she’s already up to her neck in party prep.” She extended her own wing and took her coltfriend into a hug. “You have fun with your brother though, hmm?”
“Will do.”
Flash waved as he departed, leaving Twilight alone to hope that Spike got to Sugar Cube Corner before Sunrunner could. That led to concerns that she might not make it there before eleven, however…
“Steady, Twilight. It’ll work out.” More anxiety bubbled onto her face as she amended, “I hope.”
-
As Flash stepped out of the Golden Oak Library, he found himself approached by two mares, one an earth pony and the other a coral pink pegasus. “Excuse us, is this Golden Oak Library?”
He nodded. “It certainly is, ma’am. Looking for a book?”
“More like a bookworm.” The earth pony laughed at her own joke. “Friend of ours named Quiver Quill? Tan coat, brown mane, cutie mark with a scroll and a quill on it?”
The stallion shook his head. “Sorry miss, haven’t seen him. And he’s definitely not here. Please excuse me.”
Flash trotted off as the pair looked at one another. “Hey Hot Trail, what do you think of him?”
Hot Trail watched the stallion meet up with an older mare and a small colt, the latter bearing a close resemblance to him, then gagged. “Must be some weirdo who’s into old ladies. Come on, let’s try that Sugar Cube Corner place.”
“Works for me. I could use a bite to eat.”
“And I hope we don’t run into any more weirdoes while we’re there!”
-
Pinkie looked up just as Spike entered the establishment. “There it goes again!”
The young drake paused. “Huh?”
“Oh, sorry Spike! Pinkie Sense was going off again! Somepony’s tempting fate hard today, and it’s probably not you!” As a relieved Spike approached, she asked, “What’s up? I hope I can help!”
He grinned and held up his message. “Actually, I think you can.”
-
“I hope you can forgive our hasty departure.” Sunrunner smiled graciously to her host as she and her party stepped out of Fluttershy’s cottage. “But something tells me there’s still a lot to see here in Ponyville.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. I was glad to have you, if only for a little bit.” The shy pegasus smiled at the bolder one in turn and remarked, “And it was wonderful meeting you, Sunrunner. I hope you’re able to visit again.”
“After the reception I’ve gotten today, I think it’s very likely that I’ll visit more often than I thought I would.” She turned to Quiver and grinned, “And that was looking to be pretty often already.” She then turned to Sweetie Belle and added, “And relax about your cutie mark. You’ll get it, maybe sooner than you think.”
“Still not soon enough.” The filly smiled nonetheless. “But thanks. I can see why Mister Quiver Quill likes you so much.”
Quiver’s slight blush was enough to elicit a giggle from the four mares present before the trio went on their way. Fluttershy gave the filly a slightly disapproving look and noted, “That was a little mean.”
“Well, he started it.” The filly felt a pat on her side, and she turned to find a familiar rabbit nodding in approval.
Fluttershy’s words were chiding, but her tone was joking as she ushered them both back into her home. “Angel, don’t encourage her.”
Sunrunner heard the cottage door close as the three went on their way, then turned to her coltfriend. “You okay?”
“Like she said, I started it.” He smiled and added, “Besides, I can take a little teasing, especially with something like this.” He noticed the look on his marefriend’s face and asked, “What?”
“Just thinking about how proud of you I am.” A grin crossed her muzzle as she added, “And how lucky I am.”
“Ugh!” The third member of their group gagged. “You two are gonna give me diabetes acting that sweet.”
That prompted laughter from the other two ponies. “Sorry Two-Face. Guess I’m making up for lost time.” Sunrunner took on an earnest tone as she continued, “Seriously though Quivs, I do feel like I’m luckier than I ought to be. We were apart for years, and I was a little worried that you’d forgotten about me and moved on.”
“Hence that little thing between you and Sour earlier, and the not-so-subtle cues you had with Applejack and Fluttershy?” He raised an eyebrow. “Feeling a little protective, are we?”
The pegasus turned sheepish. “Okay, maybe I’m going a little far.” She regained herself and admitted, “Still, can you blame me for being a little possessive? For a while, it was you and me against the world. The idea of you ending up with another mare is a little heartbreaking, even if it’s with a national hero.”
“You’re not a national hero?”
A snort. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, you’ll know what I mean when I say this.” He gave her a firm expression and assured her, “As much as I like Applejack and Fluttershy and Twilight and the rest, they’re my friends, and I don’t expect them to be any more than that. You, though? You’re a lot more than that. You were the first real friend that I had, and for the longest time, the only one that I didn’t share DNA with. You had my back, encouraged me, made me feel like I mattered. You had the wings, but thanks to you, I was the one standing in the clouds. I never let go of that, and I never plan to. I care about them, but I love you.” He grinned and finished, “So do us both a favor and drop the jealousy? Green isn’t your color.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Fine.” She then batted her eyelashes and added, “But you have to admit, it complements my eyes.”
Sour Sweet gagged again. “Seriously! I’m gonna need medical treatment before this is over!”
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Gunna call it: the next chapters are Generosity, Loyalty, and finished by Magic.
(Also missing the words Chapter Three)
Also, I figured the seperation between CHS and Equestria was more related to neighboring membranes (or even potentially existing st very large distances on the same membrane) instead of a many worlds scenario. But, eh, I’ll just shrug and say whatever floats Sunset’s boat~
And, obviously, there is that bit which I liked.
However, a thing to be cognizant about is
which amounts to Twi saying she knows who he is, whereas if she said “I know, Spike,” she would be acknowledging what someone (Spike) is saying to her. It’s the little details that can change the meaning of a sentence.
Good chapter. Can’t wait to see what follows~
Sorry I took a while to getting around to reading and responding to this. Nothing to blame for that except self-admitted laziness. Anyway, so far, the story looks great and your work is WELL worth the wait. Anyway, the exchanges. characterizations and future chapter set-ups are all well done in all the right places. I particularly liked Sunrunner's chats with Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle (including mentioning AT LEAST ONE area where Sweetie is having better luck than her big sister) , Sunset's revealing the truth to the human versions of Flash and the others , Pony Flash and Spike's attempts to calm Twilight down and Quiver's exchange with Sunrunner and Sour .
So, yes, I definitely sympathize with real world concerns needing to come first, but I WILL also be looking forward to more of this when you get the chance.
This was a nice read. Gotta say, I didn't expect Sunset and all that to appear in this installment, I kind of wondered if that might be in a subsequent chapter. Still, I ain't complaining, I always like more content with that. ^_^
And as to the other scenes in this chapter... of course Sunrunner would meet Fluttershy when she's working with Harry the bear.
That was great, I cracked up the moment I read the description of them seeing Flutters apparently wrestling a bear. (And also, Harry joining them for tea is a delightful image. XD) It was also nice to see Sweetie Belle join the proceedings, and to see more of Pony Flash as well.
And on a final note... Jeez, I wonder how many more times Primrose's flunkies are gonna tempt fate in this story? At the rate they're going, Fate must be winding up to drop the metaphorical equivalent of a train car on them!
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Thanks for pointing out the minor flubs on my part. I was a little rushed getting this chapter out this morning, and missed them in my last-minute edits. And in Sunset's defense, she's not quite as thoroughly grounded in physics as you are. I imagine should she (or Twilight) ever cross paths with Crystal Faire again, they'll get clarification.
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Well, I'm not making promises, but I've at least started on Chapter Four. With any luck, it'll be out before the end of February.
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I for one love Harry the Bear, as he's a great foil for Angel Bunny and a perfect counterpoint to Fluttershy - a fearsome exterior hiding a warm, cuddly center. And as for Primrose and her flunkies, well, I won't say anything specific, but they are due for more than their share of trouble. And they might be getting a taste of it very soon.
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Gotcha. And, as I said, I'm in no rush. Quality over speed, after all.
Awesome, Sunset finally appears and this and she gets to make amends with Photo Finish. Ugh, Primrose and her posse are as charming as ever and they is so hilarious how they keep antagonizing Karma like that. Quivs and Runnie are a pair of sweethearts!
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It's less Sunset making amends with Photo Finish, and more Photo Finish making amends with Sunset. Still, yeah, things just pulled me in that direction. And trust me, Primrose and her posse are definitely gonna get theirs.
And as for Quiver and Sunrunner, well, they've got years of this stuff to catch up on, much to Sour's chagrin. And I haven't even gotten to the really sweet stuff yet.
I loved this chapter so much but I could almost swear that it was written to torture me because the excitement is building even more. However to quote one of my favorite movie lines; "Patience is a virtue." The next movie line is another of my favorites.
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I apologize for the wait, but don't worry, it'll be worth it in the end.
Looks like Shining Armor taught him well
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At the very least, Shining Armor warned him what he was getting into.