//------------------------------// // A Personal Discussion // Story: The Ties that Bind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// Trixie finally stepped out of the bathroom just as Sunset and Twilight were taking their seats at the foldable table, sandwiches in hoof. "Didn't you already eat?" Trixie asked Twilight as she trotted over to the others. Twilight paused mid bite and waved Trixie over. "Oh, hey, Trixie," she called out, "I got hungry again after a certain somepony got us chased all over the place by angry squirrels." Trixie groaned in exasperation as she pulled up another seat. "Trixie is telling you, there's something... off about those squirrels!" she cried indignantly, "Trixie swears one of them winked at her!" "Yeah okay, Trixie," Twilight said with a roll of her eyes, "anyway, Sunset was just about to tell me what happened to her in Canterlot," she cast a questioning glance in Sunset's direction, "it's okay if Trixie hears too, right?" Sunset nodded, taking a bite of her sandwich as she answered. "It's only fair, and I'd rather not have to explain it again," she stared at the partially eaten sandwich, lost in thought, "it'll be hard enough talking about it once." Trixie glanced at Sunset worriedly before looking around the room. "Where's Uncle Scroll?" "He said he was going out to get groceries," Twilight answered, taking a bite of her sandwich. She frowned thoughtfully, "now that I think about it..." she turned to the others with a raised eyebrow, "where does Uncle Scroll go to get groceries anyway? Isn't this place supposed to be in the middle of nowhere?" Trixie went to answer, but stopped short and gave a quizzical frown of her own. "Trixie actually doesn't know either," she said half to herself, "she never thought ask." Sunset rolled her eyes. "There's a small village about five miles into Unknown West. It's where Uncle Scroll goes to buy groceries and sell his maps." "And how exactly did you know this, Sunset Shimmer?" Trixie asked, eyeing the orange filly suspiciously. "I asked." Trixie blinked. "Oh... well... Trixie supposes that makes sense." "If he's trotting all the way out there, he'll probably be gone for awhile," Twilight said with a look of concern, "are you sure you don't want to wait until he comes back?" Sunset shook her head in response. "I want to get it out while I'm still feeling up for it," she looked away for a moment before turning back to Twilight and Trixie, "if... I'll try to tell him myself later, but if I can't... one of you can tell him instead." "Alright well... if you're sure, Sunset," Twilight said, she herself wearing an unsure expression. Sunset nodded and took a deep breath as Trixie got comfortable in her chair. "Well..." she began, "I once had the honor of being the Princess' personal protégé." Trixie's eyes widened and she gasped in surprise. Twilight said nothing and waited for Sunset to continue. Sunset gauged their reactions and found Twilight's a little odd, but continued nonetheless. "I know, it sounds amazing right?" she raised her hooves dramatically, putting on a mock starry eyed expression, "a personal student to Princess Celestia? The Princess Celestia? Goddess of the Sun, Eternal Ruler of Equestria? I can't believe this is happening!" She lowered her hooves and chuckled mirthlessly. "You know, for the first few years, it really was a dream come true," she looked at the other two fillies with a sad, wistful smile, "I applied for CSGU when I was eight, showed an above average aptitude for magic, and I guess the Princess saw something in me she liked, because she trotted right up to me and outright asked if I wanted to study under her." Trixie and Twilight sat in awed silence for moment. "...Wow." Twilight finally whispered. "I know right?" Sunset said, giving a small smile at the memory, "imagine how I felt! I was speechless!" she giggled, "I think I even fainted at one point." Her smile soon turned sour and she turned her gaze to the window. "To this day, I still don't know what she saw in me." She sighed and turned back to Twilight and Trixie. "Like I said, the first few years were everything I could've hoped for. I got to live in the castle, study magic almost everyday with the Princess, sit beside her in Day Court," she smirked at the other fillies, "I even got to help her raise the Sun once." "No way," Twilight said immediately. "Trixie doesn't believe you," Trixie said almost at the same time. Sunset chuckled at their reaction and nodded again. "It's true," she shifted so they could see her flank, "that's actually how I got my cutie mark." "Waitwaitwaitwait," Twilight interjected suddenly. She jabbed a hoof in Sunset's direction, "how does that work?" she asked incredulously, "moving an entire star takes an incomprehensible amount of both Soul and Elemental Magic. "As far as we know, the Princess is the only being on the planet with enough control over both to accomplish something like that," she shook her head in disbelief, "and you're telling me you got a cutie mark for doing the same?" "What? Of course not!" Sunset shot back, "Princess Celestia did all the lifting, I just helped guide the direction of the Sun's ascent!" Twilight realized she had stood up in her chair and sat back down with a huff. "That's still a ridiculous feat of magic..." she muttered somewhat enviously. "Trixie is just amazed the Princess even let you help," the blue filly added. "I was too," Sunset agreed. She went to continue, but stopped suddenly. She lowered her head and tapped a hoof on the table with a contemplative frown, "actually, now that I think about it..." she muttered more to herself, "that was around the time everything started to go wrong." "What do you mean?" Twilight asked curiously. Sunset gave the filly a grim look as she answered. "It was about that time that Celestia started getting... distant." "Distant?" Trixie repeated. Sunset nodded in response with the same grim expression. "She was nice enough before - almost like a mother, but that all changed when I got my cutie mark," she lowered head with a sad frown, "after that... I don't know, there was something strange between the two of us - almost like she was trying to push me away without me noticing or something." "That's kind of weird," Trixie commented. "It was really weird!" Sunset snapped. "Sunset, calm down," Twilight said, raising her hooves placatingly, "I know you're upset, but you don't need yell at Trixie." Sunset continued to glare at the two for another second before she sighed and slumped further into her chair. "You're right, Twilight," she turned to Trixie with an apologetic smile, "sorry, Trixie. Remembering all the time I spent with Celestia and knowing what she did - what she was hiding from me..." she gave a despondent shake of her head, "I just feel betrayed, y'know? I looked up to her." "A lot of ponies do," Twilight said, nodding in understand, "I can't imagine what it would've been like to be betrayed by the one you idolized." "No, you can't," Sunset replied darkly, "you really can't - neither of you can. And that's another reason why I decided to talk to you both about this," she rapped a hoof on the table for emphasis, "I need you two to understand just how terrible Princess Celestia really is." "Well," Trixie said tentatively, "Trixie is listening." Twilight hesitated for a moment before giving an unsure nod. "I... I'll be honest, Sunset," she said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, "I'm... not really sure how I feel about... all of this." "Don't worry, Twilight," Sunset responded with a wry smile, "after I'm through with my story, you'll know exactly how to feel."