“Well, I hope I speak for everyone here when I say how delighted I am that the three of you are now in on the full truth!” Rarity paused, and then amended, “At least, the full truth as far as we know it.”
Enough time had passed that the rest of the Rainbooms had congregated at Sunset’s apartment, joining her and the rest of her guests and effectively turning her good news into an excuse for an impromptu party. As Violet Blurr accepted a drink from Pinkie Pie, she wondered aloud, “As far as you know it?”
“Principal Celestia’s admitted that there are a few things she didn’t tell me outright, but that was because of previous promises and obligations more than anything else.” Sunset gave her a reassuring look and explained, “But I figure I’m better off giving the full truth, or at least as much as I can, right upfront. You have to give trust to get it, after all.”
Her guest accepted that point with a nod. “So, who else knows about all of this? I mean, obviously everyone here does, and I guess Principal Celestia knows the truth…”
“Along with Vice Principal Luna, Applejack’s immediate family, Vinyl Scratch, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pinkie’s sister Maud, and at least a few members of the faculty at CHS. Definitely Miss Cheerilee, and I’d be shocked if Dr. Turner didn’t at least suspect something. Beyond them, there’s Dr. Hope…”
“That’s the shrink we all talked to a month ago,” Rainbow Dash helpfully supplied.
“…and my boss at work, Miss Zecora, and Sapphire Shores.”
Photo Finish sat up in shock. “Zhe reigning queen of Pop?! She knows?! Mein Gott!”
Sunset smirked. “Yeah, you three are in good company.”
The trio grinned at that though, before Pixel Pizazz picked up. “So, just them? No one in the government or something?”
“Ah’ve been wonderin’ about that fer a while now, to be honest.” Applejack sat down beside Sunset and got comfortable as she reasoned, “Way Ah figure it, either there ain’t been enough goin’ on in our area to attract their attention, or they’re just purposely ignorin’ it. ‘Course, Sunset thinks it might be both.”
“More like they’re subconsciously ignoring it until it forces itself to be known.” Sunset’s expression turned grim as she added, “All the more reason for what Twilight and I have been doing.” At her guest’s curious looks, she sighed and explained, “You really want to know the super nitty-gritty?”
Photo Finish frowned. “After everything else ve have been told? You will leave out zhis important-sounding thing?”
“And if it’s important, then why not have it in your video?”
“Because that video covered facts, and this is a theory at best.” Sunset leaned forward and held up her hands so that she mimed a globe. “Like I said in the video, in my world, magic is normal. All sapient creatures, ponies especially, are able to use it, but the scientific reason is because, on an individual level, we’re interacting with what’s called a ‘thaumic field’. And the prevailing theory is that every planet in every reality has one, but they vary in strength from planet to planet and dimension to dimension.”
“Sorta like electromagnetic fields. A weaker EM field is one of the reasons why Mars has a thinner atmosphere than Earth.” Heads turned in surprise towards Flash, who sheepishly explained, “I was really big into outer space when I was a kid.”
“Well, yeah, but there’s another difference. Electromagnetism’s a fundamental force, while magic isn’t.” Sunset turned back to her guests and continued, “The Earth that I came from has the same EM field as this one, the same gravity, but a stronger thaumic field. Consequently, it has an excess of thaumic energy compared to this one, and the portals have made the interaction between the two worlds a bit more interesting thanks to that.” She sat up and explained, “When Star Swirl created the portals, he effectively punched a hole in the barrier between realities, allowing them to interact. That caused problems with his first prototype, ones that built up over time and that he worked to correct with later models.”
“And the portal leading here was his seventh one.”
Sunset nodded at Pixel’s summation. “From what Twilight’s gathered, the bridge portal was part of the system designed to help govern the interaction between the two worlds’ thaumic fields and prevent the worst of what happened with that first prototype. It was Star Swirl’s theory that the excess magic from my world was trying to equalize with that of the other worlds he linked to, thanks to a fault in his designs, and that was causing the problems.”
“So the magic from your world is leaking into this world through the portal, and the bridge portal is soaking it up like some kind of magic sponge?”
“Pretty much, but we think that Star Swirl vastly underestimated the magical balance between the two worlds, and that excess magic has had some strong effects on this end.”
“Of vhat sort?” Photo Finish took on a critical expression and explained, “Zis is something one can’t just ignore, isn’t it?”
“There’s a difference between ignoring something and being blinded to it.” Sunset turned nervous as she looked the fashionista in the face. “Photo Finish, what color is your skin?”
That gave the girl pause. “I fail to see how zhat matters.”
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, and trust me, this has nothing to do with your accent. Just answer my question.”
A frown, and she answered, “Light pale greyish cerulean, und I…”
“Or puttin’ it simply, pale blue.”
“Yes, und…!” At Applejack’s summation, Photo Finish paused, then took a second to examine her hand and consider that for herself. “…mein Gott…”
Photo’s two friends’ eyes seemed to widen with realization as they considered their friend, then examined their own skin colors. As she examined her own light gold hand, Pixel wondered aloud, “Why didn’t…?”
“It’s not so much that you didn’t see it, and more that your mind dismissed it.” Sunset cupped her hands in her lap and explained, “Back home we have a spell that intentionally invokes something like that, we call it the ‘Not My Problem’ Spell. Here it seems to be a subconscious thing, and probably a side effect of several generations of being within proximity to the portal. I didn’t notice it for years, and when Twilight came over, she had bigger problems.”
“And we were all a little worried when we realized it for ourselves.” Fluttershy offered the three a gentle smile as she added, “If it makes you feel any better, we got used to it pretty quickly.”
The three looked suitably freaked out, but seemed to accept things well enough as Violet Blurr asked, “How long exactly are we talking here? Longer than we’ve been alive?”
“Longer than Granny Smith’s been alive at least.” Applejack turned sour as she explained, “Sunset figures this all started in earnest ‘round the time CHS was built. An’ that was back in the thirties or so.”
“Like you said earlier Pixel, the main portal’s leaking magic and the bridge portal soaks up the excess. But the greater the distance between the two, and the more obstacles in the way between them, and the less excess magic gets soaked up. It has to go somewhere.”
“Like all of us.” Pixel worriedly looked up and asked, “This isn’t having an effect on the whole world, is it?”
Sunset shook her head. “If the bridge portal wasn’t there, then yes, but with it, the effects are limited. Our best guess is that the effective radius is about the distance between CHS and downtown in the city up north, but we don’t know the exact distances involved. I haven’t had time to put together what I need to get exact figures. The one bright spot in all of this is that I doubt all of this happening was intentional.”
“Und you tell us all zis?” Photo’s former confidence was replaced with anxiety as she asked, “Vhat happens if zhe rest of zhe world realizes vhat is happening here? Ve all know zhe vorst of human nature, racism and so on. All zis…”
“Can’t be kept secret forever, and shouldn’t.” Sunset’s voice was firm as she explained, “That’s why Twilight and I are researching this as much as we can and getting all our facts together. You combat fear with facts, and getting those facts as widespread as possible. We can’t stop a panic or prevent any kind of hysteria, but we can head off the worst of it.” Her tone softened as she added, “For now, though, I hope you can understand us wanting to keep this as low-key as we can.”
The three nodded as Photo Finish admitted, “Und it’s clear you took a great risk in trusting us. Thank you for that.”
“Like I said, you have to give it to get it.” Sunset smiled and added, “That’s how friendships start. With trust.”
-
“Okay, you can’t exactly trust us to avoid making with the goo-goo eyes Two-Face, but can you blame us?” Sunrunner grinned as the three entered Ponyville proper. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. “Fine, but be subtle about it. Not every long-separated couple goes out of their way to make everyone sick.”
Before the pegasus could respond, an aged voice called out her name. “Sunrunner?” Heads turned as a pair of elderly-looking donkeys approached, a surprised expression on the jake’s aging muzzle. “Lieutenant Sunrunner, is that you?”
The mare’s eyes lit with surprise as she recognized him. “Cranky! Sorry, the new wig threw me! What are you doing here?” She noticed the curious jenny and grinned. “Oh, never mind! Is this who I think it is?”
The old donkey laughed. “Sharp as ever, aren’t you?” He turned to his beloved and explained, “Matilda, this is Sunrunner, one of the ponies I met on one of my last adventures before I retired.”
“Really?” Matilda turned to the young mare and smiled. “Well I’ll be. It’s not often that I run into somepony that Cranky met from his travels across Equestria. Delighted to meet you.”
“And you, ma’am. Cranky didn’t go into a lot of details, but I could tell that whomever he was looking for, they were someone special.” She glanced at Quiver from the corner of her eye and grinned, “Maybe I just recognized something similar from my life.”
The old jake smirked as he recognized the stallion. “Quiver Quill. Heard about you wrangling Pinkie Pie a while back. Could’ve used you when I first came to town.”
“In my defense, Mister Doodle, that was a very near thing.” He heard his cousin loudly clear her throat, then smiled. “Sorry. Cranky Doodle, Matilda, this is my cousin, Sour Sweet. She’s Princess Twilight’s new library assistant, just moved into town yesterday. I’m showing her and Runnie around.”
“In theory, anyway.” Sour dispensed with her snark and gave the two donkeys a polite smile. “Pleased to meet both of you.”
“And you, especially considering we’ll probably see a lot of each other.”
Cranky gave Matilda a smirk. “Don’t give her too many ideas, Matilda. These old bones of mine don’t move as much as they used to. I’m lucky to get out of the house as it is, considering…”
“Cranky! Matilda!” Heads turned again as a familiar grey postmare glided down out of the sky. “I was looking for the two of you!” She noticed the other ponies present and smiled. “Oh, hi Quiver! Who’re these two ponies?”
“Two of the most important mares in my life. Sour Sweet, Sunrunner, meet Ditzy Doo, one of the sweetest mares you’ll ever meet and an able postmare if I’ve ever met one.”
“Call me Derpy, everypony does.” She then turned back to the two donkeys as she pulled a printed sheet from her bag. “Oh, before I forget, I just wanted to run this by you. It’s the rough copy for that invitation you wanted printed and mailed out.”
“Invitation?” Sour turned curious as Matilda examined the sheet. “For what exactly?”
Cranky took on a proud grin. “Our wedding. It’s a while off, though.” He turned to Sunrunner and added, “I’m more than happy to add you to the guest list.”
The flame-maned pegasus grinned. “Well, I don’t think I’ll have trouble getting a plus one. When’s the date?”
“The tenth of October.” Matilda passed the sheet to Sunrunner and explained, “It’s not going to be anything really extravagant, but if even half the ponies we’re inviting manage to arrive, well, it’s going to be the most talked-about wedding since Cadance and Shining Armor.”
“Though probably with fewer uninvited guests.” Cranky noticed a worried look on Sunrunner’s face as she considered the rough copy held in her wingtips. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing with me, but you said the tenth, right?” She turned the sheet over and explained, “This has the date a day earlier, on the ninth.”
Cranky’s eyes went wide with surprise, and he took up the sheet and turned to the postmare beside them. “What happened?!”
Derpy took up the sheet with surprise. “Oh dear, I must’ve written something down wrong. Good thing I was able to double-check.” She took out a pencil and quickly corrected her error on the rough copy. “Don’t worry, this hasn’t gone to full print yet, and I won’t charge extra for the second rough copy! I just hope I can get everything printed in time! We’re on a crunch as it is!” She jumped into the air and called before she flew off, “Gotta go and fix this! Sour, Sunrunner, it was very nice meeting you!”
As the postmare departed, Cranky turned to Sunrunner and asked, “Do you realize what you’ve just done?!”
“Saved you two some trouble?”
The donkey broke into a grin. “Exactly! Thanks to you, Matilda and I won’t be run ragged trying to get the wedding ready a day early! Thanks, all of you!”
Sour gave him a surprised look. “What did Quiver and I do?”
Quiver smiled. “Never complain when someone sends a compliment your way, Sour.” He then turned to the happy couple. “Congratulations. Can’t wait for the big day.”
Matilda smiled in turn. “Neither can we.”
The pair then went on their way, and Quiver turned to his marefriend with a grin. “I was wondering when I’d get to hear about your adventures.”
Sunrunner grinned back. “Plenty more where that came from, and I can’t wait to tell you about them sometime.” She noticed the smirk on her comrade’s face and asked, “What?”
-
After what had been the better part of an hour, Rarity stood before her client once more, her work concealed by a set of curtains as before. “My apologies for the wait, I do hope that this is more to your liking.”
She pulled back the curtains to reveal a new dress, identical in cut and design to the first one of the three that she had made earlier for her client but with the coloring reversed. Primrose approached the dress and examined it, then idly stroked it with one hoof, before she turned up her nose at it. “No. This won’t do at all. Brick?” Her coltfriend dutifully came when beckoned and pulled a small black box from his saddlebags, which she claimed with her magic. “I want the dress to compliment this.”
Rarity’s eyes went wide with appreciation as the box opened to reveal a finely-crafted horn ring, designed in such a way that the gemstone would fit at the tip of the wearer’s horn rather than be on one side or another. “Oh my. That’s a very impressive piece. When is the wedding?”
Primrose’s lips curled into a grin. “We haven’t even announced the engagement. I’m waiting for a special occasion.” The case snapped shut as she ordered, “Now, I want a different dress. Make sure it compliments my engagement ring. Also, I want the red to be a darker shade, and the green a lighter shade. And gold trim!”
The fashionista frowned, then turned and went back to her work. “I’ll have it done as quickly as I can.”
“Of course you will.” Primrose laughed as she watched the mare retreat back into her workshop, then turned to Brick Wall and idly noted, “It’s so much fun making them work for their money.”
“When will you take one and go?”
A wicked grin crossed her face. “After she’s run out of material, of course. This little filly’s going to regret making me waste my time, and I’m going to have my fun.” She laughed, high on the anticipation of the fun she’d have, and certain that no one would keep her from it.
-
“Seriously, what?”
Sour shook her head. “Might be a good idea for you to be honest with him, Warbler.” She turned to her cousin and explained, “Scuttlebutt had it that after her first big assignment, Sunrunner and three other ponies got stuck on a punishment detail up until the changeling invasion. Not a lot of big adventures in there.”
Quiver’s gaze went between the two mares before he smirked. “Sour, I’m not stupid. I know a soldier’s life isn’t constant adventure. Isn’t meant to be.” His attention turned back to his marefriend as her expression brightened. “And it’s definitely not all sunshine. I just hope that punishment detail was worth it.”
“It was. Once you get the full story, you’ll agree with me. Both of you.” The flame-haired pegasus turned to her fellow Guardspony and added, “And the detail wasn’t horrible.”
“You were stuck guarding Prince Blueblood.”
“Lots of travel, decent food, and the one time I asked for leave, he granted it.” She smirked and added, “Though I do wish I’d been on duty that one Grand Galloping Gala.”
Sour considered that, then snickered. “Don’t we all.” She turned to her cousin and asked, “Please tell me Princess Twilight and her friends have told you about that night.”
He grinned. “A little. Fluttershy’s still a little embarrassed by what happened that night, but most of them can joke about it. Rainbow Dash especially.”
“Speaking of whom, any chance she’ll cross our path?”
Quiver spotted a familiar prismatic mane high above and smiled as it angled towards them. “Ask and ye shall receive.” The pegasus came in for a swift landing as he greeted her. “Hey Dash! We were just talking about you!”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “No surprise there!” Her attention turned to the newcomer as she asked, “But right here’s another matter. Please tell me you’re who I think you are.”
Sunrunner smirked. “If I’m not, then I’m a damn good impersonator.”
The prismatic pegasus gave a gleeful cackle and offered a hoof to her fellow flyer. “Awesome!” The two shook as she explained, “Quiver told us all about you last night, and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you! Didn’t expect you to show up so soon, but I’m not complaining!”
“Neither am I!” Their excitement settled a bit as Sunrunner remarked, “Tell you the truth, I’ve been wanting the chance to meet you for a while.” She grinned and explained, “I saw that first sonic rainboom you pulled off after I moved out of Indianapoloosa and into Canterlot. The press called it a fluke, until you did it again at the Best Young Flyers’ Competition.”
Rainbow allowed herself a proud laugh as she stood up straight. “Yeah, gotta admit, that was pretty awesome of me.”
“Careful Dash, we both know what happens when you let your ego get the better of you.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge when I do something impressive.” She smiled at the newcomer and noted, “And from what I hear, you’re not so bad yourself.”
Sunrunner shrugged her wings. “Well, if we want to go down that road.” She turned to Quiver with a grin. “That leave I was just telling you about? It was so I could attend Wonderbolt Academy for a week.”
The stallion’s eye lit up, and he laughed in triumph. “How’d you do?”
“Well enough to set a few records, though they only lasted a few months.” She nodded her head towards Rainbow Dash. “Three guesses who broke them.” Before the prismatic Pegasus could enjoy that revelation too much, Sunrunner continued, “And ever since you showed it could be done, I’ve been trying to pull off a sonic rainboom of my own. Haven’t done it yet, obviously, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Now that’s an attitude I can appreciate!” She then flashed a challenging grin and noted, “But now that you’re here, how about you put your money where your mouth is?”
An eyebrow raised on the flame-haired pegasus’ head. “A race?”
“Quiver said you could fly like me. I wanna see that for myself.”
Sunrunner’s grin matched that of Rainbow Dash’s as she crouched down low and spread her wings. “Then you’d better pay attention, or you might just miss me. Quivs, count us down.”
Rainbow Dash matched her stance as Quiver grinned and called out, “On the count of three! One! Two! Three!”
His last word was barely out of his mouth before a massive gust of wind blew into his face, leaving his mane ruffled and forcing him into a small coughing fit. Sour was in a similar state beside him as she complained, “Great! What is it with jocks and stunts like this?!”
Quiver didn’t answer as he did his best to keep his eyes on the two ponies as they continued their flight. It was easy enough to follow them thanks to their respective contrails, as Rainbow Dash’s distinctive multicolored trail stood out even against Sunrunner’s fiery one. The pair had shot straight up, then completed a 270-degree loop to shoot their way in the direction of Canterlot. One by one, they traded aerial maneuvers, one copying the other to increasing degrees of flying skill. Rainbow Dash began with a barrel roll towards her left, which Sunrunner matched with a flat spin to her right. A Hammerhead turn was matched by an Immelmann, a zoom climb by a falling leaf maneuver, a Lazy Eight by a Scissors maneuver, and the two finished with a Kulbit and a Herbst before swooping back to their starting point. They bled off speed while in the air and skidded to a soft halt on the ground, almost exactly where they’d left off, and as they came to a halt, they broke out in laughter.
“That was awesome!” Calling Rainbow Dash thrilled was an understatement as she shared wingslaps with Sunrunner. “I haven’t seen a pony who could match me in the air like that since Lightning Dust at the Academy! No wonder you set records before I got there!” She turned to Quiver and exclaimed, “You were right, she’s definitely Wonderbolt material!” She noticed a frown form on the flame-haired pony’s face, and backed off. “What? What’d I say?”
“Nothing, it’s just…” She turned to her coltfriend and asked, “Quivs, you’ve followed recent stuff with the Wonderbolts, right?”
“As best I can. Having Rainbow Dash as a friend helps, and I was still hoping I’d see you fly with them one day.”
“Well, I’m afraid that’s one thing I can’t do.”
The prismatic pegasus turned to her in shock. “Why not?! You were matching me up there, pulling perfect maneuvers…!”
“It’s not whether I can fly with them, Rainbow Dash. It’s whether I should. And you of all ponies should be able to guess why I’d have some misgivings.” She turned to the mare beside her with a firm gaze. “You mentioned Lightning Dust. That was my first warning sign. Spitfire was impressed with that mare setting records and pulling off stunts, but she didn’t care one flying feather about how it was happening until you threatened to resign. Ponies could have died, and she cared more about records.”
“Well, yeah, but she did something about it. Lightning Dust got the boot and…”
“And would that have happened if you hadn’t threatened to leave?” Rainbow Dash’s pensive expression showed Sunrunner that her point had hit home. “We’ll never know, but like I said, that was my first warning sign. I started asking around after that, paying closer attention to scuttlebutt and keeping tabs where I could. Helped that I got on pretty well with Surprise after my week at the Academy. Spitfire should’ve been on top of things, riding herd on Lightning Dust and making sure she didn’t cross a line. That she hasn’t gotten any sort of disciplinary review from above still rubs me the wrong way.”
Rainbow’s eyes flicked to the mare’s mane, then towards Quiver. “Yeah, I can get why.” Her full attention turned back to Sunrunner as she prodded, “And your second one?”
“Rainbow Falls. Soarin’ gets injured, but not badly enough that he couldn’t recover in time for the qualifiers. Do Spitfire and Fleetfoot call in another Wonderbolt to take his place? Nope. They ask you to join them, despite you already being on another team. That was dirty pool, and I told her that myself after I tore up my application in her office.” A snarl formed on her face as she continued, “And she had the nerve to try and defend herself. ‘I did what I needed to do to win’, she said.”
Sour scowled. “Please tell me you name-dropped Blue Falcon.”
“Without a moment’s hesitation.” A deep sigh. “She came to speak to me again after that, try to get my point of view, even admitted that she’d messed up and encouraged me to give it another shot. As much as I appreciated the gesture, I couldn’t.”
“But they’re the Wonderbolts! They’re the most famous flyers in all of Equestria!”
“For what, exactly? For wearing nice uniforms? Being the so-called best of the best?” Sunrunner sat up ramrod straight and declared, “The Wonderbolts have their roots in the Equestrian military, a proud tradition going back to the days of the Mighty Helm and the Cloudsdale Royal Legion. You’ve heard of Rockhoof and Flash Magnus, haven’t you?”
“Well duh, of course! Flash Magnus’ story is my favorite legend!”
“One of mine, too. But do you think he’d have sat in some office putting hoofstamps on photos instead of supervising his recruits? Or that he’d have pulled that horseshit on Soarin’?”
“Well, no, but…” Rainbow Dash had a very hard time replying to any of that as she sat down. “Who’s Blue Falcon?”
“Not a Wonderbolt. Just a soldier who abandoned his squad to the tender mercies of his enemies, and tried to cover his plot afterwards.” She took on a softer tone of voice and asked, “Why do you want to join them, anyway? Please don’t tell me it was because of ego, or entitlement, or wanting to show somepony up.”
“No! Heck no! Believe me, I…” Rainbow Dash turned quiet, then quietly admitted, “Maybe it was a little bit about showing somepony up, but that wasn’t the big reason.” She raised her head to look at Sunrunner and said, “I love flying. I’ve always loved flying. My folks could see that before I was out of diapers, the way they’ve gushed about me, and they were always cheering the loudest for me at every competition, even when all I got was a participation trophy.”
Sunrunner gagged. “I hate those things.”
“Me too, but that’s not the point. The Wonderbolts are the top flyers in Equestria, no exception. I get far enough to join them, I earn a spot on that team, there won’t be a pony alive who’d treat me like the butt of some joke.” She looked up and softly noted, “You and Quiver weren’t the only ones who got bullied in school. I didn’t get it nearly as bad as you two did, especially him, but it still stings.”
“And you think that becoming a Wonderbolt will finally get them out of your head?”
A laugh. “Nah. Winning the Best Young Flyers’ Competition and saving Rarity and the Wonderbolts did that. Got an apology and everything. And trust me, I know the ‘Bolts have messed up. I saw both those examples for myself, and a whole lot more besides.” She gained a measure of firmness to her voice as she explained, “But if they’re gonna get better, then they’re gonna need ponies to get them there. Dragging their plots along, kicking and screaming if I have to. Maybe Spitfire gets ‘em started, and maybe not, but I’m still gonna do it one way or another.”
Sunrunner considered that, then smiled. “Well, if anypony’s gonna pull it off, it’s gonna be you.”
Rainbow Dash smirked in turn. “Well I’d better do it if you don’t.” Her voice dropped low as she leaned in. “Speaking of, you think you can help with that? I’ll stand a better chance of joining the Wonderbolts if I get into those new Wonderbolt Reserves, and it sounds like there’s a paper test involved.”
Sunrunner whispered back in turn, “Not much for bookwork?”
“I dropped out of flight school. Not really something I’m proud of.”
A smirk. “We’ll figure something out.” The two leaned back as Sunrunner turned to her coltfriend and said, “Sorry if that admission disappointed you any, Quiver. I know you always thought I could make it there.”
“Yeah, I did. But better you happy with a unit you can trust than unhappy with one that won’t have your back.” He smiled and added, “And I’m glad that you aren’t forcing Rainbow Dash to give up her dream either.”
“Heck no. That’s her decision.”
“Dang right!” The two pegasi hoof-bumped as Rainbow Dash added, “Anyway, it’s been awesome meeting you, Sunrunner. You’re everything I expected you to be after how Quiver talked you up. Now I gotta go tell Twilight…”
“Pinkie beat you to it, Dash.”
“Seriously?!” A groan. “Bad enough it’s always happening with cider season, but this? I’m not the last one of the six of us to find out, am I?”
“Nope, that’s Rarity.” The stallion frowned. “Primrose is in town, and I’m staying as far away from where she’ll be as possible.”
A snort. “Don’t blame you.” The prismatic pegasus took flight once again and called out, “Anyway, I’ve got stuff that needs to get done! Catch you guys later!”
The three waved her off as Sunrunner remarked, “She’s definitely something special.” She turned to the two and smiled. “Think maybe she can give me some pointers?”
“Can’t hurt to ask.”
-
Sugar Cube Corner was surprisingly empty for a late Saturday morning in midsummer, a few ponies having come and gone to pick up the odd confectionary here and there but very few lingering for very long. Neither the Cakes nor Pinkie Pie minded this too much. In the case of the former, this quiet time allowed them to get the odd thing done that they’d been putting off, or tend to their very young and rambunctious foals. In the case of the latter, it allowed her time to make preparations for her plans for later in the day, as well as make ready a few other minor things here and there.
Roxy and Hot Trail had no context for this as they entered the establishment and looked about, their arrival heralded by the ringing of a bell above their heads. The earth pony mare glanced at the wares available and grinned. “Well, at least we won’t go hungry.”
The pegasus seemed to be of another mind entirely. “You’re really gonna, like, eat this stuff? It looks so…fattening!”
“Only if you don’t exercise, silly!” The two jumped in shock, then turned to find themselves looking upon a pink pony with bright blue eyes and a gleaming smile. “I mean, look at me! I eat all sorts of sweets, and do I look it?” She then bounded about the establishment, almost bouncing off the walls at one point, and let out a long string of “Nope!” before settling behind the counter and grinning. “Anyway, welcome to Ponyville and Sugar Cube Corner! What can I do ya for?”
The two stared dumbfounded until Hot Trail raised a hoof and asked, “How did…?”
“…I know that you two were new in town?” Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes and explained, “Because I know everypony in town, and I don’t know you two! Therefore, you’re new in town! And the two of you look like you’ve been walking around everywhere looking for somepony, so how about some cupcakes to recover those carbs and fill those tummies?”
Roxy grinned. “Sure, why not?”
Pinkie grinned and turned about to see about their order as Hot Trail leaned in and whispered. “Roxy, what are we doing? She’s a crazy weirdo! We need to get out of here!”
“Hey, I’m hungry! Besides, she might just be stupid enough to tell us what we want to know!” Neither noticed the tingle go along their host’s spine as she went about her work, or her attention going from one set of cupcakes to another. Roxy smiled and resumed her normal tone as she continued, “You said you know everyone in town, right? You know a pony named Quiver Quill?”
A gasp, and Pinkie turned around to face them. “You know Quiver Quill?!” At their nods, she exclaimed, “Omigoshomigoshomigosh! He was just telling me about how things were for him back in his hometown last night! Did you two go to school with him?”
Hot Trail’s smile joined Roxy’s. “Like, yeah! We were great friends of his!”
“Aww! I’m glad!” Pinkie turned her attention back to the cupcakes, but her conversation continued on. “Quiver needed friends with all the horrible meanie-pants bullies he had to deal with! Party poopers like that are just no good at all, you know what I mean?”
The pegasus rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well duh!”
“Now me, I didn’t really have to deal with bullies a lot when I was a little filly. Not that they didn’t try, though. They’d look at me or my baby sister Marble, and they’d get these looks in their eyes and try to be mean to us, but that didn’t last.”
Roxy grinned. “Because you made them cupcakes?”
“Nope! Because our older sister Limestone would scare them off. And if that didn’t work, then our older-older sister Maud would beat them into bloody pulps. You grow up on a rock farm, you build up a lot of strength.” She turned back to face them with a box full of cupcakes, all topped with frosting in various shades of red, orange and yellow. “Anyway, here ya go!”
Roxy examined the confections with approval. “Nice frosting. How much?”
“Oh these? They’re free!” Pinkie beamed and explained, “Just a special little something for some special little ponies!” The door bell chimed again, and Pinkie waved in greeting to her newest customer. “Hi Quiver!”
“Hi Pinkie.” The two newcomers turned around in surprise to find the object of their search standing directly behind them in the doorway to the establishment, an unfamiliar unicorn mare at his side. He kept a pleasant smile as his eyes met theirs. “Well ain’t this a surprise!”
Both mares turned pleased as they turned to address him. “O-D-C, Quiver Quill! You remember us!”
“Of course, how could I forget!” He and the new mare stepped inside of Sugar Cube Corner, but failed to clear the door as he made introductions. “Sour, meet Hot Trail and Hard Rock! I went to school with them!” He turned back and finished, “This is Sour Sweet. She and I live together now.”
“Really?” Hot Trail gave the unicorn a once-over. “You look amazing! How long have you known each other?”
“Oh, it’s been so long!” Sour’s expression was a match for that of the pegasus before her. “And Quiver’s told me so much about you two and all the friends he had in school!”
Hot Trail gasped, then turned to him and said, “Then why haven’t you gotten back in touch about the reunion?”
The stallion took on a surprised expression. “There’s a reunion? My invites must have gotten lost in the mail.”
Roxy chuckled. “No surprise.”
“Well now we can tell you in person! There’s so many ponies there who’d love to see you again! It’s gonna be so much fun, like…”
“Like all the times Roxy and Brick Wall and Primrose tripped me up or banged me into doorframes.” All the pleasantness in Quiver’s tone had disappeared as his smile turned into a scowl. “Or the time the two of you and Primrose shoved Runnie into a bathroom and sheared her like a sheep. Or all the other times that you two and her and Brick decided to have their fun.” He turned to Sour. “I mentioned High Note to you, right?”
“How they tried to convince him that you had the hots for him?”
Quiver nodded and turned back to the pair. “That the sort of fun you had in mind?”
Hot Trail briefly made a very good impression of a goldfish before she managed to string a sentence or two together. “Well, I, like, don’t know how you could…”
The two parted to reveal Sunrunner standing behind them, a glare fixed on her face as she stepped forward to fill the gap. “Hello Hot Trail. Fancy meeting you here.”
The bullies paused at this, the pegasus in particular clearly attempting to figure out some sort of counter to all of this. She grabbed at the first thing to come to mind, and turned her attention to Sour Sweet. “I should warn you, they…”
“Stuff it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said stuff it you blow-dried little snot.” The mare’s indigo eyes glittered dangerously as she explained, “I’m going to spell a couple things out to the two of you. Me and Sunrunner? We go back a ways. Me and Quiver? We go back even further. Far as I’m concerned, they’re blood, and…”
Roxy grinned and rushed the mare, only to find a hoof strike her right where her neck met her upper torso. She stumbled back in shock as Quiver and Sunrunner stepped to one side, then tried again, only for the unicorn to take hold of her and fling her out the door and leave her a crumpled heap outside.
“…And you mess with them, then you mess with me.” Her eyes glittered dangerously as she added, “And I don’t play little girlie games like you. Mess with me, and I. Will. Break you.”
Hot Trail, to her credit, could see that she’d bitten off a bit more than she could chew. She took the box of cupcakes and gave Pinkie Pie a spiteful look. “You’re a weirdo freak. This town is full of weirdo freaks and retards, and you all, like, deserve each other.” She then exited, and made a point of slamming the door behind her.
Sunrunner snorted. “Didn’t even pay for the cupcakes.”
“Oh, they’ll pay for them. Trust me.”
The three had just enough time to take notice of the certainty in Pinkie’s tone before the proprietors came rushing in, a pair of familiar foals on their backs. “Pinkie Pie, what just happened? We heard something…!”
“Don’t worry Mister Cake, just a couple rowdy ponies who wanted to make trouble. They’re gone now.”
“Well thank Celestia for…” Mrs. Cake’s eyes fell on the flame-haired pegasus in the room and she gasped, “Oh my! I remember you from earlier!” She then turned to Quiver. “Please tell me…!”
He laughed. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
-
Roxy was just regaining her footing as Hot Trail caught up with her, the coral pink mare keeping her nose in the air. “Like, can you believe them?”
“Bitch blindsided me. She won’t be so lucky next time.” The bulky earth pony caught sight of the box of cupcakes on her friend’s back. “You took the cupcakes?”
“They were free. Freaks want to give them away, let them.” She then opened the box with her wings and held it forward. “So I guess we gotta give Primrose the news, huh?”
“Yeah, and then we find Quiver’s place and trash it before we leave town.” Roxy selected one of the cupcakes, then waited for Hot Trail to take one for her own. “That’ll teach him and that unicorn bitch to mess with us.”
The two bullies laughed at the fun that was to come, then bit down on their cupcakes. They were going to savor the things as they found their way to Carousel Boutique and caught up with Primrose and Brick Wall, maybe even offer them a cupcake to enjoy on their way to Quiver’s place to redecorate it. If nothing else, this trip would be a fun one.
They hardly got any further than where they’d started before a terrible warmth built up in their mouths, and a terrible heat in their throats. They cried out, and fire literally burst forth from their open maws as if they were dragons. All thoughts of their petty revenge went by the wayside as they went scrambling off in search of water, totally heedless of the clouds lazily floating above their heads.
The cupcakes, meanwhile, went flying, only to be caught by a prismatic pegasus as she went about her cloud-busting duties. Rainbow Dash opened the box and took a sniff, then grinned. “Spike’s gonna love these. Shame there’s a couple missing.”
-
Introductions were quickly made between the Cakes and the two important mares in Quiver’s life, and the latter two found themselves gleefully welcome at Sugar Cube Corner, especially as Sunrunner found herself doing what any self-respecting soldier would do.
“Hapabababa! Habooboobooboo!”
Eliciting laughter from young infants. Quiver watched her play with the biggest grin on his face that anypony could imagine, and one that was all too familiar to Cup Cake as she knowingly gave them a melancholy smile.
“I hope you’ll understand me not going gaga over your kids.” Sour nervously smiled at Carrot Cake as she explained, “I’m not exactly good with babies.”
“That’s perfectly fine miss.” The lanky stallion quietly amended, “I just hope that won’t keep you away, and that what happened won’t get you in trouble.” He glanced to the shelves. “Pinkie, what they took…?”
“Don’t worry, I made those with one of Nana Pinkie’s recipes.”
Sour raised an eyebrow. “You gave them free cupcakes, made from your grandmother’s recipe.” At Pinkie’s nod, she frowned. “Let me guess, some kind of chocolate.”
The smile that formed on Pinkie’s face as she nodded made the room go cold. “Chocolate habanero.”
Sour barely had a second to process that before she heard a soft clap of flesh against flesh and a baby’s voice say two words.
“Gen-tull touch.”
What followed was a squee for the ages from Sunrunner, who turned from Pound Cake to a grinning Quiver as he remarked, “I taught him that.” The wild hug that came afterwards made him laugh with joy even as she continued to squee.
“Oh they are adorable! I love this town!” She finally released Quiver and began wiping tears from her eyes with her wingtips. “Thanks for showing me and Sour around, Quivs. I’m glad that you’re happy here. You needed a place like Ponyville.”
The smile faded from his face. “Probably more than you think.” He then turned to Pinkie and asked, “Pinkie, can Runnie and I have a few minutes of privacy in your Party Cave? I’ve got some stuff I need to talk with her about.”
“Okey-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie led them out of the main floor of the business and into the residential portion, up to her living quarters on the second floor towards a familiar staircase. “When you’re done, use the stairs to get out and then come find me!” She then set a hoof on the ice cream cone banister and trotted off, even as the banister made odd mechanical noises and descended in segments.
Sunrunner grew curious, but saw a relaxed smile on Quiver’s face as he whispered, “Hang tight.”
And then the floor went out from under them, and the pegasus cried out in surprise as she dropped and slid down through the innards of the building and into a cavernous room beneath it, filled with party supplies and filing cabinets of one sort or another. As they climbed off the slide, she looked around in wonder. “Whoa. What is this?”
“Pinkie’s not-so-secret party planning cave. Not really a cave, but close enough, and definitely somewhere private.” He turned around and gestured for her to sit beside him. “I needed a little privacy for this. Just hope you don’t mind.”
Sunrunner obliged. “Just you and me?”
“Sour already knows about all of this, and I think you deserve to know all of it too. Would’ve told you earlier back at my place, but we kinda got sidetracked.” He took a deep breath. “There’s a lot more that you need to know, about what I’ve been through. About me and my brother, and about my life here in Ponyville since I moved in. Trust me, it isn’t all pleasant.”
She gave him a sympathetic smile. “What life is? Come on Quivs. Tell me everything.”