//------------------------------//
// 49 - Return of the Crystaler 
// Story: Sunburst to the Rescue 
// by David Silver 
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The train came to a smooth halt and ponies stepped free. The empire was in sight, though there was a hike between the station and the city proper, meaning a brisk trot through the cold winter before one reached the temperature-controlled interior of the city.

Twilight hurried alongside Sunburst. "Do you think, someday, all the weather across the world will be properly controlled?"

"That would be a lot of work for a lot of pegasi," mused Sunburst, trotting easily. "Though the protection around the Crystal Empire is entirely magical in nature, so maybe something like that? But then you'd be robbing pegasi of their identity."

"More like liberating them to pursue other things," countered Twilight with a raised hoof as she ambled on her other three. "Pegasi can do other things besides manage the weather. Imagine what innovations we're missing out on because they're occupied with that?"

"Remember the time the Crystal Heart shattered? Now imagine there were things like that all over, waiting to break and cause a sudden catastrophe."

Twilight's face contorted into displeasure. "That would be bad... There would need to be failsafes, definitely. Here we are." She hopped across the band between snow and grass, suddenly entering the warmth of the city proper. "Much nicer."

Sunburst walked across the line without a hop, shaking free the frost and snow that had gathered on him. "I'm back," he announced to no particular person. "Um, should we go right to the palace or I can show you my place?"

Twilight bumped against him, her side pressed to his a moment. "We should announce ourselves, allow for an hour of shock and amazement, then we can get rid of our luggage. I have a schedule!"

He smiled at that. "I feel quite silly for not seeing that coming. Lead on."

With a glowing horn, she pulled at their luggage easily, rolling across the smooth stones of the city street. "I want to see their expressions!"

He, far more quietly, hoped they were nice expressions, but kept such thoughts to himself, focusing on approaching the castle that loomed ahead of them.

"Twilie!" Shining Armor spotted them as they wove through the city. He approached with a big smile, a few guards trailing behind him. "What are you doing here?!"

"Shinie!" She threw her hooves side and he came in, the two hugging affectionately. "Did I catch you in the middle of something?"

"We were just inspecting a few things, nothing that can't wait for a little sister." He looked over his shoulders. "Go ahead without me."

The other guards saluted sharply, then trotted off into the city, apparently knowing where they needed to  be.

"And you brought Sunburst back with you." He was looking to Sunburst with the same easy smile. "Today's a lucky day!"

"About that..." Twilight gestured at Sunburst. "I need to introduce you."

Shining blinked at that. "I know who Sunburst is, Twilight. Don't be silly."

Sunburst cleared his throat. "This is a little, um, different."

"Was some kind of spell cast that made you think you're actually a little filly?"

Both of the visiting ponies blinked with befuddlement at Shining.

"What? It could happen... So, what are you introducing us for, Twilight?"

Twilight turned as she extended a hoof not quite at Sunburst but across his front. "Brother, I present my boyfriend, Sunburst. Sunburst, my brother and potentially yours, Shining Armor."

Both stallions peered at one another. Shining Armor went more rigid than he had been a moment before, taking a slow breath. "I... see..." He inclined his head faintly. "I thought your other friend, Starlight, was closer to him?"

Sunburst began to blush. "O-oh, well, you see... We're just friends... um... good friends, sure... but nothing romantic..." He shuffled in place, growing rapidly more awkward.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was rolling her eyes with a sardonic smile. "If she wanted him, she'd throw an arm over him and headlock him until he gave up, or maybe she'd shrink him down to a toy and put him in a jar until he acknowledged her feelings."

Shining laughed loudly, maybe a touch too loudly. "I could imagine that, but... no, he's... your boyfriend." He looked between the nervous Sunburst and Twilight. "And you're his girlfriend?"

"Yep," confirmed Twilight without hesitation. "We are enjoying a perfectly pleasant courting period as we grow more familiar with one another's patterns and social circles, which includes this very meeting."

Shining approached the shaking form of Sunburst, looking him over with new eyes. "And you're taking care of my little sister?"

"Yes, Sir!" he squeaked.

"Cadance has to hear about this," he suddenly mused, glancing towards the palace. "And you..." His gaze returned to Sunburst. "You! My sister?" He suddenly burst into laughter, throwing an arm over Sunburst, hugging him. "Our acrobat was secretly a mare-stealer?!"

Sunburst burst into an awkward little laugh. "O-oh, yeah, crazy huh?"

"Come on, we have to tell Cadie." He dragged Sunburst along, keeping an arm over the helpless little scholar stallion. "And we need to have... a little talk."

Sunburst swallowed heavily, but had little choice but to be pulled along, not willing to physically resist Shining's firm grip.

Twilight seemed to have no idea of the discomfort. The reveal had gone quite well in her eyes and she trotted along after the two stallions, her magic drawing their luggage along with them. "I can't wait to tell Cadance the good news."





"Twilight!" joyfully called Cadance as she spritely trotted across the wide hall of the palace. Attached to her side was Flurry Heart, both of their eyes on Twilight with joy on their faces, unified in their happiness to see the bookish princess. "I wasn't expecting you. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Shining slid in next to her, kissing Flurry Heart before returning his vision to Twilight. Sunburst was still captured under the arm away from Cadance, keeping him close. "She was too busy kissing on her boyfriend," he teased with a little smile.

Cadance's eyes widened. "What? No. You're joking! You have to be!"

Twilight blinked softly before a little frown developed. "It's not that impossible of an idea! I've researched heavily on the topic for optimal results."

"Which is... exactly why I am surprised." Cadance approached with a more gentle smile. "Where is this boyfriend? Surely you wouldn't come to announce this without them?" She looked left and right, but there were no new ponies there to appraise.

Sunburst looked like he was quietly hoping to be consumed by the floor. Twilight remained ignorant to that, pointing at him. "Cadance, meet Sunburst, my--"

"--Him?!" she interrupted, eyes going wide once more. "I mean... congratulations..." She raised a hoof over her mouth. "I've been nothing but rude today. I blame it on skipping our greetings."

That cue was enough. Soon they were clopping hooves and shaking their bottoms in their traditional greeting and calling of ladybugs. "Much better. Now, really, congratulations! I'm beyond overjoyed to hear two dear friends found one another." She looked over each of them intensely as she spoke, pressing her perception just a little to the left, into the realm of connections.

A bright band tethered the two announced romancing ponies. There was love, fear, respect... Wonder... She smiled gently, liking the collection of colors and their relative strengths. It was not a bad connection. "You two are... happy together."

She saw another band, connecting her Shining and the quietly shivering form of Sunburst. Those colors were very different... "Shining, you will not tear apart Flurry Heart's crystaler who has been nothing but a fine friend to us and foalsitter to her."

"What? Me?! No! I'm not losing a sister, I'm losing an O&O player." He squeezed Sunburst closer, drawing a helpless squeak from the pony he outclassed physically and magically. "Wait... Wait wait wait. I am losing something else." He finally released Sunburst to face him directly. "Are you... staying here?"

Cadance shook her head slowly. "Of course he isn't, Shining, nor would I want him to..."

Sunburst tilted his head towards Cadance. "Y-yeah... uh... I was going to move... to Ponyville? If that's...alright?"

"Of course it is." Cadance was suddenly between them, setting a hoof on Sunburst's shoulder. "I am very happy for you. We'll have to find a new... foalsitter of course, but that's our problem, not yours."

A soft squeal turned eyes to Flurry who was reaching for Sunburst.

He smiled and leaned in, letting her grab his snout between her hooves. "I'll miss you too, little Flurry." She squealed and squeezed at him, largely ignorant of what was being said, but happy to have a grip on Sunburst.

Shining casually pushed Sunburst back away from Flurry's hooving. "We still need to have... a talk. Why don't we let the mares catch up while we do that?" He tossed his head away, hinting at the back of the room, perhaps past it.

Twilight was looking at Cadance, letting Shining escort Sunburst away. "I'm doing everything by the book and it's going so perfectly!"

Cadance inclined an ear at Twilight curiously. "Is it?" Her experience with ponies trying to do romance 'by the book' was far less sunny. "Tell me about that. I want to hear it all."

Twilight suddenly started to go red. "Should, um... Some parts of it probably shouldn't be said... here."

Cadance arched a brow high. "Have you two done things you would be uncomfortable with Flurry knowing about?" Twilight's awkward shuffle was answer enough for that. "I see... Not everything by the book then. Good."

Twilight blinked softly. "Good?"

"Yes, good, of course. Romance is not some... rote process. Do this, then do that, and you're done, love!" She leaned in, pressing nose to nose with Twilight. "Love is a great mystery, unique to each pair of ponies that experiences it. Trying to boil it down to unchanging steps... I have no idea how you... I take that back, that is perfectly 'you'..."

Twilight smiled awkwardly at the mare she saw as much as a big sister as anything else. "How... was it with you?"

"Let's compare notes." She extended a wing and gently nudged Twilight away from prying eyes, where they could speak of such personal things more freely. "I feel certain you have many notes to share."

A weighty book appeared over Twilight's head, floating along placidly. "Maybe a few," she admitted.





Shining Armor got Sunburst into a smaller room and willed the door shut with a twinkling horn. "Let's talk..."

"Oh, um... sure..." Sunburst looked around, realizing where they were. "Oh, the game room." There was a table, and the storyteller's screen was still set up. Dice were scattered around. "I'll... miss this." No way he could play O&O there if he moved so far away.

Shining prodded him firmly in the chest. "You were going to just move away without letting us finish? Not cool, Bro."

He blinked at that. "Finish?"

"Your character has to get a proper send-off." Shining nodded firmly, eyes locked on Sunburst. "The other players need a chance to rib you about finding a girlfriend, and I need a chance to wrap my head around you... and her... doing... things..."

"O-oh! I mean... uh... yeah! That would be... nice?" He swerved around Shining, moving for the table. "How's the game been going while I was away?"

"We could have used our acrobat," laughed Shining as he circled the table the other way. "We managed, somehow... Hey, uh... You treat her right. If she tells me you ever didn't..."

He didn't need to finish that threat. Sunburst bobbed his head quickly. "Of course! I mean, she was already a friend... and a great pony. I wouldn't ever want to hurt her."

"I hope you do more than just not hurt her." He smirked a  bit. "My sister deserves an awesome boyfriend that'll do everything she wants out of a boyfriend."

"Like a BBBFF, with more on the lips kissing?"

He put a hoof over his face. "Let's never describe it like that ever again."