//------------------------------// // Boxing Day Part 1 // Story: ULTRA LIVE! Sunset Shimmer // by Cojo5536 //------------------------------// “Oof!” “Ow!” “D’oh!” These were the not so very graceful sounds that came out of the three major Alicorn princesses of Equestria as they fall face-first into the snow when they exited from the Canterlot High portal. “Cadance, Luna, are you both alright?” “I’m fine, Sister.” “So am I, Auntie.” “Alright, now let’s get up and...” Celestia trailed off. “What’s wrong?” Luna questioned and then she looked at her hooves which were no longer hooves. “What has happened to my hooves!?” “Stay calm, Luna. Twilight mentioned that this would happen,” Celestia placated, badly hiding how panicked she herself was. “MY WINGS!” Cadance shrieked when she found her was missing her wings. “MY HORN!” “It’s okay, Cadance. These human creatures don’t have wings or horns,” Celestia said while still trying to hide her own terror and confusion at the transformation. “What!? Then how are we supposed to move then!?” Luna demanded. “Um… Uh…” Celestia faltered. What was it that Twilight had said about this form? “Oh! Twilight said that they walked on two legs!” “That’s great, Auntie. So show us how,” Cadance strangely challenged. “Wait, what?” “You heard her, Sister. If you know how to walk like one of these hairless apes, please show us.” “What!? Why can’t you two figure it out yourselves?” “Oh, we are sorry, Sister. We were under the impression that you were the teacher between us.” “Yeah, and who was the one that always shooed us out of the room whenever this world came up in conversation?” “But… That was…” “Look, Sister! This ill-advised venture was your idea so you should take charge! So stop complaining and take charge!” “Well… Fine, I will!” Celestia weakly declared. ‘Okay, Celestia. It can’t be that hard. Discord, the minotaurs, and the dragons do it all the time and you are over a thousand years old. So this should be easy. Oh dear, oh dear, how do I do this?’ Celestia used her new hands to push herself up onto her feet. Her balance was a bit wobbly at first as she tried to get used to a new center of gravity. Also, why was she wearing such odd shoes with such high heels? That just made it much harder. However, she was up to the challenge and managed to steady her new feet. “Ha! That’ll shut you up!” Unfortunately, neither Luna or Cadance seemed particularly impressed. “Great… Now walk,” Cadance deadpanned. Celestia’s smug smile immediately dropped. “W-Walk?” “What? Did you expect us to stand in one place the entire night? Of course, we need to walk!” Luna pressed. “Okay, okay!” Celestia waved off, then uttered a whispered, “Oh dear.” Starting off by moving her arms to her sides for balance, Celestia slowly, and shakily, lifted up her foot. As she attempted to move the raised foot to take a step, she suddenly felt herself falling forward. Bracing for the impact, she miraculously managed to catch herself on the outstretched foot, accidentally completing the step. Repeating the process several more times finally got the Solar Princess steady enough to walk like a human. “There,” Celestia huffed, turning to her companions, “Now, can… we? Oh.” It appeared that Luna and Cadance had already figured out their new limbs. “Okay, so we can stand and walk. Now what?” Cadance asked. "Well, Twilight said that Sunset was going to a party at Sweet Apple Acres. So-" Celestia began but was cut off by Luna. “We have to stop you right there, Sister. For one, do you even know where it is on this side of the portal? And second, how did you plan to get there if you did?” “Uh…” “Oh! How lovely! She says ‘uh’!” Cadance harshly mocked. “Oh, back off! Why are you two being so harsh?” “Why are we-!? Tia, you basically foal-napped us, guilted us into compliance, stole your student’s magic journal, and jumped us through the portal with no preparation. Of course, we would be annoyed!” “But if I told Twilight, she would have kept me from coming here!” “And that would be bad how, exactly? We all have responsibilities back in Equestria, Auntie. The Crystal Empire’s getting ready for Hearth’s Warming and I was expecting to be spending the holidays with Shiny.” “Really? Why didn’t you say anything?” Cadance began making various angry choking sounds while pulling her hair. “Why didn’t I-? That’s- you- but- GGGRRRRRRAAAAGGGGGLLLL! I AM MARRIED, AUNTIE! THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMMON BUCKING SENSE! If you could just drop the flawless goddess act long enough to get hitched yourself, you would understand this!” Celestia gasped while clutching her chest. “That’s hurtful.” Before the argument could escalate further, a polite cough caught the princesses’ attention. Turning towards the sound revealed a pair of human females who were spitting images of Princesses Celestia and Luna. The human Celestia sighed. “Let me guess, magic?” She received three nods in response. “Sunset’s somehow involved?” Again, the princesses nodded. “And you’re aware that she’s not here, correct?” A nod and two glares followed. “I assume, then, you need a way to reach her?” Two confused looks and one particularly vigorous nod came in response. The human Celestia sighed again, “Alright, just let my sister and I finish our business here, then we’ll give you three a ride to Sweet Apple Acres.” This stroke of luck caused Princess Celestia to brighten up significantly. “Oh, of course! Thank you so much!” The human Celestia nodded then walked into the school, followed by her Equestrian counterpart and her entourage. On the way, she took out her phone to send a quick text message to Sunset, telling her of some new arrivals from the other side. *////* “Pinkie Pie, I don’t think Spark Dolls make good Christmas tree decorations,” Applejack said to her pink friend who had put up the numerous Spark Dolls Sunset had collected up on the tree. “Indeed,” Taro agreed, mounted on the farmgirl’s shoulders. At least it wasn’t him who would be put on top this time. “C’mon, Applejack! It’s a theme!” Pinkie Pie said. “It shows how far we’ve come and we’re also celebrating Sunset being a hero!” Speaking of Sunset Shimmer, she was with Granny Smith and helping her set the table. The Apple matriarch had prepared a delicious Christmas turkey in the center and Sunset was setting down the plates for everyone. “Everything looks great, Granny Smith,” Sunset complimented. “Christmas has always been special for the Apple clan. It’s a time for family,” Granny Smith told her. “Even more than the annual Apple Family Reunion?” Sunset questioned. “Now that’s a whole other story,” Granny Smith said. “I’m just glad you’ve recovered from that dang Anon-A-Miss mess.” “Yeah,” Sunset sighed. Hopefully, the experience strengthened their friendship. She did not want it to be strained ever again. “How about you? Got any family?” Granny Smith asked. Sunset thought back to her life in Equestria. How she had tried so hard to get Princess Celestia to publicly acknowledge her as her daughter, only to get snubbed in favor of the newcomer Cadance, and then again with Twilight. Sure, Celestia had helped her defeat Mebius Dark and Golza, but that just could have been more due to her concern for Equestria than Sunset. With such a level of ambiguity, Sunset could only answer with: “I don’t know.” “Huh? Now just what’s that supposed to mean?” “Granny Smith, you have to understand that not every family is like the Apples. Not everyone has that kind of tight-knit family unit, especially when the closest person to a parent in your life has only been there physically but never emotionally.” “Eh?” “My teacher, who raised me for most of my life, never really committed to the whole ‘parenting’ thing. Sure, she was a physical presence, but her heart just wasn’t into it, always keeping me at a distance. Then, some new girl shows up, and my teacher is pretty much instantly, ‘Yep, that’s my niece.’ I was in shock. There I was, working my a- er- butt off, trying to get her to acknowledge me, and this little upstart shows up and is adopted on the spot. I guess it was then that I really fell. If I couldn’t be her daughter, then I’d be her equal, maybe even superior to her.” Granny Smith frowned. That was just not right, making a girl work so hard for what seemed like no benefit? What kind of monster does that? Just then, Applejack entered the room. “Ah’m not sayin’ you were in the right, doin’ what ya did, ah jes’ think your teacher is a bitch fer yankin’ yer chain like that.” “Ya mean like Filthy Rich did to you?” Granny Smith coldly asked. Sunset cringed with a hiss. These sorts of barbs had come out several times already, and every time one came out, Applejack's mood took a hit. Deciding to save her from the awkwardness, Sunset asked, “Um, Granny Smith? Could Applejack and I have a moment?” “Ya don’t need ta ask, hun. Yer a member of the family after all,” the Elder Apple said while shooting a pointed look at Applejack. Offering a quick, “Thank you,” Sunset ushered Applejack out of the room. Once they were alone, Sunset opted to just get straight to the point, “So, going by how frosty Granny is, you told them?” Applejack nodded. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but what actually happened?” “Well…” Applejack began. *////* "I knew you were as stubborn as a mule, Applejack, but I thought you learned your lesson about comin’ to Mac ‘n me when talkin’ business!" Granny Smith was pretty pissed at her granddaughter. She had dug her farm into serious debt to Filthy Rich over a poorly informed deal. "Ah should bend ya over mah knee and give you a spanking for being so dumb and pigheaded!" “But it seemed so good at the time,” Applejack weakly deflected. “‘Course it did! That’s why it’s called a scam! They don’t make money if ya don’t believe in them!” Granny put her head in her hands, “Jes’... what were ya tryin’ ta achieve with this deal?” “Ah… Ah don’t know. Ta show y’all that Ah was ready fer the farm ah guess.” “Ready fer…? Applejack, yer still a dumb teenager, barely out of school yet. You’ve got a lot ta learn about running a farm. Yer can do the hard labor right, for sure, but this is a business. Why do ya think Big Mac is trying to get a business degree?” Applejack visibly wilted even more with that barb, causing Ganny to add, "Now don't go takin' it personally. Everyone has been a dumb teenager at some point. But at least they can keep their story straight about their family. Now, while Ah git in in touch with the Oranges, you are going to be takin' on a lot more of yer siblin's chores, Missy." *////* “... she also said that she was gonna have me go through business school to avoid any future incidents like that.” “Ouch, that sounds really rough. But, what was that last shot for? It didn’t sound like it was about Filthy Rich,” Sunset asked. “Naw, that was about accusin’ ya of bein’ Anon-A-Miss after telling ya that you were family,” Applejack admitted. “That one really got ‘er goin’.” "In other words, she sat in the sort of silent judgment that makes you worry for your life." "Yeah," Applejack rubbed the back of her head. "Sunset, listen, I was blind and thickheaded. I shoulda known it didn't make a lick a sense, but..." "Applejack, it's okay," Sunset put a comforting hand on the farmgirl's shoulder. “But-” “Applejack, while it’s true that we should never forget the past, dwelling on it can be just as dangerous,” Sunset warned. "So how about we forget the unpleasantness and enjoy the holidays, kay?" Applejack stared at Sunset in silence, allowing the redhead’s words to sink in. It seemed wrong, to just sweep Anon-A-Miss under some carpet as a mere bad memory, especially with how much damage it had caused. Then again, wasn’t dwelling on the past exactly what gave Anon-A-Miss so much power to begin with? After all, the only real reason anyone had to accuse Sunset was her past as a bully. Applejack realized how stupid she was for falling for Anon-A-Miss’ deception. Why had it been such a good idea to turn their backs on Sunset Shimmer and drive her away? What if they had another magical crisis on their hands? It was Sunset who had called Princess Twilight Sparkle to help against the Sirens and it was Sunset who had helped them beat those Sirens too. What if Sunset chose to leave the city and break contact with them because of how they had treated her? They would then have to deal with all future magical threat without their full power. Was their friendship truly strong and unbreakable? Applejack doubted it if they could only think the worst in each other. Fortunately, before Applejack could carry those dark thoughts further, Sunset’s phone began ringing. “Hello?” “Is this Sunset Shimmer?” Timber Spruce asked. “Timber?” Sunset asked worriedly, then hissed to Applejack, “Go get the girls.” “OK, so I looked through Gloriosa’s things and found a journal. She was using our savings to try and upgrade and revitalize the camp, but none of them came through. So she took a loan from Filthy Rich while putting the camp up as collateral.” “Guess she never considered putting the camp up for mortgage,” Sunset muttered. “No, more than that. Glori’s biggest fear was admitting to our parents was that she wasn’t ready to take over the camp so she took the loan to cover it up.” “So in trying to hide her screwup, she ended up digging Camp Everfree into even more trouble. It would’ve been poetic if she had deserved it, but as is, it’s just sad.” “Yeah, well, some of the stuff she wanted to add was just stupid. Like, why would a summer camp ever need a paintball field? I mean, yeah it would be cool, but I understand that running one is a long term thing and that requires further funding for stuff like marker maintenance and the ammo.” Sunset blinked at that, “Okay, yeah that’s pretty shortsighted. What about the cave?” “Okay, that's where things get weird. She did put down the location and mentioned some kind of crazy powerful rocks, but if they were there, they're gone now. Believe me, I checked," Timber said. “Aw crap. Well did she say what those rocks did? Or how she was intending to use them?” “No, apparently she was still working that out when the incident happened,” Timber sighed. “Damn, well, thanks for the effort anyway,” Sunset replied. “Yeah, well now I’m the one that has to break the news to mom and dad. Which sucks because this should really be Glori doing it, seeing as how she was the one that dug us into this hole,” Timber groaned. “Yeah?” Sunset said as her friends entered the room, “Guess you better get on that then.” “WHY YOU-” *Click* “So, darling, what did he say?” Rarity asked. "Uh, the short version is, Gloriosa was an overachieving dreamer and used up the camp's funds trying to get a bunch of projects off the ground that never materialized. She was also terrified of admitting she screwed up to her parents and took the loan from Filthy Rich to look like she knew what she was doing. She also found some magic rocks in that cave but had no idea what they did or how they could help her situation. Not like that matters much now that Fall and Baltan have their hands on them," Sunset summarized. “So, Camp Everfree is under threat of being shut down, because one person couldn’t admit that they needed help?” Wallflower asked in disbelief. “That sums it up.” “That’s dumb,” Rainbow said. “Well, it probably seemed like a good idea for her at the time,” Sunset remarked. “But yeah, it was dumb.” It would seem that Applejack and Gloriosa had much in common. Too bad that Gloriosa had gotten attacked before she could learn her lesson. Before the conversation could carry on any further an alert pinged on Sunset’s phone. “The hell? What? Did Timber forget something?” Sunset asked herself. “Ooooo! Maybe he wants to ask you out on a date, Sunset!" Pinkie suggested gleefully. “I friggin’ hope not! I specifically warned him not to use my number for that,” Sunset growled. Upon looking at the screen, however, Sunset saw there was a text message she just received from Principal Celestia. “Woah, what? It’s from Principal Celestia!” “Oh dear, did something else happen?” Fluttershy fretted. “Give me a moment and I’ll tell… you,” Sunset drifted off, wide-eyed. “Uh oh. Wide eyes on Sunset is never a good sign,” Pinkie Pie remarked as she felt a tingle run up her spine. "NO! NONONONO! I'M NOT READY FOR THIS!" Sunset shrieked, as she threw her phone away, and ran into the nearest closet to lock herself inside. Just then, there was a knock at the door. *////* Minutes ago in Principal Celestia’s car... “... In summary, you managed to get one student to completely hate your guts, now terrified of you, and the other turned into a neurotic, dependent mess. And this isn’t a problem, how, exactly?” Principal Celestia questioned. This and more had been the sound that had filled the entirety of the car ride to Sweet Apple Acres. Evidently, human sensibility was directly opposed to alicorn sensibilities. "Well, of course, it sounds bad when you phrase it that way! And what do you mean Sunset’s scared of me?” Princess Celestia countered. "I don't know. I mean, it's not like you can have her thrown into a nondescript dungeon somewhere- OH WAIT! YES, YOU CAN!" Vice Principal Luna barbed. “But Sunset knows I would never do that,” Princess Celestia protested. “Well obviously not, given that she opted to stay on this side of the portal,” Principal Celestia shot back. “But th- Cadance! Luna! Why aren’t you helping me!?” "HEY! KEEP US OUT OF THIS!" the pair barked. This "car ride" was uncomfortable enough as they were jammed into the back seat with Princess Celestia's fat plot between them and having to listen to her argue with herself. And that was without her trying to drag them into it with her. “Traitors,” Princess Celestia hissed. “I suppose, being forthcoming has not been a talent of yours,” VP Luna commented. "You don't know the half of it," Cadance replied before mimicking Celestia, "‘Hey Twilight, get out of the castle to some backwater town and make some friends. Oh, by the way, my crazy sister is coming back from the moon today, and you'll need friends to beat her. Not that I'll tell you any of that last part'." “What?” Principal Celestia asked, confused. “But that was important!” Princess Celestia protested, “If Twilight knew about Nightmare Moon, and why she would need friends, she would try to force the process.” “Because that’s your job?” VP Luna asked. “Yes! Exact- I DID NOT FORCE TWILIGHT TO MAKE FRIENDS!” “Of course you didn’t. You just forced her to make those specific friends.” “I DID NOT!” “Tia, the very same day you sent Twilight to Ponyville, she was supposed to attend a birthday for a filly named Moondancer, who to this day, still hasn’t forgiven Twilight,” Luna reminded. “Oh, what? You would rather Twilight go to some birthday party and doom Equestria? Nice to see where your priorities lie, Sister.” “Wow, Auntie. I am seeing so many sides of you tonight, and I like exactly none of them,” Cadance growled. That made Principal Celestia pause. "Wait, ‘Auntie'? You're her niece?" Now it was Cadance’s turn to pause, “Yeah? Isn’t it the same here?” “NO! Cadance is only slightly younger than I am and works as the Dean over at Crystal Preparatory Academy. Having her call me that would be creepy.” “How does that happen?” “It might surprise you to know, princess, but no one is immortal here, not even us,” VP Luna answered, “Though, now that we’re on the subject, I understand why Princess Luna is here, but what is your connection to Sunset?” “Bold of you to assume I had one. I never even heard of Sunset until she stole Twilight’s crown,” Cadance replied. The entire car went dead silent. That… The principals had not just heard that, right? “Now that you mention it, you never told me about her either,” Princess Luna added. Nope, they had heard right. Seeing the glares of the two principals, and the stares of her niece and sister, Princess Celestia began desperately searching for an escape. Fortunately, a familiar farmhouse appeared in her sights, allowing her to change the subject. “Oh, look! It seems we’ve arrived! Let’s go meet Sunset!” “Not quite yet,” Principal Celestia said as she parked her car, “Could you three give myself and I a moment of privacy, please?” “Huh? O-okay,” VP Luna said, awkwardly. This was a strange night, where one could say that and be completely serious about it. Once the two Celestias were alone, the princess rolled her eyes and asked, “Okay, we’re alone. What final, overly mean thing do you have left to say?” “SHUT UP!” Principal Celestia snapped, turning around with a glare, “You are going to sit there and listen without any back-talk, understand!?” Princess Celestia let out a Fluttershy-esque "eep" and swiftly nodded. “Thank you. Now, this might surprise you, but I’m not usually this hard on anyone. However, if there’s one thing that gets my blood boiling, it’s oblivious abuse.” “ABUSE!?” “YES! ABUSE! When Sunset first appeared, she seemed so scared, so fragile. I just wanted to take her in as my own daughter, but… she just looked at me with such hatred, just for who I resembled. Then, when she began tearing Canterlot High apart, all I could think was, ‘this poor girl. What must her home life have been like to create such a, for lack of a better term, monster.’ Then, Twilight Sparkle appeared, talking about her kind, motherly personal teacher, that Sunset used to live with, and my thoughts then became, ‘that doesn’t sound right. How could this person have fostered such a cruel person?’ Now that I’ve met you, though? I am not impressed. "For this entire ride, you have done nothing but attempted to dodge any kind of personal responsibility for the mistakes you made with Sunset and Twilight. Sure, Twilight absolutely adores you, but how much of that is just her nature, and how much is on how you raised her? That's not even getting into your apparent habit of secret-keeping, to the point that your own niece didn't even know about Sunset! And now, for some reason, rather than just coming here on your own, you brought both your Luna and Cadance. What are you trying to achieve with that? It's obvious that they don't appreciate it, and I very much doubt that Sunset wants anything to spoil her first real Christmas. So, if you're trying to force them to have some kind of relationship with Sunset, don’t.” Finally having enough of the principal’s preaching, Princess Celestia attempted to fight back, “Oh, like you’re much better. Why didn’t you do something about Anon-A-Miss if you cared so much?” "I think you're confused as to what the role of a ‘principal' is," the human said, "I don't make laws. I have to follow laws made by other people, with far more political power than me. I can't just snap my fingers and say, ‘hey, give me everything about this blog!' I have to go through a process for that information, at any point during which the whole thing could collapse, and stop the process dead. However, your question does prove one thing to me." “And that is?” "You're not a teacher. You're just a politician playing at being a teacher. Now, Luna and I are going to go up to the house first. You and the other princesses can wait by the car until we give the all-clear, okay?" Princess Celestia nodded, hoping to not show how much the principal's assessment had actually impacted her. Was that what had strained her relationship with Sunset? Just treating her like another entitled noble looking for a handout, rather than as a student or even just as her daughter? She shook her head. No, she was here for Sunset now and that was what mattered most. At least that was what she believed. *////* “Should someone get Sunset out of the closet?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. Sunset Shimmer had locked herself in and she was not coming out. Honestly, they had never once seen her freak out so severely before. Unfortunately, that phrasing made Rainbow Dash giggle immaturely. “Hehehe, Sunset’s in the closet.” “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity reprimanded with a slap to the back of her head, “Now is not the time for juvenile jokes! Sunset clearly needs help!” “I’ll get it,” Wallflower offered as she went to open the door. She was surprised to see Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, and another pink woman accompanying them. “Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, what are you all doing here?” She then spotted another Celestia over in the principal's car. The Celestia in the car noticed Wallflower and waved enthusiastically at her. Principal Celestia noticed this and had to ask, “Have you two met?” “Uh,” Wallflower hesitated, “...kinda?” Principal Celestia raised an eyebrow, “Really? When did this happen?” "Uh… HEY! YOU LOOKING FOR SUNSET!? I'LL GO GET HER FOR YOU!" Wallflower deflected, badly, before slamming the door and running back to the closet. "Hey, girls, any luck with Sunset?" “Nope. Who was at the door?” Applejack asked. “The principals, but that’s not important. Princess Celestia is in their car, RIGHT NOW!” The Gang turned to Wallflower with wide, terrified eyes. Rainbow turned to Rarity. “Okay Rares, say the thing.” “What? Oh, yes! Ahem. OUT OF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES, THIS IS THE WORST! POSSIBLE! THING EVER!” Rarity shrieked, yet, in a surprising show of progress, did not overdramatically faint. "Well that explains Sunset's sudden game of hide-and-seek," Pinkie Pie said. “Ya think?” Applejack retorted, “Can’t you jest, Ah dunno, tell them it’s not a good time right now?” “I don’t think so, seeing as how the Princess apparently brought two more Equestrians with her,” Wallflower replied. “WHAT!?” Sunset shrieked, suddenly opening the closet door, “WHO DID SHE BRING!?” Wallflower, still recovering from the surprise, answered, “Uh… One of them looks like VP Luna and the other one looks like Crystal Prep’s dean.” “Are you kidding me!? SHE BROUGHT HER FAMILY!?” “Um… I guess?” Sunset went silent as the dread set in as Pinkie said, “Yeah, I don’t think she’s taking ‘no’ for an answer, Sunny.” “AAARRRRGH!” “Okay, okay! Look, Sunset,” Rarity said calmly, “You and Twilight have mentioned several times about how Princess Celestia raises the sun, right?” “Yeah?” Sunset replied, unsure of where Rarity was going with this. "Well, that means that she'll have to be out of here before the sun comes up, right?" “Yes. Where are you going with this?” “I won’t demand that you hug and make up overnight, dear. I just ask that you try to keep things cordial until she leaves. Do you think you think you can do that?” Sunset thought about it. While Rarity did have a point that she would not have to put up with Celestia for more than a few hours. However, on the other hand, Sunset had a feeling that was just the beginning of a really bad night. Despite her misgivings, she nonetheless agreed. “I guess I can try. But could you maybe have your sisters stay upstairs until we’re sure that it’s safe? I don’t want them to get dragged into a fight.” With a chorus of agreement, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow went to explain the situation to the CMC, while Wallflower returned to the front door to let the princesses in. Sunset, meanwhile, trudged to the living room, already regretting allowing Rarity to talk her into this reunion. "Why is this so much harder than fighting giant monsters?" *////* “This was a mistake,” Sunset fretted from her seat on the couch as she heard the approaching footsteps of her personal hell. She had run away for a reason and remained in the human world for the exact same reason. Now the reason she had fled her homeworld and remained here was about to come in. “Sunset, chill,” Pinkie said as she massaged her friend's shoulders, “It’ll be fine.” “You weren’t there, Pinkie! You didn’t see how bad it got when I ran through the portal.” “I can guess,” Pinkie muttered. Sunset paused, “...Wait, was that sarcasm?” Before Pinkie could say anything further, a scream cut her off, “SUNSET!” In an instant, the redhead was snatched up into the arms of the elegantly dressed human form of Princess Celestia. “OH, SUNSET! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! ARE YOU OKAY!? TARO ISN’T BEING HARD ON YOU, IS HE!?” the Equestrian ruler rambled, unaware that her former student was beginning to turn blue. “For goodness sake, Sister. She won’t be saying anything if you smother her to death!” the midnight blue woman - Princess Luna - chided as she entered after her big sister. "Huh?" Princess Celestia uttered in confusion then looked at the redhead in her arms and released her. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, Sunset!" Sunset pushed Princess Celestia away and stepped back to take a breath. Seeing her former mentor after all this time was causing her to experience a negative reaction. She was not ready for this! But then someone grasped her hand. It was Fluttershy. The butter-skinned girl sensed that her friend was about close to suffering a breakdown and went to offer her emotional support. Holding Fluttershy's hand, Sunset began to calm down. While her heart still hammered in her chest, she knew she could deal with this with the support of her friends. "...Hello, Princess," Sunset greeted, her tone stiff as her eyes narrowed. A medley of emotions swirled inside of her and none of them were tender. Yes, she might have been at fault in the past but the way Celestia handled her had left her with some lingering bitterness toward her ex-teacher. Celestia frowned at that. “Oh, please, Sunset. There’s no need for that. Just call me Celestia.” “Given that it’s been years since we last saw each other, we’re basically strangers now,” Sunset retorted. Princess Celestia made to counter. Before the situation could escalate further, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stepped forward in a show of solidarity to support Sunset Shimmer. “Auntie, maybe we shouldn’t go picking fights with our hosts? I really don’t want to have to sleep in a cold barn or something,” the pink woman pointed out. “Yeah, but last Ah remember, it was common practice for guests ta introduce themselves?” Applejack prodded with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. “Indeed,” the dark woman replied, “I am Princess Luna, and this reckless foal is my sister, Princess Celestia.” “Yeah, we could guess since you guys look like our principals,” Rainbow shot back before being jabbed in the ribs by Rarity. “Forgive her, Your Highnesses. She still has scars from the time before the Fall Formal. Though, I am wondering about the third member of your party.” “Oh! I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Please, just call me Cadance.” “Like Crystal Prep’s Dean?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah, your principals said the same thing,” Cadance replied, “Uh, could we sit down? Standing up like this is getting really uncomfortable.” With a chorus of agreement, the group moved into the seats that filled the living room. “Wait, we’re missing someone,” Pinkie realized. “Yeah, where’s Taro?” Rainbow asked. “Hold on, I’ve got this,” Wallflower said, before clearing her throat, “TARO! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE BEFORE I SHOW THE EQUESTRIAN ROYALTY THOSE PICTURES!” “Alright! Alright!” Taro barked as he floated out from under the couch. “I thought it would be better to stay out of this since I haven’t met the other two before.” “WHAT MANNER OF DISCORD’S CREATION IS THIS!?” Luna angrily shrieked, while pointing at Taro. “And that’s what I was afraid of,” Taro deadpanned. “Calm down, Luna! This is Ultraman Taro, he’s a friend,” Sunset defended. “HA! LIKELY STORY! A FLOATING, TALKING TOY IS SOMETHING ONLY DISCORD WOULD COME UP WITH!” Luna continued, standing up challengingly. “He’s not a toy! He’s an alien!” Sunset protested. "DO YOU TAKE ME FOR AN IDIOT!? ALIENS DON'T EXIST!" Luna declared until a polite cough drew her attention. “Luna, where do you think you are right now?” Celestia asked. Luna paused in realization, looked at the humans sitting opposite from her, then slid back down into her seat. “But, how is this possible?” Cadance asked. “Long story short, there was a big war that happened in another universe. During the climax, some asshole called Dark Lugiel showed up and turned everyone into dolls like Taro here,” Sunset explained, not wanting to linger on the question. “And what is he?” Luna pressed. “I am from Planet Ultra, in the M78 Nebula. As for my current state, I am what is called a Spark Doll,” Taro answered. “He’s also my mentor,” Sunset Shimmer added. “Mentor? In what?” Cadance asked. “Oh, I’m sorry, let me introduce myself properly,” Sunset said, then stood up, “Ahem, I AM SUNSET SHIMMER! ULTRAMAN GINGA!” The entire room went awkwardly quiet as Sunset pulled out the Ginga Spark and assumed a ridiculous pose. Seeing that no one was impressed, Sunset shyly sat back down, “Ehehehe, sorry.” “You wanna try that again?” Rainbow asked cheekily. "No. But seriously, Ginga bonded with me through the Ginga Spark. When I transform, we sort of merge. He does the fighting while I guide his movements in battle," Sunset explained. "I don't know why Sunset was chosen at first but Ginga has made the right choice," Wallflower said. “Amazing. May we see this ‘transformation’?” Luna asked with a grin. “Can’t do that. It only holds for three minutes and an Ultra defaults to giant size during the transformation," Sunset said. “Actually, we can manipulate our sizes, all the way to microscopic. But you have never needed to change size during the transformation itself. As such, you have no practice in that area,” Taro explained. “Amazing!” Luna nearly squealed, “And how did you all get involved in this?” “Guess I started this whole thing when I found Taro and the Ginga Spark,” Wallflower began. “Yeah, how did you find it anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously. “Well, there really isn’t much to say…” *////* October 17, six days after the Fall Formal incident. No one had seen it coming; that freak meteor shower that brought the Spark Dolls to Earth. As such, most neither saw nor cared that it was happening. For Wallflower, however, she was made violently aware of it. Wallflower had been in her room, stewing about her latest embarrassing episode in school when an explosion rocked her house. Despite the possibility of it being dangerous, she still went to investigate. Upon opening the back door of her home, the sound of shattering glass reached her ears, followed by the sight Wallflower’s beloved greenhouse being on fire. With panicked tears in her eyes, she grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to try and save as many of her plants as possible. When she entered the destroyed greenhouse, she was surprised to find a crater in the center. The glass was punched in as if it had been struck from above. Before she could investigate, however, she needed to put out the flames. While she managed to save several plants, most of her garden was a lost cause, and she would need to get new plants to replace them. With some difficulty, Wallflower swallowed her sorrow and began investigating the crater. When she looked into the crater, she noticed a faint glow emanating from its center, as if whatever had landed there was incredibly hot. Oddly though, she felt no heat from the crater, like the object had only fallen from a short distance. Just to be safe, however, Wallflower put on her gardening gloves before reaching into the crater. After moving some dirt out of the crater, Wallflower reached in and removed the object, causing the glow to fade as it revealed the Ginga Spark. *////* “Well that explains that, but where does Taro fit in?” Rarity asked. “Hold on, I’m getting to that,” Wallflower hissed. *////* November 13, the day after the Battle of the Bands It had taken about a month, but Wallflower’s greenhouse was starting to make a recovery. Despite the damage the Ginga Spark had caused on impact, Wallflower had found herself quite enamored with it, even making it the centerpiece of a decorative shrine in her rebuilt greenhouse. Even better, it seemed to invigorate plant growth around it, causing her greenhouse to become even more beautiful. That, in turn, brought Wallflower’s mood up, allowing her to speak more confidently. Indeed, Wallflower’s life seemed to be looking up. But, on that night, everything changed. Wallflower walked to her greenhouse with a smile on her face. It looked like she had made the right choice to skip the Battle of the Bands the night before. Sure it was a big thing for CHS, but Wallflower could not stand the number of people and the noise at events like it. Then there was something about magic again, and Sirens? Yeah, she felt highly justified skipping the event. As she opened the door, however, something peculiar caught her eye at the shrine. A small, red figure at the base of the shrine was looking at the Ginga Spark. Suddenly, the toy-like figure turned to look at her. “Oh! Hello!” Wallflower fainted. *////* “When I woke up, Taro explained his situation and asked me to try to use the Ginga Spark but it wouldn’t work for me,” Wallflower Blush finished. “But I am still glad that you found me,” Taro said gratefully to his friend. He might be mentoring Sunset, but he would not forget how Wallflower had found the Ginga Spark. "I finally had a friend I could talk to." “And so the Spark worked for me and I used it to fight Lunaticks when Trixie turned into it,” Sunset Shimmer continued. “Could you not have tried reasoning with her before resorting to violence?” Celestia asked disapprovingly. “The Dark Spark drove her to violence and she was not going to listen to me,” Sunset Shimmer reasoned. “Can confirm,” Rainbow said, raising her hand. “Same,” Applejack added. “I’m ashamed to include myself as a fellow victim of the Dark Spark,” Rarity admitted. “There’s a bit more to it than that,” Pinkie glumly threw out. “WHAT!? YOU TOO!?” Cadance shrieked. “Yeah,” Pinkie sighed. "Well, now I don't know what to believe," Luna awkwardly laughed. Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Luna’s remark, but ignored it. “It’s not just your violent emotions that the Dark Dummy Spark effects. It affects anything that could be considered a negative emotion. Like, look at me. I’ve always believed that there is never a good reason to be sad, no matter how really, really good of a reason it is. So, whenever I get sad for a bit, I would just push it out of my mind to be happy again. Heck, I’ve even had times where my parties got me into trouble since they go out of control because I keep believing that parties were the answer to everything. “Anyway, when I tried to throw a party for Ultraman Ginga, in the middle of the Anon-A-Miss scandal, no one wanted to come. So I was pretty bummed out, until Alien Metron handed me a Dark Dummy Spark and Gango with the sole directive of ‘make them show up’. That was it! No violent thoughts drove me to take it, just the fact that no one felt like partying. I only got violent because Sunset’s friends at the time started insulting my parties.” “What’s wrong with your parties?” Celestia asked, offended that anyone could insult Pinkie’s parties. “Uh, they’re super samey, not really for everyone and not always appropriate.” “What’s that supposed to mean? ‘Not always appropriate’. I have never known an ‘inappropriate Pinkie Party’.” "She saw some guy being sad at school and decided to throw one of her parties for him," Sunset answered, "Yeah, bright colors and a surprise birthday party atmosphere really don't do anything when your party boy just lost a loved one just three days before." Pinkie winced. “Yeah, I really should’ve realized something was wrong then.” “Wow! That’s up there with making a holiday celebrating your sister’s banishing, and then not telling her about it when she gets back,” Cadance said with a pointed look at Celestia. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “There's an interesting story there." “And far too specific. Do you have something to share?” Rarity added. Before Celestia could respond, Sunset spoke up, “She’s talking about Nightmare Night, Equestria’s version of Halloween. It was made to celebrate when Nightmare Moon was banished to the… well, moon.” “But, how does that relate to-” Wallflower started, but Sunset cut her off. “Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna’s own she-demon phase.” That particular detail made the entire room go silent and slowly turn to Celestia with a glare. “To be fair, it wasn’t my idea,” Celestia badly placated, “After Nightmare Moon’s coup, the public needed some happiness, and well…” Just then, Celestia’s salvation came in the form of Taro, who, sensing the room’s tension, decided to speak up, “Hey! Would anyone like to hear about some of my victories?” “Oooooooo! Yes!” Pinkie squealed excitedly. “Heck yeah!” Rainbow agreed. “I’m not usually one for such stories, but that does sound delightful,” Rarity joined in. “We would love to hear about your conquests, Taro,” Luna beamed. “I wouldn’t,” Celestia grumbled. Though If the Ultra heard her, he didn’t bring it up. "Alright, alright. Now, which story would you like to hear? Something funny, like my battle with the drunken space monster, Veron? Maybe something heartwarming, like Orphy, whose voice was used by the neighboring village to gauge their crop yield? Or something more serious, like the tale of the Alien Temperor?" “Don’t you mean ‘Emperor’?” Celestia cut in. "No, Temperor, as in the race," Taro corrected, "It happened on a day that I had been very much looking forward to, the day my fellow Ultra Brothers came to visit me on Earth. Unfortunately, Zoffy, our eldest was preoccupied elsewhere in the universe, so he couldn't join us. However, he suddenly appeared with dire news as an Alien Temperor had threatened Planet Ultra and was now on Earth. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to fight alongside my brothers. But, for some reason, they demanded that I defeat it on my own. After several attempts, I finally managed to pull it off. However, my ego went wild, endangering myself, my brothers, and Earth. “Fortunately, my brothers and I pulled together when Alien Temperor returned, and we destroyed the alien for good. However, as time passed, I began realizing that my brothers’ actions had been unnecessarily dangerous.” “What!? How?” Rainbow asked. "Well, one of the reasons they gave was, ‘I need to learn to stop relying on them to save me'. The problem there was that, by the time the Alien Temperor appeared, I had already been on Earth for months, and the times I did call on them, I had good reason to do so. Like when I was ambushed by the venomous monster Birdon, that completely incapacitated me, requiring me to spend time on Planet Ultra to recover. The other reason they gave was not wanting to start a war with the entire Temperor race. However, as I have previously stated, this Temperor had already opened hostilities. By galactic law, Planet Ultra had the right to take down this alien without repercussion. When I returned to Planet Ultra, I brought these concerns up with my brothers. They conceded that using the attack as a test for me was in poor taste when billions of lives hung in the balance. Since then, Planet Ultra has never used such incidents for training again." The room erupted into praise for the currently tiny Ultra, who blushed at the attention. However, Celestia merely stewed in resentment. ‘Are you kidding me? Even my sister and niece like this thing?” she thought, “I have to gain some favor here somehow. Oh! I know!’ “If I may, I have a story as well.” Celestia paused while the room turned its attention to her. “It’s about how Twilight saved the Crystal Empire.” She told them about the Crystal Empire about how it was ruled by a tyrant called Sombra before it suddenly vanished. Then, 1,000 years later, it came back. Celestia had sent Princess Twilight, Spike and the Elements of Harmony to investigate its return. However, all of this came with a catch, Twilight would have to deal with it without her friends. Sunset raised her hand, “Question. Why? You’ve spent, however long, drilling into Twilight’s head that Friendship is Magic, and now you’ve told her that she can’t rely on them?” “Yeah, mixed signal much?” Pinkie asked. “Quiet, I’m going somewhere with this,” Celestia chided before continuing. Upon Twilight’s arrival, she found King Sombra attempting to invade the Crystal Empire as a mass of shadow, and a populace that could not remember their past. After researching the situation, Twilight discovered something called the Crystal Fair that could unite the hearts of the Crystal Ponies and the centerpiece of the entire empire, the Crystal Heart. It was Taro’s turn to interrupt now. “Wait, shouldn’t Twilight have known this already?” “What do you mean?” Celestia asked. "Well, surely you didn't just send her to an unfamiliar land without any guidance, right?" “I had full confidence that my student could find her way.” “YOU DID!?” “Look, do you want me to finish the story, or not?” Celestia asked in a clipped tone. To her gratification, the Ultra stopped talking, though he did hold a glare on the royal. “Twilight went to locate the Crystal Heart while her friends remained at the Fair to keep the Crystal Ponies’ spirits lifted.” “So she succeeded?” Taro prompted. “Well...yes and no. She found the Crystal Heart but it was her assistant Spike who succeeded in restoring it to its rightful place, thus defeating Sombra for good. But Spike’s success is also Twilight’s success.” “Agreed,” Taro said. “But that just means that Twilight would not have succeeded without her friends.” “Which was the point.” “What point? I apologize, but I fail to see what Twilight was supposed to learn from this experience.” “The lesson she was supposed to learn was to rely on herself but never forget that she has ponies she can depend on when she faces difficulties.” “And the moment an entire race of ponies hung in the balance was the best time for her to learn this?” Luna leaned over to her sister, “The alien makes a point, Tia. That was a pretty poor time to test her.” “Also,” Taro continued, “Where were you three in all of this? You, Celestia, spent your story talking about Twilight’s exploits yet never mentioned what your part was in everything.” “Well,” Cadance said, “My Aunt left out the part where my husband and I had to keep a shield spell up for hours to make sure King Sombra couldn’t enter the empire.” “Thank you, but what about Luna and Celestia? Where were they?” “They… stayed behind in Canterlot.” “Why!?” “We needed to stay behind to draw up plans in the event that Twilight failed,” Luna replied. “But why did that require you and Celestia? Surely, having you there would have eased Cadance’s burden,” Taro countered. “He does have a point, Auntie. Trying to hold up that shield felt like it nearly killed me,” Cadance admitted. Finally, having had enough of the Ultra’s attitude, Celestia snapped, “Now listen here you! I have ruled Equestria for 1,000 years and while it has had its problems it has prospered under my rule!” “I’m over 12,000 years old,” Taro countered. “Compared to me, you’re just a child. Even my son, Taiga, is older than you and he’s like a teenager.” “WOAHOHOHO! Good luck trying to swing the age card there!” Sunset jeered. “Um, Sunset?” Fluttershy prodded, “Shouldn’t we be trying to stop this fight?” “Hell, no!” “Sunset, this isn’t helping anyone here,” Wallflower said, “And egging them on is only going to make things worse.” “Yeah! I don’t wanna get caught in between them when Taro gets pissed enough to start throwing his mental shit around,” Rainbow urged. “Oh, come on. Taro wouldn’t do that,” Sunset dismissed. With the way Taro and Celestia were glaring at each other, you could almost see electricity spark between their gazes. “Be that as it may, we have sisters to protect,” Rarity huffed. “Oh yeah,” Sunset recalled and calmed down. "Glad to see you're on board now, but I think we're past the point that we could break them up," Pinkie said while pointing at Taro and Celestia. While the Rainbooms were talking, the argument between Celestia and Taro had escalated alarmingly fast now having moved on to Twilight’s other exploits. “So, instead of doing something to help, you just assigned your student these dangerous missions without any sort of preparation or military reinforcements?” Taro questioned disapprovingly. Celestia bristled at the criticism. “I was trying to prepare her,” Celestia insisted. “By throwing her into the water and praying she would swim instead of sink?” Taro questioned. “What if she had failed? Would you have jumped in when it was too late?” Celestia hesitated, “... Well, yes. Of course!” “You hesitated, which means that the thought never occurred to you as a possibility. Now tell the truth!” Taro demanded. “Like you’re any better! Didn’t you say that your brothers pulled the exact same thing!?” “They did, but I had the presence of mind to tell them that what they did was careless, cruel, and unnecessary! But now that you’ve brought us back to that subject: What?” “Huh?” “What is your problem with the Ultras? You act as though we are some, ancient, unforgivable enemies. But as far as I’m aware, this is the first time we have ever encountered each other. Why do you distrust us so much? Haven’t we proven ourselves by bringing Anon-A-Miss down?” “Like Tartarus you did! Those three girls are just upstairs with full freedom right now!” “Blaming three young girls for the actions of a demon that your neglect allowed into being hardly seems fair to anyone but that is hardly relevant to the topic. What has Planet Ultra done to make you so against Sunset aiding us to stop Dark Lugiel? Why do you hate us so much?” “Because you Ultras could not keep your fighting away from Equestria! I had no choice but to transport it into a pocket dimension!” Celestia shouted.