//------------------------------// // 1 – Getting Away From It All // Story: The Open Road // by Krickis //------------------------------// ⠀ The Open Road Chapter One Getting Away From It All ⠀ ⠀ It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but the news struck Sunset like a sucker punch. She told herself it was just the fact that they never mentioned it to her. Finding out the news because somepony on the street asked her about it was an awful experience, and it had frankly been embarrassing to admit she didn’t have a comment because no one had bothered to tell her that her parents were getting a divorce. Maybe it was payback for not telling them when she first got back to Equestria. They’d last seen each other at the wedding, which was only six months ago; it seemed like they could’ve said something then. Then again, there were a lot of things they could have said at the wedding, but they chose silence instead. Which was fine. Sunset didn’t care. Why should she? She didn’t care about them, she hadn’t for years. She was only upset because by not telling her, they put her in the position of hearing it from a random pony asking her to make a statement. They put her in an awkward spot, that was what she cared about. Sunset sighed and set down the news article about them. It wasn’t very detailed, mostly focusing on who they were. A decorated military general and the mare in charge of one of the largest textile companies, not to mention the parents of Sunset Shimmer, Captain of the Twilit Guard and royal marefriend of Princesses Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. That was another annoyance – they wrote ‘marefriend’ instead of ‘wife’. It wasn’t a surprise, however; the wedding had not been legally binding, so as far as most ponies were concerned, she was no more Twilight and Fluttershy’s wife than she was Princess Sunset Shimmer. That was fine. It was all fine. Sunset didn’t care if her parents got divorced, she didn’t care if anyone other than her family and friends saw her as Twilight and Fluttershy’s wife, she didn’t care if even Celestia herself constantly dodged the question of whether Sunset’s marriage was legitimate. Sunset didn’t care about any of that. Why would she? She had two amazing wives, which was double the normal allotment of amazing wives! And whether ponies wanted to see her as a princess or not, she did have a crown and everything. Luna had given it to her, and along with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Cadance, that meant she had the majority of Equestria’s princesses backing her title. So things were going good. Not perfect, but Sunset couldn’t very well sit around waiting for things to go perfect, now could she? Things were good, and that was good enough. ‘So then why do I feel miserable?’ she asked herself. Sometimes she wondered if being miserable was just her default state. She was happy these days, really she was, but she just always found reasons to complain all the same. “Uhm, Sunset?” Fluttershy said as she walked into the sitting room that Sunset had been reading in. “Hey, Fluttershy,” Sunset said with a smile. “How were the animals?” “Good,” Fluttershy said, though she was frowning a bit. Usually when Fluttershy got back from her daily trip to feed and care for the animals, she was delighted to talk about it with the others. Clearly though, she had something else on her mind. “You, uhm, you weren’t planning on going out, were you?” “No, why?” “Well… there have been a few ponies asking about you.” “Oh.” Sunset rolled her eyes and sighed, then glanced over to the newspaper. “And I’m sure I can figure out why.” “Yeah…” Fluttershy took a seat on the couch beside Sunset. Sunset put her foreleg around her wife, who nuzzled in closer to her. “You know, I thought I’d never get tired of having everypony’s eyes on me. But then back then, I never realized how dumb the reasons everyone has their eyes on me would be.” “Is that what’s bothering you?” Fluttershy asked. “That nopony will leave you alone about the divorce?” “About the divorce, about the wedding, about, well, everything! And it’d be fine if ponies actually took the wedding seriously, but they all want to know, like, why we even bothered. ‘Oh, if it doesn’t mean anything, then why do you care?’ ” Fluttershy reached up to kiss Sunset on the cheek. “It means something to us.” Sunset smiled and kissed Fluttershy properly. “I know. It means the world to me, it’s just… I’m so tired of the questions. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish we could just get away from it all for a while. Even on our honeymoon, it was just nonstop question after question, and I just… Argh!” “I understand. I feel the same way. Especially around the time Twily and I got married.” It felt a little weird for Sunset to be the one getting advice from Fluttershy about coping with other ponies, but she had been a princess for longer. “I guess it gets a little easier then?” “A little, and ponies move on eventually.” “Yeah. Hopefully once the divorce is over, at least that’ll stop being such a hot topic.” “Hmm, I think I know what you need.” Fluttershy smiled. “Want to go somewhere that no one knows who you are for a bit?” “Sure, but where would– oh.” Sunset smiled. “Visiting AJ would be cool, but really, I’d rather hang out with you and Twi today.” “Maybe we could all go.” It was rare for Fluttershy to go with Sunset to the human world, but not unheard of. She was getting more used to travelling there these days, and she was a welcome sight among their human friends. “We could take Spike, just get out for a day.” Sunset grinned. “Well, I won’t say no to that. Let’s go see what Twilight thinks.” “Okay.” Fluttershy got up, with Sunset following after her. The two of them walked through the castle, heading upstairs to Twilight’s study. Since it was midday, that was the most likely place to find her, likely busying herself with some sort of paperwork, making plans for friendship meetings, or answering letters to ponies across Equestria. But when they reached the room, they found it to be empty. If Twilight wasn’t in her study, there was only one place left to check: the library. They started to walk towards it, but they were stopped by a door opening behind them and the sound of hooves and claws walking through it. “I told you, Twilight,” Spike was saying as they walked out of the room, “just start at the beginning of this story arc and go from there.” “But what about everything that happened before that story arc?” Twilight asked. “How is it any good if that stuff isn’t important?” “It’s not that it’s not important, it’s just…” Spike shook his head. “Just trust me, okay?” “Comic books?” Sunset asked as they walked up. “Yeah,” Twilight admitted sheepishly. In an effort to be nice to her brother after his recent breakup, Twilight finally agreed to read some of Spike’s comics, although she still clearly felt silly for it. The only problem now, besides Twilight’s view on comics being for kids, was that they couldn’t agree on where to have her start. “He’s right you know,” Sunset said as she walked over to her wife and gave her a kiss. “What did you decide on, Power Ponies or Flashfire?” “Power Ponies,” Twilight said. “I think having a little understanding of the characters already might be good.” Flashfire was Sunset’s favorite superhero comic, so she was a little disappointed, but she saw Twilight’s point. “I’m sure you’ll like it, just listen to the expert over here and start wherever he tells you to.” “Fine,” Twilight conceded as Spike pumped his fist victoriously. “So uhm, we were thinking,” Fluttershy began, then looked towards Sunset. “How about we go to Everton for the day?” Sunset asked. “All four of us could go, just to get away from everything.” Spike grinned immediately. “Can we?” “Well, it has been a while,” Twilight said. “Sure, I don’t see why not. It would be nice to spend some time with our Everton friends.” “Race you there!” Spike said, running off before anyone had a chance to respond. “We still have to write to Applejack!” Sunset called after him, stopping him in his tracks. “Oh yeah…” he muttered, causing the three mares to snicker. Twilight used a wing to guide Spike back towards his bedroom. “I’ll put this comic away while Sunset writes to Applejack, then we’ll come get you.” “Alright. But if Applejack doesn’t answer, you’re still gonna read the comic, right?” Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Spike.” Sunset chuckled and walked off towards the bedroom, her wives following behind her. “You know,” Sunset said as they walked into the bedroom, “as nice as a day off will be, I don’t know if it’ll make that much difference.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy pressed up against Sunset. “I think what Sunset’s getting at is there’s a lot of pressure on her lately. Everypony has their eyes on her, and it’s getting to her a little bit.” “Yeah,” Sunset agreed with a sigh. “I just don’t know if one day is enough to decompress.” Twilight placed the comic she was borrowing from Spike the table beside her side of the bed, then joined Fluttershy in comforting their wife. “Well… do you think it would help if you asked Applejack if you can stay a couple days?” Sunset looked at Twilight in surprise. “I don’t want to leave you two though.” “Of course, it’s up to you and what you think would help,” Twilight answered with a nuzzle. “And I won’t lie that we’d both miss you while you were gone. But spending a weekend with Applejack instead of with us wouldn’t be the end of the world, and if it doesn’t prove as relaxing as you’d like, you can always come home.” “I guess it’s something to think about,” Sunset said as she stepped away from her wives to write a message in the journal. She stopped short of actually writing anything as a thought occurred to her. “Although… Well, would I have to choose? Maybe we could all stay for a little bit.” “Oh.” Twilight looked towards her study. “Well, maybe not this weekend, but I could probably work it out. It’s been a long time since I stayed the night in the human world. But…” “But you’re worried about me,” Fluttershy said. “I’d need to see our Applejack to ask her to look after the animals, but I don’t think I would mind. If, uhm, if AJ didn’t mind having us, of course.” “We won’t know unless we ask her, but at least they have a spare room now,” Sunset pointed out. Since Big Mac had moved in with his new wife, his room had become a guest room. It probably didn’t have a bed big enough for three grown women, but Sunset could sleep on the couch. “Well, I guess it’s settled,” Twilight said with a smile. “We’ll talk to AJ about it today.” Sunset nodded, then wrote a message in the journal. It was funny how plans worked sometimes. What had started as a weekend turned into a full week thanks to a serendipitous break in Twilight’s schedule, which got them to start wondering if there was more they could do than just spend a week lounging around Everton. Not that they would’ve complained about that, to be sure, but it had only been six months since their honeymoon, which had given them a chance to relax and not do much of anything. So they started talking about alternative ideas to what to do, and Sunset explained some of the things in the area that might appeal to them. Fluttershy didn’t care much what they did so long as they did it together, but Twilight wanted to see as much as she possibly could. Which left them with only two options. Compromise on what they did, or arrange a whole road trip. At first it seemed like the former was the only realistic option, but then things seemed to line up to work in their favor. First, Twilight worked her scheduling magic to get them two weeks off, giving them more time to actually see things instead of just driving around. Then Applejack found them a good deal on a sidecar for Sunset’s old motorcycle, which gave them a means to travel. Rarity heard about what they were planning and offered to fund their trip in thanks for their hospitality whenever she visited Equestria, solving their problem of not having human currency. All in all, things worked out. Not immediately – they had to make preparations for leaving home, as well as renew Sunset’s license and tune up the motorcycle. But that only gave her something to focus on, and within a month, the four of them were stepping through the portal. Before Sunset could even get her bearings on the other side of the portal, she heard a chipper voice call out, “Sunset!” The next thing she knew, there were a pair of arms around her, all before she had even taken in her surroundings. “Hey, Pinkie,” Sunset said as she hugged her back. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike had already come through, so they were all together. “Whoa, where did you come from?” a teenager asked as he stared at the group of women. “What? We’ve been here the whole time, silly,” Pinkie said while waving a hand dismissively. Sunset shrugged. “Yeah, why?” He shook his head and pulled off his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt. “Sorry, I don’t know what I thought I saw there…” He went about his way, leaving the other giggling. “That was a close one,” Sunset said with a grin. Maybe she should be more worried about being caught by high schoolers, but she really wasn’t. She’d always managed to throw off suspicions before. Pinkie took Sunset by the hand and pulled her along. “Come on, I’m parked over here!” Sunset let herself be guided along by the other woman while Twilight put her arm around Fluttershy and walked side by side. Spike ran around, clearly having fun being back in a dog’s athletic body. It was a little weird to see. The first time Sunset had seen Spike as a dog, he had been a little puppy, small enough for Twilight to hide him in her backpack. Now he was much too big for that; while standing on all fours, he came up to about halfway up her thigh, and if he jumped onto his hindlegs he could easily reach the middle of her back. He ran ahead of them, then ran back before getting too far. Twilight and Fluttershy seemed to find it amusing. Ever the good boy, however, he stopped before going into the street and waited for the others. They made sure there weren’t any cars coming, then they all walked across the street as a group. They walked over to a nearby parking lot and everyone climbed into Pinkie’s minivan. Pinkie drove, of course, and Sunset sat beside her in the passenger seat. Twilight and Fluttershy took the middle seat, leaving Spike to the back. “This must be so exciting for you all!” Pinkie said once they were all inside the car. “I wish I could go with you, I’m so jealous.” “We’ll do something soon,” Sunset promised. She tried to make time for Pinkie regularly, since she knew her friend struggled with everyone moving away. “You know how being a pony works pretty well now, maybe we can show you around Ponyville while the other Pinkie waits inside or something.” Pinkie shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space. “Aww, but then she’ll miss out on the fun. Couldn’t I just wear a clever disguise or something?” “Pretty sure the bright pink fur and distinctive voice would give you away.” Pinkie groaned, but at least she didn’t argue. They turned their attention to other things as they drove, mostly about Pinkie. “So how’s work going?” “It’s super-duper!” Pinkie said. “I’m the most senior manager now, only the Cakes have more seniority than me.” “That’s awesome!” Sunset said. “Yeah, congratulations,” Twilight added, which Fluttershy and Spike mirrored. “I’m really glad to hear things are going so well for you.” “Think you’ll ever branch out with your own business?” Sunset asked. “You’re definitely a good enough baker to make it. “I’m sure I could, but I don’t want to,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “I make enough money as a manager, and I don’t have to worry about running a business myself. Besides, I have more free time now, which is nice since I have a boyfriend.” “Oh shit!” Sunset lit up. “How could you not tell me that sooner? That’s fantastic!” “Yup! We’ve only been together two months. Well, two months and nine days, but who’s counting?” “So, tell us about him,” Sunset insisted. “Well, he works at that coffee shop we all used to go to, you’ve probably even seen him there. His name’s Caramel Macchiato.” “Oh,” Fluttershy said. Sunset looked back to see her covering her mouth with her hand. “What’s up, Fluttershy?” Spike asked. “Oh, uhm, it’s not a big deal, just…” “Do you know his pony counterpart or something?” Twilight guessed. Fluttershy shook her head. “We don’t know him, but well, we know about him a little. He was, uhm, Amber’s coltfriend.” “Really!?” Pinkie beamed. “We’re like twins!” “Yup,” Spike said flatly. “Out of everyone in Equestria, Amber’s the one who’s like your twin.” “Well, who else would it be?” Pinkie asked while looking in the rearview mirror. “Applejack? We might be cousins, but we’re not twins.” “Anyway,” Sunset said with a roll of her eyes. “Tell us about Caramel. How’d you meet?” “Well, I recognized him from the coffee shop when he came into Sugarcube Corner, then we just kind of kept running into each other at our jobs. I’d see him in the morning when I picked up coffee on the way to work, then he’d come see me to pick up a treat on his way home. Then he admitted he was really coming to see me, and asked me on a date!” “Aww.” Sunset smiled. “And it’s been going good?” “Yup! He’s a total sweetheart! He met my family and everything, but his family lives out of town so I haven’t met them yet.” “I’m glad to hear it’s going well,” Sunset said. “You deserve someone who’s gonna treat you right.” “And if he’s like the pony Caramel Macchiato, I know he’ll be a perfect gentlecolt,” Fluttershy said. “Gentleman,” Spike corrected. “Oh, right.” Fluttershy giggled. “Amber always said he was sweet, and that if she liked stallions, she would’ve stuck with him for sure.” “I’d love to meet him sometime,” Sunset said. “Maybe he can come to a gathering at Sweet Apple Acres or something.” “I think that’d be great! He gets along well with Applejack.” “That’s good to hear,” Sunset said. “Uhm, Twily?” Fluttershy prompted quietly. “Huh? Oh, sorry, I was kind of zoning out there.” Sunset looked back to see Twilight looking sheepish. “Everything okay?” “Oh, I was just thinking about how weird it is that this Pinkie is dating Caramel Macchiato, but our Pinkie isn’t. And then that got me thinking about how the Twilight and Fluttershy in this world aren’t together, and we don’t even know anything about the Sunset in this world.” Sunset smirked. “That’s cause no one else could be this awesome, babe.” “One of you is enough!” Spike shot back. “Is that really that weird?” Fluttershy asked. “You’re always saying how we’re our own ponies. Er, people.” Twilight nodded. “Well, yeah, we are. But Pinkie, your parents are Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz, right?” “Yeah.” “And, er… we know both Fluttershy’s have the same parents.” It was clear Twilight wasn’t even comfortable bringing Fluttershy’s parents up in front of her, but Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind. “So our parents are all the same then.” “Exactly,” Twilight said. “So why did our parents settle into the same matches, but our generation is all different?” “Hmm…” Pinkie said. “I guess because of Sunset, right?” “Wait, what?” Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “You think I’m the reason everyone is dating other people?” “Well, you are the original difference in the worlds. You came to this one.” “That… actually might make sense.” Twilight put her hand to her chin. “If Sunset hadn’t come to this world, maybe the Twilight and Fluttershy here would have… no, wait, that’s not right. Sunset, if you hadn’t left Equestria, I might not have ever become Celestia’s student.” “Oh, you still would be Celestia’s student,” Sunset said. “You can’t know that though. And if I wasn’t Celestia’s student, I never would have gone to Ponyville and met Fluttershy.” You changed our world by leaving it, and you changed this world by coming here.” “Uhm, Twily…” Fluttershy was frowning. “We came here to get away from stuff like this. We’re just supposed to be having a relaxing vacation.” “Right, sorry…” Sunset turned to look out the window. She had once seen a vision of what would happen if she hadn’t left Equestria, and some things had still happened. But she hadn’t seen far enough to know if Twilight and Fluttershy still got together, let alone any of their other friends. It was possible, but if it was true, then what did it mean? What were the implications of something like this? Was she making changes for the better or the worse? And how far out did it ripple? “It just makes my head hurt,” Spike said, bringing a smile to Sunset’s mouth. Maybe it was best to just be like Spike for this occasion. Thankfully, they avoided any more weighty discussions on the way to Sweet Apple Acres, turning instead to their plans for the trip. As expected, Pinkie was surprised by what the last stop on the trip was, but she was ecstatic to hear about it. That carried them the rest of the way to the farmhouse. Pinkie pulled in behind Applejack’s truck and they all got out. Applejack and Apple Bloom were both waiting out on the porch for them. The Apple sisters walked over to meet them halfway. “Hey, Sunset,” Applejack said as they hugged. “Hey, AJ.” “Can I have your bike when you’re done?” Apple Bloom asked. Applejack rolled her eyes. “No, ya can’t have it. I said you could ask if you can use it some time… And where are your manners? Ya ain’t even said hi yet!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Hi, Sunset. So can I use your motorcycle when y’all get back?” Sunset snickered as Applejack shot her sister a dirty look. “Why not? I doubt I’ll be using it. But you gotta get a motorcycle license to drive it.” “I will! Trail Blazer is gonna be so jealous!” “I told her she needs to drive something more sensible,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Only having a motorcycle gave y’all hell.” “And I told her we still have her truck,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “So it’s not my only way of gettin’ around.” “Right, well…” Sunset looked between the two of them and pointed over towards her wives. “I’m gonna be over here, you know, not getting sucked into that debate.” “Aww, come on!” Apple Bloom ran up and put her hands around Sunset’s arm so she couldn’t leave. “AJ’ll listen to you, you gotta reason with her!” “Look, AB, sometimes you gotta pick your battles.” Sunset shook her head and started walking, using her larger size to just drag Apple Bloom along behind her. “And this battle is one I’m not getting into.” Pulling Apple Bloom wasn’t as easy as it once would’ve been, and truthfully, Apple Bloom could’ve easily overpowered Sunset. She wasn’t a younger teenager anymore, she was a young adult and had wound up being almost as tall as Sunset was. Then with all the farm work she did, there really was no comparing the two of them anymore. But she let herself get dragged over to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, who greeted her in turn. Pinkie in particular took how close they were as a reason to pull them closer for a group hug. “Just think! If AB gets her motorcycle permit, she’ll need someone to teach her. You’ll have more reason to come around then!” “That’s a good point, Pinkie,” Sunset said with a nod. “With that in mind, I think it’s best if you don’t drive my motorcycle. The less I have to see of you the better.” “Psh, what makes you think I want you to teach me?” Apple Bloom waved her off. “Scootaloo can drive a motorcycle, I’ll just have him show me.” “Sounds like something Scoots would do,” Spike said. He didn’t sound sad, but Sunset wondered if hearing about Scootaloo would be hard for him, so Sunset decided to change the subject. “So, AB, how are things going with Trail Blazer?” Apple Bloom smiled. “We’re doing good. We started talking about getting our own place together.” “Yeah, I could see that.” Sunset nodded. “How long have you been together? Three, four years now?” “Gonna be five years in a few months.” Sunset let out a whistle. “Damn, congrats.” “I forget that you three are actually older than your Equestrian counterparts,” Twilight said. “The Apple Bloom from our world is only sixteen.” “Oh, that makes more sense,” Fluttershy said. “I was surprised that you’d been dating someone since you were eleven…” Apple Bloom laughed. “No, I’m twenty-one. I even go out to the bar with AJ after work and everything now.” “So what are you doing these days?” Twilight asked. Sunset cocked her head to the side. “Uh, I thought we already established that – Trail Blazer!” It was hard to say who was more embarrassed by Sunset’s comment, Applejack or Twilight. Applejack turned and physically took a step away from them, while Twilight’s head fell into her hands. It was not, however, Apple Bloom, who just laughed. “I meant are you going to school or anything?” Twilight clarified. “Nah, I work here on the farm,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. “It was pretty much predetermined that this is what I’d do with my life, I don’t know why I even had to finish high school…” “Because school is important,” Applejack snapped. This had been an ongoing debate between the sisters for years. Sunset had stayed out of that one as well. “Well, anyway,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. “Things are going pretty well for us here. How about you all? How’s life in Equestria?” Sunset folded her arms. “Ugh, don’t remind me…” “That bad?” “Yeah, we’re kind of trying to get away from things in Equestria for a bit,” Spike said. “It’s been pretty stressful for the past six months.” “And speaking of which,” Applejack said, “y’all probably wanna get that bike out now. Me and Sunset can grab it while y’all catch up some.” Sunset followed Applejack out towards the barn. Once they were away from the others, Applejack asked, “So I’m guessing nopony’s lightened up about the whole marriage thing, huh?” Although she was mildly proud of Applejack for remembering to say ‘nopony’, Sunset just shook her head and sighed. “Nope. And my parents’ divorce isn’t helping things. Now ponies are saying it’s only a matter of time until I follow in their hoofsteps…” “No one who sees y’all together could think that, though,” Applejack assured her friend. “It’s clear as day how much y’all love each other. Everyone will see that someday.” Sunset smiled a little. “Thanks, AJ.” Neither of the two women were ones for sentimentality, so they didn’t press the topic. Instead, they opened the door to the barn, where Sunset’s bike awaited them. They’d already gotten the sidecar attached, and Sunset had visited earlier in the week to take it on a test drive. She just made one more quick check to make sure they had all of their helmets and jackets packed into the sidecar, then Sunset climbed onto it. Since she was only driving it out of the barn, she didn’t bother with putting on any of her safety gear. She started the engine and pulled forward slowly until she was out of the barn, then she sped up just a little as she drove towards the others, leaving Applejack to close up behind them. “So what are the odds of you teaching me how to drive this thing?” Spike asked. Sunset chuckled. “Considering you have no license, aren’t supposed to be sapient in this world, and oh yeah, have paws? I’d say somewhere around zero.” Spike grumbled, so Fluttershy scratched him behind the ears. Soon he seemed to forget he was upset as one of his hind legs started thumping. “Ah yeah, I forgot how good that feels.” The others laughed as Applejack walked up to them. “So y’all ready to head out then?” Sunset glanced at the others. “In a minute. I, uh… just want to do something quick while we’re here.” It was clear that everyone knew what she had in mind. Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other, then at Sunset as Fluttershy asked, “Uhm, do you want some company?” Sunset hesitated for a moment. Usually she went on her own, but… “Sure. I’d like that.” She dismounted the bike and started walking with her wives, the others staying behind. As she walked, Fluttershy took hold of one of her hands, then Twilight took the other. She didn’t normally go with her wives to see Sky. It felt wrong somehow. It was a part of her life from before they were her lovers, a part she had shared with someone very different from them. But they had never been anything less than supportive of Sunset’s desire to maintain some sort of connection with the daughter she’d never known. The grave was getting hard to see these days, but Sunset would always know where it was. The flowers grew thick around it, and the small headstone was getting overgrown with grass and flowers. But that was exactly how Sunset liked it. Sometimes she wondered what Fluttershy must think of their daughter’s grave, but she suspected her once girlfriend would appreciate the fact that their daughter’s grave was a source of beauty and life. Sunset kneeled in front of it, feeling just a little awkward for her wives being there. Normally if anyone was around she would just quietly observe the grave, but if there was anyone she could talk to her daughter around, it should be the mares she loved with all her heart. “Hey, Sky,” Sunset said gently. “It’s me again, back already. I hope you don’t mind, I brought Twilight and Fluttershy with me this time.” Fluttershy kneeled down beside Sunset, with Twilight following after. Fluttershy held Sunset’s hand, while Twilight wrapped an arm around her back. “Not a whole lot to say that I didn’t say last time I was here, but well, I guess I wanted to at least check-in before we left. You know how important this trip is already.” The more Sunset talked, the stupider she felt. She thought that it would be okay with her wives, but she just felt way more like she was talking to herself than she usually did. So instead, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn’t like she had much to say anyway. She remained kneeling with her eyes closed and imagined Sky was sitting in the moment with them. That was something she could share with her wives, and having them by her side left her feeling more at peace than she had felt in weeks, maybe months. When she opened her eyes again, she felt more confident about their plans. As if Sky had given them her blessing, her encouragement. Because this was more than a road trip. This was a way for Sunset to make peace with the world she left behind, and all that she left behind in it. By the end of it, she wanted to go back to Equestria feeling ready to commit to building her future there in a way she had never felt before. And now, here in this spot with her wives beside her, she felt like that was something she could genuinely do. She turned to Fluttershy, then to Twilight, smiling at each of them as they smiled back. “Ready?” she asked. “If you are,” Twilight said, so Sunset nodded. They all stood up, then they walked back to the bike hand in hand. When they got there, they found Spike sitting on it. He was perched right in front of the handlebar as if he was going to drive it himself. Sunset chuckled as she walked up to him. “Uh, you do know you can’t stay here, right?” “Why not?” he asked innocently. “There’s still plenty of room for you to sit.” Sunset folded her arms. “Yeah, and what are you going to hold onto?” “Uhh…” “Come on, Spike,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s get you in your little helmet and goggles.” Spike groaned, but Pinkie squealed. “Aww, you’re going to be so cute!” In preparation for the trip, they had picked up safety gear for everyone, and Spike was no exception. Sunset hadn’t even known they made helmets for dogs, but she was glad to find they did. And even more so, she knew Twilight would be glad for it. Since he couldn’t very well get it on himself, Sunset and Fluttershy got him dressed up. Pinkie mostly tried to cheer him up by telling him how stylish he looked, which might’ve worked if Sunset hadn’t been there. “Yeah, all the bitches are gonna be after you in that getup,” Sunset said. “The literal bitches, of course.” “Yeah, I got it the first time…” Spike grumbled. “You really are adorable in it,” Fluttershy said. Once they had him in his helmet and goggles, Sunset helped Fluttershy with her jacket and helmet as well. She could do it herself, but she was never too sure with her hands when she visited the human world. Only after they were set up did Sunset notice that Twilight wasn’t beside them. She looked over to see that she had been led away by the Apples to say hello to Granny Smith. They must have seen her coming and intercepted her since she still didn’t know that Spike could talk. Sunset grabbed Twilight’s helmet and jacket and walked over to them. “Hi, Granny Smith.” No one seemed to notice her, as Granny Smith continued to address Twilight. “I may be getting old, but I know you were shorter the last time I saw you…” Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Er, of course not! How could I be shorter, it’s not like people go through growth spurts after being adults.” She shot Sunset a look that asked ‘Do people go through growth spurts after being adults?’ “I think it’s her shoes,” Sunset said. It was actually true that she had changed height, though. Or rather, it had been a shorter Twilight that Granny Smith had seen last. Becoming an alicorn had apparently affected Twilight in this world as well, as she was a bit taller than her human counterpart. But that was two things they weren’t in a hurry to explain, so Sunset changed the subject. “Here’s your jacket and helmet, Twi.” “And I thought you wore glasses now.” “G-Glasses? I, uh…” Sunset shrugged and filled in effortlessly. “They didn’t fit with her helmet well, so she’s got them packed away safely in the sidecar.” Twilight smiled appreciatively as she pulled on her jacket. Granny Smith looked at them critically and Sunset thought she was going to grill them some more, but she instead just shrugged and gave Sunset a hug. Sunset bent down so Granny Smith could kiss her cheek. “You girls take care out there.” “Of course, Granny. It’s been a while, but I’m pretty good on that motorcycle.” Twilight put on her helmet and flashed a thumbs up, so Sunset turned to wave to the Apples. Instead, she was met with hugs from Applejack and Apple Bloom in turn. “Oh, here. Almost forgot.” Applejack pulled out a cheap flip phone and handed it to Sunset. “Picked that up for y’all, just in case something happens and y’all are stranded somewhere. It’s prepaid and there’s only five hundred minutes on it, so don’t go using it too much if ya don’t need it.” “Hey, that’s a good idea.” Sunset put the phone in her pocket. “Thanks, AJ.” Applejack nodded and walked them over to the bike. “It’s got my phone number in it already, as well as Pinkie’s, Flash’s, and Tw–” she stopped and glanced towards Granny Smith, but Sunset understood; it had Twilight’s but she couldn’t say that. “Gotcha. Thanks a ton, AJ.” Applejack clapped Sunset on the back as Twilight handed her a jacket of her own to put on. She slipped it on, then her helmet and gloves. Fluttershy and Spike were already sitting in the sidecar, which looked a little crowded with both of them, but it would have to do. “We ready?” Sunset asked. She got muffled agreements from both of the others and a woof from Spike. Pinkie ran up before they could drive off and gave Sunset and Twilight each one last hug. Once Pinkie let them go, Sunset mounted the bike. Twilight climbed on behind her and wrapped her arms around Sunset’s torso, then Sunset started the engine. She revved it once, then turned to wave to the Apples and Pinkie. They all smiled and waved them off, cheering and reminding her to be safe. She turned her eyes forward and instinctively moved to kick up the kickstand, then remembered she didn’t use it with the sidecar. She chuckled to herself, then pulled out into the road. It was a freeing feeling to be on the road again. Even if it was slightly clunkier with the sidecar attached, Sunset realized now how much she had missed her motorcycle. Magic was great, but feeling the wind as she sped past the building was a magic all its own. She couldn’t wait to get on the highway. But she would have to, at least a little. This trip was about more than relaxing, it was about confronting her past and moving on. And for Sunset, that meant stopping by one place that part of her felt she had never truly left. They drove through the familiar streets, and it weirded Sunset out exactly how familiar they were. Of course, there had been a time where she made this exact drive a couple times a week, but that had been so long ago… But turn by turn, everything felt so familiar. The houses grew shabbier, the businesses grew farther apart, the city grew poorer. And before long, she was face to face with a little red house. It was another familiar sight, and there was no way she wasn’t going to feel some complicated emotions when she saw it again, but she was not prepared for what she saw. Sunset had expected maybe it’d look different. Hell, maybe it wouldn’t even be a little ‘red’ house anymore, it had been years and someone may have painted it over. But it looked like no one had stepped foot in it since Applejack had gone back to get Sunset’s things, and not in any kind of good way. There were broken windows, graffiti, peeling paint, and what looked like a sunken-in spot of the roof. Sunset pulled her helmet off and frowned at the sight. “What the fuck happened here…?” Twilight did likewise. “This is where you lived?” “Yeah, but it…” Sunset sighed. “It didn’t use to look this bad.” “You don’t think anyone’s living in it, do you?” Spike asked. Sunset shook her head. She’d been prepared to feel bad when she saw her old house, but not because it had become a dump. “No. I don’t think anyone’s lived here for a long time. Not since I left it.” “Do, uhm…” Fluttershy was barely audible until she took her helmet off as well. “Do you want to take a closer look.” Sunset’s mouth worked between a few different kinds of frowns. “No. No, I think it’d be better if I didn’t.” “I’m sorry, Sunset,” Twilight said. “I know you were hoping for some closure here.” Sunset shook her head and put her helmet back on. “It’s just a house. Let’s get out of here.” Twilight and Fluttershy both put their helmets back on, and Sunset drove off back down the road. The first stop on their road trip had always been planned to be a difficult one, and they had a lot of fun stuff planned. Sunset just had to focus on what was to come. With no goodbyes to say here, the four of them drove off, leaving Everton behind them.