//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Twilight Sparkle is Equestria's Top Authority on Chalk // Story: Frozen Hearth // by Enza Ren //------------------------------// Sunset’s face scrunched up as she was slowly pulled from her slumber. The light of the sun had snuck through the window and nestled right on top of her eyelids. With a groan, she sat up and yawned. Sunset blearily looked around, confused for a moment about where she was. Then, everything from the previous night came back to her, including her weird dream. Hm, what does every friendship need? She pondered as she got up and started to look around the room. The room was about the size of the living room in her apartment. It had a queen-sized bed with an adjacent nightstand, an extra comfy chair with a little table next to it, a writing desk, and a dresser, the top of which held Sunset’s saddlebags. The room was large enough to easily hold everything Sunset owned, yet small enough to still be cozy, even in its near-empty state. Sunset looked out the window. The sun rose in the sky, illuminating the snow-covered hills and forests that surrounded the town of Ponyville. Hearth’s Warming Eve was over a week away, but ponies were already out enjoying the winter weather. A trio of fillies were putting the finishing touches on a snowmare, a grumpy-looking donkey made his way through town while hauling a sled with a tree on it, and finally, a grey mailmare flew to and fro, her bag bursting with packages to deliver. As Sunset watched the ponies go about their day, she felt a smile spread across her face. After all this time, she was back home. A knock on the door pulled Sunset from the window. “Who is it?” She asked. “It’s Spike,” came a muffled voice through the door. “If you’re up, I wanted to let you know that breakfast is almost ready.” “Thanks, Spike.” Sunset replied, “I’ll be down in just a bit.” Sunset turned her attention toward the clock on the nightstand. 10:50?! She had slept for nearly 11 hours! Though she had to admit, aside from that weird dream, that was the best night of sleep she had gotten in weeks. With a final yawn, Sunset opened the door and headed down to the kitchen. Sunset entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Next to her, sat Twilight, who was reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of familiar-smelling goodness. “Is that coffee?” Sunset asked, her eyes locked on the cup. Twilight turned to her. “Sunset! Good morning! Yes, this is a blend of my own creation. Can I interest you in a cup?” “I wouldn’t say no if you offered to hook it to my veins, but I suppose a cup is a good start.” Twilight filled a new cup from the pot and floated it over to Sunset. Holding the cup close to her muzzle, Sunset took a deep breath, savoring the aroma, then she quickly chugged it. Her face instantly scrunched up in regret. “Ugh! Twilight! What did you put in that?” Sunset coughed out. Twilight gave her an amused look. “Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that. But, I usually don’t drink it straight. It’s kind of bitter on its own.” “Ya think!?” With a knowing smirk, Twilight held up the pot. “More?” “Please,” Sunset replied, holding out the cup as Twilight refilled it. Sunset took a moment to add some cream and sugar. She tentatively lifted the cup to her mouth and took a sip. “Mmmm!” She hummed happily after tasting the second cup. “It’s pretty good when it isn’t trying to kill you.” She took another drink. “What inspired you to make your own blend?” Twilight set the pot back down. “Well, back when I attended Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, I often found myself staying up late reading, so I started needing something with a bit more kick to get me through the mornings. But all the blends I had access to were either too weak or too nasty. So, I made my own.” Sunset nodded as she took another drink. “Well, you did a good job.” “Thanks!” Twilight replied cheerfully. “Oh, before I forget!” With a burst of magic, a camera appeared in Twilight’s hooves. “Say ‘Cheese’ Sunset!” “Wait wha-” * FLASH * “Yeah no, I wasn’t a fan of sight anyway,” Sunset complained as she rubbed her eyes. “What was that for?” She demanded while trying to blink her sight back. Twilight just shrugged. “Scrapbooking. It occurred to me, that I don’t have any pictures of you, so I need to rectify that.” With another burst of magic, Twilight teleported the camera away. “So, what did you want to do tod—” * AHEM! * Twilight was cut off by a sudden clearing of the throat. “Ah, before we get to that. I promised Spike that he could tell you about his adventures in the Crystal Empire, over breakfast.” “Uh, shouldn’t we wait for Starlight?” Sunset asked. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Spike said as he came over to the table and set a plate down in front of each of them. “Starlight’s an early riser, she had breakfast a few hours ago. Then, I think she left to go hang out with Trixie.” Sunset’s sight returned just in time to see a stack of fluffy chocolate chip pancakes get set before her. Twilight also had pancakes on her plate, but hers had blueberries in them. Spike’s own stack of pancakes seemed to be mixed with small gems. As they enjoyed their meals, Spike began telling the tales of saving the Crystal Empire from King Sombra and his heroics at the Equestrian Games. Every now and then, Twilight would clarify something Spike had skimmed over, or not known about. But for the most part, she hung back and let Spike tell his story. Sunset had to admit, climbing down the outside of a massive crystal spire, while holding a shining relic, struck her as a pretty brave and glorious thing to do. “…so, since then I’ve been kind of a celebrity there.” Spike finished, before turning to eat the last of his pancakes. “That’s amazing Spike!” Sunset said. “Though, it was really painful to picture the bit where you tried to make up the Cloudsdale anthem on the spot.” She gave Spike a sympathetic cringe. “Ugh, you think it’s hard to picture it?” Spike chugged some orange juice. “Just imagine how bad it was to sing it. Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t just admit that I misunderstood the situation. That was obviously what I should’ve done.” “It was probably the most painful thing I’ve ever seen,” Twilight said, with near-dead eyes. “But, sometimes, it’s really hard to think clearly when you’re embarrassed. Especially while growing up.” Sunset looked at her. “Oh? Did you have a similar thing happen to you Twilight?” Twilight nodded. “One time, back when I attended CSGU, but before I started drinking coffee, I had accidentally fallen asleep in class after a late night. I woke up only when the teacher called on me to ask what item I wanted to do my presentation on.” “What presentation?” Sunset asked. “That’s just it. I didn’t know!” Twilight sighed. “They had discussed it while I was asleep, but rather than admit that, I just blurted out the first thing my eyes fell on, a piece of chalk.” Sunset snickered. “I’m almost afraid to ask. What was the presentation about?” Twilight hung her head. “An overview explaining the history of our item and how we felt it revolutionized Equestrian society.” Spike suddenly fell out of his chair, laughing. “I remember that! You spent an entire week spouting endless trivia about chalk!” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “HEY! Do you know how much information about chalk is trivial? ALL the information about chalk!” Twilight’s voice became even more tense as her story continued. “Believe it or not, things got worse. Princess Celestia heard about my topic and asked why I chose chalk! And she wasn’t the only one! My parents, brother, foal-sitter, other teachers, fellow students, and the librarian all asked me about it, too! That should’ve been my out. But did I own up to it? Did I admit to any of them that I fell asleep in class and never meant to choose chalk? Of course not!” Twilight steamed, as she threw her hooves up. “For some ridiculous reason, I decided it would be better to convince everypony that I felt chalk was an incredibly interesting, underrated advancement that formed the very bedrock of pony civilization. Spoiler warning! IT IS NOT!” Sunset’s face was buried in her hooves as she and Spike laughed. “Twilight that’s SO much worse than Spike’s singing! By the end of the day, he was a hero again, meanwhile, you had to spend an entire week talking up chalk!” Twilight, red-faced, glared at them for a moment. Then, her anger shattered with a snort and she joined in the laughter. After Twilight’s tale of chalk, they finished breakfast and split up. Twilight took Sunset to the spa so that they could relax and plan the day. An hour later, Sunset and Twilight were soaking in a massive tub enjoying a nice herbal bath. Over the past hour, they had spent some time in the steam room, gotten facials, and received massages. Now, they sat comfortably against the wall of the tub; their manes pinned up, to keep them out of the water. Both ponies looked content enough to drift off to sleep at any moment. Twilight lazily opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to look at Sunset. “So, what do you think of the Ponyville Day Spa?” Sunset let out a content sigh. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in years.” Twilight giggled. “I’m glad to hear it. So, should we talk about what to do next?” “Ok, what’s the plan?” “Well, the exhibit isn’t until tomorrow night. So, we have all of today and most of tomorrow open. Is there anything you’d like to do?” Twilight asked. Sunset shifted uncomfortably. “Honestly Twilight, it doesn’t have to be all about me. Why don’t we do something you want to do?” Twilight gave an annoyed eye roll. “Sunset, I’m here all the time. This is your vacation. Surely there’s something from Equestria you’ve missed.” Sunset looked off to the side. “Well… there is something, but it’s kind of dumb,” she said, sinking up to her chin in the tub. “Hey, haven’t you ever heard that you shouldn’t feel ashamed of what you like?” Twilight asked, giving Sunset a nudge. Sunset turned and narrowed her eyes at Twilight. “How dare you use my own words against me,” she grumbled. Twilight giggled and gave Sunset a playful splash. “Come on, I promise I won’t laugh. What is it?” Sunset hesitated, then simply said, “I want to ride the train.” Twilight blinked. “Ok, where did you want to go?” Sunset shook her head. “I don’t have a place I want to go; I want to take a train ride.” “So, you want to ride the train, just to ride it?” Twilight asked. Sunset nodded. “There aren’t many passenger trains on the other side of the portal, at least not near Canterlot High. I miss the enjoyment of getting on a train, just to take a train ride.” “Well, that’s not dumb,” Twilight said. “There’s actually a club here in Equestria of ponies who do just that,” Twilight paused to think, “…the Rail-Riders! Their members get special rates on tickets. So, what is it you enjoy so much about riding the train?” “Well, I used to ride them fairly often,” Sunset explained, “I’d go with the princess on her diplomatic trips, travel from town to town on my own, and sometimes I just got on with a lot of books because it was a comfy place to read.” A smile formed on Sunset’s face as she began to recall her memories of the train. “It’s like, being on a train allows you the comfort of staying at home but gives you the advantages of going out. If you don’t like where you are, you can just wait, and the train will take you somewhere else. You don’t have to think about it. You can just… enjoy traveling.” Sunset blushed but maintained her smile. Twilight thought for a moment, then lit up. “This is PERFECT!” With a flap of her wings and a splash, she rose out of the water. “Wait here!” She said, before teleporting away. Just a few minutes later, she was back, carrying a large, rolled-up map. “One weekend I was bored,” Twilight said as she settled herself back into the tub, unfurling the map in the air in front of them with her magic. “So, for fun, I compiled information on all the train routes in Equestria: their sizes, schedules, where they stop, where they go, that sort of thing. Using this information, we can choose a route that fits our needs.” Once Twilight finished explaining, she turned her attention to the map. “One of the long circuit routes would do nicely, I think,” Twilight muttered. “Larger than normal. Has dining cars and sleeper cars.” She turned to Sunset. “Are you okay with bunking together, or would you like your own cabin?” Sunset blinked in surprise, “Um I don’t mind sharing.” “Great! Then I think our best option is the Northwest Express.” With a glow of her horn, Twilight began tracing the train’s route on the map. “It arrives in Ponyville at 3:20. From here it heads west, arriving in Vanhoover in the evening. Then, it will turn north, head up into the Crystal Mountains, swing east during the night, and arrive in the Crystal Empire tomorrow morning. Finally, it makes a straight shot south, arriving in Canterlot in the early afternoon tomorrow.” Sunset nodded as she followed Twilight’s explanation. “Huh, I’m kinda surprised you don’t have the exact arrival and departure times for all those stops, Twilight,” Sunset teased. “Actually, I do!” Twilight declared proudly while rolling up the map. “Do you want to hear all the exact arrival and departure times for those stops?” She asked in a vaguely threatening tone while pointing the newly rolled map at Sunset. “No, no!” Sunset said quickly, holding up hooves. “I want to be surprised.” “Thought so,” Twilight said, with a satisfied smirk. “Anyway, I’m going to run out and get our tickets really quick, you just stay here and relax, okay?” Sunset settled back into the tub and placed a hot towel over her face. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.” Twilight chuckled and flew out of the room. The front door of Carousel Boutique swung open with the sound of a friendly bell chime. Twilight entered the shop and looked around. “I’m terribly sorry," a voice called out from the back, "I’m in the back room right now. I will be out in just a moment!” Twilight turned toward the voice. “Actually Rarity, it’s me. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.” “Of course, darling, come on back. Just… mind the mess.” Twilight crossed the room and stepped behind the curtain that separated the shop’s main floor from the backroom. Rarity hadn’t been kidding. It looked like an explosion of cloth had happened here. Numerous fabrics of varying designs were strewn, haphazardly, across the floor and the walls were lined with racks holding dozens of newly finished dresses. Standing in the midst of all this, was a white Unicorn. She had a deep purple mane and a cutie mark that displayed 3 diamonds. On her snout, rested a pair of orange-rimmed glasses, and she had a measuring tape draped across her shoulders. Floating around her were several items held in her magic: a needle that she was currently sewing with, a few spools of thread, a pincushion, and a pair of scissors. At the moment, her eyes were laser-focused on a little gold and purple number that was currently modeled by a mannequin. Twilight looked around; her mouth open in surprise. She had never seen THIS many newly made dresses before. “Rarity! What IS all this?” “These are all my custom orders for Hearth’s Warming.” Rarity responded, without looking up or even slowing the pace of her work. “It’s been an absolute madhouse this year. Not that I mind the business, but so many of these came in at the last moment. I’ve been working non-stop for 3 days straight.” That explains why I haven’t seen her in a while. Twilight thought. “I’m sorry to bother you when you’re so busy.” “Not at all, in fact…” Rarity put the finishing touches on the dress she was working on, lifted it off the mannequin, and hung it on a rack. “…I’m finished!” She gave a sigh of relief and threw all her tools onto a nearby workbench. “All that’s left now is to make the final adjustments as the ponies come by to pick up their orders.” Twilight let out a whistle as she looked around, “Are all these dresses for ponies here in Ponyville?” Rarity held a hoof to her head and dramatically collapsed onto a fainting couch, which had definitely not been in the room a moment ago. “Oh no, I finished the Ponyville orders last week. These” —she gave a sweeping gesture around the room— “are all for ponies from Canterlot. I’m taking them up to Canterlot Carousel in the morning. Nearly half of them are for that exclusive exhibit tomorrow night. Normally, I’d go myself to rub elbows with the who’s who of Canterlot, but I’m so drained I think I may just have Sassy Saddles handle the fittings tomorrow,” Rarity said wearily. Twilight gave Rarity a concerned look. “You know, I’m leaving today for Canterlot. I could take the dresses up there for you if you wanted to stay and rest up. It certainly looks like you’ve earned it.” Rarity sat up and smiled. “I appreciate the offer, Twilight but after all the work I’ve done, I intend to see each and every one of these dresses into their owners’ hooves, myself. I just need some rest tonight and then I’ll be right as rain. But tell me, what brings you here today?” Twilight blinked, suddenly remembering the reason she stopped by in the first place. “Oh yeah, Sunset Shimmer is staying with me for the holidays and we’re actually going to that exhibit tomorrow. I was wondering if you had a dress in stock that would suit her.” Twilight pulled out a picture and floated it to Rarity. “Here’s a picture.” Rarity gasped and recoiled in shock when her eyes landed on the photo. “Twilight, darling, how could you take a picture of this poor girl when it looks like she just rolled out of bed!?” Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I kind of wanted the dress to be a surprise, so I just sprung it on her this morning at breakfast.” Rarity began studying the photo. Without looking up, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me she was coming? I could have had something truly remarkable ready for her.” “I didn’t know she was coming myself until yesterday morning,” Twilight explained. “It seems that the girls in the other world aren’t going to be in town for the holidays; so, Sunset asked me if it would be okay for her to spend the break here.” Rarity’s gaze flicked up from the photograph. “She was initially planning to arrive tomorrow, but some unexpected weather forced her to accelerate her plans. …Oh! They can’t control the weather in the other world.” Twilight added. Rarity nodded and returned her attention to the photo. After a few moments of consideration, a small smile appeared on her face. She lifted her head and looked back at Twilight. “Actually, I know just the thing.” She got up from the couch and walked Twilight out to the main room. “Swing by Canterlot Carousel with her tomorrow afternoon and I’ll make the final adjustments. Back at the spa, Sunset had reluctantly pulled herself out of the bath and dried off. She heard the door to the room open, and her eyes went wide when she saw who had come in. Standing before her, wearing a fluffy spa robe and matching slippers, was the last pony Sunset ever expected to see at a spa. “Rainbow!?” Sunset blurted out before she could stop herself. Rainbow Dash stared at Sunset in surprise. Then, her confused expression was replaced by a cocky grin. “The one and only!” She announced proudly. “Always nice to meet a fan.” “Sorry, my mistake,” Sunset quickly apologized. “I don’t actually know who you are, I just mistook you for somepony else.” Rainbow paused; some wind clearly taken out of her sails. “You mistook me for… another blue Pegasus, with a rainbow mane, whose name is ALSO Rainbow?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. Sunset gave a shaky nod. “Y-Yep! Crazy world huh?” “Uh... okay. I just thought that, since I didn’t recognize you, but you recognized me, you must be a Wonderbolts fan.” Sunset internally face-hooved. “Yeah, that… would’ve been a nice, simple explanation.” “Are you sure we’ve never met?” Rainbow asked while walking up to Sunset. “Because you do look familiar, but I can’t place it.” Sunset’s mouth hung open as she tried to put together some explanation that would allow her to escape this situation. Was it too late to convince Dash she WAS just a Wonderbolts fan? Before she could get far in crafting her response, a voice made the decision for her. “Oh, Miss Sunset,” Sunset and Rainbow turned to see a blue Earth Pony with a pink mane stick her head into the room. “I am afraid Princess Twilight has not yet returned, but feel free to remain here in the relaxation room while you wait for her.” “O-Okay! Thank you, Lotus!” Sunset stammered nervously, her voice cracking. “Sunset? As in Sunset Shimmer?” Rainbow asked, looking back to the amber mare. Trapped, Sunset gave a weak nod. Rainbow shot into the air so fast that she flew right out of the spa’s robe and slippers, which crumpled to the ground, like an old Jedi. “Oh my gosh! I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long!” She said happily. Sunset looked up at Rainbow quizzically. “Really?” Rainbow beamed, as she hovered effortlessly a few feet off the ground. “Totally! Twilight’s told us all about you and the other world. Hey, you’re friends with the me there, right? Is that me as awesome as I am?” She asked excitedly. Sunset wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, you’re… really into sports. In fact, you’re the captain of every sports club our school has.” Rainbow gave a shout of laughter. “Yeah, that sounds about right for me at that age.” She raised a hoof to her mouth. “If I had to guess, I’d say I’m the more awesome me, simply because I’m older, but don’t worry she’ll catch up. Of course, by then, I’ll be even more awesome than I am now! But, forget about me and me, I want to hear about you!” She stated, pointing directly at Sunset. Sunset shrunk back. “Me? What about me?” She asked cautiously. “Tell me your story.” Rainbow’s eyes shined with eager anticipation. “What’s high school like? What’s your life like? How’s the other world?” Sunset dropped her gaze to the floor. “Well, high school is… just school, it’s not all that different from school here. As for my life, I don’t do much outside of class other than study. The other world is…okay, it’s kinda like this one, but without magic,” Sunset answered unenthusiastically. “Oh.” Rainbow’s excited expression deflated into disappointment. After a moment, she shook herself out of it and perked back up. “Well… you’re in a band, right? That’s pretty cool! Tell me about that!” Sunset’s face twisted with a grimace. “I’m not really in the band. I’m just… a backup member.” Rainbow’s brow furrowed and she landed on the ground staring at Sunset, confused. “Hey, are you alright?" She asked. "You seem…off.” Sunset looked up. “What do you mean?” “Well, based on what I’ve heard about you from Twilight, I was expecting you to be more…well, MORE!” Rainbow finished, in a wonderfully unhelpful way. Sunset shook her head. Now she was confused. “More, what?” Rainbow gave a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. Like... I expected you to be this rebel, a loose cannon, a mare who plays by her own rules and doesn’t take garbage from anypony. Somepony awesome! Like me!” Rainbow proudly indicated herself. “But instead, it’s like I’m talking to Fluttershy, on an extra bad day.” Sunset’s gaze returned to the ground. “Sorry. I’m not sure what Twilight told you, but I’m not that awesome.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Sunset. “So, you’re telling me, you didn’t survive on your own in a completely unknown world for several years, without magic?” She asked in a surprisingly no-nonsense tone. “…Well, no, I did do that,” Sunset said quietly. Rainbow nodded and continued. “And didn’t you stand up to the Sirens when they were so powerful, they had even beaten Twilight and the other girls?” “I…I guess I did that, too,” Sunset conceded. Rainbow nodded once more. “And what about when the Sirens had turned our other selves against each other? Wasn’t it you who pulled them all back together again?” Sunset shook her head. “I wouldn’t say I ‘pulled them back together’. All I did was offer some perspective. Twilight could’ve easily done it herself. She was just distracted trying to write the musical counter-spell,” Sunset explained. Rainbow clicked her tongue and shook her head. “That’s not the way Twilight tells it.” Sunset blinked and looked up in surprise. “According to her, by the time you all were trapped under that stage, she was too upset about the spell to even notice how much the other girls were fighting. She certainly wasn’t in any condition to fix such a massive friendship problem. But you? You took charge. You ended their fighting. You pulled them back together, and you lifted Twilight out of her funk, like some kind of… ‘shining angel of friendship’. Twilight’s words, not mine,” Dash clarified. “Are you telling me you didn’t do all that?” Sunset’s cheeks burned. She had no idea that moment had made such an impression on Twilight. “I…It really wasn’t all that special. I just wanted the girls to stop fighting. The more they fought with each other, the stronger the sirens got. And as for Twilight, I just wanted to help her feel better.” Rainbow shook her head. “I didn’t ask for your reasons. I asked whether or not that was what you did,” she finished firmly. Sunset thought for a moment. “Well, in that case. I guess it is pretty much how Twilight described it, minus the ‘shining angel’ bit.” Rainbow nodded, with finality. “So, if all that is true, then why are you talking like you’ve never done anything worth being proud of? Where is your confidence? You should be shouting your awesomeness from the roof!” Sunset looked back down. “It’s…personal,” she muttered to the floor. There was a moment of silence. Then, Sunset felt a wing on her shoulder. She looked up to see Rainbow staring at her with concern. “Hey, you can tell me,” Rainbow said softly. For the first time since she walked in, Sunset met Rainbow’s gaze without looking away. She sure looks sincere, Sunset thought, but so did all the others, before... Sunset’s thoughts trailed off. She shuddered as something cold tightened around her heart. She turned her attention back to the pegasus in front of her. Then, despite all the doubt in her mind, Sunset opened up. “Did Twilight tell you about the time I stole her crown?” She asked. Rainbow nodded. Sunset took a deep breath and continued. “You see Rainbow, I used to think a lot of myself. I used to think I was strong and smart. But looking back now, I see it was all just empty arrogance. When I stole the crown, it was because I felt I had earned it.” Rainbow tilted her head. “Earned it?” Sunset nodded. “Earned the right to put it on. Earned the right to be a Princess. Earned the right to ascend. Earned…a family. “It wasn’t till I was lying in that crater, after getting blasted by the elements, that I finally saw how pathetic I was. How pathetic I had always been. I hadn’t earned anything: not status, not power, and certainly not a family. The only thing I had was an ugly heart. “To drive the point home, standing over me as I lay bruised and beaten in the dirt, was Twilight. Seeing her like that brought into sharp contrast the differences between us. She was everything I wasn’t. She was everything I had failed to be.” Despite herself, Sunset’s eyes began to water, and she looked down. “Hey, you’re being too hard on yourself,” Rainbow said, comfortingly. “You’re so focused on your past mistakes that you’re keeping yourself from seeing all the awesome things you’ve done.” Sunset shook her head dismissively. “You don’t understand, Rainbow. You did something that no pony in history has ever done by making a Sonic Rainboom, you achieved your dream and became a Wonderbolt, you’ve saved Equestria several times, AND you’re the bearer of an Element of Harmony. You are awesome. I’m not.” Sunset felt a pair of wings square her shoulders. She looked up to see Rainbow looking her directly in the eye. “I do understand, Sunset.” Rainbow hesitated, then took a deep breath of her own. “Have you ever heard of Daring Do?" Before Sunset could even respond, Rainbow continued. "She’s the main character of a book series and a hero of mine. She’s this awesome adventurer who always overcomes the odds and saves the day! "Some time back, it was announced that the next book in the series had been delayed by the author, A.K. Yearling. I wanted to know why the next book had been delayed, so I went to confront her. “While at her home, I learned that A.K. Yearling WAS Daring Do! Not only that, but she was in the middle of an adventure. Well, I decided to tag along! After all, I had read all the books, I knew the types of threats she faced, and —as you said— I’m awesome!" Rainbow sighed. “But, instead of helping, I messed up. Over and over…and over again. She kept telling me to leave because she didn’t need my help and she worked alone, but I wouldn’t listen. Eventually, I wound up getting her captured! “It was only then, that I realized what I had done. Daring Do was this amazing pony who had been on countless adventures. Next to her, what was I? Just some crazy fan who had done nothing but cause her trouble. She was right, I was no good to her and she’d be better off without me. I…I felt like I was worthless.” Rainbow’s ears flopped down and she hung her head low. Sunset was shocked. Rainbow Dash had never admitted anything like this before! At least… not the Rainbow she knew. “How’d you get over it?” Sunset asked. Rainbow lifted her head and smiled at Sunset. “I had my friends with me. They reminded me how awesome I am and that even a pony as incredible as Daring Do needs help from time to time. Long story short, we went after her.” Rainbow rose into the air and began recounting the story with renewed energy. "Within the Fortress of Talacon, I found Daring Do in imminent peril. I swooped in at the last moment snatching her from the jaws of doom, returned her hat, and earned her respect. Then, together, we defeated the vast and horrible, Auizotal! Saving the Tenochtitlan Basin from 800 years of unrelenting heat!” After hovering for a moment with clear pride, Rainbow returned to the ground and looked back at Sunset. “The point is, sometimes, it’s hard to believe in yourself, especially after you’ve screwed up royally. But don’t worry, because true friends will be there to remind you how awesome you are, even when you’ve forgotten it yourself! Like how mine were there for me.” Rainbow reached out and put her hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “And like how I’m here for you. So, if you can’t believe in yourself, believe in me instead. “Believe me, when I say, ‘you’re not arrogant.’ “Believe me, when I say, ‘you’re not pathetic.’ “Believe me, when I say that you, Sunset Shimmer, are awesome!” As Sunset looked into Rainbow’s confident, smiling face, something happened. Across the room, a curtain shifted. A sunbeam entered the window and its light shot between them. In that moment, Sunset saw a shimmering array of colors dance across Rainbow’s eyes. Then, Sunset blinked. A teenager with red and yellow hair, cast her jacket into the wind and planted herself firmly between three enormous monsters and a group of girls who had been knocked to the ground. * Blink * Four surly-looking ponies rushed away from the open doors of a diner and ran off into the night. They were covered in donuts, coffee, and burns. Standing in the doorway, watching them flee, was a small unicorn who bore the sun on her flank. *Blink* A trio of disheveled ponies peeked cautiously over an upturned table. Standing near the center a scorched lecture hall was a young amber filly. Beside the filly, stood a tall alabaster mare, who looked down at her with a smile as warm as the sun itself. She pointed to a red and yellow cutie mark on the filly’s flank. When the little amber unicorn saw it, she pranced about with delight, as a tiny red and yellow bird flew above her. Sitting on a nearby table, at the clear center of the blast, was the ashen shell of an egg. *Blink* Sunset Shimmer lay on the grass, reading beneath the shade of a tree on a beautiful day. She closed her book and took in the world around her. She took a deep breath and could taste the water in the air. She sniffed the breeze and enjoyed the scent of Honeysuckle that traveled on it. She heard a chorus of cicadas fill the day with their iconic song. She looked skyward and saw the object that brought out all this wonder. Standing up, she walked out from beneath the shade of the tree, closed her eyes, and turned her face up toward the sun, feeling its rays warm her. She had always loved the heat of the Summer Sun; it shined so bright and was so full of energy. Just like her. *Blink* Sunset was back in the spa. The warm feeling of a summer day flared inside her, and she started laughing. “I have been such an idiot.” Sunset laughed heartily while shaking her head. “You’re right Rainbow. I’ve made mistakes. But those mistakes don’t get to invalidate my accomplishments. I’ve done a lot of things I should be proud of, both recently and in the past. I guess, I just lost sight of that.” Rainbow’s face lit up. “Don’t worry about it. Even eggheads like you can forget obvious things from time to time,” she teased. Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure somepony who hunts down an author to demand to know when their next book is coming out, should be calling any pony an egghead,” Sunset snarked. Rainbow was taken aback, a shocked expression on her face, but laughter in her eyes. “Whu- Where did this come from!? 5 minutes ago, you could barely take your eyes off the floor and now you’re throwing sass, at me!?” “Yeah. I am,” Sunset said simply, a smug grin on her face. Rainbow returned the grin and punched Sunset in the shoulder. “See? I knew it! You are like me!” She looked up in thought. “Maybe I should be a motivational speaker.” Sunset shook her head. “Nah, you don’t want that. Don’t get me wrong, you’d be good at it, but you’d also have to live… in a van… down by the river!” She finished with an over-the-top shout. Rainbow blinked, drawing a blank. “I feel like I’m missing something,” she said as Sunset cackled at the line. Sunset calmed down and threw her hoof over Rainbow’s shoulder. “It’s from a comedy skit in the other world. There’s a lot there you’d like. If you want to visit sometime, I can start putting together a list of things to show you,” she offered. Rainbow’s face fell and she rolled her eyes. “Ugh, your mind goes right to making a list? Now I can see why you and Twilight get along so well.” Sunset looked insulted. “Hey! I’m not nearly as bad as she is!” Rainbow sighed and shook her head in a disappointed fashion. “We were having a good time talking about awesome things, but you HAD to go and ruin it by bringing ink and paper into this!” “I will not be judged by a pony who walked into this room wearing a fluffy robe and slippers!” Sunset retaliated, filling her voice with joking condemnation. “There’s an entire world of entertainment over there! I just wanted to make a SMALL list of things you’d like, that’s it! Twilight would work out the amount of time each thing would take, then put together some kind of schedule based on a third factor she made up like… ‘quantifiable enjoyment quotient.’” The disgust in Rainbow’s voice increased as she playfully pushed Sunset away. “UGH! See!? You even think like her! If I closed my eyes, I’d swear that Twilight was in the room right now!” “Twilight IS in the room right now,” came a cold voice from behind the two of them. Sunset and Rainbow went rigid, neither daring to turn around. There was an uncomfortable silence that was broken when Rainbow shouted, “I just remembered I… I HAVE TO GO DO A THING!” Without another word, she dove straight through the nearest window, glass and all. Twilight walked over and repaired the shattered window. Then, she turned and stared at Sunset with an unreadable expression. Sunset nervously rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and chuckled. “So, Twilight… how much of that did you hear?” “Oh, I walked in just as you were passionately assuring Rainbow that you aren’t ‘nearly as bad’ as me, at being organized,” Twilight responded with an overly chipper tone. Sunset laughed. “Well, I think we both know that’s no contest.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, that came out wrong!” Sunset quickly shouted. “I meant… you’re ‘bad’, as in good. That’s what the foals are saying these days.” She explained ‘smoothly’. “Sunset, you are three generations too young to be using the misunderstood slang defense,” Twilight said flatly. “Not buying it huh?” Twilight shook her head. “Okay, I’m sorry Twilight,” Sunset said as she gave Twilight an apologetic smile. “Me and Rainbow got to talking and I got kind of caught up in the moment. I wasn’t trying to be mean.” Twilight smiled. “I know, and I forgive you. Honestly, I was happy to see you and Rainbow getting along so well.” “Thanks, and me too. Rainbow’s cool. But on another matter… were you able to get our tickets?” Sunset asked hopefully. “Mmmm-Hmmm,” Twilight said, waving the tickets before her. “We should have just enough time to pack up and get down to the station to meet the train.” “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Come on, I’ll race you to the castle,” Sunset said before she turned and practically galloped out the door. Twilight was stunned by Sunset’s newfound enthusiasm but rather than question a good thing, she just dashed after her.