Sunset’s mind was filled with a mixture of giddy elation and pure, primal terror as wind roared all around her. The only thing stopping her from being blown out of the basket howdah was an envelope of calm, enchanted air holding the worst of the wind at bay.
In all of her wildest flights of fancy, this wasn’t how she’d ever expected to be heading back to Golden Tree. In a caravan? Easily. Walking all the way back after some noble decided they didn’t like the way she looked at them and had her kicked out of Heliopolis? Likely. Never seeing her home again because she was in chains in a dungeon for something she’d messed up at the rite? It’d crossed her mind once or twice.
But riding with Lady Raven Inkwell on the back of a wyvern, being escorted by a full platoon of sky-runner prominence knights after she’d ascended as the newest phoenix-born? Not even in her craziest fantasies did something like that happen.
Yet here she was just before the crack of dawn, miles in the air and riding on the back of a great, brassy, draconic beast towards her hometown.
Sunset let out a slight sigh as she enjoyed the view. Before they’d left, Sunset had asked if Lily and Daisy could accompany them to Golden Tree. Raven had shot down the idea almost immediately. This wasn’t a pleasure visit. They were heading to Golden Tree on business. But Raven had reassured her that she’d get a chance to see her eastern friends again before they headed home.
From what Raven had told her, Roseluck was quite taken with the two of them, and had been making inquiries into bringing them permanently on as part of her manor’s staff. Something the two had been quite receptive to. And that until the details were worked out with their families, the two of them would be staying at the Cathedral of the Sun with Roseluck.
Looking out over the front side of the howdah, she watched the landscape she’d spent a week crossing pass below, her view periodically obstructed by the flapping of the wyvern’s great wings.
Stepping away from the basket’s wall, Sunset took a seat opposite Raven. Glancing at the elder phoenix-born, Sunset was keenly aware that there was something missing: Dylis was nowhere to be seen. Raven had told her that Dylis preferred to fly on his own rather than ride when he got the chance and had taken off before they had when they left Mt. Liakeed. Sunset had periodically seen him flying among their prominence knight escort, but they were fleeting glimpses.
But, with how rarely she’d seen Raven without him, it was quite jarring.
Of course, his absence only served to remind Sunset that, unlike Dylis, Philomena wasn’t with them. Instead, she was still back at Mt. Liakeed with Queen Lumina.
Are you doing okay? Sunset sent.
Aside from Mom fussing over me, yea, I’m fine, Philomena replied. I wish I could have come with you though.
Sunset sighed as she felt Philomena’s absence. Only two days together, and the thought of being separated was already painful.
Me too. But, both Raven and Queen Lumina said no. “If for some reason someone came after us…
… I’d be an easy target,” Philomena huffed. Doesn’t mean that I like it.
Just think of it as spending some quality time with your mom, Sunset sent morosely. Even with as much as Tender Heart was like one, I still never even got to know mine.
A wave of warmth spread through their link as Philomena sent love and sympathy to Sunset.
I’m sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad.
It’s okay. Even if I can’t have that sort of thing, I won’t begrudge you for it. Sunset chuckled through their link. If anything, I get to vicariously experience it through you.
Oh, so I’m just a way for you to get to experience new things? Philomena sent in a sassy tone. I see how it is.
Well if that’s how you feel about sharing, I’ll just keep our link closed when I get home and visit Applejack and Pinkie, Sunset replied in an equally sassy tone. And you can get to know that I’m eating some of the best food in Solaria without getting a taste.
Philomena’s incredulous rage flooded their bond.
You. Wouldn’t. Dare! After how much you’ve been fantasizing about their cooking, you better not hold out on me!
Sunset didn’t falter at Philomena’s ultimatum.
I might.
Well, in that case, the next time I poop, I’ll just eat it and make you taste it! How do you like that?
Sunset glowered back at Philomena through their bond.
Two can play at that game, fluff-ball. You do that, and when we get to Golden Tree, I’ll head straight to AJ’s manure piles, turn them over and take a nice deep whiff. You ever smelled decomposing cow and horse poop before? It's pretty nasty.
Sunset could feel Philomena’s defiance through their bond, while she sent back equally strong feelings of defiance and stubbornness.
Before the two of them broke down into a fit of mental giggles.
Alright, enough of that, Sunset sent. Let’s stop before one of us gets hurt.
So you admit defeat?
I admit nothing!
Sure you don’t. Still, you better share when you meet up with your oath-sisters.
Don’t give me any lip, and we’ll see.
How can I give you lip if I don’t have them?
Listen to the funny fluff-ball. You can’t talk either, yet you’re sassing me.
Both of them shared a moment of mirth.
Just stay safe, okay? And, give your sisters a hug. I’m sure they missed you.
Yea…
Closing their bond, Sunset slumped down against the howdah’s wall and leaned her head back with a sigh. Unfortunately, Philomena had inadvertently brought up the biggest thing weighing on Sunset’s mind.
Her sisters.
Sunset couldn’t help but wonder how they were going to react to everything. Her last letter had been just before her final exam at the academy. That was a sparse six days ago.
Six days.
Six days, and her life had been turned upside down. And left her filled with dread at the prospect of seeing her family again.
She’d been told by Raven that word of her ascension had been sent out through Solaria after their meeting with the queen. That meant that her sisters knew. Did they even know how she had ascended? Would they hate her now? How would they react? Not just to her ascension but to her moving to Mt. Liakeed to study with Queen Celestia.
And she had no idea how long she’d be gone for. From what Roseluck had told her, it’d be years. Would they still be there when she got back? Would they drift apart? Would she even be able to keep up their correspondence?
“You’re brooding,” Raven suddenly said, causing Sunset to jump.
“I…” Sunset began, but stopped as she curled back in on herself.
“I assume you’re worried about what’s going to happen when we get to Golden Tree. Right?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“A little.” Raven smiled sympathetically, before her face returned to its resting neutral. “Honestly, I’d have preferred you stay back at Mt. Liakeed with Philomena. You’re far too tempting a target right now, and I could have taken care of this.”
Sunset felt her face fall a little as she gave Raven an incredulous look.
“How could Golden Tree not be safe? It’s my home.”
Crossing her arms, Raven stared Sunset down with a stern look.
“Considering that we still haven’t tracked down everyone involved in tampering with the phoenix-rite? Easily. If they were willing to go so far as to defile such a sacred ceremony, I doubt they’d just let things go as they stand. And, you’re a phoenix-born now. That changes everything.”
Sighing, Sunset looked at the floor of the howdah.
“I guess that makes sense,” Sunset muttered. “But, I have to go. I want to… no… I need to see everyone one last time before I disappear. You and Roseluck said it yourself; the training can take years. Years where I can’t see my friends and my oath-sisters. I can’t just vanish like that. Not without saying goodbye.”
Reaching out, Raven put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder.
“And it is for that reason, and that reason alone, that I’m even willing to entertain the idea of letting you come out with me for this,” Raven said, before her tone became hard and she removed her hand. “But, that doesn’t mean that you get to run off without protection. So long as we’re away from Mt. Liakeed, you will be escorted by a bare minimum of four prominence knights at all times. Am I clear?”
“Is that really necessary?” Sunset said with as much defiance as she could muster.
“If you don’t want me to have Saetha turn around and take you back to Queen Celestia’s castle, yes, it is. I will not leave you vulnerable and unprotected. And that means you are to have knights watching you at all times.”
Sunset wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“Sunset, I need you to understand, this isn’t just about you. This is about what you mean to Solaria. I would love nothing more than to let you go home and just live the rest of your days in peace. But I can’t. Solaria needs you. And that means you must be kept safe until you can protect yourself.”
Sunset shied back from Raven.
“Yes, your grace,” Sunset whimpered.
“Sunset, you’ll have your chance to visit with your oath-sisters. But I can’t leave you vulnerable. Okay?”
“Okay…”
Reclining to rest her head against the wall of the howah, Raven closed her eyes. “We should be arriving in Golden Tree in a few hours. Try to enjoy the ride until then.”
*****
Sunset had taken Raven’s advice and tried to enjoy their trip as much as possible. Most of her time was spent looking out over the landscape below her. It was a novel and rather disconcerting view of things. She knew she’d passed along some of the roads below them before when she was with Open Trails. But from as high up as they were, she couldn’t recognize anything. Even with her newly enhanced vision, things were just too small to make out.
Still, watching the world from this high up had a certain magic to it. When she was on the ground, she couldn’t really appreciate the full majesty of the Western Territory’s landscape. But from up in the sky, its grandeur was breathtaking. There were kilometers of open grasslands and scrub criss-crossed with long, ribbon-like stretches of riparian woodland or the occasional elevated patch of deeper green in the form of a valley or wooded hill.
And scattered throughout the landscape were pockets of civilization in the form of towns, some large, some small, all connected by the distinct lines of the Western Territory’s infamous dirt roads. Around the towns Sunset saw large swaths of land that were distinctive from the surrounding nature. These were farms, and they butted up against the wilderness so abruptly that it looked like someone had spliced a different landscape onto the larger one.
Sunset felt a momentary twinge of jealousy in her heart. Rainbow got to see this all the time. Maybe not at this height, but it was still a view and perspective she got to experience.
“Raven?” Sunset asked without turning away from watching the landscape.
“Yes, Sunset?”
“How long until I learn to fly?”
Raven chuckled at the question.
“That all depends on you and how you take to the queen’s training. It took me a couple of months to learn, Roseluck took almost a year, while Steel and Spitfire picked it up in hours since they’re former sky-runners.”
Sunset huffed with frustration.
“That’s not fair.”
“You’ll get it, in time. Before you know it, you’ll be able to fly anywhere you want as easily as you walk from one place to another.”
That thought got a smile from Sunset as she continued to watch the landscape pass below.
“Your grace, we’re approaching Golden Tree.” Sunset nearly jumped out of her skin at hearing a new voice from behind. Turning, she saw one of the sky-runners had flown alongside the howdah and was currently keeping pace just next to them. “We should arrive in twenty minutes.”
“Thank you, sergeant,” Raven replied as she stood to face him. “Please send half of your soldiers ahead to set up a standard landing perimeter at the designated area, and have one knight to inform Baronet Sky Stride of our estimated time of arrival. Once we land, I want half of your troops in the air above Golden Tree at all times to keep watch. Understood?”
“Yes, your grace!” the sergeant said before flapping his wings hard and peeling away from Saetha to carry out Raven’s orders.
“Get ready, Sunset. We’ll be arriving soon,” Raven said as she took her seat.
Sunset nodded, going through her mental exercises to keep herself grounded. It didn’t do much to offset the dread she was feeling, or how hard her heart was beating in her chest, but it helped.
You okay? Philomena sent.
Sunset sighed, realizing Philomena had probably sensed her distress through their bond.
I think so. Kinda. But, no, not really.
Well, I’m here if you need me.
Thanks, Sunset sent as the howdah lurched, and a slight feeling of weightlessness settled into the pit of her stomach.
“Sunset, come sit down and get into your landing harness,” Raven said as she indicated the pillows and braided ropes next to her. “I don’t want you flying out as we descend.”
At the thought, Sunset rushed over to Raven and looped the landing ropes into place. As she did, the sense of weightlessness got more intense as she felt Saetha begin to tilt downward and descend from the sky, causing Sunset to tense up. She felt Raven place a comforting hand on hers, followed by a gentle squeeze, while sensations of safety and concern came pouring in through her bond with Philomena.
Soon, she caught sight of a town in the distance, one with a veritable forest of apple trees on its north side. Even from as far away as they were, Sunset could see several familiar landmarks, including the Pie rock farm, and the main house of Sweet Apple Acres.
‘This is it,” Sunset thought.
As they drew closer, Saetha banked and began to descend towards the northeast of town and the caravan staging area where Sunset had first joined up with Open Trails. As they descended, the prominence knights that hadn’t flown ahead spread out and formed a protective cordon around the great wyvern.
Faster and faster the ground approached, until Saetha tilted her chest back and flapped her wings to stall her forward momentum, the howdah’s enchantments keeping the cloud of dust she kicked up with her landing from entering the basket.
Sunset felt a slight jolt as Saetha’s taloned feet contacted the ground and the wyvern came to a halt. Once she’d safely landed, Saetha folded her wings like a bird and lowered herself to her belly.
“It's safe now,” Raven said as she undid her own harness and stood. “Come along.”
Still a little shaken from the landing, Sunset undid the ropes and staggered after Raven. As the two phoenix-born approached the edge of the howdah, Raven unlocked a gate near the front and kicked a rope ladder out.
Stepping out into the air, Raven folded her arms behind her back and floated downward, Dylis landing on her shoulder as soon as her feet touched the ground. Sunset grumbled with just a bit of jealousy as she climbed down the rope ladder and set foot in her hometown for the first time in over a month.
As Sunset walked up to Raven, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. Her heart soared at the familiar smell of the town: a heady mixture of dust, grass, sagebrush, apple trees, old brick and wood, and fresh air. The smell was familiar. Calming. Wonderful.
It was the smell of home.
Opening her eyes, Sunset took in the view of the edge of town. Simple wooden and brick buildings with shingled roofs. Hedgerows and picket fences around small yards with abundant vegetable gardens. Compared to the grandeur of Heliopolis or the glory of the Core, it was simple. Mundane. Normal.
Sunset never knew how much she missed it.
Shaking herself free of her nostalgia, Sunset took a quick look around. As Raven had ordered, the prominence knights had formed a perimeter around the staging area. Standing just outside the line of knights were dozens of people, including the baronet of Golden Tree, an aged sky-runner with cloud-white hair, azure skin and rust-red eyes named Sky Stride.
“Stay here, Sunset,” Raven said warmly yet firmly as she patted the young girl on her shoulder. “I’m going to go talk briefly with the baronet. Once we’ve sorted things out with him, we can get started. Okay?”
“Okay,” Sunset said absently as she was still lost in the nostalgia of being home.
“This shouldn’t take too long.”
Taking her hand off Sunset’s shoulder, Raven made her way towards the line of knights. As Raven approached, all of the sun-gazers outside the cordon dropped to a knee as they bowed to her. Was that what she had to look forward to? People bowing to her wherever she went? She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the idea. At least from the people of Golden Tree. Maybe the Heliopolans. Some of them at least.
Sighing, Sunset’s started to look out among the crowd for any familiar faces: Bronze Hammer, Tender Heart, any of the others from the orphanage, and of course, her oath-sisters. Sadly, she didn’t see any of them. It wasn’t surprising. They had no idea that she was coming.
Still, after Raven finished talking to Baronet Sky Stride, maybe they could head to Sweet Apple Acres and see if Applejack was around. Then they could go and track down–
“SUNSET!”
Sunset heard her name milliseconds before a fluffy pink missile collided with her chest and tackled her to the ground into an almost bone-crushing hug, the sounds of relieved sobbing filling her ears. It took her brain a moment to catch up to her situation: she’d been tackled to the ground by a blubbering Pinkie Pie.
Before Sunset could think of returning the hug, she caught movement by the line of prominence knights. All at once, every colaurata in the vicinity snapped open their elytra and launched themselves into the air, making a bee-line directly towards her and Pinkie. To her mounting horror, she saw that each one had their mandibles open and ready to strike and their stingers extended, both natural weapons releasing a sharp, angry hum as their cutting edges began to blur.
In an instant, Sunset realized what was about to happen: the swarm of golden death that was streaking towards her and her sobbing oath-sister with the intent of protecting one of their phoenix-born.
By ripping apart whatever had dared to touch her.
“NO! NO! STOP! STOP!” Sunset desperately screamed, struggling to free her arms from Pinkie’s grip to ward off the descending beetles. “She’s not trying to hurt me! She’s my sister! STOP!”
At Sunset’s cry, the colaurata froze in midair, the closest less than a meter from her and Pinkie. Sunset watched with fear as they gently bobbed in the air, their stingers and mandibles ready to strike, the sound of their wings filling the air with ominous buzzing. Sunset’s terror deepened as plumed serpents and sky-runners joined their colaurata companions in forming a perimeter around her and Pinkie, every one of them ready to strike.
“Pinkie! Let me go!” Sunset shrieked with panic as she struggled to get free of Pinkie’s grip. “You have to let me go! They’ll kill you if you don’t!”
“No.” Pinkie sobbed, holding onto Sunset even tighter. “I’m not letting go. If I do, you’ll go away again.”
Sunset watched as the prominence knights tensed.
“Stand down! Stand down! For the love of Celestia, stand down!” Sunset screamed at the prominence knights, before turning her attention back to Pinkie. “Pinkie, please! They’re going to kill you! I promise, I’m not going to just disappear if you let me go. I’m right here. I promise. I’m right here.”
“Prominence knights. Stand down.”
Sunset wanted to cry with relief as Raven’s voice cut through the air. Moments later, the sky-runners snapped to attention, the plumed serpents folded their wings and coiled up on the ground, and the colaurata wheeled around and returned to their resting spots on their partner’s armor.
Finally certain that Pinkie wasn’t about to be cut to ribbons, Sunset shakily returned Pinkie’s hug, holding her sobbing oath-sister close, her own tears starting to break free, both in relief and with joy as her pulse started to slow.
“Shh, Pinkie, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m home,” Sunset sobbed as she held her oath-sister in her arms. “It’s okay.”
“I missed you so much, Sunny!” Pinkie cried as she hugged Sunset even tighter.
“I missed you too. Celestia’s light, I missed you too.”
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Sunset heard footsteps approaching. Looking towards the sound, her pupils shrank to pinpricks and a chill ran up her spine. Raven was walking towards them, hands behind her back, with Dylis glaring at the two of them. Sunset couldn’t read the expression on Raven’s face but from the slight frown on her lips, Sunset had a feeling that she was not happy.
“Um, Pinkie. I think we might have a new problem,” Sunset said warily.
“Don’t care. Not letting you go.”
“No, Pinkie, this is bad. Really bad,” Sunset whimpered as Raven drew closer.
“Are we talking a ‘I got into the special cider’ bad, or ‘Rainbow just figured out we were the ones responsible for the itching powder’ bad?” Pinkie said in a remarkably serious voice as her grip relaxed.
“The second one,” Sunset said with a terrified chuckle. “Very much the second one. Except possibly a million times worse.”
“Ooookay. So… escape plan three or seven?”
“I don’t think either one of those is going to work under these circumstances,” Sunset squeaked as she began to sweat.
Taking the opportunity to sit up thanks to Pinkie’s slightly relaxed grip, Sunset held her oath-sister protectively as Raven passed through the ring of prominence knights surrounding them, looming like a fire-crowned judge. Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, Raven looked at Sunset, then Pinkie Pie, her presence pressing down on the two of them.
“Hello, Sunset,” Raven said levelly. “I assume that this girl is your oath-sister Pinkie Pie. Is that right?”
“Um, yes, Raven, but–” Sunset said as she held Pinkie tight. She could feel Pinkie trying to turn around to look at Raven, but Sunset held firm. Pinkie was wonderful in a lot of ways, but she also had about as much propriety as a drunken water buffalo. Something Sunset doubted that Raven was willing to forgive given the look she was giving the two of them.
“Sunset, we aren’t in private right now.”
Sunset could feel Pinkie shoot her a confused look.
“I’m sorry, Lady Inkwell.”
“Raven? Lady Inkwell?” Pinkie gasped with wonder. “As in Lady Raven Inkwell? Queen Celestia’s seneschal?”
“Yes, Miss Pie, that would be me.” Raven’s voice was calm and professional, but still made Sunset shiver with dread. “Now, would you care to explain why you thought it would be acceptable to sneak through a line of prominence knights and physically accost one Solaria’s ascendant chosen? Or, for that matter, how you managed to do so?”
“Lady Inkwell, she–” Sunset began, before Lady Inkwell raised a hand.
“Sunset, I’m asking her, not you. Do not interrupt.”
Sunset’s mouth snapped shut. Glancing over at Pinkie, Sunset saw something she’d only ever seen a handful of times: Pinkie looked like she might be genuinely afraid.
“Um, well–” Pinkie began.
“Miss Pie, you are to look me in the eyes when you address me.”
With a nervous chuckle, Pinkie slowly released her grip on Sunset and, rising to her feet, turned to face Lady Inkwell. The whole scene was more than a little unnerving for Sunset, especially when Raven crossed her arms across her chest and looked Pinkie directly in the eyes, the weight of her presence still pressing down on them.
“Well, Miss Pie, I’m waiting for my explanation.”
“Um, well,” Pinkie began, before taking a deep breath, “yesterday at noon I got a twitch in my leg and an itch in my ear along with a big stitch in my side, meaning there was a doozy of a doozy happening, and that it was happening to one of my friends. Then, this morning, as I was going to work, I heard the town caller saying that Sunset Shimmer was the newest phoenix-born. So I knew that the doozy had to be Sunny ascending. But then I got a jiggle in my hair, an ache in my toe, and sneezed three times, so I knew that someone close to me was going to be coming home. And since the only one who wasn’t around was Sunset, that meant she was coming back. So I went to find Rainbow Dash and Applejack to tell them. And after I told them Sunny was coming, I saw a sky-runner in white armor and a really pretty feathered snake come flying towards town. And I remembered that Sunny told me one time that was what prominence knights looked like, and if there were prominence knights, that meant she was going to be here soon. So I watched the sky for more of them, and when I saw them, and that really neat flying lizard/swan, that meant that Sunny was back, so I ran here as fast as I could to give her the biggest welcome back hug that I could. But when I saw her, and I realized that she really was the newest phoenix-born, that meant she'd probably have to go back to Heliopolis again, and that made me super sad. So sad that I just needed to hug her even more than before, because I realized that if I kept hugging her, that would mean that she wouldn’t be able to go away again.”
Pinkie gasped for breath as she finished her explanation, patting her chest to try to get her lungs to take in enough air. Sunset’s attention shifted from Pinkie to Raven, who was still staring at her oath-sister. Raven was silent for a long moment, but to Sunset’s relief, she felt the royal seneschal’s presence beginning to recede.
“I see. And how did you get past my knights?”
“I needed to hug Sunset,” Pinkie said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“And?”
“…I needed to hug her, so I did.”
Sunset looked between Pinkie and Lady Inkwell with greater concern as the latter’s expression shifted in some inexplicable way that she wasn’t sure she liked. After a moment, Lady Inkwell closed her eyes and softly sighed.
“Miss Pie, do these ‘bodily hunches’ happen often?”
“Yes, ma’am! I call it my ‘Pinkie sense!’”
“You are to address me as your grace or Lady Inkwell, Miss Pie.”
Pinkie’s smile faltered slightly.
“Okay, your grace,” Pinkie said with a slight pout.
“Good. Now, this ‘Pinkie sense?’ For how long has it come to you?”
“Most of my life.”
“I see. My next question is: what are the five cardinal directions?” Raven asked as she opened her eyes again.
Sunset was stunned. Of all the questions that Raven could have asked, that was possibly the last one she’d have imagined.
‘Five? But there are only four,’ she thought.
“North, south, east, west and zorth,” Pinkie chirped happily, her fear completely gone.
‘Zorth?’
“And how does one identify that the zorth axis is intercepting four-dimensional space?”
“You derive infinity minus one using Star Swirl’s dimensional spatial matrix with a five degree cosine off the time vector,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly.
Sunset blinked with confusion at the gibberish that had just come from Pinkie’s mouth. ‘Star Swirl’s dimensional matrix can’t be used to derive a number that doesn’t exist, especially if you deviated in any way from the time axis. The formula stops working when you do that.’
“That’s what I thought,” Raven muttered as she rubbed her temples with her right thumb and index finger. Squatting down to rest on the balls of her feet and look Pinkie in the eyes, her expression remained stern, but became slightly more relaxed and her authoritative presence completely vanished. “Miss Pie, I understand that you missed Sunset, but she’s a phoenix-born, right?”
“That’s right! And it's super-awesomrific!” Pinkie cheered happily as she bounced up and down.
“It is,” Raven said with a slight smile. “But, there are rules of etiquette for how people have to behave around her in public, and that includes her family. One of those rules is you can’t just run up and hug her, especially if you do it without asking first.”
“But, why not? She’s my sister.”
“Because, Miss Pie, she may be your sister, but she’s a phoenix-born. And since she’s a phoenix-born, that means it’s not appropriate to hug her publicly, especially in a way that might have hurt her. Understand?”
“Not really,” Pinkie said, tilting her head with confusion. “Hugs are nice. And I’d never hurt her.”
“Intentionally. You would never hurt her intentionally. But running up and tackling her isn’t okay. Now, when you’re not in public, and if she’s okay with it, then it’s fine. But when she’s out in a place with other people, you can’t.” Lady Inkwell put a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Okay?”
Pinkie scrunched her face up, before letting out a sad sigh and hanging her head.
“Okay…”
“I’m glad you understand. However, if you promise not to knock her down again, I think we might be able to overlook the ‘no hugging in public’ rule today for you and the rest of your oath-sisters,” Raven said with a slight, warm smile. “But just for today. Understand?”
Pinkie’s face lit up like the eastern horizon in the morning as she gasped with joy. “Yes, your grace! Thank you.”
Sunset soon found herself wrapped again in Pinkie’s arms as she rubbed their cheeks together happily. Normally Sunset didn’t really like it when Pinkie invaded her personal space like this. But, after a month away from her, and how narrowly Pinkie had avoided getting mauled by colaurata, Sunset relished the affectionate nuzzling. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sunset was grateful that Lady Inkwell wasn’t slapping Pinkie in irons.
‘Wait,’ Sunset thought, ‘Pinkie said she was getting AJ and Dash, so where–’
“Pinkie! What in tarnation are yah doing?!” / “Is that Sunset?! Sweet Sky! It’s true! She’s a phoenix-born!”
Sunset’s eyes snapped in the direction of the two familiar voices. There, standing on the opposite side of the outer line of prominence knights, were Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both looking at her and Pinkie with concern.
“Lady Inkwell?” Sunset asked cautiously.
“Those two are the other members of your oath-sisterhood. And you want me to let them through too,” Raven said as she looked over her shoulder at the other two girls.
“Um, yes…” Sunset replied nervously as she gently extracted herself from Pinkie’s hug.
Raven didn’t say a word. Instead, she simply turned towards Applejack and Rainbow Dash, lifted her hand and pointed towards them with her middle and index fingers, before swinging her hand to the left and right, then made a beckoning gesture. As she did, the prominence knights by both girls stood at attention, allowing the two of them to pass.
Both AJ and Rainbow cautiously made their way past the line of knights. All caution was thrown into the fire once they were through, and they ran/flew directly to Sunset and Pinkie.
“Holy fire!” Rainbow said as she landed by Sunset, grabbing her shoulders and looking her up and down. “I didn’t believe it at first, but it's true. You’re a phoenix-born! Wait, I remember you told me that phoenix-born can fly. Is that true? Does that mean you can fly now? We can go flying together? Aw light, this is so awesome.”
“Pinkie, yah numbskull!” Applejack admonished as she gently rapped Pinkie on the forehead with her knuckles. “Yah coulda gotten yerself filleted like ah fish. Why yah gotta be so…so…”
“Me?” Pinkie asked innocently.
“Sure, we’ll go with that,” Applejack huffed before turning to Sunset and Rainbow. Looking Sunset over, AJ let out a soft chuckle. “…Ah always knew yah’d get yerself inta trouble one day, but ah never thought it’ahd be somethin’ like this. Ah… Ah don’ even know where ta’ begin. Are yah doin’ ahlright?”
“I’m okay, AJ,” Sunset replied happily. “Or as good as can be expected. Honestly, seeing all of you…makes it better. I missed you so much…”
Nodding, AJ turned to Raven and bowed deeply.
“Lady Inkwell, from what Sunset’s told us through her letters, yah’ve been the one watchin’ out for ‘er. Thank yah for keepin’ mah’ sister safe. Ah hope she hasn’t been too much trouble.”
Raven’s mouth turned up into the ever slightest of smiles.
“Of course, Miss Apple. You are quite welcome,” Raven said, before her face turned serious. “However, we do have a schedule to keep, so we need to get moving. Sunset, would you like your sisters to accompany us?”
“Yes! Absolutely!” Sunset said without hesitation, a giant smile spreading across her face.
*****
The day went by at a breakneck pace. Their first stop had been the Golden Tree Orphanage to collect Sunset’s belongings and speak with Matron Tender Heart. Raven and the prominence knights had watched from the sidelines when Sunset made her tearful reunion with her fellow orphans.
Many of the little ones all but clambered over one another to see her, Raven and the prominence knights, firing off questions almost non-stop. The prominence knights handled the children with their normal stoicism, while Raven answered a few of their questions before gently but firmly telling them she needed to have a private word with Tender Heart, earning a round of disappointed “Awww”s from the little ones as she walked towards the orphanage’s matron.
The older kids were more reserved, with Lyra, Flitter and Lilac all tearfully hugging Sunset, before offering her a hand with packing up her things. Between the seven of them, it didn’t take long for them to get most of Sunset’s belongings, mostly tomes, clothes, and a few notebooks packed into a pair of wooden trunks.
After her things were stowed and hauled off by two prominence knights, Sunset, the older kids, and her oath-sisters had joined Tender Heart and Raven in the study. Raven kept back, giving Sunset the space she needed, though she did accept a cup of tea from Tender Heart.
Soon, the eight Westerners were seated around the tea table, each nursing their drinks, unsure where to begin.
“So, you’re really moving to Heliopolis?” Lyra asked, breaking the silence.
“I’m afraid so,” Sunset said sadly. “The queen’s going to be training me. Which means living in Heliopolis for a while. Which is awful, by the way.”
“Why’s it so awful? I heard that the capital’s beautiful,” Flitter asked.
“Trust me, Flits, that place is like a perathit tree,” Sunset said with a grimace, “looks really pretty from a distance, but get too close and you’re guaranteed to be covered in painful blisters for a month.”
“Ouch,” Lilac said. “Don’t hold back, Sunset. Tell us how you really feel.”
“Yah don’ want tah know how she really feels,” AJ said as she elbowed Sunset playfully. “Trus’ me. We heard ahll about it when she wrote tah us, an’ it ain’t pretty.”
“I still want to go punch that girl that was giving you such a hard time,” Rainbow said. “What was her name again?”
“Sapphire Prism,” Sunset said with less venom than she ever thought she’d be able to say that name with. “Lucky for me, Lady Inkwell seems to have set her straight. I don’t know how she did it, but Sapphire actually apologized to me before the rite.”
The three girls in the know glanced briefly at Raven serenely drinking tea with Dylis by the window.
“Sunny, how’d she do that?” Pinkie asked. “From what you told us, Sapphire was a giant meanie to the bone.”
“No idea. All I know is I got a genuine, tearful apology out of her,” Sunset said as she set her cup down and leaned onto the table, resting her right cheek in the palm of her hand. “Trust me, I’m not sure I’ve seen even a fraction of what she can do, and I don’t think that even General Sentry holds a candle to her.”
There was a round of giggles after that as the conversation drifted to what Lyra, Flitter and Lilac had been up to, how their jobs had been going, and just the happenings at the orphanage. Sunset wanted to enjoy their company as much as she could, until they inevitably needed to leave. Throughout it all, Tender Heart stayed quiet, letting the girls have their fun.
But, all too soon, it came to an end when Raven rose and told them they’d need to go in a little while. As Sunset prepared to leave, she shared a tearful group hug with Lyra, Flitter and Lilac Dust. Once the hug ended, Tender Heart approached Sunset.
“Sunset,” Tender Heart said as she knelt down and gently pulled Sunset into a hug. “Of all the ways you could have left me, I would have never guessed that this would be it.”
“I’m getting that a lot, matron,” Sunset said with a watery smile as she hugged Tender Heart back, her body shaking with sobs.
“Sunset,” Tender Heart said with a sob. “My sweet, fiery little Sunset. Light’s blessing, I remember the day you appeared on my doorstep. So beautiful yet so fragile, but too stubborn to quit. I always knew you were something special. And look at you now: the newest phoenix-born. But, to me, you’ll always be the little girl I was blessed to get to raise.”
“If anyone was blessed, Tender Heart, it was me,” Sunset said. “Thank you. For raising me. Taking care of me. Loving me like a mother would. Everything.”
“You’re welcome, Sunset.” Tender Heart let out a happy sob as she pulled back and held Sunset’s shoulders. “Please, take care of yourself. Hopefully we’ll see each other again someday.”
*****
A few tearful minutes later, they’d left the Golden Tree Orphanage and made their way to Bronze Hammer’s smithy. Hearing the sound of hammer on metal ringing in the air, Sunset could tell Bronze was hard at work filling the day’s orders.
As they approached the smithy, Lady Inkwell made a quick circling motion with her index finger. As one, half their prominence knight escort fanned out and surrounded the building.
Sighing at Raven’s paranoia, Sunset pushed the front door of the smithy open and walked into the familiar front office. Following the well-trodden route past the front desk, Sunset waited until she heard Bronze stop hammering before walking into the forge and ringing the customer bell. The chime was soon followed by the sound of Bronze’s footsteps as he made his way to them.
“Welcome to Golden Tree Smithy, what can I do… for… you?”
Bronze’s eyes went wide, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, before immediately dropping to a knee and bowing his head.
“To what do I owe the honor of your presence, your grace?” Bronze said.
“Rise,” Raven said. “I’m merely here to escort your guest, good sir.”
“Guest, your grace?” Bronze said with confusion as he raised his head from his bow, and caught sight of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Applejack and…
“Sunset?” he said as he laid eyes on his apprentice, his voice trailing off with wonder. “Sweet Celestia’s shining light, is that you?”
“Hey, Bronze,” Sunset said with a warm yet shy smile as she walked up to him.
“You… is that really you? I can’t believe it,” Bronze said as he put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder and inspected her. “All this time, I was training the next phoenix-born? Heh, this world is just full of craziness, isn’t it, kiddo?”
“You can say that again,” Sunset said as she took a step forward and hugged Bronze. After a moment, he gently returned the hug. “I just wanted to say thank you, for everything you taught me. I wouldn’t have made it through the last month without it.”
“I’m sure that’s not true, Sunset,” Bronze said as he pulled back from the hug.
“But it is,” Sunset said with a shake of her head. “Your lessons on how to control my emotions and my temper saved me more times than I care to count. And thanks to you, I’m going to keep training to be an artificer under Queen Celestia.”
Bronze’s eyes went wide at that, before his smile became a little sad yet proud as he looked his apprentice in the eyes.
“Trading up, are we?” he said playfully. “I see how it is.”
“Bronze…”
“It's okay,” Bronze said, but his voice betrayed his sorrow. “Compared to the queen, what can I teach you?”
Sunset lunged forward and pulled Bronze back into a hug, tears starting to stream from her eyes again as she held onto the man that was the closest thing to a father that she had.
“Don’t say that, Bronze. No matter what, you were my teacher first. You took me on. You taught me so much. Queen Celestia may refine me, but, Bronze, I have you to thank for taking the raw ore and making it into something worth being shaped by the queen.”
Bronze let out a soft chuckle at that as he leaned back and lifted Sunset’s chin with his right index finger.
“Always knew you were too smart for your own good, kiddo,” Bronze said proudly, before an odd smile formed on his face. “Heh, I wasn’t expecting to do this so soon, but I guess we can do it now.”
“Do what?” Sunset asked.
“Something of a tradition among the forge masters of Golden Tree,” Bronze said as he rose to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”
As he disappeared into the smithy, Rainbow, AJ and Pinkie came up to Sunset, each offering her words of encouragement. Raven hung back, content to watch from the sidelines.
A few minutes later, Bronze returned, carrying a medium-sized wooden box.
“Bronze, what is that?” Sunset asked as he knelt down so that he could look her in the eyes.
“Sunset, when you first became my apprentice, I made you this hammer,” Bronze said as he opened the box, revealing a beautifully crafted cross peen smithing hammer resting on a linen pillow. “I’d planned to give it to you when you finished your training, and became a full-fledged artificer. A sort of final gift from master to apprentice.”
“Bronze…” Sunset said as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth. “I…”
“It’s yours, Sunset, if you want it.”
Sunset was too stunned to speak, let alone act. Feeling Rainbow squeeze her shoulder, Sunset stepped forward and carefully lifted the hammer from its bed. Hefting the tool, she was amazed at how well constructed it was. Hugging the hammer to her chest, Sunset met Bronze’s eyes and smiled tearfully.
“Thank you, Bronze. You have no idea how much this means.”
“I might,” Bronze said as he reached to rustle Sunset’s hair, only to stop and pull his hand back. Sunset wasn’t sure why, until she remembered that her hair was not actual hair anymore.
“Bronze, it's okay,” Sunset said with a warm smile. “It hasn't burned anyone yet, so please, one last time?”
Bronze chuckled as he carefully reached forward with obvious trepidation before gently touching the living flame. When his hand passed unharmed into the corporeal fire, he smiled and playfully rustled it, earning a happy giggle from Sunset. “Far be it from me to disobey a phoenix-born when she makes a personal request like that.”
All of the Westerners smiled as Bronze withdrew his hand.
“You take care of yourself, kiddo,” he said as he rose back to his feet.
“You too, Bronze,” Sunset said as she held the hammer even tighter against her chest.
*****
“Sunset, slow down, yer gonna choke.” Applejack chuckled as she watched Sunset scarfing down a hand-pie.
The six of them were in Golden Tree’s market plaza within a protective ring of prominence knights, Raven sitting on one of the benches, while the four girls had occupied a small patch of grass. It was just a little after noon, and Sunset had begged Raven to let them stop at the Apple’s stand, and picked up a half-dozen hand-pies for lunch. A small crowd had gathered around the little knoll they were occupying but were kept at bay by the ever-present line of prominence knights.
Having taken her seat and pulled out the warm pastry, Sunset took one sniff of her pie before practically setting upon it like a starved badger.
“Thmf Ae dief haffy,” Sunset slurred as she continued to stuff her face, her bond with Philomena flung wide open to send the euphoric flavor of Granny and AJ’s apple-stuffed miracles to her partner.
Okay, as much as I’m enjoying this, I kinda agree with your sister, Philomena sent. Could you slow down a little before something goes down the wrong pipe?
Spoilsport, Sunset sent back as she slowed her ravenous consumption of flakey, buttery pastry and spiced fruit.
Self-preservation. You choke, I go too.
Like I said, we’d die happy.
I’ve only been here a couple days. I’d rather get at least a few decades in before I go.
Fine. Fine.
“Whoa, Sunset,” Rainbow said as she slowly ate her own hand pie. “That was almost Pinkie levels of speed-eating. Did they not feed you or something in Heliopolis?”
“They fed me,” Sunset said after swallowing the heavenly concoction, ignoring Pinkie’s giggling. “They just didn’t feed me something like this. As nice as I’m sure the Heliopolan apple growers are, they can’t hold a candle to what AJ and her family grows. You have no idea how bad it was eating apples that tasted like someone cut the flavor of a proper apple with three pounds of raw flour.”
“Ewww.” Pinkie gagged. “That sounds awful.”
“It's not surprising. The branch of the Apple family that moved out west was always particularly gifted with the art of raising and preparing them,” Raven said as she let Dylis take a bite of her pie. “I’m glad to see that Gravenstein Cider’s descendants haven’t lost their touch.”
Applejack nearly choked on her pie, with Rainbow patting her back to help her recover.
“What do yah mean, Yer Grace?” Applejack asked as she looked at Raven.
“Miss Apple, I was the one who wrote the final signature on her land grant application that became the foundation for Sweet Apple Acres after the War of Storms,” Raven said wistfully as she looked down at the pastry in her hands. “Such a shame she felt the need to move her branch of the family away from Heliopolis. The remaining growers never quite reached the heights she did, even after all these years.”
The four westerners shared a brief look as they processed what Raven had just said.
“Yer Grace, ah don’t mean to presume, but it sounds like yah knew mah kin,” Applejack said in awe.
“I did. Gravenstein was quite the remarkable woman, you know. I still remember when she showed up in Chromos with her land grant application along with a dozen pies, a basket of apple-cider fritters, and two jugs of her best hard cider to ‘sweeten the deal,’” Raven said with a ghost of a smile. “I almost threw her out for her presumption. Thankfully Roseluck was visiting at the time, and knew Gravenstein by reputation. She convinced me to try one of her pastries. Needless to say, her land grant application was successful.”
Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie all stared at Raven as she continued to slowly eat her pastry.
“Whoa,” Rainbow said with awe.
“Yah can say that ahgain, Dash.”
“AJ, did you know that about your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandma?” Pinkie asked, before sucking in a deep breath.
“E’nope.”
Sunset let out a soft chuckle.
“Congrats, girls, you just got a taste of what I’ve been dealing with for the last month.”
“I thought you were kidding before, but Light, you weren’t,” Rainbow said.
Finishing her pie, Raven rose to her feet and wiped her mouth then hands with a small kerchief.
“Sunset, I have some business with Baronet Sky Stride,” Raven said. “Since I assume you’re not interested in hearing about land parcel distribution and surveys of the region, would you prefer to spend the rest of the day with your oath-sisters?”
Sunset shot her oath-sisters a quick look, each of them wearing the same giddy grin as she was. Just as Sunset opened her mouth to reply, Raven cut her off with a raised hand.
“The prominence knights stay. That’s not negotiable.”
Sunset’s elation dimmed a little, but a quick look at her oath-sisters’ faces brought it right back.
“Yes, your grace,” Sunset said happily.
Raven nodded at Sunset’s reply.
“Good. We’ll be leaving an hour before sundown. When it’s time, the prominence knights will escort you to Saetha.”
And without any further fanfare, Dylis spread his wings and took to the air, followed by Raven and most of the prominence knights, leaving eight to watch over Sunset.
‘Sundown. That’s not enough time,’ Sunset lamented as she watched Raven flying off. ‘Guess we better make the most of it.’
“Okay,” Sunset said with a cheerful smile as she turned back to her sisters. “So, we’ve got until sundown to have fun. How about we hit up the Sweet Shoppe? I still need to get enough good food in me before I head back to Heliopolis. Pinkie, do you know if Mr. and Mrs. Cake have anything special on the menu today?”
“I think cloudberry cobbler, gooseberry pudding, and rosehip cookies,” Pinkie chirped back merrily.
“Sounds great,” Rainbow cheered. “How about we go grab some of that, a couple of lamb turnovers, and head up to the rock farm? I still owe you for the ‘allergic to work’ crack you made, and I think kicking your butt at hawk and hares will more than make up for it.”
“Of course that’s what she wants tah play,” Applejack said with a mocking roll of her eyes. “Maybe we ought to find somethin’ that all of us can have fun with, not jus’ you.”
“Oh, like you have a better idea, AJ,” Rainbow retorted.
“We could always play camouflage with Maud and Boulder,” Pinkie said as she raised her hand and waved it around enthusiastically.
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between the other three girls.
“Um, let’s not do that Pinkie. Boulder’s way too good, and we don’t have enough time for a full game,” Rainbow said cautiously.
Sunset watched Pinkie’s hair flatten a little, but bounced back almost immediately.
I can see why you like them, Philomena sent.
Yea.
“Girls, let's not waste the time we’ve got,” Sunset cut in before things could escalate. “How about we figure it out as we head to Sweet Shoppe, okay?”
“Yea! / Okay. / Good idea, Sunny!”
*****
“Sunny, go long!” Pinkie called as she tossed a leather ball to Sunset.
Sunset looked in Pinkie’s direction as she sprinted through one of the currently unused fields of the Pie rock farm, her feet pounding over the bare soil as she watched the sky for any signs of Rainbow Dash. Seeing none, she extended her hands and caught the ball before turning and making a break towards their makeshift goal: a large pile of rocks.
“Sunny, incoming!” Pinkie shouted.
Ducking at the last second, Sunset narrowly avoided Rainbow’s swooping attempt to grab the ball and veered off in the opposite direction.
“AJ!” Sunset called as she ran towards her teammate.
“Ah’m open!” AJ called.
Taking aim, Sunset wound up and threw the ball.
“Girls!” Pinkie cried.
Pinkie’s warning came too late. With a gust of wind and a polychromatic blur, Rainbow swooped in and snagged the ball out of the air, earning an annoyed groan from the three landbound sun-gazers.
“Ha ha! Point for me!” Rainbow chortled as she hovered in midair and tossed the ball up and down mockingly. “Score’s five to three now. Looks like I win!”
“Darn, I was sure we’d beat Dashie this time,” Pinkie said with a snap of her fingers. “I mean, we’ve got Sunny on our team.”
“Hey, Sunset may be a phoenix-born, but I’m pure awesome,” Rainbow said. “No shame in getting beat by that.”
Is she always like this? Philomena sent.
Eight out of ten times, yea, Sunset sent as she glared at the preening sky-runner.
Sharing a look with AJ, a smirk worked itself across her face, one shared by the other girl as they gave the other an imperceptible nod.
“AJ, is it me, or did her ego get even bigger in the month I was gone?” Sunset said loud enough for Rainbow to hear.
Rainbow caught the ball in both hands and glared down at Sunset.
“Ah din’ think it were possible, but yah might be right there, Sunset,” AJ said as she rubbed her chin. “She has been getting a bit big for her britches ever since yah left.”
“What was that?!” Rainbow said as she flew down and glared at Sunset and Applejack.
“Looks like she’s upset,” Sunset teased. “Guess we hit the nail on the head.”
“Oh, you’re both hilarious,” Rainbow said as she dropped the ball and crossed her arms over her chest.
“And you are so full of yourself, I’m surprised that there’s not another you hiding inside a Rainbow Dash-shaped suit,” Sunset said with a cheeky grin.
“Ooooooo,” AJ and Pinkie groaned in mock pain.
“You’re lucky you’re a phoenix-born and you’ve got those bodyguards,” Rainbow said as she pointed over her shoulder to the circle of prominence knights hovering around the field they were playing in. “Or I’d give you the biggest noogie possible.”
“Then I guess I’m lucky I’m a phoenix-born, aren’t I?” Sunset chuckled as she stuck her tongue out at Dash. “Guess I’ll have to go unpunished for my astute observations of your character, eh, Dash?”
There was a momentary pause as both Rainbow and Sunset stared each other down, both Pinkie and Applejack waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Neither Rainbow nor Sunset could keep up the facade for more than a few seconds and broke down into a fit of giggles that quickly spread to the other two. Swooping forward, Rainbow glomped onto Sunset, and was soon joined by Pinkie and Applejack.
‘I missed this. The four of us, together,’ Sunset thought, before the reality of the situation hit her. She’d be leaving soon, and wouldn’t be able to do this again for years. Wouldn’t be able to play with Dash. Laugh with Pinkie. Relax with AJ.
After today, she’d be losing her family for Celestia knows how long.
‘It's not fair. I don’t want to lose them…’
Despite savoring the warmth of her oath-sisters’ hug, Sunset’s mood soon turned melancholic as she let out a sad sigh and sniffed to fight back her tears.
“What’s wrong, Sunny?” Pinkie asked as she squeezed Sunset a little tighter, conveying her worry.
“It’s nothing,” Sunset lied.
“Bullballs,” Applejack said firmly. “One second yer happy as ah bee in ah field of ragweed, and the next yah look like someone just smashed yer favorite toy. Ah know yah, Sunset. We ahll do. An’ there’s somethin’ wrong. So, what gives?”
Sunset couldn’t say what was on her mind. Instead, she just hugged them a little tighter as a soft whimper escaped her throat.
“You’re really annoying,” Sunset said defensively.
“Uh oh, she’s deflecting,” Pinkie said with a snicker. “Looks like you’ve uncovered the embers, AJ.”
“Shut up,” Sunset said, her voice cracking.
“Yea, now we know something’s wrong,” Rainbow said. “Spill it, Shimmer. Or do we need to tickle it out of you?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Sunset laughed tearfully.
“We might!” all three of her sisters said at once.
‘Why are they so good at seeing through me? Oh, right, they’re my family…’
“Looks like she’s starting to brood,” Rainbow said with a devious smirk. “AJ, you hold her down. Pinkie, you get her neck, I’ll take her feet.”
“Okay, okay! Fire and light, you win!” Sunset laughed nervously.
Is this a secret weak point that you haven’t told me about? Philomena sent with a mischievous tone.
Don’t even think about it, fluff-ball.
That’s not a ‘no…’
And here I thought you were on my side, Sunset sent. Taking a deep breath, Sunset looked her oath-sisters in the eyes.
“I… I just feel like I’m abandoning you,” Sunset said sadly. “Like I’m abandoning my family. I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone, and I’m afraid. Afraid of what’s going to happen to us. To me. I don’t want to lose you three. You mean too much to me.”
There was a moment of silence as Sunset’s words sank in.
“Sunny, that’s silly,” Pinkie said softly. “You may be moving away, but you’re still our sister. No matter how long you’re gone, we’ll still love you. And when you’re done learning from the queen and come home, we’ll throw you the biggest welcome back party ever.”
“She’s right,” Applejack chimed in. “Yer our sister. Yah ain’t gettin’ rid of us that easy.”
“I know. But, the fear’s still there.” Sunset sniffed.
“Hey, Sunset, I’ve got an idea,” Rainbow said proudly.
“Did it hurt?” Sunset snarked.
“Ha ha, good one,” Rainbow deadpanned. “Do you want to hear it or not?”
“Sorry. Go on.”
“Well, we’re oath-sisters, right?”
“Well, yea,” Pinkie said.
“And we’re oath-sisters because we all took the sisterhood oath, right?”
“True,” Sunset said.
“Is this goin’ somewhere, Dash?” Applejack asked.
“Well, if we’re sisters because of the oath, and Sunset’s worried about us going away, why not redo the oath before she leaves?” Rainbow said with a smirk.
Pinkie, Sunset and Applejack stared in open-eyed wonder at Rainbow.
“What?” Rainbow said.
“Rainbow Dash, that’s probably one of the best ideas you’ve ever had,” Sunset said as she hugged her sisters tighter. “Let's do it!”
*****
The late afternoon sun shone down brightly behind the Pie rock farm and over a special stone near the back of the house. It was a large, flat, perfectly circular stone made of smooth, high-quality white slate that jutted only a few centimeters above the top of the soil. This particular stone circle had been grown by Igneous Rock as a gift for Pinkie when he had realized that his second youngest daughter was far more social and outgoing than the rest of his children. So, he had grown it with the greatest of care as a place for her to host her friends when they came over for one of her parties. Or for use in a very special ceremony that Pinkie had undergone a few years ago.
A ceremony that she and her oath-sisters were about to repeat.
The surface of the slate had been painted with an elaborate circle with red, orange, blue and pink lines all intertwining with one another in a complex runic pattern. At even intervals around the edge of the circle, there were smaller circles, each with a symbol inside: an apple, a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, a balloon, and a sunburst. Before each of these smaller circles were two objects: a small bowl with a single match, and a thin, obsidian knife with a leather-wrapped handle. And, at the center of the circle was a large basalt bowl, filled with dark, viscous oil.
Sunset did her best to ignore the line of prominence knights standing guard just over four meters from the edge of the circle, with Pinkie’s elder sister Maud reclining on a large slab of shale nearby. Instead, she focused on the others standing in their respective circles along the edge of the larger circle: Pinkie on her left, Applejack on her right, and Rainbow opposite her. Each of them was barefoot and dressed in a simple, blood-red, sleeveless tunic that went to their knees. Looking around, she saw them all nod.
It was time.
As one, they each reached down and grabbed the obsidian knives and took three steps forward so that they were all standing around the bowl of oil.
Once in position, each of them lifted their left arm until they were horizontal, then bent their elbows to bring their forearms into a vertical position before them, their fingers splayed open with the back of their hands facing towards the middle of the circle. Bringing up their knives, each made a small, shallow incision midway up the back of their forearms. As one, they reached over the bowl, allowing the girl to their left to grasp their arm by the cut and squeeze, causing a small trickle of blood to fall into the oil. As the crimson liquid dropped into the bowl, they spoke in tandem.
“My name is Sunset Shimmer | Rainbow Dash | Applejack | Pinkie Pie, and I know you. You, who are here in this circle with me, we were not born of the same parents, yet we are family. You, who would call me sister, we share no lineage, yet we are more. You, who welcome me with love, we share no home, yet I open mine to you. As fire burns away the old and brings forth the new, we submit ourselves to it to be joined as one.”
Releasing each other, they stepped back and picked up their matches with their left hands. Striking them on the slate, the matches sparked to life. Rising as one, they threw the burning sticks into the oil, causing it to ignite with deep-red flame. Stepping forward again, they each dipped the tip of the obsidian blades into the now burning oil, coating them with the flaming liquid.
Once anointed with fire, they extended their arms again, grasping them as before. Then, raising their knives, they pressed the burning points into the cut on the arm of the one holding them. Ignoring the pain of the sharp, burning point touching the open cut, they spoke again.
“With this fire kindled by our blood, we forge this oath of family. My name is Sunset Shimmer | Rainbow Dash | Applejack | Pinkie Pie, and by the fire that we lit, the blood we shed, and the pain we shared, I now and forevermore call you my sisters.”
*****
The sun was nearing the horizon when Sunset and her oath-sisters reached the caravan staging area where they had parted ways just over a month ago. Only, this time, she knew that they would be separated from each other for far longer.
Standing by the great brass wyvern were Raven and Dylis, the latter perched on the edge of the howdah, while the former was floating near Saetha’s head, gently scratching the great beast behind her horns. Sunset also spotted the two trunks of her belongings tied behind the howdah on Saetha’s back.
As they arrived, the prominence knights escorting them neatly re-integrated into their lines. No sooner did it happen than Raven noticed them. Giving Saetha one last pat on the head, she floated down and approached Sunset and her oath-sisters.
“Well, Sunset, are you ready to go?” Raven asked plainly.
“Just about. I just want to say one last goodbye, then I’ll be ready.”
“Okay. Once you’re ready, come to Saetha and we’ll head out.”
And with that, Raven clasped her hands behind her back, turned and floated towards the waiting wyvern.
“Looks like this is it,” Sunset said.
“Yea. You take care of yourself, Sunny,” Pinkie said, her hair falling completely flat as she walked up to Sunset and hugged her.
“We’re going to miss you. Write when you can, okay?” Rainbow said as she joined the hug.
“Yah better, yah hear? I don’ want tah have tah come tah Heliopolis and kick yer butt because yah stopped writin’,” Applejack said. “Ah’m still holdin’ yah to yer Pinkie Promise from before yah left the firs’ time.”
“Heh, like I’m going to break that sort of promise. Even if it's only once a month, I’ll be sure to write,” Sunset said.
After a few moments in her sisters’ warm embrace, Sunset released her hold on them. Standing there for a moment, the four of them smiled at each other, tears welling up in the corners of their eyes as they held hands.
“No matter what, I love all of you,” Sunset said as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “So, until we meet again, stay strong. Hopefully I’ll be back before you know it, and we can throw the biggest Pinkie Party in the history of Golden Tree.”
That got a more genuine smile out of them.
“Bye, Sunny!” / “See yah ‘round, Sunset.” / “Give those Heliopolan jerks what for, Sunset!”
And with one final nod, Sunset let go of her oath-sisters, turned, and walked towards Saetha. Climbing into the howdah, Sunset waved at her oath-sisters as Raven pulled up the rope ladder and closed the door, before the two of them took their seats for takeoff.
Moments later, the great beast rose to her feet and, turning away from Golden Tree, began to run. After she reached the right speed, she spread her great wings and rose into the air with a powerful flap that threw up a cloud of dust and twigs beneath her.
Rising from her seat and looking out the back of the howdah, Sunset continued to wave at her oath-sisters until she lost sight of them as Saetha flew back towards Heliopolis.