//------------------------------// // Welcome to Freeport // Story: SAPR // by Scipio Smith //------------------------------// Welcome to Freeport Sunset stood upon the ridge, behind the earthwork fortifications that the folk of Freeport had raised to shield the town from assault, and looked down upon Freeport itself. Her eyes took in the farms that sprawled across the open space between the ramshackle wall and the hills beyond, the wheat fields and the apple orchards that sprouted out of the earth. Her gaze consumed the town itself, with its ruins and its towers and its belching smokestacks. Her sight even alighted upon the forest of masts beyond, the fleet of ships lying in the harbour, any one of which could carry the company to Anima... if the Sun Queen allowed it. But at this moment, she saw little of such things; Sunset's attention was fixed upon the horse that was cantering down the dirt track between the fields towards the gates of Freeport and the two riders who sat mounted upon it. Her attention was on Ruby, riding away – away from Sunset. Even if I have no right to hurt feelings, does that mean that I am not allowed them? Sunset felt a hand upon her shoulder; a strong hand, but at the same time, a gentle one. "Ruby is excited to meet Summer's family right now," Taiyang said reassuringly, "but she'll always have a place in her heart for you." Sunset looked up into the older man's eyes. "Is it that obvious, sir?" "I'm afraid so," Taiyang informed her. Sunset cringed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know it's not my place to-" "You don't need to apologise for caring about Ruby," Taiyang said, cutting her off but with no hostility in his tone. "Not to me, at least." "But I'm not her family," Sunset murmured. "Yes," Taiyang disagreed, "you are. And Ruby will remember that, in time." Time. If we have time. If it is for the best that Ruby and I have time. Maybe it would be better for her if we did not. "Sir," Sunset said, one hand rising idly to scratch at her chin as she spoke, "have you considered…? I confess it has been on my mind that… perhaps… " "You'll have to spit it out eventually if you want my opinion," Taiyang told her, a touch of amusement in his voice. "And there's no need to call me 'sir'; it makes me feel old." "You're Ruby's father." "And you're Ozpin's girl and our leader," Taiyang said. "'Taiyang' will do just fine." Sunset's tail twitched. "That… that's very kind of you," she muttered, although she stopped short of actually saying his name. "Um, anyway… it has occurred to me that perhaps Ruby… and you… might want to stay here, in Freeport, at least for a while." Taiyang looked down at her. "I wasn't aware that this was a mission that could afford that kind of delay." "No, you misunderstand me," Sunset said, and she could not wholly discount the possibility that he had misunderstood her deliberately. "I mean that the rest of the company would go on, and Ruby – and you – would remain here, in Freeport, with Ruby's cousin and grandfather." Taiyang folded his arms. "You want to leave Ruby behind?" "I want to do what is best for Ruby," Sunset replied insistently. "I don't want to be the one to rip Ruby away from her family, to tell her that she has to leave them behind when she's only just met them." I don't want her to hate me more than she already does. "There is no reason why she must go on." "You came to Ruby," Taiyang reminded her. "You came to our house and askedf or Ruby to help you." "I asked Ruby to do what I was afraid I couldn't do myself," Sunset corrected him. "Now… nothing would please me more than to have Ruby beside me for the rest of this journey, but… haven't I caused enough trouble for Ruby? At Beacon, and then after… I brought the wolf to your door-" "I think it was Ruby's eyes that did that and no fault of yours," Taiyang replied. Sunset didn't reply to that. Her whole body sagged forwards a little. "I'm tired of making things hard for Ruby." "Ruby chose the life of a huntress," Taiyang said. "Nobody forced her into it. Nobody made her choose it: not me, certainly not you. And Ruby will keep on making her own choices, not having them be made for her by you, or even by me." "And what will she choose?" Sunset asked, her voice quiet and plaintive. "If she is given the choice, if I offer her the choice, if Sunsprite suggests it… what will she choose? Will she stay here with her family?" Taiyang smiled. "I was married to one Rose woman, and I raised two more, and if there's one thing that I can tell you, it's that they always do what they need to do, not what they want to do. Ruby will do what's right and necessary." "Even if it hurts her?" Sunset asked. Taiyang nodded. "Even then." It should, perhaps, have brought Sunset some comfort to hear that from his lips, but she could take none from it. Ruby might do the right and necessary thing… she might do the necessary thing… but why was it necessary any more than it was right? Why was it necessary that Ruby should pain herself with separation? Why was it right that Ruby should sever the bonds with her kin that she had only lately forged? Sunset had wondered, at Sunsprite's prompting, whether Ruby might not be suited to carry on the quest without her, but now, her thoughts were turning more to the idea that she might carry on the quest without Ruby and leave her to enjoy a little happiness, if she had found it. But Taiyang was right about one thing: it was something that she should speak to Ruby about, without presuming to make these decisions on her behalf. She had been too presumptuous in the decisions she made upon her friends' behalf already; it was why she was in this mess. By this point, Sunsprite and Ruby had been out of sight for some time; indeed, the track down from the ridge towards the town itself was now nearly out of sight as the people and wagons of the Frost Mountain and Summer Fire clans travelled down it, passing through the gate and beyond the walls of Freeport. Vesper Radiance urged her horse close to Sunset. "We should go in," Vesper informed her. "I will convey you to the Tower of the Sun." "'The Tower of the Sun'?" Sunset repeated. Celestia, we're pretentious, aren't we? "It is the highest tower in Freeport," Vesper explained without any affront in her tone. "And upontimes, it pleases the Sun Queen to stand upon the highest parapet and watch the dawn break over the eastern sea. What other name should it bear?" When Sunset did not answer – what answer was there to give? – she continued, "If you will come with me, I will lead you there." "Very well," Sunset replied. She looked around for Cinder, finding her standing a little way off. "Cinder, help me round up the others." "'Round up'?" Cinder repeated. "Am I a sheepdog, now?" "Would you rather be a sheepdog or one of the ewes?" Sunset asked wryly. Cinder rolled her eyes. "Woof woof." It did not take long to assemble the others, and then, once they were all gathered in one place, they joined the column of the clans as they wound down the earth road towards the town. Vesper, mounted, led the way, showing her horse's backside to the company as the beast flicked its tail back and forth as though it were taunting them. Sunset found that, as a consequence of looking too hard at the tail of Vesper's horse and the way that it flicked, back and forth, back and forth, her own tail had started to do the same thing, swaying like a pendulum in time with the tail of the true horse before her. The realisation made her ears flatten down with irritation, and she left Cardin and Cinder to keep the others in line as she quickened her step, almost running to catch up with Vesper and draw level with her mount. Vesper looked down on her. "Is there something more that I can do for you?" she asked. "The Tower of the Sun," Sunset said, "that is where the Sun Queen holds court?" "It is." "And is my…" – Sunset's voice dropped – "my fellow Equestrian there?" Vesper was silent for a moment. "She is," she replied eventually. "I want to see her," Sunset demanded. "Right away." "If the Queen permits it." "Don't play games with me," Sunset snapped. Once more, Vesper was quiet a moment. "You shall see her," she conceded. "I will," Sunset affirmed. "You could have earned yourself some goodwill by telling me her name before now." Vesper chuckled. "Do I not have your goodwill already? Sunset knew that her smile probably seemed as false to Vesper as it felt to her, but it was the best she could do in the circumstances. "Let me rephrase: you could have had even more of my goodwill." Vesper did not reply, but Sunset had the distinct impression that she was amused. Perhaps because Sunset would have been rather smugly amused if she'd been in her other self's position. Vesper led them through the ancient arch that was the gate of Freeport, joining the throng of clansfolk pouring into the rough, worn down streets where ancient stone blended into more recent stonework which, in turn, gave way to bare soil on which feet and wheels alike trampled. The town smelled of life, uninhibited by the many means that civilised places employed to banish such uncomfortable sensations, like keeping animals away from people or having flushing toilets. There was little evidence of power here and less of dust; the lamps which hung outside of doors or in window sills – presently unlit on account of the light of day – seemed designed to take a different sort of fuel. "Whale oil," Vesper explained, following Sunset's gaze. "Ships out of Freeport and the other ports under the Queen's control hunt the beasts to light our city. And for the fires and cooking, there is a little coal dug out of the mines amongst the dust; the Queen has no need of it, and so, she grants it freely to her people, but for the most part, we rely on wood for light and heat and will continue to do so for some time yet, I think." "I don't doubt it," Sunset murmured. They could not be mining that much dust – or anything else besides – limited as they must surely be to hand tools and perhaps a few repurposed explosives they had found along with their Great War weapons. They could not have any of the modern machines that the SDC had created to make mining more profitable. Vesper said no more about it, and Sunset asked no more about it; she and her companions followed Vesper through the streets, avoiding the narrowest thoroughfares and sticking to roads large enough to accommodate wagons, such as those of the clans. The great tower – and the ruined castle that surrounded it – loomed ever larger the closer they got, casting its shadow over Freeport and Sunset's company, until, at length, they reached a large square, with the ruins of an old and crumbled fountain in its centre, where Vesper urged her horse to the left towards the castle, even as the column of the clans began to wind towards the right. "Sunset Shimmer," Prince Rutherford called to her. Yona stood beside him, the two of them stationary as the clan went by. Sunset turned away from Vesper and the others and walked across the square towards them. Weeds poked up through the gaps in the stones; she trod on some of them as she walked towards her sometime host. "Prince Rutherford," she said. "I thank you, for receiving us generously and for bringing us here safely and in as much comfort as conditions allowed." He held out his meaty hand to her. "And Rutherford thank Sunset Shimmer, for life of Yona and for defence of Frost Mountain Clan against grimm." Sunset took his hand and resisted the urge to wince at the strength of his embrace. "It was my duty, my privilege, and my pleasure," she said courteously. "Rutherford not know how long Sunset Shimmer remain in Freeport with companions," he said. "But if fate wills, paths of Sunset Shimmer and Frost Mountain Clan will cross again in better circumstances. Rutherford would have it so." "And Yona, too." Sunset smiled. "And Sunset Shimmer, for a third." "Sunset tell Ruby that Yona say goodbye?" Yona asked. Sunset nodded. "I will tell her, although I hope that there will be a chance for her to bid you farewell herself before we leave." If Ruby leaves. Prince Rutherford patted her on the shoulder, hard enough that her knees almost buckled. "Fortune favour you, Sunset Shimmer." "And bless your clan, my prince," Sunset replied, bowing to him as she stepped back, before she turned away and hastened to catch up with her companions. Cinder had half-waited for her, her pace a slow and idling one so that Sunset could more easily rejoin her. She had seen enough of what had passed between them that she was smirking. "Shut up," Sunset said. "I didn't say anything," Cinder protested. "No, but you thought it, didn't you?" The castle to which Vesper brought them had never been particularly grand, not even in its heyday, at least by Sunset's reckoning, although she acknowledged that she was no great scholar of such things; Doctor Oobleck might have taken a different view of matters. But the bailey, to judge by the space marked by the crumbling towers and remnants of the curtain wall, had been little larger than a courtyard, and most of it was taken up by the new buildings – a stable; a kennel from which much barking and yapping emerged, prompting Zwei to reply in kind; a greenhouse in which many green things grew – that had been erected out of timber and metal. Only the central tower remained intact, with a stout base narrowing after some elevation into a more slender tower that rose high into the sky like a lance to pierce the clouds. A coat of arms was carved into the stone above the great wooden doors into the tower: a single broad crescent upon a shield in bas-relief and, beneath it, a sword with a very familiar-looking hilt thrust into a bundle of wooden rods. It resembled a fasces, the ancient symbol of royal authority in Vale, although it should more properly have been an axe rather than a sword; perhaps Lord Westmorland had wished to remind everyone that he held these lands in fief of the Valish crown. The courtyard was not restricted to Sunset's companions: armed Rangers watched them warily, and unarmed servants waited, apparently just in case someone arrived whom they might attend upon. Vesper dismounted, handing off her horse to a stable boy who took it eagerly enough and led the beast into the stables. Vesper herself approached the doors before she turned back to face Sunset and the others once more. "I go now to bring news of your coming to the Sun Queen. Wait here, and soon, the Queen and her councillors will come forth." She bowed to them. "Welcome to Freeport, one and all." She turned away and strode to the doors, unobstructed by the guards with submachine guns who stood before it. She pushed the doors open, the hinges creaking as she did so, and disappeared into the dark recesses of the tower beyond. Sunset folded her arms as she prepared to wait for however long it would take for Vesper Radiance to get changed out of her Ranger clothes and put on something befitting of a queen, even a queen amongst barbarians. "Sunset," Cinder said softly, "may I have a word with you?" Sunset guessed that she meant a private word, as much as that was possible in the circumstances, and so, she and Cinder drew off a little way from the others, although 'privacy' was a relative term, considering that they couldn't leave the courtyard; even if they were not physically confined, it was probably not wise. Sunset turned to face Cinder, who loomed over her somewhat, looking down upon her. "We should consider," Cinder murmured, "what we're going to do if your counterpart refuses us a ship." She paused. "How likely do you think that is?" "I… don't know," Sunset muttered in response. "I feel as though I barely know my own mind, let alone the mind of another, even if she does share my face." "Do you trust her?" "Little more than I did when we first met," Sunset admitted. "She is too glib by half. She still won't tell me the name of the pony who found her way into Remnant." "What are you going to do about that?" Cinder asked. "Hopefully, I can use the portal to get her home," Sunset said. "If not… I may have to escort her, whoever she is, to Atlas." "'To Atlas'?" Cinder repeated. "It's the only stable portal I know of," Sunset replied. "It's the only portal I know of apart from the one that brought this pony here." "It's still a long way, and a long way out of the way, what is more," Cinder pointed out. "I know it well enough," Sunset said sharply. She sighed. "I'm sorry, but… what else can I do? This is somepony who doesn't belong in this world, somepony who never sought to be here. I can't just abandon them to a world far more dangerous than the one they're used to." Sunset paused. A thought occurred to her. "Or… you know…" She grinned. "Yes, yes, that might do very nicely." Cinder chuckled. "What's going on in that head of yours?" "Suppose the portal between Remnant and Equestria works, the one not far from Freeport," Sunset said. "Suppose… suppose the Sun Queen doesn't give us a boat to carry us across the sea? Or suppose she does, it might not matter anyway. Suppose we went through the portal to Equestria, then made our way across Equestria, and then used the mirror portal to come out in Canterlot?" Cinder stared at her. "We… would go through a magic portal to your world?" "Yes." "And we would become… four-legged furry talking animals?" "As a temporary side effect," Sunset admitted. "Probably." "'Probably'?" "There's no telling what some of us would become," Sunset explained. "I see you… as a dragon." Cinder preened, petting her hair with one hand. "Why, thank you, Sunset, you're such a sweetheart." The smile faded from her face. "But all the same, what you're suggesting-" "Is probably a darn sight safer than travelling through Remnant, not least because none of our enemies are in Equestria hunting us." "True," Cinder acknowledged. "But at the same time… do you really want to bring these people to your world? Your peaceful world?" Sunset considered that. "…yeah. That's a snag. Sami and Jack are… not exactly Equestrian material." "It's not as though we really need them." "You never know," Sunset replied. "And besides, we can't just cut them loose out here." "There's always-" "We can't kill them, either," Sunset said firmly. "Do you think they'd hesitate to slit our throats if they thought they could get away with it?" "Probably not, but that's what makes us better than them." Cinder sighed. "Being a good person is so exhausting." "Tell me about it." "Doing whatever you want is so much easier." "Having to uphold standards for people who-" “Will never stop watching you like a hawk in any case.” "Probably best stop there, or Cardin will start to worry we haven't learned anything," Sunset suggested. Cinder paused for a moment. A laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, very well, spoil my fun. Again." She looked into Sunset's eyes. "You realise if we do follow this insane plan of yours, then we'll still come out in Atlas. We'll be even further from Anima than we are now." "It doesn't matter how near or far we are in absolute terms if we can't get any further," Sunset said. "What alternative do we have? Tramp up and down the coast looking for another place we might find a boat? Put our trust in Sami's knowledge? At least in Equestria, we'll have no enemies to worry about, and we'll emerge in a place where our foes will never expect, and we have friends who can help us. Maybe Blake can get us an airship, and we can fly to Mistral." "This isn't just a fallback, is it? You like this idea." "Because it's a good idea," Sunset declared. "And because… because I'd kind of like to visit home. I'd like an excuse to visit home, even though I don't deserve to see it." "You're too hard on yourself, in this and in other things besides," Cinder said softly. "I… I envy you, you know." Sunset grinned. "I have a lot to envy." "I'm serious," Cinder insisted. "You… all that you've lost, your home, your mother-" "She's not my mother." "You love each other as mother and daughter, so what does it matter that you are not of her blood?" Cinder demanded. "Don't let Sunsprite Rose fill your head with talk of bloodlines and kinship. She loved you and cared for you all through your youth; what is more motherly than that? Anyway, the point is that… they are there, in that other world, still waiting for you. All your youthful innocence preserved, continuing on without you. I understand why you want to go back there, if only for a visit. Most of us are not so fortunate as to be able to step into our own pasts that way." Cinder sighed. "I really do envy you," she repeated, "but all the same… I think a boat across the sea is still our better option, if possible." After a moment, Sunset nodded, conceding the point. "You're right. I wish you weren't, but you are. Hopefully, my other self will oblige me." "We can only hope," Cinder agreed. She paused. "I… I couldn't help but overhear what you said to Ruby's father." Sunset's ears pricked up with concern. "You mean… about Ruby staying here?" Cinder nodded. "Did you mean it?" "I did," Sunset confirmed. "I think… I think that it could be for the best, for her." "For her? Or for you?" "What do you mean? Do you think I want Ruby gone?" "I don't know," Cinder said. "Do you?" "I…" Sunset trailed off. She couldn't meet Cinder's gaze any more. She still hadn't told Ruby that Twilight had refused to teach Sunset the time travel spell. Ruby had been too distracted by Sunsprite to ask about it, and as much as she disliked Sunsprite, Sunset had been glad of the fact so that she didn't have to explain Twilight's refusal to Ruby. She wasn't sure how to break it to her, not in a way that didn't break Ruby's heart. How am I supposed to tell her that I've failed her yet again? She couldn't say this to Cinder, not least because she hadn't told Cinder about Ruby's time travel plan. "She's happy here." "For now," Cinder agreed. "But do you really think she'll want to give up on this struggle? On seeing Jaune and Pyrrha again?" "I don't know." "And what if our enemies track her here," Cinder asked, "and find her alone, without you-?" "I don't know," Sunset hissed. "I just… it's like Taiyang said, this is her choice. I think she should at least consider it." The doors opened, creaking and groaning as they were drawn back to their widest extent, exposing the whole of the archway leading into the darkness that lay beyond. From out of the doorway emerged three figures, all of them young women. First of them, a couple of steps ahead of the other two, was a girl with dark skin and hair that was red, streaked with white, like the ribbons of a maypole; her eyes were emerald green, and her features sharp and narrow. She was dressed in a loose-fitting blue gown, with delicately worked golden bangles dangling from her wrists and a necklace of amber beads strung around her neck. Dawn Starfall, Sunset thought. As I live and breathe. Dawn – or rather, the pony version of Dawn Starfall – had been Sunset’s rival of sorts; she had been another student of Celestia, in a time when Sunset had been much younger, even before Cadance had arrived to push Sunset over the edge. Sunset had considered Dawn a rival in Equestria and had been very glad to see the back of her and get Princess Celestia all to herself once more; it appeared that the other Sunset had made a servant of her. And a well-regarded servant too, judging by all that gold. She recognised the other two as well, after a minute: they were Dawn’s friends. Sunset found it a little dispiriting that even in another world, she didn’t have any of her own friends and had to rely on recruiting somebody with friends of their own. In any case, the names of the two who flanked Dawn were Laurel Rhodes and Cherry Blossom, unless Sunset missed her guess completely. Laurel was pasty faced, with a complexion that Sunset had made mock of more than once in her younger and less considerate days, with grey-white hair tied in a severe bun at the nape of her neck; she was dressed in a severe green dress with a high collar and a cravat tied around her throat and a pair of square spectacles obscuring her watery blue eyes. Cherry had bright red hair cropped short above the nape of her neck and was wearing a bright red three piece suit with a white blouse and a black ribbon tied around her neck. She held her hands together as though she had weapons hidden up her sleeve and was making sure that she was in a position to use them. Neither Laurel nor Cherry spoke, but as Dawn stepped out into the sunlight, she raised her hands up and cried out, “Welcome! Welcome, visitors from Vale and honoured guests of the Sun Queen. My name is Dawn Starfall, and I have the honour to be the Chancellor of Freeport and the right hand of the Queen.” “Right hand and doorkeeper?” Sami asked. “Quiet!” Cardin hissed. Dawn did not seem bothered by the insult. She laughed. “Quite alright; indeed, I have descended to greet in person such… distinguished guests. Vesper Radiance, our trusty and well-beloved servant, has told us much about you and your doings, and it is clear that you are a company worthy of high honour. It is for that reason that the Sun Queen bids you come into her presence, where she will receive you upon her throne, learn your business from your own lips, and hear any petitions of her favour that you may have.” What a lot of theatre, Sunset thought. Vesper – the Sun Queen – knew exactly what they wanted, but now, she would dress up as a queen and make them repeat it all over again before she finally decided what she was going to do with them. And yet, there was no avoiding it. Vesper had what they wanted, and even if she hadn’t had boats, she had the other unfortunate Equestrian in her care, and if Sunset wanted to see her, then she would have to play along with this charade. She stepped forward, Cinder trailing just a step behind. “Very well, Chancellor. Lead on into the Queen’s presence, and we shall follow.” Dawn was not quite a good enough actor to mask the shock that she felt at seeing Sunset’s face on someone else. She tried valiantly, but she couldn’t conceal the widening of her eyes, the way her legs twitched as though she wanted to step back. She must have been prepared for this – the Other Sunset would have been a fool not to prepare her for this – but preparation, it seemed, was not enough to overcome contact with the thing in person. Nevertheless, Dawn rallied quickly, turning her back on Sunset and speaking in a more clipped tone now. “Very well, please, follow me.” They followed Dawn through the doors, and as the party trailed after her, with Sunset in the lead and Cardin bringing up the rear, Laurel and Cherry fell in behind them in turn, closing the doors behind the group and enfolding the company in near darkness. There were no dust lamps here – with dust so rare, it wasn’t too surprising that the Sun Queen wished to horde it for military purposes – only a few oil lamps hanging from the walls, providing a few specks of light amidst the gloom. Sunset could just about make out another set of doors, but to where, she could not have said because Dawn did not lead them that way. Rather, Dawn led them up a set of stone stairs climbing up the round side of the tower, winding upwards through floors and rooms of which they saw little, for the shutters were closed and the lamps and torches few and far between. Round and round they wound about the tower, their footsteps echoing upon the stone, until at last, they reached a floor in the tower where the shutters on the windows had been thrown open, exposing the tower to light, light in which Sunset could see where it was they had been brought. They had been led into a throne room, where sixteen windows set all around the walls illuminated the round space, and the wooden floor was almost completely covered up by rugs of wolfskin and bearskin and the fleece of sheep and rams and by woven carpets of bright colours and fine quality. The walls were hung with a single tapestry, long enough that it circumvented the entire room, depicting what looked like some event from history long ago, men on horseback fighting men on foot with axes featured prominently, but the writing above the images that would have made sense of it all was in a language Sunset could not read. Guards in mail, with spears in their hands and shields on their arms and swords or axes at their hips, lined the walls; Sunset did not dismiss them as ceremonial, but she did note some Rangers with guns standing on the raised dais. The dais upon which, set in the very centre, there sat a throne; it was wrought of iron but decorated with a most magnificent set of stag’s antlers, sprouting out of the chair like the leaves from a tree or as if they belonged to them who sat upon the throne. The arms were fashioned like the heads of wolves, and the legs like horses’ hooves. And upon the throne sat the Sun Queen, swathed in robes of fiery red, her hair concealed beneath a veil of saffron, her face hidden under a mask of gold. A sword sat upon her lap, one hand resting gently upon the hilt. Her eyes were hidden by her mask, her eye slits revealing nothing but darkness beneath, but as they walked into the throne room, trampling upon the rugs and pelts that lay underfoot, Sunset could feel the Queen’s eyes upon them. If you haven’t made your mind up already, then I don’t know what you expect to gain from all this. Nevertheless, for the sake of this play-acting that was evidently so important to her other self, Sunset knelt, descending to one knee and bowing her head. “Your Majesty,” she murmured, “it is an honour to stand in the presence of the Sun Queen of Freeport and Estmorland, she who is carving out a civilisation amidst the wilds and the barbarian clans.” “You are generous to say so,” the Sun Queen said, and Sunset had to admire the way in which she was managing to make her voice deeper than it had been as Vesper Radiance. “Many in Vale would regard me every bit as barbaric as those I rule, and you are from Vale, are you not?” “We are,” Sunset replied. “Sunset Shimmer is my name, and these are my companions: Cardin Winchester, Cinder Fall, Taiyang Xiao Long, Roman Torchwick, Neopolitan, Lyra Heartstrings, Bonnie Bonaventure, Jack Bean, and Sami.” “And there is another, is there not?” the Sun Queen asked. “One who travelled with you, but is not here presently.” “There is, Ruby Rose by name, cousin to a captain in Your Majesty’s Rangers by the name of Sunsprite Rose,” Sunset replied. “That same captain who entertains her presently.” “Of course, we would not wish to interrupt a family reunion,” the Sun Queen said genially. She paused for a moment. “I and my councillors,” she added, gesturing to Dawn, Laurel, and Cherry as the three of them joined her at the dais, taking their places around her so that they looked as much like bodyguards as councillors, “have heard from our well-beloved Vesper Radiance many strange things about you and your purpose here. But I would hear it from your own lips; therefore, I beg you, speak and be not silent. Why have you come so far from Vale, upon what purpose, and what may I do to aid you in your endeavours?” Sunset was silent for a moment. With her head bowed, her fiery hair fell down across her face, concealing it from view. She was glad of the curtain between her and the rest of the world, keeping her melancholy expression from the sight of men as her lips crinkled with sadness. “All… all is not well in Vale,” she confessed, and it seemed harder to admit it the second time. “The grimm, directed by the malice of their immortal queen, Salem, assaulted the city in great numbers. Through the valour of the young huntsmen of Beacon and of our allied forces of Mistral and Atlas, the creatures of grimm were driven from the walls… but the Emerald Tower fell, and Professor Ozpin… Professor Ozpin was amongst the fallen.” Sunset blinked rapidly. She felt water springing to her eyes. For all that he had been reborn – something she did not intend to mention to her other self – it did not change the fact that the old man had died and quite probably had died in pain as well. I was his servant, but I did not protect him. The Sun Queen leaned forwards. “Is it so?” she asked, so softly and with such disbelief, one might never have guessed that she had heard this news before. “Professor Ozpin, fallen?” “It is so,” Sunset muttered impatiently. The Sun Queen was silent for a moment. “I knew him, you know. He met me, when I was young, younger than I am now, at least.” She chuckled. “He knelt before me and hailed me as a queen in waiting, prophesying that I would do great things. It grieves me to learn that he is dead. I hope, at least, that I can be worthy of him with my accomplishments here and do such things as great as he foretold I would.” Really? Seriously? Do you expect me to believe a word of that nonsense? Professor Ozpin had never mentioned it to her, and as private a man as he might have been, one would think that he might have brought up ‘oh, by the way, Miss Shimmer, I met the other you once, and she was far more impressive than you could ever dream of being.’ And since when did Professor Ozpin go around handing out prophecies of greatness? He hadn’t even done that for Pyrrha or Ruby, and if anyone deserved it, they did. Sunset considered that she might not have been the target audience for that little story, but then, she had trouble working out who the target audience for it was. The guards? Sunset’s companions? The Sun Queen herself? Was she trying to convince herself that she was even more than what she was, not only a great woman and a builder of nations but a destined conqueror as well, her greatness foretold and her achievements blessed by fate? I suppose I clung to my dreams of destiny once too… but that was when I had nothing else to cling to. Is all that she has built not enough for her? “Many mourn for Professor Ozpin’s passing,” Sunset said softly. “For the loss of his wisdom and his courage. My company and I travel to Mistral in search of Professor Leonardo Lionheart, a servant of Salem involved in planning the attack on Vale. We seek to… bring him back to Vale to face justice, as well to reveal all his secrets regarding Salem and her plans.” “And you travel this way, eastward, because…?” the Sun Queen prompted. “Because our errand is secret, and our enemies are ever-present,” Sunset replied. “We hoped by taking the eastern route, long and arduous though it might be, that we could avoid the eyes of our foes falling upon us.” “I see,” the Sun Queen said quietly. “And was your plan successful?” Sunset hesitated. “The pursuit… has not been continuous. And yet, I fear that we drew the wrath of the grimm upon us at King’s Camp.” “When you, according to Vesper Radiance, saved not only our Rangers but also the Frost Mountain Clan,” the Sun Queen said. “Yes, Your Majesty.” “And what is it that you seek?” the Sun Queen asked. “What would you have of me?” “A ship,” Sunset said. “A ship to carry us across the sea to Anima.” The Sun Queen nodded. Her mask rendered her inscrutable. “I… shall think upon it,” she said. What more is there to think about? “May I ask how long you will need to think?” Sunset asked, a touch of impatience in her voice. “In my own tower, I may spend as long in contemplation as I will,” the Sun Queen replied. “But worry not; while I deliberate, you shall be lodged within the city as my honoured guests, for it is rare indeed that travellers come to Freeport from so far away. Laurel, convey our visitors to the Tower of the Moon and lodge them there; see that all their needs are attended to.” “Of course, Your Majesty.” “Our mission is one of some urgency,” Sunset pointed out. “And your word is grave and gives me much to think upon,” the Sun Queen said. “Particularly as concerns the existence of a mistress of the grimm, an immortal ruler of their kind. I must take counsel of my friends and think upon these matters carefully.” She chuckled. “And besides, you would not want to end the reunion between your companion Ruby and her long-sundered kin too soon, would you?” Sunset scowled. “No,” she admitted. “I would not.” “Good,” the Sun Queen said. “All is settled then. You will be given lodgings and may consider yourself to have the freedom of the city while I consider the matter. Was there aught else?” “I was hoping, Your Majesty, that we might speak privately,” Sunset said. “To touch upon matters of… some delicacy.” “Indeed,” the Sun Queen agreed. “But not now. Dine with me tonight, in my solar; for I too desire further speech between us. But for now, I must ask you to leave me be.” It was a dismissal, however courteously couched. Sunset didn’t want to accept it – she still hadn’t seen the poor unfortunate Equestrian who was the Sun Queen’s guest – but unless she wanted to throw a fit and so alienate the Sun Queen permanently, there was nothing she could do except hope that dinner tonight would bring some satisfaction. She rose to her feet. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” she murmured. “Welcome, friends, to Freeport,” the Sun Queen declared. “Rest easy within the shelter of these walls, for there is nothing to fear under my protection.” Sunset Shimmer, Sun Queen of Freeport and Estmorland, waited until Laurel had led her impostor self and all of her companions away. Only once their footsteps had ceased to echo on the stairs descending did she send her guards away, until there was none in the throne room but herself, Dawn Starfall, and Cherry Blossom. She took off her mask and drew in a deep breath besides. The reasons she had chosen to wear a mask were valid ones, but that didn’t stop it getting rather stuffy sometimes. She looked down at the blade resting on her hip, the light glimmering off the golden hilt and polished metal of the blade. Sunset leaned back upon her throne. “Well, my friends, what think you of this?” “There’s a lot to think about,” Cherry muttered. “The grimm have a queen? An immortal queen? I’ll be honest with you, Sunset, if I’d know that when you proposed that we ought to come out here and play queens and courtiers, I might have told you to take a hike.” “Cherry,” Sunset said reproachfully. “You’re not saying you would have abandoned me, are you?” “I might have tried harder to talk sense into you,” Cherry replied. “The world is no more dangerous now than it was yesterday,” Sunset reminded her. “We are simply better prepared for knowing what lurks in the shadows.” She laughed. “Fortune has smiled upon us once again. If I had not gone out on Sunsprite’s ranging, then I would have been ignorant of all these things. I would never have learned of Salem, nor of the presence of this other me from Equestria, nor of other things that I have learned that my impostor did not speak of.” She laughed again. “And you have cast doubt upon the usefulness of my excursions. Where else would we have learned such news as this?” “What shall we do now that we have learned of it?” Dawn asked. “In your absence, the Fall Forest and the Ice River Clans have both descended upon Freeport, seeking sanctuary from grimm attacks.” “What of the townships and the steadings?” “I have despatched Rangers in your name to protect them,” Dawn replied. “It may not be enough. I have mustered the select levy of Freeport to bolster our own defences.” “Good,” Sunset replied. “You have done well.” “It might have been better to keep the Rangers here,” Cherry suggested. Sunset shook her head. “A queen must protect her people, or she is no queen at all.” “Protect them from what?” Cherry demanded. “Sunset, you told us that the key to all of this was secrecy. We had to hide from Vale and Mistral until we were strong enough. Surely, that goes double for a queen of the grimm!” “We don’t know her eye is turned upon us,” Dawn pointed out. “We know that something is bringing the grimm,” Cherry declared. “Probably the other Sunset and her companions. They’ve tracked them east, and now, they’re coming for us.” “And we will resist them when they come,” Sunset said, holding up one hand for quiet. “I understand your concern, Cherry, but I do not share it. I have seen what my other self is capable of. I have seen Equestrian magic the likes of which we could not have dreamt of when we set out from Atlas. If there is more magic like that on the other side of the portal, then… then we have the means to guarantee our safety and our independence, I am convinced of it.” “Is that why you have welcomed them so warmly?” Dawn asked. Sunset smirked. “What would you have done instead?” “Killed them,” Dawn said. “The other you sounds dangerous.” “Oh, she is dangerous, I’m sure of it,” Sunset agreed. “For the rest… two of them, I think, can be convinced to join us; the rest are of little account… save, of course, for the young Rose scion. If she, too, would enter into my service… a Silver-Eyed Warrior who might actually be able to use her silver eyes would be a boon indeed. If not… we can send her on her way with the others, but Sunset Shimmer… my other self… her magic will never leave Freeport. It must not leave Freeport.” She looked up at Dawn. “I must ask a great sacrifice of you, Dawny.” Dawn’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure? I can only do that once. If someone else-” “No one will come with that kind of power,” Sunset assured her. “Perhaps there are those stronger in magic than she is, but none are likely to find their way to us as she has done. This is the time, but… it must be your choice and yours alone.” Dawn raised her head proudly. “I am prepared,” she said. “I’ll do whatever it takes, for Freeport… and for you.” “And I will not forget it,” Sunset vowed. She grinned. “I say as though you won’t be right here, able to make sure that I don’t.” “When will you do it?” Cherry asked. “At dinner, tonight?” “Tonight,” Sunset agreed. After tonight, her other self would become the cornerstone of Freeport’s defences, and with her magic – and any other power they could obtain from the land of Equestria that lay so close at hand – then she would assure the survival of her kingdom. Thank you, Sunset. I will owe you a debt that I can never repay. And I’ll never have to.