//------------------------------// // Princesses // Story: Mission to the Pony Planet // by ersmiller //------------------------------// Another flight book chapter, a nap in the sleeping cabin, some more reading there, another nap after that, and it occurred to Sunset she didn’t know how far away the Crystal Empire was, only which train to take to get there. She had just left the sleeping cabin to ask a nearby pony when the conductor announced the upcoming stop. She still hadn’t made much progress in the flight books and tossed and turned during her naps—the train ride and new appendages making it extra difficult to sleep—and seemed to recall a lack of light behind her compartment’s curtain at one point. “How long were those naps?” Yawning, she stepped onto the station and looked around. “Wow,” she exclaimed, walking forward. “It’s like Twilight’s castle exploded and grew into a whole city. Being living crystal, I wonder if they’re related somehow. An ancestor connected through leylines maybe? But if the Tree of Harmony created her castle ….” The old habits of a magic student were cut off when the Crystal Empire’s own crystal castle came into view. “Well, I guess I know where Cadance will be. I really should have asked Twilight if I’ve been officially pardoned throughout Equestria or if it was more like,” she adopted a lighter, sweeter tone, “ ‘oh it’s okay, Sunset. Of course we forgive you’.” Back to her normal, or perhaps slightly grumpy tone she continued, “Well, the Canterlot guards didn’t arrest me, even though a few looked like they wanted to, and I’ve never assaulted any guards at this castle, so that’s good. But I did break and enter. And Cadance already had long-standing reasons to not like me.” She thought back to a time of being Princess Celestia’s prized student—prized unicorn student—and along comes this bright pink alicorn with a pretty voice and elegant mane from a backwater village nopony ever heard of. And she wanted to be friends. Sunset sighed at the memories. Yeah, that was never going to happen. Not back then. And I had so much ‘fun’ letting her know it. “I better start with Sunburst.” *** *** *** “Pfft,” Sunset held back a laugh looking up at the building Sunburst’s address led her to. Or more specifically, its large, and rather distinct crystal roofing. “Always did love those wizard hats. Did he find a house that looked like it fit him or did he actually commission a crystal architect to shape it?” At least she’ll have something to ask him if the conversation gets awkward. Like if Sunburst asked “Where have you been?” Or “Aren’t you a criminal?” Or “Why were you so mean to me?” She paused with her hoof inches from the door thinking over the importance of this meeting. Here she was trying to make right her past relationships. Reconnecting with a little brother should be the easy one, right? But what if it went horribly wrong? This could be a massive step backward instead of forward. It was like everything rested on this one moment. With a groan of exasperation, Sunset knocked three times. And only the first was with her head. Time passed. The bump on her head faded. She knocked again. Entirely with a hoof. “Are you looking for Sunburst?” came a voice from a nearby home. “Oh!” Sunset answered a shiny crystal pony. “Yes. Do you know where he is?” Of course the answer was, “The castle.” *** *** *** Security was light in the Empire compared to Canterlot. Sunset was able to enter the castle unhindered and the guards she passed simply nodded at her. So far so good except she had no idea where in the castle to look. Does a royal crystaller have an office? How would she find it if he did? Would she have to risk asking a guard or staff member? What were the odds she’d be able to get to Sunburst without first running into— “Sunset Shimmer?” Her. The familiar, graceful voice stopped Sunset dead. Stealing her resolve, she turned to the pink princess. Her mane was still so elegant. “Uh, h-hi, Cad—“Sunset stopped her awkward greeting and bowed low. “Hello, Your Highness.” Cadance’s jaw dropped. “Sun…set? You’re being formal?” Sunset returned to standing and caught sight of some guards in position around the edges of the room. “Princess Cadance, I … yes. Given our history and, well, I was in the neighborhood, that is, this side of the interdimensional portal—“ “Oh, I knew you were around.” “You did?” “I was expecting you later in the week though.” “You were?” “Twilight sent me a letter.” "She did?" Sunset paused and took a breath. “Heh, of course she did.” “But you don’t have to be so formal with me. We’re friends.” Sunset blinked. “That’s, that’s not how I remember things.” “I’m not surprised,” Cadance giggled. “But I’m actually happy to see you.” Sunset tilted her head with a confused expression. “Yes, I am,” Cadance answered the unspoken question. “I’ve heard about your change of heart. Heard quite a bit actually. And now I get to see it with my own eyes.” “You heard from Twilight?” “A little."  Cadance gave a sly smile. "But mostly from somepony else.” “C-Celestia?” “Seems just about every time we visit each other lately.” “W-what does she say?” “She gushes about every new adventure you have in the other world. Twilight’s not exactly closed-lipped either you see. Twilight’s proud of her friends, and Celestia’s proud of her ‘daughters’.” “Daughters!?” Sunset squeaked out a yell. “Shhhh,” Cadance shushed her gently before turning to look over her back. There was a soft cooing and she turned sideways to show off the foal safety saddle she was wearing and the little, pink bundle sleeping in it. “I was often quite jealous of Celestia with her students until I got little Flurry Heart here.” Sunset held her breath with a blush as the foal settled back down. She couldn’t help but smile at the little sleeping face. “Celestia really talks about me?” “A lot,” Cadance gave her little one a smile. “And I know exactly how she feels. All the good you’ve done, all the lessons you’ve learned. And lately, she’s been using the early days she spent with you and Twilight as a way to pass on a sort of ‘parenting’ advice.” With a cringe, Sunset looked away. “Me and Twilight? The wrong and right then. Mistakes do have a lot of teaching potential.” “ ‘Mistakes’? Really? I think you’d be surprised,” Cadance grinned and peered at Sunset’s dress. “After all I believe Twilight’s letter mentioned something about wings?” Sunset’s wings bulged out against her dress. Cadance gasped excitedly and rushed as loudly as she could with a sleeping foal on her back, “Show me show me!” “But.” Sunset looked around. They were still in a part of the castle open to the public. While none of the public were currently around, anypony could walk in at any point. Catching on, Cadance walked forward and lit her horn. A flash later and Sunset was aware of being several floors higher in a hall devoid of other ponies. She gave Cadance a blush and a sheepish smile before unfastening the dress and unfolding her amber wings. Renae was right, it did feel good to let them out. With a slight squeal, Cadance walked around Sunset. “They’re lovely.” “They don’t look any different than normal pegasus wings,” Sunset countered, glancing at Cadance’s more impressive pair. “But they look good on you. They’ll also change as you get taller.” “Tall—? Oh right.” Sunset thought back to when they had met, when Sunset had been taller by a hair. That was a change to consider. “You could use a preening though. Keeping them in that dress is ruffling your feathers the wrong way.” Cadance poked a few feathers with a hoof, getting Sunset to flinch slightly from the alien feeling. “I can teach you if you want. You should know how before your coronation.” “My cor—?! Sunset stumbled back. “Ha, ha, no, no. That’s not going to happen. Pretty sure Celestia’s just going to take these back.” “Take them back? Your wings?” “These have to be a fluke. You know who I was.” “I’ve also heard a lot about who you are now.” “But I can’t—!“ Sunset cut off her reflexive shout and started over at a lower volume to not wake the foal. “But I can’t be a princess. Even being an alicorn can’t be right. I haven’t earned it. I was just smacked in the face with a massive load of magic and then the back of the head with a tree branch. Something got screwed up in between.” “You really think that’s all this is? What, you got the wings squished out of you? Feathers and all?” “Maybe not literally, but it makes more sense than me just suddenly being worthy.” “I don’t know much about the …,” Cadance paused, “alicorning process, if that’s the right word, or even a word at all, but I’m sure Harmony knows what it’s doing. And I know the good you’ve accomplished.” Sunset sighed and lifted up a wing to examine it. “But an alicorn princess, really?” “I thought you wanted to be a princess.” “What I really wanted,” Sunset groaned, dropping her head and wings low, “was that mark of power, to back up what I believed I deserved and to prove it to Celestia. And everypony else. But now I know what it really means to have power—both magical and political—it’s a serious responsibility.” “I recall you saying you wanted that too. That you were ready and could handle it all.” Sunset chuckled darkly, “My ego was bigger than the moon.” “Are you saying the Almighty Sunset Shimmer can’t handle the pressure of being a princess?” “Appealing to my ego isn’t going to rile me up like it used to. I’m better than that now.” “Oh, you say you’re better? Isn’t that invoking an ego?” “In this case it’s being realistic. I’m less full of myself. That’s better. But the power and responsibility that comes with being an alicorn and a princess should only go to those who are truly qualified.” Cadance gave Sunset a challenging smile. “Then let’s be ‘realistic.’ You’ve been educated by a princess and lived in the palace. You know how it works.” “I also ran away before finishing the curriculum and I never paid as much attention to the rules, regulations, and decorum parts.” “But it’s not like Celestia would just drop a crown on your head and tell you to take over Manehattan without help and whatever guidance you needed.” Sunset looked back up. “It would be nice to finish my studies here.” “And you know of the responsibilities and dangers of power. You’re intelligent and always empathetic and understanding of those around you.” “Y-you can’t know that. That’s not the person I was when you knew me.” “I told you, ponies talk, including princess ponies.” As Sunset blushed from the reminder, Cadance continued. “Frankly, Sunset, what I’ve heard and everything you said just now proves that you are more worthy of a crown than I was when this thing”—she pointed to her horn—“popped out of my head.” Cadance chuckled at a still skeptical Sunset. “You remember when we met. You were the one who got me through economics—even if Celestia forced you to do it—grumbling the whole time. I didn’t know anything about politics. I thought all ponies needed was more love and there’d magically be peace and happiness everywhere. It was months before I could even just fix my mane without giving myself a headache from bashing my horn with the brush. And learning even the simplest magics was one disaster after another.” That got Sunset chuckling along. “What?” Cadance asked. “Nothing.” “Really, what are you remembering?” “The pancakes.” “Augh, still?” Cadance groaned. “I really thought I could skip the spatula and just flip them with telekinesis. I had been getting good with it. They shouldn’t have gone flying everywhere.” “Muh-hum,” Sunset nodded, holding back a laugh. “You could have helped with the cleanup or at least told me I had a pancake impaled on my horn.” “I could have.” “I wondered why I felt so warm. I thought I was going into heat out of season.” “Phfff—*cough*—you don’t say.” “I met with Celestia right after that.” “I know.” “And you knew I would then too, didn’t you?” “It’s why I said nothing.” “She said nothing either.” “She couldn’t.” “Because the ambassadors were already in the room when I got there late from cleaning the kitchen.” “I heard.” “It was ten minutes into the meeting when it finally ripped and flopped onto the table, right onto a list of their proposed tariffs.” “Is that why we started exporting pancake batter to Saddle Arabia?” It was hard to tell with her pink fur, but Sunset caught the blush as Cadance paused. “Yes.” Cadance fussed with some hairs near her horn as if remembering where some crumbs had gotten stuck. “I still wonder if they thought it was a fashion statement or a protest of their rather one-sided suggestions.” “And is Equestria still exporting batter to them?” “More than ever.” “Well, unconventional, but you got valuable experience in trade negotiations.” “I was mortified.” “Made bank for the country though.” Sunset adopted a haughty tone. “A princess must care for her people above all.” As Sunset returned to her laughter, Cadance leaned in. “Something you understand and have done quite a bit of yourself.” Sunset’s laughter died out as the notion crept in. She stared down at one of her new wings. Cadance put a hoof on her shoulder. “I don’t think it’s a fluke. You’ve proven yourself, Sunset.” A shimmering set of eyes turned up to her and she pulled Sunset into a hug. After a time, Sunset pulled back and dried her eyes with the fur on her pastern. “F-fine,” she cleared her throat. “The wings aren’t a fluke.” She gave Cadance a smirk. “If a backwater pegasus like you could be worthy of ascension all those years ago, then of course I’m worthy now.” Giggling, Cadance flicked Sunset’s horn with a hoof. “With a tone like that, be careful you don’t relapse.” A hoof went to Sunset’s horn to stop the throbbing. “It’s a constant struggle,” she laughed. “One I think Celestia would love to hear about. From the source this time.” “I was supposed to meet her before coming here,” Sunset sighed “You were worried she’d take your wings.” “Or make me a princess.” “You felt frightened of one and undeserving of the other.” “I was afraid of both. Becoming a princess would take me away from my friends so soon after I learned how to have friends, and I have things I still want to do in the other world.” “I’m sure Celestia won’t push you into something like that if you don’t want it. Maybe she’ll have a royal assignment for you in that other place.” “What, annexing the humane world like the Crystal Empire?” “Well. Maybe not that. But I wouldn’t mind chipping in some troops if you need an invasion force.” Momentarily shocked, Sunset’s wings flared out to match her expression but she quickly recovered with a chuckle. “I wish I would have been friends with you years ago. I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you.” “Aww,” Cadance sighed. “But if you were the type of pony who would have befriended me, you never would have left and made your current friends.” Sunset thought that over. “You’re right. You’re not worth it.” “Hay!” The pair lost themselves in laughter, forming a friendship long overdue until some commotion came from Cadance’s saddle. “Oh, sorry, Flurry Heart,” Cadance cooed over her shoulder as the bundled foal unwrapped herself. “Mommy didn’t mean to wake you.” Once out of her swaddling, Flurry sat up, stretched out her wings, and yawned. “Wow!” exclaimed Sunset. “That’s an impressive wingspan.” “According to Celestia, it’s actually a little on the small side for alicorn foals. She told me Luna used to trip over hers a lot.” “Really?” Sunset chuckled. “But then Luna made a face and nodded her head toward Celestia, so I think maybe it was Celestia who used to trip a lot.” “Ha, ha, ha. I can believe it with Celestia’s wings.” “Tia’ti,” burbled Flurry before another yawn. “Yes, sweetie, Celestia has pretty wings. Do you want to meet your Auntie Sunset? She has pretty wings too.” “Bbpbbpbbbbpp bpppppp.” “Was that a no?” asked Sunset. Cadance giggled. “That’s an ‘I’ll do it after I finish my nap’.” Sure enough, after another yawn, Flurry settled back down and Cadance tucked her blanket back around her. “She’s adorable,” Sunset whispered. “Good job, ‘Mom’.” “Thank you. It seems Sunburst and Starlight really tuckered her out.” “Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer?” “Yes. They were foalsitting. I had just picked her up from them when I found you.” “That’s great. I was hoping to see them while I was here.” “I thought as much. I can take you to them. It’s great that you’re taking the time to visit your friends and family.” “Family?” Sunset gave a surprised reply. “You know Sunburst is my brother?” “The royal crystaller and Flurry’s most frequent foalsitter? We of course did a full background check.” "Does he know—" "Where you've been?" Cadance finished, getting Sunset to hold a breath while she awaited the answer. "I doubt it." Sunset released the breath. "The portal isn't an official state secret, but it is located inside a princess's castle, the owner of which—my beloved sister-in-law—still refuses to hire castle guards. It's a security issue I'm not willing to risk spreading to the wrong ears. If Twilight's not talking about it, then I'm not. I hope her friends are doing the same." "So, nothing about me or the portal?" "I mentioned, offhoof, I knew you while we were both Celestia's students, but nothing more than that. I didn't think it was my place." Sunset mulled that over with a nod. “But you knew I was his sister and you still hired him?” “Well …," Cadance smirked, "by the time we found that out, Flurry was too attached to fire him, so our hooves were tied.” “Thanks a lot, Candy Flank,” Sunset scoffed playfully. Cadance smiled sweetly. “You’re welcome, Flamebrain.” As Sunset was led to her next destination, the pair trading old insults but with a new playful tone, she smiled at Cadance. Just like old times. But as new friends.