//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Twilight does some fact-finding. // Story: Sunset Shimmer and the Shadowbolts // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// As for Princess Twilight, she’d found herself deposited in her old room in Canterlot Castle by Philomina on transporting from Canterlot City where Sunset lived. “I see we need to specify home,” Twilight mused. “Thank you Philomina, I needed to go to Canterlot anyway.” Philomina popped out just as a guard rushed the door. “Princess Twilight?” “Sorry, I got dropped by Phoenix Post,” Twilight offered with a grin. “Is it time for Tea yet?” “Couple hours yet, Ma’am.” “Right then, shouldn't take that long,” Twilight mused. “I need to run down to the family registry to check on something.” “Ma’am.” For twilight finding what she wanted didn’t take any more time than it took to get down to the registry and look up the information. Sure enough, Sunset and Scootaloo had the same mother. Different fathers though, and that required a quick trip over to the Canterlot Museum of Natural History. “Where can I find Snap Shutter?” Twilight asked of the ponies at the ticket desk. “Mam, you need to wait in line,” a receptionist admonished. “I am not here to tour the museum, I’m here to see Snap Shutter. Is he in? I’m under the understanding that he’s one of the naturalists on staff? It’s kind of important.” “Idiot, that’s Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Hissed one of the other ticket sellers. “Oh, I do beg your pardon. Let me just call and see if any pony has seen him.” Twilight was met by the Museum director a short time later and together they found Snap back in the archives a short time later. “Princess Twilight, to what do I owe the honor?” snap asked. “Director, if you could give us a little time? Afraid it’s a confidential matter.” “Scootaloo hasn’t been filling your head full of tails about a bipedal sister, has she?” Snap asked sounding both concerned and annoyed. “To be honest, I was just talking to her sister. It’s a spell that allows a pony to take on another form. Something it’s used for deep cover and sometimes in witness relocation.” Twilight had to tell herself that it’s not a little white lie if it’s technically true. After all, there was a spell that allowed ponies to turn into humans embedded in the portal. “And yes, a Phoenix can transport a pony to other locations. I wanted to ask you about your relationship with Pippin Apple and Dusk Shimmer?” “Ah, then it wasn’t some delirium brought on by a bad dream.” “If this is a personal matter, I’ll just step a few paces away,” the director offered and backed away a few paces, turned, and went to the other end of the stacks. “Well, never thought that one would ever come home to roost,” Snap offered. “Yes, I knew them, and I knew they were married. Dusk was never around, and I had an affair with Pippin. She needed some pony in her life. She got pregnant, and I asked her to get a divorce and marry me.” “Which I gather you did. At least that’s what’s in the records. How did Mr Shimmer take it?” “To be honest he didn’t find out until after Pippin had been killed. He wasn’t too terribly surprised that Pippin divorced him. At least when I have a field assignment my spouse can go with me.” “And not Scootaloo?” “Scootaloo? She’d be bored out of her mind. Fieldwork isn’t how they depict it in the movies. Anyway, Dusk couldn't believe Pippin would cut the line, I’m assuming you already know about what happened.” “I do, and evidence would suggest that the only reason any pony was after her was that her mother had unwittingly put a price on her head.” “Based on what Dusk and I found out, that wasn’t the reason at all. Someone wanted Pippin to get to Dusk. Maggie Smith’s inquiries were just a convenient way to mask their activities. Whoever it was, they either wanted to compromise him or just get some payback, we were never really quite sure. Last I saw him he’d sworn to find out who was pulling the strings and put an end to them.” “If you could, would you tell that to Granny Smith?” Twilight asked. “Granny, why Granny?” “Granny is Maggie Smith, Pippin’s mother. I gather Pippin never talked about who her family was. Let Granny know it wasn’t her fault. Despite what that Mr Coultson may have told her.” “It’s true that Pippin never talked much about her family. I gather she’d cut all ties and her mother wasn't happy about Pippin’s life choices. I must confess I hadn’t connected Granny being Maggie Smith. And Granny may well have compromised Pippin, but no, what happened was not her fault. “I’ll tell her. Afraid I’m not in town very often though. I mean, actually in town when it matters. I get in late and leave to catch the first train in the morning. I married Mane Allgood, and we’ve tried to do right by Scootaloo, but our work… She’ll be out the door shortly after I’ve gone. She catches the seven-twenty. That commute eats up a lot of our free time.” “I understand,” Twilight paused a moment. “You know, if you wanted to do a survey out at the site of the castle of the Two sisters I might be able to get you permission. It’d be something Scootaloo could participate in and be home in time for dinner.” “Did I hear something about doing a survey out at the Castle of the Two Sisters?” Asked the director. He’d closed a good two-thirds of the distance between them. “Yes, and in return, Mr Shutter, I want you to spend more time with Scootaloo. She needs her father. She’ll be an adult before you know it. Don’t miss out on what’s left of her foal hood.” “You aren’t going to ask why I didn’t take in Sunset?” “The thought had occurred to me.” “Sunset had been with Pip. She’d been pulled out of the water by a pegasus guard and delivered to Foal Protective Services. I’m to understand she’d been really distraught and had a very potent incident. Shortly after she was taken by Princess Celestia herself. I made inquiries and was told that it’d be best if she stay with Princess Celestia and that seeing me might be too much for her to take.” “And shortly thereafter she was adopted by the Platinum family.” “That happened shortly after Dusty was declared missing presumed dead. I had no legal claim I was told as she wasn’t my filly. She was Dusty’s filly.” “I see.” Twilight was astonished. Was Equestrian law actually written like that or had it been a Platinum power-play to control Sunset? Twilight had a mind to ask some rather pointed questions of Princess Celestia, but as closed-lipped as Celestia was being about the subject, figured it’d be pointless. Prince Reynard Twilight returned to Canterlot Castle in plenty of time for tea. A Luncheon to be exact. “So, Twilight, what brings you to Canterlot?” Celestia inquired. “Oh, the usual, friendship problems,” Twilight offered. “Princess Celestia…” “Twilight, you know you can call me by my name.” “Yes, sorry. Celestia, I was just thinking that it might be a good idea to get a survey of the Castle of the Two Sisters.” “Did you now? By any chance does this have anything to do with Sunset Shimmer?” “In a roundabout way, it does. Turns out Scootaloo is Sunset’s sister.” “Little Scootaloo?” “Her father and adoptive mother are naturalists at the Canterlot Museum of Natural History. If we allow them to do the survey it will give Scootaloo’s parents an opportunity to spend a little more time with her.” “And what does this have to do with Dusk Shimmer?” “Nothing really. Other than it turns out Sunset and Scootaloo have the same mother. Different fathers though.” “I recall reading a report about the incident that took Mrs Pippin Apple Shimmer’s life,” Offered a mostly white stallion across the table from Twilight. He’d a dark blue almost ashen mane with a shock of sky blue on the left. His legs were a mismatched dark coloration and he’d the most fox-like dark blue tail with a white tip. And he was definitely an Earth pony despite his somehow managing to use magic like a unicorn. “Oh, Twilight, allow me to introduce to you, Ambassador Reynard. Prince, Princess Twilight,” Celestia offered. “Sorry if I intruded.” “That’s quite alright, but?” Twilight inquired. “Why would I be reading such a report, you mean?” Reynard offered. “It has to do with intelligence matters and personal matters. As the Ambassador to Canterlot, I need to know about the various comings and goings of ponies of interest to the intelligence community. And Dusty Shimmer was definitely a pony of interest.” “I had no idea?” Celestia admitted. “Quite possibly because the Case of Pippin Apple who went over Canterlot falls all those years ago left far too many questions unanswered, and ponies don’t like to worry you with such matters.” “I… see.” “The official account was that Pippin cut the line to get away from her pursuers.” “Yes, I’ve seen the reports,” Twilight confirmed. “Dusty was also a pony known to me personally. He grew up in Rusco River, my hometown.” “I’ve talked to one person who said that Dusty had suspected foul play,” Twilight informed him. “There were a number of discrepancies in the eyewitness reports. But then again that sort of thing is to be expected. Eye witness accounts tend to vary depending on what the individual focused on. I’m to understand that many didn’t actually see the line get cut, and if they were indeed watching Pippin, that’s telling in of itself. It’s been ten years now so if you were thinking of reopening the case I wish you good luck.” “Let’s just say that I’m just doing a little fact-finding,” Twilight suggested. “Did you know him well?” “I did. He was brilliant, energetic, eager, and every pony would say that if any stallion could become an Alicorn, it’d be him.” “He was that impressive, was he?” Celestia asked. “Indeed he was. I just wish I knew what became of him.” “It is a mystery. I made some inquiries only to find out that no one knows what became of him. It’s like he simply vanished.” “It is a mystery.” “Speaking of mysteries, by any chance do you know anything about a Princess of Hope?” “Twilight?” Celestia asked with just a hint of a cautionary tone. “Something tells me Princess Hope may be a hazardous topic,” Reynard said softly. “Ah, I’ve read about her,” Prince Blueblood offered up. He was his usual oblivious self. Or so he seemed. “Princess Hope, Queen of the Sky, Steward of Arcadia. Also answered to Ensign Nova Moon, Kitsumi Nova Moon, daughter of Princess Luna Moon. Daughter of the Nightmare.” “As my sister has indicated no recollection of having had a daughter, I think this a topic best left undiscussed. Or at the very least, tabled until such time as would be appropriate.” “I’m to understand that a crown belonging to my family had been given to her by my Uncle for a Nightmare Night celebration,” Blueblood pressed. “And then she up and takes off with it.” “Prince, it was given to her. As in hers to keep. Sunset Shimmer is technically your cousin.” Celestia corrected. “That same crown had been extremely dangerous until it’d been purified by a happy accident.” “Purified?” Twilight asked. “A curse placed on it by King Sombra,” Celestia admitted. And then perhaps hoping to turn the conversation away from Nova added, “It was little Sunset who’d managed it. She’d only recently become my student. It seems like such a long time ago. She was ahead of you by quite a bit and would have finished school around the same time you started. She’d managed to activate another arcane device that flooded the castle with a pulse of harmony magic.” “Harmony Magic?” Twilight pressed. “Harmony Magic. Princess Hope carried with her elements of harmony, but not the elements from the tree. Indeed I questioned that myself. She explained that the elements are in our hearts, not the stones. The stones are little more than a focus and amplifier. When Sunset took your crown from you, she could not control the magic because that which was needed was not yet fully realized.” “And when she has in her heart that which she had not?” Twilight asked. “When the spirit of the elements rests in her heart, then on that day she will be able to use the elements.” “This Nova sounds brilliant,” Reynard offered. “I have got a foster daughter named Nova. Afraid her mother dumped the little filly on me. Said the filly was mine and that I should be the one to take care of her.” “Is she yours?” Twilight asked. “Well… To be perfectly honest there is the possibility. Which is why I decided to keep her. That and she’s the absolute cutest little kit. Perhaps you’d like to meet her? Though I should warn you, she’s a unicorn and has more than enough magic to cause trouble. Which she excels at.” “Now that my curiosity is up, I’d love to meet her. She sounds delightful.”