Forgotten: Sunrise

by milesprower06


Private Tour

There was a certain charm to Maretime Bay as the sun began its final descent towards the western horizon. Most of the buildings downtown were two stories, and every single one of them was of course dwarfed by the 'CanterLogic' factory up on the hill to the east, which was six stories tall even before accounting for the hill, and judging by the garage that the all-terrain vehicle was pulled into last night, there was probably more than one basement level as well.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that this town's economy revolved almost entirely around that factory. Maybe there would be time for a tour later.

Double-checking her map, Sunset walked down the main street, and came to one of the trolley stops, in front of a two-story yellow structure, part of the greater strip on the left side of the street. She assumed that it was a lot like downtown Everfree; first floor was businesses, second story was housing for the owners. Coming up to the set of double glass doors, she saw the 'CLOSED' sign hanging prominently on the left door, but immediately saw Sunny waiting by the front desk, scrolling through her phone, and the earth pony immediately saw her, and came to the door with a smile. She unlocked the door just long enough to open it, give Sunset a smile, and let her inside before locking it again.

"Good evening, Sunset. Thanks for making the time to come down here. I hope what I've gathered here can provide you with at least some answers. Please, follow me."

Sunny wore a black velvet vest, with a gold tag with her name on it, signifying her as a curator of the museum. Beyond the entrance hall, the first large room they came to was filled with more modern history. Sunset took a few seconds to glance at what she could, but kept pace with Sunny as she went towards an archway on the left wall. Above the archway, almost touching the ceiling, were mounted letters, spelling out 'GUARDIANS OF HARMONY'. On the right wall next to the archway, there was a wooden and gold plaque, with a photo on it.


Guardians of Harmony Wing

This wing of the Maretime Bay Museum of History is dedicated to
the memory of
ARGYLE STARSHINE
Who never stopped reaching a hoof out in friendship
when his surrounding society would not.


"Your dad?" Sunset asked as she looked at the picture.

Sunny nodded solemnly.

"The studying and research he did set the foundation for what we've done to this place over the past several months."

Sunset stepped up to Sunny as she was led through the archway, and gave out a near silent gasp at the displays all around her.

The unicorn's eyes were immediately drawn to the larger-than-life cutouts of Princess Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. They were mounted on the walls above several glass display cases, each containing gems. Before approaching the displays, however, she made her way towards the center of the room, where three more exhibits awaited her. The center one was a very impressive scale model of Princess Twilight's castle. She looked down at the etched words on the plaque.

The Kingdom of Friendship
The Tree of Harmony bestowed this residence to Princess Twilight as a beacon of her rule, as she and the other Guardians spread the Magic of Friendship far and wide across the land of Equestria.

To the left of that, a trio of pegasi mannequins hung with Wonderbolt uniforms.

The Wonderbolts
At first formed as an aerial honor guard wing of the Royal E.U.P., the Wonderbolts were known across the nation as the pinnacle of flight acrobatics and demonstrations.

"This is our newest addition. Added just today, actually," Sunny said, motioning to the case to the right of the castle model.

Sunset stepped up to the case, and saw inside, carefully set atop a wire display stand, was a dull, gray heart-shaped rock.

The Crystal Heart
The lifeblood of the Crystal Empire in the far northern reaches of the nation, the Crystal Heart is currently believed to be the origin of the Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasus crystals that restored magic when the reunification of Equestria began.

Sunset's gaze moved again, listing over to a large stone tablet over on the right side of the room. Walking over to it, she approached the informational kiosk in front of it.

Replica of Discord's Last Message
Discord was once an antagonistic demigod of chaos that was befriended by Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Guardians of Harmony. But when magic began to fade, so too did his grasp on his corporeal form in this realm. This is an exact replica of the last words he carved into the top tower of Princess Twilight's castle.

Feeling her throat tighten as she read the draconequus' farewell, she walked over to the left side of the room, bypassing most of the Guardian displays, and went right to Princess Twilight's, and looked up at the cutout, before gazing down into the display case, at the two dozen gems.

Princess Twilight Sparkle
Twilight Sparkle was a unicorn prodigy and former student of Princess Celestia. She was sent to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship, in order to help fulfill a millennium-old prophecy, and restore Princess Luna to her rightful place next to her sister on Equestria's thrones, afterwards spreading the magic of friendship far and wide.

The display case had buttons and a screen built into the kiosk directly above the plaque. She hit the first button, and a focusing lens slid into place above the top left gem, and sent the image to the screen; a party in a library.

"So... So that's what she looked like without wings..." Sunset said, her voice beginning to quiver, taking a single step back from the display. "She... She promised me she would take the time to go through her early scrapbooks when I came back, and..."

The unicorn couldn't keep the torrent of emotions down any longer, and she dropped to her knees as she began to weep in front of the display.

"...And now she's gone. Everypony... Everything... I ever knew, is gone..."

Sunny took a quiet breath and came up next to the grieving pony, softly putting a reassuring hoof on her back, rubbing gently.

"Gods, what am I doing here? What am I supposed to do now? We had it all planned out. I was going to be her court wizard, an archmage... I couldn't imagine a better gift, to spend most of my years with the pony who helped me begin to turn things around..."

Sunny struggled to come up with something, anything to say to her new friend who had leapt forward untold centuries into an unfamiliar, frightening new world.

"I think if she was here, if she could see you now, I don't think even she would expect you to know what to do right off the bat. I mean, putting together a terrarium for your pet lizard barely a day after unwittingly time traveling? That's an accomplishment in itself, Sunset."

Sunset calmed her heaving shoulders, and took a breath, followed by a second before getting up off of the floor.

"You did all of this. You and your dad. I know we've only known each other for not even a day, but I'm honored to know you, Sunny Starscout. Thank you for bringing her story to as many others as you can."

Sniffling, Sunset stepped forward and put her front hooves around Sunny, a hug that was immediately returned.

"I owe a lot of it to my dad, he put that tenacity in me to very, very slowly get through to this town, and everypony for that matter."

Sunset parted from the hug, and took another deep breath, taking another look around the room.

"I feel so lost, and I don't even know where to begin," the unicorn confessed.

"Considering the circumstances, I think I'd be concerned if you did know where to begin. I mean, you said you just graduated school in this other realm, right?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah. I was actually planning on taking a few weeks off before jumping into the whole 'archmage' thing. Kinda get my Equestrian footing again, you know?" Sunset answered.

"So, why not do that anyway? My questions can wait if you want. Take some time to get to know the world you've come back to. Or just kick back and relax while you get all your ducks in a row."

Sunset wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and considered Sunny's words.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Sunset replied, sniffling. "And don't worry, if I leave town for a bit I'll be sure to take Ray with me. Don't want to saddle you with anything more. And feel free to hit me with your questions any time, Sunny. Me being here must be a head trip and a half for you."

Sunny gave the unicorn a nod and a smile.

"You got me there. Well, if you insist, how about over dinner?"