“Girls! I got another one!”
Lyra practically danced in place, bouncing up and down in small hops as a flood of lights and sounds blared from the machine she had selected, a pile of tickets spilling out from a slot that normally dispensed bits.
“Yeah, you’re getting pretty lucky,” Bon Bon said, helping to scoop up the bits of paper.
After watching their fill of racing, the Lyra had the next pick of where she, Bon Bon, and Trixie would go, with the trio inviting Coco Pommel to join them for the rest of the event. She picked the casino area, since she had never had the opportunity to go to one before, and wanted to see if she was any good at it. After a few pulls at a slot machine, the green unicorn had come to learn that she was very good at it, getting plenty of combinations that rewarded a payout.
Trixie and Coco had gotten their own machines nearby, looking to lighten the weight of their token pouch too, but as the slots went off and released some of their own ticket prizes, the mares were less impressed about what had been a string of successful pulls.
“They upped the rates on these, didn’t they?” Coco said, placing her newly acquired tickets in her token pouch.
“Looks like it,” Trixie said, noticing that the other slots along the row were getting similar levels of success from the other ponies.
It wasn’t so high that every pull was a guaranteed win, but the odds seemed well enough in their favor that no one could waste the entirety of their token supply on pulling a lever. Any seasoned gambler would have been able to see the difference, and while Trixie didn’t fit that description, she had been around this kind of environment enough growing up to know something was off.
“I guess Sunset wanted to let everypony have a good day here,” Coco mused, putting one more coin into her slot, before getting up from her seat, “I wonder if the card tables are the same?”
Trixie got up from her machine as well, following the earth mare, “That depends. If they got somepony who is good enough at shuffling cards, they could set the decks so everypony walks away a winner. Seems to defeat the purpose of that token exchange Sunset brought up earlier though.”
“I don’t think so,” Coco replied, stopping to grab a couple drinks from one of the stallions who had the job of passing out more beverages to those who got thirsty, “Sure, it might lead to some ponies sticking around the games all day, but if that is how they have fun, then let them be.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” Trixie said, taking one of the glasses from Coco as it was handed to her, “I guess it has been a while since ponies have been able to just enjoy themselves.”
“And that’s what this is all about,” Coco replied, taking a sip, “Everything in Equestria has been too oppressive as of late. Not literally oppressive, like when we were slaves, but it feels like we can’t even enjoy life anymore without worrying that something is going to attack you for it.”
“You mean like the guy who tried to rape me and Lyra?” Trixie said, thinking that was what Coco was getting at.
“There is that…” Coco replied, “But regular ponies too, especially the ones who are currently in charge.”
“Yeah,” Trixie agreed, “It would be so much better if things could go back to the way they were before the caribou.”
“Except that’s what got us overrun by them in the first place,” Coco added, “As nice as things were, we can never go back to how that was, but I don’t think things can stay as they are either.”
As vague as Coco was being, Trixie could certainly sympathize with her sentiments. It was like some form of innocence Equestria once had was lost, which might have been impossible to reclaim. Be that as it may, what the Committee of Ponies was doing to try and hold what pieces remained together was not helping with the morale of the public. Everything was becoming a routine of wake up, meander about, get food from a food line, and then go back to bed to do the same tomorrow. Ponies couldn’t live that way, as such soul crushing tedium would weigh heavily on all but the most patient.
“So what would you rather do?” Trixie asked, curious if the earth mare had any solutions.
“Me personally?” Coco replied, “I’d like to get back to making designer clothes.”
“Is that what your talent is?” asked Trixie, as the topic of special talents hadn’t come up yet.
“Yes,” Coco replied, flipping up her skirt for a moment to show off the image of a fancy looking hat on her rump, “I was working as an assistant for a professional designer when the caribou took over, trying to work my way up to running my own store.”
“Well if you want to make clothes, weren’t they taking volunteers for that in Canterlot?” Trixie asked, knowing that the Committee of Ponies at one point needed ponies to make clothes for mares who had none.
“Why do you think I live there?” Coco replied, “I was one of the first to sign up for that project, and I might have even made what you’re wearing right now.”
“Really?” Trixie said, taking a moment to glance down at her outfit.
“Yeah, but that’s not exactly what I want to do.” Coco went on to explain, “I don’t want to make some mass produced shirts and pants, even though making clothes for mares at the time was important at the time and I have the skill to do it. I want to work in fashion, to make clothes that catch a pony’s eye and stand out. Something that a pony would be excited to wear, and not something they put on to leave the house in.”
Looking at her clothes again, Trixie could see Coco’s point. What she was wearing were fairly drab, especially compared to her old magician’s outfit. The same could be said about what most ponies wore, as they usually consisted of a simple dress, or a pair of pants with a shirt, all of a solid color.
“I know that it might seem silly now,” Coco continued, “Most ponies didn’t care that much about fashion even before all this happened, but it was always my dream to make something that when ponies saw it, they would say ‘that has to be a Coco Pommel original’. Or… something like that.”
“I don’t think that’s silly at all,” said Trixie, as her own goals when being a magician was to become renowned for her talents, in Equestria and beyond, “I think that we all want to be appreciated for what we’re good at, and you not letting what happened distract you from your dreams must mean that you’re very dedicated to them, and that’s probably a good thing.”
“And what about you?” Coco asked, “Don’t you still want to follow your dreams?”
“I… Have reasons for not wanting to be a magician anymore,” Trixie replied, half-heartedly, “Which is what I did before being captured by the caribou.” She added, realizing that she and Coco never talked on the subject.
“Why is that?” Coco asked with concern, “Was it cause of the problem you had with your horn? I had heard you’ve gotten over that.”
“It wasn’t that…” Trixie answered, “It was another problem. One that I don’t think I’ll ever get over.”
It was clear as an Equestrian sky that Trixie didn’t want to discuss what really made her quit performing, as she had trouble keeping eye contact with the earth mare the moment conversation shifted to the topic. Coco didn’t know if it was best for Trixie to coax the unicorn into talking about it, or to leave it be, as her chapter was all about being open with your problems, but things might have been different in Trixie’s part of the group.
Fortunately for the both of them, their talk was cut short as the other half of their four pony party tracked them down, with Lyra now carrying a pouch brimming with tickets she had earned from the slot machine, giddily prancing over to Trixie and Coco as Bon Bon followed behind.
“Girls, look at all the tickets I won!” said the green unicorn, showing off her prize, “What do you think they have for all these?”
“Probably nothing worth the effort,” Bon Bon said, catching up, “These places never give away anything you couldn’t buy for less than what you paid, and I’m taking into consideration that this is a free event.”
Lyra gave a reply of “Hmph” to her partner’s negative outlook, turning away as she cradled her tickets into her chest like they were made of gold, “I’m gonna get something really big, and you’ll be so jealous of it. Just you see.”
Bon Bon gave Lyra an eye roll in return, while Trixie and Coco both got a quick laugh from the green mare’s antics. It was hard to tell if Lyra’s behavior was performative or serious, but ponies could always count on her to elevate the mood.
“Anyways,” Bon Bon said, “We’re taking a break from the games so Lyra can do that cloud diving thing Starlight mentioned earlier. We thought it would be a good idea to let you know where we are going.”
“Don’t think you’re not invited though,” said Lyra, “I’m sure it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
“What she means is that she’s gonna want somepony to talk to in line,” Bon Bon added, receiving a playful nudge from the unicorn in response.
“Sure, we can come along,” said Trixie, needing a distraction from the previous conversation.
“Yeah, but I probably won’t get on the ride myself.” said Coco, happy to come along since they were having such a good time together.
The quartet of ponies took a look at their map and headed to the spot where the attraction was located, with each being surprised upon arrival to find that the line for it was non-existent. For a moment Lyra was worried that it had been shut down, but the gates around the elevated platform that made up the attraction was open, and there were a few pegasi atop it that looked to be attendants.
“It looks open to me,” Bon Bon said, “I guess that this isn’t the kind of thing a lot of the guests want to do today.”
“I don’t blame them.” Trixie said, as jumping off a large structure into a hole in the cloud floor with only a bungee cord keeping her from plummeting to the ground below did not sound like fun to her.
“I say go check,” Bon Bon said, “The worst they can do is tell you it’s closed.”
“Not gonna jump off with me?” Lyra asked, already making their way to the gate.
“No thanks. I like my hooves to be on something solid.” Bon Bon replied, getting a teasing sticking out of her marefriend’s tongue for showing a bit of cowardice. Bon Bon shook her head in return, “That mare is certainly something else.”
“She’s a lot braver than me.” Coco said, watching from a safe distance as the green mare hastily made her way up the platform’s steps
“Me too.” Trixie said, seeing Lyra give no hesitation to allowing the pegasi to place a harness around her chest. The idea of jumping into open air was frightening in itself, but having two guys surround her and place an object made of tightly fitting straps was too close to some other activities that the unicorn had been forced into. “I could never do anything as dangerous as that.”
“Really?” Coco said, Trixie’s comments of her bravery surprising the cream colored mare, “But you took down a rapist with your own hands. You’re probably one of the bravest ponies here.”
Trixie didn’t respond much to Coco’s declaration of her bravery. While it was true, that she single handedly took down an attacker, it wasn’t because she was some stalwart hero. Having had time to reflect on the attack, finding it hard not to replay what took place over and over in her head as the days went by, the positive of taking down the stallion was overshadowed by what else had taken place. She had tried to run at first, willing to leave Lyra alone with a rapist if needed, and once caught Trixie had all but forgotten about the other unicorn until she was safe. These were not the acts of a brave pony in her mind, yet others like Coco had likewise made the mistake that her desperate retaliation was a more courageous deed.
“I think Trixie has an idea of how brave she is,” Bon Bon said, able to discern that Trixie was not very receptive to this praise, “But it’s also important to understand that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. A pony doesn’t have to exemplify the concept of bravery to help somepony else.”
Bon Bon might have spoken those words to Coco, but they were certainly intended for Trixie. Having seen how she reacted in a practice fight, flinching when an opponent so much as readied an attack, it was easy to tell that Trixie was somewhat cowardly. That didn’t take away from the fact that she had saved Lyra from the stallion that raped her, and coward or no, Bon Bon was grateful for that.
“I guess you got a point, but it’s really neat that I know ponies who can take down a follower of the caribou. As much as I’d like to, I don’t think that I’d ever be able to defend myself if that happened to me, since I’m so small compared to other ponies.”
“You’re a bit tiny,” Bon Bon agreed, “But earth ponies can show impressive strength when trained properly. Even a mare as small as you should be able to clock your standard mugger.”
“What I’d really like to do is teach those two sales ponies that used me a lesson.” Coco said, flexing her unimpressive arm muscle, “They deserve a good punch in the nose for what they did.”
“Are you sure they were in control of their own actions?” Trixie asked, which was a legitimate question.
“Absolutely,” Coco replied, “They were marked as part of the caribou’s conspirators and already went through a trial to determine their guilt. I was one of the key witnesses, so I was told that they were found guilty, but got away with a lighter sentence since they were willing to cooperate with the Committee to identify other traitor stallions.”
“That’s a shame.” Bon Bon said, knowing enough about Equestria’s legal system to know these things did happen, and while it might turn out for the best in the long run, as their testimony against their fellow conspirators would lead to more accurate arrests, those they victimized would not appreciate this benefit at the expense of their personal right to justice.
“I wish they’d gotten what they really deserved,” Coco said, reflecting that frame of thought, “None of the stallions who weren’t brainwashed should get anything short of a trip to Tartarus.”
“Yeah,” Trixie agreed, “To think that one day ponies like that might walk among those they raped, that’s disgusting.”
“Okay,” Bon Bon said, having to be the voice of reason in this conversation, “While I agree with you both, I think we are losing track of why we’re here today. We need to stop thinking about all this bad stuff, and enjoy ourselves.”
“You’re right,” Coco said, putting her cheerful look back on, “Sorry I let myself fall into thinking about all those two. The important thing is that even if they are eventually released, they will never be able to live down what they did. So let’s accept that for now, and get back to having fun. It looks like Lyra’s ready to do her jump.”
The green unicorn was making her way to the jumping point, completely strapped into her harness with a helmet on her head for added safety, taking a quick peek to look over the edge once she got there. From the look of her recoil as she saw how far down the ground was, Lyra appeared to be having second thoughts, until she suddenly jolted off the platform and fell beneath the cloudline with a cry of “WAHOOO!”. While the other three mares were not participating, watching Lyra vanish from there sight into the open sky beneath them was enough to give them a surge of excitement, with all three of them running up to the safety rail around the attraction to get as good a look as they could of Lyra as she plummeted, and was caught by the elastic cord attached to her.
The unicorn made a few bounces once she reached the full length of her cord, dangling safely several dozen miles above the earth below. Once the attendants thought she had come to a complete stop, they flew down to pick her up and bring her back up to the platform, then removed all the safety items and directed her back down the stairs. Lyra looked ecstatic over her dive, grinning widely as she returned to her friends, and asking upon reaching the three of them, “So, anypony else wanna give it a shot?”
The trio were not any more convinced to take the plunge as they were before, and thus unanimously said a version of “I’ll pass”. Lyra’s grin only got bigger with their reply, as she saw this as an accomplishment over the rest of her small group, being the only one who dared to try the ride.
“Then I guess I’ll be the only one to know how fun that was,” she mocked, walking over to Bon Bon, before her legs collapsed at the knee, and she fell to the floor. Each mare was surprised and concerned, but Lyra only laughed as her legs trembled uncontrollably. “But before we go do something else, can we sit down somewhere so I can catch my breath?”
Bon bon rolled her eyes, bending over to pick her marefriend up, “Come on, hero, let’s get you to a seat.”
Lyra, who refused to admit that the jump left her a bit shaken, nuzzled her lover’s face, giving a “Thank you” as she was carried off to the closes open rest spot Bon Bon could find, Trixie and Coco both snickering as they followed along, as the green unicorn was fooling no one.
“That was very enjoyable.” Celestia said, walking out of the spa with Sunset at her side, both mares both fully dressed, with the alicorn having made sure to put on the black neckerchief to adhere to Sunset’s request.
It took over an hour, but the two mares had gone through every service the facility had to offer. With clean manes and fur, thoroughly massaged muscles, trimmed and polished fingernails and hooves, and a relaxing soak, the two looked refreshed and stunning.
“Yeah, now that it’s done, I can’t complain much about the results.” Sunset said, as she couldn’t deny that she looked beautiful. She felt like she was glowing, giving credence to Celestia’s claim that looking good helped one feel good.
“So what shall we do now?” Celestia asked, wanting not only to experience more of the festivities, but hoping to simply enjoy more time with Sunset, since the spa went so well.
“Unfortunately, I need to meet up with some of the other leaders of the group.” Sunset explained, “After how long we spent in there, I’m probably late for our scheduled rendezvous, but the meeting won’t start until I get there anyways.”
“I hope they don’t think I had kidnapped you.” Celestia said, only partially kidding. Equestria knew what the extent of atrocities the ponies here believed the former princess was capable of.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that.” Sunset said, “I have a way of letting my assistant know if I’m in trouble.”
“Really? And how do you do that?” Celestia asked, genuinely curious, as there was one magical way she could think of that could do that, but it required a magically enchanted dragon.
“That’s my secret,” Sunset replied, “I can’t let just anypony know how we communicate, even if the one asking is my old mentor.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” Celestia said in response, as she wasn’t in any way entitled to that information, though she did wish Sunset had trusted her enough to let her be privy, and possibly act as a back up contact if for some reason both her and the pink unicorn had something bad happen to them at the same time. “So about this assistant of yours. If I recall right, her name is Starlight Glimmer, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Sunset answered, “I’m surprised you remembered it.”
“She was always around you when you were part of the Committee. At least, that was how it was after you found her,” Celestia said, as she contemplated the nature of the two mare’s relationship, “Have you been treating her well?”
“Is there a reason for you to think I wouldn’t?” Sunset asked, beginning her walk towards the meeting area.
“No,” Celestia replied, “I’m just curious how the two of you have been together, and if you’ve been doing everything to help her with her condition.”
“How thoughtful of you,” Sunset said, “Or maybe inquisitive is the better description.”
“I’m sorry if it’s coming off like I’m not trusting you with her,” Celestia apologized, as her question on how Sunset had been treating Starlight might have been taken as an accusation, “But ponies with her condition need to be treated with care.”
“Starlight isn’t like the others,” said Sunset confidently, “As my assistant and partner, she has shown the ability to do more than any other mare I’ve seen like her, capable of accomplishing a multitude of tasks on her own.”
“Well, I suppose that is a good thing,” Celestia said, “But I hate to reduce a mare like her to merely what she can do on her own.”
“I agree, but at the moment that might be all we can hope for,” Sunset replied, “But we can talk more on that later, with her if that helps ease your mind. For now, we’re approaching the meeting place.”
The two were heading towards a large, out of commission carousel swing ride, where several ponies could be seen waiting inside. While it was in a location not too far away from other attractions, no pony would be at an inactive attraction if they didn’t have a reason to be there, so Sunset thought it was a good, out of the way place to discuss matters with the other leaders of the support group.
As they passed through the gate surrounding the ride, Celestia got a better look of those in attendance. She saw that Starlight was among those who would be joining in on whatever was to be discussed, along with a good number of other mares, with no stallions in sight. While this wasn’t how Celestia had done things with her own attempt to create a group of leaders in Equestria, this did not seem strange to her, as she assumed Sunset was prioritizing mares into more prominent roles, in order to help to boost their self esteem. However, there was something subtly off with those she had selected to be the ones in charge of her individual chapters, giving Celestia an uncanny valley vibe that she couldn’t yet pinpoint the source of.
Celestia watched as one of the mares informed something to Starlight, who then turned to greet the two late arrivals, welcoming them both with a bright smile that was indicative of blanked ponies. “Sunset, glad to see you could make it after all. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve already started with the less important details you wanted to go over.”
“That’s fine, Starlight,” Sunset replied, “And sorry if I had you all worried. Me and my guest were doing something that took a little more time than I thought.”
“I wasn’t worried,” said Starlight, “But I did as you said I should in these situations and checked my paper frequently to make sure you were ok.”
“Sunset,” one of the other mares said, rushing up to the orange mare. It was a blue unicorn by the name of Minuette, another mare Celestia recognized as a former student of her school for gifted unicorns, but in more recent times as the leader of the Canterlot division of Sunset’s support group, “I’m sorry to bother you, but something has come up and I need your opinion on how to take care of it.”
“Something here?” Sunset asked, hoping that nothing had happened that would cause a disturbance in her event.
“No, back in Canterlot,” Minuette said, pulling out a folded up flier from her dress.
Sunset took the paper, opening it up to see what it had to say. “It’s an announcement from the Committee, I see. What do they have planned this time?”
“I know what it is,” Celestia said as she looked over Sunset’s shoulder, being mostly in the know about all decisions the Committee made, despite technically not being part of it, “The Committee is planning on taking the caribou does on escorted walks through the city so they can learn the layout. It was something we did in the castle, and most have shown the ability to remember paths to certain areas when shown how to get around.”
“So you are finally letting the cows out of their pen,” Sunset said, shaking her head, “You do know this is going to cause stress and discomfort among the citizens of Canterlot when you do, right?”
“It wasn’t my decision,” Celestia replied, since Sunset was making it sound that way, “But I do agree with the Committee that we will eventually have to integrate the caribou does into our kingdom. We can’t keep them locked up forever.”
“I know you see the co-... Ahem, I mean does as victims and not accomplices to the stags,” Sunset replied, “But not everypony feels the same. This kind of move is only going to make ponies angry.”
“It’s gonna start at the beginning of next week,” Minuette said, “Should I prepare a picket line to protest the cows and prevent them from leaving the castle?”
“I don’t think it will be worth the effort,” Sunset said, “They will have an escort of royal guards with them, and the Committee are making it clear that public outrage isn’t enough to stop them.”
“So what do we do?” Minuette asked.
“For now, make sure everypony in your group knows what’s going on, and tell them to not interfere. If something comes of it, it shouldn’t be from us. We don’t want to be known for causing riots in Canterlot.”
“Ok… But I don’t think anypony is gonna like this.” Minuette replied.
“Unfortunately we have to do things we don’t like sometimes,” said Sunset Shimmer, “Just do your best to keep the peace among our members until I can sort some things out.”
“Excuse me, Miss Shimmer,” said another mare, holding some papers in her hands, “Sugar Belle, from the Rainbow Falls chapter. I have some inventory reports that you might want to look over, and I’ve circled some spots that need your attention.”
Sunset took the papers, skimming through all the details to get to whatever it was that the mare thought was important for her to look at. “Ah, I see. Having all the chapters pitch in for this event has left your group home drained of food. I think I can fix this, but it will take a while to re-allocate some of the resources your way. Till then, try to stretch out what you have left between the pegasi you’re looking after.” Sunset made her way between the two mares who had came to her for advice, and handed off the papers to Starlight, “When we get back home, see how much of our pantry we can funnel off to Sugar Belle’s shelter, and if we can’t balance it out between us, we can then ask other chapters to pitch in. I’m sure no one here is in objection.”
The other mares shook their heads, willing to follow Sunset’s orders at the moment they were given.
“Good,” said Sunset, “Then with that out of the way, let’s hear everypony’s status reports on their chapters. Let’s start with what’s going on at Sire’s Hollow, if you would Stellar Flare.”
A mare with orange fur a much deeper shade than Sunset’s stepped out from the group, carrying an easel along with her. Once she found a good spot to place it, she pulled out a large piece of rolled up parchment from a purse at her side, stretching it out to reveal a map of Sire’s Hollow itself.
“Thank you, Miss Shimmer.” Stellar said cordially, excited that she was getting the opportunity to show off her project, “Ever since you’ve requested my help in making Sire’s Hollow a safe and welcoming place for mares all across Equestria, I’ve been working on figuring out exactly what changes would be needed to be made to accomplish that goal. As you can see, I’m thinking of having some of the older landmarks knocked down in order to have new homes, food pantries, and donation centers built in their stead. That way any displaced mares in need can come and get what they require in order to return to a normal life.”
The mares of Sunset’s group looked over Stellar’s plans, giving their oohs and ahs over her ideas to change the town to be more accommodating towards mares in need. Not every pony present was pulled in by these changes though, as a certain alicorn knew a little bit more than the rest about how Sire’s Hollow operated.
“Excuse me,” Celestia said, “But have you passed any of this by Firelight?”
A few of the mares weren’t too pleased by what they saw as an unsolicited interruption, with Stellar Flare being the most visible expressive about her ire from the question. However, Sunset Shimmer was actually curious as to what Celestia was talking about, as she hadn’t heard of this pony before.
“Who’s that?” Sunset asked, turning to Celestia, only to have Stellar’s hand grab her by the shoulder and turn Sunset back towards her.
“He’s nopony,” Stellar said, “At least nopony we need to worry about.”
“Nopony?” Celestia replied, “He’s the stallion who’s been spearheading the restoration efforts of Sire’s Hollow.”
Stellar scoffed, then replied by saying, “Yes, he snatched up that position as soon as possible because he is adamant in having everything rebuilt exactly the same as it was before the caribou arrived.”
“Is there a problem with that?” Celestia asked, not seeing the issue.
“Yes,” Stellar answered, “We can’t rely on how things used to be in order to fix everything that’s happened to us. We need new, innovative means to make sure that every mare gets the help they need, and to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Relying on the old…” the mare paused for a second, shifting her eyes away from the princess that was staring right at her, “‘Traditions’ is part of the reason we were taken over in the first place, and while the destruction the caribou caused is a tragedy, it’s also a perfect opportunity to build something better over the rubble. Clearly this is the way we should be heading, but that’s something that Firelight doesn’t understand.”
“Whoever this stallion is, it really does sound like he’s stuck in the past,” Starlight said, “It’s a good thing we have a pony like you taking care of the situation, Miss Flare.”
Celestia suddenly found herself in shock, stunned by what she had heard. There had been many points that day that somepony had made some remark questioning how she led things, things that the alicorn had let slide because she didn’t want to excuse her actions during the Fall, but something had been said that the former matriarch couldn’t let go by unaddressed.
“Sunset, could I perhaps talk to you in private?” Celestia said cautiously, still not wanting to cause a scene.
“If you have a problem with my plans to renovate Sire’s Hollow, you can say it here.” Stellar said, assuming that Celestia was trying to use Sunset to go over her authority when it came to the town.
“It’s not that.” Celestia said, her issues going beyond Stellar’s changes for the city, “It’s something more personal.”
Sunset couldn’t ignore Celestia’s sudden concern, not when she was the one who was supposed to keep the alicorn in check. “That’s enough Stellar. If Celestia wants to speak with me in private, it’s not a problem. I’ve seen enough of your plans to give it the go ahead. If you have anymore to share, Starlight can relay it to me later. Twinkleshine, Clear Sky, I’ll make sure to give you my undivided attention when I get back.”
Having dictated what she wanted done, Sunset grabbed Celestia by the arm and led her back outside of the gate surrounding the meeting area. “Look, I don’t think she meant to strictly criticize your leadership. Even if she was, I think we all have to admit that Equestria on the whole wasn’t prepared for that kind of attack.”
“That’s not what I want to talk about,” Celestia said, “I’m accepting that I have no say in what others think of me, and that nothing I say or do today will change that.”
“Then what’s wrong?” Sunset asked, really not getting what was so important that Celestia needed to speak with her privately.
“Haven’t you taken your assistant to see her father yet?” Celestia said, knowing that Starlight Glimmer and the aforementioned Firelight were related, “When I released her into your care, you promised that you were going to take care of her, and I don’t think keeping her from her family is helping her condition.”
“Is that what this is about?” Sunset Shimmer replied, “It’s not that I’ve been keeping her away. It was just something that slipped my mind. I’ve been so busy keeping this support group together that I can hardly think of anything else. If it will make you feel better, I’ll take her to see him at my first opportunity, which should be after tonight.”
Hearing this, Celestia calmed herself down. “I’m sorry. I know that you’ve been as busy as anypony else in Equestria, and I’m sure you’ve been taking care of her in every other regard. It just made me concerned because she’s-”
“A re-blank,” Sunset said, knowing where Celestia’s worries lay, “She might have had her memories and personality erased by the caribou, but that wouldn’t make me treat her any differently than I would any other mare.”
Celestia didn’t follow up Sunset’s interruption, as she didn’t have to. Sunset had stated the very reason Celestia had questioned the two unicorn’s relationship, addressing a detail about the pink mare that might have flown under the radar for those who didn’t know about it. Starlight had apparently been the co-leader of Sunset’s rebellion efforts during the Fall, but some time near the end Starlight fell into the hands of the caribou. As a rebel who had managed to defeat and embarrass the tyrant deer on multiple occasions, the only thing that awaited her was torment that only ended when she was placed into the Blanking Device, destroying both her memories and her personality, before she was remade into something more acceptable to the caribou’s ideology.
Once the aftermath of Dainn’s regime crumbling had run its course, and things were being brought back to order, Sunset made it a priority to locate her colleague, similar to so many other ponies who sought out friends and loved ones once it was safe to do so. Upon finding Starlight in the conditions she was in, Sunset Shimmer volunteered to be the one to take care of her once the caribou’s programming was overwritten.
From that point on, it seemed like Starlight never left Sunset’s side, with the orange unicorn training her to function in normal society, if still unable to remember anything from her pre-Fall life, like all other mares who had gone through the blanking process. The only apprehension Celestia’s had with this arrangement was that as part of the rehabilitation effort was having Starlight act as her personal secretary, which looked to be an ongoing thing after Sunset left the Committee.
“I do want to remind you that what I do isn’t some sort of exploitation,” said Sunset, “Starlight enjoys her part in aiding Equestria’s restoration, and is far from the thoughtless creature her blanking sessions left her as.”
“I’m a little worried about how many of those thoughts are truly her own,” Celestia said, not in an accusatory manner, but from a position of speculation of how other re-blanks have faired regaining any semblance of their will, “She may just be acting how she assumes you expect her to.”
“If that is the case, then maybe that’s the best we can hope for,” said Sunset, “Until we can figure out how to reverse the effects of blanking, if that’s even possible, those who have undergone the process need to find a way to rejoin the rest of ponykind. Unless you’d rather we put them all in a room and have them stare vacantly at a wall all day.”
“No, of course not.” Celestia said, knowing that Sunset was not being hyperbolic. If left to their own devices, a blanked pony would be content in such meaningless activity for an indefinite amount of time, having absolutely no goals or aspirations of their own.
“Hopefully your ponies in Canterlot can figure out how to use the Blanking Device to restore the minds of blanks soon,” said Sunset, “But until that day, teaching them to at least act like normal ponies is gonna have to be the next best thing we can do for them.”
Celestia had to remain silent, as she knew that the Blanking Device was no longer in Canterlot, nor was it even in the possession of the Committee of Ponies at this point. Sunset, not being privy to its theft, would have no idea that they lost the only thing they believed could eventually restore the blanked ponies. Seeing how much Sunset didn’t agree with the Committee’s leadership already, it would not be a good idea to let slip even the slightest bit of information that could be used against them.
“Trust me when I say that helping Starlight recall herself has been an important goal of mine, and it’s going along pretty good so far.”
The alicorn couldn’t refute that from appearance alone, Starlight seemed to be fine in her current state. Far more than any other re-blank, as even as Celestia and Sunset discussed the matter, Starlight was talking with the other mares, and taking initiative on giving critics and coming up with fixes for problems. It was difficult to scrutinize Sunset’s rehabilitation of the mare, when outwardly the pink unicorn looked like she was doing so well.
“Look,” Sunset said, being frank with her tone, “I’m having second thoughts on letting you sit in on this meeting. Not that I think you’ll cause problems, but I think we can both agree that it’s not a good idea for you to hear how we are planning to go against the acting government, even if the way we do it is legal and peaceful.”
“Perhaps you’re right about that,” Celestia said, though she couldn’t help but feel like this was a punishment for her demanding Sunset address the issue of Starlight.
If that was the case, Celestia had to abide by it, as she didn’t wish to undermine Sunset’s authority. It was doubtful it would get anything more than ire from the unicorn’s colleagues even if she tried, seeing as Celestia didn’t really have any authority herself anymore.
“Let’s look at the bright side of this,” Sunset said, “This will also keep you from letting slip some info you shouldn’t be sharing with us either. So hang out at the gate, and I promise that this will not take long. After that, we’ll have the rest of the day to do something fun, all the way up to the main event tonight.”
Celestia didn’t say a word, only replying with a soft smile, which Sunset took as acceptance of her instructions. Watching the unicorn return to the other mares, Celestia could only watch from a distance as they talked about matters that would surely shape events further down the line, for better or worse. She could only hope that Sunset acknowledged her want for all of Equestria to work together, and the good will she was putting forth by giving the orange mare as much trust as she had.
As the day winded down, and the sun started to slip beneath Las Pegasus’ cloudline, everypony who had been a part of the activities had gotten more than their fill of them. Of the guests, there were next to none left unsatisfied by the entertainment provided, and those helping provide it had a sense of fulfillment they didn’t expect from what was basically a full day of unpaid work. For once in a long time, a large amount of ponies in Equestria could say they were happy, with some already hoping this could be some new Equestrian holiday they could partake in once a year.
One of the happiest participants of the festivities was Lyra Heartstrings, who had gotten more out of them than most. To the dismay of a few of those accompanying her, she had found a way to do practically everything she could have during the little time they had to do so, hardly stopping to take a rest while Coco, Bon Bon, and Trixie tagged along. As with the cloud jumping, there were points where they opted to sit at the side lines, when they didn’t have the same endless energy she did, or when they were uninterested in whatever had caught the green unicorn’s attention.
By the end of the day, Lyra was still merrily making her way through the resort hotel, carrying a pair of bags with her as she skipped along the floor, a small group following along right behind her, composed of her three mare companions, plus a cute stallion taking up the rear.
“Are you doing ok back there, Pistachio?” Lyra called back to the earth pony, who was holding several bags worth of trinkets, all prizes obtained from the ticket exchange booth after the other three mares generously gave the green mare every ticket they earned as well.
“Yeah, I’m doing great.” Pistachio said with a smile, a few beads of sweat dripping off his face, his earth pony physique not being enough to compensate for the sheer amount of things Lyra had gotten.
Of course, the young stallion was only glad he could be of use to his soon to be guardians, and even happier that Lyra had kept her promise to pull him away from his duties. As much as he liked being a volunteer, the day was turning into tedium in the later hours. When Lyra found him, and tried to pull him away to have some fun, another stallion acting as his supervisor came over to remind him that he needed to be serving the guests. Lyra tried to insist that she was Pistachio’s guardian, only to have the supervisor reaffirm that the earth stallion had to be helping a guest until it was time for the evening events.
That’s when the unicorn got an idea, asked the other mares for their tickets, and came back with as many cheap, but weighty, things she could get for what she had, explaining that she was going to need help carrying them around, and would need a strong, earth pony stallion to do it for her. Seeing the lengths the mare was willing to go through, the supervisor relented, and released Pistachio on the condition that he actually carried the things Lyra had went out of her way to acquire. Once out of site, Lyra helped lighten the load a bit, but pistachio insisted that he did most of the heavy lifting.
“You know, I probably could carry half those bags myself,” Bon Bon said, being modest as she could hold all the bags with hardly any effort if she wanted, being both older and better trained than the stallion who was barely out of his coltish years.
“No, no, I got this,” Pistachio said, trying hard to hide how much he was struggling.
“Actually… Maybe we could find a place to sit for a second. My hooves are starting to hurt.” Coco said, seeing and appreciating the hard work Pistachio was doing for the sake of a mare.
“Good idea,” Bon Bon said, taking the hint.
“But we’re almost out of time, and I wanted to check out the swimming pool,” said Lyra, being a little more oblivious, though keeping a watchful eye on the clock as things came to a close.
“Lyra, we can go swimming any time, but for now I really think it’s time we called it quits.” Bon Bon said, “You pretty much did everything else on your list. Even dragged us into a Feather Bangs concert.”
“Which you said you liked.” Lyra said playfully, knowing how resistant her marefriend had been going into it at first.
“The point is we are all tired, and could use a rest.” Bon Bon said, putting her hoof down on the matter.
Knowing that she had gotten her way far more than her fair share that day, Lyra gave in. “Okay, I’ll just have to imagine all the mares in bikinis while we relax.”
“You silly pony,” Bon Bon replied as she ruffled her marefriend’s hair, not at all angry at Lyra’s comments as the unicorn had proven several times over that she was faithful to their relationship, “Come on, let’s park our butts down over there.”
The five pony group claimed an empty bench for themselves, happy to wait out the rest of the time before the final ceremony. It wouldn’t be long now before the day ended, and they would all return to the routines they were more accustomed to. Though perhaps that was more true for Trixie and Coco, since Bon Bon, Lyra, and Pistachio would be living together from this day forward.
“So about this guardianship thing,” Trixie said, finding a need to talk about something after a few minutes passed, “What exactly are you two supposed to do with Pistachio?”
“Oh, that’s a good question!” Coco exclaimed, not really knowing the details herself.
“From what I got when Sunset sat us down to talk about it, it sounds like one of those big sister programs.” Lyra said, “Which is kinda weird for a full grown pony.”
“It’s a little more than that,” Bon Bon corrected, having paid more attention during the discussion, “As his guardians, we are supposed to keep him from doing anything troublesome, while also acting as a form of rehabilitative therapy. It will be up to me and Lyra to minimize the amount of bad thoughts that go through his head, and making sure he never acts on urges he’ll have around mares.”
“Do you really have those kinds of feelings towards mares?” Trixie asked, finding it hard to see Pistachio as the kind of rapist she had endured in the past, though he most certainly would have been one during the Fall.
“Occasionally,” Pistachio answered, “It’s not that I want to though. Thinking about sex makes me remember what I did while being controlled by the caribou, and I hate that, but my body still reacts if I see a mare in a compromising position.”
“Well don’t you worry, sweetie,” Lyra said, suddenly thrusting herself upon the stallion as she gave him a powerful hug, “Me and Bon Bon are gonna make sure you stay as pure as an angel.”
Pistachio’s face quickly turned to red, a detail Lyra noticed about as much as the fact that her breasts were pressing up against him. The others couldn’t tell if this was intentional teasing from the green unicorn, or merely a display of obliviousness on her part, but the incredible, if adorable, displays of discomfort from the stallion as the mare snuggled into him was enough that Bon Bon had to step in, and separate the two.
“As part of our duty,” said the earth mare, using a small portion of her strength to break apart her lover and her ward, “We are to come up with activities to keep Pistachio’s mind preoccupied in other things, which can be anything we think will do the job. We were suggested things like household chores, but we were thinking that some self improvement activities like teaching him how to knit would be better after talking to him about how he likes fashion.”
“Really?” Coco said with some excitement, seeing that the two had a thing in common, “Then perhaps I could stop by some time and show him what I know about sewing.”
“Oh, that would be a great idea.” Lyra said, “Especially since one of our other ideas is to surround Pistachio with good influences.”
“Not to be pessimistic about this,” said Trixie, “But what’s to keep one of the wards from turning on their guardian. I don’t think Pistachio would, but these stallions will be living with mares, and it wouldn’t be hard for a bigger stallion to restrain a mare.”
“Why do you think Sunset asked me to do this?” Bon Bon said, “With my fighting knowledge, I’ll be able to defend myself if Pistachio was to try something. Lyra, while officially being part of this, is more my support. All other mares who have been allowed to become guardians have also shown that they are capable of defending themselves, through physical or magical means.”
“And Sunset Shimmer is taking some extra precautions on top of that,” Pistachio said, his face slowly reverting to it’s natural color, “To ensure that we stallions couldn’t rape another mare, even if we wanted to.”
“Extra precautions?” Bon Bon asked, “I hadn’t heard anything about these extra precautions.”
“I think Sunset Shimmer was going to explain them during tonight’s main event, when the stallions participating in the program are on stage,” Pistachio explained, “Don’t worry though, it’s not anything serious, and she made sure to ask if we were comfortable with it beforehand.”
“Well, I guess if you’re ok with it, then it can’t be that big a deal,” Lyra said, “Kinda curious about what it is though.”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Pistachio said, “Actually, probably sooner than you’d think, cause it’s getting close to the time.”
“Oh, you’re probably right.” Bon Bon said, judging on how dark the sky was getting outside of one of the skylight windows, “Let me check the map to see where we need to be heading, and we’ll make our way there.”
It took the group a little while longer to get their stuff together, especially for Pistachio as he fumbled to hold all the extra bags Lyra had for him, though Bon Bon took it upon herself to take on a few. At first the stallion tried to refuse the help, ignoring an initial insistence from the mare, and then having a few of the bags pulled from his hands by the much stronger pony. A little emasculated, but more so impressed at how easily Bon Bon took the items from him, and a bit grateful that he didn’t have to carry the entire load.
With that settled the five ponies made their way to the location of that day’s final event, finding out quickly that checking the map was not really needed, as most other ponies were making there way into that direction too. Little by little they trickled into a river of bodies, until the amount of ponies heading in a single direction was too much to go unnoticed, and others recognized what time it was. Soon a disorganized line that rivaled the one outside the resort earlier was formed, steadily flowing into a large room at the back of the building. With nothing preventing entrance to the room, the pace of the line was quick, and in no time at all Trixie and those accompanying her were making their way through the door.
The room was little more than a large space with a elevated stage at one wall, with what looked to be a couple hundred chairs set up in the lower section facing the stage. It was the kind of place a big business would rent out to host a conference, or somepony might use to run a seminar like the one Sunset was planning for that night. While there were a few attendees helping ponies to their seats, a majority were fine figuring out their own seating. Trixie and the others were about to do the same, when they were approached by Star Bright, who had been waiting for their arrival.
“Lyra! Bon Bon! Pistachio!” the unicorn stallion called out, getting all five ponies attention as he approached, “i was hoping to catch you all. You three need to come with me.”
“What for?” Bon Bon asked, though she had a good idea that this was about the ward program reveal that would be happening later.
“I needed to tell you that anypony that’s part of the ward program is to go backstage, so we can be instructed about what we’re going to do once Starlight calls us out.” Star Bright explained, confirming Bon Bon’s assumptions, “So if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you three where to go.”
“But what about us?” Trixie asked, referring to herself and Coco. She hadn’t even thought about the notion of splitting up from the group before now, having stayed with at least one pony of their party the entirety they had been at the resort.
“I guess we’ll have to watch from the audience,” said Coco, “Come on, we need to grab a pair of seats before there are only singles left.”
“Oh, well then good luck you all,” Trixie said to the ponies who would soon be in front of everyone, and made the center of attention. There was a time when she would have adored the notion of being in their place, but after the caribou delivered upon her more attention than she could ever ask for, the idea only terrified her, “I-I’ll make sure to clap for you when you’re on stage.”
With that, Trixie and Coco Pommel parted from the others, with Bon Bon, Lyra, and Pistachio being directed to the stage. Whatever happened once they got up there, she had a good idea that those three would do fine once they were together. Lyra was practically treating Pistachio like he was her son or younger brother, and Bon Bon was a perfect referee to keep the green unicorn from going too far. The only thing she was curious about when it came to the ward program was if anypony else she knew would be part of it. Even then, Trixie had little interest in this, as she didn’t believe anything that would happen now would affect her. To her, this last bit felt like ceremony, for the sole purpose of Sunset Shimmer reiterating things about the ward program and other activities of the group.
As each seat in the seminar room was being filled, no pony noticed the pitch black window on the back wall, elevated high above the floor. It led into a separate room, reserved for VIP guests to let them watch shows without having to interact with guests of lesser status, or for business ponies to observe the reactions of those below as a product was being advertised to them on stage. For this event, there was only one pony this room could have been reserved for, and with everypony else finding going to the conference room, that mare made her way there.
The door opened, and in entered Sunset Shimmer, followed in by Stellar Flare, with Celestia entering last. Ever since the meeting with the other chapter masters, It was difficult to get a moment when Celestia and Sunset were truly alone together. There was a point where the meeting ended, and all the others left, but now that they knew where to find Sunset, they repetitively returned to speak to the unicorn about something else, either an important detail they forgot, or something that was happening at the resort that they felt needed her attention.
Celestia was not a stranger to this kind of behavior, as it was commonplace for leaders to have those who worked under them clambering for their attention, but she seldom experienced it from the other side. It was an understandable burden of responsibility, that one had to delegate tasks to choose the right path for more than just themselves, and that took up a lot of time. In this case, it was so much time that Celestia and Sunset couldn’t start any new activities without Sunset being pulled away after more than a few minutes. It almost felt intentional, like an attempt to prevent the two mares from bonding, but Celestia wanted to believe that despite some prejudices the ponies of this group held against her, they were still acting only in the best interest of all the ponies involved.
“So we are authorizing work permits to any mare to open up shops for any goods and services they can provide.” Stellar Flare said, further explaining the details on her plans for Sire’s Hollow to Sunset, after what must have been an hour long period of on and off discussion about the subject, “And once all of that is set up, we will be using donations given to us by the stallions of the community to redistribute the town’s wealth back into the hands of mares, which will hopefully allow a re-establishment of our local commerce.”
“And have you secured the donations as of yet?” Sunset asked.
“We have gotten a bunch of pledges from stallions who are more than happy to help the cause,” Stellar answered, “With only a few greedy holdouts who attempted to disguise their greed under distrust for our organization’s goals. As you might have guessed, Firelight is among those few.”
“I’m sure what you have gotten will be suitable for your plans,” Sunset replied, “But I’ll have Starlight schedule some time for me to come and look at things myself in the coming weeks. Let’s table this for now, so I can focus on the closing ceremony.”
“As you wish,” Stellar said, satisfied that Sunset would be paying her town a visit, “If I might ask, can I watch the ceremony up here with you? Since I’m already here, that is.”
“Honestly,” Sunset said with a sigh, “I would prefer to be alone with Celestia for a while. My day has been so busy that we’ve hardly been able to speak, and it would have been a wasted trip for her if we couldn’t exchange ideas over what I’ve accomplished today.”
Stellar didn’t look too happy with that response, but she couldn’t argue with Sunset’s decision. Without another word, she gave a nod, and left the room, giving Celestia a light brush along the way. Waiting a few seconds once the door was closed, Sunset used her magic to turn the lock.
“There,” the unicorn said, “No more interruptions for tonight.”
“Your followers sure are dedicated.” Celestia said in humored tone.
“Yes, but being the one everypony looks to for decisions can be tiring,” Sunset replied, “I might have to make teaching them to be more independent a priority in the future.”
“That’s a task that’s easier than it sounds.” Celestia said, as even Twilight, her objectively greatest pupil, had a tendency to fall back on Celestia, though she was more than capable of fixing a situation by herself.
Actually, when it came to independence, it was always Sunset Shimmer who was the most proactive pony Celestia taught, and had she never been consumed with a desire for power, she might have been a superior successor to even Twilight, as much as Celestia didn’t want to compare her students in such a manner. It did make Celestia question if the caribou invasion could have been outright avoided had she been the bearer of the element of magic, as records of the invasion, supposedly given by Twilight’s red collar self, depicted her as unwilling to directly engage with the deer men once she witnessed Celestia defeated in combat.
With the issue of interruptions solved, Sunset took a seat on a large, comfy looking leather couch placed in the center of the room, and grabbed a bottle of cider from within a bucket filled with ice that sat on a table in front of it. “Come take a seat,” Sunset Shimmer said, “The final festivities are about to begin.
Celestia obliged with the request, sitting herself right next to her former pupil. “I really do appreciate you taking time out from your event to spend it with me.” said the alicorn, legitimately grateful.
“And I appreciate you reaching out to me,” Sunset said back, “And perhaps we can do as you suggested earlier, with me acting as an advisory role behind the scenes, with you as a medium. I’m sure the Committee will be more accepting of my ideas, so long as they don’t think its coming from me.”
Sunset opened the bottle of cider, and poured some of its contents out into a set of glasses supplied by the resort. She handed one to Celestia, while taking one for herself, and the two drank as they sat back and waited for things to begin. Celestia seemed content for now, but unlike her, Sunset knew what was to come, and had a good belief that the alicorn might not stay comfortable once the ceremony got into full motion. She had to play it cool for now though, and hope that she could reason Celestia into seeing her side when that moment came.
Until that moment, Sunset would make everything seem normal, so that she could try to negate the tonal shift that it would bring. Success with Celestia depended on quelling her reservations on what she was about to see, and convincing her that it was needed to make Equestria a safe place for not only mares, but all ponies. It was a gamble, at best, but getting the backing of the former ruler of Equestria would be a huge boon towards her goals. While Celestia had stepped down from the role of princess, there were still plenty of ponies in positions of power who heeded her word as if she was still in charge, on the rare occasion she would offer her advice. From her time in the Committee, this included many of her former colleagues, especially Princess Luna. If she couldn’t persuade Celestia, it wouldn’t be so devastating that she’d have to stop her plans, but she couldn’t help but want to persuade the alicorn to her way of thinking, and to eventually convert her former mentor into yet another loyal follower of her cause.
If that ended up in failure, then she would have no issue accepting that, as it was never part of the original plan to begin with, but with how smoothly her plans had been going so far, there was little the alicorn could do to bring them to a halt. Not when those they most affected were eager to let her do as she will with them. The obedience of her ‘subjects’ was near immutable, and that was all she needed to see things come to completion. In a few minutes, the willingness to follow what she dictated to be right would be on full display, and that’s when Phase Two would begin.