//------------------------------//
// 25 - Night 
// Story: First Hoof Account 
// by TCC56 
//------------------------------//

"Sunset! How are you, my little firecracker?" Flim reached out to hug his daughter.

Her magic blocked him half a body length away. "What are you doing here, Dad. You know you were ordered to stay away." Sunset's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Or do you think you can just openly defy Princess Celestia at one of her own events?"

Flim dismissed her concern with a wave of his hoof. "Ah, but she only asked that I avoid contacting you! It cannot be helped, my dear, if you come to me! I was merely attending this party when you approached unprompted and interrupted my conversation with Baron Miller of Fen." Said Baron was now slowly backing away, as he could read the room and wasn't an idiot. "I couldn't be held responsible for your actions as you are - by Princess Celestia's own statements - an independent filly who is in control of your own destiny." He smiled his best shyster's smile, which confirmed to Sunset that he was up to something. (He was always up to something.)

"And you somehow got into one of the most exclusive parties for the nobility in a city you never operate in." Sunset glared at him, even though she knew it wouldn't affect him in the least.

Even before she finished the sentence, Flim had his ticket out. "I was fortunate enough to--" 

Sunset's magic overwhelmed his, snatching the ticket away. A quick visual scan didn't spot any of the usual signs of forgery, but it did spot one thing: the name. Her head whipped around and glared.

Blueblood - calmly standing off to the side - smiled angelically back.

"He's your plus-one?" Sunset's venom was not even slightly contained.

And it was met by a shrug. "I had a chance encounter with this gentlestallion and his brother earlier in the month. They had such wonderful ideas and opinions I simply had to bring them to Canterlot. Alas, I could only have one guest so his brother remains at my estate." At least that answered one critical question. "I had no idea he was your father, Miss Shimmer." The smile took on a sharper, toothier edge. "What a fascinating coincidence."

Which of course meant that he was totally aware and had brought Flim to the Gala on purpose. Sunset growled quietly - but she knew her target. Bluebood could wait. She had to get rid of her father first. 

Not that Blueblood was going to make it quite so easy. She turned away from him, and he moved in front of her - and between her and her father. "It occurs to me--" 

Sunset glared at Blueblood, hoping his head would explode. 

It did not. "--That as your father has been so distant for so long, he might not be aware of your current situation." He turned his head to Flim, smile smug and sadistically gleeful. "Dear sir, have you heard that your daughter is dating a Princess?"

Oh no. Sunset's blood ran cold.

Feigning surprise, Flim gasped. "She is? That's amazing! I always knew my little Sunset had a nose for success, but a Princess? Why, that's quite an accomplishment!" He beamed a proud but fake smile at his daughter. "But then you always did aim for the most lucrative target."

Magic gathered in Sunset's horn as she considered teleporting the both of them into the decorative fish pond outside. (It was frozen, but that only increased the temptation.) 

Blueblood wasn't done, however. Their conversation was obviously rehearsed and he wasn't about to miss his cue. "She's here at the Gala, you know."

"Where?" Flim stretched his long neck upwards, looking out over the crowd. 

"I believe I know." Blueblood motioned with his head. "Why don't I introduce you to her?"

The two turned to walk towards the tables, and Sunset's magic solidified into a glowing teal wall in front of them. "Absolutely not. Neither of you is going anywhere near Cadance."

Whispers rumbled around them as the nobility finally noticed the growing conflict.

Blueblood, however, was not so easily dissuaded. He likely had expected this, in fact. "You can't stop us," he smugly started.

"I could throw you both off the side of the mountain," Sunset countered.

"You could." Blueblood didn't dispute that. "But you couldn't do it without attracting attention."

Sunset scoffed. "Why should I care what they see?"

"Princess attention," Blueblood elaborated.

Sunset's ears went flat. 

He smiled. "No response to that, huh."

He had a point and she knew it. While Princess Celestia coming over would eventually work out in Sunset's favor, that guaranteed that Cadance would show up, too. And her marefriend meeting her father was the last thing Sunset wanted. The barrier she had conjured vanished in a wink, though her glare didn't relent. "If you take him over there, I won't have any reason to hold back anymore," she growled. 

Blueblood just scoffed at what he knew was an idle threat. "You know full well that any action you take against me will only hurt you in the end. I had no idea who he was before you showed up," he smoothly lied, "And I haven't done anything other than make innocent suggestions. The Princess would have your head. You approached me. You would be attacking me. And your father walked away more than a minute ago while you were pre-occupied with accusing me of wrongdoing."

And he was right. Sunset registered that Flim was, in fact, no longer in her field of vision and she couldn't remember him having left it. (Classic misdirection, and the brothers loved doing it. Keeping track of which one was where always frustrated onlookers.) Instant blind panic set in and Sunset teleported.

She had enough sense, at least, not to teleport across the room into the crowd. It would be far too easy to end up trying to occupy space with another pony and any wizard worth their salt could tell you that was problematic. She moved on instinct, but they were the instincts of Princess Celestia's personal student so her teleport was placed as close as possible to Cadance while ensuring she was entering a clear space. 

Sunset appeared in the air roughly a quarter inch above the table, crashing down with all four hooves a heartbeat later. Three landed clean; one planted directly in a cupcake. 

Surprise was the obvious reaction from the table when Sunset appeared, though each resident had a different way of expressing it. Cadance simply gawked, freezing in place. The three disguised Guards stiffened momentarily before recognizing Sunset. The donkey - who had never met the unicorn before - had a knife at the ready before the cupcake finished squishing. (It was a butter knife from the place setting, but the adventurer's instincts were certainly well honed.)

"Sunset!" Cadance's brief shock disappeared once she grasped just who had teleported onto the table. "What's going on? I was just talking with Mister Doodle--"

"Doesn't matter. We gotta go."

Cadance was visibly confused by the almost-order, but the fact that she got out of her seat showed how much she trusted Sunset's opinion. "Go? Sunset, what's happening? What's wrong?"

Before she could get her explanation, however, two of the guards went on the defensive again - this time to stop a lanky stallion from approaching the table. He stopped short and held his hooves up to show his compliance. "Gentlestallions, please! I mean no harm, I just want to introduce myself to my daughter's marefriend!"

"Daughter's?"

Sunset's eyes shrank to pinpricks as her worst case scenario happened. And now even if she teleported him into the sun there would be questions from Cadance.

Flim beamed over the shoulder of one of the guards. "Ah, and I see Sunset's already gotten here to make the introductions!" He waved. She glared back with barely restrained fury.

Cadance turned her head back to Sunset. "Is-- um, could you..." She waved a hoof at Sunset - who got the hint and stepped down off the table. "Thank you. Sunset, is this really your father?"

Before she could respond, Flim took a step closer (much to the annoyance of the guards.) "But of course! Can't you see the family resemblance?"

The donkey inserted himself into the conversation. "Excuse me, but the Princess and I were having a very important talk. I don't know who you are or who your supposed daughter is, but as far as I'm concerned you can wait your turn."

Cadance headed that off before Flim could open his mouth. "Mr. Doodle, I'm sorry but this is an issue I really have to handle immediately. I do want to hear more about this Matilda of yours, though, and I would love to help you. Just perhaps... tomorrow?" She smiled awkwardly, not yet possessing the suave grace of Celestia. Still, it was enough and the donkey nodded. So Cadance turned back to Sunset. "Is he?"

The few seconds of distraction had been enough for Sunset to wrap her mind around the problem - at least enough to realize that denying the truth wouldn't do her any more good. The situation was out there, questions would be asked, and ponies would talk. So she reluctantly nodded. "Yeah. He's my dad."

That was enough confirmation for Cadance. She turned to the table's other occupant. "I'm sorry, Mr. Doodle, but this is going to take a little while. If you wouldn't mind giving us some space?" Her tone was even and placating - a diplomat's voice, showing off Princess Celestia's tutoring. The donkey grumbled but nodded - and stepped away with one of the guards towards the bar. A nod from Cadance had the other two guards back off, allowing Flim to pass closer and sit in the now vacant chair. And Sunset, in turn, finally lowered her guard enough to sit beside Cadance - and opposite her father. 

Awkward silence loomed over them for several seconds before Cadance smiled her best smile. "So, Sunset's father?"

He beamed back. "Name's Flim! Bit too early to call me Dad, I'd say." He winked and made a nudging motion with his elbow. 

Sunset cut in. "Are you Flim, though?" She turned to Cadance, heading off the obvious next question. "His brother's name is Flam. They're twins and swap which one is which occasionally." Her gaze twisted back to her father. "They're still not sure which one of them's my biological father." 

Flim's smile only wavered a little. "Ah, but does it matter? We raised you together - your two dads! Just the three of us on the road to adventure!"

"The road to Tartarus, you mean," Sunset snarked. Her father glared at her - and she didn't spare him a glance as she addressed Cadance. "Look, there's no point in talking to him. There's a reason I threw both of them out of my life. They're garbage."

Flim faked a gasp. "Sunset, please! To think my own daughter would say such things! You know full well that my brother and I are merely entrepreneurs, making our way by selling our wares throughout Equestria!"

Cadance finally got a word in edgewise. "Oh? What kind of wares?"

Happily, Flim launched into his pitch. "Why, we--"

And was instantly cut off at the knees by Sunset yanking away the bandage. "They're con-ponies." 

A beat of silence. Flim tried to recover. "What she means is--"

"They scam ponies out of their bits using fake products, lies, and the occasional musical number." Sunset's voice stayed flat and dead as she dropped the hammer.

Father and daughter locked eyes across the table - one challenging, the other furious. Cadance - caught in the middle - had her smile waver slightly as she tried to bring things back to an even keel. "Well, what about Sunset's mother? She's never mentioned her either."

Flim tried to wrest control once again. "Ah, of course! I'm sad to say she never knew her mother, but rest assured she was a beauty beyond compare!" His eyes flicked away from the Princess to the unicorn, who in return watched like a hawk. "I was entranced by her from the moment we first met. And what could a poor, lovestruck fool such as myself do but seek to woo her?" He sighed wistfully, looking skywards with a beatific smile. 

And then Sunset ruined it by revealing the truth. "She was in the first town they swindled." She ignored as her father glared balefire. "The two of them conned her just like they conned everypony else. The next morning they ran away with a sack full of bits and left me behind. Not that they knew I existed yet." 

"We--"

Sunset cut him off. "Not until a year later when my mother tracked them down, dumped me in their laps, and disappeared again." She turned to Cadance, voice dripping with hurt and savage fury. "They won't even tell me what the name of the town was, would you believe that? So I can't track her down."

A spark caught, and Flim lurched forward in a half-lunge towards Sunset. "It was for your own protection!"

But the daughter's anger burned brighter, catching in the same instant. "It was because I was too useful!"

"She chose to abandon you!" His hoof slammed against a plate.

"You only kept me as a tool for your schemes!" She slammed hers down as well. 

"You're family! That was more important!" Flim was on his hooves now, leaning across the table.

"Yeah right! Just your usual empty platitudes, trying to keep me underhoof." Sunset sneered. "I'm glad I betrayed you."

Silence. 

Flim wobbled. "What?"

"I'm the one that snitched to the Guard," Sunset hissed with joyful anger. "I told Princess Celestia about your last heist, and that's why the Guard caught you before you could get to the Royal Vaults."

Another wobble, and Flim slumped back into his chair. "But you're the one who told us how to get in." 

An evil smile overwhelmed Sunset's face. "Yeah. And that's the only reason that Princess Celestia told you to leave Canterlot instead of throwing you in prison."

The stallion's voice was weak now, in a way that brought joy to Sunset's face. "But we're family," he croaked.

Sunset struck the finishing blow. "Everything after we arrived in Canterlot was mine. I'm the one that worked to pass the entrance exam. I'm the one who got Princess Celestia's attention. I'm the one who fought and stampeded to get ahead and make something out of my life while you rode my tail. I outgrew you, Dad. I made my own destiny, and I made sure you weren't part of it."

He blanched, and Sunset relished her victory. But that also let the flames pull back from her face and see beyond the two of them. Cadance was locked in a state of shock: mouth slightly open and body frozen as her diplomatic lessons failed and everything exploded in front of her. There was a crowd, too - Sunset's shouting had bludgeoned much of the Gala to silence and every pony with line of sight on her was staring. Most were watching the way one watches a train crash, albeit tinged with disdain for the disruption. One that differed was Blueblood, of course. He was watching with smug glee as Sunset and her father did exactly what he had wanted and aired their dirty laundry in front of both Canterlot's nobility and Cadance.

Sunset's rage refocused towards Blueblood's smirk.

Cadance opened her mouth to try and regain control. 

Flim recovered before either of them could act.

His shock passed enough for the stallion's spine to return, and his distraught disbelief transformed into anger. He rose like a rocket, chair toppling backwards. "I can't believe this! After everything we did to raise you - after your mother abandoned you!"

The anger pulled Sunset's attention back to him. "Shut up!" Her head swiveled to Cadance. "Now do you see why I threw them out of my life?"

"You don't get to decide that!" Flim stomped around the table, and the guards started to move in.

Sunset ignored him. "Next time when I don't want to talk about a subject, maybe you'll trust me." A little part of her regretted saying that even as she spit it at Cadance, but the rest of her was riding the cresting wave of her anger.

Flim grabbed Sunset's shoulder. "I'm talking to you, damn it!" 

A wing came down on Flim's withers very solidly, and the room went silent. The stallion twisted his head around to yell at who ever was touching him - and froze. 

"I think you should leave." Princess Celestia's voice was even. Too even. And every pony in the room knew it. Even Blueblood looked a bit ashen, likely realizing that things had gone a bit too far.

Even if the Princess didn't get the point across to Flim, the large number of guards (both in uniform and not) emerging from the crowd made the message clear. He tried to smile his best shyster's smile, only to be met by a complete lack of amusement or pity from the Princess. "I was just about to go," he uneasily but wisely said. "After I said goodbye to my daughter."

Sunset snorted. "I haven't been your daughter for a long time."

Flim's ears and voice went flat. "No. I suppose you aren't my daughter any more."

The guards escorted him out of the Gala. And while all eyes were on him, Sunset slipped away as well.





Cadance knocked on Sunset's door, but didn't wait for permission before coming in. Any response would have told her to go away (probably very rudely) so there was little point in waiting for a reply she would have ignored. 

The room was a far cry from the first time Cadance entered it months earlier. It had started with Sunset reluctantly adding a second chair to the room for their lessons - one that now sat beside the desk with a pleasant sage green cushion on the seat. Since then, many of the little unfriendly touches had gone away. The little enchantments to make it uncomfortable had faded - the magically dehydrating lack of humidity had evened out with the rest of the castle and the creepy illusory eyes of the paintings had returned to their natural still state. The itchy comforter to keep others off her bed had been replaced by a fluffy down one Cadance had gifted Sunset, and the hard-edged tables were now blunted by draped tablecloths. It did remain a dark room with the heavy blackout curtains that blocked both the sun and the nighttime lights of Canterlot, but otherwise the room had slowly transformed into something vaguely welcoming. 

Not that it was at the moment, even to Cadance. The lights were out save for the smoldering coals in the fireplace for warmth. Those embers barely lit anything but it was enough to see Sunset laid out on her bed, face buried in the pillow. Closing the door behind her, Cadance tried to pull her marefriend out of her darkness.

"Sunset?"

No response.

"Sunset, I'm sorry."

Still nothing.

"I should have listened to you. I just..." Cadance licked her nervously dry lips. "I was hoping to get a few cute stories about you as a filly or something. I wasn't going to press too much, but I wanted to learn more about where you came from."

That managed to pry a little bit out of Sunset. She answered without raising her head, voice thick with frustration. "Starting when I was five, my dads had me blend in with the crowd at their shows and pretend I was a local. If I did my job right as a plant, they'd give me a lollipop."

Cadance flinched. 

"Nopony expects the audience plant to be a foal," Sunset bitterly added.

The bed sank as Cadance slipped on it to lay beside Sunset. "I'm sorry. I knew your family was a sore spot, but I thought it was just..." She struggled to find a way to not make her next words sound demeaning. After a few moments, she gave up. "Just you being a teenager. Everypony has that time when you're angry at your parents, but they're still family."

Sunset groaned into the pillow before finally lifting her head. "No, I hate my dads because they're selfish monsters."

For just a moment, Cadance looked ready to dispute that - but she wisely pushed it down and didn't say anything.

So Sunset continued. "They've been out of my life since I was nine and I would've been fine with them staying out until I was fifty. Stupid Blueblood." Her head impacted with the pillow as her neck gave up trying. "Next time I'm just teleporting him off the side of the mountain and dealing with Princess Celestia being angry."

Cadance laughed. A little. Quietly. "You shouldn't."

"...I might anyway," Sunset grumped.

A wing stretched out across Sunset's back in a half-hug, and they laid there for several minutes in silence. Sunset's dregs of anger faded, and she gradually leaned into the hug.

But eventually Cadance's curiosity became too much. "I know I shouldn't," she started, "But I've still got so many questions. But I won't ask!" She added that part with panicked quickness. "When you're ready to talk, though, I really do want to learn more about that time. It's obviously had a big influence on who you are - and I like who you are."

Sunset grunted again, eyes locked closed. "I'll give you one question. On one condition, and in exchange for one favor."

The offer momentarily startled Cadance. "Um. Oh! Okay, that's... that's fair." A moment of thought. "What's the condition?"

"You take me at my word this time," Sunset bitterly declared. 

The tone made Cadance grimace. But she also nodded. "And the favor?"

"I'll tell you that after the question." It was a cagey response - but Sunset didn't want to show all her cards yet. Not until she knew what the question was.

For a moment, Cadance hesitated. But she nodded again despite the uncertainty - and asked her question. "If life with your dads was like that, how did you end up at the School for Gifted Unicorns?"

A little part of Sunset relaxed at the relatively innocuous question. "They wanted to move up to bigger and better things," she started. "Canterlot's full of rich and powerful ponies, and a lot of them are idiots. They needed a way to get a hoof in the door, though, because they really didn't belong. So they had me take the admission test because 'our daughter and yours are in the same class' is an easy conversation starter with a mark."

"Oh." Sunset couldn't see it, but she could hear Cadance's frown. "So not because they wanted you to get an education."

"Nope." Sunset punctuated it by popping emphasis on the p. "As it turned out, though, it was just right for me. I liked going to classes and learning, and I loved magic. Instead of doing the minimum to stay in while they ran their scams, I excelled. After a year, I got Princess Celestia's attention and she made me her personal student." A quiet chuckle slipped out at the memory. "My dads were over the moon because it opened up a lot more doors. That's when I started to realize how bad they were. I'd succeeded where nopony else had in living memory, but they only thought about what it got them." Sunset's voice dropped to a growl. "Princess Celestia was proud of me, but my dads never were."

Cadance's wing tightened, hugging Sunset harder.

Technically the question was long answered, but the words kept spilling out of Sunset's mouth. There hadn't been anypony she could confess this to before and now she couldn't quite stop herself. "That's why I set them up. They weren't normally thieves, but when I dangled the Royal Vault in front of them they couldn't help it. It was more money than they'd ever seen in their lives and I told them there was an unguarded way in. Then I told Princess Celestia. I'm pretty sure she knew what I was doing, but she played along and pretended she didn't."

"And then the guards caught your dads," Cadance completed.

Sunset nodded. "And they were thrown out of my life until today."

A gentle kiss touched the base of Sunset's horn. "Thank you for sharing with me, Sunset. It means a lot."

"And you owe me for it," Sunset reminded.

"I do."

Sunset's head tilted towards Cadance, burying her face in the alicorn's side. "Stay here tonight." 

It was a risk - maybe too far. Too much. But in that moment, Sunset didn't care. The night had been ruined, and she was exhausted - both physically and emotionally. 

Cadance didn't give it even a moment's thought. She wiggled closer, cuddling with Sunset and keeping the unicorn under wing.





The blackout curtains allowed no light to enter, but Sunset was well trained. She knew the time even without needing to open her eyes. 

But she did and looked at the sleeping alicorn next to her. 

The New Year's Gala had started when the nobles tried to be the first one to wish Princess Celestia a happy new year.

Sunset Shimmer - daughter of two con-ponies and common as dirt - kissed Cadance's cheek. "Happy new year, princess."