//------------------------------// // Chapter IV: The Girl from the Future // Story: Sunset of Time // by Albi //------------------------------// Chapter IV: The Girl from the Future “Congratulations, Twilight!” “Good morning, princess!” “Would you like to buy something, Your Majesty?” As Twilight and Sunset made their way across Ponyville, the citizens of the humble town made several similar comments, and bowed whenever the new alicorn crossed their path. All of it made the princess flush with embarrassment. Sunset could tell by the way she murmured her thanks, and kept her head down that Twilight was not used to her position yet. Sunset gave Twilight a gentle nudge and a confident smile, which Twilight returned half-heartedly. Sunset frowned. “What’s wrong, Twilight?” Twilight’s ears flattened against her head as another pony called her, “Your Majesty.” “Sorry, I’m just not used to everypony calling me a princess and treating me like royalty. All of this is just so—” she waved a hoof, “different. One week, I’m just a normal citizen and the next thing I know, I’m an alicorn.”  She let out a disheartened breath. “I’m not sure if I can handle being a princess.” Sunset couldn’t help but giggle, causing Twilight to give her a hurt look. “Is that all you’re worried about?” She saw Twilight’s expression and tried to stifle her laughter. “Sorry, Twilight, but you’re worrying over nothing. You’re going to be a great leader, trust me.” Twilight shook her head unconvinced. “How can you be so sure?” Sunset raised a brow. “Um, yeah, girl from the future, remember?” It was Twilight’s turn to laugh. “Right, sorry. I guess that was kind of a dumb question.” “’The only dumb questions are the ones left unasked,’” Sunset sagely quoted. Twilight entertained the phrase and chuckled. “Wow, that’s quite philosophical. Who told you that?” “You did,” Sunset said with a knowing smirk. The two mares continued their trek across Ponyville proper, engaging in small conversation as they walked. Sunset was eager to know everything about Twilight’s coronation, and listened with rapt attention as the princess recounted the events leading up to her transformation into an alicorn. Around them, the village was a bustle of activity. Ponies bounced around from stall to stall in the marketplace, exchanging in deals for various fruits, jewelry and other items. The sounds of their friendly gossip and mirth mingled together to create a lively clamor that made the entire town seem warm and inviting. The scents of various food curios and confectionery shops only added to the hospitable feeling that Ponyville generated. The sun was nearing its zenith as the duo neared Fluttershy’s cottage, the last house that border-lined Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. Twilight had just finished telling her tale to Sunset—who was practically bursting with excitement—when she saw a familiar pink tail sticking up from a bed of flowers. Twilight stopped and called, “Hello, Fluttershy.” The yellow pegasus rose her head up from the garden, a wide, floral sunhat rested on her crown, and a pink, floral apron covered her front. She waved a muddy hoof and greeted, “Hello, Twilight—oops, I mean,” she giggled, “good afternoon, Princess Twilight.” Twilight playfully rolled her eyes before asking, “What are you up to today?” Fluttershy gestured to the flowers behind her. “Oh, just a little bit of gardening. I thought the animals might enjoy some new flowers in the yard.” She gave a wary look to Sunset who was positively beaming at her. Fluttershy tucked part of her face behind her mane and asked, “Umm, who is that next to you, Twilight?” “It’s okay, Fluttershy, she’s a friend,” Twilight reassured. “Sunset, this is Fluttershy. Fluttershy, meet Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset walked up to Fluttershy and extended a hoof. “It’s so nice to… meet you, Fluttershy.” She had almost slipped up and said ‘see you again’ instead. Sunset had met the Elements of Harmony before. Princess Twilight would often invite them over to the castle so they could catch up and talk about old times. And although Sunset had seen them more times than she could count, it didn’t compare to seeing them in the younger forms history had immortalized them in. She had to keep her excitement down so she wouldn’t draw suspicion. Fluttershy quickly wiped the mud clinging to her hoof onto her gardening apron before tentatively shaking Sunset’s hoof. “Pleased to m-meet you as well.” Happy by the union between her two friends, Twilight continued, “Sunset and I were on our way to see Zecora.” “Really? I just ran into a Zecora a little while ago,” Fluttershy said, returning to her regular conversation whisper. “She told me she was spending the day foraging for herbs. Oh, and she told me to tell you ‘congratulations’, Twilight.” Sunset made a noise of discontentment in her throat that Twilight picked up on. She put a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “It’s okay, we’ll just see her tomorrow.” “What did you girls need from her, if you don’t mind me asking?” Twilight opened her mouth, then firmly closed it and gave a sidelong look to Sunset. The unicorn remembered Twilight’s pledge not to lie to her friends and stepped in for her. “We were just going to have some tea,” Sunset lied. “Twilight tells me Zecora makes real good jasmine. Oh well, looks like I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Fluttershy gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I’d make you some tea, but I’m pretty dirty right now.” “That’s okay, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Thank you for the offer, though. We’ll let you get back to your gardening.” She turned back down the road to Ponyville with Sunset close behind. Fluttershy waved. “Goodbye, Twilight. Bye, Sunset.” “Bye, Fluttershy,” they chorused. When they were a good deal away from the earthly cottage, Twilight dropped her voice to a disappointed whisper. “I thought you said that you would tell ponies the truth.” Sunset nodded. “I did, when it was necessary. I wouldn’t classify that as necessary.” “True,” Twilight agreed, “but, you also said you would tell the other Elements of Harmony.” “No, I said I’d think about it. I’m still thinking.” Which was true, Sunset still didn’t want to drag other ponies into anything. “Besides, how does, ‘hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer and I’m really from the future sent back to the past to help stop the apocalypse,’ sound as a greeting?” she sniped. Twilight puffed her cheeks out in irritation before relenting. “Fine, but you are going to have to tell them eventually.” Sunset knew she was probably right, but the longer she held it off, the better. She at least wanted to make a good first impression before coming off as a lunatic. The two now found themselves back in the marketplace, the early afternoon sun shining down on them. “So, now what do we do?” Sunset asked. Since the keeper of the amulet was roaming around through the forest, they needed something to do in the meantime. “I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “Before you showed up, the only thing I had planned on doing today was studying.” Sunset stopped and looked up at the gorgeous sky. “On a day like today? If I had tried that, you would have forced me outside. What were you going to study, how to be a princess?” Sunset joked. Twilight looked away. “Maybe.” Sunset didn’t know whether to laugh or facehoof. Instead she said, “Come on, princ—Twilight, let’s go get sundaes.” “Sundaes?” Twilight asked. “Why sundaes?” Sunset looked down and kicked a pebble that had been lying next to her hoof. “Well, you and I used to get sundaes all the time. You’d tell me all about the adventures you used to go on while we ate. I really enjoyed it.” Twilight’s eyes were wide with emotion. “Oh, Sunset, if it means that much to you, of course we can get some.” Sunset picked her head up and grinned. “Great, cause you owe me one anyway.” Twilight frowned. “I do?” Thinking over the events of the last two days, Sunset nodded, “Yes, you do.” She turned and began walking back to the marketplace before suddenly stopping. She looked over her shoulder. “Umm, you lead the way, because I have no idea where I’m going.” “Twilight, the building isn’t edible too, is it?” “You know, I’m actually not sure.” Sunset stared up at the sugary decorated building that was Sugarcube Corner. It was covered in gumdrops and icing with a graham cracker roof and a large cupcake on top. It was so sweetly designed, Sunset wouldn’t have surprised if the ponies who ran the store were made out of gingerbread. Twilight spoke as the duo got closer to the entrance. “Now, just so you know, Pinkie Pie gets a little excited when she sees a new face, so don’t be alarmed if she does something over-the-top.” “Like what?” was what Sunset was going to say before a pink blur burst through the front door and slammed into her. Sunset’s vision spun as the two ponies tumbled across the dirt. before they came to a halt with Pinkie Pie pinning her down, grinning from ear to ear. Her smile suddenly turned into a look of puzzlement and she tilted her head to one side. “Hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” Sunset, still startled by her assaulter's sudden appearance, stammered, “N-no, I don’t think so.” “Are you sure, because you look kinda familiar.…” She scrunched up her face and made a humming noise. Maybe she saw me in the castle, or when I was performing in the park? Sunset thought. Pinkie continued to hum for a few seconds before her eyes snapped open. “Darn, I got nothing.” She resumed her cheery grin and said, “Oh well. Even if I have seen you before, I definitely haven’t seen you around Ponyville, which means you’re new! And everypony new to Ponyville deserves the best welcome possible!” Pinkie scrambled off of her new guest, allowing Sunset to get to her hooves, just in time to see Pinkie pull a large wagon from thin air. “Where did you—” Before Sunset could finish that thought, Pinkie pressed a large, red button on the side of the wagon, causing it to spring open. Whistles, trumpets and flags of all colors burst forth, surrounding a small microwave that sat in the middle. Protruding from all sides of it were various forms of firecrackers and sparklers, waiting to be lit. Twilight’s expression quickly jumped from one of amusement to one of panic, as she saw what Pinkie was planning to do. “Pinkie Pie, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t worry your pretty princess head, Twilight. Everything will be fine.” With that, she pulled a match from the tangle of hair that was her mane and stuck it against the side of her wagon. With the match set, she proceeded to light all of the fuses of all of the fireworks. Feeling suddenly aware of her mortality, Sunset took a step back and watched as the candles shot into the air with a loud whistle, jets of sparks trailing behind them as they raced higher into the air. As they reached the peak of their flight, the rockets exploded in a shower of colors that shone brightly despite the light from the afternoon sun. Sunset watched in amazement as the pyrotechnics spelled out, Welcome to Ponyville, in a rainbow of hues. A few more fireworks went off in the background before everything faded away. Replacing the noise of the explosions was a lighter whistling sound coming from Pinkie’s wagon. There was a sudden ding and out from the microwave came a fully frosted strawberry cake. “Ta da!” Pinkie sang before turning to Twilight. “See, I told you nothing bad would happen.” As she finished her sentence, the sound of a firecracker exploding in the distance was heard followed by a shriek of terror. The smile on Pinkie’s face drooped only ever-so-slightly and she continued in her normal upbeat voice, “I should go fix that!” Pinkie threw herself back over to Sunset who was examining the delicious looking cake, and surprised her with a large hug. “Silly me, I never even asked what your name was! How can I throw a party for you if I don’t know your name?” “Wait, a party? Why are you throwing me a party?” Pinkie released her and gestured to the city proper. “Because you’re new in town, silly. And every new pony needs a party, that way you can make lots and lots of new friends! So, what’s your name? Is it Sunny, or how about Starburst, ooh, ooh, it’s Dawn Glimmer isn’t it?” Sunset chuckled. “Close, it’s Sunset Shimmer.” “Oooh, that’s a nice name. Well then, Sunset, come back to Sugarcube Corner at—” Pinkie broke into snorts and giggles. “Sunset! Get it? Sunset’s party is at sunset!” Pinkie continued to laugh while Sunset rolled her eyes. It wasn’t the first time someone had made a joke on her name. Pinkie recovered from her fit of laughs and walked to the side of her wagon. She pressed the red button on the side and watched as it collapsed back into a portable trunk, taking the cake with it, much to Sunset’s disappointment. Seeing the look on the unicorn’s face, Pinkie patted her on the head and said, “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of cake at the party! That was only one layer of it anyway!” “Alright then, but can Twilight and I go inside and get sundaes?” Sunset asked. Pinkie hooked the cart to her back and said, “Nope. You can’t come inside until your party is ready! But boy, a sundae sounds good right now!” She let out a whinny before charging towards the rising trail of smoke coming from one of the buildings. Sunset stared after her, mildly confused at Pinkie’s behavior. She was nowhere near that hyper and bubbly in the future, quite the opposite. Every time Sunset had seen Pinkie, she looked sickly and pale, and while the smile never left her face, she had never been able to reach the levels of jubilation the current Pinkie Pie was exhibiting. I wonder what happens between now and then. Twilight never talked about it.  Twilight poked Sunset’s shoulder, bringing her from her thoughts. “Hey, you aren’t too shaken up are you?” “No, no, I’m fine, just caught off guard a little.” She sighed. “No amulet, no ice cream, what do we do now?” Tapping a hoof against her chin, Twilight said slowly, “Well, Pinkie just said we couldn’t go into Sugarcube Corner, but there are other places that sell ice cream here.” Sunset’s face brightened. She stuck a hoof out. “Lead the way, princess.” She caught Twilight’s eye and cringed. “Sorry.” Twilight forgave her and proceeded to lead her back through the town. Ponies continued to wave and bow to Twilight as she passed by, causing her to sigh heavily. “Twilight, I promise you’ll get used to this,” Sunset assured. “Besides, you earned it.” “I know I did. It’s just, I—” “Twilight, yoo-hoo!” a refined voice called. A beautiful white unicorn with a styled purple mane strolled into view, giving the two ponies a warm smile. “How’s our newest princess doing today?” Rarity’s eyes fell upon Sunset. “Oooh, and who is your new friend?” She suddenly let out a screech that caused both of them to jump. “And why is the poor dear covered in dirt?” Sunset looked down at herself, just noticing the flecks of dirt she had acquired when Pinkie tackled her and shrugged. She had been through worse. “She just met Pinkie,” Twilight answered, rubbing the ear that had taken the brunt of Rarity’s scream. Rarity gave an understanding nod but tittered, “That girl. Honestly, I love her to death, but she just doesn’t understand the meaning of personal space.” She sighed then turned and extended a hoof to Sunset. “Hello dear, my name is Rarity, and may I say, your mane is absolutely gorgeous… even with all the dirt and split ends.” “Err, thanks, I think. My name’s Sunset Shimmer by the way.” “Ah, a lovely name to go with a lovely mane,” Rarity cooed. “Please, allow me to return your coiffure back to its healthy and natural state; free of charge, of course.” Sunset looked into Rarity’s hopeful and anxious eyes, and knew the mare would not take ‘no’ for an answer. She ran a hoof threw her mane and shrugged. “I guess my mane could use a little fixing up—waah!” Rarity had begun to drag Sunset down the street before the words had even finished leaving her mouth. “Oh don’t worry darling, you’re in good hooves with me! Twilight followed close behind and chuckled. “So much for ice cream.” Sunset stood on Rarity’s modeling stage, her head feeling heavier with the pins and rollers in her hair. Rarity had quickly washed and shampooed Sunset’s mane before styling it. While they were waiting for it to set, Rarity had decided to have Sunset model a few outfits. Sunset stood as still as she could while the white unicorn hemmed the red dress she was wearing. Sunset took note of the interior of the boutique. In the future, Rarity had expanded her business to several cities across Equestria. Sunset had been dragged into the one in Canterlot several times by her friends, but that one hadn’t been so... purple. Purple carpet, purple curtains. Everything was a different shade of the same color. “So tell me, Sunset, how do you know Twilight?” Rarity tried to make conversation as she added gemstones into the dress lining. “Oh, uhh, we were friends in Canterlot during school,” Sunset lied once more. “Really?” She looked over to Twilight who sat in the corner, absentmindedly flipping through a fashion magazine. “You know, for somepony who came here to study the magic of friendship, you seem to have a lot of friends we don’t know about.” Twilight looked up from the magazine, and gave Sunset a stern look. “Yeah... funny how things happen like that.” “Oh, well… we weren’t friends per se,” Sunset continued. “She would just have tutoring sessions for the students, and I would show up… a lot.” Rarity nodded, taking another gem from a small box sitting next to her and stitched it into the dress, while Twilight held a hoof to her forehead and sighed in frustration. Rarity took no notice. “Well, you’re the third unicorn I know that came from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” She sighed. “Sometimes, I wish my parents had been able to afford to send me there; but if they had then I might never have discovered my talent for fashion. Now I wish to make enough money so my little sister, Sweetie Belle, has the opportunity to go if she chooses.” Sunset beamed. “That’s very generous of you, Rarity.” “I just want the best for my sister. Oh, but look at me prattle on! Please, dear, tell me what brings you to little Ponyville?” “Umm, nothing in particular. Just taking a little vacation away from the city is all,” Sunset said, looking anywhere but at Twilight. Rarity gave a small nod of understanding before jumping back from the dress and crying, “Voila!” Sunset turned and faced the mirrors lining the back of the stage. On her was a ruby red dress that trailed to floor, and was adorned with a pattern of rubies and sapphires. She felt an odd sensation around her head, and saw Rarity magically removing the pins and rollers in her mane. It fell around her shoulders in flowing locks while one bang partly covered her eye. It all made Sunset look like she was ready for a night on the town with a special somepony. “Wow, Rarity,” Sunset breathed. “I don’t know what to say. This looks amazing!” Rarity clapped her hooves together in delight. “Oh, I’m so glad you like it!” She wrapped a hoof around Sunset and pulled her close. “Why, just seeing you in that dress is giving me so many ideas for my autumn line.” She began fanning herself, her eyes wide with excitement. “Oh, my, I believe I’m getting inspiration flashes!” Sunset began trying to pull away from Rarity’s rather strong grip. “Should I be worried?” Rarity released Sunset, and galloped over to her workbench, where she proceeded to pull out a piece of construction paper and began sketching a new dress. “Not at all, dear, quite the opposite!” Twilight suppressed a chuckle that came from seeing her new friend’s confusion over Rarity’s eccentrics. “Don’t worry, Sunset. Rarity’s just got some new dress ideas, and you’re probably going to be modeling them all.” “Ah,” Sunset replied in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. She examined her reflection again, appreciating the dress that had been made for her. It was definitely nice, but fashion was never her passion, so the thought of having to model several more dresses wasn’t exactly a bright point in her day. A tiny jingle sounded from the front room, and less than a second later, a blue pegasus with a loud, rainbow mane came flying into the dressing area. She hovered in the air, and looked right at Sunset. “Fluttershy told me Twilight had a new friend in town. I’m guessing you’re her?” “Yeah, I’m Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash grinned and puffed out her chest. “Oh, so you’ve heard of me? Well, that’s no big surprise, I mean, I am pretty famous around here,” she said proudly. Rarity rolled her eyes, listening from over at her desk. “Honestly, Rainbow, by now I’m sure everypony has heard of all of us at least once. I mean, we did save Equestria, what is it now, three times? And not to mention the Crystal Empire.” Rainbow threw her hooves into the air. “Yeah, but the way ponies treat us, you’d think we were nobodies. Apparently, the only way to get noticed is to turn into a princess.” She gestured to Twilight who gave a nervous laugh and hid her face in the magazine. Rarity blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Well, I’ll be the first to admit, it would be nice to get some recognition now and again. But, we should be satisfied with knowing that our actions helped keep Equestria safe from harm.” Sunset couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These ponies were heroes, no, they were legends! In her time, every foal grew up with hearing tales of their brave deeds. They had their own national holiday! Sunset jumped down from the raised stage, and walked over to Rainbow Dash. “Wait, let me get this straight: you girls have saved Equestria three times, and ponies don’t acknowledge it?” she asked incredulously. “Four times if you count the dragon that was snoring smoke,” Rainbow confirmed. “And, yeah, ponies will thank us for like, a day, before they go back to ignoring us.” Rarity clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Please, Rainbow, you’re acting like we should be treated like royalty.” “I don’t see why not,” Rainbow argued. “Twilight gets treated like royalty.” “That’s because she’s a princess,” Rarity deadpanned. “Girls, can we talk about something else?” Twilight pleaded. “It’s not even that fun being treated like royalty; in fact, it’s uncomfortable most of the time.”   “That’s because you’re just not used to it yet,” Sunset assured. “I already told you, you’re going to to be a great leader.” “The new kid is right, Twilight; you just gotta let everything sink in. Besides, think of all the power you have now! You can make ponies do whatever you tell them to do!” “Rainbow Dash, I would never do that!” Twilight cried. Rainbow laughed. “Relax, I was just joking. Now, let’s go down to Horté Cuisine’s place, and kick everypony out so we can have the entire restaurant to ourselves.” “Rainbow,” Twilight growled, as her pegasus friend continued to laugh above her. Rarity stood up from her desk. “While Rainbow is being completely foalish, I agree that a bite of lunch does sound like a good idea.” Twilight let out a breath before glaring up at Rainbow Dash. “Fine, but we’re going over to Applejack’s. At least she’ll treat me like a normal pony,” she grumbled. Sunset took this as a cue to take off the fancy dress she was wearing. She slid out of it, and hung it up on one of the racks before following the present company out of the dress shop and into the warm summer afternoon. The quartet of ponies trudged up the dirt road leading to Sweet Apple Acres, the smell of ripening fruit tickling their noses. All around them stood mighty apple trees, their branches adorned with young, growing apples. The farm itself seemed to be absent of its normal residents. The four ponies stepped into the main yard where one could normally spot an Apple Family member tending to the trees, or doing work around the barn. Instead, the entire farm seemed to be wrapped in a veil of silence, pierced only by the faint whisper of the wind. “Is it supposed to be this quiet?” Sunset asked no pony in particular. Rainbow lifted herself higher and looked out across the acres of apple trees, only to find not one pony in sight. “Wow,” she said. “This is kinda freaky. An apple farm with no Apples.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Please, Rainbow, you’re acting like all they do is stand in the orchard all day.” “Uhh, we’re talking about the same family, right?” Rarity raised a hoof to respond, but was cut short when the whispering wind picked up into a sudden gale, drawing in black storm clouds from nowhere. The three grounded ponies quickly huddled together, as the wind whipped around them in a mad frenzy. Rainbow raised her head and shouted over the howling wind, “Hey, I didn’t schedule a thunderstorm! What’s going on here?” Sunset pressed herself against Twilight. Memories of the apocalypse flashed through her mind as the storm rolled overhead. Had she messed something up? Was her being here somehow accelerating events? She instinctively tried to hide her face inside Twilight’s wing, although it was much smaller than she was used to. Twilight felt Sunset’s shivering and wrapped a wing around her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for this,” she said, but Sunset could hear the quiver of fear in her voice. A bolt of lightning struck a section of the orchard and was quickly followed by a clap of thunder that exploded over the ponies heads, causing them to jump, or in Rainbow’s case, drop to the floor. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the black clouds vanished into thin air, and the wind returned to a calm breeze.     The four mares broke from their tight huddle and looked to the sky. Sunset sucked in a breath and released a loud sigh of relief. She motioned to speak, but Rarity beat her to it. “What in Equestria was that?” she asked. “I don’t know,” Twilight answered. She looked toward the remote section of the orchard where the lightning had struck, a mild concern in her eye. “But, we should make sure the lightning didn’t do any damage to Applejack’s trees.” They all nodded in agreement, and rushed off into the orchard. It was a short gallop; the lightning hadn’t struck too far from their location. When they had reached that particular section of the grove, Sunset saw Twilight’s mouth make an ‘O’ of understanding. They came to a stop amongst a group of gnarled, purple trees with electric blue flowers in bloom. Currents of electricity ran throughout the tree and occasionally let off small charges. Rainbow Dash, who had resumed her spot in in the air, burst into laughter. “Wow, I can’t believe I forgot, it’s totally that time of year!” Rarity shook her head playfully. “And to think, we were all worried over nothing.” Sunset looked from the colorful trees to her friends’ awestruck faces and frowned, feeling completely out of loop. “Can someone please tell me what’s happening?” “Zap Apple Season, that’s what’s happenin’.” Sunset turned and saw a pony that she quickly identified as Applejack strutting towards her with a wide grin on her face. Behind her was a very large, very red stallion wearing a light smile that contrasted with his heavy build.   “Zap Apple Season?” Sunset parroted. The name sounded vaguely familiar. Applejack looked up and admired one of the apple trees. “That’s right, magic apples that only come once a year. Gotta pick ‘em quick, or they’ll just up and vanish. They’re mighty delicious, too! Ponies come from all over to taste mah granny’s Zap Apple Jam.” The name finally clicked into place in Sunset’s mind. “Oh, I’ve had some of that before! Twi—an old friend of mine,” Sunset quickly corrected, “gave me some a few years ago. It was very delicious.” Applejack crossed her legs in a curtsy. “Why, thank ya kindly. Speakin’ of friends, Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen you around Ponyville before. What’s your name?” “Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset replied for the fourth time that day. It felt like the first day of school. Applejack leapt forward and took Sunset’s hoof into her own, and shook it vigorously. Sunset felt like the farmer was trying to pry it off. “Pleasure to meet ya, Sunset! Ah’m Applejack and this here is mah brother, Big Macintosh!” She tilted her head to the large stallion behind her who waved in greeting. “Let me be the first to welcome you to Sweet Apple Acres!” “Thanks Applejack. Umm, may I have my hoof back now?” Applejack gave her a broad smile and released her grip. Sunset put her hoof back on the ground, but could still feel it trembling from the enthusiastic greeting. “So, what brings y’all over here?” Applejack asked. Twilight spoke, “Well actually, we had come over for a little snack, but then the clouds rolled in and we saw the lightning hit some of the trees. We came over to make sure nothing had been damaged.” “Ah shucks, Twi. You girls didn’t have to do that. Of course y’all can have a snack,” she said warmly. “Big Mac, we still got apples in the cellar right?” “Eeyup,” Big Mac nodded. “Alrighty then. Let’s go sit at the picnic table and chow.” She waved a hoof, motioning for the rest of them to follow. The group of ponies left the Zap Apple Grove and returned to the main yard, arranging themselves around an old wooden table, while Applejack and Big Macintosh went into the cellar to fetch their meal. The two shortly returned with a basket full of juicy looking apples in each of their mouths. Big Mac set his on the table and walked away towards the house. Sunset watched him walked away before turning back to Applejack. “Isn’t he going to stay and eat?” Applejack took her place at the table and shook her head. “Nah. Believe it or not, he’s actually pretty shy.” Sunset almost found it hard to believe that a pony like him could be shy, but when she thought about it, he had barely said a word, even in the short time she had seen him, and he had kept his distance when they had walked from the grove. Sunset shrugged and reached for an apple, biting into it and savoring the amazing flavor and juiciness of it. Sunset felt the Apple Family’s apples tasted better here than in her own time. “So tell me about yerself, Sunset,” Applejack said with a mouth full of fruit. Sunset nearly choked on her apple. “Well, uhh.” She cleared her throat, dislodging the small piece of fruit. “Wh—ahem, what do you want to know?” “Well, where are ya from?” “Canterlot,” she said automatically. Applejack looked interested. “Really? So, you’re another big city girl, just like Twilight here, huh?” “They even went to the same school together,” Rarity added. Rainbow Dash looked up from her apple core. “You went to that fancy magic school? How many magic tricks do you know?” Sunset let out a huff of irritation. She hated when ponies described magic as simple tricks. “They aren’t tricks. We learn spells, charms, jinxes, hexes, enchantments, counterspells, and in rare cases, curses. None of those can be described as simple ‘tricks.’” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Pfft, another egghead,” she said under her breath. A clod of dirt broke free from the ground and pelted her in the back of the head. She jumped up and swung her head around, looking for the culprit. “Alright, who threw that?” Applejack and Rarity covered their mouths to try and muffle their giggling, while Sunset hid her smile behind her apple. Rainbow turned her head away from the table, and another clod smacked the side of her face. “Hey!” Rarity gave a hearty laugh that was drowned out by Applejack’s loud guffaws. Twilight, however, was not amused. She gave Sunset a sharp glare. “Stop it, Sunset, that’s an abuse of magic.” Sunset’s cheery disposition quickly melted away, replaced with a pang of guilt. She stared down at the table and said, “I’m sorry, princess.” Rainbow floated back down to her seat, rubbing the dirt from her mane and looking slightly amused. “I see you’re getting used to ordering ponies around already.” Twilight turned her glare on Rainbow. “Don’t start with that.” “Don’t start what, Twi?” Applejack asked in between laughs. “Twilight is scared of being a princess,” Rainbow said. “I am not scared of being a princess,” Twilight argued. “And that wasn’t an order. It was just a... I was just...” She groaned and placed her head in her hooves. Applejack stopped laughing immediately, and placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, sugarcube?” Twilight sighed. “I’m not scared of being a princess. I just... I don’t want ponies to think I’m superior to them and treat me differently.” Rarity fidgeted in her seat. “Well, Twilight, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but... you kind of are superior to most ponies now; you’re royalty.” “And I am honored that Princess Celestia would make me an alicorn, really! But now ponies are bowing to me and calling me ‘your majesty,’ and...” She looked up at Applejack with tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to be treated differently.” “Aw, sugarcube, come here.” Applejack pulled Twilight into a warm hug. “You know all the ponies in Ponyville, Twilight, and they know you. They’re just caught up in the moment is all. Once the excitement has gone down, Ah’m sure everypony will treat you the same again.” “You really think so?” Applejack nodded. “Yep. I love Ponyville to death, but the folks around here have smaller attention spans than a dog at a manure convention.” Rarity made a face, but chose to ignore Applejack’s analogy and said, “Twilight, you could just ask them to treat you normally. They would probably listen.” Twilight pulled away from Applejack’s hug and wiped her eyes. “But if I do that, they might take it as some divine order.” Rainbow let out an uneasy laugh and looked away. “That’s exactly what I don’t want.” “That’s why you ask them,” Rarity emphasized. “Ask them not as Princess Twilight Sparkle, but just Twilight Sparkle. Ask them as a friend to treat you like a friend.” “That sounds like it might work,” Twilight said with some confidence. “Thanks, Rarity, thanks, Applejack.” “You can try tonight at the party,” Sunset finally spoke up. She had remained silent, unsure of what to say that would comfort Twilight. Sunset had never known Twilight had been so afraid of being alienated from everypony else. She had never dictated her orders to her subjects, they always came out as polite requests or favors. Now, Sunset knew why. Twilight nodded. “Yeah, that would be a good idea. Hopefully I can at least get the Cakes to stop calling me ‘your highness.’” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Uhh, sorry about making a joke about all this. I didn’t know you really felt that bad about it,” she said, abashed. “It’s okay, Rainbow. I know you were just trying to help.” Applejack held up her hooves. “Wait, back up a moment. What party are we talkin’ about here?” “Pinkie Pie is throwing a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for me,” Sunset answered. “Of course she is.” Applejack smiled. “Girl will do anything to make a pony feel welcome around here.” “I’ll say. You should have seen the way she greeted me.” Sunset began to describe her first exchange with Pinkie, turning the topic to a brighter subject. She listened and laughed as the others each recounted their first time meeting Pinkie Pie and some of her crazy antics. The sun was sinking on the horizon when the laughter finally died down again. Applejack looked up at the orange sky and said, “Well, we best get a move on so we aren’t late.” They stood up from the table and stretched their legs before setting down the path back to the town proper. Twilight let Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow get ahead of her, while she fell into step with Sunset. She whispered, “When the party ends, I think it would be a good time to tell them the truth.” Sunset frowned. She had been having such a good time, she had almost forgotten about that. Well, telling them all at once would be easier than telling them all separately. She looked at Twilight and nodded. “Alright, I promise.” “Also, apologize to Rainbow for throwing mud at her.” Sunset fought to keep her smile from showing. “You have to admit, it was kinda funny.” “Sunset...” “Fine.” Colorful balloons and streamers now decorated the front of Sugarcube Corner, adding to its already decorative and inviting look. A large banner pinned over the entrance read, ‘Welcome Sunset Shimmer!’ in bright red letters. Music and laughter could be heard from inside. Sunset’s heart swelled at the sight of it all. “I can’t believe Pinkie did all this for me.”   “Well why wouldn’t I?” Sunset turned her neck so fast, she almost gave herself whiplash. Pinkie was standing right next to her, admiring the decorations as well. Everypony else seemed completely unfazed by her sudden appearance. “How did you...” Sunset waved it off with a hoof. “Nevermind.” “Well, come on then!” Pinkie grabbed Sunset’s hoof and began to pull her to the building. “You’ve got a party to go to!” The main room of Sugarcube Corner had been cleared up to make room for all of the ponies mingling about. Ponies of all shapes, sizes and ages were eating, dancing, and laughing. Against the back wall was a long table covered in an assortment of food, most of it being dessert pastries.   Pinkie pushed Sunset towards the middle of the room and cleared her throat. “Attention everypony!” she said in a loud, boisterous voice. The record player seemed to quiet itself when Pinkie began to speak. “I’d like you all to meet the guest of honor, and my newest friend, Sunset Shimmer!” There was a round of applause, and ponies lined up to say hello and personally introduce themselves. Sunset knew she would never be able to remember all of their names, but she smiled and gave them a warm thank you. Many ponies made polite conversation with her, asking her where she was from, and what she was doing in Ponyville. She always answered, “Canterlot,” and “On vacation,” respectfully. After talking for what felt like an hour, Sunset finally caught a break and escaped to the food table where she found an irate looking Spike. “Hi, Spike, how are you?” she asked, filling up a cup with fruit punch. Spike crossed his arms and began tapping his foot. “You used up all the hot water this morning.” “Oh, sorry about that.” He sighed and relaxed his arms. “It’s fine I guess. But, if you’re staying with us, just don’t do it again. I don’t like taking cold showers, feels weird.” He shuddered. “Deal,” Sunset giggled. Spike’s demeanor instantly brightened. “So, are you enjoying the party so far?” She nodded. “It’s one of the nicest things anypony has ever done for me.” “Yeah, I remember me and Twilight’s first party. Twilight spent all of it in her room. I had a blast though.” He reached up and grabbed a cookie from one of the various plates. Sunset laughed. “Yeah, I remember when you told me that story.” Spike looked up from his cookie. “I did, when?” Sunset bit down on her tongue and inwardly swore. She couldn’t believe she had let something like that slip! She stared at Spike, who was giving her a curious expression, then looked about the room, searching for something she could use as an excuse to leave until the promise she made to Twilight rang in her ears. She sighed, and reasoned that she was going to have to tell Spike the truth sooner or later. “Okay, Spike, I’m going to be completely honest with you.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m not exactly from here.” “I know, you said you were from Canterlot,” Spike said, misunderstanding. “No, I mean I’m not from this ti—” “Hi, Ms. Shimmer!” A trio of voices called from behind her. Sunset turned around and found three fillies looking up at her with wide smiles. One was a familiar white unicorn with a purple and pink mane. The middle one was an orange pegasus with a violet mane, and the last one was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and a pink bow that tied her hair back. “You have a really nice mane,” the unicorn said. “My sister did that, didn’t she?” Sunset examined her for a moment before she saw the resemblance. “You’re Rarity’s sister, aren’t you?” “Yep, I’m Sweetie Belle.” “I’m Scootaloo,” the orange pegasus raised a hoof. “And Ah’m Apple Bloom.” Sunset could tell by her accent that she was Applejack’s sister. “And we’re...” they cleared their throats and said in unison, “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Sunset and Spiked rubbed their ringing ears. These three girls have quite the lungs on them. “Well, it’s nice to meet you three,” said Sunset. “So, what are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” “We work together to find our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom said, showing off her blank flank. “We try just about everything we can think of. We even wrote a song about it, wanna hear it?” Sunset looked back at Spike who furiously shook his head ‘no.’ She turned back at them. “Maybe later.” “Sure thing!” Scootaloo walked around to Sunset’s side and stared at red and yellow shimmering sun that was her cutie mark. “Woah, that’s one of the coolest cutie marks I’ve ever seen!” She looked up at Sunset with wide eyes. “How’d you get that?” Sunset rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Well, that’s an interesting story. You see—” “Excuse me everypony,” Twilight called over the noisy din. “May I have your attention please?” “I’ll tell you girls later,” Sunset whispered, as the room grew quiet. Twilight stood at the front of the room, looking incredibly nervous. She gave a weak smile and cleared her throat. “Umm, hello everypony, thank you for coming to another amazing party, and I’m sorry for stealing your spotlight away Sunset.” “No, go on, princess!” Sunset encouraged. “Okay...” Twilight drew in a quick breath. “As you all know, a little over a week ago, I became Equestria’s newest princess, and while I’m honored you have all taken to it so well, the truth of the matter is... I haven’t. I’m so happy that you’re all willing to accept me as your princess, but I’m not sure if I am ready to be held in that regard. I think that might be another reason Princess Celestia let me come back to Ponyville; she didn’t want to overwhelm me with everything at once. “I guess what I’m trying to say is this: you all knew me before I became a princess, when I was just your town librarian, and I would really appreciate it we could just go back to that. I don’t want you all to think you have to bow and treat me special just because I have a horn and wings now. I’m asking you, not as your princess, but as your friend.” A murmur rippled through the crowd as ponies began nodding and smiling, agreeing to Twilight’s request. A hoof shot up, and a voice asked, “Does that mean you don’t want the ninety-nine percent princess discount at Quills and Sofas?” Twilight visibly hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “No, Davenport, just treat me like everypony else, please.” “Can do, Ms. Twilight!” The crowd broke into a round of applause, and the music came back on, signaling ponies to start dancing again. Sunset clapped her hooves as Twilight approached her. “That was wonderful, princess!” “Sunset, I told you specifically not to call me princess.” “Sorry, force of habit.” She blushed. Rarity made her way through the crowd and over to the snack table where Twilight and Sunset were gathered. “You see, darling? I told you they would understand if you just told them how you felt.” Twilight gave Rarity a tight hug. “Thank you, Rarity. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” “Oh, I’m sure you’d muddle through.” Rarity giggled. “Twilight, Twilight!” a small voice cried. Twilight and Rarity broke their hug in time to see Fluttershy leading Zecora over to their position, concerned looks on both of their faces. “Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked. “I was on my way to the party, when I met Zecora, and she told me some really bad news!” she explained. Zecora nodded. “Indeed, something is very wrong.” She leaned in closer to Twilight. “The Alicorn Amulet is gone.” Rarity and Twilight both gasped, while Sunset yelled, “What?” just as the current song came to an end. All eyes were suddenly on the group of equines, who stared back at the crowd with awkward expressions. Twilight cleared her throat again. “Ladies and gentlecolts, I’m afraid we’re going to have to cut this party short, something really urgent has come up.” There was a collective groan of disappointment, and Pinkie rushed over looking frantic. “Twilight, you can’t stop the party now! We haven’t had a chance to play Pin the Tail on the Pony!” “I’m sorry Pinkie, but this is an emergency! Someone stole the Alicorn Amulet from Zecora’s hut!” Pinkie threw a hoof over her own mouth. “Oh, no! What if they use it to take away everyponies’ mouths so no one can talk anymore?” Pinkie was about to scream, when Twilight stuffed a hoof into her mouth. “Pinkie, you can’t panic. If you panic, everypony else will panic. Just stay calm, okay?” Pinkie gave a nod, and Twilight removed her hoof. “Applejack!” she called. Applejack rushed over to her side. “What’s goin’ on Twi?” “I’ll explain in a minute, right now I need you to get the guests to leave.” “On it.” Applejack saluted. “Alright everypony, party has to be cut short on the account of important princess-y business!” Applejack ignored the words of protest and corralled the ponies out the front door. “Zecora, can you tell us everything that happened?” Twilight asked. The zebra closed her eyes, thinking back to earlier. “Foraging in the forest, I had gone, thinking I would not be too long. But when I came back, I found my abode ransacked! While I cleaned my home, I came to see, that something was not where it should be. Twilight, my dear, the amulet is in dark hooves I fear.” “Twilight, this is really bad,” Sunset whispered into her ear. “I’m pretty sure this is how it starts!” “How what starts, huh?” Sunset suddenly found her vision fill with Rainbow Dash. “What do you know about all of this, huh?” Sunset had a feeling Rainbow might have been still a little bitter over the mud throwing. Twilight tugged on Rainbow’s tail, pulling her out of Sunset’s face. “Calm down, Rainbow. Sunset will explain everything in a little bit.” Applejack trotted back over. “That’s the last of ‘em, Twilight.” The room now only consisted of seven ponies, a zebra and a dragon. “Now, what’s this about the Alicorn Amulet Ah’m hearing?” “It’s been stolen from Zecora—” “And apparently, Sunset Shimmer knows something about it,” Rainbow cut in. All of the attention was now focused on Sunset, as everyone waited for her explanation. Moment of truth, she sighed. “Okay, I may not have been completely honest with all of you. I am from Canterlot, but not exactly this Canterlot. I’m from fifty years in the future.” Sunset watched as their faces changed to various degrees of shock, curiosity, and disbelief from Rainbow Dash. Pinkie bounced on her hooves and said, “Oooh, you’re just like Twilight when she came back to warn herself about not to worry about anything!” “But, Twilight, weren’t you able to only go back for a couple of seconds?” Spike asked. Twilight nodded. “Yes. Sunset got here using more perfected time travel.” “Really?” Rainbow asked, crossing her hooves. “Alright then, future girl, why’d you come back?” “Because I come from a future where the world is destroyed,” Sunset said. “And I think the missing amulet is how it all starts.” Silence gripped the room as each pony, and Spike, took in the revelation. Rainbow, however, just nodded her head. “Uh-huh. Uhh, Twilight, can I see you in the kitchen? In fact, group meeting in the kitchen, now!” Twilight held a hoof to her temple. “I’m sorry, Sunset. We’ll just be a minute... hopefully.” Twilight followed the rest of her friends into the back kitchen. Zecora, however, remained behind. “My little pony, I believe you. The end of the world is a lie one does not choose.” Sunset gave her a half smile, her spirits only partially lifted. “Thanks Ms. Zecora.” Zecora bowed her head. “Now, return to my home I must, to clean the mess and sweep the dust.” She turned on her hooves and trotted out the door, closing it softly behind her, and leaving Sunset alone in the foyer.