I knocked hesitantly on the door, not sure if I wanted to bother a princess of Equestria with my personal problems. Sunset stood by my side, urging me to at least try to talk with her. It was true that I was a bit nervous about our visit, but the desire for answers burned brighter than my doubts.
Ever since the day Sunset and I had formed the peculiar bond which allowed her to mirror my abilities, we had been connected to say the least. We now bore identical cutie marks, and as I had never heard of a cutie mark changing even the slightest I knew this was somehow significant. Though she did not know it yet, we had similar experiences in our past as well. We could both see into one another’s thoughts and feelings, and most importantly, we were both going to have the same last name soon.
The wedding was approaching quickly and we couldn’t have been more excited. We’d spent the last few weeks getting everything in order, from music for the ceremony and reception to flowers and decorations. Unfortunately, this had given us little time to figure out why we were suddenly so closely connected, and it was a mystery which we wanted solved.
As the hoofsteps echoed from behind the wooden door of Twilight’s tree home, Sunset and I exchanged glances. I found that Sunset was having some of the same misgivings I was, but that she too wanted answers. When the door swung open to reveal the lavender alicorn, we were both greeted with confusion.
“Um…hello. Are you here to look at some books!” Twilight asked hopefully. She didn’t get many ponies who liked to read, so she was always excited when they came by to check out books from the library.
“Actually, I’m Shining Hearts and this is Sunset Rains. I was the pony asking about anything which would be powerful enough to change someponies cutie mark. We had an appointment set up for today if I remember correctly.” The panic started to show on Twilight’s face as she remembered agreeing to meet us.
“Oh no. This is not good. Not good at all. SPIKE, SPIKE WHERE ARE YOU!” she shouted up the stairs. “YOU FORGOT TO ADD THAT APPOINTMENT TO THE CALENDAR LAST WEEK!” As she yelled this I noticed she had begun pacing around the desk in the center of the library. I could faintly hear her mumbling something about moving appointments and parties so, fearing another apocalyptic freakout like the time she was visited by her future self, I stepped in.
“We could reschedule this if you’d like. We’re in no hurry, and we’d hate to be a bother. I’m sure you have plenty of royal duties to deal with as it is without us taking up your time.”
“No, it’s alright. I promised I would try to help you, and I’m going to keep that promise.” she replied, pulling up three chairs with her magic. “So, why don’t you start by explaining what’s wrong.”
I nodded and launched into my story. I told her about the misunderstanding with Rarity and the attack of Sunset. When I told her about the spell I used on Sunset’s ex, Twilight put a hoof to her chin, deep in thought.
“So you don’t know what spell you used? Do you remember anything from the spell?”
“No,” I admitted apologetically, “I can’t seem to remember anything that happened when I cast the spell. It’s all just a giant blur.”
Lost in thought, Twilight stood up and used her magic to pull a number of books off the shelves, still asking questions.
“And Sunset, you don’t remember anything from that night at all? It’s like it was completely wiped from your mind?”
“Yeah,” she answered, “all I know is what I saw from Shining’s point of view.”
“But how is that possible? And how did your cutie marks change? And most importantly how can she now see into your mind???” she asked me.
“Well we were kind of hoping you could answer that. Do you have any idea at all what could have done this?”
“No idea, but there has to be something in one of these books!”
It was then that a pink mare suddenly appeared from a portal which had sprung up underneath the staircase. Bouncing over to a nearby bookcase, she pulled out a book and hopped over to Twilight.
“Guardian Spells: A Magic Lost to Time.” she stated simply.
“Wah…Pinkie where did you find that? And how did you get here?”
“It was under G silly” sang the pink mare as she bounced back through the portal, leaving the three of us dumbstruck. After a while, Twilight snapped out of her trance and opened the book, quickly leafing through it.
“THAT’S IT!” she exclaimed suddenly, making us jump. “Right here, it says, ‘A guardian spell can only be performed by a unicorn who is connected in some significant way to the pony under attack. There must be a significant and long-standing bond between two ponies to spark a guardian spell. This spell will unlock untold power in unicorns, and has been reported to completely obliterate any threat against a pony under said unicorn’s protection. According to ancient legend, these spells are capable of intertwining two pony’s destinies permanently, and in some cases have fused the cutie marks of the guardian and their protected.’”
“That sounds exactly like what you did Shining!” Sunset exclaimed, blushing a bit as she realized the extent of the spell I’d used. “So I guess you’re my protector now, aren’t you!”
Twilight, however, was not convinced. “But it says here you must have a long-lasting and significant bond with somepony in order to trigger a guardian spell. Have you know her that long?” she asked me.
“Well, we’ve been together a few years now, but it sounds like there has to be something a lot more permanent than that.” I answered, looking over at Sunset. “It just sounds like we’d have to know each other since we were fillies in order to trigger that kind of magic.”
Twilight sighed. “I think you’re right, but I also think Pinkie was onto something when she came here and showed me this book. She doesn’t bend space and time for just anything, you know. Maybe you should go see Zecora ask her about it. I’m sure she has something that could help you!”
Sunset and I nodded and took the book from Twilight. After thanking her and saying our goodbyes, we started the long walk to Zecora’s hut. Considering the nature of the Everfree, we were pleasantly surprised when we didn’t run into too much trouble. We got lost a few times, but Sunset was able to find the path again by flying up above the tree line. We arrived at the zebra’s hut only an hour after leaving Twilight, and this time we were sure we would find some answers.
Our knock on the door was answered swiftly by the sound of hooves moving about. When the door swung open, the zebra looked at us knowingly.
“Are these ponies I see at my door Sunset and Shining, I’ve not seen you before?” she asked in her usual rhymes. I smiled and nodded, a bit curious how she knew about us already.
“The dear princess Twilight sent letters ahead, while you journeyed this path, of your plight I have read. Come in, my ponies, and I shall then see, if I can solve what your troubles might be.”
As we entered her hut, I looked around with curiosity. I had never been to her home before, and all the herbs and potions from her native land seemed strangely exciting to me. “So I’m guessing that Twilight told you everything then?” I asked.
“Yes, she told me many tales of you, and for your quest I have made a nice brew!” Zecora stated as she pulled a murky white potion off a nearby shelf. “This brew will show what once had been, and from that you may know of your new connection” (Author’s Note: Zecora dialogue sucks)
“What does that mean? Like, we’re going to see our past?” we asked in unison.
“Yes, the past is what this seeks, it only waits for what one speaks. A spell we need, to finish the brew, and something closely held to you”
“So I just need to cast a spell and drop something valuable in there and we can see what caused, or didn’t cause, the guardian spell?” I asked, double checking so I wouldn’t somehow mess things up. Zecora nodded (mainly because the author was too lazy to make more rhymes) and SILENTLY held a book up for Shining to read from, pointing with her hoof at the words he needed to say. As he dropped his and Sunset’s engagement rings into the potion, he spoke the words aloud.
“With all the love stored in my heart; take me back now to the start; and show me all that ever was; each union, split, and bitter part”.
A burst of light filled the room, and the potion fizzed and bubbled as the spell took effect. Zecora, looking pleased, poured the now clear liquid into two nearby glasses and handed them to me and Sunset.
“The potion is ready in this cup, now take a journey and drink it up” Zecora rhymed happily. Sunset and I looked at each other with ‘Oh what the hell’ expressions before downing the drinks. We were out cold in less than a second.