//------------------------------// // The Princess and the Frozen Heart // Story: How the Sunset Sparkles // by Scipio Smith //------------------------------// Chapter 12 The Princess and the Frozen Heart Twilight and Cadance stood side-by-side in the centre of the Golden Oaks Library. Both were dressed for the occasion in plain, simple but still elegant gowns: Twilight in white trimmed with lavender, and Cadance in a soft shade of pink. Spike, wearing his tuxedo and red bowtie, stood by the door. The table had been cleared away, stored in the basement laboratory along with most of the furniture, leaving a clear open space for a large group of ponies to gather. It had also made room for the three caskets which rested upon velvet cushions atop pillars of enchanted ice Twilight had raised near the stairs. The caskets of gold and silver glittered in the light streaming in from the window, while the dull lead box seemed almost to absorb the light, turning even the air around it dark. The columns of ice fit no architectural or decorative style; Twilight had swiftly given up on trying to make them look Ionian. Instead there was a spiky wildness to them, full of sharp protrusions and brittle barbs, obeying no will or logic but their own on their twisting, thorny path upwards. Yet there was a beauty in their wildness; in the spikes and thorns, the twists and turns, in the fragile, crystalline structure of the columns and the way the light glinted off them. They reminded Twilight of Sunset, in a way: sharp, spiky, wild and uncontrollable, but brittle too, and more fragile than she seemed; beautiful in all her aspects. Twilight shook her head ever so slightly. This wasn’t the time to be thinking that sort of thing. Cadance glanced at her. “Are you okay?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Are you sure this will work?” “I can’t guarantee it will get rid of every last one of them,” Cadance said. “But it should winnow the numbers down a little.” Twilight smiled. “Thank you. For everything.” Cadance’s hoof moved slightly, until it was touching Twilight’s reassuringly. “We’ll get through this, together. Are you ready?” “Yes,” Twilight replied. “Let’s get started. Spike, open the door.” Spike, wearing his very best ‘prim and proper’ expression - the one that made him look unspeakably stuck up - opened the door. Outside, Flash Sentry and a thin line of Crystal Guards stood between the suitors and the library. “Show them in now, Flash,” Cadance called. Flash, his golden armour gleaming, bowed. “As you command, Your Highness. Let them through, make way! Fillies and Gentlecolts, you are invited to enter the presence of their highnesses Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The corner of Twilight’s lip curled upwards. “Of all the ponies whose duplicates I met, he is the one whose two selves I have the hardest time reconciling. He’s so stiff and formal.” “Being stiff and formal is his job,” Cadance replied softly. “I’m told he’s the life of the party when he gets off duty.” One by one, the suitors walked into the library and formed a rough clump in front of the two princesses. Twilight noticed that they arrayed themselves wordlessly by order of status: the richest, best connected ponies in front, the poorest and least influential standing at the back and straining to see her over the heads of their competitors. They were all wearing their best clothes and trying their hardest to maintain poised expressions of studied neutrality. But she did not miss the flickers of contempt in their eyes for her humble library, the looks of distaste for everything that did not meet the highest standards of sophistication. Her eyes had even caught Rich Dirtbag’s momentary sneer at Spike, which made her want to demand when was the last time he had saved the Crystal Empire. But, as much as they might irritate her, their displays of entitled arrogance also increased Twilight’s hopes for the success of Cadance’s plan: ponies like these would never be able to pass Cadance’s test. When all the suitors were in, Spike closed the door. Cadance gave Twilight a reassuring look and then stepped forward. Her voice was calm and melodious. “Thank you all for coming, and thank you also for the patience and consideration you have displayed following my arrival.” “Our patience is running thin,” Rich Dirtbag declared in a voice that was fruity and full of his own importance. He was a long-faced unicorn with eyes of gold and a green coat the colour of money. “It is as we told you, Your Highness: we shall not depart until Princess Twilight chooses the best among us.” Cadance’s smile was so sweet it circled around into being sinister. “The best among you, Mister Dirtbag? Well, yes, I certainly wouldn’t want Twilight to have to settle for anypony second rate. But how to judge the best? How are we to tell which you is worthy? How shall we know which of you deserves this treasure?” “I’m sure you’re going to tell us,” Slender Chance said. “Indeed.” Cadance nodded, and with one hoof she gestured at the pillars of ice and to the three caskets that sat on top of them. “I am sure you all noticed these when you came in.” They could hardly have failed to notice them. The caskets of gold and silver where both beautifully worked, with delicate leaf patterning worked in relief into the boxes. The lead casket, though unadorned, had a plain and solid quality that drew the eye, if only by comparison with its two cousins. “Each of you who still wishes to marry Twilight must choose one of these caskets,” Cadance continued. “If you choose correctly, you will have the opportunity to impress Twilight with your romantic qualities, of which I am sure you have many.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice like saliva from a lion’s mouth, but none of the suitors gave any sign that they had detected it. Cadance went on, “But, if you choose wrongly, then you must leave Ponyville at once.” The suitors muttered amongst themselves in consternation. Ivy League said, “Surely, after the first two ponies have chosen and failed we shall all know the right choice.” “Each of you will choose alone, watched only by Spike, Cadance and myself,” Twilight said. “Before you choose, you must sign this magical contract.” She levitated a large scroll up into the air in front of her, a scroll glowing not only with the lavender aura of her telekinesis, but with the blue-green glow of the spell she had placed on it earlier. “Once you sign, you will not only be bound to honour the terms of this test, but also unable to tell anypony which casket you chose or what you found inside.” “And how are we to choose?” Slender Chance demanded. “Is this nothing more than a contest of luck?” “There is a clue written on each casket, if you are capable to understanding it,” Cadance said softly. Ivy League growled. “We came to woo, not to play childrens’ games! This isn’t fair!” “Considering your behaviour, you have little right to appeal on grounds of fairness,” Cadance replied tartly. “You have all invaded Twilight’s life unasked, unwanted. Now you have Twilight’s terms: accept them or go.” For a moment the suitors, regarding the three caskets warily. Then Rich stepped out of the herd. “Very well,” he declared. “If we must choose then we must choose. I will go first.” “Thank you for volunteering,” Cadance said. “Will the rest of you please leave.” The rest of them left – Spike slammed the door behind them – leaving Twilight, Cadance and Spike alone with Rich. Twilight unrolled the contract. “Please sign here before we go any further.” “Hmph, of course,” he said, and signed his name. As soon as he was done, his signature flashed red, signifying that the spell was cast. He was bound by the terms of Twilight’s challenge now, unable to stay in Ponyville if he failed or to speak to anypony of the casket he had chosen. Win or lose, he would only get one chance. Twilight struggled to control her breathing. Of all the suitors, here was the one she liked the least. If he chose right...no, she couldn't get defeatist at this point. She had to have faith in Cadance. She would also have to make sure that she gave nothing away on her face. Rich eyed the three caskets suspiciously. "How shall I know that I have chosen right?" Twilight noted that he had said 'that I have' rather than 'if I have'. She said, "The correct casket contains my picture." Rich nodded. Slowly, gingerly, he approached the casket of lead. "A clue on each you say, what have we here," Rich put one hoof upon the casket, running it across the inscription written on the lid. "'Who chooses me must give or hazard all they have.' Hazard? For lead? Give everything I have?” He drew back from the casket as though it was burning his hoof, looking outraged at the very idea that he might have to make sacrifices in a relationship. “But I am the richest pony in Manehattan, the darling of society, the master of thousands of workers, I own coal mines and factories and newspapers. My home is a tower that touches the clouds and my butler has his own valet. Must I cast it all aside? Am I to risk all that I have upon a throw of the dice? And for what, for dull lead? Neigh," he glanced suspiciously towards Twilight, looking into her eyes. "The prize is not nearly worth the price demanded. You would need to be more beautiful by far before I hazard ought for...lead." Cadance snorted like an angry bull, her eyes narrowing and her jaw tightening. Twilight got the distinct impression that she wanted to put a hex on him. For herself, she was fighting not to cheer. Rich Dirtbag turned away from her and from the casket of lead, passing instead to where the golden chest sat on it's purple cushion. He bent down to read the inscription hidden amongst the leaf patterning. "'Who chooses me shall gain what many ponies desire.' What many ponies desire. Hmm. Many ponies, I suppose, meaning those common, poor, benighted idiots outside and all their sort who litter up the streets of Manehattan and Canterlot. Farm bumpkins, bouncing idiots, noponies proud and timid both alike. Shall I judge as they do, foolish as they are and taken in by every carnival and circus show that arrives outside their door? Are my desires no higher than their own? Are not my ambitions nobler: a crown, a set of grand connections, influence throughout the land? No, I'll raise my sights above the common crowd and look elsewhere for satisfaction." And so finally he came to the silver casket, which gleamed less brightly than the strongbox of gold but had in some ways a purer sheen to it. Rich took out a monocle, putting it to his eye as he read the final clue. "'Who chooses me shall get no more or less than they deserve.' Aha! Now here’s the thing! I know my worth, none better. Is not my dazzling wealth testament enough to my superiority over the poor and common rabble? In Manehattan the mares all kiss my hooves, the stallions clamour at my door begging small favours. Do I not deserve a crown? Do I not deserve to be known by all ponies, involved in all things, to sit upon a throne and style myself most royal? Do I not deserve a fair consort and fairer still than…” he glanced towards Twilight, and then looked at Cadance for a moment. “Fairer than the word. I choose this chest of silver, in all Equestria there is no stallion more deserving.” He touched the ornate lock upon the silver casket, and the box opened with a brilliant burst of lavender light. Rich Dirtbag peered inside. His horn glowed as he levitated a silver-framed mirror out of the chest and held it up before his face. “A looking glass?” “The better to behold the object of your affection,” Cadance said waspishly. “You may deserve your wealth and success. You may even deserve the esteem in which you are held. But in matters of love, what we deserve has very little to do with it. In fact, I might go so far as to say that if you really love somepony you will never really feel as though you deserve them; while if you ever are so vain as to feel that you deserve somepony else, then what you feel for them is almost certainly not love.” Rich glared at the two princesses for a moment, his mouth tightening. Behind him, Spike opened the door. Rich practically spat his words, “It seems that I am twice a fool: once for my choice and once for coming here at all!” He turned around and swept out the library. Spike shut the door. “Huh, and good riddance.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as the silver casket closed, ready for the next suitor to take the test. “It worked. I can’t believe it worked.” “It’s been my experience that ponies like these are too full of themselves, too wrapped up in their own importance, to risk everything,” Cadance said. “Even for a treasure like you.” She scowled. “I can’t believe the nerve of that guy, talking about you that way. Don’t let anypony talk about you that way, Twilight. Promise me. You’re better than that.” Twilight compared this with what Cadance had just said, and frowned at the contradiction. “But…you just said-“ “Two lessons about relationships,” Cadance said. “Lesson number one: when it comes to the heart, nopony owes you anything. No matter how rich you are, how talented, sometimes the pony you like just isn’t into you and no amount of stamping your hooves and talking about how much you deserve to get what you want will change that. Lesson number two: don’t sell yourself short. Don’t ever settle for somepony that you don’t love because you don’t think you can do any better; it’s the recipe for a miserable life. Understand now?” “I think so?” Cadance smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ve got as long as you want to figure it out. Now, I wonder if we can get rid of any more of them today.” *** Sunset walked down the street towards her sister’s house. There were no colts playing kick-ball this morning, instead two fillies were flicking a skipping rope for a third friend. “Hundred and one, hundred and two, hundred and three; come on, you’re doing great!” Sunset walked on by until she came to the steps leading up to Eclipse’s green door. She was about to mount the steps leading up to it when the painted door flew open and a bespectacled dark red stallion wearing a pair of bulging saddlebags began to bustle down the steps. "Please excuse me," he said. "I'm in a bit of a-" He stared at her for a moment. "Miss Sunset Shimmer?" "Um, yeah," Sunset murmured. She frowned. "Are...you're the fiancée, aren't you?" The stallion smiled a little too widely, it made him look kind of goofy. "Planed Surface, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." And yet you didn't run away screaming, Sunset thought. She sized up the stallion who thought he was going to marry her sister. He was younger than she had feared, only a few years older than she was. He held himself awkwardly, like one of the nerdy kids in the playground, but he filled out his grey suit well enough even if it did look a bit too big for him. The suit itself was old, but not shabby. His glasses were square and the eyes behind them were a deep blue. His mane was black, and combed over to the right in an unassuming style that screamed 'clean cut and honest'. He probably sent money back to his white-haired old mother. Sunset noticed that his cutie mark was a block of wood, and couldn't help but wonder if that was a comment on how interesting he was. "Hi," Sunset said evenly, holding one hoof. "It's um, it's nice to meet you." "Oh, thanks," Planed said, bumping her hoof with his own. "I'm just so glad that you could be here right now, after being out of the country for so long and being reported dead-" "Yeah," Sunset said, a subtle growl entering her tone. "So, anyway-" "Does this mean that you'll be able to come to the wedding?" Sunset hesitated. She wanted to, if only because it would put the diamond ring on her reconciliation with her sister, but she had no idea of whether the tender rapprochement they had established yesterday would bear any kind of weight. And if Eclipse thought that Sunset had gone behind her back to get invited to the wedding she would never be forgiven. "I don't know," Sunset said. "I...things might come up. I can't say." Planed's face fell a little. "Oh. Well, I hope that you'll really try to be there, Miss Sunset-" "Stop calling me 'Miss', I'm not your spinster aunt," Sunset snapped. "You can call me Sunset like everypony else." His face fell a little. "Okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. My mother always told me to-" "Yeah, I'm sure she did," Sunset interrupted. She sighed. "Listen, Clark-" "Who?" "Never mind," Sunset said quickly. "I'm sure that small town manners go down a hoot wherever you come from-" "Smalltown, Equestria," he supplied helpfully. "Of course you do," Sunset said flatly. "The point is, they aren't my thing, so if you could tone it down that would be awesome." "Of course," he said. "I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I know that you've been away for a while, so if there's anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask." Sunset blinked. "Okay. What is up with you?" "Excuse me?" "In the very short time we've known each other, I have been rude to you five times and it hasn't even ruffled you," Sunset said, her voice rising. "Why are you still being so friendly? And what in Equestria has my sister told you that you're being so friendly?" The expression on the face of Planed Surface was absolutely guileless. "I'm being so friendly because that's who I am Mi- um, Sunset. And because it takes a lot more than a few words to get under my skin. As for what Eclipse told me: some bad things, some good things if you know how to listen, but I always prefer to judge people for myself." Sunset’s eyes narrowed and she stepped forward, shoving her face into Planed Surface’s personal space. “You’re up to something. And when I find out what it is, you’re going to be in big trouble.” He smiled disarmingly. “Actually, I think when you realise that I’m not up to anything you’re going to owe me an apology. Anyway, I really ought to go now; it was nice meeting you M- Sunset.” Planed nodded goodbye to her, then began to walk down the street. Sunset stared at him. That guy is way too calm and nice to be on the level. She scowled as she walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Eclipse opened it a moment later. “Hey. I wasn’t sure if you’d be back.” Sunset frowned. “Meaning what, exactly?” Eclipse raised one eyebrow. “Come on, you don’t exactly have a great track record.” Sunset shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I can’t argue with that.” Eclipse smiled. “Come on in.” Sunset followed her inside. “So, I met the future husband.” Eclipse must have noticed something in her tone because she turned around and fixed Sunset with a stern look. “What? Come on, let’s hear it.” “He’s too friendly!” Sunset said. “It isn’t normal. I insulted him and he didn’t get annoyed, he didn’t get upset. He just kept smiling that stupid smile the whole time. Somepony that nice is obviously hiding something under his mask.” “Like what?” “I don’t know, maybe he’s a member of a Nightmare cult,” Sunset suggested. “Okay, that was stupid, but I think he’s up to something. Come on, Eclipse, don’t you think there’s something off about a guy that perfect?” “I think there’s something really weird about you trying to tell me that somepony might be bad for me,” Eclipse said, her voice sharp but not without a trace of amusement in it. “Don’t be like that, come on,” Sunset said. “I’m just…” she hesitated, aware of how stupid the words would sound coming out of her mouth but equally aware that she had to say them anyway. “I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay.” Eclipse began to shake, as though she had suddenly been struck with a chill. Then she opened her mouth and laughter echoed through the house, until even little Heartwings was gurgling happily in her playpen. Sunset sat down on the floor and tried to swallow her chagrin. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, come on.” Eclipse’s laughter trailed off as she said, “You had to realise how ridiculous you saying that would sound.” Sunset smiled sheepishly. “Isn’t it nice that I care?” Eclipse snorted. “I guess so.” “Thanks for having me back,” Sunset said. Eclipse smiled out of one corner of her mouth. “I never hated you, Sunset. I just…I didn’t want you dragging me back to…” “Yeah, I know,” Sunset said softly. “But you seem different now,” Eclipse continued. “You are different. You never used to admit that you’d done anything wrong.” “Really? Never?” “Nope.” “Huh,” Sunset said. “I seem to do it all the time these days.” She got up, wandering around the living room. “So, is this you now? Full time wicked stepmom?” Eclipse glared at her. “Full time not-wicked stepmom?” Sunset corrected herself. “Not full time,” Eclipse said. “I make things: pots, figurines, that kind of thing. It doesn’t make a lot of money, but I enjoy it.” “Really,” Sunset murmured. She looked at the ornaments on the bookshelves. “So, are they yours?” Eclipse nodded, and so Sunset walked over to the closest shelf to take a closer look. The piece that caught her eye was a delicate porcelain statuette of a unicorn mare with long, lithe legs and a flowing pink mane. “It’s beautiful.” “An Eclipse original,” Eclipse said. “It will be worth a lot in fifty years.” Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll bet.” They looked at one another, a silence falling between them broken only the sounds of little Heartwings banging her toys together. Sunset said, “You know, it’s weird: we’re sisters, but we don’t really know each other anymore, do we?” “No,” Eclipse agreed. “I guess we don’t." Sunset held out a hoof. "Hi, I'm Sunset Shimmer, nice to meet you?" Eclipse shook her head. "Where do you think we ought to start?” “How about with how you ended up with the most corn-fed boy this side of Saddle Range.” Sunset suggested. Eclipse smiled. “Why don’t you sit down, I’ll make us some tea.” Sunset sat down at the table and waited while her sister went into the kitchen. She tapped her hoof on the table while she waited, watching the young filly roll one of her toy wagons across the floor of the playpen. "He really isn't a bad guy, you know," Eclipse said when she returned, levitating a pot of tea and two cups with her, putting them both down on the table. "And he's not hiding anything. What you see is what there is." "I don't buy that," Sunset said. "Not even Twilight Sparkle is that even tempered, and she's the best pony I know." Twilight may have been the tranquil pool to Sunset's raging inferno, but even the serene water could boil with rage when roused to it. "He is," Eclipse insisted. "He really is." Sunset sighed. "I know I don't have any right to say this, and I know it sounds incredibly wrong of me to say it, but I don't want you to get hurt a few months down the line when he turns out to be an enormous ass." "We've been together for almost six months now," Eclipse said. "If it was a mask, I think I would have seen it slip. And besides, what would be the point of it? What could he want from me?" "I don't know," Sunset admitted. "I still want to know how you two ended up together." “He saved my life,” Eclipse said simply. “He what?” Sunset asked. “How?” “There was a fire,” Eclipse said slowly. “I was trapped and he came in and got me out. When we were outside, and I asked him why, he just looked at me and said, ‘Because you needed help.’ That’s the kind of pony he is: the kind who helps others. I’ve seen him dive out into the middle of the road to push somepony out of the way of an oncoming carriage. I’ve seen him sit and talk to complete strangers about their problems for hours. He always does the right thing and he never expects anything in return, he just does it because it’s right. That’s why I know that he won’t ever hurt me, because I know that he’d never hurt anypony. I feel like the luckiest mare in Equestria sometimes.” “You sound like it,” Sunset said. “I can’t say that it’s the kind of relationship I’d choose – too boring - but you do sound happy so I suppose I don’t have much choice but to trust you.” She grinned. “I’ll still kick his flank if he turns out to be a jerk though.” Eclipse laughed. “I have missed you, Sunset, honestly.” “Really?” “You stole my stuff, you lied to me, you took advantage of me, you were an ass,” Eclipse said, rattling off the list of Sunset’s flaws. “But you were fun to hang out with when you weren’t trying to get something out of me, and you were right, you did a lot for me when we were kids. Mom and Dad weren’t always around, but you were.” Sunset shrugged. “Is that what you told your coltfriend about me?” “I told him everything, he just saw the best,” Eclipse replied. “He sees the best in everypony.” “Gee, they really do make them differently out in the country, don’t they?” Sunset said. “Must be the small town air.” “There’s no need to be sarcastic.” “I can’t help it,” Sunset said. “It’s in my nature.” “Before recently I would have said that being absolutely self-centred was in your nature too,” Eclipse pointed out. “But here we are.” “Yep,” Sunset said heavily. “Here we are.” Eclipse hesitated, her eyes darting this way and that. “I…would like to have you back in my life. If you want to be my sister, then I’ll be your sister too.” “Really?” Sunset gasped eagerly. “You…you mean it? Thanks, I just…thank you. Hey. Does this mean I can come to your wedding?” “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Eclipse replied. “Right, sure,” Sunset said, unable to stop herself grinning like an idiot. It hardly felt like a rebuke at this point. She had her sister back! She’d been forgiven! “So how about your life?” Eclipse asked. “What are you up to in Ponyville these days?” “Well, I-“ Sunset began, but before she could get very far into her answer, Heartwings managed to poke herself in the eye and started to cry and wail. “Oh, you poor baby,” Eclipse said in a gushing, motherly tone, her horn glowing as she lifted the filly out of the playpen and into her hooves, rocking her gently from side to side. “Ah, there, there, let Eclipse kiss it better.” She kissed the little girl gently. “Sunset, could you get the music box, it’s on the third shelf down.” Sunset got up and padded quickly over to the shelf. She recognised the music box at once as the one that their mother had had when Sunset and Eclipse were children: a carved redwood box, plain and unadorned with a brass plaque on the lid inscribed ST, for Starlight Twinkle. Sunset smiled as she picked up the box and carried it over to the table. “I didn’t realise you still had this.” “I couldn’t get rid of that,” Eclipse said. “And a good thing too, Heartwings loves the music.” “She’s got good taste then,” Sunset said, opening the box and letting the familiar melody flow out to fill the house. Almost at once, the filly quietened, her crying diminishing as Eclipse rocked her from side to side. “That’s it, all better now,” Eclipse whispered. “I’m here, you’re safe, everything is going to be all right. Go to sleep. Go to sleep.” Heartwings was blinking sleepily, but she managed to murmur, “Stowwey.” Eclipse gasped. “A story?” She looked up at Sunset, blue eyes gleaming mischievously. “Well you’re very lucky, princess, because you’re Aunt Sunset is here and she tells the most wonderful stories.” Sunset’s eyes widened in alarm. “I do?” “You used to,” Eclipse said. “You used to create those illusions, remember?” Sunset thought for a moment. “Huh. Yeah, I did, didn’t I? Well, I guess we’ll see if I’ve still got it, won’t we?” She channelled her magic, her horn lighting up with magical aura as she did so, and hoped that she could still get the spell right. Sunset waited until the melody of the music box had wound down and then started over again, before she began to speak. When it came, her voice was the gentlest whisper. She half felt as though she was a teenager again, putting Eclipse to bed because their parents were working late. “This is the story of the Princess and the Frozen Heart,” Sunset said, and the image of a princess whose resemblance to Twilight Sparkle was pure coincidence appeared in the air above Heartwings, an image that looked as if it was formed of smoke, hovering in the air and smiling down upon the filly who reached up for it with her tiny hooves. “Once upon a time,” Sunset continued. “There was a girl, who was very lonely, because she felt no love in her heart. Though many ponies offered her their friendship, the girl scorned them all, because she thought that friendship would only make her weak.” The image of the princess disappeared, replaced by an amber unicorn with fire in her mane, turning her back upon Princess Celestia and all the other ponies reaching out for her, her eyes closed and her nose in the air. “This foolish girl was so determined to be free of love, that she took out her heart and hid it in a cavern of ice, where it grew cold and lonely. ‘Now I will be the greatest wizard of all time,’ the girl cried. ‘No,’ said Celestia, for she saw that there was no love in this girl’s heart, and banished her from the kingdom until she could learn to love another.” The images swirling above Heartwings’ head, having shown the girl standing in an icy cavern, became Celestia looking away from the stupid girl, gesturing imperiously with one hoof to bid her begone. “The lonely girl wandered in misery,” Sunset said. “For her heart could feel only the cold of the ice all around it, biting and bitter, and the warmth of friendship and love could never touch it while it lay entombed. But the girl could not bear to admit that she was wrong, and blamed everypony but herself for her misfortunes, and she became ever more lonely and afraid.” The Sunset lookalike became surrounded by shadows, with cold eyes and colder smiles, all turned away from her while the lonely girl stared fearfully at all of them, shivering from cold, fright and loneliness in equal measure. “In time, a new princess was crowned, a princess loved by everypony, for she was kind and brave and generous.” Sunset created the image of the Princess surrounded by a vague crowd of well-wishers, and the sound of their cheering nearly blocked out the sound of the music box. “And when she saw how loved the Princess was, how praised, how admired, the girl became enraged. And so, one dark night, she crept into the palace and stole the Princess’ crown.” The image of a shadowy figure, hidden in a dark cloak, appeared over Heartwings, making the filly shrink in fear. The hooded figure raised one hoof to reveal a golden crown, which glinted brightly before both crown and figure both disappeared. “But now that she had the crown, the lonely girl became terribly afraid of what the Princess would do, and so the lonely girl ran away, as far as she could, to escape the Princess’ anger. But the Princess did not come after right away. First, she went to the cavern of ice and found the heart of the lonely girl, and took it with her as she followed the girl who had stolen her crown. “But the girl kept running. She ran and ran, always looking behind her, always trying to escape. She kept on running, between the stars and past the sun, while galaxies and shooting stars whirled past her. She ran and ran, and the Princess followed her, always on her trail.” The images Sunset created showed girl and princess both running through the stars and planets, which twinkled in all manner of colours around them. “At last, the girl came to the very edge of the galaxy, and when she could run no more she turned at bay and saw the Princess coming towards her.” The girl stood upon the very edge of a silver waterfall, snarling at the Princess as she walked slowly forwards towards her. “’Leave me alone’, the girl cried. ‘Why are you chasing me?’ ’I’d like you to give me my crown back,’ the Princess replied. ‘And in return, I will give you this.’ And she took out the lonely girl’s heart, and offered it to her. The girl was amazed that the Princess would treat her enemy so, and asked her why she would offer her such a gift. ‘Because to see you so lonely makes me sad,’ the Princess answered. ‘And nopony should live without love.’ And so the lonely girl threw down the stolen crown at the Princess’ hooves, and snatched her heart and took it back for the first time in many cold years. And the girl began to cry, because for the first time she realised that she was loved. And so she fell down at the hooves of the Princess, sobbing, ‘What shall I do? How can I atone for what I have done?’ And the Princess held out a hoof to her and said, ‘Come with me, and we will find the answer out together.’ And so the girl took the hoof of the Princess, who led her home where she belonged, and made sure that she was never lonely or frightened again. And, if they are not dead, then they are living still.” Heartwings smiled happily as her eyes closed and she drifted off at last to sleep, snoring idly in Eclipse’s hooves. Sunset grinned. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” “No, not bad at all,” Eclipse said quietly. “So, who is she?” “Who?” “The Princess who gave you back your heart,” Eclipse said. “Lonely girl.” “What? No!” Sunset squawked, while keeping her voice quiet enough to not wake Heartwings. “It was a just story, that’s all. I made it all up.” Eclipse’s smile was very smug. “Of course you did.” “Yes,” Sunset insisted. “I did.” “If you say so,” Eclipse said, sounding as though she didn’t believe a word of it. “You want to come to dinner tomorrow night? Or do you have to go back to Ponyville?” “Soon, but not right away,” Sunset said. “Yeah, dinner would be great, thanks.” Eclipse nodded. “It’s nice to have you back, big sister.”