//------------------------------// // Family Dinner // Story: How the Sunset Sparkles // by Scipio Smith //------------------------------// Chapter 13 Family Dinner Sunset writhed upon the gurney, her arms and legs squirming under the restraints. “Let me out of here!” she shrieked, tugging fruitlessly at the bonds that held her down, struggling in abject futility with all the strength that she possessed. “Let me out! You can’t do this to me!” Above her shone bright lights, so bright she could barely see anything else. She could only just make out the plastic walls enclosing her, the blinking and beeping medical equipment, the video cameras set up to record her last moments for posterity. No. Not for posterity. For science. Sunset lurched upwards like a giant kraken rising from the sea, trying to rip herself free of her restraints by main force. It didn’t work, and her wrists and ankles felt worse than ever as the tight straps burned her skin. She snarled wordlessly, anger, pain and outrage mingling in her animal growl. “Sedate the subject,” the voice was cold, clinical. “We need her still in order to conduct a full and thorough examination.” “I am not a subject!” Sunset yelled. “I’m a person! I’m a person and you can’t do this to me!” A solitary figure stepped into the light. He was an old man, grey haired and robed in crisp, white scrubs which glowed under the sterile lights of the operating theatre so that he looked as much like a god as a scientist. There was no mercy in his hard, weathered face or in his cold, blue eyes. His voice, when it spoke again, was heavy with the sound of Sunset’s doom. “You are not a person,” he declared, each word a hammer blow descending upon Sunset’s hopes. “You are an alien organism and a threat to the security of this country and this world. And as such, you will be examined so that we may develop countermeasures against others of your kind.” “My kind?” Sunset asked. “My kind isn’t a threat to you. We’re a peaceful people.” He didn’t believe her; she could see it written all over his face. Sunset found she couldn’t blame him. “I just want to go home,” she begged. “Please let me out of here.” Her desperation bounced off the armour of his dispassion. Sunset realised that he had meant what he said: she wasn’t a person to him, she was a science project. Two orderlies dashed forward, syringes in their hands. Sunset tried to get away from them but she was strapped down too tight, and one of them put all his weight on her to keep her still while the other readied the sedative. A scalpel appeared in the hands of the scientist. It glittered with a silvery light. Sunset tried desperately, uselessly, to throw the orderly off of her. She looked around for something, anything she could use, anyone who might help her. But there was no one. Twilight Sparkle was not coming to take her home; the Canterlot High Five were not going to break into the evil government lab on bicycles to rescue her. She had lived alone, and now she would die alone with no one to mourn her. The syringe pricked her neck with a sharp jab of pain. Sunset moaned, already feeling woozy as the scalpel started getting closer. “ENOUGH!” the loud cry made all of Sunset’s weariness vanish in an instant, and she looked up to see Princess Luna standing before her, fury blazing in her eyes. “She is not your prey!” Luna shouted. “Begone, all of you!” At her shout, the world dissolved. The science lab melted into smoke and blew away before the hurricane of Luna’s anger. The restraints on Sunset fell apart even as Sunset’s body returned to its pony form and she found herself sitting on a grey, rocky floor. The scientist and the two orderlies disappeared, and in their places stood the three furies, baring their teeth towards the Princess of the Night. “Who are you to command the Furies?” Allecto hissed. “We do not answer to you, Moon-witch, but to laws more ancient and more powerful by far. Take care, lest we decide that your crimes also warrant punishment.” “There is no torment you could visit upon me that I have not suffered already at my own hooves,” Luna replied coldly. “But you shall not torment this mare. She is under my protection, and while you may be older than even I, this is my realm. And in my realm I rule, and you obey.” The three furies hissed in unison, the flames in their hair blazing bright with wrath, the snakes coiled about their waists spitting in frustration. “She is a sinner,” Allecto said. “A sinner who has escaped the consequences of her crimes - escaped all punishment, who inflicted suffering yet has suffered nothing in return. She is…happy,” she spoke the word like it repulsed her. “Her heart is full of gladness and light. Is it not an affront to justice that the architect of so much pain should feel such joy?” “That is not for me to judge,” Luna said. “No, it is for us to judge, and judge we have,” Allecto spat. “Now leave us to our work!” “No!” Luna shouted. “I have refused you once, I do so again. Leave now, or you will see what powers this ‘Moon-witch’ possesses.” The furies were so still that Sunset half-thought Luna had turned them all to stone. Then they began to hum as one entity, one mind. They were, she realised, sharing their thoughts with one another. “Very well,” Allecto said. “We shall go. But beware, Sunset Shimmer. You will not always be so well protected.” The three furies faded from sight, leaving Sunset alone with the Princess of the Night, standing together upon a grey surface under a black sky. “Thank you, Your Highness,” Sunset murmured. Luna regarded her without any obvious warmth behind her blue eyes. “So, you are Sunset Shimmer.” “I have the…dubious distinction, Your Highness,” Sunset replied. “Be careful, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna said. “When overcooked, modesty can burn into another form of arrogance. Beware, lest you come to consider yourself, in your peerless humility, more virtuous than other ponies.” Sunset blinked, considering Luna’s words. She smirked. “I suppose I have been overdoing it a little, haven’t I?” “It is no bad thing to be penitent, in moderation,” Luna replied. “Only be sure that it is moderate.” Sunset nodded. “Princess Luna…can I ask why?” “Why? Why what?” “Why did you stop the Furies?” Sunset asked. “I did my duty,” Luna responded. “You have no cause to love me.” “No,” Luna said. “I do not. But everypony deserves the right to forgive themselves, no matter their offence. The Furies would have every wrongdoer live their lives in torn rags, wandering Equestria with dirt in their manes, eternally seeking forgiveness for their sins. They forget that we are all sinners, in our own ways great or small. But now I must go, the night is old yet there is still much work for me to do.” She turned away, and Sunset knew enough of the theory of dream-magic to know that in a moment the Princess would be lost form her sight. “Princess Luna, may I be impertinent?” Sunset blurted out, fearing to ask her question yet at the same time knowing that she would regret it if she did not ask. Luna hesitated. “You may?” “How long did it take before you forgave yourself?” Luna laughed. “Who says that I have?” Sunset stood in front of Eclipse’s door, a plastic box held in the grip of her telekinesis, half-hidden behind Sunset’s neck. The dress Sunset had come to Canterlot in - the magnificent gown which Rarity had made for Twilight’s dance - was far too fancy for something like family dinner. But at the same time the event had seemed too important to Sunset for her not to wear anything. Her sister wanted her around sufficiently to invite Sunset to spend the entire night with her and her family. That wasn’t something that Sunset could just ignore, or treat as ordinary. It might not have been a matter for the fate of Equestria to rest on, it might not even have compared to a princess’ wedding, but to Sunset, in her life, it was pretty huge. So she had begged a little money from Princess Celestia – which hadn’t actually require too much begging, Sunset had forgotten how generous her old teacher was – and brought a little red dress off the peg from a boutique in the city. It was nothing compared to Rarity’s work, but it felt soft against her coat and the colour matched her mane mostly, and Sunset certainly didn’t think she looked ugly as she waited outsider her sister’s door, nerving herself to knock. The sun set, dropping down rapidly below the horizon. The moon rose up to take its place just as fast, the stars coming out as though one of the princesses had flipped a switch. Sunset imagined them, Celestia and Luna, standing upon the balconies of their high towers, horns aglow as they performed their hallowed task. She knocked on the door. There was a moment’s pause, and then Eclipse opened the door and beamed at her older sister. “Great! You’re here.” Sunset stood upon the steps, a foolish smile upon her face, staring. It seemed such a small thing, it was such a small thing, but to have her little sister smile at her like that, to have her eyes light up with pleasure at seeing Sunset…Princess Celestia could have appeared at that very moment and granted Sunset wings and a royal crown and it would have meant less to her in that moment than the fact that Eclipse was happy to see her. How many years had it been since that had last been true? And now look at that smile. Sunset hoped that she never forgot this moment, or how it had felt. Eclipse waved one hoof in front of Sunset’s face. “Hey, Sunset? Are you okay?” Sunset shook her head. “Yeah, sorry, I just spaced out for a sec.” “You want to come inside?” “Sure,” Sunset replied. “Listen, I got you something. It’s a little bit cheesy, but…” She levitated the plastic box towards Eclipse, who took it in the sure grasp of her own magic and turned the pink and purple box over. “A Pretty Pony Princess doll?” she asked. Sunset smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I remembered you complaining about me taking those when we were kids.” Eclipse chuckled. “You realise how old I am, right?” But then she laughed again, to show there was no malice in it. “Thank you. Really.” She held up the doll, which looked to be based off Princess Celestia without actually looking like Princess Celestia; it was pink, for one thing. “It even looks like the one I had.” Sunset nodded. “They’ve got ones that look a bit like Princess Luna, Cadance and Twilight Sparkle now, but I decided to stick with the classic.” She had thought about getting Twilight her ersatz doll – Princess Starlight Twinkle – just to see her face, but had decided against it. Eclipse magically pushed the button on Princess Sunbeam’s flank. “A princess is as wise as she is beautiful,” the doll said. “She certainly is,” Sunset murmured, thinking of Twilight. “What was that?” “Nothing,” Sunset said quickly. “Um, can I come in?” “Oh, yes, of course. What am I thinking, keeping you freezing on the doorstep?” Eclipse went inside first, leaving Sunset to close the door. “Heartwings!” Eclipse called. “Look what Aunt Sunset got you.” Heartwings gurgled happily as Eclipse unwrapped the box and handed the doll to the little filly. “Sunset, I’m so glad you could make it,” Planed said, walking out of the kitchen to join Sunset in watching Eclipse. “I wouldn’t miss it,” Sunset replied. “I’d offer to take your coat but, well…” “Yeah, it’s hard to do when I don’t have one,” Sunset replied. They both watched Eclipse playing with Heartwings for a few moments, the adults looking on quietly while the filly cried out with joy. “You’re a lucky guy, you know that,” Sunset said. “I know,” Planed replied. “You’re a lucky sister.” “I know that, too,” Sunset muttered. The two of them looked at each other. “If you ever hurt her-“ they both began at exactly the same time, before they both started sniggering. “I’ll tell you what,” Sunset said. “We’ll both treat her right, and we’ll neither of us have anything to complain about. Deal?” Planed Surface nodded. “She’ll never be anything but happy, I promise.” “I believe you,” Sunset told him, and she meant it. She believed it because it was right in front of her. It was in everything. She just had to watch them, she just had to listen to them to know that these two ponies were meant to be together. They were bound by a red string of fate that not even Celestia or Luna or Cadance, Princess of Love could have severed. It was in the way a spark leapt between them whenever their eyes met. It was in the way he stood a little taller when he felt her eyes on him. It was in the way she glowed a little brighter when she felt his eyes on her. It was in the way they told their stories, switching out at intervals as though they were some kind of storytelling tag team, always picking up at exactly the right place where the other had left off with no visible signals passing between them. It was in the way that they could laugh at one another, and at themselves, without any shame or embarrassment at all. It was the way that everything they did, every gesture, every touch, every little hint of a smile, seemed to mean more to them than an hour of speechifying. It was the way that they moved around each other as if they were always dancing, twirling around another as if there was a single mind guiding them both. Sunset found herself watching them in amazement, and then with pleasure. A slow smile crept across her face as she listened to their stories and watched their interactions. Just by watching she knew that her little sister would be okay, but more than that, Sunset started to wonder if maybe she could be okay as well. This must be it, Sunset realised. This is what not even Princess Celestia could explain to me. This, the way that they fall in love with each other all over again every minute, this is what love is. This is how you know. Do I feel that way? She watched her sister and Planed Surface washing up, bantering lightly with one another, moving as if they shared a single mind, breaking off their work to kiss every so often. Sunset watched, and she tried to imagine a similar scene, but taking place somewhere else with different ponies as the characters: her home in Ponyville, no, Twilight's library. She imagined herself and Twilight, having dinner, talking. Their eyes would meet, spoons halfway to their mouths, and there would be that spark, the tiny and invisible spark, that would seal the bond between them anew for the thousandth or however many time. She could imagine spending endless days in Twilight's company. Only Twilight, not pony Flash, not human Flash, not anypony else, just Twilight. "Sunset?" Sunset blinked rapidly, the scene in her mind dispersing. "Yeah? What's up, sis? You need any help?" "No, we're all done," Eclipse said quietly. She smiled. "You got it bad, don't you?" "Huh?" Sunset said, trying to sound casual and surprised in equal measure. "That story was more than just a story, wasn't it?" Eclipse said, sitting down. "A princess really did give you back your heart." Sunset hesitated, then nodded. "Princess Twilight." "The one you stole the Element of Magic from?" Eclipse chuckled. "You know how to pick 'em, don't you? What is it with you and the brave, upstanding type?" Sunset shrugged. "You're asking me? I mean, I ought to hate this mare; she's everything I wanted to be but aren't...can't ever become. But I don't hate her, I..." "Love her?" Eclipse suggested. "That's the stupidest thing, I can't even say," Sunset snapped. Eclipse leaned forwards, elbows on the table, eyes keenly curious. "Then what can you say?" Sunset leaned back. "That when I think about her with anypony else I want to start punching people. That when I'm around her, I get so nervous like, like she'll suddenly realise that she's better than I am and turn away from me, even though she never does. But at the same time I feel as though I could tell her anything and she'd understand, do anything and she'd forgive me. That when I think about me and her, I get this warm feeling inside like, like there was this hole inside of me all this time that I didn't even know was there but can fill in. "I feel like I'm the sun, and she can raise me up and set me down at her command." Eclipse was silent for a moment, then she whistled. "Sis, if you didn't think that was love I hate to think how high your standards are." "You mean that?" Sunset asked. "On my Celestia, yes! You love her," Eclipse insisted. "No ifs, no buts, you're in love, deal with it. Am I right, honey?" "It sounds like love to me," Planed Surface called out from the kitchen. "Thank you," Eclipse said loudly. "There, you see, undeniable." "Because you and your fiance say it is?" "Because it's staring you in the face," Eclipse shouted. "The real question is, what are you going to do about it?" "I don't know, I..." Sunset hesitated, a goofy smile crossing her face. "It's true, isn't it? You're right. I love her. I love her! I am in love with Twilight Sparkle!" She leapt off her chair, raising her forehooves in the air. "I am horribly in love with her!" "Howwibly!" Heartwings yelled, raising her legs and falling onto her back. Sunset dropped back down onto all fours. "I love her. Sweet Celestia, I love her, what am I going to do?" "You could start by asking her out?" Eclipse suggested. "I hear that's a good way to begin a relationship." "Ha ha," Sunset said flatly. "Listen, this is serious. There's all these suitors and...she's a princess." "And are you really going to let that stop you?" "No, I just..." Sunset sighed. "What if she doesn't love me? What if one of those rich ponies has gotten to her first? What if..." Planed Surface came out from the kitchen. "If this is real love, if this is fate, if you two are meant to be together, then an army of griffons won't be able to keep the two of you apart. But, on the other hoof, if it isn't real, then none of the obstacles you're afraid will be what keeps you apart in the end." Sunset snorted. "You know I always used to think that I made my own fate. That I could defy destiny, cheat it, fulfil my own ambitions in spite of everything the world had planned for me. That worked out...not so great. I suppose it might be nice to put my trust in some grand cosmic plan and hope that it's on my side for once." She looked at the two of them, first at Eclipse and then at Planed Surface. "Do you think that it's possible? Do you think that a pony like Twilight Sparkle, a princess, could love somepony like me?" Eclipse smirked. "I think she'd be a lucky mare, and I'll tell her so myself if I have to." Sunset laughed. "Thanks, little sister. I, I know what I have to do. I'll go to Ponyville, and I'll take a chance. I'll trust in fate, or whatever, and believe that we're meant to be together. And so I'll make it happen. Whatever it takes." Eclipse nodded. "Go get 'em, Tiger." "I will, I'll leave first thing tomorrow, I..." Sunset hesitated. "Come here, you." She pulled her little sister into a hug. "Thank you, Sunset whispered. Thank you for trusting me, for giving me a chance, for telling me what I needed to hear. You're the best sister I could ever have." "And don't you forget it," Eclipse replied. "And Sunset?" "Yeah?" Eclipse looked at her fiance, who nodded. "We would be honoured if you could attend our wedding. If you want to." Sunset's eyes widened. "If I want to?" she said softly. "If I want to? If I want to?" "Is that a yes or a no?" Planed asked. "Of course it's a yes, why wouldn't I want to come to my own sister's wedding?" Sunset shouted, barely restraining herself from jumping for joy. "In fact," she grinned. "Put me down for a plus one."