//------------------------------// // Sunset in Ponyville // Story: (Mis)taken Identity // by MythrilMoth //------------------------------// The afternoon sunlight dazzled Sunset as they appeared at the base of the castle. She blinked spots away from her eyes. A moment later, a blue blur dropped down in front of them. "Princess Celestia!" Rainbow Dash said. "Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said. "I heard you're going to give Sunset Shimmer a guided tour of Ponyville. I thought I might join you." "Sure, no problem!" Sunset turned and looked at the castle gates behind them. "Huh...looks kinda...rough." Celestia laughed. "You need to see this castle from a bit farther away to truly appreciate its splendor." She began walking, the others following her. Sunset turned once they were a good fifty paces away from the castle and looked up at it. Her eyes widened. "Heh...somethin', ain't it?" Rainbow Dash said with a grin. "...why is Princess Twilight's castle a giant crystal tree?" Celestia laughed. "Well...that's something of a long story. Have you ever heard of the Tree of Harmony?" Sunset nodded. "It was mentioned in one of Starswirl the Bearded's journals. I know it's connected to the Elements of Harmony..." She frowned. "It's where they came from, isn't it?" "That's right," Celestia said. "So what does the Tree of Harmony have to do with this?" "Why don't you tell her, Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow gestured to herself with a hoof. "Me? Seriously?" At Celestia's nod, she took a deep breath. "Okay, short version: we found the Tree of Harmony and it was dying. We had to put the Elements of Harmony back into the tree to save it. When it got all its magic back, it created this chest. A whole lot of other stuff happened, pretty much the worst evil baddie ever showed up and nearly conquered Equestria, and the six of us—me, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity—had to find the keys to unlock the chest. That's a whole other story and it's pretty long, but...when we opened the chest, it gave us all this sweet new super...rainbow power or something, it was way stronger than the old Elements of Harmony...and then the chest itself turned into like, this seed that shot all the way out here and then...turned into this." Sunset rubbed her chin with a hoof. "I see...so Twilight's castle is a second Tree of Harmony?" "That's what Twilight says, yeah. It's got like...weird harmony powers and shows us places in Equestria where things aren't awesome. And then we go there and make them awesome." She shrugged. "Twilight can fill you in on the whole story later." Sunset blinked as she processed all this. "Wow." Celestia nodded. "Indeed. Twilight Sparkle and her friends have kept quite busy." She gave Sunset a gentle poke. "Just think...these are adventures you might have had, had you not chosen to turn away from my lessons." Sunset sighed. "I know." She looked at the castle again. "I never would've been a princess though, would I?" "No," Celestia said sadly. "That was never your destiny. I'm sorry." She brushed Sunset's back with a wing. "I should have told you, years ago, about the Tree of Harmony...about the third cutie mark on its trunk..." Sunset blinked. "Cutie marks on a tree?" "Yeah," Rainbow said. "It's got Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's cutie marks, and...it's also got Twilight's cutie mark." Sunset let out a bitter laugh. "I see..." "Why don't we head on into Ponyville?" Rainbow suggested. "There's a lot to show you." Sunset smiled. "Yeah, okay." They approached the town proper, and Sunset looked out over its simple, rustic architecture: the thatched roofs, the windmills, the bright colors and green grasses. She smiled. "Looks like a nice town." Three fillies suddenly ran past, screaming their heads off. A large, monstrous bird with six legs ran after them, making a sound like "quobblck". It spat a fireball that singed the tail hairs of a filly Sunset recognized as Scootaloo. "AGAIN?!" Rainbow Dash groaned, dragging a hoof down her face. Sunset stared. "What...the..." Celestia blinked. "Oh my. Is that a Turducken?" "Yeah," Rainbow said. "Turducken?" Sunset asked. "It's an unusual chimera," Celestia said. "A hybrid of a turkey, a duck, and a chicken. I've never actually seen a real live one before...I thought they were a myth." "Oh, they're real alright," Rainbow said. "And they're a major nuisance." "We've gotta help those girls!" Sunset said, charging off after the Crusaders. "Wait!" Rainbow cried, flapping after her. Celestia was a wingbeat behind her. * * * * * "So...let me get this straight," Twilight said. "There are three main pony races, overseen by a fourth, elite class of pony that rules Equestria. Unicorns use...magic, pegasi fly and control the weather, and earth ponies grow all the food?" "More or less," Princess Twilight said. "That's a broad generalization, of course. Ponies, regardless of whether they're unicorns, earth ponies, or pegasi follow their dreams and their special talents, whether they lie in the clouds or in the fields or in an orchestra. It's safer to say that only pegasi can generally control the weather, and farming is usually left to earth ponies. But not all pegasi are weather ponies, and not all earth ponies are farmers or miners or...whatever." "And unicorns?" "Unicorns just...follow their special talent, usually." Princess Twilight projected several images into the air: the six-pointed pink star on her own flank, three diamonds, a golden lyre, a backwards pair of eighth notes, a star-tipped wand with a crescent trail of blue smoke, and a purple shield with a six-pointed pink star in the center and three lavender stars above it. She highlighted each symbol in turn as she pontificated: "My special talent is magic, so I've spent my entire life studying spells and lore. Rarity's special talent is finding valuable gemstones, but her true passion is fashion design. She combines the two, using the gemstones she finds as accents for her fashion line. Lyra Heartstrings has a talent for the lyre, although now that I think of it, she seems to spend most of her time wandering around Ponyville goofing off. Vinyl Scratch is a DJ. Trixie is a showmare who uses stage magic to delight audiences...and feed her own ego. Shining Armor is the former Captain of the Royal Guard, and has a unique talent for protective shield spells. He once cast a shield spell that covered all of Canterlot!" "Hmm. Interesting," Twilight said. "You said your special talent is magic..." She frowned. "I've always had an affinity for science. That's why I have a PhD even though I'm only sixteen..." "Oh, I love science!" Princess Twilight said giddily. "I've been building my own scientific equipment from scratch for years!" She sighed. "A lot of it was wrecked when my old home was destroyed..." "Destroyed?" Twilight asked, tilting her head curiously. "What happened?" * * * * * Sunset teleported twenty feet closer, never breaking stride, and reached out with her magic, arresting the mad charge of the Turducken. The bird spun around and glared at her. It spat a fireball at Sunset, then squatted down and laid an egg. Sunset dodged the fireball, and watched with confusion as it reared back and kicked the egg at her... Rainbow Dash zipped in, caught the egg with a hoof, and hurled it back at the Turducken. It exploded in the chimera's face. The Turducken dropped to the ground, knocked out cold by its own egg bomb. Sunset's eyes widened. "What the hay?!" "They lay exploding eggs," Rainbow huffed. The Crusaders trotted over. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo wheezed. "And you too, umm...miss...?" "Sunset Shimmer." "Nice to meet you..." Celestia landed beside them. "What exactly happened here, my little ponies?" "Yeah, squirt!" Rainbow said, planting her hooves on her hips. "How'd you even manage to find another one of those? And why'd you go and get it ticked off at you after the last time?" "It ain't our fault!" Apple Bloom cried. "That dumb little horseapple Button Mash did this! But his mom snatched him up and ran the heck outta there before it saw him, so it started chasin' us!" The Turducken recovered and quobblcked at them hatefully. Celestia sighed. "I've read that these creatures are impossible to discourage, and will never break off their pursuit of their perceived enemies." Her horn began to glow brightly. Sunset looked at her, alarmed. "What are you...?" A brilliant beam of golden magic struck the Turducken, which began to glow white-hot. When the blinding light faded, it had been separated into a turkey, a duck, and a chicken. The three birds looked at one another, blinking in confusion, then scattered. "Whoa," Rainbow breathed. "AWESOME!" Scootaloo said. "How'd you DO that?" Sunset asked. "One of Starswirl's old spells," Celestia said. "He used to experiment with chimeras. He could make and unmake them at will. I...gently discouraged him from experimenting on living creatures, but I did learn the spells themselves. Just in case." "That's...a little scary," Sunset said, shuddering. "But at least it got rid of the Turducken without us having to eat it," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, yeah, the last one tasted great, but going to the bathroom wasn't a lot of fun after." Rainbow grimaced. "Way too much information, kid." "Oh! S-sorry..." Sweetie Belle blushed. Celestia laughed. "Quite alright, my little pony." Sunset tilted her head. "Wait...what?" "Th' last one'a them freaky birds that got loose in Ponyville, we ended up eatin' it at th' Harvest Feast," Apple Bloom said. "Pinkie Pie said it was th' only way t' get rid of a Turducken." "Well, it is if you don't know a particularly questionable spell," Celestia said. "On that note, I believe I'd like to visit Sugar Cube Corner." "There's a Sugar Cube Corner in Ponyville?" Sunset asked. "So far as Ah know, it's th' ONLY Sugar Cube Corner," Apple Bloom said. "Uhhh...weren't we in the middle of running an errand for Fluttershy?" Scootaloo said suddenly. "Oh horseapples!" Apple Bloom said. "Let's git goin', y'all!" The Crusaders scampered off. "So...Sugar Cube Corner is in Ponyville and not in Canterlot, huh?" Sunset asked as the trio continued their journey into town. "From what Twilight's told us, pretty much everything she saw in Canterlot in your world is actually in Ponyville here," Rainbow said. "Including all of us." They trotted slowly through town, Sunset Shimmer taking in the sights and smells. "I can see why Twilight loves it here," she said. "It's one of the most lovely towns in Equestria," Celestia said. "And one of the most lively." Rarity ran up to them suddenly. "Rainbow Dash! You've missed yet another fitting..." She trailed off. "Oh! Princess Celestia! Do excuse me." She then noticed Sunset. "Why, if it isn't Sunset Shimmer! It is, isn't it?" "That's right," Sunset said. "Nice to meet you, Rarity." "Oh, I do so love your jacket!" Rarity said, inspecting Sunset from every angle. "It's so...rebellious! It says, 'I'm a bad girl', but in a good girl way!" She clapped her hooves. Sunset laughed. "The other Rarity's been trying to get me to change my look for weeks. Never gonna happen." "We were just on our way to Sugar Cube Corner," Celestia said. "Would you care to join us?" "Oh! Well...I would, but..." Rarity danced lightly on her hooves. "I do have quite a bit of work to do this afternoon..." "I understand," Celestia said, chuckling. "Perhaps another time then." "And uhh...I'll...do that fitting thing...next week maybe?" Rainbow said, zipping off in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner without waiting for a reply. Once Celestia and Sunset caught up with her, Rainbow muttered, "I'd like to tell her where she can fit that...thing she wants me to wear." Sunset laughed. * * * * * "That's...horrible," Twilight said. "I mean...I only half-understood all that, but...just thinking about that many books being destroyed...it's unthinkable. To say nothing of your personal possessions..." "It was...hard to get over it," Princess Twilight said. "I mean, I have this castle now, and I've been putting my library back together book by book, but...it'll never be the same. Ponyville will never be the same without the library." She shook her head. "So...tell me about you." "Well...I've taken accelerated study courses since I was nine," Twilight said. "I graduated high school when I was twelve, then compressed several years of college into four years. I already have a PhD..." "But no friends." Twilight bowed her head. "I never had time for friends," she said. "They were never important to me." Princess Twilight walked over and laid a hoof on her shoulder. "It's not too late," she said gently. "You're young. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Isn't it time you made time for friendship?" Twilight scratched her chin. "I..." "Twilight. Let me tell you something." Princess Twilight began walking around the room. "Up until a few years ago, I didn't think friendship mattered. I was only interested in studying. Then my mentor, Princess Celestia, sent me to Ponyville. I made friends...and I realized how important friendship is." She stopped and faced Twilight directly. "My friends...are the most important treasures in my life. I can't even begin to imagine a day without all my friends beside me." She smiled gently. "Friendship is magic, Twilight. It's the most important thing in this world...and yours." She glanced at a clock on the wall, and smiled. "Come with me, Twilight. I want to show you something you'll never see in your world..." * * * * * "This...is the best cake I've ever eaten," Sunset said. "I wholeheartedly agree," Celestia said. "You know, it's funny...here, Sugar Cube Corner is a bakery, but in my world, it's a coffee shop. I mean, they do bake stuff like muffins and donuts and such, but..." She looked around. "It's nothing like this." Mrs. Cake was close enough to overhear this. "Coffee, you say?" She frowned. "I wonder..." Rainbow laughed. "Don't bother, Mrs. Cake. Coffee's only for those jerkwads in Manehattan that like being uptight and irritable." "Yeah...don't change one thing, Mrs. Cake," Sunset said. "The Sugar Cube Corner back home is my favorite hangout, but this...this is pastry heaven." The doors burst open, and a dark alicorn stormed in. "SISTER!" The patrons all jumped and ducked. Celestia looked up into the stormy eyes of her sister. "Luna," she said through a mouthful of pineapple upside-down cake. "Come join us. Have some cake." "NEIGH, Sister!" Luna said. "Have you not noticed the...time..." She trailed off as she noticed Sunset Shimmer. "...is this who I think it is?" she asked more quietly. "Umm...h-hello, Princess Luna," Sunset said nervously. "I'm...um...Sunset Shimmer." "She's come back for a visit, Luna," Celestia said. "She...she isn't staying long, but..." Luna's gaze softened. "I understand, sister. Nevertheless, you have your duty to perform, as do I." She smiled. "You can come back and have cake with your daughter once you've lowered the sun. Perhaps I'll join you." Celestia sighed. "Very well. Pardon me, my little ponies. I'll just be a moment..." As Celestia left, Rainbow stared at Sunset. "Daughter?!" "Adopted," Sunset said, taking another bite of cake. "Whoa." * * * * * The two Twilights stood on the highest balcony of the castle. Twilight shifted her hooves uncomfortably. "We're...a very long way up, aren't we?" "It's perfectly safe," Princess Twilight said. "For you, maybe. You've got wings." Princess Twilight chuckled. "It's almost time." She conjured a pair of magical binoculars and levitated them over to Twilight, who peered into them. Two shapes, one white, the other dark, rose into the sky over Ponyville. Twilight recognized one of them as the majestic being she'd met earlier. The other, based on everything she'd learned, she assumed to be Luna. Celestia's horn began to glow brilliantly. The afternoon sun dipped toward the horizon, the sky shifting rapidly through the colors of sunset. As the sun slid out of sight, Luna's horn began to shimmer; the moon arced its way up into the sky, taking its place of honor among the brilliant curtain of stars that hung in the night sky. Twilight blinked. "That...that was a really fast sunset...and shouldn't the moon have risen hours ago? Only...not been visible because it was still daylight?" Princess Twilight laughed. "Equestria doesn't work the way your world does," she said. "In your world, the sun and the moon rise and set on their own. Here, Princess Celestia raises and lowers the sun, and Princess Luna raises and lowers the moon." Twilight stared at her. "What? But that's impossible!" "No, that's magic," Princess Twilight corrected. "Remember...this world runs on magic. That includes the sun and the moon." "But...but...the sun is a star, with a system of planets orbiting—" "Nope." "—and the moon is a satellite that naturally orbits the Earth—" "Nope." "—sunrise and sunset are a function of the rotation of the Earth on its axis—" "Nope!" "WILL YOU STOP SAYING NOPE?!" Princess Twilight gave her counterpart a smug smirk. "Nope." "GAAAH!" Princess Twilight laughed. "Twilight...just trust me on this. Equestria works differently from your world. Here, the sun and the moon are controlled by pony magic. Actually, pretty much everything is controlled by pony magic. The changing of the seasons, leaves falling off trees in the fall, plants growing, animal care...it's all made possible by pony magic." "But...but SCIENCE...!" "Completely different here." "The laws of physics...!" "Different." Twilight sighed. "I give up." "And now you're learning," Princess Twilight said. "Come on back inside, let's have some tea...I can tell you more about Equestria..." * * * * * The princesses rejoined Sunset and Rainbow at Sugar Cube Corner. In their absence, Pinkie had joined the two mares, and was chatting and laughing with Sunset. "I believe we should pick up your tour of Ponyville in the morning," Celestia said. Sunset nodded. "Yeah...it'll take a while to get back out to the castle. Plus, I want to see Sweet Apple Acres when it's daylight." "And that's a heck of a walk out of Ponyville," Rainbow put in. "I believe my sister and I will spend the night at Princess Twilight's castle," Celestia said. "I'm certain she won't mind. There's plenty of room." Sunset poked her hooves together timidly. "Can...can I...share a room with you?" she asked hopefully. Celestia smiled. "Of course, Sunset." After finishing up their treats, Sunset, Celestia, and Luna headed for the castle, while Rainbow said goodbye and left for home. When they arrived at the castle, they found Princess Twilight and a distinctly rattled-looking Twilight having tea. Twilight took a look at the two alicorns, muttered something about the sun and the moon, and put her head in her hooves. Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Did you break her?" "Like an egg," Princess Twilight said with a smirk. "I have to admit, it's almost fun being on the other side of one of my own freakouts for a change." Celestia laughed. "Twilight, we're all staying here tonight. Is that alright with you?" "Of course!" Princess Twilight said. "I'll have Spike show you all to your rooms while I get Twilight here settled in." * * * * * "Do you think it's still open?" "I dunno...I'm not gonna touch it!" "I thought you were the most daring girl at CHS?" "There's daring and then there's crazy! That thing could fry us or..." "Pinkie! Waaaaait!" "What? Come on in, guys, it's totally safe!" "Land sakes, girl!" "Well...you seem none the worse for wear. Very well then...!" With only the moon and the stars as their witness, five high school girls disappeared into the base of a statue.