Chapter 6
If looks could kill, Twilight Sparkle would be having to explain to her friends why they were helping her drag Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry’s bodies out of the castle. The two said ponies glared at each other with Twilight looking awkwardly in between them. There was silence among the three of them, but Twilight could feel the pressure building. Flash was the first to speak.
“Well, well, look what Nightmare Moon dragged in.” Flash growled not, taking his eyes of Sunset.
Twilight gasped. “Hey! Don’t talk to her that way!”
Sunset snorted. “What’s wrong Flash, not happy to see the only girl that would look at your horse butt face twice?”
Twilight’s head darted to her. “Sunset!”
“Says the power hungry demon pony, who kissed Celestia’s ass to get whatever she wanted.” Flash bit back.
“Flash!” Twilight gawked.
“You’re one to talk, how did you actually get into the guard? Sucking off your superiors?” Sunset laughed.
Twilight’s cheeks fumed. “That’s my brother!
“Oh, that’s funny.” Flash chuckled darkly. “Says the bitch who couldn’t bring herself to look at a stallions pride!”
“As if I would want to look at your two inch-“
“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted, with volume comparable to the Canterlot voice, stomping her hoof down on the ground and letting loose a magical charge. The pair went silent and her eyes darted between them a few times. She put a hoof to her chest and exhaled in an outward motion. “I don’t know what’s going on, but neither of you should be talking to one another like that!”
They both looked off the side. Sunset rubbed her front hoof with the other and Flash scratched the back of his head. Twilight sighed. “We are adults here, so, Sunset come down and tell me what happened between you two.”
Sunset’s cheeks lit up in embarrassment, and she trotted down the stairs slowly, not making eye contact with neither Flash nor Twilight. Her mind was swimming in a rage seeing the orange colt here. She had no wish to see him when coming back to Equestria; he was the last person from her past she wanted to see. “We dated…”
Flash scoffed. “If that’s what you want to call it…”
Twilight shot Flash a glare and he shrunk back. She looked to Sunset for her to continue. “It was before I left, he was just in training at the time…” Sunset said hesitantly.
“I gathered that much.” Twilight said. “But why do you two harbor ill feelings like these?”
Flash laughed. “Because she treated me like she treated everypony else! Like a toy! I was nothing but an object to her!”
Sunset’s gaze focused on Flash. “You didn’t help your case by acting like a tool all the time.”
“Like I could help that, when you would go all dominatrix unicorn!”
“So you admit to being a tool?”
“I…” Flash stammered. “Buck you!”
“Stop!” This time Twilight seized them with her magic and forced their mouths shut. “Okay…” She began slowly. “You two dated and you had a bad relationship. That’s in the past.” She let got of them. “Both of you are grown up ponies, so why don’t you forgive and move on?”
Sunset pointed an objective hoof at Flash. “I’m not forgiving him for what he did!”
“What did he do?” Twilight asked.
Sunset growled and her eyes were lit like fire. “He. Cheated.”
“You didn’t really give me a choice, Shimmy.” Flash sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hoof.
“Don’t call me that!” Sunset stepped forward, charging her horn. Twilight stepped between them wrapped a hoof around Sunset, stopping her. Sunset glared at Twilight, her eyes still burning with rage, but Twilight shook her head.
“What did you do Flash?” Twilight asked.
Flash stared up at the ceiling in thought. “I was fed up and frustrated being treated like crap all the time… there was a nice mare at the Canterlot pub, and…”
Twilight nodded. “All right I understand, now I don’t condone that behavior but I also don’t condone poor treatment of other ponies.” She looked back to Sunset and then Flash. “I can’t speak for you Flash, but Sunset has changed as time has passed, so please… can you both put aside the past and find peace with each other?”
Flash and Sunset stared at each other and said nothing. Sunset still felt rage inside her. Seeing Flash flirting with Twilight ignited a long forgotten urge to buck him in the teeth. That rage only increased as Flash stepped forward and took Twilight's left hoof.
“If it pleases you Princess, I will be willing to forgive Sunset for the past.” He said in a suave, cool voice. There was a charming air to the way he said it and Sunset wanted to end him when he kissed Twilight’s hoof again.
Twilight blushed and gave an eye roll. “Okay, now Sunset do you have something to say?”
Sunset gritted her teeth. “I… forgive you… prick.”
“Sunset!” Twilight frowned. However, Sunset pulled away and walked back up the stairs in a huff. She jumped back as she rounded the corner and came nose to nose with Rarity and the others behind her. Sunset stared at them for a few moments and then kept walking away.
Rarity motioned for the others follow. “Twilight!” She happily trotted down the stairs. “How was the Princess’s visit?”
Twilight gave Rarity a deadpanned stare. “You girls were spying, weren’t you?”
Rarity drew back with a shocked expression. “Why, Twilight! I’m astonished you would think we would spy on our dearest friend.”
Twilight merely raised an eyebrow. “Applejack, were you five spying on us?”
The orange mare’s eyes shrunk, and she grinned looking from side to side nervously. “Erm… no?”
Twilight sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof.
Typically, the annual picnic meets were one of Twilight’s favorite parts of the week. When she became a Princess, she worried that royal duties would interfere with spending time with her friends. However, due to her impeccable organizational skills, they were all able to find a time in the afternoon to have a picnic in Ponyville park. The sun was shinning, the birds were singing, and the guards standing around the picnic blanket couldn’t have made things more awkward. They stood stock still most of the time, however, when anypony approached the group, one of them would draw their blade and stand at the ready scaring the poor bystander off.
Twilight rubbed her temple, feeling the beginnings of a migraine forming. Ever since they came to the castle, they had been guarding her twenty-four seven. This included meals, studying, errands around Ponyville, sleeping and being around her friends. She had to ward off the guards the past couple nights when Sunset Shimmer came to her room for late night reading. She also had to put her hoof down when the guards tried following her to the bathroom.
The seven ponies sat on the picnic blanket eating their lunches. They made small conversation as they went, but felt uneasy with all the guards around them. Fluttershy wouldn’t say a word and hid behind her main most of the time. Sunset picked at an apple on her plate with a hoof rested against her cheek. From time to time, she would glare at Flash Sentry, who also stood closer to Twilight. Over the past couple days, he kept flirting, giving her compliments, and offering a helping hoof whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Sunset could have happily throttled him. It was bad enough that human Flash Sentry had fallen for her but now it was the pony version of him. She looked on as Flash talked with Twilight going on and on about something about Twilight’s brother from what she could hear. She saw Twilight giggle and blush as Flash did an impression of him.
“Sunset, darling?” Rarity spoke, coughing a little. “Why are you crushing your apple with your magic?”
Sunset snapped out of her glare and looked down. The once bright red apple had been reduced to a pile of crumpled mush surrounded by a cyan glow. She looked to Rarity and blushed in embarrassment. Applejack had a look of horror on her face.
“Um… I like them this way.” Feigning a smile, Sunset quickly devoured the mush in her mouth and gulped, inwardly grimacing at the taste of crushed seeds and the apple core, plus stem.
She levitated a cupcake from plate at the center of the blanket and munched on it slowly. Her gaze was still focused on Twilight and Flash. Something about it made her stomach knot. She considered it was because she dated Flash before. But it was also the way Twilight giggled and listened to his stories. She was a pony of intellect and to Sunset, she didn’t fit as a listener. She was a pony who could tell stories and go on for hours lecturing. The previous night, Sunset sat in front of the fireplace with Twilight, listening to her talk about Star Swirl the Bearded’s creation of the portal to the anti dimension. Sunset found herself enjoying sitting back and listening to Twilight. Of course, she enjoy their intellectual debates they had, but she found something about just listening to Twilight just relaxing. Being filled with new knowledge from a pony instead of a book. Seeing Twilight just sitting and listening to Flash’s jokes and royal guard business infuriated her.
“Aren’t they just so cute?” Rarity whispered to Sunset. She was also staring at the pair but unlike Sunset’s constant glare, her’s was of a lovesick filly.
Sunset gritted her teeth, as she took another bite of the cupcake. “Yeah… freaking adorable.”
Rarity looked to her and blinked. “Is something the matter, darling?”
Sunset swallowed. She looked down at her half eaten cupcake. “Can I ask you something in private?”
Rarity nodded and the pair stood up. “Excuse us, we’ll back in a moment.” She said to the others. Sunset was already walking away past the guards, but Rarity caught the skeptical look on Twilight’s face. She swore to herself that she also saw a look of slight sadness to see Sunset leave suddenly. Rarity stored this information in the back of her mind and followed Sunset. They trotted over to a fountain in the center of the park. Sunset looked down at her reflection in the water. Rarity stood next to her waiting patiently.
Sunset kept her gaze on the water as she began. “Has Twilight… ever had a coltfriend before?”
Rarity pouted. “No, and frankly, I’m not surprised.”
Sunset brought her eyes up from her reflection. “Why do you say that?”
“Twilight is…” Rarity hesitated, apparently searching for the right words. “Unique. Something all of us learned when we became friends, was that studying is her life.”
“So she’s never shown interest in anypony?”
Rarity shook her head and sighed. “None at all, and it’s really a shame.” She huffed. “These girls barely have any good gossip for me!”
Sunset rolled her eyes, stifling a chuckle.
“But it makes sense.” Rarity continued. “She is a mare of knowledge and wisdom and finding a stallion to match that is not as easy as we would like. Especially in Ponyville.”
“Why in Ponyville?” Sunset asked.
“Ponyville was originally settled by Earth ponies. Though all types of ponies live here now, most adapt to the… old fashion and small town type of living. None of the stallions here are really up to the mental state to handle dear Twilight. She has the mannerism of a Ponyville local, yet the knowledge of a Canterlot noble.” Rarity looked down. “I’ve found out myself that both sides are… unappealing at times.”
Sunset nodded. “You know back at Canterlot High we had a word for that?”
“Really, what?”
“Nerd.” Sunset stated. “Someone who is intelligent yet socially inept at times.”
Rarity giggled. “Yes that does sound like Twilight.” They both chuckled at the thought. Rarity stopped and looked to Sunset. “Why do you ask though?”
Sunset stopped laughing. “Well... It’s just…” Sunset began then went quiet.
Rarity gasped and leaned in closer. “You’re jealous of her and Flash Sentry!”
Sunset’s cheeks lit up. “I am not!”
“You so are! Don’t deny it darling, the red in your cheeks is the color of truth.” Rarity poked at her cheek. Sunset drew away, hiding her face.
“I am not jealous, Rarity.” Sunset grumbled.
“Why else would you be asking?” Rarity giggled. “Oh I see, you’re jealous of her because you have a thing for Flash don’t you?”
Sunset froze, her cheeks turned back to their normal color and her blood ran ice cold. She turned her gaze to meet Rarity’s. “Not. Ever. In. His. Bucking. Life.” She grinded her teeth on each word.
Rarity took a step back. “Oh my… I see…” She raised an eyebrow. “Then you… oh.” There was a beat. “Oh!” Rarity gasped and she looked back over to the blanket and then at Sunset with a wide smile. “I see.”
“See what?” Sunset growled.
Rarity giggled. “Oh nothing dear.”
“No. What do you see?!” Sunset was right in Rarity's face with her muzzle scrunched up tightly.
“Temper dear, you know Twilight doesn’t like that.” Rarity waved a hoof. Sunset blushed, and drew back letting go of her scowl.
“My point exactly.” She turned and walked back towards the picnic blanket-leaving Sunset in a state of flustered confusion. She turned and looked back at her own reflection in the pool. Her cheeks were burning red. In a moment of panic, she dunked her head in the fountain and then pulled it out. Her mane was now soaked and covering her eyes. Using her magic, she pulled the water particles from her mane, sending it back to its original shape and then dropped the water into the fountain.
She looked to the blanket to see if anyone had noticed. Only one: Twilight. Twilight was looking at her. Sunset smiled awkwardly and trotted back. Before she reached the blanket, two of the guards drew their swords and blocked her path.
Sunset growled and looked over the blades to Flash. “Really?”
“C’mon, Shimmy. You have to admit it’s funny.”
Sunset grumbled but Twilight spoke before her. “Flash, leave her alone.”
“At your command, milady” He bowed his head and motioned for his guards to sheath their blades. Sunset passed and sat back down on the blanket. She looked down and noticed the half eaten cupcake was gone. She looked to her left and saw Pinkie Pie smiling innocently.
“How was it?” Sunset grimaced.
“It was spicy, Sunbutt!” Pinkie Pie bounced in place.
Sunset turned her head to Rainbow and glared. “Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow whistled innocently. Sunset sighed and lowered her head onto her plate, as the group broke into fits of laughed. When the laughter died down the group went back to making conversation, now that the ice was completely shattered at the expense Sunset’s Cutie Mark. Though the picnic went pleasantly for the rest of its duration, Sunset couldn’t help shake off the feeling that Twilight was watching her the entire time.