//------------------------------// // Gathered Royalty // Story: CCC-Back Home Again // by Fresnor //------------------------------// There are many times when yelling out in frustration but you still have to be careful about your surroundings. You never know when someone could be sleeping nearby or something dangerous could hear you. In this case there happened to be a pair of dangerously cute kits that were sleeping nearby that weren’t happy to be woken up until they noticed the new playmate. “Flarenza! Quit your laughing and help get them off of me!” I figured I’d give them a couple more minutes to wear themselves out as they wrestled with Sunset Shimmer and gave her friendly licks whenever they got near her face. I wasn’t the only one entertained with seeing an alicorn filly being bowled over by a pair of rambunctious kits that are half her size. Selene and Luna were quietly chuckling and Surprise was showing remarkable restraint by only rolling around near Sonata instead of joining in on the fun. Twilight was still in shock at seeing Sunset Shimer as an alicorn but she looked to be recovering as she started shaking her head. “Flarenza? Can you please tell me why I am not only seeing Sunset Shimmer but also why she looks like an alicorn filly?” I look over at the panting filly in front of the mirror and ask myself the last question as well. I whistle at my daughters, getting their attention, and distract them with my waving tails which they rush over and start pouncing. “Well the why of her being here is easy since I asked her if she wanted to return. As for why she looks like that I really don’t know. It may have been that something went wrong when I created the path through the portal that caused it. Or it could have something to do with the fact that she had been exposed to the power of the Elements of Harmony so many times without being linked to them. It might even have something to do with her being over six hundred years out of sync with Equestria. Whatever the case I’m pretty sure Celestia will be surprised to see her old student return.” While I was saying all this I was busy scrawling a note to the mentioned princess while not mentioning the exact reason why before sending it off to her using Spike as a relay. “I really should learn how to send these directly to each of you sometime. While I’m sure Spike doesn’t mind me using him as a relay I’d rather not make it a habit.” I look back over at Sunset to see her rolling onto her stomach before she turns and glares back at her wings. I was wondering what was on her mind but didn’t want to press her too much. Luna wasn’t quite as restrained though. “Is something wrong Sunset Shimmer? I remember some of the tales from my sister about you and how you were always wanting to be a princess. Is something about it not to your liking?” She glares at her wings a few moments longer before she finally sighs and turns back towards her. “I had given up on that idea long ago when Twilight saved me from myself. The pain I felt after putting that crown on, it was nothing like I was expecting and I never wanted that power again, not to mention not feeling in control of myself. Now that I was finally allowed to come home just to find these on my back? I just don’t know what to think.” She looks down at her hooves as she twirls one around on the ground in front of her. I actually felt a bit of pity for her as there were few kinds of power that would cause any kind of pain. Thinking back to what I’ve heard it seemed strange that an Element of Harmony would tap into demonic energy yet there wasn’t any other kind I could think of that would cause pain. I suppose that it could have been caused by energy being forced into her at a rate far above what she could handle. Also assuming that the human body she had wasn’t meant to handle magic at all then it could have really did a number on her and anything could have happened. I’ve never looked into how much emotions can affect the outcome of spells and magical effects but I do know that there is some change involved. I watch as Luna and Selene try to get to know more about Sunset though I feel that she is trying to hold something back. I look back at my daughters to find that they had fallen asleep again so I levitate them up onto my back and cover them with a muffling spell so that they aren’t woken up again. I was actually surprised that Sonata hadn’t woken up from all the noise yet and I was a bit concerned about her condition if she was that tired. Seeing as I was already going to take responsibility for her I made plans to lend her the use of one of the rooms in my manor until future plans could be made. I was unsure about what would be done with Sunset Shimmer now but I made plans for her as well in the off chance they were needed. My planning was interrupted when I caught the sound of something landing outside the library and from the random twitching of Surprise I wasn’t the only one. Soon the front door opened revealing Celestia, as well as a good number of guards around the door. She wasted little time coming inside the library and she greeted me and the other princesses with a nod. When her eyes fell on Twilight she froze when she caught sight of Sunset Shimmer who had scrambled to hide behind her when the door opened. “Twilight? Who is that hiding behind you there? Is that why I was called… out…” She trailed off when Sunset looked out from behind Twilight and her eyes widened drastically. I was expecting an interesting reaction from this meeting, but seeing Celestia’s eyes roll up in her head as she falls to the ground wasn’t really on the list. Before anyone could say anything another figure was charging into the library. “Auntie Celestia! What’s going on in there?!” The pink figure of Cadance was soon charging into the library but she froze when she saw all of us in there but her eyes focused on the alicorn filly in the room. Her hoof slowly lifted up in her direction. “Is that? Can it really be little Sunny?!” I raised an eyebrow at the nickname while ‘Sunny’ looked back at the pink princess shyly. “Hello again, cousin Cadance. I’m back.” She let out a little squeezing sound as she smiled back at her. I wasn’t sure what happened next as one moment she was hiding behind Twilight and the next she was trapped in Cadance’s legs as she was hugging her and squealing in joy. “Oh I can’t believe it, it is you! I never thought I would see you again, how are you still alive? And what happened to you, you’re so cute again?” I was actually able to retrain myself from laughing this time at Sunset’s predicament but the same couldn’t be said of Twilight as she starts to lose it a bit after all that happened. Luna and Selene were working on getting Celestia up again by waving something under her nose, which seemed to be working. Celestia was looking woozy as she lifted her head and looked around in confusion. Cadance is between her and Sunset so she doesn’t catch sight of her yet as she surveys the room. Her gaze passes over the other pony princesses in the room and pauses on the sleeping form of Sonata before it finally settles on me. She was about to say something but Cadance decided at that moment to swing around brining Sunset and Celestia face-to-face. This was the first time I’ve ever been in a situation where you could hear a pin drop, though it didn’t help that it was Surprise doing the dropping with a bowling pin. Everyone but the two sun alicorns looked over at her as she grinned sheepishly at us. Looking back over at the two I noticed Celestia tearing up which is a rather rare event. “It can’t be, Sunny?” Sunset Shimmer’s only response was to nod as she was also crying and looked to be unable to speak. At that confirmation Sunset was quickly robbed from Cadance’s grasp and was firmly in Celestia’s as she gripped her and was openly crying over her. “Oh my little girl I never thought I’d see you again! Lulu, please tell me that this isn’t a dream.” I moved over to set my daughter atop Sonata while the alicorns clustered together in their little reunion. Twilight looked as confused as ever while Cadance and Celestia were highly emotional along with Sunset Shimmer. Luna and Selene were nearby looking on with curiosity as if they weren’t sure what was going on either. I get the feeling that this all involves yet another one of Celestia’s secrets. Judging from their words and how they are acting I can probably guess and if I’m right then the situation seems a bit ironic. I connected a few more dots before nodding. After asking Surprise to bring the three sleeping figures to my home and putting them to bed I turn back to the situation in the room. “Not to break up this little reunion but I think a few of us are a bit out of the loop with what is going on. I have my suspicions but would you mind filling the rest of us in on what we’re missing?” I get a couple glares from the gathered alicorns but there is a touch of gratitude for asking the question on the minds of a few of them. Celestia seems to realize where she is now and composes herself, but she still refuses to release Sunset who is blushing a bit in her grip. “I guess you all do deserve some explanation for that little *ahem* display. It’s not as complicated as you might think it’s just that I adopted Sunset Shimmer after her parents lost their lives for Equestria.” All eyes were focused on the two at this announcement though one set of them wasn’t all that surprised. With their relations being confirmed I sigh as everything falls into place. “So I’m guessing you never found it important to tell Twilight that she basically abandoned her cousin in a world she didn’t belong in not once, but twice?” Twilight and Sunset look at each other in shock as if this had never occurred to either of them until I mentioned it. I glance over at Selene before continuing. “I’m starting to wonder if Selene has gotten into anything crazy while I was gone since your whole family seems to have a habit of trying to kill each other or going crazy and trying to destroy the world.” Celestia herself was actually blushing at this as more attention was focused on her for this oversight before she clears her throat. “I guess I did forget to mention that to her. But how is it that Sunset is not only still alive but an alicorn filly?” Seeing as this could take a while I levitated over a cushion and made myself comfortable before starting my explanation of all that happened with some help from Twilight. They were a bit concerned about us bringing the ex-siren back with us but they eventually agreed with my taking custody of her. The real problem came when we described what we found when we were examining the invasion portal. “Something about what you saw through that portal is familiar somehow. I’ll have to have the Canterlot library scoured for anything that may pertain to it.” Celestia looks worried about what we found but without more information there wasn’t much that could be done. “I’m more worried about the mirror right now. It is extremely unstable and it seems that there are kitsune in that world somewhere. Not only that, but if something really is wrong with it that can create more alicorns I want to get it fixed quickly.” They all look at me strangely before I say two words that cause them to cringe. “Pinkie Pie.” Selene, who had been quiet since we had come through the portal, decided to put in her two bits while poking at Sunset with a wing. “So what’s going to happen to my new cousin now? While it won’t be as bad as the whole Nightmare Moon Returns fiasco that went on during my coronation but I doubt Equestria is expecting another princess.” I groan as I remember how difficult things were for those few years which weren’t helped much by the nobles running so many things. “It may not be that bad considering what has happened recently. With the end of the war and a lost kingdom appearing they could use some good news in Canterlot.” I agree with Twilight’s reasoning but it feels as if she is leaving something out. Looking back over at Sunset I realize a rather small problem. “You might have some problems convincing other ponies that she’s an adult considering how she looks like a filly now. She also has over six hundred years of history to catch up on not to mention any advances in magic and technology over that period. That’s not even including the usual hassles that come about with a big event like that.” I look between the five princesses as something else comes to mind. “Then there is also the fact that there are five of you who want to catch up with her but are rarely in the same place at the same time. Plus once I’ve stabilized the mirror she may want to visit her friends on the other side.” The six princesses look at each other as I say this before they all focus on Celestia when she speaks up. “You have a point about where Sunset shall be staying for the foreseeable future. Twilight, shall we retire to the royal quarters here while we decide this? While I do want to spend some time with my little Sunny again I can’t deny that monopolizing her attention would be a bad thing.” I notice Sunset blushing once again at the nickname and wonder how long it’s been since she last heard that name. Seeing as I have little stake in what is going on now I feel that leaving them to figure things out would be a good idea. “I should be heading back to make sure that Sonata is settled in and to let my assistant know what is going on so my council can be notified about most of what happened. I’ll gladly assist in whatever you need with Sunset but I’ll be spending most of the next month on the mirror. Of course my kits sure enjoyed meeting her and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a companion more their size to help watch over them occasionally.” Sunset looks over at me in horror at the suggestion but Celestia looks over and smiles. “That is an excellent idea, Flarenza. Not only can she make friends with the heirs to your kingdom but she can also learn how to deal with the more stubborn nobles or diplomats that she may meet in the future.” Sunset’s attention moves towards Celestia as she tries to come up with something to get her out of having to deal with them. “Don’t worry Sunset; I’ll make sure you have a bit of help from Surprise whenever you are around. Sonata can probably assist as well since she’s going to need to learn about all the things that have changed just like you.” She calms down a bit once she finds out she won’t have to deal with them alone. As there is nothing else of importance that needs to be dealt with and the reunited family is eager to be alone I bid them all farewell and head home. Going over everything that happened recently as I walk home I find myself agreeing with them and look forward to spending some uninterrupted time with my daughters as I hope the next crisis is a long time in coming.