//------------------------------// // The plan's in motion! Phase One: A confession, of sorts. // Story: The Odd Explanation // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// The train whistled as it entered the station, steam hissing out of the engines as it came to a halt. The doors to the passenger cars slid open, allowing the ponies inside to disembark. From the train, two unicorns exited. One was a light gray mare, with a mane striped white and purple, and a cutie mark of three purple stars. The other was a blue stallion, with royal blue mane, and a cutie mark with a star and crescent moon. These were the proud parents of Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle, Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Right behind them was a white unicorn stallion and a pink alicorn mare. His strong physique contrasted nicely against his wives slender and lithe form. These two were the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance as she preferred. Right behind them were two other ponies. One was a white pegasus mare, her wings, at the base were white, but they faded into a royal blue color closer to the primaries. Her mane and tail was a combination of yellow and navy blue, held together in a gold ribbon similar to that of the crystal ponies that twirled around it. Upon her flank was the image of a crystal heart, with a pair of golden wings fanning out from it. She was the eldest daughter of the rulers of the Crystal Empire. Her name was Mi Querida Esperanza, or just simply, Hope. The second was a pink unicorn filly, she was blank flanked, a bit of her pale yellow and purple mane was done up in a bun, with violet eyes that held a bit of shyness, but with a great sense of maturity. Her name was simply Skyla, and she was Hope’s little sister. The four ponies gathered their things for their three-week stay and proceeded towards the Castle of Friendship. Hope, the bubbly mare she was, was excited about seeing her favorite cousin, and spending so much time with her. “It’s been a while since we all got together, I can’t wait to spend time with Stella,” said Hope. “Mmm-hmm, I know what you mean, I miss seein’ your Aunt Twily.” Shining Armor commented. “I just hope she’s ready for us, I mean, she has been busy last I heard,” said Cadance. “Oh, what might that be?” Night Light asked. “Dunno, but whatever it was it was hush-hush stuff, but I’m sure it’s nothing outrageous. Aunty Tia must’ve sent her some paperwork on what they went over in the Day and Night courts.” “Well I’m certain Twilight and Flash could handle it,” said Velvet. “Which reminds me, Shining Armor, no messing with Flash while we’re visiting.” Shining Armor rolled his eyes at that. “Geez Mom, I’m a grown stallion, I’m not going to do anything foalish.” “I mean it, I know you like to give him a hard time, but you need to lighten up a little. I know she’s your little sister and that you’re looking out for her like she did you, but Flash isn’t a changeling dear, you checked and Cadance checked.” Shining Armor groaned, he hated being reminded of the Wedding Day Invasion. “I know…I know.” Hope and Skyla chuckled at their father’s embarrassment, and even Cadance couldn’t stifle a light giggle. The five ponies continued through town, heading towards the Castle of Friendship. The town’s ponies greeted them, either being bowed at or just given a friendly greeting. Cadance and Shining Armor made it a point not wear their regalia on a family outing, they may be royalty, but right now this was not a visit from the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire, this was just a visit with three generations of the Sparkle family staying over and having a good time. When they arrived to the castle they noticed that…well…there was no castle. Jaws and luggage dropped the moment this was seen, a whole crystal castle was missing. Each pony looked to each other and then back to the hole in the ground where the castle once stood. A breeze blew through, along with a random tumbleweed as the ponies of Ponyville went on about their daily business. “THE CASTLE’S GONE!!!” Shining Armor yelled. “Oh my gosh, where are Twilight and Flash?!” Velvet asked frantically. “And Stella?!” Hope and Skyla chimed in. “We uh…We need to call somepony! C-Cadance you should call Princess Celestia,” said Night Light. “N-Now calm down everypony, there doesn’t seem to be any sign that the castle was blown up –” “BLOWN UP!!!” The four other ponies cried in unison. “I didn’t say that it was! Only that there’s no sign of it having had happened!” Cadance clarified. Shining Armor looked to and fro and found a passing by stallion. He quickly enveloped him in his rose-colored aura and dragged the stallion, unceremoniously, towards him. “Why haven’t you called the Royal Guard?!” “Um…why would I do that, Sir?” The stallion asked. “Because the castle is gone, that’s why!” The stallion looked to where the Castle of Friendship used to be. “Oh yeah, that. Nothing to worry about, it’ll make an appearance pretty soon I’m sure.” “‘Make an appearance’?! What kind of –?!” Just then a flash of bright magical light shined over the area. Within the blink of an eye the Castle of Friendship returned without scratch on it, as if somepony had just put it back the way it was. Everypony’s – except the stallion and town’s ponies – jaws dropped straight down and through the ground. “There ya go. This happens at least once or twice a year, usually. That Princess Twilight, never a dull moment in this town with her as our Princess, I love this town. Well, you folks have a pleasant day.” The stallion walked away and went back to his business, leaving behind a stunned family. The doors to the castle opened up slowly, and standing behind them was Flash, Stella, and Twilight, all wearing big happy smiles at the sight of their family. “STELLA!” Hope shouted. “Hi Hope, it’s great to see you – GAHACK!!!” The unicorn mare was suddenly bowled over by the pegasus mare, the two of them tumbled about, turning into a ball of chaos before the two of them stopped. Stella waited for the room to stop spinning before she got her bearings. Once everything was back in proper alignment, she found herself hugged fiercely by Hope, who was now on top of her. “You guys really worried us,” said Hope. “What, why?” Stella asked. “The castle was gone and nopony seemed to care! We thought something bad might’ve happened!” “Oh…” Twilight rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. She then turned to the approaching members of the family and gave them an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, guess I lost track of time and forgot to relocate the castle back into this dimension.” Cadance walked up and nuzzled Twilight playfully. “Always got to give somepony a heart attack, don’t you Ladybug.” Twilight blushed. “Cadance,” she groaned. Shining Armor, Skyla, Velvet, and Night Light trotted up the stairs and gathered ‘round the husband and wife. “Flash, s’up,” said Shining Armor, holding out a hoof. “Hey, Shining, just a little of the same old, same old,” said Flash, hoof bumping his brother-in-law. “Honestly, Twilight, if you weren’t ready, you should’ve sent a letter and told us, you didn’t have to put the whole castle in another dimension sweetie,” said Velvet. Twilight rubbed the back of her head nervously. “Actually…there was another reason for this, and it was too important to ignore.” “What would that be?” Night Light asked. Hope got off of Stella and joined their parents. Stella looked to her father, and Flash to Twilight, all three giving silent nods. “We’ll explain in the foyer, there’re some ponies we’d like you all to meet.” The rest of the family looked confused, but shrugged and let the family of three lead on. The large family walked down the corridor and stopped before a pair of large double doors. Stella walked up to the door and gave three knocks, making the others cock in eyebrow as to why she was knocking in the first place. She paused for about thirty seconds and used her magic to push open the doors. Inside was a hearth, unlit of course, couches and recliners made of soft, wine red fabric were stationed around a crystal table. Underneath it was a purple carpet, embroidered with intricate and ornate gold designs. But that wasn’t what drew their attention. Standing before the table and chairs were Sunset and Flare. Both had nervous grins on their faces, Flare, despite the courage she had mounted beforehand, couldn’t help but hide behind her mother like a scared foal. Sunset didn’t blame her daughter, she wanted to hide too. But she was the parent, and for their plan to work, she had to be strong and as inconspicuous as possible. The family entered the foyer, looking curiously at the pegasus and unicorn. Twilight, Flash, and Stella broke away to stand next to them. Flash and Twilight stood on Sunset’s right, while Stella stood on her left, closer to Flare. “Everypony, I’d like you to meet a very good friend of mine. Her name is Sunset Shimmer, and this is her daughter, Flare Sparks,” said Twilight. Sunset tilted her head down a bit in a small, respectful bow. “Hello everypony.” Sunset turned her head to look at her daughter. “Flare, sweetie, come on now.” Flare shyly exposed her head and part of her upper body from behind her mother, she looked as if she was going to retreat back like a turtle into their shell, but Stella slowly offered a hoof to Flare. She looked to it and then up to Stella’s encouraging eyes. The pegasus mare gently grabbed hold of her hoof and allowed Stella to pull her from behind Sunset and sit next to her. Flare then gave a slight bow. “Hello…” Hope crouched down a little to whisper to her little sister. “Flare is so cute, she’s like a scared little puppy dog,” she gushed. Skyla giggled a bit, she had to agree with her older sister, she did seem very shy, but it was cute the way she did it; although, she did wonder why her cousin seemed to be holding onto her hoof so tightly. “‘Sunset Shimmer’…wait a minute, wasn’t that the same mare that stole your crown when you and your friends still had the Elements of Harmony?” Cadance asked. Sunset winced at the memory, but denying it would only make her look bad. “Ahem…y-yes, that was me. I stole Twilight’s crown back at the Crystal Empire some years ago, during the Princess Summit.” Shining Armor sat on his haunches and hit the flat of his left hoof with his right. “Ah-ha, so you were the reason why I had to chew out the Guards about the lapse is security when I was away in Canterlot! Ha, had to practically make ‘em all go through basic training again.” Flash groaned a little. “Yes…I remember that fondly, thanks Bro.” Sunset raised an eyebrow at that, Twilight leaned closer and whispered, “Flash was on the Guard detail back then, and he was stationed at the Crystal Empire. So…” The yellow unicorn mare blushed and face hoofed herself. “I am so sorry.” “Excuse me, Twilight honey, you said she stole your crown and yet you just called her one of your best friends. I’m a little confused,” said Night Light, eyeing the mare in question dubiously. “Yes, well, Daddy, Sunset took my crown into a magical mirror that acted as a portal to another world; a parallel world where everypony here has a counterpart in that other world.” Twilight used her magic and created a 3D recreation of what the other world was. “I was dropped out in front of a school, called Canterlot High School. It was a place for teenagers, and well…when I got there, I wasn’t exactly a pony anymore.” The hologram showed CHS, the quad, the statue, even the streets, houses, and some of the buildings further back. What appeared next was Twilight herself, in human form. Now Flash and Stella had heard about Twilight’s exploits in the parallel world, and what her body turned into when she got there. But this was the first time they had seen a depiction of it. It was a strange sight indeed, an hourglass frame, no hooves, no tail, a flat muzzle, no coat, and definitely – and quite possibly the most frightening thing for Skyla, Velvet, Night Light, Shining, and Cadance – no horn. “Aunt Twilight, you had no horn?!” Skyla asked. “Nope.” “Then, how did you use magic?!” Shining Armor asked. “She couldn’t, that world had no magic,” answered Sunset. “So…what did you turn into exactly?” Hope asked. “Something called a ‘Hu-man’. They’re mainly a bipedal lifeform, no fur, wings, hooves, tails, horns, and as Sunset said, no magic. You can imagine my reaction when I got there…” Twilight blushed as she recalled her mini freak out and screaming into the open air at what she’d become, and the awkwardness of figuring out what her new body was. The alicorn mare shook off the feeling of the transformation from a pony body to a human one and continued. “Anyway, I tracked down Sunset to this place and…needless to say…” Sunset placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, silently telling the alicorn mare that she would continue from here. “I was a tyrannical girl back then…I ruled that school with an iron fist, or iron hoof as it were. I belittled everyone, and even broke apart friendships and set others against themselves. I was someone they feared…and in my selfish mindset back then, all I cared about was power, and the authority I garnered from it.” Various expressions could be seen appearing on the six ponies across from them. Shining Armor was even more cautious of this mare now, after hearing her confess to such a thing. Night Light and Velvet couldn’t believe that a mare could be so harsh, other than Nightmare Moon, and yet they still couldn’t get over the fact that their daughter called Sunset her best friend. Cadance and Hope, however, were of a different mindset. Hope always saw the bright side of things, and always looked to the good in everypony. She could pick up on the level of contempt in Sunset’s voice at her recalling of her actions, it wasn’t the contempt of somepony having to confess to their past misdoings, it was more like she hated herself for what she did and regretted it. Cadance could sense the good in Sunset as well, her heart was full of love. Her daughter took up the majority of that love, the kind that Cadance herself was very familiar with. A mare who loved their daughter that much, and had love for the two ponies next to her as well, couldn’t be as bad a mare as she was telling them. Skyla was still on edge, she didn’t want to outright label this mare as “bad”, but she wasn’t sure yet if she could say she was “good” either. “When I went to retrieve my crown, I heard that it was taken by the Principal of the school, and that it was to be awarded to the girl who was voted Princess of the Fall Formal, which was a big dance they were having there.” Sunset saw the confused looks and clarified. “Princess over there doesn’t carry the same weight as it does here. It’s mostly just a title and nothing more, kind of a prize for being the most well liked person in the school. And…well, I don’t blame them for voting for Twilight.” “Well I didn’t win the crown alone. I found the counterparts to my friends, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash there. And together they helped me win the crown,” said Twilight. “But I didn’t let you keep it for long.” Sunset watched as Twilight changed the hologram to depict what happened next. “I threatened to destroy the portal and trap the both us there in that world, but Twilight was willing to selflessly sacrifice her chance to go back home if it meant that I wouldn’t have the Element of Magic. Needless to say, I wrestled the crown away from her and when I put it on…” Sunset looked to Twilight, the alicorn mare was unsure if she wanted to show that part. But the fiery maned mare nodded her go ahead. With a reluctant sigh, Twilight shifted the hologram, showing Sunset as she put the crown and transformed into a monstrous she-demon. The scene played out, showing the Demon collect energy and fired it at Twilight. But that’s when it happened, her friends gathered around her, and the Magic of Friendship ignited. The scene continued and showed as the Elemental Rainbow rose up and shot down on the Demon. The scene shifted again, showing Sunset in the crater, beaten, disheveled, and crying. “I didn’t know there was another way, all I wanted was respect and power, but my eyes were opened that night. I knew that power may’ve been what I wanted, but what I needed was friendship. Twilight left that night, and I was left in the hands of her friends.” Cadance rubbed her chin contemplatively. “So that’s how it went down back there, you were a little vague on the details.” “I didn’t think you’d believe me, I just gave you the bare essentials of what happened,” said Twilight with a blush. Sunset looked to her daughter, she had told Flare about her greatest mistake when she was old enough to understand. But it was just words, she never actually showed her how it went down, and now that she did, Sunset was afraid of what her daughter would think of her. Flare seemed to understand the plight of her mother. She leaned closer to Sunset, nuzzling her neck comfortingly, as if silently saying “It’s alright Mom, I know that’s not you anymore.” Sunset relaxed upon the contact and nuzzled the top of her daughter’s head in return. “So…that’s it? Instant best friends?” Shining Armor asked. “Heh, heh, not quite,” said Flash. The hologram shifted again, displaying Twilight, Sunset, their friends, and the Sirens. “Sunset called me from her world, and asked for my help to save the school and the city from the creatures known as the Sirens. In the end, it took all seven of us to defeat them, and proving that Sunset had learned the true meaning of friendship and the magic it holds.” The hologram showed the seven girls rising into the air and firing a beam of light into the clouds. The clouds parted and showed an alicorn made of light rear up as it flared its majestic wings. It then fired a beam of light from its horn and blasted the Sirens and their Hippocampi avatars, ending the hologram. “I chose to stay behind in that world. It became my home, and I had friends there now,” said Sunset. “She taught me a lesson in friendship that day, and in the same breath, became a dear friend to me,” said Twilight. The family took a moment to let that sink in. Twilight had gone up against a number of threats with her friends in the past, going through one harrowing adventure after another. But this one was just, wow. “Okay, well, that clears that up, I guess,” said Night Light. “So, Miss Shimmer, are you just visiting then?” Velvet asked. The moment Velvet asked that she immediately regretted it, seeing the solemn faces that befell her daughter’s family. “Actually I…I can’t go back, well, I could…but, it just wouldn’t be home anymore,” said Sunset. Flash Sentry sighed and decided to spare Sunset the telling of this tale. “Sunset married somepony special to her back in that world and had Flare. Flare was barely a year old when her husband…died in an accident.” The eyes of the six ponies before them went wide with shock. Cadance and Velvet were hit hard, not imagining what they would be like if their husbands were taken from them so soon in life. Hope and Skyla had scooted a little closer to their father, feeling a bit protective of him now. “I had no idea what happened to Sunset. We used to communicate via a magic journal that connected us between the worlds, but she suddenly stopped writing to me. When she did well…it was covered in tearstains and her writing was evident of someone who was in distress. I quickly went back to that world and found out what happened. In the end, I made the decision to bring Sunset Shimmer back to Equestria, I just couldn’t leave her alone, not after hearing what she went through.” “But…what about your friends, surely they helped you or are wondering where you are?” Shining Armor asked. “I’m sure they would’ve – no I know they would’ve helped if I asked. But all of them had families of their own, dreams they were fulfilling, I couldn’t ask them to drop everything and help me raise my daughter. I tried to do everything on my own, but that world demanded too much of me, I was a young single mother, and I didn’t know who else to turn to. I left them all a note telling them where I went so that they wouldn’t worry about us.” Sunset hung her head low, even now, recalling those events from years back was still painful. Twilight extended a wing and draped it over the mares back in a comforting fashion, eliciting a grateful smile from Sunset. “After a couple of years Twilight told me about what happened, needless to say I was a little shocked by all of it. And in the end we made the decision for Flare and Sunset to stay with us,” said Flash. “Believe me it wasn’t a…easy decision. I was a little upset and said some things to Flare and Sunset, but in the end I realized I was being selfish, and now they’re here with us,” said Stella. “So you see, Shining Armor, Cadance, Mom, Dad, Skyla, Hope, that’s why I didn’t postpone anything, because I was so concentrated on what was happening I forgot to say anything. I know we said that this would be a time for family, but, if you don’t mind, I would like to include Sunset and Flare.” The six looked between each other, as if having psychic discussion about the matter. In the end, Velvet separated from the others and stood before the, relatively, young mare. She then reached out a hoof and gently placed it against Sunset’s cheek, the yellow unicorn flinched slightly, but eased into the touch. Sunset then spotted Velvet’s gentle and warm smile. “You two have been through a lot, I can’t imagine the pain of the loss that you’ve suffered. But I can venture a guess.” She glanced over to her husband, shuddering at that thought of losing him. “Sunset Shimmer, I would love it if you and Flare joined in our little family get together.” Flare’s ears perked up as a broad smile threatened to split her face. Sunset shed a few tears and covered Velvet’s hoof with her own. “Thank you Mrs. Velvet.” “Oh, dear, just Velvet is fine. You’re friends of the family now,” said Velvet. Shining Armor walked up to Sunset next. “Sorry for the suspicious looks and all, no offense.” Sunset chuckled. “None taken, believe me I’m used to.” Twilight, Flash, and Stella all smiled along with the rest of their family, but they weren’t out of the woods, not by a long shot. EARLIER, AT THE HALL OF JUSTICE…Nah just kidding. Five minutes (Hyperbolic Time: 20 hours) Earlier… Still within the alternate pocket dimension, Sunset, Flash, Twilight, Stella, and Flare all sat in the foyer, after hammering out the details of the plan about four and a half days ago, had spent the latter part of their time cleaning up the castle and getting it ready for the arrival of the family. They all met in the parlor, closer to Twilight’s study, for one more meeting to go over their plan. “So, are we all clear on the plan before I bring down the spell?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know Twi, this could end badly,” said Flash. “I’d have to agree with Flash on this,” said Sunset. “But it’s the easiest and possibly the best way for them to accept you. We tell them half of the truth, about how you and Flare came to Equestria, and about who you are. WE just leave out the part where Flare’s dad is my Dad from a parallel world, and the part about him being married to you, Miss Shimmer,” said Stella. Flare rubbed her right foreleg nervously. “I don’t think lying to them is the best thing though.” “What we need to focus on is letting them get to know you, both of you. These next few weeks will give you and your mother a chance to get to know my parents, brother, and sister-in-law,” said Twilight. Stella walked up beside Flare and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “And give you a chance to get to know your cousins. Don’t forget, you’re part of our family now. They’re your Aunt, Uncle, Grandparents, and cousins too. Just be yourself and they’ll like you just as much as I do.” Flare smiled at that. For a long time it had only been her mother and herself, but now she was part of a bigger family, and it felt wonderful. It was still odd to know that her birth father was dead back in the world she left behind, and to see that same man, in pony form, standing right across from her and talking to her every day. At the very least, he didn’t shy away from her displays of daughterly love towards him. And she got a half-sister out of this, she always wanted a sibling, and Stella was the best she could’ve ever hoped for. Now though, she was about to meet grandparents, an aunt and uncle, and even two cousins. She was nervous and excited at the same time. But deep down afraid that they would have the same reaction, if not worse than what Stella showed when they first met each other. Sunset was of the same mind, she wanted this all to go well. She wanted to be here, to stay close to Twilight and Flash, to give her daughter everything she deserved. But doing so would mean telling them about what she did when she was younger, and possibly ruin their opinion of her right off the bat before they got to know her. Still, her daughter was worth it and so was staying with Twilight and Flash, for all of it, Sunset would try her best to get them to like her. “Alright Twilight, I’m ready to this,” said Sunset. “M-Me too,” agreed Flare nervously. “Don’t worry you two, Stella and the both of us will stay close to you. When the time’s right, before they leave, we’ll tell them who you were married to, and who Flare’s father is. Until then, we keep this under wraps,” said Flash. Everypony nodded. Twilight nodded, channeling her magic into her horn. “Alright, here we go.”