//------------------------------// // Bitter Reunions // Story: The New Timeline // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// A day has passed since the fiasco with the Ursa Minor. The trees that have been crushed are now being uprooted. Construction ponies have just finished replaced the bitten beams on the room of Bon Bon's house. Mr. Greenhooves supervised Snips and Snails as they cleared the wreckage of Trixie's wagon. Twilight walked among the crowds with her friends as they entered Sugarcube Corner. "What other tricks can you do, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked before eating a spoonful of carrot cake. "Well, I know of quite a few teleportation spells, some levitation spells-" "Can you even fly?" Rainbow Dash interrupted "Well," - Twilight placed a hoof on her chin - "no. Magic takes a lot of concentration, I'd be lucky if I could lift myself a few inches." "Not that it matters, Sugar Cube." - Applejack scowled at Rainbow Dash before turning to Twilight - "What really matters is that you use your talent for a good purpose." "Quite so, Applejack." - Rarity added - "Unlike that other Unicorn." "Yeah, Sunbutt Shammer was even worse than-" Twilight's eyes shot open before she coughed out a piece of cake silencing the conversation. "Y'all right there, Twi?" Applejack placed a hoof on her friend while Twilight wheezed. Upon recovering, Twilight asked, "Sunset Shimmer's here too?" "Of course, silly!" - Pinkie Pie twirled her hair, flings it deep into the kitchen and using a reeling motion with her hooves, drew back a long list - "Sunset is just five new members above you." Pinkie finished with a squee. "Was Sunset a close friend of your's, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight hesitantly looked at her friends before answering, "She was a classmate." "What?" Pinkie Pie shouted. "And so was Trixie." "What?!" Pinkie continued, much to the amused looks of the other customers. "I haven't heard why, but she left well before I came here." "Wha-!" Mr. Cake placed a hoof over her mouth. With order restored, Twilight looked at her friends again. "Did she cause any trouble?" Twilight asked, only receiving an answer by her friends eying away from her. She placed a hoof on her head "Do you know where she lives?" Rather than tell her, Pinkie Pie grabbed a corner of the screen and turns it over like a book page, showing them now in an underground laboratory. Machines ran at optimum levels, beakers channeled their concoctions into another mixture. Twilight looked up, noticing the tree roots. She never realized there was a laboratory in the Library before. "So if I mix the negative hydroxyl ion with the salicylic acid" - the Mane Six turned to find Sunset Shimmer writing an entry before Pinkie began sneaking up to her - "the resulting mix should be a pain-" "Hi, Sunset!" Pinkie's greeting made the orange Unicorn jolt up and instinctively shot the quill at the pink Pony. Dodging the bullet the quill stuck at one of the roots. " Wow! Nice aim." "Pinkie, I thought I-" - Sunset spotted her former classmate among the rest of her "visitors." Twilight gave a sheepish grin. "Hi, Sunset." Sunset furrowed a glare before she turned over to her work. "Hi..." Twilight gulped before walking over to her former classmate and eyed the journal entry. "So, uh" Twilight looked harder into the log "making medicine?" A green aura surrounded the book before almost snapping at the violet unicorn's snout. "Private experiments." Sunset answered without looking away from her work "Why are you here?" As if insulting her intelligence, Twilight answered, "I live in the Library." Sunset paused, "The old hag gave you the library but not me." Applejack stepped forward "Well now, you haven't really been kind enough to earn a reference." Sunset jerked to a halt. "Quite right, Applejack." - Rarity added, stepping to her side "I still recall how you destroyed the welcome cake when you first arrived." Sunset's hair grizzled. "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash ascended a few feet "You are no Gilda, but you are pretty-" Rainbow narrowly dodged a shot of magic, singing off the tip of her Rainbow mane. Sunset breathed in and out heavily as her horn glowed very bright. The other four, especially Fluttershy, slowly backed away. Twilight gave a nervous giggle as she stepped between them. "Okay, girls" Twilight began herding her friends up the earthen stairs "let's leave her to her job." Just when Twilight walked out, the door slammed shut on her tail. Fortunately, most of a pony's tail is just hair. Twilight held a large grin as she yanked her tail out, leaving a few purple strands. "Well, not exactly a warm welcome." Twilight kept a happy face as her friends looked at her with opposite expressions before leaving the Library. "Twilight" - Applejack stood at the door - "not all cattle are meant to be tamed." As soon as Applejack left the Library, Twilight's grin quickly disappeared as she slowly walked up the stairs. "There has to be a way to make things better" - Twilight opened her saddlebag - "there always is." Twilight pulled out something she didn't know she had. It was indeed a journal, but it was not her journal. The cutie mark on the front cover matches that of Sunset's. Opening up the pages, Twilight looked at each entry from their beginning years at the school to almost today. When she stopped at the last page to have words, her eyes widened and her equine cranium formed an idea. "Spike," - the young dragon walked over to her - "write this down." Despite working in the laboratory, Sunset still has to go out to eat. A few hours later, she walked out of the library, ignoring the looks the other residents gave her and walked to the Ponyville Cafe. The waiter, Savoir Fare, walked over to the orange Unicorn. "The usual?" Asked the well groomed Earth Pony, but before Sunset could answer... "Oh hey, girls" - Sunset turned to find the Mane Six at another table - "look who's here." Sunset face-hoofed, "Oh, Celestia..." As soon as she raised her head up, the Mane Six were already around her. Savoir looked at the group before writing the list of drinks each one usually drinks at the cafe and left the group alone. Her "guests," especially Pinkie, held a sheepish grin, as they tried to find the words to speak. "So, Sunset" - Rarity asked first - "do you come here often?" Sunset took a deep breath, "Mostly." Another awkward silence before another waiter arrived with a tray of drinks. Fluttershy leaned over, "Do you have any pets." Sunset glared at her, causing Fluttershy to draw back. Twilight pulled out a wrapped present. "Here, Sunset" - Twilight places the present on the table - "I found this in my bag just today." After rolling her eyes, the former student levitated the book and began tearing away the wrapping. Noticing the brown binding, Sunset tilted her neck at Twilight as she began to sweat. With a skeptical eye, she tore off the rest of the wrapping and jolted at the sight of her journal with a noticeable bookmark jutting out. Opening the book, Sunset began reading the new writing. Dear Sunset Shimmer, I have taken the time to reflect on our argument and I want to apologize. Though I may not be hearing from you, I want to tell you that you are not my least favorite student. You have proven to be one of my greatest students, and I would have taken you to the next step. Wherever you are now, I wish you the best of luck as you lead your own life outside of Canterlot. Just know that If you are willing to talk, I will be there to answer. Your teacher, Princess Celestia. What Twilight hoped would be the answer to the problem was met with Sunset throwing the book on the floor and running away from the Cafe. "Sunset!" - Twilight disappeared from the table and reappeared just at the entrance to the Library Sunset skidded to a halt, "Get out of my way, Twilight!" "Sunset, whatever happened between you and Celestia, I am here to say we are sorry." "Oh, so we just forgive and forget huh?" - Sunset did a sarcastic chuckle - "Well, it's not that easy I'm afraid." The citizens watched as the conversation unfolded before them. "You know how many hooves I've greased just to get to be one of Celestia's finest?" - Sunset snorted, before turning to the crowd - "You all should be thanking me for the medicines I have made without your help!" One pony, a brown stallion with a bow tie and collar stepped forward. "I have offered you my help and you turned it away." Dr. Whooves rebuked Another pony, a white mare with light pink hair stepped forward as well. "So have I." Nurse Red Heart added. Sunset growled, "And you all turned to Twilight for help when I was also there." - Sunset turned around to Twilight Sparkle - "So how about you just take your friendship speeches and your friends and just leave me alone!" Sunset turned around with her head aloof, much to the appalled citizens. Twilight drew her ears back in uncertainty before determination drew them forward as she begins walking. "Stay away from me, Twilight." - Sunset continued to hear her footsteps before lighting up her horn - "Please, just leave me alone!" Before she could fire any spell, Sunset's eyes shot wide open, seeing the purple body and mane wrapped around in a tight embrace. The fire-haired Pony slowly relaxed, canceling the spell. "Twilight, I don't understand..." "Friendship is based on forgiveness" - Twilight loosened her embrace, holding Sunset's hooves - "even what happened before was unforgivable. We are all willing to accept you, but only if you let go of your hatred and vanity and accept us too." Sunset looked at the faces of the ponies around her before looking at the castle in the distant mountains. "You... you mean you are all willing to accept me as a friend?" Sunset's question was answered with nods from the ponies around her. She teared up as she pulled Twilight into another embrace. The rest of the Mane Six looked at each other before Pinkie Pie squeaked. "Group hug!" Pinkie Pie immediately bounded towards the two and joined in on the hug before the others joined in. After breaking the embrace, Twilight turned to Spike. "Spike, take a scroll" - the young dragon took out a paper and quill - "Dear Princess-" "Twilight," - Twilight turned around to Sunset "may I write this one?" Twilight smiled before giving her a nod of approval. Dear Princess Celestia, It has been a while since I have written to you. I have begun to understand what I have been missing from your teachings. In a way, Friendship is everywhere. You could either embrace it or be alone in your hatred and vanity. As you have written in my journal, I am also willing to talk. You're former student, Sunset Shimmer As she read the letter, Celestia's eyes welled up before she stood and walked to her balcony. "And so her second chance begins." Celestia added before lowering the sun.