//------------------------------// // Reunion // Story: Perspective // by Orpheon //------------------------------// Celestia's eyes bored into the smaller alicorn and unicorn. Sunset could see gears turning, but she couldn't see which ones as the Diarch's gaze lingered on her, taking her in and sizing her up. Sunset opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, words dying before they reached her tongue. What would she even say? Twilight started, “Princess Celestia! I--” She was cut off by the solar alicorn's raised hoof. “Meet me in your palace, Twilight Sparkle.” “Princess, pleas--” “Now, Twilight.” The tone brooked no argument. The lavender alicorn opened her mouth one more time to speak, but quailed as Celestia stared her down. Guess there's a pecking order, Princess or not, Sunset mused. A flash and pop heralded Twilight's teleport, and Sunset Shimmer found herself alone on a wet balcony that even now was drying very quickly beneath the Princess' hooves. They were silent for a time, Celestia's examination unblinking. Sunset looked her in the eyes, searching for something, anything that wasn't this soul-piercing stare. She started when the Princess's eyes softened slightly. Sunset felt energy grasp her, warm and gentle. She was lifted slightly in the air, and with a slight feeling of squeezing, her environment changed. Landing on her hooves, she blinked, casting about. She was in a clearing of some kind; there was a small pool of water nearby fed by a cascade that emptied out into a stream that continued down the hill. Trees ringed the space, wild grasses and flowers dotting the ground, with a set of hoofprints just a bit too large for any normal pony breaking the sameness of the soil. There seemed to be a track in the grass made by hooves, as though someone had paced there a great deal and after a while the grass just stopped trying to reclaim the spot. The whoosh of wings behind her called her attention. Celestia landed behind her, face still set in an unreadable mask. Her horn glowed, another wave of soft golden light washing over Sunset. There didn't seem to be any effect besides making her coat tingle...but it seemed to satisfy the Princess, who exhaled softly. Sunset tilted her head in confusion. Her heart hammered in her ears, anxiety starting to seize her. What if she was just priming her for a sealing spell? What if she was going to banish her? Why send Twilight away if only so she couldn't interfere? Why—Her train of thought was interrupted by Celestia's voice, so quiet as to almost be inaudible. “It's you. It's really you.” The mask was falling apart. Tears were forming at the corners of the Diarch's eyes, her tone wavering. She seemed to sag, all the regal bearing gone from her body. In its place was relief, like a breath held for far too long that had finally been allowed to leave. Celestia slumped, falling to her rump into a sitting position as she shook, face contorted into an expression that wanted to beam at the same time it wanted to sob openly. The expressions seemed to reach an agreement and settle on teary joy. “It's really you.” Sunset's own face twisted into a grimace, waterworks of her own rapidly escalating and soaking her muzzle. More complex thoughts and words left her. In the end, she had only, “I'm home.” Celestia choked out a strangled sob and rushed forward, sweeping up her most wayward student in what seemed like a bonecrushing hug, cradling her as the Princess wept and laughed in equal measure. Sunset buried her face in her former teacher's coat, holding on to her. This was her. The real Celestia, her mentor, her instructor, her friend, her mother in all but name. She was strong, her mane was softer than anything had any right to be, her wings were immense, her body radiated warmth, her heartbeat was powerful, she was REAL. Celestia pushed Sunset away to her surprise, only to cradle the unicorn's face in her hooves, squeeze her cheeks and laugh while nuzzling her. Sunset couldn't ever remember a time in her life when she'd felt such profound happiness. Relief. As though a piece of herself were sliding into place after being knocked ajar for so long. Like she was finally becoming whole. She exhaled, her heart pounding in her chest. Why had she waited so long for this? A few minutes more of embracing, of weeping. Just to make sure that the other was there. And they finally managed to step away from one another. Celestia cleared her throat, wiped her eyes. A little judicious use of magic helped tidy the makeup that had run from her tears. Sunset herself found that she felt...spent. Like she'd just been put through a wringer and had come out cleaner, somehow. Despite that, a bitter sort of aftertaste remained in her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak... “I...I have a lot to tell you, Princess. I...” Sunset started, only for Celestia to shake her head. “Not...not yet, Sunset. We'll have time for that later, just you and me...if you're willing. There are ponies that need taken care of first, and Twilight doesn't deserve to have that task dumped on her shoulders.” She inhaled deeply, seemingly shoring herself up, reconstituting the shell of royal grace. Surprise wasn't quite the word for what Sunset felt as she watched the steely control of her entire body the Princess called forth. She'd seen the veil fall...but it was still a bit unexpected for it to reassert itself so quickly. The poise, the perfection, the carefully calculated aura she emanated. And just like that, Celestia was once again the crown Princess, Diarch of the Day and Unconquered Sun. Even to Sunset, who could say she was—had been—closer to the alicorn than anypony she knew of (save Twilight) the awesome presence was still palpable. A not-insignificant portion of Sunset rankled at it. She had more to say, now that the rush of reunion was past. But Twilight DID need help... Celestia hummed in thought, and spoke. “We're returning to the castle, Sunset. Prepare yourself.” Her voice carried weight. It wasn't loud, or harsh, or even commanding. It was as though she simply stated facts, and that those facts were as inexorable as reality always was. The motherly tone was there, but it didn't fool the unicorn. Not when she'd heard the real thing. The gentle glow passed over her once again, and she felt the mild squeeze of the trip between as the Princess seemed to effortlessly pull them through space. She touched down on the hard stone surface of Twilight's council chambers, the space seeming oppressively small for the alicorn that filled it. Certainly none of the thrones arrayed around the table were suitable for her. Seated in her appointed chair was Twilight Sparkle, who jumped (literally) at their appearance. “PRINCESS! GAH!” A dull thump announced her arrival on the floor beneath the table. Celestia gave a long-suffering sigh as she picked Twilight up from the ground, setting her on her hooves and even dusting her off a bit as the smaller alicorn struggled to regain her composure. Her expression was sheepish as her wings fanned nervously. “S-sorry, Princess.” “Twilight.” Celestia's tone was chiding, but only mildly so. “Ah, sorry, Prin—Celestia.” Twilight looked a tad queasy at dropping the honorific. Sunset grimaced; she knew that pain well. Speaking to the Principal on the other side had been...interesting for the first two years. At least she'd had another title to default to. “It's fine, Twilight. We're equals...even if it takes you a little while to learn.” Celestia's voice had become friendly once more. “...And on that note I do owe you an apology. I shouldn't have been barking orders at you first thing.” She leaned down to look Twilight in the eyes. “I am sorry.” Twilight shook her head, all smiles. “It's fine, Pr—Celestia! I understand you were...uh, surprised when you arrived.” She leaned around the white alicorn to glance at Sunset. “I take it you took a moment to greet one another?” The unicorn nodded, a ghost of a smile on her face. There was more to be said...but business came first, she supposed. Celestia apparently read her mind, because she responded, “We can talk more later. For now let's see about getting the townsfolk the help they need. Come with me, please. Tell me what happened here.” She strode for the door, every step purposeful, heavy without effort. Sunset scrambled to keep up with her larger stride, nodding to Twilight as they set off at a light trot to keep up. Ponyville had seen better days. Only once in the town's long history had flooding ever been a serious hazard, and that had been decades back. Most of the construction hadn't been built with water damage as a concern. Worse, the storm had been on a scale the town had never seen. Guardsponies had largely shed their armor and darted to and fro, helping with the cleanup duty and breaking down the more hazardous of debris to be properly disposed of. Some were otherwise occupied finding blankets for the few that had been caught out or struck by lightning, who needed ferried to the local hospital. The trio found themselves making the rounds, ensuring that all was going smoothly and that relief efforts were being properly seen to. Progress had been hampered by both Sunset and Twilight periodically breaking away to help with moving something too large or prickly for the work crews to take care of themselves. Sunset was rather pleased to see that she and Twilight worked well together; their magic was similar in nature and formula, so twincasting spells seemed to come naturally to them. A sarcastic voice in her head quipped that it definitely had nothing to do with the fact that they were both trained by the same individual. Either way, Princess Celestia's expression changed little during the explanation of what the pair had experienced, as though she had expected something of the nature. It wasn't until Twilight had described the magic of the storm as 'irritable' that her eyes widened slightly. She paused mid-step, causing her former students to stop and look at her with equal nervousness and confusion. “Uh, Princess?” Sunset asked, brow furrowed. Celestia blinked...and just like that, the control returned. “I'm fine, Sunset. Now...irritable, you said?” “Yes, Princess.” Twilight answered (apparently forgetting the honorifics rule). “The storm was definitely magical in nature, and Sunset and I together couldn't dispel it. It was...different, somehow. Not like Discord's magic; it was like it operated on a completely different set of rules than ours. Not chaotic, just...well, different. And mean-tempered.” “I'm pretty rusty at magic myself, but I can agree with what Twilight said, Princess.” Sunset added. “The storm was angry. Apparently angry enough to resist the the pegasi.” Celestia put her hoof down, face pensive. “...If I may, I would discuss this matter further with you over dinner, if you'll have me, Twilight.” Twilight nodded so fast Sunset was mildly worried her eyes would pop out of her skull in response. “Good. In the meantime, I will be helping my little ponies with the cleanup efforts. You two should do the same. Consider...oh, isn't that your friend, Twilight?” The alabaster pony motioned with a gold-shod hoof at the chromatic blur that landed roughly before them. Rainbow Dash slid to a halt before them, pulling herself into a shallow bow that seemed as though she were doing it perfunctorily and not because she meant it. “Hey, Princess. Can I borrow Twilight for a bit?” The smaller alicorn's face contorted in puzzlement. “Certainly. We had just finished speaking. I'll see you later tonight, Twilight.” The lavender pony was only able to get a yelp in edgewise as Dash pulled her off into town square. Sunset watched them go, chuckling. It then occurred to her that she was again alone with the Princess. Well, as alone as a pair could be amidst a serious cleanup detail. She turned to glance at Celestia one more time, only to find the Princess was looking at her with a contemplative face. Not for the first time Sunset wished that Celestia didn't have this strange inscrutability to her visage, that she was a little easier to read. But then, that ability to mask her thoughts had probably been absolutely necessary for the kingdom's rulership. Maybe if she'd been less unreadable... Sunset shook her head, dispelling the treasonous thought. “I'm gonna go help with the mess, Princess. I'll...see you later tonight?” Celestia nodded, a small smile on her face. “Good luck, Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset gave a small smile and turned to go, but hesitated as the alicorn turned away to flag down one of her guards. She opened her mouth...but thought better of it and went to find somepony who could use her help. Sunset Shimmer was grateful for a variety of things, and high-ranking among them was the fact that she was born with the spiraling, fluted horn sitting on her brow. It made a variety of distasteful tasks considerably less unpleasant, such as the messy, muddy cleanup of various splintered and filthy piles of debris and trash that had managed to pool at the southern side of town on the treeline as the waters had receded to the river. Despite her ability to keep a a fair distance from the mess, however, she'd managed to misstep and slide down an embankment almost into the mound itself. She'd opted to stick it out anyway to help with the cleanup (bravely in her own mind). So in the end, she was absolutely coated in dry mud and grime anyway. As she approached the front door to Twilight's castle, she winced at the sensation of dirt caked in places she hadn't previously been aware of and the unnerving crunchy feeling on her hooves. She knocked thrice with her magic, unwilling to sully the door handle doing it manually. Spike's scaled face peeked out, eyes widening at the mostly brown unicorn on the front step. “...so, is there any dirt actually left on the ground or did you bring it all with you?” “Funny funny, dragon boy. I gotta get cleaned up, excuse me...” Spike pulled a face at the thought. “Heck no, you'll track mud everywhere! Hold on.” Sunset stared blankly as the door slammed shut. “Huh?” Had she just been denied? She'd just been denied. She blinked slowly. “Well, that was unexpected.” Sunset sat on her rump, no longer concerned about the mud on her backside. She started as she heard a bang above her. Craning back, she noted a window opening. And leaning out of it...Spike? “Spike, what are you doing?” “PRE-WASHING!” “What.” Sunset squinted as what appeared to be a water basin appeared above the dragon. She was tragically too slow to connect the dots as a wave of water washed her off the front step with a screech, sending her spluttering down the stairs into an unceremonious and now very reinvigorated mud puddle that was swiftly on its way to growing up into a mud pond. Once she managed to pull her head out of the muck and clear her eyes she glared daggers at the window, where Spike had at least the decency to wince. He did not, however, have the decency to not giggle at the mare, who was now mostly just a vague brown suggestion of a unicorn with a pair of blazing sea-green eyes. Sunset spat mud from her mouth and roared, “SPIIIIKE!” The young dragon jumped and slammed the window shut, presumably to run and hide. Sunset dragged her hooves from the mud with a wet sucking sound as she extracted herself from the puddle, a snarl of frustration escaping her. “UUUUUGH! Great, just...great. Jeez, I needed a bath before, now I'm gonna need a deep cleaning.” “I'll say,” a scratchy voice chimed in. “You're looking pretty messy there, stranger.” Sunset looked up, surprised to see the multicolored mane of Rainbow Dash, flopped lazily on a small cloud that hovered not far above the path. “Dash...?” The pegasus raised a hoof, cutting her off. “Again with the knowing my name...it's really weird and off-putting. Could stand to get introduced, though.” She hopped from the cloud nimbly, coming to a landing near Sunset (but not too near, likely because of how dirty the unicorn was). “Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria and probably the world. I'd shake your hoof but EW.” “Uh...Sunset Shimmer, from very out of town. Nice to meet you.” She briefly considered flicking mud at Rainbow, but thought better of it. “Yeah, I know who you are. Heard some from Twilight, heard more from the others.” The blue mare's face was stern, her brow set in a frown. “Some good, some bad.” The hollow sensation returned. Oh, goodie. She'd almost forgotten what the self-loathing had felt like. “...I'm not here to cause trouble.” Sunset mumbled, eyes downcast. “Well, Discord seemed like he was the same way and then he nearly got us all killed.” said Dash, her voice cool (and not in the awesome way). “Fluttershy is the nicest of us, looking after him, and that was almost a disaster.” She paused. “Twilight says you've changed, and you were definitely out in that storm trying to do something with her about it. That I saw with my own eyes.” She pawed at the ground a bit, looking away from the unicorn before looking back. "...Listen, I'm not gonna pretend that I'm thrilled with the idea of someone who tried to kill one of my best buddies living in the same pad with her. I'm gonna keep an eye on you. Nothing perso--nah, it is kinda personal." The pegasus admitted aloud, voice conflicted. "You get where I'm coming from? Don't cause any trouble here. If you're on the level, we can talk again. See ya." With that she took off, the force of her jump kicking up a fresh wave of dust. Sunset remained there, sinking very slowly. After a moment, she hung her head and sighed, trudging for the front door. Spike trembled as Sunset pushed open the door. What would she do to him? Atomic noogie? Muddy huggle time? The most intense cheek pinch in history?! Imagine his surprise when the mare plodded listlessly past him, heedless of the mess in her wake and apparently not aware of his presence. He was visibly irritated when he discovered the dirty trail she left...but on the other hoof she hadn't dunked him in the toilet for flushing (ha) her down the stairs. He sighed. Tit for tat; this was a preferable form of revenge. He tried to keep that in mind as he went to find a mop. Sunset meanwhile continued her silent trek. She was passing the library when a voice caught her attention, bringing her out of her gloom. “Sunset? How did it—oh sweet mother of Celestia.” Twilight Sparkle gaped at Sunset Shimmer, who had paused in her slinking in the doorway. “...Twilight?” “Sunset, wow! You must've really worked hard to help out the townsfolk! But, uh, you got a little dirty doing it. Just a little.” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Okay, so you got really, REALLY dirty. So dirty that YOU'RE TRAILING MUD ON THE CARPET OH NO.” The unicorn yelped as a violet field scooped her up, dust pooling at the bottom of the magical field as it fell from her body. “NO, NO MA'AM. TO THE BATHROOM!” “Tw...Twilight! Put me down! I can get to the bath just fine!” The (usually) amber mare squawked indignantly. “No, no no no no. Princess visiting, have to have everything tidy! Gotta clean up the carpets, can't have you making tracks the rest of the way so,” Twilight yanked the pair through space with a quick blink, the tiles of the bathroom floor reflecting her spell as she simultaneously turned the faucets on. “Twilight, you had better put me down or so help me there WILL be consequences!” A mildly unnerving laugh came from behind Sunset before she was dumped in the tub, hot water piercing her shell of grime and instantly turning brown. “GUH! ALRIGHT SPARKLE, GAME ON!” The lavender alicorn was unprepared for the gobbet of dirty water that launched itself from the tub, instantly turning her left side an ugly puce. Time seemed to freeze as Sunset looked down her nose at Twilight, craning her forelimb back. The youngest princess's face was taut as she turned back to face her guest. “You. Did. Not.” Sunset lashed her hoof forward, blasting a wave of grungy bathwater across the room and soaking her host, who gasped in surprise. Twilight shook her head and glared at Sunset, eyes blazing. “You keep carrying on like this...making a mess...getting this gunge everywhere....you're gonna have a bath time.” The unicorn capped off her ominous threat with an unceremonious glob of water directly to the face of the alicorn. With a Royal Canterlot Shriek Twilight rushed at Sunset, seizing bottles of soaps and shampoos in her magic as Sunset followed suit with a sponge, towel, and whatever else she could grab. In the main hall, the doors parted loudly as an armored stallion roared authoritatively, “HAIL, PRINCESS CELESTIA.” Celestia mentally rolled her eyes as she walked past him. She wondered why she'd ever instated such an ostentatious announcement, or even why she needed an announcer at all. Then again, she'd written a lot of the Royal Protocol when she and Luna had been much younger and considerably more full of themselves. In any case, the only pony she saw in the hall was Spike, who seemed to be diligently mopping up a mess on the floor. He waved at the Princess and her guards as they entered. “Hello, Princess! Nice to see you again.” Celestia's heart warmed to see the young dragon; she found herself almost thinking of him as a favored nephew some days, and had indeed been a major force in his rearing and education after Twilight had coaxed him from an egg that wasn't even meant to hatch. He had always been an earnest young thing, eager to please and quite attached to his 'sister'. More, he was always genuine with the alicorn, never bowing or scraping and certainly not seized by the frankly sometimes unhealthy (but still occasionally useful) devotion Twilight had for her former teacher. “It's nice to see you too, Spike. Could you watch the door, gentlestallions?” She motioned to her escorts, who dutifully took up positions on either side of the massive frame. “Have you seen Twilight or Sunset, Spike? I was hoping to sit down to dinner with them while I was still here.” She still felt a giddy rush when she considered her most wayward student's presence; she was here, really here. It was like Luna's return all over again...but in a very different way at the same time. Spike shook his head, scratching his chin with a claw as he considered. “Chances are Sunset's in the bath, since she was all muddy when she came in. Twilight was in the library...want me to go find them?” “Why don't we both go look? I'd love to catch up with you as we go; as memory serves the palace is quite large.” Celestia suggested, eager to extend her time with the boy. “Sure thing, Princess. Do you mind asking one of those guys to go check on my stew?” Spike jabbed a thumb at the stallion to the left of the door, who looked nonplussed. Celestia craned her head around and motioned for the kitchen, eyes sparkling. The guard nodded and went off, a small smile on his face. “Reliable fellas, those guys. Anyway, let's go, Princess!” “Indeed. Lead on, Sir Spike.” The alicorn chuckled as the little dragon marched with more authority than his small frame really warranted...but he really did try. Twilight Sparkle seemed to face her most determined foe she'd yet encountered in her comparatively brief life; a canny mare who seemed to be her match in intelligence and cunning and a workout in magic. Worse, she seemed to exceed the rookie Princess in passion, which only helped equalize the disparity in sorcerous strength. She found herself in a hold, her worthy adversary furiously rubbing dirt into her mane and inflicting her with that awful gritty just-got-back-from-the-beach feeling! Twilight roared, pushing the blotchy mare away just as Sunset lashed her with the simultaneously soapy and grimy water that now coated the tiles and made standing upright a dicey affair. She launched herself onto the unicorn who growled in frustration and managed to meet her in the air, the two of them awkwardly waltzing on the wet floor as they tried to keep their balance on their hind legs. The alicorn gave out first, yelping in alarm as her hooves were suddenly unable to find purchase as the unicorn screeched in surprise and fell on her. Sunset crowed triumphantly despite being out of breath and leaned back to splash more water on the lavender mare only for her to squeak a protest as Twilight rolled over on her and pinned her, pressing the unicorn's forelegs to her chest. Sunset gritted her teeth and went to cast a grabbing cantrip but the sensation of Twilight's horn touching hers and layering a spelljamming matrix nipped that in the bud. She opted instead to struggle against Twilight's weight (which was slightly greater than hers; waterlogged feathers were heavy!), trying in vain to push her off and renew the fight. Twilight barked a victorious laugh. “I win! Yield!” Sunset bashed her forehead against Twilight, horns crossing like swords as she momentarily stunned the alicorn. “Keep dreaming, Sparkle!” Unfortunately, the lavender mare recovered and pushed back with equal force, straining with the effort of maintaining her spelljammer and also keeping the unicorn pinned. “...What even the heck are you two doing?” The ponies both turned simultaneously, gaping at Spike, who was surveying the carnage with an expression that was partially shock, partially confusion, with a dollop of indignant rage thrown in for good measure. Striding up behind him was Princess Celestia, who froze for a moment as she viewed the scene with a slight blush. She reached for Spike, covering his eyes with a foreleg and pulling him out of the bathroom. “Wh-Princess, what the heck? Why're you covering my eyes, what gives?!” “So sorry for interrupting, girls. When you're done, kindly come downstairs.” Celestia's flushing seemed to grow more intense as she closed the door with a bit more force than necessary and hurriedly made for the hallway. I did not see that. I did not see that. I did NOT see that. I did not. It was definitely not a thing I just witnessed. No, no no. It was not. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle remained there for a moment, utterly silent. Eventually Twilight broke the silence. “Oh. My. Stars.”