//------------------------------// // Day 1, Part1: Two Groups meet // Story: Twilight Sparkle's All Unicorn Retreat // by smxsonic //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer took inventory in her duffle bag: A cloak, A photo album, Some dresses Rarity made, and some schematics Twilight wanted to share with her royal counterpart. Sunset wasn't entirely sure what the portal would change. At the very least the cloak would reconfigure to a pony’s body. Rarity’s designs were more of an experiment to see how they would transform in the portal. Pictures were pretty universal. Sunset stood up and slung the bag over her shoulder. She faced her friends that had all gathered around the Statue that housed the portal at Canterlot high school. “All set?” Applejack asked. Sunset nodded, “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.” “Well what’s Keepin ya then?” “It’s gonna sound stupid,” Sunset started, “But I’m not entirely sure what’s going to happen.” “What, you think Princess Twilight’s gonna call her knights and arrest you on the spot?” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, no,” Sunset replied, “ But she could if she wanted to, I’m pretty sure stealing a princess’s crown is high treason.” “I really don’t think I’m that kind of person…” the Twilight of the Human world piped up. Sunset sighed. Rarity stepped forward and put her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Go on, and have fun, darling, I’m sure everything will turn out fine.” “Besides,” Rainbow Dash added, “you seriously need more horse friends” The group looked at the rainbow-haired girl in confusion. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “What?” Rainbow asked, “We’re awesome and all, but I feel weird every time an ‘everypony’ slips out.” Sunset stared at her for a minute and then she sighed. “Disregarding the reasoning, Rainbow’s right,” Sunset reasoned, “All right, I’ll see you guys on Monday.” “Don’t forget to bring us a souvenir!” Pinkie chirped Sunset looked back and nodded. She waved to her friends and entered the portal. Twilight could trust Spike to look after Starlight and Trixie for a few minutes while she went to pick the rest of the girls up from the train station. At least she hoped so. Honestly there were problems to be had with so many powerful unicorns in the same space, but at least Trixie and Starlight were past their Megalomania phase. Minuette and Lyra were in Ponyville already. So they agreed to meet Twilight at the train station.  She had stepped up to the platform and started looking for her former classmates. She couldn’t find either of them. Twilight didn’t know whether this was regular for them or not. She whickered in frustration that she didn’t know her friends better. “Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight turned around at the familiar shriek. Rarity stood there, her red cloak blowing in the wind. “How dare you hold a unicorn get-together and not invite me!” This was a lie. Twilight had invited her to the convention, but Rarity had begged off, citing other commitments . To be honest, she knew Rarity wouldn’t have liked it.  The crew from Canterlot might not have looked it, but they were academics. Sunset had been Celestia’s personal student (and that door was always implied to be open by the princess herself). Starlight had to have learned magic theory to pull off things she had done, Trixie as well. Rarity wasn’t all that much of a book mare. “I am tired of you looking down on me just because I didn’t have a proper Unicorn education!” Rarity accused, once again confusing the blazes out of Twilight. Twilight sighed,“Rarity, I don’t know what’s going on here, but we both know that we don’t have time for this.” “Ha, such cowardice is unbecoming of a princess,” Rarity scoffed as she charged her horn and aimed it at Twilight , “Light your horn, Princess, and see how generous I can be!” Twilight heard the sound of suppressed laughter from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed a mint green unicorn and and a blue unicorn with their hooves covering their mouths. Twilight sighed again, “Lyra and Minuette put you up to this, didn’t they?” Laughter erupted beside her. The two unicorns were now on their backs rolling around in their mirth. Rarity grunted, “Honestly, darling, the least you can do is join in the fun.” “Yeah, Twilight, I thought it was all the rage for some unicorn to challenge you!” Lyra said, grinning upside-down from her place on her back. “Umm, I’m pretty sure I outclass any unicorn in magic now,” Twilight said, indignantly flapping her wings. “That’s not what Starlight Glimmer says, darling,” Rarity pointed out. “Oooh, sounds scandalous,” Minuette said, sidling up to Twilight, “ I hope I get to hear that story!” “Yeah, I bet you will,” Twilight said, glaring sidelong at Rarity. “When is the train coming?” “The rest of the Canterlot Wrecking Crew should be here in a couple of minutes,” Lyra said, looking at the clock. Twilight raised her eyebrow. “Wait.  ‘Wrecking Crew’?” “Yeah, for some reason Lyra thinks we’d level Canterlot if given the chance,” Minuette clarified. “Why do you think I came to Ponyville in the first place?  I was escaping those wild outings we were always having.”  Lyra sighed and shrugged.  “And then I met Pinkie Pie, so that was a short-lived hope.” The Train arrived and Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts got off. Well, more like they jumped off the train to hug Twilight. “Hey girls, where’s Moondancer?” Twilight greeted. “She had some sort of delay,” Twinkleshine explained as she gave a book wrapped in ribbon to Twilight.“She wanted us to give you this as an apology.” “She’ll be along later, “ Lemon Hearts said. “She said she wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Twilight put the book away in her saddlebags. The conductor called for everypony to get on board. “Well, I guess I should be off now,” Rarity said. “Oh, so you didn’t just come here to challenge me,” Twilight muttered.  “I thought you were up on all the latest trends.”. “My, darling, a sense of humour is important for a pony of your stature. Please try to embrace the love in my actions. I was just on my way to my Canterlot boutique when Lyra and Minuette approached me to have a little fun with you,” Rarity explained as she boarded the train.  “Speaking of which, I shall accept your surrender at the spa when I get back.  Ta-ta, Darlings!” Twilight stood there dumbfounded while all of her friends stood around her, giggling. “I knew it, all the ponies in this town are crazy” Sunset exited the mirror, stumbling a little over her own hooves. It was a bit weird to get used to being quadrupedal again, but it was just like riding a bike. Sunset was sure Twilight would have been there to greet her, but there was no sign of the princess anywhere. Sunset left the mirror room and took the time to admire Twilight’s Castle, which looked suspiciously like Cadance’s crystal castle. Sunset took a deep breath and let it out. Now was not the time to get cold...hooves. That was going to get some taking used to. Sunset came upon two double doors and still hadn’t seen hide nor mane of anypony yet.  She opened the doors to a pink unicorn with a purple mane playing cards with a blue unicorn with a white… mane… “Trixie!?” While it stood to reason that there’d be an equine Trixie running around. Sunset never thought that she’d be part of Twilight’s equestria posse. Although that did explain Twilight’s strange resignation to what Trixie did during the battle of the bands. “Ah, it looks like one of Twilight’s Canterlot entourage is here,” Trixie commented, looking back at Sunset, “and of course she’s a fan, as if there was any doubt.” “Yep, definitely Trixie,” Sunset thought to herself. “All right, girls, I couldn’t find the cider so I just brought you some Colt-a-Cola.” Spike called as he entered the room with a tray of drinks.   “Twilight doesn’t want a group of powerful unicorns to get cidered up, imagine that,” he continued. “Oh hey Sunset, you’re here early.” Starlight’s eyes widened as she looked  up from her cards. “Sunset? Sunset Shimmer!?” Sunset looked at Starlight. “Yeah that’s me, and you are?” Spike looked nervous. “Hey, Sunset let me go get you a drink!” “I’m Starlight Glimmer,” Starlight greeted as Spike ran out., “I’m sure Twilight has told you all about me.” “Not really, just your obsession with equality and the whole time travel thing,” Sunset said, adding mentally, “And also the fact that you cut me off from communicating with Twilight” Starlight grunted. “That’s fair enough, I suppose…” “This is the first time Trixie has heard of time travel.”  Trixie’s ears pricked up. Starlight groaned. “Okay so, maybe trying to break Twilight apart from her friends was a bad idea.” “Yeah it is, eventually they rise up against you and shoot you with a rainbow, I’ve been there,” Sunset said. “They never shot me with a rainbow,” Starlight responded. “In fact I was close to trapping us both in the past.” “She gave you a friendship speech then?” Trixie said. “...Yeah…” “Twilight Sparkle seems to have that effect on ponies, although she tricked Trixie into taking off the Alicorn Amulet.” Starlight balked. “The Alicorn Amulet?” “Exactly as it says, gives one the limitless magic of an alicorn. At the cost of one’s sanity.” So it went, the three former villains went back and forth sharing stories and bonding over their mutual respect of Twilight Sparkle. It was now that Twilight Sparkle Unicorn convention truly began.