//------------------------------// // The Wrong Choice // Story: Perspective // by Orpheon //------------------------------// “Then it's unanimous.” Sunset allowed herself an audible sigh of relief as seven hands were held aloft in the meeting room. Adagio Dazzle blinked slowly, a look of dull surprise on her face, as though she didn't quite comprehend the result before her. It didn't take very long for her haughty composure to reassert itself, but there was still a moment of grim satisfaction Sunset took in the siren's apparent disbelief. Of course she hadn't expected the Rainbooms to help. Why would they? There was nothing in it for them except peace of mind. Even if Adagio thought she understood it intellectually she didn't truly grasp the meaning of kindness. The irony continued to strike her, eliciting a sardonic smile. She cast a glance around the room, a pride she didn't know she had welling up inside as she surveyed her friends. Even Rainbow Dash, tough as she talked, didn't like the idea of leaving a living being to die, and it showed in her conflicted face. Meanwhile on the other side, Sonata and Aria wore looks of near identical relief, even if the latter still seemed to be amused at some hidden joke others present weren't party to. “...well then! I'd say that about decides that!” said Rarity, lilting tone cutting into the atmosphere. “But, ah...hm. What precisely will you DO, Princess?” She stared pointedly at the alicorn, who even now had closed one eye, staring at the Dazzlings and tenting her fingers as she thought. Adagio's defiant demeanor seemed to waver just for a moment of wariness, confidence shaken. Sunset found herself looking at the diminished young woman with a renewed sense of understanding. She knew that feeling very well; half expecting every good turn to be flipped on its head with no warning, even if you were reasonably sure the ponies--er, people--were on the level. Distantly she wondered if there were a way to reassure Adagio, since among the three she seemed to be the only one with that defensive posture still active. But if she knew anything about being proud (and boy did she), Adagio would take offense to the action, whatever the intent. Pity didn't do anypony any good, and in that at least she was reasonably sure she and the siren had common ground. “Yes, Princess...” Adagio managed to layer a measure of scorn Sunset was previously unaware was possible on the title, “...What will you do with us? Somehow I doubt you'll just let us just wander upstream wherever we please when we go back.” Twilight was silent a moment before responding. “No, I won't. I can put you up in my castle for a little bit while we figure out what we can do. I don't know what will happen when we go back to the other side.” She straightened up, an inquisitive look on her face. “Now then. Your native forms are the...scaly creatures we saw back during the band battle, right? How large would you say you are?” “Not much larger than the average pony, as memory serves. Perhaps a large stallion would be a good comparison?” Aria mused, one hand to her chin. “It's been awhile since last we've actually seen a pony in the flesh, so...” She waved a hand dismissively. “What if Twilight has a POOL in her castle! Then they could just dive into it and chill out until they could find a BIIIIIIG tank!” “Pinkie, that's...” “Hold up, hold up. We can discuss the particulars later. For now let's just...uh, get out of here.” Aria waved her hands with a half-lidded expression. “I'm not really down to spend any more time in this shop of horrors than is strictly necessary.” A fresh round of shuddering agreed with her. Outside, the assembly quickly found the searing light of summer oppressive with no shade nearby to take cover in. Sunset envied Applejack her hat as the farmer, seemingly untroubled by the heat, spoke. “Well, that was all we were all needed for, yeah? I guess we call this meetin' adjourned here.” At a raised eyebrow from Rarity, she continued. “I mean, the specifics aren't really anything you or I or any of the rest of us can help with, right? I don't know about you but I do have things to get done back on the farm.” “We can take it from here, girls.” Sunset assured the others, fanning herself with a hand as she took her jacket off (What had possessed her to wear a heavy faux-leather jacket at the height of summer she had no idea). “You sure? We could go with you to the portal at least...if only to make sure they play nice until then.” Rainbow glared daggers at nearby Sonata, who seemed more concerned with trying to keep herself cool than actually answering any perceived challenge. “Please. We might not be in top form, but you couldn't take us on a good day, Rainbrat.” Adagio sneered, clearly unimpressed. “YOU WANNA TRY ME, CREAM PUFF?!” “Alright, break it up. You'll never see each other again after this, Rainbow. Relax.” Sunset stepped in, hands on either side. “And you: dial it back. We literally just decided to help you, don't give us a reason to change our minds.” Rainbow reluctantly lowered her fists as the siren sniffed and turned away. The unicorn grimaced. This was fine. She could handle this. They only had to...what did they have to do? She folded her arms, brow furrowed. “Twilight, can I talk to you for a second?” “Sure, Sunset. What's the matter?” She pulled the alicorn closer and whispered, “Are we gonna go back right now right now?” “I mean, I planned on that, if that's what you're asking. You said it, they're living on borrowed time as is.” “Okay Twi, but do you have any kind of plan for what happens once we go through the portal?” Twilight frowned. “If you mean how are we gonna take care of the sirens, then I'm thinking about it, yes.” “I see you've already assumed I'm in on these shenanigans.” Sunset observed wryly. “I have! I...I might not be able to handle this alone, Sunset. Please?” The pleading tone in her voice made Sunset's heart ache. “Joking, Twi. I guess if we're gonna do it, let's--” They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat loudly, making them turn about simultaneously. Aria seemed to be the culprit, the phantom smile lurking at the corners of her mouth once more. “If you two are done with your cloak and dagger,” Adagio spoke airily, “shall we make for your portal?” Sunset gave her the stinkeye as she turned to her friends. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. Uh, again. I was hoping we could spend a little more time together...” She was taken aback when the native Twilight took her hand, a doleful expression on her face. “I-it's my turn to take your journal, so...I'll write later this evening, alright?” “R-right. I'll be waiting for it.” She looked past the spectacled girl to the others, each of them looking at her with concerned expressions (with the usual exception of Pinkie Pie, who seemed quite cheery). “Guys. We'll be fine. Don't look so down. I'll send word once we've got everything settled, okay?” The uneasy nods that answered her didn't do much for her mood. As she released Twilight and turned back to the Dazzlings, she found a trepidation of her own blooming in her chest. How much trouble would these three be...? “Fluttershy, do you have the journal with you right now?” Twilight's voice broke into her thoughts. “Oh! A-ah, yes. I brought it with me in case Sunset needed it back...” The demure girl produced the tome from her bag, handing it off to the alicorn, who promptly handed it off to Sunset. “Write a note for Spike, please? You're faster than I am.” “Also, I don't write with my lips so my writing is legible!” “Sunset!” Sunset snickered as she opened the book, noting a convenient pen used to mark the current page. “Alright, Princess. What do you want said?” Twilight raised a hand, taking a deep breath before beginning in her best didactic voice: “Dear Spike, we've come upon a change of plans and we need to come back through the portal. We're bringing...” She stopped, considering. “We're bringing the Dazzlings with us, so please be ready for five.” Sunset closed the book, the contents buzzing slightly as the message went cross-dimensional. “Just gonna rip that bandage right off, huh?” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “He'd know as soon as we came through anyway. We might as well tell him ahead of time so he has time to ready himself.” “Fair enough.” Sunset nodded, handing the journal back to Fluttershy, who in turn passed it to 'Sci-Twi' (the unicorn privately felt Dash's assigned nickname was a bit demeaning, even if it was admittedly accurate). She lavender skinned girl took the volume gingerly, as though it were something delicate that needed careful handling even as she stared at Sunset with a mournful expression. Sunset gave her a winning smile in return, but the confidence didn't quite reach her mind. Spike, assistant extraordinaire to Twilight Sparkle, Hero of the Crystal Empire, Ponyville's resident dragon and all-around cool dude found to his irritation that his pillow was making an unpleasant buzzing sound, rousing him from a sleep that had only just gotten comfortable. He stretched, noting with a combination of annoyance and amusement that his basket felt strangely cramped; he'd have to ask Twilight to measure him again when she got back. Speaking of Twilight, he thought to himself....from beneath his pillow he pulled the unwieldy tome bearing the golden sun of Princess Celestia. A dull glow issued from between the pages, signifying a message to read. But why would she send a message at this hour...? He blinked as the thoughts arranged themselves: There might be some kind of time difference, like how when he sent mail from the Crystal Empire to the Princess he had to be mindful it wasn't too late in the day. Spike quirked his brow as he supposed also that it could just be something very important; it was good he kept the journal nearby when he slept! He would make a point to reward himself for his foresight later (ideally when Twilight wasn't looking) as he clambered out of his sleeping spot to find a lantern. He found a candle first, and with a soft breath from the dragon whelp it cast a briefly emerald and then orange glow on the pages as he blinked at the change in lighting. He frowned as the words became clear on the page. ...They wanted to do WHAT? Spike put claw to chin, brow furrowed. What could Twilight be thinking? What would Princess Celestia say--wait a moment, he realized. Princess Celestia didn't even know that Twilight had gone to the other side, or if she did she'd sent no word of it good or ill to him. Spike paused. Twilight wouldn't do something like this without consulting the Princess, or at least reasoning that it was what she would do. If there was one thing about his elder 'sister' he could count on it was that she modeled her actions on the solar diarch's when it came to weighty decisions (sometimes even when she couldn't make it stick). Alternatively, that she got incredibly upset when things were misfiled in the library. Either way, Princess Celestia would want to know; he'd apologize to Twilight later if he had to. Grabbing a nearby quill and inkwell, he scribed a quick note down and blew a flicker of heat across it, the parchment disintegrating and flowing away through the window. Conjuration breath was the best kind of mail, Spike decided. Literally, there could be no cooler way to send and receive postage. Alright, that was one thing done; had to get that portal open now. He hopped down from his stool and barely made it out the door before a queasy upwelling in his stomach prompted a burp, which produced a scrap of parchment seemingly hastily torn from a larger scroll Spike grimaced, grabbing it from the air. Celestia's normally immaculately flowing script looked rushed and sloppy; it read “I'll be there soon.” A cold lump formed in Spike's stomach. Uh oh. He knew those sorts of notes. He might be doing more than apologizing later. “I better get that door open...” he muttered aloud as he scrambled for the portal machine. The Wondercolt stood impassively in the searing heat before Canterlot High, the school grounds now empty for the sake of taking shelter from the sun. Sunset could feel sweat starting to dampen her clothes and privately determined that whatever the mirror would do to her this time would be worth being able to cast a local temperature cantrip again (a talent she hadn't known she missed so much before her sabbatical in Equestria). The Dazzlings seemed to be doing even worse, which made a backward sort of sense if one considered their true nature as sea creatures (though what that meant for their human forms was a mystery to the unicorn). “Alright. I'll go through first, as soon as we're sure it's working. After that the Dazzlings can come in whatever order they feel like, and Sunset, you'll be last.” Twilight really did have a gift for directing ponies, she mused. She sounded like a team captain, or a supervisor. Given that she was a Princess this probably shouldn't have stood out to Sunset but at the same time, Twilight was also very hard on herself and constantly stressing over relatively minor details. In Sunset's experience, leadership required a certain ability to make decisions on the run, and Twilight rarely seemed able to do so. Still, she had 'earned her wings' so to speak, so there must have been something there. Sunset shrugged to herself as the rest of her party arrayed themselves before the glass, itself giving off an unpleasantly strong heat. “So you mean to tell me that our ticket back to Equestria has always been this mirror?” Aria wondered aloud, a certain mirth in her voice. “Yes. At our discretion, anyway.” Sunset amended, personally deciding that the sirens probably didn't need to know about the thirty moons clause. “Hah...now that's irony.” the violet Dazzling smiled, tired, sunken eyes doing nothing to disguise the glint of dry humor in them. Sunset went to ask about the irony just as the portal flashed, a gleam of light passing over it unnaturally quickly. Their images swam for a moment as the door stabilized, like a pond where the ripples had died. Twilight nodded and took a bracing breath. “Okay, looks good. Any questions before we go through? They'll have to be short ones.” “It really was that easy? No tricks, no ritual? No tearing apart the fabric of reality to forcibly thread a needle through a nightmarish hellscape of unrivaled horror and depravity where space and time are at best suggestions? NO ASTRONOMICAN?” Sonata exclaimed. Sunset briefly wondered what movies she'd watched recently, but decided she could ask later. Aria sighed and pushed her comrade forward. “You first, fluffwit.” “What? Why me? I don't wanna go first. It looks icky...” The blue haired girl shivered, staring at the quietly menacing glass. Adagio turned to Sunset and Twilight and stared at them pointedly. “I know you won't let us go completely freely, but this isn't some kind of trap, right? You're not going to just clap us in chains and throw us in a cell, are you? After everything we've been through...” She paused, vulnerability briefly breaking through her facade. The pair glanced at one another. A silent communique passed between them, and Sunset spoke. “We promise. We can't just let you go, but we're not going to put you behind bars. You have our word.” Adagio peered at the pair closely...but seemed to find what she wanted, a proud smile back on her face. “Good. Let's get this over with; it's entirely too hot here.” Mutual nods of agreement came from Sunset and Twilight as the latter stepped for the portal. “Alright, you three. Follow after me.” And with a disturbing, metallic keening, she was gone, the surface rippling only slightly before settling behind her. “Wow, that is kinda icky.” Aria noted with a grimace before shoving Sonata forward. The blue siren fell with a cry into the door, and in a flash she too was gone. “See you on the other side, 'Dagi.” One more ripple, and another Dazzling through. Adagio stepped to the mirror, placing her hand on the surface and recoiling with a shiver of disgust. “This sensation is...eugh.” She glanced at Sunset one more time before nodding, squeezing her eyes shut and striding forward. “And then there was one.” Sunset muttered to herself, looking about one more time for observers before walking to the glass. She hesitated, the memory of her trip through only yesterday fresh in her mind. Nothing for it but to get it over with, she mused, and stepped into just the sort of hellish pandemonium Sonata had described. Sunset tumbled through the other side to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes as a gasp of pain escaped her lungs. The cool sensation of stone on her cheek helped to calm her down and bring her out of the near sensory overload, giving her a moment to breathe before she heard a voice clearing her throat above her. She twisted around and stared up, surprise rendering her dull as she stared at the impassive, stony face of Princess Celestia. “P-Princess? What are--why are you here?” Sunset stuttered, scrambling to her hooves as she cast around the library. There was Twilight, a miserable expression on her face. Flanking her were two guards in full armor, and behind them three globes hovered, each the size of a melon with a misty substance swirling within. Spike was standing by the doorway, slumped and guilty. “...Are you hurt, Sunset?” Celestia's voice seemed kind, but there was a subtle edge to it, as though concern was fighting with ire. “N-no...what's going on? What happened to--” “The sirens you two brought back from exile are currently being held in detainment until further notice.” The eldest Princess's gaze bore down on the unicorn, making her feel small, bringing to mind every single transgression against even minor rules she'd ever made. She seemed to take up the entire grand library, her presence filling every gap, shadows cast by her mane's radiance somehow abyssal. “We have much to discuss, Sunset Shimmer.” Oh boy. Full-name ultimatums. “Please sit down. You too, Twilight.” Celestia settled down across the largest table in the room, the furniture still laughably small for her as her mane whipped around her face in a phantom wind. She remained quiet as the lavender alicorn took up a spot next to Sunset, sweat on her brow as the princess seemed to bore holes into them with her eyes alone. A part of the unicorn's mind flared up indignantly; she was a grown mare and didn't deserve to be treated like some errant schoolfilly. She scowled at the diarch; the urge to rail against her was strong, but even as she considered it a powerful guilt nagged at its heels. Did she really have any place contradicting-- “Now then,” Celestia interrupted her thoughts. “Will you tell me what happened?” Phrased as a question, spoken as a command. “We...the Dazzlings approached us while we were on the other side of the mirror. They needed help. They were dying. Since we'd broken their pendants, they couldn't get the energy they needed to survive.” Twilight spoke, her voice tentative, as though she were slowly feeling out the appropriate path to take in the conversation. Sunset bristled in her seat at the implication that they needed to. “We decided that they needed to be helped. It was...the right thing to do.” “Anything to add, Sunset?” The alicorn's eyes settled on her, inscrutable and featureless. “No. That sums it up well enough.” Sunset kept her tone carefully neutral, but she couldn't disguise the beginnings of a glower on her face. Celestia's gaze lingered on her for a moment before returning to Twilight. “Why were you on the other side to begin with?” “I...I...” The youngest princess faltered; another surge of resentful anger bloomed in Sunset's chest. “Does she need your permission to visit friends?” The Princess glanced at Sunset, her eyes widening only slightly in surprise for the briefest moment before settling into the unreadable neutral once more. “Twilight can speak for herself. Moreover, as a Princess of the realm a sudden absence from which there is always the potential she might not return safely is of paramount importance and concern. If she's to leave, the other rulers of this land need to know.” Her voice carried an icy calm as she finished, turning back to her student. “Twilight Sparkle is more than just herself now, for better or for worse. She would do well to remember that.” Twilight seemed to wilt, despondent as she crumbled in her seat. Celestia continued, apparently unaware or unconcerned with the lavender mare as she addressed the other student. “Don't think I can't see how angry you are. Say your piece.” “My piece? You're treating us like foals who've broken a window!” Sunset snarled, the venom in her tone almost taking her by surprise. “We found ponies who needed help, and we decided to help them! It was the right thing to do!” “You did 'the right thing', knowingly bringing back to our nation a trio of known troublemakers and sources of disharmony and conflict and putting the populace at risk?” Celestia queried, the dryness in her voice making the unicorn even angrier. “It wasn't like we were going to let them roam wherever they wanted!” “Were they going to stay here, then? In Ponyville, a provincial town with only one small body of water? In Twilight's home, perhaps after installing a pool?” There was a note of humor in the alicorn's words, serving only to fan Sunset's rage. “We would've figured something out!” “Sunset, please. Enough.” The mirth was gone, replaced by a dismissive tone; the Princess had shifted into finality. “The fact of it is, you two have endangered our nation without the input of or even bothering to notify either of the other leaders of Equestria, namely my sister and I. You might have had the best intentions, but the safety of my little ponies comes before all else.” She nodded to her guards, who snapped a salute and turned to go, but not before sparing Twilight a sympathetic glance. With them went the three swirling spheres, which must have contained the sirens. Sunset wasn't certain, but she could feel eyes peering at her from them. They seemed accusing. “For what it's worth, though...” Celestia's entire demeanor changed, the quiet menace gone, replaced by a warm (if tired) affection. “...I'm proud of you both.” The pair looked up, surprise on their faces. “You shouldn't have brought them here without consulting us first, that much is true. It wasn't your decision alone to make, least of all you, Sunset.” The unicorn folded her forelimbs in response, scowl on her face. “But when you were faced with three creatures that truly needed help, you still went out of your way to do so. They were your enemies, and could threaten your home and people, but you still helped them.” She smiled as she finished. “I'm glad you did. It was a hard choice to make, but you erred on the side of mercy. I would expect no less from you.” “...what's gonna happen to the sirens?” Twilight asked, confused. “I'm taking them to...a more secure location.” Celestia's smile turned wan as she answered. “Make no mistake, I don't plan on dumping them in a cell to rot. Or sending them to the moon, which is a thing I'm told ponies fear I do on a regular basis.” She shook her head, perplexed at the notion. “We will treat the sirens and place them on observation while we decide what to do with them, have a proper dialogue on how we proceed.” Sunset frowned. “We just promised we wouldn't just put them in cages...” The Princess fixed her with another stare. “That may be, but it was a promise you made without any kind of weight or authority, Sunset Shimmer. You can apologize to them yourselves in the future for your lack of foresight.” The amber mare looked away, chagrin creeping up on her as Celestia continued. “I will send word once we have a time and date set to convene to work this matter out. For now, it's far too early for me to be up and about, though I expect Luna will be pleasantly surprised to find me awake, if she's not still roaming herself. Have a good night, you two.” “W-wait!” Twilight exclaimed. “We promised, Princess! We can't just--” “Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia cut her off, voice stern. “We're done discussing this tonight.” She paused, eyes softening at the sudden shock and misery on the young alicorn's face, tears at the corners of her eyes. “...Get some sleep, Twilight. We can talk about this when we're all more rested and less...heated. Good bye.” And with that, she turned to go, her always faithful personal guards walking alongside as she left the library. Sunset watched her go, scowl rapidly morphing into a rictus of pure anger. As soon as she heard the double-doors of the castle close she roared, a torrent of cyan magic picking up and hurling loose books, stools and chairs with a tempestuous din in all directions. Light filled the library and refracted from the stone walls, creating a chaotic flash that only really served to blind Sunset momentarily, interrupting her tantrum. Twilight jumped in surprise, despondency giving way to alarm as she covered her head with her hooves on the floor. Spike made an impressive sliding dive for the table with an alarmed cry. As the dust started to settle, the unicorn blinked rapidly, trying to get her eyes to readjust more quickly as she heaved breaths in barely suppressed fury. “S-Sunset...” Twilight's eyes appeared over the edge of the table, timidly checking to make sure she wasn't about to explode again. The amber mare's heart sank; she had done it again. Twice in one day? “So much for self-control,” she mused aloud bitterly, turning away from her host, falling on her rump and heaving a sigh. She cast her eyes about, surveying the damage; mostly superficial, she judged. A few scattered books, papers that would need swept, a broken stool, a chip in one of the walls... “I'll clean this up. Let me just--” “Let me help, at least.” Spike crawled out from under the table, sheepish. “I'm sorry, guys. I didn't expect her to come in like that all menacing and...uh, princess-y.” He shrugged at the look Sunset gave him. “She just scooped up the sirens (weird-looking, by the way) in those spheres like they were dolls before I knew what was happening.” “Why did you tell her what we were doing, anyway?” Sunset queried, annoyed. “You didn't specify not to, and it seemed like the sort of thing she'd want to know about.” Spike frowned as he began picking up scattered books. “Even if you had, you gotta admit it would seem pretty bad when she found out. She would've found out sooner or later, Sunset. Probably the former, if we're being honest.” He looked at her pointedly as he placed the stack of books on a nearby desk. Sunset gaped. “Okay, yeah that might seem kinda bad, but we were gonna handle it. Uh, somehow. Still no call to come here and treat us like little foals. She lets Discord, legendary spirit of chaos, roam free and we get chewed out for bringing a trio of comparative annoyances back? Twilight's supposed to be her equal, at least. She can't just...talk to her like a kid like that. Can she?” Spike stopped and made a moue, nodding. “I mean, when you put it like that it seems unreasonable, but she's Twilight's senior by like a bajillion years so I guess she can? I'unno.” He shrugged. “Was that your plan, anyway? Try to reform them or something?” “I mean...sorta?” Sunset rubbed the back of her head, looking away from the dragon whelp. “They didn't really seem interested in 'reforming' per se, but...alright, so we were making it up on the run, but still.” She blinked. “Don't tell me you've never done it.” “I can honestly say I've never attempted to redeem a former villain on the run with no plan.” “That's not what I--UGH.” Sunset threw up her hooves and began collecting debris and rearranging the still intact furniture into neat piles for repairs, channeling frustration into work. She spared a glance at Twilight, who sat, head bowed in silence. A small seed of guilt gnawed at her at the sight. “...Twilight? Are you gonna be okay?” The alicorn turned to the amber mare with the most obviously false smile she'd ever seen, making Sunset's heart jump to her throat. “I'm...I'm fine. I'll be fine.” She paused, and looked at Spike. “I'm sorry, Sunset, Spike. I'm going to bed. I'll make it up to you, I promise.” The dragon nodded in understanding as she walked sedately from the library, silent as she went. Sunset watched her go, a hoof out to follow. She turned to her companion. “What happened? She's acting like this is the first time she's ever been scolded by the Princess.” Spike tapped his chin as he answered grimly, “Every time Princess Celestia chides Twilight, she gets that way. I'm told the first time she she repeatedly ignored warnings not to stay up all night reading and Celestia reprimanded her, she spent hours in her room wailing that the Princess was going to send her away and that she was a bad pony. I was just a baby then, so I don't remember it, but I sure believe it.” “You're kidding.” “I wish I were.” Spike sighed as he grabbed a broom from the nearest closet. “You gotta understand, Sunset. Princess Celestia was, for a long time, Twilight's entire world. Her everything was about making the Princess proud. She's gotten a lot better since we moved to Ponyville, but...” He shrugged. “Well, there it is. Just give her a little time. She might be glum for the next few days, but she'll get over it. Believe me when I say she isn't going to listen to any amount of reassurance from me.” Sunset hesitated. “If you say so.” She resumed cleaning, but her attention was elsewhere for the rest of the night.