//------------------------------// // Fourteen // Story: The Sun Never Sets // by Mr Fislewait //------------------------------// Evey Age 3 "Umm are you okay?" Spike had a lot of experience in dealing with various friendship problems while serving as number one assistant to Princess Twilight Sparkle, dealing with a bawling young filly however was not something covered by this. Twilight had just left the castle to arrange transport to the Crystal Empire and he had been left in charge, everything had been going perfectly fine and then Evey actually woke up. "Noooooo!" she cried. "Mommy doesn't love me anymore. She left me here and ran away and-and-and now I'll never see her again!" The little filly buried her face deeper in her pillow but Spike could still haer the sound of her crying. She'd been fine when Sunset had left the previous evening, a little quiet perhaps but he'd just assumed that she was shy. "Hey now, don't say that. Your mom's just going to meet somepony very important and she thought you might like to stay here while she was gone, she'll be back in a few days, don't worry." Evey raised her head from the pillow and stared at spike through red, tear-filled eyes. "How do you know? Mommy's never left me before. Never. And now-now-now she's gone! She was the only family I ever had..." Her face slammed back down into the pillow, whimpering quietly to herself. "I can relate to that a little, Evey," Spike said sympathetically. "See, I never knew my parents." "You didn't?" She hadn't fully removed herself from her hiding place but Spike could just about make out her face peeking out at him. "Nope. I was raised by Twilight and her family, they weren't my birth parents but I loved them just the same. Now your mom loves you a lot and that's great but she doesn't have to be the only family in your life." "But momma doesn't have any family...and I don't know who my daddy is..." "Perhaps," Spike sighed, "but you know family doesn't have to just be your parents and your grandparents." "It doesn't?" "Nope, family is whatever you make it. Close friends and ponies that care about you, and maybe when you grow up, a special somepony. Now I know me and Twilight might seem strange and scary but both of us, Twilight especially, would love you to consider yourself a part of the family." "You really mean that?" Evey whispered crawling out of her bed covers. "You bet, Evey. In fact just last night Twilight was telling me how much she'd been looking forward to meeting you, now let's get you cleaned up, Twilight has a big day planned out ahead of us, she knows a few ponies who she thinks you'd love to meet." --------------------------------------- Age 7 "Colts are awful!" Evey shouted as she stormed into the room. Spike guessed that Sunset had just dropped her off for the weekend, she was always grumpy immediately after leaving Sunset, it was like homesickness really. "I take offense at that! I'm not awful am I?" Spike chuckled from his seat as Eventide undid her saddlebags and pulled out a book. He frowned when he realized she was using her hooves and teeth, Sunset and Twilight were both getting increasingly concerned about her showing no signs of being able to use even basic telekinesis. He didn't know all of the details but apparently it was a unicorn thing, he wasn't supposed to mention it to Evey, apparently they didn't want her thinking there was anything wrong. "Oh you don't count Spike! You're not a colt...you're a dragon! Also you're really really nice," Evey sighed and slumped down on her cushions, "why can't there be more ponies like you Spike?" "Hey, it can't be that bad can it?" Evey shot him a death glare. "Okay, want to tell me what happened?" "Me and mommy were staying at this little village and mommy was out working, I was staying at the wagon reading and then these colts came and knocked on the door," she began to tear up a little but quickly suppressed her tears. "I went to the door and they told me I had to move the wagon or they'd call the guards." Spike swallowed a lump in his throat, he'd hear stories like this from Evey multiple times in the past and already had a good idea where it was going. "I said I hadn't done anything wrong but then they told me that I'd parked our wagon on their farm and that they wanted me gone before I started stealing fruit from the orchard. I tried to move the wagon but the harness was really big and I'm so small! One of them threw a pear at me and it got stuck on my horn and then I had to hide in the wagon until mommy got back from work... Why is everypony so awful to mommy and me?" "Hey now, don't be like that," Spike walked over to her and gave her a small hug before she could start crying. "Not everypony is awful, Evey, it's just really easy to remember all the ones that have been mean to you and forgot the ones who haven't. Now how about we get you a cookie from the kitchen huh? That always cheers you up" "Thanks, Spike," Evey mumbled as the dragon led her to the kitchen. -------------------------------------------- Age 13 "Thanks for meeting me like this, Fluttershy, I didn't know who else to go to about this and... and I'm scared." Eventide sat across the table from Fluttershy, nervously sipping from her cup of tea. She hadn't yet gone into the details of why she had wanted to meet with Fluttershy in private but whatever it was, was apparently a sensitive matter that she hadn't wanted to talk to Twilight about. To say that Fluttershy was concerned would be a major understatement, while she had certainly met Eventide a few times in the years since her mother had begun regularly visiting Ponyville, she would hardly have considered the two of them to be close friends. Still, if Eventide was willing to trust her then she wasn't going to disappoint the young mare. "Oh don't worry Eventide, I'm sure whatever it is it can't be too awful. Now how about I get us some sandwiches?" Before Fluttershy could stand up Eventide had shot one of her hooves out to stop her, terror in her eyes. "I'm not hungry, Fluttershy, I just wanted to talk to you about...about Discord," Fluttershy sensed a little bit of deceit in the statement but that was understandable, whatever had Eventide so rattled was something she didn't want to speak about directly. "Okay Eventide, what would you like to know about him? Oh! He hasn't played a prank on you has he? I know he means well but sometimes he does go a little too far." "No! No it isn't that it's just that-" Eventide looked around the room as she stumbled over whatever she wanted to say next. "Well you two are close right? He's your special somepony even though he's what he is?" "Oh no, Eventide, we're just good friends, nothing more." Eventide's face dropped, evidently Fluttershy had said the wrong thing. "Oh... okay maybe this was a mistake then, sorry, I thought you might be able to help me but... but I guess not," Eventide held her head between her hooves and groaned. "This whole visit was just one big mistake, I should so go." "Eventide, please don't go. Something's clearly bothering you and I'd really like to help. I'm sure whatever it is can't be that awful can it?" "I...I don't like ponies," Eventide whispered. "You mean you're having trouble making friends?" Fluttershy asked. As far as she knew Eventide got on incredibly well with Princess Flurry Heart, and a few other ponies as well. Perhaps she wasn't the most sociable of ponies but she certainly had some friends. "No...no I mean... romantically," Eventide continued to whisper as she nervously bumped her hooves together. "I just don't find them attractive, at all. I'm scared Fluttershy, Aunt Twilight says that my magic is all messed up because of something that happened before I was born and I'm scared that this is the same. What if I'm all messed up in the head and this is part of it? What will other ponies think?" "Are you sure Eventide? Maybe you just haven't met the right pony yet?" "No...no...I'm attracted to...well I've had those feelings, just not for any ponies. Does that make me a freak?" Fluttershy had never seen Eventide look so scared before in her life. "No! No, never. Eventide I know a lot of ponies look down on you and your mother because of your lifestyle, but most ponies are very accepting of others. You've had some bad experiences but don't let those make you think of everypony as being like that. You seem to be a wonderful young mare and I'm sure that me and the other girls will be happy to help you with whatever is is you're going through." "No!" Eventide practically leaped out of her seat. "No you can't tell anypony else about this! Especially Twilight! She'd throw me out of the castle and I'd be homeless! I'm not like mom, I can't pull the wagon around Equestria! Where would I even go?" "Oh Eventide, whatever it is I'm sure Twilight will be supportive. Your aunt loves you Eventide, she might have an odd way of showing it sometimes but she cares for you a lot... now how about you start from the top and tell me about your little problem?" -------------------------------------------- Age 14 "Happy birthday!" everypony cheered as Evey stepped into the room. Evey forced a smile onto her face and began making a show of saying hello to all of the guests but Twilight could tell her heart wasn't in it. To Twilight's knowledge this was only the second birthday that Evey had been through without her mother and she wasn't happy about it. Last year had been tolerable, but even then Evey had been showing anxiety about her separation from her mother and in the year since, her relationship with Twilight had taken a turn for the worse. As Evey awkwardly shuffled around talking to the guests it was clear that the only ponies she was happy to have there were Flurry and Lyra, the rest of the guests were in truth Twilight's friends, not hers. Not wanting to see Evey cause a scene Twilight headed off Applejack before she could talk to Evey. "Somethin' the matter sugarcube?" Applejack asked as Twilight lead her away from where Evey was standing. "Yes, actually," she sighed. "I know that Evey wasn't exactly the politest of ponies at your family reunion..." Applejack scoffed at that, "...okay, she was rude and a bad guest. Well, I've had a talk with her and I think I owe you an explanation. Evey doesn't like farm ponies." "Well of all the no good... Twilight, ah thought you and Sunset were better than that? How did she grow up around a nice pair of mares like you two and wind up so darn proud?" Applejack shot Evey a glare but didn't move to confront her. "So what? She thinks she's better than us? Okay maybe farm work ain't the prettiest thing in Equestria, but it is hard work an' ah won't stand for her lookin' down on us!" "No! No it's not like that at all! If anything it's the opposite!" Across the room Evey was nervously exchanging words with Fluttershy, the unicorn glanced over towards them briefly then wandered off in the direction of the kitchen. "Applejack, she doesn't like them because in her mind they think they're better than her." "Come again Twilight?" Applejack raised one eyebrow, giving her a look of total disbelief. "Evey and her mother have... not had the best experiences with farm ponies across Equestria. Now Sunset is old enough to take it in her stride and not care too much about what gets said...but Evey has been having to put up with this since she was very little and I'm afraid it's made her a little bit prejudiced..." "Put up with what Twilight?" Applejack asked in concern. "Evey and her mother travel a lot, Applejack, apparently they've been run off a few farms and been accused of being thieves a few times as well. I know you'd never do something like that, Applejack, but a lot of ponies are suspicious of strangers. I know that Ponyville has become a lot more trusting since the incident with Zecora all those years ago but sadly the rest of Equestria isn't the same." "How long's she been having to put up with this?" Applejack whispered. "Most of her life from the sounds of things," she sighed. "Now I know that doesn't excuse her behavior, but I thought it might give you a little bit of context before one of you wound up saying something you might regret to the other. Now how about we go find Evey and have a nice civil chat and straighten all of this out?" ------------------------------------------------ "Hey Spike," Evey said with a smile as she walked into the kitchen. "Oh hey Evey, why aren't you out there enjoying the party with everypony else?" Spike asked, lifting his head up from the oven. "I just thought I'd keep you company for a little while, you don't mind, do you?" "Nah, I don't mind, me and Twilight love having you around." Evey let out a barely audible squeak at his words. "There was another reason for me being here though..." Evey mumbled, nervously running her hooves through her hair. "I've got something for you." "Evey, it's your birthday! Everyone else is meant to get things for you, not the other way around!" he chuckled. "I know! I know! Just... close your eyes would you? It's a surprise." Spike looked at her incredulously but ultimately obliged, at which point Evey realized she hadn't entirely thought her plan through. Spike was actually quite tall and she was not, plus him being bipedal put his head irritatingly high up. Carefully moving a chair up to where he was standing Evey jumped up onto it to give herself some extra height, placed her fore hooves around the back of his neck and then gently kissed him on the lips. It felt a great deal different to kissing her mother, or Flurry, or even kissing the dragon on the cheek. This was new, exciting, passionate. In that moment, with her eyes closed as she embraced Spike, Evey felt on top of the world. "Ummm, Evey, what are you doing?" she opened her eyes to see Spike looking at her in confusion. "I was... ummm... kissing you Spike? I really like you...and I sort of thought you liked me as well so..." "I do like you Evey," he sighed, "but as a friend. Now how about you get down from there and-" "What is going on here Evey!" Twilight yelled from the doorway. Evey and Spike turned to see Applejack and the Princess staring at the two of them in confusion. "I...I like Spike, Aunt Twilight," Evey mumbled as she awkwardly disentangled herself from the dragon and got off of the chair. In her head this encounter had played out in so many different ways, but never with a flat out rejection. "Evey..." Twilight groaned, "I thought your mother explained this to you, he's your uncle, Evey, your uncle! This is just like your crush on Flurry all over again..." "What's that supposed to mean?" Evey snapped. Her initial sadness at the rejection was quickly being replaced with something hot and unpleasant. It wasn't a feeling that she liked but it was rapidly building in her chest and made her want to say hurtful things to her Auntie, things she had often thought but never dared to say aloud. "It's a crush, Evey. Think about this reasonably, he's your uncle, he's a lot older than you and the two of you aren't even the same species!" "It's fine Twilight, really. I was just explaining to Evey and..." Spike tried to diffuse the situation but to no avail. He knew Twilight could be overprotective of her family but right now she seemed ready to explode. "It's not a crush this time, Twilight!" Evey yelled, in the other room the sounds of the party seemed to stop. "It is though Evey! Your mother and I have seen this in you before. You latch onto anypony who shows you the slightest bit of affection and end up obsessing over something that isn't there! It happened with Flurry, it happened with Starburst and now it's happened again. Think this through reasonably, please!" "Oh so just because you've decided to live the life of a frigid little ice queen with no time for romance in her life so do I? You're not my mother Twilight!" The Princess flinched backwards a little at those words, things certainly hadn't been good between the two of them for the past year but Evey had never spoken so maliciously. "I think you should probably go to your room and think about what you've said," she commanded. "You're such a hypocrite! Here you are being all buddy buddy with hayseed! But then you start acting like it's wrong to be attracted to someone in your own family! At least Spike's adopted!" "Now what's that supposed to mean?" Applejack, had been silent for most of the confrontation but what Evey had just said struck a nerve with her. "Oh you know what I mean!" Evey sneered as the heat in her chest continued to boil over. "It doesn't take a genius to work out how you got such a big family! I've traveled around AJ and I know that everything they say about farm ponies and their cousins is true!" "Evey! Go to your room!" Twilight shouted, putting herself between the two other ponies before they resorted to violence. "Fine!" she yelled storming off down the hall. -------------------------------------------- "Evey?" Flurry whispered as she knocked on her friend's door. The party hadn't really been cancelled, but after pretty much everypony present had become an unintentional eavesdropper on Evey and Twilight's argument most of the guests had excused themselves. Somepony needed to check up on Evey though and Flurry doubted that she would be in a mood to speak with Twilight. Carefully pushing the door open when Evey failed to answer, Flurry was immediately struck by an unfamiliar stench that filled the room. Laying curled up on her bed, her face red and stained with tears, Evey was nursing a half empty bottle of brown liquid, two similar bottles lying empty on the floor. "Evey are you okay?" "Heeeey Flurry! Our family sucks! Suckssssss." Flurry carefully picked one of the bottles up off of the floor and examined the label, gasping in shock at what she read. "Evey! This is alcohol! How did you even get this?" "Mom keeps some in the wagon to make the bad feelings go away, she thinks I don't know about it but she's not as good at keeping secrets as she thinks she is. Iz supposed to take the edge off of life, but it's just making the hot feeling hotter..." Flurry had lead a very sheltered existence, she had no illusions about that. She had wanted for nothing and never had to deal with a lot of the unpleasantness of reality, seeing her best friend like this was perhaps the first truly terrifying experience of her life. It was like she had become a completely different mare, her body language, her speech...almost nothing remained of the little Evey she knew and loved. "Hey Flurry,wanna hear a secret? Twilight and my mom made me promise never to tell anypony, but buck them." Flurry tried her best to ignore the pony that looked like her friend and carefully extracted the last bottle from Evey's hooves. "You really are my BSBFF Flurry, that's the secret." "That's not a secret," Flurry sighed, "I was there when you came up with that remember?" "No... I remember. What I mean is me and you are sisters... well half-sisters Flurry. Cause Shining Armor's my dad too! Isn't that great?" Flurry stared dumbfounded at her friend and some of the words that she had overheard between Twilight and Evey suddenly made a great deal more sense. "No. No we aren't," Flurry muttered. "Evey, my mom and dad love each other very much, dad would never cheat on mom and... and for that to even be true he'd have needed to have been cheating on mom while she was pregnant, which he wouldn't do. He's a good stallion...he'd never," tears began to form in Flurry's eyes. The idea seemed absurd, laughable really. But there was a definite resemblance between Evey and Shining, then there was the way that she referred to Twilight as her aunt... It seemed like a bad joke, the idea of her father ever being unfaithful to Cadance was an impossibility in her mind. "It's true though! Isn't it great? Me an you are actual sisters Flurry! Not silly pretend sisters! We're family, proper family! Just like we always wanted!" Evey stumbled off of her bed with confusion and hurt in her eyes. In her mind this was no doubt something wonderful, but all that Flurry could think of was that it meant her own happy family was nothing more than a facade, a show put on by her unhappy parents to convince her that everything was fine. Did Cadance and Shining even love each other anymore? What did he even see in a mare like Sunset? Evey's mother was rude and brutish, nothing like her own. "It's not that I don't believe you Evey," Flurry said holding back her tears. "I just need to speak to Twilight about this." Twilight would know what to do, she always had the answers. "Buck Twilight! Buck you too! Buck the whole damn Equestria!" Evey yelled down the hall as Flurry left to find her aunt. "I don't need you! I don't need anypony! I'll do perfectly fine by myself!" Flurry barely even registered those parting words, not realizing they would be the last thing she heard from Evey for almost half a year.