Princess Cadance had needed a hobby.
Although she held the title of “princess,” her domain was metaphysical. Governance of the Crystal Empire largely fell upon the provincial administrators, and life in the city was surprisingly peaceful since the defeat of Tirek. Increasingly it was Twilight Sparkle who was contributing to Equestria’s security, and that left Cadance with little to do.
It was this that had led her to start offering romantic advice via mail. Eventually, this hobby prompted her to refurbish a room into a study, which was walled with files containing both all of her past correspondences as well as her ever-increasing backlog. At first, Cadance had enough time to go through the letters every day, but after her daughter, Flurry Heart, was born, the free time she once had diminished considerably. Although she loved her little advice hotline, it was more and more difficult to maintain regularly. She felt bad for the ponies whose problem she couldn’t provide a comment on, but that was just how it had to be.
That was why she was seated in her study, a pile of envelopes sitting before her, each envelope containing a letter from a pony who sought romantic advice from the Princess of Love. Despite her title, Cadance occasionally wondered if she was overselling herself. Was she really an authority on love? Twilight held the title of “Princess of Friendship,” and yet Cadance distinctly remembered a few years ago when Twilight valued books far more highly than friends.
Still, she supposed she was as good an advisor as any. She and Shining Armour had been lovingly married for a couple years now, and their love had not been diminished by the difficulties of raising a child. Besides, could one ever be an expert in something as abstract as love?
Cadance began skimming through the letters, which often boiled down to the same few problems. Occasionally, there was a unique or challenging situation, and those would command more of Cadance’s time and attention. Not all of the issues were solved, but it always gave her a rush when she learned that two ponies had become a happy couple.
The letters soon began forming into two piles, one containing the simpler issues and the other consisting of the more difficult scenarios… and the juicier ones. One of the envelopes, however, featured a name that gave her pause. Sunset Shimmer. That was a name which she had known a long time ago; one that she had for a long time thought she would never hear again.
Cadance remembered Sunset. She remembered her first years as a princess, when the fiery unicorn was Celestia’s student. They weren’t pleasant memories; on the rare occasion that Sunset didn’t actively avoid Cadance, she was bullying the alicorn. Celestia had said that Sunset was jealous, but had always held hope that in time she would grow out of it. And then, she vanished. Cadance’s memories of Sunset ended when the unicorn left this world, stepping through the mirror-portal to a world unknown and never being heard from again.
Well, until recently, anyway. In Twilight’s stories of the human world, nothing interested Cadance more than hearing about this mare she once knew. But that was a second-hand account; this was actual contact.
She opened the envelope and read.
Dear Princess Cadance,
Hey, it’s Sunset. Remember me? Former protégé of Celestia and horrible bully? I’m really, really sorry about all that I did to you, and I dunno if I deserve forgiveness after all of that, but I hope we can put that behind us. I hope we can start over on friendlier terms.
I dunno if Twilight has told you about where I’ve been. It must seem to you like I just disappeared one day. To make a long story short, I’ve been in a weird parallel dimension for the past several years, where I’ve learned to be a better person and made friends. It’s been a few years since I’ve been back home, so I thought I might return for a little bit, just as a vacation.
Anyways, my love problem. This might sound pedestrian, but I kinda have a huge crush on this mare who’s interested in a guy I used to date, and I don’t even know if she likes mares, and it’s tearing me up. I know it wouldn’t be healthy to bottle it up, but I don’t want to ruin our friendship by telling her how I feel. And yet, the more I’m around her, the more it’s bothering me, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep it in. I’m sorry, this must seem so simple to you, but I need to tell someone, and I thought you might be able to help. I know I don’t deserve it after how I treated you in the past, but please, any advice would help.
Sincerely,
Sunset Shimmer
P.S. I would prefer if Twilight didn’t see your reply, so please, if you can, don’t send it to the castle. It’s complicated.
Although the letter bore Sunset’s name, the sentiments expressed were unexpected. The Sunset Shimmer that Cadance remembered was entitled, resentful, and unapologetic about her bad attitude. But this wasn’t the Sunset she remembered, it was the Sunset that Twilight had told her about. And she needed advice.
Cadance levitated her quill and dipped it in ink. She grabbed a sheet of lined paper from the pile beside her and began her reply.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
It’s been years since I last saw you. How have you been? Twilight told me about your time in the human world. You’ve had quite the past several years, huh?
Don’t worry about who you used to be. You’re not that pony anymore, and to hear Twilight tell it, you’ve proved that several times over now. After all of your efforts to put the past behind you, I think I can do the same, not that I ever resented you to begin with. Besides, I think you overstate your misdeeds. After Celestia started intervening, you mostly just avoided me.
It’s been so long. I hope we can meet again in person sometime.
I do get a lot of love problems just like yours, and if they have taught me one thing, it’s that it’s not healthy to bottle up your feelings. If this pony really is your friend, then she wouldn’t break off your friendship just because of your feelings towards her, and if it’s bothering you so much, it would probably be in your best interest to let her know. Hiding your feelings isn’t good for yourself or your personal relationships, and if it’s really bothering you so much, it might even be better for your friendship if you let the cat out of the bag.
I think you should tell her how you feel. You can’t bottle it up forever, and it might be better if you tell her up front now instead of waiting until she learns in a less ideal manner. I don’t know her or the exact nature of your friendship with her, but it sounds like you two are really close, and if this friend is who I think it is, then I can assure you that she values your friendship enough that opening up to her wouldn’t damage it. I know it’s not easy, but when you’re ready, the best thing to do might simply be to tell her.
Love,
Princess Cadance ❤️
Rather than enclose the reply in an envelope, she stepped outside of the study and found a pegasus guard, one of a few non-crystal ponies who her husband had brought from Canterlot for the sake of familiarity. Moving to a city of crystal ponies was a little jarring at first, and the smattering of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies made the transition easier. Even now, their presence was comforting, reminding the couple of where they grew up.
This particular guard was stationed just outside of the study, which robbed Cadance slightly of the privacy said room accorded but was, as Shining would say, necessary due to her status. Holding the letter, she approached the guard.
“Storm Wind,” she addressed.
“Yes, your highness?” he replied.
“I need this letter brought to Ponyville and sent to a pony named Sunset Shimmer. She has an orange-yellow coat and a mane striped red and yellow. You are to give her this letter discreetly and away from Twilight Sparkle’s castle. Try not to tell anyone who the letter is for. Understood?”
“Your highness, your husband posted me here to protect-”
“I’m an alicorn princess. I can protect myself. Besides, Crystal Light is still here.” She gestured at the crystal pony standing on the other side of the door, head tilted in curiosity. “I need this letter delivered according to instructions, and there aren’t a lot of pegasi in the Crystal Empire. Can you do this for me?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Excellent.” Cadance handed him the letter. “Remember: Ponyville, Sunset Shimmer, discreet.” He nodded and walked through the second door on the left to the balcony. Cadance smiled and returned to the pile, wondering what other surprises lay in store for her.
Sunset Shimmer put down the letter and sighed. The way Cadance put it, it all seemed so simple. Both Luna and Cadance had assured her that everything would be fine if she just confessed her feelings, but Sunset remained unsure. Even more than the fallout, she feared the rejection. She knew that it was inevitable, as she knew that Twilight was interested in Flash Sentry, and yet her mind kept coming back to yesterday’s events. Discord, the dinner, the shared moment of silence… Twilight hadn’t looked away. Sunset knew that what she had done should have made Twilight uncomfortable and that she should regret it, and yet the other mare had not looked away. She couldn’t get those vibrant purple eyes out of her mind. She didn’t know what it meant - what any of it meant.
She looked up, but the pegasus guard who delivered the letter was gone. She couldn’t talk to her friends, because they were on the other side of the mirror, and she wouldn’t be able to send a message through the magic journal without Twilight knowing about it. There was also Twilight’s friends, but she hardly knew them, and if they were anything like their human-world counterparts, they might not be the most reliable for keeping a secret.
Sunset shook her head. She needed more time to mull this over. She got up from her empty table and exited the cafe. Maybe a brief walk would help. It was a warm, sunny day, after all. The cafe was located at the edge of the market centre, a place which was much busier than the rest of town. Sunset enjoyed the market’s energy, but right now she needed a little more quiet, so she took a path away from the town centre. On her route, she was greeted by several townsponies. That was one thing she did like about Ponyville: Everyone was really friendly. Back in Canterlot, she might have been greeted once or twice on the street, but that hardly compared to Ponyville’s small-town hospitality.
“Hello, Sunset!” said one mare, immediately familiar to Sunset as Bon Bon. “How are you liking Ponyville?”
“It’s nice,” Sunset said. “It’s different from Canterlot. Ponies are a lot friendlier, for one thing.”
“Yeah, and it’s a lot calmer,” Bon Bon said. “I haven’t been to Canterlot in ages, but I remember the hustle and bustle of the big city ponies. Not that Ponyville isn’t eventful in its own way, I mean with the monster attacks and all.”
“I’ve heard about that. Living so close to the Everfree Forest sure must be… interesting.”
“It’s not as dangerous as you might expect. The creatures of the forest are often content to stay in the forest, except for the odd Timberwolf pack. And besides, ever since Twilight Sparkle showed up, the occasional monster attack has become nothing more than a nuisance.”
“Yeah, Twilight’s pretty great, huh?”
“Well, she and her friends have done a lot for Ponyville and Equestria in general, that’s for sure. Have you gotten up to anything exciting lately? Compared to Canterlot, I can imagine it feels like there’s not much to do here.”
“Oh, no, it’s been good. Twilight’s got a lot of books for me to read in case I get bored, and besides, a lot more has happened in the past couple of days than I might have expected. I had never known about Twilight’s passion for hayburgers.”
“You must not read the tabloids, then. I can’t believe the kinds of things they say about her.”
“Not sure what they could say about her appetite that’s more amazing than the real thing.”
“You got to witness it first-hand, huh?”
“Yeah. She took me out to a place she said had the ‘best burgers in Ponyville’ the other night. It’s… quite something.”
“Greasy Hay’s?” Bon Bon asked. Sunset nodded. “Thought so. Not many ponies around here who would dispute that claim. Must be great to go out to dinner with a princess.”
“It really was,” Sunset said. Bon Bon looked over the goofy smile that crept onto her face, eyebrow raised.
“Ooh, that reminds me of when Lyra and I started dating. On just our second date, Lyra took me there. It’s not a very romantic setting, but… being with her, it made no difference. Do you have a significant other, Sunset?”
Sunset sighed, looking at the ground. “No,” she said, looking up. “Still single. I was dating a guy back home, but… we broke it off a few months ago.”
“Aww, that’s a shame. I’m sure you’ll find the right pony for you some day.” Sunset looked her in the eyes. Right now, it seemed there was only one right pony for her, and that mare was far, far out of her reach. Still, she appreciated Bon Bon’s encouragement, and part of her wanted to open up right then and there. As it were, there was no one in Ponyville she could turn to.
Her internal debate was interrupted by a third voice. “Hi, Sunset! Oh, hello, Bon Bon! How are you two today?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I’m good,” Sunset said.
“Great!” said Bon Bon. “It’s such a lovely day, isn’t it? Perfect day for a stroll!”
“Indeed it is. It’s been a beautiful summer so far,” Twilight said. “It must be good for your flowers.”
“Oh, it really is! So much better than all the hail we got last summer.” Bon Bon glanced briefly at Sunset, who she noticed gazing longingly at Twilight. A glimmer of recognition shined in her eyes. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I… need to check on my asparagus,” she said, and just like that, she quickly walked back into her house, leaving Sunset and Twilight alone.
“Well, that was odd,” Twilight said. “So, Sunset, what have you been up to?” she asked, turning her head towards the other mare.
“Not a whole lot, really. I’ve been wandering around Ponyville, trying to get a good feel for it. It has a quaint feel that I didn’t get out of Canterlot or even the human world.”
“I noticed that too when I first came here. It took some getting used to, though now I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
“I have to admit, though, that it’s been a little boring. Ponyville… wasn’t exactly where I expected to wind up. Not that I’m not happy to be here! I’m just getting a little antsy. Although,” Sunset said, placing a hoof against her chin. “I have been wondering about the Everfree Forest. I’ve heard all sorts of stories, but I’ve never actually been there. Is it really all that dangerous?”
“It’s full of wild animals and unpredictable magic. My friends and I have had to traverse it on multiple occasions, some easier than others. But since we put the Elements back into the Tree of Harmony, it’s been a lot calmer, which makes collecting potion ingredients a lot easier.”
“The… Tree of Harmony?”
“Did I not mention it? The Tree is what gave me that giant castle.”
“How is that even-”
“Long story. The short version is that we had to put the Elements into the Tree to stop malicious roots planted thousands of years ago by Discord from overrunning Ponyville, and it gave us a box which, when opened, gave us the power to defeat the Tirek, as well as my castle.”
“That’s… quite the story.”
“Just another day for me.”
Sunset gaped in amazement.
“So is this tree still there?”
“It is,” Twilight said. “I haven’t been there in a while, but if you’d like, I could show you.”
“Really? That would be great!” Sunset exclaimed.
As Twilight had suggested, the trek through the forest wasn’t nearly as dangerous as Sunset had expected. Twilight insisted that the two remain vigilant in case timberwolves or other monsters appear, but they made it to the cavern where the Tree of Harmony sat with little trouble. Sunset was immediately struck by the tree’s shape: rather than wood like she all the other trees in the forest, the tree was made of the purest of crystals. Each of its five branches contained a coloured gem which Sunset presumed to be one of the Elements of Harmony, each in the shape of one of Twilight’s friends’ cutie marks.
However, what drew Sunset’s attention the most was the symbol in the very centre, a formation of crystal which perfectly resembled the mark on Twilight’s flank. In the centre was a purple gem with a smaller version of the same symbol. Sunset stared at it for several second before turning to Twilight, who was gazing at it with an inscrutable expression.
“In the middle of the tree… that looks like your cutie mark,” Sunset said.
Twilight hesitated. With her next words, a tone of weakness and resignation filled her voice. “It is. That’s where I deposited the Element of Magic in order to save the tree. You might notice the shapes of my friends’ cutie marks hanging from the branches. Those are the Elements of Harmony. They didn’t always look like that, but they took the form of our cutie marks when we awakened them to defeat Nightmare Moon.” She looked to Sunset and sighed. “But… that crystal formation around my element was always there. To find the tree, I drank a potion which gave me visions of the past, and I saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna taking the Elements from the tree, and that symbol - my cutie mark - was already there.”
Sunset lowered her head. “So it was always going to be you.”
Silence. For a small eternity, the two avoided eye contact. The quiet was finally broken by Twilight, her voice betraying years of exhaustion.
“This is what you wanted, huh? To become a princess?”
“I didn’t deserve it,” Sunset replied.
“But still, it is what you wanted, correct?”
Sunset didn’t respond.
“I never wanted it,” Twilight continued. “I still don’t. This is just… something that happened to me. They say I earned it, but this doesn’t feel like a reward.”
“Twilight-”
“Celestia wanted to make me a princess. I accepted it because I felt that, now that I was an alicorn, it was my responsibility. I thought that, since Celestia thought I was ready, I must be ready. But I don’t feel ready. There’s so much responsibility in being an alicorn princess, and I nearly drove myself crazy trying to live up to my own expectations. Thankfully, my friends intervened and convinced me to see a therapist, which has made all of the responsibility a little easier to deal with. Being a princess is a lot of pressure, and I had high expectations of myself to begin with. And apparently, all of this stress and pressure was inevitable anyway, and there’s nothing I could have done about it.”
Sunset directed her eyes towards the ground. She didn’t know how to respond. What she had spent years of her life working towards… was given to someone who wasn’t ready for it and didn’t want it. She gnashed her teeth angrily, indignant at what should have been hers given to someone who couldn’t appreciate it.
She shook her head. That was how the old her would have thought. She hadn’t earned it, and no matter what she said, Twilight had. “Twilight, I think you’ve done a great job. I mean, how many times have you saved Equestria? How many summits have you negotiated your way through? How many friendship treaties have you signed? You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re amazing.”
Twilight smiled, and Sunset could have sworn that her face turned a little pink. She was feeling courageous. Maybe even courageous enough to confess. She steeled her eyes, opened her mouth… and then closed it again. What if Twilight didn’t feel the same way? What if she rejected her? What if it ruined their friendship? She couldn’t allow that to happen.
“We should head back,” Sunset said. Twilight nodded.
Now that Sunset had seen a little bit of the Everfree Forest, Twilight decided it would be safer for them to simply teleport back to the outskirts of Ponyville. For just a second, their vision was flooded with purple light, and they found themselves on a dirt path surrounded by flat grassland, with the edge of town just a brief walk away. Sunset, unaccustomed to teleportation after years in the human world, took a second to regain her footing, and then disappeared in a teal flash, rematerializing just a few steps away. Excitedly, Sunset teleported again, and then again. Twilight closed the distance as Sunset beamed.
“I’d gotten so used to the human world that I never even thought to teleport. I hadn’t even realised how much I missed using my magic,” she explained.
“Didn’t you teleport once or twice when you-” Twilight stopped herself, knowing Sunset’s past was still a touchy subject, but from how Sunset’s smile faltered, she realized that Sunset knew exactly what she was going to say.
“When I stole your crown?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “Well, that was a bit different. You were chasing me, and so my instincts took over. Didn’t have a lot of time to revel in the feeling of having my magic back… or of having four hooves on the ground.”
“It must be a little weird to be stuck in a human body all the time. I got used to it pretty quickly, but I could never shake the feeling that it wasn’t… my body. At least, not the body I was used to. Does that ever go away?”
“Well, after three years, the human body started to feel normal… but sometimes I still wake up forgetting that I don’t have hooves anymore. I was a pony for most of my life, so I won’t just forget my old body.” She sighed. “Honestly, walking on hooves just feels better, somehow. Maybe the older muscle memory just feels more organic, since I grew up with it and all.”
Twilight rubbed her chin. “That could be. It seems that for all the mirror does to impart muscle memory, it can’t quite compensate for years spent in another form.”
Sunset nodded, then turned her head to the rows of buildings just now surrounding them. “It’s nice to have a change of scenery, but Ponyville isn’t exactly the most exciting of places.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you had come during prime monster attack season. In Ponyville, we’ve grown so accustomed to some hostile creature causing chaos that barely anypony bats an eye. Have you given any more thought towards going to Canterlot?”
Sunset had - and her conclusions had been negative. It was where she grew up, where she was taught… where Celestia lived. To return there would be to face her demons. “I don’t think I’m ready to face that yet.”
Twilight nodded understandingly. “Did you have anywhere else in mind? I’m sure my brother and Cadance would be happy if we visited them in the Crystal Empire.”
“Actually, the Crystal Empire sounds nice. It didn’t exactly exist when I lived here, so I’d kinda like to know what that’s all about.”
“I haven’t been there a lot, but I might be able to show you around at least a little. Maybe Shining Armour could do the rest, since he’d clearly be more knowledgeable about the city. Oh, I can’t wait to introduce you!”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice to meet your brother. And Princess Cadance too,” Sunset added nervously.
Twilight’s smile dropped, and she raised an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong with Cadance?”
“No! Nothing at all. It’ll just be nice to see what this world’s Cadance is like.” Twilight continued staring, narrowing her eyes. Too quickly, Sunset crumbled under the pressure. She couldn’t lie to Twilight. “Okay, this… wouldn’t be my first time meeting her.”
“Wait, what?”
Sunset looked away. “Cadance came to Canterlot while I was still Celestia’s student. She said that Cadance had only just gotten her horn, and wanted me to teach her magic. Instead… I shouted at her and attacked her. I felt she had taken from me what I dese- what I thought I deserved. I studied for so long with the hopes of maybe someday ascending to that level, and suddenly somepony I’ve never seen before had everything I’d ever wanted. It wasn’t fair for me to lash out at her like that.”
Twilight listened intently. “She never said anything about you. I didn’t know you even had a past.”
Sunset turned her head back to Twilight. “That was the last time I saw her. It probably didn’t mean as much to her as it did to me. She might not be happy to see me again, though.”
“You’ve changed since then, Sunset. She knows that. I’ve told her about how you’ve changed. I think it’s nigh time you two are reintroduced to each other.”
Sunset and Twilight stopped at the doors of the castle. “Maybe it is,” Sunset said. “Maybe it is.”
It took a few days for Twilight to finalize their plans. The train ride would take the better part of a day, so Twilight and Sunset would board in the morning and have lunch on the ride. Often, Spike would relish in the opportunity to stay home and sleep in, but he had a certain fondness for the Crystal Empire ever since they began celebrating him as their hero. Twilight had written Cadance asking to have a couple rooms set aside for them, although there was something unusual about Cadance’s response that she couldn’t quite put her hoof on. At the station, Twilight’s friends saw them off, waving as they punched their tickets and boarded the train.
“Have fun!” Pinkie said. Sunset smiled. She’d begun to find it surprisingly easy to tell the difference between these ponies and her friends in the human world, but at their heart, they were the same people, just in different circumstances. This wasn’t the first time some version of these ponies had seen her off this summer, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last.
The train door closed behind them, and they found their seats. The conductor announced that the train would leave for the Crystal Empire, and the sounds of the steam engine starting up began to swell. Sunset looked out the window one last time and saw Twilight’s friends waving her off. They were so familiar, and yet she felt she had just gotten to know them.
The platform began to move, and soon, they were gone.