Chapter 46 - A Name From The Past
Chapter 46 - A Name From The Past
Rainbow sat up on the couch, her blanket falling onto the floor as she did so. Groggily, she looked around trying to work out where she was.
“Oh yeah. I’m at Sunny’s and- Uh, I don't feel too...”
Rainbow belched.
Her eyes widened as the taste of last night’s alcohol filled her mouth.
Throwing a hoof up to her muzzle, she scrambled to get up.
***
In the kitchen preparing breakfast, Sunbeam just shook her head as she heard her guest dash towards the bathroom.
However, she did wince and look up sympathetically when she heard several particularly loud sounds come from upstairs. "Ooo. I hope she remembers to open a window."
Floating two eggs over into a bowl, she picked up a knife to cut a watermelon. "'Cause I ain't into cleaning-"
Sunbeam stood there silently as she watched her hoof shake. Carefully, she put the knife down and rubbed her face.
***
Seated at the kitchen table, Rainbow sipped her milky, sugary, tea. The tall glass of water she’d been given hadn’t lasted long. Nor had the second one, even despite her best efforts to only sip it.
Sunbeam, wearing a blue-and-white striped apron, looked around from the hob she was cooking on. “Feeling a bit better now are we?”
Rainbow nodded. The two little pain-killer tablets Sunbeam had given her were finally kicking in.
“Up for some breakfast?”
“I…”
“Trust me, you’ll feel better.” Sunbeam turned back to the hob. “Or, at least you’ll have something to bring up if nothing else.”
***
Rainbow pushed her plate away from her. “Wow, that was great.”
Sunbeam beamed. “Thanks. I like to think I’m a good little cook. I just don’t get the chance to entertain guests often.”
Rainbow patted her stomach. “Well I’m gonna have to come around more often.” Looking around the kitchen, she noted at all the plates, pots, pans and other assorted utensils piled up on the sides. There was a brief internal struggle before she added: “You want a hoof washing up?”
Sunbeam shook her head. “Nah.” Standing up, she added Rainbow’s and her own dishes to the pile before walking away.
‘Might as well makes use of the fact it’ll all be somepony -else’s- problem tomorrow.’
***
Standing next to the sky-chariot currently parked outside the mayor's office, Sunbeam watched Rainbow talk to the two pegasi guards assigned to pull it.
As she waited, she tried to ignore all the sidelong glances that were being thrown in her direction. She had, just about, managed to keep a steady pace as they walked through Ponyville. She’d even managed to hold her head high and tried to look unbothered by all the stares the burn marks on her flanks had been getting.
However, her ears were folded flat and her hackles had gone up by now.
She started grinding her teeth as yet another pony stopped to stare. ‘I can feel your stare -crawling- over me you know. Anypony would think you've never seen magically burnt-off cutie marks before!' Her half-ear lifted and rotated to point behind her. 'And while I may be missing half an ear, it doesn’t mean I can’t hear all your horrified little gasps as well. Even from behind.’
She forced herself to lift her head, which had started to drop again. ‘But I guess the pair of us do look quite the sight though. I am pretty beat up, and what with Rainbow’s wing-’
Her eyes narrowed at a mare that stopped to stare with her jaw hanging open.
‘You’re going to start catching flies like that my dear. Here, let me come over there and close it for you, with an uppercut! Why not point as well? Go ahead, point. I dare you. I bucking dare you to...’ Sunbeam’s ears fell out to the sides. ‘Yes, my cutie marks are missing. Will you all bucking get over it!’ Her head dropped. ‘It didn’t bother me before, but the way you’re all acting is starting to -make- it bother me.’
Rainbow turned back towards her from the guards. “They say about ten minutes pre-flight, then we’re good to go.”
Sunbeam didn’t look up. “Can I get on now?”
A guard shrugged, then nodded. “Sure.”
Sunbeam quickly boarded the chariot, relieved that her flanks were now hidden, even if only partially, from the passing crowd.
‘At least the Day Princess isn’t gonna gawk at my flanks as she tears my head off. Yay for small mercies.’
She shot a glare at the mare who's mouth had been hanging open. Blushing, the mare turned and quickly scurried away.
Sunbeam looked down at the floor of the chariot. ‘Okay, I admit it’s not really your fault for staring... but you're -not- winning any friends doing it. I’m trying to save you all here for buck’s sake! And what thanks do I get? Gawking! Gawking and pointing!’ She studied the floor of the chariot. ‘Why does that hurt? Why -am- I still doing this? I could be miles away by now! I could just walk away right now and be safe. I still have time. I could still just walk away from all this. I could...’
Sunbeam wiped her eyes as she lifted her head and looked around. She silently glared at the ponies walking past her on their way to the market. She watched them go past, all smiling and waving at each other.
‘Oh, I hate you all right now! I hate you all so much right now. You bunch of smug, self-righteous... ’
A regular at ‘The Swift’ noticed her and waved as he walked past.
Smiling, he walked on.
Sitting there, Sunbeam slowly turned her head to look at the hoof she’d waved back with.
She stared at it for several seconds before lowering it.
A tiny smile flickered across her face.
***
Seated next to Rainbow as the chariot flew over the rolling hills under them, Sunbeam kept her eyes closed as she went over the argument in her head again.
‘I -did- do the right thing! By not telling anypony in Ponyville about the Snakes, I've prevented anypony getting hurt in the panic that would cause.' She rolled her shoulders. 'I’ve heard about this Trixie character and what she did to Ponyville with just -one- amulet. If they found out that a -whole group- of ponies, with amulets, were coming, they'd freak out. They'd all totally freak out and try to run.’ She rolled her shoulders again. ‘And however sensible that course of action may be, if the Snakes suddenly saw Ponyville being... evacuated, they’d be forced to act.’ Her ear twitched. ‘And as a bunch of panicking ponies is notoriously difficult to control, they’d have to be harsh, brutal even in their tactics. Right from the get-go, they'd have to start retiring...’
Sunbeam swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.
'But by -not- telling Ponyville, it buys a little more time. Precious time. Enough time for the Princesses to get their flanks down there and stop the Snakes -before- they act. Hopefully.’
She nodded to herself. ‘Yes, that still makes sense. It’s still the right thing to do. Maybe not the nice thing, but it is the -right- thing to do. And once I’m in Canterlot’ -her head fell- ‘I still won’t tell anypony because it’s the only bargaining chip I'll have with the Day Princess.’
Lifting her head, Sunbeam looked forward. ‘She can’t just incinerate me on the spot if I’m the only pony with the information she needs. It’s a good plan. It’s a sensible plan. It’s a plan that increases my survival prospects greatly.’
She sat there in silence as she stared forward.
‘It’s a plan which also increases the risk to Ponyville significantly while I don’t tell anypony.’
She watched Canterlot approach as her ears slowly fell.
'I wish I was a better pony.’
***
Rainbow trotted towards a pair of double doors in the white-walled anteroom. “See, what I’d tell you Sunny. This is the private way to the throne room. For ‘esteemed guests’ only. Okay, there're a few more guards than last time, but after everything that’s to be expected.”
Opening one of the doors slightly, Rainbow peered into the throne room for a moment before closing it quietly.
“Princess Celestia is in day court right now but she should be finishing for lunch soon. I can see Twilight and the others close by. Oh man, I hope the kitchens got my note and have put hay burgers and fries on the menu." She looked around. "What they offered last time wouldn't have fed...” Rainbow blinked. Sunbeam was sitting rigidly upright, eyes wide with her ears folded flat. “You okay there Sunny?”
Sunbeam's jaw opened and closed several times before she actually spoke. “I - I saw her! When you had the door open, through the gap, I could s-s-ee... her.”
Stepping forward, Rainbow wrapped her good wing around her. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s only…” she turned to look at Sunbeam. “You’re shaking!”
Sunbeam nodded as she kept staring at the double doors. “I saw her! I saw the Day Princess! I’m so close that I could see the individual colours in her mane. I’m bucked. I’m so bucked! I’m…”
“Hey if you want to leave…”
Rainbow felt the jolt run through Sunbeam before she was roughly pushed away from her.
“No! Don’t you dare Rainbow! Don’t you dare offer me a way out now!” Her head fell. “‘Cause I'll take it. I'll take it and run." Without lifting her head, she gestured around her. "And besides, it's a little late to be asking me that question don't ya think?”
Rainbow tilted her head. “Wow, Twilight was right. You really do have a thing about Princesses.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she looked at her. “So what happened the first time you met Twi then?”
Sunbeam smiled weakly. “Well, it consisted of me having to breathe into a paper bag to stave off a humiliating panic attack on the floor. But hey, at least I didn’t try to blast...”
Both looked around at the gong sound.
Rainbow stood up. “That’s the end of morning day-court. We can go in now.”
Sunbeam shook her head. “No no no! I’ll wait out here, thank you very much. I really don’t want to be in the same room as her when she finds out. Knee-jerk reactions and all that. Can you tell her something instead of me?”
Rainbow gave her a long, cool, look.
“Please Rainbow. Don’t leave me hangin’ here.”
There was a pause before Rainbow put a hoof on her shoulder. “Cheap shot. But as I didn't have to help wash up this morning, I'm feeling generous. Whatcha want me to say?”
“You need to tell her… You need to t-tell...” Sunbeam tailed off into silence. She took a deep breath. “You need to tell her…” -Sunbeam licked her dry lips- “you need to tell her, tell her t-that…” She looked down at the floor and spoke quietly. “Tell her that the ‘Snakes’ have returned to Equestria.”
There was silence before Rainbow flicked an ear. “That’s what you want me to say? You want me to tell the Princess that snakes, the kind of animal that Twilight hates, are-”
Sunbeam’s head shot up as she stamped a hoof. “Of course I don't mean the bucking reptile you...!” Taking several deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down. “Sorry Rainbow. No, not the reptile. Snakes as in… Oh horseapples, I forgot, she wouldn’t recognize the name would she? They changed it to Snakes after...”
Sunbeam’s tone became dull and lifeless as she automatically started reciting from memory. “While the ‘Snake evacuation group’ wasn’t the only group that managed to initially escape the purges, it was the only group to successfully remain hidden from them over time. This was, in part anyway, due to the fact we had decided cast aside the name given to us the great betrayer and adopt a new name. We were the Snake Evacuation Group, so 'Snakes' was chosen to be our new name. And besides, what allegiance did we now owe the very being that turned on us. Turned on us when we were only doing her work...”
Her jaw trembled and she stuttered into silence.
Rainbow stepped forwards and put a hoof on her shoulder. “You okay? And what was that all about?”
Sunbeam shook her head as she muttered something.
Rainbow tilted her head. “Didn't catch that.”
Sunbeam's head snapped up. “I said: 'Knights of the Divine Sun!'” Her eyes immediately widened as she threw a hoof over her mouth.
Taking her hoof away her shoulder, Rainbow shrugged. “Never heard of them.”
Still looking at the doors like they were about to explode, Sunbeam shook her head. “N-no. I doubt even Twilight has. The Day Princess was most thorough in trying to remove all traces of that little mistake.” Dropping her hoof, she tilted her head from side-to-side as she spoke in a sing-song voice. “Let us carry her light. With her light, let us cleanse the world of its flaws.” Pausing, she sniggered to herself. “In hindsight, perhaps that was just a little too open to interpretation.”
Rainbow blinked at her. “Uh?”
Lifting a hoof, Sunbeam rubbed her face. “Look, Snakes were once known as Knights of the Divine…” -she looked around before whispering the next word- “Sun. Just say that to the Day Princess and tell her that they have returned. Oh, by-the-way, you might want to stand back when you say it. I’ve heard that she reacts badly to that name.” Stepping up to Rainbow, she put a hoof on her shoulder. “So please, for buck’s sake, make you’re not standing right next to her when you say it.”
Rainbow frowned at her. “I kinda think you’re making a big a deal over this. The Princess is a nice pony.” Grabbing her hoof, she tried to pull Sunbeam towards the door. “Look, I’ll show you…”
The hoof was wrenched out of her grip as Sunbeam threw herself backwards, landing heavily on the floor with a pained grunt.
Turning to face her, Rainbow saw Sunbeam scramble to get up, her eyes wide and her ears flat again. Taking a step towards her, Sunbeam quickly took a step back, keeping her distance between them.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Okay then, you wait here and I’ll go in, by myself!" She pointed a hoof. "But you better realize that once this is all cleared up I’m going to tease you over this. Like forever!”
Sunbeam nodded.
Rainbow turned towards the door. “Right, you want me to go in there and say: ‘Knights of the Divine Sun’ are back, or something like that, to the Princess.” She walked towards the doors and opened them. "And once I’ve said it, I’m coming right back out here to start teasing you." Turning her head, she smiled at Sunbeam. "Remember Sunny, you’re with friends here, and friends look out for each other.”
Sunbeam watched as Rainbow closed the doors after her. Turning, she walked over to the bench by the wall and seated herself down on it.
“Friends look out for each…”
Her shoulders slumped as she looked down at the floor. “It would be so much simpler if I didn’t care about Ponyville. If I didn't care at all...”
Lifting her head, she gave a furtive glance around before raising a hoof and waving it at an imaginary pony. A tiny smile flickered across her face.
Lowering her hoof, she closed her eyes.
In the following silence, her face twitched several times. A hoof was twice lifted up to stamp but was lowered down softly both times.
Eventually, she lifted head and squared her shoulders. “Buck it! Fine! You win! I’ll tell the Princess that Ponyville is in danger as soon as she walks in. No using my friends in Ponyville as bargaining chips, even for my own personal survival.”
A few seconds passed and then Sunbeam rubbed her eyes as a rueful smile spread over her face. “Annnd now I have absolute proof I’m nuts: I actually do feel happier now.”
***
Rainbow walked towards Celestia as the last member of court left.
Celestia smiled at her as she bowed. “Good day to you Rainbow.” She looked at the bandaged wing and raised an eyebrow. “How are you? Getting the best treatment available I hope.” She glanced at Short Notice who was still stood by her side. Short Notice made a note on his clipboard.
Rainbow nodded. “Oh yeah, they just say I need to rest it for a while, your highness." She scowled as she looked at her wing. "But I do think they put every bandage they had in the entire hospital on it. And don't get me started on all the tests they wanted to run... ”
After a pointed cough from Rarity, Rainbow looked back at Celestia with a smile. “Oh, and it’s good to see you up-and-about Princess. The antidote we got must have worked eh?”
Celestia’s smile slipped for a second before returning. “I am indeed getting better Miss Dash.”
Mentally shrugging, Rainbow pointed to the double doors of the anteroom. “By the way, Sunbeam is out there.”
Celestia turned to look at the doors to an anteroom. “Is that so. Well I do have a few questions for her. A few details I would rather like to clear up.” She frowned. “But she did not come in with you?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “She seemed to be scared of you, your highness. Can you believe that?”
Twilight stepped forward. “I believe Sunbeam has got a phobia about Alicorns. The first I met her she nearly had a panic attack... after a very loud exclamation that is.”
Rainbow turned towards Twilight with a smirk. "And just what did Sunny exclaim loud-ly..." She trailed off as she got a good look at her friend.
Looking around, Rainbow was shocked to see that all of her friends looked haggard and not one of them looked like they had slept well in the last couple of days.
Even Pinkie’s mane was noticeably less curly than usual.
Rainbow turned her head back towards the Princess but kept her eyes on Pinkie. “Uhhh… She wanted me to tell you that ‘Snakes’ are here in Equestria.”
Celestia lifted her head. “‘Snakes are here in Equestria?’" She smiled gently. "Can I presume that is reference to a name and not in reference to the family of reptiles?”
Tearing her eyes off Pinkie, Rainbow nodded at Celestia.
Celestia turned towards Short Notice but he just shook his head in response. “I haven’t heard of the name myself your highness. I shall start enquiries.” He looked at Rainbow. “Any context I should look for Miss Dash?”
Twilight, who had been rubbing her chin, spoke up before Rainbow had a chance to respond. “Snakes? I’ve heard that name before... Oh, isn’t that the group Sunbeam was part of? Yes, I’m sure that’s it.” Her ears fell. “I can't believe I forgot to tell you that Princess. I tried to tell you everything, but I forgot that! I should have...”
Celesta extended a wing over Twilight and pulled her in tight. “Shh. Please don't worry yourself over it Twilight. I don't expect you to remember every little thing that happened.”
Rarity nodded as Twilight settled into Celestia's wing. “Oh yes, I remember now. Back at the inn with the other beastly ‘Icefang’. Some of the rumours I heard definitely did mention her being a ‘Snake’. And from the way it was said, I don’t think it was meant as an insult. Well, not entirely anyway.”
Rainbow waved an annoyed hoof at them. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well your highness, Sunbeam said that they’re here in Equestria. But she said that you’d know them by another name. She’d said you’d know them better as ‘Knights of the Divine Su…’”
***
Sunbeam looked around the anteroom and rolled her shoulders.
“Nice fluting on those columns.”
She looked down at the floor, her chest feeling tight. “The infused gold flecks in the marble floor are subtle and not overpowering. I approve. I wonder how they did that though?”
She looked at the walls as she licked her lips. “I could do with a drink right now, even water. My throat feels so dry.” She tilted her head. “Hmmm, the paint job is really well done in here. And what shade is that? I like it, I should ask...”
The doors to the throne room exploded.
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Poor Sunbeam.
There, I fixed the ending for you.
7437976
Lol. Thank you.
I think a few people might think that ending a tad abrupt though.
, make you’re not stood right next to her when you say it.” [ standing ] ?? found this for you
7438004
Thank you, corrected.
Dat tantrum.
Well then. Celestia didn't take that information well.
Awesome chapter, looking forward to more!
Always nice to see another chapter
7437976
Perfect! Set story to complete and done,
Now what to do with those loose ends... Oh right! A hospital scene and more story... Set story to incomplete and start on new chapter. :P
7437989
It would be. Great to see a new chapter. Keep up the good work!
Oh, :that: won't make Sunbeam flip out....
I really hope no one was in front of those suckers..
More. Also Celestia should bee told that Icefang defected from that organization.
I knew it, I knew it...
You did exactly the cliffhanger I said you were going to. Sunbeam does not, in fact, meet Celestia this chapter.
We've been waiting so long. Please hurry with the next.
7438600
7438290
I shall get started on the next chapter ASAP.
However, it is a chapter
I want, I need to get right.On the plus side though, it is a chapter I have thought about many times. The trick will be getting thoughts down into words.
7438668
Just one last thing...
Good, becasue we need to know what Celestia looks like when she goes burning skies and becomes one of the fire mares from Krull.
After that cliffhanger, let's see if I can wait for the next chapter without spontaneously combusting from excitement...
I worry for Sunbeam but I worry more for the Knights of the Divine Sun. Things will not go well for them, especially as they try to hurt her ponies.
ಠ_ಠ That cliffhanger.
Still fantastic.
Sunbeam/IceFang: "Ohhh...yeaaah. I knew there was something I forgot to tell Rainbow. The Day Princess might be a little touchy about mentioning them. Oh, well. Was nice knowing her. I'm gonna miss that pegasus."
God fucking damn it.
Arg. As much as I love *giving* cliff hangers I find *getting* them less appealing.
Do remember to describe *in detail* how the doors exploded in your next chapter please.
now, will celly intimidate sunbeam physically, up close and personal, magically, like a solar powered freight train, or royally, a combination of the two done in cold blood.
can't wait...
Uh oh...
You don't need the "at"
pegasus (compare to the term "pegasus ponies" which they use in the show.)
whose
what'd I (Contraction of what-did-I)
decided to cast...us by the
I really hope Celestia isn't going to go murder-mode on Sunbeam, even for a moment. You've been playing her as level-headed and merciful so far.
Total time passed in universe during this chapter: 2-4 hours.
Time passed on screen: 5-10 minutes.
Total issues resolved: 0
Total decisions reached: 1
Total review: Not enough happened this chapter for a cliffhanger to have any particular potency, especially given the time since the last chapter. It's more of an amusing scene transition than a shocking, tension building scene anyway.
Celestia skidded to a halt in front of Sunbeam, who found herself lifted to Celestia's eye level.
"TELL ME EVERYTHING NOW," Celestia yelled frantically.
Sorry, had to get it out of my system.
It took me half an hour to remember the name of my account on this site but I wanted to post a comment.
I juste read this fic in two days and I LOVE IT.
Thank you for this, thank you for all of this, I love your Pinkie Pie and your Fluttershy. I think they are very well done. And Sunbeam is a wonderful character, powerful and flawed and vulnerable...
Do you like to make her suffer? Because sometime it looks like it. And sometime, there is the pain that Sunbeam and the readers can see coming from far away and it is bad. Sometime, only the reader see it coming and Sunbeam is SO oblivious, and other time, we are together in the pain, we take the hit in the stomach at the same time.
It is rare that I appreciate to see a character suffer... But I love to suffer with Sunbeam. You are an amazing writer.
You have some little problem with the story, sometime your plot seems a little... disjointed?
But in a fic, I am not really interested in the story, I want the story to be the support for the character development. And I love your character development
7442250
Nothing happened in this chapter? I do not agree, at all. In this chapter there is a conflict between how Rainbow Dash see the princess and how Sunbeam see the princess. And there is all the conflicts in the head of Sunbeam; and there are A LOT. And surprisingly... Most of those conflicts are resolved in this chapter, I honestly was not thinking it would be possible. At the end of this chapter, Sunbeam is more at peace than we have ever seen her. She know what she have to do, she know what she wants to do, she know what her responsability are and to whom.
It is not the first time that she knows those three things. But it is the first time that those three things tell her to do the same thing, that those three things are not in conflict.
Yes Sunbeam is now in front of the day princess... But we can say that... She is ready, more ready than we could ever hope her to be.
7447631 My comment was on the ineffectiveness of a cliffhanger, not whether or not the chapter was fluff. Though honestly? A pretty decent amount of her freaking out is just constantly repeating things we've already been told and shown. She did reach a big decision, which has granted her a measure of peace, sure, but nothing in this chapter has really served to build tension, and the last chapter is basically wind-down between arcs.
7447612
Thank you very much comments. I shall endeavour to keep up the quality.
All sillyness aside, A can't wait for the next chapter. I've been waiting for this perticular confrontation.
I have to re-read your story again.
At the end of this chapter i am currently having a hard time breathing. This is one of those cliff hangers i would literally praise the gods i didn't have to worry about, and i don't even believe in such things.
BOOM GET OUT THE WAY BICH GET OUT THE WAY