Comes the Sunset

by Scipio Smith

Ponies' Progress

Chapter 4

Ponies' Progress

Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes. Above her trees loomed tall and strong, spreading their leaves to block out the night sky. The light of the moon and stars above was filtered through that canopy, breaking through in silver patches to cast a mottled pattern on the ground.

Twilight wondered where she was. She looked around her anxiously. She was in some kind of forest, by the side of a road bricked with what looked like gold. Aside from the path, there was nothing but trees, grass and bushes to be seen. She didn't know where she was. Or, if she did know, she had forgotten it in exactly the same way she had forgotten how she had gotten here or why she had come. All she could really remember was her name: Princess Twilight Sparkle.

She couldn't help but wonder whether she had come here herself or been left here by another. If so, then by who? And why? Or why would she have come here of her own accord, for that matter? Was anypony looking for her? She was a princess after all, that had to make her important, right? Or perhaps she was here because she was a princess? Perhaps she'd run away from her enemies and gotten lost! Twilight felt her breathing become more ragged; she was panicking herself by doing nothing but thinking! Twilight forced her breathing under control, wrestling her wild imagination back to earth. She had to proceed calmly and logically. Food and shelter were her most immediate needs, and those could best be met by finding other ponies who could give her assistance; certainly it would easier than trying to find food for herself in a wood. Since she had no reason to avoid other ponies - that she could remember - her best course would be to follow the golden road and hope to encounter fellow travellers or find a town.

Twilight - noting the gloom of the forest she was in - tried to cast a spell to light her way. Nothing happened. She tried harder, still nothing happened. That was weird, she was sure she could do magic, very well in fact. How come she couldn't cast a simple spell?

A golden unicorn, her mane a series of red and white locks flowing down her neck like streamers, emerged from behind a tree. She yawned, then walked slowly towards the golden road, stopping when she caught sight of Twilight.

They stared at one another. Twilight's lavender eyes trading glares with the green eyes of this unicorn this...Breaking Dawn. Twilight found she could remember her name, and as she remembered a surge of dislike welled up inside her.

"You!" Twilight and Dawn yelled at the same time.

"You've done this to me, haven't you?" Twilight demanded. "Taken my memories, taken my magic! Give them back!"

"I haven't done any-" Dawn paused. "Did you say, taken your magic? Can you not do magic any more?"

It occurred to Twilight that in her anger she had blurted one of the worst things she could have said. "No. I mean, yes. I haven't lost my magic. Not at all."

An ugly smile spread across Dawn's face. "Oh this is going to be fun." She lowered her horn to point it at Twilight and...

Nothing.

Dawn looked shocked. "Huh? What's happening?" She scowled, growling in concentration. She screwed up her face with effort. Not even a spark leapt from her horn. "Work, you stupid thing!" Dawn raged. "It's you, isn't it? You're doing something."

"If I was doing something, why would I do it to myself?" Twilight asked.

"Because you are at the bottom of every bad thing that ever happens to me," Dawn shouted. "How do I know you've really lost your magic? You could have been lying to get me to humiliate myself."

"If it helps your ego, dear, then we don't have any magic either," a figure Twilight recognised instinctively as Queen Chrysalis said as she stepped out of the woods on the other side of the golden road. Behind her, a blue unicorn in a wizard's hat and cloak trailed nervously. Trixie, was the name that sprang to Twilight's mind. Unlike Dawn and the Queen, she was the only one who did not automatically inspire Twilight to animosity.

"It appears that all our magic has been taken from us," Chrysalis continued. "Believe me, if I could change my appearance I would have done so by now."

Twilight scowled. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, but I suspect you'd have the same answer for me," Chrysalis replied. "I don't know. Can anypony remember why they came here?"

Trixie shook her head. Dawn did the same, but more slowly and with a greater appearance of reluctance.

"Can anypony remember where we came from?" Trixie asked. "Trixie remembers having a home, but she cannot remember where it is."

"I...I live..." Dawn murmured. "I come from...why can't I remember that?"

"For the same reason none of us can," Chrysalis said, a touch of smugness in her voice. "But, of course, we can't remember that either."

"Why do you not sound as bothered by all of this as you should be?" Twilight asked carefully.

"You mean why aren't I as scared as you?" Chrysalis chuckled. "My little ponies, I'm a creature of the night. I'm more at home in this dark place than you'll ever be."

"Well that's great," Dawn snarled. "So you stay here and be at home. "In the meantime, I'm going to find somepony who can tell me what's going on here."

"Trixie thinks we should stick together," Trixie said nervously.

"Well Dawn doesn't," Dawn said mockingly, starting off down the golden road in a southerly direction.

"Where are you going?" Twilight demanded.

"There's a town this way, can't you hear it?" Dawn demanded.

Twilight listened. She could, indeed, hear the sounds of raucous merriment coming from a southerly direction. A town, or else just a very wild party.

Chrysalis shook her head. "There may be sounds from behind us, but there are lights up ahead." She gestured northwards with her nose, and Twilight looked back to see bright lights gleaming invitingly up the road. "They are closer, too. We should head that way."

"I thought you were at home here," Dawn said accusingly.

"That doesn't mean I want to stay here forever," Chrysalis snapped. "I know that I have somewhere that I must return to, even if I cannot remember where or to whom. If we head to the lights it will be quicker, we can find our answers faster."

"Unless the lights are a trap, to lure us to them," Dawn said.

"You could say the same about that racket," Twilight replied. In fact, as she listened the noises from the south seemed to vary between inviting and repulsive from one moment to the next. One second she would be tugged towards them, the next she wanted to run as far away as she could. "I don't like any of you. Some of you I hate." She looked significantly at Chrysalis and Dawn. "But I think Trixie's right, we have to stick together, it's our best chance until we find out the truth."

"Hey, hey, who put you in charge?" Dawn demanded.

"I am a princess," Twilight replied proudly.

"Princess of what? We can't even remember what country we live in."

"I'm a queen," Chrysalis pointed out.

"Shut up, all being a queen means is you're evil, every foal knows that," Dawn snapped. "I think we should vote for whose in charge."

"I vote for Trixie," Chrysalis said quickly.

"Why?" Dawn asked.

"Because she's the only pony here who isn't completely annoying," Chrysalis answered with relish.

Dawn growled. "I vote for myself."

"So do I." Twilight declared.

Trixie looked around nervously. "Trixie...I vote for Princess Twilight. I trust her more than the rest of you, even if I don't know why."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Okay, Twilight wins. I’m not happy about it, but at least we don’t have Trixie leading us. No offence."

"Trixie doesn't like you very much."

"Oh, whatever shall I do?"

"Shut up, Dawn," Twilight snapped. "We don't have for this childish nonsense. If we're going to work together, and it looks like we'll have to, then we can all start by being civil to one another, even our enemies. Have you all got that?"

Dawn muttered under her breath, but made no audible protest. Trixie nodded.

Chrysalis' expression was unreadable. "If you are going to lead, hadn't you better lead us somewhere?"

"I was about to do just that," Twilight replied primly, stepping onto the golden road. The bricks were cool beneath her hooves. Twilight declared, "We shall head for the lights." Then she set off, trusting that the others would follow. If they didn't, it was their loss.

---

The source of the lights turned out to be a large and elaborate house sitting on the roadside. It was three storeys tall, with walls of pink and a roof of an elegant purple. The lanterns hung beside the door refracted the light in all the colours of the rainbow, the purple window shutters were adorned with sparkling diamonds, the door was made of solid silver and the gardens were filled with luscious crystal berry bushes. Warm, inviting light spilled out of every window.

"Does anypony else think this looks too good to be true?" Dawn asked.

"You're just sore because we didn't do what you wanted," Trixie replied.

"I am not. I'm just the only pony here with any sense," Dawn hissed.

"Quiet," Twilight said sharply. "We all agreed to head towards the lights, we can't turn back now."

"What, this doesn't say 'trap' to you?"

"Nothing about this makes enough sense to make any logical deductions at the moment," Twilight said. "We go inside, and if it does turn out to be a trap, we'll deal with it."

She led the way to the silver door, but as Twilight raised a hoof to knock on it the door swung open of its own accord, revealing a luxuriant golden atrium.

"Okay, please, somepony else be weirded out by this," Dawn said.

"Oh, get in," Chrysalis muttered, kicking Dawn inside the atrium. She bounced upon the golden carpet, coming to a rest in a seated position a half dozen feet inside. The other three all waited to see if anything bad would happen to her. After a few moments, when nothing had, Dawn got up.

"Thanks guys, we're a real team, aren't we?"

"Somepony has to go in first," Chrysalis said, walking in. Trixie and Twilight followed quickly. The carpet and the curved staircase leading up the second floor were both completely golden. The golden columns were decorated with sparkling ruby ribbons, while the walls were hung with drapes of a rich red velvet. Ponikins draped in various elegant gowns stood here and there, adding a touch of colour to the scene, while plants kept in fancy china pots gave the impression of some life.

The door swung shut behind them with a thud.

"Uh oh," Dawn murmured.

"Welcome, welcome my darlings, welcome to the house of Generosity!" a fabulous unicorn appeared at the top of the staircase. Her coat was a brilliant, shimmering white. Her eyes were as blue as sapphires, matching the three blue diamonds that formed her cutie mark. Her mane was the richest purple, curled and combed to graceful perfection. Her voice was rich nectar to the ears. She laughed - managing to make even that seem well bred - as she slid down the golden banister to land before them. "I'm so glad you could join me, I do adore having visitors."

"Because you eat them?" Dawn asked.

Generosity - Twilight presumed that was her name - looked affronted. "Why, of course not dear, wherever would you get such a notion! I skin them and use them to make my dresses, aren't they lovely."

Dawn whimpered. Trixie became stiff with fear. Twilight felt the cold of deep anxiety coming over her. Then Generosity started to laugh.

"Oh, my goodness, I was joking, darlings, joking! Really, who do you think I am?"

"We have no idea," Chrysalis said. "About that or many other things."

Generosity put one hoof delicately to her forehead. "Oh, of course! How could I have been so foolish! You're new, aren't you? You don't have any idea what's going on."

"No," Twilight said. "We really don't."

"Well, don't you worry, dear, the reason everypony comes to me first is that I can explain everything. First, tell me your names."

The four of them looked at one another. Twilight said, "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Chrysalis is my name."

"Breaking Dawn."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Oh, for goodness sake."

"Shut up, Dawn," Twilight snapped.

Generosity pretended not to have heard their little spat there, beaming broadly. "Wonderful, wonderful. Well, I'm Generosity and this is my home. The homeliest home on the golden road if I do say so myself. In the house of Generosity, all can find welcome. Now, there are warm baths waiting for you, and soft beds, and when you're washed, we can have a lovely dinner and I'll tell you everything I know. Then you can spend the night before you go on your way."

"Can't you explain now?" Twilight asked. "We've no idea what's happened to us."

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to stand and chat while you're tired and sweaty. I won't hear of it!" Generosity replied. "Baths first, then we will talk over dinner. Follow me!"

She led them up onto the first floor - where the carpets were a soft aquiline blue and the walls were white - and into a bathroom that seemed as large as a small house by itself. The floor was a series of black tiles, each bath was the size of a swimming pool and the four ponies were soon wallowing luxuriously in giant bubble baths while Generosity scrubbed them clean not just of dirt and sweat, but also seemingly of all their cares well.

"Generosity, I'm here to show all that, I can give," Generosity murmured to herself as she sponged Twilight down and shampooed and conditioned her mane. Twilight leaned back and closed her eyes, allowing Generosity's tender hooves to massage her into a state of utter tranquility.

"This is wonderful," Twilight murmured, feeling her worries wash away. "Thank you so much."

"I hate to say it, but I agree," Dawn said. "Thanks a bunch."

"Don't mention it, my dears," Generosity said tenderly. "It's only what I'm here for."

They dried themselves upon the fluffiest towels before Generosity combed each of their manes for them - even Chrysalis and her bizzare hair - and led them down to the dining room, where a long ebony table groaned with a fabulous feast. Soups, salads, carrots and cabbages, beans and broccoli, potatoes and parsnips. Cupcakes, apple pies, cream buns, ice cream; anything that a pony could desire was laid out before them, and the four guests stood there a moment in slavering amazement at the scale of the spread.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Generosity asked as she sat down at the head of the table. "Dig in!"

They fell to it with a will, gorging themselves upon staples and delicacies alike until they could eat no more.

"Do we have to leave tomorrow?" Trixie asked. "Trixie could spend a while living like this."

Generosity looked pleased, yet at the same time troubled by this. "You can stay here as long as you want, darling. The house of Generosity is open to all and always open. But, so long as you stay here, you cannot move forward, and if you don't move forward you can't ever leave."

Chrysalis leaned forwards. "Now we come to it. Are you going to explain what's going on, now?"

"If I can, yes," Generosity replied. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Twilight said. "Starting with why we can't do any magic."

"Oh, well, that's quite simple," Generosity said. "The only magics that exist in this world are the magics of friendship and self-knowing. Only by knowing yourselves and being in harmony will your magic be returned to you. But, once that happens, you need have no fear, for you will be able to overcome Any Hardship."

"But until then we are helpless?" Chrysalis said.

Generosity nodded. "I suppose so, yes."

"Well, that's us stuffed then," Dawn said. "There's no way I'll ever be friends with you."

"And the same to you!" Twilight shouted.

"Please, please, don't fight," Generosity pleaded. "You must have more questions."

"Where are we?" Trixie asked.

"What happened to our memories?" Dawn demanded.

"How do we get home?" Twilight wanted to know.

Generosity was silent for a moment, a pondering look on her face. She began by saying, "This is the Forest. We have no other name for it than that. There must be a world beyond it, for visitors come here from out there, but you'll meet nopony here who has ever been outside and nopony who visits ever remembers anything about it. The Forest is the only world we know. Everypony who comes here begins where you did, in the forest by the side of the golden road. To go home, you must head north, following the golden road until you reach Celestial City, and hope that you have friends waiting for you when you get there."

"What about to the south?" Dawn asked. "We heard noises coming from there. What's back there?"

"That is the Town of Flaws," Generosity said, her voice becoming stern. "It is one of the greatest perils in the Forest. No matter how far up the golden road you travel, the Town of Flaws will always be just a day behind you. But you must never go there."

"Why not?" Twilight wondered.

"If you stay here, with me, then you can leave any time you want to," Generosity said. "But those who enter the Town of Flaws can never leave. There are visitors from hundreds of years ago still trapped there, unable to change."

Twilight frowned. "So, we don't go back there. What if we stray from the path?"

"If you wander into the wood you will most likely loose your way, and Hardship will devour you," Generosity replied sadly.

"So the road is our only escape?" Chrysalis clarified.

"Yes."

"Will we ever recover our memories?" Dawn asked.

"As you begin to know who you are, so you will remember who you were," Generosity answered.

"And you said ‘we’," Twilight said. "’The Forest is the only world we know’. Apart from the people in the Town of Flaws, who else lives here?"

"Why, all sorts of people," Generosity said. "Why, there's Loyalty, Vanity, Chivalry, Love, Honesty, Self-Pity, Envy, as many ponies as you can imagine. Some of them mean well...and some of them don't. But most of them, deliberately or not, will try to delay you on the road to Celestial City. You must pass their tests in order to progress."

"What kind of tests?" Dawn inquired.

"That, I'm afraid I cannot tell you," Generosity said. "I have told you all that I know. And now, if you've all quite finished eating, your beds await you!"

---

The beds were as luxurious as everything else in the house of Generosity, but Twilight found it hard to sleep despite the softness of her matress or the warmth of her blankets. What sort of tests would they face on the road ahead? How dangerous would they be? Could she really rely on any of her four companions - two of whom she hated - to help her? And what if they did reach this Celestial City, and Twilight found she didn't like the person she was when her memories returned. What if she'd chosen to come here to escape her past?

"I wish there was somepony here I could trust," Twilight murmured. Only, the problem was, she couldn't remember ever being to able to trust anypony. Maybe she wouldn't even know how.

"Hey," Dawn's whisper cut through the dark. "Hey, Twilight."

Twilight grimaced. "What?"

"Why do you think we hate each other?"

"You don't know?"

"Well of course not, genius, I've lost my memories, why do you think I'm asking you?" Dawn demanded.

"Why should I know if you don't?"

"Because you're the one who seemed so certain I'd messed with your magic," Dawn said.

"And you were the one who said I cause everything bad that ever happens to you. What does that mean?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know," Dawn replied. "It just...it felt true when I said it."

"I don't know why I hate you or Chrysalis," Twilight said. "I just know that I do."

"Well, whatever it was you did, I'll kick your flank when I remember it," Dawn said confidently.

"How do you know it was me that did something to you?"

"Because I know me and I know I'm the good guy."

"Nonsense," Twilight replied, keeping her voice soft. "Princesses are always good."

"Not from where I'm lying," Chrysalis muttered.

"Trixie wonders what it means that none of you hate Trixie," Trixe said. "Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie was so awesome that everypony loved her without demur."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Dawn snorted.

"Shut up, Dawn."

---

The next morning, after a very fine breakfast, Generosity gathered them together in the atrium of her home.

"I'm so glad you all decided to press on with your journey," she said. "I love company, but I would hate to be the reason you didn't get home as quickly as you can. Now, in these saddle bags there is food, blankets, fire wood and flint for each of you." She held up four saddlebags. Those for Trixie, Twilight and Dawn had buckles in the shape of each pony's cutie mark, while the saddlebags of Chrysalis had buckles in the shape of a green flame.

"And for each one of you, I have a special gift, chosen by me to fit each of you. For Breaking Dawn, this magic mirror, that you may see yourself as others see you." The mirror which she gave to Dawn had a silver frame, adorned with diamonds cut in the shape of hearts. Twilight could see nothing reflected in the glass, which must have been part of the magic: only Dawn could see what was reflected there. Whatever it was, Dawn could not look on it for a second, but hastily stuffed the mirror into her saddlebag and did not even thank Generosity for the gift.

"For Trixie: a sword, to make you brave." The sword she presented to Trixie had a golden hilt and came in a jewelled scabbard. When Trixie drew the sword experimentally, the blade glowed blue.

"Thank you," Trixie murmured, buckling the swordbelt across her back.

"For Chrysalis: this cloak. Let the warmth of it remind you that you are loved." Generosity draped a scarlet cloak across Chrysalis's shoulders, and instantly the expression on the queen's face seemed to soften and become almost gleeful.

"And for Princess Twilight: a crown. Let it lend authority to your words." And Generosity placed a gilden crown on Twilight's brow, the weight of it pressing on her ears. It felt heavy, yet Twilight could also feel the majesty of it slipping over her like an aura, an aura which would surely strike anypony who beheld her.

Generosity smiled. "Lovely. Now, one last thing. I've asked a friend to help you travel the road, and she should be here any-"

The door burst open as a cyan pegasus whose mane and tail displayed all the colours of the rainbow flew in, did a loop the loop, then came to a stop looking very pleased with herself.

"That's right, Loyalty's here," she crowed. "I'm going to go with you and be your guide."

Comments

[Spiritus Arcane]

Breaking Dawn...the Wesley Crusher of the Forest.

[Harwick]

I'm enjoying the revised take on the story... Not only is the pace more satisfyingly brisk, but I feel that the traits of the antagonists are coming across better with it. It was quite satisfying to see Virtuous Fury told off by Fluttershy and take it to heart, which left me open to him finding some redemption instead of just a horribly painful end.

I'm looking forward to seeing what events unfold within the box, while I suspect that Sunset won't be welcomed as liberators by the local Ponyville population.

[Starlight Nova]

OK, I gotta know. Can Virtue use magic? Like, at all?

[Carnation83]

I so totally LOVE the aspect with Generosity, Loyalty, and other virtues and flaws being ponyfied here like this! This sort of fantasy writing really makes me