Chapter 4
Twilight Falls, Sunset Dawns
Chapter 4
"Should we wake her up?"
"Perhaps not, the poor dear obviously had a late night."
"So we just leave her here?"
Sunset's eyes fluttered as she heard wavering voices fill her head. She snorted slightly, shifting position.
"Girls, we have to be quiet, or she'll wake up."
"I say we should do that anyway!"
"Pinkie, what are you doin'?"
"Are you kidding me? We have to capture this moment for posteriority!"
"You mean 'posterity'?"
"That's what I said, silly!"
There was a bright flash, and Sunset's eyes shot open. She cried out and jumped up, blinking away the spots in her eyes and raising a hoof to shield them. She backed into something hard and stumbled, tripping over her hooves and falling on her back. She let out a long, low groan. The ceiling overhead was spinning, and she felt the makings of a headache coming on. There was another flash of light.
"This one is just for fun."
Sunset rolled on her stomach and stood up. She shook her head and closed her eyes to get her dizziness under control. "What the hay is going on?"
"Sorry, Twilight. We weren't sure if we should wake you up or not." Sunset froze. She recognized that voice. She slowly looked over her shoulder. Five vaguely familiar mares stood behind her, and one with a rainbow-streaked mane and a sheepish smile was coming closer to her. "Good morning, I guess."
You! Sunset glared and pulled back, swinging her body around to face them directly. "Back off, Dash."
Rainbow paused, her eyes widening. "Uh, sorry? The camera was Pinkie's idea, not mine."
"I couldn't help myself!" Pinkie Pie zipped around beside Sunset and held out the picture she had taken. "You looked so adorable!" Sunset looked down; she was asleep on Twilight's journal, a slight bit of drool running out of the corner of her mouth and down the blank page under her face. She growled, and her horn glowed violet. Pinkie squeaked as the picture caught flame and burned to ash. "You don't think so?"
"Twilight, are you feelin' okay?" Applejack came up beside Rainbow Dash. "We didn't mean to wake ya, but we can leave if ya wanna go back to sleep."
Sunset looked between the five, each of them in a variable state of confusion and concern. She groaned and held her head. Okay, get a grip. They're just Twilight's friends, you knew they'd come around sooner or later. I really wish they had picked a better time, though. Sunset looked back at them and shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, girls. I just had some really weird dreams and you interrupted one."
Pinkie bounced in place. "I have weird dreams sometimes! Like this one time I dreamed I was a pegasus with a white coat and yellow mane and everypony was calling me Sur—" Pinkie's voice dropped into muffled mumbling as Rainbow Dash stuck a hoof in her mouth, but she continued to talk without breaking stride.
"Not the time, Pinkie." Rainbow shook her head. Pinkie groaned and stopped, and Rainbow removed her hoof.
"So, what sorta weird dreams make ya so antsy that ya felt like settin' pictures on fire?" Applejack asked.
Sunset stared for a moment. She had assumed they would just buy the story and let it drop. "I… um… I'd prefer not to talk about it." Applejack pursed her mouth slightly but said nothing else. Sunset looked at the ash pile on the floor. Something tells me that isn't something Twilight would normally do. "Sorry about the picture, Pinkie. You scared me."
"It's okay. I've already got a scrapbook full of embarrassing pictures of you." Pinkie grinned.
Of Twilight? I'd love to see that. Sunset chuckled sincerely in response. She remembered how they had found her and looked at the desk. The stain from where she had drooled in the journal was still moist. I must have fallen asleep reading it.
"Um, Twilight?" Sunset turned her head. Fluttershy slowly stepped forward. "We're sorry for waking you up like this, but Spike said you had come home yesterday."
Rarity nodded. "You told us you would be gone for days, darling. But, then you return after only one and don't tell anypony you're back. Did things not go smoothly in Canterlot?"
Actually, things went about perfect. "Celestia sent for the mirror from the Crystal Empire, but it hadn't arrived in Canterlot yet when I did. There wasn't much to do there without it, so I visited with the princesses and came home. They'll let me know when it arrives, and I'll see if I can head out then." Sunset had spent the chariot ride the previous day thinking of an alibi to explain Twilight's sudden return. True, it would be easily disproven were somepony to actually contact Celestia, but that was unlikely. The only way to contact Celestia is through Spike, after all. And what could I do that they'd want to talk to her without telling me?
"Well, that sucks." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "And after you spent months waiting for the mirror to open again."
"I know." Sunset sighed and shook her head. "It's fine though, it'll be back in Canterlot for good soon, and I can go study it again in a few years."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Ah would have figur'd Celestia would make sure it was ready for ya, seeing as timin' is a bit important with that mirror."
"I'd have thought so too. But, you know how it is, Celestia can get very busy after all. It probably just slipped her mind." Sunset held in a glare at the farmer. Just shut up and swallow the lies. They're foolproof, I don't need you getting suspicious for no reason. "So, is there a reason you girls came to see me this early in the morning?"
Rarity tilted her head. "Morning? It's almost noon, darling."
"Huh?" Before Rarity could say anything else, Sunset moved to a window and pushed it open. The sun was high in the sky, the shadows on the ground short. I must have been up later than I thought last night.
"We came to see if you wanted to grab some lunch." Sunset turned back to see Rainbow behind her again.
"Yeah! And you owe me an embarrassing picture!" Pinkie appeared in front of Sunset and thrust a hoof in her face. "I've seen you eat at the hayburger, you'll have plenty of chances."
"Lunch…" Sunset thought. I am hungry, even if I just woke up. But with these five… She was about to open her mouth and say no, but stopped herself. Twilight would say yes. Unless she had an excuse to say no. Do I? She looked at the journal and the scrolls beside it. Judging from the pile she's already been at it a while now. An ongoing project isn't good enough. She held back a groan. She didn't have nearly a good enough grasp of Twilight's daily life to come up with a cover story yet. "Lunch sounds great." Sunset smiled and nodded.
"Excellent. We'll wait for you downstairs while you freshen up, dear." Rarity nodded at her and turned to lead the group to the stairs. Sunset waved and pretended to look over the journal until they were out of sight. She let out a small groan and rolled her eyes.
They'll come looking for me if I don't show up, and if I avoid them, they'll know something's up. There was really no way out of this. Sunset approached the stairs and descended. She had memorized the castle's layout the previous night and knew the bathing room was down the hall. She took her time getting there. This probably won't be so bad. She tried to cheer herself up as she exited to the library. They probably aren't exactly like the other five. And they're Twilight's friends, so they'll probably be nice to me.
"I can get through this." Sunset pushed open the door to the bathing room. She looked in the mirror over the sink and smiled. She nudged her crown into place and lifted a hairbrush to groom her mane. "Who knows? It might even be fun."
"Flaked dragon scale."
Twilight looked around the room. The shelves of bottles seemed to loom over her, but she kept her focus and looked at the labels. She scurried up a stool and pulled out a large bottle full of thin red and green flakes. Rosen Cross looked behind him and wrapped the bottle in a blue aura. He popped the lid off and floated a clump into the air and towards him. Twilight swung the lid back on and pushed the bottle back on the shelf.
"Chimera venom extract." Rosen had turned back to his work. Beside him, a mortar was grinding away as a pestle, the end caked with yellow powder and flecked with red. Twilight approached the shelf containing vials of liquid and looked.
"This one." She pointed at a hoof at a lower shelf where a vial full of a murky blue fluid lay. Rosen glanced over and floated the venom over to him. Twilight approached him to watch his work. Rosen set the vial of venom in a holder and took the stopper out, then dipped an eye dropper into it to squeeze out a few drops. The dropper floated to the mortar and deposited its contents. Rosen set the dropper down and began crushing the pestle down again, the yellow and red powder becoming a paste. "Was is it that you're doing?" Twilight asked.
"Alchemical processes," Rosen replied. "You have no conception of how difficult it is to gather pure samples of metallic compounds without a proper forge available."
Twilight nodded. "So, you're trying to develop an acidic wash to dissolve rock bases that don't harm the metal deposit." Rosen looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She stepped back. "Or, maybe not?"
"I confess, at least this time your surprising behaviour is relatively pleasant." Rosen made a sound in his throat and turned back to his work. "Yes. I have secured several stones containing acanthite that need refining to retrieve the mineral. I must get the ratio precisely right or the wash will be imperfect. Contaminated samples are of no use to me."
"What are you using acanthite for?"
"I need shavings for an experiment involving augmentations to unicorn magic."
Twilight perked up. "Will I be helping you with that as well?"
Rosen didn't turn as he responded. "If you are willing to allow me to coat your horn in a layer of silver sulphide and send you to the top of the mountain during our next lightning storm, you are free to choose that course."
Twilight paled slightly. "I'll pass, thanks." She turned away. At least this is less physically demanding than cleaning my room. She'd spent the morning finishing that task, and he gave her access to the bathing area of his home to wash up before lunch, then called her into the lab to aid him. Though Twilight mentioned at least twice she was not Sunset Shimmer, Rosen ignored her and told her to drop the subject. She reluctantly obeyed. Rosen was obviously not going to believe her based on her word, so she would have to think of some other way to convince him.
Until then, on the bright side, he's doing experiments I can take an interest in, even if I don't understand them. I wonder why Celestia never put us in contact with each other. Twilight had sneaked a peak at some of Rosen's notes while he was busy, and to her delight, found some of the experiments he was conducting were familiar to her. If only he was more friendly, she might actually enjoy working together with him on such things.
Rosen paused his mixing and turned to her. "I must let the sample congeal for a time before moving on to the next step. You have been a dutiful aide this morning. I will spare you the tedium of waiting for it to do so while I busy myself elsewhere."
"Thanks. I think." Twilight smiled. Rosen didn't return it.
"I was planning to spend this time delivering a lecture on the basic principles of alchemic theory, but you have demonstrated enough knowledge that I believe such a lesson would be superfluous. Thus I have thought of a different task. Return to your room and read the first three chapters of Equestrian Legal History Volume 1. When last you were here, the book was on your shelf, and so it should still be."
"What do I do when I finish?"
"Read them again. I will quiz you on what you have read when I collect you for dinner this evening."
"Understood." Twilight turned and left the room, holding in a groan. She had read that book series through years ago, though she didn't remember it very well. If only it was a written quiz or a worksheet, I could try to fake them or guess… She made a face as she climbed the stairs. Fake my way through a test? This body is a bad influence on me.
Pushing open the door to her room, Twilight looked over the bookshelf. She hadn't had the time to look at them the previous day, but now she recognized they were all textbooks. Some went back centuries, some only a few decades. There were books on ethics, philosophy of ruling, examining styles of government, and the history of Canterlot's government. She found the first volume of Equestrian Legal History and pulled it down. As the thick brown and black book fell into her hooves, Twilight grunted at the weight but stayed standing. She carried the book to the table and set it down, flipping open to the first chapter.
"The history of Equestria formally begins with the founding of our nation in the year 13 BTS. With the three pony tribes united under a single banner, a council of two representatives from each tribe held government under the watch of the renowned unicorn Star Swirl the Bearded; such was the respect he commanded that the pegasi and earth ponies entrusted him with the position. In the year 10 BTS, through unknown circumstances, two ponies named Celestia and Luna presented themselves to the council, and Star Swirl took them under his care."
Twilight groaned and shook her head. "I know all this already, I had to research it for Hearth's Warming Eve!" She could still name the original six councillors that served under Star Swirl, for she had portrayed one of them in the play. Rosen was probably expecting specifics, though. The book went into details of the first colonies of Equestria after its founding, when the tribes had settled their frontier towns, and what other councillors served after the original six stepped down. Twilight had long forgotten those parts.
She sighed and turned her attention back to the reading. "When they demonstrated powers beyond the unicorns in the raising of the sun and moon, Star Swirl led the council in declaring them the first princesses of Equestria. Following this, Princess Platinum and King Bullion…" Twilight trailed off. Even compared to her usual study materials, the Equestrian Legal History series was dry reading. The writers of the books had no sense of stylistic prose, resulting in information presented in a boring and straightforward style.
Looking around the room, Twilight's eyes came to a rest on the red book across the table. She glanced at the history book in front of her, and then back up. "He did say he'd quiz me before dinner…" They had finished lunch before Rosen began the alchemy. That meant there were several hours before the night's meal. "I'd have enough time to read all three chapters twice at least."
Twilight made up her mind to do something she rarely indulged in – embrace a distraction in the name of procrastination. She reached across the table and grabbed Sunset Shimmer's journal. She pulled it towards her and opened to the second entry.
"Rosen lectured to me from the Equestrian Legal History books today. It's pretty boring, but he says I have to know this stuff to understand where the kingdom came from. I don't get it. I bet the Princess never studied history, she lived it and created it herself. I'll be a princess too someday, so why things are different for me? I'm not as perfect as the princess, but I know I'll be great. I got most of his quiz right, but I don't understand the point. I hope tomorrow he has some more exciting things to do. – S. S."
Twilight finished and lifted her head. How old is this book? This doesn't sound like the Sunset Shimmer I know. She looked at the book's covers and the inside pages. No date could be found. She flipped to some later entries, but they weren't dated either. She turned back to the second entry and thought. Aside from presuming she would become a princess, she wrote like an entirely different pony. Twilight looked at the opposite page to read the next entry.
"Today was great! Rosen Cross was showing me how to mix alchemical salves to heal wounds and sores. The princess said I had a knack for potions, and it was fun too. I told him today that I didn't see the point of the history lessons he gave me the last few days. He said if I didn't understand them then I had missed the point of them. I guess he's right because I'm still confused: what does history have to do with me becoming a princess? At least today's work was more fun. I hope we can do more alchemy tomorrow. – S. S."
Twilight scrunched her face in thought. The way she talks, it's as if she's already planning to overthrow Celestia and usurp the throne. Could Sunset really have organized an insurrection this many years ago? That didn't make sense though, when the rest of the time she seemed to fawn over Celestia like some sort of excited filly who had just met her idol. What is she talking about then? She keeps saying she'll be a princess someday…
There was a creak outside her door and Twilight looked up. From the sound of it, Rosen was going into the telescope room. She shut the journal and slid it down from the table to hide it if he came in. She waited until the squeaking of the door signalled it was closing, then pulled it back up and turned the page to the fourth entry.
"So, I told the mayor that if we're going to keep seeing this influx of tourism to our little town, I'd like to commission a stall at the train platforms like other vendors. Sweetie Belle has already expressed interest in running it. She's getting older and wants some responsibility, so this will be the perfect chance for her to spread her wings. Metaphorically speaking."
"Sounds like a plan to me, Rarity. How about we throw in Apple Bloom and some of the crop of Sweet Apple Acres and go it together?"
"C'est magnifique! Business partners it is! I can hear them now, 'Cutie Mark Crusaders, Entrepreneurs'!"
Applejack and Rarity shook hooves over the table. Beside them Pinkie Pie was gorging her way through a mountain of hayburgers, Rainbow Dash munching on her own more slowly. Fluttershy was across from Sunset on the other side of Applejack and Rarity, calmly chewing on horseshoe bites. Sunset watched the group eat their meal and chat, now and then taking a bite of her burger. She glanced down at it. She was barely halfway through, and the rest of them were almost done.
Can't focus… She looked back up. Applejack was talking to Rainbow Dash now, something about a pegasus and cutie marks or something. Too similar… the voices, the personalities… Sunset kept expecting Rainbow to suddenly wheel on her to snap in her face and tackle her to the ground. I knew they had counterparts in this world, but this is uncanny. No wonder Twilight bonded with the other five so easily. Sunset thought back the journal. She seems to make friends easy. Makes sense, given her position.
"Are you okay, Twilight?" Sunset turned her head to see Fluttershy staring at her. "You've been really quiet. Is something wrong?"
Sunset nodded. "I'm fine, thanks. I just have some things on my mind."
"Oh. What sorts of things?"
"Personal things." Sunset gave a slight edge to her voice and hoped she took the hint. She did; Fluttershy shrank back, nodded, and went back to her food. Sunset looked to see if the others had noticed, but their attention was on their own conversation. That's the same, too. Too wrapped up with themselves to care about me. Sunset's hoof shook on the table. You make friends easy, Twilight. Not me. I don't get friends by just smiling and saying nice things. I had to work to keep them. And even then…
'Sup gang!" Sunset Shimmer smiled and swung her body into the booth. "Hey, Flutters, what's shaking?" She gave Fluttershy a playful punch on the bicep. Fluttershy rubbed her arm and smiled, inching away slightly. Sunset didn't notice and turned to the four girls sitting around the table. They each had drinks in front of them while Pinkie had three packages of fries with an empty fourth package behind them. Sunset snuck a fry from one of the two packages Pinkie wasn't devouring yet. "So, you guys said we needed to talk."
"Uh… yeah…" Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. "Look, Sunset, see… um… you've been kinda cool the last few months."
"There's no 'kinda' about it, Dash. Duh." Sunset smirked and leaned forward. "Gotta admit, you five have started to grow on me. Material goods have that effect, huh?"
"Of course, dear." Rarity nodded. "We've been delighted to help you. Haven't we girls?" Fluttershy and Applejack nodded, but Rainbow sipped her drink and Pinkie kept eating.
And if you hadn't helped me, I would be homeless and hungry right now. Sunset had gotten used to using manipulation and theft to survive in this world, especially since she had no home. Apparently, public records were needed to do most anything, not to mention the familiar technology. After the Fall Formal, most of the school wasn't afraid of her any longer and her hold was broken, and then these five had picked her up and helped her keep going. What began as a relationship of convenience and need had begun to turn into genuine friendship. Not surprising I've gotten so close. Twilight forged a friendship strong enough to use the Element of Magic against in three days, and I've had weeks to work my way in.
Rainbow made a face and struggled to talk. She took a sip of her drink and glanced at Rarity, swinging her eyes between her and Sunset. Rarity sighed and turned to Sunset. "You see, dear. We know how much you're trying to reform after what happened, we really do. And you've made great progress in that regard."
Sunset propped her head on her hand. "I sense there's a point to this conversation somewhere in the future. Are we approaching it?"
Applejack spoke up. "What we're tryin' to say is… maybe we need a little time apart."
Sunset recoiled. "Huh?"
"Well, you're still a little… You're a bit much to handle sometimes." Rarity gave her a sheepish smile. "That's not a bad thing, not necessarily. Some of us just have strong personalities. And that's fine, it really is, but…"
"Can someone tell me the problem without pausing and stuttering?" Sunset tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.
Pinkie swallowed her fries and spoke up. "You're still a bit of a meanie mean-pants."
Sunset swivelled her head Pinkie's way and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
Rainbow gestured with her hand, drawing Sunset's eyes her away again. "It's like I said, you've been cool. Cooler than before, anyway. But you can still be a bit of a pain sometimes, ya know?"
"No, I don't know." Sunset sat up and glared, crossing her arms. "You said we're friends now, right?"
Rarity nodded. "Of course we are, we mean that. But, even friends can get on each other's nerves at times. Just ask Rainbow Dash."
"Hey!"
"Again, waiting on a point." Sunset almost growled the last word, her eyebrow twitching. She already had a feeling she knew what it was.
Rarity sighed. "Well, there was the time you hid that plaid sock in my white laundry during a sleepover."
Sunset rolled her eyes. "I repaid you for those didn't I?"
Pinkie looked up from her meal again. "At my last party you threw a candy bar in the pool and said someone… you know. Everyone climbed out screaming and said they'd never go in my pool again."
"That was just a prank. They'll get over it."
Rainbow scoffed. "You screamed my name as I was trying to kick the game-winning goal in our game against Everfree! I almost broke my ankle missing that ball."
"But you didn't, and you still won the game didn't you?"
"The point is!" Applejack spoke louder to get their attention. "We get you wanna be a good friend. But you're kinda stumblin' a bit, and when you do, you don't always make it easy to pull you back to yer feet."
Sunset let out a huff. "So I'm adjusting to this whole 'friendship' thing. Cut me some slack, huh?"
"Those were all things you did last week!" Rainbow threw up her hands. "We're not saying you can't do these sorts of things, but when you keep going them over and over and barely even apologize, we decided we had to talk to you."
Pinkie nodded. "Even my pranks don't hit that hard that often. And I've put juice mix in Rarity's showerhead."
"So, what? Is this an intervention, an ultimatum?" Sunset looked around the group. Fluttershy bit her lip and looked away as Sunset's aqua eyes came to her.
"Well, um… we were thinking, maybe while you adjust, we could, you know… not hang out for a bit? Just a couple of days, maybe?" Sunset's hand on the table clenched.
"It's not that we don't wanna be your friends anymore, Sunset," Applejack said. "We just think maybe if we take a break from each other and think some things over, it'll be good fer all of us. Ya just need to tone down the, er, 'you'. Ya get me?"
Sunset's hand shook as she spoke, her voice low. "Do we want to go over all the times you five have done something to each other? All the wisecracks you make, all the times you argue. But when I do a few jokes, you cast me aside and decide I'm not worth your time?"
Rarity shook her head. "That's not it at all, Sunset. You're doing your best, we understand. But, we have hung out a lot lately, and even the best of friends need time to themselves."
"Sunset, we want to help you." Sunset turned to Fluttershy. "We just think maybe you're trying a bit too hard, and maybe we're not thinking right after all we've been through. It really hasn't been that long since the formal, and you don't talk to anyone outside us. We think if we spend some time apart, it'll help you get some perspective on things."
Sunset stared at Fluttershy in silence, then turned her head to look at the others. Most of them were smiling at her encouragingly, save for Rainbow Dash, who settled for a sharp nod. Sunset turned back to Rarity. "I'll still need a place to sleep."
"Of course. I'm not going to throw you out on the street." Rarity held out a hand. Sunset looked at it and lifted her own to shake it.
"Fine. Are we putting a limit to this time out of ours?"
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "We were thinking a week."
Sunset took her hand back from Rarity and thought. A week without bumming off them or hanging out with them? She could survive that. She had been alone before, she could do it again for a week. She appreciated friendship, but she wasn't helpless for embracing it. "All right. Let's try it."
"Trust us, Sunset." Applejack smiled. "This will work out good for all of us. You'll see.
"Twilight!" Sunset jerked at the voice screaming in her ear. She turned and glared at Pinkie Pie's smiling face. "You gonna finish that?" Sunset followed Pinkie's pointing hoof to the half a burger in front of her. Sunset snorted and lifted the burger in her magic to shove it into Pinkie's mouth. Pinkie chewed happily and pulled away. Sunset turned from her to the others, still engrossed in their conversation.
I should have known then. But I got stupid. I let myself think they liked me, did my best to make them. But, sometimes your best just isn't good enough. Sunset looked at her hoof, her eye twitching at the sight of the lavender fur. Not that you would know. You were always the best, weren't you? Always treated like you were better. She raised her eyes. Across the table, the phantom image of Twilight smiled at her. You never had to do anything, and ponies lined up to love you. Whatever made you so special? What makes her think you're so much better than me?
"You okay, sugarcube?" Sunset looked to see Applejack watching her. "Ya barely ate and ya haven't said a word since we got here."
Sunset shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
"Perhaps you're coming down with something?" Rarity suggested. "You seem a bit irritable, and we all know illness can do that to the best of us."
Ponyfeathers. This is harder than I thought. Sunset had presumed she could keep her mouth and temper in check, but these five were too similar to the others. How can I be expected to pretend I'm their friend when they… Sunset groaned. They aren't the same, it doesn't matter how they look. The other five turned on you, these ones… She stopped herself. They wouldn't betray her? They might. If Celestia did, why not them? No, can't trust them. But if they're Twilight's friends, do I have a choice?
"Twilight?" Fluttershy tilted her head. Sunset blinked and shook her head.
"Uh… um…" She looked around the group to see the other four staring at her. "I… I have to go." Sunset stepped down from the table and headed to the door, breathing deeply. Focus, stay calm. Just get the hay out of here. Go home and figure things out, and tomorrow I'll deal with them. Can't lose composure around them, not in public. It could ruin everything.
"Twilight?" Applejack ran in front of Sunset as she approached the doors. "Somethin' wrong?"
"Nope, I'm fine." Sunset kept her eyes averted. "Just not feeling well. Going home."
"Anything we can do?"
A voice from behind her. Rainbow Dash… "Yeah. Don't follow me." Sunset stepped around Applejack and left, the door to the restaurant swinging shut behind her.
"My… that was a little odd," Rarity said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash came back to the table.
"She did say she was sick," Fluttershy replied. "Maybe she has a fever."
Rainbow waved a hoof in the air. "Ponies act weird when they're sick. My dad got sent home from work once because he was trying to make storm clouds out of the rainbow mix. She'll sleep it off and be back to normal tomorrow."
"Nah, Rarity's right." Applejack looked back at the door. "Twi was actin' mighty strange all day, and not sick-like. There ain't no fever that makes ponies set pictures on fire. Ah reckon more like she's got somethin' on her mind."
"What do you think it is?" Rarity replied.
Applejack thought for a moment, then got down from the table and headed to the door. "Let's ask her."
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Let me guess: Celestia openly told a young, susceptible Sunset about her plans for her. And Sunset got herself consumed by the expectations for her brilliant future, in exclusion of everything else (including learning to socialize). When Celestia finally realized how deep in the rabbit hole was her pupil, it was late, and neither of them handled it well
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDcvMjMvMjJfMjBfMTlfMzgzXzM4MjIyMF9fc2FmZV9wcmluY2Vzc19jZWxlc3RpYV9uaWdodG1hcmVfbW9vbl9pZHdfc3Vuc2V0X3NoaW1tZXJfcm95YWxfZ3VhcmRfc3BvaWxlcl9jb2xvbl9jb21pY19vZmZpY2lhbF9jb21pYyJdXQ/382220__safe_princess%2Bcelestia_equestria%2Bgirls_nightmare%2Bmoon_idw_sunset%2Bshimmer_royal%2Bguard_spoiler-colon-comic_official%2Bcomic.jpg
That´s why, after such failure, Celestia chose the trickster mentor path with her new student Twilight Sparkle, sending the young scholar outside her confort zone in Canterlot in order to make friends and guiding her progress throught secret tests of character.
P.E: fuck Rainbow Rocks and canon in general. What we, the ones who come to read fanfiction, really want is a good story, so keep the good work
4788516 That would make an insane amount sense.
Either way, I hope this ends well for Sunset as well as everypony else in this story.
Okay this charade will be blown pretty soon since no excuse of sunset will fool the five ponies who know twilight well and they are not exactly like the ones sunset knew
My guess for them finding out is, something bad happens in ponyville and they call on rainbow power but twilight/sunset doesn't change
Renowned, should be a semicolon between "overseeing them" and "such was the respect".
THE writers of the books.
Keep up the good work!
4790944 thank you.
4791063 Valokein :)
Well at least Twilight's having fun. I'm not sure if this is going to end in tears or explosions.
4792774 Actually it's going to end in explosive tears.
4792774
Personally, I think Twilight is reacting too ..passive, even meek to the situation: one of her worst enemies came back and stole everything she holds dear: her friends, her dragon brother, her position, her home... even her own damn skin. She is a hero, for goddamn sake! One who has defeated mad alicons, chaos gods, evil unicorns and magic-sucking tyrants. She should be making plans to null the geas to escape and contact one of the princesses, no studying alchemy or history like if her arrest under Rosen Cross was Summer school.
Wonder what happened during that one week break that pissed off Sunset.
Wonder if twilight will get her body back
4793549 And just how do you propose she does that?
4809283
She has access to an alchemical laboratory. Go figure
4809762 Hmm... touché.
4792933
Why does that sound the like title of a Michael Bay romance movie?
Coming to a theatre near you: Michael Bay's Exploding Tears.
4815967 I would see that film.
4815982 Where is the next chapter?
4861232 Coming next weekend, I'm not done editing it yet and hit publish by accident when clicking edit.
4861341
Bother! Oh well...
4861341 OK. That explains it.
Awesome new cover :D
For some reason, I feel like Applejack's investigation will turn up a failure...
4788516 I'll note for my money that Chapter 7 was partially written and the story beyond it plotted out long before this chapter was posted, but when I saw this comment I was like "crap, he's on to me!"
I need more Twilight influence, here I have homework due and I am reading fan fiction...
Hmmm, at least Sunset is blowing it with Twi's friends.
4793549
I like the Twilight from the Dresden Fillies. She is friendly but wickedly smart. Could be me, but I love those type of people cause they know they are smart but they don't lord it over others and can take jokes aimed at their intellect.
Sunset's not doing the best job of deflecting any potential suspicions. I mean, nopony's going to suspect that she's not actually Twilight Sparkle, because Sunset Shimmer returning and casting a body-switching spell is a complete out-of-context scenario that nopony would ever think of. But she at least needs to do a better job of actually being Twilight Sparkle, instead of merely pretending to be.
Sunset's diary sounds like she wrote it as a filly, and given Celestia sent her there, she must have been under Celestia's tutelage for some time. It's probably from Celestia that Sunset picked up her megalomaniacal vibes, perhaps having been 'promised' the spot of the Element of Magic and a potential future shot at princesshood (mistakes that Celestia wouldn't make with Twilight Sparkle).
I imagine that Twilight's going to break out of her gilded cage in the future through the power of alchemy.
Something tells me the human six weren't so nice to Sunset..
Why would Sunset lie about what happened in Canterlot? It doesn't make sense, and just exposes her to the potential for mistrust when the others find out about the truth. She could've easily told them that she was attacked in Canterlot. It would've worked well too, since after that she would have an excuse about why she was acting weird.
Surprise?
Nice