The Aftermath
Little Sister
Scootaloo walked through the door of a little café, her shoulders tensing. She scanned the seats for familiar faces, but she didn’t need long to look. One head of brilliant red and yellow hair stood out from the crowd, drawing her eyes against her will. This was it. Last chance to walk out and say she couldn’t find the blindingly-obvious woman that was Sunset Shimmer.
She unzipped her leather jacket and turned her eyes to the ceiling. “This one’s on you, Apple Bloom.”
She moseyed on over to the booth, giving the high-chair at its side a wide berth. So, Sunset had brought Sunny as backup, huh? Using cuteness as a weapon was fighting dirty.
She let herself thump into the cushy seat. “What do you want, Sunset?”
Sunset flinched back. The nervous expression she had been wearing snapped into a pained frown. Scootaloo held back a sigh and waited for her to get her bearings.
“Um. Hi.” Sunset squeezed her hands together. “How are you?”
“Peachy.” Scootaloo leveled her eyebrows. “How are you? Are you well? Golly gee, isn’t that swell?” She draped her arm over the booth back. “Look, I’ve got to meet Lickety Split in, like, three hours, so can we make this quick?”
Sunset rested her head in one hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I know.” Scootaloo opened a menu and did her best to ignore Sunny’s adorable babbling. “Why did you want to meet, Sunset? Isn’t it enough to drag up bad memories every Hearth’s Warming Eve—?”
“Because the bad memories need to be put in their proper place.” Sunset Shimmer sat up and tried to catch’s Scootaloo’s eyes. “And the good memories need their opportunity to shine.”
Scootaloo kept her mouth shut. She didn’t have anything nice to say, let alone something she could say in Sunny’s presence. She flipped to the next page of the menu.
“Look,” Sunset said. “I know you hate me, but—”
“I don’t hate you.” Scootaloo coughed down a lump in her throat. “I’d just rather not spend time with you.”
Sunset folded her hands. “Then why did you come?”
“Apple Bloom begged me to come.” Scootaloo let the menu drop. She slumped down in the booth. “And I had this hope, just this slightest hope, that you’d have something new to say.”
“Yes, well…” Sunset glanced at the waiter as he came to take their orders. “I know nothing I can say will magically fix our relationship.”
They both gave him a terse set of orders, and then sat in quiet. Scootaloo folded her napkin into a little bird, calling her meager origami skills to the test. She set it on Sunny’s highchair and smiled as the boy took it and fiddled with it.
It was demolished in seconds, of course, but that was toddlers for you.
Scootaloo glanced at Sunset. “So why did you invite me? What do you want?”
“I want to be a family again.” Sunset shook her head, rubbing her upper arm. “I know it’s a pipe dream. I know there’s no way we can go back to being what we were before. I just want you to… I want us to finally move past…” She closed her eyes as her forehead wrinkled. “Oh, Scootaloo, I’m so sorry for what I put you through. I can’t imagine how betrayed you must have felt.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo grumbled. “And you know what the worst part was? That—”
“I could have stopped it at any time.” Sunset sucked in her lips. “Just by taking responsibility.”
Scootaloo had her hand up, a finger raised, ready to belt out a series of point that she had practically memorized. At Sunset’s words, she coughed and lowered her arm.
Sunset sighed. “For the longest time, I’ve said that my past does not define me. And really, it doesn’t have to. I don’t have to live like I can’t move beyond it…”
She shook her head. “I went about it the wrong way. I ignored my past. Avoided it. Never brought it up. I put the past in the past and hid it away. It came back to haunt me, regardless.”
She tapped the table. “I want to take responsibility now. My past doesn’t define me, not alone. It’s just one small part of me. But I can’t deny it anymore. I want to fix my mistakes, or move past them, or overcome them.”
Scootaloo stared at Sunset, her heart numb. Her knee bounced beneath the table, nervous energy pouring through her veins.
Sunset used her napkin to daub the edges of her eyes. “One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was losing my little sister.”
Scootaloo turned to Sunny. He looked back with childlike seriousness. She booped him on the nose, causing him to giggle.
“Scootaloo…” Sunset Shimmer prepared herself with a deep, stuttering breath. “Would you be willing to try to be a family again?”
Scootaloo rubbed her fluffy purple hair. “Me saying yes isn’t going to make the hurt go away.”
A sandwich was placed before Scootaloo, alongside a glass of water. She bit into the meal, but couldn’t taste it over the heaviness in her chest. “And I know it’s not fair of me to say no.”
“I’m not asking you to be fair.” Sunset picked at her salad. “I’m asking what you’re willing to do.”
“So it’s on me, now, huh?” Scootaloo tapped her chest. “It’s up to me whether we start calling each other sisters again, it that it? Is that your game? Turning it all onto me—?”
“No, it’s up to the both of us.” Sunset held her hands out. “It has to be a joint thing, Scootaloo. But I can’t do anything if you don’t want it. We could spend the rest of our lives and never say another word to each other…” She looked to the tabletop. “Or I could be honest about how much I miss you.”
Scootaloo fluttered her eyelids against a sudden sting. Sunset went on, “And I’ll take the first step and say how truly sorry I am about the horrible, horrible pain I put you through, and how I’ll never, ever let it happen again for as long as I live. And that is a promise from the depths of my soul.”
“Scooroo?” Sunny said. He reached for another napkin and held it out to her. “Duck?”
Scootaloo looked from Sunset to Sunny. She took the napkin and folded it into a swan. “Here’s a real ugly duckling for you, Kid.”
She stuffed another bite into her mouth. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Like I do?” Sunset squirmed in her seat. “I’m going in blind, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo popped her knuckles. “Maybe if you… just told me about your day? Would that be a start?”
Sunset wiped away a tear before it could fall from her chin. She stabbed her fork into her salad. “If you want?”
Scootaloo glanced to the side and saw her two origami swans battling for dominance of Sunny’s highchair. She gave him a slow, uneasy smile. “Yeah. Let’s try that.”
***
Take Up Arms
Scootaloo flapped her purple-tinged wings and flew lazily a meter above the ground. She followed close behind her small group of friends as they made their way through Ponyville. The aftertaste of ice cream from Sugarcube Corner licked at the corner of her mouth.
Today was the day Rumble rode off to his Royal Guard training.
Rumble walked at the front of the procession, speaking with Spike about this or that. Apple Bloom snuck a word in edgewise every so often, and Sweetie Belle wasn’t afraid of letting loose with a snarky quip. Button Mash and Featherweight were arguing about video games, no surprise there. Everybody had given their well-wishes, said how proud they were of Rumble, hoped that he would write…
Scootaloo hadn’t said a word.
Too soon, the time came to give their final goodbyes. The train station was packed.
Rumble walked to the far side of the platform, giving his older brother Thunderlane and sister-in-law Cloudkicker a hug. A few other ponies and townscreatures milled around, slapping him on the back and slugging his shoulder.
She landed lightly on his back and tapped the top of his head.
He jumped at the sudden weight, but held her up easily. He turned his head and smiled at her. “Hay, Scootaloo—”
She planted a long, passionate kiss on his lips, her hoof caressing his mane. She held him still, her wings twitching against her back. She pulled away with a smack. “You have to be safe, you hear? You have to come back. You go train to be the best darned soldier you can be, but then you have to come back.”
He touched his forehead to hers. “I’ll come back if you wait for me. Honest truth.”
“I will.” She slid down from her back as he sat. Her eyes tilted down. “It feels like we just got this thing off the ground.”
“We kinda did.” He looped his leg around her back and turned her. “But hay, check it out. See the new building they’re putting up?” He pointed to the long, low construction project being assembled at the edge of town, beside the Everfree Forest. “That’s the new Royal Guard Barracks. The guards won’t be staying in the castle anymore. In fact, I hear they’ve got a whole troop moving in.”
He winked at her. “When I graduate, all I have to do is get myself assigned to Ponyville.”
She smirked. “Think they’ll let you do it?”
“I dunno why not.” He kissed her mane. “I’ll miss you, Scoots.”
Thunderlane lifted a set of saddlebags over Rumble’s back. “Don’t forget to write, little bro. We’ll keep in touch!”
“An’ keep yer half-witted remarks tae yerself,” Cloudkicker added. “Ye’ve got eno’ muscles wit’out performin’ twenty wing-ups e’ery time ye open yer fool mouth.”
The train whistled. The conductor hollered out for all he was worth. “All aboard!”
Scootaloo gave Rumble a peck on the cheek. She blushed bright as she backed away. “So… see yah.”
“Bye.” Rumble stepped onto the train car. He squared his hooves, turned to her, and gave her a nervous smile. “Scootaloo… I love you.”
“I—ah…” Scootaloo coughed. She tried to force words out, to answer with something… anything! But the train pulled away, leaving her in a cloud of steam.
“Aw, come—You’re gonna leave me with that?” She slumped to her rump, grimacing at the speeding locomotive. She brushed her mane back, scratching her neck. A flick of her wings tossed her into the air.
“Hay, Scootaloo!” a voice said from the ground. She looked down to see Sweetie Belle calling up to her. “Scootaloo! I’m taking you for lunch!”
Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”
“Since I said so three seconds ago!” Sweetie Belle waved her hoof insistently. “Come on. Time’s wasting.”
The crowd dispersed once the train was gone. Scootaloo hovered behind Sweetie, trailing behind the last stragglers. Sweetie Belle tossed her mane. “So where shall we go?” she asked. “The Silver Spoon? The Apple Family’s market cart? Perhaps the local café? Anything but Hayburger, please.”
Scootaloo smirked. “Hay-oh, welcome to Hayburger—”
“Zip it.” Sweetie Belle pursed her lips. “Very well. The café. Don’t worry, I’ll foot the bill.”
“Come on Sweetie, I’ve got a job,” Scootaloo said. “I’m good for it—”
“You are wearing neither saddlebags nor a coin purse.” Sweetie Belle winked. “Trust me, I’ll foot the bill.”
“I’d rather you pay the bill, but if you’ve got the horseshoes for it…”
Scootaloo grinned. Sweetie looked at her with leveled eyebrows and heavy eyelids.
“That was awful,” Sweetie said.
“I’ve had worse.” Scootaloo settled down onto the smooth road. She trotted through the outdoor café’s front gate and picked a table out. Sweetie sat across from her.
Scootaloo leaned her elbows on the tabletop. “So, why the sudden interest in lunch?”
“It’s noon.” Sweetie Belle patted the bottom of one of her curls. “And you need a friend.”
Scootaloo’s ears drooped. She maintained an upbeat smile. “I’m good. Really. Thanks for looking out for me, but…”
“Scootaloo…” Sweetie adjusted her frameless glasses with a spell. “You’ve been quiet as the grave. If you need somebody to talk to, you needn’t look further. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I’ll be right there. If you need a friend, well, you have several but I will try to suffice and—”
Scootaloo flew over the table and wrapped Sweetie Belle in a tight hug. The unicorn gasped, but recovered quickly, resting her forelegs across her friend’s back.
“’M-’m sorry,” Scootaloo said, her voice warbling. “It’s just that Rainbow joined the Wonderbolts and Rumble’s going away and it’s hard and…” She held on for all she was worth. “I thought I was supposed to be the one everybody came to for encouragement.”
“But who encourages the encourager?” Sweetie Belle nuzzled her. “You can’t possibly be upbeat all the time. Not even Pinkie manages that.”
“Nah, but she’s close.” Scootaloo sighed and wiped her eyes, tilting her head towards the sky. “Gugh. I’m gonna be a mess for the next few weeks, aren’t I?”
“Maybe. You’ll get back into a routine. You’ll get to stay in touch.” Sweetie shared a half-smile. “And in six months or so, he’ll roll back into town, good as new.”
Scootaloo smiled and tiptoed back to her seat. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Sweetie signaled the waiter that he could come and take their orders. “Remember, if there’s anything you need, I’ll be there.”
Scootaloo scanned the menu and ordered a daisy sandwich. She tapped her hooves together and played with the angle of her wings. Her eyes lit up. “I know something.”
“Yeah?” Sweetie Belle sipped from her teacup. “What’s that?”
“Do you think if we added wings to our wagon, I could pull it while flying?”
Sweetie Belle set the tea down. She folded her forelegs atop the table. She set a simmering look over her glasses. “No.”
“You know it’ll cut travel time in half—”
“Scootaloo, I will be there to encourage you on any venture you set out to accomplish…” Sweetie shook her head. “So long as I get to keep my hooves on the ground.”
Scootaloo clicked her tongue. “You of all ponies know that if you’re gonna shoot for a dream, you gotta aim high.”
“You’re right.” Sweetie pointed a hoof. “You should ask Apple Bloom for help. She’s the engineering type.”
“I could totally add in a new cushion.”
“No.”
“Hay, yeah! And new suspension for when we land hard!”
“Nope.”
“I could make it all lacy and stuff so you’d be travelling in style.”
Sweetie Belle smiled and rolled her eyes. “Now you’re just teasing me.”
“Yeah.” Scootaloo leaned back. She caught sight of their waiter bringing out trays of their food. “Just a little levity does a day good.”
Sweetie Belle sniffed her soup du jour. She lifted a spoon to her lips and sipped. “I find that hard to argue with.”
Scootaloo lifted her sandwich and licked her lips. She glanced up at her friend. “Hay, Sweetie?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure.”
***
Order
A woman crept through the doorway into the back of the lecture hall. Students filled the desks, sitting in tiers that circled around the podium several meters below. The woman took an empty desk and crossed her legs. She sneered at a sleeping student three tiers down.
The sneer dissipated when she saw the professor giving the lecture. He was a big man by any standards. Muscular, tall, and broad at the shoulder. He never strayed far from the blackboard, gripping his notes in one hairy hand and holding chalk in the other. His was formally dressed in a black suit with glistening golden buttons.
“In conclusion, the natural world is held together by order.” His black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, while his prominent sideburns made him seem like he had been pulled from history. The woman almost expected him to don a stovepipe hat at the end of the lecture. “Life cannot exist without it. If a single unit—the distance from the sun, the gravitational pull, the size of the planet—was off by a fraction, this planet would cease to exist as we know it. The systems must work together in harmony. If not, one species will wipe out another. An ecosystem can fall to changes in the weather.”
A clunky, metal brace was clasped around his right leg. A cane rested against the blackboard, topped with a glistening lion’s head which roared in triumph. The professor circled a word on the board. “Entropy. It is merely a term we use to describe the truth that the isolated system that is our universe is gradually tearing itself apart. Order itself barrels towards a heated death. Dramatic, perhaps, but basic observation deems it unquestionable.”
He dropped the chalk into a slot on the board and grasped the cane. He made his ponderous way to the lectern on the far side of the stage. “Over the next few weeks, we shall go further in depth with this concept and what it means for thermodynamics. We shall make physicists out of you yet.”
He slapped the stand with his cane. The sound echoed across the room, waking the sleeping student. “Read chapters one, two, and four of your textbooks in preparation for Thursday’s lecture. That is all.”
The students filed out, but the woman stayed. She looped a strand of hair behind her ear with her index finger. She stood up once she and the professor were alone in the room, a folder tucked under her arm. “Doctor Sombra? A word, please?”
He locked the clasps of his briefcase and hefted himself upward with his cane. He gave her a withering look. “If you have questions, please make an appointment. I have a meeting I cannot miss.”
“I’m not a student.” She walked at a quick clip down the stairs to the podium. Her high heels tapped against the smooth floor. “Not of Ursagryph University, at least. My academic interest lies in a… slightly different direction.”
Sombra eased himself down the stairs a step at a time. His awkward gait brought a wince to his face every time his braced leg thumped against the ground. “I’m… not interested… in writing my memoirs. I have… little money for charity. I dislike public appearances. I dislike politics a great deal more. I fail to see… what you could want from me.”
“It’s not what I want from you,” the woman said. She touched the bright-blue streak flowing through her violet hair. “It’s what I can give to you.”
He grimaced at her. “Salvation for my soul, I suppose?”
“Definitely not.”
“So the other thing, then.” He leaned close to her and spoke in a low, gravelly voice. “I despise gold diggers and social climbers equally, madam. Your charms have nothing I have not seen before, and nothing I cannot say no to. Perhaps you shall have more luck at the Blueblood estate. Good day.”
He shuffled past her. She waited to a count of ten before speaking. “Three years ago, April first, you published an article in this institution’s magazine. ‘The Science of Magic.’”
As she expected, the thump, thump, thump of his footsteps stopped. He hunched his shoulders and sent her a blazing glare. “It was an April Fools article. It was a joke.”
“You don’t have a sense of humor.” She pulled the article in question from the folder and dropped in on a nearby desk. “And I’m not laughing.”
She tapped the snippet, pointing out several sentences she had highlighted. “It says here that ‘Magic is made up of three basic components. Emotion is the power behind the spell, the guiding force, the very intention of the user. Mathematics is used to understand the individual makings of the spell, from which can arise infinite combinations. The third component is the interweaving of these ingredients, and how the same ingredients, with the same volume, can become a completely different spell if strung together in an alternate fashion.’”
She smiled at the metaphorical storm clouds hovering around his face. “Have you heard of a small high school overseas? Known as Can—”
“The Canterlot High Hoax; yes, I’ve had the pleasure of innumerable students coming to me with news of that.” He turned on his heel and hauled himself towards the exit. “A teenage girl copes with her harsh reality with fantasies of magical lands and happy ponies, while her five closest friends encourage it. I doubt that was healthy for her development.”
She opened the folder. “I’ve seen with my own two eyes that it is not a hoax.”
“Madam,” Sombra growled, “unless you have physical evidence that magic does indeed exist, I must brand you as a complete lunatic—”
A desk to his right glistened bright blue and levitated. He stumbled, gripping his chest with his free hand. He swore, his eyes growing wide.
“I think that will suffice?” She let the desk slam back into place. “Excellent. Now we can focus on the important things.”
He fell into a chair. He gripped the edge of the desk as his braced leg scraped the ground. “What do you want?”
“I want to learn how you discovered magic, Doctor.” She pressed her palms against the desk and leaned over him. “And then I want to help you perform it.”
Sombra’s lip twitched back. “Me?”
“When doing anything, it helps if the person believes it’s possible.” The woman paced alongside the desks, a catlike grin on her face. “You’ve had an encounter with the magical world, Doctor. When was this?”
Sombra stared into space. His meaty hands gripped his cane. “When I was… a young boy… three women came to my hometown. They did… impossible things. Impossible. They caused arguments to erupt. Tore families apart. Spread distrust. All just by being there. And that was merely the beginning.”
He tightened his jaw. “Before they moved on to prey upon some other town, one of them—I forget her name, but she seemed off even by their standards—took the children aside and told them a story. A… a story very similar to the one I heard from Canterlot High, to be honest. She described… dragons and hydras and people who created the weather… She described magic…”
He shook his head, his craggy face warping into a deep frown. “It was only later I realized she was holding us hostage to escape our village’s witch hunt. We never found the women again. When I wrote the article at the insistence of my friend, I was merely relating a fantastical tale from my childhood.”
“Perhaps you were,” the woman said. “Or perhaps you were subconsciously reaching out, seeking those with similar experience. Those who could show you the truth.”
“I’m not a professor of psychology, so I cannot answer that.” He glanced down at his injured leg. “You can truly teach me magic? Impossible things made real? A complete defiance of everything I know to be fact?”
“All that and more.” She stood tall, her legs ramrod-straight in her pencil skirt. “Are you willing?”
Dr. Sombra fished through his pockets and retrieved a flip-style cell phone. “Fancy Pants? I’m afraid I cannot make our appointment. The pain in my leg is… it’s too much. Yes, another day. Next week at the usual time would be delightful. Good day.”
She reached out an arm. His hand dwarfed hers as he shook firmly. He met her eyes with a dark glower. “To whom do I owe the honor?”
“Glimmer,” she said. “My name is Starlight Glimmer.”
***
It’s Humble, But it’s Home
“All hope was lost!” Hoops declared to his children, sitting on his lap. He thrust a wing to the sky. “The mare was tumbling to certain death, the Wonderbolts had been knocked unconscious, when zowie! Rainbow Dash tore through the stratosphere with an explosion of color!”
“Wow!” Stardust Shimmer said. “Was that the sonic rainboom, Daddy?”
“It sure was, kiddo.”
Dribble Drabble drooled.
Sunset Shimmer slid a rook into place on her chessboard. “Check.”
Adagio Dazzle examined her options, scratching her graying mane. “Aaand… Knight takes rook.”
“Drat.” Sunset rested her cheek on her hoof. “So… what did the princess say?”
“She said thank you.” Adagio clicked her tongue as Sunset maneuvered her other rook into position. “She said she’d bring us any information she finds about the portal. Knight takes bishop.”
“What?” Sunset squinted at the board. “Drat again. Bishop takes pawn.”
“Rook to A-5.” Adagio tapped the piece absentmindedly. “She tried to talk with you, you know. Just to talk.”
“I know. Queen takes bishop.” Sunset Shimmer glanced toward her family, a groan rising from her chest. “Is it bad that I don’t really care?”
Adagio raised an eyebrow. “You’re gonna have to quantify that statement, hon.”
“I am completely comfortable with my life here as it is.” Sunset swept a hoof over the board. “I teach language, meet interesting people, spend some time socializing with the townscreatures, then come back home every night and settle quietly in. That’s life. It’s easy. It’s sane. I’m tired of this talk of alternate universes and princesses and magic…”
Adagio rolled her eyes and took a pawn. “You were willing to help me study the portal—”
“You’re my best friend.” Sunset moved her queen. “Check. I’d be an ogre if I didn’t agree to help you.”
Adagio chuckled. “You little racist, you.”
“What?” Sunset lowered her eyebrows. “Come on! Don’t tell me ogres are actually a thing.”
“Distant cousin of the cave troll.” Adagio slipped a bishop across the board. “Bishop takes queen.”
“Well, the Society for Kindness to Ogres can call me out later.” Sunset Shimmer raised a victorious hoof. “For now, I’ll say that you’ve fallen into my trap.”
“Rook to A-1.” Adagio’s smirk split across her face. “Checkmate.”
Sunset’s hoof flopped to the table. “Huh?”
“Yeah, that wall of pawns, right in front of the king?” Adagio shook her head slowly. “Not a great idea.”
Sunset scowled at her.
“Hay, it was your idea to play chess in the first place.” Adagio waved a hoof. “Don’t blame me because you haven’t been practicing.”
She stood up and stretched. “It’s kind of a metaphor for life, you might say. You’ve walled yourself off and it’ll just end up with you trapped—”
“I don’t wall myself off.” Sunset Shimmer crossed her forelegs. “I always let in the ponies I trust.”
Adagio laughed. “You don’t trust Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship?”
“She’s powerful and she’s public,” Sunset said, counting off her hooves. “That’s a combination I want absolutely nothing to do with.”
Adagio Dazzle hung her head. She nodded and wrapped Sunset in a one-legged hug. “Alright, you’ve got me. You like your privacy. What about the other Sunset? Your double? Your sister from an alternate-universe mister?”
“That’s… different…” Sunset’s horn sparked, gathering up the chess pieces. “She and I already have a built-in kinship. And… We understand each other, to a degree. She’s also not a purple pony princess. I’m… I’m actually looking forward to meeting her family. It’ll be nice.”
Adagio smiled. “That’s more like it. That’s the Sunset I know. Always eager to try new things.”
“Once,” Sunset giggled. “I’ll try anything once.”
With a nod, Adagio turned to the children. “Come on, kids, give Aunt Dagi a hug before she goes home!”
Stardust nearly tackled her to the ground, but Adagio’s strength held up. She gave the filly a squeeze and patted the little Dribble on the head. She made a point of slugging Hoops in the shoulder, possibly leaving a bruise, before telling him “Keep yourself out of trouble.”
She nuzzled Sunset, and was out the door. Evening overtook the outer reaches of Fillydelphia, casting a rich purple glow over their little town. She trotted across the dusty streets, waving a greeting to a few creatures not yet home from work. Fergus the leprechaun and Winifred the diamond dog waved back.
She came to her little home, barely more than a hut. She sighed and pushed the creaky wood door open. It was a two-room house. One where she slept, and one where she did the cooking, cleaning, and eating. She struck a match and lit the lantern sitting over the little writing desk tucked into one corner. Pages and pages of musical notes were written on scrolls, the makings of several unfinished songs.
“Eh.” She shrugged and turned away. “One of these days.”
She stood in the center of the room, turning her head every which way. Her eyes darted around and her ears danced atop her head. Seeing and hearing nothing, she lifted the rug splayed across the floor and revealed a trap door.
It was not sealed with a latch, but a magical lock; one only capable of being opened with her voice. She leaned close to it and whispered, “Welcome to the show.”
Tumblers rumbled. The door swung outward. A spiraling staircase led into darkness. She went down, and the door closed after her.
The room at the bottom was small and cramped. It had a single magic-lit lantern in the center of the rocky ceiling. Adagio stopped by a wooden chest and kicked it open. She saw several glistening, golden apples sitting inside. She took one out, admired her reflection, and bit into it.
Power filled her body. Wrinkles disappeared from her face as color returned to her mane and coat. Her apparent age receded several years, drawing her elderliness away and transforming her into a middle-aged mare. Adagio flexed her strong limbs as they burned with energy.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked to the far end of the room. A mirror sat against the wall. It was rounded, as tall as two ponies, framed with spiraling patterns, and featured a perfect reflection. It wouldn’t have looked out of place in a palace. Go figure.
Adagio touched her hoof against Starswirl the Bearded’s magic mirror, stolen from Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Ponyville castle. She traced its edge all the way to the bottom. Her smirk turned sinister as she stared into her own eyes. “Okay, then, big boy. Let’s see what makes you tick.”
She laid a notepad on top of the chest and slid a pair of goggles over her eyes, their multicolored lenses keyed to sense magic currents. A unicorn could have found them with a simple descrying spell, but earth ponies—and former mythical sea creatures, for that matter—required a little assistance. Slowly but surely, the secrets of the wizard’s design came together. Between what Twilight leaned about the pool portal and what Adagio discovered about Starswirl’s, she would soon enough be able to make her own mirror.
Then the fun could really start.
***
Well, Shoot!
Lord Mayor Applejack stood in the middle of the freshly-paved, smooth, spotless road that was Mane Street. She looked slightly to the left, where a giant, five-clawed footprint had crushed through the asphalt and tar. She turned back to the spotless road that had been the cornerstone of her mayoral campaign.
Applejack sighed.
She grimaced at the footprint. She refused to look at the dozens of others leading up and down the roadway. A few had started to fill with water.
Applejack sighed.
She heard a faint boing, boing, boing as somepony hopped up behind her. Pink filled her peripheral vision, which could only have belonged to one mare. “Hi, Pinkie.”
Pinkie Pie smiled wide. “Hi, Applejack! Whatcha doooin’?”
Applejack sighed.
Pinkie Pie looked down one way, then swiveled her head around to look the other. She bobbed her head. “Looks like the city budget needs to find some room for a little road repair. And maybe we should add, like, a dragon-path that leads along the edge of the city. You know, for when Little Spike grows up.”
Applejack gritted her teeth. “Y’all can stop callin’ him Li’l Spike, you know.”
“Y’all as in just me,” Pinkie said, “or y’all as in ‘everybody in the city?’”
Applejack sighed.
“There, there, Applejack.” Pinkie adjusted Applejack’s cravat, tying it just a little too tight around the neck. “Once we install those dragon-path-thingamadoos, we won’t have to worry about any dragons crushing the road again.”
With a smirk, Applejack looked to the sky. “Ah guess you’re right—”
“We’ll just have to worry about water getting into the cracks in the road and then freezing during winter and expanding into ice so that it makes the cracks bigger and turns them into potholes which can make ponies trip, fall, and break their legs.” Pinkie waved a nonchalant hoof. “Not to mention the propensity ponies have to drive especially rough over the roadways, which can be a doozey when your cart doesn’t have the proper suspension but otherwise feels like gliding on silk. They never notice the scuffs and chips and dents and, yes, cracks that result.”
Applejack sighed.
“So,” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing on her hind legs. “Whatcha doooin’?”
“Lamentin’ my lot in life.”
“Funny thing about lots in life.” Pinkie Pie whispered out of the corner of her mouth, “If it’s a big, empty sandlot, it’s just perfect for a friendly game of hoofball. Just a thought.”
Applejack pulled the hat from her head. “Is that a metaphor?”
“Yeah, kinda.” Pinkie giggled. “It’s also an invitation. The girls are meeting up at Sugarcube Corner. Got an hour or so to hang out?”
Applejack narrowed her eyes at the road. She untied her cravat and let it hang from her neck. “Yeah, shoot, why not? The roads ’ll keep an’ the protestors can have a break. Lead the way, Assistant Mayor Pinkie Pie!”
Pinkie Pie pronked along, Applejack trotting in her wake. The pink mare glanced at a footprint as large as a wagon. “Wow. I guess you can say Big Spike really left an impression, huh?”
Applejack sighed.
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Well, it's over.
Fantastic job, Mr. MyHobby. Easily in my top five favorites.
Starlight Glimmer+Sombra= A bad day in the making.
Did not see that one coming, but I also can't say I'm that surprised by it. This is Adagio.
I'm also not convinced stealing the mirror makes her evil, just driven in whatever her pursuit is.
Murphy at his best.
So many sequel hooks! This universe is just awesome.
This sinister side of Adagio has me questioning how pure her intentions were when she gave Twilight the gem. How much damage could an alicorn siren do?
Dun-dun-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What the...
MyHobby, you magnificent, curve-throwing writer, you!
I still think Scoots might be Aria's foal....
Alright, a solid chunk of life-slicey right at the end for these last two chapters, a bunch of questions get answered but as per usual, a few more are asked!
Awww, she's still got a crush on her husband!
Wow, this Flash is really unlucky! He doesn't get Sunset or Twilight, and his life is made up of constant travel, danger, and copious explosions! What woman would be able to understand all that?
Ok, besides that being a great romantic scene, this should have been obvious in retrospect to me, because thinking back Twilight and Sunset's relationship always felt a little off to me as friends. The way Twilight was so unsure of all her other friends really valuing her, but at the same time she was so completely comfortable and assured around Sunset, and despite all the revelations from Sunset it felt like their relationship never really faltered. It makes a lot of sense if they are sisters-in-law, that's definitely what their relationship feels like.
Ok, good husband, but I have to ding Shining Armor some BBBFF points here. Isn't he aware that his sister has been desperately searching for magic for the last ten years? And he seems totally cool with Sunset keeping it from Twilight this whole time. I mean, I get why he made the choice he did, but he doesn't sound in the least conflicted on this, or even like he ever tried to persuade Sunset to confide in Twilight!
Those guys must have been great in a frat together.
Wait... your Sunset was still in Equestria at the time of the first sonic rainboom, when Twilight became Celestia's personal student? Even though Twilight had never heard of Sunset Shimmer? Maybe this is like, a week tops before Sunset ran through the portal, and Twilight was too distracted by orientation or something to notice the other personal student?
Applejack..... always has good advice, for everyone.
Oh yeah, there's that
other type of feels. I almost forgot about those. 
Tough choice. At least Sunset has a better understanding of special talents and destiny than most humans to help him make it.
Wait, Aria found the portal before Rainbow Rocks? Why didn't she lead her sisters through immediately so they could get juicier magic? She was so afraid to be in the same dimension as the stallion she loved, and I guess she figured she had to keep her sisters with her, since their magic seems to be stronger as a group. Then after the Battle of the Bands, she was afraid of their reaction to her keeping it a secret in the first place?
Right, where would we find a purple-maned 18 year old orphan abandoned in the alley of a small town, with unusual magical development?
...and that's the feels quadrifecta. Good to know she will get her voice back.
So even if Sunset didn't get adopted, she still visits Davenport and Roseluck at least once a year, that's good.
I guess her past is today, today.
Daww, Scooroo's right, bringing Sunny was fighting dirty.
Ok, I suppose this world with Sunset Armor, Scootasister, and Big Mac dating Twilight may not be such a bad place after all. Especially since Starlight Glimmer isn't the premier of the USSR or anything.
About time! Should solve the stallion shortage as well!
Wow, with a sharp tongue like that she must make an excellent vegetarian haggis!
And a significant new player enters the stage! I like how your conclusions are like Marvel post-credit teaser trailers.
Man, that is a so cool.
So this world's Bluebloods have an estate in Felaccia... interesting.
That's sneaky, publish an article that could make you look crazy, but do it on Discord's birthday to hedge your bets. Of course, Twilight must have read it, if she's studying magic. I wonder if now that she has made significant progress, she will write to this leading professor in the field and let him know?
Understandable belief. Even if you believe in magic, it's still a hard story to swallow. Like the difference between life on other planets and your friend getting abducted and probed.
Oh Sonata, you never could keep your mouth shut...
Aww yeah, things are about to get really interesting in EqG world! What wasn't revealed: Is Starlight a siren?
That will be awesome!
WOW! And even now I don't if Adagio is actually evil, or just sneaky. Is she part of the larger conspiracy, or an indendent actor? Either way, I'm not going to writer her off. She's clearly taking precautions with the magic mirror, because she recognizes it as a dangerous power. But she's also reading all the friendship lessons from Princess Twilight and practicing them with a friend... and she doesn't seem to be taking into account how dangerous a power that is.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Damn, I've got too behind reading the fic and now I have to catch up... about half of the story?!
What.
Oh. That's her husband.
Yeah, that makes sense.
By the way, for having a character introduced right here at the end... you do a very good job of giving him a really believable and sympathetic reaction to all that happened. I'm happy enough that he's in on what's going on, seeing as everyone seems to be now.
Ha. Twilight's not Sunset's friend. Twilight's Sunset's sister-in-law.
I... am not sure what happened to Twilight's uncertainty about Princess Twilight's old friends not being hers? Maybe it's still there?
Eeyup, been waiting a good while for that shoe to finally drop. All the sigils popping up in the epilogues, and then a story focusing on the sirens themselves? Had to be a connection, no two ways around it.
Starlight and Sombra, though? I'd fully expected this EqG subplot to be a one-story deal, but clearly...
OH SHIT
Damn good story!
So, on both sides of the Mirror of worlds, the board is slowly being set. The forces of good and the forces of evil... and the forces of totally selfish self-interest (Adagio). Something tells me that this tale is not done just yet.
How did Apple Bloom convince Scoots I'll never know.
But it works.
Rude.
Look, can you at least be civil?
Thank you.
Then why are you here?
Ouch.
Indeed.
Pretty much.
Your Past Is Not Today, Sunset, Let It Go.
Please say yes...
Correct.
...
Heh.
I think that would be great.
That so?
At this rate, he's going to end up with a sore spine and a dislocated shoulder.
That's one way to say goodbye.
Nice.
Scottish Cloud Kicker. I got nothing.
I like this mare.
I'm guessing she worked there and has had it up to here with the greeting?
We need more of these CMC.
Me and anyone whom I subject to a pun.
EveryPONY, also, poor Scoots.
She's damn close though.
Flashbacks to your reckless fillyhood?
Impeccable logic.
Hm...
True, but chaos FORMED the world.
Who is this guy?
Hm, interesting.
Doctor SOMBRA? So in this universe he's a Doctor not a tyrant. I have a question for him though. What's Up Doc?
Ursagryph, cool.
So he's a significantly better person than in Equestria.
Starlight Glimmer. I'm surprised to see you here.
At least she's blunt.
Blueblood estate? Nice.
Sombra's not known for being funny, but publishing it on April 1st, clever way to cover your tracks, wait a tick-tock, could it be that...
I wonder, did Starlight also find her way into the Human world?
How does he know?
Hardly a hoax.
This is Pony Starlight. Things just got interesting.
Why would he want magic?
The Sirens...
Off, either Sonata or Adagio I'd say.
I'm sure.
Looks like it. Wonder how his leg got injured?
The name's Bond. James Bond.
YES.
She's old, but not senile yet.
This amuses me.
Sunset, Everyone's A Little Bit Racist, todaaay...
She's far better at chess than you, she was probably around when they invented it.
Fair enough.
A leprechaun, think if I cut it open with my knives, it'd spill out Lucky Charms?
She stole the portal.
Or not.
Yipe. How did she even steal it though?
I see.
You just can't win, can ya?
What are you, Isabella from Phineas and Ferb?
Poor AJ. ALso, everyPONY.
AJ is sighing a lot.
This amuses me greatly.
Pinkie? Corner. Now.
It's a start, and you'll never make it anywhere until you do start.
You know, reading this Rumble & Scootaloo section, my mind keeps going back to the revelation from last chapter about Scootaloo's potential parentage. Somehow the greater threat to Equestria involves sirens, and out of the blue we have a siren half-breed in the middle of Ponyville, in the same town where Princess Twilight is experimenting with siren gemstone magic.
Now there's some encouragement.
Holy crap. That's almost certainly a very bad thing. Of course, this doesn't have to be an evil Sombra and at the moment it doesn't feel like it is. Hopefully Starlight won't manage to push him into it. Nice use of the Sirens back a few decades as the instigators of more magical shenanigans.
Additional thought, I wonder how much this magic usage will spread. Planet-wide given enough time? Does it work like magical talent osmosis, you have to be near some on magical to become magical in turn, or could anyone anywhere develop it given the proper correspondence course of sorts? Lastly, has Megan left a magical heritage of her own given the trip she took a century or so ago?
Oh yeah, I knew it. Never. Trust. A. Siren.
You know, the real lesson here for Applejack is that road maintenance is an unending job. A long as Ponyville exists, those roads will be beaten down, repaired, beaten down, repaired, etc., etc., more or less forever.
Also, I hope Spike is Little Spike forever too, because that would be hilarious.
Great story o glorious author, and my goodness did it lay the groundwork for even more story to come.
Started reading this today. Damn, this is good. Can't wait to get back to this later
And here i thought reading a story from my read-later-list would decrease its size. Silly me.
Have I mentioned lately how much your writing has improved? Because it's a lot. Still noticed a few typos here and there (have you found an editor yet?) but overall this was a great end to a very well done story.
I was honestly hoping this would last longer. The entire setup just seems like it would have supported so much more than you did with it, it's kind of disappointing to see it not really go anywhere with all that potential.
6365235
I too have been there. I think the record is ending up with an additional ten stories on my 'read later' list from reading a few thousand words.
6388557 This story is actually kind of a side-story to Daybreak, which you will probably enjoy.
Aha, I knew it! Princess' lines were supposed to be in cursive! Stupid .epub not keeping formatting stuff like that. Fortunately I got everything from context, or so I hope. Just dropping in to read all the author's notes too, because of course they don't get downloaded either, and to congratulate you on such a well written fic. You see, I am commuting almost daily and have an hour long train ride in both directions, so stories that pique my interest and are already complete I usually download to read on my tablet while I'm on the road, or track as the case may be. This fic was one of those stories, though in retrospect it probably would have been better to just read it at home, as the ending made me tear up in public. Most train rides I get up about five minutes before it arrives, but this time I tried to get as far as I could with this story before packing up and leaving at the last moment because it just had me in its grip. After arriving at home I immediately continued and finished reading as I was already at the epilogue, and now I am here, sharing my thoughts with you even though I still have got to pee.
So yeah, great story, loved it, favorited it, you mentioned this is part of a series, yes? Gotta check out your other works, but first, to the bathroom and then feed the cat that has been getting on my nerves for half an hour now.
6344753
I'm not convinced. If there was a drama tag, I would add it without a second thought. This story isn't necessarily sad, it just has some heavy moments. Heavy moments that made me cry just coming up with them.
Eeeehhhhh... maybe?
I'm gonna file this under the Scootaloo Will Fly! clause and say that the purpose of the story isn't sadness, but the adventure just happens to have a few tears to shed. Even though this is probably my saddest story to date.
I'm losing the war on tags, howard035. I just fire up the closest ones and hope for the best.
I'm leaning towards Lemon Zest, but I have to actually see the movie to decide whether I ship it or not.
That's sure what I was hoping for. A family relationship, as opposed to a friendship, which we've seen SciTwi be very not-good at. I felt like it would be something she'd allow to grow naturally, just by sheer proximity to her In Law.
If I ever get to write the sequel, it's going to be fun watching all these familial relations bump against each other as the Sparkle-Shimmer-Apple-Loos grow closer together.
Maybe Twilight's favorite hangout was inside her own head? Maybe Celestia would be smart enough to take more than one special unicorn at a time/per decade as her personal students?
In other words, I decided to make the timeline work by bending it over my knee and giving it a good reinterpretation.
it was just hinted at, but she was basically ditching them when she first got back. Then she met Caution. She only rejoined the trio because she didn't know where else to go. Great choice, kiddo.
Wouldn't you be, after reading these stories?
Not to mention, Granny Smith is still alive and kicking! I probably just made you sad again!
Glimmer isn't the dictator in this series, no.
6345397
That's why I've planned out his arc very carefully. Expect heroics down the line!
I always try to give my characters some panache, regardless of how much "screen time" they have. Adagio came easily, because she comes prepackaged with a lot of really cool stuff, let alone where I intended on taking her. Shining Armor was slightly harder in that regard, for a few reasons. He's basically built from the ground up, save that he's one of Twilight's idols.
It's still there. But instead of moping about it, she's doing something about it. Principally, allowing herself to confide in Applejack.
6348199
Truth be told, I was a little nervous about revealing the relationship early on because I have a fear of rabid shippers. I don't care so much now, half a year later, but at the beginning? Yeah, I saw the red bar crawling across the page in my nightmares.
But I wasn't totally irrational. I knew that first I had to establish that things like romance could vary across the cosmos. I dropped little hints about Cadence not being related to Twilight, we had the whole Big Mac ordeal, stuff like that. I only revealed the relationship once I was sure no outcries of unfaithfulness would be heard.
I also wanted to set the real focus on Sunset's and Twilight's relationship with each other. Twilight's too stiff a person to worry aloud about her family being in danger, especially when she wanted to calm Sunset down. Sunset's just a little too savvy to play the "he's your family too" card.
I wrote all their dialogue with the knowledge of their relationship in mind... But this isn't the first time I might have been too subtle.
I see where you're coming from, and I think you're right. Except for the setup, I was keeping it hidden for pretty silly reasons. Live, as they say, and learn.
As I told howard035, I may or may not ship him with Lemon Zest as my true and only OTP...
If he was a smart man, he would have invited her back to the Apple homestead, where Apple Bloom could have lived out her one true calling as constant chaperone. Snuggles would have been had.
It's not a bad thing to wish for, since the princess herself feels exactly the same way. It's just that some scars heal slower.
I really like the thought of them as having been there for lots of the big historical events, just sitting back and absorbing the grumpiness.
It's possible to discover it for yourself, but it's much easier if you're taught by somebody who knows what they're doing. It's innate, but hidden.
6388557
I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed. Would you mind sharing where you thought the story missed its potential?
6375496
And I think I finally found it.
I can't even remember if it was deliberate or not. Ah well, if I need to imitate something, it might as well be The Dark Knight, amiright?
Fairly regularly, actually. Thank you so much for the compliment.
Nah, no editors, and it's my own fault. I haven't had the time to seek one out, and I haven't taken the initiative to make time. I'm the sort that wades into the pool slowly, so I'm not too quick to try things out like that, even if all my experiences with it have been good thus far.
One of these days I'll heads over to the editing groups and dip my toes in...
6365235
They only had shards of Adagio's red amulet. In the other stories, it's been shown that the other neo siren's amulets are different colors, blue and yellow. It's implied that there's something different about them.
6545247
That would be part of my never-ending battle with formatting. The downloads and text-to-speech and everything else always miss something important!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! I cant help but grin uncontrollably just a little bit. Here's hoping you find something fun in the other stories, too!
I do all my reading during long commutes. I've spent many a travel day lost in some far-off land, facing evils far more bitter than that of the weird old-bus smell, and winning victories far greater than simply reaching the destination. Many happy roads, traveler!
6568855
It's not your fault, they keep multiplying! Soon there's going to be all these new background pony tags, and everyone is going to want to know why a certain story doesn't have Moondancer or Wind Rider tags, etc.
Interesting choice, common bond of music and all that. Why Zest instead of, say, Vinyl Scratch?
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are 4th cousins 5 times removed!
In a post-Amending Fences world, I can just imagine how that conversation went.
"Twilight, as my new student I want to start you off reading this weighty tome of the magical effects on interstellar nebula." 
"I can see you're already getting absorbed into it, but you should also be aware I have an older personal student named Sunset Shimmer, she's conducting research on time travel, which is definitely possible. My eldest student, Starlight Glimmer, is focused on research on curses, which are indeed a real thing.... Twilight.... Twilight... Twilight!
" .....nevermind, just feed your new baby dragon some gems before he eats his way through the floor."
I can't believe that Aria Blaze is the only siren who didn't stay evil... what a crazy world you've built, Hobbs.
Given what I know now about your Adagio and Sonata, yes I would.
This is what I'm imagining Andean looking like in the human world: cdn04.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/cohen-dictator/sacha-baron-cohen-dictator.jpg
6568855
It's not really anything about the story itself and I wouldn't blame you if you don't agree with me there. I've been reading this as a standalone kind of story, not as part of a series, so my perspective on it may differ. I would have enjoyed seeing more in terms of cop-Twilight's interactions with the world she has been looking for for so long and now finally got to see. It just seemed to me like it should have been a bigger deal than the story made of it - there could have been so much done with that.
It would have meant deferring the murder mystery and kidnapping parts of the story a bit, admittedly, and I can see how that might not be something you'd want to do. I still felt like that part of it was a bit glossed over, though.
6802932
Something's definitely up, although I think it's a bit of stretch for the story thus far to pan back to Adagio and make her the real villain. The fact that she's lying to both sides somehow makes you wonder though. It makes me think that Adagio lied to Sonata somehow so that she would take out Aria and then blame Adagio who could then deflect any blame from herself via other means (since she didn't actually kill Aria). That doesn't explain why Sonata wanted to hurt Sunset though. I get that losing their gems was rough on some or all of them, but Sonata seemed to have lost it. Hopefully there's a sequel or something where things get straightened out, because it's hard to tell if any of the Sirens are good/bad or if they're just intrinsically duplicitous in all things.
When did she get around to stealing the portal from the castle and wouldn't Twilight have noticed?
This was an enjoyable story for the most part, but there were some issues I had. Some of the ships felt a bit unnecessary (the Shining Armor/Sunset Shimmer in particular feels extremely random). And the final chapter is a bit problematic because it's largely just continuations and references to other stories in this universe; for someone who isn't that familiar with it, it was very confusing. Obviously any story in a verse is going to have references to other stories, but up until that final chapter they were all well explained and well integrated into the actual story, whereas in the final chapter it's just a cavalcade of such things. It also suddenly brings in a bunch of cliffhangers kind of out of nowhere, and while this might be acceptable if this were immediately followed by a sequel, there's no sequel at this time and thus they're all left hanging. Why introduce them at all, then? Why not wait until the actual next story?
Despite these issues, I did enjoy the story on the whole and give it a thumbs up. It's mostly the last chapter that I had an issue with.
7199475
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the majority, and I appreciate your honesty.
I kinda felt that particular ship sorta linked everything together, in a way. It added a bit of depth to Sunset's and Twilight's relationship, united their pasts, and informed a bit of how they met, how they got their start. It could have definitely used a bit more foreshadowing, but this was started when I was a bit more nervous about portraying alt-canon romances.
Now, though, I feel like it's part personal preference, and part how well the author portrays it. If I couldn't sell it, then all I can say is "drat!"
I can understand how HoopsXOther!Sunset might not be your OTP, though. That's a hard pill to swallow, but I thought it was thematically appropriate for the life Other!Sunset finds herself in.
I've gotten into this habit. In all my multi-chapter stories in the series, I add a chapter at the end and call it "The Aftermath." The Aftermath is basically an excuse for me to appeal directly to readers who've followed the entire series up to this point. It's the space I use to show how the story interacts with the larger plot. So I use points of view that weren't in the story, characters you never saw, and situations that nobody knows about.
However, I do try to make sure that each scene has a tangential connection to the story at hand. Human!Scootaloo's scene is an epilogue to Sunset's family troubles, showing that she's on the road to recovering lost time. The scene with Human!Sombra shows that Twilight's not the only human who's learning magic, and shows the effect that the sirens have had on history. Adagio's scene causes the reader to completely recontextualize her part in the story, twisting their perceptions of her and causing them to question her motives.
Pony!Scootaloo's scene is the least connected of all of them, yes, and basically acts as a small sequel to a previous story. It also has one of those out of nowhere ships. I felt it was appropriate enough, though, due to it following Human!Scootaloo's scene (providing contrast) and following in the footsteps of the revelation that they are moving a barracks to Ponyville.
Plus, It wasn't fair for Sweetie Belle to be the only Ponyville Crusader to not feature in ItAoSS.
The purpose of a cliffhanger is to build hype, and to get people wondering. As Wikipedia [citation needed] says, "A cliffhanger is hoped to ensure the audience will return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma."
So I'm shilling future stories. It's the businessman in me. Potentially dangerous, but it seems to have worked so far.
Though that's not the only reason for the scenes, of course. I made sure the cliffhangers had a twofold reason for existing--Adagio's deceptiveness revealed, and lots of World Building from Sombra.
Again, thank you for your thoughts! I won't be able to convince you that I'm secretly a genius
, but I am glad to hear most of the story worked for you. Excelsior!
God damnit, I knew it was coming and you still made me bawl. You masterful bastard you.
In all honesty this was beautifully done. I was hooked from start to finish.
7230836
Hey! Great to hear from you again!
If it helps, I knew it was coming for the whole dang story and I still wept a little. I wouldn't have dared to write it if I didn't think it was worth a tear or two.
Thank you very much for saying so! This remains one of my favorite stories I've written, and a lot of it came right from the bottom of my heart. I'm glad to see that it can still touch others.
Finished this today. Good stuff. An interesting look at the future lives of the girls, decent drama and action, and feels right where they hurt.
7244086
Thanks for letting me know you liked it! It was marvelous fun exploring the possibilities that Equestria Girls opens up.
Excelsior!
That description reminds me of a fan game I'm working on, which is an homage to Persona 4.
A nice read, the ending was somewhat foresable but not bad at all, I may even say it was more impactful because I saw the trainwrack coming.
Anyway, I ahd funu and therefore you get a like and a place on the bookshelf
Preliminary comment: Ooooh. I've got an enormous soft spot for Sunset as of Rainbow Rocks, and particularly after Glimmer showed up. And your summary (and other works of yours I've read) seems promising.
I liked this a lot. It was rough at first, it was hard getting an understanding of this version of the EqG world. Not that it was fault of the story/auhor/writing, it was my fault, the reader, going in with some pre-conceived notions. Once I got past that, it was smooth sailing. Well written and an interesting twist on the standard EqG cannon.
The whole Princess Twilight has no voice was a bit odd, and didn't really seem to make a difference to the plot, but it did add a bit of worldbuilding and was something new, so I have no arguments in regards to it. In fact it just helped offset the whole trope of SciTwi and Princess Twi meeting themselves that usually occurs in these types of stories. So, yeah, that was nifty. (And it did help add a bit of background for the world at large that I'm expecting might come in play in later stories.)
And I'm proud to say that I figured out who Sunset's hubby most likely was before he showed up. I just didn't quite nail the why, figured out why he was gone, just not what he was doing while he was gone.
So, yeah, woo!
Excellent story I enjoyed it greatly.
Now a pun really you ended it on a Pun? Why?
10480609
Does it bother you that your comment didn't get a response?
11007519
Nope I was joking about the pun bit.