• Published 19th Oct 2016
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A Woodland Romance - KidatHeart5



A "Royal Canterlot Family" spinoff. This is the story of how Sunset Shimmer met her husband, Timber Spruce.

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Midnight Rescue

Fluttershy asked in concern, “Are you sure you’ll be all right sleeping in one big tent with your cousins?”

Screwball said, “Mom, we’ll be fine.”

Rainbow agreed, “Yeah. We should just take her word for it. Besides, Twilight and Sunset already have it under control by casting protection spells on the tents. There’s basically nothing to worry about.”

Fluttershy muttered worriedly, “I sure hope so.”

Meanwhile, Twilight was helping Sunset unpack in the elder twin’s tent.

Twilight asked, “Are you sure you’re going to be fine sleeping by yourself?”

Sunset shrugged, “Yeah. It’s nothing new for me.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t found the right colt yet. I thought that with all of the adventures you have –“

“It’d be easy to find a stallion I’ll love?” She gave a small chuckle, “Trust me, Twilight. It’s not. I’ve read books about relationships, both good and bad, and I’ve learned that the key to a successful bond is time and building trust. I need to get to know a guy before I can really date him.”

“I know what you mean. When I met Flash, I did the same thing you did: keeping my princesshood a secret. I wanted him to get to know me better by letting him see the real me, not the princess and heir of the Canterlot throne.”

“That was a really smart move you made. You got a cool guy for a husband and two astounding children to call your own. I just wish I could have something like that.”

Twilight then smirked slyly, “Let’s change the subject, shall we? I think Timber’s a pretty cool guy. Don’t you?”

Sunset slightly blushed when Twilight said that. She knew what her twin sister was getting at. She said with a small smile, “Look, I know you’re trying to get me interested in the guy, but I need to spend more time with him to see if he really is the right one for me. I mean, he’s not going to sweep me off my hooves overnight.”

Twilight nodded in understanding, “I get you, I get you. I’m just afraid that you’ll be alone for the rest of your life.”

Her twin chuckled, “Not if I have a large family, good friends, and a bookworm twin sister.” When she grabbed Twilight for a noogie, both sisters laughed.


Out on the ledge where Quibble set up his tent, he lied on his sleeping bag all lethargic. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. His hero had won his heart in so many ways. At first, he thought she was nothing but fiction, but after stumbling upon a plot involving a priceless artifact, Daring Do swooped in and saved him. It took a few more encounters with her to create a spark between the two. He was one of few who were allowed to accompany her on her journeys.

What happened to those good ol’ times? What drove them apart in the first place? He loved her and her brains so much, even if she got a little testy at times. He came to Splendor Woods to relieve himself of the heartache, but it seemed to follow him no matter where he went.

He began to sing as he got up, “I was fine with the mares…I would meet along the way here, here, and there…I was fine ‘cause I knew…that they weren’t for me until Daring Do…” He stepped outside his tent and gazed at the setting sun as he sang, “I was fine when she came…and we fought like it was all some silly game…about it, what she'd choose…After all this time, I never thought I'd lose…

“It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? I lost and she left me…Once she loved me, but she's gone…It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?

“Maps and treasures, reinvention…Exploits, freedom, her attention…Out in daylight my potential…Bold, precise, experimental…” He lied down on his back on the edge as he sang, “Who am I now in this world without her?” He imagined the clouds as him and Daring Do holding hooves. “Petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her…” He then imagined the Daring Do cloud flying away from the Quibble cloud. “What does it matter? It's already done…Now she’s as far away as the sun…"

He stood up and gazed at the sunset as he sang sadly, “It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? I lost and she left me…Once she loved me, but she’s gone…It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on? It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?”

Quibble lied at the edge and stayed there in remorse for a while. Then, just after the sun disappeared behind the mountains, a yellow flash in the woods below caught his eye. He tried to look for the strange light again, but it didn’t show up. He then attributed it to a glare that came off the sunset and went back into his tent.


The royal family gathered around the campfire and listened intently as Sunset told them about the time she spent with Timber Spruce.

She finished, “…and that’s when we went back to the camp courtyard.”

Rarity squealed in delight, “Ooh! I knew it! He is a true gentlecolt!”

Fancy Pants chuckled, “You’re always one for the courteous type, my dear.”

Rarity eyed at him flirtatiously, “Why do you think I fell in love with you?”

The two then purred and locked lips.

Discord said, “Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a time for scary ghost stories, not mushy love-making! Why else would we have a campfire burning here?”

Sunset said slyly, “Speaking of scary ghost stories…” She pulled out her book and flipped open the pages to a certain legend. “This isn’t just a book for fairy tales. There are also legends in here like…” She held the open book up with her magic and said spookily, “…the legend of Gaea Everfree!”

The family gasped and oohed simultaneously.

Sunset then elucidated, having the legend memorized already, “Before Ponyville was ever founded, they say that Gaea Everfree once appeared out of nowhere and grew her strange and mysterious forest from the very ground. She dwelled there for countless years and not a single soul had the courage to enter the woods. Then, one fateful day, a unicorn wizard by the name of Star Swirl the Bearded dared to make his way through by cutting every single plant in his path. But for every plant he cut, several more grew in its place. Finally, Gaea could take it no more and wrapped Star Swirl in vines.

“She demanded to know who he was and what he was doing in her forest. Before he could reply, two alicorn sisters rushed to his aid. Celestia demanded the release of her and Luna’s guardian. With a sneer, Gaea asked why she should let Star Swirl go. The sisters told her that they had lost their entire race in a blizzard and Star Swirl thought that the Everfree Forest would keep the sisters safe from any threat. With reluctance, Gaea granted the sisters sanctuary within her woods, but only if Star Swirl and all other ponies never entered the forest. She made a clearing for where the castle was to be built and allowed ponies and other creatures to be in the Everfree Forest only for constructing the castle. After that, Gaea Everfree was never seen or heard from again.

“Some say that she still lives in the Everfree Forest, but others claim that Gaea was banished from the forest and trapped in magical geodes, hidden away from the rest of the world. But no matter which side you believe, always be on the lookout for…GAEA EVERFREE!”

The rest of the family screamed when Sunset shouted like that. After a few moments, they began to chuckle at how fun this was.

Rainbow commended Sunset, “Wow! You really got us!”

Cheese smiled, “Now that’s a way to tell a spooky ghost story!”

Twilight said, “Sunset did a great job tonight, but we better hit the sack. There’s a lot of fun planned for tomorrow. Who’s putting out the campfire?”

Sunset raised her hoof, “I will. I told the story, so I’ll put out the fire. I’ll be in my tent shortly.”

After everyone exchanged their goodnights and all but Sunset went into their tents, the amber unicorn poured water all over the fire and extinguished it. She checked to see if there was any more fire within the cracks of the dampened woodpile when –

Snap!

The sound of a broken twig alarmed Sunset and she looked all around, asking softly, “Hello? Is anyone there?” Suddenly, she caught the sight of a strange silhouette dashing through the trees. Her eyes widened as she breathed, “The Two-Legs.” Despite her better nature, she went into the woods to investigate.

She was only several feet in the forest when mist began to settle in. She knew it wasn’t a good sign and tried to go back to the campsite. Suddenly, she heard howling that became louder and louder. Yellow glowing eyes then appeared from the shadows and a low growling accompanied them. She gasped and backed away when Timberwolves slowly stepped into view.

Sunset lit up her horn and warned fearfully, “Get away from me!”

Just then, she heard more growling behind her and looked back to see more Timberwolves surrounding her. She fired at a couple of Timberwolves, but more came in their place. Suddenly, something grabbed her and carried her to safety on a high branch. She couldn’t believe it when she saw who saved her. It was the silhouette from her book, the Two-Legs. Unfortunately, the creature was enshrouded by darkness and thus made it impossible to know what it actually looked like.

It began scooping up stones from its bag and threw each one at the Timberwolves. Some of the stones landed in the wolves’ throats and they began choking. Sunset blasted her magic at the other Timberwolves until one shook the tree. She yelped as she fell down from the branch, but the Two-Legs grabbed her by the tail and pulled her up before the Timberwolf could bite her.

Sunset panted, “Thanks.” When she heard no reply from the Two-Legs, she joked, “Oh, the silent type, huh?”

She then noticed that the wolves choking on the stones had splintered and only their sticks and leaves were all that remained. Seeing this gave her an idea. Sunset used her magic to levitate many stones at once and fire them at the wolves’ throats. While all of the Timberwolves were choking at once, the Two-Legs bent down and put Sunset’s hoof on its shoulder. After she wrapped her arms around the creature’s neck, it jumped and swung from tree to tree with Sunset on its back. When they reached the campsite, the Two-Legs positioned its back towards a rope tied to a high branch. Sunset grabbed the rope and slid down to the ground.

She looked up again to say, “Thanks for…” She trailed off when she realized that it had disappeared. Soon, a silhouette that was moving deeper into the woods caught her eye. She finished with a small smile, “…saving my life.”

Author's Note:

The song Quibble sings is “It’s Over, Isn’t It?” from Steven Universe.