Sixth Chapter - You Still Love Them
Saving the world is more art than science, but it’s the kind of art that implies advanced mathematics.
Flower Fall was not your usual threat. Twilight Sparkle had dealt with many dangers in her lifetime, but she had to admit it: explosive time travel was somewhat of a novelty. Befriending the abstract concept of Time was impossible. Shooting lasers at it was equally useless.[1] For the first time in centuries, evil would not be defeated with brawn—but with brains.
[1] It had taken Rainbow Dash several days—and thirty-seven broken clocks—to finally accept this fact.
Which, for Twilight and Moondancer, translated as several weeks trapped in the Royal Library, researching every possible book on advanced magical physics available. Anything else—sleep and sanity, health and hygiene—became secondary.
“But my friends keep saying that’s not good.” Twilight said that morning after hopping off the train. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane was disheveled, her coat was pale and covered in dust. She looked more dead than alive. “It kinda takes a toll on you!”
Starlight smiled. “Right,” she said. Then, she looked around. “And speaking of tolls on you, where are your friends?”
Twilight blew a raspberry at Starlight for that last comment before replying. “Helping Rarity with her luggage!”
“You need five ponies to help with Rarity’s luggage?”
“Seven, actually. Moondancer and Sunset came with me too, I need them.” Pause. Twilight thought about it for a second. “Wait. Maybe it’s eight? Does Spike count if we’re talking ponies?”
“Eeeh.” Starlight waved a hoof in the air. “I mean, I guess? Kind of?”
“Settle for seven and a half?”
“Sure.”
“Okay.” Twilight nodded, and then pointed back. “Then yeah, you need seven and a half ponies to move Rarity’s luggage.”
“She’s a bit of a caricature sometimes, isn’t she?” Starlight mused, looking at the train. “But I guess that’s why we love her.”
“Oh, definitely. I can’t stay mad at her.”
“I can’t help but notice how you’re the only one not helping with her bags, actually.”
“Yes. That’s why I’m not mad at her.”
“Of course.”
“Well, that, and how she keeps telling me to take better care of myself. She’s almost as bad as Fluttershy sometimes.” Twilight let out a big sigh, and pointed at herself, the bags under her eyes, the state of her mane. “I mean, it’s not like I can really call her a caricature when I look like this.”
“Hmm.” Starlight squinted. “When was the last time you slept for more than two hours at a time?”
“Since Flower Fall started?” Twilight thought about this, too. “I honestly can’t remember. That’s why we’re here! I needed to get away from Canterlot. And the Royal Guard. Especially the Royal Guard.”
“…Why?”
“They’re distracting. Especially when Sunset is around. And—you know what?” Twilight shook her head. “I think I’ve finally figured out what’s the hardest part about saving the world.”
Both mares looked at each other.
Starlight smiled. Her eyes were also bloodshed. Her mane was also disheveled. She was the leading expert in time travel in all of Equestria, and had been helping Twilight with Flower Fall as soon as they’d learned its true nature.
“It’s knowing when to stop,” Twilight said.
Pause.
“…Never?” Starlight asked, cocking her head to the side.
And Twilight immediately went for the hug. “Oh my gosh,” she said, holding Starlight so tight it almost hurt. “Oh my gosh, Starlight. I’ve missed you so much!”
Starlight laughed, and hugged her back.
Around them, flowers didn’t fall.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Starlight said, patting her back. She’d also missed Twilight. “Welcome back to the Crystal Empire.”
SIXTH CHAPTER
YOU STILL LOVE THEM
Time wants to scream.
It’s not just the change in scenery. It’s not unheard of, when the game is reaching a critical point, for a player to move everything to a different city, a different country, a different universe. It amps the stakes. It adds an extra layer of complexity.
So now the pieces are in the Crystal Empire, away from Flower Fall—away from Time’s most immediate influence—but that doesn’t matter. That’s not what’s confusing Time.
What’s confusing him is that Fate didn’t do this.
He’d been looking. He paid close attention. All Fate did was push Twilight towards her friends, to talk about love and her horrible crush. Everything else was Twilight Sparkle’s own volition: to run from Canterlot, to run from the Royal Guards, to include Starlight Glimmer in the game.
This is unheard of. This is something that he doesn’t know what to think of. Because, if Fate is the one moving the pieces around Twilight—he can always move them back. But if the pieces are moving themselves? And if Twilight Sparkle wants to be with Sunset Shimmer?
Then Fate is getting two moves per turn. His, and Twilight’s.
Time should be winning. Sunset is fooling with the Royal Guard, she sees Twilight as a daughter, she couldn’t be less interested in romancing Fate’s piece.
And yet, Time feels like he has never been so desperate.
And as sweat runs down his forehead, he sees with abject horror that Fate is smiling at him right before looking up at Mother Nature. Look, Ma, Fate says. No hands.
He sits back and doesn’t even touch the table.
But the pieces move anyway.
New characters enter the game. A crystal palace, splendorous in its opulence. Shining Armor, the unicorn prince, enters from the right. Flurry Heart, the Alicorn Born, slides in from the left.
Then last, but certainly not least, from the center comes…
“…Her Highness, Princess Cadance!”
And the entire room held its breath.
It was the Crystal Throne Room. Crystal Guards by the door, standing at attention to honor the visit of Equestrian emissaries. The walls were brilliant and blue, the floor was smooth and bright, and nopony noticed any of this, because their attention was on the breathtaking beauty walking through the door.
Some mares aged like wine [2]. Some others aged like milk [3]. And others—the really lucky ones—managed to age like Princess Cadance.
[2] Rarity.
[3] Rarity without makeup.
Describing Princess Cadance was never easy, because nothing really did her justice. She was the physical manifestation of love; the best paintings lacked her aura, the best photos lacked her shine. Words, simply put, were not enough.
Princess Cadance wasn’t just beautiful. Princess Cadance was the reason life was worth living.
And upon seeing Princess Twilight Sparkle in her Throne Room, she squealed like a schoolfilly, yelled “Twilight!” and engaged in a little dance that involved shaking her buttocks in the air with careless abandon.
Her daughter joined them.
Her husband did not.
The Crystal Guards tried not to stare really hard.
“Twilight!” Cadance said again once the whole affair was over, and she nuzzled her sister-in-law. “It’s so great to see you again. How are you?”
Twilight nuzzled Cadance back, as her friends waited behind her and waved at Shining Armor. “Better than ever,” she said. “How are you? Did you get my letter? Canterlot is in dang—”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“Flurry Heart!” Twilight’s face immediately beamed. “Hi! You’ve grown so b—AGH!”
Flurry Heart tackled Twilight with a hug.
Plomf.
And they both went down.
“Well. That takes care of that for a while.” Shining Armor [4] stepped up now, giving his floored sister a funny look before addressing everypony else in the room. “I welcome you all to the Crystal Empire. I hope you had a good trip?”
[4] Who, while not as good-looking as his wife, had the kind of face dictionaries use to visually explain the term “silver fox”.
“Twilight sent us a letter that said Canterlot is in danger, and that we all might die,” Cadance added, standing right next to Shining Armor, worry making it to her face. “Is everything okay?”
“Sure!” Pinkie was the first one to reply, so the rest of the group just shut up and immediately appointed her their representative. Easier that way. “Everything’s a-okay, Princess! How are you?”
Moondancer looked at Pinkie, then at Princess Cadance. “No,” she said. “Everything is not a-okay. Canterlot is in danger, and we all might die. That makes it not a-okay.” Pause. “Also, uh. Hi. How are you.”
“I’m fine. Thanks!” Cadance giggled, and offered Moondancer a hoof. “And I don’t think we’ve ever met! Nice to meet you. I’m Princess Cadance.”
Moondancer blinked, and took Cadance’s hoof. “Right. I know. I’m Moondancer.”
Cadance giggled again. “I know!”
“Um.” Fluttershy, standing in the background, leaned close to Applejack and pointed at Twilight. “Applejack?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think Twilight’s okay?” Fluttershy squinted. “I don’t think she’s okay.”
“What? What are you talkin’ about?” Applejack frowned. “She’s smilin’, ain’t she?”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT! AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“And Flurry Heart looks like she’s mighty happy to see her aunt, too,” AJ added, tipping her hat. “That counts as fine ‘n dandy to me!”
“Well.” Spike joined the conversation. “She does look kind of blue?”
“Spike. Twi’s purple.”
“Yeah, but she looks blue.”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“flurry i’m really happy to see you too but you’re kind of suffocating me a little bit.”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“Yeah.” Starlight Glimmer popped her head from behind Fluttershy, startling her for a second. “Flurry’s got the strength of an alicorn. Her hugs are a big deal, actually.”
Fluttershy frowned. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Well, usually she’s not this affectionate, so it’s not like it’s an issue.”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“flurry please i really can’t breathe this is not a joke.”
Spike looked around. Starlight, Applejack, and Fluttershy were all staring at the whole thing without a lot of interest. “Uh,” he eventually said. “Should we help?”
“Nah.” Applejack smiled. “Let ‘em be. Family’s like this sometimes.”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“i can taste copper.”
“Uh.” Back at the foreground, Moondancer was still shaking Cadance’s hoof, and looking mighty confused while doing so. “You… know who I am?”
“Of course we do!” Shining Armor said with a goofy smile. “Twilight talks a lot about you. You’re one of her best friends, after all.” He offered a hoof too. “I’m Shining Armor, her big brother.” Pause. “And prince of this empire. But mostly, I’m Twilight’s big brother.”
“Charming. I’m still Moondancer.” Moondancer shook his hoof, too, still feeling a bit awkward. “So, I was—”
“Still not how greetings work, for the record,” Dash whispered from behind her.
“And you can call her Moonie!” Pinkie added.
“No.” Moondancer’s reply was quick like a viper. “I mean. Yes. It’s not how greetings work. But also, no, your Highness, don’t call me—”
“Moonie?” Cadance perked up. “Oh, that’s an adorable name! I have to admit, I am fond of nicknames. Call it a bit of a personal bias.” She giggled. “Given my own name, you see.”
Moondancer blinked. “Uh. Um.”
“Great!” Pinkie said. “So you can call her Moonie then!”
Cadance cocked her head to the side. “Can I?”
There was a pause.
Moondancer, miffed, looked at Cadance.
Cadance, adorable, looked at Moondancer.
And then Moondancer squinted, and looked at Pinkie. “Low blow,” she said.
“Hahah. I told you. You’re a tough one!” Pinkie winked. “But I’m tougher.”
“Great! It’s always lovely to get to know Twilight’s friends.” Cadance laughed. “And please, call me Cadance. Just Cadance. None of that Highness nonsense.” She pointed at Shining Armor. “Same for my husband.”
“Okay. But he calls me Moondancer.”
“Works for me,” Shining Armor said. Then, he poked Cadance’s shoulder. “Honey?” he said, once she looked at him. “I think Flurry Heart is about to kill Twilight over there?”
“there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. it’s so bright. so warm.”
“Oh, right. Flurry, sweetie!” Cadance waved at her daughter. “Flurry, let your aunt go! You’re hugging her too hard!”
“it calls to me.”
“OKAY!”
Flurry Heart let Twilight go.
Credit where credit is due: while Twilight did desperately gasp for air for a couple seconds once her throat was free, it didn’t take her long to get back on her hooves as if nothing had happened. “Aagh.” She coughed, then patted Flurry Heart’s head, earning a delighted cheer from the filly. “Shining Armor,” she said, voice hoarse. “Thanks for the timely assistance.”
“You’re welcome!” Shining Armor replied, grinning. “How was the trip?”
“HI AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“Hi, Flurry Heart.” Twilight patted her niece again. “The trip was uneventful, really. I’ll tell you about it later. Also!” And she turned around, sounding confident once more. “This is Sunset Shimmer! Sunset, this is my family! Sorry for Flurry Heart’s outburst, she’s just happy to see me. I’m probably her favorite authority fig—aaaand I’m talking to myself.”
Sunset didn’t reply to this. Mainly, because she was not there. There was a rather obvious, Sunset-Shimmer-shaped hole in the small crowd behind her.
“Well, that’s just great.” Twilight made a face, then turned to Flurry Heart. “So, changing topics completely—Flurry Heart!”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT!”
“Why don’t you show us your new dance? That’ll be a nice distraction!”
“OKAY!”
“Right, thanks. Rarity!” The moment Flurry Heart started bopping around—and after making sure everypony was looking—Twilight rushed towards Rarity and talked in a way that was both a scream and a whisper at the same time. “Rarity! Where on Equestria is Sunset Shimmer?!”
Rarity didn’t even look at her. “Sorry, can this wait a bit? Your niece is dancing, and it’s really distracting.” Then, she squinted. “I swear to Celestia, she gets cuter every year. She really takes after her mother, doesn’t she?”
“Rarity!”
“What! What.” Rarity looked at Twilight, annoyed—and then noticed her expression. “Oh. Oh, dear. What’s the matter?”
“Sunset is the matter!”
“Right.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Silly of me to ask. Well, darling, what can I say—I tried to keep her here, but she simply wouldn’t listen.”
“She was supposed to see me interact with Flurry Heart!” Years working at a library had given Twilight the ability to whisperscream better than most, and she sure used her talent here. “I want her to see me under a new light, so I can get a chance with her at some point!”
Rarity squinted. “A new light? Darling, are you…?” Rarity looked at Flurry Heart, then at Twilight again. “Are you trying to get Sunset to choke you or…?
“Yes!” Pause. “Wait. What? No! No, not that!”
“I mean.” Rarity rubbed her chin. In the background, Flurry Heart did a particularly impressive pirouette, and everypony gasped and then proceeded to clap. “I suppose that is an angle, if you really want that. It could work. But frankly, my dear, I would have never guessed that you were into—”
“Rarity oh my gosh no!” Twilight was getting redder by the second. “No! Stop talking, no!”
“—I mean, if you had told me Fluttershy wanted it, I could have seen it, true. But you?” Rarity rubbed her chin some more. “I suppose I don’t know you as well as I thought I—”
“Rarity!” This wasn’t as much a whisperscream as it was an actual scream, period, but luckily for Twilight, Flurry Heart did another particularly impressive pirouette, so the clapping drowned out the yelling. “I don’t want to get choked by—wait. Fluttershy?”
Rarity let out the most devious of smiles. “Hmmm-hmm.”
“Really? Our Fluttershy?” Twilight frowned. “How on Equestria would you know that?”
“We have our little weekly dates at the spa, remember? We talk about a lot of things. She’s a dear, truly.”
“Huh.” Twilight looked at Fluttershy, embarrassment gone from her face. “Well. I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. It’s always the quiet ones, trust me.” Rarity winked. “You know Moondancer? I can assure you that, the moment I get that one to open up, there’ll be a goldmine inside.”
Twilight snorted. “That, I’d like to see.”
“Dear, she wears a turtleneck.” Rarity pointed at Moondancer, who was so enraptured by Flurry Heart’s dance that there was no danger of her eavesdropping. “A black turtleneck. That mare’s got secrets.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT! AUNTIE TWILIGHT, LOOK! LOOK! ARE YOU LOOKING?”
“Yes, Flurry Heart, Auntie Twilight’s looking!” Twilight yelled immediately, and—to her credit—she did look. Soon enough, her eyes got wide. “Wow,” she said. “She’s so good at this! I’m so proud of her. They grow up so fast.” Then, she glanced at Rarity. “So, I obviously don’t want to get choked by Sunset.”
“Of course.”
“I just wanted her to see me under a new light, right? I was hoping to mom Flurry Heart around a bit, show Sunset my mature side and all that. Between this and the lack of Royal Guards to draw her attention, I thought maybe…”
“Yes, yes, I know, dear.” Rarity waved a hoof in the air. “It was rather obvious. I just thought it was a good opportunity to bring up Fluttershy and her interest in getting choked.”
“Wha?” Applejack broke from the spell of Flurry Heart’s little dance, and she approached Rarity and Twilight with a quick step. “What’s that? Ah heard somethin’ ‘bout Shy gettin’ choked?”
Rarity glared. “And why are you interested?”
“Ah don’t know. Why are you?”
Rarity thought about this for a moment. “Hmph,” she said, then, squinting. “Good save. But I’m watching you.”
“Any time, sugarcube.” Then AJ looked at Twilight. “What were you talkin’ about, though?”
“Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight said.
“Sunset Shimmer,” Rarity said.
“Dumb question,” Applejack said. “Of course it’s Sunset Shimmer. What’s the matter?” Then, AJ looked around. “Huh. Where is she?”
“I don’t know!” Twilight glared. “That’s what I was asking Rarity!”
Rarity made a point. “Okay,” she said, clearly annoyed. “First of all, darling, I don’t remember being appointed Sunset Shimmer’s little guardian. I already told you I don’t think your crush on her is healthy, so why should I care for—”
“Ah mean.” Applejack talked while looking up, to show just how hard she was not listening to Rarity in this exact moment. “If there’s anypony in this group worried enough ‘bout Twilight’s possible romance, that’s definitely you. So it sounds about right that you’d try to keep an eye on Sunset Shimmer.” She looked down, at Rarity. “So it actually surprises me how you didn’t! Show’s a lot of—aaaad you did.”
Rarity pressed a hoof against her chest. “What? How dare you!”
“Yep. Ah can see it in your face.” AJ elbowed Twilight. “See? Left ear’s twitchin’.”
Twilight looked. “Wow. It is!”
“It is not!”
“It absolutely is, sugarcube. That one always twitches when you mess up. It’s like a Pinkie sense, but dumber, and less useful.”
“Well that is just—!”
Applejack winked at Rarity. “And way prettier, mind you. More elegant.”
Pause.
“Okay. Good save.” Rarity’s made a huff. “But I’m still angry.”
“And your ear’s still twitchin’.”
“What?” Dash snapped, and in a heartbeat she was whispering alongside them. “What’s that about Rarity’s ear twitching?”
Applejack glared. “And why do you care?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s always great!” Dash looked at Rarity. “Wow. It’s going crazy. She messed up big this time, didn’t she?”
“Eeyup.”
“I said it is not!” Rarity said, covering up her left ear, blush on her cheeks. “And I did not! Stop looking!”
“So.” Dash looked at AJ, then at Twilight, then at Rarity, and then she smirked. “What did I miss?”
“She was supposed to keep her eyes on Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight said, frowning at Rarity.
“Yeah,” AJ added. “‘Cause Twilight has a crush on ‘er.”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Shocker. So where did Sunset Shimmer go?”
Twilight frowned. “What do you mean, shocker?”
“Twilight, you aren’t exactly subtle about this kind of thing.” Dash landed right next to Applejack, and casually leaned on her while arching an eyebrow at Twilight. “Did you notice you started walking like her? It’s hilarious.”
“I do not!”
“Um.” Fluttershy joined the group. “What’s that about Twilight walking?”
“Okay.” Twilight just gave up, and sat on the ground so she could cross her forelegs and glare at all her friends. “This is ridiculous. Is nopony watching my niece dance, or…?”
“AUNTIE TWILIGHT! AUNTIE TWILIGHT, LOOK!”
“I’m looking!” Twilight yelled back. Then she glared at her friends again. “That little filly is giving it her all for us, and you just ignore her so you can gossip?”
“Hey.” Dash pointed. “Pinkie and Moondancer are still super into it.”
“WOO HOO! MOONIE, LOOK AT THAT FILLY GO!”
“Why do I keep hanging out with you.”
“So yeah.” Dash shrugged. “Filly’s getting her fair share.”
“And, um.” Fluttershy was looking down in shame, fiddling with her hooves, but she still talked. “Well,” she said. “She’s really cute. But this is kind of a long dance, to be completely honest.”
“A lil’, yeah,” AJ said, nodding and patting Fluttershy’s back. Fluttershy smiled at her. “Girl’s good, though!”
“Hey. Shy.” Dash nodded at Twilight. “Did you know she has a crush on Sunset Shimmer?”
“…Was I not supposed to?” Shy looked at Twilight and actually arched an eyebrow. “You know you walk exactly like her, right?”
“Okay. Okay! This is getting ridiculous.” Twilight sighed, and just went back to looking at Flurry Heart. The filly was good, after all. “And Rarity—”
“Look, I tried, okay?” Rarity said through gritted teeth. She was still holding her left ear in place. “I tried to keep her from walking away, but she just brushed me off! I couldn’t go and grab her, I didn’t want to make a scene!”
Twilight frowned. “She brushed you off? Why would she do that?”
“Darling, why wouldn’t she? I’m sure Sunset Shimmer is a great mare, and I’m aware that you have a crush on her—but she’s been doing nothing but avoid us ever since she crossed through the portal.” Rarity looked at Twilight [5] and she got as serious as she could, ear and all. “I am being honest when I say I couldn’t do anything.”
[5] Who was still looking at Flurry Heart’s amazing little dance, so this was a completely pointless gesture, but it was the intent that mattered.
And Twilight felt some of this seriousness, because her frown went away, and a look of concern took its place. “She’s been… avoiding you?” she asked.
“She has, darling.”
“A little,” Fluttershy agreed.
“A lot,” Dash said. “Fluttershy is just being polite. Sunset Shimmer has never even talked to us—even during Pinkie’s Welcome Party she never said more than, what, two words in our direction?”
“Well.” Fluttershy frowned. “I’d say three.”
“The word ‘I’m’ counts as one.”
“Oh.” Pause. “Well. Then she said two. But I’m sure she meant three.”
“Are you… I mean, maybe she’s just been busy?” Twilight said. And there was something in her tone—something like sadness. “It’s not like our schedule has been completely empty or anything. Maybe you’re just… imagining things? Or maybe she’s shy?”
And then she looked at them, and her eyes could have broken anypony’s heart. For a moment, maybe even she believed her own words.
But then Applejack took off her hat, pressed it against her chest, and shook her head. “Ah’m sorry, Twi. Ah’m afraid Sunset’s been avoidin’ us. On purpose.” She sighed. “And that’s the truth.”
Twilight frowned, and shook her head. “And that’s really not good,” she said.
“AND THAT’S THE END OF MY DANCE!”
Everypony clapped and cheered at the filly.
“Where did she go?” Twilight asked, barely moving her lips.
“I’m pretty sure she’ll be by the ballroom. One of the Crystal Guards caught her eye.” Rarity saw the face Twilight was making, and her ears drooped. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
And they said nothing else after that. They just kept clapping at Flurry Heart, congratulating her on a job well done.
Sunset Shimmer approached the Crystal Guard with whiskey in her breath and a swing in her hips. The Crystal Guard—on duty—looked back at her, and he had hungry eyes.
Sunset saw this, and after making sure they were alone—nopony else in that corridor—she got even closer and purred the two most dangerous words a mare like her could say.
“Hello, handsome.”
(And there was a
bang!
in the air).
The Crystal Guard, a unicorn, saluted. “Ma’am,” he said. But something in his tone, and his body language, made it clear this wasn’t him being formal. Quite the opposite, really. “You shouldn’t be roaming the Palace by yourself. It could be dangerous.”
“Really?” Sunset chuckled. She was holding a glass of spirits, and she made a point of sipping from it before speaking again. “Well, I wonder why.”
“Well, ma’am. This is a big place. It’s easy to get lost.” The Crystal Guard dropped his salute, and visibly relaxed. “The name’s Chandelier.”
“Ooh. I might want a swing in later.” Sunset offered her hoof, and the Crystal Guard kissed it. “Sunset Shimmer.”
“I know,” Chandelier said. He was tall, and handsome, and old enough to mean business. He let go of Sunset’s hoof, but lingered on it just long enough. “Part of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s group of emissaries, right?” He smiled. “Rumor says Canterlot is in danger, and that’s why you’re here. Is that true?”
Another sip. “It seems so.”
“YEAH, IT SEEMS SO INDEED!”
Then, there was a poof! and a bit of smoke, and then love was not in the air anymore.
Sunset flinched.
Chandelier yelped.
And Twilight Sparkle appeared out of nowhere.
If there’s such a thing as a magical feat, the award should definitely go to teleportation: the art of being there, and then being somewhere else. It’s complexity by subtraction. All you need to do is move. Everything else—space, time, logic, reason—you simply ignore.
So anything that might happen when a pony appears, be it smoke, or sparks, or a funny sound? That’s not needed, and is probably there for extra flair. That’s just the unicorn who teleported signaling as clearly as possible that not only did they master this impossibly convoluted spell—they added a layer of extra difficulty.
For literally no reason.
Just because they could.
So for Chandelier, who was tall, and handsome, and old enough to be young and still mean business, seeing Twilight Sparkle effortlessly appear out of nowhere was humiliating enough [6]. But the smoke, the flash, and the words of the Princess before she even made an appearance? That wasn’t humiliation. That was outright emasculation.
[6] Unicorns use their horns to cast magic. There was a very interesting shade of symbolism in the works here, and Chandelier didn’t appreciate it, not one bit.
And then Twilight just stood there, between Sunset and Chandelier, excreting pure unadulterated swagger through every single one of her pores. Then, she looked at Chandelier, and the smile she gave him was many things, but definitely not sweet.
“That’ll be all,” she said. “Thank you for your service. If you’d excuse me, we have something to talk about.”
Then she turned around, leaving Chandelier to find himself an exit.
And that was that for Chandelier, and none of the two mares ever saw the poor guard again.
“Well.” Sunset didn’t speak until Chandelier turned the corner and left them alone in that gigantic corridor, right by the ballroom. “Thanks for completely ruining the moment.”
This time, the smile Twilight gave was sweet. “You’re welcome!” she said. “Was he bothering you?”
“Not nearly enough, trust me.” Sunset made a face, and—after giving the corner in which Chandelier had disappeared a longing look, that maybe meant good-bye—she turned around and started walking towards the Throne Room, frown burrowed. “Why are you here, again?”
“Wow.” Twilight effortlessly matched Sunset’s pace. “Rude. And… Well, it’s been a while since we hung out. Not since the dinner with Celestia, at least, and I thought we could…” She saw Sunset’s face. “Aw, come on, don’t look at me like that. He was just a Guard, wasn’t he?” Twilight looked back—pointless; he was already gone—and then shrugged. “Did you know him?”
Sunset finished her glass of whiskey in one big gulp. “No, but I was trying to!”
“Well, you can do that later. We’re busy now! Wait, it’s faster through here.” Then Twilight stopped, flashed her horn—and the doors to the ballroom opened. It was an enormous room, able to fit thousands of ponies at a time, and it was completely empty. Their hoofsteps echoed across a hundred times. A beautiful glass chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. “We’re supposed to attend Cadance’s formal lunch, and we can’t do that without you.”
“Ugh.” Sunset rolled her eyes, but she did follow Twilight to the ballroom. “Great. Another dinner with a princess I don’t want to attend.”
“Lunch. This is lunch. Totally different.”
“Is she also going to insult my general existence, or…?”
“Hmm.” Twilight thought about this for a second, and then just looked at Sunset. “I don’t think so! You’re in luck today.”
“Joy.”
“Pfft.” Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at her—and after that, Sunset also found herself laughing a bit. “You really don’t waste any time, though, do you? How long did it take you to find this guy, again?”
Sunset winked at her. “Around thirty seconds from the moment I stepped into the Palace. Jealous?”
“I try not to be.” Pause. “Wait, was that whiskey in that glass?”
Sunset threw the glass over her shoulder. It crashed loudly against the ground. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Where did you even find that?”
“I don’t know. Is that really what you want to talk about?”
“I—” Twilight blinked. That was a good question, actually. She shook her head and took a deep breath, making a mental note to ask about the whiskey later. “Right. No, just—look, we haven’t talked a lot these last few days. Sorry for that. You know I’ve been busy.”
Sunset made a face. “Hmm-hmm.”
“And thing is, there’s stuff we need to talk about. I should have approached you, and…” A gulp. “And I need to apologize. For everything that happened with Princess Celestia, and all that business about the dinner, and—”
“—And it took you,” Sunset interrupted, “almost two weeks to come to me and apologize for that?” But her voice wasn’t particularly cutting. Rather, she was smiling at Twilight, like they were sharing some kind of twisted inside joke. “Instead of, say, approaching me day or two after the whole business?”
Twilight was taken aback. The shock was enough for her to stop walking for a second or two, and then she had to hurry to catch up to Sunset. “I—I mean, I just—”
Sunset leaned towards her. Her breath smelled like whiskey and coffee. “You just?” she asked. “Because I don’t think you were that busy. I think you were avoiding me.” She leaned closer. “Were you?”
“I…” Twilight gulped. A light blush crept to her face, and she was aware of this, which made it even worse. “You… I…”
There was the smallest of pauses. At some point, without Twilight realizing, they’d stopped walking. They were simply standing in the middle of the ballroom, looking at each other.
Then, Sunset grinned. “You saw me go elbow-deep in that Royal Guard.”
“OH MY GOSH! ISAW EVERYTHING!”
“Pfffff.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Called it.”
“I SAW EVERY SINGLE DETAIL! I SAW WHAT YOU WERE DOING WITH HIS TAIL!”
“And then you had no idea how to face me.”
“HOW IS WHAT YOU DID EVEN LEGAL?!”
“Sweet heavens.” Sunset got closer to Twilight and patted her head. “Twilight, you’re adorable. You’re adorable, and I love you—but Celestia do you need a boyfriend.”
Twilight whimpered. “Come on! That was traumatizing!”
“Yes, yes, I know. It’s awkward to talk to someone after you see…” Sunset waved a hoof in the air. “That.”
“And with a Royal Guard!” Twilight looked at Sunset, pleading. “Why a Royal Guard?”
“Because they were available, mostly? Look, a mare has needs.” Sunset shrugged, and kept on walking. Twilight followed. “I was there, they were there, it sorta happened.”
“Yuck.” Twilight made a face. “That’s—yuck.”
“Hey. They’re pretty handsome. I’m all for a buff stallion, if you ask me. You do realize I’ve lived among humans for years, right?” Sunset chuckled. “Breath of fresh air right there.”
“Right, yes, just—ugh.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. After seeing that, I just—I had no idea how to…” She squinted. “Talk to you?”
“Yeah, I know.” Sunset smiled at Twilight. “I mean, you did see me in a really compromising position there. I get you.”
Twilight nodded. “It’s… I feel it’s not enough of an excuse, though. I’m sorry.” She sighed. “For everything that happened at the dinner, and with Princess Celestia, and—”
“Oh, no need.” Sunset shook her head. “I wasn’t angry in the first place.”
Pause.
Twilight frowned at Sunset. “What? But you—you ran away! Weren’t you crying after that?”
“Nah. Not really.” Sunset sighed. “Look—was I hurt? Sure! Was the dinner a horrible idea? Absolutely! But it was an honest mistake. You simply didn’t know better.” Sunset turned to Twilight, and patted her again. “You tried your best, and I’m sure you learned a thing or two from this. So, we’re good.”
Twilight frowned, and slapped Sunset’s hoof away. “Don’t mom me,” she said.
“Sure, sure.” Sunset was still smiling. “And for all it’s worth—sorry for hiding my little nightly adventures with the Royal Guard. I knew you’d react like this, but I still should’ve said something.” Pause. “If anything, to avoid this kind of situation.”
“Ugh. Seriously. Royal Guards.” Twilight shuddered—and the echo at the ballroom made it sound like there was a huge crowd trembling around them—then started walking a bit faster. “What do you even see in them? Even here at the Crystal Empire, you go for them. They’re so—”
“Crystal Guards. In here, they’re Crystal Guards. Totally different.”
“—right.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “They’re so uppity! Doesn’t that annoy you?”
Sunset glared. “Twilight.”
“Yes?”
“You count Rarity as one of your best friends.”
Pause.
“Okay.” Twilight nodded, and slowed the pace so Sunset could be by her side again. “Good point. I take that back.”
“Thank you. So.” Sunset looked at Twilight. “We cool, now? I don’t mind the dinner, you don’t mind the Guards?”
Twilight frowned. “I do mind the Guards.”
“Okay. Then I do mind the dinner. Call it a tie.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Come on, we have a lot to catch up on. Can’t we just not talk about this anymore?”
“Hmm.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “Well, that’s—honestly, that’s the best we can do. And we do have a lot to talk about, actually.”
“Sure we do.” Sunset blinked. “Hey. You know what?”
“Hm?”
“You should go out with me!”
Twilight didn’t perk up.
She practically bounced at Sunset.
“I—what?” She blinked. “What? What?”
“For dinner?” Sunset added. “We can catch up. And I can make sure you eat enough food—you look thin. We can even go out after that for a bit! You know?” She winked at her. “Go to a pub, see if we can find a couple nice stallions… It’ll be fun!”
“Oh.” Twilight’s ears went down. “You meant that. Right.”
“That a yes?”
“I… I don’t know. I’m busy.” Twilight looked to the side, trying to regain her composure. “We’ll see. I don’t think we can do this tonight, I have to spend some time with my family.” Pause. Twilight turned around, eyes suddenly hard once again. “Which reminds me!”
Sunset flinched. “Eh?”
“Let me just tell you.” Twilight poked Sunset’s side with a hoof, making her flinch for the second time in a row. “By leaving like that—which, by the way, was really rude—you completely missed my niece’s little dance.” She held her snout high with pride. “And she was adorable!”
“Your niece?” Sunset asked. They were by the middle of the ballroom by now,and the echo was greater than ever. “That cute filly—”
“Yes!” Twilight said, grinning. “That one!”
“—Who tried to kill you?”
Twilight blinked. “What?”
“You know.” Sunset pointed at Twilight’s neck, where—if you squinted and looked hard enough—some bruises were still recognizable. “She tried to suffocate you and all that. You’re not really good with children, are you?”
“What? No!” Twilight shook her head. “I mean—yes! Yes, I’m good with children! And no, she didn’t try to kill me. That was a hug!”
Eyebrow up. “A hug.”
“A hug!”
“You know they’re not supposed to hug your windpipe, right?”
“Pff.” Twilight quickened her pace, forcing Sunset to walk faster just to keep up. “I’ll let you know that I’m wonderful with children. Did you know I’m the most popular princess among them? They think,” and she couldn’t help a bit of a smile here, “that I’m really cool.”
Sunset smiled back. “Yeah?” she said. Then: “Yeah. Yeah, I can see that.”
Twilight’s ears perked up, and her eyes widened up. “You do?!” she asked, and she was so earnest she even fluttered her wings a bit. “Do you, really?! Dash always says I might be delusional!”
“Yeah! I do see it.” Sunset laughed. “I mean, think about it. Sure, you’re kind of into books, which is lame—but how many times have you saved the world, again? And didn’t you once zap Tirek into oblivion?”
Twilight shook her head, still grinning like an idiot. “Not really,” she admitted. “Well. I did. But that’s not what defeated him.”
“No?”
“No. We did that with friendship. You know, for a change.”
“Right.” Sunset nodded. “But friendship in the form of lasers still, right?”
“Yeah.”
“There you go, then.” Sunset waved a hoof. “I can see children ignoring the friendship in favor of lasers. It’s more flashy that way. You're pretty much a superhero, only you’re also an alicorn.” Pause. “So, you’re literally just a superhero.”
Twilight giggled. “Thanks!”
“So you get along with your niece, then?”
“With Flurry Heart?” Twilight nodded. “She’s lovely. She’s great.”
“Glad to hear that.” Sunset looked forward from this point on, not quite addressing Twilight as she spoke. “And, uh. Sorry for leaving. Just, y’know, Cadance sorta…”
Twilight frowned. “Cadance sorta?”
“…Nothing. You know, as much as this makes sense now that you say it—I wouldn’t have guessed that you got along with children if you had asked me earlier.”
Twilight cocked her head to the side. There was some deviousness in her gesture, but Sunset wasn’t looking, so she didn’t appreciate it. “No?” Twilight asked, voice innocent.
“Not really. But it’s good to be good with children. It can be useful.”
“Yeah. You know what?” And Twilight looked forward too, but gave Sunset a side glance as she spoke. “I honestly think I find kids easy because most of the adults in my life act like total children.” Pause for emphasis, and then Twilight leaned towards Sunset. “Don’t you think?”
Sunset rolled her eyes, and pushed Twilight aside. Twilight giggled at this.
They were almost out of the ballroom now. Not as much echo. The exit was just a couple steps ahead.
“She still totally tried to choke you, though.”
“She did not!”
“Your niece wants to kill you.”
“Shut up.” Pause. Twilight squinted. “By the way,” she said. “Speaking about choking—did you know that Fluttershy apparently…?” She coughed. “…You know?”
Sunset finally looked at Twilight, here. “Fluttershy?” she asked. “Really?”
“Apparently, yeah. I just found out.” Twilight shook her head. “Weird, right?”
“Sure. Fluttershy?” They made it to the door, but Twilight didn’t open it just yet—so Sunset just stood there, waiting. “I mean, if you had told me Rainbow Dash was like that, I wouldn’t have been surprised. But, Fluttershy?”
Twilight blinked. “Rainbow Dash?”
“Come on, don’t tell me it doesn’t make sense.”
“I… guess? I’m not really good with this kind of thing.” Twilight rubbed her chin and frowned. “I mean, I suppose Applejack showed some interest when we mentioned it, but—”
“Oh, yeah.” Sunset clapped, and pointed at Twilight. “There. Applejack, too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I mean, she’s pretty much Rainbow Dash without the wings anyway. Not the most original of characters. I see her stealing that from Dash.”
Twilight shook her head. “Next thing you tell me, all of my friends are freaks in one way or the other?”
Pause.
Sunset looked at Twilight.
Twilight looked at Sunset.
“…Don’t answer that, please.”
“Yeah, better if I don’t.” Sunset tapped her hoof on the ground twice, and then pointed at the door. “So,” she said. “Are we going, or…?”
“Sure! Sure.” But Twilight didn’t open the door yet. “Just… Now that we’re talking about my friends—”
“The freaks, yes.”
“—I—okay but they’re relatively normal, right?”
“Sure.” Sunset arched an eyebrow. “In a group that includes Pinkie Pie.”
“…Point taken.” Twilight smiled. “But see, this is what I wanted to talk about.” She rested her back on the door and looked at Sunset. “You know my friends really well, don’t you?”
“Well.” Sunset sat down, too. “I guess I spent most of highschool hanging out with them, yeah.”
Twilight nodded. “And then?”
“Then, what?”
“Then, what happened?” Twilight sighed. “You’ve mentioned that Principal Celestia was the only person you kept talking to over the years. You also said that it was better if you didn’t talk about your friends.” She scratched the back of her neck. “And… well. Rarity told me that you’ve been avoiding them a lot lately.”
There was a moment of quietness.
Seeing how Sunset wasn’t speaking, Twilight spoke again. “They were your best friends. Why would you stop talking to each other like that?”
Sunset finally moved. She sighed, and she looked to the side. “You don’t really want to know,” she said.
But there was something in her voice that sounded a bit deeper than usual.
So Twilight leaned towards Sunset, voice soft, eyes sparkling. “I think,” she said, “I do want to know.”
“No. No, you don’t.” Sunset looked at Twilight, and there was something in her eye that made Twilight stare. A hint of fire, perhaps. A spark of passion. “Twilight, you know I love you. You know I really do. I’d do anything for you.”
Twilight was taken aback. “I—”
“But you keep trying to do this thing.” Sunset pointed at Twilight, at herself, at the ballroom, at the door. “This… whole thing you’re doing right now. And I honestly can’t stand it. Can’t we just… not?”
“Thing?” Twilight tried to be gentle. She knew this wasn’t personal. So she just kept her voice down, and kept her eyes up, and talked to Sunset like one talks to a hurt animal. “What thing?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“Sunset.” Twilight smiled. “I just want to ask why you’re avoiding Rarity and the others.”
“I—”
Sunset swallowed. She didn’t look away.
And then she just let her breath out in one big sigh.
“Look.” Sunset rubbed the space between her eyes. “I—I know it’s weird, okay? I’m sorry if I made your friends feel awkward or something. I didn’t mean to. It’s just…” She shook her head. “They’re your friends. Not mine. I like you, and I care about you, but you can’t force me to like them. That’s not how it works.”
Twilight laughed softly. “Yeah,” she said. “I learned that lesson long ago, with Starlight Glimmer.”
“Yeah?” Sunset smiled back.
“Yeah. She ended up getting along with Trixie, of all ponies. It was an… interesting adventure.” Twilight shrugged. “But everypony’s allowed their own circle of friends, strange as it might be. I know that.”
And Sunset visibly relaxed. “Good,” she said. “Good. Then—it’s really just that, Twilight. Seriously.”
Twilight looked at her. “Right.”
“It’s not that they’re bad or anything, it’s just—I’m way older than all of you, right?” Sunset pointed at herself, and laughed a little. She had small wrinkles around her eyes, but if anything, they only made her look better. “And I suppose I’m simply not in the same mindset. You’re special, but—”
“I don’t think that’s quite true, though,” Twilight said. She grabbed Sunset’s cheek, and she forced her to look into her eyes. “Sunset, you know Moondancer?”
“Gosh, I wish I didn’t.”
“Right. See that?” Twilight pointed at Sunset. “That? My point exactly. You don’t get along with her. But that doesn’t mean you avoid her.” She rolled her eyes. “In fact, you purposely go out of your way to bother her as much as possible.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
Pause.
“I do.” Sunset squinted. “But she deserves it.”
“Yes, yes, she wears a turtleneck, we all got that. But, look.” Twilight sighed. “You don’t avoid Moondancer, you pick fights with her. That’s how you deal with ponies you dislike.” She looked at Sunset, dead in the eye. “But you don’t do that with Rarity and the others. Have you held a single conversation with any of them, ever since you came to Equestria?”
Sunset frowned.
Time frowns.
Wait, he thinks. Wait. She didn’t? He looks back into himself, tries to see the rest of the game. Twilight is cornering Sunset, Fate is forcing him to play to his rhythm—there must be something there, something to change the subject.
And Fate says, oh, don’t bother.
Time looks at him.
Fate smiles.
Sunset has never talked with any of Twilight Sparkle’s friends. She’s only said two sentences, three tops, and only whenever Twilight was around. Because Time focuses all his efforts in his piece, and all his wits in one move: keep moving forward. Keep passing. Keep wasting away Sunset’s life.
But Fate? Fate’s different than that. Fate links every pony on the game, every individual on the battlefield. Fate uses many tricks, and moves all across the board. And his tricks might not be as powerful as Time’s one, all-defeating move…
…but he’s been planning this for oh, so long.
Sunset frowned harder. “I—”
“You haven’t.”
“…I haven’t.”
“You can’t pick a fight with them like you do with Moondancer. You just run away, every single time.” Twilight smiled. “You still love them.”
Sunset flinched.
Twilight kept looking at her.
And then Sunset relaxed, pushed Twilight aside—gently—and rubbed the space between her eyes, suddenly looking much less fragile. “Ugh,” she said, crossing her front legs in front of her chest. “No. Seriously. Do we really need to do this?”
The sudden reaction got Twilight to flinch again, and when she talked this time, she sounded much more normal. “Sunset,” she said, almost frowning. “I’m trying to help you here.”
“Yeah, but what if you don’t help me? I mean, have we tried that?” Sunset uncrossed her legs and got up. “Look. Your friends are your friends. My friends are my friends. I don’t want to talk to your friends, and that’s that. Is that really that hard to accept?”
“It is, yes.” Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Especially when it’s obviously hurting you this much.”
“Oh, come on!”
“No, no, no, don’t come on me. This isn’t a conversation you can come on your way out of.” Twilight got up, too, so she could be at eye level with Sunset. “I want to help you. And, hey—remember how a couple minutes ago you said you loved me? And would do anything for me?”
Sunset scoffed. “You’re really going to use that argument.”
“Yes, Sunset. Because turns out, I love you too. Dearly.” Twilight pressed a hoof against her chest. “From the bottom of my heart. And I think, if you really love me as much as you say, you’ll understand how I want you to be happy. No matter the cost.”
Silence.
“Well, hot dang,” Sunset said. “That’s a low blow.”
Twilight smirked. “It is, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Caught me off-guard, too. Good one.” And Sunset smirked, too, despite herself. “But don’t get too cocky. You learned from the best.”
“Yeah. From Rarity.”
“I—” Sunset blinked. “Shoot. Good point.”
Twilight smirked a bit harder. “Hmm-hm.”
Sunset let out a chuckle, and then she sat down again. “Sure. And—look. You want me to say it? Fine. I’ll say it.” She took a deep breath. “I do still love those girls. They were my world in highschool. They offered me a hand after I tried to destroy their world, and forgave me when they didn’t have to. They gave me the only place I could call a home of my own ever since I ran from Celestia.”
Twilight nodded. “I know.”
“So. Do I avoid your friends?” Sunset nodded. “Yes. Do I do this because I’m really not over what happened with my friends back in highschool?” She nodded again. “Absolutely. Do I still love those girls?” A third nod. “Yes. To a point.”
Twilight sat down next to Sunset. “You’re finally being honest.”
“Oh, I’m only starting. Because,” and she raised a hoof to make sure Twilight didn’t interrupt her, “do I want to talk about this, or do I need to?”
Twilight looked at Sunset.
Sunset looked at Twilight.
“Are you going to say ye—”
“I’m going to say no.”
“Aaw.”
“Look, I know this is like, counterintuitive to you.” Sunset shrugged. “And honestly, that’s part of what makes you such a good friend. Really! But we don’t have to go through every single one of my traumas, magically solving all of them. First, because I don’t want you to.” She arched an eyebrow. “Second, because you can’t.”
Twilight frowned. “Sunset. Nothing was ever solved by running away.”
“Yeah, but remember the dinner with Princess Celestia? That went well, didn’t it?” Sunset shook her head and waved a hoof. “Look, that ship sailed. I’m still a bit hurt, but the only way to deal with this is to wait it out. We’re not going to go back to the human lands, chasing every single one of the girls so I can have a heart-to-heart.”
Twilight nodded. “But my friends are here,” she said. “Right now. In this very palace.”
“Yes, but they’re not my friends. They’re yours. They just look like mine, which is… just enough to make me uncomfortable?” Sunset shook her head. “But definitely not enough to, you know. Matter.”
“They could still give you closure.”
“I don’t want closure, though. I just want to forget about it.” Sunset sighed. “Look, closure is overrated. A lot of things never get it, and nine times out of ten, it’s just an excuse to pick at old wounds. I left all that stuff behind me, Twilight. There’s a reason I ran away from them.”
Twilight frowned. She leaned towards Sunset. “But…” she said. “What even happened between you and them? How could they just abandon you like that, after all the things you went through together?”
Sunset clicked her tongue. “They grew up. I didn’t.”
“I would like something more specific than that.”
“I suppose. But that’s between them and me. No offense, but you weren’t there, and you had nothing to do with it.” Sunset looked at Twilight. “And honestly, I don’t want to go through another Princess Celestia. With her I didn’t care—I always got along with Principal Celestia anyway. But with your friends? I don’t know if I’d…”
Twilight made a face. “Endure it?”
“Enjoy it.” Sunset sighed. “And I doubt this time Pinkie would have a party to ease the edge off once I’m, you know, trying not to break down.”
“Sunset…” Twilight grabbed one of Sunset’s hooves. “I don’t want to break down. And I’m sure that it wouldn’t be like with Princess Celestia.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I’m sure of it.” She grasped Sunset’s hoof a bit tighter. “I know them. I know you.”
Sunset rolled her eyes and shook Twilight’s hoof off. “Well, yeah, but that still leaves us with the fact that they’re not my friends anyway. Like, even the best case scenario—which I suppose would be them not telling me that I wasted my life and that I’m naturally evil, I suppose—would be completely useless.”
“But you would gain new friends!” Twilight said. “You know you can get along with them. Don’t you want that? To not be this lonely? To have somepony other than me to rely on?”
Sunset arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’d be great,” she said. “But… getting the exact same group of friends as in highschool? Only, with slightly different backstories?” She waved a hoof. “Eeeh. I don’t do nostalgia.”
“We all do nostalgia, Sunset.”
“No. You do.” Sunset looked at Twilight. “No offense, but the one who’s keen on reliving her past is you. I’m supposed to be here to get a new life. You want to go back to your old days of glory. Which, hey, fine by me? But don’t drag me into it, please.”
“I’m not dragging you anywhere.”
“You are.”
Pause.
“I am.” Twilight nodded. “I totally am. But that’s because—well, you came all the way here to Equestria to get help, didn’t you?” She poked Sunset on the chest. “You asked me for help. Because you need it.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yes. Okay, good point, but—”
“And that’s what I’m trying to do! Look, I’m not just saying you should get along with my friends because it would be easy for me.” Twilight shrugged. “Although, it would be. You two are the most important things in my life right now, so if you could get along it would make things so much simpler, I’m not going to lie.”
“You’re sounding so selfless right now, Twilight.”
“I am selfless!” Pause. Twilight smiled. “Well. A little. Sometimes you need to be a bit selfish when it comes to friendship, I think. By helping you, I also help myself, right? It’s a two-way street.”
Sunset shrugged. “You’re the expert.”
“I sure am. But again, this is more than just that. It’s just…” Twilight sighed. “Sunset, I suppose we can both agree that most of the… problems that you cause, or that haunt you, come from your habit of, well.” Looking for a way to say this in a more sensitive way was almost impossible, so Twilight just took the Applejack route. “From your habit of running away from everything.”
The way Twilight said this made Sunset step away a little bit—but when she talked, her tone was light. “Okay,” she said, small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I sort of agree? But I’d say there’s more to it than just—”
“So it all started when you ran away from Princess Celestia,” Twilight cut, shaking her head. “Into the human lands. Then you ran away from your highschool friends, and that pretty much ruined your life over there.”
Sunset frowned. “Hey, I didn’t run away from them. Technically.”
“You did, though.”
“You don’t know that! I’ve been vague when talking about the incident.” Sunset tapped her muzzle twice, and cracked a smile. “So I know as a fact that you have no idea—”
“You literally said that you ran away from them, like, four minutes ago,” Twilight said. “Word for word.”
Pause.
“…I did?”
“Yeah.”
“Shoot.” Sunset looked down and frowned. “I think I did. Ugh. That was a slip.”
“Yeah, a telling one. So.” Twilight waved a hoof. “That ruined your life. Then you tried to turn into an alcoholic—yeah don’t think I forgot you were drinking whiskey, there, I’m keeping track of you—to run away from everything.”
“Hmm.”
“Then, you ran away from Princess Celestia at the dinner—yes, I know, that was my fault, sorry—and now you’re running away from your friends. Or my friends. Both.” A blink. “I mean, and technically, you running away back here might end up destroying Canterlot. So, you know.”
Sunset sighed, and leaned against the wall. “I know? I know what?”
“That running away has never really helped you, but you keep trying to do it anyway?”
“Well.” Sunset shook her head and then pawed at the ground absentmindedly. “I think you’re stretching it a bit, regarding Princess Celestia. I didn’t really run away.”
Twilight chuckled. “You absolutely did.”
“Okay, yes, I did—but by then everything was ruined already, right?”
And Twilight shook her head. “I’m afraid trying to get drunk as fast as possible to avoid listening to the princess counts as trying to get away from there, Sunset. Sure, not what caused the problem—but you still tried it, right?”
Sunset half-nodded. “I mean, okay. Good analysis. Buuuut, if you think about it.” She pointed at her own head. “We can just see that as me always looking forward in life. Which is really good, right?”
Twilight shook her head again. “It’s really not.”
“No, no. I think it is.” Sunset swifted a bit to get more comfortable, and then looked at Twilight. “You know? I think you’re forgetting something. Sure, you want to help me—but you need help too, right? It’s a two-way street. You said that.”
Twilight had said that. “Yyyes,” she said. “I… suppose?”
“Hmm-hmm.” Sunset kept pawing at the ground. “And you know what I think your problem is, Twilight Sparkle?”
“That I don’t have a boyf—”
“That you don’t have a boyfriend.”
“I honestly don’t understand how I keep putting up with you.”
“But,” Sunset added, “I’ll admit that’s not as much the problem as it’s just a symptom. Because I think your problem is exactly the opposite of mine, here.”
Twilight arched an eyebrow. “That I don’t run away from my problems?”
“Yes. No.” Sunset shook her head. “No, not that. It’s that you’re always looking backwards. At the past. You’re not letting it go.” She frowned. “With a pretty face like yours? You don’t have a boyfriend because you don’t want to. Because you’ve never had a boyfriend, and I think you’re so focused on reliving your golden days that you’ve grown scared of the future.”
“Pfffft.” If Twilight had rolled her eyes any harder, she would have seen her brain. “Well, now who’s reaching?”
“Oh, come on!” Sunset smiled, and punched Twilight’s shoulder. “You won’t shut up about how you love the way Flower Fall reminds you of those days where you fought monsters. You keep overworking yourself, because that’s what you used to do back then. And you keep wanting me to reconnect with my past! You’re obsessed with it!”
“Well, yes, but that’s just because you—”
“And all that stuff about Princess Celestia, too. You said that everypony does nostalgia, but I think it’s mostly you.” Sunset blinked. “Hey, and even Flower Fall itself is sort of… Something, something, time travel, right? The Past coming back to hunt Canterlot?”
Pause.
Twilight squinted. “I mean, technically you’re correct, but that’s not—”
“I’m making a really good point, and you know it.”
“…You’re making a really good point, and I know it.” Twilight sighed, and rested her back on the wall, too. At that moment, Sunset and her were perfect mirrors of each other. “So, okay. I guess that might be an issue.” She glanced at Sunset. “It’s not ruining my life, though, I must say. I’m doing pretty fine.”
“How’s that ennui treating you, again?”
“Sunset, you were homeless for years. Your choices in life led you to meet Squattin’ Steve. You can’t really compare both things.”
Sunset waved a hoof. “Details.”
“And how does anything we’ve just said matter, anyway? You’re still running away from your problems. And my friends.” Twilight winked at Sunset. “I only see one way to fix that, if you catch my drift…?”
“Ugh.”
“Sunset, come on! This is a literal friendship problem. You know I’m the best at those!”
“Yes, sure, okay. You are.” Sunset crossed her forelegs in front of her chest. “But… Can’t we just not—”
“You need to deal with this. I can’t be your only friend in Equestria. Right now, with Flower Fall and everything else, it makes sense for us to be focused.” Twilight looked up, at the chandelier hanging from the center of the roof. “But what about the long term? What do you think will happen once we fix Flower Fall?”
Sunset thought about it. “Uuuuh,” she said. “I guess we’ll just… keep being friends?”
“Sure. Absolutely.” Twilight winked at Sunset. “Count on that. But you can’t live with me being the only pony in your life. Even I know that’s a really bad idea, no matter how appealing it is, in a weird way.”
Sunset let a smirk make it to her face, and then she moved slightly closer to Twilight. “Appealing, you say?”
“Not the focus.” Twilight looked at her. “Be honest—do the Royal Guards mean anything to you? Rarity and Applejack made it sound like they were just a series of one-night-stands. Are you friends with them?”
The smirk didn’t falter, but Sunset looked away. “Well,” she said, shrugging. “They aren’t anything serious, to be honest. Just, a little bit of harmless fun.”
Twilight nodded. “So they’re nothing particularly important.”
“Not really, no. Something to pass the night.”
“Hmm.”
They both stood in silence for a bit, looking at the chandelier.
It was a pretty chandelier. It was made of crystal—big surprise there—but unlike most things in the Palace, its color wasn’t blue or purple. It was orange, and yellow, and red, and golden. It looked warmth and inviting, like there were embers inside.
It made Twilight think about Sunset’s mane.
It made Sunset think about fire, and the Crystal Guard that ran away.
Then Twilight turned to Sunset. “Can I ask you a question?”
Sunset smiled. “Now you’re asking permission?”
“Just being polite.” Twilight went back to look at the chandelier. “Have you ever thought about having something more than the Royal Guards? Something more than a simple one-night-stand?”
“Huh. Twilight Sparkle talking about romance.” Sunset nodded to herself. “Color me surprised.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Something more.” Sunset rested her head on the wall. “You mean, like an actual relationship? A romantic one? Long-term?”
“Yeah.”
“Eeeh. I never thought about it.” Sunset smirked. “I mean, I guess, if the Royal Guard is rich enough…”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious.”
“I’m really not. It’s not something I think about, to be honest.” Sunset shrugged. “Maybe?”
“Hmm.”
“Why are you interested? Want to know if I’d run away from a relationship?”
Twilight’s answer was immediate. “Yes.”
“Ah.”
“Absolutely.”
“Well. Okay, I mean—I see why you’d do that.” Sunset squinted. “But you could at least lie about it.”
“Not my thing.” Twilight sighed. “And I think… Well, I’m just interested.” She hesitated a bit before saying the next thing. “You know, I wouldn’t mind it.”
Sunset perked up her ears. “Oh?”
“Having a long-term relationship.” Twilight laughed a little—she didn’t really mean to, but she did it anyway—and then fiddled a bit with her hooves. “I mean, I’m not looking for one, but if I found the perfect pony… I guess.” She sighed. “It might be nice.”
Sunset perked up her ears even harder. She looked at Twilight, eyes shining. “Really?” she asked.
“Hmm-hmm.”
“Really really?!”
Twilight blinked. “Uh.” She frowned. “Why are you so getting so into this all of a sud—oh gosh no.”
“Twilight, you literally just admitted we need to find you a boyfriend!”
“Oh, sweet Celestia.” Twilight buried her face in her hooves. “Why.”
“We need to hit the clubs RIGHT NOW!”
“I hate my life sometimes.” It took Twilight all of her willpower to look up to Sunset, who was bobbing up and down in place like an overcaffeinated Pinkie PIe. “Look, we weren’t talking about this. This was just a side comment, and it doesn’t mean—”
“WE NEED TO GO ON A DOUBLE DATE!”
“Sunset, I’m not going to look for a boyfriend.”
Sunset’s stupid grin never left her face. “Oh,” she said. “You absolutely are now, Twilight.”
“No.” Twilight waved a hoof. “I just—you just admitted you’re not going to get any meaningful relationships any time soon. And you’re running away from my friends… When you’re not openly antagonizing them, that is.” She glared at Sunset. “So you have nopony but me, right now.”
Sunset kept on grinning. “And?”
“And that can’t be. So you should stop shying away from other ponies.” Twilight grinned back. “And my friends are a perfect start for that. Completely safe, we both know you can already get along with them, and we’re killing two birds one stone. Because you’re dealing with your tendency to run away from things at the same time.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “Doesn’t it sound perfect?”
And while the grin was still there, now Sunset didn’t really look that happy. “I guess,” she said through gritted teeth. “Woo. I can’t wait.”
Twilight light up. “So you’re agreeing with me?”
“More like I’m giving up on resisting, really. But.” Sunset raised a hoof. “Before we do that.”
Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Before we do that?”
“If we’re dealing with my tendency to run away, we’re dealing with your obsession with the past, too. We’ve tackled my problems already, now it’s your turn.” Sunset waved the hoof she’d previously risen in circles. “And at the same time, we can deal with your problem of not having a boyf—”
“No.”
“Oh, come on! Just give me this!”
“But I suppose I can… I have no idea. Relax?” Twilight frowned. “I mean, what’s my issue, anyway? Trying to relive my glory days? Because that really only means that I’m trying to save the world.”
Sunset nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“So you want me to… not save the world?”
“No! I want you to, I don’t know.” Sunset squinted. “I didn’t think this far. Try not to overwork yourself that much?” Pause. “Did you have breakfast today?”
Twilight blinked. “Uh,” she said. “I… did?”
“You didn’t.”
“I didn’t. I haven’t eaten anything in the whole day.” She looked down. “Sorry.”
And Sunset smiled, and patted her head. “Atta girl,” she said. “You can’t fool me, can you?”
Twilight swatted Sunset’s hoof away, annoyed. “Apparently,” she said. And then—“Ah.” She clapped. “I have an idea. I won’t be looking for a boyfriend, but… You asked me out, right?”
“…I did?”
“Yes. You said you wanted to have dinner with me. Like, twenty minutes ago?”
“Ah! Yeah!” Sunset pointed at Twilight, smiling for real again. “Yeah! We could do that! We can go clubbing, and even try to find you a—”
“No.”
“—well, shoot, I guess we can at least have fun.” Sunset nodded. “Yes. We don’t focus on your friends, we get you out there, and I can make sure you actually eat for once. I like this plan! You’re running away from your problems now!”
“Well then!” And Twilight’s smile was as big as Sunset’s. “I guess it’s a date!”
They both looked into each other’s eyes.
(And there was a—)
No.
The game stops for a moment. The audience at the most important table in the world stay silent. The anticipation is killing them. The pieces opened their hearts to one another. They agreed on a date. Twilight is making all the right moves.
But Time is the one that talked. And now, he talks again.
No.
And he doesn’t say the word with fear, or rage, or defeat.
He says it triumphantly.
Because Fate has had two moves per turn for a while now, and that’s given him an unfair advantage. Because Twilight became a player in the game, and Time didn’t know how to react.
But now, he does.
The rules of the game are vague. They have to be. This is a game played with lives, over a board that contains every world that ever existed. What a move does is fuzzy. How the players play is a mystery.
But even then, some things are solid. Time’s piece belongs to him. Sunset Shimmer is his avatar in the game, and only he can control her. Twilight Sparkle is Fate’s piece. They play by moving them, one each turn, to try to outwit the other.
Any influence a player might have over the other player’s piece is always, always, indirect.
Only now—Twilight is moving herself.
Twilight Sparkle, Time says. Twilight Sparkle, who became a player, is moving herself. She’s moving Fate’s piece. Because she went ahead of the game, the rules don’t apply to her anymore.
Fate’s eyes go wide. No, he says. No, you can’t be saying—
But Time is laughing now. Yes, he says. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Because I just realized—if Twilight Sparkle can move your piece due to the new rules…
…then, why shouldn’t I do the same?
“Hey!” Twilight said, before they could really lock eyes. “I just had an idea! What if we deal with all our problems at once?”
Sunset was taken aback. “What?”
Fate can’t believe what Time's saying. This can’t be. He was so close! He was almost there! Twilight Sparkle was doing everything in her power to get to Sunset, and now it’s—
—Now, Time interrupts, leaning over the board, now it’s my turn still. And you were right: I only have one move. But it's all I need.
And he moves Twilight, once again.
“Yeah!” Twilight said. “I agree to our date, but we also bring my friends with us! And we all hang out together! Like a big platonic family!”
“Ugh,” Sunset said.
No!
Fate screams.
But it’s too late.
Time flies.
It’s a blur.
And Twilight opens the doors to the bar, smile on her face. Many days have passed. “Okay, girls, we’re here!” she says. “Let’s have fun! All of us!”
And the cheers from Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack—plus the quiet happiness of Rarity, Fluttershy, and Starlight, and the silent annoyance of Moondancer—are enough to drown Sunset’s pained groan.
It’s not fair. The game was about to end! You can hear the echoes of Fate complaining—this isn’t how it’s supposed to go! This is ridiculous! This is a joke!
But it doesn’t matter
The game continues.
And eight ponies walk into a bar…
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I told you -- this one is still alive.
This chapter was actually finished back in November (in NaNoWriMo, actually), but the original draft was 16k words long, and it needed HEAVY editing before being posted. Sadly, due to personal issues, Christmas, and also the draft being 16k words long, it took both me and the editors a long time to get it ready.
I'm really happy with some bits of this chapter, and not as much with some others. But, if I keep tinkering with it, I'll simply never post it. I realized I was just trying to postpone its publication and changing stuff for change's sake (or so I hope). Next one will be easier and has already been started, so here's to it coming sooner than later.
i don't know how to feel with this story. the caracter are fun, the punchline correct, the story and the principal idea are originals, but GOSH, THE HEADACHE ! WHY DO THEY COMPLICATE SO MUCH THEIR LIFE ?! AND WHY DID I love it ?! It hurt ! but it's great ! but my brain can't take it anymore ! but it make me laugh ! argh X'c
well, this story have my attention.
Flurry Heart dances better than her Aunt Twilight!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Twilight's needs to just spill it straight up and ask Sunset out!!! Even Spike has gotten laid on a daily basis!!!!!!
Time is an asshole. A wrinkle, scraggly bearded old asshole thats sucks the joy out of others like a parasite
But this chapter was really good, well done
The exercise of literature for the purpose of... exercising the literature? It really isn't much of a story. It has one thing in common with the plot - the question 'why?'. Why does this exist? Eh.
I mean, hate it or love it (usually hate it, you dont notice it when you love it), people projecting their kinks, fears or power fantasies is a simple fact. A 'random' or an 'adventure' or what have you does usually have a good reason to exist. This kind of thing? Eh, I got nothing.
I know he's a dragon, but jeez.
Yeah, yeah...
OUCH.
HAH!
I can see it.
Naturally.
Quite.
Of course.
...You worry me.
HEH!
You know exactly how to play her.
Clever.
Nice.
Poor bastard.
She has a point.
She's ABSOLUTELY crushing on Sunset. Which is good. SunLight is a wonderful ship.
Not quite.
Ouch.
You have a very unique way with comedy, you know that, Aragón?
Oh dear.
Correct.
OUCH!
Yeah, so LISTEN to her.
You are denser than a black hole!
Oh boy.
Eh?
Sounds like the start of a joke. Or one of Aragón's fanfics. There's little difference.
So Time techinically cheated.. that should really cause him to forfeit the game.
You know, the more I read this story, the more I hope the end solution to Flower Fall somehow becomes Sunset popping into the game room and personally lasering Time's and Fate's metaphysical heads off. (I'd say Twilight, but she wouldn't do it. This Sunset might.)
So many twists happen all the time, and I still love it. Also, Flurry is an accidental almost-murdered and everyone is fine with it. Then again, if the parents are able to tell her when to stop, it's fine.
Heh, they could use that in diplomacy - you play nice or our daughter will hug you.
Many a windpipe would be self-massaged in worried embarrassment.
So the game keeps going on, and it only got more interesting. This will be so much fun!
Those metaphorical representations gathered around that metaphorical table really need to be careful, or Rainbow Dash will find a way to punch them in the face.
This was a terrible plan, Twilight. You got Sunset away from the Royal Guard by bringing her to another palace with its own set of guards. Possibly even one named Flash, which ought to make things even more awkward and complicated if he shows up.
How motherly. Well, the part about making sure Twilight eats at least.
I do hope we see more to this fanfic! I really love what I've read of this so far!