The Wooing of Sunset Shimmer

by Rose Quill

Chapter Four - Letters

I sat down and slid the blade guards onto my skates, untying the laces. I glanced over at Pinkie, who was just coming off the ice.

“I’m still surprised you can skate like that, Pinkie,” I said as she sat down and began to remove her skates as well “It’s not something I pictured you doing.”

“I’ve been doing it since I was six. Grandmom and Grandad’s farm had a large pond on it that froze every year and we’d go skating on it.” She popped on the blade guards on her skates and slung them over the bench as she pulled on her boots and looked at me. “Plus its super-duper fun!”

I smiled. Where I was content to just glide across the ice of the rink, Pinkie had been doing what could have been a rehearsal for a figure skating routine. The pink-haired girl had leaped, spun, and pirouetted as though she were walking on solid ground.

“You should think about trying out for the Olympics, Pink.” I threw my skates over my shoulder after giving my boots a solid tap against the floor to seat them properly. “You might just make the team.”

“Nah," she said. “Then we’d never get to hang out! Besides, I only like it with friends, and you guys would be home while I’m all over the place!”

“You don't think you’d make friends on the team?” I asked as I pulled my keys out.

“Yeah, but they won’t be as awesome as you guys.”

I chuckled at that. “I wouldn’t go that far, Pinkie. Keep it in mind, it'd only be for one year anyway.” I glanced at my watch. “C’mon, Pinkie, let's get going.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie,” she said, heading to her own vehicle.

---

I looked at my friends, all lounging around. Twilight was pouring a cup of tea when I cleared my throat.

“Thanks for coming over, girls,” I said. I picked up a letter in a yellowed envelope and turned it around in my hands. “This is something my mom left for me before…” my breath caught. “Before she passed.”

I opened the envelope, pulled out the letter and looked at the familiar script. I had read it a hundred times since returning it seemed, but until recently, I hadn't felt a need to share its contents.

“It talks about a handful of things; my grandparents, favorite memories of me as a foal and filly, things I remember and some that I don't. Typical parental reminiscing.”

I looked up. “It says that the one thing I always had trouble with was making friends and getting along with other ponies. Her one wish for me was to make good friends one day.”

I smiled and looked up at them, a tear leaking from my eye. “I wish she could have seen the great ones I have here. I can’t help to wonder if she’d be proud of me.”

Applejack broke the silence first. “Aw, shucks, Sunset,” she said, giving her eyes a swipe too. “Ah’m sure she would be. You’ve been a great friend and always willing to help out others, and Ah’m not shy to say you’re a good friend of mine.”

There was a wave of nods from the girls and Twilight sat next to me, wrapping her arm around mine. “We all are,” she said, lacing her fingers into mine.

“I know,” I admitted. “But sometimes I still have dreams about what I did at the Fall Formal or what I did to you all over the years.” I felt Twilight squeeze my hands and dimly felt her own pang of regret. She and Applejack were the only two that had known prior to now that knew about the nightmares. “I tried to hurt all of you and spent years doing nothing but driving you all apart. When the other Twilight came after me, you all hated each other because of what I did.” I saw Rainbow Dash rub the back of her neck and Fluttershy look down and twisted her fingers nervously.

“I can’t see how you all could be friends with someone like me sometimes,” I continued. “But I’m so glad you are. My life has been made so much better since then, and I hope I never do anything to lose this feeling.”

We all sat silently for a moment, remembering the misunderstanding brought about by Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom last winter.

Rainbow apparently had enough of the mushy stuff, because she hopped up and paced to the door. “Well, I don’t know about you guys,” she said. “But I’m starving, so let's go! There’s this new place on Fifth that gives discounts to students!”

I smiled at her enthusiasm. “You buying?” I asked.

She hesitated, but then laughed. “Drinks, sure. You’re on your own for food.”

As they piled out of my apartment, I pulled Twilight back a bit.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking confused.

“There was more the letter said, Twi,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “She also wanted me to find someone that would make me smile all the time, somepony special, as she put it.”

I looked her in the eye. “We both know I have, right?”

She blushed and smiled widely before leaning over and hugging me, planting a kiss on my cheek.

“Twilight, Sunset, are you two coming or not?” Rainbow shouted up the stairwell.

“We’d better go before she comes up and drags us along,” Twilight said, the smile never fading.

“Go ahead, I’m going to tuck this letter away.”

I pulled open the drawer to my nightstand where I kept the pouch of leftover bits, a few odds and ends, my geode pendant when I wasn't wearing it.

And a ring that had been in the envelope along with the letter, the one that my mother had said was the one my dad had given her when he asked for her hoof. It was human-sized, but I guessed that if I took it through the portal it would shift again. I smiled at it and closed the drawer, going to join my friends.

Comments

[BlackWater]

A wedding ring? There's a wedding ring!
derpicdn.net/img/2016/1/7/1061551/medium.jpeg
View on Derpibooru - Original source

[AyanamiRei]

This is a cute little story. I would ask for moar normally, but there's already several chapters I have not read!

[Mini Minrie]

A wedding ring already? Fast, but i can accept it. Unless she's just making the comment for the future. I'd say it's weird that she be thinking of proposing in Equestria, but then i remember that SciTwi wouldn't care one bit where it happened.

[MySisterBroughtMeHere]

Sad and happy at the same time. I wonder what role that ring will play in the future?

[Kittamaru]

7885290

My wife (of almost ten years now) and I made the decision after around six months of being together. We just... well, knew.

Now, in a few weeks, we will be welcoming our first child to the world... And now I'm crying lol...

[Vic Fontaine]

A ring?

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

This sure was a bit emotional imo