The Wooing of Sunset Shimmer

by Rose Quill

Chapter Seven - Hearth's Warming: Lunch With Siblings

The train rumbled as it went along the tracks, whirling clouds of displaced snow blowing by. Sunshine stared out the windows, enjoying the various snowscapes that rolled by.

“This is beautiful,” she said, turning away from the view. “How long have trains been a method of travel in Equestria? How far have tracks been laid?”

I shrugged. “At least as long as I’ve been alive, and I remember my mother talking about trips when she was young. According to Twilight, there’s been some expansion to some of the more distant parts of Equestria.”

“How do they work? I doubt you would burn coal for the steam, so is there a spell that converts moisture from the air into steam?”

“Not that I know of. From what I understand, the wood they but in the boiler is treated with a Mobius spell first. It keeps the fuel from being fully consumed.” I frowned in thought. “I’m not familiar with the spell myself, having never studied it myself, but I’ve seen it used in a lot of places, especially the fireplaces in the palace.”

A conductor came into the car, checking his watch. “Next stop, Canterlot, with service to Appleloosa, Manehattan, and Baltimare.” He moved through to the next car.

“We should get ready,” she said, shifting in her seat excitedly.

I smiled. “How?” I asked. “We didn’t bring any bags.”

She sat down, still with an excited look on her face as she split her time between watching the city pull into view and glancing at me. “But we’re going to lunch with your sisters! And going to stay your old home after having a Hearth's Warming night! How can you not be excited?” She adjusted her glasses, despite them not having moved, going to look out the window again.

“And we’re meeting Rarity in her boutique here to be fitted for that ball we were invited to,” I teased. “Which is why you’re as giddy as a schoolpony.” It was odd, being back in Equestria, trotting on four limbs again made me automatically switch back into using the slang and words that matched. It had been six years since I spent any amount of time here, but twice in three months I had returned and immediately returned to the language like I had never left.

Sunshine’s smile, however, only grew at my teasing quip. “I’ve never been to a royal ball before!” She started practically prancing in place out of exuberance. “I don’t even know where to start at how exciting that is!”

I blinked. “That’s…not very scientific, Twilight,” I said. “Not exactly…”

“Me?” Her smile never dimmed. “Sunny, even I can get excited without having to have a rational, logical reason behind it. Besides,” she leaned into me. “I’m spending time with my special somepony.”

I giggled. “You’re starting to sound like a local, Twi,” I said.

“When in Roam,” she replied. "I'm sure that the ball will simply be the best night ever!"

The train started to slow, and I stood. “Well, in any case, after a bite to eat with the sisters, shall we go see about fixing up a house?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

---

“Sunny!” Morning Glory called, trotting up and nuzzling into me excitedly. “So glad you made it.”

“Wouldn’t miss this, Glory,” I said, tossing my head at Sunshine. “You remember Sunshine,” I said by way of introduction.

“Of course," she said in a sly way. I rolled my eyes. “So you two are involved.”

“Glory,” I said warningly, seeing Sunshine's cheeks color at the same time as mine started to heat up.

“Glory, don’t be a pest,” Dawning Dew said as she walked up. She nuzzled me and then Sunshine. “It’s obvious they’re happy together and that’s enough for me. Don’t pry.”

Glory deflated a little, but her smile never wavered. She nuzzled Sunshine and tossed her mane out of her face. “Let's get a table, shall we?”

We sat and ordered before Glory spoke again. “You have to tell me how you two met,” she gushed. "Was it love at first sight?"

I rolled my eyes, giving a sigh usually reserved for pop quizzes. “It’s a little tricky to explain,” I hedged, not sure how much I could share without spilling the beans about the mirror world.

“That’s even better,” my sister cooed. Dew rolled her eyes in response as I face-hooved.

“We met at a social function,” Sunshine said. “I had been in a dark place, and she offered to be my friend. It sort of grew from there.”

I looked at her, not just because of her quick spin of the truth. I knew the events she was referring to, down to the words that had helped her from that ‘dark place’.

Take my hand, Twilight…

The vulnerability of Midnight Sparkle in that moment, Twilight’s face when she slept, the way she would twirl her hair when lost in thought. I loved it all.

“Sunny?”

I snapped out of my reverie, blinking. “Sorry, memories,” I smiled at the trio. “What did I miss?”

Dew leaned forward, a smile on her face that reminded me of Mom. “I asked if you had decided to keep the house for sure,” she said, eyes sparkling with the same mischievous nature I saw in the mirror and in Glory’s eyes. “It’s fully paid off, after all, but maybe you want to talk more about whatever it was that you just zoned out over.”

I flashed a devilish grin at my eldest sister. “In your dreams, Dewy,” I said with a saccharine voice. I saw Sunshine flush slightly out of the corner of my eye.

“Oh, you don’t have to explain,” she returned as our food arrived. “I must have done that a thousand times when Hue and I started dating.”

Glory popped a tomato into her mouth, chewing quickly. “So, any big plans for Hearth’s Warming besides tomorrow night at the old house?”

Sunshine swallowed the mouthful of salad she had been chewing on. “My folks have invited her over for a celebration later on in the week,” she said softly. “And we might go to the Yule ball at the palace.”

“Maybe we should go together,” Glory said, clapping her hooves together in excitement. “Do you have outfits picked out? We could coordinate patterns or colors!”

I shook my head as I chewed on a carrot. “We’re going to head over to the Canterlot Carousel to get fitted day after tomorrow. We didn’t know until yesterday if we were going to go or not.”

“Canterlot Carousel? That’s a fairly pricey boutique, are you sure you can afford it?” Dew furrowed her brow.

I grinned. “I know the owner, she said she’d cut us a deal.”

Glory gasped. “You know the owner?” She openly gaped at Sunshine and I.

I glanced at Sunshine. She looked back at me and shrugged. I turned back to my sister and nodded, reaching over to push her jaw shut. “Rarity? Yeah, pretty sure we do.”

Dew giggled as our sister worked her jaw trying to form words. “I think you broke her,” she said.

Sunshine frowned. “How?” she asked. “It was a fairly innocent comment.”

“Yes, to us it was,” Dew said. “But Glory fancies herself a socialite these days. The fact that Sunny, here - who for the longest time was antisocial - knows a high-profile pony like Rarity might not be able to settle in her mind.”

Glory apparently regained coherent thought at that moment. “You have to introduce me,” she breathed.

I smiled and took another bite of my salad. “I’ll think about it,”

---

“Perfect,” I said, levitating my choices over to the counter to be tallied. “Do you gift wrap?”

The Unicorn behind the counter nodded, levitating the gifts I had chosen over to a smaller table.

Sunshine walked up, putting several items down and giving me a quick nuzzle. “Find everything you needed?” she asked.

I nodded, then glanced at the gifts. “Aren’t you worried I’d see what you got for me?” I asked.

She shook her head, her bun wobbling slightly.

“Why not?”

She smiled up at me.

“I’ve had your gift picked out for a week. You’ll get it when we get to my brother’s house.”

I smiled. “What a coincidence,” I said. “I’ve had yours for a while too.”

Comments

[JediWyrm]

Sunset swallowed the mouthful of salad she had been chewing on. “My folks have invited her over for a celebration later on in the week,”

Either you meant Sunshine or it should read "Her folks have invited me over..."

Also, just noticed I think you forgot the 'a' in part in these last couple chapter titles.

[Rose Quill]

7851390

More like a statement. but I fixed the redundancy.

[Mini Minrie]

7851564 Seems my reply was unnecessary. Oh well.

[ClosetBrony]

Love the story so far. It has given me quite a few d'awes and laughs. Something sticking out in my mind though; didn't Sunset's sisters attend the farewell lunch near the end of Homecoming? Would they have not met Rarity then?

[MySisterBroughtMeHere]

I should have known Glory and Dew would take a chance in teasing their sister.

[BenRG]

I'm pretty sure that Rarity has a list as long as Discord's tail of ponies who know ponies she knows and think that means they ought to know her too. Such is the pain of being a leading light of the social and fashion scene, dahling!

[jwizard]

7977106

That's what being a brother or sister is all about. I take every opportunity to tease my siblings; it's more-or-less my responsibility as the baby of the family.

[Bookish Dracon]

8573621
It's my responsibility as the oldest sibling to look stoic and annoyed by the constant teasing, when secretly I'm enjoying myself and getting in as many teases as I can at every opportunity.

[Aweirdassguy]

“When in Roam,” she replied.

That pun made me laugh way harder than it hadn’t any right to.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

“How do they work? I doubt you would burn coal for the steam, so is there a spell that converts moisture from the air into steam?”

There's something I'd wonder since I'm a big train fan especially when it comes to steam locomotives.

[PresentPerfect]

finally, Rarity gets the recognition she always longed for :)