Picture Day
The following day found Sunset Shimmer and her pseudo-mother out in the city once again. Inspecting the apartment building had gone swimmingly. The landlady was a friendly sort, and had actually offered them tea before showing them the vacant units.
The first apartment had ended up being the winner. It was similar to the old apartment, with a large living room area fit to put a TV in, and a kitchenette. But this one had sported two bedrooms instead of one, connected by a bathroom with a dual tub and shower. There was even a small alcove where the last tenant had installed a washer and dryer, though the machines were no longer present.
It was a cozy space, perfect for a single mother and daughter to be living in. And the rates had been fairly reasonable, even if it was still much higher than what Sunset had been paying before.
Since it was unfurnished, and most of Sunset's furniture wasn't fit to move (or keep, for that matter), the next step had been a large shopping trip, which led them to the shopping center on Onyx Street. It was a wide area, but was composed of only a handful of very large stores bordering the perimeter of an equally massive rectangular parking lot.
The furniture store had been the first stop. Sunset allowed her mentor to take charge on most of those purchases, since she had the better eye for that sort of thing. Together, they'd gotten a pair of beds, new bedsheets, pillows, towels, a sofa, chairs, some small tables, and everything else a home needed.
After that, they'd moved to the conveniently placed Best Purchase store located right next door. Here, Sunset had to take over, since the very minute Sunny started talking to the salesman, her eyes glazed over in complete non-comprehension.
Unfortunately, it was a sale day today, and the store was bursting with activity, shoppers headed this way and that in search of whatever hot items were on sale, while off to the side, a long line had formed in front of the technical support service desk. The noise of the shoppers and beep of the registers was blended together with the chatter of TVs and soft music from the overhead speakers.
Working her way through the chaos, Sunset had already picked out a toaster, a blender, and a microwave. Sunny had insisted on getting a washer and dryer for the apartment, since there was already a dedicated space for them anyway. The teen was pushing the cart in their direction, following the very helpful salesman.
Well, salesman was something of a misnomer, more of an aide. He was actually quite young. Probably still in high school if Sunset had to guess. He had tan skin and long, messy dirty blonde hair that he'd tied back in a low, very loose shoulder length ponytail, while his bangs crept into his eyes so much that Sunset had to wonder how he could even see.
He seemed distinctly uncomfortable in the uniform he was wearing, tugging constantly at the shirt collar, which only succeeded in making the small turquoise surfboard at the end of his necklace jangle loudly.
"I totally miss California, but dad needed to come here. But you know there's this gnarly wave pool I found so I can still surf. I could give you some private surfing lessons if you want. Course I'd need your number so we could keep meeting up. Nobody learns how to do it the first time, not even an awesome guy like me."
And he was also flirting with her. Very clumsily, she might add.
"I'm not really interested in surfing, uh, Rip Tide," she said politely, catching a glance at his name tag. "But I am still interested in the washing machines."
"Right," said the young man, a touch of dejection in his voice. "This way." He started walking ahead of her, only to smack right into a customer just as he left the aisle. A customer who let out a very familiar "oof".
Sure enough, when Sunset caught up to him, she saw Rarity sprawled on the carpeted floor. "Rarity?"
"Oh, hello Sunset darling," she greeted, a few shopping bags scattered at her side. She got up, dusting off her dark purple skirt. "Fancy running into you here. Though I could have done without the literal run in."
"So sorry dudette!" apologized Rip. He grabbed her bags, holding them out to her, but froze when he noticed the glare Rarity shot his way at being called "dudette". Rip's face turned to one of panic. "Um, I mean, sorry ma'am," he backpedaled. "No, uh, miss, yeah, miss!" He cringed. "Please don't tell my manager."
Rarity's face softened as she took the bags back from him. "I wouldn't dream of doing so for such a simple accident, especially since you had the decency to apologise." She turned to Sunset. "Sunset, darling, am I to assume you're out shopping for the new apartment you mentioned this morning?"
"Yup. What about you? I thought you were going to be busy working on some designs at home."
"I was," replied the fashionista with a sigh. "But mother wanted to go out and replace some of the furnishings we lost with the flood, and she needed me to help her."
Rip looked back and forth between them. "Uh, you two know each other?"
"We're friends," Sunset told him. "Now could you show me where the washing machines are?"
"Sure." He glanced back at Rarity, and his face flushed, studying her image for the first time. "Hey, uh, any chance you'd, like, go out with me? I mean, to make up for running into you."
Rarity's face fell for a second, eyes honing in on his messy hair, but snapped on a polite smile. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. Now, I do believe my friend asked you about the washing machines. What direction are they in?"
"Uh, they're totally that way," he said, pointing toward the left side of the store. "Almost to the wall."
"Thank you. Now I believe the two of us will be off." She brushed by the still flustered teen. "And for the record, Mr. Tide, I prefer gentlemen who can see."
The two girls left Rip Tide behind, laughing to themselves. "Thanks," said Sunset. "It was getting sort of awkward."
"It was nothing," replied Rarity with a wave of her hand. "Though it certainly wouldn't hurt you to dabble in romance again." She gave a polite cough. "For real, that is."
Sunset glanced away. "Not really sure I'm ready for that just yet." Just the thought of trying for real made her remember how she'd played Flash like a fiddle, and all the shame that went with it.
"I understand. Just remember darling, when you do finally find yourself a date, I'd be more than happy to help you pick an outfit."
Sunset laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." Something told her that Rarity would help her with that whether she wanted it or not. Taking a few more steps, Sunset finally realized the sudden absence of a certain someone's voice. She turned around, finding nothing but an empty space. "Hey, where did Sunny go?"
"Dear me, it seems we both lost someone," said Rarity, taking her own look around at the busy store. "I was trying to find Sweetie Belle and her friends."
"What are they doing here?" Sunset could understand Rarity being asked to come along for this sort of trip. She had a sharp eye. But why would Sweetie Belle and her friends be here?
"They wanted to pick out a few movies for their club," explained the fashionista. "So mother let them come along. She decided to go here before we went to the furniture store."
Sunset remembered that the trio had formed a club, the Canterlot Movie Club. When they couldn't get to the theaters, they made a makeshift one in their own houses. Sunset and her friends had had to postpone a movie night once because it'd ended up being at the same place and time as the CMC.
She pointed with a finger. "I think the movies are back the way I came. Let’s go, maybe we'll run into them or Sunny on the way."
Tracing her steps back through the busy store, the pair scanned their surroundings. They spotted plenty of adults and even teenagers, all attracted to the sales going on, but nothing of their companions.
“Where could they be?” asked Sunset as she took another look around. Still nothing. She sighed in frustration. “Why’d this store have to be so big?”
“It does make it easy to get lost, doesn’t it?” mused Rarity as the two continued to walk.
They were now headed down the last of the aisles, quickly approaching the store’s eastern wall. Sunset ran a hand through her long hair. “Maybe we should circle back,” she suggested. “They could have gone to the other side of the store looking for you.”
“Perhaps, I-wait, do you hear that?”
Being as close to the wall as they were, the noise of the many shoppers had become just a bit fainter. And in that relative quiet, Sunset managed to pick up a few familiar voices.
“And then we stole Sunset’s phone and posted the pictures,” came a squeaking voice with a distinct country twang.
“But then the whole school started sharing stuff, and we started posting those too,” followed another that distinctly sounded like Sweetie Belle.
Rarity’s blue eyes blinked in confusion. “Are they talking about what I think they are?”
“Before we knew it,” continued what was clearly the voice of Scootaloo, “it was totally out of control.”
“We’re really sorry, Miss Skies,” said Apple Bloom. “Honest.”
The two teens moved to the end of the aisle. There, just a few feet away, were their missing store companions. The three girls were looking about fifty shades of guilty, while Sunny merely stood there, back leaning on the wall, arms crossed.
“Darling,” spoke Rarity, her words slow and quiet to avoid interrupting the scene before them. “Did you happen to tell the princess about the,” she coughed, “Anon-a-Miss incident?”
“No.” It hadn’t even occurred to her among all the other things that had gone on. And it wasn’t like Sunny had asked about it.
Though as things stood, this could be… problematic. Sunny’s face was particularly dour as she listened to the girls go on. She didn’t interrupt them, didn’t say a word, but her eyes didn’t waiver from them.
"What I don’t understand is why they’re doing this here,” said Rarity. “This seems like a rather odd place and time to hold this sort of conversation.”
“If I had to guess, it’s because they think she’s my mom,” answered Sunset. And as far as they knew, Sunny was. They’d all agreed long ago to leave their families out of the magical loop unless absolutely necessary. “Better to admit it right now than wait for her to find out from someone else,” she reasoned.
“I suppose that’s reasonable,” said Rarity, giving a little hum. “But darling,” nervousness edged into her voice, “the princess isn’t going to punish Sweetie Belle for her part in that fiasco, is she?” She paused, her imagination spinning. “I’d rather not have to explain to mother why my little sister is suddenly a mouse.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” replied Sunset. Though in all honesty, she wasn’t sure how her mentor was going to react. She was confident that the princess wouldn’t do anything severe to three preteen girls, but at the same time, that expression didn’t bode well.
And Sunny had established a precedent for surprising her since she arrived. Memories of yesterday’s outburst flashed through her head. Yeah, a repeat of that would be bad, to say the least. Not to mention this was a busy store full of people.
“When I saw Sunset runnin’ down the halls after gettin’ knocked down, I knew we’d gone way too far,” continued Apple Bloom.
“We admitted to everything,” said Sweetie Belle, voice cracking. “And we took down the profile.” Her green eyes sank down to her tennis shoes. “We couldn’t get rid of all the secrets though…”
“Vice Principal Luna gave us six months of detention for it,” lamented Scootaloo.
Sunny took a few deep, long breaths, closing her eyes. For a moment, she seemed to Sunset like a meditating monk. When her eyes opened again, they flicked in Sunset’s direction. Sunset took a few steps back. Had she spotted them?
“I see,” said Sunny evenly as she directed her attention back to Apple Bloom and the others. “And why exactly are you telling me this now?”
“Because you’re Sunset’s mom,” answered Sweetie Belle, confirming Sunset’s hypothesis.
“And because of what happened with that lady,” added Apple Bloom. “Applejack told me that she was usin’ what we did against them. And she almost got away with it too.” The small redhead bit her lip. "I made my own sister look like a horrible person."
“If we hadn’t come up with Anon-a-Miss,” continued Scootaloo, “then maybe things wouldn’t have been so bad.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes rose back up to Sunny’s face, looking like a couple of big green puddles. “Are you mad at us?”
Sunset felt her hands tighten around the shopping cart handle. If things got bad, she was going to step in. Sure, what they’d done was bad, but she’d forgiven them for it long ago, and they’d been paying for it in spades.
Besides, the three of them looked absolutely miserable right now. They were standing with an uncharacteristic stillness, like someone had stolen all their overwhelming energy and enthusiasm and dumped it right down the drain. I guess hearing about what happened to me really opened some old wounds.
Sunny took another deep breath, and for a whole minute, there was nothing but silence. Finally, the woman shook her head. “No, I’m not mad at you.”
"You're not?" asked Apple Bloom, flabbergasted. "But-"
"Don't misunderstand me. If I'd been there at the time, I would have been angry. Very angry, in fact. And I would have had a long talk with each of your families. What you three did was incredibly selfish, foolish, and horribly cruel.”
Apple Bloom withered under the words. "That's pretty much what Principal Celestia said too."
Sunny’s lip twitched, and her expression softened. “However, I wasn’t there, as much as I would have wanted to be.” She came closer, bending down so she was eye to eye with all three of them. “I think what matters right now is that you’re truly sorry for what you did, and you’re doing your best to make up for it.”
She smiled reassuringly. “Thank you all for being honest and telling me right away. That was very brave of you. And I think your sisters would be very proud of you for doing that.”
Scootaloo looked surprised. “You think so?”
Sunny nodded. “I know so.” Her magenta eyes moved over to where Sunset and Rarity were watching. “And speaking of which, here’s one of them now. Hello Rarity, how are you today?”
Having been discovered, the two girls came forward into view. “I’m quite well today, thank you,” greeted Rarity politely. “Thank you for keeping an eye on my sister and her friends.” She put a hand on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “Come along Sweetie, we shouldn’t keep mother waiting,” she glanced over at the maze of aisles she’d just come from. “Wherever she is.”
“Sorry,” apologized Sweetie. “We thought we’d be able to find the movies while you were busy.”
With a few more goodbyes, the two groups traded partners and went their separate ways through the store. The trip was quiet for about a minute, the sounds of shoppers washing over them, until Sunset broke the silence. “So...”
“Yes?”
“You heard all about Anon-a-Miss.”
Sunny nodded solemnly. “I found myself rather distracted and realized I’d lost track of you. Then I ran into those three. The moment I introduced myself, they broke down and told me everything.”
Before she knew it, Sunset was pulled into a soft hug. “I’m sorry you had to go through something like that alone,” Sunny whispered, her voice overflowing with sympathy. “It must have been so hard.”
Sunset let go of the cart, letting herself be pulled closer. The smell of the lily perfume Sunny wore filled her nostrils. “It was,” she admitted. “But it’s all in the past by now. And in a way, it brought us all closer.” They'd managed to clear a lot of bad air between them, even if Sunset had been extra skittish until the Battle of the Bands.
Her eyes met her mentor’s. “I’ve got to say though, I thought you’d be angrier at those three.” She chuckled sheepishly. “I was actually kind of worried you were going to chew them out in the middle of the store.”
Sunny pulled away. “It was hard listening to them, I'll admit." The woman shook her head. "But I couldn't stay angry at them. And besides," she added with a light laugh, "I think six months of detention is punishment enough for students.”
The two slipped into more normal conversation, up until Sunset's cart rammed into another around one of the aisles. She grunted in pain as the handlebar collided with her stomach.
"Oh dear," came yet another familiar voice. "I'm sorry... Oh, Sunset, I didn't know you were here."
Sunset hunched over, clutching her bruised abdomen, before looking up at the face of Cookie Crumbles, Rarity's mother. "Hi," she groaned.
Sunny bent down to look at her stomach. "Are you alright sweetheart?"
"I'm fine P-Mom." She rubbed the injury. "It's just sore."
That caught Cookie Crumble's attention, indigo eyebrows shooting up. "Mom? You're her mother?" She made her way around the cart and held out her hand. "Rarity told me you were back in town. I'm Cookie Crumbles. I'm Rarity's mother."
Sunny returned the gesture. "Sunny Skies. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sunset and I actually ran into both of your daughters just a little while ago, though not so literally in my case," she chuckled.
Cookie looked around at the chaos of the store with a trace of irritation. "I swear, this place is a madhouse today." Looking over at Sunset, her face softened. "I'm really very sorry about that. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine," she insisted, straightening her back.
Relief passed over Cookie's features. "You can't imagine how happy we were when Rarity told us you showed up Sunny. Do you mind if I call you Sunny?"
"Not at all."
"Hondo and I would have been more than happy to share our guest room, well, if the flood hadn't happened." In an aisle nearby, another shopper went running by at a breakneck pace. She sighed. "It just had to be a sale day today, and not for anything we need."
"That's right," said Sunny. "Sunset told me you had a flood of some kind?"
"It was horrible," proclaimed Cookie, her tone echoing with exhaustion and frustration. "The water got above ankle deep. Between the plumbers and this restoration company, it took hours to clean it all up. And we needed to keep these giant dehumidifiers in the house for days. They were so loud, and they tripped the power four times."
"Yeah, Rarity made it sound pretty rough." Her fashionista friend had told them all about the cleanup problems during lunch. Her own bedroom wasn't far from the damaged guest room, and the noise and power outages had caused no end of distraction and irritation for her. She'd had to use earmuffs in addition to her mask just to sleep through the night. As much as Rarity's tale had been infused with a dose of melodrama, it really hadn't sounded pleasant to Sunset at all.
It made her thankful that her old apartment hadn't sprung any major leaks in the years she'd lived there. Not yet anyway. Considering the shape it was in, who knew what would've happened down the road?
"I'm just glad we were able to finally get rid of them," said Cookie. "It was so hard to bake with those things running all the time." The fuchsia woman looked around. "Have you seen Rarity or Sweetie Belle and her friends? I don't come here too often so I don't remember where everything is."
"The movies are over that way," said Sunset, pointing with a finger. "They were just headed there now."
"Pardon me for asking," interrupted Sunny. "But what is that?" she pointed to a particular item in Cookie's shopping cart.
Cookie held up the box. "Oh, this? It's a digital picture frame. It cycles through pictures like a slideshow." She smiled. "I wanted to give it to my mother as a birthday present. She loves looking at the photo albums, but they're getting rather heavy for her these days."
Sunny's face lit up in both happiness and wonder. "That sounds like the perfect gift for her then." She shook her head in amusement. "Honestly, these computers never cease to amaze me. First being able to see films on the internet, and now this."
When she saw Cookie raise an eyebrow, Sunset scrambled for an answer. "Uh, my mom's really not that great with tech stuff," she explained quickly, hand slipping behind her head. "That's an archeologist for you, right? She's better with ancient technology than anything really modern."
Please let that be convincing, please let that be convincing.
Thankfully, her improvised half-lie seemed to have worked, because the baker just laughed. It was a warm, comforting sort of laugh. "Oh, don't I know the feeling. Anything beyond a cooking appliance usually leaves me stumped." She dropped the box back in the cart. "I'd better find my daughters. We still need to go to the furniture store."
"It's not as busy as here," said Sunset. Without the sale-induced high activity and the constant noise of the running TVs, the furniture store was practically a zen garden.
"Thank goodness," sighed Cookie. "Well, goodbye. It was wonderful meeting you Sunny. Hopefully we'll get to see each other again when it's quieter."
The pair watched Cookie wander off in the direction of the movie section, and then resumed their own trip toward the washing machines. As they walked along, Sunset noticed the thoughtful expression on Sunny's face. "What's up?"
"I was just thinking," said the woman slowly. "There's something else we could add to the apartment. But... you may not like it."
The teen raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Sunset, are you finished changing?" called Sunny.
"I'm not coming out," she replied, voice muffled by the bathroom door. "Haven't we done enough?"
Behind her, Rarity shifted on her heeled shoes. "Oh but you have to darling! I simply won't allow my hard work to go to waste."
Sunset began to protest, only for a pair of pale hands to slip under her armpits. "Rarity!" protested the girl. "Let me go!"
The door was swung open, and Sunset found herself ushered into the room. Sunny was on the sofa. Twilight and Spike sat on the floor nearby, tinkering away on a laptop, while Fluttershy stood behind a camera fixed to a tripod, and the rest of her friends stood in various places around the room.
"Put me down!" she squeaked, overflowing with indignation.
Rarity did as she was asked, and Sunset's feet were returned to solid floor. The fire-haired girl huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she cast a dark glare at Sunny. "This is my punishment for running away, isn't it?"
It was Saturday. Much of the furniture had been delivered to the new apartment, and for what could be moved from the old one, Applejack had loaned the use of her brother's truck. It felt good to get out of that apartment, though surprisingly, there had been just the tiniest bittersweet sting. It had been her living space for most of her years in this world, true, but it wasn't until she walked out the door that last time, boxes in hand, that she'd felt any real, sentimental attachment to it, like a rope pulling her back, willing her to stay.
Not that it lasted long. Running into Rusty Nail just reminded her of how crumby, and hot, the apartment was. Sunset didn't even stop herself from beaming when she tossed him the keys.
Right now, however, they were working on Sunny's extra addition to their new home. As it happened, Sunny had been correct. Sunset definitely didn't like it, and she was wishing more and more that her mentor hadn't thought of it.
Family photographs.
Sunset huffed again, one increasingly frequent question replaying in her head. How the hay did I let her talk me into this?
Over on the sofa, Sunny chuckled merrily. "Now, now, Sunset, don't be angry. I think you look adorable."
"I think so too," said Fluttershy, grin threatening to break free of her face as her fingers twitched over the camera button.
"Abso-poso-lutely," agreed Pinkie, rushing over to the kitchen to wrap an arm around Sunset's shoulders. She wore a simple white shirt, a pair of poofy pants, riding boots, a black beret, and a long white scarf wound around her neck. She'd had a monocle on earlier, but traded it for a pair of sunglasses after it kept falling out.
"Don't be shy. The camera loves you, kiddo!" she declared, stretching her free arm out in a dramatic fashion. "Trust me, you're going to be a star, with your name up in lights and everything! When this shoot is done, they'll be calling you the next Shirley Trample!"
"I'd better not be," growled Sunset, slipping out from under Pinkie's grip.
With a bounce, Pinkie was off to a small folding chair with her name on it. "Alright people, let's get this show back on the road!" she called through her non-electric megaphone.
The entire production was being run like a magazine photo shoot. Fluttershy had volunteered to be the photographer, while Twilight would handle the photos in post, adding in the necessary backgrounds and other details. Applejack and Rainbow were in charge of moving around the props they'd assembled yesterday and today.
Pinkie Pie handled the edible props, but had otherwise made herself the director. Sunset was fairly certain that applied to cinematography and not photography, but Pinkie wouldn't be dissuaded.
Rarity, naturally, had been put in charge of hair, makeup, and wardrobe, ensuring that both Equestrians looked the part for every single shot. The bathroom had likewise been converted into her workspace, with beauty tools spread over the counter and clothes hanging on the shower rod, or otherwise set aside in neat folded stacks around the apartment when there wasn't proper room.
Still frowning, Sunset turned to look at herself in a nearby full-length mirror. Instead of her usual teenage human self, she saw another, by now familiar girl who looked barely a day over five. All courtesy of the latest in a series of age spells Sunny had cast on her.
Not for the first time today, she studied her reflection. The mirror girl was small, the smallest so far, with a head that was far too large, and eyes that seemed gigantic as they took up far more room on her now tiny face. A face with an equally tiny nose and mouth, and two rosy cheeks swollen by layers and layers of soft baby fat, the same sort that had suffused her limbs and belly. As for her clothes...
She was clad in an orange day dress, the hem and waist colored a pale, sort of golden yellow. Her cutie mark had been sewn onto the front, leaning more to the right, the large two-tone sun reaching from a few inches below her waist to the very bottom of the dress before getting cut off, while black shorts poked out from underneath.
Complementing the outfit was a pair of bright red Marey Janes, the sort of shoes Sunset had come to recognize as a classic symbol of girlish childhood. Her hair, meanwhile, had been brushed back into a ponytail and secured with a dark red ribbon tied into a large bow. Her natural waves allowed the tail to curl at the ends, while that same loose, wavy lock still sat against her forehead as it always did.
All in all, it was downright diabetes inducing. And it was also utterly embarrassing.
"How did you sew this outfit together so fast Rarity?" she asked, tiny fingers toying with the hem while letting her eyes turn away from the mirror.
Rarity bent down, smoothing out a minute wrinkle in the dress' fabric. "You'd be surprised how quickly I can work when I'm properly inspired. And this one was so simple."
"Gotta say," added Applejack, still busy putting up the removable plastic hooks that would hold some of the photos, "with that there ribbon you remind me of Apple Bloom when she was a young'un."
"I'm simply happy that I'm finally getting a chance to work with your hair," Rarity continued. "Why you're so stubborn about letting me so much as touch it is beyond me."
"I wouldn't be too offended Rarity," replied Sunny casually as she stretched her legs. “Not too long into her stay at the castle, Sunset decided that not even I could take a brush to it, even if I gave a royal command.”
"I could brush my own mane just fine!"
"That's what you said before, but there were some mornings I had serious doubts."
"Remind me why we have to do this again?" Sunset asked, trying her best not to sound like she was whining, even if her new pitch made it difficult. "Why couldn't you use the portal on some of the pictures I know you have?"
"I told you already Sunset," replied Sunny patiently. "I tried that. For whatever reason, the transformative magic of the portal doesn't take well to photographs." She reached a hand into her purse, pulling out a blurry mess of an image. "Families always have photos, so it would be odd for us not to have any. And they'll only strengthen the proof we already have."
"Still embarrassing," the girl muttered back, her already rosy cheeks turning even redder.
"Hey, look at it this way," offered Rainbow over her shoulder. "If that Circinus jerk ever sees these, it'll totally mess with her head." She turned around, finally getting a look at Sunset, before breaking out in roars of laughter. "Oh man Sunset, that's even worse than the last one! You look- Oof!"
Whatever she was going to say was cut off when a pillow-turned-projectile collided with her face, sending her falling backwards onto the bike parts she'd been working with.
"You were saying?" Sunset asked, another pillow already in hand.
The athlete groaned. "Nothing."
"Come on Rainbow, quit your laughin'," said Applejack. "I think she's puttin' up with enough already without you impersonatin' a hyena."
"Okay, okay, fine." The rainbow-haired girl rubbed a sore spot on her back. Glancing back at Sunset she covered her mouth, obviously suppressing more laughter, before turning back to her job.
The girl sighed. "What's the next one on the list?"
Sunny had written out a list of various types of pictures to take, with some advice from the others. Of course, Sunny had completely excluded her from that particular talk, or even from seeing the list before they started. "I was afraid that if I let you have any input, you'd be too biased and try to veto most of the ideas," she'd told her.
Logically, it was a fair point. But that didn't mean the former unicorn wasn't ticked off about it. And as the pictures went further and further back in time, the less happy she became.
The pictures had mostly consisted of childhood milestones. Birthdays, Christmases, and the like. There had also been a few more casual shots mixed in to be more realistic, all based on whatever props they'd managed to assemble yesterday afternoon and onwards.
The living room of Sunset's new apartment was littered with such props. Birthday hats, wrapped Christmas boxes, a couple of Halloween costumes, one of a black cat and the other of a dragon, some other stacks of old clothing that suited her at various ages, and several old toys. There was a child's swim suit in one stack from her first swimming lessons, using the bathtub to simulate the pool.
Sunset's eyes drifted over to the corner, where a small red backpack sat. On the back, it bore a golden star with a giant smiley face, and a tag that read "Sunset Shimmer" in Sunny's elegant handwriting. The five year old cringed internally. That particular prop was one she wished she could forget.
Sunset Shimmer tightened the knot on her fluffy cotton robe as she exited the bathroom. According to Sunny, it was better to return her to her proper age for a brief time rather than stack the age spells, so the robe had become a faster, more efficient alternative than changing in and out of her usual clothes.
"What's the next one?"
Sunny picked up the list. "The next one is... the first day of kindergarten." She turned to Sunset. "I presume you had to list previous schools when you entered CHS?"
"Mountaintop Elementary and Sapphire Hills Middle School," answered the girl, barely suppressing a groan. Primary school? Really?
Mountaintop Elementary and Sapphire Hills were located at opposite ends of the same street. Around the time Sunset entered CHS, there had been a freak electrical fire in the middle of the night. It had consumed the entire block, burning both schools to the ground. Naturally, a fire like that had been major news at the time, news that Sunset had picked up on from her hiding places inside CHS.
For the school district, it was a disaster, but for her, it had been a tremendous stroke of luck. Formally entering the school had posed the problem of records. But with a single spark, her problems had been solved.
Canterlot High was flooded with transfers from Sapphire Hills, many of whom had gone to Mountaintop. No one batted an eye when she slipped into the exodus. And since the widespread destruction had the benefit of destroying both schools' computer and paper records, there had been no evidence that she hadn't attended either one.
"Did you say Mountaintop and Sapphire Hills?" asked Rarity, eyes lighting up in recognition.
"What's the matter, Rare," asked Applejack. "You go there or somethin'?"
Rarity scoffed. "Oh no. I went to Appleville Elementary. But our store does sell their uniforms when the school year starts."
That caught Sunset by surprise. "How? They were nothing but burned out husks."
"Yes, but they both rebuilt themselves," explained Rarity. "You never heard that?"
Sunset shrugged. "I must have been too focused on other things. It only mattered to me that their records were gone."
"Well, I talked to someone from Mountaintop once when they came to drop off the uniforms. Apparently, both schools banded together to rebuild, to literally rise from the ashes as it were."
Sunset chuckled. "I can appreciate that."
"They're doing quite well from what I hear." Her nose wrinkled. "Mountaintop's colors are a bit drab in my opinion, though Sapphire Hills does use the most lovely shade of blue in their jackets." She paused, lips dropping into a frown. "Oh, but that does present a problem."
"Like what?" asked Rainbow. "So you don't like the colors. I don't see the big deal."
"Not that," explained Rarity. "What I mean is, when the schools rebuilt themselves, they took the opportunity to redesign everything, their buildings and their uniforms. They both changed not only the colors, but their school logos, and those logos are sewn right onto the clothing. Our store only sells the new styles."
"So essentially our chances of finding a pre-fire Mountaintop uniform these days are near impossible," concluded Twilight.
Rarity nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, yes."
"Well, isn't that just too bad?" laughed Sunset. "Can't fake the picture without the uniform, right? Guess we'll just have to skip that one." As much as Sunny had convinced her of the necessity of taking these things, she was more than happy to try and weasel out of one if she could. She turned to the pink-haired woman, putting on her most eager expression. "Soooooooo, what's next on the list?"
"Don't worry Sunset, I've got you covered!" declared Pinkie Pie, popping up from whatever she'd been doing in the kitchen.
The girl faltered. "Y-You do?"
"Sure!" Pinkie Pie brought out a cardboard box labeled "Old Girl's Clothes #5." She plopped it down on the kitchenette counter, sending up a small puff of dust. "So it was my turn to make breakfast this morning and I decided to go for my triple decker pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream since I hadn't made those in a while, but I ended up making a huge mess and Mom was mad at me so I had to clean it up and-"
"Pinkie," interrupted AJ. "You had a point somewhere in there?"
"Oh, right." Pinkie Pie took a deep breath. "By the time I finished I realized, 'Oh no, I'm going to be late!' But then I also remembered how you said you needed props and Mom and Dad kept all sorts of clothes from me and my sisters in the attic. So I decided to run up and grab a box before I left."
The energetic girl popped the box open and started digging around. "I didn't have time to look through it but I thought there'd definitely be something that would come in handy."
"And you think there might a uniform in there?" asked Sunset, trepidation nibbling at the inside of her stomach.
"Uh huh," replied Pinkie. "All of us went to Mountaintop and Sapphire." Her smile diminished. "I didn't really like Mountaintop. It was kind of strict and not really fun. They had a really nice playground though." Pinkie's face disappeared into the box. "I know Mom and Dad kept at least one of our uniforms."
"Really?" Sunset crossed her fingers. Pinkie said she grabbed that box at random without checking the contents. If she was wrong, Sunset could still get them to skip it. After all, it would take far too long for Pinkie to go home, search through potentially all the other boxes, and come back. It would be far more practical to just forget the picture entirely.
Granted, it was a rather bizarre coincidence that the Pie sisters went to Mountaintop, and that Mr. and Mrs. Pie kept the very uniform they needed. But what were the odds that Pinkie had ended up grabbing the exact box with the uniform at random this morning while in a rush?
"Aha! Here it is!" Pinkie pulled some articles of clothing from the box, holding them up in the air like a fisherman with a prize catch. "One pre-fire Mountaintop Elementary girl's uniform!" She peered at a little card that came with it. "Ooh, this one was Limestone's."
Apparently, the odds were very good. "Horseapples," she cursed loudly.
"Sunset Shimmer, watch your language," chastised Sunny.
Pinkie beamed, oblivious to her friend's reaction. "Aren't I a great director? I just saved the shoot."
Sunset's shoulder slumped. "Yeah Pinkie, you're a real life saver." Now if only you'd save my dignity.
Pinkie shook the items off and handed them to Rarity. "Go see if they fit."
Sunset was herded back to the bathroom with Rarity and Sunny, the latter only staying to apply the spell. Several minutes later, Sunset reluctantly reemerged.
If it was by sheer, unfortunate coincidence that the Pies had kept that old Mountaintop uniform, and that Pinkie Pie had brought it along, then it was even more unfortunate that it was completely intact, undamaged by wear, tear, or even moths as she'd been hoping.
In fact, there wasn't even a single, solitary wrinkle. Every piece seemed like it had been freshly pressed and ironed that very day. According to Rarity, even the new uniforms were like that, as required by the dress code. No, the only thing that had marred the illusion of pristine newness was a light layer of dust, and that had been easily dispelled before Sunset put it on.
Most unfortunate of all, it was a perfect fit for a diminutive, five year old Sunset Shimmer. An absolute, perfect fit. It was as if it had been measured exactly for her and not for another girl more than a decade ago.
The uniform was an altogether prim and conservative sort of outfit. There was a snow white polo shirt with the school's logo, a cloudy mountain peak, sewn right over the heart inside a shield-like shape, a pleated skirt the color of sandstone that went past her knees, white cotton socks pulled up the length of her shins, and a pair of heavily polished black Marey Janes.
The worst part of all though was the cardigan. A slate gray wool cardigan which also had Mountaintop's logo sewn over the heart. It had to be the itchiest garment Sunset had ever worn in her entire life. Just putting it on had thrown the skin on her arms into a fit. If Mountaintop still used these things, then Sunset felt very sorry for those poor kids.
As she exited the bathroom, she heard Rainbow snicker, and shot her a death glare, feeling her hair swing behind her. It had been arranged in a neat, simple braid that fell down her back, as mandated by Pinkie through the bathroom door. According to the dress code, she'd said, girls with long hair had to have it tied neatly back or up, and never loose.
Pinkie raised her megaphone. "Everyone on set!"
"Let's get this over with," Sunset grumbled, scratching at her arms before grabbing the little red backpack and stepping up to the camera. Sunny moved to stand beside her.
"Wait!" Pinkie gave a frantic jump in her chair. "You need to button the cardigan."
Sunset looked down at the offending garment. "I did." She pointed to where she'd buttoned it at the bottom.
Pinkie shook her head, sending her wild mane this way and that. "All the way. They were picky about that too."
Sunset muttered under her breath about the ridiculous dress code, fumbling with the shiny gold buttons. She grimaced as her little fingers failed to maneuver them through the holes. Even in the bathroom, she'd noticed that her finger coordination had worsened. No doubt an effect of the age spell. Come on, they're just buttons for crying out loud!
"Here, I'll get it," offered Sunny. Bending down, she took the two sides of the cardigan in her hands, working the buttons with ease. Sunset flushed. Stupid spell.
Click.
The two turned at the sudden flash. Behind the camera, Fluttershy joined Sunset in blushing. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just..." A pink shade fell over her face. "I thought it would make a good photo."
Sunny laughed. "I suppose it does." Finishing the last of the buttons, she got to her feet. "Shall we get back to the planned picture?"
Sunset looked up at her, cheeks still tinged pink. "Sure," she muttered.
As the two moved into position, Fluttershy's face came out from behind her hair again, and this time, it sported a grin. She put her eye to the screen, and set her finger to the button. "Okay, smile for the birdie..."
She'd done the shot with Sunny, and one where she was walking off to her to-be-added-later school. After that, it was onto a black cat Halloween costume (with some lightly painted whiskers on her cheeks). Then it was her first bike ride using the one Rainbow was disassembling now, plus a fan to simulate wind. Finally, she'd changed into what she was wearing now.
So far, she'd found the uniform to be the pinnacle of embarrassment. Just the idea of wearing something so juvenile, let alone having her picture taken in it, was a blow to her self-esteem. Not to mention the cute, prim little outfit was so far removed from the leather jacket and boots she'd come to favor. The fact that she'd failed to get out of taking those pictures just made it worse, like the universe was laughing at her.
At least she could take solace in the fact that this outfit wasn't itchy. Very cutesy, yes, but not uncomfortable in the least.
"Next, we're going to take a few more casual shots," said Sunny. "I talked to Fluttershy and Twilight, and we think it best to simply have you pose in front of the sofa."
"Fine." Sunset glanced at her again. There was at least some compensation for all this, she supposed, staring at her mentor who was still dressed in a spaghetti-strap tank top and flared jeans.
This was only one of several outfits Sunny had needed to change into, all sprinkled to various degrees with trends from the turn of the millennium to add authenticity. Rarity had balked at the idea, but after much debate, the others had convinced to assemble the necessary clothing, though she remained openly unhappy about it.
It wasn't exactly the biggest difference, not like, say, when some people see pictures of their parents from the eighties, but Sunset could find some amusement in it. And she got a few laughs whenever Sunny questioned some of those old trends, like why a pair of jeans didn't have back pockets like the ones she'd been wearing normally.
It would have been fairer, in her grumbling opinion, if they were able to take pictures of Sunny from before Sunset's alleged birth, other than the one they'd taken utilizing the old pillow under the dress trick, that is. At least that way, Sunny could really share in the suffering.
Unfortunately, they were trying to be as efficient as possible with this production, and that need had struck the idea dead. They all had things they needed to do even on a Saturday, and Sunset didn't want to impose more on her friends than she already had.
Behind the camera, Fluttershy checked the shot. "Sunset, could you scooch a little to the left please? And, um, a little more to the right? There, that's perfect. I just need to get this in focus now..."
Standing once again before the camera, Sunset placed her arms behind her back and put on her best smile. It was getting harder and harder to do with every picture. Sunny always made it seem effortless. Clearly all those years of experience with the press had paid off.
Pinkie Pie bounced in her chair, shouting into her megaphone. "Alright, places everybody! Quiet on the set!"
Click. The camera went off. "That was wonderful," complimented Fluttershy.
"Thanks," replied Sunset, rubbing her eyes to clear away the colored spots dancing before her. Why did flash bulbs have to be so bright?
"And now we're going to do a shot at the park," said Sunny, reading off the list. "This one requires Spike."
Pinkie aimed her megaphone down at the floor. "You're up Spike!" she declared.
Wincing at Pinkie's volume, the purple dog rose from his place in Twilight's lap, walking up to Sunset. "You know it's still really weird seeing you this small," he commented.
"It's weird being this small."
"Okay, Sunny," Pinkie Pie said, only to pause. "Ooh, that nickname is so confusing with Princess Celestia around." Shaking her head, she snapped back into character. "Okay kid, so you find Spike in the park. You see him, and you think he's the cutest puppy you've ever seen in your whole life. You have to pet him. You need to pet him." Her face took on a bizarre seriousness before she turned to Sunset's costar. "And Spike, you're going for friendly and lovable, got it?"
"That I can do," said the puppy grinning. "After all, I'm already super lovable anyway." Over by her laptop, Twilight giggled.
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
"That's it!" beamed Pinkie.
"Simple, but effective," added Sunny. "And easy to imagine being taken on the spot."
"I want some dialogue in there too," added Pinkie. "Spike, you need to give a little woof. And Sunset, you need to seem excited."
Spike gave the pink director a strange look. "But it's a photograph, not a movie."
"Yeah," replied Pinkie, undaunted. "But it'll help you get into character and make it seem more real." She waved her megaphone wildly. "So give me a little acting!"
Sunset rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Pinkie." She turned to face Spike. "You ready?"
"Ready when you are." He turned to Fluttershy, puffing out his chest a little. "Be sure to get my good side."
Fluttershy giggled. "Of course."
Turning back to his co-star, he wagged his tail, before putting on his friendliest expression, opening his mouth wide and allowing his tongue to hang free. "Woof!"
Sunset gave another manufactured smile, running her small hand over his back. "Puppy!" she declared with as much innocent excitement as she could muster. In the background, she heard Rainbow snicker, but chose to ignore it in favor of maintaining the facade.
Click. Fluttershy looked up from the camera. "Done." Opening up the digital camera, she took out a small blue memory card and passed it down to Twilight.
"Thank you," was all she said, barely letting her eyes veer away from the laptop. Inserting the card, her fingers moved with effortless speed, and the new photo came up on the screen.
Sunny bent down to peer over her shoulder. "I'm still amazed that you can really insert all those backgrounds, Twilight. Is it particularly difficult?"
Twilight brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Not really, at least not for me. I've had experience tinkering with Picshop before when I was trying to verify the photos I took of CHS. And I went over some online tutorials last night as well." She stroked a few keys. "Adding in the appropriate backgrounds and shadows will be easy. I should even be able to make Spike look like a different dog."
"You're not going to make me look like something super fluffy, are you?" asked the puppy.
Twilight smiled weakly at him. "U-Um, of course not Spike." Sunset saw the image of a small, curly-coated dog flash by on Twilight's screen before it was quickly replaced by a picture of a beagle.
"What I don't understand," continued Twilight, clearly trying to draw the conversation away, "is how exactly you plan to make them look authentic. I'll admit, it can get pretty difficult to tell if a photo has been digitally altered, but these are all going to be new. Wouldn't that be a dead giveaway?"
"Simple," answered Sunny. "I'll artificially age them using a time bubble."
Twilight's fingers froze, her head twisting around uncomfortably to look up at the woman. "You'll what?"
"Oh right, a time bubble," exclaimed Sunset, memories flowing to the forefront of her mind. "Basically, you create a bubble out of magic. Then you use another spell to alter the flow of time inside of it. In this case, she's going to put the photos in a bubble and then speed things up so the pictures will become rapidly aged."
"That's..." Twilight trailed off, mouth falling open even as her glasses threatened to fall from her nose. Before Sunset could ask her if she was okay, Twilight exploded with excitement, something to rival Pinkie for certain. "That's amazing! You can alter the flow of time just like that?! How does that even work? What else is it applied to? Could you use that to preserve historical buildings? What about time travel? I know Princess Twilight mentioned something about that. Can you really travel in time?!"
"It's not as simple as you may think," said Sunny. "Time magic is both very dangerous and very difficult, time travel in particular. Most works on the subject are only available in the Canterlot Archives. Altering the flow of time is somewhat easier, but still not foal's play.
"As for the bubble, the difficulty of changing the flow of time grows exponentially with the bubble's size, so it doesn't work on a truly large scale. The largest I've ever seen was one big enough for a full grown pony or two."
Twilight sat in silence for a moment, mulling over the information. "I see. So structural stability decreases with scale." She turned to Sunset, curiosity still blazing behind her glasses. "Did you ever try one of those?"
The fire-haired girl shook her head. "Nope. I only read about them in theory. Never got around to experimenting with them."
"I think I'll go change for the next shot," said Sunny. Picking up another outfit Rarity had laid out, she retreated to the bathroom.
Sunset, meanwhile, climbed up onto the sofa, stretching her short legs as she leaned back into the cushion. Being bounced between ages like this was tiring. Looking around, her gaze fell on a framed photo sitting on a small end table beside the sofa. When had that been put there?
Scooting across the sofa, she picked it up. It showed a young man, probably college age, taken at about waist height. He stood with his back to a plain white wall, dressed in a dark suit like he was going to a formal event.
He had a broad, masculine set of shoulders, and even beneath the dark jacket, Sunset could see his arms and torso were fitted with big, athletic muscles. His skin was amber, and he had wavy hair that fell long, almost to his shoulders, a golden shade broken by a single crimson streak on his left side.
The dark green eyes that looked back from that photograph glowed with an adoration that even the glass frame couldn't hinder. To Sunset, it was something almost tangible, and was matched by the warm, happy smile across the young man's face.
"Who's this?"
Rarity sat down next to her, sipping from a bottle of mineral water. "My word, what a handsome face," she commented with a swoon. "I certainly wouldn't mind meeting him. He's positively dashing."
"That's supposed to be my fiance, and your father." Sunny poked her head out from the bathroom. "His name is Blazing Shield Shimmer. I had to manufacture that from scratch," she explained, right before shutting the door.
Sunset regarded the photo again. "So this is supposed to be my dad, huh?" she mused. He certainly looked the part. Automatically, her mind compared this picture to the mental one she had of her real father. "He's got the same coloring," she muttered. As far as coat and mane, or their equivalent, it was dead on. But beyond that, she catalogued a multitude of differences.
In many ways, the man in this photo was the physical opposite of her father. Height, at least, was an unknown, since there was no way to really tell how tall this man in the picture was supposed to be. Gold Leaf Shimmer had been on the taller side of pony height, but unlike Blazing Shield, he'd been lanky in frame. His mane had been short and straight, filled with multiple red streaks and not just the one.
The eyes too, differed. Both had been green, but her father's had been a bright green, not the darker shade here, and set just a little closer together. The face lacked her father's more prominent, bristly jaw. A faint tactile memory passed through her brain, of the times when he'd be watching her and she was up on his back, the feel of her hoof brushing past those prickly hairs.
"Pardon me for asking," Rarity said, breaking Sunset from her analysis. "But I was wondering, what did your father do?"
Sunset put the photo back on the table. "He worked with art and antiques, things like that."
Rarity's face lit up with curiosity. "He was an artist?"
"No, I think he just sold it." Sunset's eyebrows furrowed, trying to bring up those few, old memories she had. "Although, I remember seeing him with paint on his coat once, so maybe he was trying to paint too?" Possibly without success, since that vague image was accompanied by a particularly disgruntled expression. You didn't necessarily have to be able to create art to have an eye for it.
Sunny reemerged from the bathroom. This time, she'd changed into a different, less dated pair of jeans, a pink polo shirt with a tiny crocodile stitched onto the front, and a denim jacket.
"Rarity, I know I'm not the most knowledgeable about human clothing, but is this belt supposed to have this many... what did you call them? Studs?" She pointed at the incredibly wide belt covered in equally large silvery lumps.
Rarity grimaced at the item before averting her eyes, as if looking at it too long would induce blindness. "That was one of the popular trends at the time, unfortunately." The purple-haired girl held her head in her hands. "Oh please, don't ever let anyone know I put together these outfits."
Sunset gave her a pat on the back, or as much as she could with her small size. "Hey, how many more of these do we have to go? We've been at this for an hour."
Spike, having returned to his place in Twilight's lap, curled himself tightly into a ball. "More like an hour and a half."
Sunset's brow furrowed. "What?" An hour and a half? That couldn't be right. "Hey Fluttershy, what time is it?"
The girl looked down at her phone. "Um, it's one forty-five."
"But... you girls got here at twelve-fifteen, didn't you?" She was sure of it. That's when they'd set up the camera and brought all the props. "All the pictures we've done couldn't have taken more than an hour."
Or had it only been an hour? Hadn't... hadn't the camera and tripod already been set up when she'd come out of her room to greet them? She'd been sitting on her bed when Sunny told her the girls had arrived. But now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember what she'd been doing before that.
It was then that she noticed an item pushed into a far corner of the living room. It was a cardboard box, just like the ones they'd used to bring in props. But what caught her eye was the thing just barely sticking out of it, something with wooden bars.
Something that looked an awful lot like... a crib.
Jumping to her feet, the girl made a dash for the box, pulling herself up to look over the edge. There, sitting inside, was a crib with simple flower designs carved into it, filled with fresh blankets, a pillow, and a stuffed rabbit. She also spotted a little pink pacifier inside a plastic zip bag, as well as a few items between the box and the crib that she couldn't make out.
The horrible realization hit her like a landslide. Slowly, she turned to look accusingly at the lone adult in the room. "You didn't. Please tell me you didn't take baby pictures!"
Oh Tartarus. She'd taken baby pictures. Actual baby pictures! When she'd been a teen the first time around, she'd been sort of relieved when her original baby pictures couldn't be found among her parents' possessions. Presumably they were lost in the move.
However it happened, Sunset was sure she'd escaped that particular form of humiliation. She could only imagine what these were like. And I thought the primary school uniform was bad.
"Now, now, Sunset," soothed the pink-haired woman, having the decency to look guilty. "Everypony has them."
The redhead shot her a flat glare. "Says the pony who was born before the invention of the camera."
"Besides, Sunny Skies is a doting parent whose daughter is the center of her world. It would look strange for her not to have baby pictures. You agreed with me when I proposed it. You even insisted on doing it first to get it out of the way."
"I sure as hay don't remember agreeing to that!"
"That... would be my fault, though not intentionally," explained Sunny. "When a pony has an age spell used on them that makes them that young, they always have a complete loss of memory for the time the spell is cast until it's undone.
"While not as consistent, it's also not uncommon for ponies to suffer some memory loss from before the spell was cast as well. I was rather worried with how disoriented you were after I undid the spell, but thankfully you lost only a small portion of your memory."
Bits and pieces of information floated around in her head. She did remember feeling really weird right before they'd started, or when she'd thought they'd started, it seemed. She looked to her friends. They all had looks of varying guilt. "You knew and didn't tell me?"
Applejack held her Stenson in her hands. "We were a might confused when you came walkin' out of your room like we just got here, but Sunny told us about the whole memory loss thing." She shrugged. "We all figured that since this would be embarrassin' for you already, it would be better not to remind you if we didn't have to."
"If it helps," offered Sunny. "I took them all by myself. I thought you'd appreciate me saving you some embarrassment by not having your friends watch."
"Yeah, we didn't see a thing," insisted Pinkie. "Well, we did see you and Sunny go into your room, and we did see that flash of light under the door right after that when Sunny turned you into a baby. Ooh, and we did hear you start crying after that. You know, you were a really loud crier as a baby, even louder than Pumpkin and Pound Cake when they need changing."
Sunny cleared her throat awkwardly. "As I was saying, I only took a small number. They'll be in an album in case I need to use them, not in plain view. You made me agree to that."
"I guess that helps.” Hanging her head to hide her flaming cheeks, she returned to the sofa, sinking deep into the cushions. "Are we done yet?" she whined, not caring how she sounded. She was five years old right now, tired, and just discovered she was the owner of a brand new set of baby pictures. She had the right to whine.
You know, out of all the horrible ways I thought Celestia might punish me for running away, this one somehow never made the list.
"I've got something that will cheer you right up!" Hopping from her seat, Pinkie dashed to the kitchen. In a whirl of pink, she set down a table and a set of chairs, along with a glass bowl that barely managed to contain the ice cream sundae within. "There are plenty of restaurants that serve stuff like this outdoors near the park, and they've been there for years and years. So I made a sundae you and Sunny can share to finish your day at the park!"
"You made all that?" gawked Rainbow, The dessert was a classic mix of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce, gooey hot fudge, sprinkles, and a single cherry.
"Well, I didn't exactly have Sugarcube Corner's kitchen to work with, but I made due," replied Pinkie casually, polishing her nails with her shirt. "Not bad if I do say so myself."
"Try not to get anything on the dress darling," said Rarity as she eyed the sundae.
Sunset grimaced. “I’ll do my best.” Not like I’ll ever wear this thing again. From her place on the sofa, she examined the sundae. It did look good. She’d already had a few bites of a cake Pinkie had made for some birthday photos, and another dessert definitely wouldn’t hurt her.
Licking her lips, she climbed into one of the provided chairs. Once there, she stretched her arm out for a spoon, only to find herself unable to reach it. Or see much above the table. She stretched her arm out again, harder this time. “Come on,” she muttered.
"Uh, Sunset," said Rainbow. "Maybe we should get you a pillow or something."
"A booster seat would be more natural for this sort of setting," corrected Twilight. "But we don't have one, and I'm not sure I could insert one into the picture."
"Why don't you just sit on my lap?" suggested Sunny. "That would simplify things."
"I think it's a great idea," agreed Fluttershy, letting out a squee. "It would be so precious."
Sunset shot her meek friend a light glare, but conceded the point. "Alright, fine." She was about to get down when Sunny beat her to it, already up on her feet and taking the girl in her arms. "Hey!"
After being gently placed in Sunny's lap, Sunset eyed the food again. Now it was within easy reach. Taking up the spoon, Sunset scooped out a portion and stuck it into her mouth. Her entire face erupted into a smile. "This tastes awesome Pinkie!"
"Aww, thanks little lady," giggled Pinkie.
Sunset stiffened at the "little" remark, but let it go in favor of another bite. Pinkie's dessert seemed even better than usual, and Sunset wondered idly if it was because of the spell. She'd read once that children's taste buds were more sensitive and partial to sweetness.
"This really is excellent," remarked Sunny, taking a bite of her own.
"Okay," said Pinkie, switching back into director mode. "Now I want both of you to turn to the camera. Imagine that you just noticed a friend taking your picture. Got it?"
"Understood," nodded Sunny.
Sunset swallowed another bite. "Got it."
"And... action!"
Both Equestrians turned their heads towards the camera, Sunny putting on a quite believably surprised expression.
"Okay Sunset, now give us another smile," cooed Fluttershy.
Sunset obliged, giving a wide, milk tooth grin that was only half-forced, lips coated in fudge.
Click.
"That's all the pictures," said Twilight, checking off a list she'd brought up on her screen.
Sunset sighed. "Thank goodness." Finally she could get back to normal. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. It would be good to get back in her regular clothes and be her regular age.
Deciding to save the rest of the sundae for later, something that made Sunset more than a little disappointed, the two Equestrians helped pack up the various props and other things that had been deposited in the apartment. As she helped seal up a box, Sunset thought she heard her mentor whisper something about "extra copies" to Twilight.
Rarity had just been starting to pack up the clothes when her phone rang. "Hello, this is Rarity. Oh, hello ma'am, I- well, no, I'm rather busy right now and I was going to come- oh, I see. How dreadful. I'll be right there."
Putting the phone away, she grabbed the makeup bag she'd just put back together and made a dash for the door. "I'm sorry girls, but I need to leave right now. One of the workers at the boutique caught some horrible stomach bug, and I need to come in early. It's a positive madhouse at the store right now."
"What about the clothes?" asked Sunset.
"I shall have to come back and retrieve them later," said Rarity apologetically. "I do hate to leave so abruptly, but I haven't a moment to waste." With a few quick goodbyes, she disappeared out the door.
The rest of her friends didn't stay much longer. One by one, they said their goodbyes and departed, arms laden with whatever they'd brought. As Twilight put away her laptop for her own departure, she paused, realization dawning on her face before reaching into her bag. "I almost forgot," she said, pulling something out and presenting it to Sunny. "I wanted to give you this."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Is that a phone?"
Twilight nodded, turning her attention back to Sunny. "I thought if you were going to be staying here a while longer, it would be more practical if you had a way to communicate with Sunset or any one of us. Don't worry, it's an easy model to use."
Applejack, in the middle of her own packing, glanced over at the machine. "Oh yeah, I recognize that thing. It's the same one we gave Granny Smith. It's one of those phones that's made for seniors, ain't it?"
Sunny's face faltered. "Seniors?"
Twilight blushed. "W-Well, yes, in that these models are usually designed for the, uh, less technologically proficient."
Sunset hid a smirk behind her hand. Another small bit of payback. "I think it's a great idea Twi," she reassured her friend. She hadn't even considered it, but Twilight made a solid point. "I'll help her set it up. I just hope it didn't cost you too much."
"Oh no. I got it at this really big electronics sale yesterday."
"The Best Purchase on Onyx Street?"
"How did you know?" A high pitched chime made Twilight pull out her phone. "Sorry, I really need to get going. I promised I'd meet with Cadance. Come on Spike, let's go."
With a few final waves, the last of her friends departed, and the two Equestrians sank down on the sofa. "Well," said Sunny airily, "I'd say this was an interesting way to start an afternoon, wouldn't you?"
The five year old rolled her eyes. "Sure." She shifted into a slightly more comfortable position. "Hey," she said, eying Sunny. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Hmm?" Sunny glanced over at her. "Ah, yes, the spell." Taking her necklace, she closed her eyes, and a glimmer of golden magic appeared around the purple gem.
Sunset closed her eyes as well, hoping to feel the sensation of her body being restored to proper size. But the feeling never came. Cracking her eyes open, she looked at Sunny in disappointment. "Why am I still small?"
The glow from Sunny's necklace fizzled out, and Sunny blinked in surprise. "Oh."
"What?" asked Sunset, feeling suddenly uneasy. "What happened?"
"It's out of power," replied Sunny.
Sunset sighed in relief. "So you just need to recharge it." For a moment, she thought it was something worse.
The woman paused in thought, an expression Sunset had come to recognize as her keeping pace with her real body. "Ah, well," she began, with an apprehension that Sunset definitely didn't like. "Most times, I could. But I need to be within a certain range of the other crystal, and right now I'm flying off to Vanhoover. I'm afraid I'm going to be there all day."
"What?!" Sunset shot to her feet, the sofa cushion bringing the two closer to eye level. "You mean I'm stuck like this all day?!"
"Don't worry," consoled the woman. "I thought of that already. The age spells I used were all of the temporary variety. You should return back to normal on your own in about another hour or so."
Sunset dropped back to the cushions, crossing her arms and legs. An hour wasn't so bad, she supposed. Though she really just wanted to be back in her natural body and put this embarrassment behind her.
Sitting down beside her student, Sunny chuckled in amusement, fluffing a part of the bow that had been flattened. "You know you really are adorable at this age," she teased.
"Knock it off," the five year old muttered, her lips pushing outwards in a pout.
Unfortunately, that only succeeded in making the woman burst out laughing. That in turn, made Sunset's pout deepen, which in turn increased the laughter even more in a vicious cycle of embarrassment.
"I said knock it off," the five year old growled.
"I'm sorry Sunset," Sunny apologized between giggles. "But that expression only makes it worse."
"It's not funny."
"Oh but it is," countered Sunny. "You're absolutely adorable right now and there's no denying that fact."
"Only for another hour," she corrected.
"Ah, yes, only for another hour." Sunny let loose another round of teasing laughter. "Though I'm sure Sunny would prefer it to be quite a bit longer." She pulled the little girl onto her lap in a soft hug. "It's been so many years since I've been able to hold my precious little sun in my arms like this."
Sunny flashed her pearly teeth. "Isn't that right sweetheart?"
Sunset's fat cheeks blazed red in both embarrassment and anger. Her teacher was having way too much fun at her expense. And if Sunset knew Celestia's prankster streak, and she did, then she knew Sunny was more than happy to milk this for all that it was worth.
And then, an idea popped into her head. It was an incredibly silly, downright childish idea, and normally she'd have discarded it altogether. Perhaps it was because she was stuck in a five year old's body, but in that moment, she found the idea incredibly appealing.
Sunset Shimmer looked up at her pseudo-mother, big eyes glinting with impish glee. "You know Mommy," she began innocently, emphasizing the title with as much sweetness as she could. "I've found that there are a few things fingers are much better at than hooves."
"Oh?" said a curious Sunny. She leaned in closer, still barely controlling her laughter. "And what would those be exactly?"
Her young face broke into a wicked grin. "This." With lightning fast reflexes, she reached out and ran her fingers over the woman's side.
Sunny shrieked in surprise, falling back onto the sofa as Sunset pressed her advantage, assaulting every inch of skin she could reach. Sunny tried to crawl away, but Sunset wouldn't let her, clinging like a monkey to a tree as the two rolled off the sofa and onto the floor.
The girl used Sunny to cushion her fall, not letting up her assault for a single moment. "This is for calling me adorable!"
"I s-see. Well, t-two c-can play at that g-game," declared Sunny in between both peals of laughter and gasps for breath. Before Sunset could defend herself, Sunny grabbed her and launched an attack at her stomach. Sunset let out a high-pitched squeal as she tried to get away.
The battle went back and forth, the two Equestrians just rolling on the floor, laughing away.
Arrowhead was nervous. He was still a relative rookie in the royal guard, but when a spot had opened up to pull Celestia's personal chariot, he'd been lucky enough to be selected.
He'd polished his armor extra hard this morning before reporting for duty, and as the royal vehicle soared high through the sky toward Vanhoover, Arrowhead couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as well. He was pulling the princess's chariot. Princess Celestia's chariot!
His parents would be thrilled when he told them. Would he end up being photographed when they landed? If he did, he'd have to send them a copy of the newspaper too. He was the first in his family to join the guard. His father approved wholeheartedly, and while his mother had been very apprehensive at first, she'd soon come to love his career choice, and was eager for pictures to help memorialize his "rise through the ranks" as she called it.
Who was he to deny his mom what she wanted?
He hadn't missed any spots on his armor, had he? He hoped not. That would be the worst, being photographed pulling the chariot of the epitome of grace and nobility, and having a smudge on his armor. He glanced down at his breastplate quickly. No, there was nothing.
The young pegasus was snapped from his thoughts when a chuckle rose from behind him, before exploding into a mess of loud, roaring laughter. Arrowhead jumped, making the vehicle shake just a fraction.
Making sure the path ahead was clear first, he craned his neck back to look at his illustrious passenger, and his nervousness spiked once again. He'd barely been in the same room with any of the princesses before this.
"Um, Your Highness, is something the matter?"
"N-No," Celestia replied, shaking as she tried and failed to get herself under control. "I-I j-just thought of something funny, that's all."
"Um... okay?" When the princess still couldn't get herself under control, Arrowhead spoke again. "Princess, are you sure-"
"I'm f-fine," laughed Celestia. "Please continue on."
He wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by a hoof tapping his side. He turned to look at his fellow guard, a veteran of many years by the name of Pommel. "Just forget about it," the elder pegasus whispered.
Arrowhead looked at him in confusion. "But what if-"
"Look kid, you're still pretty new, so I'll let you know something important." He pulled in closer. "If you spend enough time in the guard, you'll learn that the princess can be a real oddball sometimes."
Arrowhead stared at his flying partner like he'd just said something treasonous. "But... but she's Celestia! She's all poise and grace and-"
Pommel interrupted him again, a habit Arrowhead was starting to find annoying. "All the other vets will tell you the same. Shoot, the night guards say the same about Princess Luna. If you still don't believe me, then just wait till she's in the mood for pranks." He gave a small shudder and pulled away, fixing his eyes on the sky ahead. "My advice to you is to just ignore it and fly."
The young flier glanced back at his princess, still caught in her bizarre laughing fit, trying to process the clash in mental perception. Another hoof jabbing into his side forced him to turn around. Shoulders drooping, he did his best to ignore the shrieks behind him. He really hoped she wasn't still laughing when the cameras got there.
Their passenger laughed all the way to Vanhoover.
Long author's note, away!
As mentioned in an earlier blog post, chapter 13 MAY be put out this month. Several of the scenes are partially drafted thanks to my inability to estimate chapter size. It's not a guarantee, but I'm just putting that out there.
This is late, but I'd like to mention that with regards to Chapter 10, scene one, I'd wanted to add a Turnabout Storm reference, but I didn’t end up working it in. XD If you don’t know what that is, well, you really should look it up.
Sunset’s outfit in this chapter is taken directly (with permission) from the work "Sunny Twily" by CosmicPonye.
It’s an adorable image that I absolutely love, and when this idea popped into my head, I couldn’t help but think of it. Check out her artwork. I highly recommend it.
I know the apartment isn’t the same as the one from the Monday Blues short. I already had this idea before that short aired, and while it seemed fine for someone living alone, it didn’t seem like the sort of place a single mother and daughter would be living in, so I decided against using it.
The time bubble thing wasn’t something I came up with on my own. I actually got the idea (with permission) from LordBrony2040’s Sunset Reset. I recommend checking it out, especially since it’s got a sequel in progress, Sunset's Crowning Achievement.
I also made a small modification to chapter 4. Nothing plot changing, but I added something to smooth out a wrinkle that was pointed out to me, so that's why you'll see the word count for that chapter going up. Also made a tiny alteration to chapter 10.
Thank you all for reading. And if you like the story, or want to give me some feedback, feel free to leave a comment, favorite the story, or press that like button.
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YES! THE BABY PICTURES!
And, aww, I wanted the girls to see little pony!Sunset from Celestia's photographs.
Oh, I liked the CMC thing, though "very angry" may be a bit of an understatement when Celestia has a history of burning half a forest down when Sunset was threatened.
And the phone for "seniors" xD I mean, Celestia's quite a bit older than almost everyone in the MLP universe, so...
And the guard scene was just the perfect icing for a delicious chapter.
Ngl, I was worried when the age spell wasn't reverted immediately, like "Oh no, someone's gonna visit their house and stumble upon a little Sunset —"
But no! Only family times and fluff this chapter
Thanks for writing :)
PS: You have a bit of an error here:
8734271
Thank you for catching that. I'll take care of it right away.
Really enjoyed this chapter.
Never did finish Sunset Reset. I liked the premise but didn't really enjoy the direction it took nor how Sunset was portrayed through most of it. But I do recommend it and clearly plenty of people enjoyed it more then I did XD.
Awww....
I would love to see pictures of a young human Sunset in the show now. Bet it would be adorable. Bet even pictures of a young filly Sunset would be heart attack inducing from the overload of adorableness.
Adorable and I loved it completely!
8735133
Oh thank you. One (of several) things that I worry about when I write whether or not I get the character's voices down right. Actually, one of the little tweaks I made to the chapter recently (based on a suggestion) helped with that. Actually, I'm still making tweaks to the chapter... and the other chapters too... wow, I've been sort of slow... ah well, I'm almost done anyway. XD
I'm very glad to know that you're enjoying my writing. Hopefully the rest of the chapters will be just as enjoyable for you.
8750794
Ohhhh i will admit never watched the movies
Aaawwww no more chapters. But loved that ending.
Rather surprised another shoe hasn’t dropped yet...discounting the violent murder.
Forgive me for the late replies. I knew I forgot something...
8798059
When you say that, do you mean in fanon or actual canon?
8805458
Yeah, I think I need to improve my pacing. But I had a lot of stuff I wanted to get through and I'm not a fan of extremely large chapters. So as far as the other shoe, I'm working on it.
8818266
If you don't mind my asking, what quote didn't I use?
8823463
I don’t think there is a problem with your pacing. Have to have good times for the bad to matter.
That picture of Sunset and Twilight at the end is absolutely adorable.
Heck, this entire chapter was! I like how Sunset has a blank spot in her memory for the fifteen minutes she was a baby all over again. Hopefully her friends are kind enough not to lord this over her too much. ;)
8857309
i was half expecting them to go mortal combat on each other
While it was cute...to be honest I felt a little uncomfortable with how Sunset was forced to change ages and take all those pictures. I understood the necessity, but...
Oh. My. Gosh. Too freaking adorable. I'm legit making little horse squees right now, that's how adorable this is.
Hahahahaha, Sunbutt loves to tease Sunbutt Jr. every time she get the chance.
Here's what I don't get, and what those two need to realize.
- Sunset entered under Celestia's care when her parents lost her, then died. Meaning Sunset would've been a ward of the crown (aka. technically Celestia's adopted daughter).
- Celestia raised Sunset, took care of her, and was the biggest (no pun intended) pony in Sunset's earlier, formative years.
By all logic. Celestia is Sunset's mom. Yet, neither acknowledges it, or comes to that conclusion. Why? Why does Celestia not get that she's not "Sunset's teacher", but her "mother"? Or is she going to need Cadance to knock some sense into her? I'm pretty sure Twilight's told her by now, them being sister-in-laws and close to one another as they are. And that was a rather big bomb dropped on Twilight.
9069587
Yep.
9072716
Is not entirely easy to pull the sister-in-laws here.
First, whereas Sunset's family has been enterily asent in canon and without any reliabe source regarding her family, Twilight has been shown to have not only loving parents, but also a brother, in short, as far as we know Twilight has Celestia, a family and even her often ignored old group of friends, but Sunset only seems to have Celestia and nothing else.
Celestia adopting Twi, while heartwarming, doesn't seems likely. Celestia adopting Sunset, who by the point I write this comment hasn't show any other pony related to her comes off as understable. Heck, even if she said in the anon-a-miss comic that she wasn't close to her family seems suspicious because:
1.- The canon status of the comics themselves are often flimsy at best.
2.- As this fanfic points out, Sunset might as well just lying.
3.- Even after Forgotten Friendship she still have some issues regarding her past and is not very keen to talk about it. Going han-in-hand with the point above, it worths nothing that Sunset never bring details about the whole thing, making the statement suspicious.
Plus, the teacher-not-mother way that they reference themselves might also explain her issues: she never had a ”mother”, so she probably thought Celestia never loved her the same way a mother would do.
9072757
I said nothing about Celestia adopting Twi. Nowhere in my post.
I was talking 100% about Sunset Shimmer. Who in this fic.
A) Lost her in Canterlot River, and was taken into Canterlot Castle under Celestia's care (Ward of the Crown. Hence legal Gaurdian).
B) When the parents were found. They were dead. Thus, Sunset was raised by Celestia in her formative years. With Celestia being her legal guardian. Hence why I asked why in the flying hells they don't get it that "Celestia is Sunset's mom", not "Celestia is Sunset's teacher.".
______________
As to your points.
1) Talked to Hasbro myself. Hasbro confirmed that the comics aren't canon. The people paid them the rights to use MLP for their comics. Thus it's not flimsy at best. It's entirely non-canon. And that's not even counting how bad they fkd up the Sunset Falling Arc. I mean every bit of that was entirely wrong.
2) "As this fanfic points out" Sunset's parents are dead in this fic. She shows her memories of the event herself.
3) You're points had nothing to do with anything I said.
______________
To make it clearer. I said, in context of what's in this fic.
"Celestia raised Sunset as her legal guardian when Sunset's parents were found killed. So by all rights is legally her mother. When will they realise that? Rather than Celestia just refering to herself as Sunset's mentor / teacher?"
The Second part of what I said. In simpler terms was, "Twilight should talk to Cadance (Pony Twi to Pony Cadance), since they are sister-in-laws, and talk about practically everything. And are really close (As of Canterlot Wedding's conclusion). And with all that being dropped on to Twilight's head. Cadance would be in a place to knock sense into Celestia."
The logic of that last part being. She's the Princess of Love, and awakens types of love / helps ponies see that love for what it is. Both Sunset and Celestia have been deluding themselves, and it's maddening to see such good Momlestia bits, but see both of them clueless on them actually acting like "mother and daughter" because by all rights they are.
Good Lord, this was a fun read. I loved the whole "picture day" stuff with Sunset and Sunny, and the conclusion to that was genius.
Alright, so this has been fun and all, but uh, it's been a long time. The Cinch sisters have yet to rear their ugly heads
... Is this the Roblox or Minecraft "old"? 😂
OMG THAT CHILD SUNNY AND TWILIGHT PIC IS SO CUTE DAWWW
The pictures are amazing.
Damn twi was in the sun for so long her purple skin turn into a tan color