Days in the Life
Chapter 9: Days in the Life
The party had just begun at Sugarcube Corner. The principal and vice principal had walked in completely unawares, Pinkie letting out a cry of "SURPRISE!" so loud that, if they'd been near a cemetery, Sunset was sure the residents would've shambled over to file noise complaints.
The decorations for the little party were minimal, but effective. Several of the tables had been pushed together into a triangle formation, overlaid with white tablecloths chosen by Rarity. Filling up the other tables were various desserts and drinks, either from the Cakes themselves, or ones Applejack had gladly donated.
All around the room were balloons knotted into the shape of cakes and cupcakes. Unable to decide on a single "flavor", Pinkie had instead gone for an assortment, so the sides of the room were adorned with browns, whites, reds, pinks, yellows, blues and greens.
Once they'd recovered their sense of hearing, the two sisters were ushered to a table while the Cakes prepared to bring out the MMMM.
"You really shouldn't have done this," muttered Principal Celestia as she took her seat.
"We wanted to," replied Applejack with a smile. "You and Vice Principal Luna have been great to us."
"Yeah Principal C," added Rainbow. "Remember when the soccer team had that big game against Northwest High? We thought they were totally going to cream us like everybody else. Even the coach thought so. Even I thought so. But you and Vice Principal Luna came in and gave us that pep talk." Rainbow grinned. "We blew Northwest High away, all thanks to you."
"And with how cool you've been about everything that's happened since last year," said Sunset, "we thought we should thank you."
Celestia looked over at Sunset, offering a small smile before her eyes drifted downwards towards the table. Sunset tilted her head. Principal Celestia had been like that at school too, when she'd passed by Sunset in the halls, never seeming to maintain eye contact.
In fact, now that she thought about it, Luna had been doing that today as well, frequently looking away from her, or redirecting her gaze to her sister. It wasn’t quite as bad as Principal Celestia, but it was still there.
Sunset was just about to ask what was wrong when Mr. and Mrs. Cake brought out their prize dessert. It was far bigger than Sunset expected, towering multiple levels with an equally wide base. The two bakers struggled to get it to the table, each layer wobbling dangerously. Pinkie leapt up to help them.
"Thank you, dearie," said Mrs. Cake as she wiped her brow. Looking over at their guests, she took out a cake cutter and made a slice into the dessert, before setting it on the plate in front of Celestia, then repeating the process for Luna.
"This is the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," she told them.
"I call it the MMMM!" cried Pinkie happily.
Mrs. Cake shot her guests an embarrassed smile. "We're planning on entering it in an upcoming dessert competition."
"We'd really appreciate it if you could tell us what you think," added Mr. Cake.
Celestia looked down at the piece of cake, her nostrils breathing in the sugary aroma. Her tongue slid across her lips, then pulled back in. She looked at the teenagers and adults around her. "I really don't think we deserve—"
"Go on," insisted Sunny, who for the most part had stayed quiet. "I may not have had a part in the planning, but I'm fairly certain they don't intend to let you leave until you try it."
Celestia still seemed hesitant, but Luna just placed a fork in her hand. "Come on, Tia, let's try it. They're asking for our help, after all."
Celestia gave her sister a little smile, and both women proceeded to bite into the cake. As they did, Sunset noticed the nervous smile on both bakers' faces, punctuated by the beads of sweat dripping down their foreheads. Clearly, the pressure of the competition was getting to them.
As it turned out, they had nothing to worry about, because the two women moaned in surprised delight. "This cake is fantastic," muttered the principal. Her sister's only answer was to shove another bite into her mouth.
With the ice broken, the party started in earnest. Everyone else received pieces of the MMMM, smaller than those of the guests of honor, of course. Soon, everyone was digging in, and joining the sisters in their praise.
"This is heaven," sighed Sunny as she took another bite. "Pure heaven."
"Thank you," said Mrs. Cake as she took a sip of tea. "Carrot Cake and I have been working so hard on this."
"Really?" asked Fluttershy, taking a bite of her own cake before handing a treat to Spike, who had migrated from Twilight's lap to hers.
"Oh yeah," interjected Pinkie Pie, crumbs pouring haphazardly from her mouth. "I've been helping them the whole time. They've been working super-duper hard on the recipe. They've put blood, sweat, and tears into the MMMM." Her face twisted into a grimace. "You know that's a really yucky metaphor to use for food."
"The competition is across the whole tri-state area," said Mr. Cake, cutting off a potentially endless stream of babble. "We've seen some of the other competitors, and they're pretty tough."
"Pardon me for asking," interrupted Rarity as she took a dainty nibble of her own piece. From the look on her face, it seemed like stopping at such small bites was taking a generous amount of willpower. "But why are you entering? You've never struck me as the competitive types."
"There's a cash prize for the top three spots," answered the redhead. "We thought we could use it to start a college fund for the twins."
"I could help you with those calculations if you want," offered Twilight. "I can make an estimate for all the colleges within a given radius of Canterlot City."
"Why, thank you, dearie," said Mrs. Cake with a warm smile. "I know it may be silly to worry about it since they're still babies. But it's gotten so expensive lately that we thought we should start now."
"Well I'm sure y'all will win that competition no problem," said Applejack as she polished off her slice. "I'm no slouch at bakin' and I think you're gonna win by a country mile."
"Definitely one of the best I've had," agreed Sunset as she swallowed another bite. She cast a glance at Sunny, the corners of her mouth curling upwards. "And I've had a lot of experience with desserts."
Across the table, Luna chuckled. "So your mother has a sweet tooth too, hmm? Tia has one as well, or she did." The vice principal shot her sister a look. "Before she went on a health food kick, that is."
"There's nothing wrong with being conscious of my weight and what I eat," retorted the principal. She pointed a fork at Luna accusingly. "Your diet could use some improvement if you ask me."
"I'm fine. But you need to indulge yourself more. A few sweets aren't going to kill you."
After a few more minutes of verbal prodding, and threats of physical prodding, Luna got her sister to eat another slice. Pinkie, meanwhile, having gobbled up the remains of her own pieces, proceeded to put on an improvised standup comedy routine.
By the end of it, everyone had broken down in laughter. Sunset had narrowly avoided choking on her water a grand total of four times before she finally gave up drinking anything. Sunny had tried to soothe her when this happened, but from the way she’d been shaking, it was clear that even her composure was being sorely tested.
After an hour and a half, the party was wrapped up, and everyone went on their way. Each of them got a piece of the cake to take home, though they insisted that Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna take back the lion's share of the remainder. Celestia had hesitated, but Luna plopped the plastic container into their car before Celestia could raise any more objections.
"I'll say it again, Pinkie," said AJ, standing outside the shop as Big Mac's truck pulled up in front. "You could be a professional comedian."
"I could, couldn't I? That would be great. But so would owning a party store. Or baking, I like baking too. Maybe I could open a bakery and party store in one?"
Sunset chuckled, looking back inside the shop. Sunny was still there, engaged in conversation with the principal and vice principal. Sunset saw Vice Principal Luna take a medium-sized plastic bag from her purse, which Sunny quickly slipped into her own handbag.
After her friends all departed for their respective homes, Sunset walked alongside her mentor toward the bus stop. "That was a wonderful party," said Sunny.
Sunset nodded her head, readjusting her grip on the take home container with their pieces of the MMMM. "What was that thing Vice Principal Luna gave you?"
"Some examples of identification. I'm going to use them to make forgeries for myself," she replied. "And you too, I suppose, if you haven't done so already."
Sunset arched an eyebrow. "Why? You already fooled Mrs. Circinus once." She paused in thought. "How do you even have your magic, anyway?"
Sunny simply held up the amethyst dangling around her neck.
The fire-haired girl nodded to herself. "Thought so."
"I got the idea from Twilight's story about the Dazzlings," explained Sunny quietly, making sure they weren't overheard as they walked along the still-populated sidewalk. "I simply—"
"Infused the crystal matrix with magical energy as a form of storage so it could pass through the portal intact," guessed Sunset, catching onto the other woman's line of logic.
Sunny beamed. "Correct. The quantity of magic is limited, but this crystal is connected to another I have in Equestria, the same way our journals are connected. All I have to do is charge that crystal and the magic will flow into this one.
"And as to your first question, I'm doing it for insurance. The principal and vice principal came by yesterday after you left, and we talked quite a bit. They made me realize that illusion spell might not always work, not if someone else gets involved. So I'm forging identification."
The pair came to a halt at the bus stop, sitting down on the bench and getting back into the shade. It was warmer today, and the heat still radiated from the surrounding buildings. Sunset stretched her legs, looking at the bag that Sunny had placed in her lap, before doing a double take. "Hey, that's not the purse you had before."
It looked almost identical to the little bag Sunny had arrived with, but where the one before had a sun and clouds imprinted on it, this one had a tiny shimmering piece of purple glass cut into a circle, surrounded by a gold band.
"It's not," said Sunny. "It's a special bag I sent over yesterday. And speaking of which, after we head back to deposit these slices, I'd actually like to go out again, if you don't mind."
"Sure. But where did you want to go?"
"Somewhere to sell these," said Sunny, opening up the bag to let the teenager see the contents.
Sunset peered inside, and her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Her hands shot out, pulling the zipper back across. "Where did you get those?!" she hissed, looking around frantically to make sure no one else had spied the treasures within.
"They're mine," answered Sunny calmly. "I thought they could be used to give you some money." The pink-haired woman quirked an eyebrow. "I got the impression you needed it. And this is certainly better than your usual methods."
Sunset wanted to argue, but her brain turned back to the conversation with AJ. Yeah, her budget was tight, but her income had also decreased not insignificantly over the last few months. Hanging out with her new friends left her with less time to go out and pick pockets for cash, or steal the occasional item.
Not to mention her heart felt a little heavier doing it these days. She'd never worked up the courage to tell her friends that she was a thief. But then, she'd done so much worse, and after they'd accepted her for everything else, including trying to kill them as a giant raging she-demon, bringing up her occupational larceny seemed... trivial.
And it wasn't as if they'd ever asked how she got by. It was just one of those things they took for granted, being teenagers that had parents and allowances.
Her newfound social life had also had an impact on her spending as much as her income. With all of the new places to visit, she’d been driving more, and filling her bike’s gas tank wasn’t cheap. The only saving grace was that thanks to the age of Canterlot City, the public transit system was well developed, even out here, making it easy to travel by other means when she needed to.
She peeked into the bag again, looking at the bits and gems and gold goblet. Her eyes stopped on the frankly ugly-looking statue. "Is that a Diamond Dog?"
"A gift from their leader at the time," replied Sunny. "It signified the peace agreement between them and ponykind."
Sunset blinked, momentarily distracted. "We were at peace with the Diamond Dogs?" She didn't remember that in any of her history books.
Sunny waved a hand. "It was a few centuries ago. About two weeks after they gave me this, they raided a town and kidnapped half the populace to help work their mine."
Sunset rolled her eyes. That explains that, then. She looked back at the bag. The idea of selling some of Celestia's possessions made her more than a little uncomfortable, the feeling buzzing around in her head like a gnat. "I'm not sure about—"
"I'm not taking no for an answer," was Sunny's stern reply.
Well, if that's the way she was going to be. "I... could take you to some places." A good percentage of her fences only did their "business" at night, but she knew several that would welcome her now, especially if she brought things like these.
"Good," replied Sunny, taking on the commanding air of the princess she really was. She pulled the purse back onto her lap. "Just show me the way and I'll do the bargaining."
"What?" Sunset's hands tugged the bag back in her direction. "No. No way! You let me do the talking."
"I think I'd be able to handle a negotiation, Sunset," replied Sunny with a huff of annoyance. "I hardly need to remind you how many I've made over the last thousand plus years."
"I'm not forgetting," said Sunset, giving the woman a glare. "But trust me, it's better if I do it. I know these guys, and I have a better sense for what these things are worth. What you think is a good amount in bits isn't the same as dollars. You'll be cheated for sure."
Sunny's resolve visibly weakened. "Well… perhaps… you could help me then, offer me advice?"
"They'd be suspicious of you, too," continued the teenager. "The guys I go to wouldn't suspect me of being a plant. But if you show up with me out of the blue and take over, they’ll be smelling a trap in under a minute.” And besides that, Sunset found the idea of Princess Celestia dealing with some of her contacts extremely unappealing, even more than selling her property.
One man in particular, Grease Ball, aptly named considering the state of his hygiene, had a penchant for hitting on women. Sunset often walked in on him trying to win over one or multiple of his female customers. It wasn't a pretty sight, to put it lightly. She'd always been too young to be on his radar, but he'd be all over Sunny in seconds.
An image flashed through her mind of the two of them in the same room, and nausea rolled around in her stomach. For the princess's sake, and hers, she was going to keep Sunny as far away from Grease Ball and anyone like him as possible.
They stared at each other in silence like that for a while, like a contest of wills. Sunny broke down first. "Alright, Sunset," she sighed. "I'll let you handle it."
Sunset exhaled in relief, the sound of her breath mingling with the whistle of the bus as it finally pulled up to the stop. The pair walked up the metal steps, moving to a free space in the back. As Sunset slid into the leather seat, she readjusted the box of cake on her lap. "Princess," she whispered, leaning in closer. "Are you really sure you want to get rid of those?"
Sunny's fingers just tightened themselves around the purse strap. "Positive."
With a silent nod, Sunset turned her attention to the window, and began to plan out their trip in her head, choosing which of her contacts to visit and the most efficient route between them.
It was going to be a busy afternoon.
The very next afternoon found Sunset Shimmer and her new mother Sunny Skies walking the streets of Canterlot City. It was an early release day, so the afternoon sun was around its zenith as the pair strolled down the sidewalk. After converting some of Sunny's Equestrian loot into currency, the first order of business had been to refill Sunset's food supplies.
Sunny had opted to join her, if just to see more of the city. The pink-haired woman turned her head this way and that at the buildings they passed along the suburban street, wincing at the occasional honk of a car horn.
"Are these... cars always so loud?" she asked, massaging an ear with her fingers.
Sunset nodded. "Yeah, but at least the traffic congestion isn't so bad out here like it is further into the city. Air's nicer too." She paused at the crosswalk, gesturing for the woman to stop with her. "Personally, I prefer my bike."
"Bike?"
Sunset mentally slapped her forehead as the two continued across the street. "Motorcycle or motorbike. It's like a bicycle," she said. When Sunny still looked at her in confusion, she tried again. "That's like a unicycle, but with two wheels. A motorcycle has a car engine attached to it. I would've taken it here but I don't think you'd fit with me, not to mention the groceries."
Sunny hummed at the details, observing the buildings again as they continued their walk. "It's so strange," she said absently.
"I know. You wouldn't believe how much the cars freaked me out when I first got here."
"I wasn't talking about that," said Sunny. "It's strange seeing Canterlot, any version of Canterlot, that's... flat."
"Flat?" Sunset quirked an eyebrow, looking at her surroundings. Canterlot City had plenty of rolling hills, even out around CHS. Nobody would ever call it flat, not by a long shot. But on the other hoof, it was nowhere near the capital built high in the mountains. "I guess it comes off that way, doesn't it?"
Sunny nodded her head. "I always did enjoy the view from that elevation."
A warmth tingled in Sunset's chest as memories floated to the surface. Memories of rooftops and balconies, of watching the sun rise and set over the distant horizon with Celestia, sunlight dancing at the command of her horn like an orchestra to a conductor. "Me too."
Finally the grocery store came into sight, a moderately sized concrete structure painted tan with light green trimming. The sign above proudly proclaimed it as "Appleville Grocers".
The two quickly headed inside, Sunset continuing to take the lead. She grabbed a cart and made a beeline for one side of the store, knowing her usual route through the aisles by heart. Sunny kept pace beside her.
"Sunset, I was wondering," asked the woman as they passed a shelf filled with cereal boxes. "What do they mean by 'Appleville'? I noticed that on a few of the other buildings we passed on the way here."
Sunset was scanning the shelves, moving her way through her list with precision, when she looked back at Sunny. "Oh, that? That's just an old name for the neighborhood. This entire suburb used to be its own town called Appleville. It got annexed to Canterlot City in like the late 1800s I think."
Sunset hadn't really cared for the local history, but a few weeks after the Fall Formal, she'd been invited to Applejack's house with the others, and Granny Smith had been in a mood for stories.
"Our farm was the first in these parts," she'd told Sunset and the girls. "Rough goin' at first, but we Apples stuck it out. That was until the blight came."
Her face had turned serious, lit up by the fire in the nearby hearth to ward off an autumn chill. "It nearly wiped everyone out," she continued. "We Apples were the only ones hangin' on, even if it weren’t by much. All the other farmers around were plum ruined. But my great, great granddaddy, he was a seed collector. My daddy too. They both loved plants and collectin' seeds from all over. Not a wonder we ended up farmin'.
"Great, great granddaddy saw how all the farms were hurtin' and people were starvin' and he gave up all his seeds to the other farmers to rebuild their crops, and shared our crop with everybody for nothin'. He kept them alive. After it was all over, when they built a proper town, they named it Appleville." She'd let out a laugh. "Even made great, great granddaddy the mayor. He'd wanted to say no but they insisted."
"Really?" hummed Sunny. "How fascinating."
Sunset left the woman to her thoughts as she turned around the back of one aisle to go into another, only to notice that Sunny had stopped following her. She turned around to see the pink-haired woman staring at the deli at the back of the store, her face having lost some of its color.
"Uh, Pri-Mom? You okay?"
"I... forgot humans were meat eaters," she replied quietly.
The teenager grimaced, her tongue reflexively running itself over the large canines in her upper and lower jaws, mixed in with the more familiar and comfortable flat grinding teeth. "Yeah, they are," she said, shrugging off the discomforting train of thought. "Thankfully for me, vegetarianism's pretty popular."
The two continued their trek through the store, Sunny frequently asking questions about some of the products on the shelves. Sunset did her best to answer, even if she couldn't explain why a juice product would so boldly advertise only having 30% juice content, or what the rest of it was.
Seeing a large crowd of people ahead, Sunset detoured through an empty aisle nearby. The shelves were stocked with an array of pet supplies, transitioning into books and magazines at the far end.
As she walked along, one of the books caught her eye. It appeared to be a fantasy romance of sorts, its brightly colored cover displaying a purple-skinned girl in a medieval style dress, embraced by a broad-shouldered knight in gleaming armor.
She stopped, looking back at Sunny. "What happened to Twilight?"
The woman, who had been so casually casting her magenta eyes over the magazine rack, stiffened, just for a second. "What?"
"I still haven't heard from Twilight," clarified Sunset. "Is she okay? I was really hoping to talk to her."
It had been just over a week now since she'd written Twilight about her problems, and her journal had stayed silent. With Sunny's arrival, Sunset had been sure Twilight would write back to ask how things were going, or show up in the flesh.
"Oh. Oh, yes," replied Sunny quickly, clearing her throat. "She's perfectly fine, Sunset. She's just been... busy."
Sunset quirked an eyebrow. "You're sure? Even when she's busy she's still answered within a few days at most. I should have heard back from her by now."
A bolt of worry shot through the teenager. What if some monster had appeared? Goodness knew that Equestria had enough dangerous creatures and mythical monsters to fill an encyclopedia or three, and if Nightmare Moon was real, who knew what else was?
"Don't worry, Sunset," reassured Sunny, reading Sunset's expression. "It's just the everyday sort of things, and having a student is taking much more of her attention."
"Things aren't going badly, are they?" Twilight had mentioned her new student when she'd visited after the Friendship Games, and in a few of their messages, but she hadn't gone into any real detail as far as how the whole teaching thing was working out.
"I wouldn't say that. Right now, Twilight is helping Starlight adjust to her new living situation, so she hasn't started teaching her yet. She's probably still adjusting to the idea herself. You should expect some greater delays once Twilight actually begins teaching her, especially once she begins."
Sunny's eyes grew distant, lost in her memories. "Students as capable as Starlight, if Twilight's description is accurate, and I know it is, will often be a challenge for any teacher. While I have faith in Twilight as a mentor, that doesn't mean it's going to go smoothly for her. In fact, it's almost guaranteed not to."
"Oh," Sunset replied, her voice carrying a hint of disappointment. She knew that Twilight had her duties and her new student, but a little part of her was still hurt at the thought that their correspondence would slow down. Princess Twilight Sparkle was the first pony that had offered her friendship, and she considered their connection a special one.
Then, another thought crossed her mind. "Was I that much trouble for you?"
"Oh, you certainly kept me on my hooves," chuckled Sunny. "But you weren't a bother. Unlike Twilight, I had much more experience when you came along." She looked over Sunset's shoulder at the grocery list, eyes scanning over the still unchecked items. "We should hurry along, Sunset. Didn't you say earlier that you had a meeting this afternoon?"
The teen slapped her forehead. "Ugh, I totally forgot." They'd all made plans this morning to meet at Twilight's and study together for a math test tomorrow.
Sunset looked down at her watch, eyes widening. It was already 1:33 PM. Their meeting was for 2:30 PM. She had a little less than an hour to finish here, get everything back, and head out to Twilight's. "How did it get so late?"
"All the more reason to finish up here," said Sunny. The woman took another glance at the list, and then craned her head to look at the signs hanging from the ceiling, trying to figure out where to go next.
"Princess," Sunset whispered, "I know she's busy, but could you tell Twilight to write me soon? I really miss talking to her."
Sunny glanced back, giving the teen a half-smile. "Of course, Sunset. She'll contact you as soon as she can."
"Thanks." Was it her imagination, or did that smile not reach Sunny's eyes?
"I think the next item on your list is in the aisle next door." Sunny pointed at the sign overhead. "Come along, sweetheart," she added, slipping into character as they passed a small crowd of people.
Sunset followed along into the next aisle. It was probably just my imagination. As Sunny pulled further ahead, Sunset picked up her pace. She needed to get her mind off Princess Twilight.
Besides, if she was late, this world's Twilight would throw a fit.
It was late Friday morning in Ponyville, and the doors to the Castle of Friendship swung open to admit Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest ruler of all Equestria. "It's good to be back," she declared cheerily.
The young princess had a spring in her step as she entered her crystal home. "I can't wait to write up my findings." Her whole body was charged with visible excitement, wings twitching involuntarily, making her levitate an inch off the floor. "Best. Research Vacation. Ever!"
Her original goal during the trip had been to observe the rare golden sun fish as it migrated through Horseshoe Bay. But her discovery, well, not entirely hers, she supposed, had made the trip go far beyond her expectations.
The golden sun fish was a small creature, bright yellow in color with a multitude of orange spines. Its ball-shaped body was covered with highly reflective scales that acted like a mirror for the sunlight when it swam close to the water's surface starting at dawn, but which disappeared into the depths at sunset. Schools of golden sun fish were normally an amazing sight. To passing pegasi, they often looked like a miniature underwater sun.
The first evening there, Twilight spent time out on the beach trying to find the best places to observe the migration. While looking out at the water, she'd found a school of crescent moon fish. Like the sun fish, they too had highly reflective scales, though theirs were a much paler color, matching the moon hanging high overhead.
As the name suggested, these fish were something of a crescent shape, with long, thin bodies and sharp curved fins. In contrast to the sun fish, these creatures basked in the moonlight before disappearing with the day.
The purple alicorn hadn't thought much of them. If anything, she'd expected them. Golden sun fish and crescent moon fish were almost always seen in the same habitats. Many ponies theorized that the two were related, and that they lived in the same places simply because they had similar preferences as far as water temperature, salinity, and diet.
Their association with each other was an altogether ancient thing. According to several written accounts, it stretched back all the way to the time the royal sisters took on rulership of Equestria.
Twilight had once read that in the early days of the diarchy, their combined appearance was seen as a good omen, reminding the sailors of their princesses and the protection they offered, though that status was lost for the latter species after Nightmare Moon, and Princess Luna, faded into myth.
But thanks to Fluttershy casually striking up a conversation with a sun fish, Twilight's understanding of both species had grown tremendously. It wasn't simply a matter of relation, shared preferences, or even coincidence that the two were so often seen in the same places.
They lived together, side by side. When the sun fish dove beneath the waves to sleep, the crescent moon fish rose up and watched for predators. And when the day came around, the sun fish switched places and roles.
In fact, as Endy, the male sun fish Fluttershy spoke to, had put it, the relationship between the two fish was so close that they formed partnerships, one sun fish for one moon fish. It was a bond formed not long after hatching, a bond that lasted a lifetime.
And as if to illustrate the point, the very minute that Fluttershy relayed that information to Twilight, a female crescent moon fish broke the water's surface, looking at sun fish, alicorn, and pegasus alike with curiosity, filtered through a state of half-sleep. This fish, once brought up to speed, promptly introduced herself as Endy's partner Lene.
The single migration Twilight had wanted to study had transformed itself into two, since in accordance with their relationship, both fish migrated together, one on the surface and the other totally hidden under the ocean.
It was a fascinating case of mutualistic symbiosis. And the fact that nopony before her had ever documented it made her giddy all over again.
"Maybe not the best," came a groan from behind. "I can think of a negative, or eight."
Twilight pivoted her head to look back at her new student, thoughts of her upcoming contribution to ichthyology set aside. The pink unicorn's back twitched as she walked, the skin under her coat dotted with red spots.
Twilight winced. "I'm still sorry about that, Starlight. When Pinkie offered to introduce you to her crab friends, I didn't think they'd be so... enthusiastic."
"I can still feel their claws pinching me," groaned Starlight.
Twilight laughed weakly. "I really shouldn't have pushed you," she told her, repeating the apologies she'd offered on the ride back. "But in my defense, with how Pinkie let them hang off of her so much, I thought they had a gentler grip."
Of course she should have realized Pinkie probably had a higher pain tolerance, either from being an earth pony, or just being, well, herself.
"I don't get it. A couple of them pinched me and I didn't feel a thing," said Spike, bringing up the rear as he pushed a small cart with their belongings, including Starlight's saddlebags, her own back still too sore for them.
"Spike," replied Starlight, "you have scales."
"Oh, right."
"And hey," said Twilight, trying to lighten the mood. "It wasn't all bad. Your kite flying was pretty impressive. I think you might have put some of my brother's tricks to shame."
Starlight blushed, the change in topic seeming to distract her from the ache in her skin. "Thanks. But I think I was just lucky. All those tropical currents made it easy."
"I think you're being modest," countered Twilight.
"Don't forget the concert, too," said Spike, pulling out a rolled-up poster from the luggage cart. The little dragon unrolled it, holding it out in his claws. At the top was written, in flowing script, "Mistress of the Waves." Water spiraled in the background in torrents and jets, obscuring the shape of some sea monster.
Standing in the middle of the poster's foreground was a young unicorn mare with a light peach coat and a long, dark brown mane. She was dressed in pirate attire, though the costume didn't hide her cutie mark, a violin and a set of four silver-spurred boots in mid-step. She too was in a dancing pose, balanced on her hind legs while a violin and bow floated above her in her magic.
"Lindsey Spurling was awesome!" declared the dragon.
Twilight smiled. "Yes, she certainly was." The concert in Baltimare hadn't been planned, but Rarity talked them into it once she saw the poster. She was as interested in the musician's costumes as she was in her music. Afterwards, they'd all ended up with her autograph on various items, including Spike's poster.
"I don't think I've ever seen anypony play the violin and dance ballet at the same time," admitted Starlight. "Even for a unicorn, I can't imagine that's easy." Her gaze redirected itself at her hooves. "I would have taken all that away."
Twilight reached out a forehoof in comfort. "Starlight, you can't keep focusing on that. You'll never get anywhere if you do."
"It still gets to me," she muttered.
"I know. But you need to get your mind off of it. Why don't you start unpacking? That might help."
"Actually," said Starlight, a sliver of strength returning to her voice. "I think I'm going to soak in the bath first. The warm water will help my back feel better."
Twilight gave a little smile. "Alright. Spike," She turned to her assistant. "Could you take Starlight's things to her room, and then set down mine? I'll unpack in a few minutes. I want to check the library first."
"Sure thing, Twilight."
As the three went their separate ways, Twilight held in a sigh. Logically, she knew Starlight's bouts of guilt were perfectly normal. It had been around a month since the unicorn's attempted revenge, an attempt that had temporarily splintered the timeline and threatened to destroy all of Equestria.
She'd been making strides, of course, not huge ones, but she was trying. She wanted to be that better pony. And Twilight was more than willing to help her. But Twilight would be lying if she said it didn't hurt when Starlight was haunted by the shadow of her actions, making her shrink back into herself. It made Twilight feel like she wasn't doing well enough as a teacher.
Not that Twilight had started teaching in any real capacity yet. Most of the time had been spent helping Starlight move in, along with all the other day to day things. Well, one thing was for certain, Twilight was going to change that very soon. But right now, she'd check the library.
Taking down the sign they'd left in the lobby, she continued on her way, reaching the doors of the newly established Ponyville Library. Mayor Mare had wanted it to be the Ponyville Royal Library, but Twilight preferred it this way.
She surveyed the room, the many crystal shelves, already built into the walls, filled with books, or in the process of being filled. From the fantasy section to the non-fiction section, to the reference section stocked with thickly bound dictionaries, encyclopedia sets, and other such materials, it was all there, and still being built.
As much as she'd treasured the Golden Oak Library as her home, she had to admit the library floor had always been a bit small compared to the ones she'd practically grown up in. When she'd decided to recreate the public library, she'd taken advantage of the room size, adding reading nooks and study areas for ponies to use, a properly sized children's section, and several large wooden tables and chairs.
Going over to the main desk, she picked up the ledger. Opening it to the first page, the princess of friendship frowned in annoyance at the short list of ponies who had checked out books.
Actually, to call it a list was unfair, as it consisted only of Cheerilee, which was no surprise to Twilight at all, as Cheerilee had always been a regular at the Golden Oak Library. Though Twilight knew that was more for her job than actual pleasure, based on the titles she'd checked out.
Come to think of it, the number of ponies she'd have called truly regular customers at the library could be counted on four hooves, with some to spare.
Her librarian's pride once again stung, Twilight sighed, allowing this one to escape over her frowning lips. She closed the book, carrying it to her private library. She'd set it there for now and search for any unregistered check-outs later.
Opening the new set of doors, she set the ledger down on one of the sturdy oak tables, taking a look around at her personal space. The sight of so many more books made her smile again. Her purple eyes stopped at an unfamiliar piece of paper sitting on another table. Levitating it up, she instantly recognized it as Celestia's writing.
Dear Twilight
I hope you don't mind, but I had to borrow your copy of An Extensive Examination of Equestrian Economics by Bull Market. Supply Curve needed to see it, but for some reason the copy in the Canterlot Archive has been misplaced. I will return your copy as soon as possible.
Princess Celestia.
Well, at least her library had been of use to somepony, even if it wasn't the public one.
Flying up to the shelves, she quickly found the place where the volume was supposed to be and confirmed that it was still missing, before slipping the note into her saddlebags as a reminder.
Thinking of Celestia, Twilight remembered that the sun princess had been trying to meet Starlight for some time without success, mostly due to things at Starlight's end. Twilight wasn't a fool. She knew Starlight was just trying to avoid the meeting. But she also wasn't sure if or how hard she should push her. Still, it needed to be fixed. Perhaps Princess Celestia would have ideas.
"Twilight! Are you coming?" called Spike from the hall.
Twilight turned her head, seeing the little dragon standing in the doorway. "Sorry Spike, I got distracted."
Bringing herself to the ground, she and Spike walked along the halls to their rooms, his rapid steps falling in sync with her longer strides. "Spike," she told him as she turned a corner. "I need to start working on Starlight's studies. Tomorrow, could you get another order of paper and ink? I'm going to make a list of all the lessons we could go over, A to Z. Oh, and quills too."
"All of them?" asked Spike in surprise, his large green eyes becoming even larger. "Better make it a triple order," he muttered.
Walking into her bedroom, conveniently located next door to Spike's, the pair made short work of unpacking their bags. Ever organized, Twilight not only made each of them a two-part checklist for long-term travel, checking off every item coming and going, but indexed it by the item's location, both the bag it was packed in and its destination when unpacked. Or in the case of some items, a temporary location, such as the basket for beach towels that needed washing.
Within thirty minutes, both Twilight's and Spike's cases, purple and green respectively, were back in their own closets, waiting for the next trip. "I think that might have been a new record," said Twilight as she looked over everything, rolling up her list with a smile.
"I still don't get why we have to unpack everything right away," said Spike, pushing a book back on the shelf. "It's not like the luggage is going anywhere."
"Just because we just got back, that’s no reason to leave suitcases sitting around. It's messy," lectured Twilight. "Shining was like that, you know. The year he and Cadance got together at the Fall Formal, we went on this camping trip after Hearth's Warming.
"While we were away, Shining found this piece of quartz shaped like a robin. He brought it back with him to give to Cadance as a Hearts and Hooves Day present. Then when it came around..."
"What? What happened?" asked Spike curiously, fully invested in her story.
"He couldn't find it," said Twilight flatly. "He practically turned the house upside down looking for it. And you know where it was? In his suitcase. He never emptied his case from the trip, put it in his closet to get it out of the way, and totally forgot he hadn't emptied it." Twilight laughed. "Mom found it the day after Hearts and Hooves, and only because she'd thought to look there."
She poked Spike’s scaly belly with a hoof. "And that's why it's better to empty suitcases as soon as you can."
"Okay, okay, I see your point," conceded the dragon. His stomach let out a loud growl. "Can we get lunch now? I'm hungry."
Twilight looked at the clock on her wall. "It is getting about that time, isn't it? Alright then, let's go down and eat. Maybe Starlight will join us if she's done soaking."
As Twilight turned to leave her room, her eyes fell on the mirror, decorated with photo after photo of friends and family. Rainbow and Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Cadance, Owlicious, and even Moondancer.
Oh, Moondancer. If that hadn't been a learning experience for her as the princess of friendship, she didn't know what was. Reconnecting with an old friend, and helping her open up when she'd shut out everypony else—
Twilight froze, mind turning rapidly as the seed of an idea blossomed forth into the flower of a plan. Yes! Yes, that's perfect!
"Twilight?"
Twilight snapped out of her seeming trance to look down at her assistant. "Sorry, Spike. I just had an idea. After lunch, I want you to write a letter to Dean Strawberry Moon of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."
"Is this for one of those... aluminum things?"
"That's alumni, Spike. And yes, sort of." As the two approached the hallway near Starlight's room, Twilight lowered her voice. "I want her help tracking down Sunburst's current address."
"Sunburst?" asked the dragon before comprehension began to set in. "Wasn't that Starlight's friend?"
"Yes. He went to Celestia's school. If we presume he graduated, then the CSGU Alumni Association should have a current address on file, or something close that we can use."
Spike nodded. "You want to get them back together."
"Right," said Twilight, happy her number one assistant was on the same page. "I think it will be good for her. But not a word to Starlight."
"My lips are sealed," assured Spike, dragging a claw across his mouth in a zipping motion. His stomach growled once again. "Hey, do you think we could go to get ice cream?"
Twilight almost said no. Dragons, being fire-breathers, had internal organs that generated large flashes of heat on command, and kept their average body temperature high. It made them qualify as warm-blooded, allowing them to avoid things like hibernation.
That wasn't to say, however, that their ability to control their body temperature was as effective as that of other warm-blooded species. There was evidence to show that dragons weren't quite as resistant to internal cold as external cold, and that eating sufficient quantities of something freezing (depending on size), could leave them as crippled as a normal reptile.
Twilight had once heard a story of a full-grown dragon that had crashed in an ocean in the far north during the winter. The dragon had swallowed so much of the freezing water on impact that he'd been completely paralyzed, forced to float on his back until he warmed back up.
Baby dragons, Twilight knew, were particularly sensitive due to their age. And for a baby dragon of Spike's size, eating large amounts of ice cream was enough. He liked ice cream, of course, but Twilight tended to make it a rare treat, and always had to regulate how much he ate and how fast he ate it, lest he get sick and become completely unable to move.
But he had been pushing around their bags, and he'd offered to take Starlight's saddlebags as well. "Sure, Spike. But not too much. I don't want you getting cold sick."
"I know, Twilight, I know," replied Spike in exasperation. "That only happened once! I was a hatchling."
Yes, he had been. He'd been so young he hadn’t even been able to talk. She'd let him eat half a carton while trying to study for a test. "And I'll never forget it. It practically gave me a heart attack."
Twilight and Spike haggled over the number of scoops all the way down the stairs.
Princess Luna was a huntress.
It was a concept not many ponies really grasped. Her duties included not only driving back nightmares in the land of dreams and bringing the night sky, but driving back the monsters that prowled her domain for ponies to devour.
Dealing with monsters was different in many ways from dealing with nightmares. For one, Luna didn't need to put real effort into finding nightmares. But the monsters? They liked to hide, particularly from her. In response, Luna had become adept in tracking them down when she needed to.
Hunting was not a common practice in Equestria, mostly due to ponies being herbivores. But Luna considered herself a capable huntress. Millennia ago, the griffons, hunters themselves, had lauded her skill for tracking beasts in the dark of the night, and her equal talents in rendering them unconscious.
She may not have killed her prey, but she made quite sure they would be in recovery for a good, long time, and hesitate before attacking ponies again.
The blue alicorn walked down the halls of Canterlot Castle, now bathed in a mix of shadow and torchlight. The Night Guard, a mix of thestrals and ponies, saluted her as she passed. Technically she should have already left on one of her hunts, reports having reached her of a group of bugbears getting too close to Bitsburgh. But those would wait. Right now, she was engaged in a hunt of a different sort, one through the very halls of Canterlot Castle, a hunt she had to undertake alone.
The actual hunt for her quarry would be a short one, for she knew precisely where to go in order to find it. But this quarry, this quarry was one she placed as more important than all the monsters that wandered Equestria combined. But like those others, she was determined that it would be dealt with before this night was out.
Reaching a set of doors emblazoned with a familiar golden sun, she knocked her silver-shod hoof against the wood. "Tia? Tia, I know you are in there."
The doors opened in the glow of golden magic. Celestia was seated in one of the chairs. On the stand beside her was a novel, bookmark barely scratching the literary surface, while a silver tea set was placed on the small table between her chair and its twin. Philomena was nowhere in sight, most likely having gone to sleep at this hour.
"Good evening, Luna," greeted Celestia with her usual warm smile. "I thought you'd be busy with your duties by now."
Luna shut the doors behind her, the lock turning with a click. She turned to her sister, face stuck in a decidedly cross expression. "Sister," she said sternly. "We need to talk."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Instead, she turned her attention to the tea set, and lifted a second cup with her magic.
"I am not interested in sharing tea tonight," Luna commanded.
Celestia set the still empty cup down and looked back at Luna, concern flashing in her eyes. "What is it, Luna? Is there something wrong with Tibbles?"
"Tibbles is in the best of health. He is currently consuming dinner," replied Luna. Or possibly inhaling. The little possum had a healthy appetite. "If my pet needed assistance, I would have called a veterinarian."
"Then perhaps you could tell me what is wrong?"
"That is what I wish to know!" snapped Luna, glaring at her sister. "What is going on with you as of late?"
Celestia's eyebrow shot up higher. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
Luna snorted. "Then allow me to be clear, sister. For the last week you have been acting oddly. Both Raven and Kibitz said you seemed strangely preoccupied last Saturday. Not only that," added the night princess as she took a step forward, "but you have also been spending far more time in your chambers as of late than is your norm."
It had started with Kibitz. The castle's majordomo often irritated Luna, though it wasn't like they'd gotten off on the right hoof anyway. But despite how aggravating his meticulous scheduling could be, Luna knew he was a tireless worker. He'd been at the castle for many years, weathered countless crises, and was as loyal to the crown and the two princesses as a pony could get.
So when he showed up in her chambers this evening to talk privately with her about Celestia, Luna took it seriously. The matter grew even more serious when Raven, who was normally fast asleep at that hour, appeared at her door as well.
"I hardly see how that's cause for concern, Luna," replied her sister, her guard rising. "And those two should know better than to bother you over something that trivial."
"I am not done," Luna snapped, wings flaring. "Your behavior has been even stranger as of the last few days. You forgot several key documents for Day Court on Wednesday, and then there was the petition for that bridge in Coltifornia."
"What about the bridge? I approved the design, and relayed the plans to the royal engineers."
"Yes, and when you were relaying the schematics, you misquoted the proposed numbers. And I heard that today, during your meeting with the Manehattan Board of Education, you had to have something repeated to you on no less than five occasions."
Luna's eyes narrowed, and she took another few steps forward, closing the gap between them. "Raven has been telling me about other strange behaviors, that you've been reaching out for things with your hoof rather than your horn, only to suddenly levitate them. All of these would be odd, but innocuous enough on their own. But combined? Something is going on with you, Tia, and as your co-ruler, nay, as your sister, I demand to know what it is."
Luna glared at her sibling, silently daring her to even try to deny her words. What she'd heard from the two unicorns had told her one solid and undeniable fact. There was something wrong with Celestia.
She studied the alicorn before her, wondering if perhaps it was some kind of double. Queen Chrysalis was still at large, and it was no secret how much she detested Celestia. Anger and worry warred inside Luna's chest. That oversized bug had already injured Celestia once, all while Luna had been fast asleep. If the changeling queen had harmed her sister, Luna would tear her asunder with such fury, it would make Nightmare Moon look tame.
Celestia stood there, eyes locked with hers, before she heaved a sigh. Her whole body seemed to slump. "Alright, Luna, you win. Sit down, and I'll tell you everything."
And so, amidst the pouring out of more Chineighse tea, Celestia told Luna a story, a story that went from last Saturday to now, a story of the world beyond the enchanted mirror and everything Celestia had done.
"I see," said Luna when her sister had finished explaining, taking a sip of her tea. "This construct spell, it sounds vaguely familiar to me. What precisely is it?"
"The technical name is the Multiple Magical Marionette Me spell," answered Celestia.
Luna rolled her eyes. "I shall never understand the modern wizard's fascination with alliterative spell names. That one is just a twister of tongues." She took a sip of her tea, savoring the taste on her tongue. "And this was why you were using your hooves instead of magic?"
"Phantom signals," said Celestia. "Humans use their hands. The construct and I are connected via the brain, so we occasionally share some neurological feedback along with thoughts and memories."
Luna nodded, her brow furrowing in concentration. She definitely recalled that spell from somewhere. But where? The night princess took another sip of her tea as a memory flashed into her mind. "Ah, I remember now. Was that not a spell crafted by Crossmodal Attention?"
"Yes. Not the most well-known of unicorn wizards, but still quite talented in his own areas. He called the spell his crowning achievement."
"I remember reading about him while I was in recovery." After being brought back to sanity, Luna had been so weak, it had taken months before she had the magical strength to move the moon again without a problem. Even the earth pony part of her had suffered, her strength little better than that of an underweight weakling.
As a result, she'd thrown herself into catching up on the world, reading a quantity of books that would have made Twilight Sparkle green with envy. She'd covered something from every topic, including notable and somewhat less notable wizards of years past, like Crossmodal Attention.
The blue alicorn set down her cup, tapping her chin with a hoof as the memories of what she'd read came back to her. "Tia," she said slowly, "are you sure using that spell is a good idea?"
"I don't see why not." Celestia's porcelain cup clinked as it was set down on the tray. "It was the best option I had available, and I’m more than capable of using it."
"I was not jabbing at your magical ability," replied Luna. "I was thinking more of your skill at using it. I recall reading that Crossmodal created that spell to help with multitasking, allowing him to perform multiple tasks without worrying about the independent will of full duplicates."
"What's your point, Luna?" asked Celestia, tension rising in her voice. "You know I've done multitasking before. Many times in fact."
"My point," replied Luna bluntly, "is that I also recall reading that Crossmodal's special talent was multitasking. And while you are most certainly experienced at doing multiple things at once, it is not actually your specialty."
"I'm fine."
Luna shook her head, sending her starfield of a mane swirling around her. "No, I don't think you are, not as much as you want me to believe." Her tea was forgotten now, what little remaining in the cup left to sit on the table between the two sisters. "Tia, what about those forgotten documents?"
"It was an accident," replied Celestia. "I'm allowed those sort of things."
"And the bridge? You told the engineers the bridge specifications when you gave them the plans, contradictory specifications to what was written. In fact, you completely flipped the mathematics involved. I checked the calculations myself, Tia."
In truth, she'd checked the calculations twice. The first time, the results had been so bad she'd nearly dropped her abacus. The second time hadn't produced anything better. "Had they not double checked the written plans right there and instead presumed what you said was correct, it would have been disastrous."
Celestia winced. "Well, I—"
"And the Manehattan Board of Education. I know that those meetings hold your interest, how much you enjoy speaking about the future of education. Raven said that afterwards, the head of the board was deeply concerned he'd done something to offend you."
"I—"
"All this has happened within the last few days. Mistakes like this happen to you, yes, but not usually this much and this close together. Don't you see Tia? It's the spell. You share one mind with the construct, and in order to do that you are literally splitting your attention in twain."
"I have more than enough power for the spell," repeated Celestia weakly.
"I am speaking of attention," was Luna’s stern reply, "not magic. Attention is a finite resource, and, unlike magic, alicorns do not naturally possess it in great abundance. You have been more forgetful and distracted lately because of the construct."
Celestia grimaced. "I admit, you are probably right about the side effects."
"No probably about it," snorted Luna.
"But," continued Celestia, "I'm sure I will be able to adjust to the spell. It's only been a few days. With time, I'll be able to get used to the effects."
Luna felt a headache forming right above her horn. Why did her sister have to be so stubborn? "While I cannot deny that possibility, sister, I still worry. You've been lucky avoiding any lasting problems so far, but that luck may not hold."
"I had no choice," said Celestia, getting up from her seat to pace along the carpet. "It was the best plan."
"And I agree, your stratagem was most effective," said Luna, getting up to stand by her sister's side. "But did you not say that you drove off that vile mare? Your goal is accomplished. Can you not end this charade and stop using the spell?"
"Woman, Luna. For their species, it's woman," corrected Celestia. "And yes, I got rid of her, for now. But there is a basic certainty that she'll come back. I need to be there when she does. Sunset needs me. She's still a minor there, Luna, a child."
The sun princess's wings drooped. "I can't stop, not until I know she's going to be safe over there."
Luna's face softened, her ire cooling. When Sunset Shimmer had reappeared, a weight had fallen over her sister. She'd tried to mask it from those around her, but Luna had known Celestia far too long to be fooled.
Yes, weight was the right word. It was like there had been a tremendous boulder perched on Celestia's back during those days and nights in which Twilight had gone through the mirror.
It slowed her steps as they walked down the halls, the duties of the crown forcing them to leave from time to time while the element bearers stayed by the mirror. Luna actually had to slow down to stay by her sister's side, despite Celestia's somewhat longer strides.
Initially, Luna thought her sister's gloom was mostly just worry over Twilight and the loss of the Element of Magic. She'd tried to reassure her sister of Twilight's return. Celestia's mood had lightened a little at her efforts, but the weight had remained largely in place.
When Twilight did return, and Celestia asked after Sunset's wellbeing, it was clear to Luna that, however she had parted with Sunset, it had left a mark.
Not that Celestia would talk about her, or their parting. Even after Twilight had returned, she barely said anything regarding the unicorn.
Looking at her sister now, it was evident that weight was still there, just as heavy as it was before, or perhaps even heavier. "I didn't realize how much of a burden her departure was for you."
"I failed her," whispered Celestia, her wings drooping further from the guilt that rang clearly in her voice. "She was my student, a wonderful student for years, before she went down the wrong path. I failed her, now she needs my help."
She turned her head, looking right into Luna's eyes. "I know you're worried, little sister, and you have the right to be. But I need to do this."
"Alright, Tia," sighed Luna. "I yield. I shall stop pressing you on the issue." She then gave Celestia a stern look. "But Raven and Kibitz are still concerned, and they will be looking to me to quell those concerns."
"I'd rather this be kept private, Luna. I'd be getting angry reprimands from both of them if they found out what I was doing."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Thy schedule keeper, I can see," she said, slipping back into more antiquated language. "But Raven as well?" She'd seen her worried earlier tonight, but Luna couldn't picture the mare as truly angry.
"Oh she wouldn't verbalize her criticisms," replied Celestia with the tone of somepony all too knowledgeable on the subject. "But you'd be able to tell they're there. Really, I'm not sure which approach is worse."
She sighed. "I care for both of them a great deal, but I'd rather not get into an argument with them over this."
"If that is your wish, sister, then I will oblige." Still, she'd need to tell them something. She looked toward the ceiling, gears turning in her head until she struck upon an idea. "I will tell them that you are working on a most delicate and private experiment, and that they will need to be more vigilant in their assistance as a result."
Celestia looked like she wanted to argue, but Luna cut her off. "Don't. You believe you will adjust, and perhaps you will. But that is not today. You still need them to help you keep everything together." She wrapped a dark wing around her sister's body, as if she were the older sibling instead, before giving Celestia a nuzzle. "Do not forget that you have ponies here to help you."
Then, another idea came to mind. "Perhaps Twilight Sparkle could be of aid as well."
Celestia tensed under Luna's wing. "I don't think I need Twilight's help, Lulu," she said, her voice turning stiff.
Luna quirked an eyebrow, not missing the change in tone. "Why ever not? She's helped save Equestria many times, and solves problems regularly. Surely she might be able to offer some assistance or ideas for your plans in the other dimension."
"No," said Celestia, pulling herself out from Luna's wing to look at her directly. "I'm fine doing this myself. Besides, this is not the sort of thing Twilight usually handles. I was and still am far better suited to deal with this. Twilight is already known to the students at the school, not to mention that over there she's the same age as Sunset."
"That could be potentially remedied with a disguise spell," argued Luna. "I'm actually surprised she hasn't asked to help you already, considering her friendship with Sunset Shimmer."
She paused, eyes widening a little as she gave her sister a sideways look. "You... did inform Twilight of this affair, didn't you?" Celestia didn't respond right away, her eyes breaking contact just a fraction. It told Luna enough.
"You didn't," she said flatly. "Celestia, why on Terra not?!"
"I didn't want to ruin her vacation," defended Celestia. "She's just getting to know her new student and things are still delicate. Twilight and her friends deserve rest for all they've done. Even if I assured her that I was handling it, the news would have caused her nothing but stress."
"That is... true," conceded Luna. She might not have known Twilight for as long as Celestia, or even Cadance, but even she had learned Twilight was... what did they call it these days? Something with string. Ah, yes, high strung. Even with Cadance's breathing exercises, Twilight was still extremely excitable and prone to high anxiety. Celestia had said she'd been that way since fillyhood.
"Thank you for seeing my point."
“But," Luna argued, "Sunset reached out for her support in the midst of a great personal crisis. Twilight Sparkle has been young Sunset's friend, her confidant, and her teacher in the ways of—”
"Sunset Shimmer is my student," hissed Celestia, her tone cutting through the air like the point of a spear in mid-flight. "She is not Twilight Sparkle's."
The princess of the night's mouth slammed shut. Was that... did I hear... no, it couldn't have been... could it? Her cyan eyes scrutinized the alicorn standing before her, as if seeing her for the first time.
"Luna? Luna what is it?" asked Celestia, more than a little discomforted by her sibling's abrupt silence.
Luna tilted her head, letting her long, ethereal mane brush against the floor. "Tia," she began slowly, "are you perhaps..."
"Perhaps what?"
"Are you perhaps jealous of Twilight?"
Celestia took several steps backward, almost staggering. "W-What? Luna, that's ridiculous." She let loose a short laugh. "I'm not jealous of Twilight. I'm proud of her. She's an amazing mare. Why on Terra would I be jealous of her?"
Luna pursed her lips, trying to find the right words. Part of her wanted to agree with her sister. On any other day, the idea would have been preposterous. But she couldn't ignore that reaction just now, the words, the inflection. It was all too familiar to her, like an echo from that dark and awful period of her life.
"I know you are proud of her, Celestia," she began softly. "But... I think that perhaps there is a part of you that resents the way Sunset Shimmer has clung to Twilight in place of you."
"And I'm telling you it's ridiculous," repeated Celestia firmly. Turning her head away, the princess of the sun ran a hoof through her mane. "I appreciate your concern, Luna. And thank you for keeping this between us. But I think I'd like to be alone now. I'm quite tired, and you have your duties to attend to."
The muscles in Luna's jaw tightened. Celestia was trying to deflect her, change the subject and end the conversation. Clearly, she'd hit a nerve, even if Celestia didn't seem to recognize it as such. "Alright sister, I shall do as you wish," she relented. Turning toward the doors and taking hold of them in her magic, she looked back at Celestia. "Tia, jealousy is anger caused by somepony having something you think is your own."
"I know the definition, little sister," replied Celestia with rising irritation. "And I am not jealous."
"A hypothetical, then," suggested Luna. "If you were, then that feeling is not altogether wrong to have. The danger is in how we respond to it, and whether our actions cross a line."
Memories played before her eyes, of looking at the empty streets of towns and cities, of ponies scurrying into their homes to escape the darkness and the night, as if moonlight were poisonous to the touch. Memories of wishing they acknowledged her like they did Celestia, acknowledged the tremendous effort she put into every night sky, in beating back monsters inside and outside of their dreams.
They are my subjects as well, she had cried on more than one lonely night, not just Tia's. Equestria is ours, not hers alone. Why have I been pushed aside? Why does nopony care?
Looking back, she knew her questions weren't wrong, her grievances unfounded. But she'd let that anger drive her over the edge, make her vulnerable to dark and twisted forces. "Be wary, Celestia," continued Luna, the memories adding a gravity to her words. "Do not let such feelings fester, for if they do, they can grow into something horrible."
"Sound advice, Luna," replied Celestia tersely. "But let me repeat myself. I am not, nor have I ever been, jealous of Twilight Sparkle."
Luna's face fell, but her eyes never moved from Celestia. "Then before I depart, let me provide one last bit of advice, not just as your co-ruler, but as your sister. You need to tell Twilight Sparkle what has happened, and very soon. From what you told me, she should have arrived back in Ponyville yesterday morning. If she or Sunset decide to write each other again before you tell Twilight, things will not go well."
Finally, Luna opened the doors, walking back out to the darkened hall. "Goodnight, sister."
"Goodnight, Luna."
Luna shut the doors behind her. It was past time to begin her duties, and she couldn't avoid them any longer.
She'd tried, but if Celestia was still in denial, there was little she could do. Those feelings, which Luna knew existed, needed to be confronted by their owner if a resolution were to happen.
Hopefully her sister would recognize it for what it was and deal with it. She certainly wouldn't be able to keep Twilight in the dark for long, not with her being home. At least, not unless she did something drastic.
But that was highly unlikely in Luna's opinion. Her sister's issues didn't seem nearly as bad as her own a millennium before, the emotions clearly in their infancy. Emotions connected to one pony instead of tens of thousands.
Not that Luna could relax, either. The fact that such feelings existed at all was a potential source of trouble. A little seed germinating into an angry weed that could choke out every happy feeling in a pony's heart. How many times had ponies done horrible, unjust, even violent things to each other in the name of jealous affection for a single pony, or something they felt was theirs?
"Perhaps it would be better if this entire debacle with Twilight blew up in Tia's face," she mused, walking out into the cool night air toward the garrison. "At least it would force her to sort out her feelings." In Luna's opinion, the sooner, the better.
Either way, Luna would be keeping an eye on her sister. The last thing Equestria needed was tension between two of its ruling princesses... again.
"Goodnight, Luna."
The minute the door was closed, Celestia let out a huff. "Of all the preposterous... me, being jealous of Twilight?" She shook her head. Luna must really have been letting her worries get the better of her, if she was seeing problems that didn't exist.
A pang of guilt struck her heart at how she'd cut Luna off. She hated to do it, but there was no point in wasting any more of their time on such an absurd topic.
Still, Celestia appreciated her little sister for being concerned for her wellbeing, and she'd been right about the side effects. While Celestia was confident she could adjust to the strain, it was good to know Luna would ensure that Raven and Kibitz were going to be providing extra help, even if they didn't know precisely why.
Celestia opened the door to her private study. Luna's arrival had one additional benefit. It was a reminder of the work she still needed to do tonight. She trotted up to a table, looking over the items spread across the surface. The largest of them was a set of white saddlebags, the buckle decorated with the purple glass circle. There was a small stack of papers, notes written by Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.
The last four, however, were more foreign items. Human identification.
They'd been unchanged by their trip through the portal, though that might have only been because of the protective barrier Celestia had woven into the bag just in case. A birth certificate, a passport, a "Social Security card" as the principal and vice principal called it, and a state-issued ID stared back at her. It was the last of these that had her attention now.
Turning to an adjacent table, she saw a duplicate of the little card, this one bearing Sunny's picture and name rather than her human doppelganger's.
She scrutinized this latest card in her magic, holding it aloft before also picking up the original, comparing them down to the smallest detail. She'd been working on this particular form of identification for days, and it was giving her nothing but trouble.
For the paper inside the card, she had to make sure the letters and numbers looked the same. But it was the lamination process and the... Sunset said they were called holograms, which made the real difficulty in creating her forgery. With the latter, the problem came in the precision required to shape the proper images.
But the former? That was more complex, and far more time-consuming.
It involved a plastic unfamiliar to Equestria. It was like photographic film, but not quite the same, and replicating it hadn't proven easy. Her chemical worktable across the room attested to her many efforts, covered in beakers and jars filled with various substances. And then there was applying the material to the paper itself.
The table where she'd gotten her duplicate card from had a small stack of other duplicate cards, each of varying quality, each a failed attempt. Some resulted in the plastic being too brittle, some, the paper got damaged in the lamination process, while with others, the holograms looked wrong.
At one point last night her efforts with lamination were going so poorly that she'd needed to ask Sunset to look up how it was done. Celestia had hated to do it. Sunset had been getting a head start on her work for next week before she had to go to Applejack's for a sleepover. But the effort might have paid off, because this time, she might have gotten it right.
She spun the duplicate around, her face a stony mask, before looking again at the original. Finally, her mouth split into a smile. Yes, this one was perfect. A perfect replica in form and design. Celestia made a mental note to borrow Sunset's fake ID and make her a new one. Hers wasn't bad, but not as convincing as this.
Celestia went back to the table with the other identification documents, taking a quick glance at the remaining three. She could tell the paper stock would be a potential problem, not parchment quality, possibly as foreign to Equestria as the plastic. More nightly experiments no doubt awaited her.
She sighed. I suppose my chemical worktable is making up for its lack of use over the last few years.
Well, it was what it was. Right now, she'd at least send this to Sunny.
The thought made a chuckle rise in her throat. It was funny, thinking of her construct like she was a truly separate being. Picking up the set of saddlebags, she slipped the little card inside, securing the buckle.
She was quite proud of the transport system she'd devised. The saddlebags were the same brand as the ones Sunny had gone through the portal with. Only the buckle was different, lacking the personal touch that most ponies preferred. And while those ponies would’ve called the little decoration generic, it was actually very special indeed.
The piece of purple glass had a magical tether bound to it. On one end, it was tied to Celestia herself, and at the other end to Sunny's necklace. With a single spell, Celestia or Sunny could teleport the bag to the portal, push it through, and once on the other side, it would teleport again to the other end of the tether.
It was quick, covert, and allowed Sunny to transport items without being at the portal. Most important of all, what with the limited amount of magic Sunny's necklace had at any given time, it was simple and efficient.
Checking that the buckle was secure one more time, Celestia flicked her horn, letting the magic flow freely. The buckle glowed with golden light, and the bag disappeared in a flash...
... Before reappearing in front of her.
Celestia slapped a hoof to her forehead. "Of course, the portal is closed. I really must be getting tired." She always shut down the portal machine when she was done with it. No need to waste power or risk some random person or object falling in from the other side.
She'd have to go open the portal. Slipping the saddlebags over her back, she prepared to teleport, only for hesitation to set in. Twilight was home now, as Luna had pointed out. Was it right to barge into her home in the middle of the night like this?
Her sister's words rang again in her head. If she or Sunset decide to write each other again before you tell Twilight, things will not go well.
Twilight was Sunset's friend. She did deserve to know what was happening, didn't she? That alone should have been enough reason to tell her, especially now that she was back. And Luna did have a point. All Twilight would need to do is pick up her journal and read the last few—
It's my journal, not hers, cut in a little voice in her head.
Her stomach burned, acid climbing up into her throat. She forced it back down, giving a frown as she did so. That was definitely becoming more frequent. I need to start looking into an antacid tomorrow.
Taking a deep breath, Celestia came to a decision. She'd inform Twilight later. As she'd told Sunset, Twilight had a new student to adjust to, a unicorn that needed her help right here in Equestria, a pony who would require Twilight's time and energy. Why bother her with more? Twilight would certainly understand.
She'd also understand about the use of the mirror. It really was best to send this item to Sunny as soon as possible. The sooner Sunny Skies started accumulating real, physical identification, the better. She'd just make sure not to disturb anypony.
Without another thought, Princess Celestia vanished from her study.
Starlight Glimmer walked groggily in the dark castle hallways, her horn lighting the way. As she took another couple steps, her eyelids drooped, feeling like a pair of iron curtains. She forced them back open, focusing on finding her way around, and keeping the tip of her horn lit. As nice as Twilight's castle was, the unicorn hated how confusing and uniform the halls could be.
It made navigation a daily struggle, especially for a brain running purely on bursts of energy that just wanted to go to bed. A nice, comfy bed that the princess had sprung for because Starlight was almost flat broke. That was the thing about running a cult or a revenge scheme, you didn't really make many bits.
Right now, though, Starlight didn't feel bad about Princess Twilight paying for her bed because she was just so tired.
And yet, despite the quality of the bed, here she was outside of it. Blame lay on her stomach, and her less than substantial dinner this evening. When the grumbling woke her up at 12:53 AM, she knew she had to satisfy it, and went off to find the kitchen.
She'd eaten a couple of carrots and washed them down with a glass of water. Not much, but it was enough to satisfy her stomach. After finding the bathroom, she'd began the trek back to her room. Finding the way there had been one thing, but finding her way back was a whole new search.
A search she was still conducting.
She grumbled as she went up a staircase, only to find herself in the wrong section of the castle. Honestly, she understood that this place had been created by deep and powerful magical forces, but while they'd made an impressive-looking crystal castle, the ancient magic clearly had no sense for architecture, or interior design.
The lack of interior could have just been to allow its owner to fill it how she wished, but Starlight still wasn't going to forgive whatever force had built this place. What had Twilight called it? The Tree of Harmony? Yeah, that was it. That explained a lot, actually. What would a tree know about architecture?
The one thing Starlight was thankful for was that there were no doors that led to sheer drops outside. She'd heard of a massive house out west with things like that, along with staircases that led to the ceiling.
She couldn't remember the name of the place, but from what she remembered hearing, it had been owned and commissioned by an old mare gone mad with superstition, which made the architectural choices make a great deal of sense when you thought about it. Still, she'd take living here over a house like that any day of the week.
Starlight turned her head left and right, trying to decide where to go. Her bangs swung into her vision, and she pushed them back with a hoof. A little over two weeks had passed since she'd changed her mane. She’d gone to the local spa to give Rarity something from Twilight, and the dressmaker, along with Aloe and Lotus, had talked her into it. Symbolic, they'd told her. Starlight had to admit, she looked great.
Yet, even after all this time, she still hadn't gotten used to them. The feeling of hair brushing her cheek was just as alien now as it was the day she'd had it done, and she still shivered sometimes when the air struck her forehead where her bangs used to be. At least it was helping to keep her awake right now. She really didn't want to fall asleep in the middle of the floor.
Just as she was about to start walking again, Starlight saw a flash of light come from under a doorway. It couldn't be Twilight. The alicorn had said she was going to bed early tonight. Spike definitely should have been asleep by now, and Owlicious was out flying.
A burst of adrenaline shot through Starlight's body. What if it was an intruder? It's not like it wasn't possible. That was the other problem with the crystal castle: no locks, on doors or windows. It had surprised her the day she'd snuck in to perform her time travel spell. Starlight expected to have to force her way in, but no, she'd simply walked right inside and found what she'd wanted, even if she had gotten lost for a bit in the middle.
Okay, Canterlot Castle didn't have a lock either, but its "front door" consisted of a moat, a drawbridge, and an iron gate. This castle had a literal front door, and no lock. Not even a keyhole, or even hooks to bar the doors with, for Celestia's sake.
True, Ponyville seemed like one of those places that was so quiet, no, trusting, it was hard to call it quiet with all the chaos that showed up, that ponies could reasonably leave their doors unlocked. But Starlight felt like a royal castle with an actual front door and a priceless mystic artifact should at least have a lock for security.
Charging her horn with more power, she quietly opened the door. If it was an intruder, maybe she could catch them off guard. The door creaked, much to Starlight's displeasure. She'd have to be fast. Once there was enough room, she jumped inside, ready to face whoever, or whatever, it was.
"Alright, whoever you are, I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you'd better stop... right... now?"
The first thing she noticed was that she was in Twilight's private library. The second thing she noticed was that she was completely alone. Not a single soul was here other than her. She glanced around, illuminating her horn to cut through any shadows in the corners. "Hello? Is anypony in here?"
She tilted her head up to the high ceiling, extending her illumination spell. Still nothing. There was nothing here but books upon books, that weird mirror, and its even weirder machine.
Starlight had wondered about that thing, and the journal set aside near it. She'd never been a mechanically inclined pony, so she couldn't really tell what the machinery was for, but it looked to her like something out of a novel.
Twilight had explained that the mirror was enchanted in some way, crafted by Starswirl the Bearded himself, but didn't go into further detail. It was a long story, she'd said. But she'd stipulated quite clearly that other than herself and Spike, nopony was supposed to touch it, even Starlight.
As fascinated as she was with the knowledge that it was Starswirl's, she didn't want to anger her newfound teacher and friend, so she obeyed. Besides, it's not like her last interaction with Starswirl's work had gone all that well, and that was when she knew what she was doing. Sort of.
The pink unicorn yawned, falling back on her haunches as exhaustion crashed down on her anew, made worse as the adrenaline began to wear off. "Must have been my imagination," she muttered, rubbing an eye with her foreleg. "I'm so sleepy I'm seeing things."
Walking out of the library and shutting the doors behind her, she continued searching for her coveted bed, and made a mental note to talk to Twilight about a locksmith in the morning.
As Starlight walked away, she never noticed the spark of power discharging from the machines.
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Ahh. Jealous Celestia is best Celestia, lol.
It'll be interesting to see how this develops. Pretty sure nothing good can come out of this. And to top it off, there's still Cinch and Circinus to worry about.
Really ought to be Equus.
8385721
Actually, I'm pretty sure I saw that spelling too somewhere. But I'm not sure if one is more accepted than another, so I just went with one stuck with it.
8385738
Equus is the Latin for horse, equis is the Latin for the letter 'x'. Pronounced very differently, too; ECK-wuss vs eck-KEESE or eck-KWEESE.
8385761
Really? Huh. Thanks very much for telling me. I guess that's something I'll have to go back and correct sometime soon. For now though, I'm taking a break. After these two chapters, I'm absolutely beat.
falls over
To quote an old TV show....Oh boy.
That little bit of anger and jealousy that Celestia is displaying. I hope we're not fixing to have a Dawnbreaker situation.
"Equis"? And gryphons, minotaurs, dragons, sea serpents and who know who else is fine with this? If there were some other race on earth with us I pretty sure that they start to object if we start to call our planet "Humania".
8389219
I just decided to go with it because it seemed like a good idea as far as world-building. And to be fair, Equestia is old, and a very large country that could factor into why the name stuck, being a dominant culture and all. And many of the species we see are equine.
There are the inhabitants of Saddle Arabia, zebras, the kelpie from the comics, the Sirens are half-equine, sea ponies (aren't they going to be in the movie?), the Windegos are equine shaped, the thestrals, etc. You could even sort of count centaurs in there if you want. And even the Changelings are sort of equine in shape even though you could still call them bugs.
And to be fair, similar things have happened in the real world, like the placement of the prime meridian, and there was some debate on that from what I read.
And also, in the case of the dragons, they might not care about geography or the naming of the planet. And who says there wasn't some debate at some point?
8389843
As far as canon world-building go their planet already have a name - Earth. And that name makes sense - it more or less "something under our feets". Not only "Equis" make far less sense but it's also rather arrogant and racist (or in this case "specist"?). It's like if USA starts to insist that we need to call our planet "WASP" because reasons.
In my opinion if you really need to change their planet name to avoid confusion some more neutral names could work better. I dont know... Like Gaia, Tellus or something like this?
Does princess celestia only consider him to sunset as his student that I swear to protect or with the time the side as a daughter?
8390137
Okay, I see you're point now. I can admit, it was a bad idea. I'll change it when I take care of some other little typos I spotted in chapters 8 and 9.
Hope you enjoyed the new chapters otherwise. :)
8391799
Huh... Never get a notification...
Till Celestia bout of jealousy - yeah. It's just... don't make any sense for me. Twilight and Celestia have been so close that you could easily name princess a "Twilight second mother". We see this in the first episode of seventh seasons. And at least to me, it doesn't look like Sunset and Celestia share the same level of closeness with each other back then. So the whole "I so jealous of my surrogate daughter because she spent more time than me with my runaway student" as I said before just don't make any sense for me. I would believe that she jealous of Sunset because she spends more time socialising with Twilight thru diary, but jealousy toward Twilight?
But oh well...
8390137
Except it has long been establish as equs.
Don't LUS this please. There are literally 5 people in that room that we know of who are red heads. Two of them in this context (Both of the cakes) are red heads. Carrot being the human term (aka a ginger), and Cup having red hair is also a red head.
________________________
Got to point this out. Ponies in canon eat meat as well. Pinkie talks about eating Hot Dogs, there is the famous ham sandwhich, and they have been shown to eat sea food. Even IRL equines can and do eat meat (it's well documented).
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lavender
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actually dragons qualify not for being warm blooded. But being Mesothermic (or inbetween / both cold and warm blooded.). Basically their body temp is effected by the weather and body size. But they do have systems for producing their own heat.
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Not 100% accurate. Especially in MLP Ponies. Especially since a lot of things MLP Ponies eat are either poisonous to IRL Ponies (such as cherries, quinces, and tomatoes), or are not part of a herbivore diet (Eggs (are meats, and plant eaters don't eat eggs), breads, processed foods, fish, etc.).
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8798059
Since when? I mean canonically. They never name the planet, in the show, ever.
They did try naming Equestria pre-unification. Earth (Earth Ponies); Pegasopolis (Pegasi); and Unitopia (Unicorns). But never has the planet been given an established name.
Oh boy. Luna is right to be worried. This bit with secrets could so very easily go pear-shaped for Celestia...
9071287
Same errors as last time.
I thought for sure that Starlight would discover more than that.
I can see her doing that.
wouldnt closing the portal make the construct shut down