The Shadowbolts Adventures

by DragonShadow

Homesick Part 05

The train from Ponyville tooted its horn as it chugged relentlessly down the tracks, making its way across the lands of Equestria. The carriage swayed beneath Sunset Shimmer's hooves, rocking from side to side with each turn. The screeching and rumbling of the steel wheels had soon turned to a dull roar, becoming comforting rather than distracting. For the moment, Sunset could sit and relax in the little room that she and Aria had reserved, taking in the sights. The sun was making its way towards the Western horizon, casting long shadows on the meadow that was flying past the window. Ponyville grew more distant, the tiny town growing tinier with each passing second. Cloudsdale drifted through the sky some miles away, its own movement lost to that of the train. It wouldn't be long before the train turned towards Canterlot mountain, but for now, its namesake city was in full view, its spires glimmering white and gold in the light of the sun. Water cascaded from its decks in blue and white, matching the natural waterfall flowing from the mountain beside it. The view was almost breathtaking.

For Sunset Shimmer, at least. A casual glance away from the window showed Aria Blaze idly staring up at the ceiling from her position hovering in the direct middle of their private train car with her fins curled in around herself. She paid no mind as the shadows of trees whipped across her from outside. When she didn't move for ten minutes straight, despite Sunset ordering a few snacks from the train's attendant, Sunset couldn't keep her silence anymore.

"You were gone for a long time," Sunset noted curiously. "You're not curious at all about what Equestria looks like now?"

Aria's reply was curt and flat. "Not really."

Shared silence overwhelmed them again as Sunset took a bite of a good old fashioned Milky Hay. Wonderful as it was, the nearly-forgotten taste filling her mouth wasn't enough to ease her mind. Neither was the sight of White Tail Woods crawling by outside, its far-away leaves blending together into one solid mass of green.

At last, Sunset Shimmer spoke again. "Are you okay, Aria?" Aria's eyes snapped to her, though the rest of her body remained motionless and silent. "You just seem... bored. Honestly if you didn't want to see Equestria, I don't even get why you came. Not that I mind the company."

Aria shrugged, her shifting scales sparkling orange in the setting sunlight. "I don't really know why I came either. Probably shouldn't have, I have no real reason to. Guess I was mostly just bored."

Sunset cocked her head. "Bored? Don't you do anything during the day?"

"I sleep." Aria's eyes turned to the ceiling again. "Sleep and read magazines and... sleep."

"No offense but"—Sunset paused for a few moments as a sudden shudder surged through the carriage—"that doesn't exactly sound healthy."

"So?"

"So nothing, really..." Sunset Shimmer rubbed the back of her neck nervously, glancing at the floor before returning her gaze to Aria. "I'm just... glad you came. It's nice to have a friendly face here in Equestria with me. I didn't see a lot of those when I lived here, especially towards the end."

Aria snorted. "Yeah, being ambitious will do that to ya. Nobody wants to feel like you're gonna take what little power they have."

Sunset shook her head. "Yeah, maybe..."

Aria turned her eyes on Sunset again. "Why did you come back? To eat Haybars and watch the scenery?"

"Not entirely..." Sunset Shimmer looked out the window again. Her eyes briefly focused on her own reflection before settling on Canterlot. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips for a split second. "Seeing my old home will be nice... but I also feel like I need real closure."

"Closure?"

"Yeah. You know, setting aside my old life and getting ready to put everything I have into my new one."

Aria gave a quick roll of her eyes. "Psh, a second life... that's a laugh."

Sunset's eyes were still locked on Canterlot. "Well I believe in it."

"Why?"

"Because I need to." Sunset nodded with her lips set into a firm line. "It's either that or sit around hating myself until the day I die..."

"Which you will."

Sunset looked up at Aria oddly. "Yeah, I will die someday. That doesn't mean I'm going to just lie around and wait for it... I mean, I have time left. Either I use it or I don't." She looked out the window at Canterlot again. "And between you and me? I'd rather spend it with a clear conscience."

There was silence for several minutes aside from the train's wheels beneath them rumbling their way along the tracks and the occasional thudding of hoofsteps as ponies walked past the door to their rooms. Sunset shifted, propping her hooves against the short windowsill. The sun was now drifting towards the horizon, painting a dark silhouette against the pale purple of the mountain, as though a city-shaped hole had been cut out of the mountain. Sunset glanced up out of the corner of her eye as Aria's head appeared beside hers, peering out at the scenery.

"It wasn't on a mountain, last time I was here," Aria remarked.

"No, I guess it wouldn't have been." Sunset smiled. "A lot changes in a thousand years.

"Too much. This train didn't exist back then either."

"Is change that bad?" Sunset ripped open one of her Milky Hays and held it up to the floating sea pony.

Aria eyed it for a few brief moments before wrapping her left fin around it. "We'll see."

Author's Note:

This chapter was edited by Bootsy Slickmane.

Comments

[TheOneAJ]

You guys did good :D

[Hobbestc]

Aren't the Sirens wanted felons that were exiled forever? This could go badly.

[Regreme]

8221496 Exiled from a time BEFORE the princesses were even there, yes. And they weren't exactly put on trial either, in part due to their mind control powers. I highly doubt anyone even remembers them.

[DragonShadow]

8221526

They were exiled by Starswirl the Bearded, who was the princesses' mentor. So it could go either way as to whether the princesses were in power at the time or not. It could've happened before or after he became their mentor.

[Regreme]

8222049 True, but from what's been shown, he had exiled them when he was noticably younger. Then again, the only one we know that showed of him training Celestia, he was immensely older to where he had lost a lot of the hair in his head and beard. It's rather unclear as to when he took on the princesses as pupils. Though, it's also known as a side comment during one of the episodes I think that he also trained Clover the Clever. Though, it never said when there either. ....vagueness can be a pain at times, eh? XD

[DragonShadow]

8222052

Especially when we have Granny Smith who seems to be at least 200 years old in canon based on various episodes. That's a pretty large chunk of time the Sirens could have popped up in, if it's an average pony lifespan.

[Yami Vizzini]

The description of the view of Canterlot is wonderfully vivid- underlines Sunset's POV pretty well.