Part V: Daughter of the Sun || Chapter 42: Return of the Prodigal
Spring Break. A time when most students sought to escape from teachers, parents, and family – to run away with friends to far off isles and warmer shores (if they and their parents could afford it). But not for Earth’s only sapient equine inhabitant. Sunset Shimmer was going home.
Her friends were going to miss her. They begged and begged to be allowed to come along, but Twilight was still uncertain. More research was needed, she said, before they could be allowed to cross over and almost certainly meet their counterparts. The last thing anybody wanted to cause was some kind of causality paradox, or a potential explosion analogous to a matter-antimatter annihilation, right? The five human girls nodded their heads sadly, understanding little, except that annihilation sounded...a bit suboptimal.
“Cheer up, girls!” Sunset cajoled them. “Twi has her book – she’s said she’ll let me write in it every night. I promise I’ll keep you up to date. I know you all are rooting for me to tearfully make up with everypony, whatever you’re willing to admit,” she finished with a wink at Rainbow Dash, who blushed and looked away.
“It’s not just that, Sunset,” said Fluttershy soulfully. “We’re going to miss you so much. We haven’t been apart from you since the Fall Formal. We…you’re a part of us.”
“I know, and I still can’t put into words what it means to me that you all feel that way. It sounds strange, but it makes leaving easier in a way – knowing I’ll be missed, and that wonderful people are waiting for me to come back – it gives me the confidence to face whatever’s on the other side.”
“We understand what you mean, darling,” Rarity said warmly. “We’ll be counting the days. And we’ll have a good time here, too. Don’t worry.” She gave Sunset a heartfelt hug, and the other four were right behind her. The seaponies were there as well, and contributed their own embraces.
“I’ll miss you guys, too. All of you,” Sunset said.
Last she said goodbye to Celestia, having said goodbye to Luna earlier in the morning. “Bye, Mom,” she said, accepting a hug. “I’ll be back before you know it. I think…I’m not sure yet, but I think…this world is my home now. I need some closure there, but I promise I’ll come back to you.”
“It may be your fate to belong to two worlds, my little sun,” said Celestia gently. “I will never force you to choose between them, and I know she won’t either. Be safe, and be careful. I love you very much.” And she kissed Sunset on the top of her head. Sunset blushed, but smiled broadly. With a wave to everyone, she followed Twilight through the portal.
After the usual rainbow storm of blinding light, Sunset shot from the other side of the mirror. But, instead of slamming painfully into the ground, she landed on something soft and warm. Slowly, her dazzled vision cleared and adjusted, and she realized with a start that she was literally splayed across Princess Celestia’s back, whose was looking back over her shoulder at her with undisguised joy. Her mouth fell open.
Then she realized the relatively small room in which she found herself was absolutely full of other ponies , all of whom were smiling at her with true warmth and welcome.
There was a moment of silence as they all waited for Sunset to relax. Predictably, however, a pink earth pony with a poofy pink mane, who could only be pony Pinkie Pie, suddenly shouted “SURPRISE!”, and lit off a party cannon, showering the room with confetti.
Sunset finally reacted. “SWEET FAUST WHAT ON EQUUS IS GOING ON?” she shouted in complete confusion.
Everypony in the room burst into laughter. Even Celestia was chuckling. “Welcome back, my darling daughter,” she said fondly. “I do apologize for overwhelming you, but I wanted you to be welcomed back with overwhelming good will. It is good for the heart, I am told. Once one’s heart rate returns to normal, that is,” she finished with a wink.
Sunset shook her head, but a smile slowly began to creep across her face. Finally she burst into joyful laughter as well. “Ok! It worked! I’m overwhelmed!” she cried good-naturedly. Deciding one good turn deserved another, she jumped to her hooves on her mother’s back and proceeded to begin to greet all the ponies who had gathered to welcome her. Expecting nothing less, Celestia played along.
First was Princess Luna. “Hello, young Sunset. I am pleased that your dreams are, on the whole, more peaceful of late.”
“I have you to thank for that, in part, Aunt Luna,” replied Sunset warmly, exchanging a nuzzle with her mother’s sister. When Sunset seemed to want to say more, Luna interrupted. “There will be time enough for us to get to know each other better, my niece. For now, I would have you spend time with Twilight and her friends.”
Sunset nodded, then turned to face said friends. All five of them were smiling at her. Predictably, the blue pegasus who was certainly Rainbow Dash was hovering over the gathering, floating over an orange earth pony who had to be Applejack, the maniacally smiling Pinkie Pie (of course), an almost unspeakably elegant white unicorn who was undoubtedly Rarity, and, hiding behind Applejack, a pale yellow pegasus with a light pink mane who Sunset could barely see at all: Fluttershy. Sunset suddenly felt embarrassed and a little ashamed – the last time she had seen these ponies, they had been trying to keep her from stealing Twilight’s crown.
Sensing her discomfort, Rarity spoke up immediately. “Now darling, there’s no need for guilt or shame. Don’t you know Twilight has told us all about you, and how you’ve changed? Besides, we have some small experience with, shall we say, reformed individuals.” And she gave Sunset a comforting smile. Rainbow Dash winked at her hugely.
Sunset didn’t know what to say. She just shook her head in happy amazement. She looked down to see Twilight smiling up at her expectantly, and finally found her voice. “Thanks, Twi, and all of you! It’s more than I deserve.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Rainbow shouted over Twilight as she started to answer. “So, Twi’s told us about our counterparts, but we want to hear all about them from you! Are they as cool as us? Is that even possible?” She flew up right in front of Sunset with a grin. Pinkie appeared right next to her, nodding eagerly in support of Rainbow.
“GIRLS!” Twilight cried. “Sunset is NOT going to tell you all about the mirror world right now!”
Rainbow and Pinkie turned sheepishly toward Twilight, who looked quite annoyed.
“She just got here! There are more ponies to greet! I need to show her her room so she can put her bags down!” Twilight cried vehemently.
“I quite agree, darling,” Rarity humphed. Fluttershy continued to hide, while Applejack tried to keep from laughing. It was really hard because she could tell Sunset was trying not to laugh too.
“It’s ok, Twi,” Sunset chuckled. “I understand their excitement. Rainbow, Pinkie, I’m sure we’ll get lots of time to talk about the world of humans.”
Rainbow grumbled good-naturedly and flew back a few feet. Pinkie kept smiling and didn’t move, but she didn’t press Sunset, either.
“THANK YOU!” Twilight said to her friends with exaggerated exasperation.
Sunset jumped off her mother’s back and stood next to her and Twilight.“So what’s the plan?” she asked.
Twilight was calming down. “Like I said, first I’m taking you to your room and you can put your stuff down and freshen up. Then, we can hang out and get some dinner.”
Sunset turned to her mother. “Are you sure this is ok? I kind of feel like I should…”
“There is no ‘should’, Sunset,” said Celestia firmly. “You are here to be welcomed back, and to have an enjoyable time. Besides, since the portal is here, it’s only logical that you begin your ‘welcome home tour’ in Ponyville. Don’t worry – Luna and I will be very happy to see you in a couple of days. ”She gave Sunset a nuzzle. “Now, you have fun and make some new friends. Ok?”
“Ok, Mom!” said Sunset with a radiant smile.
Celestia and Luna returned her smile, then headed out the door to the portal room to begin their journey back to Canterlot.
Sunset turned back to Twilight and the pony versions of her friends. “Well?”
“Room!Then we hang out,” Twilight said emphatically.
“C’mon ya’ll,” Applejack drawled. Let’s head to the map room. Maybe we can help Spike get dinner ready or somethin’.”
The rest of the ponies filed out of the room, each of them giving Sunset their own version of a welcoming smile. At last Twilight and Sunset were alone. “You ok? That was a lot to take in,” Twilight pointed out to her friend.
To Twilight’s relief, Sunset laughed. “Are you kidding? This is great! I’m having a blast already.”
“Good. Let’s get you settled in, then.”
It was dinnertime, and Spike had outdone himself. He’d been Twilight’s assistant for years, but he’d taken his new role as the majordomo of a princess quite seriously. His cooking had always been good, but when special occasions rolled around, Sir Spike really turned it on.
“Sweet Faust,” Sunset drooled. “This hayburger is transcendent.”
“Spike,” Twilight attempted to say around a mouth stuffed with hayburger, “you’re getting a medal for this.”
Spike guffawed. “Twi, that’s like the eighth time you’ve said that just in the last two months. Nevertheless, no medal has yet materialized…”
Twilight suddenly looked very concerned. “Spike…I’m so sorry…I…”
“Have some more cider, Twi,” Spike deadpanned, pouring her a glass.
The rest of the ponies burst into laughter.
“I’m serious, Spike!” Twilight insisted, though she accepted the glass of hard cider. “I really will remember this time!”
Sunset leaned over to Spike. “Don’t worry. I’ll help her remember.”
Spike smiled broadly.
As they finished most of the food and slowed down, Sunset found she had to start answering questions about her life in the human world and about the counterparts of Twilight’s pony friends. It was a pretty even mix – most of them had pretty good manners and were genuinely curious about Sunset, especially since it was obvious to everypony that she and Twilight had become good friends. She even put up with Twilight praising her, both for how she saved the day at the Battle of the Bands, and how she had taken the lead in reforming the Sirens.
“Twi! You’re going to give me a big head!” she exclaimed at one point.
“Too bad. You need some acknowledgement,” Twilight said breezily. Sunset just laughed.
They had a wonderful time – Sunset fit in just fine with the pony counterparts of her friends back in the human world. Even so, as the evening wore on, Twilight could tell that Sunset was getting tired, but was apparently still a little too much on the shy (or maybe cautious?) side to speak up for herself. So, Twilight took charge.
“All right, everypony! I hate to cut this short, but we’ve got a big day planned for tomorrow. Let’s call it a night.”
All her friends groaned and complained, and Pinkie was perhaps less than one second away from suggesting a sleepover, when Twilight gently but firmly insisted that everyone head home and get a good night’s sleep.
Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity, being the more mature of the five, took it best, perhaps even understanding why Twilight was herding them out the door. Pinkie and Rainbow objected more vociferously, but Rarity stepped in and shooed them both down the steps. She turned back to Twilight.
“Good night, darling. Please tell Sunset what fun we had talking to her and getting to know her. And, while I know we’ll have plenty of chances tomorrow, please also make sure she understands how welcome she is, and how we’ve forgiven her for her past.”
“I will, Rarity. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she has a restful night.” With a final wave, Twilight headed back into the castle. Arriving in the map room, she found Sunset nodding in her seat, her dessert only partially eaten. “Hey,” she said softly.
Sunset perked up a bit. “Oh! Did they leave? I’m sorry, Twi, I must have nodded off!”
Twilight gave her a compassionate look. “Sunset, you’re exhausted. It’s been a very big day. And we both know that happy overwhelming emotion is still overwhelming. I’m betting you’d like nothing more than to drift off to sleep.”
Sunset smiled lopsidedly and nodded.
“C’mon. Let’s get you to bed.” She slowly conducted her yawning guest to her room and stayed while Sunset showered and got ready for bed.
“Thanks for making sure I made it, Twi,” Sunset finally said groggily as she slid under the covers.
“Don’t mention it. I had a great time tonight, and I think you did, too.”
Sunset smiled in answer.
“Hey. The girls had one last thing they wanted me to tell you. They said they really enjoyed getting to know you better and are looking forward to hanging out with you more tomorrow. They also wanted to make sure that you know you’re absolutely completely forgiven, and you’re absolutely completely welcome.”
Sunset sighed contentedly. “They’re amazing. Just like…the ones…back…” and just like that she was asleep, her chest rising and falling gently.
Twilight smiled fondly at her, used her magic to cover her up, and stepped quietly out, shutting the door behind her.
The next day was a whirlwind. After a wonderful breakfast with Twilight and Spike, Sunset was whisked away by Twilight to the Carousel Boutique to talk more with Rarity and see her store. Sunset was suitably impressed, and resolved to tell human Rarity all about it – hopefully it would give her some ideas. Pony Rarity was as warm and accepting as she had been the day before, and Sunset marveled at it. She admitted to herself that, of all her friends back in the human world, she was probably closest to Rarity. It kind of makes sense, she thought to herself. We both have big personalities, uncompromising standards, and always strive to do our absolute best.
Next it was off to Sugarcube Corner to spend some time with Pinkie, which was great fun. The Pinkie of this world was both wackier and more responsible than human Pinkie. This got Sunset thinking, but it wouldn’t be until the end of the day that she would put it all together.
After helping Pinkie cook for a bit, Sunset and Twilight were treated to lunch with all of the Element Bearers at the Corner. Sunset laughed and laughed – the pony versions of her friends were so similar to the ones back home that it just tickled her again and again. She answered more questions about the human versions of the Bearers, and even some questions about her past.
“So, um, Sunset…” Fluttershy began tentatively, “you’re an orphan?”
“I was,” Sunset said with a smile.
“Because Princess Celestia adopted you?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes and no. It’s complicated. Do you all want to hear the whole story? It may take a bit…” Sunset warned, but she was instantly overwhelmed by a chorus of enthusiastic ‘yesses’. She chuckled. “Ok, you asked for it.” Sunset proceeded to tell them her whole story, abbreviating some parts, since there were other things on the agenda for the afternoon. She was gratified that there were suitably dramatic reactions from Twilight’s friends, and she was blessed by their understanding and compassion when she told them about the worst parts. “So, Principal Celestia showed up at Fluttershy’s the very next day. I was terrified,” she related, getting at last to the events just after the Fall Formal.
“Why were you so scared? I mean, I get that you were probably afraid she was angry…” Rainbow asked.
“Because I thought she would expel me from the school for sure, and maybe turn me over to the police. In the human world, that might, after a while, have led to…experiments.”
The eyes of the pony Element Bearers widened. “Oh!” Fluttershy cried. “How horrible!”
“But that’s not what she wanted to do at all!” Sunset reassured them. “She came down into the basement, where human Fluttershy’s room was, and she gave me a good stern talking to – but it wasn’t without kindness and encouragement too.”
“What did she say?” Pinkie asked, with almost desperate curiosity.
Sunset was quiet for a moment. “I…can’t talk about it easily, Pinkie. I’m sorry, but that conversation is one of the most important and emotional conversations of my entire life. Human Fluttershy was there the whole time – hopefully someday you’ll get a chance to hear about it from her. Suffice it to say that Principal Celestia didn’t want to be hard on me. She was there to help – even so far as to take me in and become my legal guardian!”
The girls gasped. “Well ain’t that somethin’!” Applejack said in amazement.
“It gets better,” Sunset continued. “After that, human Pinkie, AJ, and RD got my stuff from the warehouse and put it in Celestia’s car. Then, they took me to the courthouse. The judge said he couldn’t make Celestia my guardian without a lot of paperwork and time, so he said the best thing was for her to adopt me.”
Another gasp. “Adopt you? Just like that?” Rarity cried.
“Yes. And that’s what she did. She wasn’t deterred – in fact she was afraid I would say ‘no’ to it. But you know what? That talk she had with me in Fluttershy’s room – she…I was hers after that. So I said yes. With all my heart.”
“AWWW!!!” Twilight and her friends cried.
Sunset wiped away a tear that she hadn’t been aware that she’d shed. “Yes, that’s how it all began. That very night Celestia took me home with her, and I’ve lived with her ever since. So, she became my first real mother. But that’s not the end – when Princess Celestia came to visit me, and also to talk to the Sirens, she asked to adopt me too. But she was so humble. She said that Principal Celestia had adopted me first, so she would always defer to her. But they seem to agree about everything. So, I have a wonderful mother in both worlds.”
“That is great to hear, sugarcube,” said Applejack with a warm smile.
“Thanks, Applejack. And you know I’m not telling this story without thinking of you. I’m not trying to make you feel bad or something,” Sunset said with a compassionate look at the orange Earth Pony.
Applejack smiled again. “No worries. Ah know you understand. Ah’ve got a grandma to take care of me, and a big brother and a little sister. But before Principal Celestia adopted you…”
“Yes, Applejack. I had no one.”
“So…Princess Celestia adopted you because?” Rarity prodded.
Sunset sighed. “So, the truth of the matter is that she feels that she shouldn’t have lost her temper with me the day I snuck into the Forbidden Wing of the Magical Library at Canterlot. She realized too late that she was…scared of losing me. And so she tried to intimidate me into obeying. But, as you all know, I’m not easy to intimidate. I’m too stubborn!” Here Sunset laughed a bit bitterly. “Also, she feels she should have adopted me from the very beginning.”
“Why didn’t she?” Rainbow and Pinkie asked simultaneously.
“She was scared,” Sunset said. “So many mistakes that we make with other ponies come from fear. Listen, I’m sharing things now that are personal for her too. Please, keep all of this in confidence, ok?”
They all nodded emphatically, and Sunset knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she could trust them.
“What was she afraid of?” Fluttershy asked tentatively.
“She was afraid of how the nobles would react to a unicorn who had no known family pedigree being made the Crown Princess of Equestria. Not so much of the nobles themselves, but of how they would treat me. They would have been cruel. Unaccepting. They may be yet, if I ever have a coronation. She wanted to spare me that. But that wasn’t the main reason. In the end, she was afraid of becoming close to anypony. The last time she got that close to anypony, it was her sister…”
“And Luna became Nightmare Moon,” Twilight finished.
“Yes,” Sunset continued. “And Celestia had to banish her for a thousand years. She didn’t want to have that kind of relationship with me if there was a risk of that happening. She would have preferred being distant to having to banish me and having to go through that emotional pain. But, ironically, that’s what she ended up doing anyway. It looks like sometimes if you seek to avoid a painful confrontation, you end up facing it later on – but by then it’s worse than it would have been if you’d tried to nip it in the bud.”
“So…” Rarity prodded again.
“Princess Celestia told me she realized her mistake not two minutes after our final, dreadful argument. But by then it was too late. I’d overpowered the guards, fled to my room to gather my things, and then headed to the portal and jumped through. By the time she caught up with me, the portal was about to close. She couldn’t follow me – Cadence wasn’t ready to rule, Luna hadn’t returned yet, and Twilight was still a student. There would have been no one to raise the sun.”
“She had to let you go,” Applejack said.
“Yes,” Sunset agreed.
“That must have felt awful,” Fluttershy mused.
Sunset nodded. “It was a pretty bad day for us both.” She then told them about her queen bee stage, her fall and recovery, and how she had become friends with their counterparts, and brought them up to speed with what had happened with the seaponies.
“Ah wonder if they’ll ever come back to Equestria?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know,” Sunset answered. “They’ve been in the human world longer than even I have, and I know coming back permanently would already be a big decision for me.”
“You don’t want to come back to stay?!” Pinkie asked, surprised.
“It’s complicated, Pinkie. I do miss Equestria, and it’s wonderful to feel magic again, and I miss Twilight and Princess Celestia. But my first mother is in the human world, and my first aunt too. And…well, the five other girls who saved me are also there. So, it’s…not easy.”
“But the Sirens – sorry, seaponies – they don’t have…oh. I get it,” said Rainbow. “They might not want to leave you if you stay!”
Sunset nodded. “Exactly. Not to mention your counterparts, who have helped them as much as they helped me. Add to that the issues with trying to maybe re-integrate into a society that’s a thousand years different from the old one they knew – if we can even find the seaponies here again – or, if they chose to become ponies, getting used to yet another entirely different physical form. I don’t blame them for taking a while to make up their minds. Besides, being human isn’t so bad. Fingers are pretty cool, for one thing.”
“Really?” asked Rarity with interest.
“Yes, I mean – for us unicorns perhaps not as much, because we can get very skilled with using our horns to manipulate objects, but I would think for an earth pony or a peguasus, fingers would be pretty cool. You can do very fine work with them. It’s definitely easier than hoof magic.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to lose my wings, though,” Rainbow said.
“Well, that’s the beauty of having some access to magic in the human world. Your counterpart gets wings when she ponies up,” Sunset clarified.
“Oh, that’s cool!” Rainbow agreed.
After lunch Sunset and Twilight headed to Fluttershy’s house, where both Fluttershy and Rainbow were waiting for them. The three guests helped Fluttershy feed her animals and Sunset marveled at Harry the Bear, cautiously at first. After that they headed into Fluttershy’s house to have tea.
Sunset took in Fluttershy’s living room with a smile. It was quite large, but still managed to be cosy. The decorating was just as she expected it to be. A bit more rustic than Rarity’s, and certainly very feminine and delicate. “This is such a cosy place, Fluttershy. I feel very welcome,” Sunset observed to her hostess as she gratefully took a cup of tea.
Fluttershy blushed and murmured a “thank you” from under her mane. Sunset turned her attention to Rainbow, who was flitting about the room and had not yet taken any tea. She seemed to be inspecting some of Fluttershy’s pictures. Sunset suddenly realized something, then smirked. She leaned over to Fluttershy and Twilight conspiratorially. “Does she ever land?” she asked in a whisper, indicating the blue pegasus with a nod of her head.
Fluttershy and Twilight both giggled. “Hardly ever,” Twilight whispered back. “In fact, there have been times that I’ve wondered if she even keeps flying in her sleep.” All three of them laughed, which caused Rainbow to turn toward them with a suspicious look and narrowed eyes.
“Hey. What are you three talking about?”
“Oh nothing, Rainbow,” Twilight reassured her. “Sunset just noticed that you hardly ever land.”
“If my Rainbow had wings all the time, I bet she’d fly all the time too,” Sunset said.
“Of course she would. Because it would be awesome,” Rainbow agreed smugly.
Sunset turned to Fluttershy. “What about you, Fluttershy? Why don’t you fly as much?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. I guess I just like the feel of ground under my hooves sometimes,” she answered softly.
Sunset turned to Twilight. “And you, Twi. Now that you have wings, do you fly much?”
“A little more every week. I’m still getting comfortable with it. It’s a big adjustment – I’ve had to go to Flight School, which was nearly a disaster…”
Rainbow choked back a guffaw.
“…but now I can honestly say I can do all basic flight maneuvers without difficulty. It’s just a matter of remembering you have a new way to get places. I often find I’ve walked somewhere and didn’t even think of flying because, well, my mind was somewhere else.”
“That’s because your head is usually in the clouds, even if the rest of you isn’t!” Rainbow teased.
“What, Twilight be absentminded? I’ve never noticed,” Sunset said with gentle sarcasm, joining in.
Twilight just blushed sheepishly.
To wrap up the day, Twilight took Sunset to Sweet Apple Acres. Sunset’s jaw was on the ground – the farm, including the fields – was nearly identical to Applejack’s farm back in the human world. Twilight understood – she’d been to human Applejack’s farm too.
“It’s almost too much, isn’t it?” she commented to Sunset.
“Yeah. I mean, this is beyond uncanny. I wish I understood this whole parallel universe thing better. It gives me a headache when I start trying to figure it out.”
“I have some ideas – I’ve been looking at some of Star Swirl’s old research. But it’s heavy going. He really was the greatest mage who ever lived, as far as I’m concerned,” Twilight responded.
Still shaking her head in wonder, Sunset smiled as she saw Applejack’s entire family come out to meet them.
“Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack cried. “Or, maybe I should say, welcome back?”
“You have a point, Applejack,” Sunset agreed. “Your farm is nearly identical to your counterpart’s. I can hardly believe it!”
Applejack introduced Sunset to her brother and sister, and to Granny Smith. Big Mac was as taciturn but good natured as he was in the human world, while Apple Bloom was slightly more energetic (if that was possible) than her human counterpart. Granny Smith was welcoming and kind. Sunset felt increasingly blessed as the evening went on and she enjoyed a family style dinner with Twilight, Applejack, and Applejack’s family. Applejack even broke out the “special” cider, which Sunset felt no guilt at all in partaking of, since Equestria did not have an officially established drinking age. It was outstanding, but Twilight and Sunset both kept their indulgence moderate, as tomorrow would be an even bigger day than today had been.
It was a wonderful, restful evening, and Sunset sighed happily as she and Twilight took their leave of the Apples with many thanks and well wishes.
The evening at Twilight’s castle was quiet too, with Sunset and Twilight both reading books in her private library. Eventually, though, Twilight’s curiosity got the better of her. She put her book down.
“Hey,” she said, to get Sunset’s attention.
Sunset smiled and put her own book down. “Hey back. What’s up?”
“Just, you know, wondering how today went for you. How are you doing?”
Sunset was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Then she began her response. “It’s complicated, Twi. I’ll tell you this, though, for sure: you and the girls have really made me feel welcome and forgiven. Thank you so much for the amazing day – I got to hang out with and get to know each of them a little bit, and I’ve found that…more reassuring than I had ever dreamed possible.”
Twilight smiled broadly, but wanted to understand even better. “You’re very welcome, but what do you mean by what you said about being reassured?”
“Well…I’m doing pretty well overall, Twi, but I guess I still have my moments. I mean, I still get…insecure sometimes.”
“Okay,” said Twilight gently, sensing this was a touchy subject.
“I know that the girls really are my friends, for real. But sometimes I wonder – if I had met them in a different way, if we would have still been friends, you know?”
“You mean…” Twilight prompted, trying to clarify Sunset’s response.
“It’s hard to explain. I love them, and I think I would want to be friends with them, but we’re all pretty different. I guess sometimes I wonder if I truly belong to them in the same way they belong to each other.”
“I think I see what you’re getting at. Go on.”
“Well, coming here, and meeting their counterparts – they are so similar to the ones back in the human world. And I can already tell that if I stayed, I’d click with them the same way I have with their human counterparts. And that’s reassuring, because it probably means, well, that we really are meant to be friends. I think. If there is such a thing. Destiny with regard to friendship, I mean.”
Twilight smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. And, speaking not only as the Princess of Friendship, but as someone who experienced something similar, I think there is such as thing as destiny when it comes to friendship. I can’t prove it – it’s just a hunch or my personal view. But if I looked at the situation when I first came to Ponyville objectively – I could never have predicted that I’d become friends with these five. And not just friends – I’d…give my life for them.
“And they would for you,” Sunset finished.
“Yes.”
Sunset returned the smile that Twilight had been wearing for a couple minutes.
“Good,” Twilight said. “I’m glad you feel that way – I don’t want you to feel insecure, Sunset. I want you to know that you’re accepted. I worry about you, you know. I know it must be hard for you sometimes, being in another world, still dealing with regret, things like that.”
“Yeah, but like I said, I really am doing ok most of the time.”
“What do you think of the girls? You said they’re very similar, but have you noticed any differences?” Twilight asked, again with clear interest.
“I have noticed a few, but they’re subtle, and maybe not real differences in the end. I think…Twi, how old are they?”
“Well, let’s see. Rarity’s the oldest – she just turned 21 a month ago. Next is AJ, who’s 20. Fluttershy and Rainbow are both 19 and will be 20 soon – they’re about the same age. Pinkie and I are the youngest – we’re both 18, but we both turn 19 soon.”
“Yeah, that explains it I bet. They’re actually all a couple years older than their counterparts. So I think there’s a good chance that any differences I’m seeing reflect a bit more maturity than actual differences in personality,” Sunset mused.
“Huh. What have you noticed?”
“Well, take Pinkie for example. I think she’s a little more crazy than her human counterpart, but she’s also more responsible. I think she’s just more experienced than human Pinkie, and more comfortable with her own self, or something.”
“Taking care of the twins has really matured her, not to mention all our adventures,” Twilight commented.
“The twins?”
“The Cake twins,” Twilight stated.
“The Cakes have babies?!” Sunset asked incredulously, suddenly excited.
“Yeah – they don’t in the mirror world?”
Sunset was shaking her head in amazement.“ Nope. Not yet anyway – I wonder if they’ll have some soon? This is really interesting, Twi – it looks like Equus and Earth might be parallel, but the portal intersection isn’t necessary at exactly the same time point in each world.”
“I hadn’t thought of that before, but it makes sense,” Twilight acknowledged. “But we have confirmed that time seems to pass at the same rate, at least.”
“Yeah, that would be a drag, wouldn’t it? If like 10 years passed in the human world for every 1 year here or something,” Sunset agreed.
“I’ll have to study all this more. But trying to understand Star Swirl’s work – it could be the effort of a lifetime. Well, anyway, what other differences have you noticed – between the girls here and the girls there?”
“Ok. Pony Rarity is even more confident in her design abilities, and of course she’s on her own. Actually all of them are, except AJ, whereas back in the human world they all still live with their parents. Pony Rainbow’s a little bit less, well, arrogant, but she’s also a tiny bit more tactful than human Rainbow. Flutters is a little braver here, in social interactions, anyway. And AJ is just…it’s hard to put into words. She’s even more herself than back in the human world. All these differences are really subtle, Twi. It’s like getting a glimpse of what my friends are going to be like after they’ve graduated. Kinda cool, really.”
“Amazing. Next time I visit I’ll have to pay better attention. If what you’re saying is true, knowing the human versions is like seeing what my friends were like a year before I knew them. How about being back in Equestria? What’s that like?” Twilight asked.
“It’s…weirder than I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…Equestria hasn’t changed much, Twi. But I sure have. I feel like I’m looking at it through new eyes, which makes it seem…unfamiliar. Not in a bad way, but definitely things feel strange.”
“You have such a different outlook that it colors everything, huh?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. I mean, Twi – when I was here last, not counting my little expedition to steal your crown – I had such an unhealthy outlook. I’d gotten so driven in my final years here that I hardly took time to enjoy anything, and I looked at other ponies as just tools to be used to further my own plans. Don’t get me wrong – in the human world, even when I was still evil, I missed some things about Equestria. Other than magic. I missed the sky, and the food, and being a pony. And weather control!” They both laughed. “But…my appreciation for Equestria was pretty superficial then. I hadn’t invested myself in it emotionally like most ponies probably have.”
“Wow. That’s really interesting. Please continue.”
“Well, now – I’m seeing my homeworld, if you will, in an entirely different way. I’m noticing the attention that ponies put into every little thing. It’s different from the human world, for the most part. Like how everything is decorated and shows craftsponyship. That may partly be a function of Equestria being largely pre-industrial, but I hadn’t noticed or appreciated it before. The air is cleaner. The sky seems bluer. And…” here Sunset stopped and blushed a bit.
“Yeeeeeeeeees?” Twilight prodded with a smirk.
“Heh. Well. I’m not sure I’ve told you so explicitly before, but as driven as I used to be, I had pretty much made a conscious decision to put anything like romance on the very back burner. During my last couple years at Canterlot Castle, I had ignored that part of myself completely. But now, being back…well…I guess I…,” Sunset blushed even redder. “I hadn’t noticed how…ahem…attractive some of the stallions can be.” She looked away with a cough.
Twilight laughed lightheartedly. “Well there’s nothing wrong with that!” she said. “Sounds healthy to me.”
“Well, that’s the point. I am healthier overall. But it still makes Equestria seem a bit like another whole world altogether. It’s like I’ve been part of three worlds instead of two.”
“Huh. I can see how that would be a bit disconcerting.”
“Meh. I can adjust. I just didn’t expect that I’d have to, other than getting used to having hooves and horn again.”
“That is fascinating. Thank you for telling me. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, Twi, other than just listening like you’re doing. You’ve already done so much to make this whole “return tour” as happy as you could.”
“Well, please keep sharing how you’re feeling. I want to be there for you.”
“I know.”
Twilight was quiet for a sec, but she had a playful smile on her face. Sunset could practically hear the gears turning in her friend’s head.”
“Soooooooo…is there any stallion who’s particularly caught your eye?” she asked teasingly.
“No no no!” Sunset said hastily. “Just a general thing I’ve noticed. I’ve only been here for a little more than a day, Twi!”
“I know. Just wondering. Sometimes it can happen pretty fast.”
“You would know!” Sunset teased, turning the tables. “It didn’t take you and human Flash very long to figure out you were attracted to each other.”
Twilight blushed in her turn. “Yeah. But I don’t think I’m going to be able to do anything about that, actually.”
“Aww. Really?”
“Yeah, let’s face it, Sunset. My place is in the pony world. I…think a cross-universe relationship is probably a pretty bad idea.”
“Oh, I don’t know. They say true love can be pretty powerful…”
“That’s true, I’m sure. Still…I just think the logistics of it are impossible. I certainly can’t leave Equestria permanently, and I don’t think I could ask him to come here permanently – he’d have to become a pony, leave his family…”
“You have a point. It’s just…I hear that true love doesn’t necessarily come around all that often.”
“But I don’t know it’s true love. There is a warmth, and an attraction. But we haven’t even had a full-up date. And to be honest, I don’t spend hours mooning over him. I guess I don’t quite have a crush, you know? I hear if it really hits you, it’s hard to think about anything else.”
“I see. So it’s more of a potential thing that you can decide not to pursue, rather than something that you feel compelled to pursue.”
“Exactly,” Twilight finished.
Sunset nodded. “I see. That sounds reasonable.”
Twilight suddenly started. “Oh no – it’s not different for him, is it? I mean, he’s not…pining or something, I hope?”
“I don’t know. Do you want me to talk to him about it?”
“Would you? If he is, I probably need to…you know… make sure he isn’t getting his hopes up.” Twilight said, not without a hint of sadness.
“I’ll ask, and I can be discreet.”
“Thanks.”
“Soooooooo…” it was Sunset’s turn to prod for more info. “There’s probably a Flash in this world…”
Twilight blushed crimson. “Oh! Uh…yes. Yes, there is. I’ve met him, actually.”
“Aaaaandddd?” Sunset asked deviously, fluttering her eyebrows meaningfully.
Twilight started fiddling with her mane unconsciously. “I uh…the thought of trying to start something…has crossed my mind. He’s pretty handsome!”
“Wow. Cool! But nothing yet?”
“Well, he’s a Royal Guard. An officer – a lieutenant, I think – in Canterlot. So there’s a bit of a distance issue.”
Sunset smirked. “I think there are ways around that.”
“I’m sure there are, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head…”
“Twi. The answer is easy.”
“Oh really? What then?” Twilight challenged.
“You’re the only princess who doesn’t have a Guard Corps. Fix it.”
Twilight boggled, then scoffed. “Sunset. I don’t need guards.”
“Neither do Celestia and Luna. Or probably even Cadance for that matter. And yet…”
“Yeah but that’s probably a matter of tradition for Celestia and Luna. And in Cadance’s case, she could hardly dissolve her own Guard Corps when she married her own Guard Captain,” Twilight objected.
“You have a point, but still, I think you should have one, even if it’s just a small one. Flash or no Flash.”
“Why?”
Sunset sighed. “Twilight, we all know you’re a little uncomfortable with the whole princess thing.”
“I’m getting better!”
“I know you are. But you still resist some of the trappings of office. I know you want to stay humble, and want to be approachable. But you can still be that way even if you have a Royal Guard unit. You can be kind to them. You can ask them to call you by your name. It’s up to you!”
“I just think it’s unnecessary.”
“I disagree. Twi, if your title is real – and it is! – avoiding all the regalia, all the trappings, all the establishment that comes from a title – it can give the wrong impression.”
“What do you mean?”
“That you don’t take it seriously. And, maybe more dangerously, that my Mom doesn’t take it seriously,” Sunset concluded.
“Oh…I think I’m starting to see what you mean…”
“Twi – why did Mom make you a princess and not a duchess or a countess or something?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I thought it was because I became an alicorn…”
“There’s no requirement that alicorns automatically become princesses. Not in Equestrian law anyway. That’s a decision Mom has consciously decided to make – it’s not codified. No, Twi, she made you a princess for a reason. You may be the most junior of the four, but you aren’t just noble. You’re royal,” Sunset pointed out.
Twilight seemed uncomfortable, but Sunset pressed on.
“There’s a difference. Mom wanted to both reward your service and to make sure that you’re taken seriously. She really wants other ponies to listen to you and look up to you, because she trusts you.”
Twilight thought for a moment. “If that’s true, then why hasn’t she assigned me my own guards, or something?”
“That’s not her way. You know that. She doesn’t push. She encourages. Supports. She knows you’ll figure it out. There’s no rush, Twi. But I think you should talk to her about it.”
“I’ll…think about it. You may have a point,” Twilight conceded.
“Speaking as an Equestrian, Twilight, we’re proud of you. Don’t you see the way the other ponies here in Ponyville look at you? And your guards wouldn’t have to keep ponies away or be all mean or anything – they’d just be part of reminding ponies that Mom wants them to listen to you. That you’re the real deal.”
“Maybe.”
“All right, enough lecturing. But please take what I’m saying seriously. I’ve given this kind of thing a lot of thought. Not for the right reasons at first, it’s true. But I’m looking at these issues in a new light now, and I’m confident I have a point.” Sunset finished.
Twilight smiled. “Of course I’ll take what you say seriously, Sunset! Now…are you ready for tomorrow? Are you nervous?”
Sunset accepted the change of subject. “A little. It helps a lot that Mom and I have already made up.”
“I’ll bet. What are you nervous about? Just the kinds of things we’ve been talking about?”
“Yeah – I mean, seeing the castle again, maybe even going to my old room, if Mom has kept it for me…”
“She has,” Twilight confirmed.
“Ok, well, it’s just gonna be strange. And frankly, I’m gonna need to apologize to some of the guards, and Mom’s Chief of Staff, and probably some other ponies. I was quite the brat, you know,” Sunset finished unhappily.
Twilight smiled, trying to reassure her friend. “I think they’ll forgive you. Especially when they see how you’ve changed. You don’t even have the same look in your eyes that you used to, Sunset.”
“I hope you’re right. And, um…”
“What else?”
“I really am looking forward to seeing Cadance, but I know I’m gonna collapse into a blubbering mess…” Sunset said dejectedly.
“You haven’t told me much about that,” Twilight said, again being very gentle.
Sunset then proceeded to tell Twilight all about how bad their relationship had been before Sunset had left, and how they had made up through the journal Princess Celestia had left when she had visited. Twilight was able to be very positive after that. “Sunset, it’s true that it will probably be emotional, but you know she’s going to be happy to see you.”
“I know. It’s just gonna be a thing, you know?”
“Why don’t we hit the sack? Tomorrow could be pretty exhausting emotionally,” Twilight suggested.
“It probably will be. Ok. Bedtime it is!”
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You make a damn good point about Twilight and getting a set of guards. It makes me wonder if that's why so many ponies don't seem respect or care about the alicorn Twilight's position - without a crown or any signs of royalty, they might think she doesn't care, so why should they?
Thank you for not doing anon a miss
8772460
I'm honored that you agree. I'm a military officer myself, and while I don't lord it over those junior to me, I also understand that the "trappings of office" serve a purpose.
8773329
Thank you for thanking me! I just can't get past how OOC it would be for the Mane 5. No way they would do that to her. No. Way.
You know, when you said that you didn't include ANON A MISS....I didn't feel bothered at all. In reality, I felt relieved
Hmmm maybe a certain pony flash
8781136
Yeah, I definitely felt the same way too. I haven’t officially read the entire comic, only seen bits and pieces of it enough to know that it felt like a severely bad OOC fanfic. It was honestly the worst thing to even read a full summary of.
I mean, if the author had any sense of the characters at all, then 2 & 4 of what Sotharan said in the author’s notes would have happened. And I especially would have LOVED to see Princess Twilight come flying out of the portal, come marching to wherever the girls were, and tear them a new arsehole.
While I do read fanfics on here that deal with the issue, I typically just ignore that this comic existed.
Well, there goes Anon-a-Miss. I'm not surprised it didn't make an appearance in this story.
And now that I've read your author's note, I agree that it doesn't fit too well in your story nor does it even fit particularly well in canon. However, I can definitely see them betraying Sunset. If it took place before Rainbow Rocks instead of after, that is. If Sunset was still working on learning and redemption and whatnot, Anon-a-Miss could easily be seen as a relapse.
Time to talk about cheese again.
So another part of the issue that I can finally put some words to is this: Anytime there's any amount of sorrow or significant event or even hints at conflict (barring the events of Rainbow Rocks), everyone is always, without fail, supportive and forgiving and understanding. There really isn't any real conflict, or meaningful conflict, because the characters just hug each other and cry all the time. Sure, the reality of dealing with Sunset in the opening arc was not a pleasant or easy experience, but as a reader, even that still felt easy. Hard questions or challenges in becoming real friends? It felt like they never happened. All the "challenges" that have existed only "exist" because the characters have said the events were hard to deal with. But as a reader, they just cried and hugged a bunch. So to say they were "challenges" feels a bit hollow.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this should have felt like a long, hard road to get here. That Sunset had to overcome many hurdles to get to this point. Except it doesn't. It feels like she had a really easy time even though you've told us it was hard.
Prodigal? Sunset always struck me as fairly frugal, actually.
I'm going to try for some constructive criticism here. Honestly, no insult to your authorship is intended.
I've had a fair number of issues with this story up to this point; a lot of little things have bothered me. It's mostly been superficial (did she really have to call it something as silly as the Rainbow Wave rather than just saying the Elements?), but there were several things that bothered me much more significantly. Partly, this is because the fic spends a good bit of time detailing them; for instance, Celestia's (canon-breaching) revelations about Starswirl, her lineage, and so on. That all felt entirely superfluous to the story, and it adds an uncomfortable undertone (turns out you're special because you're descended from the gods, but you're basically just a cheap knockoff). I know that's not the intent, which is why I bring it up; it sends the wrong message if you think about it.
There are a lot of odd fanon concepts like that thrown in here, which surprised me; the story bills itself as mostly canon-adhering until a certain point, with the blanks filled in. That isn't how it feels. From the very first few chapters, when it's established Sunset is squatting (in canon she lives in a studio apartment that seems to lack a kitchen or electrical hookups, so she uses extension cords for everything, and it's in a rundown part of town. Watch Monday Blues), rather than just living in poverty. Celestia's adoption and the drama surrounding that diverge it even more, and from there it kind of spirals away from canon adherence.
How important is canon adherence? Not terribly in the grand scheme of things, but every little deviation that has nothing to do with the story's premise creates some dissonance, which is heightened when a lot of little canon-diverging details are tossed in as throwaways (hoofipulated? Seriously?), which serve to distract the reader and detract from the story you're trying to tell. At the end of the day, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish; whether you think these things are worth detracting from your core message for. I just wanted to alert you to them.
I actually wanted to stop reading many chapters back, but I pressed on to see how you dealt with Anon-a-Miss. Given how strongly you've bound the girls to each other by this point in the story, and how much more circumspect and open they are with each other - plus how much more fragile Sunset is, emotionally - it seemed like the entire story was building up to that as a catastrophic conflict. A lot of what they say echoes forward ironically, like never abandoned Sunset if she makes a mistake.
9395388 Csquared comments that it feels like there's been little in the way of object challenges or conflict. At first I disagreed to an extent, but on reflection I realized that the reason I had been hitherto fine with that is because I anticipated Anon-a-Miss as a major conflict and turning-point for the story. You've said AAM involves out-of-character behavior; sure, so does a lot of the stuff in EQG to varying extents. That's why I wanted to see your take on it. Arguably, your own story involves a lot of out-of-character behavior (the characters are generally far nicer, more mature, more circumspect, and more open than they are in the show); probably significantly more than Anon-a-Miss, in fact. I wanted to see how the matured-up versions of the characters you are writing handled that situation, but seems it was not to be.
Well, I've said all I had to say on the topic. This is where I get off; hopefully my comment helps you grapple with future projects, or at least isn't taken offensively.
I know romance is not a primary concern for our girls, but thanks for keeping my ship a possibility in your story.
i dissagree that the human version sare as similar as you claim there are clear differences but ill just focus on one thing you said
human fluttershy is the braver one she is perfectly fine getting on stage and performing infront of a crowd something pony fluttershy even now flat out is not
9395388
Plus it shows that her friends despite bringing fully into their group didn't really know her well enough to believe that she didn't want to be that kind of person anymore much less than that she stick a target on her back. Come on nobody would stick a target on their back without being nuts. And the website did just that.
I absolutely agree with you about Anon-a-miss. It just felt wrong to me. Thanks to your explanation, I do feel better about the issue. I am enjoying this story immensely. I do hope you write something else. You have done great work!
Awkward