First Impressions - Mirror Mirror
Dear Diary,
Finally found some time to write some more. I guess I'll write about my third day like I said I would, though really it's just so I can write about some of my artifacts. Oh, also what happened with Trixie, I guess.
Speaking of, since Twilight wanted to try talking to her before my shipment came in, we ended up getting up kinda early and speeding through breakfast so we could get on the road to Sweet Apple Acres.
Sunset groaned. “Why did that Trixie mare have to set up camp so far away?”
To her minor irritation, Twilight merely laughed. “It's not that far.” She paused for a moment, then in a bout of anxiety looked back at Sunset and added “Is it?”
“It is for me,” Sunset grumbled.
The duo were outside of Ponyville proper, but that only meant they were walking past the vast fields and orchards of the outlying farmland now. They were alone, having left Spike back at the library to have his own fun – and because he was still pretty tired after the party last night. But Sunset was struggling to take advantage of the alone time with her legs already getting sore.
“Well... that just means you need to move around more, right?” Twilight said, her mood shifting back towards happiness. “Get some exercise, that sort of thing.”
All Sunset could do was grunt, unable to refute Twilight's point. Mostly due to general lack of energy, but also partly because Twilight was right in a sense. Even at the height of her scheming Sunset had hardly been a physically active pony; Canterlot didn't exactly have room for sprawl in its mountainside location so most everything was pretty densely packed. And more recently Sunset had barely found reason to even leave her home, which meant it had been weeks – at best – since her last real 'walk'.
“Yeah yeah, I'll add it to my to-do list,” she finally grumbled, although she doubted she'd actually have to. Not if she kept following Twilight around town like she was doing now.
“Oh, do you need my help working out a schedule?” Twilight asked with a happy smile as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Sunset gave her a look. “Have I ever needed your help making schedules?” And then, before Twilight could reply, she added “Don't answer that.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. “Well, as long as you don't just stay cooped up in your lab all day I think you'll get used to all the walking just fine.”
It was Sunset’s turn to roll her eyes and smile. “Oh? You're one to talk, Miss Week-in-the-Library.”
She saw Twilight blush and look away out of the corner of her eye. “Th-that was only the one time!”
“Three times,” Sunset corrected with just the right level of smug in her voice.
“W-well still,” Twilight stammered, “I haven't done anything like that in ages.”
Sunset kept her immediate inference that it was due to Twilight being so obsessed with 'friendship' to herself.
Eventually, they made it to the gates of Sweet Apple Acres where Applejack was waiting for them.
“Mornin' y'all,” she greeted as they walked up. “I hope the two of ya slept well.”
After a quick glance at Sunset, Twilight answered “Well enough.”
That got a chuckle from Applejack. “Yeah, so I figured. Ain't used to the country life yet are ya Sunset?”
“Not really,” Sunset replied, not feeling up to faking perkiness.
The others laughed again. “So, where exactly did you see Trixie's camp?” Twilight asked.
“Way over on the north side a' things,” Applejack said, jerking her head back over her shoulder. “It's a bit of a walk and I ain't been able to check to see if she's still around, but there ain't no better way of goin' about this but to just go and see for ourselves.”
Twilight nodded. “Right. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.”
“You'll be fine. Considering how many different scenarios you went through last night,” Sunset said, cracking a smirk, “I'd be pretty surprised if something happened that you haven't prepared for.”
Applejack chuckled, and Twilight flushed. “Well, it's not like I can predict everything,” she countered, futilely. “Especially since we weren't even up that late making plans!”
Sunset timed her yawn perfectly, and played up her supposed sleepiness by drowsily blinking her eyes and smacking her lips a few times. “I'm sorry, you were saying?”
That got Twilight to scowl, prompting a laugh in reply. “The point is,” she said with greater force, “I'm not going to assume everything will go to plan. Even though it should.” As expected, she ended with a decisive nod.
“Well unless the plan involves waitin' around here,” Applejack told them, “I suggest we get movin'. Now come on, everypony!”
She ran off without waiting for a response, and to Sunset's surprise Twilight soon followed her. So she sighed. “Yay, running. Just what I wanted.”
Getting beaten by Twilight in what could technically be considered a race stung at Sunset's pride. She knew, objectively, that it was stupid; she knew she wasn't in shape, while Twilight had somehow actually become active in the past month or so. But being the only mare to be winded after galloping across an apple orchard was embarrassing. Especially since Twilight and Applejack seemed to be so amused by it.
“You sure you're alright, Sunset?” Twilight asked, unable to keep the smile off her muzzle.
“I'm fine,” Sunset muttered, tired of repeating herself. “Let's just keep moving.” She kept trudging in a direction she was about ninety-percent certain was north.
Twilight shrugged, then followed alongside at a slow trot. Applejack rejoined them shortly after, taking the lead and leading them off of Sunset's course. “I'd offer ya an apple, Sunset,” the farmer said, “but I'm afraid the ones in this part of the farm ain't quite ripe just yet.”
Hearing those words got Sunset to look around, and give the trees another glance. They were... well, they were trees. Sunset supposed that was nice. And like Applejack said, they had fruit on them, just nothing that looked appetizing at the moment.
At least it was nice out, she decided. There was a bit of a breeze, enough to make the leaves rustle now and then, and it was still early enough that the air was cool regardless. A nice morning all in all, and depending on how much credit the local weather team could take for it they might have some of her gratitude.
“Shame,” Sunset finally answered Applejack.
“Eeyup,” was all the farmer gave in reply. She looked back and forth for a few seconds, then jerked her head to the side. “C'mon, Trixie's camp should be right this way.”
And so the three mares set off once again – one calmly, one tiredly, and one quickly growing nervous.
“Ohh, what if things go wrong?” Twilight said, beginning to dance around on her hooftips in a way that made Sunset roll her eyes. “What if she doesn't accept my apology? What if she wants compensation for ruining her act?”
“We've been over this, Sparkle,” Sunset told her, mildly aware that Applejack was listening in if the swivel of her ears was any indication. “The most you owe her is an apology. If she doesn't accept it that's her problem, not yours.”
“But what if she makes it my problem?” Twilight countered. “What if she demands a rematch?” She stopped suddenly and gasped, and that was all Sunset needed to know what was coming next. “What if she complains to the Princess?”
Sunset rolled her eyes upon being proven right, again. She nudged Twilight with her shoulder, getting her moving straight again. “You're arguing yourself in circles, Sparkle! Practically chasing your own tail. Don't forget you already came up with contingencies for all of that.”
“But what if they don't work?”
“They will. But what difference does it make if they don't?” Sunset asked her. “Can you honestly tell yourself that Princess Celestia won't forgive you for being kind of rude to one pony, one time, after you've already apologized for it?”
She gave Twilight a look, and could see her inner turmoil plain on every feature. Sunset shook her head, wishing she'd been able to cure Twilight of her fear of failure – she'd managed to force the mare into taking more pride in herself, but she still treated most possible screw-ups like they were the end of the world.
“Look,” she added, “no matter what happens... I'll be there with you, okay?” The words came with a difficulty that was regrettably unsurprising, the more pessimistic parts of her mind still hung up – and reasonably so – on the fact that Twilight hadn't been there for her recently. But just like every time those thoughts had welled up in the past few days, Sunset banished them.
“Sunset's right,” said Applejack, an ally that Sunset hadn't expected despite being obvious in hindsight. “No matter what happens, your friends are gonna be there for you. Of course-” it was then that Sunset realized that Applejack had stopped leading the group- “it don't exactly matter a whole lot now, I suppose...”
Sunset looked at where the farmer was now gesturing to, but seeing only an empty clearing could only raise an eyebrow.
Then it hit her – an empty clearing.
“She's... gone?” Twilight reasoned before Sunset could say so herself.
“Seems so,” Applejack said, walking forward and inspecting something on the ground. “And for a couple days by the looks of it. Musta left right after I saw her.”
“Do you know where she went?” Twilight asked, and Sunset turned her head to see the frown.
“On the road, I reckon,” Applejack answered after looking around briefly. “Ain't much reason for her to stick around, after all. I suppose I could try followin' these here wagon tracks if'n you'd like to know which way she went, but I don't see much point.”
“Me neither,” Sunset said. “If this 'Trixie' character wanted to leave, that's her choice. I'm sure she'll be the first pony to let you know if you ever cross paths again.”
Twilight sighed and hung her head, looking distinctly forlorn. “I suppose. I was just hoping to clear things up before then.”
“Aww, it's alright sugarcube,” Applejack said to Sunset's minor annoyance, which only increased when she started walking directly alongside Twilight. “Your heart was in the right place, things just didn't turn out. It ain't your fault.”
“The two of you are right,” Twilight said, though she didn't seem to believe it so much.
The three began the long walk back to the gates of Sweet Apple Acres, and along the way Applejack took the opportunity to give Sunset something of a tour of the grounds. It was a lot of information about different apple varieties, and farming practices, and history, and Sunset cared about none of it. Well, almost none of it – the historical information, while vague and anecdotal, was at least mildly interesting, and the presumed schedule of fresh apple goods was nice to know.
Her primary enjoyment during the impromptu tour was, instead, from watching Twilight gush about whatever it was that Applejack was talking about. Particularly when Applejack had to gently correct her, or point out “Well, we do things a little diff'rently around here.” Or, once or twice after Twilight had deliberately started trying to outsmart her friend, admit that she did not, in fact, already know whatever random piece of agricultural trivia Twilight had dredged up from the stale memories of study-binges past.
Those moments in particular put just the most adorable smile of pleased triumph on Twilight's face. She was one of the few ponies that Sunset liked seeing win. At times, anyway.
Before Sunset realized it, she'd been introduced to the other three resident members of the Apple Clan – large, stoic Big McIntosh who hadn't said anything beyond a simple greeting before continuing on with his work; young Apple Bloom, a blank flank who had bombarded Sunset with questions until Applejack gently scolded her and saved Sunset from having to answer by invoking her fast-approaching delivery; and elderly Granny Smith.
Sunset was already aware that the matriarch of the Ponyville Apples held no small amount of sway over the clan and, more relevantly, the town itself, but based on two minutes of conversation she didn't seem like much to talk to. Not while she was focused on farm work, anyway.
Soon enough they were back at the gates, and to Sunset's surprise – something she hoped didn't continue as a running theme for the morning – Applejack didn't bid them farewell.
“Wait, don't you have, like, chores to do or something?” Sunset asked her as she mentally bade her aching legs to walk back down the dirt road to Ponyville proper.
She just chuckled. “Don't you worry about that, sugarcube, they'll be taken care of just fine. I just figured the two of you could use a helpin' hoof with that delivery of yours. Said as much at the party last night, didn't I?”
“Thank you for helping us, Applejack,” Twilight said quickly, smiling.
Sunset looked aside. “Yeah, I guess,” she added, hoping to get her point across without seeming too rude about it. “Though to be honest I don't think we'll need it unless the shipping company's workers are seriously not up to snuff.”
“True,” Applejack replied in a tone that Sunset interpreted as just on the edge of joking. “But I reckon havin' another pony around to help out is always a good idea. And if I end up standin' around doin' nothin'? Then, well, no harm done.”
“Exactly!” Twilight chimed in, still almost irritatingly happy. “There's nothing wrong with taking extra precautions – especially when dealing with artifacts as important as the ones you're working on.” Then her tone shifted, and even without looking Sunset could tell she was frowning. “I'm actually surprised you're being so resistant to the extra help, Sunset!”
“Uhh...,” Sunset murmured, her mouth stalling for time while her mind quickly came up with an excuse that wasn't 'I just don't want to spend time with your friends'. “I'm... just... wary of letting someone who probably doesn't have a lot of experience moving crates containing delicate objects actually, y'know, do so.” Then she hastily added “No offense, Applejack.”
The farm-mare tapped her chin a few times, then shrugged. “None taken, it sounds reasonable enough. But don't you worry, Sunset Shimmer, I got plenty of experience haulin' stuff. And I'll make sure to be extra careful with anythin' I end up touchin', and follow all your instructions and such-like.”
To that, Sunset had no good objections that kept her all-important friendship with Twilight intact. So with no other option, she sighed and relented. “Fine, fine, if you really want to. But I'm holding you to that 'follow all my instructions' thing.”
She forced her legs to power on ahead of Twilight and Applejack, no doubt leaving them to share some sort of glance. Or possibly look. Sunset was annoyedly uncertain, but certainly annoyed.
Sunset stopped by the first fruit stand she came across and bought a fresh plum to help quench the needs of her tired body, then looked around for her friend and other 'companion' after they'd elected to go on ahead. Or, rather, after they continued on largely unaware that Sunset had lagged behind to pick up brunch.
Either way, she found them browsing the other stands and stalls set up along the street, never actually buying anything. She watched them in silence from a few steps behind them, as they greeted random ponies and conversed about non-Sunset-related topics and just generally seemed to have a pleasant time together.
It was enough to make her wonder if the sourness she was feeling was from a bad plum or something else.
She was the one who was supposed to have pleasant conversations with Twilight while they walked to whatever appointment they had. She was Twilight's first real friend. Not Applejack, or anypony else.
But then... Twilight had all but abandoned her for a month in favor of Applejack and the other four. So clearly Sunset wasn't first in Twilight's heart, even now after she'd been apologized to and dragged out here to join her. And in that case...
Somepony she didn't recognize bumped into her, and Sunset realized she'd trailed further behind the other two. That realization was soon followed by two others: that she couldn't allow herself to go down without a fight, and that she also seriously needed to make sure she was at the train station on time for her delivery. The last thing she needed was a dozen ancient relics, most of which were Class B or higher, left outside her supervision.
She quickly caught up, though in doing so caught Applejack's eye as well. “You alright there Sunset?”
“Yeah, I'm fine,” she answered without hesitation, taking a deliberate bite of her plum.
“Well okay then,” Applejack replied. “Just wanted to make sure ya weren't gettin' too tired from all the walkin'.”
“I'm fine,” Sunset repeated with a bit more bite in her voice than she preferred. “And anyway, it's not like I can miss the delivery no matter how tired I am.” She paused just long enough to realize what she'd said, then added “Not that I am tired...”
Which, of course, provoked a shared snicker from Applejack and Twilight as the three resumed their journey.
Fortunately for Sunset's nerves, they reached the train station well before the train did. Just like for Sunset's arrival two days prior the boarding platform was far from crowded, with only a pair of stallions waiting at the outgoing end of the small area. No words were exchanged with the pair beyond simple greetings, which Sunset appreciated, and she enjoyed the last of her plum in relative piece.
“So, how many, uh, artifacts are gettin' delivered, exactly?” Applejack asked, clearly to pass the time.
Sunset swallowed her last bite. “An even dozen, though they won't be in that many crates since only two of them are big enough to require it. There should be six shipping containers in total.”
Applejack frowned. “Well then I'm glad I came. Might need an extra set of hooves after all.”
Sunset made sure to turn her head before she rolled her eyes.
A loud whistle heralded the train's arrival, and the three of them got to their hooves off the benches in anticipation. They watched it as it slowed to a stop and the doors of the passenger cars opened; three separate ponies exited without fanfare, and the two stallions who had been waiting at the platform stepped on. Sunset, Twilight, and Applejack headed towards the only open cargo car, with Sunset taking the lead to meet the Steady Shipping Company ponies.
The first to step off the train was a brown pegasus mare in company uniform, which consisted of a dark blue vest and cap embroidered with the company's logo. She was holding a clipboard under her wing, and after briefly looking to the left and right her gaze came to rest upon Sunset. She consulted her clipboard, then asked “Are you Sunset Shimmer?”
“Yep,” Sunset said, craning her neck to get a better look inside the train car. She could see multiple ponies walking around inside; by the sounds coming forth she guessed they were loading the crates onto carts.
“Excellent,” said the pegasus mare – a name tag identified her as Autumn Gale. She winged over the clipboard and a quill pen, pointing to a blank line on the top form and saying “Please sign here to confirm the delivery.”
Sunset silently nodded, taking both items in her magic to do as instructed. Autumn Gale took the opportunity to turn around and walk back inside the train car, calling out “Okay, lets get these crates unloaded!” as she did so.
As she and Twilight and Applejack waited for the crew to do the next stage of their job, Sunset reviewed the forms she'd been given to verify everything was correct. She didn't find anything inaccurate, although she did cringe when she was reminded of just how much she'd had to pay for the flexible short-notice delivery schedule.
The sound of wheels on wood drew her attention back upward and she saw Autumn Gale directing a line of earth stallions off the train and onto the platform. Five in total, each pulling a cart behind him – and the rear stallion pulling two. It was less than what Sunset considered ideal, especially since she could see Applejack out of the corner of her eye moving like she wanted to help the last stallion, but Sunset didn't have any other option.
Still, once everything was on the platform and Autumn Gale was looking at her expectantly, Sunset stepped forward. “I'd like to check the contents and verify that nothing's been damaged, if that's okay.”
Autumn shrugged. “Fine with me,” she said, stepping aside to let Sunset check the first crate – which she knew from size alone contained the veritable crown jewel of her 'collection'.
She tapped the wooden side of the crate, and looked up at the top – it was tall enough that she wouldn't be easily able to open it, even briefly. Not unless she wanted to try teleporting directly on top of it anyway, which she didn't. Fortunately, she had planned ahead when overseeing the artifacts being packed up. “None of these have been opened since they were originally sealed, right?” she asked Autumn Gale.
“No, why?” the mare replied in a questioning tone.
Sunset gave her head a shake. “Just checking.” She lit up her horn and shaped a variant of her basic diagnostic spell that had been keyed to pass through the crates and the packing material and examine the artifacts within; it was a technique she and Twilight had developed under Princess Celestia's tutelage based on the new 'X-ray' technology, but not one she'd had much use for until now. But thanks to her previous research she knew the spell wouldn't have any noticeable effect on the artifacts she'd shipped, and as such could use it with impunity.
A few minutes of magically-enhanced vision later, she had confirmed that nothing was amiss inside the crates. Finally allowing herself to breathe a sigh of relief, she turned her attention back to the forms she'd been given and confirmed that everything had, in fact, made it to Ponyville safely.
“Okay, everything checks out,” Sunset told Autumn, floating the clipboard and quill back to her. “You all are good to get these to the Golden Oak?”
“Our orders are to take these to your place of residence, so yeah,” Autumn said, nodding. She looked at her crew and they nodded too, then she turned back to Sunset. “Lead the way.”
Sunset did just that, and with Twilight – and Applejack, after she'd been rebuffed from helping the stallion with the double load – began the wagon train back through Ponyville. The cart-pullers followed in single file after them, and Autumn Gale flew overhead to make sure none of them got off track or fell behind.
She had to give it to them, the Steady Shipping Company knew what they were doing. Though it was hardly surprising, at least if she was interpreting their cutie marks correctly – a clipboard for Autumn Gale, and wagons and crates and crowbars and the like for the rest.
More than a few ponies stopped to gawk at them as they headed down the streets, giving Sunset the distinct impression that they would soon be the talk of the town. But while she hoped it would be confined to idle gossip about the new resident, that was regrettably not the case. Especially since, after rebuffing the third random pony's questions regarding what the crates were for by explaining they were simply some of her possessions, the group was joined by somepony more persistent.
“Ah, good day, good day!” came the voice of Time Turner as he approached the mares at the head of the convoy. “Important delivery I take it, Miss Shimmer?” he asked Sunset.
“Pretty much,” Sunset replied, straining to keep a muted smile on her muzzle. “Just... the last few things of mine from Canterlot, that's all.”
He hummed and stroked his chin and nodded in what Sunset found to be far too appraising of a tone. “Yes, I see! Delicate research items, no doubt. I can smell the sheer history of the lot of them from here.”
Sunset was genuinely annoyed that he'd guessed correctly, unsure if it was because he somehow knew her current area of study or if his comment about smelling was more than just a bad joke. But she didn't want to dwell on it, or on Time Turner, so she just said “Yup” and kept moving in the hopes that he would be satisfied.
He wasn't. “Excellent!” he said with a bright smile, trotting into step alongside her. “I don't suppose you'll share what you have, will you? I have something of an interest in the various bits and bobs of our nation's history.”
Her ears twitched at the sound of Twilight and Applejack having some whispered conversation behind her, but she was too preoccupied to eavesdrop.
“That's... kinda private,” Sunset said without looking at him, hoping he'd take the hint.
He did, just not the one she'd dropped. “Ahh, yes, of course, my apologies,” he replied quickly and with more nodding. “Can't risk disrupting the general public and so on. Though I do hope you're taking the proper, ah, safety precautions for everything?”
Sunset's tail bristled. “Yes,” she told him, “I have. I wouldn't have had all this shipped out here otherwise.”
More nods. “Right, right, only natural. My sincerest apologies Miss Shimmer, I should have expected as such from one of Princess Celestia's personal students.”
And more bristling. “Yes. You should have.”
Time Turner didn't so much as pause his steps, but his next words were something of a relief. “Ah, yes. Well. If ever you find yourself in need of assistance in your research beyond Miss Sparkle or simply want another mind to bounce ideas off of, I shall re-extend my services to you. But unless there's anything you'd like assistance with at the moment...?”
He trailed off expectantly, but Sunset didn't so much as glance his way. “Then I shall bid you all good day.” With another round of bowing he thankfully, finally, departed.
Sunset sighed, continuing to move forward toward the massive tree that was already in sight. For a few moments she was afraid that Twilight, or even Applejack, would speak up and question her about Time Turner, but it seemed they'd actually managed to read her mood and didn't say anything. Directly, at least – Sunset could still hear the occasional whisper passing between them, and had no doubt about what they were talking about. She predicted a stern-yet-concerned talking-to from Twilight later on.
But for now, she decided to push her personal irritations behind her for the sake of maintaining a professional appearance. Once she and the rest of their caravan had gotten in spitting distance of the Golden Oak, she stopped and pointed a hoof at it. “That's the place,” she told Autumn Gale, the pegasus hovering down near her upon making eye contact.
“Understood,” she nodded, turning back to pass instructions along to her crew.
Within minutes they were at the library. “Pardon me,” said Twilight, darting ahead to both open the door and head inside. Sunset and Applejack followed her in, and helped her move the podiums and such by the entrance away to clear a path and space for the deliveryponies.
“Okay, bring 'em in,” Sunset called out to them once she decided the room was clear enough. One by one the stallions pulled the carts inside, where the trio of mares assisted in removing the precious cargo from the carts. It all went smoothly, until the very end.
Namely, the two biggest crates were too, well, big to fit through the front door while remaining on the carts. “So, how would you like us to do this?” Autumn asked Sunset after informing her of the problem.
Sunset bit her lower lip, gaze flicking between the two crates. “Uhh... this one is fine to be carried in on its side,” she said, pointing to the crate she knew contained what the uninformed would mistake as a simple wooden door. She stepped aside to let two of the stallions do just that, one of them rearing up to get a good toothhold on the top and then tipping it.
“And the other one?” Autumn asked, quirking a brow as she glanced at the other crate.
The Mirror. The most valuable magical object she'd ever touched, if the research she'd done on it was anything to go by. She genuinely didn't know how fragile it was, having never been willing to test it out and not being foalish enough to presume the ancient and powerful enchantments on it made it more durable – or less. True, it had been at a tilt when it had been taken into and out of her apartment back in Canterlot, and would have to be so here as well, but it didn't sit well with her nerves to let it be anything but upright for extended periods of time.
After all, it was easily the heaviest of the dozen and as such quite easy to drop if its handlers weren't prepared. And if it should break because of the impact, it would spell disaster to the unwarded town.
Still, it had to be moved somehow, and short of enlarging the Library's doorway there weren't many ways to do it. So Sunset took a breath, steeled herself, and nodded. “It can be tilted too, but be careful. You should probably have four ponies do it together, I don't want it dropped.”
Autumn nodded. “Sounds like a wise call.”
It was a couple minutes before enough of the workers were back outside. Sunset watched with bated breath as all five of them worked together to get the final crate off its cart, one holding the cart in place while the others pushed or pulled it to the loading edge. From there the two pullers brought it slowly into a controlled tip until it was firmly on the ground; the cart was pulled away, and the other two stallions picked up the trailing end as best they could. Autumn herself directed the leading pair as they backed into the library, and slowly but surely the crate was carried inside.
Sunset flinched as it was finally put to rest on the solid wooden floor and then tilted back upright, but a quick application of her see-through spell calmed her nerves. Sweeping her vision across the other five crates showed a similar lack of damage, and so with a satisfied sigh she shut off the spell. “Okay, looks like everything is still in one piece.”
“Good to hear it,” Autumn replied, winging over the clipboard and quill again. “Just sign off on the successful delivery, and you'll be good to go.”
“Right,” Sunset said, signing on the last few necessary lines. She returned the board and quill to Autumn, who gave the forms a quick scan and nodded.
“Alright boys, job well done,” she said to the rest of the crew. “Have a nice day, Miss Shimmer. I hope you consider the Steady Shipping Company's services in the future.”
“If I ever need something delivered, you'll be the first group I call,” Sunset replied, more out of polite habit than anything else. Though their service had been satisfactory, so she resolved to try and make good on the promise.
The six deliveryponies made their way out, leaving the trio of Sunset, Twilight, and Applejack in the main floor of the lobby with the unpacked crates. And Spike as well, the young dragon having come down at some point undoubtedly due to the commotion of the delivery.
“Awesome! Everything's finally here?” he asked the mares, walking towards them through the now-crowded room.
“Yup,” Sunset answered, already working on opening one of the crates. “Now all I have to do is get everything down into safe storage in my lab.”
“And, uh, how exactly do ya plan on doin' that?” Applejack asked.
Sunset stifled an eye-roll. “By unpacking them? It's not like they're as big as the crates or anything. Nothing that I can't levitate carefully down a flight of stairs.”
“Even the big one?”
And that made Sunset pause. Then look at the crate the Mirror was in. And then face-hoof. “Welp, I'm an idiot. Why didn't I pay those ponies to get everything to my lab instead of leaving everything here?”
Spike and even Twilight snickered a little, but to Sunset's mild surprise Applejack did not. “Well, what's done is done,” she said as she walked over. “Fortunately you got friends to help you out. I reckon with the four of us workin' together we can get all those relics of yours down to the lab just fine, no matter how heavy or delicate they are.”
Sunset groaned, eyes still clenched shut and hoof still on her muzzle. “It won't be that easy. Most of them, sure, but the M- the big one really isn't something I can just let anypony get exposed to. I mean, Princess Celestia herself had to get it in to and out of my old lab back in Canterlot!”
Even without looking at them, their silence told Sunset just how shocked they were. “Err, sorry, but what exactly do ya mean by 'exposed to'?” Applejack asked after several moments. “I thought all these artifacts or whatever were supposed to be safe?”
A sigh. “They... are, mostly, as long as nopony does anything stupid with them” Sunset explained. “But the... the big one has an enchantment on it that activates when it's looked at, and it's kinda unpredictable. It messed with my head the first time I saw it, and while I'm used to it now I don't wanna risk any trouble by letting you all look at it.”
She finally looked at them and saw they were all looking back, frowns on their faces. “Well shucks,” Applejack said first, “didn't think it'd be somethin' like that.”
“If that's the case, I understand if you'd prefer us not to get involved,” Twilight said next. “And if you'd like, I can ask Princess Celestia to come help out.”
“We can get the message to her before you know it!” Spike chimed in.
Sunset considered the offer, but only for a few moments. “Thanks, but if it comes to that I'd rather ask her myself.” She still had her personal linked journal up in the bedroom after all, something she had totally not forgotten to mention previously because it's such a routine thing so why wouldn't she have brought it to Ponyville with her?
She shook her head, then looked at the crate in question and moved her hoof to the underside of her jaw. “If there are any, I don't know, sheets or something that can cover it with we... should be fine to try getting it downstairs, maybe?”
“Spike?” Twilight immediately asked her assistant.
“On it!” he replied with a salute, scampering off no doubt happy to have delayed working with potentially-dangerous magical artifacts for a little while.
After watching him disappear in the direction of the stairs, Sunset turned her attention to the one crate she'd already started working on. “Well, tell me when he comes back with something,” she told the others as she finished lifting the lid off with her magic. “I'm gonna start taking things down to the lab.”
“Ya sure you don't want our help with the rest of these things?” Applejack quickly asked.
Too focused on digging through the shredded packing material inside the crate she'd opened, Sunset couldn't be bothered to look back at her. “I can handle it. Besides, you wouldn't even be able to get them into the lab. Authorized personnel only. There's a lot of safety regulations I need to comply with to work with some of these things.”
“Hrmm...,” Applejack murmured, and Sunset assumed she was displeased.
But she herself had finally unearthed the three artifacts the first crate contained – what looked to the untrained eye like a bronze goblet with mediocre red gems set into the side, a tattered book with a brass dip pen attached to the spine by a thin chain, and an antique navigational compass. Levitating each one in turn and inspecting them more closely to confirm the lack of damage, and nodding in satisfaction once she had, Sunset picked up all three and made for the stairs.
As she passed by Twilight and Applejack, the former turned to look at the latter. “So... can I get you anything to eat?”
Sunset didn't bother sticking around to hear the answer.
Slowly and carefully, Sunset took what were arguably the three most mundane among her best twelve artifacts down the curving stairway into the basement. Keeping one eye on them and the other on the floor was tricky, especially once the room opened up into Twilight's lab, but she kept her focus and made it all the way to the door of her own lab without incident. Once there she gently set the three relics on the ground, then once she was certain nothing was going to happen to or with them she summoned the magical key to her laboratory door.
Putting the key in the lock and turning it with a pulse of magic caused it to vanish and the door to swing open, at which point Sunset picked up the compass, the goblet, and the book-and-pen once more. She could feel the tingle of the heavy wards she'd set up the day before throughout her whole body, but just as designed she passed through them without issue.
She placed the compass on the the shelving unit stationed closest to her workspace, where she stored several tools and lesser artifacts she intended on using relatively frequently. The goblet and the book were placed on a separate shelving unit alongside the volumes detailing whatever research she'd done on them already as well as other relevant documentation.
She returned upstairs to find Twilight and Applejack eating muffins in the kitchen and Spike nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, she returned to the floor of the library and began on the next crate. Inside were a pair of fairly sizable wooden boxes, both unadorned and both locked with small but sturdy padlocks only she could open. They contained Sunset's two most deadly artifacts, in a matter of speaking; they weren't likely to cause any harm should the boxes be unlocked, but a responsible researcher keeps the magical weapons in her possession under magical lock and key at all times.
Making sure that none of the others were around, Sunset levitated both boxes – a not-inconsiderable effort given their combined bulk – and took them down to her lab as stealthily as she could. Once there she tucked them on a lower shelf in the 'back' of the area she used, trying to keep them as discrete as possible.
Halfway back up to ground level, Twilight called down to her that Spike had gotten a few of their largest spare sheets to assist with moving 'the big one'.
“Awesome, I'll be right there!” Sunset replied, taking a moment to ready herself before resuming her climb at a quicker pace.
She arrived to find Twilight and Applejack and Spike gathered at the crate in question, with Spike holding up a large white sheet for the mares to inspect. She walked over and gave it a thorough once-over herself, comparing it to how large she knew the Mirror was, and nodded. “This should do.”
“Alright, good,” Applejack said. “Now let's crack open that crate so you can cover up whatever's inside.”
“Again,” Sunset said as both she and Applejack started moving towards the crate, “this is really something I should be doing alone. I wouldn't want you to-” She stopped abruptly when Applejack turned around and gave a corner of the crate a swift one-hoofed kick.
The sides of the crate trembled briefly, then fell away as everypony but Sunset hastily averted their gaze and clenched shut their eyes.
“...see it by accident...” Sunset finally finished, eyes widened in shock. The packing material fell away in one big 'fwoomph', revealing the Mirror in all its glory, and Sunset let out a sigh.
As she picked up the sheet and flung it over the Mirror, Applejack chuckled. “You didn't need to do that,” Sunset told her, adjusting the Mirror's new cover to make sure it fit. She also quickly realized she'd have to secure the bottom of it so that the sheet actually stayed where it was.
“No,” Applejack replied, “I didn't. But it did make things go a tad bit faster, and not one of us saw whatever-it-is you're tryin' to hide in there so no harm done.”
Sunset just grumbled in response, not feeling up to a rebuttal at the moment while she tied the corners of the sheet together. “Sunset says 'Thank you',” Twilight then said for her.
Applejack chuckled. “Oh, is that what that means? Good to know.”
Which only irritated Sunset more, but she decided she'd make Applejack pay via physical labor rather than a verbal smackdown. Her knots tight and her prize sufficiently covered aside from its broad stone base, she took a calming breath and turned to face the others. “Okay, you can look now,” she told them.
As one, the three opened their eyes and turned to look at the sheet-covered object. “Wow, you really weren't kidding about how big it is,” Spike said first, walking up to it and craning his neck to look up at its peak.
“Well I did say I needed Princess Celestia's help to get it into and out of my old lab, didn't I?” Sunset replied. “It's too heavy to levitate by myself.”
“It think even the two of us working together couldn't lift this thing,” Twilight remarked, staring at the covered Mirror in a similar fashion to Spike.
“So how are the four of us gonna get it down to the basement?” Applejack asked, turning her gaze to the stairs across the room.
“Well for starters we can probably drag it across the floor on the bottom of the crate,” Sunset said, frowning. “Hrmm... but we'll need some rope...”
“Oh! I think I have some in the basement!” Twilight said, brightening up. She left without another word.
Her friends watched her go, then turned their attention back to the object at hoof. “Well, that'll get it to the stairs...,” Applejack said.
“But that's where the real problem starts,” Sunset finished despite herself. “It's pretty bottom-heavy, and we aren't exactly four workhorses...”
“Eeyup,” Applejack nodded. “Not that I ain't strong or nothin', but I don't think I'm that strong. And even with the rope to help tilt it, somepony is gonna have to hold up the bottom as we go down the stairs.”
“Once the room opens up we won't have to tilt it, at least, but that doesn't help much,” Sunset added, frowning as she puzzled things out in her head. “As much as I hate to say it, we might have to just... move it over and figure it out as we go along.”
None of them were satisfied by Sunset's 'solution', but none of them had any better ideas. While they waited Sunset got to opening the next crate, and as she lifted out the next pair of items – a broad, shallow leaden bowl and a relatively large black velvet jewelry box – Applejack and Spike decided to go see what was taking Twilight with the rope.
Sunset followed them through the room and down the stairs, carrying the leaden bowl in her magical grasp all the while. The velvet box was merely balanced on top of the bowl, Sunset confident that the artifact within it would stay put.
Her confidence was well-placed; even when she reached the open stretch of the stairs and saw Twilight tumble backwards after yanking free a length of rope, she didn't drop anything. She did, however, gasp in shock and fear and up her pace down the stairs. Applejack and Spike did similarly, reaching Twilight first and preventing a stack of miscellany from falling on her.
“You alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she helped her friend to her hooves, and once again Sunset felt a surge of jealousy.
“Y-yeah, I'm fine,” Twilight replied, giving her head a quick shake. “Sorry. The rope was more buried than I thought.”
“Well, no harm done,” Applejack told her as she stood up.
“Guess we should take this back upstairs, huh?” Spike said next, picking up the rope.
Sunset took the chance to interject. “Just give me a minute to put these away first,” she told them as she walked past with the bowl and box. Once more she summoned the magical key and opened the door to her lab, and stowed the two items on the shelves with their associated research and documentation. Looking around briefly and seeing everything still in order, not that there had been any good reason to expect otherwise, Sunset returned to the main part of the basement to see the other three waiting at the foot of the stairs.
Pleased that they'd actually waited for her, she hurried over with a smile on her lips that was only somewhat forced. “Okay, let's go see what we can do.”
“This isn't going to work.”
Through the power of what Sunset called teamwork but the others insisted was friendship, they'd managed to attach the rope to the base of the crate that the Mirror was standing on and drag it through the room without issue. And once they'd reached the first set of stairs that led to the pre-basement hallway, it had been a simple matter for Sunset to reattach the rope to the top of the mirror, ostensibly so it could be controlled more easily during the descent.
But that was when they were forced to confront the first obstacle: much like the Golden Oak's entrance, the Mirror was simply too tall and bulky to enter such a tight space while upright. Applejack suggested they tip it; Twilight countered with a quick measure of the base using the excess rope and some basic math.
Applejack persisted, insisting that it would fit if they could just get it at the right angle. And Sunset, torn between the belief that it wouldn't work and her foalish, foalish desire not to have to resort to asking Princess Celestia for help again, decided to give Applejack a chance.
She regretted it immediately, though strangely not in time to make a difference.
“Sure it will,” Applejack said after Sunset expressed her doubts and began forcing the Mirror back upright, unopposed by the others. The farmer took a breath, then pawed at the exposed base with a hoof. “I don't s'pose this part comes off, does it? That's the only real thing holdin' us back, as far as I can tell.”
Sunset paused, actually surprised by the question. She gave the Mirror's base a questioning look, trying to remember anything relevant about it. Had it originally been part of the Mirror? If so, it couldn't be removed without effectively destroying the entire artifact. Such was the nature of enchantments: powerful, but more importantly permanent.
She came to the conclusion that she didn't actually know; the Mirror had simply always been on that stand in her mind, and none of the scant artistic depictions of it showed it otherwise. And it wasn't like she'd ever thought to check and see if they were technically separate objects from a magical perspective.
“Good question,” she finally said. She knelt a little and lifted up the bottom of the sheet slightly, and examined where the base met the rest of the Mirror. Or, rather, where it met the higher levels of the base that the Mirror actually rested upon.
Unfortunately, it didn't take much magical probing for Sunset to determine that the two round slabs of stone were effectively fused together. Even the curly metal pieces that adorned the sides of the Mirror were stuck to the base, meaning that regardless of how it had originally been crafted the entirety of the Mirror was now basically a single solid object fused together by the enchantments on it.
“Hmm... unfortunately, I don't think it's possible,” she told the others. “Removing the base would be like breaking the artifact completely, and trust me when I saw you don't wanna break this thing.” She sighed, and drew herself back up to her full height. “I'm gonna have to ask Princess Celestia for some help with this.”
She didn't even have to look to recognize the guilty groan of Twilight Sparkle. “This is all my fault. I should have taken measurements so you could make sure all your research artifacts could fit before you moved here!”
Sunset looked at her for a moment, her eyes closing and her ears drooping, then shook her head. “If this is anypony's fault, it's mine. I'm the one who decided to have everything shipped here before I'd even seen where I was going to be living. So don't, y'know, beat yourself up over this.”
Twilight took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and looked up at Sunset. “Right. You're right.” She stood up. “But still, anything I can do to help just say the word.”
Her expression was so adorably earnest, Sunset couldn't help but chuckle. “Thanks. But unless you know some spell to widen the stairway or open up a hole in the floor that I don't, I'm not sure what else you can do. Though to be honest,” she looked down the stairs, “even if we do get it to the basement we'd still have to figure out how to get it into my lab. Which, may I remind you, is already heavily warded.”
“Well, how did Princess Celestia move it?” Spike asked after twiddling his claws for a few moments.
“Teleportation,” Sunset answered without missing a beat. “Which normally wouldn't be a great idea for this thing, even ignoring its size, but, well, she is the Princess after all. She knows how to keep... things like this... uh, stable.”
As she turned to leave, she noticed Applejack looking thoughtful and rolled her eyes. “You aren't considering making a hole in the floor, are you?” she asked. “Cause that was just a joke.”
Applejack gave her a deadpan stare. “Yeah, I got that. But so long as y'all are resortin' to magic to move this thing, I figured the least I could do was try to think of somethin' that could help.”
Sunset's mild – and admittedly somewhat mocking – smile fell away. But before she could reply, she found her muzzle covered by Twilight's hoof. “We appreciate the help, Applejack. Did you come up with anything useful?”
“Well,” the farmer replied, looking back at the covered Mirror, “the two of you magical geniuses probably already considered this, but since the size is the problem what about just shrinkin' it? That's somethin' magic can do, right?”
Twilight lowered her hoof, and she and Sunset shared a look of genuine surprise. “Well, that could work in theory,” Twilight began.
“...but I don't know how that kind of magic would interact with the, uh, artifact's magic,” Sunset finished with a bit of caution. “That sort of compression could put too much strain on the vessel, or it could cause the individual enchantments to force-activate, or even degrade them entirely! And that's assuming the shrinking spell even works.”
Applejack frowned. “Well, I can see why you two have your reservations about doin' it that way. But I figure that if any two ponies can figure out how to do so safely, it'll be Princess Celestia's two students. And that goes for any way ya got of gettin' this thing down to your lab.”
Sunset and Twilight shared a look, and Sunset sighed. “Well, if I'm going to be asking Princess Celestia for help anyway, I might as well consult her about other possible solutions first.”
“I think I remember a book about shrinking spells in the library,” Twilight said next, looking to her assistant. “Let's go do some research, Spike.”
The four split up, with Sunset the sole one heading upstairs. Up and up, past the bathroom, and into the bedroom, Sunset immediately went to the little nook she had her 'bed' in.
“I seriously need to get a mattress,” she muttered as she picked up a thick journal off a nearby shelf. Her cutie mark emblazoned on the cover, it served as Sunset's personal link to her mentor in a similar fashion to Twilight sending and receiving letters via Spike's special dragonfire.
The lack of a glow and vibration told Sunset that she hadn't received any messages from the linked journal in Canterlot, but that was unsurprising. Grabbing a quill and an ink pot, she turned to the first blank page. She composed her thoughts, then put them to words.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I have some questions about the Mirror. Not about how it works this time, though – we're having some trouble getting it into my new lab. Big surprise, right? But anyway, how do you think the Mirror would react to a shrinking spell? At this point, that's probably the best option that doesn't involve modifying the structure of the library or having you come over and teleport it again.
I suppose it would depend on the exact spell used, but I don't know of any off the top of my head that are designed specifically to keep previous magical effects on an object intact and stable. By my estimates a shrinkage as small as, say, 10% should probably be enough for our purposes, but I'm afraid even that could destabilize the portal.
Twilight and Spike are researching shrinking spells as I write this, but I don't want to solely rely on her finding something relevant when I barely know what books she has here. And... I probably should have looked over my own notes on the Mirror as well as what information about it you've already given me before asking you (sorry) but I'll go do so right now.
I hope you and Princess Luna are doing well!
- Sunset
It had always felt weird to Sunset, signing off on her journal entries when it would be obvious to Princess Celestia who the message was from. And she couldn't even blame Twilight's habit rubbing off on her for it, she'd done so for years. But at the same time, a habit was a habit, and as the Princess had never commented on it there had never been sufficient reason for Sunset to get rid of it. She had better ways to spend her energy.
At any rate, once the message was sent she picked up her journal and went downstairs. She stopped at the library to check on her friends; even with Applejack there to ostensibly help locate books it didn't look like Twilight had found anything conclusive.
“Hey, I asked Princess Celestia about the shrinking spells,” she announced to the room at large. “I'll let you all know what she says, but for now I'm gonna go look over my notes. Maybe there's something useful in there.”
There was probably some sort of acknowledging response from them, but Sunset didn't stick around long enough to pay attention to it.
Once she was back in her lab, it didn't take long at all for Sunset to start sifting through piles of notebooks and file folders containing everything she knew about the Mirror. Most of it concerned the effects and magical inner workings of the reflection-affecting enchantment and the dimensional portal that was bound to the glass, but she was able to find some details about the structure as a whole.
Unfortunately, it was all things like materials analysis and notes of its construction rather than any serious study as to how spellwork affected the artifact as a whole. Which was unsurprising in hindsight; Sunset had been the first pony to seriously study the Mirror in centuries. Or at least the first pony who took good notes and didn't become consumed in some fashion by what the Mirror showed them. Or, in a few cases, moved on to other projects.
She ended up going all the way back to Starswirl the Bearded's original notes regarding the Mirror, or at least the copies she had been able to take with her to Ponyville. But even those didn't have any sort of experimental observations that seemed relevant to a question she presumed Starswirl had never needed to ask.
Just when she was about to temporarily call it quits and see if Twilight had seen anything, however, her personal journal began to glow and vibrate. Her heart practically leaped in excitement, and with a rapidly-growing smile she levitated the open book in front of her and read.
My faithful student,
I can certainly understand your caution regarding the mirror; there are many things about it that, as you are well aware, even I do not know. I still recall when Starswirl the Bearded told my sister and I about it after something of an incident involving a misfired shape-changing spell with fairly amusing consequences. He told us how important the mirror was, and how even he was uncertain how various magics would interact with it.
But I do not want you to take this as a warning against attempting to find your own solution to the problem you're faced with. I have full confidence that you and Twilight will be able to relocate the mirror to your laboratory without requiring my intervention.
My sister and I continue to do well. I believe it is only a matter of weeks before Princess Luna is ready to resume some of the more public responsibilities of her title.
You have my love and best wishes,
- Princess Celestia
Though it had been mere days since she'd last seen her mentor, the familiar sight of her hornwriting evoked a wave of nostalgia in Sunset. The patient, instructive tone of it as well – while Sunset had not always appreciated it in the past, knowing that even now Princess Celestia was willing to impart some manner of lesson on her brought back warm memories. Before she knew it, she was even wiping away a few tears from her eyes.
But she knew it wouldn't do for the others to see her crying, not over something as meager as homesickness. So she gave the words one last warm smile before closing her journal and setting it on a lab table, then took a breath to compose herself. And as she walked back up through the basement, she dissected the Princess's advice.
Anecdotes were hardly uncommon in her lessons, and almost always were used to prove a point. In this particular instance, it was clear to Sunset that she was meant to interpret it as 'the Mirror was once hit by a shape-changing spell and it ended up being fine'. Whether this meant the spell had worked or not Sunset was admittedly uncertain, but she was willing to wager that it had at least in some form.
And shape-changing spells weren't that far removed from shrinking spells; the basic principles were the same, to the point that shrinking could be considered a sub-class of shape-changing. It's just that shrinking was more difficult, as it involved actually getting rid of some portion of the affected object's mass for the duration of the spell.
“But how am I supposed to get rid of the Mirror's mass without destabilizing the portal?” Sunset muttered, finding herself pacing back and forth along the curved walkway that served as a transition between stair flights. “Forget the normal enchantments, if that thing gets unanchored who knows what'll happen!”
She paused to take a breath, and closed her eyes to shut out anything that could possibly distract her. “Okay think, Sunset, think! The mirror pane itself is the most important part of the portal, so maybe if I just shrink the base it'll be fine. But is a partial shrinking even possible in this case? Urrgh,” she stomped a hoof, “why does this stupid thing have to have such a wide base?”
Sunset stopped, hoof about to stomp again as her eyes popped open. “Why does it have to have such a wide base?” she repeated, quietly, a smile forming. “Why not change it for a little while? Bunch it together or make it long,” she continued onward and upward with a spring in her step, “even a simple folding spell will do if we put enough force into it!”
Once she was back on the floor of the library, she didn't even bother looking to see what the others were doing before announcing “Hey! I think I-”
She was thus bowled over by an over-excited Twilight Sparkle carrying an open book in her magical grasp. “Sunset! I think I've found the answer! What if instead of shrinking it we-”
“-just changed the shape of the base?” Sunset finished, a hoof over her friend's muzzle and a smirk that would not be denied. She got back on her hooves and swished her tail. “Too slow, just like always Sparkle. But, uh, I do hope you've already found a few spells to try out.”
She made a show of looking around the cluttered room – Spike was practically buried under a pile of books and even Applejack was looking their way while reshelving – before 'noticing' the open text Twilight already had.
Twilight, for her part, pouted in annoyance before moving the book down so both of them could read it. “As a matter of fact, I have. Given the apparent material composition of the base of your, uh, whatever-it-is, I believe Jewelmane's Sculpting will allow us to reshape it while leaving its magical properties intact.” She finished with a precise and decisive nod.
Sunset took a moment to look it over, smiling. “Awesome! This looks like it'll work!”
As they turned to go back to the nuisance in question, they were rejoined by Applejack while Spike took over reshelving. “So, uh, what exactly is this 'Jewelmane' spell or whatever?” the former asked.
“It's an old shape-changing spell,” Twilight answered with a prim smile. “Specifically, one that was created to sculpt, repair, and modify magical statues. It's an interesting take on a classic spell, if I'm being honest.”
That just caused Applejack to raise a brow. “If it's a classic, then how come neither of you thought of it before?”
The two unicorns shared a look. “Well,” said Sunset, “shape-changing spells aren't exactly... useful.”
“I mean,” Twilight giggled, “how often do you come across something that really needs to have its shape changed?”
“Hrmm... good point,” Applejack said with a thoughtful look.
“They're mostly just used to teach first-year magic students the fundamentals of more useful spells,” Sunset added. Then she shrugged. “But I suppose every spell is useful some time.”
Twilight nodded. “Exactly. Now, let's get to work on that spell...”
It didn't take long for Twilight and Sunset to learn the new spell, especially once Applejack brought in a few stones from outside to practice on. After that it was practically trivial, in a lip-bitingly anxious sort of way, to lay the Mirror on its side and sculpt the base into a long shaft of stone. And with Applejack carrying said base on her back and guiding the whole thing down while Twilight and Sunset joint-levitated the Mirror itself, it took less than ten minutes to get the whole thing down where it needed to be.
With some reluctance Sunset allowed Applejack to help carry it into her lab itself, where they rest it on the floor just long enough to undo Jewelmane's Sculpting. Then with surprisingly little effort the three lifted it back upright, and moved it into the corner Sunset had already prepared for it.
Once it was in place, Sunset let out a breath of relief. “Okay girls, job well done. Thanks for the help, Applejack.” To her own surprise, she meant it.
“Happy to be of help, Sunset!” Applejack replied. “Now, I do believe you still got more things that need carryin'?” she asked with a knowing look.
Sunset chuckled a little. “Yeah, I do,” she said, turning and heading back towards the stairway.
The three of us, plus Spike I think after he was done reshelving?, went and opened the last two crates and took the last four artifacts down to the lab. It wasn't really interesting. Then we went out and had lunch at... I think it was the Sandwich Shack? Definitely one of the sandwich places. It wasn't anything special to be honest.
Applejack... I think that day was when I first started to actual see her as somepony I could enjoy myself around, at least to some minor extent. I won't lie, I was pretty jealous of how close she was with Twilight – how close all of them were with Twilight. It seems... pretty silly now. But I mean I am dating her now, so...
Anyway. Applejack was nice and helpful and I had trouble seeing that at first, much less appreciating it. Also, smarter than I gave her credit for – in some ways, anyway. She figured out what the Mirror was even with the sheet over it, and just didn't say anything because she didn't want to risk being 'cursed' or something by bringing it up. (Like I said, smarter in some ways.)
And the Mirror... A thorn in my side at times, and... well, mostly just a thorn in my side. But it's my thorn, and I'd rather I have it than somepony else. I don't regret studying it. It was the first Class A artifact I ever saw, and the first I ever got to work with as well. Helped give me my current interest in destiny, as well. Mirrors that let you occasionally see a possible future for yourself will do that to you. The fact that it also serves as the gateway to an alternate dimension every thirty moons is just the cherry on top, really.
Then there's my other Class As. The Thallid Thrasher is the most obviously dangerous one on the surface, being an actual sword (a minotaur short sword, to be specific) that animates itself (and attacks) under certain circumstances. Which sounds like it should be Class X, but it actually only animates around fungal-based lifeforms over a certain size threshold. The race it was apparently forged to be used against is long extinct, but there have been accounts of it attacking giant mushrooms, and in one case some poor minotaur that had gorged himself at an all-you-can-eat mushroom buffet. Fortunately it hasn't been activated in decades, though the magic is still present and waiting.
Another obviously-dangerous Class A is the unnamed crossbow used by the monstrous races during a war with early Equestria. It was allegedly a one-of-a-kind prototype that was enchanted to recall its bolts via teleportation and use them to reload. It's terrifying to think of a weapon like that, with a practically endless supply of ammunition and a high rate-of-fire, but luckily it was captured before it could be duplicated. The majority of the bolts linked to it were destroyed, with only a single blunt one remaining for testing purposes.
The Bowl of Wonders is another Class A, created shortly after the Discordian era. It's... pretty much just a big leaden bowl. Heavy, wide, kind of a pain to work with. Filling it to the brim with any sort of liquid produces unpredictable magical effects, ranging from the smell of flowers to an explosion. There appears to be some correlation between the liquid and the effect it produces, though, so that's what a lot of my research has been focused on.
The Harebound Journal (I didn't name it) is the youngest of my Class As, created only a century ago by some self-styled dark wizard who aimed to stage a coup against the Princess with it. He failed, of course, and rather miserably going by what Princess Celestia has told me, but the Journal is still a pretty impressive – and scary – piece of spellwork. It translates the thoughts of any being whose hair is threaded into the spine to text on its pages, allowing for easy eavesdropping at any range.
My final two Class As, as of my arrival in Ponyville, were actually a matched set – the Philosopher's Stone, and the Luddite's Stone. The former changes lead into gold, the latter gold into lead. They seem more dangerous than they really are, since they can only change the metals they touch and the change itself is only temporary, so there's not really any chance of them severely disrupting the economy or anything. As far as I'm concerned they're more like Class B nuisances than anything else, but others disagree – if word spreads of what they can do, there'll be a mass panic (or so they say). So that means the stones are Class A.
The two Class Bs among my favored dozen were the Jester's Goblet, a thousand-year-old prank item that vanishes any liquid placed inside it, and a gold locket named 'Folly' by its creator. Folly becomes incredibly heavy the moment it's worn, presumably as a way of dissuading thieves but in actuality just keeping anypony from actually wearing it. Considering it's caused some severe neck damage to the ponies who had it before me, I'm kinda surprised it was never upgraded to Class A.
And that brings me to the last three. Putting my unnamed crystal ball (I'm considering calling it 'Researcher's Bane') in Class C is generous, considering how useless it is. It does, technically, function as crystal balls are supposed to, which is to say it allows the user to see a distant location. The problem is that it's locked to one location, and not even a particularly interesting one at that. It's just some barren meadow outside of Baltimare. Nothing is there. Nothing has ever been there. Trust me, plenty of ponies have looked into it. And yet, somepony decided to make a heavy, fragile ball of glass specifically to watch it. Uggh.
Then there's the Class D New Moon Gate. Which is a door. Yeah. Still, when installed correctly it opens to some kind of extra-dimensional closet. But only during the new moon, hence the name. Which makes it technically useful and benign, but not at the level you really want from a Class D. The worst part is that some previous owner accidentally ended up using it as a pantry at some point, and the smell of spoiled food has never really left it. Turns out storing perishable food somewhere you can only access for a single moon each month is a terrible idea.
Which brings me, finally, to number twelve: the only one I discovered myself. I call it the Lotus Compass due to the lotus design on the back of it. I found it in an antique shop, the owner mistaking it for a regular compass that was simply broken. As you might expect, the needle of an enchanted compass does not necessarily point north; in the case of the Lotus Compass, it points at... something. I haven't been able to figure it out yet, and not just because I haven't had the time. It's just that nopony knows anything about it, not even the Princess; the best I have is that it dates back to early Equestria, but that's not helpful. The magic on it is... difficult to decipher, which is why I haven't figured out what it's pointing to. Which is irritating, because the needle does move. Extremely. Erratically. Which has made trying to follow it an adventure, to put it mildly.
So, yeah. Those are the twelve artifacts I got delivered on my third day in Ponyville. I also had a few small Class D and Class C trinkets lying around that I'd brought in the original move, but nothing worth mentioning.
Uhh... it's getting kind of late, so I guess I'm gonna call it done for tonight.
- Sunset Shimmer
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....IS THAT JACK MOTHERFUCKIN SPARROW'S COMPASS I SEE WHICH POINTS TOWARDS WHAT IT'S HOLDER DESIRES?!?!
8929850
Starlight is not in this fic, at least not currently (I will not say whether or not she will show up eventually). The castle doesn't exist yet. Twilight isn't even a Princess! At least, not in the story's 'present'. But you would know that if you'd actually read the fic...
8930084
Hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't. I have never watched a single Pirates movie in its entirety, nor do I have any desire to do so. Sometimes a magical compass is its own thing, and not a reference to something else.
Plus, if it really were pointing to what Sunset desired the most, I assure you that Sunset would have figured that out by now.
Nice to see Sunset bonding, however grudgingly, with Twilight's other friends. Applejack might not have the book smarts of the two unicorns, but she had more common sense than both put together. The artifacts Sunset has in her possession are also quite interesting. Well done.
Just finished reading the first story. Really loved it. I am excited to get into this one now.
Very nice development happening with Sunset, from her irritation of having her time with Twilight taken up to having her come to appreciate having Applejack around. The process was gradual throughout the day, making it realistic rather than some sudden heel turn. Nice to see how Sunset's personality still persists even with her coming to appreciate the Mane 6, still thinking things like Applejack being smarter in "some ways." Small touches go a long way without needing to say it.
And the artifacts truly seem fascinating, the mirror being one we're all familiar with. Some of them like the crystal ball and the compass make me wonder what secrets they hide. After all, just because something seems useless now doesn't mean it always was/will be. Maybe it takes multiple magical objects or special times to make them work properly.
Very nice here, wonder how the Trixie fallout will play
Sunset has yet to learn to share. Friendship isn't conserved. Twilight bonding with others won't weaken her bond with Sunset. Baconhorse will come to understand that in time. For now, she'll seethe in progressively lessening antisocial jealousy.
The artifacts are certainly interesting. The Thallid Thrasher must be incredibly effective if there's not even a saproling left anywhere in the world. (I suppose Thelon was a deer in this world.) The Luddite's Stone is peculiarly named; I suppose it's meant to be the counterpart of a natural philosopher, but that name still has me expecting it to turn iron to rust. And going by the New Moon Gate, you're treating "moon" as night, which has some curious implications for both the Mirror and Apple family reunions.
And, of course, there's the Mirror itself. Definitely looking forward to seeing ponies explore the other universe, and what becomes of it without modern Equestrian interference.
In all, a lot of potential story hooks amid Sunset's character development. Looking forward to more.
8930096
It's not just cause it's a magical compass that it sounds like a hearts desire compass. What you want isn't constant, a man dying of dehydration in the desert could pick it up and have it point him to water but if he sees a mirage in the distance it could just as easily point him to the mirage cause he no longer wants water, he wants the mirage he sees. So when Sunset is trying to figure out the compass it would likely spin trying to point to itself. Also you had Sunset say at some point that even if something told her she loved Twilight she'd likely not have been willing to believe it.
Seeing as you say it's not that though, then my guesses would be either it points to magical artifacts and behaves erratically cause it's so close to them or it points to Discord's realm which constantly moves or something. Or it's not important, but it really reads like it's going to be more important later on with how you wrote it last, made it the only one Sunset found, etc.
Dang, that's a creepy one
Thallids haha, mtg mushroom people.
Though, if you wanna know, in the mtg multiverse thallids are from dominaria, and they were created as a slave race to a dying people.
That whent as wel as you might imagin. Their creators went extinct after the thallid rebelled ontop of them already dying.
I think it went something along those lines.
Really good thing Sunset is playing nice(r) these days. She could accomplish quite a bit of adamge with some of that gear.
8930110
Thanks! Honestly writing these early interactions between Twilight's friends and a Sunset who really doesn't care much about them has been surprisingly great. They're growing on her, even if she doesn't recognize that fact. I'm glad you liked the artifacts as well.
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Awesome! Always great to hear from new readers
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Glad to hear I'm pulling off Sunset's gradual development well! Sometimes having her do a heel-face turn quickly works, like in canon, but I wanted to explore her turning around more slowly and I've enjoyed doing it so far. As for the artifacts... I expect that even I will be surprised with the truth behind some of them.
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Yes, how indeed... Well, I say that, but it's not likely going to come up very soon as I still have other things to focus on in the story.
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You've hit the nail on the head. Sunset still has a lot to learn about friendship, but luckily she's in pretty good hooves (even if they aren't formal teachers yet).
As for the artifacts... well, the world is wide, so there may very well be Saprolings squirming around somewhere. As for the Thallids, I'm thinking less Thelon's creations and more the natural ones occurring on Jund. Or something in that vein anyway, haven't thought it through fully. The Luddite's Stone is just what my mind drifted to as a name for the opposite of a Philosopher's Stone. And as for the New Moon Gate... well, in all my works I treat 'moon' as being roughly half a week. A bit of an oddball unit of measurement, sure, but I think it works. It means the Mirror opens up every 15 weeks (and for a single moon at that!), so a little under 4 months. Plenty of time to panic at the prospect of being trapped somewhere for.
And, incidentally, the Apple Family Reunion is held roughly once a year, sometimes twice at the very start and very end. I also like how this worked out for some things.
8933547
Ah, fair enough fair enough. Though I do think Sunset would eventually figure out that every time she tries to figure out what the compass is pointing to the needle goes haywire but otherwise its stable.
And... it is definitely going to be important at some point in some way. I just... haven't figured out the entirety of the how or when. Sometimes its fun to leave mysteries for my future self to puzzle out!
8939416
Yup! Very simplistic on the surface, but the potential is pretty terrifying. It's earned its Class A ranking.
8941403
Yes, I am familiar with the lore of Fallen Empires. Though in this particular case I was imagining more like the thallids from Jund, perhaps. At least in the sense that they're natural rather than an elf-created slave race.
8954097
Some of it, yes. The Class A artifacts anyway. Thankfully, as you said, she's being more Responsible these days.
Thallids? What do you have against poor Slimefoot? What about the Saprolings?
8930096
I do await your hot take on Starlight, and I do hope it's something more than "Starlight sure does suck and needs to be tossed into a hole." Perhaps exploring what happens when a magical savant has almost zero formal education, using brute force solutions and tampering with things no one told her were stupidly dangerous to tamper with, like time.