Sunburst to the Rescue

by David Silver

1 - Take a Look

Twilight sank to her haunches, a hoof rising to meet her face just as her face sank to greet it. A weary groan escaped her. She had lost all control, these actions seemingly happening to her rather than being things she decided to do. "How can this book be so... dense?"

Spike hiked a brow as he looked up from his comic. "Mmm? Are you still reading the same one?"

She glared at him in a sudden fit of anger. "Yes. Yes I am reading the same one. That is what a pony does when they're trying to understand something." She tapped at the book with increasing ire. "But this book doesn't want to be understood! It was written by a pony that clearly prayed that nopony else would ever understand what she wrote!"

Spike set his comic aside gently before he hopped up to his feet. "Twilight, as your trusted assistant and friend--"

"I am not overreacting," blurted Twilight, her wings popping open in defense before Spike could even finish.

Spike held up one finger. "You need something to drink." He turned away. "I'll get something. You wait here, and no reading until I get back."

Twilight watched him walk off before she slumped down, falling face-first into the tome that defied her, moaning into its uncaring pages. "Maybe a drink is a good idea..." She sat up, laughing at herself. Spike was not going to bring her that kind of drink. Maybe a calming herbal tea? That didn't sound too awful about then either.

Starlight poked her nose into the room. "Wow, that bad, huh?" The rest of her followed as she trotted towards the frazzled Twilight with a concerned look. "What are you reading anyway?"

"A thesis on arcane distribution along the alicorn and the effects of maturation environmental and historical contributions." She tapped at the rebelling book. "I want to know more why some unicorns have a lot of energy to spare, while others struggle to even make a dim light."

Starlight gave a thoughtful mmm. "Sounds deep." Her eyes flicked to the door as Spike returned, a teacup balanced on a little tray. "Hey Spike. She looks even worse than you suggested."

Spike hiked a brow at Starlight. "Told ya, but saying that where she can hear you isn't all that nice."

Twilight's horn lit up as she took hold of the teacup, setting it down on the book next to the book that defied her. "She starts with anecdotal data but intersperses it with concrete facts when she isn't going off on wild tangents." She threw a hoof at it in obvious frustration. "This when she isn't writing in a horrible mix of modern and old ponish! And don't even get me started on the meat of it! I swear, she may have been a genius, but she made zero effort to be understood."

Spike folded the tray under an arm. "Shame you don't have any magic researching friends to help ya out."

Starlight put a hoof on Spike's shoulder in a firm slap. "Spike, you wonderful genius! She does have one of those."

"I do?" Twilight sat up, hope glimmering in her eyes. "Where are they hiding?"

Spike smiled awkwardly. "Oh, uh..." He was on the spot. He started mentally filing through Twilight's impressive list of friends. "Well, let's see... Moon Dancer?"

Starlight shook a hoof at him. "I mean, yeah, maybe, but no! Sunburst! You two are already good study buddies, right?"

Twilight let her head tip to the side slightly. "I mean, yes. We have engaged in study before, successfully at that. Isn't he busy being my sister-in-law's crystaller?"

Spike snorted at that. "That title? Pretty sure he already fulfilled most of what it came with. At this point, Cadence and Shining are just keeping him around because he can foalsit sometimes."

Starlight rolled her eyes. "He's not entirely wrong. If you invited him over, I'm sure he'd hop on a train and be here in a jiff. I'll send him a letter right now." She vanished with a pop and no warning.

Twilight peered at the spot that had contained her friend and student. "She really has to stop acting before we finish talking."

Spike smiled at Twilight. "Entirely unlike other unicorns, huh?"

Twilight stuck out her tongue as her eyes rolled. "Point taken, I've done my share of hasty actions. Oh well, maybe Sunburst can shed some light on this."

"Like a sunburst?" suggested Spike with a grin.

Twilight threw a small pillow at him, sending it hurtling to bump off his head. "That was awful and you know it." She sipped from the tea he had brought. "Mmm, this is very nice, thank you. You know, I think I'll take a break from this. I should get some test grading out of the way. This book will be here when Sunburst arrives."

Several days later, Twilight, Spike, and Starlight watched a train pull up into the station. Ponies departed it, more than a few being crystal ponies from the frozen kingdom of their origin. Only one of them wore a specific cape that set him apart. "Princess, Starlight, Spike. It's good to see you all," greeted Sunburst as he pulled a suitcase along with his teeth.

Starlight grabbed the suitcase away in her magic, lifting it into the air. "Sunburst, welcome back to Ponyville!"

Spike offered a quiet fist and it was met with a hoof, the two males acknowledging one another without overt fanfare.

Twilight nodded to the visitor. "Welcome. Boy have I got a brain teaser for you." She half turned away. "I'll be glad to have a second pair of eyes on it."

Sunburst fell in with the others, half an eye on his floating luggage. "Nice to be here. What sort of 'brain teaser' do you have in mind, Princess? Starlight said it was some kind of research book?"

"That's hardly describing it," scoffed Twilight. "This thing is a warped view into a lost and dim past, led with care by someone with no concept of how anypony other than herself thinks!" Her mane frizzed as she walked, just thinking about the impenetrable tome that had vexed her so. "The subject matter may be of personal interest, come to think of it."

Starlight answered Sunburst's question before he could ask it, "It's about why some unicorns have so much more magic than others." When Sunburst sagged a little, she nudged him. "That's not a poke at you, Sunburst. Your amazing talent is why you're here, not any handicap. Besides, who knows, maybe you two can figure out a cure for unicorns with this, uh, issue."

Sunburst coughed softly into a hoof, the other three carrying him forward. "Yes, well, um, who did you say the author was?"

"You probably haven't heard of her." Twilight nodded to a few other ponies they passed. "She was obscure even when she was around. Miss Periwinkle Shine?"

Sunburst's ears perked right up. "I've read a few of her works. She does have a particular way of going about things." He nodded with seeming understanding. "The key is--"

Twilight spun on him. "You know how to read her book?!"

Sunburst shrank back a step. "I, um, yes? I've had to go through a few of her works in the past in search of things. Smart mare, sharp enough to get a papercut on, but her way of documentation is very particular."

Twilight grabbed Sunburst, a hoof on either of his cheeks, holding his face still. "You magnificent stallion!" She released him and cantered merilly up towards the castle, leaving Sunburst to crash to his haunches.

Spike snickered softly. "Well, you just got points with Twilight."

Starlight covered her mouth, lest her own amusement be too obvious. "She gets excited easily when it comes to learning new things." Her magic wrapped around him, lifting him back to his hooves. "You'd better catch up with her before she loses a few bolts waiting for you."

Sunburst shook his head in a violent motion. "I'm glad to help, really. She's been a friend of yours longer than mine--" He turned to Starlight fully, a nervous look on his face. "--Is there an etiquette to this? I mean, last time we were trying to save the world. This doesn't seem like the same kind of thing."

Spike hiked a brow at the suddenly nervous stallion. "You'll be reading a book, not dating her."

Sunburst colored deep and swiftly at the mere mention of the word. "O-oh! Um... yes..."

Starlight threw an arm over Sunburst, pulling him close. "Look, Sun, relax. Twilight just wants some help with her research, and you have the skills she needs. Don't stress it out past that."

"Right, of course." He adjusted his glasses, pushing them back up his nose from where they had slid down in the excitement. "Of course. Why would she... want anything other than that." He smiled awkwardly at Starlight. "Besides, I already have a mare friend and I don't want her being upset."

Starlight hiked a brow. "I am not your marefriend, Sunburst."

Sunburst's mouth worked silently a moment before a goofy grin spread. "Oh! No no no! Not 'Marefriend', one word. Mare friend, two words. A friend who is a mare. Just as I am a friend who is a stallion."

"And I'm a dragon friend?" offered Spike sceptically.

"Exactly." Sunburst bobbed his head quickly.

Starlight set his suitcase beside him. "Go on, she's waiting for you."

Sunburst grabbed the handle in his teeth. "Right, uh, see you later?" He advanced on the castle, pulling his suitcase along awkwardly.

Spike raised a brow at Starlight. "That wasn't very nice. I mean, it's not like we have anywhere else to go."

"Says you, dragon friend." Starlight nudged him, then pointed into town. "Let's get a treat, on me."

Spike quickly forgot about Sunburst. "Well, if you're treating, alright then. Sugarcube Corner?"

"Sounds like a date." She led the dragon into the town proper, away from old childhood friends and their careless tongues.

On the path to the castle, Sunburst arrived at the door with one last pull of his suitcase. "Why did I bring so much?" he lamented to himself quietly before raising a hoof and knocking on the great doors to the castle/tower. "Twilight? Princess Sparkle?"

With a loud pop, Twilight appeared just to the right of him. "I was wondering if you got lost, but then, you've been here before, I remember that." She plucked his luggage up in her magic. "Let's go!"

Sunburst smiled awkwardly, a hoof pawing at his beard. "I don't suppose I could have a drink before we begin?"

"Oh, how careless of me. Please--" She gestured inside frantically. "--go inside, make yourself comfortable. I'll get some refreshments, then we can start!" She vanished, taking his luggage along with her.

Sunburst looked to the spot that once held Twilight. Was there an answer that would let him do such spells? It wasn't that he didn't know the spell. He knew a fair few varieties of teleportation and transportation sorceries, but knowing them and being able to cast them were not the same thing.

He had gotten fairly used to... the way he was. Twilight had even reminded him that his knowledge was a keenly wanted commodity. A pony that knew how to research and could dedicate information to memory had their uses, even if they didn't cast any spells. "Even an earth pony could find a use in a magic school," he murmured to himself as he ascended towards the castle. "But I'm not an earth pony..." He tried his best to dismiss the negative thoughts. He was there to help Twilight, and he hoped to do just that.

He would not run away, as he had once before. He would stay and fight, and even if whatever they found was no use to him at all, he could help other ponies, maybe. If some other colt could avoid what he had, wouldn't that be enough?

Author's Note:

Welcome to a new story! With the last one complete, the patreon put this one up to take the Wednesday slot! Say hello to Sunburst. He has issues. Let's explore them, together.

Want this story updated faster? Want to get your own story written? Want to just support the author in his writing? Join the atreon!

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Comments

[Midknight Defender]

Chapter 1, "Take a Look"

Prediction:
Chapter 2, "It's in a book!'
Chapter 3,"It's Reading Rainbow!"

Bonus points if Dashie shows up and has some pithy insight that suddenly makes it all make sense!

[David Silver]

8929163
You're making it less fun and more obvious. Maybe I'll do it different!

[FanOfMostEverything]

Well, this should prove interesting. I do enjoy a good research story.

[Midknight Defender]

8929174

Hey, I'm not the alicorn of predicting fiction or anything like that.

Be as different as you wanna be.

I prefer it when writers surprise me. Even the good, entertaining ones don't always.

[No one is home]

The SparkBurst shipping is trig with this one....

[JD McGregor]

So, shall I begin the countdown clock for the love triangle to blast off?

[howard035]

8929330

8929483 Agreed. Great story, needs romance tag.

[JD McGregor]

8929770
Unlike most, I prefer the Twiburst ship to Starburst. I realize that most fans feel a need to ship the two childhood friends, but I see Starlight as still way too immature for a relationship. Also, he and Twilight seem to match almost perfectly. Besides, it's an almost perfect setup for a heartrending love triangle. None of them would ever want to hurt either of the others.

[RadicalDishonesty]

"A thesis on arcane distribution along the alicorn and the effects of maturation environmental and historical contributions." She tapped at the rebelling book. "I want to know more why some unicorns have a lot of energy to spare, while others struggle to even make a dim light."

Oh hey, what's that?

Exactly what is talking about the problem Sunburst has?

Hmmm.

[howard035]

8929790 I enjoy stories with both pairings, Starlight for the childhood friends angle (and because if there's one thing I've learned on this site, it's that romance stories are always better with a reformed villain) and Twilight for the fact that Sunburst is basically Maledancer.

[Crystal Treasure]

Twilight peered at the spot that had contained her friend and student. "She really has to stop acting before we finish talking."

Spike smiled at Twilight. "Entirely unlike other unicorns, huh?"

Spike with the sass, lmao

Only one of them wear a specific cape

them (wore) a

"They key is--"

The key is

Princes

Princess

knowing them, and being able

No comma here.

[titanhades70]

I prefer TwiStar ship.

[ridingonapony]

Amazing start! Really interested in seeing where this leads!

Liked, favorited and tracking.

[Dan]

"But this book doesn't want to be understood! It was written by a pony that clearly prayed that nopony else would ever understand what she wrote!"

James Joyce pony?

[Dan]

"I am not your marefriend, Sunburst."

Damn right. SunDancer OTP.