11 – Parents and Their Children
Chapter Eleven
Parents and Their Children
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More often than not, Sunset found that waiting was the worst part of any bad experience. By her nature, she was always compelled to do things – if there was an obstacle in her way, she would do what was needed to resolve the conflict. And while waiting was a regular part of getting things done, she hated the feeling that she was at the mercy of time.
For once, however, the usual feeling of restlessness was augmented with just enough fear at the meeting to come that she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted the wait to be over. It wasn’t even that she expected the meeting would go poorly, and it was an important meeting that would likely prove very helpful for her and Fluttershy.
But there was more to it than that. On the other side of the door was more than an office that would hold an awkward meeting; Sunset’s past was on the other side of it. And Sunset did not like facing her past.
“Nervous?” Fluttershy asked.
At least she didn’t have to face it alone. Sunset put on a smile that she didn’t really feel. “Just a little. You?”
Fluttershy turned her eyes downward. “Yes.”
Sunset placed her hand on Fluttershy’s. “It’ll be okay. Trust me.”
“I do.”
The door opened, and Sunset turned to face her past.
“Hello, Sunset.” Violet Dusk held the door open for them. “Please come in.”
Sunset swallowed her nervousness and smiled as she and Fluttershy entered the office. “Hi, Violet. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has.” Violet shut the door behind them and took a seat at a desk across the room. It was Sunset’s first time in the office, having always met with Violet elsewhere when she was a regular client. It wasn’t particularly large, but was kept open by having her desk pressed up against a wall, which also served to place Violet on the same side of it as Sunset and Fluttershy were.
There were several seats in various locations around the room, allowing them to choose where they wanted to be. Sunset chose the seat nearest the desk, and Fluttershy sat on one beside her.
Violet was the first to speak once they were all seated. “Who’s your friend here?”
“This is Fluttershy, my girlfriend.” Fluttershy blushed a little and failed to meet Violet’s eyes as Sunset introduced them. Even after the past few months, it wasn’t often they referred to each other as girlfriends. “And Fluttershy, this is Violet Dusk, my social worker.”
“Former social worker,” Violet corrected, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Sunset was in a same-sex relationship. “And while I’ll be happy to help you if I can, I hope you realize I work exclusively with minors.”
“I know, and this is about a child.” Sunset looked to Fluttershy, who was still not quite looking at either of the others. “The thing is… Fluttershy’s pregnant. The two of us are going to raise the child, no issues there, but, well… it’s complicated.”
“Things in my field often are.” Violet smirked. “And things with you always are.”
That made Sunset smile and dissipated some of her anxiety. The familiarity between them hadn’t vanished in the months that Sunset had stopped being Violet’s client, it seemed.
Which was good, because things were about to get heavy. “Fluttershy was raped by her stepfather. He’s the, well, that’s how she’s pregnant.”
“I see. That’s terrible, I’m very sorry you had to go through that. I hope you’re getting the support you need.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Sunset’s been wonderful, and our other friends are supportive too.”
“We’re pressing charges,” Sunset continued. “We’re still not sure when anything will happen, but the state is prosecuting the case.”
Violet nodded. “That’s good to hear, at least. Most people in your situation never do. And I take it you think I can help in some way?”
“I know you probably can’t do anything with the trial itself, but there’s something else. The only evidence we really have is that a DNA test will prove he’s the father.” Sunset glanced to Fluttershy, who looked uncomfortable at the mention of Stormy Skies being the father. She always was in the rare cases that detail came up, so Sunset took hold of her hand. “And… we’re worried what that’ll mean if he wins the court case.”
“Yes, that’s understandable. If you prove he’s the father and he’s found not guilty, then you realize he’ll have a claim to custody of the child.”
“That can’t happen,” Fluttershy said, surprising even Sunset.
Violet didn’t react to Fluttershy’s outburst; she was no doubt used to much worse. “You should keep in mind that there are a lot of variables that could stop that from ever happening. To start with, do you have any other family that could testify to his behavior?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No. My mom died, and I don’t even know what happened to my biological father. I never had any family besides my mom and stepfather.”
“It still might not even come to a court case at all, at least not for you two. If he decides to accept a guilty plea bargain before the case, you won’t even need to be involved.”
“He’s already denied his guilt,” Sunset said.
“Alright. Then of course, if the court finds him guilty he’ll be sentenced with jail time and would never be able to win a custody battle even once he was out. But perhaps most importantly, do you think he’d want to get custody of the child?”
Both Violet and Sunset turned to Fluttershy, who seemed to be less sure than when she made her outburst moments before. “I… I don’t know. He… he doesn’t even like children, so maybe not, but…”
“But you want to be sure,” Violet finished. “Understandable, but if all else fails, remember that most people in his position would probably want as little to do with the child as possible. It’s unlikely your fears will come to pass.”
Violet drummed her fingers on the table as she thought for a moment. “How old are you, Fluttershy?”
“Nineteen.”
“So then statutory can’t be used. But of course you wouldn’t be asking for my help if it were that simple.”
“Uhm…” Fluttershy fidgeted in her seat. “He did… It wasn’t the first time. It started when I was fifteen.”
Sunset had to fight from showing her surprise. This was the first time Fluttershy had mentioned that. Her surprise was short lived as it quickly incinerated into anger, which she also held inside.
Violet’s calm would have been frustrating from anyone else, but it was exactly what Sunset had come to expect from the stoic woman. “That’s definitely something to bring up in court. Really, any ammunition you can use against him. Stacking the charges up could sway him into taking a guilty plea on only the most recent accusation if you’ll drop the others.”
“He should pay for all of it,” Sunset said without really meaning to.
“Of course he should. But you can risk it all to get everything that should be, or you can try to make the best out of what’s realistically attainable.”
Sunset knew Violet was right, but couldn’t quite accept it just yet. Not until Fluttershy reminded her what was most important. “I just want him gone before the baby gets here.”
Sunset took a deep breath. “Yeah. Of course.”
“In the worst case scenario where he doesn’t take the plea bargain, is found not guilty, and decides to press for custody, do you have any way to argue he would be an unfit parent? Aside from the obvious, of course. Criminal history, some record of violence, unemployment, anything like that.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “He could be violent, but I don’t think I could prove that.”
“He’s an alcoholic,” Sunset said, then turned to Fluttershy. “You said he’s drunk all the time, right?”
“Well, yeah, but that’s not illegal.”
“It’s still good to keep in mind,” Violet said. “Substance abuse problems are a big reason parents lose custody, and in a situation where he doesn’t currently have custody to begin with, it’s even more likely to work in your favor.”
“Do you think that will be enough?” Fluttershy asked.
“It certainly could be. The hard part will be proving it, but at least you don’t need to have that evidence now. If it comes to that, child services can get involved in assessing his living situation.”
“Is there anything you can do if that happens?” Sunset asked.
Violet smiled. “In fact, there is. For as long as this is a sexual assault case involving only adults, I can’t do anything more than a few recommendations. But if this becomes a child services matter, I should be able to take the case. Don’t worry, I’m quite good at getting results for this sort of thing. I’ll give him some hell.”
It was oddly comforting to hear Violet sound so sure. It didn’t erase Sunset’s worries, but it did take the edge off of them. She wondered if this was what Fluttershy meant when she said she felt safer around Sunset.
“Thanks, Violet, it’s a huge relief. This whole situation has been pretty intense.” Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “We’re trying to get used to the idea of being parents at the same time that we’re trying to deal with all this other shit.”
“You’re welcome, and I’m glad you called me. But Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
“As a parenting tip, you might want to get used to watching your language.”
Sunset and Fluttershy both laughed. “We’re working on it,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah,” Sunset agreed. “We don’t want our kid talking like I did when I was younger.”
“You always did have quite the vocabulary.”
The reminder made Sunset smile. As far as she could recall, it was the first time she had ever enjoyed reminiscing a little about her past. Perhaps that was what drove out the question she’d always wondered. “Do you have kids of your own, Violet?”
As soon as Violet smiled, Sunset knew the answer. It was the sort of practiced smile that someone who had answered the same question time and again would wear. “I’ve helped dozens of kids, probably hundreds. Some of them, like you, I was there for almost their entire childhood. But no, I’ve never had kids of my own.”
“Aww, why not? I think you’d be pretty good at it.”
Perhaps just because it was Sunset, Violet’s grin became a little more genuine. “Of course I’m good with kids, especially in handling stressful situations. But you know as well as anyone that I’m not good at emotional support.”
“Well, what about your husband? Couldn’t he handle that?” Sunset shrugged. “I don’t mean to pry or anything, but it’s just something I’ve always wondered about you.”
Violet’s grin faded a little in confusion. “When have you ever heard me say anything about having a husband?”
Sunset realized she hadn’t, which actually caused her to grin more. “Wait, don’t tell me you have a wife then?”
“I’ve never been married, Sunset.”
Now Sunset was the confused one. “Really? But you’ve been ‘Mrs.’ Dusk ever since I met you.”
Realization brought Violet’s smile back. “Oh, that. It’s an old joke some friends at work started. They said I would never settle down because I was already married to my job. So I decided, sure, why not. I’ll be Mrs. Dusk, married to social work.”
Although she should’ve found the joke and Violet’s years-long dedication to it amusing, Sunset was more preoccupied with the fact that she had never known that. She’d never so much as bothered to learn basic details about Violet’s life, and she had been one of the most important and present people for Sunset when she was growing up at New Horizons Home for Children.
It was exactly why Sunset hated looking into her past. Every time she did, there were more reminders that she had been so preoccupied with being an awful person that she had let an entire life pass her by without much notice.
That would be one more thing Sunset held inside. “Wow, guess I was pretty wrong on that one.”
At least Violet didn’t think much of it. “With our relationship being what it was, there was never much of a reason for you to know about my home life.”
“Well, for whatever it’s worth, I think you’re wrong. I always thought you’d be an amazing parent.” Sunset found herself glancing down to the floor. “And to tell you the truth, when I was little… I think a part of me kind of hoped you’d decide to adopt me someday.”
Violet was not an emotionally expressive woman. There was no big show of surprise or sentimentality in her voice at Sunset’s revelation. Still, after years of knowing her, Sunset could tell there was something there in her voice when she spoke. “I see. Well, I’m very flattered that you felt that way, Sunset. I don’t think I ever could have been what you needed in a full-time guardian, however. Besides, you know there was always someone else who tried her best to be exactly that for you.”
Sunset knew exactly who Violet was talking about. “Yeah, I know.”
“Have you spoken with her recently?”
Sunset shook her head. “No. Not since I got my own place. How’s she doing?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve been out of touch as well. None of my kids are staying at New Horizons at the moment. You’ll just have to go see Miss Rose for yourself, I’m afraid.”
So much had changed, and yet, here they were again. How many times had Violet suggested Sunset visit Rose Petal? But how could she? Sunset had manipulated then abandoned her the first chance she got.
But what she said was, “Yeah, you’re right.”
Sunset felt a little bad for Fluttershy, who probably felt awkward at being around for such a strange and sentimental conversation. But when she turned to face her, Fluttershy smiled contently.
“As nice as it’s been to see you again,” Violet said, “I need to prepare for meeting a client.”
“Alright. Thanks again, Violet. It really means a lot to me.”
“To both of us,” Fluttershy added.
Violet stood up to see them out. “It was nice meeting you, Fluttershy. I’m sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances.”
Fluttershy smiled as they left the room. “It was nice to meet you too.”
“Keep me posted on how things go.”
“Will do,” Sunset said.
Violet waved them off, then closed the door to her office.
They saw themselves out of the building before either of them spoke. Sunset wasn’t really sure what to say after the conversation, but she was saved from trying when Fluttershy picked it up. “She seemed pretty sure that things would work out.”
“Yeah, and Violet’s really good at her job. I feel a lot better knowing she’s on our side.”
They approached the car, and Sunset automatically went to the driver’s side
“Uhm…” Fluttershy fidgeted in place. “You said I could drive home.”
“Oh, right! Sorry, slipped my mind.” Sunset handed Fluttershy the keys, then walked around to the passenger side. She would have preferred if it slipped Fluttershy’s mind as well.
They had been going on driving lessons since getting the car a week ago, and it always made Sunset incredibly nervous. It wasn’t that Fluttershy was a bad driver or anything. True, she was inexperienced and out of practice, but she was cautious and remained aware of her surroundings at all times.
It did make a lot of sense for Fluttershy to learn to drive, and it would make things much easier on days when they both needed to work. But there was no accounting for other drivers. One wrong move, one lapse in attention, one failure to respond in a split second window and that could be it.
And while most car accidents were minor and very few were fatal, right now their future child was just a fetus. Fluttershy did have a point whenever she reminded Sunset that she was still early in her pregnancy and didn’t need to be extra careful yet, but a car accident could still put their child in serious danger.
Sunset did her best to keep all these thoughts inside as she entered the car and put on her seatbelt. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had already adjusted her seat and had moved on to the mirrors, taking the time to make sure each one was perfect.
Fluttershy smiled at Sunset, then shifted into reverse. She backed out of the parking space very slowly, constantly keeping an eye on the cars beside them. Only when she was absolutely sure that she wouldn’t hit either did she turn the wheel, and even then, she somehow managed to go even slower while she finished backing out at an angle.
Her caution did help Sunset feel a little better, but it had never been Fluttershy’s driving that worried her. The real trouble would only start once they were out on the road.
Fluttershy shifted into drive and carefully straightened out, then eased out of the parking lot. She remembered to put on her blinker and look carefully in both directions for other cars or pedestrians, but Sunset still found herself gripping the armrest tightly as she pulled out.
Their house wasn’t terribly close to Violet’s office. Sunset had barely thought anything of the distance on the way up, but now she realized she was in for a very long car ride. All she could do is smile, tell Fluttershy she was doing just fine, and try to find some comfort in the words herself.
Sunset had barely let go of the armrest by the time they arrived home. The forty-minute drive took Fluttershy an hour because she stayed below the speed limit and was overly cautious when making turns, but it felt even longer than that.
“You did really good,” Sunset told her as they pulled up to the house. And she had, there was no denying that Sunset’s concerns had been largely unfounded. Of course, they’d be back next time Fluttershy was behind the wheel, whether they were reasonable or not.
“Thanks, Sunny.” Fluttershy pulled up to the curb and craned her neck to see it better. “Uhm, am I close enough?”
Sunset looked out of her window and could easily see the road in between them and the curb. “You can get closer.”
Fluttershy shifted into reverse and scooted just the tiniest bit closer as she backed up. Now that there weren’t other drivers around to make her nervous, Sunset found her extreme caution amusing.
Sunset opened her door so she could see better and help guide Fluttershy in. “Closer… Closer.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just a bit more.”
In the end, Fluttershy still could have gotten closer, but Sunset decided it was good enough. “Alright, you’re good here. Just, uh, you might want to pull up a bit now.”
As she had inched ever closer to the curb, Fluttershy had been continuously backing up, to the point where they were now in between their house and their neighbor’s. Fluttershy frowned and pulled ahead. In the process, the front tires wound up a little further from the curb than the back ones, but Sunset didn’t bother to tell her to straighten out.
The engine cutting off brought relief to Sunset. And, judging by Fluttershy’s sigh, she felt the same way. “Good job, Shy.”
Fluttershy gave a weary smile. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to driving.”
“You’ll get the hang of it soon. Trust me.”
“If you say so.” Fluttershy unbuckled and left the car, so Sunset followed her lead.
“How long until you have to get ready for work?” Sunset asked once they were inside.
Fluttershy checked the time on her phone. “I’ve got about three hours, so no hurry. Want me to make something for lunch?”
Sunset kissed Fluttershy on the head then walked to the kitchen. “I’ll make something. You should spend your time relaxing, you’re the one who has work.”
Fluttershy followed Sunset. “Oh, I don’t mind.”
“Neither do I.” Sunset shrugged. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’m not too hungry. Feeling a little dizzy.”
Sunset frowned. “Then you definitely don’t need to make lunch. Take it easy, Shy, I’m not as helpless as you think I am.”
Although Fluttershy may or may not have believed that, she did at least take a seat. “Maybe just something small, like a sandwich.”
“Grilled cheese alright?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Sunset turned on a stove burner and placed a pan on it, then got out the bread, butter, and cheese.
While she cooked, Sunset thought about the conversation with Violet. Particularly, Fluttershy’s statement that she’d been raped more than once, and for so long. She wanted to talk to Fluttershy about that, to find out why she hadn’t ever told Sunset before, but she didn’t know what to say. What could she possibly do in the wake of the hell that Fluttershy had endured? Sunset could never take away that pain, and talking about it might only make things worse.
Whatever she could do, she decided she could do it another time. Fluttershy had work later, and Sunset didn’t want her dwelling on memories brought up by an uncomfortable conversation the whole time she was there. The pressing danger had long since past, and they weren’t going to resolve any lingering issues in one conversation before Fluttershy left for work.
It seemed that only one of them had decided not to bring up the past, however. “I, uhm, I never knew you were adopted.”
Sunset flipped the grilled cheese. “I wasn’t. No one wanted to adopt the problem child.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
Sunset shrugged and turned to face Fluttershy. “It’s fine. I wasn’t ever really sure if I wanted to be adopted, anyway.”
Fluttershy looked hesitant as she spoke again. “So, uhm… Who was the person you and Violet talked about then?”
“Rose Petal. She was a caretaker at New Horizons, where I lived.”
Fluttershy fidgeted in her seat, so Sunset chuckled. “It’s really fine, Shy. I’m not like, super torn up about growing up in an orphanage or anything.”
“It’s not that, it’s just, uhm…” Fluttershy brushed her hair out of her face and forced herself to make eye contact. “I never knew about any of that. Or… anything at all about you before CHS.”
Sunset decided to turn her attention back to the grilled cheese. “You know I’m from Equestria.”
“Yeah, but… You never talk about it. It’s like… Sometimes I still feel like I hardly know you.”
There was a point to be made about Sunset not being the only one hiding from her past, but she knew better than to make it. “It’s just a lot of really awkward stuff. I mean, it’s kinda hard to feel normal when talking about how I’m really a magic horse from another dimension.”
“Even…” Fluttershy trailed off, and didn’t answer until Sunset turned to look at her. Even then, she was no longer looking at Sunset. “Even with me?”
It could be said that it was especially awkward with Fluttershy, at least one detail. So Sunset didn’t answer right away. Instead, she got a plate and scooped the grilled cheese onto it. She set that in front of Fluttershy, before pouring her a glass of milk to go with it.
She waited until she had another grilled cheese going before talking. “I have a complicated past.” She took a deep breath. “But sure, I can tell you about it.”
Sunset waited for just a moment, in which Fluttershy looked at her expectantly. She didn’t push, but it was clear that she was very interested in hearing more. “When I first came to this world, I pretended like I had amnesia so I wouldn’t have to make up a believable story. They wound up putting me in New Horizons, where I grew up. I had already been a brat before coming here, but growing up in a world that was so different and where no one would ever believe me didn’t do anything to make me a better person. I had difficulty connecting with others, especially kids.”
“That must’ve been really hard.”
Sunset didn’t like how sympathetic Fluttershy sounded, but she ignored it. “Rose Petal and Violet more or less took care of me, each in their own ways. I also saw some psychologists and therapists, but I was pretty good at playing the part of a more or less normal girl, so that never went anywhere.”
“It sounds like you made things a lot harder than they needed to be.”
That was more like it. “Yeah, I really did.” Sunset flipped the sandwich. “I had a childhood full of loneliness and misery, and it was pretty much my own fault. That’s why I never really talk about it. But it’s fine, none of that bothers me anymore, you know? My past is not today and all that. I have you, Applejack, and everyone else now. Life’s gotten a lot better.”
“I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me, though.”
Sunset laughed. “Of course I trust you.”
“So, uhm, what about Equestria?”
That wasn’t a laughing matter, and was something Sunset had wanted to avoid. But she couldn’t say she trusted Fluttershy with her past and then not answer a direct question like that. All she could do was try to avoid the worst of it. “I don’t remember it much, to tell you the truth. It was a long time ago.”
“You have to remember something, right?”
It felt like they were inching closer to the one thing Sunset didn’t want to talk about at all, the one thing she might never want to admit to. “You’d think the whole being a horse thing would make stuff a lot different, but really, I did a lot of normal stuff. The two worlds are more alike than they are different.” Sunset grinned as she got another plate for her grilled cheese. “Well, it was a lot easier to get vegetarian food there.”
“Oh, is that why you don’t eat meat?”
“Yeah. It just always weirded me out a lot, even when I didn’t believe in Equestria for a while.”
“When was that?”
Sunset frowned. She had brought herself even closer to the topic she was avoiding. “Middle school.”
“Oh, I see.”
It was clear Fluttershy expected more, but Sunset wasn’t sure what to say. If she explained that, explained why it had been so hard to keep believing in Equestria… Well, to say Fluttershy would be weirded out by the revelation was the best outcome Sunset could hope for.
“Is… is that something you don’t want to talk about?”
“I dunno. Maybe, I guess.” Sunset placed her grilled cheese on the plate, turned off the burner, and brought it to the table. Before she could sit down, Fluttershy stood up.
“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said as she hugged Sunset. “You don’t have to talk about it. But, uhm, it’s also okay to talk to me about anything, you know.”
Sunset couldn’t help but grin. “You know, I think you sounded like me right there.”
Fluttershy blushed. “I, uhm, I do try to think of what you’d say sometimes…”
Sunset was still grinning as they sat down, but it soon faded as she fought with herself on what to do. But she wasn’t being fair – Fluttershy deserved to know, and Sunset had waited far too long to tell her. “I’m thirty.”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
Sunset shook her head and sighed. “I’m thirty years old, Shy. I was seventeen when I went through the mirror as a unicorn, but I was five when I came out the other side as a human.”
“Oh.” At first Fluttershy didn’t seem to know how to respond, then she asked, “Why did that happen?”
Didn’t she see how weird this was? Was she just trying to ignore it? “I don’t really know. But then, well… I was still seventeen in a way, but my brain was the same as any other five-year-old’s. Not fully developed, you know?”
“So you acted like a five-year-old?”
“Sometimes. It was really weird. Sometimes I felt seventeen, sometimes I felt five. And I didn’t have an adult’s memory retention, so I started to forget Equestria. Plus the whole thing just seemed so crazy that I convinced myself it wasn’t real. Then it became sort of like… If you think you’re twelve, you have the body of a twelve-year-old, you have all the puberty changes going on, you think and act like a twelve-year-old, and you can only remember back about seven years or so… how old are you when it really gets down to it?”
Fluttershy placed her hand on Sunset’s. “You poor thing…”
“It’s fine,” Sunset said again, even though this time it wasn’t. She suspected Fluttershy knew that much too. “And… I’m sorry. I should’ve told you sooner. Before we, well… you know. Before us.”
“It’s okay, but I’m happy you told me.” Fluttershy smiled. “It makes me feel like we’re getting closer.”
“Even… if I’m way older than you?”
Fluttershy grinned. “Sunny, you just said you’re a magic horse from another dimension, and you think I care how old you are?”
When put like that, Sunset couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “I guess it just felt like things are weird enough, you know? When your girlfriend’s a horse, you probably want to minimize any other weirdness.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s weird.” Fluttershy blushed. “To tell you the truth, I’ve always wanted to see you as a pony. I bet you’re adorable.”
That led to Sunset wondering what Fluttershy would be like as a pony, which led to her blushing as well. She reminded herself that she was friends with another Fluttershy who was already a pony, but it didn’t do anything to stop the thought of how cute she would be.
“I, uhm, I really would like to know more about Equestria… If you want to tell me about it.”
Sunset closed her eyes and tried to remember what it was like. “I’m probably not the best person to ask. On top of forgetting it and not being there for so long, I wasn’t out very much. I mostly just studied a lot.”
“Uhm, Sunny? You’re the only person to ask.”
Sunset opened her eyes and smirked. That was true.
“You have to remember some things besides studying. What… what were your parents like?”
As always, the thought of her parents brought a scowl. She quickly wiped it off though. It was understandable that Fluttershy would want to know about them, especially since they were going to be parents themselves.
“Well, they weren’t very good,” Sunset answered. “My dad was a military commander. A damn good one. Equestria wasn’t ever at war while he was in command, but he did lead during several small-scale military engagements, and he always succeeded.
“Brilliant mind. Horrible father and husband. He expected perfection from me in everything I did, and even when I met or exceeded his standards, it was never enough. He’d yell at me for the tiniest failures. And he did the same with my mom, they always seemed really unhappy together.”
“That’s horrible… Was your mom better, at least?”
Sunset shrugged. “Yes and no. She was awful in her own ways. At least I knew my dad cared about my existence. Maybe it was only that he cared how I made him look, I never really knew, but at least that was something. It always felt like I just made my mom miserable, like she regretted having me. She worked a lot. Like, a lot. And I’m pretty sure that was because she didn’t want to be around me and my dad. But hey, at least she was a good business pony. She turned a small textile business that she started about a year before I was born into one of the biggest in all of Equestria by the time I left.”
Fluttershy pushed her plate aside and scooted her chair closer. While Sunset had barely touched her grilled cheese, Fluttershy had already finished hers. She linked her arm around Sunset’s and leaned against her shoulder. “That’s awful, no wonder you got off to a bad start.”
Sunset took a bite of her sandwich and frowned the entire time she chewed. “Maybe at first, yeah. But it was really my fault in the end.”
“You’re too hard on yourself. You didn’t have anyone helping you. At least I had my mom, back when she was alive, and I always had Rainbow Dash. You were all alone in the world.”
“No.” Sunset sighed. “There was someone else, too.”
“Oh?”
Sunset closed her eyes. Sometimes she could still imagine herself being face to face with those welcoming magenta eyes. It made her heart hurt to think about, and the pain only worsened when she remembered how angry those eyes had been the last time she looked into them.
“Princess Celestia.”
Fluttershy nuzzled against her. “What was she like?”
It took Sunset a moment to respond. When she did, her voice came out soft and quiet, as if talking too loud would disrupt the memory of her. “She was… she was amazing, Shy.” Sunset slouched in her chair, leaning against Fluttershy. “She was everything I ever wanted to be, and everything I never knew I should want to be. She had the talent, the knowledge, the respect, all the things I wanted. But she was also the most caring and compassionate pony I’ve ever met. She had this way of talking to everypony as if they were the exact pony she wanted to see at the moment, no matter how high or low they were on the social ladder.”
“She sounds wonderful.”
Sunset nodded. “And she was my teacher. She took me under her wing and let me learn from her. And then later, she even let me move into the castle with her. I told her about my parents, and how I didn’t feel like they loved me. At first she just gave me that whole spiel about, you know, of course they love you and all that. I thought that was going to be it, but then I found out that while she’d said that to me, she actually started looking into things with them and decided they weren’t taking good enough care of me. I don’t really know what she did to make it happen, but one day she showed up and asked me if I’d like to live in the castle. Just like that.”
“It sounds like she really cared about you a lot.”
Sunset distracted herself with another bite of her grilled cheese then shrugged. “Mainly she was my teacher,” she said once she finished chewing. “And I’m sure she cared about me a lot as her student, don’t get me wrong. But you know, it wasn’t the same as if someone else invited me to live with them. She had a whole castle with tons of spare rooms, lots of ponies lived there. It just made sense, it wasn’t like she… like she really adopted me or anything.”
Fluttershy didn’t seem to know how to reply, so she didn’t try to. Instead, she just took to absent-mindedly running her hand along Sunset’s arm, comforting with her presence.
Although Sunset hadn’t really wanted to talk about Celestia, once she started it was hard to stop. “Still, it was good. She would teach me things, and we’d sometimes meet for tea and all that pony princess stuff.”
Sunset had to smirk at how silly that sounded, but it was short-lived. “Then things changed. Someone else came to live in the castle. A new princess named Cadenza. She was younger than me, but she had somehow managed to become a princess. Something to do with some spell she broke or something.”
“Oh, ponies aren’t born as princesses?”
“Some are. If a prince or a princess has a kid, they’re royalty by default. But if somepony proves that they’re worthy of it, they can become an alicorn, a pony that embodies the traits of all the other kinds of ponies. Alicorns are accepted as royalty. Like Twilight… and Cadance.”
“I, uhm, I take it you two didn’t get along.”
“She was, well, perfect. Everyone loved her. But all I could see was somepony who got what I wanted without even trying. And worse than that, Celestia called Cadance her niece. They weren’t actually related or anything, Celestia just decided that Cadance was the pony she’d take into her family.” Sunset stared down at her grilled cheese, no longer in the mood to eat. “And not me.”
“That doesn’t sound fair at all…”
Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to be angry about that anymore. “I mean, I was her gifted student, you know? I was already one of the closest ponies to her, that should’ve been enough for me. It’s not her fault that I was never satisfied. And Cadance was probably okay too. I was just a bitch.”
Fluttershy kissed Sunset on the cheek. “Well, I think you’ve come a long way since then.”
Sunset smiled. “Well, when you’re at the bottom, what way is there to go but up?”
“You’re not giving yourself enough credit. But that’s okay, you’ll have me around to make up for that.”
“You give me too much credit,” Sunset said, but she couldn’t hold back the smile.
“Hmm, nope. Just the right amount.” Fluttershy placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder and guided her into a kiss. “I think… I’m finally starting to worry less. About us being parents, I mean.”
“Oh yeah?” Sunset grinned. “My stunning story of all the lessons I learned through parental support did the trick, then?”
Fluttershy laughed. “I just feel like we make a good team. I was worried that I won’t be able to do everything. I’m not organized enough, and I have a hard time figuring out what I need to do to move forward with things. But now… I’m starting to believe more and more that you’ll always be there, and I know you’ll be able to help with things I can’t do myself.”
“You know what’s funny?” Sunset cupped Fluttershy’s face in her hands and brought their foreheads together. “I feel the same way about you.”
Fluttershy kissed Sunset again. When they pulled apart, Sunset brought her hand to Fluttershy’s stomach. It was still too soon for Sunset to feel the baby move, but she often found her hands going to Fluttershy’s stomach anyway.
“So what do you say little one?” Sunset asked. “Think we’ll make it as mommies?”
Fluttershy giggled. “I don’t think they can hear you yet.”
Sunset shrugged. “What’s a little thing like not having ears matter when love’s involved, right?”
“Hmm, well, if I had to guess, I think our baby is just as excited to meet us as we are to meet them.”
“We’re gonna have to figure out something to call them other than ‘the baby’.” Sunset got off her chair and kneeled on the ground, placing her head on Fluttershy’s stomach. “What’s that? You want to be Sunset Shimmer Jr? Well, I dunno if Shy’ll be okay with that, but I’ll ask her for you.”
Fluttershy took advantage of Sunset’s position to stroke her hair. “I’ve, uhm, I’ve been thinking about names. Or well, one name.”
Sunset picked her head up. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Well, I don’t know about if they’re a boy, but maybe if they’re a girl…” Fluttershy blushed. “It’s silly…”
“Hey, currently the number one spot is Sunset Shimmer Jr. Not like you got stiff competition here.”
“When I was little, I had an imaginary friend. Uhm, her name was Sky Shimmer, and… I was thinking…”
Sunset placed her head back on Fluttershy’s stomach. “What do you think? Do you want to be Sky Shimmer? You do?” Sunset picked her head up again and smiled. “The board has approved the name. And, in my completely and totally unbiased opinion, this family could use more Shimmers.”
Fluttershy beamed, even though she had to wipe away a tear. “You make me so happy, Sunny. I can’t believe I’m in a real family again.”
Sunset pulled herself up for another kiss. “Me too. Or well, that I’m actually in a family at all. I love you, Shy.”
“I love you too, Sunny.”
Sunset rubbed Fluttershy’s stomach. “And I love you too, Sky.”
Fluttershy placed her hand on Sunset’s. “We both do.”
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Idk what to say. But the ending was adorable
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Thank you, glad you liked it
Many feels, not many words.
I’m glad they’re covering all their bases on the practical end. Sunset continues to Sunset.
Ah, so in Rabbitverse/WWB canon all alicorns were born ponies? It would be interesting to hear about the early history of Luna and Celestia in the light of WWB, in that case!
Or in general.It was great to see callbacks to the first Sunny story, too. So far, this has been fairly stand-alone as a sequel, but I love seeing the tie-ins. Learning more about the history of Fluttershy's abuse was also interesting and important. Hopefully they'll manage to put together more evidence and Sunny will piece together more pieces of Shy's past. I'm also mildly surprised that Violet didn't refer Shy and Sunny to another social worker she might know.
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I also usually like to think that Celestia and Luna were mortal ponies that ascended. I picture Celestia as Earth and Luna as a Unicorn. Not only is she the more overtly mystical one, that makes Cadance ascending form a complete set and Twilight starting a new cycle. Flurry Heart is something new and interesting. Maybe it's a sign of the new Harmonious era, maybe it's being an Alicorn plus epic true love. Or maybe Flurry is Cadance non-sequentially reincarnated, and that's her form of immortality. Who can say?
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'Who can say?' about sums things up. With how important the Sisters are to the pony world, I always like to hear about differing origin stories and histories for them. Mine is wildly different from yours, and maybe Krickis has one that's similar to yours, or to mine. Maybe it's different from both of ours! Who can say?
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lol would it even be a bun story if there wasn’t a constant focus on how these situations play out irl?
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Yeah, I was a little unsure of even tagging this as a sequel with how standalone it is. But there will more characters and situations from Looking Glass to come, even if largely this story will continue to be its own thing.
Honestly, you’re right she should’ve. That’s all on me for not thinking of it, I’m afraid
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So, Rabbit alicorn headcanons (Or at least what’s canon to WWB since I don’t have strong opinions in general): There are two types of alicorns, ascended alicorns like Twilight and Cadance, and natural alicorns like Luna and Celestia. Natural alicorns aren’t from Equestria originally, they come from an eastern land and they’re genetically different from ponies (related species to be sure, but technically not ponies at all; probably same genus, but I’d have to check with my resident biologist to make sure I’m not using the wrong term). I haven’t fully fleshed out a backstory that I’m probably never including, but the alicorns and the dragons were at one point at war and the alicorns were brought to near extinction. While both species live practically forever, alicorns have issues with reproduction (i.e., they can not reproduce forever) which leads to them having comparatively smaller numbers to the dragons. Some remaining alicorns fled the land and settled in the ancient version of what is now Equestria, but for whatever plot convenient reason, only Luna and Celestia (who would’ve been quite young at the time) survived.
Ascended alicorns are altogether different. They’re regular ponies who were gifted alicorn-like status by Harmony. Genetically, they are still ponies (and so technically not alicorns at all) and are thus capable of reproducing with other ponies, will not live forever, and are smaller than natural alicorns (although larger than most other ponies). If I ever really dug into this backstory I’d come up with some reason why Harmony makes them alicorn-like, but for now it’s just because Hasbro says so. Although they may technically not be alicorns, the similarity is so strong that they use the same word. Plus Luna and Celestia feel super bummed out that there aren’t other alicorns, so not making a distinction between themselves and the ascended alicorns makes them feel a little better. This is probably also why they’re princesses (or princes, since fuck it I see no reason a stallion couldn’t ascend); Luna and Celestia really want some other ponies to be equal to them so they feel less lonely.
If an ascended alicorn mates with a pony, the foal will be a pony and not a natural alicorn. But it could be born as an ascended alicorn (i.e. Flurry Heart) because essentially the ascended alicorn parent adds that as a fourth type to any foal they concieve. So essentially Cadance and Shining could have unicorn foals from Shining’s genetics or pegasus and alicorn foals from Cadance’s (and earth ponies if either of them have earth ponies in relatively recent family history).
I'm not crying you're crying!!!
And that ending gave me diabetes, in a good way I assure you. I find it fun making up backstories, especially since so many characters in the mlp world haven't had theirs filled in. Might be some holes in yours, but it works really well in the context of your story. And I like how it's used as sort of a marker of how their reaction is developing. They are trying to develop a strong relationship within a small window, but it's coming off as believable.
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And I agree, I have a lot of fun fleshing out the backstories for these characters. Curious about what holes you may have found, since I tend to be pretty thorough while planning them. And above all, I’m glad to hear things are feeling believable; it’s something I strive for at all times 
Hehe I was waiting to get to that end for ages
Meowwww this is sooooo cute
Squeeeeee
I'm gushing
aaaaah
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Has this person read Looking Glass?
I don't remember any holes in your storytelling
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We later clarified that this was indeed a misunderstanding based on Nate not having read Looking Glass. I won't say I'm above making the occasional blunder in how I present my story, but to the best of my knowledge no one's found any outright holes in it
Damn, would sure be a shame if this was some kind of foreshadowing.
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I know right
Dammit Kricks every time. Every damn time. Name Sky Shimmer makes me want to cry. Them being jn a car makes me want to cry.
They make me want to cry dammit
Ah, sounds like this won't become a legal drama, which may be for the best.
Anyway, great to see Violet Dusk again. :D I still remember her, and she's still great. That little bit about her personal life was a nice touch.
Damn, she's already at 'their child'. :O
So wholesome at the end, I just wanna die :D
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And yess, gotta get them mommy feels in there!
lol yeah I wanted a family drama, never a court drama. I started writing a court case chapter and it just felt wrong. Then when I researched and found out in sexual assault cases, the state is the one who handles the trial, it just worked out really well
Oh, snap. They’re enlisting mama bear to lead the charge!
Well, for as much as she can.
Yas. APAA! All Ponies Are Adorable!
Wow, was not expecting both Fluttershys to have a connection to the name Sky Shimmer, what a twist
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Had to get that name in there haha, Sky Shimmer is best imaginary friend/O&O character/potential daughter name
I still find it odd how that's the reason she got pregnant.
Wait, that's possible!?!?
https://m.I knew I heard that name before somewhere, and it looks like my theory was correct.
Kinda reminds me of something similar to something that happened to me in middle school. Except it doesn't involve nor is related to Sunset's issue. 🙄
Crap, I totally forgot about that.
OMG IT'S VIOLET😀😀😀😀 I MISSED EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE EMOTIONLESS SOCIAL WORKER!!!!
if Rose turns out to have passed away I swear I'll cry.
omg I love this, pure joy in these interactions ‼️‼️‼️‼️
!!!
I fear for you, Sunfish Swimmer.
<3!!!
I'm cringing at the end of this chapter, I just know something is going to happen, and upend their happy existence...