Ch.5 Family Ties
The room was filled with laughter, the Princess of the Sun flashing a wide grin as her Daughter did everything in her power to hide herself behind her hooves. While a part of her was glad that her friends were getting to know her a little better, she wished her mother would do it through her less embarrassing moments. Like how she was the top of her class in Magic Kindergarden or how she learned how to levitate things when she was two. Not things like the time she thought the toilet tank had a Dragon trapped inside and got stuck inside trying to get it out. Or when she sneezed and fired a laser through her mother's pet's cage. Probably the crème de la crème of all her stories was how things went on her seventh birthday.
"And then," Celestia smirked. "My Little Sun burst out of the cake, covered in frosting and said, "Mommy, where's the cream filling?" with the biggest pout I'd ever seen. The Chef is still trying to figure out how she managed to teleport in there without destroying the cake."
While Twilight's half of the table tried to keep their composure, Sunset's half wasn't so reserved. Octavia, Bonbon, and Derpy merely chuckled while Lightning, Vinyl, and Lyra were rolling on the ground in laughter.
"O-Oh god," Vinyl gasped between chuckles as she staggered back to the dinning room table. "Please tell me you've got pictures."
"Well, as a matter of fact," Celestia smirked, eyeing her blushing daughter.
"Please tell me you're kidding," Sunset begged, face still hidden behind her hooves.
Still smiling, Celestia's horn glowed and with a flash all of the plates vanished and in their place was an aged photo album that just so happened to be open. Dead center of the page was a picture of a light orange filly with a red and gold mane sticking out of the side of the central tier of a four-tier cake. Just as the Princess had described it, the little equine had the biggest, most adorable pout plastered across her muzzle. Half of Sunset's friends let out D'aws while the rest resumed their lung-breaking laughter now with Rainbow added to the mix. A loud thud from the table got the attention of everyone not laying on the ground as Sunset shifted from hiding her face behind her hooves to letting it fall onto the table.
"Are you okay?" Derpy asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
"Yeah," she sighed listlessly as she turned her head towards her friend. "But do you think you could help me dig a hole later? I suddenly feel like burying a body today."
"Your mom's?" she asked with a raised brow and half-smile.
"No, mine," she groaned.
"Oh, relax Sunset," Lightning smiled as she pulled herself back to the table. "Don't forget what happened to Fluttershy this morning. I think that's gonna top anything you did as a kid."
"Which one?" Vinyl giggled as she reclaimed her seat. "Ours or theirs?"
"Yes," Lightning replied with a knowing smirk.
"Pardon?" Octavia and Rarity said in unison.
"Let's just say, Flutters might like herself a lot more then you'd think," the teal Pegasus smirked.
With the exception of Derpy, Sunset, and Lightning, everyone at the table looked confused. That slowly changed when they thought about her words a little harder.
"No way," Rainbow muttered, a shocked smile growing on her muzzle.
"How does that work exactly?" Bonbon asked, bringing a hoof to her chin in thought. "It's not incest, right?"
"Technically, no," Twilight mused, mirroring Bonbon. "Though they look similar, they are completely different ponies. It would be like asking if two physically identical birds from different nests were the same bird."
"Ah don't know if that example works here, Twi," Applejack added, scratching her head in thought.
"I suppose," she sighed. "But it's the closest thing I can think to compare to at the moment."
"Fair enough," Bonbon sighed. "It's still weird though."
"Says one talking pony to another," Lyra shrugged as she retook her seat.
"Game. Set. Match," Vinyl chuckled. "But seriously, I hope they hit it off. Lord knows the girl could use a lucky break right now."
All of Sunset's friends and the two Alicorns in the room nodded in understanding while the rest of the ponies and Dragon in the room gave confused looks.
"Okay, seriously," Spike groaned. "Is anypony going to tell us what happened or what?!"
"I agree dear," Rarity frowned, slowly eyeing each of the foreign ponies in the room. "If not the full story then a basic summery would do."
"More than jus' 'somepony bucked up'," Applejack added, crossing her forelegs with a frown.
Rainbow nodded in agreement, frowning at Lightning.
Sunset sighed, then said "Right. Let's wait until Pinkie gets here first. No point telling this story now if I'm going to need to do it again later."
"What story?" Pinkie asked as she stepped into the room, seeming slightly winded.
"Excellent timing, dear," Rarity said, a flat look leveled at the light-orange Unicorn. "Princess Sunset was going to explain what happened to her in the other world."
"Oh! Cool!" she smiled, bouncing to the unoccupied chair next to the ivory Unicorn.
While she didn't show it, Sunset was floored by the apparent title given to her by her fellow Unicorn. Her? A Princess?
"I'm not a Princess," she said flatly. "I'm a HIgh Royal. While I may be on the top of the food chain, I'm only that in regards to the nobles."
"Oh, my apologies, darling," Rarity said sheepishly.
"Anyway," she sighed. " Now that everyone's here, I guess I can tell you all what happened."
And so, with a heavy sigh, Sunset told Twilight's friends what happened to her over the past couple of months. Aside from having to explain how the internet worked, there were no interruptions or questions asked as Sunset told her story. All the while the five Equestrians looked more and more mortified as she continued, then shifting into righteous fury as she got to the end. At least, that was the case for four of them. Pinkie was the only one to don a flat poker face at around the middle point of the story, her movements slow and careful as she used a knife and fork to cut into the plate of pancakes Spike served her, a far cry from her usual method of stuffing her whole stack into her mouth with her hooves. When Sunset finished a heavy silence dominated the room, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, and Spike looking ready to tear somepony's head off.
"THAT NO GOOD HORSE APPLE!" Applejack roared, shattering the silence like a sledgehammer through a glass window. "Let me through that portal Twi! Ah wanna knock some sense into that varmint!"
"I concur, darling," Rarity hissed, eyes narrowed into a cold glare. "I have a few, shall we say, words I would like to say to my double."
"I just wanna to deck mine," Rainbow growled.
A loud bang made everypony jump, Celestia included as Pinkie jammed her knife into the table. They watched her carefully as she picked up her plate, face still a blank mask as she carried it to the kitchen. Even when she came back, she was unreadable.
"Thanks for the breakfast," she said, voice void of any emotion. "It was great. Goodbye."
With that, she slowly walked out of the dinning room and out of sight down the hall.
"Sunset?" Bonbon said, voice shaky.
"Yeah?"
"I'm scared."
"We all are," Twilight said with a gulp.
Everypony and Dragon in the room felt a shiver run down their spines. A second later, Spike raised his claw and exclaimed "I vote we keep Pinkie away from the portal! In favor?"
"Aye!!!" everypony unanimously declared.
"Moving on," Princess Celestia said, clearing her throat. "I have a few questions for my daughter's friend."
As she said that, she leveled a knowing smile at Derpy who let out a nervous gulp under said gaze.
"W-What kind of questions?" she asked, smiling behind her nerves.
"Well, courting a High Noble is no small task," she said, cheshire grin growing on her muzzle. "Why, her father had to slay an Ursa Major to prove himself worthy of me. What are you planning to do to prove yourself?"
"Uh, um," Derpy floundered, mind torn between being embarrassed that she got found out and struggling to find a way to meet the mare's standards.
"Just kidding," Celestia chuckled. "I think saving her life is more than enough."
Then with a wink she added, "Just don't take too long to put a ring on her."
"Moooooooommmmmmm!" Sunset groaned, earning a chuckle from everyone.
"Hey, that reminds me," Bonbon said staring at the album. "What was your dad like?"
"Yeah," Lightning added turning towards Sunset. "I don't think you've ever said anything about him."
"That's because I never met him," she shrugged. "He died about a week before I was born."
"What happened?" Octavia asked, a concerned frown decorating her muzzle.
"Well," Celestia said, looking sheepish. "You have to understand. An Alicorn's passion is as fierce as it is powerful."
An awkward silence filled the room, only for it to be destroyed when Bonbon voiced what all of Sunset's friends were thinking.
"So in other words, death by snoo-snoo."
The Equestrians gave her confused looks while the Terrans burst out laughing.
"Damn it Bons," Vinyl sighed once she stopped laughing. "You beat me to it!"
"What's snoo-snoo?" Celestia asked.
Sunset gestured for her to lower her head and once she complied whispered into her mother's ear. After a moment, she nodded in understanding before resuming her original posture.
"I suppose that is one way to put it," she said with a light chuckle. "Which means that you had better be careful little Pegasus."
"H-Huh?" Derpy squeaked, a faint blush coloring her muzzle.
"Well, you know what they say about apples and trees, right?"
Derpy's blush spread to the rest of her head as the solar Princess' words sunk in. Sunset wasn't much better off as she went back to hiding her face behind her hooves. Celestia chuckled at the scene, happy to see that her daughter's suitor was just as much fun to tease as her daughter.
"In fact, maybe she should come and see the rest of the family," she mused. "I know Luna would love to meet her as well as her niece."
"Luna?" Sunset asked. "Who's that? Another Ascended Princess?"
"Princess Luna is-" Twilight started only for her muzzle to be gently sealed shut by a golden aura of magic.
"No~no~no~," Celestia said with a smile that oozed mischief. "Let's not spoil anything my dear Twilight."
The Princess in question only blinked owlishly for a moment before giving her former teacher an unsure nod.
"Now," she smirked, returning her attention to the nervous duo. "What do you say my Little Sun? Care to visit your old home for a day?"
"Well," she said, suddenly feeling awkward under her mother's eager gaze. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. What do you think?"
Derpy looked back and forth between Sunset and her smiling mother before giving an uneasy shrug and saying, " Why not?"
"Excellent!" the solar Princess beamed, a golden aura shining around her horn.
A second later, a similar aura surrounded the two ponies and with a flash all three of them were gone. For a moment nopony said a word as they tried to process what happened.
"Well now," Octavia said, breaking the silence. "That happened."
"What now?" Lightning asked, looking around the room.
"Well," Twilight said, locking eyes with her interdimensional guests. "I could give you all a tour of Ponyville if you want."
"Sounds good to me," Vinyl shrugged. "No point in visiting another world if we're only going to stay in one building."
"Magic road trip!" Lyra exclaimed with a bright smile and stars in her eyes.
"It's a tour Lyra," Bonbon deadpanned. "Not the starting point to Dragon Quest."
"Don't care," she deadpanned, then switched back to her previous state a second later with a hoof in the air.
"Onward! Lands of magic await!"
"Sunset's friends are so weird," Rainbow whispered to Applejack.
She nodded, then with a faint smile said, "Seem like a good bunch though."
"I agree darling," Rarity added sporting a faint smile of her own.
A series of grunting got everypony's attention as they watched Spike struggle to get Pinkie's butter knife out of the table.
"A little help here?" he grunted, pulling with everything he had with little success.
"I've got it Spike,"Twilight smiled, grabbing the knife with her magic.
When Twilight pulled a baseball sized chunk out of the table with the knife, a chill shot down everyone's spine again.
"So, Earth Ponies are that strong, huh?" Lighting asked, nervously eyeing Bonbon, Octavia, and Applejack.
"Pinkie's a...Special Case," Rarity said with a gulp.
"Uh huh," Bonbon nodded, face flat. "Again. let's not let her anywhere near the portal."
Everyone, Twilight and Spike's party included, nodded in agreement.
***
Derpy struggled to find a word to accurately describe how she felt about her friend's old home. Impressed was an understatement worthy of an award. Amazed didn't do the job either. Awe came close, but wasn't quite right as she stared at the glistening marble and gold that made up the twenty foot tall throne room she was in. Floored was good, but not quite there either. Dumbstruck was ultimately what she settled on as she followed the two native ponies, eye scanning her surroundings. It was like she was in some Roaman fortress back in ancient times, complete with guards garbed in golden armor with brush-like decorations on their helmets. The fact that the inhabitants were ponies instead of people did little to break the illusion.
Celestia spied her guest's reactions with well hidden amusement. To those outside looking in, she was a picture of majesty and grace. Should they take a peek in her mind, they would see an Alicorn dancing with reckless abandon with the biggest smile on her muzzle.
She's back! She's back! She has somepony courting her and she's back! Oh by the Maker she's back! I can only imagine the look on Luna's face when she sees them!
She glanced at her daughter and her inner smile faded slightly. The mare looked to be on edge as she cautiously observed her surroundings. She acted as if she expected an attack to come at a moments notice, body coiled like a compressed spring.
"What has you so tense?" she asked, making Sunset flinch.
"I saw that smile of your's back there," Sunset frowned. "That was your "pranking" smile. So what's the joke? Are we going to get to "Luna's" room and it's just going to be Raven with a glamor on her?"
The Solar Princess let out a small chuckle then said, "I assure you, my Little Sun, that your Aunt is very real. She just wasn't around when you were here."
Something we both have in common, she thought bitterly.
"Right," she groused. "And Derpy's the long lost Queen of Cantlantus."
"Well then," she smiled turning towards the still gawking Pegasus. "It's an honor to meet you Your Majesty. How goes the Hippocampi Kingdom?"
"Huh?" Derpy blinked.
Sunset let out a groan and continued to follow her mother.
Fine. If she wants to continue this stupid joke, I'll humor her. It's the least I can do, considering everything I did before I left.
As they continued to move through the glimmering marble halls a familiar set of grunts made the two nonAlicorns freeze. They turned there heads towards the sound and found a door no different from its ornate neighbors. The sound of small, unsteady hooves served as its only unique feature. Five seconds later, Celestia noticed the absence of additional hoofsteps and stopped to see what had caught their attention.
Sunset frowned at the door, then said, "That's were they're practicing, isn't it?"
Celestia nodded before she rejoined the group.
"Raven is helping them learn how to use their bodies. It will take some time for them to be capable of doing more then the basics, but according to Raven they should be able to carry out their punishment by the end of the week."
"I see," Sunset nodded, eyes cold as she continued to stare at the door. "I'm glad. The sooner they can get started, the sooner they can leave."
As she said that she shifted her gaze up towards her mother and sported a skeptical grin. "Now about that fake Aunt of mine."
Celestia sighed and continued to guide the two ponies further into the castle only to pause a second later when she saw that her group was one short.
"Derpy, are you coming?" Sunset asked.
"Maybe later," she said, eye still locked on the door. "I have a few things I want to check on first."
They looked at her, then at the door, a sense of unease washing over them.
"Come on Derpy," Sunset said, a sad smile gracing her muzzle. "It's over. We don't need to deal with them anymore."
"I know," she sighed. "But I still have a few things I want to say to them. Call it closure I guess."
A brief pause dominated the hall before a gold aura gripped the door's handle. Both of the shorter ponies turned their heads towards the Princess, shock covering their faces.
"Raven is as skilled a Secretary as she is a combatant," Celestia warned. "So long as you remain civil, she won't give you any trouble."
A faint smile graced Derpy's muzzle as she gave a the Princess a nod. With that, Celestia opened the door and the gray Pegasus entered the room. As the door closed, Sunset leveled a nervous look at her mother.
"Are you sure that was a good idea?"
"No," she sighed as she resumed her stroll down the hall. "But at least this way she won't tear the castle apart trying to find them later. I trust my aid to allow her her catharsis without causing any damage."
Sunset looked back at the door, worry plain on her face as she followed her mother.
Derpy, please don't do anything stupid in there.
***
The door closed with a soft click as Derpy walked into the room. With a cursory glance she was able to guess that the room used to be used for storage based on the inferior luster of the marble in the room. At its heart staggered the reason she was even here in the first place. Three fillies bearing the colors of the three girls responsible for one of the biggest scandals in their school's history were walking from wall to wall across the room. Though to call what they were doing walking was a rather generous assessment. Five feet away from the line the three fillies walked stood a light gray Unicorn with a black mane and tail. A black feather-quill with its tip dipped in an inkwell decorated her flanks. Her red eyes tracked the fillies with mild interest.
That must be Raven, Derpy noted. Hope she's really as tough as Princess Celestia says she is. I don't know what I might do to the little brats if it was just me and them!
Her jaw clenched painfully as she moved closer to the group, her anger growing by the step. By the time she was standing next to Raven she was silently seething. A bored sigh from the mare momentarily drew her attention away from the group of troublemakers.
"Take a breath," Raven said, face void of emotion as she watched her charges. "Otherwise I will have to ask you to leave. They already received a chastising from Her Majesty and have only just stopped hurting themselves. I don't want to have them backslide in their training if it can be avoided."
She glared at the aid for a moment then decided it would be better to follow her advice.
I'm not here to fight, she thought, taking a deep breath through her nose and slowly out through her mouth. I'm here for answers.
She repeated this a few more times until the raging inferno inside her dwindled down into a few small embers. Then with a much clearer head, she looked at Raven and nodded.
She gave the tiniest trace of a smile and said, " Much better," before she gave the three fillies her attention and yelled "Fillies! Front and center!"
The three fillies almost fell over themselves at the suddenness of Raven's order, but caught themselves at the last second. They quickly made their way over to the Secretary, none eager to incur the wrath of her superior again if they could help it. On unsteady hooves, the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder about a foot away from the two mares. It was then that she noticed all of the bruises and scrapes visible through their coats. A bit of concern came over Derpy as she took in their condition, but she quickly buried it. She could worry about them later. Right now, she had business to attend to first.
She gave Raven a questioning glance, who nodded to her unasked question. With a sigh she took a step towards the fillies, her face a cold mask that hid her emotions.
"I want to say this now just to make things clear," she said flatly. "I'm from the same world you're from and know about everything you did."
She saw the fear grow in their eyes at that, but ignored it and continued.
"You really have no idea how lucky you three are. I've seen people get put in the slammer for the kind of stuff you did. Heck, you would've been lucky if that was all that happened to you. Not only did you push someone to suicide, you ruined countless people's lives and reputations. Do you think just because you got caught that all that stuff you posted is gone? Hell no. It's stuck on the web for anyone to see at anytime if they know where to look. But hey, if you three were willing to risk all that and wreck so many lives, it must've had some really great pay out. So I have one question for you three."
She leaned down to their level, her eye drilling a hole through them to their very souls.
"Why? Why'd you try to destroy Sunset? What did you have to gain from making her so miserable that throwing herself off a bridge seemed like a good idea?"
They stared back at her, eyes wide with fear.
"Well?" she growled.
"W-We were stupid," Applebloom stammered, shame pouring into her features.
"Oh, I know that," Derpy said, a trace of venom slipping into her tone. "I said I wanted to know why you three did this."
"W-We were scared," Sweetie added, trembling. "We thought Sunset was-"
"Ah for craps sake!" Scootaloo snapped, tears starting to run down her face. "We were jealous,okay!?"
"Jealous?" Derpy asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah," she muttered, anger replaced by shame. "Sunset was hogging everyone's attention and we felt left out. So we formed Anon-a-MIss to try and get them to spend less time with her."
"I see," Derpy frowned. "And the secrets?"
"Sunset was known for that kind a' thin'," Applebloom sighed, her shoulders slumping with the weight of her guilt. "It was the best way to frame her."
"It helped that she didn't have a lock on her phone," Sweetie frowned, voice sounding drained of life. "Just a little tweaking here and there and boom, complete access to her photo album."
Derpy was silent as she processed what she heard. The strength seemed to leave her hind legs as she fell to her haunches, her eye slowly widening.
"So you're telling me you put Sunset through hell because your sisters weren't spending time with you?"
"Mentor," Scootaloo corrected, looking away in shame.
A strangled sound slipped past Derpy's lips at that, her disbelief matched only by the incredible stupidity of the trio. This was the reason? This was the motivation behind everything? It felt like some elaborate joke to the gray Pegasus. Some sort of divine comedy laid out at her expense. As such, she couldn't help the mirthless laugh that broke past her emotional mask.
"The Princess was right," she sighed, lips pulled into a sad smile as she looked at the three fillies. "But even if there was no good reason for what you did, I was hoping it was a better one than that."
They flinched, but she didn't care as she continued.
"I should hate you for what you did. Heck, maybe a small part of me does. But when I look at you three, all I feel is pity. You had plenty of chances to stop way before shit hit the fan, but no, you chose to keep going. And now, look what it got you. You lost the trust of everyone who love you and have to live the rest of your lives knowing that you almost killed someone. Really, I can't think of too many ways someone could mess up more spectacularly then that."
The fillies looked like they were on the verge of tears, but still she continued.
"But you know what else? I feel I should be thanking you."
Their eyes widened at that, their jaws falling slack as they saw a sad smile grace Derpy's muzzle.
"Cuz as messed up as that whole situation was, I probably never would've met Sunset if it hadn't happened. So for that at least, thanks."
With that, she pulled the three fillies into a gentle hug, further stunning them. As she did she said one last thing, not with malice or spite, but genuine kindness in her words.
"You guys are gonna have a really hard time for a while. But know that no matter how bad things look, you will have people that love you. That's what family is all about, right? Even when they're mad at you, in the end they still love you. You just need to get them to trust you again."
When she let go of them, all three of them struggled to keep their tears at bay, but all of them held a small smile.
"You got that, right?" she sighed, staggering to her hooves.
They nodded, wiping a few stray tears from their eyes.
"Good. Now get through this whole pony thing and you can get started with your families. It should be a good start if nothing else."
Again they nodded, a bit more fire in their eyes.
"Good luck," she smiled, then made her way towards the door, a red glow from a faintly grinning Unicorn turning the nob for her.
***
Sunset stared at the walls as they navigated the castle halls, a scrutinizing frown marring her face. It was difficult to notice at first, but as she made her way through the castle she couldn't help but spot a few things that clashed with her memories of the building. It was normal that things would change considering how long she was away, but the scale was what surprised her. Whole new wings dominated what she remembered as simple pet projects her mother arranged for local contractors as a way to maintain the aging building's infrastructure. What few portions of the castle that suffered from her occasional magic flares when she was younger were repaired with stronger wards put in place. Even the castle's mana network felt as if it had been updated, allowing for a much more efficient distribution of magical focus for everypony it housed. In many ways, it was as if she was walking through a brand new building.
"Is something wrong My Little Sun?"
"Huh?" Sunset asked, snapping out of her musings and looking at her mother. "Sorry. Just taking in everything. It's amazing how much things can change in six ye-I mean moons."
A confused look crossed Celestia's face.
"Six? Sunset, I'm afraid you've been gone far longer than that."
"What?" she asked, eyes widening. "How long?"
With droop in her posture, Celestia looked into her daughter's eyes and said, "Thirty moons."
Her eyes wandered to the floor as they walked, things that felt unimportant at the moment suddenly holding much more weight as what they meant clicked into place. Chief among them was her journal back home, or more specifically the first hundred or so pages. For the first two months after crossing through the portal, the book was constantly glowing and buzzing as her mother sent her swarms of messages. The first few were written hastily and without grace, as if she was desperate for a response. As she turned the pages the writing became more fluid at the expense of the writer's hope. The messages were short pleas, begging the wayward High Royal to respond. It was a prayer that went unanswered. Unanswered for thirty years.
"M-Mom," Sunset said around a lump in her throat. "I-I'm so-"
A gilded hoof covered Sunset's muzzle and guided her face towards its owner's.
"I know, My Little Sun," she said, lips pulled into a sad smile. "And I am willing to forgive you if you are willing to forgive a foolish old mare for her own past mistakes."
Sunset gawked at her mother for a moment before she gave her a faint smile and nodded.
"Good," she smiled. "But let's leave that for another day. You have an Aunt to meet!"
As she said that, she stopped in front of a massive dark-blue door with moons and stars painted across it. With a wide smile, she shoved it open with a fore-hoof and with the Royal Canterlot Voice thundered, "GOOD MORNING LUNA DEAR!!!"
Unbelievable bloodlust oozed out of the open door as a set of hoofsteps staggered across the pitch-black room. From the darkness emerged a navy-blue Alicorn just a head shorter than Celestia, her mane and tail a mass of dark-blue mist spattered with flecks of starlight that moved in an unfelt breeze. Her dark-blue eyes were narrowed into a sharp glare as they locked with the grinning Solar Diarch's.
"Sister," she hissed, jaw clenched to the point of almost breaking teeth. "For the sake of all that is sacred in this world, you had better have a good reason to awaken us at your most unholy of hours or so help us you will never have a restful night again."
Ignoring her sister's threat, she gestured towards Sunset, the biggest grin plastered across her muzzle.
"Luna, I'd like you to meet Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is your Aunt Luna, Princess of the Night."
The two looked at each other, neither able to process what they had been told properly. Then her sister's words started to take hold, and the Lunar Princess' scowl was replaced by an excited smile. At that moment, for a split second every dog, cat, and Thestral in Equestria cringed as a happy squee only they could hear filled the land.
***
Pinkie walked, a heavy dread pressed against her back as she navigated familiar looking halls. She was human again, a fact that filled her with relief at first but quickly shifted to confusion as she took in her surroundings. She was back at the school and while things looked normal it didn't take her long to know that something wasn't right. It was the silence that did it. Not a single sound could be heard as she walked the empty halls. Not even her own footsteps or breathing could be heard. It was as if she had become deaf, something that sent a chill down her spine as she considered what such a possibility would mean for her. Another thing that filled her with dread was the realization that she was trapped. No matter where she went she couldn't find a door or window that led outside. She felt like a mouse trapped in a maze as she struggled to find a way out of her prison.
It was when her panic started to cloud her mind that she felt something calling to her. The sensation made her stop, not sure at first if it was just her mind playing tricks on her or if it was really there. It was faint at first, like a light tug on her shirtsleeve. But it became insistent the longer she remained idle. Seeing little in the ways of options, she decided to let the pull guide her as she resumed her journey.
Her mind was wrapped in a calming numbness as she walked, like a gentle fog was swirling around inside it turning her thoughts into a pleasant slurry. A drunk smile grew on her face as she took in her surroundings with glassy eyes. She wondered why she was so scared earlier as the pull guided her towards the school's gymnasium. Everything was fine. She was going to face her punishment and everything was going to be fine. It was going to hurt. She was going to die. Everything was going to be fine. Maybe the harvesting would be quick. Her grin grew more twisted as she reached out for the gym's door. It was going to be a good death. It was going to be fine.
When the gym doors closed behind her, the fog in her mind vanished. The dread she felt before came back with a vengeance as her eyes darted around the room. She could feel it. Something was here. Something dangerous. A wet snap made her jump, the first trace of sound she heard since coming to this strange world ripping through the silence like a beast's claw through silk. Slowly she turned towards the sound, head tilting up towards the rafters. What she saw nearly broke her mind. It was humanoid in shape, but only in the barest of minimums and massive. Roughly seven feet tall at the slimy black shoulders. Its body was bulky and composed of what looked like oil-drenched plant roots like some twisted reed woven doll with no clothes to obstruct its deformities. Its right arm was thick with muscle while its left one was a mass of writhing tendrils that dripped with inky-black slime. Its face was what scared her the most. It was feminine with milky-white skin. What should've been eyes for the monster were black holes with black slime oozing out of them like melted wax. Its mouth was a gaping maw with two-inch long needles for teeth fixed to a jaw that was a foot too long to be human. It stared at her, its long black hair framing its hideous face like a mangled Christmas wreath.
Pinkie was trapped in a vice of complete terror as she stared at the horror above her. She was going to die. There was no question about it. She could feel it as surely as she took her next breath. As the monster dropped to the ground with an earth-shattering thud, she knew that there was no point in fighting or running. This creature was death and now that it had her in its sights there was no escaping it. As it reached out to grab her she braced herself as best as she could for the pain that was sure to come. An effort that was put to waste as the creature's hand fell away from its wrist.
Both stared at the bleeding stump in shock for a moment, its black fluid staining the gym floor. Then the creature let out an earsplitting screech of agony as it took a couple steps away from her. Pinkie staggered back , mostly free from the fear that trapped her. As she struggled to make sense of her situation a sound caught her attention. A light chuckle filled the air, faint at first but gradually growing into a deep series of guffaws that shook the whole gym. Both Pinkie and the monster looked around the room, desperate in their own ways to find its source. Then it stopped and a cultured male voice echoed through the gym.
"My, my. I never thought I would ever find a Wraith Seed in my realm. How very interesting for me, but unlucky for you. You may have been the hunter where you come from, but here? You are prey. Rare prey, but prey all the same. But anyway-"
The voice paused then a shape began to form in the space between Pinkie and the Seed. It was faint, just a mass of violet mist, but that quickly changed as it took a more solid shape. The creature was feline in form, not quite bulky enough to be a tiger but not as lanky as a cheetah, though it did have the general size of the two creatures. Its fur was short with flecks of silver that sparkled like small stars with a larger spot on its forehead like a crest. Its eyes were a dark shade of blue like the night sky just before the rise of the sun and full of cunning. At its shoulders were a pair of pitch-black raven wings that seemed to swallow all of the false light in the gym like a void as they spread wide in a guarding fashion. The giant winged cat stared at the Seed with a playful smile on its joules.
"Please," the cat continued. "Entertain me."
The Seed let out a furious screech as it charged, tentacle-mass for an arm writhing in the cat's direction. With practiced ease, he dodged the incoming tentacles as the monster closed the gap between them. His confident grin stayed in place as he swatted the monster's bleeding stump aside with a claw, tearing away even more of the limb from the Seed. It roared in agonized fury as it tried to ram the cat, only to receive a claw to the face for its trouble. The two continued to trade blows, the Seed gradually becoming more and more damaged while the winged cat didn't even have a scratch. As a matter of fact, he never moved from the spot he appeared in at the beginning of the fight only knocking aside incoming attacks or tearing away whatever limb his opponent was foolish enough to send his way when he couldn't dodge. After what felt like an hour the Seed was reduced to a limbless mass of black vines, its face covered with thick gashes while it legs looked like hacked tree trucks. Its arms were gone, bleeding stumps the only evidence that they ever existed in the first place as it fell to its knees.
The cat let out an annoyed sigh as he examined his handy work.
"Is that all you have left? What a shame. I guess even a Seed fattened by magic can't take that much abuse. Oh well. Thanks for the fun, but now you must die. Good night."
With that, he turned away from the battered monster as a pillar of pure light burst out of the ground around it, a pained shriek filing the gym as it completely faded out of existence.
Pinkie fell to her knees in shock, jaw long sense lost the strength to keep it from hanging as the cat approached her.
"My my," he said, an impish smile coloring his face as he slowly circled her. "You're certainly a first. Just what kind of pony would dream of being a creature like you?"
"Pony?" she asked dumbly as she followed the circling feline. "Dream?"
"Ah, I see. You're not quite lucid yet. Let's see if we can fix that."
A small ball of light drifted off of the cat's tail and flew into Pinkie's forehead. A second later, she blinked and seemed a lot more aware of her surroundings. The cat's smile grew at her sudden lucidity, seeming to revel in how mesmerized she was by his presence.
"Now, show me what you really look like pony."
"B-But this is what I really look like," Pinkie stammered, scared of what the strange cat would do to her if she tried to trick him.
The cat frowned, fixing her with an inquisitive look as he orbited her.
"Hm, did I miscast? You should be lucid now. Hold on."
As he said that he placed a paw on her chest, making the girl flinch as she felt the strength and claws the limb held. A dull light filled the cat's eyes for a moment, his face locked in a state of deep concentration. When he pulled his paw away, the light faded from his eyes and a wide smile grew across his lips.
"Incredible," he whispered. "Another Walker like mother and I. Wait."
He took a deep whiff of her shirt and hair and his smile grew.
"Stardust! You're the same type as Lord Discord! Tell me human, what is your name?"
"Pinkamena Diane Pie," she said, an uneasy smile spreading across her face. "But most people just call me Pinkie."
"Pinkie. I like it. My name is Midnight Tantabus, but you may call me Tattle if you wish."
"O-Okay," she said, smile less nervous as she reached a hand out for a shake. "Nice to meet you Tattle."
"Likewise," he smirked as he raised the hand up to his mouth and gave it a small affectionate lick.
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"Road"
Huh.
9431653
thanks.
Huh. Second Tantabus.
I believe you mean road trip. Silly homonyms...
'twas well done by Derpy, encouraging them like that. I doubt if I could have done so well, but then my nature turns towards grey discipline, rather than warm empathy. Forgiveness is a value we should all cultivate, rather than allow a grudge to poison our hearts, or hatred rot our spirits.
Alas, forgiveness does not equal reconciliation, or trust.
You can forgive someone and cut them out of your life entirely. To forgive is to divest yourself of a burden, to let it go. Sunset has Accepted, and moved on. While a new door has opened, the old door has shut.
Aiet, a bright future beckoned, a friendship today, magic tomorrow, and a bond to bring two worlds together grew strong. Aiet, that bond is severed, that path uprooted, that future lost. But Fate still hopes, Fate still dares, a second attempt is made, a second seed planted. The bright-hope future carries on.
Except for those faithless ones.
Aiet, future lost, opportunity lost, destiny lost, magic lost. Too soon, too soon, too soon, the nascent flickering's of Friendship's Fire have been snuffed out, and the hopeful magic lost with it. The ponies felt the Centaur's curse for hours only, those Four will feel the dead emptiness all their lives.
9431688
O-o Wow. That's deep.
…..wait, what?
Girls? Girls?!!!! GIRLS?!!!!!!!
9431694
Welll pony pie is pissed. They better fix that soon I don’t think equastria could handle a second badlands. Or earth? Whatever the human side of the portal is called
9431708
Terra.
9431713
Thank you. So yeah I don’t think terra could survive a new badlands suddenly forming. Or whatever a pissed off pinke can do
How about trying to kill your sister, enslave all the ponies and create eternal night?
I hear jealousy did something like that to a pony. After her dark powers were taken away, she got to be a princess again. Funny how that works out.
Only, in another world, you know. Because you took them from theirs. Illegally. So, yeah, maybe think about that too.
I know it's not likely, but heck, I wish some Anon-A-Miss story out there gave more time and space to all the sides.
9431790
I completely agree with you. Celestia is, in effect, an OC with her name and job description (or what is termed Cheerilee's Garden syndrome), and you rightly point out a common problem that the Rainbooms are made to look like utter douchebags in these sorts of stories.
But I am most unsettled by the treatment of the CMC, which closely resembles a 're-education camp' so common in China in the 1960s. Seriously, what are they going to learn from being treated brutally? As you point out, poor treatment with no potential reward is a catalyst for hatred, in this case xenophobia. I'd love to see a full-blown uprising occur as a result. In addition, establishing dialogue in the previous story gives Celestia the power to hold them there indefinitely, which raises another horrifying prospect; either being worked to death, or being magicked so that they cannot die, and being used as slaves forever.
With the author's permission, I am currently working on an alternate ending/sequel to this, which is linked below:
[Unpublished stories cannot be embedded]
9431799
I fail to see any brutality taking place here, a bit of stern discipline, yes, but hardly brutality. No one has laid a hoof on them, aside from themselves, and they are, at worst, being made to do some basic menial work. In fact, they have weekends off, if they wish, to go home and be with their families. Though the atmosphere there might be a bit, frosty, at the moment. And if they are truly wise, they will pay attention to, and remember, that spark of magic intrinsic to a ponish form, and bring it home with them.
But let us consider what might happen if they had not been punished thus. They nearly drove someone to suicide. they did drive someone to suicide, 'twas only a stranger's care and desperate luck that saved her. This is a thing that brings consequence. And the Terran justice system does not practice empathy. So they get brought up on charges, which stick due to a mountain of evidence, and suffer whatever penalties the law would impose.
That would never go away.
Yes, yes, yes, I know about sealed court records and all that stuff, doesn't matter. Even if the bureaucracy willfully forgets, people don't. this incident would hang over their heads for the rest of their lives, especially after they dragged the entire school into it. People are happy to bear grudges, that's how this whole mess got started.
So, ignoring the other problems that would have arisen from prosecuting a crime against someone who does not legally exist, doing this legally would have only hurt those three. The system would have charged, tried, and convicted them, imposed a sentence, and then washed it's hands of the matter.
You want to talk about harm? The staff of whatever juvenile hall they ended up at would not have been nearly so interested in uplifting those three, they may well have never noticed. The CMC would have stewed in their guilt until they either broke or twisted.
luckily, those they wronged have a sense of Grace. Their parents, being fully informed and justly furious, have given their consent to this plan of action. Their victims, the full school, have seen Justice follow wrongdoing with swift alacrity. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say, this gives tempers a chance to cool, and grudges time to wither.
So to sum it all up, "keeping it in the house" , as it were, protects them and their futures, imposes visible and memorable justice, brings an opportunity for healing and a distraction from crushing guilt, and perhaps, a chance at forgiveness.
9431796
Couldn't have said it any better myself!
9431877
So be it. Abduction is never the answer, mate. It makes a joke of everything Western civilisation stands for.
I'll see you at Dinting.
9431837
Erm...Private Security Contractors?
9431796
Derpy is blameless in both those cases. You could make a point against Celestia, but she may be acting in accordance with Equestria’s laws that just don’t match with our own. Harming someone of Royal birth regardless of location could have some staggering punishments in pre-industrial societies.
9431881
Dinting? I'm afraid I don't follow that reference.
In any case, I really don't know what you want from this circumstance, all of their legal guardians agreed to this.
I just fail to see how this counts as abduction.
A lot going on here don't want to make a wall of words but a few quick points I like Celestia making up for years of no embarrassing mother in a few hours, Pinkie pulling a sword in the stone, Derpy promising to help the CMC regain the trust of their families l (I wouldn't do it but she's one heck of a good person) and basically the whole of Luna and Celestia's interaction also Tantabus? Mother? Sunset meet your cousin?
9431900
As contradictory as it may seem for me to be supporting your argument, to a certain degree these laws existed in industrial ones (Treason Act of 1795).
9431908
Point taken. I'd forgotten that passage.
Remind me never to upset my parents...
9431980
I don’t see how it’s contradictory. It’s not like I said Celestia is in the right, merely stated that there is historical precedent for this kind of bad behavior. Hell brief forced labor is pretty minor for Celestia given that she had a slew of screwing people over for a full millennium, and also put a filly in the literal jail of titans and monsters.
9432032
Yeah, I never got the logic behind cozy glow, but keep in mind that this story's time line is years before that. Hell, Starlight isn't even a major character yet.
9431796
It's kind of absurd how often this point keeps coming up given that it doesn't happen in the story.
They weren't taken anywhere illegally. They're there with their legal guardians' permission and consent. Not just that, having their punishment include being put to work (which you can view as community service or extra chores as suits your fancy) was the idea of their human guardians.
And you know what? "You hurt that kid so now you have to go to their house help out," is actually a really common --very, very legal-- human punishment. They're going to clean some floors at the behest of the mother of the girl they bullied. Oh, the humanity! Truly everything is going up in flames here.
I mean, yes, they were led to believe that their situation is more dire than it is. They were. And for all of one day, back when the first story was still incomplete, we the readers didn't know any better. There was a lot of discussion like this back on that day.
Then came the very next chapter, and readers learned that that was a ruse, which also happens to be a very common part of real world punishments human parents/guardians use upon their children. I personally don't like that sort of thing, I strongly disapprove in fact, but its perfectly legal.
For all of this story, it's been known that they weren't abducted, and their punishment is merely what their parents thought their punishment ought to be.
This story is far from perfect, and there's a lot of legitimate criticisms one can raise. As such, if you want to criticize it, you don't need to resort to: "I made up something that isn't in the story and now I'm going to rail against that fictitious thing."
Also, you don't need a reason to dislike something. It's perfectly fine to not like something because it doesn't suit your tastes. No story is going to be pleasing to everyone. That means that when you don't like something you don't need to make up a reason.
On the flip side, if anyone particularly wants a story where Celestia does kidnap people, I recommend Silent Night. There's no pretending there; Celestia flat out abducts a slew of humans. Very illegal.
9431900
True. Derpy didn't decide upon this. I still don't see how Celestia's authority extends to the human world.
9432106
I assure you, I'm not making things up. If I missed something there, it was not through intent. Could you point me to where the families of the CMC agreed to have their kids taken to another world? I can't find it. Looking back, I found Twilight accusing them of attempted murder, which is, ironically enough, something Sunset Shimmer actually did.
Addendum: Nevermind, it was a sentence in the prequel to this. So yeah, I guess they agreed off-screen, according to Celestia. Apologies for missing that. And yes, I missed that, I didn't purposefully ignore it. Not everyone out there is engaging in strawmanning, you know.
9432032
Indeed. What I meant by contradictory was that it may look like I had abruptly changed sides in the argument.
9432106
I remember Silent Night. Such a shame it's been stuck for a while.
I get the impression that this story had caused a lot of emotions to flare up, some good, some bad.
Seriously, now. Am I the only one here who's actually going to comment on how time moves differently on the other side of the portal? Sunset thought she was gone for six years and instead she was gone for thirty years? Not a single comment about that? Just everyone hanging up on non-abduction and the like?
9432302
Yeah that surprised me too. I thought we left that stuff back in Seven Saviors.
9432302
9432319
It might not have had much emotional impact for many readers. Though the story equating moons to years means Applejack intended to sort though eighty years worth of family photos(!) with Starlight Glimmer. My guess is, most of us have put the implications aside until they play a more prominent role in the story.
I have to say, I do like that Celestia feels bad for having the urge to destroy an entire planet worth of innocents over something her daughter did for far longer than the people she was angry at—plus, she would have to acknowledge her Little Sun actively tried to kill her human friends before they were friends while high on magic.
... that I am completely sincere with this praise says a lot about the state of most Anon-A-Miss fics, I just realised.
So Terran Pinkie is a dream walker? Sweet, also I see that the Seeds are finally gone from Pinkie.
Brace yourself ponyville!!!!!!
Let the craziness BEGIN!!!!!!!!
9432337
the show tends to be rather ambiguous when it comes to how long a moon is in terms of time, so for the sake of argument in this fic the term moon and year is interchangeable. I think it was done that way in the show to leave it up for interpretation.
9432105
I was mostly just noting that canonically Celestia is one for extreme measures.
9432199
From our standards her authority wouldn’t stretch that far. Monarchies tend toward being human rights abuses incarnate even in modern days. Lese majeste (pardon the lack of accent marks) laws in Thailand make it so you can be imprisoned for up to 15 years for mocking they royal family. This includes the internet, and I’m reasonably sure there is a list of people who would be in real trouble if they ever visited regardless of citizenship.
9432264
I know, I was saying I don’t see how what you said could be construed as switching sides in the argument.
9432302
I’ve read a great many stories that have noted the time discrepancies so I hadn’t thought much of it. 30 years is the longest I’ve come across so far though as most try to set it at about 10 or so. Also I have to note that unless moon phases in Equestria are exceedingly long 30 moons would actually be 840 days.
9432996
That's assuming the moon even goes INTO phases in Equestria. I don't think I've seen it wain in the show.
9433030
True. Though then it would seem more likely that moons would be a measure of days rather than years.
Deer faust I just realized there are two Lycra’s now. May the universe have mercy on Ponyville
9433057
Which makes Luna being sealed in the moon for 1000 moons seem less extreme. It also makes the peace agreement with the yaks seem kind of brief. Though I will admit that it makes the apple family get togethers seem more realistic. See what I mean? It really just comes down to how you want to convert it.
9433091
And two Pinkies. Don't forget about them.
9433030
I've noticed that as well. And since Luna can raise the moon every single night without fail, 30 moons could even be 30 days for all we know.
9433147
I thought the show specified Luna was imprisoned for a thousand years, not a thousand moons.
I believe that was a good reason Luna! God I loved that scene. Probably the best gag in this chapter!
I don't believe this is the Tantibus we saw in the show. It's too easy to retread things in the show... but it is YOUR story and I might be over complicating things. I read a similar Anon a Miss story with Sombra. While much the same Unicorn he was nice to the girls and even somewhat honorable despite everyone else believing it was the Apocalypse... so who knows.
Really really love this story and universe!
I'm getting some "Cupcake" vibes from Pinkie..... Oh dear God, do NOT let her near the CMC!
9433147
I don’t think they described years as moons with Luna. Also having looked it up apparently it’s a unit of measurement to which their is no human equivalent according to Jayson Thiessen. I have to admit, I find few things more frustrating in regards to fiction than poorly defined lore.
9433582
Well. Then if it's up to personal manipulation then within the structure of this story's lore, a moon equals a year. Why? Guilt on Celestia's part for having to seal Luna away a thousand years ago and it just stuck.
9432979
Oh, OK.
9433610
While I appreciate the effort, holes in cannon are a frustration that can’t be fixed by the fannon.