Chapter 8: Welcome to Ponyville
“If you want to come, then be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be in my room. I’m leaving with or without you…”
The harsh words had echoed through Sunset’s mind for the rest of the day and kept her from sleeping soundly that night.
She didn’t see Twilight again for the rest of the day after that; Not even for dinner, which they had traditionally been eating together since the day after she arrived. The waiter had told her that Twilight retired early to see to some last-minute preparations.
Given that the princess was planning to be outside Canterlot for the better part of a week, it wasn’t exactly unbelievable, but Sunset couldn’t help wondering if it was the entire truth, or if Twilight just didn’t want to have to see her.
Now, Sunset was physically ready. It wasn’t hard to be. Rarity would have no doubt thrown a fit over it, but Sunset still had scarcely anything more to her name than what she initially came back with. Packing was easy when you had nothing to pack.
One might think that spending all those years in the human world would have made Sunset more self-conscious, and perhaps it had in some respects, but she was still content to wear nothing aside from her own coat if the rest of pony kind still allowed it. A small saddlebag containing a few necessities was all that was required IF she were to decide to go with Twilight to Ponyville.
There was roughly an hour left before she needed to make her final decision.
The first question Sunset had asked herself was whether she even wanted to go to begin with. She had only recently become comfortable in Canterlot. Rushing off to an entirely different town so soon filled her with trepidation.
At the very least, Sunset didn’t struggle with that particular dilemma for long. Where would she be now if she let such foolish worries stop her? She was Sunset Shimmer. Good or bad, she had never been deterred by something simply because it made her uncomfortable.
The second, much more difficult, question would be if she was willing to see her best friend, or rather somepony incredibly like her best friend, at the very end. Sunset wasn’t clueless. The implications of all the time that had past were not lost on her. She had initially assumed, however, that all the pony counterparts of the people she had known were…well, gone. It was an unfortunate reality, but she couldn’t claim to be close enough to any of them on this side to truly mourn.
And yet, against all odds, Pinkie was still here. Still keeping the party going. Figures.
If anypony were to endure, it would be Pinkamena Diane Pie. Pinkie was an earth pony on this side. That earth pony endurance mixed with Pinkie’s endless energy was bound to ensure a long life.
Long, but not eternal. Pinkie would be over a century old by now if Sunset had to guess. Extraordinary for almost anypony, but only one type of pony could live forever. Even if Discord hadn’t more or less plainly told her, it wasn’t difficult to read the mood.
Sunset had never imagined what her own end would entail. She had far too much to strive for and achieve. Far too much to do. And at one point, she intended to be every bit as eternal as Celestia. Fat chance of that now though, it seemed.
So, for perhaps the first time in her life, Sunset confronted her own mortality. When she was finally at the end, what would she want? She supposed she’d want to be told that it had all been worthwhile, and she wanted somepony to care.
This Pinkie was not her Pinkie, but she was still Pinkie. That meant she deserved to have as many ponies, dragons, griffins, and whatever other sort of creatures there were in the world tell her just how much better her life made everypony else’s.
That should have settled it. Unfortunately, there was still one large purple issue.
Twilight’s words had told her to come, or at least told her the option was open. It’s not like anypony could stop her if she wanted to go to begin with. Ponyville was a relatively short train ride away if Sunset recalled correctly. Possibly shorter if the trains and railways had advanced at all.
The problem was that Twilight’s face and tone had told her an altogether different story. It was the face of a pony that wanted nothing more than to be left alone. It was a face Sunset could remember on herself at many points in her own life. An offer only extended as a curtesy, but, in reality, it was expected for you to steer clear.
Could she really go if Twilight didn’t want her around? Would she be disrupting something she had no business even being involved in? Would Twilight hate her if she went anyway?
The thought of Twilight hating her made Sunset feel like she might throw up. Twilight had always been the one Sunset could count on to always be there for her.
Maybe not in person, who could blame a pony for getting stuck in a time loop nightmare, but whenever the world turned its back on her, Twilight never did. Not when she had been broken and helpless in a crater. All of Canterlot High was ready to tear her limb from limb, but Twilight took her hand. When Anon-A-Miss had convinced even her friends that she had gone back to her old ways, Twilight helped her through it. When Wallflower Blush used a magic artifact to erase all the good she had done, and no one was willing to even give her a chance, Twilight helped her fix it.
And now, she was here in Equestria. Truly feeling like her life had a direction for the first time in years because of her. Truly living because of her. The only reason she had ever lived at all was because of her. Because before the chance Twilight had given her, she had had no idea what living even was.
There was no point denying it. Twilight was special to her. In a way that was honestly difficult to describe. Sunset just didn’t know if she could bare to jeopardize their bond.
Sunset took a moment to look at the clock in her room.
Thirty minutes now.
A long sigh passed through Sunset’s mouth before she levitated her saddlebag, preemptively packed for the journey, into her lap. After a quick search, she found what she was looking for.
The geode she had always worn in the human world still fit perfectly around her neck, even as a pony.
Sunset had always found it peculiar that the magical rock wound up in her saddlebag after she was returned to her true form, but that was just one more bizarre feature Star Swirl seemed to have packed into the mirror. She supposed she should have just been grateful it didn’t vanish into nothingness like her clothes did. In retrospect, she probably should have picked a cheaper pair of boots, jacket, and skirt on the day she came back. Who knows if she’d ever get those back?
Sunset pawed at the magic rock that now hung suspended from her neck, a rough approximation of her nervous habit in the human world that she could no longer perform on account of no longer having fingers.
Sunset had intended to experiment with the geode. She may have had a very detailed understanding of it in the human world, but she had never used it in Equestria. Unfortunately, between getting adjusted to Equestria again, helping Twilight in the lab, and unravelling the mystery of her own magic, her geode had simply been forgotten.
Twenty minutes now.
Sunset wondered if, perhaps, she was just overthinking things. If she really wanted, she could go to Ponyville on her own time now that Twilight wouldn’t be in need of her services for a while. Let Twilight have her privacy and still do right by this world’s Pinkie. Maybe it was best if she just gave Twilight her space.
Sunset was so wrapped up in her internal dilemma that she didn’t notice the gentle glow of the geode she was now wearing.
As if pulled from thin air, a fragment of a memory burst unbidden into Sunset’s brain.
“Trust me, Sunset. The very last thing Twilight needs right now is space.”
Ten minutes left.
Twilight had just finished reorganizing and reshelving all of the books in her room…for the seventh time.
Time seemed to be going painfully slow and far too fast all at once. Twilight would have likely worn a hole in the floor were it not made of solid tile.
“Is she coming? Should I go check on her?” Twilight thought to herself in a nervous state she had rarely worn herself into since her youth. “It’s almost time to leave. Doh, if she actually wanted to come, she would have probably been here by now. Ohhh, Why WOULD she want to come? I was a real jerk yesterday. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with me either. Why would she want to even be friends with me at all after yesterday? Why would she even want to stay here at all!?”
Twilight paused her thoughts to perform the calming exercise Cadance had taught her so long ago.
IT…WASN’T…WORKING!
Five minutes left.
“I should just go. Clearly, she doesn’t want to come. Who would? But what if she does show up? Sunset’s always had the cool girl laidback vibe about her. Showing up fashionably late could be just like her. What if I leave and she finds nopony here and thinks I ditched her? What if she thinks I don’t care about our friendship!? What if she leaves me!? I don’t know if I can do this alone!”
“You should get used to it. That’s what you’re meant to be, isn’t it? It’s your destiny. Whether it’s today, or a thousand years from now, you’ll be all alone. Apart from everypony else. Forever frozen in time.”
Twilight could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Even her own thoughts had betrayed her. Maybe it was the truth. Someday it would be just her. Forever.
One minute left.
Maybe it was time to just accept it. Everypony she knew was leaving, and nopony was com-
The doors to Twilight’s room burst open, an exhausted unicorn fumbling through. Sunset looked like she had just finished participating in the Running of the Leaves with how heavily she was breathing, but that hardly mattered because she was here. She was really here!
“S-Sunset! You came!”
“huff…yeah…I did…listen, Twi…I know you don’t-”
Whatever Sunset was preparing to say was abruptly cut off as Twilight lunged forward and picked Sunset up in her forelegs, trapping her in a desperate embrace.
“You really came. I’m so glad you’re here,” Twilight sighed as she pulled Sunset in closer.
Deep down, Sunset somehow always knew it would end this way. Crushed to death in a hug.
Pinkie was always the most likely culprit, her and her penchant for rib shattering surprise embraces. After her, it was Applejack. The farmer wasn’t as touchy, but when she was feeling affectionate, she just didn’t know her own strength. Spike had become a more recent addition to Sunset’s list of creatures to watch out for, now that he had proven his new size wasn’t just for show. Some part of Sunset had even dared hope it would be Celestia, giving her the mother of all welcome home hugs.
Sunset had never suspected Twilight would be the pony to do her in. Now, she realized that had only made her the biggest threat. Twilight rarely displayed the earth pony muscle that all alicorns were naturally gifted with, but Sunset could say for absolute certain that it was there, and it was there in spades.
“Twi-ghk-light! Happy…see…you…toooo.”
Fortunately for Sunset, Twilight wanted to waste no more time in apologizing. Unfortunately for Sunset, Twilight was not entirely ready to break contact as she sat down and readjusted her hold on the unicorn to hold Sunset suspended in front of her by her underarms in the same manner Spike once had.
“I’m so sorry for the way I acted yesterday, Sunset. I want you to know that your friendship means the world to me and I would be happy to have you come to Ponyville with me. I mean, if you still want to,” Twilight finished, giving her a bashful but sincere smile.
In spite of needing to scramble for the air she had already been low on, and recovering from nearly blacking out, Sunset heard most of what Twilight had said.
“It’s…huff…okay.”
The smile Twilight gave her in response could light up a room all by itself.
“Now, put me down. Now.”
Twilight’s genuine smile faltered and became significantly more nervous as she obeyed Sunset’s request and gently lowered her to the floor.
Now that Sunset had mostly recovered from her near-death experience and was firmly on her own hooves, she could actually take a good look at Twilight.
“You’re not wearing your princess regalia,” Sunset noted upon seeing Twilight completely bare for the first time since she had been back in Equestria and the first time ever as the large alicorn she had become. No crown, no breast plate, not even any shoes. Just Twilight.
Twilight seemed to curl in on herself in embarrassment, crossing her hind legs and idly tracing circles on the ground as she looked away with a light blush on her face. “Oh, Well, i-it’s just…I thought that since I’m technically on vacation, and we’re just going to Ponyville, I guess I figured I could go without it for a little while.”
Twilight turned her head back to halfway meet Sunset’s eyes. “It…it doesn’t look weird, does it? I can put it back on if you think it looks weird.”
Sunset couldn’t suppress the snort that made its way through her nose. Only Twilight of all ponies would worry about looking funny when she was easily the most beautiful mare in Equestria.
Seeing Twilight begin to panic at her reaction helped spur Sunset to dispel her worries. “You look fine, Twilight. Personally, I think you look better this way. Not that you can’t pull off the royal princess look, but I think I prefer being able to see the real you.”
Twilight still appeared to be unsure of herself, but Sunset’s words did the trick as she stopped trying to retract inward.
“Besides, it’s nice to see the great Princess Twilight is willing to go stark naked like the rest of us common folk. Builds a real connection with us bare flanked ponies when she really exposes herself,” Sunset teased.
A fresh blush found its way onto Twilight’s face at the remark.
“doh, Suunseeet,” Twilight whined.
“I’m just messing with you, Twi. You look great. Really.”
Twilight was brought out of her mounting embarrassment by a sparkling object that danced around Sunset’s neck as she moved.
“Is that what I think it is!?” Twilight asked in sudden excitement, kneeling down to get a closer look.
“Huh, this old thing? Yeah, it’s the geode I told you about in our journal. Have I really never shown it to you before?”
“Not that I can remember. I’ve always wanted to get a closer look at one of these. From what you’ve told me, their magic is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” Twilight said her eyes fully focused on the necklace.
“Well, I’ve been meaning to do some tests on it since I got here, and you did say you’d like to try your hoof at being my assistant, so, if you want, we could go over it together sometime,” Sunset offered.
“Sounds like a date!” Twilight nodded in excitement.
“Uhm, yeah…a date.”
“Come to think of it, you don’t suppose your geode is responsible for the change in your magic, do you?” Twilight asked bringing Sunset back to the topic at hand.
“It’s possible. We’d have to research it to be sure, but I don’t think that’s it.”
“Oh, why not?”
“Well, you remember the other you?” Sunset said while gesturing her hoof at Twilight.
Twilight’s face took on the slightly uneasy expression it usually did when confronted with her human counterpart. Sunset couldn’t understand how Twilight lived in a magical world with bizarre monsters, supernatural phenomenon, and beings with unfathomable power, but she still had trouble wrapping her head around the idea that there was another version of her running around.
Quickly remembering that wasn’t really the point, Sunset cut to the chase. “Well, she has one of these too. Remember that time we all came over to your old castle? Her magic was still the same as yours. I’m thinking it has to be something else.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Twilight admitted while noting how impressive it was such a small detail didn’t escape Sunset’s notice. Celestia certainly knew how to pick them.
“So, shouldn’t we be heading out if we’re going to catch a train to Ponyville?” Sunset asked, realizing that they already had been talking for some time.
“Who said anything about taking the train?” Twilight asked somewhat cheekily as she pulled her single suitcase over to her.
“Well, I mean, how else are we going to get all the way to Ponyville?”
Twilight gave her a smug smile as her horn’s glow started to intensify.
The outskirts of Ponyville were home to many woodland creatures. Each of them prospering in the wild reserves left to them by a kind and shy pegasus who ensured that no matter how much Equestria grew, nopony would ever harm or disturb the sanctity of the lands they called home.
On most days a favorite grazing spot in these parts was a moderately sized hill that overlooked the south side of Ponyville. In this spot, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and even the occasional friendly bear would lounge about in the undisturbed tranquility.
Unfortunately, today the peace was completely shattered by a bright flash of light giving way to the sudden appearance of two ponies. One tall and imposing, the other short and VERY loud.
“What the-!? Where are-!? JEEZ, Twilight! Warn a girl the next time you’re gonna do that!” Sunset ranted, successfully scaring off what few animals remained after the large burst of light.
Evidently, Twilight had teleported them both clear out of Canterlot all the way to the outskirts of a city. Such a large jump with such little preparation. Guess that went to show just who the embodiment of magic was.
“Would you stop laughing already!” Sunset shouted at Twilight who was clearly taking a great deal of pleasure at having thoroughly shocked and discombobulated her friend.
“hehehe, I’m sorry, it’s just…did you know that when you get excited, your entire face turns red?” Twilight pointed out before falling back into a cacophony of giggles.
Were you near the flustered unicorn at that moment you could probably swear you heard something boiling.
As quickly as it had come, Sunset’s rage simmered out as she noted that she had not heard Twilight give such an unrestrained genuine laugh since before she had come back. Twilight’s laughter began to infect her as both mares wound up giggling on the hill.
“Okay, Princess, very funny, but I do expect a warning the next time we go somewhere.”
“You have my word,” Twilight responded with a mock bow that only served to cause them both to chuckle.
Sunset turned to finally take in the sight of the town they had arrived nearby. Her knowledge of Ponyville was, admittedly, very sparse, most of her knowledge being based upon the depictions she had seen in books and maps. Not counting the times she had occasionally looked down upon it from Canterlot, she had only really seen it once. Back when she, alongside Rainbow and the human Twilight, just so happened to stumble into a hidden portal to Equestria on a desert island.
However brief her visit, it was enough for her to know that this place could not possibly be Ponyville.
“Um, Twilight? Did you take us to the right place?”
Ponyville was an old town, but that was pretty much all that had been remarkable about it, outside its fairly close proximity to Canterlot. A sleepy old town filled with average everyday ponies living in average everyday homes. Cozy and peaceful but small and subdued.
What Sunset was looking upon, was clearly a city. FAR larger than Ponyville could have possibly been. Certainly not on the same caliber as Manehattan, with significantly more subdued buildings and abundant flora, but there were structures of all kinds as far as the eye could see.
“Yes, this is definitely the place,” Twilight affirmed while giving Sunset a knowing glance. “I guess it might look a bit different these days, huh?”
“Different? Yeah, I guess that’s one way to put it.”
“Come on. I can show you around,” Twilight said as she began made her way down the hill towards an entryway arch.
Sunset followed Twilight into the city, passing a greeting sign just before entering the town proper.
“Welcome to Ponyville. The Birthplace of Friendship,” Sunset read off the sign aloud. It seemed everything except her own eyes were telling her that this was indeed Ponyville.
“Hey everycreature, the Princess is back!” a passing pegasus shouted upon catching sight of Twilight walking into town.
Sunset watched from a distance as Twilight was quickly surrounded by every single pony, kirin, yak, and changeling in a fifty-foot radius.
Sunset had known such fanatics to be unbearable nuisances when they would crawl over each other to speak with Celestia. Usually just desperate to get something from her or showing a complete and total disregard for her privacy and personal space.
To Sunset’s surprise, the crowd that assembled around Twilight seemed content to leave Twilight some breathing room and quickly settled next to each other as opposed to battling for the right to speak to her first. They still seemed to look at her with a degree of reverence, as though she was a deity among mortals, which was not entirely untrue, but their respect seemed to outweigh any ideas about taking advantage of her presence, simply waiting for the princess to speak.
“Greetings everycreature! It’s wonderful to see you all again,” Twilight addressed the crowd in what Sunset could only assume was Twilight’s royal voice. “I would like you to all know that I’ll be staying in Ponyville for the next few days, but I ask that you please don’t treat me any different than you would any other creature. Please, carry on.”
As though she had cast a spell, the crowd surrounding her quickly broke apart and returned to their daily activities, many of them shouting words of gratitude or praise before leaving. Some creatures stuck around to receive an autograph or to ask a question, and a few more that Twilight seemed to know said a few words to her personally.
All things considered; it was a rather subdued welcoming party for royalty. How Equestria had changed.
“So, what’s the plan here, Twi?” Sunset asked her friend, noticing that she really had no idea where they were going. She hadn’t really known her way around the place before, but now that it was roughly three times the size it once was she was practically navigating a maze.
“Well, I thought we could just spend the rest of the day looking around Ponyville. It’s a bit soon to do anything else, and since you’ve never really been here, you could probably use the tour. There’s a lot to show you around here.”
Sunset suppressed a sigh of relief, thankful that visiting Pinkie wouldn’t be something they were doing immediately. Having a little more time to prepare herself was certainly appreciated.
“So, where are we…” Sunset began before her words quickly tapered off.
Sunset had to lift her head up in order to take in the full sight of the statue before her. If Sunset had to guess, the entire thing was roughly the height of a small house. Sunset found herself staring directly into the eyes of the young Twilight she had once known. Her younger self permanently posed in an eternal stone stance.
The craftsmanship was remarkable. As far as Sunset could tell, even the wings of the stone likeness were perfectly detailed. Not to mention, that was just the Twilight portion of the statue. Five other strikingly familiar ponies stood behind the stone Twilight, as if they were faithfully supporting their princess.
Sunset was pulled away from the piece of art by the hitch she heard in Twilight’s breath. Whatever intensity she was previously looking upon the statue with was nothing compared to Twilight’s own gaze. The world seemed to fade from her perception as she lost herself in the immortalized figures of her friends.
Unsure of what else to do, Sunset placed her hoof upon Twilight’s upper leg in an attempt to ground the princess, not for the first time cursing her inability to reach any higher.
The contact seemed to bring Twillight back to reality, prompting her to look down at the unicorn by her side.
“S-sorry, Sunset. I just got a little…distracted.”
Sunset knew now that they’d have to talk about this eventually, but now hardly seemed the time given what they were here to do in the first place, so instead Sunset began to lead Twilight in a different direction. “It’s fine, Twilight. So, I was wondering if there were any good bookstores in Ponyville. I really need to stock up on some supplies before Flurry Heart’s next visit and I was hoping you could show me a few good places to look.”
The mention of books did not bring the level of unrestrained excitement it usually did to the princess, but it seemed to successfully divert Twilight’s attention.
“Oh, yes actually. I think I know just the place. Come on, Sunset.”
It didn’t escape Sunset’s notice that Twilight looked back at the statue and didn’t take her eyes off of it until it was well out of view.
When Twilight said she knew a place, she had apparently meant places. Plural. They all also happened to be on opposite parts of town.
On the bright side, Twilight had not been kidding about knowing where to find things within town. Twilight’s familiarity with Ponyville still persisting to this day. Sunset was well supplied and ready for whatever tasks she might need to accomplish once she returned home. Supplies for Flurry’s lessons, lab equipment, even materials for her part time hobby of constructing new age technology, and of course, books. Lots of books. If Twilight knew how to find anything it was books.
The downside was that after making several trips around this unreasonably large town, Sunset’s hooves felt ready to fall off. Thankfully, Twilight had seen fit to teleport anything they purchased and their luggage to some other location. Where? Sunset had no idea, but she really didn’t care so long as she didn’t have to carry it. She was running on fumes as is and Twilight STILL had several places left in Ponyville she wanted to visit.
“Hurry up, Sunset! We’re not even halfway there. If we hurry, we can make it to the Ponyville library before it closes!”
“I’m going as fast as I can, Twilight! Not all of us have longer legs than a grown stallion! The ENTIRE stallion!” Sunset snapped as she blew a damp strand of hair out of her face. Sunset didn’t generally like to think of herself as out of shape, but she had to admit, cardio was not her strong suit.
Twilight came to a stop upon realizing that Sunset wasn’t keeping pace with her.
“Why can’t we just teleport there anyway?” Sunset huffed, thankful for the reprieve.
“Well, apparently popping in and out of existence all the time can be seen as, ‘incredibly disruptive’ and, ‘dangerously startling’ to young and elderly creatures, so we’re not supposed to teleport outside of emergencies and, ‘non-public’ places,” Twilight explained with a small pout as she recalled a firm lecture she had been given some time ago. “Besides, walking is good exercise,” Twilight pointed out in a more upbeat tone.
“Twilight, I lived with Princess Celestia for years and I know for a fact that she ate cake every day of the week. I seriously doubt you actually need to exercise.”
Twilight only rolled her eyes in response. Clearly, they needed to speed things up. There were books waiting for her.
Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of it when the ground decided to up and leave her. “Wha- Hey! Twilight, put me down right now! I mean it!”
Twilight gave no indication that she had heard what Sunset had just screamed and instead turned away from the unicorn she was holding suspended in mid-air with her magic.
The magic expertly guided Sunset over to Twilight and firmly seated her upon the alicorn’s back. “There. Now we’ll make it around town faster and you can stop complaining.”
This was an entirely new level of humiliation for Sunset Shimmer, which was really saying something considering she had once walked on all fours through a crowded street in the human world.
In Equestria, riding horseback was meant for either small foals who needed to be carried by their parents or…well, that wasn’t really relevant at the moment. Sunset was a grown mare, currently in the middle of the street seated on the back of the ruler of the entire nation.
“Twilight! What are you doing!?” Sunset not so quietly whispered into the ear of her unrequested ride, her face quickly turning scarlet.
“You were too tired to walk, so I decided to carry you. It’s the only other way we’re going to get around to every place before night-time,” Twilight calmly explained as she began to quickly trot, taking away Sunset’s chance to abandon ship.
“I didn’t ask for you to carry me! Do you have any idea how degrading this is!?” Sunset strained out, doing her best to hide behind Twilight’s mane while struggling to stay steady.
“I really don’t see what your problem is. You seemed pretty comfortable up there the last time I carried you.”
Sunset’s blush somehow managed to intensify even further, making its way beyond her face. “I was barely conscious, Twilight! I probably could have fallen asleep on a rock!”
The mischievous smirk Twilight donned could have made Discord himself proud. “Would you have cuddled the rock too?”
Sunset had no idea what she had done to deserve this. Clearly Twilight was intent on humiliating her to death. Resigned to her fate, Sunset could only make small noises of embarrassment as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
If there was any advantage to being carted around a bustling town like a small filly, it was that it gave her the time and focus to really take in the sights of Ponyville.
Remarkably, despite the major increase in size, some of the spirit of the once small town still remained. The most obvious piece being Sweet Apple Acres. The large fields and pastures were hard to miss as were the ponies working the land who eagerly waved at Twilight. Apparently, they were Big Macintosh and some pony named Sugar Belle’s grandchildren. Applejack’s great nieces and nephews. Twilight even seemed perfectly happy to talk about them.
As for the buildings, while far more diverse and numerous than they had probably once been, they were still suprisingly subdued and down to earth. Aside from major public places, such as the library or city hall, no building went above three stories and some of the houses even still had hay roofs. It was comforting in a way to know that while the town had changed greatly over the decades, some of what once was still remained.
Of course, it was undeniable that things had still certainly changed. Sunset was finding that much of that change had something to do with what was likely the reason Ponville had seen such an increase in size and population.
It seemed that much of the city was now something of a tribute to Twilight and her friends. Fortunately, their faces weren’t plastered on every corner, but their influence was unmistakable.
Ponyville had certainly never had such a large dedicated library when she had last lived in Equestria. Everywhere Sunset looked had some sort of establishment that marked the influence of Twilight’s friends. There were bakeries and party shops for Pinkie Pie. There seemed to be at least one Carousel Boutique in every major section of Ponyville. The new pet shops could only be Fluttershy’s influence. Sports chains that sold equipment and collective memorabilia had Dash written all over it, and of course Sweet Apple Acres seemed to have only expanded its reach with establishments that specialized in Apple products.
Ponyville almost seemed to have franchised the heroes that had dwelled in it. The town now marketing itself around the history and influence of Twilight and her friends. Sunset had even seen somepony selling dolls of them meant for little fillies. Honestly, a little pony toy? Who would have thought of such a thing?
Sunset was confident that this change was likely the root cause of Ponyville’s rapid expanse. She wondered how Twilight must have felt about the town she had called home for so long becoming what it was today. Her entire life, now a display.
“Hey, Twi?”
“Yes, Sunset?”
“Do you ever miss the way things used to be?”
“All the time.”
Sunset was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer but didn’t feel the need to push any further.
“So, where are we actually going to be staying?” Sunset asked. She had seen a number of inns, though Twilight didn’t seem to pay any of them much mind.
“The Castle of Friendship.”
“So, you still use your old castle every now and again?”
“The citizens of Ponyville use it more than I do now, but I still keep a few spaces in there for trips like these. It’s…nice to come home every now and again,” Twilight vaguely explained.
Sunset felt as though she knew what Twilight meant, though one part of Twilight’s answer stuck out to her.
“What do you mean Ponyville uses it more than you?”
“Well, it’s mostly a museum now.”
A museum? Sunset certainly wasn’t expecting that. “They turned your old home into a tourist attraction?”
“Yeah. It made sense, really. Even when I lived there, there was way more space than any one pony needed. So, when…a friend…asked me about it, I let them use my old castle. It was better than letting the place just collect dust, and, I mean, who doesn’t love a good museum, right?” Twilight said with enthusiasm that only sounded partially genuine.
Sunset couldn’t find any immediate fault in Twilight’s logic, so she allowed the issue to pass. Right now, she had had just about enough sightseeing for one day.
“I don’t know about you, Twi, but I’m ready to turn in. It’d also be nice to get back on my own hooves again.”
“No pony was forcing you to sit up there the whole time, Sunset,” Twilight reminded her. “You could have gotten off as soon as we got to the library, or any of the other places we went to really.”
“W-well, I just didn’t want to have to get back on as soon as we left is all. It was embarrassing enough the first time,” Sunset indignantly stated.
“Uh-huh. I think you secretly just like having somepony carrying you around. You didn’t say anything about it until just now,” Twilight practically sung at her.
Ok, so perhaps Sunset found that it was a little nice be ferried from place to place, getting the chance to rest her hooves and take in the sights. It was a nice view and it appeared that Twilight was just as soft without sleep deprivation clouding her thoughts. Sunset would die a painful death before she admitted any of that, however.
“Can we please just get going?” Sunset huffed, desperate to get out of this conversation.
“Okay, we’ll just get something to eat and then we’ll head to the castle,” Twilight conceded.
“Great, there’s a diner right over there,” Sunset sighed in relief.
Twilight placed a hoof to her chin in thought. “I don’t know. I think I’d prefer a hayburger myself.”
Sunset could not believe what she was hearing. “What!? You’re kidding me. That place is practically on the other side of town, Twilight!”
“I know that, but it’s been awhile since I last had one.”
“Then we can go there tomorrow,” Sunset pleaded, trying to both figuratively and literally shake sense into the alicorn. “It’s almost time for the sun to set and I’m ready for bed,” Sunset tried to reason.
“It’s not like you’ve had any problems sleeping where you are right now,” Twilight pointed out.
“You’re being really difficult right now, Twi.”
“Look, when you carry me all over town, you can decide where we go.”
“You’re literally twice my size!”
Rather than continue with the argument, Twilight seemed to decide to continue on her chosen course as she began to march away from the diner within reach.
Sunset was really beginning to wish Twilight was as easy to steer as the horses in the human world.
“Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder if…” Sunset idly thought as she considered her next move. The exact level of similarity between the intelligent ponies of Equestria and their counterparts in the human world had never really been tested, especially considering she was the only one with the knowledge to test such a thing.
Was it just the general shape that was similar between them or were there other commonalities? “If I remember correctly, most of AJ’s horses really enjoyed being scratched, riiiggght here,” Sunset internally monologued as she used her right foreleg to give a firm stroke just behind Twilight’s ear.
The result was nearly instantaneous. Twilight’s stride came to a dead halt as Sunset heard a gasp and felt a shiver run through Twilight’s body. Sunset gave a few more strokes to the same spot to make certain it wasn’t merely a surprise response.
Twilight reacted in a similar manor as before, only this time breathing a sigh of content and leaning into the touch. If anything, it seemed the soothing techniques were significantly more effective on Equestrian ponies as Twilight practically melted into the sensation and became completely docile. Hold on. Was that purring?
Sunset swore with all her heart she was a changed pony, but, every so often, her old habits would surface as just this once she allowed one of her old trademark evil grins to take its place upon her muzzle.
How foolish Twilight was to sit her in a position of such power and authority now that Applejack had taught her all the weaknesses of their kind.
“Now, let’s see. If I remember this correctly, you shift your weight…here, and then you place pressure…there,” Sunset instructed herself as she recalled the way to steer without reigns, idly petting Twilight all the while.
Sure enough, the disoriented Twilight actually began to move in the prompted direction towards the diner. There were a few stumbles as Sunset tried to remember the exact movements she wanted and she needed to occasionally stroke the proper spots to keep Twilight agreeable, but overall the journey went rather smoothly as Sunset steered her alicorn into the diner.
“Ho, Twilight!” Sunset called to her steed as they arrived at their destination, shifting her weight to get the pony to stop.
The other creatures in the diner gave a great number of strange looks at what appeared to be some small unicorn driving their sovereign ruler into a public eating establishment.
Sunset couldn’t care less right now. She had just broken new ground in the study of pony physiology, and she’d get to go to bed soon. Absolutely nothing could ruin this for her right now.
“Sunset…what did you just do to me?” a tense voice directly ahead of her growled out.
Oh…right. She was going to have to actually explain this now. Somehow in between her scientific fascination and the utter rush of having complete control, it had completely slipped her mind.
Fortunately, as one of the smartest unicorns in all Equestria and a master of reading other ponies, Sunset would undoubtedly know exactly what to say in this delicate situation.
“Table for two, please.”
So, it turns out the Castle of Friendship was still a rather long way away.
“Twilight! Come on! How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?”
“You can say it until the sun goes out, Sunset. You’re still walking yourself to the castle.”
It’s true what they say. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. After a somewhat tense dining experience, Sunset had been indefinitely suspended from riding the alicorn express. It may not have been dignified, but it was certainly efficient. Now, she was forced to once again rely on her unbearably tiny legs.
At this point, Sunset probably could have simply teleported herself over to the castle, but part of her knew on some level that she deserved to walk. Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t try and sweet talk her way out of this.
“Don’t you think you’re making too big a deal out of this?”
“Manipulating your friends to get what you want isn’t a big deal?” Twilight responded in a warning tone.
“Okay, maybe when you put it like that, but is it really manipulation if you enjoyed it?”
Twilight increased her speed to try and put more distance between them. “I did NOT enjoy that!”
“What if I offered to do it again?” Sunset teased.
Twilight’s ungraceful stumble and fresh blush gave Sunset all the answer she needed as she took the opportunity to catch up. In all likelihood, that little exchange had probably done little more than dig Sunset into a deeper hole, but the unicorn could only think it had been worth it. Twilight was unreasonably adorable when she was flustered.
“You’re awful,” Twilight pouted the moment Sunset reached her.
“Only to the ponies I care about,” Sunset offered, deciding Twilight had had enough. The Castle of Friendship finally coming within reach.
A resigned sigh escaped Twilight’s lips. “What am I going to do with you?”
It seemed like staying angry at Sunset really was, simply put, an impossible task; Twilight’s ire fading faster than the light of day as she subconsciously guided the sun below the horizon, ending the day.
A small smile graced Twilight's lips as the castle doors came within reach. It was hard to believe, but being with Sunset had made today bearable. Fun even.
As her magic took hold of the doors to her old home, Twilight couldn't help but feel that it was nice to have somepony by her side through this. For the first time in far too long, she didn't feel so alone.
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Hi-yo Twilight, awaaaaay!
Interesting choice for the future Ponyville. And it makes a rather large amount of sense too, they always were very proud of the Bearers.
Looks like Sunny's found Twi's weak points. I'm sorry, but that was just too fragging adorable. Like, two full scoops of adorabetes level adorable. Glad to see Sunset still knows how to fight dirty when she needs to.
Sunset riding Twilight was both hilarious and adorable.
For anyone needing context, you'll just have to read it
That was really sweet. Just waiting for Sunset to unleash the terror that is belly rubs. Probably going to need something strong to overcome what will come all too soon.
Thanks for the longer chapter, it's nice to have those now and then.
Yes, whooooo would ever think of that?🙄
I really hope Sunset can become an alicorn, just so Twilight doesn't feel so alone.
And for other reasons too, of course.
10084921
Subtle as a locomotive, I am.
I was half expecting her to magic a bridle and saddle into existence.
10085224
Hold up now. That would be going too far.
They're still in public after all.
10085855
I think scritchies delivered to royalty is probably far beyond most of the citizenries comfort zones. May as well go for broke at that point.
10085893
The citizens might only be able to get so much more unsettled, but the story would be a bit harder to write if Sunset gets herself banished to the dungeons for a month.
Twily's not that tamed yet.
10086009
Fair. Be one hell of a way to start a time skip.
10086009
Emphasis on "yet"
I think that that was AWSOME!!!! How Sunset made Twilight take them back to the diner, and the idea that Twilight actully liked Sunset stroking behind her ear.
BUSTED.
Revenge!
Cute
God that horseback ride was adorable
Well, it seems the many, many, many smut docs have their own effects after all.
Didn't know Twilight was into that kinda stuff.
"You just wait until I scratch you behind the ears..."
--AND IT HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER... with hooves instead of fingers, but, eh... it worked!