Chapter 4: Castle of Glass
Day 1 of 3 of new Lunar Lock cycle: 95 years after mirror restoration
Six months. Sunset had crossed off every day, every completed lunar cycle like a prisoner about to be released from jail. In that time she had been so scarce that Twilight, Luna, and Celestia had on more than one occasion ordered guards to go check to make sure Sunset was still alive. Not that she had been hard to find. She had hardly left her room in the last six months. While the room had been kept in clean, functioning order thanks to the castle staff, Sunset herself often looked and smelled like she had just gotten back from a hike through a bog. Her hair was matted, her mane and tail unbrushed and knotted, and it was clear that she would go days without bathing even after working herself to a sweaty frenzy on projects or busy work.
Technically one of the princesses could have ordered her to join a social function or participate, but given Sunset’s distaste for the game and her stewing worry for her wife it had been far wiser to let her slip from the public eye. Said circles were after all fickle and soon got tired of asking what became of Celestia’s unusual, wayward daughter.
It did not take long for others to take back the limelight. Flurry Heart, who spent most of her time bouncing around Equestria or in the Friendship Castle in Ponyville, had taken center stage again as she and her small group of friends had worked together to bring down a Zebra necromancer who had apparently taken a blood pact oath with an demon and thought it wise to attack towns along the Horse Shoe bay. It probably would have been a good story to hear more details on if Sunset had not been hiding in her room staring at the journal most of the time. Waiting for the day it would no longer glow.
Spike had tried to convince Sunset that a diplomatic excursion to the Dragon Lands could be both fun and educational. He even tried to butter Sunset up by saying how much her wife would love to hear about up close encounters with more dragons. Sunset appreciated the offer, but declined.
Sunset would only ask once a week for updates to Twi’s condition to save pages in the journal in case there had been a breakthrough and needed more to say. A small round of positive news came four months out when Twilight had reported that she had created a small device to wear that would monitor her magical energy particles and then collect ambient energy that was always flying around. Twilight happily reported that said device seemed to have slowed her deterioration, but sadly the damage had been done. Sunset begged for more description of Twi’s physical state, but she refused to give details.
Finally, the time had arrived. Sunset had sent one last message asking for where Twilight was staying and to wait for her arrival. What Sunset did not tell Twilight was she planned to break down every door and drag her wife kicking and screaming, if necessary, back to Equestria. Even if it could not reverse the damage, the land of magic held better chance of restoring Twi than the human world ever could.
What Sunset had not anticipated as she attempted to give Celestia the journal for safe keeping was her mother’s insistence of going with Sunset. Naturally, they fought over the matter. Princess Twilight finally stepped in and threatened Sunset with sending Tempest if she did not let Celestia accompany her. It was mostly an empty threat, but it got the point across. Sunset passed the journal to Princess Twilight. Celestia mouthed the words, ‘thank you’ to her former student.
Mother and daughter exited the mirror and immediately began to shiver. When Sunset had left last time it was warm, now, as she consulted her mental calendar it was early November and neither of them were dressed for the season.
“I hope you have a plan for our current dilemma. We won’t be able to help anypony if we freeze to death,” Celestia said through chattering teeth.
Sunset felt the back pocket of her ripped jeans and thankfully, even after thirty moons, her wallet was still where she left it. “Come on, we have to flag a cab. I have money, but I gave Twi my phone.”
One quick trip to a discount department store nearby and Sunset and Celestia were back in a cab, clad in winter clothes to the address Sunset had written down. In her youth, Sunset had known all the hottest and most trendy places to go and hang out in Canterlot City. As she and Twilight settled back down and had a family, Sunset had still been quite familiar with most of the city streets. She would take the girls for joy rides on the back of her motorcycles or try to find faster or at least more interesting ways to get about or around the traffic. While Sunset knew where Sunnybrook Drive was, she had never really given it much attention beyond that it was near the main general hospital.
When the pair arrived and exited the cab, they both stared at the sign that read retirement care and hospice. Sunset’s mouth felt like it was filled with bile and her heart ready to explode in her chest. If Twilight was in such a place it was because she had known she was no longer capable of taking care of herself. Sunset clenched and released her hands. Twi had mentioned she was having a hard time getting around, but not that she was bed ridden and just… no, Sunset refused to say it, even in her own mind. Celestia squeezed her daughter’s shoulder and proceeded forward.
After a small, confusing, and slightly embarrassing moment at the desk of trying to find what name Twilight had admitted herself under, the two were walking to the elevator. When Sunset had left, Twilight was still using her ‘Sweet Lavender’ identification. For some reason, Twi had switched back to her original identity, an updated version that let her use her birth name. Sunset still had one as Sunset Shimmer as well. It was something else to ask her wife about as she walked the halls and arrived at room 224.
The door was slightly open and she knocked. The frail, scratchy voice inside beckoned her to enter. Sunset nearly collapsed at the sight of the individual who was sitting up in the hospital bed with an IV in her arm and medical monitoring equipment nearby.
“B, Babe?”
Twilight smiled, her thick glasses sliding down her wrinkled nose. Sunset remembered what Twilight’s mother, Twilight Velvet, had looked like in her last year of life. The resemblance was hauntingly familiar. Twilight’s hair had gone completely white, and she had cut it to just above shoulder length. Her lavender skin was pale and thin, hanging loose on her arms, her almost skeletal thin fingers shook as she lifted a hand to adjust her glasses, the lenses nearly twice as thick as they had ever been. Even her once sparkling violet eyes seemed dull and cloudy.
“Hello, Sunny. I’m glad you came.”
Sunset sat on the stool by the bed and took one of the fragile hands in her own. She remembered taking that hand when Twilight was still Midnight and they were alone in that pocket realm. It felt like eons ago. Sunset’s lips began to quiver as tears rolled down her face.
“I’m… I’m so sorry. I wanted to come back sooner. I, I grilled Twilight about the portal and to find a way to open it, but… This is all my fault.”
Twilight smiled sadly, letting out a sigh. “It was not, but I figured you would say that and I don’t have the strength to argue. Those stupid doctors took my recollector away when they admitted me. I told them I needed it, but they didn’t listen. I was in bad shape when I got here, but at least I was mobile. Now, I can’t even get out of this bed to use the bathroom, which is frankly embarrassing.”
Sunset’s eyes burned for a moment. “Where is it? I’ll get it for you, then I’ll carry you out of this hellhole. I’ll get you settled into our room in time for dinner.”
Twilight cupped the side of Sunset’s face and Sunset grasped the hand and pressed her lips into the palm. Even with all the other radical changes at least Twilight’s skin still smelled like she always had.
“I’m not leaving. Taking me to Equestria is not going to stop this now. And to be honest, the only reason I made the recollector was to hold on long enough so that I could say goodbye in person.”
“Twi, no…”
“Shhhhh… It’s okay. I’ve had a lot time to think and prepare for this. I want this, it’s for the best. I miss our girls. I miss Shinny and Cadence and mom and dad and all our friends. I’ve never been very religious, but there really is something comforting about the possibility of seeing the people I love again.”
“I’m not ready for this,” Sunset cried, “I know you think I held it together when we buried Aurora and Sunna, but I didn’t. I broke down and screamed and cried and let out as much fury as I dared. I just made sure to do it where you couldn’t see it. I had to be strong, for you.”
“And now you need to be strong for you. This was not something you could control, so please don’t blame yourself. I’ve lived longer than any human ever has and it has been glorious bliss living my life by your side as your wife. I was always happy with you next to me, but now I’m free of my past sins and nature is running its course and correcting an imbalance.”
“Well nature can go fuck itself! We swore before all our friends and family that we were in this together. You and me, until the end of time!”
“Sunset,” Celestia admonished, but Sunset did not turn away from her wife.
Twilight sighed again. “Oh Sunny, I think you are smart enough to know that was some very sentimental malarkey. It did sound good at the time though. No one truly knows how much time they have and we had more than any other couple on Earth.” Twilight gestured with her free hand to the satchel on the far wall. Celestia, who had been standing near the door, retrieve the bag and handed it to Twilight. Inside were a few personal items that Sunset recognized.
“I got you a new phone a month ago, kept all your old settings and preferences. It should be just how you like it or you can shake things up. Of course, you recognize your journal, let me hold on to that for now, I like to reread some of our old entries. This,” Twilight held up a ring that was identical to the one Sunset still had around her neck on a chain except that the gem was a purple amethyst. “I want you to hold onto. I took it off in case an orderly or nosey doctor tried to take it from me after my fingers became too thin for it to stay on.”
“I can’t.”
“You can and you will, because I know how much they mean to you. Most couples get gold bands, those with less money opt for silver. I wanted aerospace titanium with tungsten inlaid and a tension setting of our stones. And you worked your sexy ass off to make sure they were to my exact specifications. Then you gave me that whole scavenger hunt game with word puzzles and challenges to unlock to find the rings. It was so much fun. Best proposal ever.”
Sunset choked on a sob and smiled at the memory of Twilight opening the last combination and key lock on the safe she had hidden in Pinkie Pie’s back yard. Twilight had thrown herself into Sunset’s arms and screamed, “YES!” to the proposal so loud it sounded like the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“You do what you want with them, but no one else gets to touch them except you.” Sunset held the ring a moment and shuddered as she fought down another sob. With trembling hands, she unclasped the chain and added Twilight’s ring to her own. Even as feather light titanium they felt impossibly heavy resting above her heart.
Twilight nodded, adjusting her thick glasses again. “Now, I have a favor to ask of you, Sunny.”
“Anything.”
“These stupid doctors think that by feeding me crap, healthy food that I’ll live longer or something. I want a strawberry cheesecake milkshake with whipped cream and two cherries on top. Preferably I’d rather have one from Sugar Cube Corner, but that’s too far away. However, if memory serves me correctly there is a Car Hop Run about a block from here. Just ask your phone, it will guide you.”
Sunset looked at the phone and touched the device that was little more than a piece of holographic circuit glass. A new startup feature activated and said, “Hello.” Sunset blinked. Her older one never used to talk to her.
“Umm hello? So, you upgraded my phone to talk?”
Twilight giggled, her features creasing with a sly smile. “I upgraded EVERYONE’S phones. Well, helped, I wrote a lot of the coding for the backbone of the A.I. Say hello to the new Personal Artificial Assistant Logic. PAAL. You can customize it to your liking and needs. And it is intuitively interactive. The more your do with it and say to it the more individualized it becomes to you. Play with it a little while you go get my milkshake, please.”
“I… okay. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“You need to be sneaky. You’re not supposed to have outside food or drinks in here, but a pesky little thing like the rules never stopped my wife before,” Twilight said with a bright smile. One more hand squeeze and Sunset slipped out the door. After two minutes of silently staring out the window, Twilight heard Celestia move to sit down.
“Well, you’re not looking so spry yourself, Mom.”
Celestia smiled warmly. “Sadly, I too am experiencing what it means to finally get old. Thankfully, I still have many years left in me, but not as many as I would like. I do have to wonder if our situations are not unrelated.”
“No, they are not,” Twilight said with surprising confidence and finality. “As I understand you’ve been graying for years. I now know what happened to me, but if my one theory about nature trying to correct magical imbalance is correct you may not want to stay in this dimension too long or you will find you have less years than you think.” Twilight paused, tapping the journal. “I have a favor to ask of you as well, Celestia. I know the portal closes in two days. Please, don’t let Sunset stay here. Take her back to Equestria. I fear what she will do to herself if she is left all alone once I’m gone.”
“I will try, but I do not have the authority to order her to leave nor the physical prowess anymore to drag her back.”
“I understand, but please try. In the meantime, could you hand me that pen, please?” Celestia followed to where Twilight was pointing and handed her the writing instrument. She then opened the journal and began to compose a letter.
----------
Three days flew by in a blink of an eye. Sunset handed the key fob for their hotel room back to the desk attendant and scanned her credit chip which deducted the remaining expenses for the room. The attendant gave the customary thanks and went back to his duties. Celestia and Sunset walked to the breakfast diner they had eaten at yesterday and sat in the same booth they had again. Celestia had been pondering how to broach the subject, but the only two weapons at her disposal were mother’s guild and Twilight’s wishes. She was unsure either would be enough to convince Sunset to return before the mirror closed that afternoon.
“Sunset.”
“I know what you are going to say, and no. I’m not leaving her.”
Celestia sighed. “It’s not just me asking. She wants you to go. Twilight does not want you to watch her die. She wants you to remember her as she was.”
“Is that really what you are going to go with?” Sunset leaned closer to her mother and whispered, “I don’t give a fuck what anyone says and that includes you on this matter. Unless your horse god mother happens to swoop in and kick me right in the rear through that portal I am staying with my wife. End of discussion.”
“Fine,” Celestia dabbed her mouth with the napkin and pushed her empty plate away. “Then I am staying as well.”
“No.”
Celestia glared at her daughter, if she had magic it would be currently setting the room on fire. “Excuse me? You might be able to punch through a wall, but I am still your mother and the goddess of the sun. You do not get to tell me where I choose to stay. You are not so old that I can't find some way to punish you, little filly.”
Sunset crossed her arms looking very much like the defiant teenagers she had once been. “Oooooooh reeeeeally? Got any ID? Earth money? A single clue how to navigate this city let alone this world? Last time I checked that’s no, no, and a big, fat nooooope! You can’t survive in this world without me and if Twi’s theory of radical magical decay is correct then you too will begin to rapidly age and decline in health before the portal opens again. Because, sadly, let’s face facts, you are not at the top of your game health-wise anymore. And I will be damned if I am going to watch both of you die in front of me. You are leaving, Celestia, by your own power or by me shoving your snowy white plot through that portal.” It had been years, decades in fact, but Sunset had called her bluff and Celestia’s carefully maintained emotional armor broke and her eyes glassed over as a tear ran down her cheek.
“My little sun, please don’t do this. I know you are hurting, but pushing everypony who cares for you away will not make it better. It will not make the pain go away and it will not save your wife. It’s her dying wish, she wants you to be with friends and family. She wants you safe. And so do I.”
“Damn,” Sunset said, wiping a tear, desperately wanting to punch something. “You really know how to twist the knife when you need to.”
“Yes, yes I do. If you give me a chance to teach you more, I can show you how to use that terrible power against the nobility that I know you loathe. Princess Twilight could certainly use your help on such matters. As beloved and benevolent as Twilight is, she allows the snakes too much rope to roam and do as they please. If she knew half of what is whispered behind her back I would imagine the court would be missing a few of its more prominent members.”
“Tempting offer, I’ll give you that, especially the being there for Twilight, but MY Twilight needs me now. Princess Twilight will survive and continue to be that beloved and benevolent ruler as long as you and Luna are there to back her up. Just like you said. Heck, I’m sure Flurry or Cadence could come to her aid, too. It’s long since been time to let the kid try her hoof at politics again.”
Celestia visibly stiffened as memories sent a chill down her spine. “Cadence, as you know only leaves the empire when it is absolutely necessary. Flurry Heart… has the desire to take on a more active role in the politics of the nation, but I’m not sure if Canterlot is ready for her. You were a wrecking ball in your youth. Flurry, is more like a deadly tornado. Time and title have done little to mellow her.”
Sunset stood, paid the bill and left a generous tip. They could sit there and discuss politics and the players for hours, but all it was doing was taking away precious time with Twilight, which may have been part of Celestia’s plan. Sunset would not put it past her mother to try and distract her as the portal closed them both in.
Sunset left the diner and began walking towards the hospice a few blocks away. Celestia followed, trying to keep in step with her relatively young, irate daughter. They got about half way when Celestia called out to Sunset. The anger and fire evaporated in Sunset immediately when she saw Celestia stumbling a bit, clutching her chest as if she were about to pass out. Sunset flagged a taxi cab and helped Celestia inside. The driver offered to take them to the hospital, apparently picking up on Celestia’s labored breathing and overall ill complexion. Instead, Sunset directed the driver to take them to Canterlot High School, rattling off a line about how her mother was the principal there and needed her medication from her office desk.
Twenty minutes later the car stopped, Sunset paid and helped Celestia out. She waved the cab away and he did so with a shake of his head.
“Sunset, please. I don’t want you to be alone.”
Sunset pulled her mother close and hugged her, kissing her forehead. “I love you, Mom. I may get mad at you from time to time, but I really do love you. And I do this because I love you. Get Doctor Guiding Light as soon as you are through. The journal is not full yet, but we will have to be sparing with the pages that are left.”
“Sunset...” Sunset Shimmer firmly, but with care pushed Celestia through the portal, pulling her arms back through. She stood guard over the gateway to Equestria for almost an hour in case Celestia tried to foolishly crawl back through. Thankfully, she did not. Her eyes turned to the sky. Somewhere in the blue sky the moon was moving across its orbital path and soon the connection would be lost. Sunset turned back to the portal one last time, a shudder of guilt and remorse running through her.
"Twilight, Mom... I'm sorry." Sunset turned her attention to the phone in her hand. "Phone..."
"Hello, Sunset. You can give me a name or preferred designation any time you like. You can also set my voice from the default list of programmed accent emulations or add a new one from the app store."
"Um, later. Just call me a cab, please."
"Understood."
----------
Several hours after getting Celestia settled into her bed, which had been a chore in of itself, Princess Twilight quietly strolled down the floors and stairs to the room housing the mirror. She had removed all her regalia and her magically enchanted hair was barely moving, half of her mane limply covering her face. Twilight approached the mirror and carefully touched the glass, but nothing happened. As she already knew, the portal had closed several hours ago. Twilight's legs gave out and she collapsed before the mirror weeping in the lonely dark room. Lieutenant Gauge, who had been following Twilight since she left Celestia’s side, silently closed the door to the mirror room and took position so that none would disturb her.
----------
Sunset Shimmer entered the room where her wife was sitting, going through old photos on her phone. Twilight’s face fell and she began to tear up.
“Sunny… no, no…” Sunset sat down and gently took her wife’s hand into her own, not saying anything else on the matter.
Three weeks later. Twilight Sparkle, wife of Sunset Shimmer for 110 years, departed her earthly vessel.
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Oof, I want to cry. It heartens me to know this is only the beginning though.
....
Ow
Just...just take the Fav
Well, she just has to hold it together for 2.5 years.
Be strong Sunset, be strong.
Man, all Sunny has had this sequel was heartache and loss. Sunny may be out of tears to give, but I'm not.
And I'm not cutting onions either...
Poor Sunny. At least she got to be with her Twilight at the end. And Twilight deserved to have Sunset there with her until the end.
I can only imagine what the next few years are going to to to Sunset while she waits for the mirror to open again.
Stay Strong Sunset,
Ouch, this sequel seems to be off to an extremely tragic start. (Although I guess I'm one to talk)
This caught my eye a few days ago now that I had some free time to spare. I took a little time to read through the first story and found it pretty entertaining. Very interesting and unique character setups and world-building. A bit rough in some spots, but still enjoyable. I definitely think I'll come along for the ride on this one, so here's one more like.
10476461
Thank you for the comments and critique. Hopefully as I go this will be more polished and still enjoyable.
With Twi gone now, I hope Celestia's brief time in the human world doesn't cut her century to live short. I mean, I doubt she'll die before the portal opens again but ouch, her mother dying would be the final nail in the coffin for Sunset.
And, oof, that scene with Princess Twilight on the other side missing her best friend already.