24 - Dance
In many ways, Canterlot noble society revolved around galas. There were plenty of parties throughout the year, but only once per season was there a true gala at the Palace. The Princess held to that quite firmly: no more, no less. More would overwhelm the social schedule, eating up her time and reducing the impact of the larger events; fewer would lead to the nobles having their own seasonal headliners that would draw away from the royal influence.
(Princess Celestia insisted that wasn't the reason, of course, but Sunset knew to read between the lines.)
The winter one was the New Year's Gala, taking place through the last night of the year. It had started centuries ago - much of the noble class would find excuses to be at the Palace, clambering to be the first one to wish the Princess a happy new year. In time, she simply made it a party they could attend rather than competing to infiltrate her chambers at 12:01am.
And Sunset was thankful that party was inside the castle. The dead of winter redefined 'chilly' and she had no desire to go traipsing about it in anything less than a parka.
What she had on was far more beautiful but also far less warm.
Princess Celestia's gift was as good as implied: the dress had been prepared and just needed some last minute adjustments to fit. The designer - a recent breakout fashionista by the name of Hoity Toity - had been quick and produced an excellent piece of work. (Sunset knew she was no expert in high fashion, but she did know what made her look good.)
Another designer would probably have played it safe and composed the dress in hot reds and yellows and oranges - logical for Sunset's coat and mane. Toity had taken the daring approach, however. He'd leaned heavily into black, using it as a dark background that drew attention to Sunset's vibrant colors. Snug night-black satin hugged her upper body before swooping back to a long, loose drape that cascaded off her flank like an inky wave. It held only small adornments: small irregular beads of gold around the hems and folds. To the observer it would almost appear Sunset was dripping golden wax, melted by the bright burning candle of her fiery mane and tail. (He had also gone with flats rather than heels, which Sunset was immensely thankful for.)
The effect was striking enough that it froze Cadance mid-step as she was coming out of her rooms.
In turn, Sunset struck a little pose for her with a hoof coquettishly raised, a playful wink to her marefriend, and just a bit of flank-wiggle that wasn't strictly necessary.
Cadance recovered quickly enough, closing the gap to give Sunset a nuzzle. She had to be careful about it though as the tiara on her head discouraged a lot of movement. It was matched to the rest of her outfit: a high-collared steel gray damask dress with a baby blue sash around the back, all highlighted by golden jewelry. The necklace was obviously intended to be part of the tiara's set - gold with deep purple amethysts. But the earrings? Those were the little crystal chips Sunset had given her for Hearth's Warming.
A little warmth welled up in Sunset's chest at that.
"Ready?" Sunset offered her hoof - and Cadance took it.
"Ready." She tried to sound confident and assured, but Sunset could hear the undercurrent of worry. It was the first Gala that Cadance would be attending, having not yet been ready for overwhelming nature of the autumn's event. Now she was going to plunge head first into the nobility's snake pit. But at least now she wouldn't be doing it alone.
The two took their time crossing the Palace's halls - winding through the intricate maze of back passages, exchanging greetings with servant and guard as they went. It took a leisurely ten minutes to reach their destination: the Chancellor Ballroom. (Technically the Chancellor Puddinghead Memorial Funotorium And Dancepalooza, but nopony actually called it that.)
Bypassing the main doors, they went directly to one of the many guards floating around the perimeter of the party. Taking lead, Sunset gave him her best copy of Princess Celestia's commanding look. "Princess Cadance and I need to head inside."
The look worked. (Or more likely he recognized them.) The guard nodded and escorted the pair quickly around to the ballroom's main entrance, bypassing the long line of nobles waiting to have their tickets and coats checked. Kibitz - acting as Master of Ceremonies for the event and looking like he'd grown his mustache out even more for the occasion - cleared his throat before announcing them to the room.
"NOW ENTERING," he boomed with a little magical help, "HER SERENE HIGHNESS, PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA AND HER COMPANION SUNSET SHIMMER, PERSONAL STUDENT OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS CELESTIA."
Being announced second and with her only title being that of 'student' chafed Sunset a little, but she held the frustration down. That was fine for today. No need to get ahead of herself.
Passing through the golden doors side by side, the pair entered the ballroom proper. For Sunset, it was well-trotted territory. But Cadance was instantly awed - and who could blame her? As the main ballroom of the Palace, 'impressive' was where the descriptors merely started.
White and gray marble checkered the floor, broken up by a plush red velvet carpet. Said carpet guided guests first to a short stairway, on the landing of which was Princess Celestia herself, poised to receive and greet each new guest. From there, it led to the upper and main part of the room: an expanse large enough that Sunset suspected Cadance's entire quaint little home village could fit inside. The north wall was broken up by the band's raised platform on the left, flanked by fluted marble columns. On the right side of the north sat the evening's refreshments: currently concealed behind the crowd, but Sunset had no reason to doubt it was anything less than perfection. The east and west walls were lined by deep purple drapes that hung around stained glass windows and centuries-old tapestries - alternating between and giving the entire room a darker feel in spite of the many crystal chandeliers overhead. Tables were dotted around the edges of the room, leaving the center open for ponies to mill about. And, of course, there was a large space near the band that was set aside as a dance floor.
But before any of that could matter, there was Princess Celestia. In full regalia, she was all smiles as the pair approached. They bowed to her; and she to them in turn.
"Princess Cadance. Sunset Shimmer. It is a pleasure to see you both here tonight."
"Thank you for inviting us, Princess Celestia." Sunset spoke the words with strict formality, as ritual and tradition dictated it must be. That she spoke instead of the higher-ranked Cadance was a faux pas, but the young alicorn didn't have the experience to take the lead yet. "We are honored that you allow us to bless the new year beside you. Are we permitted to enter your home?"
A devil's smile played across Celestia's face. "Absolutely not." And before Sunset could do more than gawk in surprise, Celestia grabbed them both up in a wing-hug. "Not until I greet you properly! I'm so happy to see you both."
While Sunset floundered, Cadance laughed. "Auntie, it's only been two hours!"
"Yes, but two hours of this." Celestia laughed heartily, drawing a few looks from nearby nobles not in on the joke. "You will understand in time, my niece. I'm letting you have fun for now but next year you'll be greeting them all right here beside me." Rose eyes winked, suggesting a bit of humor in the obvious threat.
Cadance balked, freezing up for a second.
Which made Celestia laugh all the more. "That's next year. For now, both of you? Enjoy yourselves. Be young. Have a good evening together. I expect to hear laughter!"
It felt like a trap. Sunset's gut said it had to be. But Celestia's instructions were what she was planning on doing anyway, so she bowed to the Princess again and hid her concern.
Cadance, on the other hoof, gave her elder a wink and a grin. "We will, but keep in mind what I threatened you with next year."
Celestia's perfect smile faltered just a little - and the pair departed with an amused laugh that they shared for different reasons.
A few steps away, Sunset asked the obvious question. "So what's the threat?"
Smile sparkling, Cadance's steps bounced with delight. "Next year, she owes me a dance."
The image of The Sun Incarnate attempting to awkwardly dance (in the same way Sunset had seen herself in the mirror as she practiced) broadened the unicorn's grin. A little public humbling was just what the doctor ordered, and Sunset had one more thing to look forward to in the new year. There was no way she would miss Princess Celestia wobbling around like a drunken swan.
But her joy was a bit premature, because Cadance gave her a look. "This year," she noted, "I'm focusing on you."
Memories of Cadance's sing-song statement a month and a half earlier made Sunset's heart freeze. "Oh." Her eyes darted around the ballroom, a bubble of performance anxiety sitting hard in her gut as she felt all her preparations dissolve into the ether. "Say, you want something to drink? We've got hours, so I figure we can start slow. Chill out and get a feel for the party before we jump in."
Sharkishly smiling, Cadance threw a wing across Sunset's withers to prevent her escape. "No no no. You promised me a dance and I'm not giving you any opportunity to slip out of it."
"I never promised anything! You said you were going to force me to dance with you!"
"And you didn't object," Cadance pointed out. She paused, both in words and her steps in dragging Sunset towards the dance floor. "Are you objecting?"
She had that tone - questioning and just slightly hurt. It was a knife to the gut, and Sunset sighed with resignation. "No. I... I do want to dance with you." She hesitated this time before adding, "I just don't think I prepared enough."
Her doubt was pushed back by a roll of Cadance's eyes. "You had more than a month of studying, four different lessons with me, and I know you practiced on your own." Their hips bumped. "The mighty Sunset Shimmer just has cold hooves."
That did it. It was a weak provocation and probably not even intended as one, but the little taunt sparked a new fire in Sunset. Locking her eyes on the dance floor, she set her jaw and turned towards destiny.
Destiny was ready for her. Or at least Cadance was: as they approached the dance floor, she waved a wing towards the band. It had to have been a pre-rehearsed signal as the string quartet finished their current song several measures early.
After a brief pause, they struck up a tune that Sunset recognized: The Pearlfisher's Tango from classical hippogriffian opera. They had practiced to it twice after Cadance had deemed Sunset ready to progress beyond a basic waltz. It was a more complicated dance - but it was also one that put them far closer together. A statement, and Sunset approved of that.
They both went up to their rear hooves, pressing barrel to barrel to begin the first steps. All around, other pairs on the dance floor did the same - but they all also kept their distance from the royal couple. It was an unspoken agreement to give space and not disturb the moment.
Cadance took the lead. A part of Sunset objected to the idea of somepony else being in charge, but the rest was quite firm in (for once) knowing her limitations. One of them knew how to dance and the other was a total novice. As much as Sunset boasted how she didn't care what any of the nobility thought of her, there was a world of difference between being aloof and making stupid beginner mistakes while hundreds of ponies watched your every move.
So she reluctantly followed her marefriend and counted the steps in her head. Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. Stay close together, barrel to barrel with Cadance. Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. Let her control the turns, stay steady with the music.
Cadance nudged Sunset's cheek with her chin. "Hey. Relax." Her answer was a non-committal grumble. "Relax," repeated the alicorn as they danced. "I wanted this to be fun, not a job. You don't have to be so serious."
All around them, other pairs continued their dances with grace - a flourish here, a turn there - while Sunset was barely still upright. Another pony might point out the romance of how she and Cadance were leaning into one another because of the stance, supporting each other through the steps. But every critical eye was reviewing her movements, and Sunset knew she was lacking. "Sorry," was all she could say to Cadance.
Their voices were at a murmur, audible when they were so close to each other but disappearing under the music for everypony else. Anypony watching, though, would be able to see how Cadance's face fell. "No, I'm sorry. I thought you'd enjoy this." She perked up a little. "Maybe we could try a different kind of dancing? I bet I could talk Princess Celestia into letting us go to a club and that might be better."
Sunset shook her head a little. "No, it's okay. This had to happen sooner or later, I'm just being thin-skinned." Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. "If it wasn't the New Year's Gala, it would be the Spring Ball."
"Just ignore them and have fun," Cadance advised quietly. "They don't matter right now."
It was easier said than done, but the little voice in the back of Sunset's head reminded her that Cadance was right. She was being watched, but they didn't matter. Not one of them. After all, she was Sunset Shimmer, Ascendant. Princess-To-Be. She had won. This was a demonstration of how Cadance had fallen for her, and now it was just a matter of finding the right opportunity to press about how Cadance had gained her horn.
This wasn't a dance; it was a victory lap.
That little voice grew louder.
So what if Sunset missed a step? So what if she had less than perfect grace? She would be a Princess within six months - three if the path wasn't too complicated. Then she would sit in a throne beside Cadance and nopony would dare judge her.
Sunset's hooves lightened and she fell into the slow-slow-quick-quick-slow with ease. The steps were natural and if she made a mistake she didn't care. So what if the perfect Sunset Shimmer took the wrong step or was out of rhythm? They couldn't do anything to her any more. Even Princess Celestia would have no choice but to acknowledge Sunset - it was all over but the paperwork.
Laughing, Sunset spun around - taking the lead away from Cadance in a flagrant faux pas. But Cadance laughed with her, caring as little as Sunset did for the way the nobles looked at them or the formal structure of the dance.
They shared the joy of the moment, even if Cadance had a different reason than Sunset.
Even when the song ended, they danced on. The band transitioned to something similar, struggling to keep to what the Princess was dancing. It wasn't a song Sunset knew, but it didn't matter. They were together, they were happy, and life was finally, finally right.
It was three songs later that they finally came to the end of their dance. It was punctuated with a kiss - hard, deep, overwhelming - before they separated a step and bowed to one another. Several members of their audience applauded, but neither mare cared. This was a moment for their own happiness, nopony else's.
As they trotted off the dance floor, however, each had their own way to express that happiness. Cadance's was high-stepping, cantering with joy. It was impossible to mistake how pleased she was with the evening so far. Sunset, meanwhile, was practically slinking. Smugness dripped off her every movement, and none could missed how pleased she was with herself.
The crowd gave them some distance - respectful, and likely enforced by the plain-clothed guards that Sunset was certain were mixed throughout the party-goers. It was enough space to allow Cadance's wing to lay across Sunset's back. "Thank you," said the pink princess quietly. "I know that wasn't something you wanted to do, so thank you for indulging me."
A shrug. Sunset managed a little smirk. "Like I said. It had to happen sooner or later. Why would I say no?" She nudged Cadance, steering them towards one of the tables on the edge of the room. "We're supposed to support each other, right?"
"Right," Cadance agreed. "Which means next time you're leading," she added with a wink.
Part of Sunset trembled at that - but the rest pushed it down with the reminder that She Had Won. She could almost feel her not-yet-real wings flexing. "Bring it on."
They laughed and nuzzled as they angled towards an empty table - and were intercepted. Spearhead - in proper uniform - held up a hoof. "Your Highness, we already have a place set up for you over here."
Cadance's face scrunched up. "What?"
"Princess Celestia's orders," elaborated the guard before pointing to a different table. This one was further from the dance floor and already had one occupant: an older donkey wearing a ridiculously bad hairpiece. "She wanted you to meet an old companion of hers, and said she would join the three of you once the receiving line was complete."
Both mares looked at each other and wore the same expression: one of vaguely amused annoyance mixed with resignation. They didn't really care what table they were at, but leave it to Princess Celestia to control all the little details. Fighting against whatever she was doing was a waste of time and effort.
Sunset leaned in to give Cadance a kiss on the cheek. "You go set up at the table. I'll get us something to drink, okay? You want anything in particular?"
Cadance shook her head with a soft smile. "Surprise me. I'll go and introduce myself to Auntie's friend. I'm sure she has a reason why we should meet him."
"He's an adventurer," Spearhead volunteered. "The Princess said he'd been on a quest, and for part of it he spent time off the Florintine coast."
The mention of her homeland lit Cadance's eyes up with joy.
To which Sunset chuckled. "Go on. I'll grab you something fruity and bright pink."
Cadance batted her marefriend with a wing, then followed Spearhead towards the donkey.
Sunset, meanwhile, turned back the other way. Skirting around the dance floor - which had resumed into a more traditional waltz - she meandered towards the big knot of ponies around the bar. Even at her youngest, Sunset had learned it was always the most crowded point in a party: everypony wanted a drink, and so it became a nexus for conversations, meetings, and finding an excuse for a second (or third or fourth) drink.
True to form, it was a mess of high society ponies chattering over whatever wine or other poison was their preference. Sunset spotted a number of familiar faces from court - including Blueblood. She was careful to pass through the crowd on the opposite edge from him, hopefully avoiding a dumb confrontation that would do nothing but sour her mood.
Instead, she got to have her mood soured by waiting. There would never be enough staff for a Royal Gala, and waiting in line for a drink was inevitable. It still annoyed her, of course, but there was no avoiding it. All Sunset could do was wait and block out the annoying buzz of drunken nobility.
Somewhere in the crowd, somepony laughed. The sound bored into Sunset's ears despite her attempts to ignore everypony around her, and at first she couldn't peg why. There were dozens of ponies laughing, but that one--
That one was familiar.
She frowned sharply.
It was very familiar.
And there it was again.
Sunset's ears twitched, rotating as they tried to pin down a direction.
A third laugh, and she had it zeroed in. A glance in that direction caught a little bit of red and white stripe - and a wave of ice ran through Sunset's fearful bones.
Forgetting the drinks and the line, Sunset peeled away and plunged into the crowd. Normally she would simply push other ponies aside - the nobility were rarely prepared to resist a magical shove - but she wanted to avoid drawing attention for the moment. Not until she was sure.
But being sure was easy, because she knew that voice and could pick it out from any crowd. And even though he was disguised, the key parts of his look were distinctive. He was wearing a proper suit: black silk over his blue and white striped shirt. The traditional straw boater hat had been left behind, leaving his red and white striped mane free. But what really clinched it was that smile. The one that said he had a plan, it was going to make him rich, and nopony was going to see it coming.
Even without his brother, Flim Skim was unmistakable.
Now Sunset's magic flared and pushed several nobles aside. The cluster around Flim cracked like a coconut and all eyes were on the young mare.
His met hers.
Flim's smile wavered.
Sunset Shimmer growled.
"Hello, Dad."
Oh man, I have been waiting two years to write that last line. It was one of the earliest anchor points to the story and it's been living rent free in my brain for so damn long.
And as a result, now we've walked into one of my own bits of head canon - not unheard of, but pretty uncommon. And while 'Sunset Shimmer is Flim and/or Flam's daughter' seems crazy on the surface? There's a lot of evidence, I think.
- Yellow coat
- Red and pale yellow manes
- That are in the same stripe pattern
- Green eyes
- Green magic (initially)
- Highly intelligent with an established talent for science/engineering (say what you will about the FlimFlams, building the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy is not something your average pony could do)
- Primary threat as antagonists is via social manipulation, cons, and influencing others
- EGO
It's not a 100% correlation, but that much circumstantial evidence has always said they're related to me.
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Pfft.
Ok, I did not see that coming.
Alright bravo chapter bro!
Ok, that's a new one for me.
I certainly didn’t expect that! In fact, leading up to Sunset approaching him, I was trying to recall “um, what other character has appeared in a prior chapter that Sunset might have had a run in with…”, presuming it would be an OC.
I guess this means Flim is a fair bit older than most of us assume, to be Sunset’s dad, given she is several years older than Cadance, and her several above Twilight. The brothers certainly aren’t in Applejack’s age range here! In the timeline of the show, if we used humans years, that’d put them at in their 50’s.
Personally, as I don’t read nearly as much Sunset fics as most here, or think about her (though when I do it is often this early, pre-EqG phase, of course), I can’t say I’d had a particular head canon for her parents. I do remember being intrigued by her being Spitfire’s sister, though that may have just been the one fix rather than a particular one. Most I’ve read tend to start in with her as Celestia’s student, and leave her parents unmentioned. Or have her as an adopted orphan. You’ve certainly intruded me yet again!
Yeah, he certainly fits the absent father archetype. It says something that Sunset went out of her way to confront him when she could have continued enjoying a happy evening with Cadance instead.
Well, a certain scene in Rollercoaster of Friendship just got an entirely new dimension of subtext added to it.
Oh damn. Hell yeah.
Oh? OH! oh dear...Sunny Bunny, don't do anything too drastic.
It's interesting how she switches from "It's a victory lap" to "they are together, they are happy" back to "It's a victory lap".
huh, I'd never heard of this headcanon before. Interesting to make them nobleponies, too.
11682189
The brothers have aged quite well then, with the constant traveling and dance routines
..... My hat is off and I slow clap. I never would have thought of that and WOW does that make for story fuel. Well done.
And the dancing was cute too.
AI Review: https://www.fimfiction.net/group/217075/ai-reviews/thread/523976/first-hoof-account-by-tcc5687-10
11688541
Absolutely not.
11688550
Um... sorry? Was this not submitted by you?
11688555
No, it was not. I want absolutely nothing to do with the AI mess.
11688567
My deepest of apologies. It's against the group rules to submit not-your stories and I failed to spot this mistake. I accept all the blame. I've done a sweeping pass of such stories in the folder to avoid this happening in the future. The goal is to provide constructive feedback for human creatives, not replace them. Sorry again. My bad.
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It's entirely okay. I understand that mistakes happen and we're all human. (Except the horses.) No offense taken.
11688590
Um, for what it... matters? Your story was very well reviewed.
Hizzah for that. Good luck to you and any future words.
Ngl, that's a pretty cute twist
Finally caught up on this. Awesome story.
Lots of thoughts, but I guess what stands out to me is that Sunset's defining feature (other than relentless egomania) has pretty much been her inability to accurately judge other people's motives. She constantly ascribes self-serving, malicious forethought to completely benign actions by people that genuinely care about her. Now that we have a better sense of what her upbringing must have been like, it's easier to see why.
The author commented that last chapter was the high point, but this chapter feels like the real dramatic climax to me. For a brief moment, all eyes were on Sunset, and it seemed like pretty much everything she wanted was in grasp. But now her past begins to rear its head, and I think this is the beginning of everyone beginning to get a better sense of who the real Sunset is. Much to her detriment.
Gut-wrenching stuff. Seems like things maybe could have worked out, but we know in the long-run, Sunset becomes nothing more than an afterthought, both in the universe at large and the lives of the people that currently care about her. Incredibly grim when you think about it.
I just picked this one up and read through it in two days, only to get body slammed into the last chapter's twist. Very cruel! I love it! I didn't know how much I had been wanting a teen-y romance like this, especially with your wonderfully arrogant and ambitious Sunny :D
Really looking forward to the next chapter!
The good chancellor's ghost was currently contained in Celestia's extra-secret vault, and thus ponies were free to refer to the room by its more dignified unofficial name.
That is why you'll fail.
I smell irony...
I do love delving into the implications of Cranky's past, especially how both diarchs showed up for his wedding. That jack's seen and done a lot in his time.
And wow, that reveal at the end. This is going to be gloriously messy. Looking forward to seeing the fallout. If Sunset doesn't get somepony kicked out of the gala (most likely herself) I'll be astonished. (Also, there's the question of her mother's identity...)
11705286
So while I've got like four comments I'm holding back on responding to until I drop the next chapter and some of the information within it, this is part of one I can squeeze out.
Yeah, Cranky being in Celestia's circle is something that just makes sense to me. He got an invite to the Grand Galloping Gala originally to meet Matilda, so he can't be a random nobody. Add into that both Princesses showing up at his wedding and the EqG version of Cranky being close friends with that Celestia/Luna (and the two worlds mirroring), and it just seems right that he's a notable character that she knows. Given his travels, I see him as being a sort of Marco Polo-ish figure: an adventurer funded by Celestia to explore while he looks for his love.
As for what he's doing here? Well, his lifelong quest has been to find the jenny he loves. Who better to help than the newly crowned Princess of Love? Celestia got him that seat with Cadance for a reason.
Okay, now that the next chapter is up and some more info's out, I can respond to a few of these.
11682189
I actually did the math here and it isn't as much as you'd think. The brothers had Sunset very early on in their careers - here, they're in their early 30s. Say, 18, and Sunset's about 14 here. And since we're established as being about a decade out from the show timeline, they're early to mid 40s there. Certainly not young, but I'd call that well within the reasonable range.
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She's gotta beat Dad, after all. Even if she knows it's a scheme. Giving up means letting them win, and death first.
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This is 100% accurate and on purpose. She will eventually become Empathy, but this is long before. Everything is colored through the lens of "If I did that, why would I?" and of course it all comes out as bad. She cannot read the motivations or emotions of others, and it's the root of many of her problems.
This headcanon can easily coexist with current popular fanon of Stellar Flare (Sunbursts Mom) being Sunsets mom.
Holy FUCK
also im just sitting here waiting for the other shoe to drop and aaaaah im scared why must this fic I chose to read knowing it was a tragedy be a tragedy?!?!