Determined to beat Sunny to the kitchen that morning, Sunset set her alarm for 6:30 and took a quick shower. After getting dried off, she made her way to the kitchen, and took a look around, finding a waffle iron in the bottom right cabinet.
"Now we're talking," Sunset said to herself, taking out the appliance and setting it on the counter, before searching the pantry for flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. She combined the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and then went to the fridge to get the wet ingredients; eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla extract from the pantry. Knowing she wasn't going to need the entire mix this morning, she took what she didn't need of the dry mix and poured it into a jar and sealed it for later, before adding the wet ingredients to the bowl, making a thick, gooey waffle mix.
She heard Sunny's alarm go off as she was spraying the waffle iron with cooking spray before turning it on to heat it up. By the time the first glob of waffle mix hit the iron, Sunny had come out into the kitchen.
"That smells good already," Sunny commented.
"Two semesters of Canterlot High cooking," Sunset replied, lowering the top of the iron down, and the sizzling commenced.
For her part, Sunny went over to the cabinets on the left, and got the table set with plates, utensils, and glasses, before pulling the pitcher of orange juice from the fridge. Ten minutes later, they each had two jumbo waffles on their plate, topped with syrup and butter.
"So what did Pipp say about you coming back to Zephyr Heights?" Sunny asked as she started into her waffles.
"We haven't hammered out specifics, just that she'd love to have me back in town whenever I'd like. I don't want to rush over there, I was thinking about camping on the way there."
"Well, I've got some camping equipment from our excursion to Princess Twilight's castle you can use. We can get the cart packed up before our tour in a few hours," Sunny told her, continuing into her breakfast.
"So, how much of Twilight's history have you figured out?" Sunset asked the earth pony. Sunny put a hoof to her chin.
"When I compare the contents of the Guardians' friendship journal with the memory gems found in the castle... I'd actually say under half; by that, I mean that I've managed to put just under half of the memory gem images to specific entries in the journal; the castle is only really mentioned at the very end of it, when they defeated Lord Tirek and banished him back to Tartarus... And I'm wondering if that place even exists anymore. I just found it weird that she didn't even so much as mention you in it, even though one of the memory gems prove you're telling the truth about who you are."
"Well, that journal was mass produced; probably not the best thing to tell them about an alternate dimension that was able to be accessed via mirror and other spontaneous locations around the world," Sunset commented.
"Yeah, that's true. Quite enough Equestrian magic leaked through to that world as it was; not to mention ancient mages just, well, tossing threats over there to get them out of Equestria."
After breakfast, the pair of mares packed up the cart for the camping trip towards Zephyr Heights, and Sunset was realizing that having Ray along might prove tricky.
"Sunset, I don't mind looking after Ray, I promise. When Izzy heads back to Bridlewood, and you go to Zephyr Heights with Zipp and Pipp, this place will feel a little empty. It'll be nice to have a little company until you get back," Sunny told her.
"Truth be told, it would make traveling a bit easier, and he is really good with new ponies. I got enough food for him to last a few weeks, and I know I won't be gone that long. You sure?" Sunset asked.
Sunny nodded again.
"It'll be good practice if I ever want to get a pet of my own. He's in good hooves, you have my word," the earth pony told her.
With that, they put the cart up next to the front door, ready for Sunset to leave later in the day, and they were off into the Maretime Bay morning towards CanterLogic.
"There's one more thing that I've been trying to wrap my head around. Do you know what time dilation is?" Sunset asked Sunny as they made their way down the main street.
"Something about time moving at different rates in different places?"Sunny answered.
Sunset nodded.
"The mirror world had counterparts for everypony in Equestria in my time, but it was more technologically advanced. Equestria didn't match the mirror world's tech until, well, until now. I'm willing to bet that when magic left Equestria, it threw the time dilation even more out of whack. I can't help but wonder if it really would have mattered when I came back through the portal. Would seconds passing turn into weeks, months, or years passing over here?"
Sunny could only shrug. Nearly all of this was beyond her.
"I should probably just stop occupying myself with those kind of questions; I'm not likely to get any answers, and I'm here now," Sunset commented.
"It's perfectly alright to have questions, especially in situations like this. But true, don't drive yourself nuts with them," Sunny offered as they came up on the CanterLogic's wide, front walk.
The factory sat on top of the highest hill, overlooking the rest of downtown Maretime Bay. A concrete walk ringed the building, with stairs leading down to a lower walk, providing stairs up the hill from almost any point around the structure. The two mares walked side by side up the center walk, up to the two sets of double doors. Stepping up to them, the left set of doors slid open, and they walked into CanterLogic's main concourse.
"Whoa," was Sunset's first comment, looking around at her surroundings. There was no hiding the inner workings behind 'tourism' areas here; right after coming through the first hallway, there were grabber arms and multi-level conveyor belts everywhere, snaking throughout the central area to all the different levels of the factory. The center room was quite large, and in the back was a large, T-shaped stage. This must be where they held product unveilings so tourists wouldn't have to go far.
The two mares went to a visitor's kiosk that was being occupied by a light pink mare with her mane spiked up in the back. She wore a collar and necktie. An ID badge was clipped on the left side of her collar.
"Good morning, Sunny. Nice to see you again!" she greeted.
"Good morning, Sweets. This is Sunset Shimmer, a new friend of mine. We're wondering if we could do a tour this morning," Sunny said.
"Anything for you, Sunny, and pleased to meet you, Sunset," Sweets replied, getting out a clipboard and picked up a walkie talkie on the desk, calling for a replacement to come to the kiosk. A dark blue stallion came from a door in the wall behind her, and with a nod and smile, took her place as she stepped out from behind the desk. "So, new to town, Sunset?"
"Very new," the unicorn replied, nodding.
"Well, CanterLogic can be seen almost anywhere you stand in Maretime Bay, boasting four stories above ground and two floors below ground, it finds its roots right here in town nearly 43 years ago. Back then, our now-CEO was just getting started on the ground floor..."
The tube elevator slowly descended down to the floor, before the doors slid open, and the trio of ponies stepped out.
"And here is our Research and Development area. Being underground allows operations to continue around the clock without disturbing the quiet nights of the surrounding populace," Sweets explained.
Sunset took it all in as best she could. More pipes, cranes, and conveyors ran along the outer edges of the large room. The whole area had an industrial green hue to it.
The tour had been very informative, and to Sweets' credit, she had been very forthcoming about CanteLogic's rather racist roots, how nearly all of their products had been some sort of deterrent against unicorns and pegasi, and how they had been rebranding ever since the reunification months ago, having opened up trade relationships with companies in Zephyr Heights, as well as ongoing efforts to bring non-intrusive industry to Bridlewood.
The three of them came up to a large elevated platform in the back, accessed by a ramp with yellow and black warning stripes. Up on the platform was a cargo trailer of some sort. A half dozen ponies were on top, looking like they were hammering rivets into a metal frame. In Sunset's mind, it looked mostly like an incomplete semi-trailer, but considerably more rugged, based on the tires.
"Hope he hasn't been exhausting himself," Sunny commented as they came up the ramp, seeing sparks fly from the underside of the trailer.
"Oh, just the usual arriving a half-hour before the first shift," Sweets commented. "Visitors, Sprout," she called to the pair of red and white legs laying exposed from underneath.
The sparks stopped, and out rolled the red earth pony on a garage creeper.
"This is Sprout Cloverleaf, and this is his latest project," Sweets announced.
"Looks like it's coming along great, Sprout," Sunny commented as the stallion lifted off the welder's mask he was currently wearing.
"Thanks, Sunny. Feel free to have a look around; it'd be great to have an opinion of how things look from somepony who hasn't been staring at this thing for the past 48 hours," Sprout commented. Sunny nodded with a smile, before going to do a walk-around with Sweets, leaving Sprout alone with their unicorn visitor.
"Sprout, right? You were one of the drivers of the truck, right? Thanks for getting us to town safely," Sunset greeted.
Sprout nodded with a smile.
"That's me. It was Sunset, right?" Sprout asked, the unicorn nodding in return. "Happy to do it."
"So, I can only assume you're the owner's son? Good to see you don't have one of the more cushy jobs upstairs."
Sprout nodded.
"I've only been here for a few months. I used to be deputy for the MBPD. That didn't end well. You see, I... I don't have the cleanest past..." Sprout admitted, his gaze averting away from Sunset. When he risked looking at her again, he saw that her smile had only widened.
"Finally, somepony I can relate to."
Sunny slowly took in the incomplete trailer that would eventually connect to the back of the Scouticus, and could only imagine all the things they were going to be able to bring back from the Crystal Empire, and any future ancient sites they might visit. She didn't think they'd be able to get the whole library's worth of books into the completed trailer, but it would cut more than a dozen trips down to probably two or three.
When she came back around, she saw Sunset talking to a rather enthusiastic Sprout.
"Hey, Sunny?" Sunset started, taking a step towards her. "Could you send me a text when you find out when Zipp and Pipp are ready to head out? I think Sprout and I are going to go grab some lunch."
I'm loving the slow build as Sunset gets to know the world around her. As for repeating her story, you could go with Sprout telling his tale and being surprised when Sunset says she can relate, then Sunset clarifying with a one-line summary of her dark past. She's told it so much through the Equestria Girls shows that she has it down cold, similar to the end of "Movie Magic" when she, SciTwi, and Starlight Glimmer all sum up their dark pasts to Juniper Montage.
Truth be told, I'm really wanting to see if Sunset ever gets an answer from the journals she brought. It has the feeling of something we won't see for a while, but it's always a hope in the back of my heart when a new chapter comes up.
All I see in that AN is you saying challenge accepted so get to it and make me proud.
11148511 True all that
Loved the pick, basically what I'd calling her if I could ever huggle her.
Aww, is you a horny pony? Yes yus is, yes yus is. Yous a Fwuffy horny pony.
Sprout x Sunset
D'awww. It's okay if you can't fit it in, the implication is enough for me!
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Well that didn't take long.
Pro tip:
You do not need to ship ponies that go eat lunch together.
Two semesters? Not two years? I thought she was Fall Formal Princess the year before Twilight came. That alone would mean she had been there for a year at least before EqG event.
Hmm I still think that's a pretty interesting theory that our world move slowly then Equestria
11148557
That's not her total time at CHS, just the cooking classes she took.
"I've only been here for a few months. I used to be deputy for the MBPD. That didn't end well. You see, I... I don't have the cleanest past..." Sprout admitted, his gaze averting away from Sunset. When he risked looking at her again, he saw that her smile had only widened.
"Finally, somepony I can relate to."
I kind of figured that these two can relate with each other given their past mistake
It's your story, Miles, but if you wanna skip retelling Sunset's history, I suggest cutting straight to Sprout with a reaction as they are going/walking to meet Pipp and Zipp.
Assuming Sprout isn't so stunned Sunset has to levitate him back to the factory or something...
So it looks like sunset wanted to check around Equestria and she wants to meet with Sunnys friends and she even check around the place that's Sunny work at CanterLogic and sunset meet sprout and surprisingly these two hit it off I wonder how these two will get along I guess we'll find out next time
I think you can gloss over Sunset's past, just have them turn up at the place, have Sunset begin, then describe Sprouts reactions to certain parts and then the interactions for after her story.
Still deeply enjoying this series
You probably don't need to retell Sunset's history, could probably begin things with Sprout saying "Seriously, like a demon thingy, whoah, and I thought I was bad! but how long did it take to mend things again, I just feel like it's going so slow for me with some of the others in town, no matter how hard I try."
Either way, fun story so far!
Oh, goody. They have being reformed supervillains in common.
11148685
"Super" being used very, very loosely of course.
11148697
Sprout did build a giant mecha to terrorize the town, I think that counts as super
11148715
He built a mech to go to Bridlewood that flung balls of slime, and his "army" stared down a very small group before breaking ranks.
Sunset thought she was going to be able to usurp the Canterlot throne by giving a few dozen teenagers pony forms and taking them through a portal where eight of the most powerful ponies in Equestria were waiting.
11148718
I never said successful but like, they are definitely somewhere beyond normal villainy.
11148718
Remember what Megamind said the difference between villainy and super-villainy is PRESENTATION! Giant Robots and Demonic forms are definitely super-villain worthy presentations! Robbing a bank the regular way is just villainy robbing the bank wile riding a mechanical veloceraptor and wearing a cowboy hat is Supervillainy! A mugger is just a criminal, a mugger dressed in a hip-hop Robinhood outfit spouting Shakespeare is a super-villain!
I understand not wanting to tell Sunsets story again But what about Sprouts?
11148555
I think both can work out but yea I was having a little fun.
Good chapter.
The picture of Sunset in horny jail is funny.
Again, excellent work on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Definitely liked the stuff about Sunny liking Sunset's cooking as well as the discussion for plans for Sunny to take care of Ray while Sunset is out of town (and, to be fair, Sunny probably HAS gotten a couple of pointers in animal care from Hitch) as well as the logical explanation for the lack of mention of the human world in the friendship journal before the two took the Canterlogic tour. Yeah, Sprout and Sunset sharing a bit of dialogue is a pretty interesting idea (and, yeah, you probably COULD just skip to each's reactions to the other's admission).
Plus, as another reviewer suggested, it might be a nice touch to see Sunset's journal entry actually get a response in a much later chapter. As well as Sunset finding other magic mirrors and using them to get peeks into other universes (as a nod to the multiverse being semi-canon in this franchise anyway) as if she were watching really good television shows (but only watching and listening, NOT interfering unless the situation absolutely looks bad enough to be beyond the locals' resources to handle on their own [which doubles as a downplayed Shout Out to Marvel's "What If?" series [both comics AND animated]).
One of the universes she ends up looking into could be the Human World looking thirty years more advanced than when she left (including getting glimpses of the lives of her human world friends).
And Sunset teaching the other unicorns the full potential of their restored magic.
And trying to teach Sunny how to better access her "magic construct" wings and horn for events where she might actually need them.
On another note before I forget again, the pics of Sunset in the ends of the author's notes continue to be quite good (my compliments to the artists). And, yeah, the "horny jail" deal could have an amusing double meaning given the rather large number of clopfics Sunset has been featured in.
At any rate, very certainly look forward to more of this.
P.S. If this review comes in multi-posted, I profusely apologize. I had a bit of trouble getting it posted.
Instead of her recapping everything to Sprout, what you could do is still have shared experiences like, “What would you have done in this instance?” and then laughing over silly decisions. Sprout could roast Sunset for the zombie thing, while Sunset could tease Sprout about his decisions. “Well, you did this!” “Yeah, but that doesn’t compare to….” 😂
11148787
It's a punishment for sure, from a certain point of view...
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Miles.
Whoever made that picture and for what ever reason you decided to put it up there,
I am afraid I have to say that, YOUR UNDER ARREST!!!!!
I don’t actually have that authority but still, WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT UP ON THIS SPECIFIC STORY!?!?!?!?!?!?
Tell me about it, and it sure caused several problems that the girls had to face.
This sure can be quite the headache when trying to figure out this problem at ha- I mean hoof.
Exactly!
Good, I hated those products they used against the other tribes, it was just wrong and some of the main were just underlay ridiculous!!!!!
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It's a commentary on how Sunset's been featured in so many clopfics as of late...
*looks at the picture of Sunset*
Dammit, Miles!
11149117
Because I wanted to. It was funny.
More normal ones are coming.
Well I still hope you find a way to get flurry back in this timeline not in the one for the second ending of the previous fic, but you could merge the timelines
11149652
No plans for that so far. Just the alternate ending that I'll eventually develop more.
11149666
You could make so that at the end of both of those fics the timlines merge
11148718
Both could have been foiled by four teenagers and a Great Dane who speaks English with a dog accent.
11149375
If you think that’s funny I have only one thing to say to you.
Your grounded.
Wow, like this, Sunset looks 200% more charismatic! Oo
ps Found ya browsing Twitter, btw^^
Your post of Hitch+tiny Pipp... its hilarious :)
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Thanks for finding me, and thanks for reading!
Very good chapter, love how Sunset and Sprout can have something to bond over, given that both know what it's like to do something they'll eventually regret.
With that said, I did spot this slight error
I believe it should read, "WAS very forthcoming?"
Awww, I love character bonding!
Guilty of being Horny LMAO