3. A Lunch of Revelations
Starlight placed the final piece of her outfit—a golden headband—over her head and smiled. The white blouse was light and airy, and combined with the dark green blazer she chose for the occasion, she looked put-together and elegant. Taking a moment to primp her loose mane, she nodded at her reflection before leaving her room. She found Sunburst in the living room exactly how she left him, laying on the couch and reading a book, pouting unhappily.
“How do I look?”
He looked up and managed to crack a smile for her sake. “You look nice.” The smile vanished. “But I still wish you wouldn't go.”
“I know,” she sighed and sat next to him as Sunburst scooted back to give her room. “But I think it’s important for me to know your family. Besides, he’s much nicer than I expected.”
Sunburst scoffed, “Yeah, he sure is.” They fell silent as Sunburst grappled with his internal conflict. He had wasted too much time already. He needed to talk to her, right here and right now. He should stop her from leaving. He should—
There was a knock on the front door.
“Well, that’s my ride,” Starlight said before standing up. “I’ll be back in a few hours, okay?” When he nodded, she smiled and headed for the door.
“Wait!” Sunburst cried, jumping to his feet so quickly that the book on his lap hit the floor with a dull thud.
Starlight whirled around to face him. “What is it?”
He gritted his teeth, heart beating wildly in his chest. “When…when you get back…I’ll tell you everything…just come back, please.”
She stared at him for a long while, concern lining her features before finally smiling. “What are you saying? Of course I’m coming back, silly. I promise.” She gave him one final skeptical look before she opened the door.
Sunspot was waiting on the other side and he smiled brightly when Starlight opened the door. “Hello Starlight, Sunburst,” he nodded at the both of them. “The carriage is waiting by the curb, would you mind giving me a moment with Sunburst? I’ll be there with you shortly.”
Starlight glanced back at Sunburst, who gave her an uneasy nod, and she hesitated before stepping out. “Ok, see you later.”
The two stallions watched her enter the carriage, and once the door closed behind her, Sunspot spoke up. “So, Sunburst, I assume you have had time to think.” His son nodded. “And?”
“I won’t leave her…nor my work here.” Sunburst’s eyes hardened, raising his chin in defiance. “But you already knew that.”
His father stared at him for a moment, expression unreadable, before he nodded curtly and turned on his heel to follow after Starlight. “Yes, Sunburst, I already knew.”
The ride to the restaurant was done in silence. Sunspot stared out the window with a thoughtful look on his face and Starlight, who didn’t know the stallion well enough to feel comfortable enough to interrupt him, left it that way. She also had her own thinking to do, and as she stared at the window and the houses that passed them by, all she could see was the desperate look in Sunburst’s eyes as he pleaded for her to come back to him.
It puzzled her, to say the least, and part of her wanted to chalk it off to him being overdramatic (something he picked up by hanging out with Trixie, no doubt), but she couldn’t help but feel agitated by it as well. She couldn’t imagine what would prompt such a reaction from him, what he thought would be so horrible to scare her away. It couldn’t be any worse than what she has done…though, admittedly, she set the bar pretty low in that regard.
She shook her head and told herself that it changed nothing. Sunburst would always be Sunburst to her. No matter what he has done in the past, or what his father says, nothing could change her opinion of him.
It wasn’t until the carriage slowed to a stop at the restaurant that Sunspot spoke up. “I hope you like this place, I confess I don’t know much about the area.”
He opened the door for her and helped her down the carriage. “I never been here before either, but I heard good things about this place.” Starlight said with a grin. “Trixie is going to be so jealous when she finds out that I ate here before her!”
Sunspot paid the carriage pony and escorted Starlight inside. It was a small establishment all things considered, but it was very chic and exclusive for a town like Ponyville. They were shown to a small table made for two, covered in a white sheet and with more cutlery, plates, and glasses that Starlight knew what to do with. The waiter filled their glasses with water and handed them their menus before he left with a small bow; she noted that her menu didn’t have the prices listed.
“So, Starlight, tell me about yourself.” Sunspot said, his purple eyes on the menu. “As I said before, I haven’t seen you in over a decade and Sunburst can be very stingy with information.”
“Huh…” Starlight stumbled for a moment. She wasn’t the best when it came to social interaction, but she knew better than to start with the nitty-gritty of her past. “I work as the Headmare of the School of Friendship and used to be a student of Princess Twilight Sparkle. I like to make and fly kites in my spare time, and I’ve been told I’m a talented sorceress.” She cringed slightly as she finished, realizing how stiff and awkward she sounded, like somepony getting interviewed for a job.
“So you kept up with your magic studies? That’s great, I’m glad the hours you used to play with Sunburst has paid off somehow,” Sunspot nodded with a pleasant smile, “that would explain how you got Princess Twilight’s attention in the first place.”
Starlight looked down at the menu, smiling awkwardly. “Heh, yeah, you could say that…”
The waiter approached them again, asking them if they were ready to order. Starlight ordered a plate of pasta with a side of salad, while Sunspot ordered something that sounded vaguely Sicilian in origin (what the hay was shilay in nogada?), the waiter took their orders and left.
“How’s Firelight, by the way?” Sunspot asked casually. “I haven’t spoken to him in a while.”
“Oh, same old, same old,” Starlight smiled, relieved with the change of topic. “Still living in Sire’s Hollow, in the same house and everything. He’s happy, he’s healthy, and I visit him from time to time. He doesn’t leave home if he can avoid it.”
“That’s good, Firelight and I exchange letters sometimes, but it’s nice to hear that he’s doing well.”
Starlight nodded and took a sip of water…
“Do you still want to marry Sunburst one day?”
…and promptly spit it back out.
Sunspot grinned as Starlight coughed and shook her head frantically.
“What? No! I—What made you think—? I never…!” She yelped, blushing. “Sunburst…Sunburst is just a friend.”
He chuckled. “Of course, my apologies, dear, I was just remembering how close you two were as kids.” He paused when the waiter came with their drinks. “When you were little, Stellar would ask you if you would like to marry Sunburst one day, and you would say yes with the cutest grin…it was something we used to joke about back in the day.” He continued to smile, but there seemed to be an edge to it all of the sudden. “But tell me, what are your intentions for my son?”
Starlight blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in mood. “Intentions? I don’t have any plans for Sunburst, if that’s what you mean, besides keeping him as my viceheadmare for as long as possible.”
“That’s good,” Sunspot took a sip of his drink. “Because I do have many plans for Sunburst. Plans that have been in place for years. Plans that cannot be changed.”
Starlight didn’t answer at first, too busy picking her jaw from the floor, but when she did her words came out in a stutter. “I don’t understand…”
“Starlight, how much do you know about Sunburst, really?” Sunspot cut her off, his voice low and serious.
Starlight squirmed in her seat, looking down at the pristine plates in front of her. How much did she know about Sunburst? She knew he loved to read more than anything. She knew he could wolf down an entire plate of food in a blink of an eye. She knew he preferred tea over coffee, and he loved to drown the drink in cream and honey. She knew he doubted himself most of the time, but he worked hard to achieve his goals…She knew that Sunburst was…Sunburst. “He’s my friend. I know a lot about him.”
Sunspot leaned forward. “Do you? Then tell me this, Starlight, what was Sunburst doing all the way in the Crystal Empire? Why did he leave a prestigious magic school to become some glorified librarian?”
Starlight glared at him. “Because you forced him to stay in a school he was miserable in! Because you lied to him and forced him to attend when he told you he didn’t want to. Until he finally put his hoof down and dropped out for good.”
Sunspot let out a light laugh at her outburst. “Oh, is that what he told you?”
Starlight felt a chill run down her spine. “Yes…?”
“Well, at least you know a bit of the truth, not the whole picture, but that’s better than nothing at all.”
“What are you talking about?” Starlight asked softly, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach.
“Sunburst didn’t leave home because magic school was hard, Starlight. He left because of something he thought was much worse. Quite a devious little plan he had to avoid his fate. A plan you have personally ruined, I might add.”
“I haven’t done anything to Sunburst!” Starlight snapped, but the elder pony smiled at her anger.
“Yes, you did, actually. You brought him out of hiding. You turned him into a respectable and connected unicorn. Smart enough that even the Princesses recognize his talent and knowledge, so much so they consult him regularly. Yes, he may not be powerful, but—and I mean no offense, dear—overpowered unicorns are a dime-a-dozen these days. What good is all that power without the knowledge to implement it usefully, where it matters? That’s where ponies like my son come in,” Sunspot sighed, “and because of that, Sunburst has completed his end of the deal.”
“What are you talking about?” Starlight nearly shouted, wishing she had listened to Sunburst. But at the same time, she desperately needed to know what Sunburst had gotten himself into.
“You wouldn't know, would you? Because Sunburst never told you.”
Starlight felt the knot tighten almost painfully. “He would if it was important.”
“Is he coming back home with me and leaving you important enough?”
The knot broke, and Starlight let out a tiny gasp. Putting a hoof over her mouth, she managed to whisper, “W-What are you saying? You can’t force him to do anything!”
Sunspot’s smile widened, like a cat who caught the canary. “Sunburst didn’t drop out, Starlight, he was expelled.”
The waiter came with their orders, and while Starlight sat there with a shell-shocked expression, Sunspot calmly cut into his food and ate.
“You see, when Sunburst’s grades started to drop, he also lost much of his prestige and many of the benefits that come with said prestige. So when a certain arrangement was offered, I was very inclined to say yes,” he sighed, “but Sunburst was adamantly against it. He fought me tooth and horn on the matter. I lost track of how many times he yelled at my face, telling me he hated me and so on. But I was only looking out for his future. Sunburst, however, has always been a clever boy, when he realized I wouldn’t budge, he decided to try a…shady approach.”
Starlight lifted her gaze from her untouched food. “What did he do?”
“He burned down a classroom,” he sighed, “and the fire spread. No pony got hurt, but the damage was extensive, enough for the school board to kick him out. Needless to say, he believed he’d ruined the plan, but he was wrong. Titles, money and connections rule this world, something he seemed to have forgotten, so a new arrangement was made, mainly at the urging of his mother. Sunburst would seek his fortune outside of magic school and make something of himself out there, and when he did, he would return home to fulfill his duty as a Zenith. And now thanks to you, I can finally take him home.”
Starlight’s hooves shook as the previous day’s conversation rang in her ears.
But I must ask, Sunburst, why weren’t you at the Crystalling in the first place?
Well, it’s a good thing Starlight found you. It would have been a shame if you never made friends with her because you were hiding.
Sunburst had been hiding. Hiding from the world. He didn’t want to be dragged into this life. He wanted to stay alone, be free. But he hadn’t. He had agreed to be her friend again. He had gone against himself, for her. Why had he done that?
“You can’t take him.” Starlight shook her head, finding her voice. “Sunburst wants to stay here.”
“Tell me, Starlight, what does life ‘here’ entail?” Sunspot asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Because I can tell you what life will be like when he returns home. He will be cared for, he will have everything he could ever want, he will reach his full potential. Don’t you want what’s best for him? Would you selfishly keep him here when he would be better off elsewhere? And why, pray tell, would he stay here with you over what I can offer him?”
“Because…Because he doesn’t want that, he doesn’t want anything you’re offering! He wants to be happy, and that life made him miserable. I don’t have to know everything to see that.” Starlight glared and her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Sunburst wants to be here. He told me and I will stand by his decision. I trust him. And I won’t let you drag him into a life he doesn’t want to lead!”
Sunspot’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Oh, really? Do you still trust him? Even after hearing all this? That he’s always known that this would happen?” Starlight nodded, prompting another laugh from him. “I would say that you’re a little past trust, dear. It would seem that you’ve fallen for my son.”
Starlight blushed from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears as Sunspot laughed at her, but she kept her glare in place, to make it seem that it was from anger, instead of mortification. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to blast the stallion through the window and into another dimension, no matter how much she wanted to, she knew better than that, she was better than that.
“I don’t care what you think, Sunburst stays here.” She stood up, wiping a hoof across her eyes. “Thank you for lunch, Mr. Sunspot, I’m going home now.”
“Starlight,” Sunspot called out, stopping the young mare. “Don’t you want to know what prompted Sunburst to turn his back on his family? To try and give up everything? To change?”
Starlight’s eyes narrowed as a few fresh tears made their way down her face. “It was probably for a good reason, and frankly, I don’t care. I love Sunburst just the way he is.” She glared at the redhead stallion for a moment before storming out of the restaurant.
It wasn’t until she was halfway down the block that she realized what she said, and the blush returned with a vengeance.
Did she love Sunburst?
Oh dear, he made glimglam cry, I can see the pitchforks in the comment section now. 
Next chapter: Sunburst finally comes clean to Starlight.
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
1,021 users online
1,587,737 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
SOMEBODY HOLD ME BACK!! I AM GONNA DO SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE SHOWN IN A KID'S SHOW!!! BERSERKER STYLE!!!!!
He made my favorite pony cry.
Nobody makes my favorite pony cry!
I knew it! I so totally knew it!
The [Romance] tag is for Starlight and Sunsburst!
Oh, and yeah. Sunspot is screwed.
11148704
I got you. Reinforcements will come soon.
Mm. I have a thing or two to say, but I'll probably just wait for next chapter.
What the hell's a Zenith though?
11148704
HIT HIM WITH THE CHAIR
11148756
Sunspot is lucky that the fourth wall is protecting him...
11148759
Hehe, what can I say? I love these idiots so much.
11148764
By the next chapter, we (and Starlight) will have the whole picture. And Zenith is the family name I usually use for Sunburst (his full name being Sunburst Zenith in my headcanon)
11148782
I love those two idiots so much, too. They’re the only MLP couple I ship.
Can't seem to take the hint, then.
Well, Google doesn't seem to know, so I couldn't tell you, Starlight.
Tough--they're gonna get changed anyway.
Because he didn't like it in the prestigious magic school. Whatever bombshell you're planning to drop here, Sunspot, that much still isn't in debate.
Well, okay, I gotta give ya that one. How many Twilight clones did we have by the end of G4 again? No wonder poor Ember couldn't ever seem to tell them all apart.
Well, apparently not, because he's already made it clear he's not doing that, so...
And the sky is blue. Not exactly any great big revelation there, Sunspot. It's not like Sunburst didn't basically imply as such already in the show itself, so we've even got canon more or less backing this up already.
Yeah, still blaming you for that, Sunspot. You backed the poor lad into a corner, hadn't left him much other choice, and it doesn't matter how docile a critter one might be, because that's still usually when the teeth start getting used out of sheer self-defense and a lack of alternatives. It's usually justified at that point too.
And you already know that--I can tell from how you're telling this whole story, phrasing it in such a way that you're craftily skipping every other line of it...but not craftily enough, Sunspot, because I can still see in-between those lines. You're deliberately trying to spin Sunburst as the bad guy here when you know full well that's not really the case.
No. No, you can't have him. We want to keep him forever, we like him too much, and we definitely don't like you, so...we're also keeping him so to spite you, and rub it in how much you can't have him. Because you can't.
And if that causes you problems, that's tough, because now that's solely your problem. And we're quite happy to keep it that way, thank you very much.
All lies. Because he's already got all that here. And everything he wants, which he won't have wherever you want to take him, so...yeah, I don't see this ending in your favor, Sunspot. Heck, telling Starlight about all of this might actually have been a bad idea, because she's not so afraid to cross certain lines that others wouldn't...and this time she'll have the advantage of having the higher moral ground to justify it with.
Plus, don't forget what I said before about these two contacts with certain other very powerful creatures. Making you the sun's latest sunspot is still a very tempting and very much a still on the table kind of option after all...
Yes. Note my lack of hesitation saying that, Sunspot.
Because what you're offering him isn't actually the better offer here. Or really an offer at all, seeing you're trying to not even give anyone a say in this except yourself, so who is it really "for the better" for here? Because it's certainly sounding more like something that's better for you than it is for anypony else, much less Sunburst. And that right there is the detail that'll unravel the whole thing for you.
This guy thinks he's so clever and manipulative, but what he's really doing here is putting a pretty trash hand of cards on the table and then trying to bluff his way to victory, hoping nobody will ever notice it's all talk. And it's not going to work. I can see that coming already from a mile away, it's not going to work. This plan hinges entirely too much on the cooperation of its victims, and he's obviously never going to get that, not to the degree he needs to keep this crazy plan glued together. And acting all smug and like he's already got it in the bag anyway isn't going to change that.
Well, yeah! That bombshell you've been trying to drop has thus far been a pretty anti-climatic dud, so unless you've got a hidden back-up in reserve that's got some actual oompf to it, we're pretty much done here already.
...so?
No, seriously, so what? I don't see how that helps you any, Sunspot. If anything, it's only going to make this more difficult for you. Power of love and all that.
Meh, I think we could forgive you for this one, Glimglam. You'd probably be doing the world a favor anyway, so blast away!
No need. That reason already invited her out to lunch, his treat, but instead is currently very lucky he hasn't gotten blasted into another dimension at the moment, and is now going to have to pay for a meal which didn't get eaten.
Hope you like eating alone, Sunspot. Because I expect you're going to be doing a lot of it in the future.
(Eesh, no wonder even Stellar Flare apparently left him--he makes her seem tame by comparison)
11148704
Dude, all you're doing is giving me more reasons to NOT hold you back.
11148885
I'm pretty sure the dimension is not the human world but instead one that was a desolate wasteland.
11148891
You say that like that would be a bad thing.
11148971
Actually I was going to say a dimension of hellfire and brimstone. I was trying to be merciful by leaving him somewhere he could suffer and die.
11148885
I have a feeling that those plans are an arranged marriage for Sunburst which is why he found it good that Starlight isn't that interested. The"plans that have been in place for years" that can't be changed? And how he's trying to drive Starlight away from Sunburst? WHAT OTHER DIRECTION IS THIS GOING!?
11149046
I think that might the case too (or at least in the right ballpark), which makes Sunspot's handling of it all the more laughable, because, again, I don't think his approach for addressing the problem is working. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's backfiring, and was always doomed to--whether Starlight was told or not, she was likely always going to interfere.
But if this is the case...you'd think he wouldn't have been so quick to let Starlight go, especially when she seemed more resolute to defy him than before...if he's expecting Sunburst's revealing of the rest of the tale will finish the job, that's idiotic, as Sunburst is clearly the victim in all of this, giving no reason why Starlight wouldn't still take his side over Sunspot's.
Really, the best thing Sunspot could've done was the exact opposite--do everything in his power to keep Starlight from learning the truth. But fortunately, he's too sadistic for that.
11149066
Right now I just need to find my rusty meat hooks, chains, serrated and dull knives, slow working acid, all of the telletubbies episodes, am I missing anything?
wow
Sunspot's moral compass is pretty much non-existent
gettin some 120 Days Of Blueblood flashbacks here(DO NOT LOOK UP THAT FIC)
Good on you Starlight. It would do no good to blast Sunspot to another dimension.
Why did I need to congratulate that?