Epilogue
Epilogue
“Will you come in?”
– From The Great Hall of Asterion
* * * * *
“Mom! Dad!”
The loud, shrill voice of Twilight Sparkle was heard even over the buzz of the other children and parents gathered at the school entrance. Velvet only saw the briefest purple blur amidst the crowd before she felt something impact her chest.
“Oof– okay, alright, alright” she said, falling on her haunches. Besides her, Night Light had burst out laughing. “It’s nice to see you too, Twilight. How was your day?”
Twilight, still hugging her tightly, let out a giggle. “It was really fun! Miss Inkwell showed us around and um, um, I really like the library! And– and Moondancer showed me a book! It was a really nice book. Oh, and I met Moondancer, she’s really nice!”
Velvet and Night Light looked at one another, sharing a smile.
“Sounds fun, kiddo,” said Night Light, pulling up Velvet. “Hey, let’s have ourselves some fries today, how about that? Then you can tell us all about your day!”
Twilight’s squeal was almost deafening. “Okay Dad!” she said. “Oh, oh, then there’s show and tell tomorrow and… and…”
She turned to Velvet, eyes wide and pleading.
“Mom, can I show your new book? I promise I’ll take care of it, I promise!”
"Sorry, Twily, but no,” said Velvet, shaking her head. “It’s not ready yet. Besides, it’s not really my book, you know. I just help them get ready.”
Twilight tilted her head. “But what makes a book ready?”
“When you've put so much of your heart into it, then you’ll know it can stand on its own.”
“See, sounds a lot like your book then. But books don't stand, Mom. They don't have hooves.”
"Oh, Twilight,” said Velvet, giving her daughter’s mane a quick tussle. “You're my little book."
“Mooom,” Twilight replied, huffing, pushing her hoof away. “I can stand on my own!”
“Then maybe someday you'll fly,” Velvet said, shrugging. “Tell you what, hon. You can show them my quill. Maybe one of the old drafts, too.”
“Yay!” Twilight replied, hopping and skipping in joy. “Did you hear that Dad? Mom said yes! Can you show me your books, too?”
“Well…” Night Light began, rubbing the back of his head. But Velvet hadn’t heard the rest of it, for her eyes had turned to the alicorn that stood at the school gates, above all others.
She’d been watching them, Velvet could tell, her ever-tranquil gaze fixed upon them. The Princess said nothing then, only directing the faintest of smiles towards her. But she did not have to say anything. Perhaps another book was coming, and perhaps there would be a knock at her office door some time in the coming days.
“Hey, Velv, you coming?” Night Light called out then. “Don’t let Twi’ hog all the fries!”
“I’m not gonna eat all of them!”
“Coming, coming,” Velvet answered, turning away from Celestia. “So, Twilight, what was that about Moondancer’s book?”
“Oh! She was really happy about it, and she wanted to show me, so she did, and it was about this Princess…”
As Twilight’s story went on, of princesses and sorceresses and faraway villages, together they walked home under the afternoon Sun.
While there's an obvious connection to make between Twilight Velvet and Princess Celestia, I've noticed that very few are focused on just the two of them. And yes, I've cleared it with The Red Parade, it's eligible!
Dedicated to my good friend and trusty co-writer/editor for Spectrum and beyond, VoxAdam, who also added the lovely excerpts to Sunny Skies' first published book. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your companionship and help through thick and thin, my friend 
Thank you.
For Grace, who came in with crucial advice at a critical time in my life. I owe you still.
Finally, to PhantomFox's iconic work, Sunny Skies All Day Long, which helped inspire Vox and I in characterising our version of Celestia. Go check it out, it's simply phenomenal.
~ Sledge
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i really enjoyed this!!!
Very cozy and interesting, bravó!
And unique!
What a cosy little tale, filled with so much wonder! Quite an interesting pairing you chose as well, yet you've made it work just wonderfully!
Cozy, engaging, interesting, and rewarding friendshipping despite knowing the "secret" the entire time thanks to the metatextual influences from across the fandom. I'll gladly favorite this, and good luck with the contest!
Very sweet and engaging. I love all booky Twilights.
It took me an hour to read this, and it was an hour well spent :D
Really loved the characterization of Celestia. It was pretty obviously Celestia, but honestly, I felt like Sunny Skies could stand alone as a character entirely separate from Celestia. I knew it was Celestia, but especially when Velvet visited her house I imagined what Sunny Skies' backstory would be if she was not Celestia and instead a stand-alone character.
This might not be what you intended, but honestly, I think this added to the story as a whole. As in Sunny is supposed to be a side Celestia does not show, a more quiet reserved, and touching side that her duty forces her to suppress.
10/10 Story, definitely going in my favorites, and I think I'll give you a follow and see what else you write. You are definitely a writer I'll look up to.
That was an absolute blast to read! Fun, engaging, warm and surprisingly sweet.
One of the best fics I’ve read on the site in a while! Well done!
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I'm glad you've enjoyed it
Cheers!
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The tricky part here is to ensure these two feel fresh even though a connection between them is so obvious. And of course, the fact that there's actually only a few stories that focuses on their relationship - and I'm glad it landed, huzzah!
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It's like a benign version of the ticking time bomb under the table. You already know it's there, so just sit back and watch it unfold
. And thank you! Likewise, best of luck as well 
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Glad you liked it!
Don't we all? And Velvet loves her Booky
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Oh yes, I have zero intent of actually pretending that Sunny Skies being Celestia is a mystery at all. Doing away with this allowed me to flesh her out as the quirky, cheerful children's author she wanted to be
I will say this, outright, that I view Celestia's deepest desire is that she just wants to be normal.
Aw, shucks
I hope I shan't disappoint, heh.
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Very high praise, good sir
thanks! And happy you've enjoyed this, heh
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There's also the tags, on top of everything else.
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Awwww. I wanted her to fully learn the secret.
But this was still fun to read. It was calm, heartwarming and sad. Celestia's struggles I could understand.
Wanting to try something new in life and having problems with family such as Sunset.
I enjoyed this and wish there was more of stories of disquised Celestia.
I also played a good tune for this story.
https://youtu.be/ZYB8sq5-i-s
Very good story. Love seeing Velvet being represented since we didn't get to see much of that in the show. Plus, we get to see glimpses of what will happen in the future involving a certain purple mare down the line.
My favorite part is that Velvet has her time with the family and Twilight (Sparkle,of course) reads the book written by Celestia. It's a stone that killed two birds,both make a foreshadowing of Twilight become the princess' student and make velvet come vividly to life. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but if not, then it seems like you are more able to bring the characters to life.
And to be honest, I'd like to keep the secret of sunny skies' true identity,but as you say,if not,it can't explain why there's some connection between velvet and celesita. Anyway,Good job!
What a lovely, beautiful read. Others have called it cosy, and it really is, in a good sense!
I would love to read Ms. Skies' books myself, and see the illustrations...
A brilliant story with so much heart. Always love seeing stories about the sparkle family, and the dynamic between velvet and celestia is always a treat to see explored.
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damn, you could not have put it better
When it comes to her deepest desire that is
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I will say it too, I've read it for my work as desire for equality.
'Abnormality' implies that she thinks that something is wrong with her. But willingness to be seen as equal, to step down and be accepted, to relate and be related back... That word is just more nuanced to me, and can speak of a stronger character, who always torn between two worlds but embodies them just as well.
Though my Celestia doesn't have 'Sunny Skies' alter-ego, admittedly
It's funny. These two are so close conceptually, yet they've barely even been on-screen at the same time, much less had an audible conversation with one another. In any case, lovely stuff. I do love tales Celestia trying to be normal and staying connected with her ponies on a more personal level. The drama with Sunset was an excellent work of storytelling through implication, and the dramatic irony was thick enough to cut with a knife. Great work throughout. I do hope Velvet brings this up with Sunny at some point. Having another friend who she can talk to about her problems without having to filter them will do Celestia a world of good. After all, there are still several years before that sister's due back...
Thank you for this. Best of luck in the judging.
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Don't we all? And I know, but it presented an interesting dynamic not to go down the easy-friendship route. Celestia doesn't want Velvet to see her as Celestia pretending to be someone, she wants Velvet to see her as Sunny first.
Glad you liked it
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Twimom does need more representation, doesn't she? And thank you
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You'll have to thank Grace for that scene, she helped tons with it, brainstorming-wise, heh. At any rate, thanks!
Aw, I'm glad that scene resonated
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Thank you for the kind words
I do try, and, well, to be honest, I do wish to see her illustrations, too 
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Knowing how I write my Equestria, well, that does sound like a better word for it, heh
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I know, right? It's why that, despite the obvious connection, I figured it'd be worth writing for the contest. Also, yes, while they are tagged in quite a few stories, I actually did check how many focused solely on them and had less than a dozen.
Who is the mask, Celestia, or Sunny Skies?
Huzzah, I'm glad it landed, heh. I confess that part of me is extremely driven in ensuring that Celestia's love for Sunset is entirely genuine and she truly does care for her as a daughter first and foremost, and never a tool.
I'm glad you've liked it! And thank you
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Yeah, if you take the character of Celestia somewhat seriously, her loneliness might be one of her defining traits, which is very ironic. Not to say that she has far more duties than the other Princesses, which only adds to segregation. Also, Luna doesn't seem to be explicitly mature in their dynamic (in canon of course), which certainly doesn't help with the theme of 'equality' either.
What a lovely story, I enjoyed every moment of it.
That was such a beautiful read, thank you for writing this. I thought at first Cadance was her daughter being mentioned, but after a while I realized it was Sunset, which explains why she says she'll never speak to her again
Looking forward for Sunny Skies' "Princess Booky, her adventures, and her friends"
Like a punch in the gut. Wouldn't have it any other way tho
This was quite enjoyable. Loved it all and really enjoyed the growing dynamic between Velvet and Sunny. Always fun to see outside points of view of the original story we all got to watch.
That was a good story.
This was really good! Velvet and "Sunny" had really nice conversations that demonstrated their personalities well, and the bits of stories we saw were great too. I admittedly didn't consider at first that Celestia's daughter would be Sunset; the bits of Celestia trying to be a mother and worrying about it were nice.
My favorite part about this was definitely that there was no 'big reveal.' Velvet figured it out, and allowed it to remain silent. Nor was there a great sea change between them, as we wonder that they shall have many meetings to come.
That, and the idea of Celestia writing and illustrating her own children's books is an adorable image.
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Glad you've enjoyed it, heh
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Celestia and Sunset Shimmer being mother-daughter is one thing I will never stop insisting on, and these two together are as equally heartwarming as it is tragic.
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Hey, there's a non-zero chance of Sunny writing about new things in her life, after all
And yeah. Gut punches, that's the name of the game.
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Thanks, glad y'all liked it!
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As I've stated here and there, heh, Celestia and Sunset's mother-daughter relationship is a dynamic that never gets old. And Celestia, well, she tries her best.
I'm glad it's warmed your heart
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But of course! I considered it a crucial part of the story that Velvet doesn't realise who 'Sunny' really is, until the time comes for 'Sunny' to reveal it herself. It's clear to Velvet that Celestia likes being Sunny and all that entails, and neither of them are in any hurry to ruin the dynamic they both greatly enjoy.
And aye, they'll definitely have all the time in the world to discuss this in the days to come, heh.
This made me cry while reading.
Wow, what a captivating story! The dynamic between Twilight Velvet and Sunny Skies is so beautifully portrayed. It's intriguing to see how two characters, seemingly so different, can find common ground and form such a deep connection. I couldn't help but wonder, how many of us have met someone who's hiding a part of themselves, just like Sunny? 🤔 Also, speaking of writing, has anyone tried html assignment help for programming research papers? I've been thinking of using it for my next project. Any recommendations?
Very nice! Thank You!