Prologue i- Adopted
Sunset sat in the bathroom and silently cried to herself. For the past eight years living here at Madam Harshwinny's Orphanage she was completely alone, none of the other foals would talk to her or play with her or even be friends with her. Instead they would bully her with harsh taunting and teasing, occasionally they would do mean things to her.
Crooked-horn! Crooked-horn! Crooked-horn!
Lizard-pony! Lizard-pony! Lizard-pony!
Snake-tail! Snake-tail! Snake-tail!
Sunset Shimmer is a deer-lizard! Sunset Shimmer is a deer-lizard! Sunset Shimmer is a deer-lizard!
Wide-snout! Wide-snout! Wide-snout!
Vampire-pony! Vampire-pony! Vampire-pony!
Here kitty-kitty-kitty!
The teasing and taunts from the other foals plated over and over in Sunset's mind as she looked at herself in the mirror. Why couldn't she look like other ponies? Her mane, instead of being straight or slightly curly like the other ponies, was lion-like with tight crimson and gold curls. Instead of being covered with fur like other ponies, she was covered with goldenrod scales, like a lizard or dragon. Her horn, instead of being straight or slightly curved like normal unicorns, had an S-curve with an antler-like fork three quarters of the way up. Instead of the narrow, slightly-rounded snout of other fillies her age, was broader and flatter that ended in a dragon-like nose, with a pair of fleshy, whisker-like protrusions just above her top lip. Instead of the flat teeth like other ponies, hers were needle-like, though she could eat hay, oats, alfalfa, flowers and apples like other ponies, she also had a craving for meat. Instead of the short, stumpy tail with long hair growing from the dock like other ponies, hers was long, almost snake-like with a tuft of crimson and gold hair at the end. Even her hooves were different, they were made of the broad, round keratin, but with a large broad scale at the front.
Mud caked Sunset's mane with twigs and leaves stuck to it or sticking out at odd angles. Mint Julep, one of the older fillies that had been living at the orphanage almost as long as her, had shoved her down into a mud puddle on the playground, then Cinnamon Crisp and Rough Diamond, her two toadies, had dumped a couple of buckets of leaved and twigs over her head as she stood up. The other foals laughed and pointed at her, and a few had proceeded to throw hoof-fulls of leaves and twigs at her.
There was a pounding at the restroom door and Madam Harshwhinny's voice shouted through. "Sunset Shimmer! Hurry your scaly plot up in there! If you're late for lunch you'll go hungry!"
Madam Harshwhinny was an aloof and bitter mare who would often say mean things to the foals.
You are here because nopony loves or wants you! If I had my way, I'd sell you all to a rock farm! Nopony wants to adopt most of you as you're ugly foals! Especially ones with scales! You're all a disappointment to Equestria! For those who are still when your eighteenth summer gets here, you'll be sold off to a workhouse!
Anger burned in Sunset's heart as she turned on the shower and began to rinse the mud, twigs and leaves out of her mane. She levitated over a bottle of shampoo, squirted a bit into her mane and scrubbed out the remaining detritus, then rinsed it all out. She didn't notice the wisps of steam curling off her mane as she toweled off.
Sunset Barely made it in time to the cafeteria. She levitated a tray and stepped in line. The lunch ponies ladled into bowls a thin carrot and noodle soup, placed a single hard hay roll onto the trays and scooped a slightly sweet, gelatinous mush into smaller bowls that was supposed to be apple sauce.
Sunset scooped up her tray and began walking to the table where she always ate alone. On the far side of the cafeteria Harshwhinny was having a quiet conversation with a Foal Services agent. Harshwhinny pulled a small bag of bits from inside her blouse and hoofed them over to the agent, who after accepting the bits, quickly scribbled down several things on a clipboard and hoofed over a gold-foil document.
Harshwhinny smirked smugly as she accepted the gold-foil document. It was another "triple-a" document that she had bribed the Foal Services agent for and would proudly display in the picture frame outside of her office.
Sunset focused on the subpar meal in front of her, she and her fellow orphans quickly learned to say nothing if they saw Madam Harshwhinny bribing a Foal Services agent for a gold-foil document. If any spoke up, she'd lock them in a closet for hours. Then after letting them out, she'd make all the other orphans line up in the common room and watch as she spanked the orphan who offender her with a strap, humiliating the one who brought her ire and scaring the others into silence.
As the Foal Services agent left, in walked Harshwhinny's twin niece and nephew, Honey Bunches and Two Scoops. They must have gotten suspended for fighting...again. The twins had a nasty temper and a mean streak, just like their aunt.
Sunset hunkered down in her seat, trying to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible, turning her attention to her spoon as she sipped the soup. Mint Julep pranced over to Two Scoops and fawned over the teenage foal as she batted her eyelashes.
"I am invisible! Please don't see me! I am invisible! Please don't see me!", Sunset whispered over and over to herself.
"Well-well-well!", Two Scoops mocked as he walked up. "Look at who we have here! An ugly, scaly pony!"
"Ha-ha-ha! Good one, Scoops!", Julep said with a giggle.
Sunset refused to look up, trying to ignore the bullies.
"Don't act like you can't hear us, crooked-horn!", Honey Bunches teased.
Sunset left out a huff, trying to ignore and not acknowledge the teasing. Her huff caused wisps of steam to rise from the bowl.
"You better acknowledge you betters, you ugly scaly pony.", Two Scoops said.
Sunset placed her hooves on the table and clenched her teeth. The paint on the table began to bubble around her hooves as she began to feel hot. "Go away.", she muttered through grit teeth.
Honey Bunch placed a hoof to her ear. "Beg your pardon? Speak up."
"Go away!", Sunset snarled. More paint bubbled around her hooves as she began to feel hotter.
Two Scoops flicked Sunset's nose. "Aw, look! I think she's getting mad!"
"You gonna cry, crybaby?", Honey Bunch mocked.
The paint around Sunset's hooves began to curl up and blacken as visible ripples of heat started to ripple off of her body. Her eyes flickered white and she huffed out a cloud of smoke and steam. "I said, go away!" Her voice took on a distortion, like the crackling of coals.
A worried expression crossed Julep's face and she took an unsure couple of steps backwards. She was seeing something she had never seen before and it was scaring her. "Uh...g-g-guys, m-maybe we should leave her alone? She looks mad, madder than I've ever seen her before."
"Heh-heh-heh!", Scoops nastily chortled. "Then maybe we should do something to cool her off!" He scooped up the bowl of soup and dumped it on Sunset's head.
Something inside Sunset snapped. In an instant her eyes glowed reddish-yellow, like twin infernos, her scales turned black as soot, her hooves glowed like bronze in a furnace, and the crimson and gold hair that made up her mane and the tuft at the end of her tail erupted into blue flame. "RRRRRHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" She tipped up her head and unleashed a howl like a conflagration unleashed.
Yellow and red flames consumed the table Sunset was sitting at. Foals screamed in fright and scrambled over one another as they made a mad dash for the door in a panicked mass.
Honey Bunch, Two Scoops and Mint Julep shrieked in horror as they stumbled over their own hooves and they stampeded away from the living inferno.
A wave of heat erupted from Sunset turning the nearby tables to ash in an instant. She immediately locked her twin blazing orbs on the trio of bullies still stumbling over their own hooves and began stalking towards them. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE! RHAUGH! BUT NO! YOU HAD TO KEEP PUSHING MY BUTTONS! YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Her voice was like unto an out of control blaze. Rings of fire sprung from each of her hooffalls and tongues of flame followed in her wake. Smoke billowed from her nostrils as flames dripped from her glowing fangs.
The odd-looking unicorn known as Sunset Shimmer was replaced by an elemental of flame and fury.
The trio of bullies found their hoofing and bolted for their lives.
Black smoke filled the cafeteria as the flames consumed it. Sunset's blazing form was visible through the otherwise obfuscating smoke.
Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne half paying attention to the droning whines of complaining nobles in day court when she felt a sudden rush of magic. Holding up a hoof, she cut off the noble, much to their chagrin, walked over to a window, flung it open and looked out. She saw a broad tendril of smoke that grew in size to a column from one of the lower districts of the city. "Day court is hereby dismissed until further notice. If anypony has pending issues, please wait until later or take it before parliament."
Many nobles shouted their discontent as the guards cleared the throne room.
Celestia scowled for a moment before turning to her guard Captain, Knightly Armor. "Captain Armor, gather a contingent of your best ponies. A kirin's magic has just awoken. We need to act quickly before they go nova."
Knightly Armor, a white unicorn stallion with a pale blue mane and tail, gave his princess a quick salute before rushing off to gather guards.
Knightly's son, Shining Armor, was in the barracks polishing his shoes, breastplate and helmet when his father burst in.
"Shining! You're on deck! We've got a kirin and might need your skills with creating shields to contain it!"
Shining gave a quick salute, quickly donned his armor and scrambled out.
As Celestia prepared to depart with a full contingent of her guards, a lavender unicorn's head peeked out of a door with a six-sided painted near the top. "Mommy? What's going on? I feel a weird tingle."
Celestia trotted over and gave the unicorn's head a quick kiss on the snout. "There's an emergency in the city, Twilight. Stay here and study chapters four through fifteen. I'll be back soon to continue with your lessons."
Twilight gave a quick nod and withdrew from the door. Just as her snout disappeared inside, a forked tongue flicked from between her lips.
Sunset screamed out her rage as her body grew hotter and hotter. She stamped through the orphanage, the tiles of the floor melting beneath her hooves as she sought out the objects of her wrath. The walls, ceiling, mattresses and whatnot erupted into flames. The metal frames of the bunks, handles and hinges on doors melted into slag. Glass in the windows and picture frames melted and flowed like water. In her wake embers blew about on heat-driven wind and charred timbers collapsed.
The foals and orphanage staff, gathered in the playground, huddling together. They yelped in fright as the outer wall of the orphanage crumbled like a stack of burned matches. They shrieked in fright as the flaming avatar of wrath stalked forwards.
A miasma of smoke, soot and ashes blew about Sunset on hot winds as her body blazed hotter and hotter. Stomping forwards, she stopped a few paces from the terrified crowd of her tormentors. Leaves on the nearby trees began to curl up and blacken. The ground beneath her melted into a shallow pool of lava. "ALL I WANTED WAS FOR SOMEPONY TO BE MY FRIEND!", she screamed in a voice like unto roaring flames. "OR FAILING THAT, I JUST WANTED TO BE LEFT ALONE!"
"I'm sorryyyy!", Mint Julep shout-sobbed as she cowered.
"SORRY? SORRY? SORRY?!", Sunset shouted. A cone of intense heat issued from her mouth with each word, causing the grass in front of her to blacked and curl up. The tips of the hairs of the manes of the huddling ponies curled up as the singed. The edges of Harshwhinny's blouse began to blacken "ALL I WANTED WAS FOR SOMEPONY TO CALL A FRIEND OR LOVE ME!" She raised her head to the heavens and unleashed a sorrowful howl of rage.
Nopony noticed the brilliant flash of light as Celestia and a contingent of guards appeared, they were all too distracted by the raging kirin before them.
"Cadet Armor! Erect a barrier between that kirin and those ponies!", Knightly Armor ordered.
With a flicker of raspberry-colored magic, Shining Armor erected a wall of magic before the terrified ponies.
Celestia's heart wept at the wails of the kirin. This was not the sound of somepony who was intentionally trying to hurt her little ponies, this was somepony who had been bullied and hurt to the point that they lost control.
Once they experienced a relief from the intense heat only did the ponies notice their princess with her guards.
"Get those ponies out of here and to a safe distance!", Knightly Armor barked.
The guards didn't have to be ordered twice. They quickly scrambled forward, gathered up the scared ponies and ushered them away. Once the last pony was moved safely away, Knightly Armor gave a nod to his son, it was a silent order, 'Move away to a safe distance.' Shining gave his father a hesitant nod, dropped his spell and withdrew.
Celestia had to act quickly. The kirin filly was growing hotter by the minute and would go nova in a hoof-full of minutes at the best. She peeled off her golden shoes, revealing not a pony's hooves, but the pearlescent talons of a dragon. Removing her ceremonial golden breastplate and tiara, and passed them to Knightly Armor. "Captain Armor, withdraw yourself, your guards and the civilians to a minimum safe distance of at least thirty body lengths."
"But my princess--", Knightly started to protest before he was cut off.
"I am not asking, captain."
Knightly swallowed and gave his princess a nod before fleeing away. He was one of a privileged few to see his princess in her true form.
Once she was certain no ponies were in danger Celestia dropped her disguise. She went from the graceful form of Celestia the alicorn of the sun to Celestia the half-dragon of the sun. Her legs went from a sleek willowy form to muscular scaly limbs. Her wings went from the ivory graceful feathered appendages to leathery glorious pearlescent wings. Her single alabaster horn became twin ivory draconic horns with a single blazing pearl floating between them. Her snout went from the graceful rounded of a mare's into a broad, flat snout of a glorious half-dragon, twin pars of barbels extended from her upper lip and chin, flowing on magical winds. Her flowing pastel rainbow mane and tail became twin rows of pastel rainbow fins that ran from the back of her head to the tip of her serpentine tail. Her body lengthened into an undulating serpent-like form covered in pearlescent scales that shimmered in the sunlight.
Celestia was the eldest of three daughters of a wise, powerful and ancient eastern dragon who had taken a mortal mare as his bride. Though she was ancient, being over four thousand years old, she was still vulnerable to dragon greed and dragon hubris, as she had witnessed nearly one thousand years ago, when through her own hubris she ignored...no! Right now was not the time to dwell and lament on the past.
With no time to waste, Celestia gently grasped the kirin filly who was unleashing their sorrowful howl to the heavens and began channeling. Her body heated up as kirin magic and flames flowed into her. Once the filly's body began to cool and the flames died out, she took in a deep breath, lifted her head to the sky and heaved out. Dragon flames mixed with kirin fire and magic rocket upwards as they coiled around one another. Clouds flash evaporated before the mass of coiling flames and magic. Higher and higher the coiling mass went until it reached the edge of the atmosphere, dispersing in a brilliant aurora.
Far away on the moon and in the frozen north two dark beings momentarily woke up and took notice of the display. They turned their attention towards Equestria before being dragged back into their deep slumber.
Disaster was averted. Yes the sky above Canterlot would bear the scar for the next month, but that was far better than a kirin foal who had lost control, went nova and destroyed the city, mountaintop and themselves in a single fiery conflagration.
Celestia quickly resumed her pony disguise. Summoning her vestments with her magic, she quickly donned them.
Sunset's scales returned to their normal goldenrod color. The hair of her mane reverted back to its normal crimson and gold tightly curled lion-like locks. She blinked her eyes as they returned to their normal light teal coloration. Her breath quavered in her breast as the horrific realization of what happened dawned on her. She looked around the ground and to the orphanage, taking in the carnage, then up to the princess giving a soft smile above her.
"Welcome back, little one. We almost lost you there for a moment."
Sunset plopped down onto the rapidly cooling ground and began to bawl like a new born foal.
Celestia held the distraught young kirin to her breast. "Shh! Shh! It's okay."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!", was all Sunset could say between heaving sighs.
Celestia gently stroked the weeping kirin foal's head as she gently shushed her.
After dozens of minutes, Sunset finally calmed down.
"Feeling better now?"
"Mm-hmm." Sunset nodded.
"What is your name, little one?"
"S-Sunset Shimmer."
"Do you know where you currently know where you are?"
"Madam Harshwhinny's Orphanage in Canterlot."
"Do you remember your parents or where you came from?"
Sunset wracked her brain for any memories. Fuzzy, grainy images of trees zipping by and something dark chasing came to the forefront of her memory before quickly dissolving into a staticy haze. "Mm-mmh."
Slowly the ponies of the orphanage filtered back.
"My orphanage!", Harshwhinny exclaimed. She then turned her gaze onto Sunset. "Princess! You need to kill that...that...thing before it can hurt anypony else! It has been nothing but a thorn in by frog since I first took it in"
Sunset cowered from the harsh words.
Celestia immediately turned to face Harshwhinny and flared her wings in a display of dominance and regal authority, causing the mare to cower. "This is no thing, she is an extremely rare and powerful being known as a kirin!", she snapped. She lowered her head until she was face-to-face with the mare. "Now pray-tell, how did a kirin come under your care?"
Harshwhinny balked, stuttered, hemmed and hawed for several moments. There she had heard stories of kirin before, they were mostly told as fairy tales and legends of old.
"Well? I'm listening."
"Th-th-that's strictly confidential information under the Foal Protection Bill of seventeen-thirty-five Solar!"
"Don't quote laws at me. I was there when that bill was drafted. It is my signature on that bill. Your grandmother was barely out of diapers when it was put to law. You can tell me or I can have every scrap of paperwork filed on this orphanage brought before me from its founding. I give you the choice, tell me now how a kirin foal came into your care or I can crawl through every scrap of paper on you for the past thirty years. I'm sure there's plenty in there you'd rather have not come to light."
Harshwhinny blew out a defeated sigh and hung her head. "It was eight years ago, the night the explosion happened at the base of the mountain. A strange couple came by with a blanket-covered basket, a note and a small sack of bits. The note said to watch over their foal until they returned."
Celestia remembered that night. The skeletons of a pair of kirin skeletons were found partially fused to the boulders far below and the vapors of dark magic wafting from the soil. She had ordered the remains of the two kirins to be buried in their ancestral tradition and their location denoted so their remains could be returned if any enclave or village of them were to ever be found. "So you filed the note and bits you received with Foal Protection?"
Harshwhinny flinched at the question.
"I see. Guard captain?"
Knightly Armor trotted up and bowed. "Yes, my princess?"
"Hold Madam Harshwhinny in a nearby constabulary. I will personally speak with each foal that's currently under her care. Also send a runner to Foal Protection. I want all the files on this orphanage since Harshwhinny took over as head madam."
Harshwhinny hung her head as the guards escorted her off.
Celestia kept a calm and cool exterior as she listened to each foal's story of what they experienced under Harshwhinny. Just beneath that calm and cool exterior she was seething. Stories of verbal and physical abuse, stories of bribery for gold-leaf documentation. Stories of silently condoned bullying. She couldn't be mad at the younger foals, they tended to act how they saw their older orphans behave.
She separated the teen orphans from their younger counterparts. "I'm disappointed in you." The teen orphans flinched at the chiding they received. "I know it's hard living here, but you're supposed to set an example for those younger than you. Show them how to be friends with everypony, not single out somepony for being different." She then turned her attention to Honey Bunch and Two Scoops. "I'm especially disappointed with you two. You both grew up in a safe home with loving parents. You should have shown those younger and less advantaged than you how to be better. You're both more than old enough to know better. I'll be personally inspecting your school records and talking with your teachers and parents. *sigh* You both are more than old enough to know better." She shook her head disapprovingly then dismissed the twins with a flick of her golden shoe.
Reams of paperwork on the orphanage began to be brought in. Celestia sat on the playground as the foals played on the equipment. She kept darting an eye at Sunset sitting alone nearby. "Sunset Shimmer? Wouldn't you prefer to go and play with your friends?"
"Nopony likes me. They call me names and shove me in the mud. Now they're scared of me. I can't blame them. I'm just an ugly, scaly, lizard-snake pony with a crooked horn that burned the orphanage down." Sunset turned her head aside and sniffled.
Celestia placed the paperwork aside, walked up to Sunset, placed a gold shoe concealing her talons gently under her chin and turned the filly's head to face her. "Sunset, you are not an ugly, snake-lizard pony with a crooked horn. You're a beautiful kirin, a creature as rare as the gem in my breastplate. It's not your fault that you lost control. You were pushed around and bullied until you couldn't take it anymore. I don't hold it against you." She paused and thought for a second. "How would you like it if I adopted you?"
Sunset's eyes sparkled at the question. "Y-you mean it?"
"Mm-hmm. I have a daughter who is a few summers younger than you that is also special and unique. She'd be thrilled to have a sister closer to her age to play with. You both could learn so much from one another. She's all alone in that drafty palace with nopony her age."
Sunset's heart filled with joy until she thought she would burst. Sparkles danced in her eyes and a broad smile spread across her lips, putting her mouth full of needle-like teeth on display. The twin barbels on her upper lip wiggled. "Yes! One thousand times yes!", she exclaimed. "Will I get my own room? Will there be bubble baths? Can I have ice cream and candy and cake for dinner every night?"
Celestia giggled at Sunset's questions. "To answer your questions in order. Yes. Yes. No, but you can have them for dessert if you're good and finish your homework." She placed the paperwork back in their boxes and gestured to Knightly Armor. "Have all of this delivered to my office and contact Foal Services. Tell them to personally deliver Sunset Shimmer's adoption forms to me. I must retire to the palace and show my new daughter her home."
Knightly bowed and began barking orders to his underlings.
"Sunset, have you ever teleported before?"
"Mm-mm!"
Celestia extended a wing out to the young kirin. "Stand here under my wing and be very still. If you wiggle around too much, you might get a nasty scorch." Sunset scurried up under her wing. Celestia summoned her magic, in a pop and a flash of light, they disappeared. A second later the two of the reappeared in a hallway inside the palace.
"Wwwwwooooooooowwwwwww!", Sunset exclaimed. A crimson aura surrounded her horn and she began replicating the teleportation spell, popping in and out of existence in little flashes of light. She giggled and squealed with glee each time she teleported, sometimes appearing a few strides away, sometimes appearing a body length or two in the air and then disappearing in another flash of light just as gravity began to take hold and reappearing a few strides away in the air on on the floor.
Celestia tittered as she trotted up to her new daughter and laid a wing across the young kirin's withers. "Very impressive, Sunset. Most take years of study before they can learn such an advanced spell. But you can practice your teleportation later. Let's meet your new sister first."
Sunset nodded and the pair walked up to a door that had a purple six-pointed star painted on it with. Celestia gently tapped on the door.
With a soft creak, the door opened and a young unicorn's head stuck through the crack. "Yes, mommy? I've been reading chapters you told me to."
Celestia smiled gently at Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight, come on out and meet your new sister."
Twilight glanced at Sunset then back to Celestia who simply smiled and nodded. *fwpt* Her forked tongue darted out from between her lips, wiggled in the air a couple of times, then darted back into her mouth. Her head went back inside and the door closed.
Sunset goggled at what she just experienced. Did she just stick her tongue out at me? Waitaminnit! Was her tongue forked?!
"Was she the one that made me feel tingly?", Twilight's voice asked from behind the closed door.
Celestia looked down at Sunset. "You'll have to excuse Twilight. She's a bit shy and a little high-strung. She's also very sensitive to magic changes to magic. It's allowed her to progress very quickly in her studies." The princess cleared her throat. "Yes, Twilight. She was the one that caused the surge in magic. Her name is Sunset Shimmer and she's your new sister. I know you've been lonely with nopony around your age. She's very excited to meet you. Come on out, my little sparkling star."
For a couple of moments there was no sound and Sunset sighed, thinking that she wouldn't get a chance to meet Twilight in pony. Then the handle rattled and with a creak the door opened. Sunset expected a young unicorn filly to walk out, instead a lavender snake with a unicorn's head slithered out.
"Yipe!", Sunset exclaimed, surprised and slightly started as she hopped backwards.
Twilight, frightened by Sunset's reaction, coiled her body and reared up. She spread her hood and opened her mouth wide, revealing her twin fangs in a threat display as she hissed.
"Whoa! Coooooool!", Sunset exclaimed, her initial shock and fear forgotten, being replaced by curiosity. She approached the snake-pony, amazed by the six-pointed star pattern in her hood.
Twilight hissed and nipped at Sunset, who took a little hop backwards.
"Twilight, it's rude to hiss and nip at somepony.", Celestia scolded.
Twilight immediately collapsed her hood and closed her mouth. She retreated into her coils. "I'm sorry, mommy. I'll be good, I promise."
Celestia gave a motherly titter as she stepped over to Twilight and gently kissed her on the head. "I'm not mad, my little shimmering star. I know you were frightened. No need to hide from me. Now come on over and say hello to your new sister, Sunset Shimmer."
Twilight uncoiled herself and slithered over to Sunset. She raised her body up, deployed her hood in a regal display and dipped her head in a small bow. "My name is Lady Twilight Sparkle."
Sunset dipped her head back. "My name is Sunset Shimmer."
Twilight looked at Celestia. "Mommy? She's not a lady?"
Celestia smiled at her naga daughter. "Technically not until I fill out the paperwork. She won't have to use that term in day-today stuff with you, I and the castle staff, just only for official functions, like day court, addressing parliament and at the Grand Galloping Gala."
"Oh. Um..okay." Twilight retracted her hood.
Sunset looked Twilight over closely. "I've never met a snake-pony before."
Twilight reared back and flared her hood. "I'm not a 'snake-pony'!" She raised her tail and made air quotes with it. "I'm a naga! *fwee*" She blew a raspberry that sounded like a party whistle, quickly slithered back into her room and slammed the door. A raspy hiss came from the key hole.
Sunset blinked at what happened. "Uh...I didn't mean to upset her. I've never met a naga before."
Celestia gave a knowing smirk. "Twilight's a little sensitive, some less than couth ponies have used that term hatefully in her presence before. She'll come around. And I did tell you she's a bit high-strung. Come along, Sunset. I'll let you pick out your new room."
As the two trotted off, a purple eye peered out from the keyhole of the door with the six-pointed star. "Sister.", Twilight whispered.
Celestia sat in her office. She had earlier in the day filled out Sunset's adoption papers in triplicate the Foal Services agents had brought. She placed one copy in her personal files, sent one to the palace records vault and sent the third back with the agents. Sunset had been settled into her new room and was currently exploring the palace grounds. Celestia would have fire-resistant bedding and furniture to the young kirin's room in the morning after breakfast, just in case she had any more emotional flareups.
Currently Celestia was looking through the reams of paperwork that had been delivered. Shad had removed her vestments and reverted to her half-dragon form. Currently she had the paperwork separated into three stacks. Though Harshwhinny's orphanage was officially licensed to house no more than thirty orphans, she had personally counted twenty orphans today, there were odd discrepancies that showed kept popping up with too much regularity to be the odd clerical error. Every six months for the past two decades the orphanage would be registered to house one hundred orphans, with it going back down to thirty by year's end. The monthly stipend sent for most of the year for one hundred orphans, dropping back down for a month or two for thirty.
Celestia already had enough evidence to get Harshwhinny for fraud. She'd have the palace's clerks go over everything with a fine-toothed comb and in the morning she'd have enough evidence to issue a warrant to seize the orphanage's bank records and search Harshwhinny's residence. She'd also send auditors to the Foal Service offices in Canterlot to uncover any and all co-conspirators. This would also be the justification she would need to send out auditors to every orphanage and foster home across the nation, ensuring that there were no other corrupt ponies when it came to the disadvantaged foals.
Celestia's ear flaps twitched at the creak of the hinges of her office door and the scraping of scales on the floor that were the telltale sounds that Twilight had just come in.
Twilight slithered up to the desk and raised her body until her snout was level with the top. "Mommy?"
Celestia placed the paperwork down and looked at the young naga with a toothy draconic smile. "Yes, my shimmering star?"
"Is Sunset a half-dragon, like you?"
"That's a very good question, Twilight.", Celestia said, tapping a claw to her cheek. "But the answer is no. She is a kirin. A very powerful and rare being."
"Why did she make me feel all tingly?"
"When kirin get angry or their magic first awakens, they can sometimes transform into a very dangerous form known as a nirik."
Twilight recoiled slightly. "Is Sunset dangerous? Will she turn into a nirik?" She trembled with nervous fright.
Celestia gently stroked Twilight's head and mane. "No, I don't think she will again for the time being. You see, she was living in an orphanage where they called her mean names, like ugly lizard-pony or ugly snake-pony or crooked-horn."
Twilight let out a hiss. "Such meanies! Sunset's not a lizard! Lizards lick their eyeballs and eat bugs! Eww! Blech!"
Celestia chuckled at Twilight's half squenched face as she stuck out her forked tongue in disgust.
"Also, Sunset's not ugly! She has pretty scales the color of dandelions."
"They are quite lovely.", Celestia agreed.
"And the curls in her mane are pretty, they look like rubies and gold!"
"Indeed, they are quite fetching."
"And she doesn't have a crooked horn. It looks like a yellow flame standing still."
"It is quite a stunning horn."
"She also has fangs, like me."
"Not quite like yours, but yes, she does have fangs. Quite striking ones if I must say."
"And her eyes are very pretty too. They look like those blue-green gems that the bison like."
"Why yes, they are quite beautiful. Not quite turquoise, but a light teal, like rare sea sapphires."
"I hope Sunset isn't mad with me."
"I don't think she's mad at you. In fact she's sorry for calling you a snake-pony. She's never met a naga before. In fact before today, she was the only scaled being she knew."
Twilight pouted slightly. "Aw! That's so sad."
Celestia cooed softly at the cute pout on her daughter's face.
"Do you know where Sunset is?"
Celestia gestured over to the window in her office that overlooked the garden. "I saw her about a half an hour ago exploring the gardens." She got up and walked over to the window, Twilight slithering beside her. "Ah, yes! There she is. She's playing by the reflecting pool in the Garden of Hummingbirds."
Twilight reared up and looked out the window.
"Why don't you go join her, Twilight. It's a nice bright sunny day today."
Twilight let out a small excited gasp. A purple aura surrounded her horn and she vanished in a small wink of light.
Celestia gave a broad smile only a mother could have as she looked out the window. The smile slowly dissolved from her face as she turned away from the window and back to her desk. She dipped a quill into an inkpot and wrote out an order for the paperwork to be sent to the palace clerks. "Rubber Stamp and Collate will have a field day with this." She then wrote out another order, stating that day court was cancelled and that night court would start three hours after moonrise. She flicked her claw against a small bell three times, creating a trio of musical chimes.
The door opened and Celestia's seneschal, Raven Inkwell strode in. "You called for me, my pri--OH GOODNESS ME!" The mare froze in her tracks, eyes wide with shock. She shook her head, regaining control of her expression. "A thousand pardons, my princess. I meant no disrespect. I'm still getting used to seeing you in your half-dragon form."
Celestia gave a small smile, Raven had only been on the palace staff for a year after her father, the former seneschal, Trumpet Herald, had suffered a stroke and was left partially paralyzed on his left side. Their family had served the crown faithfully for generations. Raven had been properly schooled and groomed for the past five years to take over for her father in fifteen years until the unforeseen stroke happened. The mare had proven herself to be quite competent, if a little overzealous. "No offence intended, none taken." She handed the two orders to Raven. "Please ensure these orders are delivered to the right ponies."
Raven read the two orders. "I hear and obey, my princess."
Celestia transformed into her alicorn form and donned her royal vestments. "I am going to enjoy the rest of the day with my daughters in the gardens. I am not to be disturbed until after dinner."
"I hear and obey.", Raven replied and turned to trot off.
"Oh, and Raven?", Celestia called out to her seneschal.
Raven stopped and turned back to face the princess. "Yes, my princess?", she replied with a small curtsy.
"Please stop with all of the excessive formality. Court is not in session, nor are we standing before parliament. You can simply call me Celestia. I need all of my seneschals to be straightforward and frank with me, something that can't be done if you're constantly having to put up the veneer of formality. Unless it's an official function, you can simply call me Celestia."
"Yes, my--err...um, of course, Celestia.", Raven said. "Then I'd like to make a small request."
"State it, if it is within reason, then I will grant it."
"The title seneschal is such a stuffy and archaic title. It lacks the gravitas and weight my office carries. I much prefer the title Majordomo."
Celestia gave Raven a broad smile. Her seneschals had always been loyal and trustworthy, and the title of seneschal was a bit long in the tooth. Majordomo was a more modern title that felt powerful. "Very well, Majordomo Raven Inkwell."
Raven's eyes sparkled for a moment.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I must go spend time with my daughters. Every moment wasted is a moment never to be regained." Celestia trotted out of her office, a quartet of guards following closely behind.
***
Sunset hummed a formless tune as she hopped across the oval shaped rocks that formed a path across the reflecting pool and listened to the humming birds as they flitted from flower to flower gathering nectar. *hop-hop-pause-hop* She would occasionally cast a nervous glance at the guards who were standing silently and stiffly off to the side, always giving her space but staying no less than ten paces away.
With a small pop and a wink of light Twilight appeared before Sunset on an oval stone just ahead of her. "Hhhhhiiiiiiiiii!"
"Yipe!" Sunset hopped backwards in surprise to another stone. She lost her hoofing. "Whoa-oa-oa-oa!" *splash* She flailed around in the shallow water as panic took hold. "Help! Help!"
A nearby guard sighed and rolled his eyes. He trotted up to the edge of the reflecting pool. "Just put your hooves down."
Sunset continued to thrash around in a panicked state.
"I don't get paid enough for this.", he grumbled. Laying his pike aside, he pulled off his armored shoes, helmet and breastplate. With the armor free of his form, the illusory enchantment dropped and his coat went from grayish-white to a deep bronze, his mane and tail were a bright coppery red, with the former cut into a tight flattop style and the latter curled up into a tight ball, held in place by hairpins. He strode into the reflecting pool and up to the panicking kirin. "Just pit your hooves down, you silly filly!", he barked.
Sunset tried to scramble up the guard, who just sighed and rolled his eyes again. This caused her to let go and continue flailing in the water.
Twilight looked at her sister with a confused stare, then slid off the rock and into the water, gliding across the surface. Upon reaching Sunset, she allowed her body to sink into the water and rose up. "Just stand up, like me. It's not deep."
Sunset continued her panicked flailing. This caused the guard to grind his teeth as he growled in frustration. He reached out with his forehooves and grabbed the panicking kirin, shaking her. This got her to calm down slightly. "Just put your hooves down and stand up, dummy!"
Sunset did as the guard told her. The water was shallow, barely halfway up her fetlocks. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Oh...uh...heh! Uh...sorry about that."
The guard let out several wordless sighing grumbles as he stood up. "No matter. You were in no real danger. Let's get out out of the reflection pool and dried off before--"
"What is the meaning of this?!"
The guard's eyes became pinpricks at the sound of the princess' voice. He spun around to face her and let out a scared squeak. He scrambled out of the reflecting pool and prostrate himself before Celestia. "A thousand pardons for laying hoof on Lady Sunset. She fell in the reflecting pool and was panicking. I simply stepped in to help her up."
Twilight quickly slithered out of the reflecting pool and placed herself between her mother and the guard. "Don't be mad at him, mommy. It was my fault that Sunset fell in. If you're going to be mad at anypony, be mad at me."
Sunset sloshed out of the reflecting pool and walked up to Celestia. "Please don't be mad at him. I should have known that the water was shallow. I was panicking like a dummy."
"Do you know how to swim.", Celestia asked Sunset.
"No."
"Then your panic is understandable when falling into water. Twilight, did you know Sunset didn't know how to swim?"
"No, mommy."
Celestia returned her attention to the prostrate guard. "Arise, Lance Corporal Hoplon and don your armor." Once the guard finished carrying out her command, she barked out an order. "All guards present, assemble for inspection!"
A dozen guards, along with the quartet that were following Celestia gathered into lines and rows. As one they stamped their right pair of hooves, coming to attention.
Celestia paced back and forth before the guards. Her face stern as she inspected them. "This is unacceptable. A member of the royal household was in distress and only one guard moved to help." She shook her head. "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! I blame myself for not making my orders clearer. So hear me now and disseminate this among you fellow guards. You are to keep a watchful eye on the royal household at all times. Give us our space during our private time, keeping no less than ten paces of a casual trot away at all times. If any member of the royal household appears to be in any form of distress, no less than three are to come forward to offer aid and no less than two are to be sent as runners to alert myself or your superiors to what is happening. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, my princess!", the gathered guards shouted in unison.
"Very well. Lance Corporal Hoplon, front and center!"
Hoplon swallowed hard as he trotted forward and snapped to attention. "Lance Corporal Hoplon front and center as you commanded, my princess!"
"Kneel."
Hoplon squatted with his rear legs as he curled one foreleg under his body and extended the other.
Celestia tapped each of Hoplon's shoulders then helmet with a golden shoe. "Lance Corporal Hoplon, for taking the initiative and for quick thinking, you are promoted to a member of the royal family guard. Seeing as only officers can hold such a rank, your official rank shall be colonel second class. Rise." Once he had risen, eyes shimmering, she lowered her head unti she was face to face with him. "Corporal second class, you are not in proper uniform. Report immediately to the quartermaster for proper armor and a halberd." She rose to her full height and spread her wings in a regal display. "Dismissed!"
Once the guards had returned to their station and Hoplon had hurried off to the quartermaster's, Celestia set about drying and cleaning off her daughters. She gestured over to a marble bench.
Once the trio had sat on the bench, Celestia wrapped her wings around her daughters. "Twilight, I am proud of you. You acted quickly and tried to teach your sister by example. Sunset, I'll be personally giving you daily swimming lessons along with your other classes."
"You saw the whole thing?"
"Mm-hmm. You were in no real danger. If you were, I'd have stepped in." Celestia gave a smile to her daughters. "I don't know about you two, but I could go for a nice snack. How does creme puffs and tea sound?"
"Delicious!", Twilight exclaimed. "Could I also have a nice fat rat and a couple of eggs?"
"So long as it doesn't spoil your dinner. Is there something special you'd like, Sunset?"
"I've never had ice cream before."
This elicited a surprised gasp from Twilight. "Never?!"
"Is there a flavor you'd like?"
"It comes in flavors?"
Celestia chuckled as she clapped her golden shoes together to summon a member of the palace staff.
Sunset gazed in amazement as Twilight unhinged her jaws and swallowed down a large rat and a pair of hard boiled eggs, with the shell still on them. "Gross! But neat!"
Twilight simply shot a sideways glance at her sister while the shapes of the rat and eggs slid down her throat.
"Nagas can't chew like the rest of us can, so they swallow their food whole. Eat your ice cream before it melts.
Sunset turned her attention to the slowly four scoops of ice cream in the bowl in front of her. Each scoop was a different flavor, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and pistachio. "Mmmmm!", she moaned out that the sweet, delicious coldness of each flavor.
*bzzvzzvzzvvzz!*
The deep thrumming buzz announced the arrival of a humming bird. It flitted out of bushes and hovered in the air in front of Sunset. She crossed her eyes to get a better look at it. The hummingbird was larger than the ones she had seen earlier flitting about the bushes. Its color was also different, being a brilliant golden yellow with a pair of feathers atop its head that looked like little rabbit ears. The hummingbird flitted back and forth in front of Sunset, then darted forward and perched on her snout. She giggled as it wiggled its little hummingbird tushy as it nestled down on the end of her snout.
"It looks like you've made a little friend.", Celestia said with a titter. "That is a greater sun bunny hummingbird." She extended a gold shoe to it and the humming bird flitted off Sunset's snout onto Celestia's golden shoe. She hummed out a series of musical notes and the hummingbird sang the notes back in a little squeaky voice. Then the hummingbird flitted off the shoe and away, back into the bushes.
"This is a most auspicious occasion. The first day when I brought Twilight home, a star sparrow perched on her head. So I nicknamed her Little Sparkling Star after that occasion.", Celestia said. "What to name you? What to name you?"
"Ooh! I know! I know!", Twilight said as she bounced excitedly.
"Don't leave me in suspense, my Little Sparkling Star."
"Let's call her Sunny Bunny!"
"Sunny Bunny? Sunny Bunny? Sunny Bunny. Hmm...", Celestia mused for a moment. "I like it! You are my Brilliant Sunny Bunny!"
"I like it too. It's better than...better than...*hsnf*" Sunset sniffled with a mixture of happiness and hurt.
Celestia pulled Sunset tighter with her wing for a hug. "Shh! Nopony will ever call you those hurtful names again. Now finish your ice cream...well it's now ice cream soup."
The trio shared a round of happy chortles as they finished their snacks.
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
1,090 users online
1,917,714 hits today, 1,996,409 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.®
This story seems REALLY promising, and it sounds like Ponyville will be a very accepting town, based on the description!
I am eager to see where this story goes.
Wow. Interesting premise, well written, great action. Only advice:
(I see, further on, you do use scene breaks, so maybe just an editing error for that one transition?)
separate scene breaks with a line or dashes. It was quite jarring to go from the orphanage conflagration to Celestia's throne room, suddenly!Otherwise, definitely going in my Reading and Tracking stacks! Keep it up!
UPDATE: Now FEATURED on 2023-11-26!