Celestia’s sun slowly rose and sent its warming glare down on the city. The morning rays crept their way across Manehattan, bringing a new day to the ponies below. Even though the blazing star was countless miles away, its aim couldn’t have been more accurate as its intended target was found.
It was here, in one of the top floors of an expensive hotel somepony was about to be greeted by the solar rays. Though hidden by the drawn curtains, there was the tiniest sliver that allowed light to pass through. And it was here that the sun struck its target.
Sunny Sprout had rolled over in her slumber and faced the very window that would disrupt her dreams of heroic stallions. She contorted her face as the thin ray of sunlight met her closed eyes. Sunny slowly, reluctantly opened her eyes. She adjusted her position to see what had woken her. She sneered at the sliver of light before turning over and facing away.
She cursed the sun a final time before pulling the blanket further up her body.
’Blanket?’
Sunny Sprout opened her eyes and felt her heart rate instantly rise.
’Where am I? How did I get here!?’ She slowly turned under the covers to inspect her surroundings. Her hooves had moved under the covers and brushed against something, something hard but covered in fur.
Sunny sighed and retracted her leg. She’d gathered she was in a hotel, a fancy one by the looks of it.
’That pony must’ve just been a customer. Well, time for me to leave then.’
She quietly slid out from under the covers and landed her hooves on the carpet. Sunny gave a quick stretch, momentarily relishing the refreshed feeling she had from such a comfortable bed. Without so much as a glance back at her still-sleeping customer, she set about to finding her saddlebag.
After a short search, she found it still in the bathtub.
“Ah, here we go. Come to momma,” Sunny smiled and slid her bag on. Her grin increased at the jingling of bits inside and quickly made to leave. Sunny stopped in the bathroom doorway and shifted the bag a little. Something felt off. She slid it off her back and sat on the floor, opening the pouch and counting the coins inside. There were only sixteen inside.
’Wait a minute, this isn’t nearly heavy enough for the bits I charge for a place like this, and for overnight no less!’
She sat on the bathroom floor, fuming.
’That no good sonuva—I’ll teach him to try and scam me!’
Sunny grabbed the bag in her mouth and made her way into the main room. As she approached the bed, she spied some purple mane sticking out but that wasn’t quite enough to jog her memory of where she was, or with whom. The pony under the covers shifted slightly and made some noise.
’Good, they’re waking up. Time to demand the rest of my money.’
She was readying to throw her bag right in the other pony’s face, when they turned to look straight at her.
Sunny Sprout froze as her mind registered the face now staring right at her.
“Darling? Is... everything alright?” The pony under the covers sat up and regarded Sunny with a concerned look.
“Ra... Rarity?” Sunny Sprout’s mind raced. Everything came back to her in a flash. Meeting Rarity at her ‘home’, being taken for coffee, and agreeing to the insane plan of going to a new home with her.
“Sunny? You look like you just saw a ghost.” Rarity got out of bed and started to fix the covers almost right away.
“I, er... I guess I forgot where I really was, hehe...” Sunny sheepishly grinned and set her bag down.
“If I may... why did it look as though you were about to savagely beat me?” Rarity tilted her head slightly, watching her newfound friend shuffle in-place.
“I may have forgotten where I was, and I may have gotten just a little bit angry when I thought you were a customer trying to rip me off,” Sunny looked down to her hooves, which were proving very interesting to look at. The embarrassment made her cheeks flush and made her feel like an idiot.
“Ah, I see then.” Rarity looked her up and down for a few moments. “Funny, I didn’t quite take you as the type to throttle a pony in their sleep.” She teased.
“Hey, I may be a whore but I won’t leave without the bits I earned,” Sunny shot back with a bit of a sneer. She instantly regretted her harsh tone as she felt her ears fall flat. “Sorry, it’s just that I’ve been scammed before, like that pegasus yesterday and—”
“Say no more, I understand, dear.” Rarity interrupted. Sunny shut her mouth and simply nodded. There was an awkward silence in the air as Rarity finished making the bed. Sunny retrieved her pillow that fell off on her side of the bed and set it back, giving her something to do other than continue to shuffle her hooves in embarrassment.
“So, what happened to me last night? Last thing I remember was walking into the hotel.” Sunny quirked an eyebrow at Rarity.
“We talked for a minute, then you went to take a bath.” Rarity explained. “You were taking an awfully long time so I decided to check on you. Turns out you got pretty comfortable, enough to fall asleep even,” She let out a slight laugh at the end.
“But how did I—”
Rarity motioned to her horn before Sunny could finish her question.
“I lifted you out, dried you off and put you in bed,” Rarity nodded, a thin smile tugged at her lips as she remembered her feat of moving a sleeping adult pony without waking them. Sunny let it sink in for a moment before speaking.
“How did you do all that without waking me up?” She asked, perplexed. ’Normally I’m such a light sleeper...’
“I have a sister who lives with me from time to time. I often have to carry to her bed,” Rarity smiled and lightly rolled her eyes. “Though I must admit I’m a tad proud of myself for being able to move you darling.” Sunny donned an unamused expression and lifted an eyebrow at the statement. “Er, I meant I’m used to Sweetie Belle, she’s only a filly.”
“Oh.” Sunny said, a bit relieved her new, only ‘friend’ hadn’t just called her fat.
“Well then, I propose we get ready to leave and grab some breakfast on our way to the Ponyville train.” Rarity said as she walked over to her suitcases, which hadn’t even been opened for the most part. She stopped and bit her lip, remembering yesterday’s agreement. “That is, if you still want to go to Ponyville. You still have that check I gave you, correct?”
Sunny had completely forgotten until now about the slip of paper. She opened her saddlebag at the foot of the bed and quickly found the check buried under the small pile of bits.
’I must’ve been so upset earlier I didn’t even notice the thing.’
“Yes, I still have it.” Sunny pulled the check out and looked at it in her hooves.
’It’s a lot of money, but how long would it really keep me going? What if I lose them? I could just as easily be robbed when somepony notices them too.’ She sighed to herself. Looking back between Rarity and the check for one hundred bits. Rarity gave her a silent look of curiosity, clearly noticing something was on the homeless mare’s mind
’But, if I go with her... I’ll be richer and have an actual home, and a chance for a real job. Maybe then I can—‘
“Sunny Sprout?” Rarity broke the mare’s train of thought. “You are still coming to Ponyville with me, right?” She asked with a hint of worry.
Sunny looked Rarity straight in the eyes.
“You swear you’ll help me find a job in Ponyville and won’t just kick me out?” Sunny asked seriously.
“You have my word as a lady.” Rarity smiled and made a mock salute. “I’ll do everything I can to help you get back on your hooves.”
“But... why?” Sunny Sprout couldn’t help but ask again. Rarity hummed to herself for a moment before answering.
“Is it not the right thing to help those less fortunate than you?” Rarity asked rhetorically. She let that sink in as she went to get her travel bag, leaving Sunny to her thoughts. She was brushing out her mane when—of all things—a voluminous laugh interrupted her. “What’s so funny over there darling?”
“Oh nothing,” Sunny wiped a tear from her eye. “I can just see you as the type who took in a lot of stray animals when you were younger.” She continued to giggle, her spirits higher than they’d been in too long a time.
“Mmm yes, you could say that,” Rarity smiled and thought back to her feline friend back in Ponyville. She was about to continue on that thought, but was quickly silenced by a familiar rumbling from the pony across from her. “A little hungry are we?”
“Yeah. Just ignore me though, I don’t wanna slow you down on the way to the station.” She smiled weakly.
Rarity raised an eyebrow and responded with the slightest tilt of her head. “Slow me down? But we have plenty of time, and I shan’t let you get on the train without something to eat,” She looked to her own stomach, feeling the familiar emptiness slowly become known. “Besides, I could go for something myself.”
“Well, alright.” Sunny said. “I just don’t want you spending more money on me than you need to. I can spend some of the bits you gave—“
“Nonsense,” Rarity didn’t let her finish. “The bits and check I gave you are going to be saved for your future. I will take care of our meals; don’t worry about a thing, dear.” She gave her best smile and lifted her saddlebag onto her back.
The fashionista looked over to her other bits of luggage; too much for her to carry.
“Let us see if we can’t find some nice bellhop to take these to the station while we get breakfast.”
Sunny nodded and made sure her own saddlebag was secure, and its precious cargo safe. “Alright.”
<><><><><><><><><><>
Breakfast had been a fairly quiet event for the two mares. After Rarity had assured the hotel staff her early departure was for other reasons and not her dissatisfaction with the establishment, they quickly found a nearby place to eat. It wasn’t anything extraordinarily fancy, more of a diner to be precise. Sunny Sprout and Rarity ate in silence for the most part, only exchanging a few words here and there over their sandwiches.
Sunny was still thinking over the previous day and how things were evolving. Rarity however, quickly picked up on her friend’s disinterest in talking and settled to let the mare be for the morning; after all, Rarity herself had a lot of thinking to do.
Fortunately the hotel staff had been kind enough to refund Rarity the majority of her bits, seeing as how she only stayed for one night out of the five she had planned. With an unexpected, extra amount of bits on-hoof, the fashionista opted to upgrade her and Sunny’s train tickets to the highest class, which included a private cabin.
Sunny curiously inspected the room, silently marveling at the cabin’s elaborate décor. It was designed to comfortably hold six ponies, though neither of them minded the extra room. After a quick once-over of the room, and thorough raid of the complimentary fruit basket, Sunny was now sitting comfortably by a window; a thin smile on her lips refused to leave.
Comfortably sitting in her own bunk, Rarity had tucked away her legs beneath her as she skimmed through a fashion magazine she had picked up earlier at the station. She stole the occasional glance at her traveling companion, relaxing in her own bunk and staring out the window on her side of the cabin. Though the poor mare had hardly touched her mane during her short bath, Rarity couldn’t help but quietly admire the simplistic, natural beauty her hazel mane had. Her eyes settled on Sunny’s Cutie Mark; a patch of dirt with a lush green sprout bursting through. It was then she realized that she didn’t actually know much about her: her past, her story—anything at all really.
Rarity’s interest piqued as she quickly planned to change that.
With a small whisk of magic, she set her magazine down and cleared her throat, ready to end the silence.
“So, Sunny,” Rarity got her attention, taking a moment to realize somepony was talking to her. “We still have a few hours until we reach Ponyville. I would very much like to take this opportunity to learn a bit more about you, dear.” She turned her body to face Sunny, all her attention focused on her now.
Sunny shifted a little to face the mare opposite to her. “What do you wanna know? I’m afraid there isn’t a whole lot of interesting things about me…” Her eyes began to slowly cast downwards as she trailed off.
Rarity’s expression sank into a soft concern at the mare’s display. “Oh darling, don’t be so hard on yourself. All that negative energy is absolute murder to one’s complexion.”
The fashionista's response earned her an odd look from Sunny.
Rarity shook her head dismissively. “Sorry. But... however did you find yourself in that dreadful situation you were in anyway?”
Sunny fidgeted her forelegs together awkwardly. “You wouldn’t be interested in it—nothing special; just... a lot of simultaneous bad luck, that’s all.” She laid her muzzle down on the head of the bed with a sigh.
“Yesterday, you thought I was a pony from the bank, coming to take more of your possessions,” Rarity recalled sadly. “So, it is safe then to assume that you once had a home, dear?” Sunny nodded softly without looking up to the fashionista. “Then please... whatever happened to you?” Rarity gently pleaded, but Sunny neither moved nor responded in any way.
Rarity paused, taking a moment to breath deep, and slowly exhale. “Listen dear, if this is going to work, I’m going to need you to trust me...” She spoke in her most comforting tone she had; a tone normally reserved solely for her younger sister in times of tender need. “Talking about what happened may very well give you some peace of mind from it, so please, Sunny Sprout...”
Rarity slowly slid off the bed, seating herself just a few short inches from her companion's bunk.
“...won’t you talk to me?”
You all screamed and begged and spammed for moar, so here it is
Decided to have shorter, more impacting chapters than my usually long, informative ones.
Big shoutout to Darastrix and Azu for their help.
Send them a PM and tell them they're awesome
So, how many months until the next chapter?
Because i love this story so far.
Yay for moar!
I really like Sunny's character. She is quite realistic in her initial distrust and the apparent nagging doubt she seems to have that this is somehow going to end badly for her.
Also, it's honestly just nice to see a story focusing on Rarity's best aspect: her willingness to help out anypony in any way, asking for nothing in return.
I can't wait to see where this goes from here.
Write on,
Legion
YEEEEEEEESSS
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I approve and this needs to be moar and moar AND MOAR
SPEECH! SPEECH!
"I would like to thank the Academy..."
It finally updated, woot! Pinkie start the party!
Lawl this.
Sunny's distrust of Rarity may be understandable, but that makes me all the more eager to hear her backstory. And it seems Rarity shares my sentiments.
Beyond that, the true essence of Rarity is still on full display here, and I'm loving every moment of it.
Yay! I've actually been waiting for this one! =) Glad to see it continuing, after all.
3139869
Thou aren't the only one who hast been waiting for this one
I....I-IT LIVEEEEEEES!!!
And now its back to waiting...
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/133325469580.gif?1334139049
3139905 I KNOW. I SQUEAKED IN GLEE! :D
Yay for more!!! Sunny needs to be someone's OC. Can I use her for another story? Please?
3139898 I'd never doubt it!
3139762>>3139804>>3139809>>3139842>>3139869>>3139905>>3139973>>3140046
You guys don't need to worry about too long of a wait for an update.
I have a collab planned with Brony2893, however he has to finish this and TLaL first.
So I'll be on his ass for finishing them asap, because I'm tired of waiting and eager to get the project started already.
...also I had no hand in the construction of the ending scene at all, not a one!
i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/SlowShootinPete/5936320-204th_wall_what_4th_wall20Scrunchy_Face20applejack20exploitable20liarjack20lying20screencap20scrunchy20season_two.png
Those who have read my "Colors of the Heart" may recognize that ending paragraph format a little...
I think we all know this train ride is going to take a few months rather than a few hours.
3139727 yup, we screamed and begged
but
I'm going to have to say
MOAR
Its an excellent fic you've got here and has almost limitless possibilities to where the story line can go.
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I know I'm a slow updater but you don't all have to keep bringing it up
Gettin' real old
I almost forgot about this fic! Glad to see it updated though and I hope to see more soon!
3140357
by the way, you're a slow uploader.
Get back to work on TLaL's next chapter, or start this ones.
I'm glad this updated. The first chapter definitely grabbed my attention, and I was wondering if it was going to be one of many stories that started out very promising but never got past the first chapter I am following. Second chapter was just as enjoyable as the first. I will be looking forward to the next one :)
3140357
I demand more free entertainment! More!
Bring me my mead! And the largest sword you have!
(Nice chapter. Rarity must really know the nice hotels to stay at to get a refund. )
3140357
The wait for this chapter is was pretty small compared to some other stories I am reading. Besides, chapters like this are worth the wait.
Huh, I completely forgot this existed when I got the email alert.
I felt like you missed an opportunity when Sunny woke up though, instead of assuming she had woke up on the wrong end of a raw business deal and becoming angry. I would have liked to see her sad because wonderful dream had been exactly that. A dream. Really pull those heart strings.
Anyways, I certainly enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to more.
rite moar fgt.
jokes
but seriously
WRITE MORE.
Yay, chapter 2! Just, please don't pull a Gabe Newell!
And now begins the exposition
Another good chapter. Unlike everyone else, I'm gonna say I don't mind the slow updates. I myself am notorious for not submitting anything for several months
OH NOES ACTIVATE THE EMERGENCY APOSTROPHE!
That's much better.
(Sorry, I had to nitpick)
Why you end it like that? Now I want MOAR
3140357
People want more, it's a sign that you're a good author!
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myfacewhen.net/uploads/2691-moar-fat.png
But seriously, it's awesome to see an update to this.
img.humorsharing.com/media/images/1207/i_hilarious_moar_pictures_019_501591b4d506d.jpg
Awesome to see this story update, and can't wait to see more! Thanks Brony2893!!!
3140357
Like thou face!
3140357
It isn't the slow updating that has people's panties twisted, it's the fact that after all this wait, nothing actually happened. They woke up, Sunny was confused, it got sorted out, they left the hotel, ate lunch, got on a train, and Rarity tried to get Sunny to open up. Chapter end before there could be a response.
You took forever to push out a new chapter, made absolutely nothing happen of interest, and ended with a cliffhanger. And yet, you complain when your readers point out what you're doing wrong. Instead of complaining, why don't you do what a real author would do and get to work fixing how you update and managing your priorities?
3141549
You know maybe making shorter chapters like this is better. Yeah not much happend but by making the chapters shorter Brony2893 can make more regular updates. And maybe he can't provide more frequent updates because, oh I don't know, maybe he has a life and a job that take more priority than updating this one story. Lay off the guy and let him do his thing.
3141820
I don't have a problem with shorter chapters. I don't have a problem with longer wait times. I don't have a problem with filler chapters. I just get pissed when those are all combined, with a cliffhanger thrown in to boot.
Yes, work and shit is more important than writing fanfiction. That's why he/she should just wait until he/she has some actual content written before he/she uploads a chapter. Waiting twice this long for a chapter with content is okay. Waiting this long for filler and a cliffhanger is ridiculous.
"Lay off the guy and let him do his thing."
That isn't how life works. If it was, nothing would ever get done.
Keep going... I'm interested to see how you write best pony...
3140357
FINALLY, AN UPDATE!
Soo... Should I pencil in January or March for the next one?
Haha, great chapter! Faith restored.
Thank you! I was wondering when you would get around to updating this!
When I saw the update, I yayed!
3141864
Fanfiction is not a fucking job.
Lay off.
If you don't like how I write or can't accept that real life stuff comes first and gets in the way, then move on. I really don't care.
3142539
An author that cares about their own writing treats all of their projects like a "fucking job."
If you aren't going to take writing this seriously, I see no sense in following it. It has promise, but unless you take more pride in your work, that will be smothered out.
Furthermore, learn to accept constructive criticism. Nobody is trying to be a prick. We are trying to help.
Nice continuation. Looking forward to Sunny's sad story.
3142592
I'm impressed. On a site of such sheer autism, this is easily the worst comment I have ever read.
3142539
Easy there, we like the story, we just want more of it. It's a compliment, even if sometimes it doesn't sound like one.
It sucks if you have RL stuff that gets in the way, but I will say I was happy to see another chapter of this story.
3142592
I *do* take pride in my work.
I *do* accept constructive criticism.
I do *not* accept people who themselves can't accept that shit happens, and stuff slows down.
Fanfiction is a hobby, not a job. Were I payed for it, yes, I would machine gun out chapters like you wouldn't believe.
Until then, deal with it.
Nice downvote on my story too by the way
Have fun being mad
3142592
Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd call that being a prick and insulting someone.
You need to accept some "constructive criticism" and learn a few things yourself. First, don't tell people what to do. They all have things to do, free wills, and sentient, thinking minds. That means that telling someone to work harder, or faster, is likely just going to get you a negative response.
Second, he's right. This isn't a job. You aren't his employer, therefore he has no obligation to do what you say, nor do you have any say in what he thinks, says or does.
Let's add another. Third, instead of complaining, why don't you go do your own thing. If you're this bothered by it, why not do exactly what you said, and don't follow it? That simple!
You know what? I'm feeling rather irritated by this incessant moaning you're doing about how this person who is not paid, not forced to write, who chooses to write to entertain people like you, and everyone else, isn't doing it "good enough" for your tastes, so I'm going to follow that little bit of advice above.
I see that you're not going to listen to reason, so I see no sense in trying to further argue with you. Therefore, I've blocked you. Have a nice day, and please, do try to be more courteous to those who put time aside from their days to entertain you.