Prologue - Home for the Holidays

Dear Princess Twilight,

I know this is kind of short notice, but I was wondering if I could come to Equestria for the holidays. You see, the winter break is starting, but all the girls are going to be out of town. This would have been the first holiday I had friends, so I was kind of looking forward to spending it with them. In my previous years here I spent the holidays digging up dirt on others, scheming, and stealing from collection bins (Ugh, I was horrible). But this year I want things to be different! So, since the girls are out of town, I thought it might be a good chance to come home for a visit.

Also, these last few months have made me realize how much enjoyment I denied myself for so long. I honestly, can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a Hearth’s Warming celebration. Heck, the last time I was back in Equestria, I didn’t even take the time to appreciate being there. Of course, I was a bit distracted with all the treason I was busy committing (sorry again). But I’m different now, and I know I can finally appreciate the holidays.

Of course, given that I WAS committing treason on my last visit, not to mention how horrible I was before I fled through the mirror the first time, I’d understand if I’m not allowed to return. Just thought I’d ask.

Your friend,

Sunset Shimmer

---

Dear Sunset,

Of course, you can spend the holidays here! I don’t know if you had any place, in particular, you wanted to go, but you’re more than welcome to join us for Hearth’s Warming, here in the castle! I hosted a big event last year, so this year I get to sit back and relax (comparatively speaking).

Also, you can stop feeling so guilty. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve more than made up for what you did in the past. You’re a completely different pony now! I’m proud of how far you’ve come. And if the girls are having their own out-of-town holidays, there’s no reason why you should be left behind to mope around!

Just let me know when you’re planning on coming over. I’ll have the portal open and be ready to meet you. ^_^

Your friend,

Twilight

P.S. You don’t have to call me “Princess”

---

Great! Could you have it open tonight? At say 8 pm?

-S

---

8 pm?

Tonight?

As in today!?

AS IN THIS DAY RIGHT NOW!?

---

Uhhh… yes? Is that a problem?

---

Problem!?

No! No problem at all! You can count on me to have everything ready. I’ll see you tonight Sunset, but I’m afraid I have to go now. I just remembered I have a lot to get ready! Nothing to do with your visit!

Just some standard items we’re out of for a casual holiday:

-White doves,

-Red carpet,

-A band.

You know totally normal Princess-y things. HAHAHA!

Your friend,

-Princess of Friendship: Twilight Sparkle of Equestria

---

Whoa! Twilight calm down! What’s with the full title? Do not go to any trouble for me! Also, PLEASE don’t get those three items! I’m not some visiting dignitary. In fact, I’m basically a fugitive!

Which reminds me, please don’t tell Princess Celestia about my visit. I’m just not ready to meet her.

Twilight?

Twilight!?

---

Hey Sunset, It’s Spike

---

Oh! Hey Spike. What’s going on over there?

---

Nothing too terrible, Twilight’s just… overpreparing for your visit. As I write this, she’s rounding up all the rugs in the castle and taking them outside for a beating. She’s also telling me to make a checklist of things that need to be done before your visit. Item 1 is: ‘Make a checklist of things that need to be done before Sunset Shimmer’s visit.’

---

Why is she going to so much trouble? Please tell me you aren’t actually writing that down.

---

It’s okay, I’m not. The castle is perfectly clean as it is. It’s just that this is your first visit and she wants to make a good impression. She thinks that, because you lived in Princess Celestia’s castle for several years, your standards are ridiculously high and she’s working herself into a frenzy to try to meet them.

---

Spike, I lived in an abandoned factory for my first few years here. Even if you work to make the castle dirty, I’ll still be floored. I’m afraid to ask but, aside from the rugs, just what does she think needs cleaning so bad?

---

…Well, I just looked into the library and saw her dusting, not only the books but the pages in the books as well.

---

Oh, come on! How would the pages inside a closed book even get dusty? Can you please stop her? If I walk through that portal and am welcomed by a red carpet, a flock of doves, a band, and a library full of dustless books, I will die of embarrassment.

---

I will in a few minutes. If she’s left alone for a bit, she should unwind enough to be open to reason. I’ve found that if you try stopping her too soon, she becomes even more manic. Don’t worry about the first three items, but I’m afraid the library is already a lost cause. She’s currently speculating on what sorting method you’d be most fond of and making a chart to help her narrow down choices.

---

Spike, when I’ve died, don’t let her go overboard with my funeral. In fact, just toss me into a ditch and let the elements take me. Facedown please, I don’t want anyone to see my mortified expression.

---

Wel- Oh Ponyfeathers! I just heard Starlight get home! Twilight’s excessive over-preparedness is only matched by Starlight’s tendency to solve every problem with some ridiculously over-the-top magic! I need to go before she gets pulled into Twilight’s cleaning spree. I just hope she doesn’t enchant the brooms again.

---

Enchanted brooms? Why’s that bad?

---

Nothing stopped them.

Not my ax.

Not my fire.

They just kept coming.

So many buckets of water.

---

Uhhh…Spike?

---

Sorry! Just a really bad memory. Anyway, come by at 8 tonight. I’ll see you then Sunset!

-Spike

---

See you then, Spike.

As she finished reading the most recent entry, Sunset Shimmer closed the journal that bore her cutie mark on the cover. The wind whipped at her fiery red and yellow hair, tossing it from one side to the other and leaving it a frazzled mess. The cold of the night brought a red tint to her amber cheeks. Her leather jacket provided less protection than she needed from the weather, but her winter coat had been stolen a few days ago. She shrugged, tugging on the strap of her bag, trying to get it to settle into a more comfortable position. She turned her attention to the base of the Wondercolts statue that guarded the entrance to Canterlot High. Her silhouette, cast by the light of the school’s front door, stood directly before her as she gazed at the stone surface containing the portal to Equestria.

She reached out to touch it. Cold stone greeted her palm. She quickly pulled her hand back, jammed it into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone to check the time; 7:57 pm.

Should she write to let Twilight know that she was here or just wait for the agreed-upon time? What if Twilight had forgotten? What if the mirror broke? No, Twilight would’ve told her if something like that happened, right?

She needed to calm down. Twilight was her friend so… wait. Was Twilight her friend? Twilight had certainly said she was her friend but, as the Princess of Friendship, isn’t she supposed to be everyone’s friend by default? Did Sunset really matter to Twilight, or was she no different from anyone else in her eyes? Just another face in the crowd. Nothing more than a blip in Twilight’s now-immortal life. Just like she had been to Princess Celestia.

Sunset shuffled around nervously, her cyan eyes glancing into the darkness that surrounded her, as though she expected some kind of monster to come leaping from the shadows. As increasingly dark thoughts began to coil around Sunset’s mind, a voice cut through the silence of the night.

“Please calm down Sunset Shimmer. You’re going on vacation, not to the gallows,” spoke a calm but not unfriendly voice.

“Sorry, Vice-Principal Luna. You’re right, and I am excited to be able to spend some time back home! I guess I’m just…nervous.” Sunset’s voice trailed off as she looked over her shoulder into the void of the night, but all she saw was more darkness and snow.

“Sunset.” Sunset’s attention returned to Luna. The vice principal was half a head taller than Sunset. She wore an army green wool coat that was not too big, a messenger bag rested at her side with the strap securely positioned on the opposite shoulder, and her midnight blue hair was pulled into a tail to avoid the fate Sunset’s was experiencing. She stood relaxed, her arms crossed lazily in front of her chest, and despite the dark night (or perhaps because of it) she looked completely at ease. “There’s no one out there, Sunset. Even if there was, that’s why I’m here with you. You’re perfectly safe. You also have nothing to be nervous about. Princess Twilight will be happy to see you,” Luna assured Sunset.

Sunset took a few deep breaths to gather herself, then gave Luna a small smile and nod. “I know. I really can’t thank you enough for all this.”

“I’ve been where you are right now. Maybe with less interdimensional pony-magic, but otherwise the same situation. Trust me, we’ll get you through this.” Luna’s voice conveyed understanding, sorrow, anger, and concern. It was a voice Sunset had recently found an unexpected amount of support from.

Luna checked her phone, then walked up to Sunset and spun her around to face the stone base. “3…2…1”. A ripple of silver light danced across the surface of the stone before fading. Sunset reached out with her free hand and once more touched the base. This time her hand didn’t press against the solid stone but something more… magical. “Princess Twilight certainly is prompt,” Luna smirked.

“She really is.” Sunset, now visibly more relaxed with the portal active, held out her journal for Luna to take. “Remember, if you need to get in contact with me, just write in the journal. What you write in it will appear in Twilight’s and vice-versa. It’ll also glow and vibrate when there’s a new message.”

Luna rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Miss Shimmer, we’ve been over this. You told me this morning before class, in the office during lunch, as I drove you home after school, when I picked you up 15 minutes ago, and here we are yet again! I am familiar with the basic concept of Instant Messaging, whether magical or not. I’m a Millennial, we were born in the Internet,” She said with a smug pride as she stored the journal in her bag.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed, then she gave a teasing smirk. “I thought you were born in a dark room with a computer screen, no windows, black hair-dye, and way too much eyeliner.”

Luna froze.

Sunset smiled as she stroked her chin, eyes cast upward. “What was it you called yourself back then?”

Luna’s eyes went wide, her irises shrunk to pinpricks.

“Oh yeah!” Sunset snapped her fingers. “Nightmare Moon!”

Luna’s eyebrows rocketed off her face. “THAT WAS JUST A PHASE!” She shouted, her cheeks turning a shade of violet that had nothing to do with the cold.

“One that lasted 5 years~” Sunset sang with mocking delight.

Luna’s eyes narrowed and she coughed. “Well, I grew out of it and am now the responsible adult you see before you,” she said, indicating herself with a dignified sweep of her arm.

“Weeeeellllll, according to Principal Celestia, while you may have ditched the black hair-dye and eyeliner, you still live in a dark room, with a computer screen and no windows.”

“Now listen here yo-“

“Also, let’s be real. Your wardrobe went from black to dark blue. You didn’t really grow that much out of it,” Sunset snarked, interrupting Luna.

“Ok Miss Shimme-“

“And! I’ve heard about your late-night gaming sessions,” Sunset whispered; eyes alight with glee.

Luna glared back at her. “Just what did my sister tell you?”

Principal Celestia sat down in her favorite chair. She took a sip of her tea and opened her book. Before she could settle in, the tranquility of her evening was disturbed by an, unfortunately not surprising noise.

“PIECE OF ROTTING FILTH! YOU DARE STAND BETWEEN ME AND THE GARGOYLES!”

Celestia sighed. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away.

“YOU THINK THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TWO OF YOU MATTERS TO ME!? DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?? I AM NIGHTMARE MOON!”

Apparently not. Celestia closed her book with a sigh. She could see it was going to be one of those nights. She stood up and walked down the hall toward the source of the racket.

“HA! Now that I have dispatched the NPCs let us see how well you do. You claim to have a duty to guard this bell? Well, I have a duty of my own, TO DESTROY YOU!”

Celestia slowly turned the handle and peeked around the door. Inside a darkened room, controller in hand, hair pulled back into a tail and a headset upon her head, sat her sister, the vice-principal of Canterlot High. Luna stared furiously at a massive screen before her. A wild predatory grin on her face.

Celestia looked to the screen. Atop some stone fantasy tower, with the light of a full moon as the backdrop, in the shade of an enormous bell, her sister fought two grey colored humans. One wielded a mace and shield, the other held a preposterously huge sword. Luna’s character held a long lance as she rolled and expertly moved just out of range of their strikes. According to the health bar, Luna had either; not gotten hit at all, or somehow healed herself during the fight. The other two were not so well off; both were down to their last bit of health.

As they fought, Luna's opponents continuously attempted to surround her, with little success. Luna faced the one with the mace and shield, moving into and quickly backstepping out of their range to bait their attacks, and rolling to the side now and then, to dodge the massive sword swings from the other.

The one with the sword suddenly stopped their attack and moved offscreen. Luna instantly rolled after them to attack. The camera followed Luna as she rushed the specter, who had knelt upon the ground and was holding a shimmering golden chime. She buried her lance in their back, lifted them into the air, and slammed them face-first into the ground.

“Feeble cursed one! You thought you could match me, Awsm Dash? NOW YOU WILL ROT IN A FETID GRAVE!”

Luna spun around and dodged the attack of the other. With a quick series of button presses her lance was gone and she now held a sword in one hand and a tiny dagger in the other. Her expression was almost bored as she walked up to the other specter and lazily batted their attack away with the tiny dagger, causing them to stumble and fall to the ground. She then leaned in and plunged her sword into their chest.

“Suck it Applesoul! Remember this fight little bell guards, for it was your last. From this moment forth, THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Celestia positioned her head an inch from her cackling sister’s face. “Well done Sister!” She cheered in her ear.

“WAAAIIIIHHH!” Luna fell clean out of her chair with a shriek of terror.

“You know Nightmare Moon,” Sunset began, obviously struggling to keep from bursting out laughing, “I wonder how many students go home to play video games thinking they’re safe from you for another day. If only they knew they couldn’t escape you there either.”

Luna closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmly placed both her hands upon Sunset’s shoulders. “Sunset Shimmer…” Luna began, but then blinked, remembering something. “Ah yes, give me your phone.” She held out her hand.

“What? Why?” Sunset asked, confused.

“It’s not often you get to go home. I won’t have you spend your break with your nose in a phone,” Luna said in a mock-lecturing voice. “Now give!” She commanded, as though she were demanding a tennis ball from a dog.

“I don’t want to hear that from an internet hermit like you,” Sunset grumbled. Nonetheless, she fished around in her pocket and dropped her phone into Luna’s hand. “The Pin is 1408. I’ve got it on airplane mode right now for obvious reasons, but please don’t eat up my mobile data.”

“Now Sunset, why would an Internet Hermit like myself intentionally use up all your data for the month, mess up your playlists, and install a bunch of pointless apps that bog down your phone?” Luna asked innocently as she slipped the phone into her pocket. “Ok, now that that is taken care of.” Luna once more placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders and inhaled. “Sunset Shimmer,” A warm smile broke across Luna’s face. “I’ll keep what we’ve discussed in confidence, and while my sister and I will be here for you, I do want you to consider opening up to Princess Twilight as well.” Sunset averted her eyes and nodded weakly. “Now, have a wonderful break. I promise by the time you come back, me and Tia will have resolved this.”

Sunset felt a real smile spread across her face as she looked at Luna. “Thank you, Vice-Principal Luna. Have a Merry Christmas.” Sunset cheerfully turned toward the portal. But when she tried to take a step forward, she couldn’t. One of Luna’s hands was still gripping her left shoulder, like a vice.

“One. More. Thing. Sun-set Shimmer.” Something in Luna's eerily calm voice sent a chill up Sunset's spine and told her, she was in trouble. She stared longingly at the portal. Safety, a mere two feet away.

“Yes, vice-principal Luna?” Sunset asked innocently without turning around. The portal was so tantalizingly close. How strong was Luna? Perhaps, if Sunset threw all her weight forward at once, she could escape before meeting her fate.

“I am aware that my sister may choose to share… amusing anecdotes about me with you from time to time. I do not blame you for enjoying them, Sunset Shimmer. But to wave them so boldly in my face is just foolishness.” The voice was steady, containing only the slightest hint of aggression, a promise of things yet to come.

Sunset nodded. “You’re right, I crossed a line. How about a week of detention when I get back to teach me respect?” Sunset hoped this offering would be enough to placate the Nightmare behind her.

“I’m afraid we are way past that, Sunset Shimmer.”

She was screwed. “Vice-principal Luna, if I don’t hurry Twilight might close the portal.” A note of panic rose in Sunset’s voice.

“I doubt Princess Twilight will close the portal after only five minutes has passed. Worry not, Sunset Shimmer, this will only take a moment.” Sunset was becoming unnerved by Luna continuously using her full name, dragging out each syllable with malevolent intent. Just what was she planning to do to her!?

“In my defense. I would like to point out that it was principal Celestia who shared these stories with me. Even though she knew I’d been under a great deal of stress lately and was not in any condition to practice discretion.” Sunset desperately threw Celestia under the Lunar bus, hoping it would spare her from the vice-principals' wrath.

A slight hint of amusement entered Luna’s voice. “Oh, rest assured, she will share your fate as soon as I get home. Now turn around Sunset Shimmer. It is time.”

Sunset shut her eyes before she turned to face the firing squad. She stood there with her face scrunched up as she braced for the onslaught. She saw only darkness. She felt Luna’s grip on her shoulder. She knew that she was facing her. She knew that just an arm’s length away was the most feared person in Canterlot High, maybe the entire city.

Then, something unexpected happened. Sunset felt the grip on her shoulder relax. This might be her chance! She knew the portal was directly behind her. If she threw herself backward while Luna’s grip was this light, she would fall into it and be transported away to safety. She could escape!

“pfft-ahahahahahah” Luna’s sudden laugh interrupted Sunset’s escape plans. Oddly, it wasn’t the cold laugh of one about to strike their enemy down, but the warm, loving laugh of a grown-up catching a child with their hand in the cookie jar. “Oh Sunset, I’m kidding. Go have a wonderful time okay?” Luna let go of her shoulder entirely. The tension was gone. Relief flooded her body as Sunset released a breath she had been holding and opened her eyes.

“I am sorry vice-principal Lu-” Sunset’s voice died in her mouth as her eyes registered what was in front of her.

Upon Luna’s face was the evilest expression of triumph Sunset had ever seen. Held aloft by her left arm, the size of a snowman’s head, was a massive wad of snow. Luna had only one thing to say. “Fooled you.” Pure diabolical glee, crammed into every letter.

Sunset stared at the seemingly impossible mound of snow in Luna’s hand. A slew of questions shot through her head. How was it holding its shape when it clearly wasn’t packed? How did Luna pick that up without Sunset noticing?? How did she gather that much snow so quickly with just one hand??? So many thoughts wanted to reach the surface and express themselves, but only one got close to escaping Sunset’s lips. “Oh, Fu-”

Splat!

A rush of snow smashed into Sunset’s face, filling her mouth, getting in her nose, smothering her swear, and leaving her sight in darkness once more. The snow, somehow, held its shape as it covered the entirety of Sunset’s face. She felt the pressure of Luna’s hand on the other side of her new snow mask.

“Language” was the last thing Sunset heard before she was pushed backward and sent tumbling into the portal.

9:37 pm - Canterlot City

Splat!

Principal Celestia jerked awake with a gasp. She leaped blindly to her feet, as her bed was suddenly way too cold for comfort! She spluttered as her hands worked frantically to clear the semi-frozen powder from her face.

She heard her bedroom door slam shut, followed by the sound of quickly retreating footfalls, and a laugh she’d know even in her half-asleep state.

Celestia’s eyes snapped open with a molten fury as she grabbed a clump of snow from the pile on her bed and tore from the room.

“LUUUUNNNNNNAAAAAA!!! IT’S A SCHOOL NIGHT!” Celestia’s roar was matched only by the cackling of her insane and soon-to-be-dead sister.

“THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!”

Chapter 1- Burger Princess prides itself on the durability of its tables

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A small purple pony stood before a mirror in her library. She had a dark blue mane with streaks of violet and magenta, a horn that grew out from beneath her bangs, and a set of feathered wings that had become ruffled by her recent fidgeting. Twilight Sparkle was many things: brave, intelligent, a faithful student, a good friend, and an alicorn princess; however, she was not good at managing anxiety. Behind a fixed expression, half her mind worked desperately to keep the other half from overthinking. It had been 5 minutes since she had opened the portal. 5 minutes since Sunset was supposed to have come through. 5 minutes had passed and there was still no Sunset.

Had something happened? Did Sunset forget? Was she waiting for Twilight to let her know it was okay to come through? No, she could just touch the portal to see if it was open or not. Wait! Had Twilight gotten the date wrong!?

She turned her head to a small purple dragon with green spines. He was draped lazily across a chair, his face buried in a comic. “Spike, did Su-”

“Yes Twilight, she said today.” Spike cut her off, without even bothering to look up. “And before you ask, yes. She said 8 pm. Relax, it’s barely been 5 minutes.”

“Relax? RELAX!?” Twilight flew over to the unconcerned dragon. “Spike, how can I relax at a time like this? Something terrible could’ve happened! Sunset said she’d meet us at 8 o’clock! Not 8:15! Not 8:05! Eight! Oh! Clock!”

Spike glanced up from his comic with a vacant expression and gave a relaxed shrug. “Maybe she got confused about which magical portal to another dimension she was supposed to take. Why not go check the other ones?” With a smirk, Spike returned to his comic.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Spike! Will you please take this seriously? What if something happened to Sun-!”

* SHZOOOOM! *

The two of them turned toward the mirror, just in time to see an amber Unicorn with a red and yellow mane, get shot backward out of the portal. She slid across the library floor and came to a rest, flat on her back. For some reason, her face was completely covered in snow.

“Sunset! What happened?”

The snowmare lifted a forehoof into the air. “Let’s just say, I learned it’s best not to tease Vice-Principal Luna when there is snow nearby.” Came the muffled voice of Sunset Shimmer.

After being helped off the floor —and relieved of her role as Frosty the Snowman’s understudy— Sunset was pulled into a warm hug. “Twilight, it’s so good to see you!”

“It’s great to see you too, Sunset! I’m really glad you’ll be here for the holidays.”

“Hey, Sunset!”

Sunset looked down to see a little dragon now hugging her. “Spike!? Is that you?” She threw a hoof around Spike and gave him a squeeze. “I gotta say, you look so much cooler here.”

Spike smiled proudly. “You know, I do think I made a pretty good dog, but you just can’t beat being a noble dragon. Or, as I’m known to the citizens of the Crystal Empire: Spike, the Brave and Glorious.”

Before Sunset was able to ask how Spike got such an amazing title, Twilight jumped in. “That’s a long story Spike, and Sunset just got here. I’m sure she would love to hear the tale of how you used the Crystal Heart to save the Ponies of the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, but I bet she’d like to get something to eat and rest up first.”

Spike crossed his arms, clearly annoyed at having his grand tale put on the back burner. “Yeah, because it’s impossible to have a meal and talk at the same time.”

Twilight looked to Sunset and gave a stilted laugh. “Could you excuse us for just a moment?”

She pulled Spike into a huddle and they began whispering fiercely. Sunset couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, but it involved a lot of back and forth, the words rubies and boutique, and finally ended when Spike said deal.

Despite the quiet ferocity of the exchange, they both looked satisfied when they turned back around. “Well, it was great seeing you again Sunset,” Spike said, with an exaggerated stretch, “but I’m afraid I’ve got to head out. You know what they say, ‘A dragon’s work is never done.’ I’ll be sure to tell you the story some other time. It’s pretty great.” He waved a final goodbye and headed out of the library.

Sunset turned to Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Ok, what was that about?”

Twilight waved the question away with an unconvincing smile. “That? Pffft! Nothing! Spike just forgot he had something to do. He’s a really busy dragon. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up later, but in the meantime, I bet you’re hungry.”

Sunset’s stomach rumbled in response. She gave Twilight a small smile. “Well, it has been a long time since I had some Hay-Burgers.”

Soon, they sat in a booth in Ponyville’s premier burger establishment: Burger Princess. As they waited on their meal, Sunset sipped her soda and Twilight’s mouth went a mile a minute.

“So, how have you been since the Battle of the Bands? Are you excited to be back in Equestria? How long is your break? Do you have any places you want to go? Family you want to visit? Where were you in your studies when you left? I have lots of books I can recommend depending on where you left o—”

“Twilight.”

Twilight blinked. “Yes?”

Sunset took a deep breath. “I’ve been doing pretty great. Yes, but I’m a little nervous. School resumes the day after Hearth’s Warming. Nowhere in particular. I don’t have a family. Finally, I was in my 4th year of post-grad study under Princess Celestia when I ran away.” Sunset gave a sigh of relief before continuing.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re happy to see me, and I’m happy to see you too. But you can relax. Counting tonight, I’m here for twelve days. You don’t have to get all the catching up done in one sitting, okay?”

Twilight gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m just excited to see you again without some horrible situation going on.” Twilight tilted her head. “Though, I am kinda curious about why you arrived today. Over there, school typically runs through the week, right? Tonight’s Thursday, don’t you have school tomorrow?”

A small shadow seemed to appear on Sunset’s face. But when Twilight blinked, it was gone. “Well, I had initially planned on asking if I could come over Saturday morning. Then, late last night, we got a weather report saying that there was a massive blizzard moving in tonight. The school even went ahead and canceled classes for tomorrow. With it looking so bad, I didn’t want to risk being snowed-in and unable to reach the portal.”

Twilight nodded with an “oh” of understanding. “I keep forgetting that they can only predict the weather, not control it. Having an orderly weather schedule just seems so natural.” Twilight shuddered. “In fact, it’s a little scary to imagine the weather just…happening on its own.”

Sunset giggled. “Tell me about it. The first few weeks I was there, I would write angry letters to the weather station whenever a forecast they gave didn’t quite pan out.”

“No! Did you really do that?” Twilight’s eyes sparkled as she grinned with anticipation.

Sunset cleared her throat and spoke with an exaggerated mean voice. “Dear Canterlot City News. This is ridiculous! If you can’t keep the weather on track for a measly 10 days, then STOP releasing 10-day schedules! People plan their lives around a reliable weather schedule, you know! Only promise what you can deliver. I don’t know about other people, but I’d prefer an accurate 5-day schedule to an inaccurate 10-day one.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you actually send that in?”

“Yeah, and believe it or not, that was one of my nicer ones. I feel bad about that now, but at the time, I was too much of a jerk to apologize for my mistake.”

“Well, have you tried apologizing since?” Twilight asked helpfully.

Sunset just shook her head. “It’s not that easy. While I’m certainly willing to apologize for being so rude, I haven’t worked out how to explain that I thought they controlled the weather, in a way that doesn’t make me look crazy.”

“Hmmm. Yeah, I can see how that would be difficult.”

Sunset seemed to visibly dim. “Besides, I don’t think there’s any way to apologize enough to offset my past rudeness, not to mention the threats.”

“Threats?” Twilight’s voice hitched a bit.

Sunset nodded shamefully. “They were empty threats written in anger and most of them involved the weather: I’ll fill your office with fog, I’ll pelt your cars with hail, I’ll clear the skies with your face, …I’ll drop a tornado on your house.” As she spoke, Sunset’s head and voice fell lower and lower. By the end, she was nearly whispering to the floor. “I was so horrible to all of them. Looking back, I can see why I’m not worth forgiving.”

A painful silence enveloped the booth. Wait, what just happened!? Twilight asked herself. Somehow, the light-hearted mood had crashed into the ground harder than she did on her first day of flying. While rude, Sunset’s threats were little more than the ramblings of an angry foal. This should’ve been something Sunset could look back on and laugh at. But instead of just minor embarrassment, she appeared seriously upset. And what was with that bit about not being worth forgiving? Sunset had more than proved herself at the Battle of the Bands. Had she forgotten that?

Before Twilight could inquire further, the server brought out their food. A plate holding a dozen Hay-Burgers was placed in the center of the table, and each of them was given a large basket of Hay-Fries. Upon seeing the arrival of the bounty, Sunset perked back up. “Oh, yes.” She practically drooled as she reached out, pulled a few burgers over to her, and tore into them. Twilight watched her friend happily devour the burgers for a moment and decided to let the matter drop, for now. With her magic, she pulled over her own set of burgers and dove in.

Hay-Burgers had been something Sunset had missed since day one of being human. Before she went through the portal, Sunset was infamous among burger establishments. At least once a week, she would wander into one by herself, order half a dozen burgers, then terrify the other diners by mercilessly eating them all with absolutely no regard for decorum.

It wasn’t that Sunset had no manners. She knew proper etiquette but chose to ignore it in certain situations. After becoming Princess Celestia’s student, Sunset found that ponies —specifically, those of the upper-class— began coming up to her while she was out and about. It didn’t take long for Sunset to realize that they weren’t interested in her. They were trying to get closer to Celestia, and Sunset, as her personal student, was just a route to achieve that goal. Thankfully, upper-class ponies were easy to embarrass. The only thing it took to ensure that Sunset could enjoy a meal in peace was the application of some artistically terrible table manners.

Sunset froze in horror halfway through her second burger as she realized this was not Canterlot, and she now had a dining companion she didn’t want to drive away. Sunset just hoped Twilight wasn’t too offended by her display.

When Sunset lifted her head to apologize, she was met with an unexpected sight. Twilight’s head was buried in her basket of fries, and a quick look at the plate between them told Sunset that she had, somehow, already eaten four Hay-Burgers! Twilight looked up with a mouthful of fries, met Sunset’s eyes, and froze.

After a moment of staring at each other in silence, Twilight swallowed her fries, cleared her throat, and sat up straight, attempting to salvage some semblance of dignity. It may have worked, except for the fact that her face was covered in ketchup.

“Sorry about that. I’ve found my appetite has become a bit… forceful since I became an alicorn. I’ve got a handle on it most of the time, but sometimes it slips out when I’m not thinking.” Twilight smiled apologetically.

Sunset shook her head as she frantically tried to swallow the burger she still had in her mouth. “It’s okay, I get it. Believe it or not, I was about to apologize for the same thing. Back when I lived in Canterlot, I kinda developed this habit of being really rude whenever I ate in public in order to keep other ponies from bothering me. I actually got so good at it, that parents started leaving the restaurant when they saw me enter because they didn’t want their foals to mimic my behavior.”

Twilight giggled, “That is pretty bad. But even without the extra alicorn hunger, my brother always said I was one of the messiest eaters he’s ever seen, and, based on what I hear from Spike, it’s true.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything but, since you bring it up, you’ve got a little ketchup right about…here.” Sunset indicated the entire lower half of her face.

Twilight held up a burger in her magic and wiped it across her face. Impressively, she managed to get most of the ketchup in a single pass. “Did I get it?”

Sunset chuckled. “For the most part.”

Twilight smiled and happily bit into the burger she had just used as a napkin.

“So, what’ve you been up to recently, Twilight? Any personal projects?” Sunset asked as she started on another burger.

Twilight thought as she chewed. “Oh! You remember me telling you about the night I spent reading books in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

“The one where the girls all showed up at different times and spent most of the night accidentally scaring each other and running from the ‘Pony of Shadows’?”

Twilight swallowed, smiling fondly at the memory. “That’s the one. Well, I decided to move the books from there, to my castle. After all, there was nopony there to care for them and the castle is falling apart. I’d hate it if something were to happen to them.”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, it would be terrible to lose all that information.”

Twilight smiled brightly. “YES! That’s exactly what I thought! I was worried it would be too late to salvage them at first. But thankfully, it seems that there were some minor enchantments put on the tomes to make them resistant to weathering. Even with that, a thousand years of being partially exposed to the elements has left most of them in a very delicate state. So, I’m making two copies of each book before they fall apart!”

Sunset held up a hoof. “Wait, you’re going to copy an entire library of thousand-year-old texts, on your own? I don’t doubt your conviction, but that’s a pretty demanding task.”

Twilight’s eyelids lowered a bit, as she raised her head with a knowing expression. “Is it?” She asked teasingly.

Sunset raised an eyebrow at Twilight’s question. “Well…I’m guessing most of the books are too brittle to survive any copying charm, otherwise, you would’ve finished by now. So, the only option left is to manually transcribe them. Which takes a long time.”

Twilight’s expression had become downright gleeful. “Does it?”

Sunset rolled her eyes and grinned. “Okay, I’ll bite. How are you doing it?”

Twilight excitedly leaned forward. “Are you familiar with the work of Primary Source?”

Sunset blinked. “The Unicorn responsible for some of the most reliable study techniques?”

Twilight gave a very satisfied “mmm-hmm” but said nothing more. The look on her face urged Sunset to continue.

Sunset reached into her memories. Primary Source was a Unicorn scholar who came up with many methods of maximizing study efficiency. Aside from his writings on good study habits —which Sunset had been making use of even before she became Celestia’s student— his most well-known contribution to the field was the Speed-Read spell. Speed-Read allowed the caster to move rapidly through a text. It couldn’t replace actual reading, as what it gave the caster was more an in-depth overview than real comprehension, but it was still incredibly useful in the scholarly world, particularly when it came to sifting through resources quickly. His other spells tended to be either; nothing special, like a smudge-less ink spell, or overly specific, like a spell that allowed a student to unconsciously write what they were hearing so that they could read other material in class without missing the contents of a lectu-!

Sunset’s eyes snapped up to Twilight, who was on the edge of her seat. “Did you… modify Primary Source’s Audio-Transcribe spell?” Sunset asked.

Twilight’s face nearly split as her wings fluffed out with pride. “I DID! At first, I planned to use it as it was, reading aloud to get the effect. But I worried that I might stop reading aloud without realizing it. So, I changed where the spell drew its information from! Instead of pulling from what I was hearing, I made it pull from what I was seeing.”

Sunset’s mouth hung open a bit. “That’s incredible, Twilight! So basically, all you have to do is read through the books while keeping plenty of ink and paper nearby, and the spell transcribes as you read.”

Twilight nodded proudly. “Exactly! It’s not flawless though. It doesn’t number the pages, for example. Also, while the spell’s matrix filters out the background information easily enough, if I reread a line of text, it rewrites it.”

“Seriously, Twilight, that is still amazing! Even if the spell has some issues, it sounds like there’s nothing wrong with it that can’t be fixed with some minor editing after-the-fact.” Sunset’s praise left Twilight positively aglow. “So, what are you going to do with the copies?”

“I’ll keep one for my castle’s library and donate the others to the Canterlot City Library. That way, they’ll be available for everypony.” Twilight took a sip of her drink. “Oh! Speaking of everypony, would you like to meet the girls’ Equestrian counterparts?”

Sunset began coughing violently as she choked on some fries. After a short moment of fry-fueled coughing, Sunset managed to clear her airways. “Sorry, those went down the wrong way. As for the girls, maybe later in the break. I’m still trying to work out how I’d feel about meeting them. I mean, I’ve never met them before but, at the same time, I still kinda know them. It’s… weird, you know?”

Twilight laughed. “Oh, trust me I get it. At least you got some heads up that the girls are here. When I arrived at Canterlot High, with fingers, feet, no magic, and saw bipedal copies of everypony walking around, I thought I was going crazy. I probably would have if it wasn’t for Spike. Somehow, he took being a dog in stride.”

“Well dogs are a thing here in Equestria, humans aren’t. At least he was able to recognize what he turned into.” Sunset brought a hoof to her mouth. “Still, Spike seems particularly good at remaining calm, even when things are falling apart around him. He really came through when we were trapped during the Battle of the Bands. I wonder what’s made him so good at rolling with the punches.”

Twilight’s chewing speed went from ‘Ludicrous’ to ‘Glacial’.

“SPIKE! COME QUICK!”

“WHAT IS IT TWILIGHT? WHAT’S WRONG?”

“LOOK!”

“…Uh, Twilight. That’s a bottle of milk.”

“It’s not the bottle that’s the problem, Spike! Look at the DATE! It expires tomorrow!”

“So, we’ll just use it tomorrow. Big deal.”

“Spike didn’t you hear me!? I said it EXPIRES tomorrow, we have to use it tonight!”

“Twilight, it’s 11:30.”

“Exactly, Spike. We have half an hour to figure out how to use the remaining milk before it goes bad. Get a quill and parchment ready so that we can make a list of the options.”

“Ugh! Just give it here! I’ll bake it into a cake.”

-----

“Twilight? It’s 5:30 in the morning, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Oh, Spike. I really messed up this time.”

“Hey, it’s okay. No matter what it is, we’ll get through it.”

* Sniff * “I don’t think there is a way through this Spike. You remember a few weeks ago when I was in Canterlot to meet with Princess Celestia?”

“Yeah.”

“On the way back, I stopped by the Canterlot City Library to borrow a few books for some light reading.”

“…and?”

“Well, I read through and returned them…but I apparently forgot this book. Last night was its due date and if it’s not in the book return slot by the time they open, it’s going to be late.”

“So, just go return it.”

“I considered that Spike. But I calculated that there’s no way I can get it from here to the dropbox in Canterlot before they open in half an hour.”

“Alright. Give it here.”

* Sniff * “What?”

“The book, Twilight, come on! I know how to get it there before they open.”

“…Ok, here.”

“Be right back.”

“Spike? Where are you going?”

“Spike?”

“Spiiike?”

“I’m back. You can relax Twilight, it’s on the way.”

“What? REALLY!? Spike, that’s AMAZING! How’d you do it!?”

“Well I- burp- Oh! A letter from the Princess, perfect timing.”

“A letter from the Princess? This early?”

* Ahem * “My dearest Twilight, I would be happy to return your book for you. I have canceled the royal agenda for this morning and am now heading off to the library with all haste. Rest assured, your book will be in the dropbox before it is marked late. See Twilight? Princess Celestia’s got this. No big deal.”

“…”

“Twilight?”

“…”

“Hello, Twilight? Anypony home?”

* THUD! *

* Sigh * “Okay, Twilight let’s get you up to bed. Hup! You know, I think you put on more weight since you got the wings.”

-----

“Twilight?”

“Yes, Spike?”

“I have two questions.”

“Of course. Ask away.”

“First question, why is the dining room on fire?”

“Oh, Spike. I’m afraid that, despite our best efforts, a ladybug broke perimeter and made it inside. Don’t worry though, I made all the furniture flame-retardant before sealing the room and starting the purging process.”

“Second question, how did you set fire to a room in a castle made out of crystal?”

“Spike, in emergencies, you’d be surprised what you can set fire to.”

* Sigh * “Okay, I guess I’ll go ask Starlight to haul some water up, to put out the blaze while I get dinner ready.”

“Thanks, Spike, I knew I could count on you.”

Twilight swallowed the last of her burger.

“What can I say? He’s a tough little dragon. After all we’ve been through together, turning into a dog, fighting demons, and having a magical musical battle against three Sirens was just another day at the office.”

Sunset stared at Twilight for a moment. “Do you ever worry that all that is having an unhealthy effect on his devel-”

“No”

“But I di-”

“NOPE!”

“Twi-”

“He’s a Noble Dragon Sunset!” Twilight desperately declared. “All this is just another day in the life of Spike, the Brave and Glorious! Don’t you know how fast dragons mature!?” Twilight leaned over the table, staring wide-eyed at Sunset.

Sunset placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulders and calmly pushed her back down. “I don’t. When I left there hadn’t been much research done on dragons because everypony was too scared to go near them.”

Twilight gave a single nod. “That’s right! I am the leading expert on dragons in Equestria. I have spent the most time with a dragon, observed the dragon migration, infiltrated them for a while to observe their adolescents, and I even had front row seats to the Gauntlet of Fire, which decided who would become the new dragon lord. So, as Equestria’s dragon expert, I can tell you, they grow up very fast. Spike is incredibly strong for his size. Did you know he can carry the same amount of luggage normally handled by 10 porter ponies?”

Sunset looked confused. “Why did you have Spike carry 10 porter ponies-worth of luggage?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave an annoyed snort. “It wasn’t me who had him do that! It was Rarity! Spike likes her, so he’s always doing things like that for her.”

“So, you, as Spike’s guardian, allow an older mare to take advantage of his affections in exchange for manual labor?”

Twilight groaned and slammed her head down on the table with such force that her horn became stuck in it. After a few feeble attempts to pry herself out, she gave up with a sad whimper. The Princess of Friendship, bested by the mighty oak table of Burger Princess, teleported a foot above her previous position, fluttered back down into the booth and set her head, gently, on its side.

“What do you want me to do Sunset?” Twilight asked, in a resigned monotone. “I can’t control who Spike does or doesn’t crush on. Does it make it better that there’s no ill intent on either side? Spike enjoys doing little things for Rarity, and Rarity enjoys giving him small amounts of affection in return. It never escalates beyond that; they both seem to just enjoy their dumb dance.”

“Well, you’ve told me that Spike is a baby dragon. Isn’t the age discrepancy a concern for you?”

Without lifting her head from the table, Twilight gave a half-shrug. “Well, I was there when he hatched. In terms of pure years, he’s actually a teenager. Though, that’s certainly a baby if you just look at how long dragons live. But as you said, there’s almost no material on dragons. Certainly, nothing that gives clues to how fast they mature.” Twilight lifted her head to look directly at Sunset. “Believe me, I’ve LOOKED.”

She allowed her head to fall back onto the table before continuing. “So, when it comes to determining what stage of development Spike is in, all I have to go on is whatever observations I can make regarding his behavior. Unfortunately, in the past few years, Spike has become very mature in a lot of ways. While I’m glad he’s growing up, the discrepancy between his age and apparent maturity makes it hard to know when it’s appropriate for me to step in. On one hoof, I want to watch out for him to ensure he doesn’t get in over his head. But, on the other, I don’t want to smother him by intervening in an aspect of his life he’s mature enough to handle. So, I just kind of hang back and make sure things don’t get too out of control. I can’t tell you how many nights this existential quandary has kept me up.”

Sunset reached out and pat the top of Twilight’s head. “There, there. If it makes you feel better, I never would’ve guessed Spike was that young. He seems really grown up.”

“Thank you Sunset. That does make me feel a little better.” While Twilight did sound a bit brighter, her head remained stubbornly on the table.

Sunset thought for a moment, then began rooting around in her saddlebag. “So, not just to change the topic away from the surprisingly complicated nature of Spike’s love life, but I brought something for you.” Sunset lifted a large glass jar out of her bag and set it on the table, in front of Twilight. Twilight raised her head to look at the jar. As soon as she saw it, her eyes became focused. It looked capable of holding about a gallon of liquid, but, at the moment, it was filled with a few dozen red crystals of varying shapes and sizes. “Sunset…what are these?”

“The remains of the Dazzlings gems,” Sunset explained. “They dropped them after the crowd started throwing food. I collected them from the stage and have held onto them since. I didn’t know if they would have any residual magic or not and I didn’t want to risk leaving them lying around. I actually meant to give them to you to take back to Equestria when you left, but I kinda forgot.” Sunset gave a sheepish grin. “Anyway, they never acted up, so I just decided to hold onto them till the next time you came by.”

Twilight picked up the jar in her magic and rotated it around, examining the contents carefully. A smile slowly formed on her face. “Sunset! This is perfect. Let’s go! I have something to show you!” Sunset was suddenly picked up by Twilight’s magic and dragged from the booth.

Before she was pulled away completely, Sunset scrambled to shove the last of her burger and fries into her mouth and frantically started to shout through the mouthful of food. “MWA- Twilight! *Chew* Wain! I can -alk on mah own.” Her pleas fell on deaf ears, as Twilight was too absorbed in examining the jar to notice as she trotted happily back to the castle with Sunset in tow.

Chapter 2 - The Tree of Harmony gets all its ideas from Disney movies

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“Darn it, Twilight!” Sunset said angrily, as she brushed the snow off herself and shifted her saddlebags back into place. “I told you I could walk.”

Twilight gave an apologetic grin. “Sorry, sometimes I get a little too caught up in an idea. But, why didn’t you just free yourself with magic?”

“I-It’s been years Twilight. I can’t use my magic yet.”

Twilight stopped and turned to her, concerned. “That’s weird. You were able to use it the last time you were here.”

Sunset shrugged. “The adrenaline of stealing a national treasure must’ve let me power through temporarily. Right now, everything feels… off.”

“…Well, if you’d like, we could get some practice in.” Twilight offered.

Sunset had one eye closed as she finished brushing the remaining snow from her mane. “Never mind. So, what is it you literally dragged me here to see?”

Twilight clapped her hooves. “Oh! You’re going to love it. But first, can you give me your bags?”

“Uh...sure?”

Sunset removed her bags and gave them to Twilight; who took them in her magic, put the Dazzlings’ gem shards back in, and teleported them away with a flash of light.

“Okay! Now follow me.” Twilight turned and led Sunset down a hall.

“I still can’t believe this is all yours, Twilight,” Sunset said, impressed.

“Thanks, but honestly, I still miss the Golden Oak Library. It was my home when I first moved to Ponyville and, it was so comfortable.” Twilight stopped. “The lighting was never wrong. It felt warm all the time. Every room was filled with the smell of books.” Twilight’s gaze fell to the floor. “After it was destroyed by Tirek, I felt I had lost a piece of myself. My first night here, I cried myself to sleep. Even though this was my castle, it felt too big, too cold, and too empty.” Twilight’s eyes started to mist.

Sunset hesitated. Then, she reached out, put her hoof around Twilight, and pulled her into a hug. Twilight closed her eyes and leaned into Sunset for a minute, just letting herself be held.

“Do you still feel that way about this place?” Sunset asked.

They broke apart and Twilight looked more at ease. She smiled and shook her head. “No. I may not have found a use for all the rooms yet, but I’ve been able to fill the castle with enough memories to make it feel like a home.” She gestured down the hall and they continued on.

Around the bend, the hallway came to an abrupt end. On the wall before them was an architectural sculpture. A Twilight made of marble emerged from the wall. She was slightly larger than her real-life counterpart, dressed in formal princess garb, and wore the Element of Magic on her head. She was rearing up happily and had her wings outstretched. On the wall behind her, were depictions of the other five element bearers. They were in similar poses and wore their own Elements. Making up the backdrop of the sculpture was a massive crystalline growth in the shape of a tree.

“That’s the Tree of Harmony.” Twilight indicated, in response to the confused look on Sunset’s face. “It was the source of the Elements and it grew this castle.”

“It’s a beautiful sculpture, Twilight,” Sunset admitted, as she admired it.

“It’s not just beautiful. It’s got a secret.” Twilight whispered to Sunset, with barely contained excitement. “Her leg is a lever!” Twilight squeed and shoved Sunset forward. “Go on! Pull the lever, Sunset!”

Sunset reached out and pulled the lever down.

* CLANK *

“WRONG LEEEEEVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEERRR-”

* SPLASH *

Sunset turned quickly and saw that a section of the floor behind her was actually a trapdoor. When she had pulled the lever, it had dropped Twilight into the darkness below. Sunset released the lever and the trapdoor to snapped back into place.

A moment later, the purple pony princess teleported back into the hall, soaking wet and looking very annoyed. “Why did the tree even make that lever!?” With a burst of magic, Twilight was dry. She stomped up to the statue and pulled the other leg.

Sunset felt a rush of air as she was flung-forward into the darkness. She landed on something smooth, cool, and sloped. Before her eyes could finish adjusting, she lost her grip and started to slide uncontrollably into the unknown. Just as Sunset began to panic, she heard the sound of Twilight’s delighted laughter coming from behind her.

Reassured that everything was alright, Sunset let herself go as they dipped, rose, spun, twirled, and were tossed about. Her eyes finished adjusting to the dark and she was finally able to make out what they were on. By the sun! This has to be the biggest slide I’ve ever seen!

Now that she could brace properly for the curves, Sunset truly began to enjoy herself. She loved the feeling of the cool air rushing through her mane, and her own laughter soon matched Twilight’s as they were sent careening through the darkness while the slide sped them deeper and deeper below the castle.

“SUNSET! C’MERE!” With a tug of magic, Sunset was pulled backward into Twilight; who wrapped her forelegs securely around her middle. “HOLD ON!” Twilight cried, as the slide abruptly evened out.

They shot forward across what, at first, felt like an even surface. Then, Sunset noticed that the slide had actually dropped them on the rim of a massive funnel. Twilight kept a tight hold on Sunset and continued to squee with delight as they were pulled down toward the center, in ever-tightening orbits. Finally, they crossed the event horizon and fell into the hole; Sunset shut her eyes and screamed.

* BOOF *

They hadn’t fallen far before they landed in something and, finally, came to a stop. Sunset felt Twilight release her and heard the sound of plastic shuffling, along with her friend's still-euphoric giggles. “Sunset, we’re here. Come on, stand up.”

Sunset opened her eyes and found that she was immersed in an assortment of spherical primary colors. Blindly, she reached toward the voice and caught Twilight’s outstretched leg. With a tug, Sunset broke the surface of the ball pit they had landed in. “Well? What did you think?” Twilight asked brightly.

Sunset was a little shaken up, but she also couldn’t deny the smile on her face. “That was INCREDIBLE! Slides are so much more fun when you don’t have to race a penguin to the bottom! But please… a little warning next time, Twilight. I…I’m just going to lie down for a moment.” She collapsed on her side, in a splash of balls.

Twilight giggled. She took hold of the fire-maned mare and pulled her to shore. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened to me the first time I found that slide.”

Soon, Sunset was able to stand back up. When she did, she saw that her saddlebags were waiting for her in front of the ball pit. “So, where are we? The castle’s laundry room?” She asked, looking around.

They were in a small room. The floor and walls were the same crystal as the rest of the castle. The ball pit they had dropped into was located on one end of the room and on the opposite end, was a large round door.

The door was steel, ran nearly floor to ceiling, and took up a good chunk of the wall it was on. Sunset felt there was little doubt as to its purpose. The door practically screamed, ‘This is a vault’.

“THIS!” Twilight declared proudly, “is my vault! In it, I store the most dangerous things I come across! It’s made of dragon steel, is lined with enchantments, and is absolutely impervious to forced entry! Princess Celestia herself couldn’t get in without the combination.” Twilight turned around, entered the 10-digit combination, and spun the handle. Slowly, the door swung forward to admit the two of them.

The main door opened onto a landing that allowed a view of the vault’s chamber. It had a tiled floor and was fully furnished with tables, chairs, desks, lots of shelves, counters, and various alcoves. Light filtered into the room through massive crystals that hung from the ceiling and a number of sconces that lined the walls. Particularly tall shelves were set up along the walls or arranged to create partitions in each of the 4 corners of the vault. The room was impressively big and most of the shelves still sat empty. Clearly, it was going take Twilight awhile to fill this place up.

Sunset was both impressed and amused. Even Twilight’s vault manages to look like a library. “Twilight, this is really cool and all, but I’m pretty sure Starswirl turned a whole cavern in Canterlot’s mountain into one giant lockup for dangerous things. Why not just store what you find, there?”

Twilight’s face tightened, as though she were struggling to say something uncomfortable. “I know, but… well… Princess Celestia is very busy and she… doesn’t always have time to make sure dangerous artifacts, relics, and charms are safely contained.”

Sunset gave Twilight a wry smile. “Twilight it’s me. You can just say she’s not good at keeping track of things.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Well, since you bring it up. Spike just found the Tome of Vision in the Castle of the Two Sisters. She just left it there, sitting in the library!!”

Sunset held up a hoof. “Hold up, what’s the Tome of Vision?”

“It’s a cursed spellbook that grants a magic user the ability to instantly, and effortlessly, create or reshape anything they see into anything they can imagine.”

Sunset gave a whistle. “Ok, that sounds pretty incredible. So, what’s the catch?”

“The catch is that the user is overwhelmed by vanity and can’t stop reshaping things, even if they want to! Under its influence, a pony went on a redecorating spree that made Ponyville look ridiculous! Spike even ate the book, and that still wasn’t enough to stop it!”

“Wait, Spike ate a book?” Sunset’s voice was filled with laughter.

Twilight gave an exasperated sigh. “It’s a long story. He wasn’t even able to digest it. It just made him sick until I magically pulled it out of him. It took me, Cadance, AND Luna the better part of a day to reverse all the damage that thing did in less than an hour! And that’s not even the worst example of something dangerous lying around. Somepony was able to BUY the Alicorn Amulet in a curios shop!”

Sunset cocked her head to the side. “Okay, from your tone, I’m getting that’s bad, but what’s the Alicorn Amulet?”

“It’s similar to the Tome of Vision. Basically, it’s a cursed magical item that vastly increases the natural abilities of whoever puts it on. As you might guess, it also has an unfortunate side-effect for the wearer. They become domineering, consumed by a desire to prove their strength by subjugating those around them.”

“So, it gives the wearer overwhelming power, then it makes them want to use that power against others?”

“Exactly. The mare who bought it was just an average stage pony the first time I met her, but that amulet made her strong enough to take over all of Ponyville. And she was able to just BUY it…with the wages she earned from working on a rock farm!!" Twilight said incredulously.

Sunset took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what I’m more angered by; the fact that something so powerful was apparently available for sale at all, or the fact that it was so stupidly cheap.” Shaking her head, she followed Twilight toward the center of the vault.

The central area was home to a number of items. Some were on shelves, some were on tables, some had their own stands, but all of them were contained inside glass display cases.

Curious to see what Twilight had down here, Sunset took a moment to examine the items they walked past. First, there was a small, golden pony figurine with ruby eyes. On its display case, there was a note. Idol of Bounty - Holding for A.K.Y.

In the next case, sat the chopped and scorched remains of what appeared to be several brooms. Enchanted Brooms - Made by Starlight - Keep in stasis to prevent reformation and endless fetching of water.

The next item was oddly unsettling. It sat in a long, reinforced display case, and was tightly wrapped in linens. From its shape, Sunset could tell it was a shovel. Unlike the previous cases, this one had a more ominous note, which was posted on every side.

WARNING: HIGHLY CURSED OBJECT! DO NOT TOUCH DIRECTLY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Sunset moved on and found that the next two cases were empty. Their notes read: Alicorn Amulet – Cursed – Fine to touch, but do not wear; Tome of Vision – Cursed – Fine to touch and read, but do not cast the spell within. Sunset lifted her head and called out to Twilight.

“Hey Twilight, aren’t these those things you mentioned? Where’d they go?” She asked, indicating the empty cases.

Twilight turned and brightened up. “Ah, I’ve actually loaned them out to a museum for a special exhibit. It’s being overseen by a pony I know well, so I know they will get the protection they need.”

Sunset gave Twilight a confused look. “It’s… an exhibit on cursed artifacts?”

Twilight giggled. “No. It’s actually an exhibit on the Old Pony Nation from the Tribal-Era. Believe it or not, these items have roots that go back to the founding of Equestria!”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. “That sounds really cool! Where is this museum? Can we go?” She asked Twilight excitedly.

“The museum itself is in the Crystal Empire and is scheduled to open the day after Hearth’s Warming.”

Sunset’s face fell. That was the day she had to go back to school.

“…But,” Twilight added, with a teasing smile, “the exhibit is having an exclusive showing in Canterlot the day after tomorrow. And I may know somepony who has tickets.”

Sunset looked at her, eyes filled with hope. “For real? Can we go?”

“Mmmm-hmmm” Twilight hummed an affirmative.

Sunset jumped about with delight. She had always found the Old Pony Nation an interesting topic to read about, but there was so little material on it, that it was practically myth. To think that somepony had gathered together enough information to make an entire exhibit was amazing!

While Sunset pranced about, Twilight walked over and opened an empty case. She tapped Sunset on the shoulder and held out her hooves expectantly.

After a moment, Sunset realized what she was waiting for. She dug around in her saddlebag, pulled out the Dazzlings’ gem shards, and gave them to Twilight.

Twilight took one more look at them, then set them down inside. She pulled out a little card, wrote on it, and placed it in the case with them. Siren Gem Shards – For Study

“I’m really looking forward to studying these,” Twilight said wistfully. “There are so many questions that need answering. ‘How much of the Siren’s magic came from these gems? How much was their own? Could there be an alternative use for them?’ Oh! I can’t wait to get started!” Twilight fluttered into the air with excitement.

A warm feeling filled Sunset, as she watched Twilight gaze at the gems like a foal would an unopened Hearth’s Warming present. “Twilight, if you’d like to go ahead and start studying them, I don’t mind.”

Sunset’s voice snapped Twilight out of her daydream. She shook her head. “No, no. These can wait until after the holidays. It’s not like they’re going anywhere.”

The two of them started heading back toward the vault’s entrance. “Besides, I doubt I could get much useful information from them in their current state. Before anything else, I have to repair them, and… I’m not sure how to go about doing that. I can’t even imagine where to start looking. Ponies haven’t exactly had a chance to study Siren artifacts, let alone fix them.”
She gave a sigh of resignation. “As I said, they’ll be perfectly safe here, until I’m ready for them. Not only is this vault all but impenetrable, it’s also a closely guarded secret of mine.”

“Oh? So, who knows about it?” Sunset asked.

“As of right now? Just you and me,” Twilight whispered gleefully.

Just as they reached the stairs to the landing, Spike casually walked past them carrying a large box. “Hey girls.”

Sunset was surprised, but Twilight looked positively dumbstruck, her mouth frozen in a silent scream. They watched as Spike headed off toward one of the vault’s partitioned corners and disappeared around a shelf.

Sunset looked at Twilight; whose face had turned a few shades darker, and was scrunched up in a maelstrom of anger, disbelief, and confusion.

“SPIKE! WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING IN MY VAULT!?”

Chapter 3 - 'Friendship' is not a secure combination

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When Sunset and Twilight rounded the wall of the partition, they found Spike, carefully unpacking the box he’d brought. “SPIKE! What are you doing here!?” Twilight demanded.

“Just storing some of my valuables down here. I don’t want to risk them getting damaged accidentally, and this place is perfect.”

“Spike, I’m using this vault!” Twilight explained emphatically.

“Yeah? So am I. See?” Spike gestured about, to indicate the nearby bookcases that were already home to a number of comics, cards, and figurines.

Spike pulled a large crystal vase out of the box and set it on a nearby table. The vase displayed a stylized version of himself, shooting a massive gout of flame upward into what appeared to be a falling iceberg. He took a moment to admire it before turning back to Twilight. “This isn’t just your home, you know. I live here too. So, I have as much right to store my valuables down here as you do.”

“Spike! I’m not storing just anything down here. These are old, possibly dangerous, items that can’t be left lying about!”

“Yeah? And these” —he pulled a number of comics that were wrapped in plastic sleeves out of the box and waved them at her— “are my first edition Power Ponies comics. Do you even know how rare these are? I gotta keep them in mint condition.” Spike started to sort his comics into various smaller boxes off to the side.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “And the gems?” Her tone was flat as she pointed to a respectable pile of gems on the floor.

Spike shrugged. “All dragons have a hoard of treasure somewhere, and these are particularly delicious ones that I’m saving for a special occasion. I’m actually considering getting a rack for them.”

Sunset blinked. “A… gem rack?”

“Yeah, to organize them by year and flavor.”

Gems have years… and FLAVORS? Sunset thought, confused.

Twilight still looked annoyed, but the promise of some organization seemed to win her over. “Well… ok. As long as you’re going to be neat about it. But don’t go bringing anypony down here. The only ones who know about this vault are the three of us and I intend to keep it that way.”

Twilight’s left ear suddenly twitched, and she went very still. Sunset was about to ask what was wrong when she heard it too, the sound of somepony else clip-clopping through the vault. Twilight’s face darkened with a scowl. She gave an annoyed growl and stomped off after the sound. Spike and Sunset quickly followed.

They pursued the sound to the opposite corner of the vault. Upon entering that partition, they found a pink mare with a purple mane and aquamarine highlights, decorating the shelves with kites. In fact, her corner was filled exclusively with kites of various sizes, designs, and colors. They sat on shelves, tables and some even hung from the walls and ceiling. After setting her most recent additions to the kite hoard down, she turned to leave, still oblivious to the three of them.

Finally overcoming her stunned horror, Twilight found her voice. “STARLIGHT!”

“Hmm?” Starlight blinked, turned, then happily trotted over to them. “Hey Twilight, Spike, and… umm… wait don’t tell me.” She stared intently at Sunset, hoof over her mouth, eyes tightened in concentration.

“You’ve never met her.” Twilight deadpanned

Starlight exhaled with obvious relief. “Oh, thank goodness, because I was coming up with nothing.”

Twilight wasn’t even trying to hide her irritation at this point. “Sunset, Starlight. Starlight, Sunset.” She said while rapidly gesturing between them. “Now! How did YOU find out about my secret vault?”

“Secret vault? I thought this was the storage room.”

Twilight brought a hoof to her face. “…While that’s not technically wrong, there’s a bit more to it than that. This,” She said, with a sweeping gesture around the vault, “is where I keep potentially dangerous magical items.”

“…And other valuables.” Spike added.

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave an annoyed snort. “Yes, and Spike stores his comics here.”

“Oh, sorry!” Starlight grinned sheepishly. “I just found this room while exploring the other day and thought it would be a good place to store my extra kites!”

“Why do you have so many kites?” Sunset asked.

Starlight seemed a little hesitant to answer. “I…like kites.” She said quietly, a blush appearing on her face.

Sunset smiled, then gave Starlight a reassuring nudge. “Hey, don’t feel ashamed of what you like. We all have our hobbies. For example,” She led them back to Spike’s corner and gestured around, “Spike preserves first edition comics and hoards delicious gems. Back home, I play video games and the guitar. And Twilight collects evil artifacts.”

“Hey! They aren’t MY evil artifacts!” Twilight countered. “I’m just keeping them locked up here where they can’t fall into the wrong hooves. I’m not ‘collecting’ them!”

Sunset gave Twilight a tilted nod. “Well, you kinda are.” She said in a high-pitched voice.

Twilight pouted at the floor. “…okay, maybe by the strictest definition-”

“‘Strictest’ here being only.” Sunset amended.

“-this would technically qualify as a collection. BUT! I want it known that while I do this, I take no pleasure in it!”

“That’s what she said!” Spike and Sunset quipped simultaneously, before turning on each other and shouting, “JINX!”

Twilight was not amused by their antics.

Starlight, however, perked up a lot. “You’re right! It’s not silly to want more than one kite if I like kites. I don’t have to justify my interests to anypony!”

“Exactly,” Spike assured her. “Just don’t go taking up too much table space here, Starlight, we need some of them clear for when Discord, Mac, and I play Ogres and Oubliettes.”

Sunset could swear she heard something snap behind Twilight’s face. “YOU LET DISCORD INTO MY SECRET VAULT!!!”

Her ears ringing, Sunset felt a twinge of something in the back of her mind.

“In my defense, I didn’t know it was a secret vault,” Spike began, “but it IS large and out of the way. So, we can have Guys’ Night in here on a weekly basis and not have to wait until you leave the castle or risk disturbing you. I was trying to be considerate.” He gave a small huff, then turned and hung a poster of himself holding —Sunset guessed— the Crystal Heart, up on the wall.

Twilight inhaled deeply. “Does anypony else know about my secret vault?” Her glare jumped between Spike and Starlight.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, then shook their heads.

Twilight exhaled slowly, clearly making an effort to remain calm. “Ok… so the only ones who know are; me, Sunset, Spike, Starlight, Big Mac—

“Shining Armor probably also knows,” Spike blurted out.

“WHAT?” Twilight rounded on him. “Spike, how would my brother know about my secret vault!?”

Spike’s eyes stared off into the distance.

“Yes! Nat 20!” Spike cheered, as the die came to a rest.

“That’s your first one this quest, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time Garbunkle,” Discord declared.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed heartily.

Shining Armor consulted his papers quickly, before rolling his own die. “HA! Your 20 easily beats her lousy 12.” Shining cleared his throat and began narrating passionately. “Ok. Garbunkle, your spell effortlessly tears the illusion off of ‘Princess Caden’. With a hiss, and a flash of fel green magic, the princess is gone, and in her place, stands the horrible, QUEEN CARAPACE!!!”

Big Mac, Discord, and Spike all gasped dramatically.

Shining Armor gave an evil laugh. Then, he spoke with a voice so conniving and dripping with malice, it was as though Chrysalis was in the room with them. “Well, well, well. You figured it out. Too little, too late. I have already absorbed enough love from Prince Charming to become strong enough to easily dispatch all of you!”

Shining returned to his normal voice. “Queen Carapace fires a wave of dark energy that flies across the room! I’m going to need you all to make Strength saving throws. If you fail, you’re knocked prone by the magic, either way, you’re taking damage.

“6” Spike admitted glumly.

“23” Big Mac said proudly.

“16” Discord announced chaotically.

Shining Armor gave them a cruel smirk. “Nope, that’s not gonna do it.”

“WHAT!?” All three shouted.

Discord slammed his fists down, as he yelled across the table. “Just what are you playing at Shining Armor!? Big Mac got a 23!!”

Shining Armor just shrugged smugly. “What can I say? Her magic has been boosted by my-, I mean, Prince Charming’s love for Princess Caden.”

Spike swiped the paper Shining Armor was holding.

“Hey! Give that back!” Shining yelled, reaching for the monster sheet.

Spike’s eyes boggled. “A saving throw of 28!? ARE YOU INSANE?” He screamed in disbelief, as Shining snatched the paper back.

“Oh, calm down, that’s only the opening move. Anyway, you all take 60 damage and are knocked prone,” Shining Armor said, with an unapologetic smirk.

The three of them grumbled as they updated their sheets.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. You should be proud!” Shining chuckled warmly. “You solved the mystery, exposed the evil Queen, and stopped the wedding! That’s a lot of wins! I made this campaign really tough to challenge you, and you’re doing great!”

Slowly, their glares faded. Truthfully, it was exciting, and each victory felt well-earned.

“Let’s take a quick break,” Shining said, rising from the table with a stretch. “This room has the perfect ambiance with all of Twily’s evil artifacts, but it could use a bathroom.” The others concurred.

“Kay, let’s take 20,” Spike declared. “That’ll give me enough time to prepare more snacks.” This was met with a round of appreciation from the whole group as they left the vault.

Spike’s eyes snapped back to Twilight. “Pfft, come on Twilight, you of all ponies should know what a great detective Shining Armor is.”

Twilight did not seem fully convinced but decided to let it pass. “…my Brother, an-”

“Oh wait! I saw Princess Luna here once,” Starlight interjected.

“WHAT!? What was Princess Luna doing in my vault?” Twilight demanded.

Starlight Glimmer opened the vault and walked inside carrying a few kites. She carefully placed them around her corner and left. Just as she was getting ready to close the vault door, Princess Luna strode past her, carrying a large cake in her magic. The cake had thick blue frosting, little drops of white chocolate that looked like stars, and a big crescent moon in the center. Atop the cake was a folded card that read:

Luna’s cake. For Luna, and nopony else. This means YOU, Tia!

Without hesitation, Luna set the cake upon a table and left the vault. Once out, she turned to look at Starlight. “I did not see you, and you did not see me, OR my cake, Starlight Glimmer.” Luna’s tone was even, but it did infer severe repercussions in the event this one-sided agreement was breached. Before Starlight could respond, Luna teleported away.

“Well, that certainly explains the overwhelming smell of frosting and the crumbs I found the other day!” Twilight complained.

“Why are you so angry about crumbs?” Sunset asked.

“That’s how you get ants!” Twilight practically hissed. “I don’t want ants in my vault!” Shaking her head, she looked about the group. “Do any of you know how Princess Luna learned about my vault in the first place?”

Spike started to sweat.

“’MWHAHAHAHAHAHA,’ The evil Queen Carapace laughs. ‘You put up a valiant fight but you little foals are no match for me AND MY SWARM!’” Shining Armor cackled like a true villain, as Big Mac, Spike and Discord attempted to work out how they were going to get out of this mess.

“Shining! I know you said a challenge! But this villain is WAY too powerful!” Spike cried out.

“Now, now,” Shining reassured him. “Just be patient. Do you three remember that guard you saved earlier from the group of changelings that you could’ve just snuck by?”

Discord sighed. “Oh yes, Sir Greg. Saving him involved a particularly tough fight. It’s a shame he was too wounded to join us.”

Big Mac nodded solemnly “Yup.”

Shining smiled. “Well, in my campaigns doing the right thing is rewarded, if not immediately, then spectacularly!”

Shining Armor cleared his throat dramatically.

“So! As you look up at the cackling Queen Carapace, her elite guard advances on you to finish the job. Just then, the windows on the east wall shatter inward with a terrible force. Queen Carapace’s guard is swept away like leaves in the wind, and you all feel a cool, calming light that fills your very being and heals you for 200 points, each!”

“WHAT!?” All three of them gasped. “How???”

Shining’s smile got wider. He had been waiting for this moment the whole campaign. “You get to your feet, feeling energized like never before. Then, you hear a booming voice declare,”

“ARISE, DEAR FRIENDS! ALLOW US TO AID THEE IN DISPATCHING THIS FIEND!”

All three jumped upon really hearing a booming voice echo through the vault! They stared, perplexed, at Shining Armor, who sat with his mouth closed, smiling at them.

Then, from behind a bookcase, dressed in full battle armor, leapt Luna. She flew over the table and set her own figure down on the board, between the heroes and Queen Carapace.

She looked absolutely giddy, and her Royal Canterlot Voice seemed right at home in the game. “PRINCESS CRESCENT OF THE NIGHT WILL FIGHT AT YOUR SIDE! TOGETHER WE SHALL CHANGE THIS TRAVESTY OF A WEDDING INTO A BRIGHT AND GLORIOUS FEAST!”

Shining Armor let the shock of the new arrival sink in properly. When he felt enough time had passed, he cleared his throat and resumed Queen Carapace’s dialogue. “YOU!? I told my minions to steal your alarm clock, so you’d sleep through the invasion!”

Luna laughed gallantly, “Fortunately, these brave souls saved Sir Greg, who rushed right down to the store to purchase, ANOTHER alarm clock!”

Spike turned to Big Mac and Discord. “Couldn’t he have just gone to wake her up?” He whispered, causing the two of them to snicker.

‘Queen Carapace’ gave Luna a wicked glare, “So, you wish to fall too? Very well, I have already bested your sister, Princess Solar Flare. I can easily deal with you AND these fools!”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Thou thinks that claim will impress us? Our sister is an old mare who became so complacent in peace, that she let herself go.”

A chorus of “OOOOOOOOOoooooo” erupted from Spike, Big Mac, and Discord.

‘Queen Carapace’ scoffed, “Hmph, that may be, howev-”

“IN FACT!” Luna interjected, anger rising in her voice, “when our sister banished us to our own moon for an eon, we spent each day training for the moment that we would face her in battle again!”

‘Queen Carapace’ attempted, once more, to continue, “That’s very impressive, but-”

“IMAGINE OUR FURY!” …but she got no further. “When we discovered she had not taken the time nearly as seriously! While we were busy perfecting our form, the only lifting she did, was that of cakes to her mouth!”

“OOOHHHHHHH!” Cheered the three heroes.

“BUT!” Luna continued. “What insulted us the most was not that slight, nor the fact that she stole our clothes and had them modified to encompass her own massive volume-”

“STOP LULU, STOP! SHE’S ALREADY DEAD!!” Discord roared with laughter.

“-NAY! The worst insult came when we awoke from our slumber to-day, only to discover that she had EATEN MY CAKE!!!” Luna roared with indignation.

“Why do I feel like I’ve lost control?” Shining pondered aloud, as Luna sucked in more air.

“So, thou sits there, on her exceptionally wide throne and brags about defeating her, as though thou has accomplished some great feat!? BAH, I say!”

Shining just sat, mouth agape, helpless in the face of this passionate rant.

Tears streamed down Luna’s face as she pulled out a massive lance and leveled it at Queen Carapace’s tiny figure. “SO! In the name of my most beloved cake, who was so cruelly taken from me this morning by my no-good, dirty-rotten, fat-flanked sister; I shall bring all the judgment meant for Celestia down upon THEE!”

“Uhhh…don't you mean Princess Solar Flare?” Spike suggested.

Luna leapt atop the table, lance raised, as her voice thundered to the heavens. “THIS! Is for my cake, that you unjustly imprisoned within your MASSIVE BUTT, TIA!”

“WAIT, Princess Luna!” Shining Armor shouted, desperately, trying to regain control of the situation. “Queen Carapace is NOT Princess Celestia! You’re fighting the Changeling Queen, not your sister!”

However, it was too late. Spike, Discord, and Big Mac, all caught up in Luna’s energy, joined her atop the table and added their voices to her war cry.

Shining Armor brought a hoof to his face. Inviting Luna had been a miscalculation. She had completely derailed his meticulously planned campaign, right at the epic climax. To add insult to injury, she had also spent the last several minutes interrupting him.

“Discord! Hit it!” Spike shouted over the din.

“You’ve got it, Garbunkle!” Discord snapped his fingers. Light filled the room and they rose into the air.

Spike turned on the spot. With a whirl, a cloak draped itself across him. He tilted his head back and a grand beard burst forth from his chin. He clicked his feet together and two big boots appeared on them. He then reached into his cloak and pulled out a magical staff, which he twirled, raised, and tapped against his head. With a ‘POOF!’, a blue wizarding hat appeared, completing his ensemble.

Big Mac donned a ram-horned helm and a unicorn horn grew from his head. He reared up, brought his hooves down with an earth-shaking stomp, and in a flash of light, he was clad in black plate armor. He raised his head, horn aglow, and a massive sword erupted from the earth. He lifted it to the sky and gave a heroic, “EEYUP!”

Discord flew through a field of stars with an unexpected amount of grace. He wrapped his arms around himself and his body began to glow with a chaotic assortment of bright colors until he was nothing but a pastel silhouette. Then, he threw his arms out to the side, and with a burst of light, a green tunic, leather boots, and bracers appeared on him. He raised his hands to his mismatched horns and slid them down the back of his neck. As he did so, a long cascade of sparkling, shimmering golden locks tumbled down. He opened a nearby chest, reached into it, and spun around, triumphantly raising the contents to the sky.

You found the Draconequus Bow!

On the Select Item Subscreen,

you can set it to C.

Their transformations complete, the four of them landed upon the newly formed battleground: a massive plain, bathed in moonlight. They glared across the field at their nemesis.

Opposite them, standing twice as tall as Luna, and wearing nightmarish chitin battle regalia, was the vast and horrible Evil Queen: Shining Armor.

Shining blinked, suddenly taking note of his imminent peril. “Whoa! Hold on a second!”

“YOU HAVE DISGRACED ME FOR THE LAST TIME, TIA!” Luna pointed her hoof at the massive moon hovering above. “THE PALE MOON IN THE SKY CRIES FOR YOUR BLOOD!” She raised her spear with a yell and the four of them charged Shining Armor.

Shining had been a Dungeon Master for many groups over the years, some could be unpredictable, and some had been downright rebellious, either way, he always took pride in being able to roll with the punches. If this was the fight they wanted, so be it! He would make it one they would never forget. He gazed down upon the approaching heroes with contempt and chuckled darkly.

“The moon? No, it is you who should gaze upon the moon… FOR IT WILL BE THE LAST MOON YOU EVER SEE!! YOU DARE STAND AGAINST CELESTIA, SUPREME MONARCH OF THE SUN!? I SHALL THRASH YOU ALL AND DEVOUR EVERY LAST CAKE IN EQUESTRIA!!!” He charged out to meet the four of them, head-on.

Thus, began the cataclysmic battle where Garbunkle the Magician, Sir McBiggun, Captain Wuzz, and Princess Luna, stood boldly against The Unforgivable Celestia: Eater of Cakes!

Did any survive? Only the Moon knows!

“Spike? Spike! SPIKE!” Twilight was frantically shaking Spike.

“huh? What happened?” Spike asked, looking around.

“I asked if any of you knew how Luna found out about my secret vault. Then, your eyes went wide and you became unresponsive for several minutes!” Twilight said, in a half panic.

“Did I?” He asked, getting his bearings once more.

“You looked pretty content the entire time, though,” Sunset added. “That must’ve been some daydream. Wanna fill us in?”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Spike sighed wistfully, “Just remembering the best session of Ogres and Oubliettes, we ever had.”

The girls blinked. Starlight looked confused, Twilight checked Spike’s forehead for a temperature, and Sunset smirked, her interest piqued. “If it was that good, maybe we should all play sometime.”

Spike perked right up. “Oh totally! You’d love it Sunset! You get to-”

“Spike!” Twilight said sharply, causing him to clam up. “Do you know how Princess Luna found out about my vault?”

“…Nope can’t say I do.” Spike yawned, in an attempt to conceal his inept poker face.

Twilight sighed. “Ok, well I guess I’ll have to ask to make sure she hasn’t told anypony else. But in the meantime,” Twilight took a deep breath, “the only ones who know about my secret vault are; me, Sunset, Spike, Starlight, Big Mac, my brother, Princess Luna, and…Discord.” A sigh of defeat escaped Twilight.

Sunset felt something stir on the edge of her memories, but before she could bring it into focus, her thoughts were interrupted.

“But that’s IT!” Twilight cried. “This is my secret vault! The point is to keep ponies OUT! This is where I store, study, and categorize dangerous things!”

“Oh! On that note, I just thought of something,” Starlight said, before exiting the vault, teleporting away, and returning a moment later holding a two-pronged stick. “Here you go, the Staff of Sameness.”

Twilight glared at the stick like it was an uninvited party crasher. “…Starlight. That’s just a stick you found in the desert. Just throw it away.”

Starlight’s ears flopped down. “But… I used this to enslave an entire village. I keep it around to remind myself how far I’ve come.”

Sunset did a double-take. “Wait, enslaved a what now?”

“So just keep it in your room! We aren’t dedicating vault space to a stick!” Twilight was intent on defending her vault from any additional unwanted space invaders.

“But what if someone tries to steal it? I mean, I know it’s not, but it sure looks like it could be a magical artifact.” Starlight waved the Staff of Sameness in front of Twilight as if to highlight how magical it looked.

“And honestly, Twilight, aside from its labyrinthine halls, your castle’s security is kinda lax. I mean, haven’t you ever considered what could happen if one of your enemies just… came in while weren’t home?”

The vault went silent as a tomb.

Twilight just stared at Starlight, as if she were no longer sure that she was real.

Spike gave an awkward cough, “yikes”.

For her part, Starlight just stared expectantly at Twilight, clearly waiting for an answer to her question and apparently oblivious to whatever landmine she had dropped a meteor on.

Sunset’s eyes darted between the three of them. She felt out of the loop.

Eventually, Spike took it upon himself to break the tension. He took the Staff of Sameness and examined it. “Well, it may not be magical, but it is pretty boss. It could definitely contribute to the atmosphere in here if you place it with the other items.”

The look of volcanic rage on Twilight’s face was too much for Sunset to take. After a few heroic seconds of struggling, she burst out laughing. “Oh, come on Twilight, we both know the real reason you’re upset about this is that you don’t want to share your secret vault.”

Spike and Starlight suddenly turned to Twilight, whose ears flopped down as her face turned pink and she poked at the floor. “It’s not that I don’t want to share, I just want to be able to keep everypony safe… in an organized fashion.”

Sunset gave her an understanding smile. “I get it, but Spike’s right, this is his home too. He and Starlight have as much right to store what they feel is important in here, as you do.”

For nearly a minute, Twilight’s mind worked overtime, trying to find a loophole to keep her oh-so-important vault from being filled with comics, kites, and sticks. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any.

“You’re right.” She finally sighed. “We’ll share the vault. I’ll divide the room evenly by square footage and we can each store what we want in our allotted space. Does that seem fair?”

Spike and Starlight nodded.

“BUT!” Twilight continued, “No one else is to know about this vault!”

“Not even Trixie?” Starlight asked. “What if she needs a place to store some props?”

Twilight stared into space as she imagined the ramifications of letting Trixie use her vault.

Welcome to the Great and Powerful Trixie’s show! Tonight, you will be amazed by things so dangerous and SO rare that they need to be stored in Princess Twilight’s Secret Vault when not in use, hidden behind an Alicorn statue in her castle, and sealed with the combination, 6-18-9-5-14-4-19-8-9-16!

“Especially, not Trixie!” Twilight said with finality.

“Aw” Starlight frowned.

Hoping to prevent more nonsense, Twilight ushered them all out of the vault. As she closed the massive door, a thought occurred to her. The slide was a one-way trip, so the only route back up to the castle was via teleport. “Spike, the secret passage is just one way, how’d you get out of here before?”

Spike raised an eyebrow and simply said, “The stairs, Twilight.”

He grabbed a crystal outcropping from the sidewall and pulled on it. A section of the wall swung forward to reveal a perfectly regular set of stairs that Twilight was now glaring daggers at.

“There were stairs? Since when!?”

One completely regular set of stairs later, Twilight became even more annoyed as she discovered they led into the main hallway.

“They’re just behind a regular door!?”

“Well, yeah. How’d you think I found them?” Starlight asked. “I came across them the other day while looking for the kite-making room. I didn’t even know there was a secret passage.”

“We don’t HAVE a kite-making room,” Twilight said, turning to Starlight with a tired look in her eyes.

Starlight’s mouth just hung open, aghast. Her mind had been sent reeling from the shock of learning that the castle did not have an entire room dedicated to kite-craft.

Spike looked up thoughtfully, claw on his chin. “Well, I’m sure we could find a room where you could set one up.”

That brought Starlight back to reality. “REALLY? It wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

Twilight sighed, before giving Starlight a weak smile. “Yeah, we can set one up. Let me draw up a list of potential rooms for you to choose from.”

Sunset blinked, looking at Twilight with confusion. “Why can’t she just pick a room?”

Twilight gave Sunset a look of disbelief. “What? Just…pick a room? Willy-nilly? With no consideration for future plans of the castle’s layout!?”

“Aren’t you overthinking this?” Sunset asked, brow raised.

Neither of them noticed that Spike and Starlight had left.

“Sunset! There are lots of variables to consider. I haven’t come up with an official castle layout yet because there are too many empty rooms. I have to choose a location for the kite-making room that makes sense for several future potential organizational layouts!!” Twilight’s face was just an inch from Sunset’s and there was a wild look in her eyes.

Sunset slowly backed up.

Twilight matched her movements! “I have data on every room in the castle! Wall space, Floorspace, Average Amount of Sunlight per day, Average Humidity, Average Temperature, Distance to the Nearest Bathroom, Distance to the Kitchen, Distance to the Front Door, Distance to the Library, Distance to the Nearest Fire Exit, potential Ladybug Threat Level-”

“Ladybugs!?” Sunset squeaked in surprise, as she felt her backside bump up against the wall. She had no escape.

“-Distance to Twilight’s room, Distance to Spike’s room, Distance to the Throne room, Primary Window’s Quantified View Beauty Rating, Capacity to hear an intruder messing around the Cutie Mark Map,”

“The cutie mark what!?” Sunset whimpered, curled up on the floor and clutching her tail in front of her like a shield.

“Twilight, what are you doing!?” Spike asked as he and Starlight returned.

“Spike! Help me!” Sunset cried, desperately reaching for the dragon.

“Ok, Ok. I got this,” Spike assured her. He walked over to the two of them and placed a claw on Twilight’s side. “Twilight calm down.”

Twilight rounded on him, eyes just a little too wide. “What are you talking about Spike!? I’m just explaining to Sunset how many factors need to be considered when choosing the perfect room for kite-making.”

“Oh, is that what this is all about?” Starlight asked, joining them. “Don’t worry about it, Twilight, we already chose a great one.”

“A great one!?” Twilight echoed, voice cracking. With a flash of magic, she was standing in front of Starlight their faces mere inches apart. “How could you know which one is a ‘great’ one without consulting my tables and charts? Do you even know how many factors you need to consider?”

Starlight raised a hoof to her face. “The only ones that I think matter are size and lighting.”

“You only considered 2 factors!?” Twilight gave a scoff and draped a wing around Starlight. “Don’t worry Starlight, you’ve come to the right place. Let me pull all the info I have on the rooms. Then, we can sit down and get through this in just a few hours.”

Now it was Starlight’s turn to look scared. “HOURS!?” She looked to Spike, pleading for rescue.

Spike pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Then, very clearly, he simply said, “Want it, Need it.”

Twilight flinched.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. When she spoke again, her tone had returned to normal. “Ok, I may have been a bit too eager to find a use for all the data I compiled for fun one weekend.”

“A bit?” Spike asked eyebrow raised.

“Just a skosh,” Starlight nervously assured her.

“For fun!?” Sunset cried.

“Okay, WAY too eager. I’m sorry, everypony.” She gave them all an apologetic smile, then turned specifically to Starlight and Spike. “I’m also sorry for acting like the items you wanted to put in our vault weren’t as important as what I wanted to put in it. They may matter in different ways, but I should have respected that they mattered to you.”

“It’s okay Twilight,” Starlight said understandingly. “And as for the room, I appreciate the thought, really. But I don’t want to spend hours just picking the ‘perfect’ room. I mean, the fun comes from making and flying the kites, not having the perfect room to make them in.”

“Yeah,” Spike agreed. “And I’m sorry for inviting the guys into the vault without asking. I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal but since I knew you kept your own things in there, I should’ve asked anyway.”

Twilight chuckled. “It’s okay Spike, I know Shining and Big Mac won’t blab, and I bet the only pony who would take anything Discord says seriously, is Fluttershy. I’m also sure that Princess Luna is capable of keeping a secret. So, as long as I have a talk with her, it should be fine.”

The three of them went in for a group hug. After a moment, the warm silence was broken by a massive yawn from Sunset, causing the others to turn and stare at her.

“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to ruin the moment,” Sunset apologized, sleepily. “It’s just been a long day and it’s kinda hitting me now.”

Twilight went over to her. “Oh Sunset, I’m sorry. I completely forgot that you were up early for school today. You must be exhausted. Come on, let me show you to your room.”

Sunset gave Twilight no arguments as she bid Spike and Starlight ‘goodnight’ and was led away.

Soon, Twilight pushed open the door of a cozy guest room. “Feel free to consider this room yours. If you’d like a different one, we can find another tomorrow. If you need anything, my room is just two doors down the hall.”

Sunset nodded with a sleepy smile and unfocused eyes. “Thanks, Twilight, I’ll be good for now though.” She walked over and collapsed on top of the bed without getting under the covers, or even removing her saddlebags.

Twilight smiled and shook her head as she walked toward her. Sunset hadn’t been kidding about being tired. She was already fast asleep by the time Twilight reached her. She took Sunset’s bags and placed them on the dresser. Then, she tucked Sunset in properly, placing a pillow under her head and putting a blanket over top of her. Then, she turned and headed for the door. When Twilight reached the entrance of the room, she looked back.

“Goodnight Sunset, I’m glad you’re here,” Twilight whispered, before closing the door.

Sunset Shimmer looked around. She wasn’t sure where she was. She felt stone beneath her hooves, but in every direction, there was only fog. Each step she took echoed off some unseen wall. Was this a dream?

Suddenly, Sunset heard a voice come from the fog.

At Last.

She whirled around, facing the direction of the voice.

I have awaited your arrival for countless years.

The voice sounded familiar, but Sunset couldn’t place it. It spoke with odd inflections on the syllables, as though it had only recently learned to speak.

“Um, thanks, I guess. So, who are you?” Sunset asked.

In response, there was a flash of light. When it faded, Sunset was able to make out a small, sparkling, translucent orb within the fog.

Just look around. Who do you think I am?

Sunset looked around. Aside from the partially obscured orb, there was only fog. “Well, I can’t see anything but fog, so unless you’re Izanami, I got no ideas,” she smirked.

Fog? You see fog?

“Yeah, can’t you?”

...That cannot be. You should be able to see by now. Why would you come back if you could not see?

Sunset shrugged. “Cause it’s winter break?”

…Who are you?

She blinked. “I’m Sunset Shimmer.”

That is your name, not who you are. Who are you?

“I’m a lot of things. What are you looking for?”

The thing you give to those close to you.

It is who you are.

It is what makes you special.

It is why you matter.

Sunset’s eyes became downcast. Who was she close to? Her parents? Celestia? The Rainbooms? Her whole life had just been a cycle of being picked up and, inevitably, thrown away. What about Twilight? She was definitely nice to Sunset, but…

You will never rule in Equestria. Any power you had in this world is gone. But tonight, you showed everyone who you really are. You showed them what is in your heart.

Sunset recoiled, as the memory tore apart her insides. It was all so vivid. The judgment she heard in Twilight's voice. The contempt in her eyes that Sunset saw glaring down at her. Twilight had seen her for what she was, a monster. That must be why she left her behind, abandoned to those who hated her. After all that, Twilight couldn't possibly see her as a friend. Sunset thought sadly.

She looked up. “I don’t matter… to anyone. I’m no one.”

The fog-filled room instantly became less comfortable. The voice, which had been warm and calm up till now, suddenly became stern, bordering on threatening.

You... are no one?

…No. That is NOT correct!

An ice-cold wind suddenly filled the room.

“What’s going on?” Sunset asked, as the frozen gale bit at her.

Who are you?

The voice’s edge had not dropped. However, the temperature in the room certainly had. Sunset started to shiver uncontrollably.

“Um, I’m a student of Canterlot High, a former student of Princess Celestia’s, a unicorn from Equestria, an orphan, a bully, a demon?” Sunset began rattling off things at random.

None of those things represent who you ARE.

At this point, Sunset’s teeth were chattering. She was curled up on the ground in a desperate bid to stay warm. How was she feeling this cold? This was just a dream… right?

“THEN I DON’T KNOW WHO I AM!” She screamed at the orb.

The wind died and the chill subsided. When the voice spoke again, it did so with its calmer mannerisms, but the warm tone it had before, had turned somber.

What has happened? You’ve lost sight of yourself.

Sunset shifted uncomfortably but remained silent.

…I see. It is unfortunate, but it seems you will have to learn who you are again.

“How do I do that?” Sunset asked.

Within the fog behind the orb, a massive light began to glow brighter and brighter. Before she was blinded completely, Sunset noticed a number of shadows in the fog gather behind the Sparkling orb.

Find the answer to this question: What does every friendship need?

Far from Twilight’s castle, in a dark room, the whir and beeping of machinery pierces the silence of the night. The glow of a dimly lit screen is the only light the room has to offer. A modified seismometer spits out page after page of data. All is quiet now, but that certainly wasn’t the case several hours ago. A brave mare looks over the readings from earlier that night, triple-checking her findings. With a heavy sigh, she reaches a dreadful, yet undeniable conclusion: It has begun.

Chapter 4 - Twilight Sparkle is Equestria's Top Authority on Chalk

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Sunset’s face scrunched up as she was slowly pulled from her slumber. The light of the sun had snuck through the window and nestled right on top of her eyelids. With a groan, she sat up and yawned.

Sunset blearily looked around, confused for a moment about where she was. Then, everything from the previous night came back to her, including her weird dream. Hm, what does every friendship need? She pondered as she got up and started to look around the room.

The room was about the size of the living room in her apartment. It had a queen-sized bed with an adjacent nightstand, an extra comfy chair with a little table next to it, a writing desk, and a dresser, the top of which held Sunset’s saddlebags. The room was large enough to easily hold everything Sunset owned, yet small enough to still be cozy, even in its near-empty state.

Sunset looked out the window. The sun rose in the sky, illuminating the snow-covered hills and forests that surrounded the town of Ponyville.

Hearth’s Warming Eve was over a week away, but ponies were already out enjoying the winter weather. A trio of fillies were putting the finishing touches on a snowmare, a grumpy-looking donkey made his way through town while hauling a sled with a tree on it, and finally, a grey mailmare flew to and fro, her bag bursting with packages to deliver. As Sunset watched the ponies go about their day, she felt a smile spread across her face. After all this time, she was back home.

A knock on the door pulled Sunset from the window. “Who is it?” She asked.

“It’s Spike,” came a muffled voice through the door. “If you’re up, I wanted to let you know that breakfast is almost ready.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Sunset replied, “I’ll be down in just a bit.”

Sunset turned her attention toward the clock on the nightstand.

10:50?!

She had slept for nearly 11 hours! Though she had to admit, aside from that weird dream, that was the best night of sleep she had gotten in weeks.

With a final yawn, Sunset opened the door and headed down to the kitchen.

Sunset entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Next to her, sat Twilight, who was reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of familiar-smelling goodness.

“Is that coffee?” Sunset asked, her eyes locked on the cup.

Twilight turned to her. “Sunset! Good morning! Yes, this is a blend of my own creation. Can I interest you in a cup?”

“I wouldn’t say no if you offered to hook it to my veins, but I suppose a cup is a good start.”

Twilight filled a new cup from the pot and floated it over to Sunset.

Holding the cup close to her muzzle, Sunset took a deep breath, savoring the aroma, then she quickly chugged it. Her face instantly scrunched up in regret. “Ugh! Twilight! What did you put in that?” Sunset coughed out.

Twilight gave her an amused look. “Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that. But, I usually don’t drink it straight. It’s kind of bitter on its own.”

“Ya think!?”

With a knowing smirk, Twilight held up the pot. “More?”

“Please,” Sunset replied, holding out the cup as Twilight refilled it.

Sunset took a moment to add some cream and sugar. She tentatively lifted the cup to her mouth and took a sip. “Mmmm!” She hummed happily after tasting the second cup. “It’s pretty good when it isn’t trying to kill you.” She took another drink. “What inspired you to make your own blend?”

Twilight set the pot back down. “Well, back when I attended Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, I often found myself staying up late reading, so I started needing something with a bit more kick to get me through the mornings. But all the blends I had access to were either too weak or too nasty. So, I made my own.”

Sunset nodded as she took another drink. “Well, you did a good job.”

“Thanks!” Twilight replied cheerfully. “Oh, before I forget!” With a burst of magic, a camera appeared in Twilight’s hooves. “Say ‘Cheese’ Sunset!”

“Wait wha-”

* FLASH *

“Yeah no, I wasn’t a fan of sight anyway,” Sunset complained as she rubbed her eyes. “What was that for?” She demanded while trying to blink her sight back.

Twilight just shrugged. “Scrapbooking. It occurred to me, that I don’t have any pictures of you, so I need to rectify that.”

With another burst of magic, Twilight teleported the camera away. “So, what did you want to do tod—”

* AHEM! *

Twilight was cut off by a sudden clearing of the throat. “Ah, before we get to that. I promised Spike that he could tell you about his adventures in the Crystal Empire, over breakfast.”

“Uh, shouldn’t we wait for Starlight?” Sunset asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Spike said as he came over to the table and set a plate down in front of each of them. “Starlight’s an early riser, she had breakfast a few hours ago. Then, I think she left to go hang out with Trixie.”

Sunset’s sight returned just in time to see a stack of fluffy chocolate chip pancakes get set before her. Twilight also had pancakes on her plate, but hers had blueberries in them. Spike’s own stack of pancakes seemed to be mixed with small gems.

As they enjoyed their meals, Spike began telling the tales of saving the Crystal Empire from King Sombra and his heroics at the Equestrian Games. Every now and then, Twilight would clarify something Spike had skimmed over, or not known about. But for the most part, she hung back and let Spike tell his story.

Sunset had to admit, climbing down the outside of a massive crystal spire, while holding a shining relic, struck her as a pretty brave and glorious thing to do.

“…so, since then I’ve been kind of a celebrity there.” Spike finished, before turning to eat the last of his pancakes.

“That’s amazing Spike!” Sunset said. “Though, it was really painful to picture the bit where you tried to make up the Cloudsdale anthem on the spot.” She gave Spike a sympathetic cringe.

“Ugh, you think it’s hard to picture it?” Spike chugged some orange juice. “Just imagine how bad it was to sing it. Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t just admit that I misunderstood the situation. That was obviously what I should’ve done.”

“It was probably the most painful thing I’ve ever seen,” Twilight said, with near-dead eyes. “But, sometimes, it’s really hard to think clearly when you’re embarrassed. Especially while growing up.”

Sunset looked at her. “Oh? Did you have a similar thing happen to you Twilight?”

Twilight nodded. “One time, back when I attended CSGU, but before I started drinking coffee, I had accidentally fallen asleep in class after a late night. I woke up only when the teacher called on me to ask what item I wanted to do my presentation on.”

“What presentation?” Sunset asked.

“That’s just it. I didn’t know!” Twilight sighed. “They had discussed it while I was asleep, but rather than admit that, I just blurted out the first thing my eyes fell on, a piece of chalk.”

Sunset snickered. “I’m almost afraid to ask. What was the presentation about?”

Twilight hung her head. “An overview explaining the history of our item and how we felt it revolutionized Equestrian society.”

Spike suddenly fell out of his chair, laughing. “I remember that! You spent an entire week spouting endless trivia about chalk!”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “HEY! Do you know how much information about chalk is trivial? ALL the information about chalk!”

Twilight’s voice became even more tense as her story continued. “Believe it or not, things got worse. Princess Celestia heard about my topic and asked why I chose chalk! And she wasn’t the only one! My parents, brother, foal-sitter, other teachers, fellow students, and the librarian all asked me about it, too! That should’ve been my out. But did I own up to it? Did I admit to any of them that I fell asleep in class and never meant to choose chalk? Of course not!” Twilight steamed, as she threw her hooves up. “For some ridiculous reason, I decided it would be better to convince everypony that I felt chalk was an incredibly interesting, underrated advancement that formed the very bedrock of pony civilization. Spoiler warning! IT IS NOT!”

Sunset’s face was buried in her hooves as she and Spike laughed. “Twilight that’s SO much worse than Spike’s singing! By the end of the day, he was a hero again, meanwhile, you had to spend an entire week talking up chalk!”

Twilight, red-faced, glared at them for a moment. Then, her anger shattered with a snort and she joined in the laughter.

After Twilight’s tale of chalk, they finished breakfast and split up. Twilight took Sunset to the spa so that they could relax and plan the day.

An hour later, Sunset and Twilight were soaking in a massive tub enjoying a nice herbal bath. Over the past hour, they had spent some time in the steam room, gotten facials, and received massages. Now, they sat comfortably against the wall of the tub; their manes pinned up, to keep them out of the water. Both ponies looked content enough to drift off to sleep at any moment.

Twilight lazily opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to look at Sunset. “So, what do you think of the Ponyville Day Spa?”

Sunset let out a content sigh. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in years.”

Twilight giggled. “I’m glad to hear it. So, should we talk about what to do next?”

“Ok, what’s the plan?”

“Well, the exhibit isn’t until tomorrow night. So, we have all of today and most of tomorrow open. Is there anything you’d like to do?” Twilight asked.

Sunset shifted uncomfortably. “Honestly Twilight, it doesn’t have to be all about me. Why don’t we do something you want to do?”

Twilight gave an annoyed eye roll. “Sunset, I’m here all the time. This is your vacation. Surely there’s something from Equestria you’ve missed.”

Sunset looked off to the side. “Well… there is something, but it’s kind of dumb,” she said, sinking up to her chin in the tub.

“Hey, haven’t you ever heard that you shouldn’t feel ashamed of what you like?” Twilight asked, giving Sunset a nudge.

Sunset turned and narrowed her eyes at Twilight. “How dare you use my own words against me,” she grumbled.

Twilight giggled and gave Sunset a playful splash. “Come on, I promise I won’t laugh. What is it?”

Sunset hesitated, then simply said, “I want to ride the train.”

Twilight blinked. “Ok, where did you want to go?”

Sunset shook her head. “I don’t have a place I want to go; I want to take a train ride.”

“So, you want to ride the train, just to ride it?” Twilight asked.

Sunset nodded. “There aren’t many passenger trains on the other side of the portal, at least not near Canterlot High. I miss the enjoyment of getting on a train, just to take a train ride.”

“Well, that’s not dumb,” Twilight said. “There’s actually a club here in Equestria of ponies who do just that,” Twilight paused to think, “…the Rail-Riders! Their members get special rates on tickets. So, what is it you enjoy so much about riding the train?”

“Well, I used to ride them fairly often,” Sunset explained, “I’d go with the princess on her diplomatic trips, travel from town to town on my own, and sometimes I just got on with a lot of books because it was a comfy place to read.”

A smile formed on Sunset’s face as she began to recall her memories of the train. “It’s like, being on a train allows you the comfort of staying at home but gives you the advantages of going out. If you don’t like where you are, you can just wait, and the train will take you somewhere else. You don’t have to think about it. You can just… enjoy traveling.” Sunset blushed but maintained her smile.

Twilight thought for a moment, then lit up. “This is PERFECT!” With a flap of her wings and a splash, she rose out of the water. “Wait here!” She said, before teleporting away.

Just a few minutes later, she was back, carrying a large, rolled-up map. “One weekend I was bored,” Twilight said as she settled herself back into the tub, unfurling the map in the air in front of them with her magic. “So, for fun, I compiled information on all the train routes in Equestria: their sizes, schedules, where they stop, where they go, that sort of thing. Using this information, we can choose a route that fits our needs.” Once Twilight finished explaining, she turned her attention to the map.

“One of the long circuit routes would do nicely, I think,” Twilight muttered. “Larger than normal. Has dining cars and sleeper cars.” She turned to Sunset. “Are you okay with bunking together, or would you like your own cabin?”

Sunset blinked in surprise, “Um I don’t mind sharing.”

“Great! Then I think our best option is the Northwest Express.” With a glow of her horn, Twilight began tracing the train’s route on the map. “It arrives in Ponyville at 3:20. From here it heads west, arriving in Vanhoover in the evening. Then, it will turn north, head up into the Crystal Mountains, swing east during the night, and arrive in the Crystal Empire tomorrow morning. Finally, it makes a straight shot south, arriving in Canterlot in the early afternoon tomorrow.”

Sunset nodded as she followed Twilight’s explanation. “Huh, I’m kinda surprised you don’t have the exact arrival and departure times for all those stops, Twilight,” Sunset teased.

“Actually, I do!” Twilight declared proudly while rolling up the map. “Do you want to hear all the exact arrival and departure times for those stops?” She asked in a vaguely threatening tone while pointing the newly rolled map at Sunset.

“No, no!” Sunset said quickly, holding up hooves. “I want to be surprised.”

“Thought so,” Twilight said, with a satisfied smirk. “Anyway, I’m going to run out and get our tickets really quick, you just stay here and relax, okay?”

Sunset settled back into the tub and placed a hot towel over her face. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”

Twilight chuckled and flew out of the room.

The front door of Carousel Boutique swung open with the sound of a friendly bell chime. Twilight entered the shop and looked around.

“I’m terribly sorry," a voice called out from the back, "I’m in the back room right now. I will be out in just a moment!”

Twilight turned toward the voice. “Actually Rarity, it’s me. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.”

“Of course, darling, come on back. Just… mind the mess.”

Twilight crossed the room and stepped behind the curtain that separated the shop’s main floor from the backroom.

Rarity hadn’t been kidding. It looked like an explosion of cloth had happened here. Numerous fabrics of varying designs were strewn, haphazardly, across the floor and the walls were lined with racks holding dozens of newly finished dresses.

Standing in the midst of all this, was a white Unicorn. She had a deep purple mane and a cutie mark that displayed 3 diamonds. On her snout, rested a pair of orange-rimmed glasses, and she had a measuring tape draped across her shoulders. Floating around her were several items held in her magic: a needle that she was currently sewing with, a few spools of thread, a pincushion, and a pair of scissors. At the moment, her eyes were laser-focused on a little gold and purple number that was currently modeled by a mannequin.

Twilight looked around; her mouth open in surprise. She had never seen THIS many newly made dresses before. “Rarity! What IS all this?”

“These are all my custom orders for Hearth’s Warming.” Rarity responded, without looking up or even slowing the pace of her work. “It’s been an absolute madhouse this year. Not that I mind the business, but so many of these came in at the last moment. I’ve been working non-stop for 3 days straight.”

That explains why I haven’t seen her in a while. Twilight thought. “I’m sorry to bother you when you’re so busy.”

“Not at all, in fact…” Rarity put the finishing touches on the dress she was working on, lifted it off the mannequin, and hung it on a rack. “…I’m finished!” She gave a sigh of relief and threw all her tools onto a nearby workbench. “All that’s left now is to make the final adjustments as the ponies come by to pick up their orders.”

Twilight let out a whistle as she looked around, “Are all these dresses for ponies here in Ponyville?”

Rarity held a hoof to her head and dramatically collapsed onto a fainting couch, which had definitely not been in the room a moment ago. “Oh no, I finished the Ponyville orders last week. These” —she gave a sweeping gesture around the room— “are all for ponies from Canterlot. I’m taking them up to Canterlot Carousel in the morning. Nearly half of them are for that exclusive exhibit tomorrow night. Normally, I’d go myself to rub elbows with the who’s who of Canterlot, but I’m so drained I think I may just have Sassy Saddles handle the fittings tomorrow,” Rarity said wearily.

Twilight gave Rarity a concerned look. “You know, I’m leaving today for Canterlot. I could take the dresses up there for you if you wanted to stay and rest up. It certainly looks like you’ve earned it.”

Rarity sat up and smiled. “I appreciate the offer, Twilight but after all the work I’ve done, I intend to see each and every one of these dresses into their owners’ hooves, myself. I just need some rest tonight and then I’ll be right as rain. But tell me, what brings you here today?”

Twilight blinked, suddenly remembering the reason she stopped by in the first place. “Oh yeah, Sunset Shimmer is staying with me for the holidays and we’re actually going to that exhibit tomorrow. I was wondering if you had a dress in stock that would suit her.” Twilight pulled out a picture and floated it to Rarity. “Here’s a picture.”

Rarity gasped and recoiled in shock when her eyes landed on the photo. “Twilight, darling, how could you take a picture of this poor girl when it looks like she just rolled out of bed!?”

Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I kind of wanted the dress to be a surprise, so I just sprung it on her this morning at breakfast.”

Rarity began studying the photo. Without looking up, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me she was coming? I could have had something truly remarkable ready for her.”

“I didn’t know she was coming myself until yesterday morning,” Twilight explained. “It seems that the girls in the other world aren’t going to be in town for the holidays; so, Sunset asked me if it would be okay for her to spend the break here.”

Rarity’s gaze flicked up from the photograph.

“She was initially planning to arrive tomorrow, but some unexpected weather forced her to accelerate her plans. …Oh! They can’t control the weather in the other world.” Twilight added.

Rarity nodded and returned her attention to the photo.

After a few moments of consideration, a small smile appeared on her face. She lifted her head and looked back at Twilight. “Actually, I know just the thing.” She got up from the couch and walked Twilight out to the main room. “Swing by Canterlot Carousel with her tomorrow afternoon and I’ll make the final adjustments.

Back at the spa, Sunset had reluctantly pulled herself out of the bath and dried off. She heard the door to the room open, and her eyes went wide when she saw who had come in. Standing before her, wearing a fluffy spa robe and matching slippers, was the last pony Sunset ever expected to see at a spa.

“Rainbow!?” Sunset blurted out before she could stop herself.

Rainbow Dash stared at Sunset in surprise. Then, her confused expression was replaced by a cocky grin. “The one and only!” She announced proudly. “Always nice to meet a fan.”

“Sorry, my mistake,” Sunset quickly apologized. “I don’t actually know who you are, I just mistook you for somepony else.”

Rainbow paused; some wind clearly taken out of her sails. “You mistook me for… another blue Pegasus, with a rainbow mane, whose name is ALSO Rainbow?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

Sunset gave a shaky nod. “Y-Yep! Crazy world huh?”

“Uh... okay. I just thought that, since I didn’t recognize you, but you recognized me, you must be a Wonderbolts fan.”

Sunset internally face-hooved. “Yeah, that… would’ve been a nice, simple explanation.”

“Are you sure we’ve never met?” Rainbow asked while walking up to Sunset. “Because you do look familiar, but I can’t place it.”

Sunset’s mouth hung open as she tried to put together some explanation that would allow her to escape this situation. Was it too late to convince Dash she WAS just a Wonderbolts fan? Before she could get far in crafting her response, a voice made the decision for her.

“Oh, Miss Sunset,” Sunset and Rainbow turned to see a blue Earth Pony with a pink mane stick her head into the room. “I am afraid Princess Twilight has not yet returned, but feel free to remain here in the relaxation room while you wait for her.”

“O-Okay! Thank you, Lotus!” Sunset stammered nervously, her voice cracking.

“Sunset? As in Sunset Shimmer?” Rainbow asked, looking back to the amber mare.

Trapped, Sunset gave a weak nod.

Rainbow shot into the air so fast that she flew right out of the spa’s robe and slippers, which crumpled to the ground, like an old Jedi. “Oh my gosh! I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long!” She said happily.

Sunset looked up at Rainbow quizzically. “Really?”

Rainbow beamed, as she hovered effortlessly a few feet off the ground. “Totally! Twilight’s told us all about you and the other world. Hey, you’re friends with the me there, right? Is that me as awesome as I am?” She asked excitedly.

Sunset wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, you’re… really into sports. In fact, you’re the captain of every sports club our school has.”

Rainbow gave a shout of laughter. “Yeah, that sounds about right for me at that age.” She raised a hoof to her mouth. “If I had to guess, I’d say I’m the more awesome me, simply because I’m older, but don’t worry she’ll catch up. Of course, by then, I’ll be even more awesome than I am now! But, forget about me and me, I want to hear about you!” She stated, pointing directly at Sunset.

Sunset shrunk back. “Me? What about me?” She asked cautiously.

“Tell me your story.” Rainbow’s eyes shined with eager anticipation. “What’s high school like? What’s your life like? How’s the other world?”

Sunset dropped her gaze to the floor. “Well, high school is… just school, it’s not all that different from school here. As for my life, I don’t do much outside of class other than study. The other world is…okay, it’s kinda like this one, but without magic,” Sunset answered unenthusiastically.

“Oh.” Rainbow’s excited expression deflated into disappointment. After a moment, she shook herself out of it and perked back up. “Well… you’re in a band, right? That’s pretty cool! Tell me about that!”

Sunset’s face twisted with a grimace. “I’m not really in the band. I’m just… a backup member.”

Rainbow’s brow furrowed and she landed on the ground staring at Sunset, confused. “Hey, are you alright?" She asked. "You seem…off.”

Sunset looked up. “What do you mean?”

“Well, based on what I’ve heard about you from Twilight, I was expecting you to be more…well, MORE!” Rainbow finished, in a wonderfully unhelpful way.

Sunset shook her head. Now she was confused. “More, what?”

Rainbow gave a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. Like... I expected you to be this rebel, a loose cannon, a mare who plays by her own rules and doesn’t take garbage from anypony. Somepony awesome! Like me!” Rainbow proudly indicated herself. “But instead, it’s like I’m talking to Fluttershy, on an extra bad day.”

Sunset’s gaze returned to the ground. “Sorry. I’m not sure what Twilight told you, but I’m not that awesome.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Sunset. “So, you’re telling me, you didn’t survive on your own in a completely unknown world for several years, without magic?” She asked in a surprisingly no-nonsense tone.

“…Well, no, I did do that,” Sunset said quietly.

Rainbow nodded and continued. “And didn’t you stand up to the Sirens when they were so powerful, they had even beaten Twilight and the other girls?”

“I…I guess I did that, too,” Sunset conceded.

Rainbow nodded once more. “And what about when the Sirens had turned our other selves against each other? Wasn’t it you who pulled them all back together again?”

Sunset shook her head. “I wouldn’t say I ‘pulled them back together’. All I did was offer some perspective. Twilight could’ve easily done it herself. She was just distracted trying to write the musical counter-spell,” Sunset explained.

Rainbow clicked her tongue and shook her head. “That’s not the way Twilight tells it.”

Sunset blinked and looked up in surprise.

“According to her, by the time you all were trapped under that stage, she was too upset about the spell to even notice how much the other girls were fighting. She certainly wasn’t in any condition to fix such a massive friendship problem. But you? You took charge. You ended their fighting. You pulled them back together, and you lifted Twilight out of her funk, like some kind of… ‘shining angel of friendship’. Twilight’s words, not mine,” Dash clarified. “Are you telling me you didn’t do all that?”

Sunset’s cheeks burned. She had no idea that moment had made such an impression on Twilight. “I…It really wasn’t all that special. I just wanted the girls to stop fighting. The more they fought with each other, the stronger the sirens got. And as for Twilight, I just wanted to help her feel better.”

Rainbow shook her head. “I didn’t ask for your reasons. I asked whether or not that was what you did,” she finished firmly.

Sunset thought for a moment. “Well, in that case. I guess it is pretty much how Twilight described it, minus the ‘shining angel’ bit.”

Rainbow nodded, with finality. “So, if all that is true, then why are you talking like you’ve never done anything worth being proud of? Where is your confidence? You should be shouting your awesomeness from the roof!”

Sunset looked back down. “It’s…personal,” she muttered to the floor.

There was a moment of silence. Then, Sunset felt a wing on her shoulder. She looked up to see Rainbow staring at her with concern. “Hey, you can tell me,” Rainbow said softly.

For the first time since she walked in, Sunset met Rainbow’s gaze without looking away. She sure looks sincere, Sunset thought, but so did all the others, before...

Sunset’s thoughts trailed off. She shuddered as something cold tightened around her heart. She turned her attention back to the pegasus in front of her. Then, despite all the doubt in her mind, Sunset opened up. “Did Twilight tell you about the time I stole her crown?” She asked.

Rainbow nodded.

Sunset took a deep breath and continued. “You see Rainbow, I used to think a lot of myself. I used to think I was strong and smart. But looking back now, I see it was all just empty arrogance. When I stole the crown, it was because I felt I had earned it.”

Rainbow tilted her head. “Earned it?”

Sunset nodded. “Earned the right to put it on. Earned the right to be a Princess. Earned the right to ascend. Earned…a family.

“It wasn’t till I was lying in that crater, after getting blasted by the elements, that I finally saw how pathetic I was. How pathetic I had always been. I hadn’t earned anything: not status, not power, and certainly not a family. The only thing I had was an ugly heart.

“To drive the point home, standing over me as I lay bruised and beaten in the dirt, was Twilight. Seeing her like that brought into sharp contrast the differences between us. She was everything I wasn’t. She was everything I had failed to be.” Despite herself, Sunset’s eyes began to water, and she looked down.

“Hey, you’re being too hard on yourself,” Rainbow said, comfortingly. “You’re so focused on your past mistakes that you’re keeping yourself from seeing all the awesome things you’ve done.”

Sunset shook her head dismissively. “You don’t understand, Rainbow. You did something that no pony in history has ever done by making a Sonic Rainboom, you achieved your dream and became a Wonderbolt, you’ve saved Equestria several times, AND you’re the bearer of an Element of Harmony. You are awesome. I’m not.”

Sunset felt a pair of wings square her shoulders. She looked up to see Rainbow looking her directly in the eye. “I do understand, Sunset.” Rainbow hesitated, then took a deep breath of her own.

“Have you ever heard of Daring Do?" Before Sunset could even respond, Rainbow continued. "She’s the main character of a book series and a hero of mine. She’s this awesome adventurer who always overcomes the odds and saves the day!

"Some time back, it was announced that the next book in the series had been delayed by the author, A.K. Yearling. I wanted to know why the next book had been delayed, so I went to confront her.

“While at her home, I learned that A.K. Yearling WAS Daring Do! Not only that, but she was in the middle of an adventure. Well, I decided to tag along! After all, I had read all the books, I knew the types of threats she faced, and —as you said— I’m awesome!"

Rainbow sighed. “But, instead of helping, I messed up. Over and over…and over again. She kept telling me to leave because she didn’t need my help and she worked alone, but I wouldn’t listen. Eventually, I wound up getting her captured!

“It was only then, that I realized what I had done. Daring Do was this amazing pony who had been on countless adventures. Next to her, what was I? Just some crazy fan who had done nothing but cause her trouble. She was right, I was no good to her and she’d be better off without me. I…I felt like I was worthless.” Rainbow’s ears flopped down and she hung her head low.

Sunset was shocked. Rainbow Dash had never admitted anything like this before! At least… not the Rainbow she knew. “How’d you get over it?” Sunset asked.

Rainbow lifted her head and smiled at Sunset. “I had my friends with me. They reminded me how awesome I am and that even a pony as incredible as Daring Do needs help from time to time. Long story short, we went after her.”

Rainbow rose into the air and began recounting the story with renewed energy. "Within the Fortress of Talacon, I found Daring Do in imminent peril. I swooped in at the last moment snatching her from the jaws of doom, returned her hat, and earned her respect. Then, together, we defeated the vast and horrible, Auizotal! Saving the Tenochtitlan Basin from 800 years of unrelenting heat!”

After hovering for a moment with clear pride, Rainbow returned to the ground and looked back at Sunset. “The point is, sometimes, it’s hard to believe in yourself, especially after you’ve screwed up royally. But don’t worry, because true friends will be there to remind you how awesome you are, even when you’ve forgotten it yourself! Like how mine were there for me.” Rainbow reached out and put her hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “And like how I’m here for you. So, if you can’t believe in yourself, believe in me instead.

“Believe me, when I say, ‘you’re not arrogant.’

“Believe me, when I say, ‘you’re not pathetic.’

“Believe me, when I say that you, Sunset Shimmer, are awesome!”

As Sunset looked into Rainbow’s confident, smiling face, something happened. Across the room, a curtain shifted. A sunbeam entered the window and its light shot between them. In that moment, Sunset saw a shimmering array of colors dance across Rainbow’s eyes.

Then, Sunset blinked.

A teenager with red and yellow hair, cast her jacket into the wind and planted herself firmly between three enormous monsters and a group of girls who had been knocked to the ground.

* Blink *

Four surly-looking ponies rushed away from the open doors of a diner and ran off into the night. They were covered in donuts, coffee, and burns. Standing in the doorway, watching them flee, was a small unicorn who bore the sun on her flank.

*Blink*

A trio of disheveled ponies peeked cautiously over an upturned table. Standing near the center a scorched lecture hall was a young amber filly. Beside the filly, stood a tall alabaster mare, who looked down at her with a smile as warm as the sun itself. She pointed to a red and yellow cutie mark on the filly’s flank. When the little amber unicorn saw it, she pranced about with delight, as a tiny red and yellow bird flew above her. Sitting on a nearby table, at the clear center of the blast, was the ashen shell of an egg.

*Blink*

Sunset Shimmer lay on the grass, reading beneath the shade of a tree on a beautiful day. She closed her book and took in the world around her. She took a deep breath and could taste the water in the air. She sniffed the breeze and enjoyed the scent of Honeysuckle that traveled on it. She heard a chorus of cicadas fill the day with their iconic song. She looked skyward and saw the object that brought out all this wonder. Standing up, she walked out from beneath the shade of the tree, closed her eyes, and turned her face up toward the sun, feeling its rays warm her.

She had always loved the heat of the Summer Sun; it shined so bright and was so full of energy.

Just like her.

*Blink*

Sunset was back in the spa. The warm feeling of a summer day flared inside her, and she started laughing.

“I have been such an idiot.” Sunset laughed heartily while shaking her head. “You’re right Rainbow. I’ve made mistakes. But those mistakes don’t get to invalidate my accomplishments. I’ve done a lot of things I should be proud of, both recently and in the past. I guess, I just lost sight of that.”

Rainbow’s face lit up. “Don’t worry about it. Even eggheads like you can forget obvious things from time to time,” she teased.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure somepony who hunts down an author to demand to know when their next book is coming out, should be calling any pony an egghead,” Sunset snarked.

Rainbow was taken aback, a shocked expression on her face, but laughter in her eyes. “Whu- Where did this come from!? 5 minutes ago, you could barely take your eyes off the floor and now you’re throwing sass, at me!?”

“Yeah. I am,” Sunset said simply, a smug grin on her face.

Rainbow returned the grin and punched Sunset in the shoulder. “See? I knew it! You are like me!” She looked up in thought. “Maybe I should be a motivational speaker.”

Sunset shook her head. “Nah, you don’t want that. Don’t get me wrong, you’d be good at it, but you’d also have to live… in a van… down by the river!” She finished with an over-the-top shout.

Rainbow blinked, drawing a blank. “I feel like I’m missing something,” she said as Sunset cackled at the line.

Sunset calmed down and threw her hoof over Rainbow’s shoulder. “It’s from a comedy skit in the other world. There’s a lot there you’d like. If you want to visit sometime, I can start putting together a list of things to show you,” she offered.

Rainbow’s face fell and she rolled her eyes. “Ugh, your mind goes right to making a list? Now I can see why you and Twilight get along so well.”

Sunset looked insulted. “Hey! I’m not nearly as bad as she is!”

Rainbow sighed and shook her head in a disappointed fashion. “We were having a good time talking about awesome things, but you HAD to go and ruin it by bringing ink and paper into this!”

“I will not be judged by a pony who walked into this room wearing a fluffy robe and slippers!” Sunset retaliated, filling her voice with joking condemnation. “There’s an entire world of entertainment over there! I just wanted to make a SMALL list of things you’d like, that’s it! Twilight would work out the amount of time each thing would take, then put together some kind of schedule based on a third factor she made up like… ‘quantifiable enjoyment quotient.’”

The disgust in Rainbow’s voice increased as she playfully pushed Sunset away. “UGH! See!? You even think like her! If I closed my eyes, I’d swear that Twilight was in the room right now!”

“Twilight IS in the room right now,” came a cold voice from behind the two of them.

Sunset and Rainbow went rigid, neither daring to turn around.

There was an uncomfortable silence that was broken when Rainbow shouted, “I just remembered I… I HAVE TO GO DO A THING!” Without another word, she dove straight through the nearest window, glass and all.

Twilight walked over and repaired the shattered window. Then, she turned and stared at Sunset with an unreadable expression.

Sunset nervously rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and chuckled. “So, Twilight… how much of that did you hear?”

“Oh, I walked in just as you were passionately assuring Rainbow that you aren’t ‘nearly as bad’ as me, at being organized,” Twilight responded with an overly chipper tone.

Sunset laughed. “Well, I think we both know that’s no contest.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed.

“Wait, that came out wrong!” Sunset quickly shouted. “I meant… you’re ‘bad’, as in good. That’s what the foals are saying these days.” She explained ‘smoothly’.

“Sunset, you are three generations too young to be using the misunderstood slang defense,” Twilight said flatly.

“Not buying it huh?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Okay, I’m sorry Twilight,” Sunset said as she gave Twilight an apologetic smile. “Me and Rainbow got to talking and I got kind of caught up in the moment. I wasn’t trying to be mean.”

Twilight smiled. “I know, and I forgive you. Honestly, I was happy to see you and Rainbow getting along so well.”

“Thanks, and me too. Rainbow’s cool. But on another matter… were you able to get our tickets?” Sunset asked hopefully.

“Mmmm-Hmmm,” Twilight said, waving the tickets before her. “We should have just enough time to pack up and get down to the station to meet the train.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Come on, I’ll race you to the castle,” Sunset said before she turned and practically galloped out the door.

Twilight was stunned by Sunset’s newfound enthusiasm but rather than question a good thing, she just dashed after her.

Chapter 5 - The Equestrian Department of Transportation would like to remind everypony it is dangerous to board a train in motion, BY ANY MEANS!

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“Here you are Princess Twilight, cabin 6.” The conductor pulled open the door at the end of the last train car and gestured inside. “The kitchen and dining cars are always open for your convenience. We only ask that all riders keep the noise levels low in the sleeper and passenger cars between 11 pm and 7 am.” He explained.

“Thank you very much,” Twilight replied with a nod. The Conductor tipped his cap and walked back toward the front of the train to assist other passengers.

Sunset found their cabin to be pleasantly cozy. There was a loft bed on each wall with plenty of headroom. Below each bed was a nice cushioned bench they could sit on during the day, and in the corner of the room, near the door, was an alcove that contained a tiny sink and mirror they could wash up in.

Sunset took off her saddlebags, threw herself on the bench beneath the right loft, and happily stretched out. “Ahhhh this is comfy. I can’t wait till the train gets moving though. I haven’t been on one in so long.”

“There’s a place to store your bags under the seats,” Twilight said, gesturing to the base of the bench beneath Sunset.

Sunset peered over the edge of her seat. Sure enough, she saw a small set of drawers. She reached down, pulled one open, dropped her bags in, and closed it with a ‘snap’.

“So, give me a more detailed rundown of our journey to Canterlot,” Sunset said, looking back up at Twilight.

Twilight settled herself on her bench and gave Sunset a teasing smile. “I thought you wanted to be surprised?”

“I did,” Sunset replied simply. “Now is the time. Surprise me!”

Twilight gave an amused snort. “Ok, so for the first leg of the journey, the train leaves Ponyville at 3:35. It heads west through the White Tail Woods then turns north, heading up into the Smokey Mountains. It’ll pass through the town of Tall Tale and continue on until it reaches Vanhoover tonight at 9:50, that will be its first stop. It'll stay at the Vanhoover station for 30 minutes while it refuels, then head off again at 10:20.

“It will start the second leg of the journey by heading east through the Unicorn Mountain Range. Once through, it will turn north and run alongside Galloping Gorge. Past the gorge, it will enter the Frozen North and the Crystal Mountains.

“The Crystal Mountains are much more intense than the other ranges the train passes through. In fact, it’ll spend most of the night winding through them before arriving at the Crystal Empire at 9:00 tomorrow morning. It remains at the Crystal Empire for another 30-minute refuel before taking a direct route south to Canterlot, arriving at 2:10 in the afternoon, tomorrow.” She finished.

Sunset held up a hoof. “Hold on. It takes the train nearly 11 hours to go from Vanhoover to the Crystal Empire, but only about 5 to go from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot? How’s that work?”

Twilight smiled. “Well, the Crystal Empire is, more or less, directly North of Canterlot and, conveniently, there is a natural break in the Crystal Mountains along that route. Once it gets south of the Crystal Mountains, the train runs along flat, unobstructed, plains all the way to Canterlot. When it goes from Vanhoover to the Crystal Empire, it has to slowly work its way through the Crystal Mountains without the benefit of such a direct natural pass.”

Sunset thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay, that seems reasonable enough.”

The car jostled as the train whistle blew. Sunset smiled at the jolt. She had missed the feeling of being on a train. The train pulled away from the station and began heading out of town.

As the train neared the edge of Ponyville, Sunset heard some muffled shouting coming from outside. A glance at Twilight’s confused expression told Sunset that she had heard it, too. They got up to look out the window. “What is th—”

*POP!*

Before Sunset could finish her thought, there was a loud ‘POP!’ in the cabin and something heavy landed on Sunset’s back, sending her to the ground. At the same time, a thick cloth wrapped around her head, covering her world in darkness.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sunset cried. Blinded and pinned to the floor, she began to kick out, hoping to hit whatever landed on her. Soon, she felt her hoof connect with something.

“OUCH! Sunset! That’s me!” Twilight yelled from nearby. A moment later, one of Twilight’s wings smacked Sunset in the face. Knowing roughly where Twilight was, Sunset changed her aim and sent the next kick into the other struggling form.

“OW! DO NOT KICK THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” Shouted the weight on top of her.

“Well get your great and powerful…mass off of me!” Sunset shouted back.

“Trixie does NOT have mass! Now get off of Trixie’s cloak!” Sunset gave a small yelp as a horn poked her in the back, hard.

“Get off my wing, Trixie!” Twilight shouted as Sunset heard her free wing smack the other pony.

“Ow! I will! As soon as THIS pony gets off my cloak!” Sunset was poked again.

“Ah! I WILL!” Sunset shouted. “As soon as YOUR cloak stops trying to kill me!” She sent another kick into the darkness and was rewarded with a satisfying ‘oomph’. Sadly, this did nothing to improve their situation.

Their struggling increased to no avail and soon, they were hopelessly tangled together in a pile of smacking wings, kicking hooves, poking horns, and binding cloaks.

A second ‘POP!’ filled the cabin. Thankfully, nothing else landed on them. Instead, Sunset heard a voice she recognized. “Oh, hey Twilight. Hey Sunset. What are you doing here?”

“Starlight, a little help!” Twilight pleaded from somewhere in the pony pile.

“Oh, sorry!” Starlight said. The three of them were lifted into the air, and with a third ‘POP!’ they found themselves separated.

With the cloak no longer going all Doctor Strange on her face, Sunset could take in the scene. Twilight’s mane was a mess and it looked as though she had lost a few feathers in the chaos. Next to her, a sky-blue Unicorn with a pale-blue mane, wearing a purple cloak, picked a matching crumpled hat up off the ground and set about trying to smooth it out.

Yep, that certainly looks like the pony version of Trixie, Sunset thought to herself. Turning to the mirror, Sunset cringed when she saw that her mane looked even worse than Twilight’s.

“Sorry about that,” Starlight said with an apologetic grin. “Teleporting Trixie onto the train, without knowing what the inside looked like, while we were both running, wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

“It’s okay, Starlight,” Sunset groaned, rubbing the sore spot on her back. Carefully, she hopped back up onto her bench, settled into a comfortable position, and shot a weary look at the blue unicorn. “Thanks for dropping in, Trixie,” she quipped.

Trixie looked up from her hat and leveled a glare at Sunset. “Apologize for saying Trixie has mass!”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “You do have mass. Anything made out of matter has mass! You just have more of it than most ponies!”

“I do NOT have more mass than most ponies!” Trixie yelled as she took a moment to look Sunset up and down. “And who are you anyway?”

“Oh? You haven’t met yet?" Starlight asked excitedly. "Sunset, Trixie. Trixie, Sunset!”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted. She turned to Trixie and Starlight. “First things first, do you have tickets to ride?”

“Why? Are you going to throw us off the train if we don’t, Princess?” Trixie retorted, with an overly bratty tone.

“I might,” Twilight growled, getting in Trixie’s face.

Starlight laughed nervously. “Don’t worry Twilight. We have tickets.” She looked expectantly at Trixie. “Right?”

Trixie looked to Starlight then back at Twilight. Eventually, she rolled her eyes, magically pulled two tickets out of her saddlebag, and shoved them into Twilight’s face. “Here! Two tickets to Vanhoover. Satisfied?”

Twilight checked the tickets, nodded, and floated them back to Trixie. “Ok, now why didn’t you just get on at the station?”

Trixie gave an annoyed sigh. “Because I had to go save Starlight from a goat.”

For a few moments, only the rumbling of the train could be heard.

Sunset closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “What?”

Starlight —who had not denied Trixie’s claim— was the first to respond. “It’s a bit of a story.”

“Sit,” Sunset instructed, pointing to the bench opposite her. “This will drive me crazy if I don’t get an explanation.”

Twilight joined Sunset on her bench, while Trixie and Starlight took the other.

Trixie cleared her throat. “Ok, it began like this. We had split up about half an hour ago. I went to get our tickets and ensure that my wagon was properly loaded into the baggage car when the train arrived…”

“…and I went into town to grab some last-minute snacks,” Starlight finished. “Speaking of.” She levitated her bag over to herself and began pulling things out. “Candies from Bon-Bon’s, cider from Sweet Apple Acres, a few cupcakes from Sugarcube corner…”

As Starlight continued pulling snacks from the bag, Twilight glanced down at the floor and her horn began to glow. A panel slid back and a large collapsible table unfolded between the two benches, giving them someplace to put the snacks.

When she finished unpacking, Starlight invited them to help themselves and each pony took a moment to grab their favorites.

Sunset took a swig of cider. “Ok,” she said. “Now where does this goat come in?”

Starlight swallowed a cupcake. “Right, so I was at the General Store getting, among other things, the last item on the list, peanut butter crackers.”

“Ok, Miss Starlight. Your total comes to 27 bits.” The clerk informed her.

“Sure, here you are!” Starlight said, floating the coins over to him.

“Thank you very much, have a good day!” He replied, dropping the bits into the cash register as Starlight stored her purchases in her saddlebags.

Starlight turned to leave the store. “Thanks! You too!” Stepping out into the chilly winter air, she glanced up at the Ponyville clock tower and cringed. She had spent more time shopping than she thought; the train was going to be leaving soon! She started trotting towards the station at a brisk pace however, before she got far, a sudden sound from behind made her stop.

“Baaaaaaaah”

Startled, she spun around, coming face to face with a goat wearing a scarf. The goat blinked at her. She blinked back. “Uh… can I help you?” Starlight asked uncertainly.

“Baaaah,” The goat said, pointing at her.

“Me?” She asked, pointing at herself.

“Baaah” The goat responded brusquely, shaking their head.

Starlight sighed. “Ugh. I was never any good at charades. Do… you need help?”

“Baaah” The goat shook their head and pointed again. This time, Starlight realized they were pointing at her bags.

“Do you… want to know where you can get saddlebags?” She asked.

“Baaah” The goat responded once more in the negative. They pointed at the bags more forcefully. “Baaaa-aaaaaaaah”

Starlight didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t understand what the goat was saying, and each wrong guess was clearly annoying them.

In the distance, she heard the train’s whistle, warning of its impending departure. She had to go, but… she didn’t want to be rude and just run off, she felt certain that was against some friendship lesson.

Starlight’s mind went into overdrive as she felt the walls begin to close in.

What she needed was a solution that would accomplish three things: end the interaction immediately, so that Starlight could make the train; not make her rude, by running away without resolving anything; AND appease the goat, despite her having no idea what they want.

Ok, you’ve got this Starlight, she nervously thought to herself, after reviewing the situation. Just think it through. If you don’t know what the goat wants, why not just change what they want into something you know! With the slightest application of Fiducia Compelus, it should be possible to convince the goat that they want a cupcake! Then, I can just give them a cupcake and be on my way! I make the train! The goat has the cupcake they want! Everypony’s happy!

Starlight began weaving the spell then paused. Wait, the last time I used this spell, I went way too far. But… I’m not taking control of the goat. I’m just replacing their unknown desire with a known one. Sort of a…compromise to help smooth this interaction over. The goat will enjoy their cupcake, then resume their normal life.

Starlight shook her head violently. NO! Stop rationalizing this! Compromises aren’t one-sided! It might be uncomfortable but… I have to try again. And if it doesn’t work… I’ll run away.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what you want. Can you please try walking me through it slowly, with gestures, or… pictures?” Starlight asked the goat, hopefully.

The goat rolled their eyes. Well, that’ll make me feel less bad about running away in a second. Starlight thought.

The goat pointed at Starlight, “Baaaaah”. Next, they pointed at the General Store, “Baaa-aaah”. Then, they held up a stack of coins, “Baaaah”. Finally, they pointed at her saddlebag, “Baaaaaaaah”.

“Do you… want to… buy something from me?” She asked tentatively.

“Baa-aa-aa-aah,” The goat said, while happily nodding their head up and down.

Starlight smiled. Okay, progress! Without magic! This feels good!

The train’s whistle sounded again. Starlight checked the town clock, she had less than five minutes to wrap this up!

“Okay, so what do you want to buy?” She quickly asked.

“STARLIGHT!”

Starlight and the goat jumped into the air as Trixie galloped up to them. “The train is about to leave! What are you doing!?”

“Well, I’m… trying to sell something?”

“Sell something? NOW!?” Trixie asked incredulously.

“BAAAAaaaaaAAAH!” The goat yelled at Trixie.

Trixie rounded on the goat, with a look of fury. She looked them dead in the eye and shouted, “BAAAA-AAAA-AAAH!”

The goat blinked. “Baaaa…aaaaah?” They asked uncertainly.

“Bah” Trixie spat, rolling her eyes. “Baaaaaaaaaaahh?” She then asked the goat, pointing at Starlight.

“Baaaah.” They answered.

Trixie spun around and started digging through Starlight’s saddlebag. After a moment, she pulled out a package of peanut butter crackers. “Baah?” She asked.

The goat nodded.

Trixie gave an exasperated sigh and looked at Starlight. “How much did you pay for the peanut butter crackers?”

Starlight didn’t respond, she wasn’t sure what was real anymore.

“STARLIGHT!” Trixie’s yell convinced her this was real.

“Um… five bits.” Starlight stammered.

Trixie turned wordlessly to look at the goat, who held up a small stack of coins and said, “Baa-aaaaaa-ah”.

Trixie looked back to Starlight. “Okay here’s the deal. That pack of peanut butter crackers was the last one the store had, and you bought them before he did. But he really wants them so he’s offering you six bits for them.”

Starlight blinked. “Oh, is that it?” She asked turning toward the goat. “It’s okay, you can just have them.” Starlight said, offering the goat the pack.

“BBBAAAAAAAA-AAAAAHHHH!” The goat bellowed. This time, he was obviously angry.

“What’s wrong?” Starlight cried, jumping back. “I thought you wanted these!”

Trixie sighed. “Look, there’s no way you could’ve known since you aren’t familiar with goat society, but you just insulted him.”

“WHAT? How?”

“Many goats, like this one, come from the Panus Isles. It’s a very mercantile society, everything revolves around trade. Now, he just offered to buy your peanut butter crackers from you for 20% more than what you paid for them. You could’ve accepted, rejected or negotiated and it would’ve been fine; but no, you offered to give them to him for free, after hearing his offer. Which, to him, sounded like you saying, ‘Look, I know you’re too poor to afford that. So, why don’t you just take them, peasant.’”

“WHAT? That’s not what I was saying at all!” Starlight shouted desperately.

“Oh, of course not!” Trixie huffed. “That’s a very specific insult that no creature outside the Panus Isles would even think of! In fact, most goats would brush it off, if it came from a foreigner.” Trixie narrowed her eyes at the goat. “This must be a young goat traveling with his first caravan.”

The goat continued to glare at Starlight. “So, what do I do?” Starlight asked Trixie.

“Accept his 6 bits and give him the peanut butter crackers. In that order, Starlight. I don’t want to miss our train by explaining international manners to this goat!”

Starlight took the bits from the goat and floated the packet of peanut butter crackers over to him in return. This time, he happily reached out and took them.

With a final, “Ba-ah”, he turned and walked away.

The train’s whistle echoed loudly through Ponyville, signaling its departure.

“Come on! We’ve got to go!” Trixie beckoned as she turned and galloped toward the train station.

Starlight sprinted after her. “You got our tickets, right?”

“YES! NOW COME ON! IF WE RUN, WE CAN CATCH IT BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF TOWN!”

“…and we were able to catch up to the train, on the edge of town.” Starlight explained. “I teleported Trixie inside before it pulled away and once she was safely onboard, I was able to easily catch up by flying after it.”

Twilight blinked. “Okay, there’s a lot here. First—”

“YOU CAN FLY!?” Sunset blurted out. “WITH MAGIC?”

Starlight blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, it’s a spell I whipped up a few months ago for… reasons.”

Twilight cleared her throat, regaining everyone’s attention. “As I was saying,” —she turned to Starlight— “I am very proud of you for resisting the urge to use magic to solve that problem. I know it wasn’t easy in that situation, but you made the right call!”

Starlight happily accepted the praise. “Thanks, Twilight. Honestly, I’m kinda proud of myself too.”

“Well, you should be.” Sunset agreed, “It sounds like you were doing well there on your own. I think you would’ve gotten through, eventually. And if not, that would’ve been a nice subtle use of Fiducia Compelus.”

Starlight gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe, but there’s no way I would’ve made the train on time without Trixie.”

The other three ponies turned to look at the magician, who furrowed her brow and returned their inquisitive expressions with one of her own. “What?”

“How can you speak goat?” Sunset asked, bluntly.

Trixie narrowed her eyes. “I’m insulted that you seem so surprised by the fact that I can. I am a well-traveled magician, after all, you pick up a lot on the road. It may surprise you to learn that I also play several instruments, paint, sew, handle my own pyrotechnics, and am a decent cook.” She explained, listing off her talents. “Anyway, I want to know what your deal is.” She added, pointing at Sunset.

Sunset raised a brow. “My deal?”

Trixie nodded. “A mare appears, as if from nowhere, who is suddenly buddy-buddy with Princess Twilight and clings to her like a lost puppy? Hmmm, I think I’ve heard this story before,” Trixie mused. “Doesn’t it sound familiar, Starlight?”

“Trixie,” Twilight growled warningly.

“Oh, calm down Princess,” Trixie said, taking a bite of a cupcake. “So Sunset, what horrible act of evil did you commit?” She casually blurted out in-between bites.

“Trixie!” Twilight and Starlight yelled.

“No, no it’s fine,” Sunset said, waving it away. “I mean, she’s not wrong. I suppose the first thing you should know about me is that I was a student of Princess Celestia’s, like Twilight…”

As the train made its way through White Tail Woods, Sunset told Starlight and Trixie about her escape through the mirror, her theft of the Element of Magic, and the events surrounding the Fall Formal.

When she finished, they went to the dining car to enjoy a late lunch, while Sunset told them about the Battle of the Bands and the Sirens. Trixie was very surprised to learn that there was another her on the other side of the mirror. She got the conversation off track several times by bombarding Sunset with questions as she tried to determine which of them was the more Great and Powerful.

When Sunset’s tale finished, they headed back to the cabin. As she flopped back down on her bench, Sunset noticed that it was getting dark outside and the view through the window was no longer a forest, but tree-covered mountains. “Are we already in the Smokey Mountains?” She asked Twilight.

Twilight leaned over and glanced outside. “We sure are! Fluttershy and I solved a friendship problem not far from here. Well, it was more of a several generation-long family feud, but we solved it!”

Trixie cleared her throat dramatically, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Ok, Sunset, you shared your dark past, so sit back as I tell you the tragic tale of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s fall from grace.”

Sunset blinked. “Wait, you did something?”

Trixie nodded. “It all began when Trixie came to the town of Ponyville…” Trixie then went over the events of her first visit to Ponyville: her troubles with hecklers, Snips and Snails, the Ursa Major and the destruction of her home.

Sunset kept looking to Twilight, expecting her to correct the record, because, so far, it sounded like Trixie was a victim more than the antagonist. However, the only thing Twilight corrected was that the Ursa Major was really an Ursa Minor.

“Hold up,” Sunset exclaimed as Trixie finished. “How were you the villain in that? You were just a stage pony putting on a show. Bragging is part of the act. Sure, you may have been a bit of a blowhard, but you certainly weren’t the villain.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “I don’t think I ever apologized to you for that, Trixie.”

Trixie turned to Twilight in surprise. “Why would you apologize? You didn’t do anything to me.”

“No, but I didn’t help you either,” Twilight confessed sadly. “It didn’t occur to me at the time, because I was too worried about being viewed as a braggart by my new friends, but you really were a victim on that first visit. I should’ve stood up for you, or at least offered to help you after your home was destroyed.”

Trixie shrugged like it was no big deal, but her attitude toward Twilight softened considerably. “Thanks, but I do blame myself a bit. You have to read your audience and adjust your act to what they like if you want to put on a good show. Admittedly, I’ve never had a show backfire that severely before.”

“So, if it wasn’t that visit, then what did you do?” Sunset asked.

Trixie returned to her story. “Well, after losing my home and everything I owned, I was in a bad place. I was humiliated and jealous of all the praise Twilight received after defeating the Ursa Minor, so she became the focus of my anger. I wanted to prove I was better than her. So, I spent a few months working on a rock farm until I had enough bits saved up to buy a soul-sucking evil amulet from a curios shop.”

“YOU’RE THE STAGE PONY WHO BOUGHT THE ALICORN AMULET!?” Sunset exclaimed.

Trixie was startled by the outburst. “How do you know about the Alicorn Amulet?”

“Twilight told me about it when she showed me her v—” Sunset winced as Twilight gave her a painful kick under the table. “her…very impressive collection of books on evil artifacts.” Sunset finished, with a pained smile.

Trixie didn’t seem to take notice and resumed her tale. “Oh. Well anyways, I bought the Alicorn Amulet and returned to Ponyville…” Trixie then told them about her brief reign as ruler of Ponyville and how she was ultimately dethroned by the tricks of Twilight and her friends.

“I do feel bad about what I did.” Trixie’s ears flopped down as she looked shamefully at the floor. “Even though the amulet influenced me after I put it on, the jealousy and anger that led me to buy it in the first place, was all me. However,” she added, lighting up with renewed determination, “it was a turning point for me. After having my ‘real’ magic defeated by the kinds of tricks I used to specialize in, I was inspired to become an even greater illusionist than I was before. Since then, I have been constantly improving my act and working to make the name ‘Trixie’ one that ponies across Equestria will shout and cheer for!” She finished with a dramatic flourish.

Sunset never thought she’d feel this way, but she was impressed… by Trixie. The Trixie she knew from school was shallow and boastful. But this one was… well she was boastful, but she was also tenacious and optimistic. Wait, Sunset thought, is the Trixie from school actually like that too, beneath her façade?

Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted by a sigh from Starlight. “Okay, my turn. I should warn you my story is a lot less sympathetic than Trixie’s. Trixie made a bad decision after falling on hard times, but I was a tiny bit… completely and utterly evil,” she said, with a nervous chuckle.

If Sunset was surprised by Trixie’s admission, she was astonished by Starlight’s. She had never encountered the Starlight in the human world, but this one had been nothing but friendly and adorably obsessed with kites ever since Sunset had met her. Though there was that one comment she made in the vault about enslaving an entire village, Sunset remembered.

“So, it all began when I was youn—"

*Ding-Dong*

All four of them jumped as a tone rung throughout the train’s PA system, followed by an announcement.

Attention passengers. The Northwest Express will be arriving at the Vanhoover Station in 10 minutes. If you are getting off at Vanhoover, please make sure you have all your bags and belongings with you before you leave the train. Items stored in the baggage car will be available for pickup inside the station. Thank you for riding with us today.

Trixie turned to Starlight excitedly. “Ooo! This is our stop!”

Twilight collapsed the table into the floor so that Starlight and Trixie could stand up and get their bags ready.

Sunset looked up at the two of them. “I got so drawn in by the goat story that I never did get to ask, why are you two going to Vanhoover?”

Starlight settled her bags into place. “Well, Trixie is actually booked to perform her magic routine this weekend at the Vanhoover Theatre.”

Twilight smiled and turned to Trixie. “Really?”

Trixie looked delighted and excitedly pranced in place. “Really! It was a bit last minute because they had a cancellation, but apparently, the manager saw my magic act on the road and loved it! So, she reached out yesterday to ask if I was available!”

Starlight nodded. “That’s actually why we’re taking the train, instead of just hoofing it there. The first performance is tomorrow.”

Trixie placed her hat on her head. “And I asked my Great and Powerful Assistant to come with me because I want this show to go especially well. It’s not often I get booked in such a large city! We even get a hotel room!” She clapped her hooves gleefully.

“Trixie, that’s fantastic news. Congratulations!” Twilight said excitedly.

Trixie paused for a moment, then a genuinely warm smile spread across her face. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“Good luck you two,” Sunset said. “Let me know how it goes.”

“We will.” Starlight responded cheerfully.

“It was nice meeting you Sunset,” Trixie said, “…well no. Meeting you was painful and involved a lot of kicking. It was nice swapping stories and getting to know you.”

Sunset tittered. “Same here, Trixie.”

The two mares departed the cabin as the train slowed to a stop inside the Vanhoover station.

Two and a half hours later, the Northwest Express had left Vanhoover, passed through the Unicorn Mountains, and was now racing north along Galloping Gorge. Sunset and Twilight passed the time with pleasant conversation. The topics jumped around quite a bit and, as they returned from their very late supper, they had just started a new one.

“What do you mean they were always late starting Spring until you came to town?” Sunset asked Twilight as she settled on her bench. “Winter Wrap-up takes like, 3 hours.”

“In Canterlot it does,” Twilight replied, draping herself across her bench with a lazy sigh, “but Ponyville was founded by Earth Ponies, so they pride themselves on doing it without magic.”

Sunset’s confused expression gave way to one of intrigue. “Really? How do they grow food rapidly after the snow is cleared without Earth Pony magic?”

“Well, passive abilities are allowed.” Twilight explained. “So, Earth Ponies can give crops a boost and Pegasi can fly and manage the weather."

Sunset brought a hoof to her face. “So… the only magic that’s not allowed is Unicorn magic?”

Twilight shook her head. “No! That’s not true. Unicorns are allowed to use basic telekinesis.”

“Oh! So, like, no spells, but they can clear snow with magic.” Sunset suggested.

Twilight hesitated. “Well…no. The snow is cleared by hoof with plows and snow shovels.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like it’s not so much a ‘no-magic’ rule, as it is a ‘unicorn handicap’ rule. It sounds a bit… tribalist.”

Twilight inhaled deeply. “I am choosing to believe that is a result of ignorance, more than intent. Besides, as a unicorn from Canterlot, I really don’t think it’s my place to say anything.”

Sunset nodded in agreement. “Oh, absolutely! Even if it IS an intentional once-a-year snub? That’s nothing compared to how insufferable the elite of Canterlot can be year-round! I can count on one hoof the number of nobles I’ve never wanted to throw into the moat.”

“I hope you’ve never actually done that,” Twilight said, looking at Sunset with a mischievous grin.

A smirk crept across Sunset’s face. “Only the one time.”

“Sunset!” Twilight laughed.

As they laughed, a light outside the window caught Sunset’s attention. She got up and peered out into the darkness. Beyond the window, Sunset could see the plains give way to tall, snow-covered, mountains.

“Oh, we must be entering the Frozen North,” Twilight said, joining Sunset at the window. “The train will probably slow down as it starts winding its way through the mountains.”

Sunset didn’t see the light that brought her to the window in the first place, but she did notice that the ground was far brighter than it had been a few minutes ago. “The moon must be bright tonight,” she said, looking out across the illuminated snow.

Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. “That’s not the moon, Sunset!” She said, turning around and walking over to the sink and mirror.

Sunset looked back at Twilight and raised an eyebrow. “What? Is it a space station?”

Twilight gave her a bemused look through the mirror.

“Never mind," Sunset chuckled. "So, if it isn’t the moon. Then what is making all that light out there?”

“I’ll show you,” Twilight said as she began brushing her teeth. “Wash up and get ready for bed.”

A few minutes later, Sunset and Twilight were in their lofts. “Ok, Twilight,” Sunset yawned. “What is it you wanted to show me?”

“Lie down and close your eyes,” Twilight instructed as she turned off the cabin light.

“This better not just be a trick to get me to fall asleep before bedtime,” Sunset mumbled. Nonetheless, she laid her head down on the pillow, pulled the covers up, and closed her eyes.

After a moment, she heard the sound of magic come from Twilight’s loft. “Okay, Sunset. Open your eyes.”

Sunset opened her eyes and gasped.

The entire ceiling of their cabin was gone, and Sunset’s vision was filled with a gorgeous star-filled sky, framed by the snowy peaks of the Crystal Mountains, that towered above the train. But the thing that had stolen Sunset’s breath away was neither the stars nor the mountains, it was the light source.

Hanging far above the ground and illuminating the world below, was a vast river of light that flowed across the sky. Sunset’s mouth hung silently open as her cyan eyes drank in the massive blue-green spectacle above her.

“It’s called the Aurora,” Twilight said softly as, she too, gazed up at it. “It’s a natural phenomenon of the Frozen North.”

Sunset wasn’t a fan of the short days of winter, nor the cold, but this sight was almost enough to make it worth tolerating both year-round. “Natural? I’ve studied magic most of my life and I’ve never seen anything more deserving of the word ‘magical’, and you’re telling me… it’s not?” Sunset whispered, in disbelief.

Twilight shook her head, without looking away from the sky. “Nope. The Crystal Heart interacts with it in some way, but the Aurora exists independent of it. According to the Yaks, during the thousand years, the Crystal Empire was gone, the Aurora still showed up each night. No pony makes this. This… this just happens.”

Sunset smiled at the thought. She never knew that the world could be so beautifully mysterious, all on its own. “Thank you for letting me see this, Twilight,” she said with a tired yawn.

“You’re welcome, Sunset,” Twilight yawned in return.

They didn’t say anything else. Sunset just watched the Aurora dance slowly in the sky, tracing its path with her eyes as the train rocked her to sleep.

Far from the comforting glow of the Aurora, in a dark office, the ‘click’ of a lock pierced the silence of the night. A door swung forward, and a pony quickly slipped inside and shut it behind her. She was dressed head to hoof in a black outfit and wore a pair of large green goggles on her face. She snuck over to the desk and searched it for this month’s ledger. Upon finding it, she began flipping through the ticket sales for the day. After a few minutes, she located the entry she was looking for:

Twilight Sparkle; 2 sleeper tickets on the Northwest Express; Ponyville to Canterlot.

Chapter 6 - If you don't have to travel to a far-off jungle for a good cure, it's not a good cure.

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It was a beautiful, sunny day in the city of Canterlot, and most ponies were out enjoying the weather: most, but not all. Not far from the castle grounds, in a tower that stood on its own, Sunset Shimmer sat at a table, reading.

With a groan, she closed the book in front of her, tossed it away, and turned her attention toward the last one on the table. Her horn glowed with a cyan light and the book flew open. Guided by the Speed-Read spell, Sunset’s eyes darted across the pages as absurdly fast as she was turning them. When she reached the end, she snapped the book closed with a huff. But before she could toss it away, a pair of wings covered her eyes.

“Guess who~” Sang a cheerful voice.

“Cadance, if you don’t get your wings out of my face in the next 10 seconds, I am going to set you on fire,” an annoyed Sunset threatened.

Across the table, the same voice sang, “Guess agaaaiiiinnn~”

Even from behind the wings, Sunset’s confusion was obvious. “How… are you doing this?” A snicker that came from directly behind her, answered Sunset’s question. “Philomena, you traitor.” She growled.

A moment later, the wings were removed from Sunset’s face, allowing her to see once more; across the table, sat a pony who had both wings and a horn. Cadance was a bright pink alicorn with a long mane of purple, pink, and yellow that curled at the end. She stood a few inches taller than Sunset; her cutie mark was a light blue crystalline heart; her eyes were purple, and she had a friendly expression on her face. Sunset glared at her, while a majestic bird with flame-colored plumage, landed on the nearby pile of discarded books. “Congrats, you got it!” Cadance said warmly.

“It’ll be the proudest moment of my life, I’m sure,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “Now what do you want? I’m trying to study.”

Despite the rudeness, Cadance just smiled with amusement. “Oh, don’t be like that.”

Sunset’s eyebrows shot up. “You break into my tower, interrupt my studies, and now you’re telling me to ‘not be like that?’”

“Firstly, I didn’t break in; Philomena let me in.” Sunset shot an indignant glare at the phoenix, who, somehow, smirked in response. “Secondly, we did not interrupt your studies. We patiently waited until you had finished going through the last of your books. Thirdly, I’m not here to fight with you Sunset.”

“Pity, then why are you here?”

“I’m glad you asked!" Cadance said, leaning across the table so fast, that Sunset nearly fell backward out of her chair. "I am here to inform you, that you and I are going on a diplomatic trip to Saddle Arabia!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Say what now?”

“If you remember, this past winter, the crown prince of Saddle Arabia stayed with us for a few weeks on a goodwill diplomacy trip,” Cadance explained. “Well, now it’s time for them to play host to somepony from here. So, I’m being sent, and I’m taking you with me.”

“No.”

Cadance dramatically collapsed on top of the table, like a puppet that just had its strings cut. “Oh, come ooon,” she whined, “we never get to spend any time together anymore!” She raised her head to look at Sunset, with a smile that was too large and sweet, even for her. “Do it for me?”

Sunset gave Cadance a bemused look. “When, have I EVER done anything for you?”

“Well, you did teach me magic every day for several years,” Cadance answered.

“On Celestia’s orders!”

“…You did it so well that, after 6 months, I was ahead of ponies my age.”

“Yeah, I’m amazing!”

“When I caught the Feather Flu, you made a special potion to cure me.”

“It was easier than listening to your whining for a week.”

“…You had to go all the way to the Tenochtitlan Basin for the primary ingredient.”

“Yeah, your whining was that annoying!”

“Mmmm-Hmmm,” Cadance hummed in amusement. “And the time you saved my life?”

“Now THAT was the one mistake I’ve made in an otherwise flawless life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m very busy.” Sunset got up, turned away from Cadance, and went to her desk across the room.

However, before she could pretend to look busy, Cadance fluttered down from above, and draped her front legs over the top of Sunset’s head, like a lazy foal. “I hate you,” Sunset grumbled, propping her head up on one of her front legs, to accommodate the extra weight.

“Why are you always such a grouch?” Cadance pouted. “I know you’re good, deep down.”

Unable to move her head, Sunset settled for glaring up toward the weight on top of her. “Just because I didn’t let Tarnished Knife sell you for parts, doesn’t mean I’m good. It just means I’m not a monster.”

Cadance shook her head. “You’re more than that, Sunset. You’re good! There’s no way that somepony who was just ‘not a monster’ could’ve hatched a creature as beautiful and intelligent as Philomena, from a fossilized egg.”

There was a squawk to her left. Sunset glanced over and saw that Philomena had landed on the desk and was now striking a particularly regal pose. “Don’t say things like that,” Sunset warned. “If her head gets any bigger, she’ll have trouble flying straight.” Philomena blew raspberries at Sunset, bringing a smirk to the mare’s face. Seemingly satisfied, she turned her attention back to Cadance. “Why don’t you take that guard you’re sweet on? You know, the one who casts a halfway-decent shield spell. What’s his name? Gleaming Bulwark?” Sunset asked innocently.

Annoyed, Cadance suddenly shifted most of her weight onto the amber pony’s head, pushing Sunset down, until her cheek was smooshed against the surface of the desk. “Shining Armor,” she firmly corrected. “He’s next in line to become the captain of the guard. You’ve met him several times. We’ve all had dinner before! I know you know his name.”

Despite the fact that Sunset’s face was now becoming one with the desk, her smirk evolved into a victorious grin. “Yeah, him.” She replied, with a satisfied tone. “Why not take him? Sounds like a lovely romantic trip. He can even double as your guard.”

Cadance lowered the pressure on Sunset, slightly. “I did consider that, but I want to take YOU Sunset! It’s been too long since we did anything together. Besides, you like to travel, you like the heat AND you like ancient ruins; this trip has all of that!”

Sunset went silent and stared down at the table. It was clear to Cadance that she was having an internal debate with herself, but something was…off.

Strange, Cadance thought, after a solid minute had passed, it doesn’t normally take her this long to reach a decision.

Cadance was about to ask if something was wrong when Sunset finally spoke. “It does sound fun, but I can’t go. I’m kinda looking into something that’s caught my interest, and if I went now, I’d just obsess about it the whole trip.”

Cadance felt her excitement evaporate into thin air. “Are you sure?” She asked, despite knowing the answer.

There was a pause. “…Yeah, I’m sorry.” Sunset sighed, sounding genuinely apologetic. She moved to stand up and Cadance got off her head.

The two of them continued talking as they walked toward the door. “You should definitely take Shining Armor though,” Sunset suggested, “the two of you would have a great time.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Cadance agreed, with a half-hearted smile. The disappointed expression on her face made Sunset cringe.

Soon, they were standing on the outside balcony that served as the tower’s primary entrance. To the left was a large set of stairs that wrapped around the tower and led to the ground, but Cadance didn’t need them. After a small wave goodbye, she walked to the edge of the balcony and spread her wings.

“WAIT!” Sunset suddenly shouted.

The shout interrupted Cadance’s takeoff and she turned back toward Sunset with a shocked expression. “What!?”

“How about… we take a trip when you get back? Just the two of us?” Sunset asked, her face turning a bright red.

“Really?” Cadance asked cautiously.

“Really. I’ll be done with this by then, and you can choose where we’ll go.”

Cadance smiled as happiness filled her. “That sounds great, Sunset! Don’t worry! I’ll pick a place that makes Saddle Arabia look boring by compar—” Cadance’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Wait! What time is it??? I’ve got to go ask Shining Armor if he’s available to go with me tomorrow!”

Sunset’s expression morphed from bashful, to one of sheer disbelief, in a matter of seconds. “The trip is tomorrow, and you were just asking me today?”

Cadance gave Sunset a sheepish smile. “…Weeell, I was going to ask you earlier in the week, but… I kept forgetting.”

Sunset smacked her hoof into her face. “How you’re a princess and I’m not, is beyond me.”

“Maybe princesses are naturally forgetful?” Cadance suggested. “It would explain why Aunt Celestia has so many assistants.”

“She has so many assistants because she has a country to run! Not because she can’t remember a single trip! Now shoo, before I decide to tell Kibitz about this.”

A look of fear passed over Cadance’s face. “Oh, please don’t! He’s spent the entire week nagging me about this.”

“YOU FORGOT, EVEN WITH HIM REMINDING YOU EVERY DAY!?” Sunset roared.

“Wow, would you look at the time,” Cadance cried out, jumping into the air and hovering just above the balcony. “I really need to get going!”

“Tch! Yeah, you probably should!” Sunset rolled her eyes with an exasperated smile. “But I hope you have a good time.”

“I will! Bye, Sunset, I’ll see you when I get back!” Cadance called out, as she turned and flew away from the tower.

“I’ll be here,” Sunset shouted after her.

No, she won’t.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of panic shot through Cadance, causing her to nearly drop out of the sky. After stabilizing herself, she turned to see Sunset heading back inside, the doors closing behind her.

Without thinking, she dove at the tower, as fast as she could. She didn’t know why, but every fiber of her being was screaming the same message: do not let those doors close!

As Cadance closed the distance, time seemed to slow. Each wingbeat became exhausting, and the air was putting up FAR more resistance than it should have. She looked at the doors. They were now less than a foot open; she wasn’t going to make it.

No, not this time!

Cadance flattened her wings against herself and dropped out of the air, hitting the edge of the balcony at a full gallop. It was like trying to run through water, but Cadance pushed forward with a single-minded fury and smashed through the doors of the tower, just before they snapped shut.

Sunset spun around with a startled expression, only to be tackled to the ground by Cadance. After skidding to a stop, the two of them spent a few moments on the floor of the Apprentice’s Tower: Cadance filled with relief, and Sunset looking utterly bewildered. Eventually, Sunset found her voice. “Um, Cadance? What’s wrong?”

“Forget Saddle Arabia,” Cadance replied, catching her breath. “Blueblood can go or something, I don’t care! I love you Sunset, and I am not going anywhere!” She tightened her grip, as though she expected Sunset to suddenly be spirited away by some monster.

There was a pause, then Cadance felt Sunset hug her back. “I love you too, Cadance,” came the warm reply of the fire-maned mare. “I’d also like for you to stay…” Cadance smiled, closed her eyes, and just enjoyed the feeling of holding Sunset. Finally, everything was as it should be.

“…it’s just…” Sunset continued, hesitantly,

“…that’s not what happened, is it?”

With a gasp, Cadance jerked awake. Sunset was gone, and she was laying on the tiled floor of a gloomy room. She raised her head and met her own gaze, in the surface of a tall, cold mirror.

And all Cadance felt, was loss.

"Cadance?"

Cadance’s eyes opened. The gloomy room and the cold mirror were gone. Instead, she was in her bed, staring up at her husband.

Shining Armor was a white unicorn, with a mane that was three shades of blue. He was roughly Cadance’s height; his Cutie Mark was a dark blue shield that had a light-purple spark at the center and three stars hovering above; his eyes were sky blue, and he had a warm, but concerned, expression on his face.

“Are you doing okay?”

Cadance nodded as she sat up. “Yeah, just a dream. What time is it?”

“8:46” Shining answered, “our train will be arriving soon, but you looked like you needed the rest, so I let you sleep in. Don’t worry, we’re all packed, and Flurry is having breakfast down in the kitchen right now. French Toast made a special bowl of oatmeal for her. I warned him that Flurry’s a messy eater, but he’s really stubborn.” Cadance smiled as she got out of bed and moved to the washroom to get ready. “Now come on, we’ve got a minute, tell me about this dream.” He pestered.

Cadance quickly jammed a toothbrush in her mouth, gestured to it with a shrug, and set about brushing her teeth.

Shining Armor rolled his eyes with a smile. “Uh-huh, well brushing your teeth is important, but I find it works better with the toothpaste.” He held up the tube.

Cadance smacked her hoof to her face and spit out the toothbrush. “I can’t believe I missed that.”

Shining gave her an understanding smile. “It was about Sunset, wasn’t it?”

Cadance nodded.

“The usual one?”

“Yeah, but this time, I actually got back inside the tower! I got to hold her again, Shining. Even if only for a few moments. Then, it cut away and ended as it always does, in front of that mirror.” Cadance glared darkly at the floor.

Shining Armor nodded. “If you’re not feeling up to going right now, we can push it back a day. Mom and Dad’s cruise isn’t till next week after all.”

Cadance shook her head. “No, I love your parents and what I need right now, is to be with family. I’m okay, really!” She added, with a reassuring smile. “Holidays and family get-togethers just seem to bring that dream out.”

“Well, you know, Twily has that mirror right now, and she was able to figure out a way to open the portal at any time. Ponyville’s not far from Canterlot. Sometime this weekend, you could duck out for a few hours, go through the mirror, and see her.”

Cadance grinned. “Maybe we should focus on one visit at a time?”

Shining shrugged. “I don’t see what the big deal is, you usually take time to go see Celestia, but since she’s currently on a diplomatic trip and won’t be back till Tuesday, that time is open.”

“Yeah, it is pretty doable. Honestly, I’ve been on the fence about going through the mirror for weeks now, but I keep putting it off because,” Cadance sighed. “…I’m scared.”

Shining Armor tilted his head. “Of what?”

“It’s been almost 6 years, Shining. What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she thinks I abandoned her like Celestia did?”

Shining Armor put his hoof over Cadance. “Hey, things were pretty bad when she stole the Element of Magic, but after returning from the most recent trip through the portal, Twilight hasn’t stopped talking about Sunset! It sounds like she’s in a pretty great place now. I’m sure she’d love to see you. And if she does think you abandoned her, shouldn’t you set the record straight?”

Cadance brought a hoof to her mouth as she thought. Then, a determined expression slowly spread across her face. “You know what? You’re right! I think I will take a little trip to Ponyville this weekend. If you think Night Light and Velvet won’t mind.”

Shining Armor chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll be an issue. As long as Flurry is there, I seriously doubt they’d even notice if either of us was missing the whole weekend.”

Cadance laughed. “That is true. They do seem to like having Flurry all to themselves. Remember when they came to visit an—” The chime of a clock, interrupted Cadance. In a heartbeat, she and Shining came together in a two-pony huddle.

“Okay,” Shining began, as if he were on duty, “so the situation is that the train is leaving in half an hour, and the station is at the far end of the city. What’s the plan?”

“I need to finish getting ready. Get our bags, head down to the kitchen, get Flurry, and bundle her up.” Cadance directed.

“Right. Meet down by the Crystal Heart in 15?”

“Yep.”

Without another word, they rushed off to complete their tasks.

Chapter 7 - Sunset Shimmer is responsible for 95% of the rumors about Celestia

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As the citizens of the Crystal Empire began their day, the Northwest Express pulled into the station. When the train came to a stop, the engineer ponies hopped out and began prepping it for the next leg of the journey. At the same time, a number of passengers stepped out into the brisk morning air, one of whom, was Sunset Shimmer.

After breakfast, she had decided to take a walk during the train’s refuel. Twilight, meanwhile, had elected to stay behind and read. Unsure of how she should, or even could, spend her half-hour, Sunset headed to the visitor information kiosk, located just outside the station.

Manning the stand, was a slim earth pony. He had a turquoise coat with matching eyes; a short, two-toned, Prussian-blue mane; and his cutie mark was a blue amphora. When he saw Sunset approaching the kiosk, he called out to her.

“Welcome to the Crystal Empire! My name is Crystal Hoof! How can I help you? Would you like a map, directions, or recommendations?” he asked in a friendly and very eager-to-please voice.

“How about recommendations,” Sunset answered. “I have thirty minutes to kill while the train is refueling. Is there anything interesting to see close by?”

“Yes, there certainly is! If you’re looking to shop, all the buildings you see surrounding the station, are stores that sell a variety of Crystal Empire souvenirs. I’m partial to that one over there,” he said, gesturing to a small store across the street. “It’s called The Sweet Tooth, and it sells the most wonderful crystal candies you will ever taste.

“Now, if sight-seeing is more what you’re in the mood for, the Hero’s Square is only a short walk from here. You’ll know it by the statue of the Crystal Empire’s greatest hero, Spike: The Brave and Glorious. There are a number of excellent cafes and bakeries there, making it a perfect place to start the day! It’s also a gathering place for public performances, such as juggling, dramatic storytelling, singing, music, statue ponies, sketch artists, fortune telling, crystal readings, and magic acts!”

“Alright, the square sounds pretty interesting,” Sunset decided. With a nod, Crystal Hoof gave her more detailed directions, and she happily trotted off.

Despite the early hour, the Hero’s Square turned out to be even livelier than described! There were dozens of ponies milling about the area surrounding Spike’s huge statue. To Sunset, it looked like a fair. There were booths with games and prizes; a number of performances that were being put on; and there was even a pony dressed as an Ursa Minor, handing out balloons.

While the square was certainly a feast for the eyes and ears, something else soon grabbed Sunset’s attention, the aroma. The cafes and bakeries that encircled the square, all had their windows and doors thrown open, allowing the smell of coffee, pancakes, and cinnamon rolls to fill the air. The cloud of smells was so concentrated and warm, it felt as though Sunset had just woke up to breakfast in bed.

Just as she began to drift toward the sweet-smelling goodness, an annoying voice in her head started to nag her about how she had already eaten breakfast that morning. With all the restraint of an avalanche, Sunset calmly took the voice, threw it down a flight of stairs, and headed off to get a second breakfast.

A few minutes later, she left one of the bakeries with a large cinnamon roll in hoof. Pausing for a moment, Sunset glanced around the square, trying to decide what to watch while eating. Near one of the cafes, a pegasus ice sculptor was working to recreate a smaller version of Spike’s statue. Over in a grassy sitting area, a team of earth ponies were engaged in increasingly incredible acrobatic feats. But it was the two unicorn stallions on a makeshift stage, who won Sunset’s attention.

One had a bright purple coat, a rich brown beard, and a dark green vest. The other had a bright yellow coat, a stylish black mustache, and a scarlet vest. The pair wielded rapiers in their magic and had drawn a large crowd by sparring while throwing witty banter back and forth. Sunset made her way to a bench near the stage and settled in to watch the rest of the performance.

“Remember fillies and gentlecolts,” the unicorn with the mustache shouted, his voice carrying the dramatic flair of an announcer. “Do not try this at home! We are professionals!”

“That’s right,” the one with the beard added, with a solemn nod. “What you see before you, is the result of decades of poor parental supervision.”

After a brief pause to allow the crowd to giggle, the mustache pony continued. “Now! Fillies and gentlecolts, please be amazed…”

“…and please cheer…”

“…as you watch two…”

“…middle-aged ponies…” they both emphasized.

“…fight, for your entertainment!”

The audience sat silently on the edge of their seats as the swordsponies faced each other, readied their swords, and lunged forward… very slowly. The swords moved through the air in slow, dramatic arcs as their owners pantomimed what might’ ve been an impressive match, at regular speed. As if the slow-motion wasn’t silly enough on its own, the swordsponies were also punctuating each strike with their own sound effects.

“CLANG!”

“KSSSH!”

“BOOM!”

“WHOOSH!”

After a minute or two of this ‘fighting’, the beard pony gave a deep, slow laugh. “Haa-Haa! I…. have…you…now.” He parried a thrust and countered with a wide horizontal slash that the mustache pony dodged by ‘jumping over’, with a single, exaggerated step.

“Haa-Haa-Haaa! All…too…easy.” The mustache pony taunted as he lazily brought his sword to the tip of his partner’s nose.

They backed up, faced the audience, and bowed. With his previous bombastic flair, the mustache pony cried out, “Well fillies and gentlecolts, what did you think of that!?” Despite his self-assured tone, the response was a wave of disappointed mumbling and some scattered, half-hearted, clapping.

The mustache pony’s brow furrowed, and his smile drooped. “I don’t understand. Did you not like it? Me and Rapier Wit worked hard on that routine.”

Rapier Wit stroked his beard, then turned toward his partner. “En Garde, my ol- middle-aged friend, I think they are unaware of how swordsponyship works.”

En Garde nodded with a silent, ‘ah’.

“You see fillies and gentlecolts,” Rapier Wit continued, turning back to the audience, “there are three elements that empower swordsponies, such as ourselves.”

“First, A majestic vest!” En Garde declared.

“Second, A dramatic voice!” Rapier Wit added.

“And Finally…”

“…and most importantly…”

“…a narcissistic …”

“…delusional…”

“…and obnoxious amount…”

“…OF CONFIDENCE!” They finished in unison.

“To put it quite simply,” Rapier Wit explained, “the louder you cheer, the faster we fight!”

A murmur of understanding passed through the crowd.

“So, with this new information in mind… would any of you like to see that fight, again?” En Garde asked.

The crowd replied with an uproar of cheers and excited stomping.

The swordsponies turned toward each other and rushed forward, once more. This time, the sound of rapid sword strikes rang clearly throughout the square as the rapiers danced with astonishingly practiced speed and accuracy. The blades flashed so quickly, that it was hard for the audience to follow their movements, despite having just seen the entire fight in slow motion. No longer having to make their own sound effects, the swordsponies were free to engage in a bit of verbal sparring during the fight.

“I shall finally chase that ridiculous caterpillar out from beneath your nose!” Rapier laughed.

“Ha! At least I did not grow my mustache to hide my lack of a jawline,” En Garde retorted.

“At least, I do not spend an hour every morning meticulously combing my beard!”

“You should try it sometime; I can still see the remains of that sandwich you had last week.”

“I’d prefer that to something that looks like it came with a false nose and a pair of spectacles!”

“SIR! You go too far!” En Garde yelled, lunging forward.

Rapier Wit parried the thrust. “Ha! You fight like my sister!”

“I have fought your sister,” En Garde boasted, clearing Rapier's counter slash with a perfectly-timed side flip, “that’s a compliment.” Before Rapier could recover, En Garde's sword was at his nose.

They both rose to a standing position and faced the audience. “Alright fillies and gentlecolts, was THAT more to your liking?”

This time, the crowd exploded with applause as the swordsponies bowed graciously.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts, thank you for being such a wonderful audience, we certainly hope you’ve enjoyed our antics,” Rapier Wit said, once the applause had calmed down.

“Indeed, but now we must go. If you’d like to catch our show again, we’ll be here all through Hearth’s Warming.” The swordsponies waved goodbye and headed offstage.

As the crowd dispersed, Sunset was finishing her meal. The cinnamon roll had been warm, sweet, and delightfully gooey. However, she soon realized it had also left her face rather sticky. Berating herself for not picking up some napkins from the bakery, Sunset chomped down the rest of the roll and set off in search of a place to wash up. Mercifully, she soon stumbled upon a water fountain.

While washing the remaining frosting from her face, a calm, curious melody reached her ears. Following the sound, Sunset came across a small crowd of ponies gathered around a yak who was seated in front of Spike’s statue and playing a bizarre-looking instrument.

The yak had a shaggy gray coat and fog colored hair which was woven into two long braids that fell on either side of her head. She wore a purple hat and had a matching shawl draped across her back. The instrument she held was some kind of large bagpipe, and the music coming from it was incredibly smooth and soothing. While there were no benches near the statue, there was a fair amount of grass surrounding it. So, Sunset found a spot to sit down to listen.

This music was very different from most pony songs. Rather than hitting a string of bouncy notes in rapid succession, the yak masterfully drew out the depth of each individual tone. The result was a slow, contemplative melody that made Sunset feel warm, calm, and secure.

She closed her eyes and let her imagination drift freely in the music. The drone of the pipes painted a picture of a small village that was situated on top of a snow-covered mountain and bathed in the glow of a dancing aurora. A location cut off from the rest of the world. One that would be lonely and frigid, were it not for the warmth of friends and family.

It was simple,

wonderful,

…and beyond Sunset’s reach.

Matron? You wanted to see me?

Yes Sunset, come in! I’ve just met a lovely couple that I think would be a good fit for you: Meadow Song and Snowbank. Meadow is a vocalist with the Baltimare Philharmonics, and Snowbank is an insurance risk analyst. They’re an outdoorsy young couple and enjoy things like running, tennis, and hiking. If you’d be willing to meet with them, we might be able to find you a new home. Wouldn’t that be nice?

…but… what if mommy and daddy come back?

Sunset… it’s been 8 months. If they were coming back, don’t you think they would have by now?

…maybe they got lost?

They were the ones who dropped you off, sweetie. They know where you are. If they didn’t come back for your birthday, I don’t think they’re going to come back, at all.

…but...but why? Why would they leave me?

I don’t know, sweetie. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re clever, well-behaved, imaginative, and cute as a button. You’d be a wonderful addition to any family.

…*sniff*…

Oh, I know it hurts. But it doesn’t have to be like this. We can find you a real family! One that will love you, just as much as you love them. One that will always be there for you. One that would never throw you away. Wouldn’t you like that?

…I guess.

Well, for that to happen, you’re going to need to meet with prospective parents. This will give you a chance to get to know them, and give them a chance to get to know you. So, what do you say, Sunset? Can you do that for me?

…ok, I’ll try.

Don’t worry, Sunset. Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with you. If you give it your all, I bet we’ll have found you a new family by the end of the month.

[8 Months Later]

Oh my goodness, you made these Sunny!?

Yep, do you like them?

MMM! MHhhmHhHmmH!

…What I think Quick is trying to say, is ‘Absolutely’.

MM!

Really?

MMmmHHHm—

Quick Whisk!! Eat OR speak, not both! I’m so sorry about him Sunset, I think he’s caught between loving your cookies and wanting to tell you how much he loves them.

*giggles* That’s okay Mrs. Sheet.

You can just call me ‘Cookie’ for now, Sunset. ‘Mrs. Sheet’ sounds so…formal. You can relax, we’re supposed to be getting to know each other after all.

O-okay, Mrs. Cookie.

Oooh! You are absolutely adorable.

MHM! M-

Quiiiiick

*gulps* Heh. Sorry Cookie. Seriously though Sunny, where did you learn how to make such great cherry cobbler cookies?

Well… I heard you both liked them, so I went to the library and found a book with the recipe. I’ve been practicing baking them all week.

MM HMMM!?

Cookiiiieee, eat or speak, not boooooooth~

Hmph!

*giggles*

Well, the effort certainly shows. When I was eight, I could barely make a peanut butter sandwich.

Really!?

*gulps* It’s true. He was a very late bloomer, didn’t get his cutie mark till he was twelve.

Ahhhh but now, I own the finest bakery in Manehattan.

AHEM!

…I mean, we own the finest bakery in Manehattan.

That’s better.

*giggles* Is it fun running a bakery?

Oh, absolutely, Sunny. Getting to see the joy on each pony’s face when they bite into something you’ve made is incredible!

What about you Sunset? Did you have fun making these cookies?

I really did! It was hard work, but also really fun! I’ve still got the cookbook from the library, so I might try something else this week.

…Sunny, I have a question for you.

Yes, Mr. Whisk?

What do you think is the best part of running a bakery?

…getting to lick the spoons?

Oh, that’s the second-best part! The best part is getting to bake together. Right Cookie?

That’s right. You see Sunset, baking with ponies you care about, is much more fun than baking alone. So… for our next meeting, would you like to pick out a recipe that the three of us can bake… together?

Yes! That sounds like so much fun! I’d love to!

[8 months later]

Sunset? Are you up here again?

…yeah.

You really shouldn’t sneak off to the attic, it’s dangerous for such a young foal.

…I know.

I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Night Sky and Constellation, but don’t give up! There are lots of prospective parents in Equestria!

…I know, I’ve met them all.

Well, at least you’ve maintained your sense of humor.

…I really thought these two liked me. We went stargazing and things were great. I would find a constellation using their chart, and then, they’d tell me the story behind it. We were getting along really well, like…like a real family. They even told me we could be a family… if I wanted.

I know. I’m sorry they changed their minds, sweetie. Evening Gale was… just a better fit for them, that’s all.

It always turns out that way, somepony else is always a ‘better fit’. Nopony ever wants me.
...maybe I’m just not meant to have a family.

Now, Sunset, there’s nothing wrong with you. If you continue to give it your all, I know we’ll find you a family soon! It’s like they say, ‘65^th time’s the charm!’ Right?

…sure.

Great!! Now, what do you say we get you out of this dreary attic and get you some supper!

…*sigh* yes, Matron Goodheart.

It was a beautiful day in the city of Canterlot and a young Sunset Shimmer was out enjoying it. Well… she wasn’t technically in the city; she was actually resting in a small glade, on the side of the mountain, overlooking the city.

Technicalities aside, the weather was perfect: the sun was hot; the air was deliciously humid, and there was just enough of a breeze to keep things from getting stale. Having finished her spinach, tomato, and rye sandwich, Sunset comfortably settled in for a lazy, early-afternoon nap.

Unfortunately, shortly after her head hit the grass, the sound of wings and a set of hooves landing in her secret glade, cut the planned nap short. With an exasperated sigh, Sunset pushed herself back up into a sitting position and spotted a small pink alicorn, who had her mane pulled back in a ponytail.

“This is my secret spot,” Sunset grumbled at Cadance. “How’d you find me?”

With a smirk, Cadance simply glanced upwards and gave a pointed nod to Philomena, who was perched on a nearby branch.

“Treacherous dodo,” Sunset mumbled, turning her attention back to Cadance. A light rustling of leaves was the only warning Sunset received before an acorn shot down from the canopy and smacked her right in the forehead.

“Ow!” she exclaimed, rubbing the small welt that had formed just below the base of her horn. She glanced back up to Philomena, who was ‘innocently’ whistling.

“Oooh noooo!” Sunset monotoned, narrowing her eyes at the flame feathered fowl. “I think that acorn has given me amnesia. I sure hope I don’t forget to do anything important this week: liiiike, order a certain bird’s imported tropical fruit!”

Philomena stopped whistling and suddenly became very serious. She narrowed her eyes at Sunset, hopped down from her branch, and brought herself beak to nose with the scowling unicorn. For a moment, they simply glared at each other in a silent standoff, waiting to see who would break first. Then, while maintaining her scowl, Philomena leaned up and —somehow— gently kissed the small welt on Sunset’s forehead.

“Oh, Philomena!” Sunset said brightly, as though she had only just noticed the phoenix. “Great timing! I just remembered something; I still need to place next month’s order for your imported tropical fruit. Would you mind putting the order form on top of my desk, so I don’t forget?”

Philomena looked salty enough to melt the Frozen North. Nonetheless, she gave a begrudging squawk, spread her wings, and —with a single flap that messed up Sunset’s mane— launched herself off toward the castle.

“You two get along really well, don’t you?” observed Cadance, who had been silently giggling at the interaction.

Sunset shot her a questioning glance while trying to smooth her mane out, “You think THAT was ‘getting along’?”

“Yeah,” Cadance replied, as though it were obvious. “What would you call it?”

Sunset gave her mane a final vigorous shake, causing it to bounce perfectly back into place. “Winning,” she said smugly.

Cadance rolled her eyes and moved to sit down across from Sunset. “That may be so, but you do understand each other really well. Better than most ponies I’ve seen, in fact.”

Sunset turned to look in the direction that Philomena had flown off in. “We do get each other,” she agreed. “It’s been that way ever since the day we met.” Sunset’s expression continued to soften as a rare, genuine smile spread across her face. After a moment, she shook her head and turned her attention back to Cadance. “So, what brings you all the way up here?”

“Well, Aunt Celestia is returning tonight,” Cadance explained, “and there’s something I want to talk to you about before she gets back.”

A worried grimace crossed Sunset’s face. She had a pretty good idea what this was about. “Alright, what is it?”

Cadance sighed. “Look, ever since Aunt Celestia told me about you, all I wanted, was to be your friend. But, from the moment I arrived, you went out of your way to make things hard for me and I just don’t get why! Especially since I know you’re not a bad pony! It had gotten so bad, that... I’d decided to tell Aunt Celestia about it, once she got back from her trip.”

Sunset’s gaze dropped to the ground, her expression glum. It was true that she had spared no effort over the past two weeks in her attempts to drive Cadance away, and once Celestia learned about this, there was no doubt she’d kick Sunset out of the castle. After all, Cadance was everything to her. Celestia had spent months helping to organize the Southern Kingdom Summit. However, after Kibitz wrote to her yesterday, explaining that Cadance had nearly been kidnapped, she replied within fifteen minutes, informing him that she had canceled the rest of her meetings and was coming straight home.

I wonder if she’d let me stay in the city, Sunset wondered briefly. ...No, probably not. While headstrong and magically adept, Sunset was still only thirteen years old. That being said, she had no intention of going back to the orphanage. Living on the streets in another city would be far better.

Before she could get further along in working out the logistics of running away from a sun-raising demi-god, Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted by something Cadance said.

“…I’m sorry, could you say that, again?” Sunset asked, certain she had misheard her.

“I said, ‘I’m not going to do that’,” Cadance repeated. “You risked your life to save me the other day, Sunset. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be…who knows where. I’m not going to do anything that might get you into trouble. I want to resolve this between the two of us.”

Sunset’s mind went blank. She was completely at a loss. Cadance —the same Cadance that she had spent the past two weeks trying to drive away— was protecting her. “I… thanks, Cadance.”

“You’re welcome,” Cadance replied, with a smile. “That being said,” she continued, in a more serious tone, “I do want to know why you’ve been such a jerk to me.”

Sunset looked away, an uncomfortable expression on her face. “It’s…really personal.”

“Yeah, I figured it would be. But I still want you to tell me,” Cadance said firmly. “I’m not going to judge you, and I’m not going to tell anypony. I just want to help you work through… whatever this is.”

There’s really no point in telling her, Sunset thought bitterly. There’s no way little miss sunshine and rainbows would get it. She’s had a perfect life. She saved her village with love, became a princess, and was made the niece of a princess. It’s straight out of a storybook! I bet her parents are so proud to have raised such a flawless little angel!

Sunset blinked, surprised at the venom in her own thoughts. Calm down, that’s not thinking rationally. That’s just dismissing her out of hoof!

Sunset took a moment to calm her thoughts, then she looked up and met Cadance’s gaze. Even if she doesn’t get it, she looks like she wants to help, Sunset thought. And it would be nice to have somepony to talk to about all this. I mean, it’s not like she’s given me any reason to doubt her! She’s not even going to tell Celestia about the past two weeks! Unless… that was just a trick to get me to open up.

Sunset’s brow furrowed as doubts assaulted her mind. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced them all aside. Hope this doesn’t bite me in the flank. With that hope in mind, she started to tell Cadance everything.

“When I was six and a half, my parents dropped me off at the Riverrun Orphanage: I never saw them again. It was horrible. It took me several months just to accept that they really weren’t coming back. Once I finally did, I began meeting with new couples in the hopes of getting adopted. The meetings almost always went well. In fact, several times I really thought I’d found a family.

“Of course, that wasn’t what happened. No matter how well the meetings went; no matter how much they seemed to like me; no matter how hard I worked to impress them; they always wound up adopting somepony else. It wasn’t that they didn’t want me, it was just that they wanted another pony more. I was never good enough. That happened sixty-four times, over the course of two years.”

Sunset paused to wipe her eyes, she hated reliving her time at the orphanage. The whole experience had been a living nightmare: the utterly crushing abandonment by her parents; the eternal dread that she’d never have a family again; and the overwhelming sense of worthlessness that was reinforced each time she was passed over for adoption. At the very end, she’d come dangerously close to…giving up.

Sunset looked back at Cadance. The young alicorn was listening intently, but there was a curious expression in her eyes. Sympathy? No, something more… personal. Shaking her head, Sunset continued.

“Eventually, I realized that if I wanted anything to change, I’d have to change. I’d have to become the best. That way, I’d never be passed up again.

“So, I ran away. I came here to apply to Celestia’s school —the best magic school in Equestria— and spent the months leading up to the entrance exam, studying in the public library, and secretly sleeping in it’s attic. I survived mostly on free samples, or whatever I could swipe without attracting attention. It was hard, but in the end, it was worth it. I wound up becoming Celestia’s pupil and began my new life as a student.

“Of course, with all the time we spent together, it didn’t take Celestia long to realize something was…off about my home situation. Every time she’d ask to meet my parents, I’d make up some excuse and change the topic. Eventually, she got suspicious and decided to follow me home after school one day. When she found me in the library’s attic, I had no choice but to tell her everything.

“I was scared. I thought she was going to get rid of me, I thought she was going to ship me back to the orphanage, but she didn’t. Instead, she took me in. For the first time in my life, somepony chose to keep me around.”

A look of pure bliss appeared on Sunset’s face as she described one of the happiest moments of her life. She still remembered her feelings of disbelief when Celestia had informed her that she’d be living with her from then on. At first, Sunset had been doubtful, thinking it was just a ploy to get her to stay while she contacted the orphanage. But that hadn’t been the case.

For those first few weeks in the castle, Celestia handled all of Sunset’s lessons and they spent nearly every hour together. She woke Sunset up in the morning, and she was there to tuck her in at night. When they weren’t covering lessons, Celestia told Sunset stories, played with her, introduced her to the castle staff, showed her around the city, took her shopping, and helped decorate her room. The few times she had to leave, she always told Sunset exactly when she’d be back, and who to go to if she needed anything. It took a while, but eventually, Sunset began to feel secure in her new home.

With a start, Sunset realized that she had been silently reminiscing for nearly a minute. “A-anyway,” she stammered, “Celestia was the first pony to actually take me in and…” Sunset paused, choosing her next words carefully, “…even though she’s only my teacher, she’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family.”

Cadance gave her a knowing nod. “Then, when I showed up, you felt that it was going to be a repeat of your time at the orphanage. You were scared Aunt Celestia was going to abandon you in favor of me. So, you tried to drive me away before that could happen,” she surmised flawlessly.

Sunset’s mouth dropped open. “That’s… yeah, that’s exactly it.”

Cadance grinned at the astonished expression. “Sunset, I get it. Honestly, if things had been slightly different, I could’ve easily been in your position.”

Sunset blinked multiple times, once more thinking that she had misheard Cadance. “What?”

“…What do you know about my past, Sunset?” Cadance asked quietly.

The unicorn tilted her head in thought. To her surprise, she realized that she didn’t actually know much about Cadance’s life before Canterlot. “Only that you somehow saved your village with… love, transformed into a princess, and became Celestia’s niece as a result.”

“Mmm, so just as little as I knew about you,” Cadance mumbled to herself. “Well, you’ll probably be surprised to learn our backgrounds aren’t that different. To start off, both of us were abandoned by our parents at a young age. You were left at an orphanage, and I was left in a forest.”

Sunset’s mouth gaped. “You were just… left in a forest?”

Cadance nodded. “Greenhoof Forest, specifically. I was only about a year old, too young to even remember my parents. I probably would have died back then, but a team of lumber ponies found me and brought me back to their village. That was where I grew up.

“Now, I don’t want you to think that the village didn’t take good care of me, because they did…but…” she trailed off, biting her lower lip. “…they weren’t the family I needed them to be.”

“How so?”

Cadance’s mouth tightened. “I never really…belonged. None of the families wanted to adopt me, but they didn’t want to leave me at an orphanage either. So, they decided to share responsibility for my care. I’d stay with one family for a few weeks, then I’d be passed off to another. I was always treated well, but… I was never more than a guest in a household.”

“How long did that go on?” Sunset asked quietly.

Cadance gave her a sad grin. “Until last month, when Aunt Celestia adopted me: nearly fifteen years.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. Fifteen years! Her time at the orphanage had nearly broken her, and she had only been there for two! How did Cadance survive fifteen!? Sunset felt sick just trying to imagine it.

“This leads me to something else we have in common.” Cadance piped up, regaining Sunset’s attention. “We both developed our talents trying to find a family. You enrolled in Aunt Celestia’s school and threw yourself into magic. In my case, I developed my capacity for love.”

“What do you mean you developed your capacity for love?” Sunset asked, confused. “I thought that love was something that just…happens.”

Cadance chuckled and shook her head at Sunset's comment. “It ‘just happens’, in the same way crops just grow in the wild. Yes, it occurs, but if you really want it to flourish, love is something you have to work at, both inside and outside yourself.”

Sunset was intrigued. She had never thought of love as something you can practice and get better at. Cadance was surprising her a lot today! The most astonishing thing though, was how much Sunset found herself identifying with the pony she’d previously thought of as her nemesis.

“Anyway,” Cadance continued, “I spent enough time around families to learn that love was the primary ingredient. Once I figured that out, I started making a concentrated effort to love everypony in the village. I was hoping that, if I loved them enough, eventually, they’d love me back, and some family would adopt me.

“In the end, it was my love for everypony in the village that allowed me to save them, become a princess, and meet Aunt Celestia. So, in a way, I guess it all worked out,” Cadance finished, with a shrug.

Sunset was speechless. Cadance had been so cheery all the time, she thought her life had been perfect. But in actuality, it was the opposite. Cadance was the way she was, not because her life was perfect, but because it wasn’t. Cadance’s entire self had been meticulously constructed and refined in a desperate attempt to get a family, any family, to love her! Like Sunset, she’d been abandoned and spent years struggling with feelings of never being good enough. She had just…taken a different approach to dealing with it.

Just what was that village’s problem!? Sunset seethed internally. Cadance made herself into a freaking beacon of love. But, apparently, that wasn’t good enough for any of them! If none of them wanted to adopt her, why’d they keep her around!? Why not try to find her an actual family!? They had to have seen how much she was suffering! As Sunset thought more about it, the anger inside her went from ‘simmering’ to ‘boiling’ to ‘volcano’.

“THAT’S SO MESSED UP!” She erupted.

Startled, Cadance watched, with a bewildered expression, as Sunset began to stomp around the glade while angrily —but certainly not quietly— muttering to herself.

“How could that lousy village just pass you around like some kind of…classroom pet?? Didn’t any of them think that maybe you needed some stability in your life? That perhaps you needed more than just a kind caretaker? Didn’t they think you’d want a place to call your own? A family to belong to!?”

As Sunset continued ranting and raving on her behalf, a wide smile slowly crept across Cadance’s face. She stood up and draped a wing across the angry pony. “It’s alright, Sunset,” she assured her. “I’m alive because of them, and I’m who I am because of them. I don’t hold anything against them. In fact, I consider them all close friends. They really were wonderful to me, even if they weren’t my family.”

Sunset’s anger cooled noticeably, though she still appeared sore. “Well, you’re certainly more forgiving than I am.”

“Lucky for you, huh?” Cadance teased.

Sunset’s remaining indignation vanished with a snort of laughter. “You’re right, I’ve got no room to talk,” she agreed sheepishly. “Look Cadance, I'm sorry for…everything. I thought that your life was pretty much perfect. I didn’t know about all that you’d been through, or that Celestia was your only family.”

“It’s okay, Sunset,” Cadance assured her. “It’s only natural you’d feel insecure and defensive given what you went through. Honestly, if the roles were reversed, I’d probably have done the same thing. Still," Cadance continued, shooting an annoyed glance down at the city, "I do wish Aunt Celestia had just told us all this before we met. It certainly would’ve saved us a lot of trouble.”

Now it was Sunset’s turn to chuckle and shake her head. “Oh, she’s never that direct. At most, we’d have gotten a vague hint that would’ve led us down some convoluted breadcrumb trail, ending with us having this very conversation, and accomplishing some secondary objective in the process.”

Cadance looked at Sunset skeptically. “Isn’t that a bit… out there?”

“Oh, absolutely. But that’s Celestia through and through. In fact…” Sunset paused, eyes widening in realization, “…there’s a chance that all this was just part of a carefully calculated plot to bring about Tarnished Knife’s downfall!”

Cadance blinked. Then, she placed a wing across the unicorn’s forehead with a worried expression. “It’s pretty hot out today. How much water have you had, Sunset?”

Sunset rolled her eyes and gently pushed the concerned pony away. “Yes, I know it sounds absolutely crazy. But you have to realize something, Cadance, Celestia isn’t like you or me; she’s thinking thirty, sometimes forty moves ahead. This is a mare who has spent the past seven hundred years, subtly influencing who rich ponies marry, purely for the purpose of breeding a less obnoxious, more pliable nobility.”

Cadance narrowed her eyes at Sunset, searching her face for any hint of deception. “You’re lying,” she whispered suspiciously.

“Am I?” Sunset replied, with a completely straight face.

The two mares were able to maintain their serious deadlock for a whole four seconds before Sunset snorted and they both broke down completely. For the next several minutes, the glade was filled with laughter.

“Hey, Cadance… can I ask you something?” Sunset murmured when they had both calmed down.

“Mmm?”

“Are you… still interested in being friends with me?”

Cadance pondered the question for a few moments, before turning to Sunset, with an odd expression on her face. “Hmmm well, here’s the problem with that,” she began, clapping her hooves together, “I already have several pen pals across Equestria; about a dozen ponies that I’ve met here in Canterlot; and a whole village of friends! I’m kinda full on friends, Sunset.”

“Oh… right,” Sunset nodded, with a weak smile.

“But…I’ve never had a sister.”

Chapter 8 - Stealing is wrong...unless it's from pirates

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The sudden sound of clapping jerked Sunset’s mind back to the present. The yak smiled at the applause and gave a small bow. “That song always remind Yigrid of home and family. So, I often play it while traveling,” she explained, with a warm, friendly voice. “Would pony friends like to hear more yovidaphone playing?”

The crowd, which had gotten quite large, responded with a round of excited murmurs and nods. Sunset, however, got up to leave. While the music had been beautiful, it had also brought up memories that left her with a crushing sense of guilt. Some sister I was, she thought bitterly. I didn’t even leave her a note to say goodbye.

Sunset was so absorbed in her brooding that, when she turned around, she walked headfirst into a nearby mare who was decked out in a pink sun hat; yellow-rimmed sunglasses; a red, long-sleeved shirt; and a matching skirt.

“Sorry,” Sunset mumbled, barely glancing at the unicorn. She felt a small pang of guilt at her rudeness, and a part of her wanted to go back to apologize properly. However, a massive wave of self-loathing pushed that thought from her mind.

No, what she needed right now, was a quiet place to sit; someplace that was far away from the bittersweet music and the failures of her past.

A few blocks from the Hero’s Square, Shining Armor had finally arrived at the train station. Slung across his back were two sets of saddlebags and held in his left foreleg, was a happy baby alicorn.

Flurry Heart was the most adorable baby pony imaginable. She had a light pink coat, baby blue eyes, and a short, curly mane of light purple with blue highlights. She also wore a green jacket and had a small knit cap on her head to protect her from the slight morning chill.

As they approached the station, a loud whistle blew. With a start, Flurry Heart looked in the direction of the train, then turned back to Shining Armor with an excited expression on her face. “Gabu!”

“That’s right Flurry, we’re going to ride the train!” he confirmed. “We just need to wait for mommy to show up and we’ll be good to go. In the meantime, why don’t we go say ‘hello’ to an old friend?” Flurry in hoof, Shining trotted over to the information kiosk.

“Thorax, good morning!” He called out to ‘Crystal Hoof’.

The turquoise pony looked up and smiled. “Shining Armor, Flurry, good morning!”

Flurry Heart turned toward the kiosk with delight. However, when she saw the pony standing in it, her expression soured. She gave a confused grunt, flared out her wings, and proceeded to glare suspiciously at the pony across the counter.

Shining Armor blinked at the baby’s odd reaction. “…Flurry? What’s wrong?”

Crystal Hoof cocked an eyebrow at the adorable attempt at intimidation that was being leveled at him. Then, his eyes lit up and he gave a small chuckle. “Oh! I get it!”

There was a flash of green light and the turquoise pony transformed into a small creature that looked part-equine and part-beetle. He had a black carapace that covered his body; a webbed mane and tail; solid blue eyes; a small set of fangs; and transparent wings that glittered in the morning light. “See, Flurry? It’s just me!” he assured the baby.

Upon seeing the changeling in his regular form, Flurry Heart’s expression regained its initial delight. She began babbling happily and reached toward Thorax.

With a chuckle, Shining Armor floated her across the counter.

“She must’ve been confused, hearing my voice come from a pony she didn’t recognize,” Thorax speculated, carefully taking hold of the baby. “I guess she prefers me in my regular form.”

“Well that makes sense,” Shining reasoned. “For the most part, this is how Flurry’s always known you.”

“Hm, I suppose that’s true,” Thorax agreed as he affectionately tickled the baby. “By the way, where’s Princess Cadance?”

“Ah, she didn’t get breakfast this morning. So she took a small detour to go get a cinnamon roll… or five. But, onto more serious matters,” Shining Armor glanced around, to make sure they were alone and lowered his voice to a whisper, “are you excited for tonight?”

A huge smile spread across Thorax’s face; an impressive feat, given that Flurry Heart had apparently decided to begin scaling the side of his head like a mountain climber. “Are you kidding? I can hardly wait for my shift to end! I’ve never been to a guy’s night before! But from the way Spike tells it, it sounds like it’s going to be amazing!”

“Oh, it will be,” Shining assured him confidently. “The campaign I’ve got prepared for tonight is one of my best. I’m not gonna spoil anything, but it’s very much in the… spirits of the season!”

“And you’re sure you don’t want me to bring anything?” Thorax asked, closing his left eye as Flurry used it as a stepping-stone.

Shining smirked. “Thorax, relax. Spike makes the snacks, Big Mac brings the drinks, Discord creates the special effects, and I run the campaign. Since it’s your first guys’ night, all you have to bring, is your thirst for adventure!”

Flurry spread her wings and gave a triumphant cry, having successfully reached the summit of Mt. Thorax.

Not far from the Hero’s Square, Sunset had found a secluded bench where she could sit and think. Her eyes stared down at the crystal cobblestones, but her thoughts were miles away.

Home and family, huh? She mused, her mind drifting back to the Yak’s music and the memories it dredged up. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the approach of an extremely odd figure.

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?” A muffled voice said.

Sunset looked up and blinked in surprise. Standing before her was the Ursa Minor mascot that she had seen earlier handing out balloons. “Uh…I don’t want any balloons, thanks."

The mascot cocked its oversized head. “Huh? Oh! No, No! I already handed all of those out! Actually, I was hoping you could help me with something. You see, I’m doing a divination act later and I’ve been practicing the routine but, I haven’t had a chance to try it out on a pony I don’t know, yet. Would you mind running through it with me? It’ll only take a few minutes.”

Truth be told, Sunset wasn’t in the mood to do anything other than sulk, but it didn’t seem like this would require much on her part, and it might take her mind off things. So, with little to no enthusiasm, she shrugged. “Sure. How’s it work?”

“It’s pretty simple,” the mascot assured her, “I’m going to make seven guesses about you, and you just need to tell me whether I’m right or wrong.”

Sunset gave the mascot a questioning look. “That’s it? I don’t give you clues or anything? You just…guess?”

The mascot nodded. “That’s right. I make my guesses by reading the invisible threads of fate that are attached to you,” she explained, in a mysterious showmare’s voice.

“If they’re invisible, how do you read them?” Sunset asked, nitpicking the flavor text of the act.

“I’m glad you asked,” the mascot cheerfully replied. “While it’s true that ponies can’t see the threads of fate, I —as an Ursa Minor— am clairvoyant because of my connection to the heavens. Thanks to that, I can see them with my bear eyes.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes slightly. “Don’t you mean naked eyes?”

The mascot shook her head. “No, not bare, B-A-R-E. Bear, B-E-A-R! …You know, cause I’m a bear?”

Sunset gave the mascot a judging look. “You know, it’s not a very good pun if you have to explain it.”

“…well the children always get it,” the mascot replied snidely.

“Ugh! Whatever!” Sunset groaned. “Now, smoke and mirrors aside, how do you actually do this?”

“In truth, I just make seven deductions about you or your past based on whatever observations I can make,” the mascot explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sunset straightened up a bit. “Ok, now that sounds kinda interesting. Let’s do this, but I want to know your reasoning behind each guess.”

The mascot nodded. “That sounds fair.” She placed her claws on either side of her head. “Ok, a vision is coming to me, Ummm, I see that you had… a sweet and sticky breakfast!”

Sunset blinked. “I did! How di- Wait! Is there still some frosting on my face? I thought I washed it all off.”

“You missed a spot,” the mascot said, pointing to Sunset’s lower jaw.

With a groan, Sunset rubbed the area with her hoof. “Did I get it this time?”

“Yep,” the mascot answered, after taking a look. “Now, for my next vision! I see that you… grew up… in Canterlot!”

Sunset didn’t respond immediately, unsure if she should count that or not. She hadn’t set hoof in Canterlot until she was nearly nine, but there was no doubt that she had spent most of her life there.

“It’s close but, I’ll give you that one,” Sunset conceded. “How’d you know?”

“Your voice,” the other pony explained. “Compared to the other major cities, the Canterlot accent is very subtle, but it’s still noticeable if you know what to look for.”

“Okay. Two for two. You’re doing pretty good.”

“Thanks! Ok, next… Ummm… I see that… you sell timeshare condos for a living!”

“Pfft! WHAT?” Sunset laughed. “Where’d you get that?”

The mascot chortled. “That’s an intentional gaffe. If I get the first two guesses right, I throw the third one to make myself look fallible and get the audience to loosen up.”

“Well, wouldn’t that have backfired if I did sell timeshare condos?”

The mascot pony waved the concern away. “I knew you didn’t. The thing about ponies who sell timeshare condos is that they always try to sell you one almost immediately. Now, onto the fourth thread, which says that you… have come to the Crystal Empire from far away.”

“Right again,” Sunset confirmed. “How’d you know that?”

The mascot pony giggled. “Well, you’re in full tourist mode, so it’s obvious that you don’t live here. And since the Crystal Empire is far away from anywhere else, that means you must’ve come here from far away.”

“Fair enough. So, what’s my fifth thread say?” Sunset asked excitedly, getting more into the routine.

“It says that…hmmm…something weighs heavy on your mind.”

Sunset’s face fell. “Explain.”

“When I first came up to you, wearing this big bear costume, you didn’t even notice me until I said something. Then, when you did lookup, you thought I was going to give you a balloon, even though I clearly did not have any balloons to give you. To put it simply, you were really out of it. And since you don’t appear tired or intoxicated, that means you were seriously lost in thought.”

“Well, that’s pretty vague, but correct,” Sunset conceded. “But I’m not interested in discussing that topic any further, okay?”

The mascot pony nodded. “Of course. Do you still want to continue?”

“Yeah, you’re doing pretty good. Only one wrong so far and two to go. Show me what you got.”

“Let’s see. Hmmm…you came here…on a train!”

Sunset rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Oh come on. How else would I have gotten here? It’s not like I was going to hoof it across a frozen wasteland just to avoid the train.”

“Well, it’s not a total wasteland,” the mascot pony countered. “The Crystal Heart keeps the weather inside the city lovely at all times, but it also subdues the more extreme blizzards outside the city as well.”

Sunset perked up. “Wait, what!? I thought the Crystal Heart just protected the city itself.”

The mascot pony chuckled and shook her head. “Oh no. If that was the case, we’d never get a train out here. There would always be vicious blizzards just outside the city limits, covering the tracks.”

Sunset nodded. “That makes sense.”

“You see,” the mascot pony continued, joining Sunset on the bench, “on its own, the Crystal Heart shields the capital and keeps the weather springtime, year-round. While that’s nice, we wouldn’t be much of an empire if we were just one city in a giant frozen wasteland. Fortunately, the central spire seems designed to channel some of the heart’s power and spread the effect out over a much larger area. While the effect is weaker than what we get here in the capital, it does calm things down enough in the region to allow ponies to live outside the city. We have villages near the mountains that provide us with minerals, towns near the forests that bring in lumber, and a few hamlets that are just made up of ponies who like the snow.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that,” Sunset said, sounding impressed. “Buuuuut as interesting as all that is, it doesn’t offset the fact that your last observation was super weak.”

“Well… I never said the readings had to be of equal quality,” the mascot pony snickered. “That’s on you for assuming that.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. So what’s your last great deduction? I have an amber coat? I’m a unicorn? Oh! Are you going to tell me the color of my eyes?”

The mascot pony raised her claws to her head once more and hummed in concentration. “Ah yes…I see it…your name is appearing before me. You are called…Su-sun…”

Sunset’s eyes flew open and she leaned forward, hanging on the mascot’s every syllable. She hadn’t let her name slip, right? There was no way the mysterious mare could guess it…right?”

“SUNSHINE BERRYSPRINKLE!”

Sunset fell off the bench.

“SUNSET SHIMMER!” the unicorn yelled, leaping to all fours.

“…are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure! How’d you even come up with that last one!?”

The mascot pony shrugged. “I was having trouble picking the last one for you, so I decided to do another gaffe based on your cutie mark.”

“Hmph, well, five out of seven isn’t bad,” Sunset noted. “Especially since you knew nothing about me going in. You might need a bit more practice, but I think you’re gonna do alright.”

“That’s the goal! Thanks again for doing this with me Sunset. I feel more confident now.”

“No problem. Honestly, I should be thanking you. This got my mind off things and cheered me up. What’s your name?”

The mascot pony hopped off the bench and bowed dramatically. “I am Ursa Mi! The friendly bear of the Crystal Empire!”

Sunset smacked herself in the face with her hoof. “No, not the mascot’s name. What is YOUR name?”

The pony chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her bear head with a paw. “Oh, right. My name is Mia.”

“Thanks for cheering me up, Mia,” Sunset replied with a smile.

“Of course! As an employee of the Crystal Empire Department of Entertainment and Tourism, it’s my job to ensure that everycreature has a wonderful stay in our city. Which reminds me, what brings you here today? Did you come to visit somepony?”

Sunset shook her head. “Actually, I’m jus—”

The shrill call of a whistle tore through the air, interrupting Sunset. The amber pony groaned casting an annoyed look in the direction of the station. “Already? Ugh. Sorry, Mia, I’ve got to go,” Sunset explained, giving the pony an apologetic smile.

“GO!?” Mia squawked. “But…you just got here!”

Sunset sighed. “I know, but I have a train to catch. It was great to meet you, though. I’ll see ya around.” Sunset waved and started trotting away.

“Sunset, wait!”

Sunset stopped and turned to give the mascot pony a questioning look. “What is it?”

“Well, …you see…I…”

Sunset wasn’t sure what was going on. Mia obviously wanted to say something, but she seemed to be having a hard time finding the right words. Sadly, Sunset just didn’t have the time to wait around for her to locate them. “Sorry Mia, but I gotta get to the tra—”

“THE TRAIN STATION! OF COURSE!” Mia shouted excitedly.

“Wh-what?” Sunset stammered, caught off guard by the sudden outburst.

“I’ll walk you to the station!” Mia said, at a more reasonable volume. “Just…gimmie a sec.” A quill and parchment, held aloft in a light blue aura, magically appeared in front of Mia and she began scribbling something down. “Just…let me send a quick note to my manager telling them where I’m going, and we’ll be good to go!” Mia finished writing the note, magically sent it on its way, and rushed after Sunset. “So, where were we?” she asked as the two of them began trotting toward the station.

Sunset was happy that Mia had decided to see her off. Sure, it was a bit odd walking alongside a pony that was dressed as a big blue bear, but Sunset enjoyed talking with her. There was just something about the mare that put her at ease.

“I’m really looking forward to tonight,” she told Mia as they approached their destination. “I’m going to this special exhibit in Canterlot.”

“Wait, you mean the Old Pony Nation exhibit?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, do you know anything about it?”

Mia snorted. “Sunset, I work for the Crystal Empire Department of Entertainment and Tourism. Promoting things is our job. That exclusive showing you’re attending, tonight? We arranged that as a tactic to increase tourism.”

“You did? I thought it was about catering to nobles.”

“Oh no, if anything, we’re the ones using them,” Mia laughed. “You see, ponies get curious about something when they’re told they aren’t allowed to see it. So, we hold an exclusive, one-night, invite-only showing of the new exhibit in Canterlot, then, when the museum here opens after Hearth’s Warming, BOOM! Tourism jumps fifteen percent, as ponies flock to see the exhibit they weren’t allowed to see before!”

“Ah, so that’s why the showing’s in Canterlot,” Sunset mused. “By having it there you’ll be able to draw in ponies from outside the empire. That’s pretty clever. But, what can you tell me about the exhibit itself?”

“Well, most of the artifacts were recently discovered thanks to the research of a local scholar named Sunburst. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but I was able to get a peek at the exhibit and it is spectacular! I know you’ll love it.”

Sunset was nearly prancing with excitement as she entered the station’s plaza…and froze. Standing just twenty yards away, between her and the station, was Cadance.

Sunset grabbed Mia and pulled her back behind the corner they had just rounded.

“Ow, Sunset!” Mia complained. “What’s the idea?”

Sunset shushed her and cautiously peeked back around the corner. Fortunately, Cadance was talking with Shining Armor at the information kiosk and didn’t seem to have noticed her.

Why is Cadance here? Sunset thought to herself. She knew that Cadance and Shining Armor ran the Crystal Empire. But she figured that given the early hour, the station’s location on the edge of the city, AND their responsibilities; the chances of running into either of them during this thirty-minute interval was basically nil.

“Oh, it’s Princess Cadance and Shining Armor,” observed Mia, who had joined Sunset in peeking around the corner. “They’re really nice. Would you like me to introduce you?”

With a frustrated growl, Sunset turned to Mia, placed her forehooves over the bear’s big mouth, and pushed her back. “What part of ‘shhhhh’ do you not get?” Sunset frantically hissed.

“Okay, you do realize that covering the mascot’s mouth doesn’t actually impede my ability to speak, right?” Mia quipped.

Sunset groaned. “Just be quiet!”

“I am being quiet, Sunset. I’m whispering. But I still don’t know why I’m whispering.”

Sunset gave the plaza another glance, then pushed Mia about halfway down the block.

“Okay,” Sunset said, her voice returning to a normal volume. “There’s too much to go into, but suffice it to say, I can’t go that way. We’ll have to circle around and approach the station from the other side.”

The shrill sound of the train’s whistle cut through the air, adding an extra layer of urgency to the situation.

Mia clicked her tongue. “Well, I’m sorry to break this to you Sunset, but we don’t have time for that. What’s the big deal? Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are really nice. Honestly, they’ll probably just wave as we pass by.”

“Look, I just can’t let them see me, okay?! Now shush! I need to think!” Maybe…I could try to teleport past them? The moment Sunset thought this, echoes of demonic laughter, the intoxicating feeling of power, and a boatload of guilt, flooded her mind.

Shaking her head, she began to run down her remaining options. Magic was out of the question; she didn’t have time to wait for Cadance and Shining Armor to just move on; the information kiosk’s location in front of the station would make it impossible to sneak by; there weren’t enough ponies nearby to just blend in with the crowd; she didn’t have a disgu—!

Sunset’s attention snapped to Mia. “I need your Ursa Mi costume!”

The mascot pony jumped back in surprise. “WHAT?”

“It’s perfect,” Sunset explained. “It’s one-size-fits-all, covers everything, and doesn’t seem out of place! I can walk right by Cadance and she’ll be none the wiser!”

“But…ummm… you’re not licensed to wear CEDET property! It’s illegal for you to put this on!” Mia stated, a hint of panic in her muffled voice.

Sunset rolled her eyes, almost amused by the warning. “I’m already a fugitive for treason, so what’s another misdemeanor or two?” She stood on her hind legs and grabbed hold of the mascot’s head. “Now get undressed, the train’s going to leave soon.”

“NO!” Mia’s paws shot up and gripped the head like a vice. “I…have mascot mane!”

“That’s—urgh— not a thing!” Sunset grunted as the two ponies struggled to pry the head from each other’s grasp.

“Yes—argh—it IS! My mane is super messy! I can’t let anypony see it like this, Sunset!”

“Come ON, Mia! Your mane can’t be that bad! But I can’t let Cadance see me.”

“Why?”

“Reasons!”

“Is she angry at you?”

“No!”

“Are you angry at her?”

“NO!”

“Then why don’t you want to see her Sunset? WHY!?”

“BECAUSE I DON’T DESERVE TO!” Sunset shouted.

“Wh-…WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?”

All the fight seemed to leave Sunset as she released the head and slumped down. “…We were supposed to be family, Cadance, and I. We were supposed to always be there for each other. But I turned my back on her. I walked out of her life, without even so much as a goodbye.” Sunset looked up at Mia, her eyes filled with shame. “I abandoned her…just like her parents did.”

“…Sunset, I…eh I’m sure she would forgive you.”

“Of course she would,” Sunset replied, as though it were obvious. “Cadance loves me. She’s the only pony that ever did. She’d forgive me in a heartbeat if she hasn’t already.”

“So just go over there! I’m sure she’d be ecstatic to see you again after all these years! Don’t you want to see her?”

“Of course I do,” Sunset said sadly. “I’d give anything just to be held by her one more time.”

“So—”

“But,” Sunset cut in, interrupting Mia. “I can’t. I abandoned my sister, Mia: my orphaned sister. I took the worst thing that ever happened to her and I made her go through it, again! I don’t deserve her forgiveness. I don’t deserve to be a part of her life.” Tears filled Sunset’s eyes. “I don’t deserve to call myself her sister.

“…And that,” she continued, after a brief pause. “…is why I need THIS!” With a sudden motion, Sunset grabbed the head with her hooves and tore it off the other pony’s surprised shoulders.

The world stopped.

Standing in front of Sunset, still wearing the lower half of the Ursa Mi costume, was Cadance.

The pink alicorn bit her lower lip and gave Sunset a nervous grin. “…Sooooo, on a scale of one to five, how would you rate your stay in the Crystal Empire?”

Sunset gave a small whimper and collapsed on the sidewalk.

The gentle rocking and rhythmic click-clacking of the Northwest Express slowly pulled Sunset from her comfortable slumber. As her eyes blinked open, the cabin she shared with Twilight swam into focus. She was curled up on the bench beneath her loft, and there was a warm, pink blanket draped over her.

…wait, I don’t have a pink blanket.

As Sunset sat up, she realized her error. It wasn’t a warm, pink blanket at all: it was a warm, pink wing. Before her groggy mind could make the obvious connection, a voice to her immediate left made her freeze, like a deer in the headlights.

“Do you remember the last time we were on a train together?” Cadance asked.

Sunset didn’t respond.

“It was shortly after you graduated from CSGU. Neither of us had ever seen the Mysterious South before, but it sounded like an interesting place to take a trip. So, we hopped on a train and rode it all the way down to that small coastal village at the end of the southern line. Unfortunately, a kelp farming community is about as far from interesting as you can get. That was a real letdown, wasn’t it?”

Sunset remained silent.

“We were so disappointed, that we drank the local tavern dry and stumbled into the Bone Dry Desert, looking for some kind of adventure. Of course, heading into a desert in the middle of the night, while drunk, without a map, wasn’t the best idea we could’ve come up with. But you were able to lead us from oasis to oasis with that dowsing spell of yours, so we never had to worry about water. Lucky for us, huh?”

The corners of Sunset’s mouth twitched.

“Despite how miserable that desert was, it was totally worth it when we reached the other side. I can still clearly remember the hilariously adorable expression on your face when you laid eyes on that… incredible dump of a town. Your mouth dropped open, and you stared at it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. What was its name again?”

“…Klugetown,” Sunset quietly replied, a small grin creeping its way onto her face. “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

“Pfft. That should be on the town’s welcome sign,” Cadance snorted. “While it may not have been the nicest place, it certainly was interesting. You spent the next several hours browsing seedy shops for illegal alchemy ingredients; using magic to cheat swindlers at their own rigged games; starting fights with the local toughs; and —at the end of the day— you actually stole an airship from a group of pirates and flew us back home!”

“Hey, I didn’t steal that airship,” Sunset objected, rounding on Cadance. “I just… confiscated it,” she finished sheepishly.

“’Confiscated!?’” Cadance guffawed. “Sunset, you went down to the docks, acting like a helpless and naïve pony; let yourself be captured by those pirates; then, once they took you to their ship and got it ready to set sail, you threw them all overboard!”

“…Yeah, that was a good day,” Sunset agreed, sighing happily. “Though, I would like the record to show that I waited until we were over some nice, soft sand dunes, before I made them walk the plank.”

“Noted,” Cadance chuckled. “But, do you remember the look on Captain Ironback’s face when we docked that thing at Canterlot?”

Sunset lost it. Upon arrival, the two of them had jumped off the ship, dressed horn to hoof in pirate swag, and shouted ‘AVAST!’ at Captain Ironback and his guards. In a single moment, the expression on the huge earth pony’s face went from one of grim determination to a wide-eyed glare that could only be described as ‘livid incredulity’. It had been one of the funniest things Sunset had ever seen. “I remember that!” she screamed, howling with laughter. “He was so angry when he realized it wasn’t a real pirate raid! There he was in full battle gear, with fifty guards at his back, prepared to defend the city from the evil pirate horde, only to have the two of us hop off the ship, instead!”

“I later learned that it was even worse than that!” Cadance added, with clear delight. “You see, while we were busy pulling the ship up to the docks, he was giving his troops this incredibly passionate battlefield speech about defending the homeland and how proud he was to be standing at their side. According to Shining Armor, it was very inspirational.”

As Cadance laughed, a wicked expression crossed Sunset’s face. “Shining Armor? Who’s that?” she asked, quickly looking away to hide her smirk.

Without warning, Sunset was magically jerked back into Cadance’s clutches. The alicorn’s forehooves wrapped tightly around her middle and two large pink wings encircled her, feathers facing in.

“Oh, you know who I’m talking about,” Cadance whispered dangerously in Sunset’s ear. “The guard who casts a ‘halfway decent’ shield spell.”

“Oh! You mean Gleaming Bulwa-AAAAHAHAHA!” Held securely in Cadance’s grip, Sunset could do nothing to stop the alicorn’s wings from tickling her with dozens of feathers simultaneously. “CA-CADANCE! HAHAHA WAAITAHAHAHAHI’M SORRRIIIIIEEEE!”

Cadance paused her assault to allow Sunset to catch her breath. “What’s his name?” She asked the amber pony threateningly.

Sunset gulped as she stared at the feathers, poised to resume their attack at a moment’s notice. With a sigh, she looked up at Cadance and defiantly said, “His name is Radiant Aegis-SAHAHAAHA!”

This time Cadance didn’t stop for the interrogation. “I know you know his name,” she said as the amber pony squealed hysterically.

“AHAHAHHHAOKOKITSAHASHI-SHINING ARMORHAHA” Sunset shrieked.

Cadance stopped the attack and folded her wings at her side. “See, you can do it if you try.”

Sunset was practically limp in Cadance’s grip as she struggled to catch her breath. “That…*gasp*…wasn't…*huff* …fair,” she managed to choke out.

Cadance giggled. “And who was it who told me that playing fair is for those with no imagination?”

Sunset smiled as her breathing calmed down. “How dare you use my own words against me.”

The two of them laughed and Cadance squeezed Sunset affectionately. Smiling, the unicorn leaned back into her sister’s warm embrace. For a few minutes, they just sat and enjoyed their moment together.

However, there was still something they had to address. So, Cadance let go of Sunset and turned the amber pony around to face her. “Look Sunset,” she began. “I know that you feel guilty about running away, and I can’t force you to forgive yourself if you aren’t ready. But I do need to make something absolutely clear to you.”

Sunset looked away as the tide of guilt rose inside her once more. She took a deep breath, dragged her eyes back up to meet Cadance’s, and nodded for her to continue.

“I don’t care what you’ve done, or what you’ll do in the future,” Cadance said, with a firmness in her voice that Sunset had only heard once before. “You do not get to decide that you don’t deserve to be my sister. You are my sister, Sunset; there is nothing you can do that will ever change that. I will always be your sister. And I will always love you. Because we’re family.”

“…Family?” Sunset whispered, her voice filled with both apprehension and longing.

“That’s right. We’re family, and we always will be. So take your time working through your guilt, but I am not going to lose you again: not to a mirror, not to Aunt Celestia, not even to you,” Cadance stated absolutely.

A shadow crossed Sunset’s face and she hung her head low. “Are you sure?” she hesitantly croaked out.

Cadance blinked. “Am I sure…what?”

Sunset slowly lifted her head to look at Cadance once more. “That you really want me for… f-family?” she asked, her voice cracking under the weight of the final word.

The anguish in her sister’s voice went through Cadance’s heart like a knife. “Sunset, is that even a question?” she cried out in disbelief, spreading her wings and reaching out pleadingly.

The torrent of emotions that had been building up inside Sunset finally smashed through the patchwork dam in her heart. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself forward into Cadance’s embrace and began bawling like a foal. Cadance wrapped her wings protectively around her sister, buried her face in Sunset’s fiery mane, and began to sob as well.

As the train carried the two crying ponies south, a single, wonderful thought crossed both their minds, bringing them a sense of relief, that neither had felt in nearly six years:

I have my sister back.

Hundreds of miles to the south, there was a loud knocking on an hourglass-shaped door. After a few moments, a light blue unicorn opened it and stuck her head out. She had steel-blue eyes; an hourglass cutie mark; and a two-toned mane of periwinkle and dark blue, that was slightly reminiscent of toothpaste.

Standing before her in the morning sun, was a weird mare dressed in a black bodysuit that ran head to hoof. Overtop this outfit, she wore a dark tactical vest with numerous pouches containing who-knows-what; and her head was completely obscured by a ridiculous-looking full-cover helmet with an attached pair of large green goggles. After a moment, the mare spoke in a deep, raspy, and heavily modulated voice. “Minuette, I need your help. IT has begun.”

Minuette stared blankly at the weird pony for a full minute before she burst out laughing.

“AHAHAHA! Oh my gosh! WHAT are you wearing? HAHAHA! Don’t you know it’s ten in the morning? You stick out like a sore hoof! AHAHAHA! Or-or-or, do you think it’s SO obvious, that it’s subtle? Pffft-AHAHAHA! Where did you even get that? WAIT! Did you wear that on the TRAIN!? All the way from Ponyville?! BWAHAHAHAHAH—”

*Two Minutes Later*

“—HAHA-haha-ah-ah-ah-ha-haaaa.” Minuette sighed happily as her laughing fit finally came to an end. Picking herself up off the ground, she faced the weird mare once more. “Okay, sounds like fun!”

Chapter 9 - Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to be both organized AND laid-back

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For most ponies, it had been a day just like any other. For most ponies, the trip aboard the Canterlot-bound Northwest Express was simply a way to get from point A to point B. It was comfortable and —for those who didn’t travel often— there was a certain novelty to it, but to most ponies, the trip had been neither emotionally charged, nor especially significant.

However, most ponies were not Sunset Shimmer.

“Oh! Em! Gee! You are just the cutest thing there ever was,” yelled the fire-maned mare as she lifted her niece into the air. Flurry Heart babbled happily at the praise and affection her newest aunt was heaping on her. “And just look at your gigantic wings! I bet you could carry Spike!”

Cadance giggled as Flurry Heart flared out her wings proudly. “Oh, she can carry much more than just Spike. At her Crystalling, she spent about half-an-hour flying around the castle with Pinkie Pie in tow.”

Sunset looked at Cadance with an expression of sheer disbelief. “Two things. First, REALLY!? I mean, this wingspan is incredible. But how does such a small body generate the force needed to haul a full-grown mare around? Second, what’s a Crystalling?”

When Cadance opened her mouth to reply, Flurry Heart teleported out of Sunset’s hooves with a small ‘POP!’ and reappeared on top of her head, giggling.

“…Third,” Sunset amended, looking up at her new alicorn hat. “SHE CAN TELEPORT ALREADY!?” She reached up to grab the baby, only for Flurry to vanish with another ‘POP!’ and reappear on her left.

“Come here, Flurry,” the unicorn called, reaching for her once more. Just before Sunset’s hooves reached her, Flurry vanished with a ‘POP!’, this time reappearing on Sunset’s right. The unicorn’s brow furrowed as she turned to face her niece, “Flurry, come here,” she sternly commanded. Another lunge, another ‘POP!’, and now the baby was back on top of Sunset’s head.

“Here!”, ‘POP!’, Left.

“Here!”, ‘POP!’, Right.

“Here!”, ‘POP!’, Head.
“Here!”, ‘POP!’, Left.
“Here!”, ‘POP!’, Right.

“Flurry!”, ‘POP!’, Head.

“Come!”, ‘POP!’, Left.

“Over!”, ‘POP!’, Right.

“Here!”, ‘POP!’, Head.

While Flurry’s abilities were amazing, Sunset was not about to be bested by an infant. So, she began lunging faster and faster, determined to catch the disappearing baby. But no matter how fast she lunged, Flurry would always vanish and reappear just before she got ahold of her. Soon Flurry was only appearing for a split second at a time before teleporting to the next location in the cycle and Sunset looked like she was playing a high-intensity game of whack-a-mole.

Just when Cadance was starting to wonder how long this could continue, Sunset suddenly reversed direction and Flurry Heart teleported right into her hooves.

“GOTCHA!” She yelled triumphantly as the baby shrieked with surprise. “NOW YOU MUST PAY!”

The victorious mare took a deep breath and loudly blew raspberries on Flurry’s stomach, causing her to squeal with delight.

Cadance’s heart felt like it was about to burst as she watched Sunset and Flurry play. It was more than she’d ever dared hope for. With a laugh, she reached out and pulled the two of them into a warm embrace.

Still holding Flurry, Sunset smiled and leaned back into her sister. “This is so unreal. I can’t believe you’re a mom, Cadance.”

Cadance chuckled in response. “I can’t believe you’re an aunt.”

Sunset blinked and stared off into the distance. “I’m…an aunt,” she repeated, as though she couldn’t believe it herself. She glanced down at the baby in her hooves. Flurry Heart had calmed down, folded her wings, and was now snuggled up against Sunset, looking very sleepy.

Sunset smiled and closed her eyes as they started to mist over. “You know,” she began. “All that time at the orphanage? Meeting with ponies, working to impress them, and never getting adopted? I thought it taught me something. When I came to Canterlot, I was certain that a family was something you had to earn. Even after we became sisters, I still thought that. …Even when I ran away, I still thought that. But now…now I have a niece. Just like that! And I still have you, even after all I’ve done! I just…I don’t get it. I’ve done nothing to earn either of you.”

Cadance smiled and tightened her hold on Sunset. “Believe it or not, I pretty much used to think the same thing. Honestly, it’s not all that surprising, given how we grew up. Neither of us had a family, and no pony ever seemed to want us. It’s no wonder that we felt like we had to work to prove ourselves, to ‘earn’ a family. But…a family isn’t something you earn, Sunset; it’s something you find. Like how I found Shining, like how Aunt Celestia found me, and like how we found each other.”

Sunset squeezed her eyes tighter as the pressure behind them started to increase. “I never should have left,” she croaked. “I’m so sorry, Cadance. That night, I just—”

“Shhhhh.” Cadance shushed Sunset, nuzzling her affectionately. “We’ll talk about that another time, okay? Let's not wake Flurry. For now, the only thing that matters is that you’re here.”

Still sniffling, Sunset nodded weakly.
Then, after a moment, she hesitantly leaned over and returned the nuzzle.

“I love you, Cadance.”

“I love you too, Sunset.”

It was an idyllic winter day in the city of Canterlot; one of those days where the temperature, snow, and wind were all just right. The city was abuzz with activity, as the population worked to get ready for the upcoming festivities. While still over a week away, a holiday like Hearth’s Warming takes a great deal of preparation. There were decorations to be put up; lights to be untangled; presents to be bought; dinners to be planned and plays to be rehearsed, (…though not the songs, for some reason). Unsurprisingly, the nightmarish logistics of the holiday season were responsible for more than a few meltdowns each year. Fortunately, some ponies excel at organization.

The front doors of the Pegasus Pantry slid open automatically as an azure unicorn stallion left the store. Stepping out into the chilly winter air, he made his way through the crowd and began heading down the street of the Canterlot Commercial District.

He had a short, wavy, dark-blue mane; his cutie mark was a crescent moon inside a larger crescent moon, and he had a beautiful set of warm, amber eyes. Slung across his back were two large saddlebags and he wore an off-white scarf and hat to stay warm. ‘Alright, I think I managed to get everything we need,’ he mused while trotting down the sidewalk.

As he rounded the bend, his eyes fell upon the nearby clock tower. ‘Oh-ho, and it looks like I’m ahead of schedule.’ He paused mid-step and his smile turned slightly mischievous. ‘Weeell, since I have a few minutes’ —his horn lit up with a light-blue aura— ‘I suppose there’s no harm in taking a quick inventory!’

All at once, the items in his bags shot into the air and arranged themselves before him. He excitedly pulled out a quill and a scroll that was labeled ‘Grocery List’ then set to work. One by one, each item was located, checked off, and placed back into the bags. In less than three minutes, everything had been accounted for.

With the last item stored, he paused to admire the newly re-checked checklist. While some ponies may consider this type of thing boring —or even unnecessary— he always found a certain satisfaction in making a list, and seeing it checked twice.

With a final nod, he rolled up the parchment and put it away. Enjoyable as it was, he knew that there was more to life than just grocery checklists.

He pulled out another scroll.

For example, there were checklists for the checklists!

‘Complete Grocery Checklist…check! The next checklist to do is—’

“By Celestia’s gilded hoof, Night! What have I told you about checking your lists in the middle of the sidewalk!? Get in here! You’re blocking the flow of traffic!” Night Light jumped at the shout that ripped him from the serenity of his task. With a glance around, he realized that he was creating quite the roadblock and there were a lot of ponies having trouble shuffling around him.

“Oops! Sorry folks,” he chuckled, without a hint of embarrassment. “Let me just get out of your way.” Stowing his list, Night Light made a beeline for the nearby bookstore.

The inside of said store was fairly small, only four rows wide, but the shelves were absolutely packed with books. The floor, furnishings, and ceiling were all made of a rich polished wood that gave the shop an older aesthetic style. To add to the atmosphere, a number of oil lamps hanging from the ceiling bathed the store in the flickering warmth of firelight. At the store’s front end, there was a massive display window to let in light and show off the newest featured books. The front door was located to the left of this window and to the right was the counter, behind which sat a scowling pegasus mare with a yellow coat and an auburn mane.

“Are you like this at home?” She demanded, pointing an accusatory wing at him.

“Like what?” Night Light replied, sounding genuinely curious.

“Like, do you just randomly stop in the middle of a room to check a list and force everypony to walk around you?”

Night Light laughed and shook his head with amusement. “Oh Hard Back, don’t be silly. Of course, I don’t stop in the middle of the room. Each room in the house has a set of guidelines that provide details about the use, and maintenance of that room: what cleaning the room needs, how the furniture is to be arranged, what activities can be done in the room, that sort of thing. These guides are all framed and hung in locations specifically chosen to ensure that anypony reviewing them would not be in the way of anypony else. I stop in front of those.”

Hard Back glared at Night Light and slowly narrowed her eyes. “…You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Yes, I am,” he confirmed with a good-natured laugh.

With an exasperated groan, she fell back into her chair. “How does Velvet put up with you?”

Night Light shrugged. “Vel says that she finds my organizational tendencies to be —and I quote— ‘reassuring and adorable’.”

“UGH!” Hard Back slumped forward and slammed her head onto the counter. “Just when am I going to find a pony willing to lie that hard about MY most annoying traits?”

“Have you considered dating somepony blind… and deaf… and a pathological liar?”

The pegasus angrily sat up, grabbed a small stack of books off the counter, and chucked them across the room at the unicorn!

Without missing a beat, Night Light caught the books in his magic, glanced at their titles, and whisked them away to their proper locations in the store. “One of these days, you’re going to throw a book at me and I’m not going to sort it for you,” he warned.

Hard Back raised an eyebrow, picked up another book with her wing, and hurled it directly at the unicorn’s face. Once more, Night Light caught the book and checked the title. The pegasus gave a smug grin as the book was sent zooming down one of the aisles. “Oh, I think we both know that’s not going to happen.”

“Okay, maybe not,” he admitted. “But as much as I enjoy providing you with free labor, I can’t stay today. Shining and Cadance will be arriving soon and I need to get these groceries home.”

“Hold up! That reminds me. I did have a real reason for calling you in here.” She hopped off her chair and began rummaging around beneath the counter.

“Hm? Oh! Do you have a new release for me?”

“Ya-huh.” Hard Back emerged from behind the counter with yet another book and tossed it to the unicorn.

Excitedly, Night Light caught it, checked the title, and let out a laugh. “Aha! The new Friends of Twilight Sparkle book!”

“Yep, it just came out today. I knew that you and Velvet would want one, so I set that copy aside for you. It was a good thing I did, too. They sold out in like an hour! It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the last unsold copy in the entire city.”

Night Light whistled. “I didn’t know the series has gotten that popular.”

Hard Back shrugged and moved over to the register. “It’s probably because this one is mainly about Princess Cadance. Most ponies will kill for a peek into the lives of celebrities. Makes them feel as if they know them, ya know?” Hard Back snorted and shook her head. “Honestly, I’ve always found it to be kinda pathetic.”

“Doesn’t seem to stop you from selling these books, though. Does it?” Night Light snarked as the pegasus rang up the purchase.

The mare brought a wing up to her mouth with a thoughtful expression. “Hmmm, I’m trying to remember, do I ring this book up for the cover price of 29 bits, or should I adjust for supply and demand, which would bring its price up to about… 340 bits? What do you think?”

“I think it’s inspiring that you set aside your own feelings about the content of a book, in order to provide your customers with the product they desire.”

With a smirk, Hard Back rang the book up for its cover price.

Across the city, there was a ‘hiss’ and a great cloud of steam as the Northwest Express pulled into the Canterlot Train Station, finally completing its 24-hour long circuit across a quarter of Equestria. Before the train had even come to a complete stop, half a dozen porter ponies jumped into the baggage car and began working rapidly to unload the luggage of those who were about to disembark.

Meanwhile, the conductors had the unenviable task of dealing with the far-less compliant passengers, most of whom had to be convinced to disembark, so that the new passengers could be allowed to board. However, not everypony was unprepared for the train’s on-time arrival at Canterlot.

The moment the doors slid open, Twilight Sparkle stepped off the train and onto the platform. The Canterlot stop was, by far, the busiest one on the route, and Twilight was soon lost in a sea of ponies. There were ponies waiting to board, ponies rushing off to catch a connecting train, ponies heading into the city, and annoying ponies who just stood around getting in the way. Undeterred, Twilight threw herself into the crowd and eventually made her way out of the station.

Unlike the Crystal Empire, the city of Canterlot was in full winter mode. The air was chilly, the wind was blowing, and there was a seasonally-appropriate amount of snow everywhere. Naturally, Twilight was dressed properly for such weather. On her hooves were four yellow mitts with red and white trim; cast about her neck was a similarly-styled scarf; and topping her head was a pair of red earmuffs with a golden band. According to her book, Winter Weather Wear and You, she was wearing the perfect combination of garments for a ‘mild’ to ‘moderate’ winter.

Catching movement in the corner of her eye, Twilight turned just in time to see Sunset exit the station and trot up beside her. The amber mare’s winter wardrobe was composed exclusively of a lime-green scarf that she had borrowed from Spike before they left Ponyville. While the scarf was nice, it clashed so badly with Sunset’s mane and coat that Twilight was certain just the sight of the combination would give Rarity a stroke.

Sunset, however, didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she was positively beaming. “Oh, it’s so good to be home,” she announced after taking a deep breath of air. “The towering stone architecture, the masses of ponies rushing about to who-knows-where, the smell of greasy street food! What should we do first?”

Before Twilight could respond, a third party spoke up. “Well, that’s certainly the question, isn’t it?”

Twilight and Sunset turned to see Cadance and Shining Armor escape the chaos of the station and make their way over to them with Flurry Heart in hoof.

Cadance was wearing a light-blue scarf that had yellow trim and a pair of earmuffs with the same color scheme. Shining Armor simply had a large, purple scarf wrapped around his neck. And Flurry Heart was wearing a thick, light-blue, star-shaped winter coat.

“I know you’re going to the exhibit tonight, but what else did you two have planned?” Cadance asked.

“I’m… not really sure,” Twilight admitted with a blush. “I mean, there is an errand we need to run, but as for everything else, I was planning on hammering out the details on the train ride down. But then…”

Sunset gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, things… kinda came up.”

‘Understatement of the year,’ Twilight thought, with no small amount of irritation.

Mercifully, Cadance had a suggestion. “Well, I’ve also got some errands I need to run, so how about I join you? We can spend some more time together and figure things out as we go.”

Twilight turned to Sunset, who gave a nod of approval. “That works for me.”

“In the meantime,” Shining Armor announced. “I’m going to take Flurry and head to Mom and Dad’s. That’s where we’ll be staying this weekend. And if you’d like, I can take your bags, for now, so you don’t have to haul them around. You can just swing by and pick them up later.”

The three mares gratefully took him up on his offer and handed their saddlebags over to him. Then, after a short goodbye, the group split up. Shining Armor took Flurry Heart and headed off to the residential district, while Twilight, Sunset, and Cadance made their way up the busy streets.

Chapter 10 - Shining Armor can be trusted with any secret, unless it's about a secret vault

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Twilight Sparkle hated being left out of the loop. Whether it was learning about her brother’s marriage from a wedding invitation; Discord and her friends having an awesome weekend of fun without her; or basically any of Princess Celestia’s intentionally cryptic assignments, she always hated being left out of the loop.

Now, was she upset that Sunset and Cadance were sisters? Of course not! Why would you ask that!? She was the Princess of Friendship after all! What kind of Princess of Friendship would get j-upset over something like that!

Sure, it may have been a bit…surprising to learn that Sunset and Cadance had a closer relationship with each other than Twilight had with either of them, but it’s not a contest!

…And even if it was a contest, it’s not like Twilight had been completely blown out of the water! After all, she had known Cadance since she was a foal! She was Cadance’s sister-in-law! And she alone had known that something was afoul at Cadance’s wedding!

Now...admittedly, the wedding thing had been less the result of Twilight suspecting that Cadance had been replaced by a changeling, and more the result of her thinking that her former foalsitter had somehow turned evil. Aaaand Twilight probably could have communicated her concerns about the bride-to-be in a less crazy way.

BUT BY CELESTIA, SHE HAD SAVED THAT WEDDING!

As for Sunset... well, Twilight hadn’t known Sunset nearly as long. But what their relationship lacked in longevity it made up for with quality! The two of them had loads in common! They were both students of Princess Celestia; they both loved learning, and they were both exceptionally skilled with magic.
They also got along really well! They had faced the sirens together, written to each other so often that the journal was nearly full and, of course, it had been Twilight who had turned Sunset’s life around by introducing her to the magic of friendship!

Now… it’s only fair to note that said “introduction” was administered via an uncharacteristically brutal rainbow blast to the face, which had left Sunset sobbing in a crater and significantly more injured than the Elements usually leave whomever they’re used on. Aaaand, Twilight may have then proceeded to leave Sunset’s friendship education to her human friends, instead of taking responsibility for that task herself and bringing the injured unicorn back through the magical portal to her homeland which only opened once every two and a half years. BUT COME ON! Twilight had been jammed into a hormonal teenage body that just wanted to dance with a nice, cute, slightly generic boy.

SHE WASN’T THINKING CLEARLY!

The point is, Twilight had excellent relationships with both Cadance and Sunset. And those relationships were not devalued by the fact that Sunset and Cadance were sisters.

Twilight was not ~~jeal~~ upset!

However! Twilight was annoyed. After all, this relationship had existed for years and nopony had ever thought to bring it up to her before now. Not even her BBBFF, who, apparently, had known about it the whole time and was obviously far better at keeping secrets than she had ever thought possible. EXCEPT OF COURSE WHEN IT CAME TO HER SECRET VAULT, WHICH SHE LEARNED HE HAPPILY INVITED THORAX TO VISIT! BRINGING THE GRAND TOTAL OF CREATURES WHO KNEW ABOUT SAID SECRET VAULT UP TO NINE! BUT WHO’S COUNTING!?

“Twilight?”

“Ah!”

The sound of her name, coupled with a firm poke in the flank, jerked Twilight out of her thoughts. Suddenly, she was back amongst the hustle and bustle of the Canterlot Commercial District, looking at the amused expressions of her friend and sister-in-law.

Twilight’s face burned as she realized that she must have zoned out while leading them to their first objective. ‘Uh-oh! How long have I been out? What did I miss? Did they ask me any questions? Is there any chance I can play this off?’ A single look at Sunset’s smirking face told Twilight that she had been caught red-hoofed. Sunset opened her mouth and Twilight braced for the incoming teasing.

“So, what are these errands we have to run, Twilight? You never told me what we were going to be doing.”

Twilight gave an inward sigh of relief. Either Sunset had somehow missed her spacing out or she was mercifully letting it pass. “Well, I’m glad you brought that up, Sunset. You see, we’re going t—OOF!” Twilight’s explanation was cut short when she rounded a corner and walked right into a pony who was standing at the end of a very long line. With a quick apology to the pony she had bumped into, Twilight turned her attention to the line itself, which was heading directly into Canterlot Carousel.

Twilight’s eye twitched. ‘Because, of course it is.’

“Whoa, that place sure is popular,” Sunset observed. “I guess we’re really in the holiday shopping season, huh?”

‘What now? I can’t very well say ‘Surprise Sunset, we’re standing in this line!’ No pony likes standing in a line. What if this experience sours Sunset’s feelings towards the gift? What if that feeling extends to the exhibit tonight? Sunset wouldn’t be able to enjoy herself at all because she’d be wearing a dress that her mind associates with the feeling of having to wait in a line!! What if that association even taints Sunset’s feelings towards spending time with Cadance!? UGH! What is going on!? This day has been CRAZY!!’

Twilight firmly shook her head. Ever since Cadance had boarded the train this morning with an unconscious Sunset slung across her back—giving Twilight a panic attack in the process— it had been just one thing after another from this day. Well no more! Twilight was not going to let this line ruin Sunset’s surprise, the exhibit, the holiday, or her reunion with Cadance! The young alicorn’s eyes darted up and down the street. ‘I got to think of something! Think, think, think, think, Twilight, THINK! AH-HA! I GOT IT!’

“FOOD!” she shouted, causing both Sunset and Cadance to jump.

“W-what about food?” A bewildered Sunset asked.

Twilight cleared her throat and gave a show of lightly smacking herself in the face with a hoof. “I’m terribly sorry Sunset, I completely forgot to make plans for lunch. It’s been nearly six hours since we had breakfast; you must be starving.” She threw her wing around Sunset and gave the mare an overenthusiastic smile. “How about we forget these errands for now and go get something to eat?”

‘A perfectly reasonable misdirection,’ the princess thought proudly. ‘A+ work, Twilight!’

Sunset hesitated. “Uh, it’s okay Twilight, really. I had a large and pretty much perfect Cinnamon Roll back at the Crystal Empire. So, I’m still good.”

‘No! What about my A+?’

“Uh, actually Sunset,” Cadance interjected. “I wouldn’t mind getting something to eat, myself. In all the excitement this morning I kinda missed breakfast.”

‘Yes!! Still got my A+!’

“Great!” Twilight exclaimed, taking control of the situation before something else came up. “I know the perfect place!” She turned and practically dragged them across the street.

The outer walls of the diner were a pinkish, off-white color, decorated with a number of diamonds and sparks; the windows were thin, tall, and had golden frames; the entryway was a peach-colored arch located at the front right corner of the building, and there was a large golden overhang that supported the diner’s most distinguishing feature: a massive pink donut.

“Here we are!” Twilight announced brightly as they came to a stop.

Cadance and Sunset blinked in surprise, glanced at each other, and quickly looked away. “So…Twilight,” Sunset began, keeping her voice even. “We’re eating…here?”

Twilight nodded. “That’s right. It may not look like much, but this is my favorite donut shop in all of Equestria! I used to get take-out all the time when I was Princess Celestia’s student! No matter how late I’d be up doing an assignment, this place was always open. Back then I was probably in here at least every other night.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Sunset’s mouth. “Wow, so you’re like… a regular here?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed grin. “Well, probably a step above that. You see, I came in so often that I got to know Joe pretty well and, I don't mean to brag, but I became one of his favorite customers," she proudly told them.

“I guess it pays to be friends with a princess, huh," Sunset said, giving Twilight a playful bump. "You’re really well connected.”

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, lightly pushing Sunset away. “Alright, alright, let’s go inside.”

‘This is perfect’, Twilight thought, missing the mischievous grin that spread across Sunset’s face. ‘Joe’s is just across the street from Canterlot Carousel. With a window seat, I’ll be able to keep an eye on that crazy line of ponies waiting for their fittings and take Sunset over as soon as it's gone! Game, Set, Twilight. Take that, day! What else you got?’

* BAM! *

For the second time in five minutes, Twilight found herself suddenly ripped from her thoughts as Sunset walked up to the front door and roughly kicked it open.

“JOE! I need donuts!” The unicorn bellowed, striding inside as if she owned the place. Mortified, Twilight darted in after her, calmly followed by a snickering Cadance.

The inside of the diner was packed with ponies and every single one of them had turned to stare at the crazy mare who had just entered. “Sunset!” Twilight hissed. “What’s gotten into y-!?”

*BAM! *

The sound of the kitchen door bursting open caused Twilight to nearly jump out of her wings. Spinning around, she saw a large stallion with a faded blonde coat, caramel mane, and green eyes angrily stomping towards them.

For her part, Sunset remained completely calm, even as a pair of hooves picked her up by the barrel and effortlessly hoisted her into the air as if she were light as a foal.

“SUNSET SHIMMER!?

“IS THAT YOU!?

“BACK HERE!?

“IN MY DINER!?”

Twilight began to panic as her mind took note of the precarious position her friend was in. Joe was holding Sunset so high up that her mane was nearly touching the ceiling! If he wanted, he could easily throw her through a window, or spike her into the ground, or slam her down onto a table!!

‘Okay, okay, calm down,’ Twilight told herself. ‘That’s not going to happen. Everything will be fine! I don’t know what Sunset has done to make Joe so angry, but she survived on her own in the human world for years! Sure, she can be snarky, over-confident, prone to angry outbursts, and arrogant at times, but she’s not stupid!’

“Joe,” Sunset yelled. “You would not believe what I have been through these past few years. Suffice it to say, it has been a time. So, make with the donuts!”

Twilight’s mouth dropped open with a silent scream.

“Make with the donuts? MAKE WITH THE DONUTS!? YOU DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A WORD FOR SIX YEARS, THEN WALTZ BACK IN HERE, KICK OPEN MY DOOR, SCARE MY CUSTOMERS, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS ‘MAKE WITH THE DONUTS’!?”

‘Sunset! Apologize!’

“I want coffee, also!”

Twilight felt her heart stop.

Joe’s eyes widened as he gave Sunset an incredulous glare. To Twilight’s terror, he clenched his jaw and began shaking with barely contained rage. ‘I’ve to do something,’ Twilight panicked, upon realizing that Sunset had clearly lost all sense of self-preservation. However, before she could act to defuse the situation, Joe exploded.

“PAH-HA-HA-HA! YEAH, THAT’S YOU ALRIGHT!” All traces of anger vanished from the baker’s face as he roared with laughter. “Okay, come on you little brat. Let’s see if we can’t scrounge something up for ya.” Joe put Sunset down and beckoned her back towards the kitchen. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve made some changes since the last time you were in and I think you’ll like ‘em.”

“Changes?” Sunset tilted her head and trotted after him. “Wait! Are you telling me that you finally got rid of that old relic?”

“Hey! There was nothing wrong with the ‘ol CS-850!”

“Joe! That oven was literally over a hundred years old. It couldn’t even regulate its own temperature.”

“I see you still got no respect for the classics. Well, you will be delighted to hear it finally did give up the ghost last year. So, I went ahead and got something a bit more modern.”

Sunset scoffed. “Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.”

They entered the kitchen and the door swung shut behind them. Leaving most of the ponies in the diner, frozen in place, still completely unsure about what just happened. Even Twilight's mind could only muster two words.

‘…what even?’

With titanic effort, Twilight shook off the shock and turned her head to look at Cadance. But instead of seeing a bewildered expression, her sister-in-law was averting her gaze, had her hoof pressed firmly against her mouth, and was shaking like a maraca.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was not so amused. With a dark scowl, she turned away from Cadance and stomped back towards the kitchen.

“This is modern to you?” Sunset asked, gesturing at the large, iron device that took up most of the room. “Joe, this oven is seventy-five years old!”

“I believe I said, ‘more modern’,” the stallion clarified. “Besides, you’re missing the point, as always. Behold!” He gestured grandly to a small dial on the side of the oven. “This baby has a thermostat.”

Sunset leaned in, looking unimpressed. “Joe,” she deadpanned, “this ‘thermostat’ only has three settings: low, medium, and high.”

“Yeah? That’s three more settings than the 850 had.”

Sunset shot the baker a glare. “How are you supposed to cook with any consistency when you only have relative terms to go by!? You need an oven that can tell you the actual temperature…with numbers!”

Joe just shook his head. “Tch, that is something you never understood. Baking is more art than science. You don’t use numbers; you feel each dish with your gut.”

“Oh, I’m sure lots of ponies are going to be feeling your donuts with their guts if you keep using this thing.”

The two of them continued their bickering, completely oblivious to the irritated princess standing in the doorway, whose patience for being left out of the loop had finally reached its breaking point.

“SUNSET! JUST HOW MANY PONIES DO YOU KNOW!?”

Chapter 11 - Joe's diner prides itself on the strength of its flame wards

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It was a bright and sunny day in the city of Canterlot, and two ponies were sitting in a diner enjoying the finest donuts in all the land.

“Mmm! This coffee is good, but these donuts are something else,” a light-green pegasus mare told her companion.

Across the table, a pink earth pony stallion with a white mane nodded emphatically. “See, Ocean Rain? I told you this diner has the best donuts in the city!”

The pegasus chuckled. “Best in the city, Gum Drop? On no. I’ve traveled all across Equestria and beyond. I can tell you that these are the greatest donuts on the continent!”

The two ponies stared fondly at the plate between them. Sitting atop it, was the most beautiful assortment of donuts imaginable. Each one was a perfect balance of frosting and sprinkles; they were made of dough that was neither too firm nor too soft, and they had a taste that simply could not be described by mortal words. After a moment of admiration, the ponies went back to eating, unaware that their dining experience was about to come to a bitter and brutal end.

Just as the mare bit into another perfect pastry, a spider fell from the ceiling and landed on the donut, right in front of her snout. Her eyes flew open. “SPIDER,” she yelped as she shot into the air.

The stallion moved to assist his friend, but a second spider dropped down on top of his head. “SPIDER!” He flailed about and fell backward out of his chair. Terrified, the two ponies bolted for the door. In their rush to escape the apparent rain of spiders, they thoughtlessly abandoned a plate of confectionary wonders so delicious, that Princess Celestia herself had named them one of Equestria’s national treasures.

The loud retreat made by the two ponies caused quite a commotion among the other diners. However, after a minute of checking their booths, tables, chairs, and manes for spiders —and finding none because there are no spiders in such a pristine establishment— the stalwart citizens of Equestria did what they do best; they carried on with their lives.

They continued chatting, laughing, and enjoying donuts so grand, that an Equestrian diplomat had once used them to broker a peace treaty between two warring nations. Soon, even the supposed spider-infested table had been occupied by a new group of ponies. Though they did have to clean up after the table’s former occupants, who had inconsiderately left behind two half-filled coffee cups and an empty platter.

Unbeknownst to them all, a great crime had been committed.

In the alley behind the diner, a small filly sat down and started digging through her saddlebags. With a smile of evil triumph, she pulled out one of her ill-gotten goods, a donut so beautiful that it even lit up the dank back alley she hid in.

“That donut wasn’t for you.”

The filly jumped nearly three times her height and spun around to meet the stern, but fair gaze of a rugged, yet sophisticated stallion.

Embarrassed at being caught unaware, the headstrong filly quickly went on the offensive. “What!? You’re saying it would be better in the trash? Those ponies just left it! If they wanted it, they would’ve taken it with them. Don’t blame me just because ponies don’t want to take your two-bit donuts to-go!”

The filly’s words were harsh and meant to incense. However, the stallion’s eyes gleamed with a wisdom beyond his years and he remained calm. The dirty little-street urchin’s heretical ramblings had no effect on him. As he looked her over, he realized that she was on a bad path. Fortunately, her salvation was already in her hoof.

“Go ahead,” he instructed.

“What?”

“The donut. Eat it.”

The little unicorn kept her suspicious gaze locked on the stallion as she raised the donut to her mouth and took a bite. Instantly, a tsunami of feelings swelled within her. Joy, hope, relief and regret. That donut was the single greatest thing she had ever eaten, and it fed her starved spirit just as it did her belly. The darkness in the young one’s heart lifted and in the light of day, the little filly saw the error of her ways. The pure goodness of a donut fit for a god had healed her soul.

She broke down and wept.

“Ok-ay, Joe. That’s enough!”

Back in reality, a group of four ponies were seated in a booth by the window of a diner. Two of them were doing their best to stop from giggling, and the other two were staring across the table at each other.

“What?” Joe asked, giving Sunset an amused shrug. “Princess Twilight wanted to know how we met. That’s how we met. Are you saying that’s not what happened? Are you saying that you did not—on multiple occasions— use fake spiders to scare my customers away before they finished eating so that you could help yourself to their donuts?”

“…No, that happened. But—"

“Are you saying that I did not catch you in the alley behind this very diner?”

Sunset sighed. “No, you did, b—"

“THEN, are you claiming that I did not start giving you donuts each day so that you’d stop stealing them?”

“That wasn’t stealing; that was salvaging!”

“It’s not salvaging when you are the one who tricks somepony into abandoning their food,” Joe countered.

Sunset opened her mouth.

“It’s also not confiscation if the ponies weren’t criminals,” Cadance interjected.

Sunset shut her mouth.

Twilight gave Cadance a questioning look. “Confiscation?”

“I’ll tell you another time.”

“So, what’s the problem, then?” Joe asked the amber mare.

“Well, aside from how much time you spent talking up your donuts, I don’t recall our confrontation in the alley being nearly that serene.”

In the alley behind the diner, a small filly sat down and started digging through her saddlebags. With a grin, she pulled out one of her salvaged goods, a donut that was decent-looking, but not some heaven-sent miracle. As she was about to take a bite, a large burlap sack came down on her.

“GOTCHA!” Joe yelled triumphantly as he tied off the bag.

“HEY! Let me go you jerk!” The filly started to yell and kick wildly, but Joe held the bag in his magic a good distance away from himself.

“Donut thieves don’t get let go,” he replied, hauling her back inside the diner.

“Thief? What kind of moron are you? Those ponies left these donuts behind of their own accord! You should be thanking me for cleaning up after them!”

“Oh yes,” Joe said dryly, “thank you sooooo much for scaring my customers off. Do you know that because of your stupid stunts there’s a rumor going around that my diner is infested with spiders!”

“HA! Serves you right for picking on a kid!”

“I’m not the bad guy here you little brat! Now you’re going to start talking or you’re staying in that bag while I get the guards.” Joe dropped the bag onto the backroom floor.

“YOU’RE NOT THE BAD GUY HERE!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? YOU PUT ME IN A BAG LIKE SOME KIND OF FOAL NAPPER! NOW LET ME OUT OF THIS THING! I CAN’T BREATH!”

“You’re shouting an awful lot for a pony that can’t breathe. Also, that’s a burlap sack I had left over from a recent shipment of oats, it’s hardly airtight.”

“IF YOU DON’T LET ME OUT OF HERE, I WILL BURN YOUR TWO-BIT PASTRY SHOP TO THE GROUND!”

“Please, you couldn’t burn your way out of… well… a burlap sack,” Joe quipped, chuckling at the aptness of his observation.

The filly inside the bag ceased struggling and gave a loud, drawn-out groan. “That was terrible, and you should feel bad.”

“From there we started talking and Joe offered to give me a few donuts each day so long as I agreed to stop scaring off his customers.”

Twilight gave Joe an approving smile. “That was a really nice thing to do, Joe.”

The baker waved the compliment away. “Nah, it wasn’t much. I could tell she wasn’t a bad kid, so I really didn’t want to turn her over to the guards. I figured that if all she wanted was a few donuts, well, I could spare that.”

Soon, Joe had to get back to work but before heading off, he brought them something to eat. “Here you are ladies,” he announced, “the full spread!” A large platter with a wide assortment of donuts was placed on the table between them, along with some drinks. “I’ve included all of your favorites and a few of my newest creations. Just holler if you need anything else.”

After thanking him, the mares turned their attention toward the mountain of donuts sitting before them. Sunset gave a low whistle. “Joe must have been busy these past few years. I don’t recognize half of these.”

“The menu’s expanded a lot,” Cadance told her. “Try this one.” She floated a twisted red and yellow donut over to Sunset, who took it in her hoof and bit into it. Something halfway between a cough and a laugh erupted from her mouth.

“Is that…coffee-flavored filling?”

Cadance nodded. “That’s right. He said that one was inspired by you: fire on the outside, coffee on the inside, with a very thin layer of sweetness in between.”

Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t drink that much coffee.”

Cadance coughed and gestured to an old sign above the counter.

Joe’s reserves the right to cut off any patron after 16 cups of coffee:
regardless of excuses, sass, threats of arson, or general surliness.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “That sign is intentionally misleading.”

“Sunset, you’ve done all of those,” Cadance deadpanned.

Twilight snorted into her coffee. “Sunset, that sign is about you!? I always thought it was a joke!”

“It IS a joke,” Sunset insisted.

“Refills?” The mares looked up to see Joe standing beside the booth with several pots of coffee held in his magic. Twilight and Sunset both took a refill, but Cadance declined. Before Joe turned to leave, he looked back at Sunset. “By the way Sunset, I’m a little busy right now, so when you need a refill just help yourself to the green-handled pot behind the counter.”

Sunset nodded. “Thanks, Joe.”

“But only the green-handled pot,” he added firmly. “It has your usual allotment already measured out, minus what I’ve already given you.”

Sunset gave a stronger nod. “Yes, Joe! I understand! Only the green-handled pot! Thank you, good-bye!”

Satisfied, Joe walked off to distribute more refills.

Sunset stared deeply into her coffee cup, not daring to look up at the judgmental eyes she felt drilling into her.

“A joke, huh?”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” the unicorn shouted with a forced chuckle, “let’s talk about something else!”

Twilight’s teasing smirk, turned into a thoughtful expression. “Actually, now that we have a moment, I would like to know how the two of you are sisters. I mean, Cadance, I’ve known you for years! How has it never come up that you had a sister?”

“Hmmm,” Cadance pondered as she finished her donut. “Well let’s see, how much did Shining Armor tell you on the train?”

Twilight groaned and put her face in her hooves.

-Hours Earlier-

The inane chatter of the passenger car, mixed perfectly with the rhythmic click-clacking of the Canterlot-bound Northwest Express to create a comfortable ambient background noise that was perfect for resting, reading, or discussion. That suited Twilight just fine. She had questions. And questions demanded answers.

“How long, BBBFF?” She calmly asked the stallion seated across from her. Despite the pleasantness of the surroundings, most ponies would wither under the cold, interrogatory stare that the Princess of Friendship leveled at her brother.

Of course, Shining Armor was not most ponies.

“How long what T-Twily?” He asked, his voice catching in his throat near the end of the question.

Twilight arched an eyebrow and opened her mouth to reply. However, before she could even get a word out, Shining Armor snorted and clapped a hoof firmly over his mouth. ‘Is he…laughing,’ Twilight thought incredulously. ‘Just what does he find so funny about all this?’

Still trying not to laugh, the stallion’s eyes quickly jumped between his sister and the baby alicorn she held. Following his gaze down, Twilight looked at her niece and bit back a laugh of her own. For some reason, the baby was perfectly mimicking Twilight’s intense scowl. Of course, on such an adorable little face the otherwise intimidating expression looked hilarious. Collecting herself, Twilight lifted Flurry Heart up to face her. For a moment they stared at each other with matching scowls. “You shouldn’t make a face like that bug; it’ll stick that way,” Twilight warned. The baby returned only a lidded stare, utterly unmoved. “LIKE THIS,” she shouted, sticking out her tongue, puffing out her cheeks, and crossing her eyes. The baby’s scowl shattered as she started to laugh.

With Flurry Heart back to her normal happy self, Twilight returned her attention to Shining Armor. However, her expression was now far less severe. “How long have you known that Sunset and Cadance were sisters?”

Shining Armor smirked and brought a hoof up to his mouth. “Well, let’s see. I was part of the royal guard and both of them did live in the castle, so I’d say… the entire time?”

“And you never thought to bring this up?”

Shining Armor gave Twilight an apologetic smile. “Well, Twily, don’t take this the wrong way, but it really wasn’t your business.”

Twilight’s eyebrows shot up. “Not my business!? When Sunset took my crown, I had to follow her through the mirror to get it back! Don’t you think a little background on whom I was dealing with would’ve been helpful?”

“Alright,” Shining Armor allowed, “hypothetically, let’s say that we told you that Sunset Shimmer is not only Princess Celestia’s former student, but also Cadance’s long-lost sister. How does that knowledge help you deal with her?”

“Well…I could’ve… brought up how much Cadance misses her?”

Shining Armor gave Twilight a skeptical look. “At the time, it had been about five years since Cadance had last seen Sunset, and none of us knew what state of mind she was in. Do you really think that a bit of name dropping, from you, was going to do anything helpful?”

Twilight’s brow furrowed as she thought back to how things had played out the night of the Fall Formal. Sunset had attempted to get her to hand over the crown by threatening to smash the portal, Twilight called her bluff, and the amber teen…backed down. For a moment, it seemed as though everything was going to resolve itself peacefully. But when the Rainbooms gathered around Twilight and started praising her, Sunset snapped and took the crown by force.

“No, you’re right,” Twilight conceded. “I think what really pushed Sunset over the edge that night was that she felt…inadequate. She already believed I had taken what should’ve been hers by becoming a princess. If anything, bringing up my relationship with Cadance would’ve only enraged her further.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Aside from Cadance, I don’t think that anypony would’ve been capable of talking Sunset down in that situation.”

“But that brings up another question: why didn’t Cadance just go through the mirror herself? Wouldn’t she have been much better equipped to deal with Sunset than me? And how are they sisters, anyway? Cadance always told me that she grew up in a small village on her own. Also… what was the mirror even doing in the Crystal Empire? Obviously, it’s not from there since Sunset fled through it several years before the empire returned.”

Shining Armor held up a hoof before Twilight’s line of thought could snowball into an avalanche of questions. “Look Twily, I get how this is a pretty big shock, and I know you have lots of questions. And…if I’m being honest, I probably could answer most of them. But a lot of this is really personal stuff; it’s just not my place to tell you. So, I’m sorry but, if you want to know more about Sunset and Cadance, you’ll have to ask one of them.”

Twilight’s face twisted up in annoyance. “UGH! Fiiiiine,” she groaned. “I’ll ask them about it later. But for now, there is something that we need to discuss.”

“Oh?” Shining Armor cocked his head curiously.

Twilight’s horn glowed, and a pink, translucent bubble appeared around their booth. All at once, the ambient noise of the train and other passengers vanished. Twilight covered Flurry Heart’s ears and leaned forward.

“Just how many ponies have you told about my secret vault?”

“Much less than he could have,” Twilight finally responded, lifting her head out of her hooves. “Really, all he did was tell me that the two of you are sisters and that he’d always known that. That’s pretty much it.”

Cadance nodded. “Well to start things off, Sunset and I aren’t biological siblings. In fact, we didn’t even meet until after I came to Canterlot.”

‘Ah, so that’s why Sunset never came up whenever Cadance told me about growing up in her old village,’ Twilight thought to herself.

Cadance looked at Sunset. “Do you want to tell her about how we became sisters, or should I?”

Sunset just smiled and motioned for Cadance to continue. “Go ahead, you tell it better than I do.”

Cadance smiled and turned back to Twilight, who was setting out a few quills, some vials of ink, and a roll of parchment on her side of the table. In the blink of an eye, Twilight had finished setting up and was poised to take notes. Cadance stifled a giggle and didn't even bother to wonder where these supplies had come from. “Okay, so, I had been living in Canterlot for just over two weeks and there was something important that I needed to discuss with Sunset…”

Cadance then proceeded to tell Twilight about the day Sunset became her sister: how she had sought Sunset out in order to learn why she had antagonized her so much; how the unicorn had opened up about her abandonment, years in the orphanage, and massive insecurities; how Cadance had reciprocated by telling Sunset about her abandonment and what it was like growing up in a village where she was cared for but never loved; Sunset’s rage on her behalf, and Cadance’s final realization that she and Sunset understood each other and both desperately wanted the exact same thing, a family.

As Cadance finished, Twilight’s quill came to a stop over the tear-stained parchment. Wordlessly, she stared at them.

“Uh…Twilight?”

* POP! *

“That was beautiful,” Twilight sobbed teleporting herself between Cadance and Sunset in an attempt to hug them both. “I’m sorry for getting so j…upset, about all this! I’m a terrible friend! You two needed each other; and I’m so, so, so, so, so glad you became sisters! Thank you for sharing this with me! You’re two of the most important ponies in my life and finding out that there was such a huge part of your lives I didn’t know anything about was driving me crazy!” After finishing her tearful rant, Twilight relaxed, as though all the weight of the world had been lifted off her. Sunset and Cadance comforted her until the purple pony calmed down and teleported back to her side of the table.

“So, Twilight, any follow-up questions?” Cadance asked.

Hearing the words ‘follow-up questions’ sent Twilight right back into note-taking mode. She sat up straight and began looking everything over. “Actually, I do have one. You referenced a lot of things that occurred during your first two weeks at Canterlot, but you never really got into it. Just what happened during that time!?”

Sunset gave Twilight a deadpan stare. “Really Twilight? We have a decade—Ten Years— of awesome, feel-good, sisterly stories…and you want to hear about the two weeks that I spent making Cadance’s life miserable?”

“It just seems like a lot of important things occurred during that time. Like, how did you save Cadance’s life? What kind of trouble was she in? Why did you risk your life for a pony you basically hated? And just who in Tartarus is Tarnished Knife?”

“Trust me Twilight, it’s really not that interesting,” Sunset assured her. “It’s just two weeks of political intrigue, bullying, drama, comedic relief, destruction of property, a chase sequence, historically accurate references, and a literal downfall. Nothing worth writing home about.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “You intentionally made that sound interesting! …And I think you mean a figurative downfall.”

Sunset looked up in thought for half a second. “Nope, it’s a literal downfall. Moving on.”

Twilight turned pleadingly to her sister-in-law. “Cadance!”

Cadance shrugged. “She’s not lying, Twilight. The downfall was a literal one.”

Twilight groaned as the sisters laughed.

A few minutes later, the trio was leaning back in their seats with an empty platter sitting on the table between them. “Ahh, that was so good,” Cadance sighed after finishing off the last donut. “I really needed this after missing breakfast. Of course, now I don’t want to do anything but take a nap.”

“That reminds me, what are the errands we need to run,” Sunset lazily asked Twilight.

The princess’s eyes went wide. She had been having such a good time that she had completely forgotten about Sunset’s fitting! She shot a glance out the window. Just how long had the line for Canterlot Carousel been gone!?

Twilight excitedly leaped out of her seat and threw on her mitts, scarf, and earmuffs. “Actually, the first thing we need to do is just down the street! Let’s go Sunset! I have a surprise for you!” Sunset was certainly surprised when she was picked up by Twilight’s magic and hauled out of the comfortable booth.

“Oh not this, again,” Sunset shouted, frantically chugging her coffee and snatching the scarf she had borrowed from Spike

Frozen Hearth

by Enza Ren

Prologue - Home for the Holidays

Chapter 1- Burger Princess prides itself on the durability of its tables

Chapter 2 - The Tree of Harmony gets all its ideas from Disney movies

Chapter 3 - 'Friendship' is not a secure combination

Chapter 4 - Twilight Sparkle is Equestria's Top Authority on Chalk

Chapter 5 - The Equestrian Department of Transportation would like to remind everypony it is dangerous to board a train in motion, BY ANY MEANS!

Chapter 6 - If you don't have to travel to a far-off jungle for a good cure, it's not a good cure.

Chapter 7 - Sunset Shimmer is responsible for 95% of the rumors about Celestia

Chapter 8 - Stealing is wrong...unless it's from pirates

Chapter 9 - Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to be both organized AND laid-back

Chapter 10 - Shining Armor can be trusted with any secret, unless it's about a secret vault

Chapter 11 - Joe's diner prides itself on the strength of its flame wards